All articles tagged with #environment
The piece argues that dust storms—historically deadly 'Dust Bowl' events—are returning to the US as hotter, drier conditions and waning vegetation lift dust into the sky, with health risks ranging from dust pneumonia to Valley Fever; it cites 2025 events in El Paso and New Mexico and warns that climate change could make such 'deathstorms' more frequent and costly unless mitigation and forecasting improve.
A Northern Arizona University-led study comparing Climate TRACE’s onroad vehicle CO2 estimates with the Vulcan dataset found Climate TRACE undercounts urban emissions by about 70% on average across 260 U.S. cities, with some cities undercounted by over 90%. The results raise concerns about the accuracy of AI-derived climate data and underscore the need for guardrails, transparency, and cross-validation to inform policy decisions.
After a record-warm, exceptionally dry winter, the Desert and Mountain West are tightening water use with towns like Kearny, AZ warning of July shortages and farmers in Colorado uprooting trees to conserve limited irrigation, as cities impose uneven restrictions across the West.
Leaked internal BHP documents reviewed by the Guardian and ABC’s Four Corners show the world’s biggest miner has slowed or shelved major decarbonisation efforts in Western Australia’s Pilbara, including canceling a 50MW solar farm and 20MW battery at Jimblebar and delaying a nearly 500MW renewables project, with funding pushed to 2031 or later and options floated to postpone electrifying trucks and rail to 2035–2040 or take no action. Despite public commitments to reduce emissions, the company cites technology readiness as the constraint while facing shareholder pressure and criticism from climate groups urging faster action.
Argentine researchers found bacteria from a wetlands site never sprayed with glyphosate still developed tolerance to the weedkiller, and hospital drug-resistant strains survived high doses of glyphosate in tests. Genetic analysis linked the wetlands bacteria to hospital pathogens, suggesting glyphosate exposure and runoff could help spread resistance genes between farms and clinics, raising regulators’ and wastewater managers’ attention to pesticide testing for antibiotic-resistance side effects.
Global sea levels are rising at an accelerating pace driven mainly by warming oceans expanding water, with glaciers and ice sheets contributing increasingly; improved satellite and tide-gauge measurements close a long-standing discrepancy between observations and known causes, and scientists warn sea levels will keep rising for centuries due to climate inertia.
A recent research paper warns that a massive, real-world geoengineering experiment to alter Earth's climate may be underway, highlighting governance gaps, potential risks, and an urgent call for transparency and international oversight.
About 40,000 residents in six Orange County cities were ordered to evacuate as a tank containing up to 7,000 gallons of methyl methacrylate at GKN Aerospace in Garden Grove threatened to rupture or explode; firefighters cooled the tank to buy time while hazmat crews prepared to neutralize vapors, and several schools were closed.
A Gallup poll shows Americans broadly oppose the rapid spread of AI data centers, with women expressing stronger opposition than men (55% of women strongly oppose versus 43% of men). Concerns cited include environmental impacts (water use, pollution) and higher utility bills, especially in low-income communities of color. Across the U.S., women—mothers and activists—are spearheading opposition efforts, influencing local campaigns and drawing bipartisan political attention to the issue.
Scientists shined ultraviolet light on cassowaries and discovered that the casque on these birds glows green-blue, with southern and northern cassowaries showing strong, species-specific fluorescence patterns while dwarf cassowaries show little glow. While not yet proven as a social signal, the glow could help with species or individual recognition and offers a modern cue for studying extinct dinosaurs; the study examined 95 birds and preserved specimens, and researchers aim to test the cue’s relevance under natural rainforest light in future work.
A dead humpback whale named Timmy, found off Anholt in Denmark, is at risk of exploding as gases build up during decomposition. Danish authorities and the coastal rescue service plan to tow the carcass into deeper waters and away from shore, a dangerous operation that could prevent a rupture near the coast; the whale is slated for a post-mortem in Grenaa after the recovery move.
In Penang, the Langur Project Penang built Numi’s Crossing, a canopy bridge made from old fire hoses, to help eight dusky langurs cross a busy road in Taman Concord and access more habitat, reducing conflicts with residents as people shift toward coexistence; the effort relies on citizen scientists, education, and local support, and officials are studying wider use of canopy bridges.
Satellite data show Taftan, a remote volcano in southeastern Iran, has risen about 9 cm in 10 months, signaling pressure buildup near the summit in a shallow hydrothermal/magmatic system. The uplift, centered near the summit, likely reflects gas and fluids moving through cracks rather than magma reaching the surface, so eruption is not imminent but ongoing monitoring is essential. Authorities should track gas emissions, install a basic seismic/GPS network, and update hazard maps while satellites continue to monitor.
Beavers reintroduced to West London in 2023 dammed a creek to create wetlands that absorb heavy rainfall, reducing flooding at Greenford Tube and boosting urban biodiversity; part of Britain’s broader beaver reintroduction effort to restore wetlands and adapt to a wetter climate, a trend that also meets some farmer concerns over land and water management, with licensing and relocation helping manage conflicts.
California is already contending with multiple large wildfires in May as hot, windy conditions heighten risk statewide; the Santa Rosa Island Fire in Channel Islands National Park has burned about 16,600 acres and threatens a rare Torrey pine grove, though early assessments suggest the stand remains intact; the Sandy Fire near Simi Valley has scorched around 1,400 acres and is only 5% contained, while the River Fire in Kern County has burned more than 3,500 acres and is 15% contained. About 41,000 acres have burned this season, well above the five-year average of 23,380, signaling a potentially severe year ahead. Record warmth has gutted snowpack—the Sierra Nevada is at about 9% of its normal level—underscoring climate-change as a driver of longer, more intense fires.