Our Neighborhood

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Earth

Keeping It Green

(There's No Planet B)

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Atmospheric CO2 Levels

(Monthly Averages)


Mar. 6, 2024: 421.5 ppm
10 years ago: 396 ppm
Pre-industrial base: 280
Safe level: 350 ppm

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT




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Page Updated:
March 18, 2024




• The Issues


Environmental Impact News (Latest Dates First) - for the past month)

  • • Icelandic Volcano Erupts Again
    Turning the Sky
    Orange and Forcing Evacuations

    WAPO

    Mar. 17, 2024 -A volcano erupted in southwestern Iceland for the fourth time in three months — sending destructive lava flowing toward the town of Grindavik and prompting authorities to close a road near the town and evacuate the popular Blue Lagoon geothermal spa resort amid emergency warnings.

    Click now for the rest of the story.

  • • A Gas Tanker Crashed in Birmingham,
    Spilling 2,100 Gallons Into Nearby Village Creek
    Officials Worked to Contain the Spill and Document a Resulting Fish Kill

    ICN

    Mar. 16, 2024 -As Kacey Brantley entered her neighborhood earlier this month, she thought the car in front of her was having some kind of mechanical issue. A pungent smell, like gas and burnt plastic, filled her lungs.

    “I started gagging it made me so nauseous,” she said.

  • • Carbon Removal Is Getting Gamified
    Which Purchaser of Qualifying Carbon Credits Comes Out On Top?

    (Heat Map News), Mar. 15, 2024, The Department of Energy wants YOU to purchase carbon removal. Well, maybe not you, personally, but your city, state, or employer. And as an incentive, it’s turning the buying process into the equivalent of an arcade game, inviting companies to try to make it to the top of a new carbon removal buyers leaderboard.

    The agency soft-launched the concept on Thursday under the banner of the “Voluntary Carbon Dioxide Removal Purchase Challenge.”

  • • Destroyed Coral Reefs Can Now Be Recovered
    Repairing the Results of Blast Fishing

    ZME

    Mar. 14, 2024 - In the last 40 years, blast fishing, the practice of killing a large number of fish at once using explosives has inadvertently destroyed coral reefs. For instance, blast fishing has wiped out 75 percent of the reef in Sulawesi, the world’s 11th and Indonesia’s fourth-largest island.

    Sulawesi is just one of the many regions where blast fishing has caused massive coral reef damage, and what’s worse is that there is no way to recover the lost reef. Or so we thought.

  • • H5N1 Virus Kills South American Wildlife
    Flu Strain Raises Alarm

    REUTERS

    Mar. 13, 2024 -The deadly H5N1 bird flu virus has spread more aggressively than ever before in wild birds and marine mammals since arriving in South America in 2022, raising the risk of it evolving into a bigger threat to humans, according to interviews with eight scientists.

    Click now for the rest of the story.

  • • Oil Fields Release Far More Methane Than Thought
    Another Way That Oil
    is Hurting the Environment

    NYT

    Mar. 13, 2024 - Oil and gas producers in major oil fields across the United States may be emitting three times as much planet-warming methane gas as official estimates, according to new research published Wednesday, the latest study to suggest that emissions from the fossil fuel sector may be grossly undercounted.

    Click now to increase your awareness.

  • • Making Palm Oil in a Lab
    And This is Without Palm Trees

    NYT

    Mar. 9, 2024 -A handful of startups are trying to reinvent one of the most ubiquitous, but also environmentally destructive, ingredients in our diets: palm oil.

    Click now for the rest of the story.

  • • Reusable Water Bottles Have More Bacteria Than a Toilet Seat
    Those Bottle Do Need Washing

    ZME

    Mar. 8, 2024 -A new study reveals that your average reusable water bottle may contain about 40,000 times more germs than a toilet seat (in some instances). In fact, your pet’s drinking bowl is 14 times cleaner than your everyday water bottle if the latter is not washed regularly. However, more bacteria doesn’t always mean bad news. In this case, most of the bacteria comes from your own mouth — and it’s not really harmful.

    Click now for the rest of the story.

