pesticides

‘A Vicious Cycle’: How Pesticide Use and Climate Change Make Each Other Worse, and What We Can Do About It

‘A Vicious Cycle’: How Pesticide Use and Climate Change Make Each Other Worse, and What We Can Do About It

The energy required to produce all of the glyphosate used worldwide in 2014 was as much as the yearly energy needed to power 6.25 million cars. That’s one of the striking findings from “Pesticides and Climate Change: A Vicious Cycle,” a first-of-its-kind report from the Pesticide Action Network North America (PANNA) detailing how these two […]

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    Monarch Butterflies Face Three Major Threats

    Monarch Butterflies Face Three Major Threats

    Despite recent news that overwintering monarch butterfly populations have increased 35% in the past year, these graceful creatures are still facing an unsteady future after years of ongoing decline. Monarch butterflies are a migratory species. Eastern monarch butterflies, which make up the vast majority of monarch butterflies in North America, travel from southern Canada and […]

    Banned DDT and PCBs Still Threaten Critically Endangered California Condors

    Banned DDT and PCBs Still Threaten Critically Endangered California Condors

    Despite being banned since the 1970s, DDT and PCBs are still affecting wildlife today, particularly the California condor, a critically endangered species. The condors feed on dead marine life along the California coast that often contain higher amounts of contaminants compared to marine life elsewhere. Scientists at San Diego State University (SDSU) and San Diego […]

    ‘Dirty Dozen’ and ‘Clean Fifteen’ Lists for 2022: Conventional Produce With the Most and Least Pesticides

    ‘Dirty Dozen’ and ‘Clean Fifteen’ Lists for 2022: Conventional Produce With the Most and Least Pesticides

    What fruits and vegetables should you avoid if you don’t want an extra serving of pesticides with your salad?  The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has released its annual Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce, which includes its Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen lists of the non-organic produce with the most and least pesticides.  “Everyone should […]

    New PFAS Definition by EPA Omits Pharmaceutical, Pesticide Chemicals

    New PFAS Definition by EPA Omits Pharmaceutical, Pesticide Chemicals

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has created a new “working definition” of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS. The updated definition is narrower, leaving out many chemicals in pharmaceuticals, pesticides and even some refrigerants.  Scientists are concerned that the agency’s redefining of PFAS makes these chemicals seem less toxic, and critics have […]

    EPA Expected to Extend Use of Bee-Killing Pesticides

    EPA Expected to Extend Use of Bee-Killing Pesticides

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is expected to approve a proposal to extend the use of four neonicotinoids for the next 15 years. These pesticides are known to be especially dangerous for essential pollinators, like bees and butterflies, and have been linked to the widespread decline of insect populations. Despite citing the pesticides imidacloprid, […]