Since its invention more than 100 years ago, plastic has become increasingly ubiquitous in the environment, from the depths of the ocean to within algae beneath Arctic sea ice. Tiny microplastics have been detected floating high in the atmosphere above the French Pyrenees, as well as in human blood. Plastics persist in the environment because […]
The Biden administration has approved a plan to install as many as 176 large wind turbines off the Virginia Coast. Once finished, the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project, to be constructed by Dominion Energy, will be the largest offshore wind farm in the country. The new project will be located about 23.5 nautical miles […]
The Antarctic ice sheet is of vital importance to the climate. Ice reflects sunlight, keeping the planet cool. The sheet contains 70 percent of all the freshwater on the planet, which, if it were to melt entirely, would absorb heat and cause global sea levels to rise by around 200 feet. A new modeling study […]
A group of environmental organizations has produced the Global Plastic Laws Database, which is launching ahead of the next round of the United Nations Plastic Treaty negotiations in November. The Global Plastic Laws Database will track plastic-related legislation around the world and allow researchers to study laws relating to all cycles of plastic production and […]
Rapidly intensifying hurricanes are some of the most frightening and destructive types of extreme weather. Predicting them has been notoriously difficult for forecasters who have been unable to fully understand why some tropical storms or tropical depressions that seem commonplace can suddenly turn into major hurricanes with devastating winds and deadly storm surges. Now, researchers […]
A new editorial published in more than 200 health journals challenges health professionals and world leaders to look at global biodiversity loss and climate change as “one indivisible crisis” that must be confronted as a whole. The authors of the editorial call separating the two emergencies a “dangerous mistake,” and encourage the World Health Organization […]
Quick Key Facts What Is Blue Carbon? Carbon dioxide is one of the leading greenhouse gas emissions causing climate change, with human activities like the extraction and burning of fossil fuels having raised the atmosphere’s CO2 content by 50% in under 200 years, according to scientists at NOAA. As many look for solutions to sequester […]
According to a new study, life on our planet is “under siege” from humans and its “vital signs” have been pushed to the limit. As wildfires rage and record temperatures cause everything from coral bleaching to widespread drought and water shortages, the international team of scientists who declared a climate emergency back in 2019 have […]
Hurricanes are becoming stronger due to climate change, but, according to a new study, they’re also gaining strength faster. A new study by a meteorologist from Rowan University in New Jersey has found that Atlantic Ocean hurricanes are now more than twice as likely to strengthen from a Category 1 storm to a Category 3 […]