Archive for December 2020
Amount of Electronic Waste Generated in the U.S. Is Shrinking
Despite Americans’ increased dependence on cell phones and other technology, the amount of electronic waste generated in the United States has shrunk 10 percent since 2015. The decline is due to the phasing out of bulky products, such as large cathode-ray tube televisions and computer monitors, according to a new study.
Read MoreWildfire Smoke Can Carry Dangerous Microbes Thousands of Miles, Scientists Warn
Scientists are warning that wildfire smoke can carry microbes that cause infectious diseases, adding another public health concern to the worsening severity of wildfires across the globe. The analysis, published in the journal Science, said there while the pulmonary and cardiovascular consequences of wildfire smoke inhalation have been well researched, the risk of potential infection from airborne microbes has not.
Read MoreBiodiesel Expansion Could Worsen Deforestation in Indonesia
The Indonesian government has announced a major expansion of a program to make biodiesel out of palm oil, a move that officials say would necessitate planting 37 million acres of new palm oil plantations — an area one-fifth the size of Borneo.
Read MoreEurope’s Climate Plans Challenged by Looming Decommissioning of Nuclear Plants
Dozens of Europe’s aging nuclear power plants will be decommissioned in the coming decade or two, forcing the continent to find new energy sources to power roughly 60 million homes, Reuters reports.
Read MoreMore Than 1 Million Barriers Are Blocking Europe’s Rivers
More than 1.2 million barriers stretch across rivers in Europe, from large-scale dams to locks to weirs — more than twice as many as previously thought, according to new research published in the journal Nature. Scientists said the artificial structures threaten some of the world’s most diverse ecosystems.
Read MoreCan Geothermal Power Play a Key Role in the Energy Transition?
Aided by advances in deep-drilling technology for fracking, engineers are developing new methods of tapping into the earth’s limitless underground supplies of heat and steam. But the costs of accessing deep geothermal energy are high, and initial government support will be crucial.
Read MoreAgriculture Will Threaten Habitat for 90 Percent of Animal Species by 2050
Scientists estimate that if current food production methods continue, the world will likely need between 770,000 to 3.9 million square miles of new agricultural land by 2050 to feed the planet’s growing, wealthier population. Such agricultural expansion could destroy some of the habitat of almost 90 percent of terrestrial animal species, a new study has found, leading to a widespread biodiversity crisis.
Read MoreMussels Sold in Grocery Stores Around the World Contain Microplastic Particles
Scientists have found microplastic in all of the most-consumed mussel species around the world. One gram of mussel meat purchased from a grocery store contains between 0.13 and 2.45 microplastic particles, according to a new study, with organisms harvested in the North Atlantic and South Pacific the most contaminated.
Read MoreOverview: Transforming Land and Sea for a More Sustainable World
Aerial photos often document the destruction of the natural world. But these striking satellite images show how countries are beginning to respond to the global environmental crisis by restoring ecosystems, expanding renewable energy, and building climate resiliency infrastructure.
Read MoreDegraded Parts of the Amazon Cycle One-Third Less Water, Study Finds
Parts of the Amazon rainforest degraded by human activities such as farming, timber extraction, and burning are markedly hotter, drier, and more flammable, and store less carbon than areas of intact forest, according to a new survey of more than 33,000 acres.
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