Our Neighborhood Earth - Environmental Impact

Our Neighborhood

Earth

Keeping It Green

(There's No Planet B)

Atmospheric CO2 Levels

(Monthly Averages)

Mar. 24, 2026: 431.9 ppm
10 years ago: 396 ppm
Pre-industrial base: 280
Safe level: 350 ppm

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

Page Updated:
April 30, 2026

US Emissions by Sector Chart

Where is all that CO2 coming from? This graph breaks it down by economic sector.
Greenest U.S. Cities
Safe Water in Pictures
U.S. WEA Grassroots Accelerator
Safer Habitats

Environmental Impact News - Within the Past Month (Latest Dates First)
• Trump Fires All 22 Independent Board Members of National Science Foundation The 22 Members of the Board Were Informed in an Email On Friday That They Had Been “Terminated, Effective Immediately” {EARTH.ORG} Apr. 30, 2026 -The Trump administration has fired all board members of the National Science Foundation (NSF) without providing an explanation for the decision. All 22 members, who are appointed by the US president and serve staggered six-year terms, received an email from the Presidential Personnel Office “on behalf of President Donald J Trump” on Friday informing them of their dismissal, according to media reports. They were told that their position had been “terminated, effective immediately,” but were not provided a reason. The NSF is an independent federal agency founded by Congress in 1950. It supports academic research in fields like biology, computer science, math, and social sciences. The NSF board is tasked with publishing reports that help to guide the president and Congress on science and engineering policy. A report about the US ceding scientific ground to China was due to be released following a board meeting set for 5 May, Nature reported. It is unclear whether the report will be published. • Iran War is Supercharging The Clean Energy Transition This, Accoding to the UN Climate Chief Apr. 30, 2026 -The Iran war is "supercharging" the world's shift to renewable energy, as countries scramble to reduce their exposure to volatile oil and ?gas markets, the U.N. climate secretary said on Thursday. The U.S.-Israeli war with Iran has upended oil and gas supplies, prompting some countries to ration fuel and others to roll out subsidies and tax cuts to shield consumers from surging prices. Early signs indicate the ?war, which began two months ago, is speeding up some countries' low-carbon ?transition. • Smog in Phoenix and Salt Lake City? The E.P.A. Is Blaming Asia Apr. 30, 2026 -For decades, Phoenix has struggled with smog that gets trapped in its bowl-like topography and is detrimental to human health. In 2024, when the city failed to meet a federal air pollution standard, it risked being hit with stricter rules designed to force more aggressive pollution limits. Then, President Trump returned to the White House. And now the Phoenix-Mesa region has gotten off the hook for an unusual reason: The Trump administration is blaming foreign countries for the pollution. • What Happened When Gorillas Got Bank Accounts Enabling Wild Species to Pay For Their Own Conservation Can Align the Interests of People and Ecosystems Apr. 28, 2026 -The greatest market failure of our time may be how little we’re willing to pay for the ecosystems and nonhuman life that sustain us: effectively zero. Now the bill is coming due. Species are vanishing at rates of tens to hundreds of times faster than before modern humans arrived on the scene, a crisis some scientists call the sixth mass extinction. Fixing this has become the mission of former war correspondent and novelist Jonathan Ledgard. He now works as a financier opening bank accounts in the name of nonhumans. • Coalition of ‘High Ambition’ States Calls For Legal International Instrument on Fair Fossil Fuel Phase Out The Call Came At the End of a Three-Day Meeting of the Highest Ambition Coalition Pushing For an Equitable Global Fossil Fuel Phase Out In the Coal Port City of Santa Marta, Colombia {EARTH.ORG} April 28, 2026 -It is time for world leaders to “chart a journey away from fossil fuel production,” according to a coalition of “highest ambition” countries currently participating in the world’s first conference to speed up the transition to cleaner energy in the Colombian city of Santa Marta. At COP30 in Brazil last November, Colombia announced “the first international conference on phasing out fossil fuels,” with the initial support of 24 other nations. The UN climate summit culminated in an agreement that did not contain any mention of fossil fuels, the primary cause of climate change, despite 82 countries calling for a phase out fossil fuels and despite countries pledging to “transition away from fossil fuels” at COP28 two years earlier. • The MAHA Movement is Mad About the Weedkiller Glyphosate and Trump's EPA The Trump Administration's Decision to Back The Pesticide Maker {NPR NEWS} April 28, 2026 -In a sign of the simmering discontent within the Make America Healthy Again coalition, some of its most visible figures rallied outside the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday, lobbing criticism at the Trump administration for siding with a pesticide-maker. Inside, the justices were hearing arguments in a highly-anticipated case involving the glyphosate-based herbicide, Roundup. • Disaster Declarations Ripple Through South Texas Amid Water Crisis Small towns around Corpus Christi worry where they’ll fall on the pecking order if the region’s water runs out. Apr. 28, 2026 -At least six small cities and towns in the Coastal Bend region of Texas issued disaster declarations in the last two weeks, begging not to be forgotten amid a spiraling water crisis. All attention lies on the city of Corpus Christi as it grapples with the growing likelihood of an unprecedented disaster. But Corpus Christi, the eighth-largest city in Texas, doesn’t just provide water to its own industries and residents. It supplies the entire seven-county region, including 20 other municipalities. • Geologists Have Some Good and Bad News About the Terrifying Fault Zone Sitting Right Underneath Seattle Smaller Quakes From Secondary Faults—Which Are Not Included in National Seismic Hazard Modeling—Occur More Frequently Than Previously Thought {ZME SCIENCE} April 27, 2026 -In the winter of 923, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck the heart of Puget Sound. Shorelines slid into the water, the seafloor rose up, and a tsunami swept through the region. The Seattle fault zone, actually a mesh of faults that runs right under its eponymous city, was responsible for this quake. The fault continues to pose one of the deadliest threats to the Pacific Northwest; if a similar quake were to hit today, it would threaten millions of lives and cause billions of dollars in damage. Two new papers dig into recurrence intervals, or the quiescent periods between earthquakes, for the Seattle fault zone • Why 2 Oil States Are Slow to Embrace Wastewater Recycling Texas and New Mexico Are Reviewing Plans That Could Send Cleaned Water Into Rivers and Fields {E&E NEWS} April 27, 2026 -The two biggest oil-producing states are at a crossroads as they try to solve one of the industry’s thorniest problems — getting rid of billions of gallons of salty, oily wastewater that’s produced alongside crude. Academic researchers in Texas and New Mexico say technology developed in recent years allows companies to clean up the waste, known as produced water, so it can be released into surface water like rivers or diverted for uses such as crop irrigation. But state regulators are still cautious about the idea. • Lightning Strikes Kill 14 As Bangladesh Lashed By Seasonal Storms Lightning Kills ?Hundreds of People Every Year in ?Bangladesh Apr. 27, 2026 -At least 14 people were killed after lightning strikes hit several ?parts of Bangladesh, officials said on Monday, as seasonal thunderstorms swept across the country. The deaths were reported from several districts after sudden storms brought heavy rain and intense lightning. Most of the victims were ?farmers working in open fields and labourers caught in exposed areas, local authorities said. Several other people were injured and taken to nearby hospitals, with some in critical condition. • Microsoft AI Demands More Power Can a WA Fusion Company Supply It? Apr. 27, 2026 -On the banks of the Columbia River, two companies are rushing to build two technologies they say will power the future. Microsoft is constructing a sprawling data center campus that could cover more than 24 football fields, part of the company’s rapid build-out in a global arms race to control artificial intelligence. But this one site could demand as much electricity as a medium-sized city — at a time when power is increasingly scarce. A couple of miles away, on another dusty construction site, is a potential solution. • CDC Delay of Infant Hepatitis B Shot Likely to Raise Infections Federal Vaccine Advisers Voted in December to Recommend Delaying the First Shot Until At Least Two Months of Age For Infants Born to Mothers Who Test Negative For the Virus Apr. 27, 2026 -The Trump administration’s decision to drop the long-standing recommendation that newborns receive a hepatitis B vaccine within 24 hours of birth will likely lead to hundreds of additional infections among children, along with more cases of liver cancer, deaths and millions in added health care costs, according to studies published Monday in JAMA Pediatrics. Federal vaccine advisers to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. voted in December to replace the universal birth dose with a recommendation to delay the first shot until at least two months of age for infants born to mothers who test negative for the virus. The change was later approved by the then-acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a political appointee and top deputy to Kennedy who did not have a public health background. • Millions Under Threat of Strong Tornadoes Monday Intense Twisters Are Likeliest in Eastern Missouri, Southern Illinois and western Kentucky Apr. 27, 2026 -An outbreak of severe weather, including the potential for a few significant and strong tornadoes, looms for Monday afternoon and evening. Rotating thunderstorms, known as supercells, will be most numerous in eastern Missouri, southern Illinois and western Kentucky, with St. Louis in the bull’s eye of severe weather risk and Chicago not out of harm’s way. Additional storms are likely Tuesday as the instigating cold front sags south. Every day since Thursday has featured tornadoes, including a set of twins Sunday night in Osage County, Oklahoma. • Company Claims Cloud-Seeding Breakthrough Could Help the Parched West Eefforts to Battle Drought in Utah and Idaho Apr. 27, 2026 -Scientists have been shooting particles into clouds since the 1940s, praying it will bring more rain and snow. While researchers agree that “cloud seeding” can work in a laboratory setting, many have doubted how much precipitation it can generate in the real world. But that hasn’t stopped Western states from blasting silver iodide into the sky for decades, hoping it will relieve harsh droughts. • Climate Disaster Victims Are Rebuilding Using Prefab Homes From Boxy to Bespoke After Disaster Strikes Again {BBC NEWS} April 27, 2026 -When the Station Fire roared through the Angeles National Forest in 2009, Colleen and Jason Warnesky could see it from the front porch of their Altadena, Calif., home. Eleven years later, the family witnessed the Bobcat Fire from the same spot as it became one of the largest fires in Los Angeles County history. Their house remained standing after both close calls. So when the Eaton Fire struck more than 3 miles away in January 2025, they were certain they'd again remain unscathed. • Japan Deploys Hundreds of Firefighters As Wildfires Rage in North Dry, windy weather fans flames, but some rain is Forecast Apr. 26, 2026 -Japan has deployed 1,400 firefighters and dozens of Self-Defense Force personnel to battle mountain blazes that have been raging in the north for five days and threaten to reach homes in the picturesque coastal town of Otsuchi, officials said on Sunday. Fanned by dry, windy weather, two more wildfires broke out elsewhere in the north on Sunday - one in Kitakata city and the other in Nagaoka, potentially stretching firefighting resources thin as local authorities send personnel ?to neighbouring areas. • A Town of 7,000 Planned So Many Data Centers, It’s Like Adding 51 Walmarts Residents Are Fighting Back Apr. 26, 2026 -Tim Bachak would look out to his backyard most evenings to see wildlife emerging from the forest of birch, maple and oak trees hugging his property. He regularly spotted black bears, deer and coyotes. Owls would hoot and turkeys would scurry. Bachak, a 43-year-old public school teacher, saw the activity as a sign this former coal town had recharged from its polluting past. Then last month, Bachak woke up to the sound of chainsaws. Workers were cutting down the forest, about 180 acres of trees, to make way for a massive data center. • More Americans Are Exposed to Polluted Air in the United States See Where Apr. 25, 2026 -More than 150 million people across the United States, including nearly half the nation’s children, live in areas affected by harmful levels of air pollution, according to a new report published Wednesday. The American Lung Association’s annual “state of the air report” warns that despite remarkable progress in the decades since Congress mandated national air quality standards, the combination of a warming atmosphere and the Trump administration’s aggressive regulatory rollbacks are posing new threats to communities. • A Huge Sewage Spill Is Over, but Contamination Lingers in the Potomac Though River Monitoring Shows Bacteria Levels Have Declined, Scientists And Environmentalists Said A Full Recovery Isn’t Yet Assured Apr. 23, 2026 -As public health officials declared the end of a sewage contamination emergency in the Potomac River last month, scientists feared the waterway was still in distress. More than 240 million gallons of human waste had poured into the river from a broken sewer main. Researchers went out in early March to sample the water, trying to see what damage had been done. • Could Genetically Modified Pigs Are About to End the Organ Shortage Forever? Animal-to-Human Organ Transplants Promise a Future Where Survival No Longer Depends On Another Person’s Death {ZME SCIENCE} April 21, 2026, by Joshua D. Mezrich -My phone rang at 2 am. I was mostly awake; I never really sleep on call. As I rubbed my eyes, I tried to focus on the voice coming through the phone. One of our coordinators was telling me about a kidney offer, and she launched right into it: “68-year-old donor, diabetes and high blood pressure, died of a stroke, kidney function normal, biopsy with some scarring and inflammation. Do you want to hear more?” We evaluate offers like this all the time. The transplant waiting list is so long, with so many patients who will never receive an offer for a healthier organ. Do we take a risk and transplant a kidney like this? How long could it possibly last? It seems likely my patient might get a few years, but then return to dialysis for what might be the rest of their life. Perhaps that is worth it to them, just to get some respite from the horrible experience of getting plugged into a machine three days a week to filter their blood. Maybe during the years that the kidney works, they will be able to travel, spend time with family, and enjoy normal meals before they return to the dreaded machine. • Billie Eilish On Inventing a Greener Kind of Concert ‘I Have to Try to Make a Change’ Apr. 24, 2026 -More than eight years ago, when she was only 16, Billie Eilish set out on her first headlining tour. She was already on her way to becoming one of the world’s biggest pop stars, and the scale and impact of staging major shows were impossible to ignore. The idling tour buses, the generators running at all hours, the innumerable single-use plastic water bottles. Raised by an especially eco-conscious mother, Eilish was accustomed to climate-friendly habits, like using cloth napkins and eating a vegan diet. She was startled in a new way by the ramifications of shows like hers. “I didn't know how bad it could be,” Eilish says now. “The waste involved in live music is really hard to take in.” • The World is Searching For Oil This Summit is Looking to Get Rid of It {POLITICO} Apr. 24, 2026 -A new climate world order is taking shape — without the Earth’s biggest emitters. A group of some 60 countries is meeting this week on the Colombian coast to figure out how to phase out fossil fuels, after three decades of United Nations-led talks have struggled to produce a clear path for battling climate change. A lot of big emitters — the European Union, the United Kingdom and Brazil — will be there, as will fossil fuel producers like Canada and Nigeria. Also attending: import-dependent nations like the Philippines and Pakistan, which have been roiled by the Iran war’s effects on oil markets • Strong Tornado Hits Northern Oklahoma More Storms Expected In Days Ahead April 24, 2026 -A powerful tornado hit the city of Enid in Oklahoma late Thursday, striking near Vance Air Force Base, about 65 miles northwest of Oklahoma City. Local officials were assessing the extent of the damage and impact — as the region braces for more possible tornadoes in the days ahead. First responders were “actively performing emergency response efforts,” the city of Enid shared in a statement, while Vance Air Force Base was “conducting accountability procedures to ensure all personnel are safe and accounted for.” • States Where You’re Most Likely to Be Killed By Lightning Revealed And One Leads the Way With 97 Fatalities {NEW YORK POST} April 23, 2026 -Last week, the United States recorded its first lightning fatality of the year, and as seasonal summer storms loom on the horizon, experts say death by bolt is highly likely in this Southern state. According to the National Lightning Safety Council (NLSC), which