greenhouse gases

New Zealand Considers Charging Farmers for Livestock Emissions

New Zealand Considers Charging Farmers for Livestock Emissions

In New Zealand, sheep and cattle outnumber people. All that livestock passes gas, which means emitting more methane into the atmosphere. As such, the country has proposed to tax farmers for their livestock’s emissions. New Zealand’s agriculture makes up almost half of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions. According to the BBC, there are about 5 […]

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    Global Warning: Earth Has 50% Chance of Exceeding 1.5 Degrees Celsius in Next Five Years, Scientists Say

    Global Warning: Earth Has 50% Chance of Exceeding 1.5 Degrees Celsius in Next Five Years, Scientists Say

    A new forecast by scientists from the UK’s Meteorological Office shows that the likelihood of the planet breaching the threshold temperature of 1.5 degree Celsius above pre-industrial levels — above which irreversible damage to Earth’s ecosystems and devastating impacts on human, animal and plant life would be likely to occur — is increasing. The probability […]

    Climate Inaction Could Cost the U.S. $2 Trillion Per Year, Study Finds

    Climate Inaction Could Cost the U.S. $2 Trillion Per Year, Study Finds

    The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has released its first report describing the financial impact of climate inaction in the U.S. The analysis outlines the taxpayer cost should climate change remain unchecked, and it amounts to over $2 trillion per year by 2100. “Climate change threatens communities and sectors across the country, […]

    Beyond Carbon Storage: New Study Highlights Other Ways Forests Keep Us Cool

    Beyond Carbon Storage: New Study Highlights Other Ways Forests Keep Us Cool

    If all of the world’s forests disappeared tomorrow, how much hotter would the world be?  A first-of-its-kind study published in Frontiers in Forests and Global Change Thursday found that the world’s forests keep the planet around 0.5 degrees Celsius cooler than it would be otherwise. That 0.5 degrees is the same crucial difference between two […]

    U.S. Regulator Delays Climate Considerations for Gas Projects

    U.S. Regulator Delays Climate Considerations for Gas Projects

    The U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) said Thursday that it would delay implementing a new proposal to consider the climate and environmental justice impacts of new gas projects before approving them. The delay follows pushback from legislators who argued the new policy would make it harder to get natural gas to Europe in the […]

    What Are Food Miles?

    What Are Food Miles?

    Food travels long distances – sometimes hundreds or thousands of miles – to reach our plates. Mapping the trajectory of many processed foods is to draw zig-zags across the globe, connecting faraway fields, factories, distribution centers, and store shelves.  The concept of “food miles” was created in the 1990s to warn consumers of the connection […]