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These major issues have brought together Democrats and Republicans in states
Across the country, Republicans and Democrats have found bipartisan agreement on regulating artificial intelligence and data centers. But it's not just big tech aligning the two parties.
(Image credit: Ted Shaffrey)
Why farmers in California are backing a giant solar farm
Many farmers have had to fallow land as a state law comes into effect limiting their access to water. There's now a push to develop some of that land … into solar farms.
(Image credit: Jae C. Hong)
Under new regulation, common pesticide would require 'prescription' for use
Neonicotinoids are widely used pesticides, but they kill bees and harm ecosystems. New rules would treat them more like controlled drugs, requiring something akin to a prescription for their use.
How more than 240 million gallons of sewage flowed into the Potomac River
NPR's Erika Ryan reports from the site of one of the nation's largest sewage spills ever — just outside of Washington, D.C. — in January.
Scientists worry about lasting damage from Potomac sewage spill
Drinking water around the District of Columbia hasn't been contaminated. But scientists say the environmental damage could be severe.
(Image credit: Nathan Ellgren)
Surprise shark caught on camera for first time in Antarctica's near-freezing deep
Many experts had thought sharks didn't exist in the frigid waters of Antarctica.
(Image credit: University of Western Australia)
What we know about the massive sewage leak in the Potomac River
A collapsed sewer line, about 8 miles from the White House, pumped 368 Olympic-sized swimming pools worth of wastewater into the Potomac. Repairs could take longer than previously expected.
(Image credit: Cliff Owen)
The Winter Olympics in Italy were meant to be sustainable. Are they?
Italy's Winter Olympics promised sustainability. But in Cortina, environmentalists warn the Games could scar these mountains for decades.
(Image credit: Valerio Muscella for NPR)
Nearly 120 million people in US exposed to unhealthy levels of soot and smog – report
American Lung Association’s study also found great disparity between coasts, with 10 of 11 most polluted counties in California
The climate crisis has upended progress on improving air quality, with one in three Americans currently living in areas with harmful levels of pollutants known to increase the risk of medical emergencies, pregnancy complications and premature death, new research reveals.
Almost 120 million people in the US are still exposed to unhealthy levels of soot and smog, according to the annual report by the American Lung Association (ALA), which found that people of color are almost four times more likely to live in the most polluted places than white Americans.
Continue reading...Beetaloo Basin inquiry calls for national plan to offset vast emissions expected from gas projects
Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young says Labor support for recommendations is a ‘huge blow’ to companies trying to frack in the NT
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An inquiry into major plans to exploit gas in the Northern Territory’s Beetaloo Basin has recommended the federal government commit to a national plan to offset the vast emissions the project is expected to release.
The former government made gas exploration in the Beetaloo Basin a central tenet of its plans for recovering from the Covid pandemic, using grants and tax breaks to incentivise gas corporates to begin work in the region. The basin covers about 28,000 sq km south-east of Katherine and is thought to contain huge reserves of shale gas.
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Continue reading...Humpbacks spotted having whale of a time at underwater ‘day spa’ off Gold Coast
Griffith University researcher captures video of five whales doing ‘bizarre rolls’ on the sea floor as they exfoliate and socialise
Whales have been caught on camera enjoying a marine version of a day spa, returning to their favourite spot off the Gold Coast to scratch off itchy skin and parasites, and catch up with their cetacean buddies.
Griffith University whale researcher Dr Olaf Meynecke and his colleagues were trying to shed light on the behaviour of competing pods of humpbacks that use Gold Coast waters to rest, breed and socialise.
Continue reading...'Full of life': scientists discover pristine deep-sea Galapagos coral reefs – video
Scientists operating a submersible have discovered deep-sea coral reefs in pristine condition in a previously unexplored part of the Galapagos marine reserve. Diving to depths of 600 metres (1,970ft), to the summit of a previously unmapped seamount in the central part of the archipelago, the scientists witnessed a breathtaking mix of deep marine life. This has raised hopes that healthy reefs can still thrive at a time when coral is in crisis due to record sea surface temperatures and ocean acidification
Continue reading...Campaigners urge action over carbon footprint of disposable nappies
Reusables have 25% less global heating potential, finds UK government report, but overall picture is mixed
Environmental campaigners are calling on the UK government to take action after new analysis found a significant difference between the carbon footprints of washable and disposable nappies.