recorded 21 lightning strike fatalities last year, the pattern of where and why lightning strikes is somewhat foreseeable. And it appears the Sunshine State is the lightning capital of America.Using data from the National Weather Service and the NLCS, Play Casino tracked lightning deaths by state over the past two decades • Wildfires Across Georgia and Florida Destroy More Than 50 Homes and Force Evacuations The Fires Spread So Quickly in That Area That Residents Received No Warnings Or Alerts Apr. 23, 2026 -Huge plumes of smoke blanketed swaths of the Southeast on Wednesday as crews battled rapidly growing wildfires that destroyed more than 50 homes in Georgia and forced hundreds to flee the drought- and wind-fueled flames. Some of the biggest blazes were near Georgia’s coast, while others were popping up in northern Florida, a state facing one of its worst fire seasons in decades. It was not yet clear how the wildfires started, but the bottom half of Georgia is perilously dry and the conditions prompted the state’s forestry commission to issue a burn ban for the first time in its history. Southeastern Georgia has seen just 11 inches (28 centimeters) of rain since the beginning of September — almost 15 inches (38 centimeters) below normal, the National Weather Service said. • Corpus Christi Plans to Declare a ‘Water Emergency What Does That Mean? Apr. 23, 2026 -No modern American city has ever run out of water. But chances are rising that Corpus Christi, Texas, could be the first. Absent a biblical rainfall event, its reservoirs are on track to completely dry up by next year. That raises baffling questions for the future of Texas’ eighth-largest city and one of the nation’s major petrochemical hubs. “We have no precedent to follow. There’s no manual, there’s no video,” Corpus Christi City Manager Peter Zanoni told the City Council in March, when local leaders first acknowledged that disaster could be imminent. • An Oilfield Leak Springs Under a Permian Basin Baptist Church Salty Water is Spewing Out of the Ground in the Town of Grandfalls Apr. 23, 2026 -Salty water is gurgling up from underground in the middle of the small Permian Basin town of Grandfalls, Texas. The liquid began pooling in the parking lot of the First Baptist Church on Tuesday. State inspectors from the Railroad Commission arrived soon after and remained on-site on Wednesday. Nearby landowners suspect oilfield wastewater is pushing up through the wellbore of an old plugged oil well. • Almost Half of America’s Kids Are Breathing Toxic Air The American Lung Association’s Annual Report Finds That Climate Change is Making Dirty Air Worse, Especially For Communities of Color Apr. 22, 2026 -Nearly half the nation’s children live in places with dangerous levels of air pollution, according to a report released Wednesday by the American Lung Association. That’s 33.5 million children—46 percent of the country’s kids—living in areas with failing grades for at least one measure of air pollution that is particularly harmful to developing lungs. • Major Livestock and Animal Agriculture Companies Are Making Climate Promises They Aren’t Keeping The Vast Majority of Climate-Related Claims Made By the Meat and Dairy Industry Don’t Hold Up to Scholarly Scrutiny Apr. 22, 2026 -Five years ago, the world’s largest meat company took out a full-page ad in The New York Times, making a bold claim: “Bacon, chicken wings, and steak with net zero emissions. It’s possible.” But according to new research, that assertion by JBS and hundreds of other promises made by meat industry giants amount to hollow attempts to woo consumers and investors with unsubstantiated claims. • How the Environment Has Changed Since the First Earth Day 50 Years Ago These Charts Show That While Progress has Been Made in Some Areas, Humanity Still has a Major Impact On the Planet April 22, 2026 -On April 22, 1970, millions of Americans took part in demonstrations, cleanups and other activities to make the first Earth Day. The event was the brainchild of then Democratic Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin, and it was a watershed moment for the growing U.S. environmental movement: Americans had become increasingly aware that the same industrialization that had made the country wealthy was having an impact on the environment and their own health. As famed anchorman Walter Cronkite put it in a special CBS News broadcast, Earth Day participants had a “common cause of saving life from the deadly by-products of that bounty: the fouled skies, the filthy waters, the littered earth.” • More Americans Are Exposed to Polluted Air in the United States See Where It Could Happen April 22, 2026 -More than 150 million people across the United States, including nearly half the nation’s children, live in areas affected by harmful levels of air pollution, according to a new report published Wednesday. The American Lung Association’s annual “state of the air report” warns that despite remarkable progress in the decades since Congress mandated national air quality standards, the combination of a warming atmosphere and the Trump administration’s aggressive regulatory rollbacks are posing new threats to communities. • Rainforests Can Bounce Back Much Faster Than Thought, Researchers Say Scientists Long Believed it Would Take More Than a Century For Animals to Return to Deforested Land, But... Apr. 21, 2026 -Scientists once thought it would take a century or more for animals to return to deforested land in the tropics. Now, new research has found ecosystems can recover in mere decades. “It’s been a huge surprise for all of us,” said Timo Metz, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Los Angeles, and first author of the study, published in the journal Nature. “None of us expected it to be so impressive and so quick.” • In a Previously Unaired Interview, Jane Goodall Delivers a Call to Action She Advised Followers to “Act Locally First” in the Face of Intractable Global Problems Apr. 21, 2026 -Three months before her death at 91, Jane Goodall was in Tanzania. Goodall famously kept up a relentless travel schedule into her 80s and 90s, giving lectures about the importance of protecting wildlife. She was on a speaking tour in the United States when she died in October. “She would do a lecture at the drop of a hat, spreading the message to people, which is why she didn’t stop,” said philanthropist and conservationist Dax Dasilva, who was with Goodall in Tanzania last year and interviewed her there. “She lectured multiple times a day to anybody who would hear it because it was so impactful to people.” • 5 Ways to Go Green in the Kitchen Eat Less Meat, Use Smaller Appliances, Repurpose Leftovers and More Ways to Be a Climate-Friendly Cook Apr. 21, 2026 -The scale of what we have learned about what’s happening to the environment and our planet can be overwhelming, making it hard to feel like you alone can make a difference. But you can, and being a thoughtful cook is one of the easiest, most practical ways to get started. With Earth Day around the corner, here are some tips for how to do just that. (Need more suggestions? Check out our list of 20 actions you can take right now.) • Independent Testing Where Tesla’s Lithium Refinery Discharges Wastewater Found Toxic Metals The Drainage District That Commissioned the Test has Now Sent a Cease-And-Desist Letter to Tesla’s Operations, Near Corpus Christi. Apr. 21, 2026 -After Texas regulators said Tesla’s lithium refinery near Corpus Christi wasn’t violating its permits by discharging what local officials reported as black wastewater into a drainage ditch, independent water testing there this month found two toxic metals and other contaminants. Eurofins Environment Testing, an accredited lab with locations across the globe, reported traces of hexavalent chromium, a well-known carcinogen, and arsenic, an environmental poison. Nueces County Drainage District No. 2, which manages the ditch, commissioned the test. • Transco Pipeline Project Faces Legal Challenge Transco Received a Federal Permit to Install a Natural Gas Pipeline Using an “Open-Cut” Method That Can Harm Rivers and Streams in Virginia and North Carolina Apr. 21, 2026 -Five environmental groups are petitioning a federal appeals court to invalidate a water quality permit issued by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for a controversial Transco pipeline. The $1.5 billion Southeast Supply Enhancement Project (SSEP) would run through five states, including North Carolina, where it would extend for 28 miles in Rockingham, Guilford, Forsyth and Davidson counties. • Wildlife and Humans Thriving in Unesco-Protected Sites While Wildlife Populations Crash Globally, Research Finds Designated Areas Enable Recovery of Threatened Species April 21, 2026 -Wildlife and humans are thriving within sites recognised by Unesco, research has found, allowing for the recovery of threatened species and habitats around the world. While wildlife populations have crashed globally by nearly three-quarters since 1970, those within Unesco-protected areas have remained largely stable. • ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Workout Wear? What You Need to Know April 21, 2026 -The U.S. activewear market generated $137.4 million in revenue last year, and it can seem like everyone in the country now wears workout clothes for both exercise and everyday activities, such as housework or running errands. So recent news that leading activewear brand Lululemon is being investigated by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton over the potential presence of “forever chemicals” may concern anyone who puts on leggings multiple times a week. • Rainforests Can Bounce Back Much Faster Than Thought, Researchers Say Scientists Long Believed It Would Take More Than a Century For Animals to Return to Deforested Land. New Research Shows That’s Not Always the Case April 21, 2026 -Scientists once thought it would take a century or more for animals to return to deforested land in the tropics. Now, new research has found ecosystems can recover in mere decades. “It’s been a huge surprise for all of us,” said Timo Metz, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Los Angeles, and first author of the study, published in the journal Nature. “None of us expected it to be so impressive and so quick.” • For Earth Day, a Few Signs of Hope for Our Planet In a Year of Grim Climate and Environment News, We’ve Compiled Several Hopeful Signs About Earth’s Future Apr. 21, 2026 -As astronaut Victor Glover made his way to the moon earlier this month on NASA’s Artemis II mission, he reflected on the incredible miracle that is planet Earth. “You are special,” Glover told an interviewer. Space, he said, “is a whole bunch of nothing.” But in the midst all that nothing, Glover could see a bright blue dot out the window of his spaceship. “You have this oasis,” he said, “this beautiful place that we get to exist together.” • Facing Drought and Low Snowpack, Rio Grande States Expect a ‘Challenging’ Year River Flows This Year to Be Among the Lowest Recorded Apr. 20, 2026 -Officials at the Rio Grande Compact Commission annual meeting Friday worked through the thesaurus to describe the conditions on the river that flows out of southwestern Colorado. Compact signatory states—Colorado, New Mexico and Texas—along with federal agencies that operate along the river presented their 2026 outlooks at the New Mexico Capitol in Santa Fe. • As a Plastic Waste Plant Violates Pollution Rules, Its Owner Makes the Case for a Second Location Freepoint Eco-Systems Seeks to Become a Major Player in So-Called “Chemical Recycling” Apr. 20, 2026 -Belching smoke from a new plastic waste processing plant in central Ohio has stirred opposition to an even larger “chemical recycling” factory planned for Arizona by the same company. The Freepoint Eco-Systems plant near Hebron, Ohio, fired up its processing kilns for the first time in 2024. Since then, it’s faced multiple citizen complaints about sooty emissions, from black clouds of smoke to flames. Dozens of times, plant operators have bypassed normal pollution controls to vent gases through a flare after upsets in their manufacturing processes, including emergency shutdowns, according to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. • Cocaine Pollution in Rivers and Lakes May Disrupt Behaviour of Salmon Fish Swam Further and Dispersed More Widely After Exposure to Environmental Levels of Drug and Main Metabolite April 20, 2026 -Traces of cocaine that pollute rivers and lakes may accumulate in the brains of salmon and disrupt their behaviour, according to researchers who warn of unknown consequences for fish populations. Juvenile Atlantic salmon that were artificially exposed to the drug and its main breakdown product swam further and dispersed more widely across a lake, suggesting the substances can affect where the fish go, what they eat and how vulnerable they are to predators. • Rivian’s Factory Damaged by Tornado Amid Crucial R2 EV Launch The Tornado Hit a New Area of the Plant Being Used For Parts Storage and Logistics of Its Upcoming R2 {CNBC} April 20, 2026 -A tornado damaged part of Rivian Automotive’s factory in central Illinois over the weekend, according to a message sent to employees Sunday night by CEO RJ Scaringe that was viewed by CNBC. The tornado touched down on the plant, Scarigne said. The affected area was being used for parts storage and logistics for Rivian’s upcoming R2, which is a crucial product for the company that’s expected to be on sale this spring. • Indonesia’s Waste-to-Energy Strategy Risks Human Rights and the Environment President Prabowo Subianto’s Waste-To-Energy Initiative Aims to Solve Indonesia’s Plastic Crisis By Converting Landfill Waste into Electricity {EARTH.ORG} April 20, 2026 -Shortly after Prabowo Subianto’s victory in the 2024 presidential election, the leader of the world’s third-largest contributor of plastic waste was immediately faced with demands to address a crisis that has long plagued the daily lives of Indonesians. Less than a year after taking office, he offered a solution built around the narrative of clean energy and the modernization of waste management. Presidential Regulation 109/2025 contains Prabowo’s ambitious vision to build waste-to-energy (WtE) power plants across the country as a solution to the increasingly disproportionate burden faced by landfills in several major Indonesian cities. This program, the government says, reflects the principles of a circular economy by transforming the plastic pollution curse into fuel for power plants for economic gain. • Vampire Bats Are Moving Into the US Scientists Worry They Could Spread a Fatal Zombie Deer Disease to Humans {ZME SCIENCE} April 20, 2026 -In 2022, Peter Larsen awoke in the Guyanese rainforest with a strange sensation on his feet. Sleeping in an open-air house, the University of Minnesota researcher flicked on his headlamp and found a vampire bat—the exact animal he had traveled to South America to study—feeding on his blood. The encounter was intriguing and also concerning. What if he’d get sick, Dr. Larsen thought? After all, bats are natural reservoirs for several high-consequence viruses and pathogens, including rabies, Ebola, Marburg, and SARS-like coronaviruses, largely due to their unique immune system. • Risk of ‘Megaquake’ in Japan Higher After Powerful Earthquake Strikes After a Magnitude 7.7 Earthquake Struck Off the Coast of Japan and Set Off Tsunami Warnings, There’s an Elevated Risk of a “Megaquake” Following in Its Wake April 20, 2026 -On Monday, at 4:53 P.M. local time, a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off the northeastern shores of Japan’s largest island, Honshu, where the Pacific tectonic plate plunges beneath the North American plate at the deep-sea Japan Trench. Immediately, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) sent out a tsunami warning alert. Although small tsunami waves did soon reach various sections of the coast, no reports of injuries, deaths, or significant damage to homes or infrastructure were reported. The danger, however, has not necessarily passed. Following the temblor, a JMA spokesperson told the media and those along the affected shoreline that “the likelihood of a new, huge earthquake occurring is relatively higher than during normal times.” Specifically, there is an elevated risk of a “megaquake”—one of magnitude 8.0 or greater—in the coming days. • Environmental Groups Sue to Block BP’s Plan to Drill in Deep Gulf Waters Opponents of the Project, Known as Kaskida, Say an Accident Could Be Even Worse Than the Deepwater Horizon Spill April 20, 2026 -Environmental groups sued the Trump administration on Monday to stop the British oil giant BP, which operated the Deepwater Horizon drilling platform that exploded in 2010, from starting a new $5 billion drilling project in ultra-deep waters in the Gulf of Mexico. Last month, the Interior Department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management approved the project, which is known as Kaskida, about 250 miles off the coast of Louisiana at a depth of nearly 6,000 feet. BP projects it will produce 80,000 barrels of oil per day from six wells starting in 2029 in a section of the seafloor that is estimated to hold 10 billion barrels of crude. • UW Prof in Political Storm as Trump Targets National Weather Lab The Trump Administration Announced Plans in December to Dismantle the Longstanding Research Hub Based in Colorado April 20, 2026 -Shuyi Chen has flown into Category 5 hurricanes to conduct meteorological experiments, so she knows about turbulence. But those missions didn’t wholly prepare the University of Washington professor for her latest challenge: navigating an intense political storm. An expert on extreme weather, Chen currently chairs the academic nonprofit that manages the National Center for Atmospheric Research. That means she and like-minded scientists are now in a battle with President Donald Trump. • Burning Wood For Power Worse For Climate Than Gas Equivalent Research Casts Doubt