  • • Australia's Great Barrier Reef Suffers Major Coral Bleaching
    A Widespread, Often Called Mass, Coral Bleaching Event is Unfolding Across the Reef

    REUTERS

    Mar. 8, 2024 -Australia's Great Barrier Reef has been hit by a major coral bleaching event, with the results consistent with patterns of heat stress that have built up over summer at the biologically diverse site, a government agency said on Friday.

    Click now for the rest of the story.

  • • What? You Don't Want Plastics in Your Arteries?
    Their Presence May be
    Linked to Higher Risk
    of Heart Disease and Death

    REUTERS

    Mar. 8, 2024 -Minuscule pieces of plastic lodged in the fatty deposits that line human arteries may be linked with higher risks for heart disease, strokes, and death, Italian researchers reported on Wednesday.

    Among 304 patients who underwent procedures to clear a major artery in the neck, 58% were found to have microscopic and nanoscopic “jagged-edged” pieces of plastic in the plaque lining the blood vessel, including polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride containing chlorine, Dr. Raffaele Marfella at the University of Campania in Naples and colleagues reported.

  • • Elevated Lead Found in Six Ground Cinnamon Spice Brands
    The FDA Advised People to Toss Out Brands of Ground Cinnamon After Tests Detected Lead Contamination

    WAPO

    Mar. 6, 2024 -Elevated levels of lead have been detected in six brands of ground cinnamon spice, the latest contamination of the toxic metal following a massive recall of tainted cinnamon applesauce pouches last fall.

    The products — bags and plastic bottles of ground cinnamon often used in home cooking — have far lower levels of lead than what was detected in the lead-tainted cinnamon used in the apple puree pouches.

  • • The UN is Investigating the
    Environmental Impact of the War in Gaza
    Here’s What it Says So Far

    ICN

    Mar. 6, 2024 - Human remains, asbestos and unexploded munitions: there will be huge challenges to conducting field-based assessment work in Gaza.

    The United Nations is investigating the environmental impact of the war in Gaza, which has caused a catastrophic spike in land, soil and water pollution.

  • • Flower Farms Could Clean Up Polluted Waterways
    Floating Cut-Flower Farms Work Like Natural Wetland Plants Soaking Up Excess Phosphorous and Nitrogen

    Anthrop

    Mar. 6, 2024 -Fertilizer is both a blessing and a curse. On farmland, it helps sustain crops that feed the world. But when those same nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorous, wash into nearby rivers, lakes and seas, they fuel algae blooms that can choke ecosystems and create low-oxygen dead zones.

    Click now for the rest of the story.

  • • Eco-Friendly Breakthrough Extracts Gold Out of E-Waste
    And It’s All
    Thanks to Cheese

    ZME

    Mar. 4, 2024 -In an era where electronic waste grows as rapidly as our reliance on technology, a timely discovery emerges from the laboratories of ETH Zurich in Switzerland.

    Researchers have found a way to extract gold from the discarded circuits of our digital lives, employing nothing more than a byproduct of cheese production — a bodybuilder’s favorite supplement: whey.

  • • Tracking an Invisible Climate Menace From 360 Miles Above
    There's a New Eye in the Sky

    NYT

    Mar. 3, 2024 -Six years ago, scientists at the nonprofit Environmental Defense Fund were wrapping up a major research project to measure methane leaks from oil and gas sites across Texas. Everywhere they looked — using planes, drones, ground measurements and even handheld devices — they found that gas was leaking at a far faster clip than the companies had disclosed.

    What if that was happening around the world?

  • • Why a Rose Might Not Rise
    Emissions From Cars and Power Plants Can Hinder Insects’ Search for the Plants They Pollinate

    ICN

    Mar. 2, 2024 -The level of air pollution in many cities is great enough to shorten the distance from which insects can smell the flowers they need to pollinate, according to recent research.

    The study, published this month in Science, found that nitrate radicals, chemical compounds created when nitrogen oxides react with ozone, degrade the scent of the pale evening primrose, hampering hawk moths’ ability to find and pollinate the flower.

  • • Allegheny County Fines U.S. Steel For Air Quality Violations
    The Amount Comes
    to Nearly $2 Million

    AF Logo

    Mar. 1, 2024 -The Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) issued a fine of $1.991 million to U.S. Steel on Monday for 362 operating permit violations at its Clairton Coke Works.