Reusable nappies have 25% less global heating potential compared with single-use nappies, according to a report commissioned by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
Continue reading...Scientists discover pristine deep-sea Galápagos reef ‘teeming with life’
Diving to 600m, researchers find reefs full of octopus, lobster and fish, raising hopes for corals’ survival amid rising sea temperatures
Scientists operating a submersible have discovered deep-sea coral reefs in pristine condition in a previously unexplored part of the Galápagos marine reserve.
Diving to depths of 600 metres (1,970ft), to the summit of a previously unmapped seamount in the central part of the archipelago, the scientists witnessed a breathtaking mix of deep marine life. This has raised hopes that healthy reefs can still thrive at a time when coral is in crisis due to record sea surface temperatures and ocean acidification. It also showed the effectiveness of conservation actions and effective management, they said.
Continue reading...Dig in: how to build a forest from scratch – in pictures
The Bristol-based charity Forest of Avon Trust has recently acquired 100 acres of grazed farmland near the village of Pensford in Somerset, to create the Great Avon Wood. Alongside charity partners Avon Needs Trees, the aim is to plant more than 40,000 trees supplied by the Woodland Trust over the next three years, resulting in a green corridor of three linked woodland sites. The first step is an army of volunteers …
Continue reading...Colorado River snaking through Grand Canyon most endangered US waterway – report
Unique ecosystem on the brink of collapse due to climate crisis and mismanagement, says conservation group American Rivers
A 277-mile stretch of the Colorado River that snakes through the iconic Grand Canyon is America’s most endangered waterway, a new report has found.
The unique ecosystem and cultural heritage of the Grand Canyon is on the brink of collapse due to prolonged drought, rising temperatures and outdated river management, according to American Rivers, the conservation group that compiles the annual endangered list.
Continue reading...Japan’s ‘toxic’ dolphin meat contains mercury up to 100 times safe level, test shows
Exclusive: Conservation group Action for Dolphins has lodged a complaint with police, demanding the meat be removed from sale
Marine conservation campaigners have lodged a complaint with police demanding that “toxic” dolphin meat be removed from sale in Japan, after a test showed a sample contained levels of mercury up to 100 times higher than the government’s recommended safe level.
Action for Dolphins (AFD), a nonprofit based in Australia, filed the complaint with police in central Japan this month, amid expert warnings that regular consumption of dolphin meat could threaten the health of consumers.
Continue reading...Lords amendment to energy bill may stop new coalmines in England
Change to bill says opening and licensing of new coalmines by the Coal Authority to be prohibited
An amendment to the energy bill currently going through the House of Lords means that it will not be possible to open a new coalmine in England.
The amendment may still be reversed in the House of Commons, but it marks the growing frustration of politicians as they press the government to move faster and harder on the climate crisis.
Continue reading...World snooker championship disrupted by Just Stop Oil protesters in Sheffield
- First-round matches held up by graphic powder protest
- Government urged to ‘stop all new UK fossil fuel projects’
The World Snooker Championship is the latest high-profile sporting event to be disrupted by protestors after a Just Stop Oil activist poured a packet of orange powder paint over a table on Monday evening, forcing a 24-hour suspension in the match between Robert Milkins and Joe Perry.
Milkins was 11-0 up in the early stages of the opening frame when a man suddenly ran out of the crowd, jumped on to the table and began emptying the powder. It took 12 seconds for two security guards to get down the stairs of the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, and bundle the activist away, but the damage had long been done.
Continue reading...Hundreds of firefighters tackle wildfire on French-Spanish border – video
Footage released by Catalonia's fire brigade showed firefighters tackling a large wildfire on the French-Spanish border. The blaze spread around the French villages of Cerbère and Banyuls-sur-Mer on the Mediterranean coast before advancing into Spain, fire services said. Hundreds of firefighters were mobilised on both sides of the border to stem the blaze, which destroyed almost 1,000 hectares of land. An unusually dry winter and spring have raised fears of a repeat of last summer's fires and droughts across Europe. One firefighter was being treated with minor injures.
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