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Earth

Keeping It Green

(There's No Planet B)

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Atmospheric CO2 Levels

(Monthly Averages)


Sep.10, 2023: 419.7 ppm
10 years ago: 396 ppm
Pre-industrial base: 280
Safe level: 350 ppm

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT




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Page Updated:
Sept. 23, 2023




• The Issues


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

  • • Engineering Marine Bacteria to Destroy Seawater Plastics
    In a First,
    Researchers Have Just That

    Anthrop

    Sep. 21, 2023 -In 2016, Over 14 million tons of plastic litter ends up in the ocean every year, killing thousands of animals and birds that ingest it. Much of it ends up amassing in giant garbage patches and over time breaking down into smaller microscopic pieces that are harmful to marine life.

    A new study offers a glimmer of hope

  • • Michael Bloomberg's War on Plastics
    The Former NYC Mayor
    Continues His Environmental Fight

    NYT

    Sep. 20, 2023 -Michael Bloomberg is many things: former New York City mayor, founder of a financial data company, failed presidential candidate and the 11th richest man in the world.

    Since leaving public office 10 years ago, Mr. Bloomberg, 81, has also emerged as perhaps the world’s single largest funder of climate activism, making himself an expensive thorn in the side of the fossil fuel industry.

  • • The Beach is Lovely, But...
    The Water, Maybe
    Not So Much

    NYT

    Sep. 20, 2023 -On a warm day in early July, Ed Houlihan guided kayakers on a four-mile trip on Cape Cod from Popponesset Bay up the Mashpee River to a freshwater pond. It was three hours of paddling round trip, but afterward Mr. Houlihan, 83, felt no worse for wear — at first.

    Five days later, his left shin was red and sore, his body was aching, and he had fever and chills. Doctors diagnosed him with a Shewanella algae infection, a bacterium that thrives in brackish water.

  • • Toxic Air Affects Everyone in Europe
    98% of Europeans Breathing Highly Damaging Polluted Air Linked to 400,000 Annual Deaths

    Guardian

    Sep. 20, 2023 -Europe is facing a “severe public health crisis”, with almost everyone across the continent living in areas with dangerous levels of air pollution, an investigation by the Guardian has found.

    Click now for the whole story.

  • • Desert Dust Storm Dangers
    They Can Carry Human-Made Toxic Pollutants, and the Health Risk Extends Indoors

    The Conversation

    Sep. 18, 2023 -Humans have contended with dust storms for thousands of years, ever since early civilizations appeared in the Middle East and North Africa. But modern desert dust storms are different from their preindustrial counterparts.

    Around the world, deserts now increasingly border built structures, including urban dwellings, manufacturing, transportation hubs, sewage treatment and landfills. As a result, desert dust lifts a growing load of airborne pollutants and transports these substances over long distances.

  • • A Landfill as Tall as the Statue of Liberty
    It Could Rise Even Higher

    NYT

    Sep. 17, 2023 -It’s tough to miss Seneca Meadows, New York state’s largest landfill: Rising nearly 300 feet tall, it’s almost as tall as the Statue of Liberty, including its pedestal.

    A decades-old depository of millions of tons of garbage, sprawled over more than 350 acres, it’s an artificial overlook visible from miles away. For homes to the east, it causes an early sunset.

  • • Scotland: ‘Monstrous’ Sea Lice and Jellyfish Invasions
    They're Blighting
    Scottish Salmon Farms

    Guardian

    Sep. 16, 2023 -Lochs in the Highlands of Scotland are among the most spectacular and pristine wildlife areas in Britain, attracting tourists from around the world. They are also a production line for what have become supermarket staples: smoked and fresh salmon.

    But there's a problem...

  • • Glyphosate Danger!
    EU Backs 10-Year Renewal of Disputed Herbicide

    DW Logo

    Sep. 15, 2023 -The European Commission has proposed extending approval of the controversial weedkiller glyphosate, long manufactured under the name Roundup, by 10 years.

    Approval in the EU for the agrichemical is due to lapse this December unless member states agree to a reauthorization.

    The EU's 27 members are expected to discuss the Commission proposal on Friday and will vote on the issue on October 13.

  • • Your Cellphone Could Radiate You
    Apple Software Update Could Solve the Problem

    AP Logo

    Sep. 15, 2023 -For many people, the iPhone 12 effectively disappeared from the market on Tuesday, when Apple introduced that model and stopped selling the 12, first released in October 2020. In Europe, however, the iPhone 12 remains a notable device, as a number of countries are following France's lead in looking into the device's electromagnetic profile. With a software update coming, it may go back on sale soon.

