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Pollution

All articles tagged with #pollution

Texas AI Data Center Boom Creates a Hidden Diesel Grid and Soaring Emissions
environment2 hours ago

Texas AI Data Center Boom Creates a Hidden Diesel Grid and Soaring Emissions

The article reports a rapid expansion of fossil-fuel–powered AI data centers—especially in Texas—that is creating a hidden “shadow grid” of onsite gas plants and thousands of backup diesel generators, driving significant pollution as operators exploit loopholes to obtain permits. Scientists warn AI growth could push CO2 emissions to 24–44 million metric tons by 2030, comparable to millions of cars, while residents have limited ability to block expansion once permits are issued.

via Futurism|
#climate-change#data-centers#environment
UK River Cleanup Turns Legal Quagmire as Volunteer Faces Prison
environment19 days ago

UK River Cleanup Turns Legal Quagmire as Volunteer Faces Prison

A UK environmental volunteer group, River Roding Trust, dredged 200 bags of debris from Alders Brook near London in ten days. The Environment Agency is investigating alleged unpermitted works and waste offences, potentially carrying up to two years in prison, a move the cleanup organizer says is disproportionate to his efforts and to ongoing pollution elsewhere. He notes the cleaned stretch is already showing wildlife recovery, despite years of inaction by authorities.

via Futurism|
#environment#permits#pollution
DOJ seeks dismissal of pollution lawsuit against xAI on national-security grounds
politics23 days ago

DOJ seeks dismissal of pollution lawsuit against xAI on national-security grounds

The U.S. Justice Department urged a federal court to throw out the NAACP‑filed pollution lawsuit against Elon Musk’s xAI, arguing national-security concerns and potential harm to energy and AI innovation. The suit accuses xAI of operating gas turbines near homes and a school in Southaven, Mississippi, to power its Colossus 2 data center in nearby Memphis without proper air permits. Legal experts warn the DOJ’s intervention could undermine citizen-suit protections that allow communities to hold polluters accountable, with broader implications for environmental enforcement.

via CNN|
#clean-air-act#doj#naacp
Closing the Gap on Trash: How Better Waste Management Reduces Global Pollution
environment1 month ago

Closing the Gap on Trash: How Better Waste Management Reduces Global Pollution

In many low- and middle-income countries, waste collection is incomplete—less than half of household waste is collected in some places, and when it is collected, a large share (often over 80%) ends up in open dumps or is burned, causing pollution. Improving basic waste management presents a major opportunity to reduce environmental and air pollution and curb plastic leakage.

via Our World in Data|
#air-pollution#environment#low-and-middle-income-countries
Biology not driving fertility decline; economy and smartphones blamed
science2 months ago

Biology not driving fertility decline; economy and smartphones blamed

A Science piece argues that biological infertility is unlikely to explain the global fertility decline, noting a meta-analysis showing US sperm counts have risen and time-to-pregnancy has remained stable. The downturn since 2007–2010 is more plausibly tied to economic conditions and increased smartphone use affecting coupling, rather than toxins or climate harms.

via The Guardian|
#fertility#infertility#pollution
Salmon Exposed to Cocaine Swim Farther, Signaling Environmental Drug Pollution
environment2 months ago

Salmon Exposed to Cocaine Swim Farther, Signaling Environmental Drug Pollution

A study of 105 wild Atlantic salmon in Sweden’s Lake Vattern found fish exposed to cocaine and its metabolite benzoylecgonine swam about 1.9 times farther per week than unexposed fish, with the metabolite exposure adding roughly 7.6 extra miles — highlighting how pharmaceuticals in waterways are altering wildlife behavior and underscoring the need for improved wastewater treatment and monitoring, with related notes on sharks also ingesting drugs in other regions.

via CBS News|
#cocaine#environment#pollution
Wild Salmon Take a Longer Swim: Cocaine Metabolite Drives Greater Dispersal
science2 months ago

Wild Salmon Take a Longer Swim: Cocaine Metabolite Drives Greater Dispersal

A multi-institution study exposed 105 juvenile Atlantic salmon in Sweden to cocaine or its metabolite benzoylecgonine and tracked their movement. Surprisingly, the metabolite had the strongest effect, with exposed fish swimming up to 1.9 times farther and ending up about 20 miles from release, suggesting cocaine pollution can alter wild fish behavior and ecosystem dynamics. The findings highlight that metabolites—often more prevalent in waterways—should be considered in risk assessments, and future work will assess how widespread these effects are and whether they impact survival and reproduction.

via WIRED|
#cocaine#metabolites#pollution
Cocaine in wastewater nudges salmon to roam farther, study finds
environment2 months ago

Cocaine in wastewater nudges salmon to roam farther, study finds

A Current Biology study in Sweden’s Lake Vättern found environmentally relevant levels of cocaine and its main metabolite benzoylecgonine in wastewater cause juvenile Atlantic salmon to swim up to 1.9 times farther per week and disperse up to about 12 km, with the metabolite sometimes having a stronger effect than the drug itself, highlighting that low concentrations of drug residues in waterways can alter wildlife behavior and potentially disrupt ecosystems.

via The Conversation|
#benzoylecgonine#cocaine#environment
Cocaine pollution may push salmon to roam farther, study finds
science2 months ago

Cocaine pollution may push salmon to roam farther, study finds

A two-month study in Lake Vättern found juvenile Atlantic salmon exposed to cocaine or its main metabolite benzoylecgonine swam longer distances and moved farther north than unexposed controls, with the metabolite causing the larger change. The results suggest drug pollution in rivers and lakes could alter salmon behavior and survival, highlighting the need for better wastewater management and greener medicines to reduce environmental risk.

via The Guardian|
#biodiversity#cocaine#pollution
Turning Night Into Day: The Light-Pollution Satellite Debate
environment4 months ago

Turning Night Into Day: The Light-Pollution Satellite Debate

Columnist Dana Milbank questions FCC proposals to use giant mirrors to bathe cities in sunlight and SpaceX’s plan for a million satellites as data centers, arguing such efforts could turn night into day and raise broad environmental, ethical, and scientific concerns, from light pollution and impacts on astronomy to energy use and climate implications.

via The Washington Post|
#astronomy#climate-change#environment