    The health department’s order details violations that include failing to properly operate protective equipment, which is needed to prevent the release of harmful chemicals and fine particles into the air during the production of hot coke.

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  • • Bradenton Spills 1.2 Million
    Gallons of Sewage into the Manatee River
    The Water Was Partially Treated

    SHT

    Mar. 1, 2024 - The city of Bradenton bypassed 1.2 million of partially treated sewage into the Manatee River this week.

    Wednesday's spill adds to hundreds of millions of gallons of sewage spills by the city since 2018. In May of 2022, the city settled a lawsuit levied by environmental advocacy groups over an estimated 160 million gallons of sewage spilled into the Manatee River at that time.

  • • Leaking, Abandoned Wells Wreak Havoc in West Texas
    The Challenges of Finding
    and Plugging Thousands of
    Wells Across the State

    ICN

    Feb. 29, 2024 -Mounds of dirt towered over Bill Wight, who stared helplessly at the piles that had once been pasture for his cattle.

    After a few moments, he turned his head and surveyed a vast pool of water that had spilled over his land after an abandoned well exploded in early December. The water that sprang from the forgotten hole drilled searching for oil or water contained so much salt that it scrubbed the life off the land. It decimated the soil.

  • • Ultra-Processed Foods Linked to 32 Health Problems
    What You Need to Know

    WAPO

    Feb. 29, 2024 - A review of research involving almost 10 million people has found a direct association between eating too many ultra-processed foods — those breads, cereals, snacks and frozen meals that have been industrially manufactured with flavors and additives to make them more palatable — and more than 30 health conditions, including heart disease, anxiety and early death.

    Click now to read the article.

  • • NY State Lawmakers Seek to Ban Use of CO2 in Quest for Gas
    A Firm Planning a Drilling Spree in New York’s Southern Tier Goes Silent

    ICN

    Feb. 28, 2024 -The scientists and activists that pushed New York State to ban high-volume hydrofracking are working overtime against a speculative plan to inject carbon dioxide rather than water into Southern Tier Solutions shale formations to extract natural gas.

    By backing new state legislation to extend the ban to include CO2, they hope to strangle the project in its cradle—if it isn’t already dead.

  • • Removing Microplastics From Your Water
    New Research Found That Boiling Drinking Water Can Remove Up to Nearly 90 Percent of Them

    WAPO

    Feb. 28, 2024 - Tiny plastic particles can seem alarmingly ubiquitous and nearly impossible to get rid of — they’ve been found in food, breast milk and even clouds. But new research suggests that a simple solution could reduce microplastics in drinking water: boiling it.

    Click now for detailed information.

  • • Texas Railroad Commission Approves Toxic Waste Ponds
    They'll Go Next to a Baptist Camp

    ICN

    Feb. 27, 2024 -Texas regulators recently authorized a company to operate ponds to store and recycle millions of gallons of oilfield wastewater laced with toxic chemicals next to a Baptist summer camp in the Permian Basin.

    They don't call Texas the State of Denial for nothing.

  • • European Parliament's Watered-down Law to Restore Nature
    EU Target Aims to Restore at Least 20% of Land and Sea Ecosystems by 2030 Despite Farmers’ Protests and Rightwing Opposition

    TGL

    Feb. 27, 2024 -The European parliament has given the green light to a watered-down law to restore nature, after weeks of fierce protests from farmers and a last-ditch attempt from rightwing parties threatened to sink the deal.

    “Today is an important day for Europe as we move from protecting and conserving nature to restoring it,” said César Luena, a Spanish MEP from the centre-left Socialist and Democrats, who led negotiations on the proposal.

  • • Riders in the Smog
    The Publication Equipped Equipped Gig Riders Across South Asia With Pollution Monitors. The Readings Were Off the Rest of World equipped gig riders across South Asia with pollution monitors. The Readings Were Off the Charts

    (rest of world), Feb. 27, 2024, Sami Iqbal is a self-employed gig worker who works across multiple ride-hailing apps, including Careem, Bykea, and inDrive. As he set off for his first job that day, the city was covered in a thick, poisonous smog. He drove through visible specks of reddish dust and other particulate matter, breathing through his muffler and trying to ignore the metallic, almost sulfurous stench permeating his nostrils.