    Click now for the whole story.

  • • Producing Electricity From Wastewater
    Engineered E. Coli
    Could Make It Happen

    Anthrop

    Sep. 14, 2023 -Researchers have engineered the common E. Coli bacteria to produce electricity from a wide range of common sources, including wastewaster. The findings, presented in the journal Joule, could be a boon for wastewater treatment while also producing energy.

    Traditional wastewater treatment plants consume a large amount of energy and produce about 3 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. Using bacteria to convert wastewater into electricity technology could help reduce that environmental impact.

  • • iPhone 12's High Radiation Levels
    France is Banning Them

    WAPO

    Sep. 14, 2023 -A regulator in France asked this week that Apple stop selling its iPhone 12 there, after it said tests found that the device emits radiation levels exceeding European restrictions, giving fresh attention to old concerns about health and cellphone usage.

    Apple disputed the findings.

  • • Geoengineering Is a No-No
    Unintended Consequences
    Haven't Been Addressed

    Guardian

    Sep. 14, 2023 -Governments should place a moratorium on efforts to geoengineer the planet’s climate, as greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise and the climate crisis takes hold, a panel of global experts has urged.

    Geoengineering is highly controversial, but discussions of its feasibility are gathering pace as the impacts of extreme weather, driven by climate breakdown, grip the planet. There is no global agreement on geoengineering, and no rules on what countries, or businesses, can do.

  • • Ohio Injection Wells Suspended
    Their Imminent Danger
    to Drinking Water

    ICN

    Sep. 13, 2023 -Environmental groups have called for a suspension of all Class II wells injecting into the Ohio shale for over a decade, describing the shale as “holier than a Swiss cheese.”

    Click now for the rest of the story.

  • • Requiring Disclosure of Greenhouse Emissions
    That's What the California
    Legislature in Planning to Do

    NYT

    Sep. 13, 2023 -The California Legislature this week passed a landmark bill that would require major companies to publicly disclose their greenhouse gas emissions, a move with national and global repercussions in governments’ efforts to fight climate change.

    A spokesman for Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, declined on Wednesday to say whether he would sign the bill.

  • • Washington is Full of Rats
    And We're Not
    Just Talking About Congress

    WAPO

    Sep. 13, 2023 -The sound of a rat screaming in the jaws of a terrier is the same sound that a stuffed squeaky toy makes.

    It seems so obvious. Of course the toys sound that way, because that sound awakens something deep in a docile dog’s neurons that says: Shake it. Shake it till it’s dead.

  • • Raw Sewage Has Affected Rivers in England and Wales
    Hundreds of Thousands of Discharges Were Recorded Last Year

    Guardian

    Sep. 12, 2023 -More than 384,000 discharges of raw sewage were reported by water companies across England and Wales in 2022, official figures show, in what the Rivers Trust has described as “extremely bad news for environmental and human health”.

    However, the true scale may be even greater, as a new legal challenge has claimed.

  • • Carbon Capture and Storage:
    Texas Bets on an Undersea Bonanza
    Federal Money Will Help Support It

    ICN

    Sep. 8, 2023 -Hungry for royalties, the state is awarding offshore leases to oil and gas companies that hope to bury heat-trapping carbon dioxide deep beneath the seafloor. But critics worry about leakage through rock layers, pipeline safety and the lackluster record of carbon capture facilities onshore.

  • • Flora and Fauna, But What About ‘Funga’
    The Term Will Help People Remember How Important These Organisms Are

    SNL

    Sep. 7, 2023 -Fungi. They grow between toes, on bread and in the shower. But the organisms also produce food and medicine and act as ecosystem maids by decomposing dead matter — benefits that are sometimes overlooked. That’s why the Fungi Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to fungi education and conservation, advocates for adding “funga” to the popular phrase “flora and fauna.”

    Click now for more.

  • • Agribusiness Giant Cargill Is in Activists’ Crosshairs
    Results From Its Connections to Deforestation in Bolivia

    ICN

    Sep. 6, 2023 -Cargill, the world’s largest agribusiness company—and the United States’ largest privately held company—is coming under yet more scrutiny from advocacy groups that have traced its business operations to recently cut tropical forests in Bolivia.

  • • Classify ‘Produced Water’ From Fracking as Hazardous Waste?
    Pennsylvania Legislation
    Will Do Just That

    ICN

    Sep. 6, 2023 -Katie Muth knew it would be a long shot. This January, the Pennsylvania state senator reintroduced three pieces of legislation aimed at closing loopholes in the laws governing how the oil and gas industry disposes of its solid and liquid waste.