On Plans By UK Government to Offer Subsidies For Carbon Capture Attached to the Power Source April 20, 2026 -Burning wood for power generation can be worse for the climate than burning gas, even when the resulting carbon dioxide emissions are captured and stored, new research has shown. The findings cast doubt on plans by several governments, including the UK, to offer subsidies or other financial support for carbon capture attached to wood-burning power. • Japan Warns of Slightly Increased Risk of Mega-Quake After a 7.7-Magnitude One Are You Quaking, Yet? April 20, 2026 -An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.7 off northern Japan on Monday sparked a short-lived tsunami alert and prompted authorities to advise of a slightly higher risk of a possible mega-quake for coastal areas there. The Cabinet Office and the Japan Meteorological Agency said there was a 1% chance for a mega-quake, compared to a 0.1% chance during normal times, in the next week or so following the powerful quake near the Chishima and Japan trenches. • Low-Producing Oil Wells in Texas Cause Headaches for Landowners Jackie Chesnutt, Who Lives Outside San Angelo, is Tired of Pollution From Wells She Says Should Have Been Plugged Years Ago April 19, 2026 -Some Texas oil wells gush hundreds of barrels of oil a day. But many are like the wells on Jackie Chesnutt’s ranch in West Texas that only trickle out a couple barrels a month. Chesnutt, a retired engineer, claims the five wells operating on her ranch are out of compliance with state rules and should be shut down. The company, CORE Petro, says that it’s struggling to break even, let alone pay to plug the wells. But it says that all its wells are in compliance. • Japan Eases Back Tsunami Warning After Magnitude 7.7 Quake No Immediate Reports of Casualties, Damage April 19, 2026 -A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off the northeastern coast of Japan on Monday, prompting authorities to urge residents to stay away from coastal areas where tsunami waves of up to 3 metres (10 ft) were expected. Two hours after the tremor, which struck at 4:53 p.m. (0753 GMT), tsunami waves as ?high as 80 cm had been detected. A tsunami warning was later downgraded to a tsunami advisory. There were ?no immediate reports of casualties or major damage, Japan's top government spokesperson Minoru Kihara ?told a news conference as night fell in the capital Tokyo. • Fire in Malaysia's Sabah Destroys 1,000 Homes Thousands Displaced April 19, 2026 -Thousands of people have been displaced ?after a fire destroyed around 1,000 homes in a coastal village in Malaysia's Sabah state on Borneo island on Sunday, the fire department said. Authorities were notified of the fire in Sandakan district at around 1.32 a.m. (1732 GMT), the district's fire ?and rescue chief Jimmy Lagung said in a statement. “Strong winds and the close proximity of the houses caused the fire to spread rapidly, while low tide conditions also made it difficult to obtain an open water source,” Lagung said. • Airline Industry Faces a Shake-Up as Jet Fuel Hits Hard Delta, American, Southwest and United Are the Biggest Players — and When They Sneeze, the Industry Gets a Cold {AXIOS} April 18, 2026 -The competitive landscape for U.S. airlines is confronting seismic turbulence as energy price spikes wreak havoc on the industry. Why it matters: Rising fuel and labor costs are squeezing airlines — and pushing higher fares and fees onto travelers already facing economic uncertainty. The big picture: Airlines are entering a shakeout — with consolidation talk rising, the financial divide widening between the haves and have nots, and profit decisions impacting fees and service. • Venice Already Seeking Floods Plan B Five Years After Barriers’ Launch Rising Sea Levels and Ecological Damage Caused By Heavy Use of Flood Defence System Force City Authorities to Consider Next Move April 18, 2026 -The Arsenale, the colossal shipyard that was the engine of the Venetian Republic’s domination for seven centuries, remains the nucleus of the city’s control over the water. Its northern section is made up of cavernous brick warehouses called capannoni, which in the 16th century could produce a warship a day through a rigorously ordered assembly line. Now, one of them houses the operations centre of the Mose, the sprawling flood defence system that protects the city. The name stands for modulo sperimentale elettromeccanico (experimental electromechanic module) and is a nod to the biblical character who parted the seas. For Venetians who have seen their city devastated by storm surges they call acque alte, there is something miraculous about it: the massive, luridly coloured flood barriers sunk into the seabed at three inlets between the lagoon and the Adriatic have saved Venice from potential flooding 154 times since they were inaugurated in 2020. • US Tech Firms Successfully Lobbied EU to Keep Datacentre Emissions Secret Legally Questionable Confidentiality Clause Adopted Almost Word for Word From Demands of Microsoft and Trade Groups April 17, 2026 -Microsoft and other US tech companies successfully lobbied the EU to hide the environmental toll of their datacentres, an investigation has found, with demands to block a database of green metrics from public view written almost word for word into EU rules. The secrecy provision, which the European Commission added to its proposal almost verbatim after industry lobbying in 2024, hinders scrutiny of the pollution that individual datacentres emit. It leaves researchers with just national-level summaries of their energy footprints.. • Earth Day - 1970 vs Now How Many People Were in Attendance On That First Earth Day? {LOE.ORG} April 17, 2026 -Earth Day comes in a moment of human solidarity during times as troubled as back during the first Earth Day in 1970. Violent Vietnam War protests, burning black ghettos and girdles and bras publicly trashed by feminists spoke of great social divides. And then like the sweetest chord in a symphony, Christmas Eve of 1968 brought photos of Earth taken by the first humans to circle the Moon. We gasped as Apollo 8 showed all of us were on a single gorgeous blue marble, shimmering in the black vastness of space. Within sixteen months the first Earth Day had brought 20 million Americans together in peaceful demonstrations, which is still a record. We rallied to care for our common home, and for that day, at least, each other. This Earth Day much does seem to divide us, but we have brand new pictures with an Earth overview, thanks to Artemis II. To see if history can offer help, we turn now to Adam Rome, University at Buffalo environmental historian and author of The Genius of Earth Day. Welcome to Living on Earth! • Clearing the Air And Climate Solutions Hope {LOE.ORG} April 17, 2026 -When it comes to taking better care of our only home, Planet Earth, climate disruption has a lot of people feeling worried and hopeless. And when solutions are offered, they can run into skepticism from people across the political spectrum. For example, many question carbon-free nuclear power, saying it’s highly dangerous. And some doubt the advisability of mining a lot of the essential minerals needed for certain renewable energy technologies. But if you do the math carefully and deeply, you will find many of the concerns are based on partial and misinformation, and that the outlook for addressing the climate emergency isn’t as grim as some people may think. That’s according to data scientist Hannah Ritchie. She has a message of pragmatic hope about the future, using data as her guiding star. Hannah Ritchie is Deputy Editor at Our World in Data and author of Clearing the Air: A Hopeful Guide to Solving Climate Change in 50 Questions and Answers. And some of the answers are surprising! • AI is About to Make the Global E-Waste Crisis Much Worse As Demand For AI Hardware Surges, Much of the Resulting Waste Will End Up in Non-Western Countries {rest of the world} April 17, 2026, By Ananya Bhattacharya -I’m sure my family in Mumbai is a lot like yours: three old smartphones sit unused in a hidden ziplock bag. My mom is scouring the study. “There was another flip phone, where did that go?” she says as she unearths two iPod Touches and, eventually, an outdated iPad. Soon, thanks to AI, there will be more waste we’re responsible for that will be invisible to the naked eye. India is the third-largest e-waste generator globally, producing almost 2 million tons of e-waste in 2024 — a 73% increase over five years. While people like me are part of the problem, the major culprits are actually halfway across the world. • The Fossil Fuel-Debt Trap in the Global South Spillover Effects {rest of the world} April 15, 2026 -Fossil Fuel Treaty Initiative, MENAFem Movement for Economic, Development and Ecological Justice, and Oil Change International. Rising debt distress and fossil fuel reliance are interdependent crises. Countries in Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, the Middle East and parts of Asia are caught in a structural trap where governments are forced to prioritise short term liquidity and revenue over long-term transformation. A new report, Spillover Effects: The Fossil Fuel-Debt Trap in the Global South, outlines the ways in which high debt service obligations drive fossil fuel expansion while crowding out investments in renewable energy and hampering the ability of nations to respond to the impacts of climate change and deliver health and educational services. • Yellowstone Nearing Eruption as New Study Finds Magma Brimming Below the Surface Will Yellowstone Erupt Or Are We Blowing Things Out of Proportion? {NEW YORK POST} April 14, 2026 -We may have underestimated Yellowstone’s potential to blow its stack in the future. Chinese scientists have made a disconcerting find regarding the mechanism behind the caldera’s eruption, sparking concerns that it could belch lava sooner than we’d hoped, per an explosive study in the journal Science. Contrary to prior scholarship, which suggested that the magma originates in large deep chambers, the new study suggests that it could be lurking just below Earth’s surface. Institute of Geology and Geophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, had set out to study the engine behind supervolcanoes — volcanic expulsions that eject over 230 cubic miles of magma, rock and ash. • The Sneaky Saboteur That May Be Raising Your Blood Pressure — Especially If You Live in a Coastal Area It’s Like Salt in a Wound {NEW YORK POST} April 17, 2026 -Global warming has been blamed for stronger and more frequent storms, droughts, floods and rare disease outbreaks. Now, it might be fueling kitchen table health crises, too. Researchers are concerned that rising sea levels are contaminating fresh drinking water with seawater — and that the extra salt could have the same effect on blood pressure as key risk factors like inactivity. • Are We Heading For ‘Super El Niño’ What Could We Expect? April 14, 2026 -There is a high likelihood that the phenomenon known as “El Niño” will emerge this summer – and it could be exceptionally strong. A so-called “super El Niño” could supercharge extreme weather events and push global temperatures to record heights next year if it develops, according to experts. Meteorologists are keeping a close eye on the climate patterns developing in the Pacific Ocean that will enable stronger predictions about what’s to come in the year ahead. • Northeast States Set Big Climate Goals. Now Those Plans Are in Trouble Many Blue States Are Rethinking Ambitious Strategies to Cut Emissions as They Struggle With Rising Electricity Costs and New Hurdles For Renewable Energy April 11, 2026 -Scientists once thought it would take a century or more for animals to return to deforested land in the tropics. Now, new research has found ecosystems can recover in mere decades. “It’s been a huge surprise for all of us,” said Timo Metz, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Los Angeles, and first author of the study, published in the journal Nature. “None of us expected it to be so impressive and so quick.” • Western States Need Water. San Diego Has Extra Will They Make a Deal? April 17, 2026 -As most Western communities expect to grapple with water shortages this summer and fall, one is looking to share its unlikely surplus. San Diego County in California spent nearly $1 billion on a desalination plant after a 1990s drought left it with scarce supply. Now, with the seawater-to-tap water plant running at just one-third of capacity, its water utility is shopping around deals to sell its water across the West. • Clearing the Air and Climate Solutions Hope Spillover Effects {LOE.ORG} April 17, 2026 -When it comes to taking better care of our only home, Planet Earth, climate disruption has a lot of people feeling worried and hopeless. And when solutions are offered, they can run into skepticism from people across the political spectrum. For example, many question carbon-free nuclear power, saying it’s highly dangerous. And some doubt the advisability of mining a lot of the essential minerals needed for certain renewable energy technologies. But if you do the math carefully and deeply, you will find many of the concerns are based on partial and misinformation, and that the outlook for addressing the climate emergency isn’t as grim as some people may think. That’s according to data scientist Hannah Ritchie. She has a message of pragmatic hope about the future, using data as her guiding star. Hannah Ritchie is Deputy Editor at Our World in Data and author of Clearing the Air: A Hopeful Guide to Solving Climate Change in 50 Questions and Answers. And some of the answers are surprising! • Exploring the Hidden Toll of the $10 Billion Development The Great Nicobar Gamble {EARTH.ORG} April 17, 2026 -At the southernmost tip of India, Great Nicobar Island is at the centre of an $8–10 billion mega-infrastructure project launched in 2021 under India’s “Holistic Development of Islands” program that aims to transform the island into a global transhipment and economic hub. Led by the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Integrated Development Corporation, the project includes an International Container Transhipment Terminal, a Greenfield International Airport, a gas and thermal power complex, and an urban township that would accommodate up to 650,000 people. • There's Much Fecal Bacteria in Newburyport Harbor in the Summer Nobody Knows Why {WBUR} April 16, 2026 -There's something foul afoot in these waters — and the cause is unclear. Repeated unsafe fecal bacteria levels have been recorded in Newburyport Harbor according to the Merrimack River Watershed Council. Newly released data from 2025 show a significant increase in summer bacteria spikes from the previous year — up to ten times higher in some cases. Many Massachusetts rivers, lakes and harbors see a jump in dangerous fecal bacteria over the summer. The trigger is often heavy rain that leads to sewer overflows and stormwater runoff. Warm water then encourages bacterial growth. • Carbon Removal Industry Reels as Microsoft Retreats Once Held Up As a Key Solution to Climate Change, a Field That Aims to Remove Carbon From the Atmosphere Struggles to Catch On April 16, 2026 -Over the last several years, Microsoft almost single-handedly established the market for carbon dioxide removal technologies, a nascent field that aims to scrub the planet-warming gas from the atmosphere to counter climate change. But now, Microsoft is stepping back from the industry it helped create, telling some companies that it is pausing future purchases of carbon removal credits, according to two people familiar with the matter who asked to remain anonymous because they were not authorized to speak publicly. The news was first reported by Heatmap. • 10 Powerful Forces That Are About to Completely Transform the Future of Global Forests Experts Just Revealed the Ten Massive Global Shifts That Will Completely Transform Our Forests By 2030 {ZME SCIENCE} April 16, 2026 -The forces shaping forests in the coming decade extend beyond any single driver. Shifts in politics, finance and technology are unfolding at once, often in ways that reinforce each other. The result is greater uncertainty for ecosystems and for those who depend on them. A new horizon scan, published in Forest Policy and Economics and led by Matilda Kabutey-Ongor, sets out to map these changes. The paper draws on structured consultation with researchers and practitioners and identifies ten emerging issues likely to matter between now and the early 2030s. They include the retreat of traditional aid, the spread of artificial intelligence, and a renewed push for mineral extraction. What stands out is how quickly these developments are unfolding. Institutions are not keeping up. • The Gross Reason You Need To Change Your Old Water Filter Cartridge Right Now Neglected Home Water Filters Can Breed Bacteria, Worsening the Very Tap Water They Promise to Purify {ZME SCIENCE} April 16, 2026 -If you live in a developed country, the kitchen tap delivers something of a public health miracle. You turn a handle, and clean, treated water flows on demand. We largely conquered the waterborne diseases that ravaged our ancestors, building vast municipal systems that chlorinate and disinfect our supply. Yet, millions of us still look at tap water with deep suspicion. We buy plastic jugs with carbon cartridges and install elaborate contraptions under our sinks. But experts now warn of a bitter paradox. If you buy a water filter and forget to change it, you cultivate the exact hazard you sought to avoid. • Senate Votes to Allow Mining Near Minnesota Wilderness The Move Was a Victory For a Chilean Company That Wants to Build A Copper and Nickel Mine, Which Environmentalists Say Could Devastate Fragile Lakes and Forests April 16, 2026 -The Senate voted on Thursday to allow mining upstream from Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, one of the largest and most visited expanses of federally protected lakes and forests in the United States. By a vote of 50 to 49, senators passed a resolution that would repeal a moratorium on new mining across more than 225,000 acres of the Superior National Forest, which includes the Boundary Waters. The House already passed the Republican-led measure, which now heads to President Trump, who is expected to sign it into law.		