    Click now for the rest of the story.

  • • Exxon Mobil CEO On the ‘Dirty Secret’ of Net Zero:
    ‘People Who Are Generating the Emissions Need to Be Aware … and Pay the Price’s

    (yahoo/finance), Feb. 27, 2024, As it stands, we're not on the path to net-zero emissions by 2050, Exxon Mobil CEO Darren Woods said. And maybe that’s not Big Oil’s fault.

    “The dirty secret nobody talks about is how much all this is going to cost and who's willing to pay for it,” Woods, who replaced Rex Tillerson at the helm of Exxon Mobil in January 2017, said. “If you look at the policies [governments] are putting out, the cost is very implicit. It's not an explicit cost.”

  • • Mercury in Tuna is a Serious Problem
    Researchers Might
    Have the Answer Why

    NYT

    Feb. 27, 2024 -In the 1960s and 1970s, the horrors of mercury poisoning in Japan and elsewhere shocked the world into curbing releases of the toxic metal. Since then, mercury pollution from human activities, like burning coal and mining, has declined in many parts of the world.

    But when a team of French researchers analyzed thousands of tuna samples from 1971 to 2022, they found that mercury levels in the fish remained virtually unchanged.

  • • N. Carolina ‘PFAS’ Plant Violates Human Rights
    This, According to a U.N. Panel

    NYT

    Feb. 27, 2024 -The dumping of contaminated wastewater by a chemical plant on the Cape Fear River began more than four decades ago, making the river water unsafe to drink for 100 miles.

    This week, in response to a petition by community groups in North Carolina, a United Nations panel called the pollution a human rights issue.

  • • No Smoking Tobacco in New Zealand?
    Not Gonna Happen

    REUTERS

    Feb. 27, 2024 - New Zealand will repeal on Tuesday a world-first law banning tobacco sales for future generations, the government said, even while researchers and campaigners warned of the risk that people could die as a result.

    Set to take effect from July, the toughest anti-tobacco rules in the world would have banned sales to those born after Jan. 1, 2009, cut nicotine content in smoked tobacco products and reduced the number of tobacco retailers by more than 90%.

  • • Wiping Canada's Boreal Forest Clean
    A Toilet Paper Boom is Responsible

    (CTV NEWS), Feb. 26, 2024, Growing demand for toilet paper is putting an unprecedented strain on Canada’s boreal forest, according to a new report.The U.S.-based Natural Resources Defense Council says the “tree-to-toilet pipeline” will have severe consequences for wildlife, Indigenous communities and the global climate if no action is taken.“For all forests’ value, we are quite literally flushing them down the toilet,” the report reads.

  • • The East Palestine Derailment Problem That Won't Go Away
    One Year Later, Pennsylvanians Living Near the East Palestine Derailment Are Still Sick

    ICN

    Feb. 22, 2024 -Residents of Beaver County, many of them women and children, are suffering from alarming symptoms that began at the time of the accident—and say they’re struggling to access testing and medical guidance.

    Click now for the rest of the story.

  • • Chemours and DuPont Knew About Risks But...
    They Kept Making
    Toxic PFAS Chemicals

    ICN

    Feb. 26, 2024 -In advance of a United Nations meeting this week where pollution is on the agenda, a U.N. human rights team has called out a PFAS manufacturing plant in North Carolina as a poster child for irresponsible behavior.

    Nine independent U.N. human rights advisors put blame for widespread contamination in the area from a Chemours plant near Fayetteville, a Dupont spinoff, and said “even as DuPont and Chemours had information about the toxic impacts of PFAS on human health and drinking water, the companies continued to produce and discharge PFAS.”

  • • Mount Everest Has a Poop Problem
    Now Climbers Are Required to bag It

    WAPO

    Feb. 22, 2024 - Climbers ascending Mount Everest will be expected to collect their poop in doggy bags and carry their waste back to base camp, according to new regulations from local officials as they attempt to address a long-festering littering problem on the world’s tallest peak.