    In Pennsylvania’s Republican-controlled Senate, Muth said any legislation hampering business as usual for oil and gas companies would garner little to no bipartisan support. Still, there is utility in getting “a lot of legislators on the record voting down clean water,” she said.

  • • A Medical Toolkit for Climate Resiliency
    Built on the Latest Epidemiology
    and ER Best Practices

    ICN

    Sep. 5, 2023 -Harvard University’s Chan School of Public Health has developed a Climate Resiliency Toolkit to aid emergency rooms and clinics with protocols for robust medical care during climate emergencies, based on the assumption that they now affect every person on the planet.

    The toolkit, developed jointly by Americares and Chan’s Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment contains specific resources and guidance for administrators, physicians and patients at frontline medical clinics to proactively address climate-induced medical emergencies.

  • • Lobstermen Face Hypoxia in Outer Cape Waters
    Low Oxygen Levels Linked to Warmer Water Spell Trouble For Local Lobsters

    ICN

    Sep. 4, 2023 -Alex Iacono, a lobsterman who says he favors lobsters and ocean solitude over people, is worried about the future of his business. Iacono, who lives in Truro and fishes out of Provincetown on the F/V Storm Elizabeth, says his catch has significantly dwindled in recent years.

    He’s not alone; other lobstermen working across Cape Cod Bay have noticed a downward trend. They believe that hypoxia — dangerously low levels of oxygen in the water — is to blame.

  • • Helping Ohio Electric Co-Ops Cut Costs and CO2 Emissions
    Federal Funds to the Rescue

    REW

    Sep. 4, 2023 -A share of $9.7 billion in funding under the Inflation Reduction Act can help Ohio’s rural electric cooperatives save money while cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

    Buckeye Power, which provides generation and transmission services for the group’s 25 rural electric cooperative members, “has more exposure to coal” than any comparable group in the United States, said Neil Waggoner, federal deputy director for energy campaigns for the Sierra Club, so the IRA funding is an especially huge opportunity.

  • • Invasive Pests Are Taking a Staggering Toll on Society
    U.N.-Backed Report Say Invasive Species Are Costing the World More than $423 Billion a Year

    WAPO

    Sep. 4, 2023 -Invasive pests are wreaking havoc across the planet, destroying crops, disseminating pathogens, depleting fish people rely on for food and driving native plants and animals toward extinction, according to a major report backed by the United Nations.

    The landmark assessment found more than 3,500 harmful invasive species cost society more than $423 billion a year, a tally only expected to grow as the modern age of global trade and travel continues to supercharge the spread of plants and animals across continents like never before.

  • • The Major Risk to Life Expectancy in South Asia
    Answer: Air Pollution

    REUTERS

    Aug. 29, 2023 - Rising air pollution can cut life expectancy by more than five years per person in South Asia, one of the world's most polluted regions, according to a report published on Tuesday which flagged the growing burden of hazardous air on health.

    The region, which includes the world's most polluted countries of Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan, accounts for more than half of the total life years lost globally to pollution, the University of Chicago's Energy Policy Institute (EPIC) said in its latest Air Quality Life Index.

  • • NASA Reveals First Pollution Maps
    This is Where Their New
    Space Instrument Comes In

    ZME

    Aug. 29, 2023 -NASA's new satellite instrument, TEMPO, is about to turn the skies above North America into a high-definition pollution map. Imagine having real-time snapshots of everything from tailpipe emissions on your morning commute to the haze from distant wildfires and volcanic eruptions -- that's exactly what TEMPO is aiming for.

  • • Stripping Over Half of U.S. Wetlands’ Protections
    It's What Happens When the Supreme Court Rules

    WAPO

    Aug. 29, 2023 -The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said Tuesday that it has revised a key rule to comply with a sweeping Supreme Court ruling from this year, which could strip federal protections from up to 63 percent of the nation’s wetlands.

    In a final rule issued Tuesday, the EPA and the Department of the Army changed parts of the previous definition of “waters of the United States” to align with the Supreme Court’s decision, which weakened the federal agencies’ power to regulate the nation’s waterways.

  • • New York Creates Battery
    Storage Fire Safety Working Group
    Prompted By Multiple Fires

    PGI

    Aug. 28, 2023 -New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the creation of a new Inter-Agency Fire Safety Working Group meant to ensure the safety and security of energy storage systems across the state, following fire incidents at facilities in Jefferson, Orange, and Suffolk Counties this summer.