• Carbon Removal Industry Reels as Microsoft Retreats Once Held Up as a Key Solution to Climate Change, a Field That Aims to Remove Carbon From the Atmosphere Struggles to Catch On. April 16, 2026, -Over the last several years, Microsoft almost single-handedly established the market for carbon dioxide removal technologies, a nascent field that aims to scrub the planet-warming gas from the atmosphere to counter climate change. But now, Microsoft is stepping back from the industry it helped create, telling some companies that it is pausing future purchases of carbon removal credits, according to two people familiar with the matter who asked to remain anonymous because they were not authorized to speak publicly. • A ‘Super Typhoon’ Just Devastated the Mariana Islands Months Before Peak Storm Season April 16, 2026 -The strongest storm of 2026 slammed into the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands this week, where it flooded homes, ripped roofs off of houses, and lingered for more than two days, forcing families to shelter without electricity, cell service, or running water as they waited for the worst to pass. Super Typhoon Sinlaku formed southeast of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, or CNMI, and Guam, two U.S. territories that make up the Mariana Islands archipelago in the western Pacific, and rapidly grew to a Category 5, 185-mph monstrosity. • How the Wildlife Trade Fuels Disease Outbreaks Across the Globe “It’s That Intensity That Really Lets Pathogens Make the Jump Very Quickly” April 16, 2026 -The global wildlife trade — a massive industry encompassing exotic pets, trophy hunting, materials used in fashion and more — is amplifying the transmission of pathogens between animals and humans, according to findings published Thursday. To reduce the risk of deadly outbreaks and pandemics, the authors of the detailed study in the journal Science call for better surveillance and oversight of these sprawling animal-to-human links. • At Least 16 Reported Dead From Heavy Rains in Hispaniola More Than 30,000 People Were Forced to Evacuate Their Homes, and That the Rains Were Expected to Strengthen Again This Weekend April 16, 2026 - Days of torrential rainfall over northwest Haiti and neighboring Dominican Republic have killed ?some 16 people, according to civil protection and local media reports on Wednesday. At least 12 people were killed in northern Haiti as floods ?hit communities in Port-de-Paix, Saint-Louis du ?Nord and Anse-a-Foleur, local newspaper Le Nouvelliste ?reported. • Maine Passes First-in-Nation Freeze On Big Data Centers Maine Has Passed the First State Data Center Freeze {energy central} April 15, 2026 -The ban, covering facilities >20MW, would last for 1.5 years while officials craft new policies to address the state’s data center buildout. It’s on its way to the desk of Gov. Janet Mills, who has voiced support. Another recent move to temper the data center boom: The NAACP sued xAI this week, alleging its gas turbines powering Memphis-area data centers ran for months without air permits. Following years of talks, Georgia Power won unanimous GPSC approval for a new program enabling data centers to procure their own solar and battery projects (aka BYONCE). But it’s unclear how this affects the utility’s planned 10 GW buildout (60% gas), one of the biggest new fossil fuel rollouts nationwide—and whether ratepayers will be left paying off these investments. • Mongolia’s Fight to Save the Steppe The Silent Demise {EARTH.ORG} April 15, 2026 -As the world celebrates the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists, Mongolia finds itself at a crossroads. Facing a “silent demise” where 80% of its iconic steppe is degraded, the nation must now prepare to host COP17 and decide: is the solution fewer livestock, or a radical new approach to a climate-stressed landscape? Mongolia’s rangelands are an iconic and important part of the country’s history, biodiversity and culture. They also represent some of the most important rangeland habitats in the world. Occupying 70% of Mongolia’s landmass, rangelands have always been publicly owned, and directly support the country’s critical livestock pastoralism economy which provides food, income and wealth to half of the population. • Engineers Are Replacing Steel Rebar With Wavy 3D- Printed Plastic Plates to Stop Buildings from Rusting Scientists Want To Replace The Steel Rebar In Concrete With Corn-Based Plastic {ZME SCIENCE} April 15, 2026 -The steel skeletons in our reinforced concrete buildings share a fatal flaw: corrosion. As water seeps in through microcracks in the concrete, the hidden metal swells, gradually eating bridges and skyscrapers from the inside. Researchers have explored polymer-based alternatives to steel reinforcement, but conventional rod-like shapes have generally bonded poorly with concrete. When molded into long, round cylinders, plastic easily slips out of the concrete under heavy pressure. • The EU has Cut Its Greenhouse Gas Emissions By 40% Since 1990 Key Trends and Drivers {EUROPEAN ENVIRONMENT AGENCY} April 14, 2026 -Over the last 34 years, the overall decline in EU’s net domestic emissions was driven by a larger share of renewable energy, the use of less carbon intensive fossil fuels, improved energy efficiency, and structural economic changes, according to an EEA briefing analysing the emissions data. Almost all Member States have contributed to the emission reductions. The largest absolute cuts occurred in electricity and heat production, manufacturing and construction, residential combustion, and iron & steel (including energy-related emissions). • How Can I Protect My Car When the Weather Is Scorching? Extreme Heat is Extremely Hard On Your Vehicle, But a Few Simple Precautions Can Help a Lot April 14, 2026 -The mercury is starting to rise outside. While that may be welcome news for gardeners and beachgoers, higher temperatures can take a toll on your car. “Heat is a stressor on the vehicle, and in many ways, a much greater stressor than even cold temperatures,” said Greg Brannon, director of automotive engineering and research at AAA. “It affects nearly every system.” Here’s how you can prepare your car for what’s shaping up to be a hot summer. • The Reality of the Green Jobs Boom On England’s East Coast Surrounded By Windfarms But Out of Work April 14, 2026 -On paper, Jake Snell, 19, sounds like the perfect candidate for a role in the UK’s burgeoning green energy sector. He has high grades in maths and physics A-level, a distinction in BTec engineering and another distinction in an extended engineering diploma. He has also done work experience at an engineering company. He is from Lowestoft, a coastal town in Suffolk, outside Great Yarmouth. Both towns contain areas that fall within the most deprived 20% in England and are part of a wider pattern of coastal places with low employment opportunities. • A Flesh-Eating Fly is Making Its Way Towards the US. Can It Be Stopped? {ZME SCIENCE} April 10, 2026 -The New World screwworm (Cochliomyia hominivorax) lays its eggs in open wounds and in the orifices of live, warm-blooded animals – including, occasionally, humans. The maggots then devour the animal’s flesh, causing devastating lesions that can quickly kill the infested host. Before the 1950s, it was found in the southern states of the US, where cattle infestations caused heavy financial losses for beef producers. But, during the second half of the 20th century, eradication efforts pushed it out of North and Central America. • Severe Storms and Tornadoes Damage Communities From Plains to Midwest Authorities in Kansas Reported Several People With Minor Injuries After Storms Passed Through on Monday {NBC NEWS} April 9, 2026 -A day after severe storms damaged communities in the Plains and the Midwest, forecasters warned that storms could bring giant hail, tornadoes and severe wind gusts to the regions again on Tuesday afternoon and evening. Authorities in Kansas reported several people with minor injuries after storms passed through on Monday. Three people were left with minor injuries in rural Franklin County, about 50 miles southwest of Kansas City, according to the sheriff’s office. In the town of Ottawa, officials said there was structural damage, but no deaths or injuries. • Record-Breaking Wildfires Devastate US Cattle Country Nothing But Tree Skeletons’ April 13, 2026 -In a normal year, the vast grasslands that roll across the American Great Plains would be starting to green. But at the center of the US, where most of the nation’s beef producers graze their herds, this spring brought fire instead of moisture, leaving more than a million acres black and barren. Multiple blazes raged across Nebraska, where the records for the annual acreage burned were obliterated in a single month. The state logged the largest blaze ever recorded when the Morrill fire cascaded across more than 642,000 acres (260,000 hectares) before it was contained in March. • ‘Extremely Dangerous’ Super Typhoon Barrels Toward Northern Mariana Islands The Storm Was Expected to Make Landfall On Tuesday Evening April 14, 2026 -Tens of thousands of people in the Northern Mariana Islands were asked to shelter in place on Tuesday, as forecasters warned that a powerful storm barreling toward the region could cause “devastating damage.” The “extremely dangerous” super typhoon Sinlaku was expected to make landfall as a Category 4 storm over Tinian and Saipan, on Tuesday evening, bringing widespread rain and wind speeds of up to 175 miles per hour, the National Weather Service said. At about 1 p.m. local time, it was about 50 miles southeast of Saipan. • Europe Is Desperate for More Energy Can Norway Come to the Rescue? April 14, 2026 -When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Europe faced a cold winter and a sudden energy crisis, and it turned to Norway as it desperately tried to shift away from its dependency on cheap Russian energy. Now, the war in Iran has threatened global oil supplies and sent prices soaring. Whether or not the war is resolved quickly, those effects could be lasting. • Trump Administration’s Rush to Roll Back Environmental Rules Hits a MAHA Wall In an Exception to His Blitz On Other Regulations, EPA Chief Lee Zeldin is Delaying Approval For Forever Chemicals Over Fears of Angering Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Movement. April 13, 2026 -The Environmental Protection Agency is sitting on dozens of approvals for uses of “forever chemicals” at the direction of Administrator Lee Zeldin, over fears that it could anger Make America Healthy Again activists, according to two people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak with the media. The MAHA movement, championed by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has pushed to limit chemicals in the U.S. food supply. Trump administration officials have had ongoing conversations with MAHA supporters, who are allied with the Republican Party but have also taken aim at some of the administration’s policies. • Can This Chaotic Brooklyn Plaza Be Car-Free? Mamdani Says Yes April 13, 2026 -Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced on Monday a plan to eliminate a treacherous stretch of road surrounding Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn, part of a long-sought redesign of one of the borough’s most iconic, and hazardous, landmarks. The plan would effectively reconnect the oval-shaped plaza’s most prominent feature, the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Memorial Arch, with Prospect Park, Brooklyn’s emerald jewel, restoring the 80-foot-tall arch as a grand entrance to the park, as its designers intended.. • The Most Polluting LNG Project in the US is Being Built in Louisiana Louisiana LNG is Expected to Generate More Greenhouse Gases Than Any Other Natural Gas Terminal in the Country. April 13, 2026 -When Louisiana launched the country’s liquefied natural gas export boom in 2016, LNG was touted as a cleaner, climate-friendly alternative to coal and oil. But the state’s first LNG terminal, Sabine Pass LNG, quickly became one of Louisiana’s largest sources of climate-warming pollution, releasing more greenhouse gases than the state’s biggest oil refineries. • Dominican Republic Rains Force 30,000 to Evacuate 3 Reported Dead April 13, 2026 -"The government's priority at this time is to save ?lives, protect property and preserve infrastructure," President Luis Abinader's office said in a statement on Monday, urging people to stay away from vulnerable areas. Abinader declared ?a national emergency in five provinces as well as in ?the capital. A day earlier, the country's Emergency Operations Center (COE) Director Juan Manuel Mendez told ?a press conference 30,500 people had been evacuated, 14 communities were left isolated, 6,100 homes were flooded and highways and bridges were damaged. • Scenic Chesapeake Bay County Finds Itself in the Middle of a Data Center Fight Residents in Maryland Are Pleading With Leaders to Hold Off, Joining Others Around the Country Worried About the Harm the Projects May Bring April 13, 2026 -The local commissioners were 90 minutes into their meeting when they turned to the matter that had drawn dozens of residents and nearly a thousand more watching online: a vote that could delay the arrival of two massive data centers in Southern Maryland, including one on land intended for a public park. Commissioner Mike Hart urged his Calvert County colleagues to not be seduced by the promise that the data centers would deliver tens of millions of dollars in fresh tax revenue, a pot large enough to pay for a wish list of items such as turf playing fields, a new sheriff’s headquarters and a property tax cut. • Why a Powerful Storm in the Western Pacific May Be a Concerning Sign Sinlaku is the Last of a Rare Set of Triplet Cyclones That Formed This Month April 13, 2026 -Super Typhoon Sinlaku — currently 190 miles east of Guam in the western tropical Pacific — is an atmospheric buzz saw. The Category 5-equivalent beast, which as of Monday morning Eastern time had maximum sustained winds of 170 mph in its core, is the strongest storm on the planet since Hurricane Melissa hit Jamaica in October. The U.S. National Weather Service issued a typhoon warning for Rota, Tinian and Saipan — part of the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. commonwealth in the Western Pacific home to about 50,000 people. Sinlaku is expected to track near or directly over Tinian or Saipan on Tuesday, with considerable but slightly lesser impacts on Rota and Guam to the southwest. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center anticipates that Sinlaku will still be a Category 4 storm, with winds pushing 150 mph. • What Happens When a Processed Food Backlash Meets Rising Food Prices? Nutrtrition or Malnutritian’ April 13, 2026 -Walk down the aisles of pretty much any grocery store right now and you may notice something new: a new seal, specifically “Non-UPF Verified.” Welcome to the ultra-processed food (UPF) backlash. Fueled by recent studies trying to pinpoint how UPFs may be affecting health; an aggressive push from federal “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) initiatives; and a wave of municipal lawsuits comparing food manufacturers to Big Tobacco, many Americans are scrutinizing their pantries and looking for less-processed options. But two factors that may complicate the “war on UPFs” are the lack of a clear-cut definition of UPFs and rising food prices. • More Gray Whales Are Visiting San Francisco Bay, and Many Die There They Face Huge Risks From Ships in the Area April 13, 2026 -Nearly one-fifth of the gray whales that swam into the San Francisco Bay in recent years died there, mostly after colliding with ships, according to new research published on Monday. The study estimated that 18 percent of the whales that entered the Bay from 2018 to 2025 did not survive. And among those that died, at least 40 percent had sustained lethal injuries from ship strikes. In reality, the number of deaths is quite likely higher, the study’s authors and other experts said. • Seattle Officials Seek Permit to Fix Gas Works Park ‘Hazard’ The Danger Has Existed For Too Long April 13, 2026 -Six months into a stalemate over history and safety at Seattle’s Gas Works Park, an unexpected intervention appears to have tipped the scales in favor of altering one of the city’s most iconic landmarks. The Department of Construction and Inspections issued a hazard correction order March 30 to the parks and recreation department, demanding the agency remove unsafe ladders, piping and catwalks by May 15 from Gas Works’ famous Cracking Towers. • How Lee Zeldin Shifted the Mission — and the Message — of the E.P.A. In the Copper-Rich Mountains of Southeastern Ecuador, Shuar People Are Combining Ancestral Knowledge and Modern Science to Protect Their Forest From a Canadian Mining Giant April 12, 2026 -Lee Zeldin does not speak like any other Environmental Protection Agency administrator in recent history. The job of the E.P.A. chief is to protect human health by safeguarding “the air we breathe, the water we drink and land that grows our food,” as the agency’s founding charter puts it, and most administrators have talked about their work in those terms. Mr. Zeldin, though, speaks more about supporting industry and exporting fossil fuels than about protecting the environment. • Northbound Interstate 5 Near Bellingham to Reopen April 16 Crews Have Been Clearing Debris and Are Beginning the Final Stages of Stabilizing the Slope April 13, 2026 -A 4-mile stretch of northbound Interstate 5 at North Lake Samish Drive outside Bellingham will reopen Thursday, nearly a month after a landslide slumped