The case considered the Environmental Protection Agency’s powers under the Clean Air Act.
Tag Archives: Environment
Bigger Floods Endanger Millions Living in Extreme Poverty
The vast majority people exposed to both threats live in India and sub-Saharan Africa
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The Supreme Court’s Latest Decision Is a Blow to Stopping Climate Change
By deciding in favor of fossil-fuel interests and limited regulatory authority, the Court has hampered the EPA’s ability to mitigate power-plant carbon pollution
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Court Decision Leaves Biden With Few Tools to Combat Climate Change
A Supreme Court ruling, combined with an energy crunch and intraparty politics, makes it nearly impossible for President Biden to achieve his climate goals.
U.S. Retreats from Pledge to End Gas Investments
The energy crisis caused by Russia’s war in Ukraine is testing Western leaders’ promises to phase out natural gas financing abroad
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Renewable Energy Is Surging, But Trouble Looms
The International Energy Agency projects that spending on renewables in 2022 will exceed the record $440 billion invested last year
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U.S. Jump-Starts Effort to Curb Residential CO2 Emissions
The project will retrofit older homes and apartment buildings to be more energy efficient
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Global Warming Causes Fewer Tropical Cyclones
But those that do form have a greater chance of becoming intense storms
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We Need to Make ‘Electrifying Everything’ Easier
Incentives and remodeling need to be more straightforward and equitable if we expect people to convert their homes away from fossil fuels
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How Connected Cars Can Map Urban Heat Islands
Crowdsourced vehicle data trace the contours of dangerous city temperatures
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What Air Pollution in South Korea Can Teach the World about Misinformation
Tracking how misinformation campaigns begin and amplify can give scientists tools to combat them
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Subverting Climate Science in the Classroom
Oil and gas representatives influence the standards for courses and textbooks, from kindergarten to 12th grade
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Deadly Heat Wave’s Lesson: ‘This Is the Future We All Face’
After last year’s heat crisis, Pacific Northwest emergency managers, doctors and even transit systems are using lessons learned to prepare for this summer
— Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
Why Was Afghanistan’s Magnitude 5.9 Earthquake So Devastating?
Famed seismologist Lucy Jones explains how building methods and quake dynamics interact—and what to do about the problem
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Spray-On, Rinse-Off Food ‘Wrapper’ Can Cut Plastic Packaging
The coating deters microorganisms to fight both food waste and foodborne illness
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To Catch a Snake: Largest Python Found in Everglades Signals a Threat
The Burmese python caught by a team of trackers breaks a record and shows the invasive species surviving in Florida’s ecosystem despite efforts to remove those snakes.
Prescribed Burns Are More Dangerous because of Climate Change
But the technique must remain in the firefighting toolbox, a new U.S. Forest Service report says
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The Supreme Court Case That Could Doom U.S. Climate Goals
The government’s power to tackle pollution is not the only question at stake in a potentially far-reaching lawsuit.
Climate Change Is Turning More of Central Asia into Desert
The rapid expansion will have significant impacts on ecosystems and the people and animals who rely on them
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Seville Launches World’s First Program to Name and Rank Heat Waves
The launch comes after the hottest first two weeks of June ever recorded in Spain
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Fight over Damages Threatens to Derail Climate Negotiations
Small nations that have done little to cause global warming stand to suffer immeasurably and are increasingly vocal about receiving compensation
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Marine Microbe Lures Prey into Custom Slime Traps
These organisms’ private “mucospheres” play an outsize role in the planet’s carbon cycle
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What Did COVID Teach Us about Preparing for a Plant Pandemic?
The question is not whether we’ll experience such an event; it’s whether we’ll be ready when it strikes
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Let’s Pass the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act
An “unthinkable level of bipartisan support” may just lead to a win for species in peril.