    State agencies will begin immediate inspections of energy storage sites, and the working group is intended to help prevent fires and ensure emergency responders have the necessary training and information to prepare and deploy resources in the event of a fire.

  • • Artificial Reef Made From Pear Trees
    Proves Effective In Netherlands Test

    CT

    Aug. 28, 2023 -A reef is like a canary in a coal mine. It can give advanced warning of changes in the environment that will affect all life on Earth, including humans. Coral cannot relocate if the water they live in gets too hot. Instead, they die. The calcium carbonate structure they create can dissolve if the water gets too acidic, which is what is happening now as more and more carbon dioxide gets absorbed by the oceans.

    People have been trying any number of ways to create artificial reefs to replace the ones that are dying. Old ships are decommissioned and sunk offshore to provide a habitat for marine life. Others are electing to have their ashes mixed with cement and dropped into the ocean after they are cremated.

  • • Massive Lithium Deposits in California’s Salton Sea
    Locals Anticipate a Mixed Bag

    ICN

    Aug. 26, 2023 -When Sonia Herbert, 78, opened a restaurant in Bombay Beach, a small California neighborhood about 80 miles northeast of San Diego, she welcomed the bustle of tourists and locals visiting the Salton Sea shoreline. Located in Imperial County, the lake and its wetlands offer crucial habitats for migratory birds and a refuge for people from the hot desert sun.

    But for more than 20 years, she’s watched the once-thriving oasis become increasingly desiccated and polluted with agricultural runoff and waste.

  • • August is Peak Month For Toxic Algae Illness
    Your Dog May Face a Higher Risk of Algae Poisoning Than Ever

    EWG Logo

    Aug. 26, 2023 -In many places, public health advisories limit lake activities to the shore for dogs and people, as tiny microorganisms overtake freshwater bodies in floating mats of scum.

    These microorganisms are often referred to as blue-green algae, but they are actually a type of bacteria called cyanobacteria that make energy from light. They grow rapidly during the summer, when warm temperatures and excess nitrogen and phosphorus enter bodies of freshwater, creating the perfect conditions for algae to grow into harmful algae blooms.

  • • Mountain Valley Pipeline Construction Resumes In Virginia
    This Is Despite All Warnings

    WAPO

    Aug. 26, 2023 -After years of delays from dozens of environmental violations and a slew of court fights, Mountain Valley Pipeline construction resumed earlier this month in Virginia, a state official said.

    The Mountain Valley Pipeline, a controversial project that would transport Appalachian shale gas about 300 miles from West Virginia to Virginia, resumed construction on Aug. 4.

  • • Carbon Capture and Storage
    How It Works (or Doesn't)

    GI

    Aug. 26, 2023 -Although CCUS is incredibly promising, various activists have voiced concern over its impact. Some experts believe it’s the answer to climate change, while others feel it’s an excuse for manufacturers to produce more greenhouse gas emissions.

    Carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) involves collecting carbon dioxide — primarily from industrial and commercial sources — to make it usable or pump it underground. Instead of offsetting greenhouse gas emissions, it reduces the total amount humans produce.

  • • UN-Led Fight Against Locusts
    The Toxic Toll is on Kenyan Farmers

    Grist

    Aug. 25, 2023 - The swarms were so thick they obscured the sun. Mohammed Adan, a farmer in northeastern Kenya, watched the horde of desert locusts first descend in late 2019. He’s been grappling with their legacy ever since.

    The battle continues.

  • • Japan Releases Fukushima Wastewater into the Ocean
    Pacific Islanders are Reminded of a Never-Ending Nuclear Legacy

    Grist

    Aug. 24, 2023 -Danity Laukon was sitting in her bedroom in her two-bedroom flat in Suva, Fiji, when she got the call. It was November 2021, and her dad, more than 1,800 miles away at her home in Majuro in the Marshall Islands, had died after a battle with diabetes.

    He was 50 years old.

    Diabetes is not an illness that is directly caused by radiation. But Laukon believes that American nuclear testing in the Pacific played a role in his early death.

  • • PFAS: Much Higher Among Asian Americans
    Forever Chemicals Do Not
    Affect People Equally

    Guardian

    Aug. 24, 2023 - Asian Americans likely have much higher levels of “forever chemicals” in their blood than other US races and ethnicities, research using a novel method for measuring PFAS exposure finds.

    The peer-reviewed study factored sociodemographic, dietary and behavioral characteristics into its algorithm, which makes it more sensitive to exposure differences among cultures than the standard methods used by the US government and most of the scientific community.

  • Up Arrow


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
  • Canada is Banning Single-Use Plastics
  • 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
  • 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






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    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.