over the roadway, the Washington State Department of Transportation said Friday. Drivers heading north on I-5 have been advised to take detours on Highway 11, also known as Chuckanut Drive, or Highway 9 since March 19, when thousands of cubic yards of debris roughly the size of an Olympic swimming pool slid off a slope above the interstate, including at least one rock larger than a bus. • War Sends Oil and Gas Importers Searching For New Energy Supplies Asian and European Energy Buyers Are Looking For More Stable Channels to Keep Their Economies Running {ENERGYWIRE} April 10, 2026 -The war in Iran has sent nations scrambling to plug their energy supply gaps — and that may not ultimately benefit the United States. The fragile cease fire negotiated this week has so far failed to reopen the critical Strait of Hormuz, extending the energy crisis for many nations that are now considering a range of options to shrink their reliance on foreign deliveries that can be easily disrupted. That’s led some European and Asian countries to lean more on coal and renewables — and to reconsider retirements of aging nuclear plants. • Why Bombing Iran’s Nuclear Power Plant Could Cause an Environmental Disaster Strikes to Iran’s Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant Could Release Long-Lasting Radioactive Cesium 137 into the Persian Gulf April 10, 2026, -Just steps from the Persian Gulf in the Iranian coastal town of Bushehr sits the nation’s only nuclear power plant. Though a fragile ceasefire enacted on April 7 paused the bombing of Iran, the plant was rocked by nearby missile strikes four times during the conflict, with one strike killing a security guard and damaging an outbuilding. Given the possibility that the war could restart, experts are concerned. Damage to the Bushehr nuclear power plant could release long-lasting radioactive cesium 137 from spent fuel holding ponds into the Persian Gulf, threatening fisheries and drinking-water supplies for millions of people. • Why Investing in Wind and Solar to Avoid Gas Shocks Hasn’t Added Up for Some Renewable Energy is Cheaper to Run Than Fossil Fuels, Especially With War Choking Oil Supply. But... April 10, 2026 -The war in Iran has sent fuel prices soaring in Europe, which is now confronting its second energy crisis in less than five years. But even as some countries have installed record levels of wind and solar power as a way of insulating themselves against energy shocks, the results have been uneven. Germany, for example, has created more wind and solar capacity than Spain, but that has not stopped Germany’s wholesale electricity prices from jumping sharply at times, while Spain’s have been relatively stable. So what explains these differences? • Entergy Pushes Texas Gas Expansion Despite Net-Zero Goal The Company Said New Natural Gas Generation Will Aid Electric Reliability and Leave the Option of Carbon Capture in the Future {ENERGYWIRE} April 10, 2026 -Entergy executives broke ground on a natural-gas-fueled power plant here Thursday, raising questions about the company's plans to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) and two members of the state Public Utility Commission joined the groundbreaking ceremony. Entergy< CEO Drew Marsh said the new power plant will bolster electric reliability for customers in Southeast Texas. • Army Corps Uproots $1.15B Great Lakes Project The Unusual Decision Affecting a Massive Engineering Effort to Keep Invasive Fish Out of the Lakes has Inflamed Tensions With Illinois Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker {GREENWIRE} April 10, 2026 -The Trump administration is relocating a billion-dollar construction project to protect the Great Lakes — taking it out of Illinois and into Michigan — in an unusual move that inflamed the administration’s feud with Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker. The Army Corps of Engineers said Thursday that it will resume construction on the Brandon Road Interbasin Project, a massive engineering effort aimed at deterring fast-breeding, ecologically destructive invasive Asian carp from entering the Great Lakes. • Trump Worker Heat Program Removes Inspection Goals The program Was Designed to Increase Inspections at Worksites With a High Risk for Extreme Heat But... {E&E NEWS} April 10, 2026 -The Trump administration has removed specific goals for increasing workplace inspections from a Department of Labor program aimed to keep workers safe from extreme heat. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration< on Friday issued a revised National Emphasis Program for heat. The program was launched by the Biden administration in 2022 specifically to increase on-site inspections of industries where workers are at “high risk” for heat exposure. The 2022 document set a goal of each OSHA regional office increasing on-site inspections 100 percent over the baseline from 2017 to 2022. The revised program, released Friday, eliminates that language and does not set alternative metrics. • Hungarian Company Turns Unrecyclable Waste Into Durable Building Material Makropa Turns Difficult Waste Streams Into Lightweight Concrete {HEALTHY HAPPY NEWS} April 10, 2026 -This innovative process traps thousands of tons of trash within every kilometer of road built using the material. By blending shredded plastics, sawdust, and even cigarette butts with a special binding agent, the firm creates a durable alternative to traditional building materials. This approach ensures that items destined for landfills are instead repurposed into long-lasting infrastructure. • Dozens of Chemicals Found in Pregnant U.S. Women, With Levels Spiking in Summertime Researchers Measured Chemical Exposure Levels in Pregnant African American women in Atlanta, Georgia, and Found Contamination Across All 12 Groups of Chemicals Analyzed {ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH NEWS} April 9, 2026 -Of the 113 individual chemicals analyzed, 36 of them (30%) were found in more than 70% of the women tested. Some chemicals were found in 93% or more of the women, including metabolites of nine phthalates, three parabens, two benzophenones, two pesticides/insecticides, one flame retardant, one antibacterial (triclosan), naphthalene, and bisphenol S (a common BPA replacement). • Baby Formula, Paint, Breast Implants: Report Highlights ‘Overlooked’, ‘Emerging’ Sources of Microplastic Exposure The Report, Which Draws On Over 350 Peer-Reviewed Studies Examining Human Exposure to Microplastics, Identifies Often Overlooked and Emerging Sources of These “Pervasive, Abundant, Invisible, Chemical-Mixture-Carrying Pollutants.” {EARTH.ORG} April 6, 2026 -A new major report reveals the staggering extent of daily microplastic exposure, describing an inescapable “microplastic storm” stemming from a variety of overlooked and newly identified sources. Microplastics – tiny plastic particles measuring less than 5 millimeters in diameter, close in size to a sesame seed, that result from the degradation of larger plastics – have been found everywhere, from bottled drinking water to mammal feces, near the summit of Mount Everest, in human blood and organs, and even the air we breathe. But the new report, released Wednesday, argues that much of it comes from less obvious or emerging sources that have so far received less attention. • A Single Dose of Magic Mushrooms Helped Smokers Quit at 4 Times the Rate of Nicotine Patches A Single Guided Dose of Psilocybin Vastly Outperforms Standard Nicotine Patches In Quitting Smoking {ZME SCIENCE} April 8, 2026 -Medicine has typically treated cigarette addiction as a chemical problem requiring a chemical substitute. This usually means swapping tobacco for patches, gums, and lozenges. Yet the results have remained stubbornly dismal, leaving millions trapped in a cycle of relapse. Now, researchers have demonstrated that a single, deeply guided experience with the psychedelic compound found in “magic mushrooms” could offer a new way to treat tobacco addiction. Rather than merely mimicking nicotine in the bloodstream, this experimental therapy yielded success rates that dwarf nicotine patch treatments. It opens a radical new frontier in addiction medicine, suggesting the cure for a physical dependency might lie in altering the mind’s sense of self. • This Tiny Brazilian Toad Became the First Amphibian Ever to Halt a Hydroelectric Dam Now, It Faces a Climate Disaster {ZME SCIENCE} April 8, 2026 -The admirable little red-bellied toad is the size of a thumb, but it has achieved giant feats: In 2014, it prevented the construction of a small hydroelectric dam that threatened to alter its only habitat forever. Endemic to a small stretch of the Forqueta River, in the municipality of Arvorezinha, Rio Grande do Sul, Melanophryniscus admirabilis is one of the rarest and most threatened species on the planet. Recently, after the floods that devastated the state in 2024, researchers returned to this refuge to assess whether the little toad that once halted the construction of a dam has survived the force of the waters. In October 2025, almost a year and a half after the biggest climate disaster in Rio Grande do Sul, I joined a team of researchers that would document what remained of the small habitat where just over a thousand little red-bellied toads used to live. The destination was Perau de Janeiro, a hidden fold of rocks and humid forest. Seen from above, the place, which is surrounded by tobacco plantations and pastures, looks like a common forest scene. But as we go down a steep trail, the atmosphere changes immediately. The smell of moss, the shining wet outcrop, the sound of the powerful flow of the river that ends in a waterfall: It was there that the little toad halted progress. And it was there where we wanted to find out if it still vocalized. • WA Declares Unprecedented Fourth Drought Emergency in a Row As That Meltwater Reaches the State’s Relatively Small and Few Reservoirs Early, Much of It Will Flow Out to Sea Apr. 8, 2026 -More than two months before the start of summer, Washington officials warn the state is headed for severe drought conditions not seen since the disastrous hot and dry season of 2015. Washington Department of Ecology Director Casey Sixkiller declared a statewide drought emergency Wednesday morning. This is the fourth such emergency Washington has faced, an unprecedented dry spell in state history. • A Peculiar Polymer Paired with Sunlight Could Remove PFAS A New Photocatalyst Might Help Take the “Forever” Out of “Forever Chemicals” Present in Water {EOS} April 7, 2026 -Because they are used in everything from cosmetics to dental floss to nonstick pans, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are frustratingly abundant in our environment, including in our food, rain, and drinking water. They’re persistent, too, earning their nickname “forever chemicals,” and have been linked to health effects ranging from cancers to liver toxicity to reduced fertility. A new method described in RSC Advances seeks to remove PFAS from drinking water by combining a specialized polymer and a photocatalyst with a resource that is even more abundant than PFAS: sunlight. • Epic Winter Drought Creates a Bleak Situation For Farmers — and Your Food If Rainfall Shortages and Record Heat Continue, the Effects May Ripple Throughout the U.S. Food Supply, With The Cost of Beef Already Surging April 7, 2026 -Justin Perry’s family has been farming the rolling hills of the Nebraska panhandle for four generations, but none of them can remember a winter as warm and parched as this one. There was no steady rain to gently soak the soil. No blanket of snow to insulate the fields and pasture. Just warm, dry winds that swept across the landscape, sucking moisture from every inch of exposed earth. • Oil Slick From Bombed Iranian Ship Threatens Protected Wetland Shahid Bagheri Leaking Fuel Towards Hara Mangrove Forest, Home to Migrating Birds and Endangered Turtles April 7, 2026 -An oil slick from a stricken Iranian ship threatens to contaminate one of the Middle East’s most important wetlands, satellite image analysis suggests, making it one of a number of spills posing a risk to the livelihoods of coastal communities in the Gulf. The Shahid Bagheri, a drone carrier, began leaking heavy fuel oil in Iranian territorial waters near the strait of Hormuz after it was hit by a US warplane in the first few days of the US-Israel attack on Iran. • Iran War's Shock Waves Threaten England's Farms 6,000 Miles Away Workers Are Thrown Into an Unfolding Crisis {AP News} April 6, 2026 -Few Places Feel Farther From the Iran War Than the Potato Fields of Eastern England, Where Pastoral Landscapes and Ancient Forests have Inspired Romantic Painters and Poets for Centuries But this bucolic scene is not immune from the shock waves triggered by the American-Israeli assault — and it’s a story being repeated across farms all over the world. • Achieving Energy Sovereignty in the Developing World The Uruguay Way {EARTH.ORG} April 6, 2026 -Generating 98% of its electricity from renewable sources, Uruguay’s rapid adoption and expansion of sustainable sources of energy has been lauded internationally as a model for transitioning national power systems away from fossil fuels. Avoiding nuclear power entirely, Uruguay first embraced wind turbines as a source of cheap, reliable power; providing 40% of the country’s capacity in less than a decade. It then expanded its solar and biomass capacity to an almost fully decarbonized mix of energy sources, joining a very short list of high-income countries producing over 90% of their energy needs with low-carbon sources – including Iceland, Sweden, and France. Once a net importer of energy, Uruguay now exports its surplus energy to neighbouring Brazil and Argentina. • WA Declares Unprecedented Fourth Drought Emergency in a Row Residents of Imperial County, Calif., Are In Dire Need of an Economic Boost. Experts Say the Answer Lies Beneath the Salton Sea, Where A Lithium Trove Sits April 6, 2026 -Beneath California’s Salton Sea, there is so much metal essential to rechargeable batteries that Gov. Gavin Newsom calls the vast lake “the Saudi Arabia of lithium.” An estimated $500 billion worth of lithium here could help power our smartphones, electric cars and electricity grids. And a so-called white gold rush could bring jobs, tax dollars and economic revitalization to one of the most impoverished places in the nation. • Data Centers Are Straining the Grid Can They Be Forced to Pay For It? April 6, 2026 -Last month, President Trump sat alongside executives of the largest tech companies in the country as they pledged to pay a fair share of the energy costs of their data center buildout. “Data centers … they need some PR help,” Trump said at the gathering. “People think that if the data center goes in, their electricity is going to go up.” It’s not an entirely unfounded assumption. As the tech industry has funneled billions of dollars into the AI boom over the last several years, it has simultaneously been expanding its fleet of computing powerhouses, which require vast amounts of energy to run. These facilities have been cropping up all over the country, from rural communities in eastern Pennsylvania to the cities of northern Utah. • China Stands to Benefit Most From the War-Driven Energy Crisis Sales of Chinese Electric Vehicles and Solar Panels Have Surged Since the Start of the Iran War April 6, 2026 - As the oil and gas crisis set off by the war in Iran drives governments to accelerate their transitions to renewable energy, one country above all stands to benefit. China dominates renewable energy supply chains, producing a vast majority of the world’s solar panels, wind turbines, batteries and electric vehicles. Exports of these technologies were already climbing to new heights in the first two months of 2026. Now volatility in the supply of fossil fuels is set to give sales another big boost. • Maine Is About to Become the First State to Ban New Data Centers The NRC Approved a 20-Year License Renewal For California’s Only Nuclear Plant {energy central} April 5, 2026 -The bill is expected to pass soon in the state Senate, and Gov. Janet Mills said she backs it. It would freeze >20-MW data center projects until November 2027, giving the state time to gauge grid and environmental impacts. Officials around the US are watching closely—at least 10 other states are considering similar policies. Also on the governor’s desk: Maine recently became the third state to pass plug-in solar legislation, following the trail blazed by Utah and Virginia. Like the first two’ bills, any retail electricity customer in Maine can install a plug-in PV or battery system up to 1.2 kW without an interconnection agreement or utility fees (as long as devices meet safety standards). • New North Sea Drilling Would Barely Reduce UK Gas Imports At All Research Finds Jackdaw Field Would Provide Only About 2% of Current Demand, and Rosebank Only 1% April 4, 2026 -Opening major new fields in the North Sea would make almost no difference to the UK’s reliance on gas imports, research has shown. The Jackdaw field, one of the largest unexploited gasfields in the North Sea, would displace only 2% of the UK’s current imports of gas, which would leave the UK still almost entirely dependent on supplies from Norway and a few other sources. • Stunning Images Reveal a Massive Coral Reef For the First Time In More Than a Century These Incredible Corals Form What May Be One of the World’s Largest Reef Systems—And Researchers Have a Plan to Restore It April 2, 2026 -A humpback whale nicknamed Timmy that has been stranded in the Baltic Sea off Germany will be left to die; all rescue efforts have been called off, according to Till Backhaus, environment minister of the German state where the whale is now stranded. The 12- to 15-meter-long whale became stuck on sandbanks a few times at the end of March—in one incident, it was freed with the help of an excavator that dug an escape channel, and in another, it freed itself. Currently, Timmy is beached on a small island near the