Pollution

Birmingham, Ala. (Special to Informed Comment) – According to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) of the United States Congress, about one-third of chemical facilities in the United States that contain hazardous compounds are threatened by global warming and the climate changes that result from it. Flooding, storm surges, wildfires, and rising sea levels are just […]

Climate Crisis

Is it possible to heal the damage we have already done to the Earth?

The Conversation

Scott Denning | – Sometimes it may seem that humans have altered the Earth beyond repair. But our planet is an incredible system in which energy, water, carbon and so much else flows and nurtures life. It is about 4.5 billion years old and has been through enormous changes. Is it possible to heal the […]

Coal

In Victory against Coal, South African Court rules that clean Air is a Constitutional Right

The Conversation

By Rebecca Garland, University of Pretoria | – A court in South Africa has confirmed the constitutional right of the country’s citizens to an environment that isn’t harmful to their health. This includes the right to clean air, as exposure to air pollution affects human health. Air pollution also affects land and water systems, and […]

Environmentalism

Microplastics can enter our bloodstream, scientists find

Sustainability Times

By Daniel T Cross” ( Sustainability Times) – Microplastics have permeated the environment from mountain tops to the seafloor and are posing a threat to human health as well because we unwittingly ingest considerable quantities of it. It turns out that microplastics, which are minute particles often invisible to the naked eye, can even get […]

Climate Crisis

Harvard study links fracking to early death risk for seniors

Sustainability Times

By Laureen Fagan: ( Sustainability Times) – Most people know it as fracking, a process of drilling for gas and oil using methods like hydraulic fracturing to inject water or chemicals into rock layers so that the fossil fuels can be extracted. It’s long been opposed by climate activists, but now a new study suggests […]

Climate Crisis

IPCC report: Half the world is facing water scarcity, floods and dirty water — large investments are needed for effective solutions

The Conversation

By Balsher Singh Sidhu, University of British Columbia | – More than half the world’s population faces water scarcity for at least one month every year. Meanwhile, some people have to deal with too much water, while others have access to only poor water quality. That’s billions of people living with drought in Africa and […]

Coal

How poisonous mercury gets from coal-fired power plants into the fish you eat

The Conversation

By Gabriel Filippelli | – People fishing along the banks of the White River as it winds through Indianapolis sometimes pass by ominous signs warning about eating the fish they catch. One of the risks they have faced is mercury poisoning. Mercury is a neurotoxic metal that can cause irreparable harm to human health – […]

Climate Crisis

‘Huge Climate Victory’ as Judge Blocks Biden’s Oil Lease Sale in Gulf of Mexico

Common Dreams

By Jake Johnson | – A federal judge late Thursday blocked the Biden administration’s massive oil and gas lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico, a significant win for environmentalists as they work to prevent the Interior Department from handing public lands and waters over to the fossil fuel industry. In his 68-page decision (pdf), […]

Environment

Scientists issue Dire Warning: Chemical Pollution now Exceeds Safe Planetary Limit

The Conversation

By Patricia Villarrubia-Gómez | – The production and release of plastics, pesticides, industrial compounds, antibiotics and other pollutants is now happening so fast and on such a large scale that it has exceeded the planetary boundary for chemical pollution, the safe limit for humanity, a new study claims. We asked Patricia Villarrubia-Gómez, a PhD candidate […]