    Click now for the rest of the story.

  • • The Rising Cost of the Oil Industry’s Slow Death
    Unplugged Oil and Gas Wells Accelerate Climate Change, Threaten Public Health and Risk Hitting Taxpayers’ Pocketbooks

    NYT

    Feb. 22, 2024 -In the 165 years since the first American oil well struck black gold, the industry has punched millions of holes in the earth, seeking profits gushing from the ground. Now, those wells are running dry, and a generational bill is coming due.

    Until wells are properly plugged, many leak oil and brine onto farmland and into waterways and emit toxic and explosive gasses, rendering redevelopment impossible.

  • • That ‘Unimaginable’ Smell in Cape Town?
    Blame a Docked Ship With 19,000 Cows

    NYT

    Feb. 20, 2024 -As the stench wafted more than a mile inland, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals found a buildup of dung in the animals’ cramped holding pens.

    Click now to learn more.

  • • World’s First Wooden Satellite is Set For Launch
    Here’s Why This Is a Pretty Big Deal

    ZME

    Feb. 20, 2024 - This summer, Japan is set to launch the world’s first satellite whose housing is made of timber rather than metal like aluminum. It’s an important step forward in combating pollution from defunct satellites burning in Earth’s atmosphere upon re-entry.

    Click now for the rest of the story.



The Issues: What We Need to Know

 

  • Lead Poisoning Details
  • Help End Food Wast
  • Carbon Offset Credits
  • Air Pollution and PM2.5
  • Breaking Down Toxic PFAS
  • 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
  • Fossil Fuel Facts You Should Know
  • Pesticides and Farm Worker Safety
  • 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
  • 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
  • Cancer Causing Radon in Your Home
  • How Fracking Threatens Our Water
  • Toxic Release Inventory Program
  • Air Pollution and Its Health Impacts
  • What to Know About Ground Water
  • The Great Pacific Garbage Patch
  • Ethylene Oxide Exposure
  • Global Sand Mining
  • 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
  • Up Arrow
  • 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®?
  • Head & Shoulders Above the Rest
  • How Your State Makes Electricity
  • Australia’s Ecosystems Collapsing
  • The Goldman Environmental Prize
  • Transportation Emissions in the U.S.
  • 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
  • Up Arrow



    Interactive Map:

    Explore the air quality anywhere in the world
    WorldAirQuality
    Air pollution continues to pose one of the biggest threats to human health, with 90% of the global population breathing unsafe air.
    The latest data compiled by IQAir, published in the 2019 World Air Quality Report and the most polluted cities ranking, reveals the changing state of particulate pollution (PM2.5) around the world during 2019.
    The new dataset highlights elevated air pollution levels as a result of climate change events, such as sandstorms and wildfires, and pollution gains from the rapid urbanization of cities, in regions such as Southeast Asia.
    While some achievements have been made in air quality monitoring infrastructure globally, there are still huge gaps in access to data around the world.
    Click the image to see where your atmosphere stands.

    Back Arrow






    x s

    Oil Spill History
    Site Title

    "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

      GIZMODO

      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.
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    America's Greenest Cities
    Back Arrow

    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.

    San Francisco

    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.
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    # 3 - Boston, Mass.

    Boston

    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.

    Boston

    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.
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    # 5 - Eugene, Ore.

    Eugene
    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.

    Cambridge

    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.

    Berkeley

    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.

    Seattle

    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.
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    # 9 - Chicago, Ill.

    Chicago

    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.

    Austin

    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
         
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    Organizations for Safer Habitats

    (Click on an image for more of the story)

    The Guardian Sustainable Business

    EWG Logo
    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

    Transboundary Watershed Map
    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

    EWG Logo
    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.
    Earhworks Logo
    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.
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    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.
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    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.
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    Companies Producing Cleaner Power

    (More companies will be
    added to this page shortly)


    1366 One Step Closer to
    Opening US Solar PV Wafer Facility

    1366 Technologies Logo

    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.

    Clearsign Logo

    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?

    Redox Power Systems Logo

    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.
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    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:

    *Always consult with a professional
    before making your choice.