port of Wismar, Germany, in the Baltic. • More Than 10 Million Fish Devoured In Just a Few Hours It’s the World’s Largest Predation Event {ZME SCIENCE} April 3, 2026 -Off the frigid coast of Norway, a gruesome spectacle unfolded that scientists had only imagined. In the early hours of a February morning in 2024, millions of capelin, small Arctic fish, came together to spawn. But instead of peacefully laying their eggs, they found themselves at the center of a predatory onslaught. Within hours, the swarming capelin had become a feast for their relentless pursuers — Atlantic cod. The dramatic encounter, reported by researchers from MIT in the USA and Norway, marks the largest recorded instance of marine predation. Using advanced acoustic imaging technology, scientists watched as capelin formed a massive shoal stretching over ten kilometers. In response, cod converged to form their own enormous group, devouring more than 10 million capelin in just a few hours. • Forest Service Will Close Research Stations That Study Wildfire Risk Scientists Say Their Work On Fires and Climate Change Could Be Lost as the Agency Moves Its Headquarters to Utah From Washington and Shuts 57 Research Stations April 3, 2026 -The U.S. Forest Service is closing 57 of its 77 research facilities in 31 states under a reorganization plan announced this week, threatening science that looked at how wildfires, drought, pests and global warming are putting pressure on forests. The agency plans to consolidate its research division into a centralized office in Fort Collins, Colo., and move field researchers to locations in nearby states. But employees said they feared the move would lead many scientists to leave instead. The reorganization will also move the agency’s headquarters to Salt Lake City from Washington, affecting 260 employees. • EPA Flags Microplastics as ‘Priority’ Water Contaminants But the Move Doesn’t Guarantee Regulation April 3, 2026 -Citing the Trump administration’s promise to “Make America Healthy Again,” the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency placed microplastics and pharmaceuticals on a draft list of contaminants maintained by the agency. The Sixth Contaminant Candidate List includes known or likely contaminants in public water systems that are currently unregulated but may be subject to future regulation by the EPA. • Scientists Tracking the Microplastic Pollution Just Realized They Were Measuring Their Own Lab Gloves Researchers Discovered Their Own Lab Gloves Are Artificially Inflating Environmental Microplastic Counts {ZME SCIENCE} April 3, 2026 -We should not underestimate the prevalence of microplastics. They are everywhere—in our rivers, our lungs, and even in our blood. But researchers tracking this global pollution crisis may have inadvertently contaminated their research samples. The protective lab gloves they wear are shedding microplastic-like particles that tamper with their numbers. The culprit, according to a University of Michigan study, is a soap-like residue used to pop disposable gloves out of factory molds. Even a light, dry touch sheds thousands of these false-positive particles onto lab equipment. Because this residue can produce a very similar vibrational signature to common plastics under a lab laser, scientists have been accidentally counting microplastics from their own lab gear as environmental pollution. • Phthalate Plastic Chemicals Linked to Millions of Premature Births in One Year In 2018 alone, 1.97 Million Preterm Births – More Than 8% of Preterm Births Worldwide – Could Be Attributed to Di (2-ethylhexyl) Phthalate (DEHP) Exposure {EHN} April 3, 2026 -Phthalates are common ingredients in plastic packaging, personal care products, and cleaning products, but are known to be carcinogenic, neurotoxic, toxic to reproduction, and more. Because of this widespread use, individuals are often exposed to multiple types of phthalates simultaneously, as well as newer phthalate substitute chemicals like DiNP, many of which have not been tested for health risks. The authors of this study emphasize the need for a broader and stricter approach to regulating phthalates, which has been shown to meaningfully reduce exposure. • The Bizarre Election That Could Decide Arizona’s Energy Future One Acre, One Vote April 3, 2026 -In a country characterized by antiquated systems for regulating how electricity is produced and transported to homes and businesses, one utility in Arizona may be the most outdated. In 1903, almost a decade before Arizona became a state, a group of landowners around Phoenix secured a federal loan for a dam on the Salt River. The dam collected water to irrigate farms and produce hydroelectric power to run irrigation pumps. The landowners created the Salt River Project Association to govern the operation of the dam, and gave each landowner a vote for every acre of land they owned. The Salt River Project, or SRP, now serves one of the nation’s largest metro areas, not just a swath of farmland. With several hydropower dams and a fleet of power plants, • What Drought Conditions in Mass. Mean For Spring Gardening Spring Planting Season has Arrived — Right in the Middle of a Statewide Drought {wbur} April 3, 2026 -Despite the recent rain and historic snowstorms this winter, all of Massachusetts (save for Martha’s Vineyard) is experiencing drought conditions right now. According to the most recent state data, northeastern and central Massachusetts are in a “Level 3” critical drought, leading to outdoor water use restrictions in communities as big as Worcester. This state of dryness is nothing new, according to Vandana Rao, director of water policy for the state’s Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. Rao says most of the state has been contending with some level of drought since 2024. • The Long-Term Impact of Hawaii’s Floods Spring Break in Hawaii Took a Dangerous Turn When Consecutive Kona Low Storms Struck the State {EARTH.ORG} April 3, 2026 -Over 400 homes destroyed with total damages exceeding $1 billion, thousands of people evacuated, and hundreds rescued from rising floodwaters. These numbers represent the tragic aftermath of the recent flooding in the US state of Hawaii. What was intended to be a relaxing spring break for students, families, and tourists turned into one of the worst flooding events in the state’s history. According to Governor Josh Green, the consecutive Kona low storms – the name subtropical weather systems take in Hawaii – resulted in destruction not seen in 20 years. • Clean Air and Safe Water at Risk Under Trump FY27 Budget Proposal “This EPA Budget Proposal Leaves Families Sicker, Not Safer” {Environmental Protection Network} April 3, 2026 -The Environmental Protection Network issued the following statement today in response to the President’s proposed FY27 budget for the Environmental Protection Agency. The President has proposed cutting EPA’s budget by half – similar to the proposal he made last year that was soundly rejected by Congress on a bipartisan basis. The renewed attempt is a part of the Trump administration’s broader efforts to put their political agenda ahead of protecting Americans’ air, water, food, and health. “This is part of the Trump administration’s dangerous and far-reaching plan to let polluters decide which toxic chemicals to dump in our drinking water, which harmful pollution to pump into the air we breathe, and which pesticides are put on the food we eat.” • Save ‘Every Drop of Fuel’, South Korea Urges as Iran Crisis Hits He Warned That the Middle East Crisis Has Triggered One of the Most Severe Energy Security Threats In Decades {THE STRAITES TIMES} April 3, 2026 - South Korean President Lee Jae Myung urged citizens to “save every drop of fuel”, ramping up an official call for energy conservation as the deepening Iran conflict hits the energy-importing nation hard, straining households and businesses. In a parliamentary address on April 2, Mr Lee sharpened earlier appeals for restraint in fuel use, signalling a heightened sense of urgency as the government moves to contain the economic fallout from surging energy prices and prolonged supply disruptions. • Could a Solar Storm Derail the Artemis II Mission? The Mission Is Not Without Risk {ZME SCIENCE} April 2, 2026 -As humans set off on the Artemis II mission, visiting the Moon for the first time in more than 50 years, one persistent threat they face is from solar radiation. Intense bursts of radiation from the Sun, known as solar particle events, can endanger the lives of space travellers, particularly those venturing beyond low Earth orbit (LEO). During these events, high speed, charged particles stream out from the Sun and into space. • Solar Was Poised to Help Puerto Ricans Survive Blackouts — Until Trump Axed Nearly $1B in Funding The Money is Being Redirected to the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, a Government-Owned Utility With a Checkered Past April 2, 2026 -aría Pérez lost power for about three months after Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico in September 2017. Her home in Salinas, on the island’s southern coast, sits near a river. As the hurricane knocked out the island’s grid and sent rainwaters surging down from the mountains, Perez’s house flooded with a swirling mix of muddy water and animal feces, rising 3 feet high and warping the hallways. For the next three months, she went without power as she cleaned out the home and began the long process of rebuilding. Five years later, when Pérez got word that Hurricane Fiona was expected to make landfall, she was prepared. This time, she and her family boarded up the doors and windows, sealed every opening with silicone, and evacuated to her daughter’s home, which lost power as the storm hit the island. • Uh-oh! Could a Solar Storm Derail the Artemis II Mission? The Mission is Not Without Risk {ZME SCIENCE} April 2, 2026 -Every mission to deep space is fraught with danger. A hardware failure during launch, an equipment malfunction far from Earth, or a small space rock hitting the vehicle are all scenarios astronauts will train for. As humans set off on the Artemis II mission, visiting the Moon for the first time in more than 50 years, one persistent threat they face is from solar radiation. Intense bursts of radiation from the Sun, known as solar particle events, can endanger the lives of space travellers, particularly those venturing beyond low Earth orbit (LEO). During these events, high speed, charged particles stream out from the Sun and into space. • US Agencies to Monitor Drinking Water For Microplastics, Pharmaceuticals Governors, Environmental Groups Petitioned For Move April 2, 2026 - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Health and Human Services on Thursday announced that they will monitor the impact of microplastics and pharmaceuticals on drinking water, the first step toward assessing their health risks and shaping new policies. The joint announcement was hailed by EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. as a win for President Donald ?Trump's "Make America Healthy Again" agenda, whose priorities have included reducing the number of recommended childhood vaccines and promoting whole foods in new ?dietary guidelines. • Gas Turbine Prices Soar 195% as Market Faces Supply-Demand Crisis Gas Turbine Prices Are Projected to Surge 195% From 2019-2027, Reaching $600/kW {energy central} April 2, 2026 - That’s because rising electrification demand, particularly from data centers, has created a “significant market imbalance,” WoodMac reports. In late 2025, global orders reached 110 GW—but manufacturing capacity tops out at 60-70 GW. Now, supplies are sold out through 2027 with six-year lead times. Orders are expected to peak this year as gas developers lock in equipment for 63 GW of additions through 2030. • Big Tech's Data Center Power Playbook is Getting a Lot Gassier How Much Gassier Can It Get? {energy central} April 2, 2026 - The background: Some tech giants have made lofty sustainable commitments in recent years, including net-zero pledges at Google, Microsoft, and Meta. And as of 2024, renewables contributed about a quarter of electricity at US data centers. But their latest data center moves suggest these green ambitions may be going by the wayside. For one, Google appears to be leaning more heavily on natural gas. It’s joining forces with Crusoe on a 933-MW natural gas plant (with no carbon capture) to power a Texas data center campus—it could emit more carbon dioxide annually than the city of San Francisco. • Gas Turbine Prices Soar 195% as Market Faces Supply-Demand Crisis Prices Anticipated to Be US$600/kW By End-2027—a 195% Increase Since 2019 {Wood Mackenzie} April 1, 2026 -Driven by increased electrification demand, especially around the expansion of data centers, the gas turbine market faces a significant market imbalance that will see prices surge through 2027, according to a new report from Wood Mackenzie. According to the report, "The US gas turbine market: navigating manufacturing scarcity and demand growth", global orders sat at 110 gigawatts (GW) at the end of 2025, but global manufacturing capacity is only capable of 60-70 GW. This has pushed prices to new highs, with the market anticipated to reach US$600/kW by end-2027—a 195% increase since 2019. • Why Cancer Rates Are Skyrocketing In Iowa Look to Nitrate, Pesticides, PFAS and Radon {ZME SCIENCE} April 1, 2026 -When Iowa resident Chris Henning was diagnosed with cancer in 2019, her youngest sister and brother-in-law had already died of cancer 13 years earlier and her father had been treated for lung cancer. Since her diagnosis, another one of her sisters died of cancer and two more women in her family have received cancer diagnoses. But testing indicated that the sisters’ breast cancers are not due to family genetics, she tells Sentient. After stints in Des Moines and Arizona, Henning now lives on a farm in Greene County, Iowa, just half a mile from the family farm where she grew up. Over the past 25 years or so of familial cancer diagnoses, Henning has ruminated on what her family shares besides genes. As a kid, she remembers carrying little jugs of herbicide to spray the milkweeds and glancing up as planes carrying fungicides sprayed overhead. • Le Pen Hammers Trump as Iran war Triggers Spiraling Energy Crisis The French Far-Right Chief Says “These Strikes Were Carried Out Blindly,” in a Fierce Rebuke of U.S. Preparation For Middle East Turmoil {POLITICOs} March 31, 2026 -The National Rally is hitting out at U.S. President Donald Trump, the French government and large oil companies for variously causing and profiting from soaring energy prices due to the war in the Middle East. The far-right party has pushed for lower taxes on gas and urgent market controls to shield consumers from the spiraling crisis, doubling down on its cost-of-living platform that has made it the front-runner for next year's presidential election under Marine Le Pen's leadership. • Where is Tornado Alley Now? How the Deadliest Storm Zone in the U.S. is Shifting East March 31, 2026 Tornadoes are some of the most destructive natural disasters seen in the United States each year, and twisters are 10 times more common in Tornado Alley. But for tornado expert Stephen Strader, the term Tornado Alley may be a bit outdated. “We've had devastating tornadoes outside of what people consider Tornado Alley,” the Villanova University associate professor explains. And the disastrous phenomenon is only expected to get worse. • Utah’s Great Salt Lake May Be Hiding a Massive Reservoir of Fresh Water Fresh-Water-Saturated Sediment or Bedrock May Extend as Deep as Three or Four Kilometers Below the Great Salt Lake’s Basin {Scientific American} March 31, 2026 -Utah’s Great Salt Lake may be concealing a massive reservoir of fresh water, new research suggests. The finding seems counterintuitive: the Great Salt Lake is the Western Hemisphere’s largest saltwater lake. But as its water levels have hit a historic low in recent years, scientists have noticed mysterious, reed-covered mounds, dozens of meters wide, emerging from the lake bed. And now it turns out that these islands may be a sign of fresh water bubbling up from below. The potential reservoir—likely fresh-water-saturated bedrock or sediment—may lie as deep as three or four kilometers, or around two miles, below the lake bed, according to the study, which was published last month in Scientific Reports. • The Trump Administration’s New Biofuels Targets Threaten Carbon-Rich Rainforests The U.S. Doesn’t Have Enough Bio-Based Diesel to Meet the Administration’s New Mandate, So Blenders Will Have to Import Yet More Foreign Crop-Based Oils March 31, 2026 -Trump stood on the Truman Balcony at the White House during the “Great American Agriculture Celebration” last week and announced what he called a “historic” boost to the nation’s farmers. The Environmental Protection Agency, Trump said, would require the highest-ever volume of crop-based biofuels to be blended into the nation’s gasoline supply, a move the administration promises will bring jobs and cashflow to an agriculture industry feeling the twin punches of the president’s tariffs and higher fertilizer prices linked to the war in Iran. Trump called himself a “true friend and champion” of the country’s farmers, a key political constituency that he is again actively and festively courting. • Where is Tornado Alley? How the Deadliest Storm Zone in the U.S. is Shifting East Scientists Say a New Epicenter Is Forming For The Deadliest Storm Zone In the U.S. Here’s Where People Are Now Most At Risk From Tornadoes March 31, 2026 - Tornadoes are some of the most destructive natural disasters seen in the United States each year, and twisters are 10 times more common in Tornado Alley. But for tornado expert Stephen Strader, the term Tornado Alley may be a bit outdated. “We've had devastating tornadoes outside of what people consider Tornado Alley,” the Villanova University associate professor explains. And the disastrous phenomenon is only expected to get worse.