If Electric Vehicles Don’t Cut CO2 Fast Enough, These Fuels Might Help
Department of Energy researchers say gasoline might have to be substituted with biofuels to ensure that climate targets are achieved
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How Culturally Significant Mammals Tell the Story of Social Ascension for Black Americans
Juneteenth offers an opportunity to reflect on the wildlife linked to a people’s transformation
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Racism Drives Environmental Inequality–But Most Americans Don’t Realize
Survey finds that most people think poverty is why pollution disproportionately affects Black people, despite evidence that racism is the major cause
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Redwoods Grow Weird Leaves to Suck Water from Air
Here’s how they choose the right leaf for the job
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Ocean Oil Slick Map Reveals Enough Greasy Patches to Cover France–Twice
An algorithm-aided analysis of satellite images reveals the size, distribution and sources of oil slicks at sea
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How the U.S. Is Preparing for Europe’s Carbon Tariffs
More products are being added to a proposed carbon border fee, affecting billions of dollars of American goods
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Climate Destroyers Go to Jail, Martian Travel Guide, Bee Interiority, and More
Recommendations from the editors of Scientific American
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Nearly 100,000 People Received Disaster Aid under a New Equity Policy
FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell says the agency has reduced barriers to cash assistance and other aid
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Climate Groups Use Endangered Species Act to Try to Stop Drilling
Environmentalists say the government failed to study the threats to endangered species from climate change before issuing oil and gas drilling permits.
Pesticides Are Spreading Toxic ‘Forever Chemicals,’ Scientists Warn
Common chemicals sprayed on many crops each year are cloaked in bureaucratic uncertainties
— Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
Engineers Look to River and Ocean Currents for Clean Energy
The Department of Energy is helping to fund 11 projects that are designed to harness the power of moving water
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Poem: ‘Vaulted Seeds,’ after the Svalbard Global Seed Vault
Science in meter and verse
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Common Drugs Pollute Rivers on Every Continent
A global look reveals contamination by antibiotics, antidepressants and other medications
— Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
Wiggling Whiskers Help Hungry Seals Hunt in the Dark
A new seal’s-eye view shows these specialized hairs in motion at sea
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Where Is Dom Phillips?
The disappearance of Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira signals another tipping point in the Amazon.
Newly United, French Left Hopes to Counter President in Upcoming Vote
Left-wing parties have joined forces ahead of France’s two-stage parliamentary elections, hoping to revive their fortunes and put a break on President Emmanuel Macron’s agenda.
Renewable Energy Credits Allow Companies to Overstate Emissions Reductions
The findings of a new study call into question whether businesses are truly meeting climate goals
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Oil Companies Tee up the Next Supreme Court Climate Showdown
The companies are asking the justices to step in once again in a sprawling legal fight over the industry’s climate liability
— Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
The EPA Plans to Rein in Truck Pollution to Ease Asthma, but It May Not Go Far Enough
Scientists say the agency’s analyses do not capture the full extent of how bad exhaust is for segments of the population
— Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
We Need to Improve Indoor Air Quality: Here’s How and Why
Upgrading buildings’ ventilation, filtration and other factors would not only decrease COVID transmission but also improve health and cognitive performance in general
— Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
Fight Looms Over New York’s Bid to Slow Crypto-Mining Boom
Crypto interests are lobbying Gov. Kathy Hochul to veto a groundbreaking bill that would temporarily halt new crypto-mining projects at fossil-fuel burning plants.
Carbon Credits Versus the “Big Gulp”
Reviving peatlands in the San Joaquin River Delta could prevent levee failure and lock away carbon
— Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
Biden Order Will Boost Heat Pumps and Building Insulation
Invoking the Defense Production Act could help reshape the economics around building decarbonization
— Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
Tropical Storm Alex Ushers in Hurricane Season
The storm is the first of what is expected to be a very active season, with six to 10 hurricanes
— Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
Science News Briefs from around the World: June 2022
In case you missed it
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Don’t Let Climate Change Stop You From Having Kids
The green future has to be a welcoming one, even a thrilling one.