Who is to blame for the climate crisis? For some, the answer to this question is a lament over the inherent greed of human nature. For award-winning investigative journalist and podcaster Amy Westervelt, the answer is perhaps the biggest true-crime story of all time. The creator of the podcasts Drilled and Damages has made a […]
When trying to be environmentally sustainable, living in suburbia can make it pretty difficult. The suburbs have been responsible for 50% of carbon emissions in the United States, mainly due to a reliance on automobiles. Suburban homes also conserve far less energy due to the heating and cooling of larger houses, which also contributes to […]
Each year, Earth Day provides an opportunity to reflect on the natural world and the benefits it confers to humanity. Conservation and preservation typically dominate the conversation. Well-meaning, these can unwittingly create a narrative that we can only protect wild spaces by keeping humans out; and we wonder why this doesn’t inspire sufficient action to address our pressing environmental challenges.
Quick Key Facts In November of 2021, the U.S. Navy’s massive Red Hill underground fuel storage facility on O’ahu leaked 19,000 gallons of petroleum into the islands’ main drinking water aquifers, poisoning the water for over 93,000 people and sickening thousands of their own military families and civilians. The disaster occurred after years of protest, […]
When I read news about the latest IPCC climate assessment report, or predictions of imminent mass extinction, I admit that the statistics — the exact degree of warming, the number of feet sea levels will rise, how many species will die — find fewer footholds in my brain than the overwhelming sorrow they elicit.
On Wednesday, Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw told a Senate hearing he was “terribly sorry” for February’s fiery train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. The train was loaded with poisonous chemicals. The most notable was vinyl chloride, a known human carcinogen. The resulting spills and plumes sickened many residents, killed 40,000 fish, and caused a temporary evacuation of many of the town’s 4,700 residents.
By Abay Yimere Food loss and waste are major problems around the world. When food is tossed aside or allowed to spoil, it makes economies less productive and leaves people hungry. It also harms Earth’s climate by generating methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Food loss and waste accounts for 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions. If […]
Have you ever heard the story of the old man walking along the beach and seeing a young man throwing something into the water over and over again? When the old man approaches the boy, he sees he is picking up starfish that had been stranded during low tide and throwing them back into the […]