The Issues: What We Need to Know
Lead Poisoning Details Help End Food Wast Global Sand Mining Carbon Offset Credits Air Pollution and PM2.5 Breaking Down Toxic PFAS Ethylene Oxide Exposure Chicago Urban Agriculture Clean Up Your Cleaning Act Arsenic In Our Babies’ Cereal Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) Paying Back Koch Industries Radon's Impact on Our Lungs The Guardian Climate Pledge About Those Toxic Chemicals A Cleaner Way to Remove CO2 Dos and Don’ts of Pesticide Use Danger: Seismic Airgun Blasting Confronting Ocean Acidification What Our Agencies Don’t Tell Us Avoid Hurricane Surge Flooding Map Showing the Lost Rainforests Toxic Release Inventory Program Fossil Fuel Facts You Should Know Pesticides and Farm Worker Safety What to Know About Ground Water The Mushroom That Can Eat Plastic Bali Fights For its Beautiful Beaches Your Car Needs a Professional Wash Can We Restore the Gulf of Mexico? The Fossil Fuels Behind Forest Fires The PFAs in Clark's Marsh, Michigan Know The Clean Drinking Water Facts Wipes Are Tearing Up Our Sewer Systems Green Ammonia fo a Sustainable Future Companies Reducing Their CO2 Footprint Derailed Train Ordered Pay Cleanup Costs Lifestyle Changes to Shrink Carbon Footprint	• What Will Power the A.I. Revolution? It Could End Up Increasing Emissions, at Least in the Short Term Jan. 7, 2025 - Last week, Microsoft announced that it would spend approximately $80 billion during this fiscal year to build data centers for its booming artificial intelligence business. That gargantuan sum is a testament to the opportunity that Microsoft and other tech giants see in A.I. It also has the makings of a climate conundrum. • ‘Forever Chemicals’ Reach Tap Water via Treated Sewage Wastewater, Even After Treatment to Make it Drinkable, Contains High PFAS Levels Jan. 6, 2025 - As the world grapples with climate change, population growth and dwindling supplies of fresh water, more people are set to rely on treated wastewater to sustain their daily lives. But wastewater, even after treatment, contains high levels of harmful “forever chemicals” that are already contaminating the drinking water of millions of Americans, researchers said in a study published on Monday that analyzed wastewater samples nationwide. • Heavy Snow and Ice Move From Midwest to Mid-Atlantic Hundreds of Thousands of Customers from Missouri to Virginia were Suffering Power Outages... Jan. 6, 2025 - A wide-reaching winter storm dropped more than a foot of snow and closed major highways in parts of the Midwest as it continued its trek eastward Monday. In parts of the Great Plains, snow totals exceeded anything that had been seen in decades. At least three fatalities were reported in two traffic incidents in the Midwest. Click now for more of the story. • Biden to Block Oil Drilling Across 625 Million Acres of U.S. Waters Affecting Future Oil and Gas Leasing Across Parts of the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, the Eastern Gulf of Mexico and the Northern Bering Sea Jan. 4, 2025 - President Joe Biden will move Monday to block all future oil and gas drilling across more than 625 million acres of federal waters — equivalent to nearly a quarter of the total land area of the United States, according to two people briefed on the decision who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the announcement is not yet public. Click now for additional information. • ‘A Place For Kids to Play and a Place to Store Water’ The Stormwater Capture Zone that is Also a Playground Jan. 3, 2025 - For a city that is almost small enough to fit inside Manhattan’s Central Park just a few miles away, a lot of history has played out within the narrow borders of Hoboken, New Jersey. It was the site of the first organized baseball game in 1846, home of one of the US’s first breweries in the 17th century and the place where Oreo cookies were first sold in 1912. And, as any Hobokenite will tell you, the Mile Square City, as it is called, is also known for something else. • How an Antacid For the Ocean Could Cool the Earth A New Technology Promises to Remove Carbon From the Atmosphere and Prevent Ocean Acidification Jan. 3, 2025 - The world’s oceans stow vast amounts of carbon dioxide. Now, a growing group of scientists and companies say they’ve found a way to increase that storage capacity by tweaking ocean water chemistry. The technique, known as ocean alkalinity enhancement, usually involves dissolving acid-neutralizing rocks in the ocean, allowing it to absorb more carbon dioxide. • This Hidden Mineral is Crumbling Thousands of Home Foundations Across New England Pyrrhotite Causes Cracks in Concrete. But Research on How Widespread the Issue Might Be Has Only Scratched the Surface Jan. 3, 2025 - In 2020, Karen Bilotti and her husband, Sam, started to notice fine lines in their basement’s concrete walls. Ordinarily, they might not have given them a second thought. But the Bilottis had recently heard about a growing group of nearby homeowners in Massachusetts with larger cracks in their foundations, and Sam began to worry. “‘With our luck, our house is probably affected,’” Karen recalled him saying. “And I’m like, ‘You’re crazy. You’re absolutely ridiculous. There’s no way.’” Through core testing, scientists and engineers had determined the culprit behind fissures like those in their neighbors’ homes was pyrrhotite, a mineral made up of sulfur and iron found in some concrete aggregates. • Not a Happy New Years Eve For Puerto Rico Power is Restored to Nearly All of Puerto Rico After a Major Blackout Jan. 2, 2025 - Power was restored to nearly all electrical customers across Puerto Rico on Wednesday after a sweeping blackout plunged the U.S. territory into darkness on New Year’s Eve. By Wednesday afternoon, power was back up for 98% of Puerto Rico’s 1.47 million utility customers, said Luma Energy, the private company overseeing transmission and distribution of power in the archipelago. Lights returned to households as well as to Puerto Rico’s hospitals, water plants and sewage facilities after the massive outage that exposed the persistent electricity problems plaguing the island. • Underwater Volcano Off Oregon Coast Scientists Anticipate the Submarine Volcano Will Erupt Before the End of 2025 Jan. 2, 2025 - In the depths of the Pacific Ocean, 470 kilometers off the Oregon coast, a drama is unfolding. Axial Seamount, one of the most active underwater volcanoes in the world, is swelling with magma. Scientists believe it will erupt before the end of 2025—a bold prediction, but one based on decades of monitoring and a unique volcanic rhythm. Bill Chadwick, a geophysicist at Oregon State University, likens the situation to a pressure cooker nearing its limit... • Detecting Hidden Moisture in Your Walls This Radar System Can Do Just That Jan. 2, 2025 - Mold is one of the most significant challenges for homeowners, and once it takes hold, it can be incredibly difficult to eliminate. Preventing mold is the best approach, and the cornerstone of mold prevention is managing humidity. Now, researchers from Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have developed a method using microwave radar to monitor the moisture content in wood inside walls. “We know microwave radar shows great promise for this, because it’s well known that it can measure the moisture in wood samples,” ORNL’s Philip Boudreaux said. “But can it measure moisture in wood that is inside a wall to detect high-moisture issues before they become a big problem? That’s the challenge.” • Bird Flu Strikes Again Severe Case Confirmed in the US Jan. 2, 2025 - A patient in Louisiana has been hospitalized with a severe case of bird flu (H5N1). This is the first instance of serious illness from this virus in the United States. Although health officials emphasize that the risk to the general public remains low and the virus still isn’t transmitted from human to human, this as a stark reminder that avian influenza remains a persistent and pervase threat, especially to those in close contact with birds and other animals. Click now to read all about it. Louisiana Plastics Plant Put On Pause is a Win For Activists Parisians: Recovering a River Now Buried Under the City Cities Take Action to Limit Loud and Polluting Lawn Care Air Pollution Causes Over 1 Million Stillbirths Each Year Plastic Pellets Flow From the Mississippi Into the Gulf How About a Little Radio-activity in Your Fertilizer? Sustainable Concrete: Do What the Romans Did NY Fracked Gas Plant Rejections Set Precedent To Clear City Smog, Chile Pushes Electric Taxis • Moving Stockholm Toward an Emissions-Free Future Slaughterhouses Pollute Our Waterways Amazon and Others Destroy Unsold Products Plastic Pollution is in All Areas of the U.S. Tropicana Sued Over Malic Acid Presence Drinking Water With ‘Forever Chemicals’ Did We Really Need a Clean Water Rule? Solving the Global Cooling Problem Uranium Mining in the Grand Canyon Insects Could Vanish Within a Century Declining: The Dirt Beneath Our Feet Wiping Out the Boreal Forest - Literally Coal Ash: Hazardous to Human Health NRDC Warns of Up to 40% Food Waste Mangroves May Store More Much CO2 How Do I Reduce My CO2 Footprint? C’mon Congress - Get the Lead Out	Reinvent Cement World Oceans Day The Global Safety Net Tropical Deforestation NOAA Carbon Tracker Ocean Plastics Pollution Dirty Water = Dirty Fish The Real Cost of Carbon 16 Must-See Documentaries Going Green When You Go Your Car's Carbon Footprint Interactive Power Grid Maps Minimizing Pesticide Usage Asbestos Exposure Treatment Micro-plastics Raining Down Diesel School Buses & Health Singapore's Marina Barrage Drinking Water Report Card The Toll s Single-Use Plastics Compare Your City's Pollution What Is Amphibious Architecture? Costa Rica Reversed Deforestation Headed for the Last Roundup®? The Great Pacific Garbage Patch Head & Shoulders Above the Rest How Your State Makes Electricity Australia’s Ecosystems Collapsing The Goldman Environmental Prize Transportation Emissions in the U.S. How Fracking Threatens Our Water Air Pollution and Its Health Impacts Keeping Plastics Out of Our Oceans The World's Most Controversial Tree A Plant in Florida Emits Nitrous Oxide Who's Sueing Who Over Gulf Oil Spill? Coffee With a Side of Microplastics Affect of Abandoned Oil and Gas Wells Cancer Causing Radon in Your Home

