Insect populations plummet in the U.S. as pesticide use drastically increases
The insect apocalypse is upon us, and it’s the widespread use of pesticides that is to blame, posing a serious threat to ecosystems, the food supply and our own survival. For some time now, experts have been warning us about the mass decline of insects that threatens wildlife and humans. Most people may overtake the […]
Continue reading
July was the hottest month ever recorded on the planet
June laid claim to being the hottest month ever recorded on Earth, but July said “hold my beer” and scorched the planet unlike any other. Now it holds the dubious title. The United States and Europe both experienced horrible heat waves in July that sent temperatures soaring above 100 degrees. In fact, it was so […]
Continue reading
Irish teen wins global science award for developing method to remove microplastics from water
An 18-year-old Irish teen recently won the Google Science Fair for a project he submitted that removes microplastics from water, according to the Journal of Ireland: “(Fionn Ferreira’s) project examined a new method for extracting microplastics (plastic particles less than 5mm in diameter) from water. Microplastics or microbeads are mostly used in soaps, shower gels and facial […]
Continue reading
Costa Rica achieves nearly 100 percent of their power needs via renewable energy sources
In a world that is continuing to struggle to make the transition to clean renewable energy sources to reduce carbon emissions, one of the lone bright spots is Costa Rica, which has nearly achieved 100 percent of its power through renewables, according to a new report. In October of 2017, Costa Rica generated a record […]
Continue reading
Bureau of Land Management appointee wants to give all public lands to fossil fuel industry
As the Trump administration prepares to gut the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) by disbanding its headquarters, Interior Secretary David Bernhardt has appointed as acting head a man who wants to give all public lands to the fossil fuel industry. Nearly a quarter billion acres of land in the United States belongs to the American […]
Continue reading
Earth Overshoot Day: What it is and why it matters
Earth Overshoot Day, probably the single most important day of every year ecologically speaking, has come and gone in 2019 already. Earth Overshoot Day is the day of the year that humans use up all of the world’s resources – more than the planet can regenerate in a year. And this year, it came earlier […]
Continue reading
Pacific Island nations declare climate crisis as fears rise they will be uninhabitable by 2030
Several Pacific island nations have declared a climate emergency and warn that their islands may not exist in a decade if the rest of the world continues to drag their feet when it comes to meaningfully address climate change. As global temperatures continue to rise, sea levels are rising with them, resulting in a calamity […]
Continue reading
Startup up company has novel solution to garbage in overflowing landfills: Vaporize it
Around the world, landfills are stretched to overflowing, barely able to keep up with the garbage produced by society. But the waste in landfills doesn’t just take up space. It also produces methane — a greenhouse gas — which is considered to be 82 times more potent than carbon dioxide (CO2), What can be done […]
Continue reading
Microplastic befouls 57-mile stretch of tourist beaches on Sri Lankan coast
The southern coastline of Sri Lanka, which features popular beaches and resorts, is a draw for tourists visiting the country, but it turns out that the global plastic crisis could now endanger those once pristine locations, according to a new paper published recently in the Marine Pollution Bulletin. Researchers found that along a 57-mile stretch […]
Continue reading
Ethiopia breaks single-day record by planting 350 million trees
Move over, India, because there’s a new tree-planting record holder after Ethiopia planted 350 million trees in a single day in an effort to fight climate change. Back in 2016, India planted 66 million trees in just one day. Earlier this past spring, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed set a goal for his nation to […]
Continue reading