India: Source of the Worst Pollution

The World Air Quality Report 2024 by AQI aims to highlight the global air quality trends in 2024 to support the progress on environmental actions globally. Thus, the report focuses on the PM2.5 concentrations and AQI (Air Quality Index) across countries and cities. To offer a comprehensive air pollution view, both real-time and historical data from AQI.in have been collected and utilized.

The report analyzes the AQI and PM2.5 levels in the air across 5,750 cities in 140 countries and regions. The data for this report was collected from more than 15,432 air quality monitoring stations operated by governmental bodies, research institutions, universities, and other organizations.

The data used in the following report was sourced from AQI.in, which monitors and collects real-time air quality. This report categorizes the data by countries, regions and cities and also includes city-wise and country-wise rankings. The Asia region has more extensive data coverage because of a higher number of air quality monitoring stations in the area. The report utilizes AQI and PM2.5 metrics to understand the air pollution risk globally. • AQI: Calculated based on the U.S. standardized measurement system. • PM2.5 Data: Reported in µg/m³ (micrograms per cubic meter), adhering to the latest World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for PM2.5 levels. • Cigarette data is based on PM2.5 levels using Berkeley’s rule: 1 cigarette = 22 µg/m³ PM2.5.

x s

Oil Spill History

"Birds and Oil Don't Mix"
• The Oilspill That Never Quite Goes Away Signs of BP's Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Persist Over a Decade Later Aug. 10, 2022, -Though the leak was eventually capped (temporarily in July 2010 and permanently in September 2010), the spill damage and lingering effects didn’t end there. Even more than a decade later, some signs of the environmental catastrophe remain, according to a new study published in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science. • Massive Spill Hits Southern California’s Beaches About 3,000 Barrels of Oil Leaked from a Broken Pipeline Off the California Coast Oct. 3, 2021, (Bloomberg Green)-California beaches in Northern Orange County were closed and wetlands contaminated by a huge oil spill caused by a broken pipeline off the coast. About 3,000 barrels of oil leaked from the pipeline and washed up on beaches and wetlands in Huntington Beach, a popular spot for Southern California surfers and beach goers. The beach’s ocean and shoreline have been closed indefinitely, the city said in a statement Sunday. • Mystery: Origin of the Oil Killing Brazilian Sea Turtles? Oil Is Killing Brazil’s Turtles Where Is It From? Oct. 12, 2019 (TIME)- More than a month since oil started washing up on some of Brazil’s most touristic beaches, dotting sand with b lack patches, killing sea turtles and scaring off fishermen, the origin of the crude is still a mystery. “We don’t know the oil’s origin, where it came from or how it got here,” Energy Minister Bento Albuquerque said at an offshore exploration auction in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday Click now for more details • One Dead in Gulf of Mexico Rig Accident One dead in Gulf of Mexico Rig Accident - But No Pollution July 21, 2019 (UPI) -There is no pollution associated with an explosion on a drilling platform about 12 miles off the coast of New Orleans in the Gulf of Mexico, a regulator said. The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement said it was notified by oil and gas operator Fieldwood Energy of an explosion on its Echo Platform. Fieldwood said one contract worker was killed and three other employees were treated for injuries at an onshore medical facility. Click now for the whole story. • 14-Year-old Oil Leak in Gulf: Far Worse Than Taylor Energy Says New Estimate for an Oil Leak: 1,000x Worse Than Rig Owner Says June 25, 2020 (NY Times Climate Forward) -A new federal study has found that an oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico that began 14 years ago has been releasing as much as 4,500 gallons a day, not three or four gallons a day as the rig owner has claimed. The leak, about 12 miles off the Louisiana coast, began in 2004 when a Taylor Energy Company oil platform sank during Hurricane Ivan and a bundle of undersea pipes ruptured. Oil and gas have been seeping from the site ever since. Click now to read all about it. • It’s Been Nine Years Since the Deepwater Horizon Incident Nine Years After Deepwater Horizon April 16, 2017 (National Wildlife Federation) - It has been nine years since BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded off the coast of Louisiana, killing eleven men and unleashing an 87 day-long torrent of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico. National Wildlife Federation has taken an active role in Gulf recovery, advocating for science-based decision-making to benefit wildlife and their habitats as Gulf leaders invest recovery funds into restoration. While there are still decades of recovery ahead, significant strides have been made over the last eight years to restore the Gulf for coastal communities and wildlife. As we reflect on the lives lost and the damage wrought, we should also consider how we can prevent a similar disaster from happening in the future. Click now for the complete story • Torrey Canyon Oil Spill - Learning From History Torrey Canyon Disaster – the UK's Worst-Ever Oil Spill 50 Years On Mar. 18, 2017 (The Guardian) - “I saw this huge ship sailing and I thought he’s in rather close, I hope he knows what he’s doing,” recalled Gladys Perkins of the day 50 years ago, when Britain experienced its worst ever environmental disaster. The ship was the Torrey Canyon, one of the first generation of supertankers, and it was nearing the end of a journey from Kuwait to a refinery at Milford Haven in Wales. The BP-chartered vessel ran aground on a rock between the Isles of Scilly and Land’s End in Cornwall, splitting several of the tanks holding its vast cargo of crude oil. Click now for the complete story	• The Prospect of Cuba Drilling In The Gulf Concerns Tampa Bay Advocates of Gulf Oil-Drilling Ban Worried By Talks With Cuba Aug. 18, 2016 (Tampa Bay Times) - Progress in international talks over who owns a piece of the Gulf of Mexico has raised the specter of a Deepwater Horizon tragedy along local shores. A few hundred miles from the west coast of Florida is a 7,700-square-mile area of the Gulf of Mexico known as the Eastern Gap, thought to be rich with oil but with no clear owner. The U.S., Cuban and Mexican governments are now negotiating how to split the area among the three nations. Once that happens, each country can drill for oil in its allotted portion. • Shell Oil Mimics BP With 90,000 Gal. of Crude Shell Oil Spill Dumps Nearly 90,000 Gallons of Crude Into Gulf May 13, 2016 (EcoWatch) -An oil spill from Royal Dutch Shell’s offshore Brutus platform has released 2,100 barrels of crude into the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. The leak—roughly 88,200 gallons—created a visible 2 mile by 13 mile oil slick in the sea about 97 miles south of Port Fourchon, Louisiana, according to the U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement. Officials said that the accident occurred near Shell’s Glider field, an underwater pipe system that connects four subsea oil wells to the Brutus platform, which floats on top of the water with a depth of 2,900 feet. Click now for more (if you can bear it). • Blowout Highlights Gulf Drilling Dangers Blowout Highlights Gulf Drilling Dangers July 25, 2013 (Mother Nature Network) -Flames erupted from an offshore drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico, torching a natural gas plume that had been leaking since a blowout earlier in the day. All 44 rig workers were evacuated before the fire began, according to the U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, but the rig continued spewing gas until Thursday morning, when its scorched frame finally collapsed enough to cut off the leak. Click now for the whole story. • Obama White House Lifts Deepwater Drilling Ban Obama White House Lifts Deepwater Drilling Ban Oct. 12, 2010 (CBS News) -The Obama administration on Tuesday lifted the deep water oil drilling moratorium that the government imposed in the Gulf of Mexico in the wake of the disastrous BP oil spill. The administration has been under heavy pressure from the industry and others in the region to lift the six-month ban on grounds it has cost jobs and damaged the economy. A federal report said the moratorium likely caused a temporary loss of 8,000 to 12,000 jobs in the Gulf region. While the temporary ban on exploratory oil and gas drilling is lifted immediately, drilling is unlikely to resume immediately. Drilling companies must meet a host of new safety regulations before they can resume operations, officials said. Click now for more if you can bear it. • Enter the No-Spin Zone of the Deep: the BP Live Feed The No-Spin Zone of the Deep June 5, 2010 (Christian Science Monitor) - It was the last thing BP wanted: An open, high-definition live video feed – a "spillcam," if you will – showing in excruciating detail the massive oil geyser fouling the Gulf of Mexico, a situation admittedly caused by the giant extractive firm. But after a series of PR disasters – waffling, obfuscating, misplaced optimism, a gaffe-prone CEO – the decision by BP, under pressure from Congress, to put the live feed on the air reaped some unexpected plaudits for the company. Click now for the complete story from the archives. • Can We Restore the Gulf of Mexico? Gulf Oil Spill: Dispersants Have Potential to Cause More Harm Than Good May 11, 2010 (CISTON PR Newswire) -The chemical dispersants being used to break up the oil leaking into the gulf following the explosion of British Petroleum's Deepwater Horizon offshore oil rig have the potential to cause just as much, if not more, harm to the environment and the humans coming into contact with it than the oil possibly would if left untreated. That is the warning of toxicology experts, led by Dr. William Sawyer, addressing the Gulf Oil Disaster Recovery Group, a group of lawyers working to protect the rights and interests of environmental groups and persons affected by the Deepwater Horizon disaster. The group represents the United Fishermen's Association and the Louisiana Environmental Action Network (LEAN), among others. Click now to learn more. • Exxon Valdez: The Story That Never Goes Away 20 Years After Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, Alaskan Coastline Remains Contaminated Mar. 24, 2009 (Democracy Now) - Today marks the twentieth anniversary of the Exxon Valdez oil spill, one of the worst environmental disasters in history. The Exxon Valdez spilled between 11 and 38 million gallons of crude oil into the fishing waters of Prince William Sound. The spill contaminated more than 1,200 miles of Alaska’s shoreline and killed hundreds of thousands of seabirds and marine animals. It also dealt a staggering blow to the residents of local fishing towns, and the effects of the disaster are still being felt today. We speak with Riki Ott, a community activist, marine toxicologist, former commercial salmon fisherma’am and author of two books on the spill. Her latest is Not One Drop: Betrayal and Courage in the Wake of the Exxon Valdez Spill. Click now for the story deep in the archives.

America's Greenest Cities

Provided by Mother Nature Network
# 1 - Portland, Ore The city of microbrewery mania and home to megastore Powell's Books — one of the few remaining independent booksellers in the country — is No. 1 in sustainability. Declared the most bikeable city in the United States for its 200 miles of dedicated bike lanes, Portland certainly makes forgoing gas-powered travel easy. And for lessons in DIY sustainable food sources, classes are available for container gardening and cheese making, or beekeeping and chicken keeping.	# 2 - San Francisco, Cal. Declared by Mayor Gavin Newsom to be America's solar energy leader, this vibrant city of cultural tolerance was a 1960s icon and epicenter for the Summer of Love. But in addition to peace, love and solar power, there's also an innovative recycling program with an artist-in-residence at the recycling facility. The artist uses his work to inspire residents to recycle and conserve. San Francisco is also the first U.S. city to ban plastic grocery bags, a concept that supports its effort to divert 75 percent of landfill waste by 2010.
# 3 - Boston, Mass. It's hard to think of this city without also thinking of tea — as a commodity, not a drink. Boston ranks high among the urban green elite. Sustainability efforts include a "Green by 2015" goal to replace traditional taxi cabs with hybrid vehicles, recycle trash to power homes, use more solar panels, and use more electric motorbikes for transportation. The city's first annual Down2Earth conference was held in 2008. It's designed to educate residents about how to live the most sustainable lifestyle.	# 4 - Oakland, Calif. Residents of this port city have access to an abundance of fresh, organic food, much of which is locally sourced. It's also home to the nation's cleanest tap water, hydrogen-powered public transit and the country's oldest wildlife refuge. Oakland also plans to have zero waste and be oil-independent by 2020, and already gets 17 percent of its energy from renewable sources.
# 5 - Eugene, Ore. Known as the Emerald City for its natural green beauty, this baby boomer haven and second largest city in the state has been doing the "green" thing since the 1960s. In 2008, after only one year of service, the Emerald Express, a hybrid public transit system, won a Sustainable Transport award. Cycling is the preferred mode of transportation, made possible by the 30 miles of off-street bike paths and 29 dedicated bike routes, which total a whopping 150 miles of smog-free travel throughout the metro area.	# 6 - Cambridge, Mass. In 2008, Prevention Magazine named Cambridge "the best walking city." Thoreau's Walden Pond can be found in nearby Concord, and education powerhouses Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University are located here. In 2002, city officials implemented a major climate protection plan and today most city vehicles are fueled by B20 biodiesel or electricity. All new construction or major renovations must meet LEED standards. And a project called "Compost that Stuff" collects and processes organic waste from residents, restaurants, bars and hotels.
# 7 - Berkeley, Calif. A great place to find an abundance of organic and vegetarian restaurants is also on the cutting edge of sustainability. Berkeley is recognized as aleader in the incubation of clean technology for wind power, solar power, biofuels and hydropower.	# 8 - Seattle, Wash. The unofficial coffee klatch capitol of the country is also sustainable-living savvy. More than 20 public buildings in Seattle are LEED-certified or under construction for LEED certification. Through an incentive program, residents are encouraged to install solar panels on their homes for energy conservation. Sustainable Ballard, a green neighborhood group and sustainability festival host, offers ongoing workshops about how to live in harmony with the environment.
# 9 - Chicago, Ill. The Windy City has embraced land sustainability far longer than you may think. In 1909, pioneering city planner Daniel Hudson Burnham created a long-range plan for the lakefront that balanced urban growth, and created a permanent greenbelt around the metropolitan area. This greening of the city continues through the Chicago Green Roof Program. More than 2.5 million SQF city roofs support plant life — including Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower) and the city hall building. Also, about 500,000 new trees have been planted.	# 10 - Austin Tex. Carbon neutral by 2020 — it's an ambitious goal, but Austin Energy is the nation's top seller of renewable energy among 850 utility-sponsored programs, which makes its goal to power the city solely on clean energy within reach. As the gateway to the scenic Texas Hill Country, acreage in Austin devoted to green space includes 206 parks, 12 preserves, 26 greenbelts and more than 50 miles of trails.

Safer Habitats Table of Contents
(Click on a link below to get the full picture.)
Clean Air Council	Climate Emergency Network	Common Dreams	Earthworks
Env. Impact Assessment	Environmental Working Group	Florida Black Bears	Fly California
Gold Rush vs Salmon Habitat	Guardian Sustainable Business	Los Angeles Mass Transit	Mass.gov
Sierra Club	UNLV Recycling	Virginia Dept of Env. Quality	Your Cities, Yourselves

Organizations for Safer Habitats

(Click on an image for more of the story)
The Guardian Sustainable Business Read articles like "Famers Turn Tobacco into Airplane Fuel," Infographics on Air Pollution and Your Health, Cardboard Boxes You Sleep In, and much, much more. Florida Black Bears are in trouble, and they can't hire their own lawyers. -but we can help.	Gold Rush vs Salmon Habitat Five major mining projects have been proposed for the transboundary watershed – the waters shared by British Columbia and southeast Alaska. The region is home to important salmon producing rivers that originate in British Columbia and run through Alaska to the sea. A number of environmental groups, Alaskan Natives and commercial fishermen strongly oppose some of these mining developments across the border. They argue mining could have negative impacts on the salmon and water quality, and irrevocably alter the region's economy, environment and way of life
Environmental Working Group Two-thirds of produce samples in recent government tests had pesticide residues. Don't want to eat bug- and weed-killers? EWG's Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce helps you shop smart. We highlight the cleanest and dirtiest conventionally-raised fruits and vegetables. If a conventionally grown food you want tests high for pesticides, go for the organic version instead. And remember - the health benefits of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables outweigh risks of pesticide exposure. Dirty Dozen™ Plus highlights hot peppers and leafy greens - kale and collard greens - often tainted with unusually hazardous pesticides.	Hydraulic Fracturing (AKA Fracking). Another assault to the environment for which we can thank Haliburton and others. Read all about this extreme method of natural gas extraction , and its impact on water quality and other serious health issues (human and other species). Click the Earthworks icon to learn more.
100 Coal Plants Unplugged. This Sierra Club milestone, 100 coal plants defeated, marks a significant shift in the way Americans are looking at our energy choices. Read on and/or view video.	What Massachusetts is doing about Climate Change?
Flooded Village Files Suit, Citing Corporate Link to Climate Change. The eroding village of Kivalina in the Northwest Arctic is suing Exxon Mobil and 23 other energy companies for damage related to global warming. Read all about it.	This is the web page for Climate Emergency Network news. Click now to get there.
Impact reports for the high speed rail system. You can fly California without leaving the ground, or the carbon footprint associated with air travel. Includes maps of the extensive rail system. ALL ABOARD! The Cape Wind Project will bring clean energy to Nantucket Sound. The project has been delayed by NIMBY (not in my back yard) issues by some who claim to be environmentalists.	An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is an assessment of the likely positive and/or negative influence a project may have on the environment. “Environmental Impact Assessment can be defined as: The process of identifying, predicting, evaluating and mitigating the biophysical, social, and other relevant effects of development proposals prior to major decisions being taken and commitments made.”[1] The purpose of the assessment is to ensure that decision-makers consider environmental impacts before deciding whether to proceed with new projects.
EIR + Facts about the Los Angeles Metro - yes, L.A. has a mass transit system. Also read about the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)	Your Cities, Yourselves Smart-growth advocates offer tips for changing your neck of the woods.
Virginia Dept. of Environmental Quality The Office of Environmental Impact Review coordinates the Commonwealth's response to environmental documents for proposed state and federal projects. The environmental impact review staff distributes documents to appropriate state agencies, planning districts and localities for their review and comment. Upon consideration of all comments, the staff prepares a single state response.	Discover how Networkfleet can help lower fleet fuel costs and greenhouse emissions with technology that combines GPS vehicle tracking with onboard engine diagnostics.
Monitoring the environmental impact of Pennsylvania's energy generation. A steward in validating the state's compliance with the Clean Air Act. What happens in Pennsylvania doesn't necessarily stay in Pennsylvania.	Between 2003 and 2006, the UNLV Rebel Recycling Program recycled 2,144.5 tons of materials. Paper/Fiber (cardboard, paper, books) recycled was 1,641.6 tons. The diversion of these materials from the Apex landfill to the manufacturing process resulted in a positive impact on the global environment. Click on the logo for more.

Companies Producing Cleaner Power

(More companies will be
added to this page shortly)

1366 One Step Closer to
Opening US Solar PV Wafer Facility

Solar silicon wafer innovator 1366 Technologies has landed new funding led by newest partner Tokayama, and is ready to scale up to a 250-MW production line ahead of an anticipated upswing in demand.

Ten months ago 1366 moved into a new 25-MW pilot facility in Bedford, Massachusetts, to nail down process and tweak equipment for its solar silicon wafering technology to take the next step toward commercialization. In June of 2013 the firm inked a R&D deal with Japanese silicon producer Tokuyama with hints that it could expand to an equity investment.

What if a cost-effective air pollution control technology could actually increase energy efficiency? What if it were possible to prevent harmful emissions from the combustion of any fuel, including gas, biomass, coal — even tire-derived fuel and municipal solid waste — in the flame, before those pollutants were ever formed?

The executives at Fulton-based Redox Power Systems are making a bold bet: The homes and businesses of the future will be powered by an extraterrestrial-looking apparatus loaded with fuel cells that convert natural gas and air into electricity.

The technology promises to be more efficient and environmentally friendly than the systems that power many buildings today, but the company has to first overcome the economic and social barriers that often beset renewable energy ventures.

Mesothelioma is a Disease Brought
On By Exposure to Asbestos

Disclaimer: There are many sites that focus on treatment, but we lack the credentials to recommend the best ones*. We've provded a short list:

• Mesothelioma Justice Network • MesotheliomaLawyerCenter.org
• Mesothelioma Staging System • Treat Mesothelioma.org
• Mesothelioma Help Now

*Always consult with a professional
before making your choice.