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'Tone-deaf’ fossil gas growth in Europe is speeding climate crisis, say activists:

 
'Tone-deaf’ fossil gas growth in Europe is speeding climate crisis, say activists - Guardian - Energy
Mar 2 · Just 2% of continent’s gas capacity has planned retirement date despite pledges to decarbonise, study shows
Europe’s “tone-deaf” expansion of fossil gas is accelerating climate breakdown and increasing reliance on hostile regimes, campaigners have warned.
Just four of Europe’s gas-fired power plants have a retirement plan and new projects will increase the continent’s gas generation capacity by 27%, according to analysis from the campaign group Beyond Fossil Fuels.
It argues that the dash for gas contradicts the International Energy Agency’s recommendation that rich countries decarbonise their electricity grids in the next 10 years to stop the planet from heating 1.5C.
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A guide to electric car misinformation (part 1):

 
A guide to electric car misinformation (part 1) - Heated World
Mar 27 · The closer we get to the 2024 presidential election, the more sketchy information you’re going to hear about electric cars.
Both Joe Biden and Donald Trump have decided to make electric cars central to their campaigns. Biden is doing this by promoting his administration’s efforts to expand EV production and ownership, and Trump is doing this by attacking those efforts.
GOP polling has shown that attacking electric vehicle policy has been “amazing” for Republicans, former Trump energy advisor Michael McKenna recently told the New York Times. And Biden’s EV policies have drawn praise from both green groups and the United Auto Workers union - two important political ...
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A nanoscale look at how shells and coral form reveals that biomineralization is more complex than imagined:

 
A nanoscale look at how shells and coral form reveals that biomineralization is more complex than imagined - PHYS.ORG - Earth
Mar 26 · They also found variety in the types of building blocks present. Scientists expected to see "amorphous" precursors, minerals that lack a repeating atomic structure. They did—but they also found "crystalline" precursors, minerals that are more structured and orderly. The research is published in the journal Nature Communications.
"One fascinating observation is that coral skeletons and mollusk mother-of-pearl form with exactly the same precursors, yet they evolved completely separately from one another," said Pupa Gilbert, a visiting faculty scientist at Berkeley Lab and professor at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. She noted that the two species began making ...
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A New Law Would Remove Many Architectural Protections in Miami Beach:

 
A New Law Would Remove Many Architectural Protections in Miami Beach - New York Times - Climate Section
Mar 26 · Lawmakers say preservationists held too much power over decisions on whether buildings should be demolished and what should be allowed to replace them.
The oceanfront Eden Roc Hotel is an icon of Miami Modernist architecture, a style that epitomized the postwar glamour and grandeur of Miami Beach. Two turquoise panels wrap the white facade. The oval canister perched atop the building resembles a cruise ship’s funnel. Crooners like Frank Sinatra, Harry Belafonte, and Sammy Davis, Jr., stayed and played there.
But a new Florida law could make it easier for hotels like the Eden Roc and other architectural icons along Miami Beach’s coastline to be demolished.
The ...
| By Julia Echikson    Read more ...
 

A new way to quantify climate change impacts: “Outdoor days”:

 
A new way to quantify climate change impacts: “Outdoor days” - MIT - Research
Mar 22 · d="M12.132,61.991a5.519,5.519,0,0,1-5.866,5.753A5.554,5.554,0,0,1,.4,61.854a5.809,5.809,0,0,1,1.816-4.383,6.04,6.04,0,0,1,4.05-1.37C9.9,55.965,12.132,58.43,12.132,61.991Zm-8.939-.137c0,2.328,1.117,3.7,3.073,3.7s3.073-1.37,3.073-3.7-1.117-3.835-3.073-3.835C4.45,58.156,3.193,59.526,3.193,61.854Z" transform="translate(-0.4 -55.965)" fill="#333"/> d="M17.884,67.531l-3.352-5.753-1.257-2.191v7.944H10.9V56.3h2.793l3.212,5.616c.419.822.7,1.37,1.257,2.328V56.3h2.374V67.531Z" transform="translate(3.765 -55.889)" fill="#333"/> ...    Read more ...
 

A Solar Cell You Can Bend and Soak in Water:

 
A Solar Cell You Can Bend and Soak in Water - Science Daily - Earth and Climate
Mar 24 · One of the potential uses of organic photovoltaics is to create wearable electronics -- devices that can be attached to clothing that can monitor medical devices, for example, without requiring battery changes. However, researchers have found it challenging to achieve waterproofing without the use of extra layers that end up decreasing the flexibility of the film.
Now, in work published in Nature Communications, a group of scientists have been able to do precisely that. They took on the challenge of overcoming a key limitation of previous devices, which is that it is difficult to make them waterproof without reducing the flexibility. Photovoltaic films are typically made of ...
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A solar cell you can bend and soak in water:

 
A solar cell you can bend and soak in water - PHYS.ORG - Technology
Mar 27 · One of the potential uses of organic photovoltaics is to create wearable electronics—devices that can be attached to clothing that can monitor medical devices, for example, without requiring battery changes. However, researchers have found it challenging to achieve waterproofing without the use of extra layers that end up decreasing the flexibility of the film.
Now, in work published in Nature Communications, a group of scientists have been able to do precisely that. They took on the challenge of overcoming a key limitation of previous devices, which is that it is difficult to make them waterproof without reducing the flexibility.
Photovoltaic films are typically ...
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Accelerating China's transition to carbon neutrality and clean air:

 
Accelerating China's transition to carbon neutrality and clean air - PHYS.ORG - Earth
Mar 26 · A recent report published in Environmental Science and Ecotechnology, reveals the Synergetic Roadmap on Carbon Neutrality and Clean Air for China. This comprehensive report offers a detailed analysis and updates on China's ambitious efforts to synergize air pollution control with carbon neutrality objectives.
At the core of the 2022 Roadmap Report is a detailed strategy targeting key sectors such as energy, industry, and transportation, marking significant strides towards sustainability in China.
A hallmark achievement detailed in the report is the dramatic increase in renewable energy usage, with non-fossil fuel sources outpacing coal for the first time, heralding a ...
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Advancing towards sustainability: Turning carbon dioxide and water into acetylene:

 
Advancing towards sustainability: Turning carbon dioxide and water into acetylene - PHYS.ORG - Earth
Mar 27 · Such is the case of acetylene (C2H2), an essential hydrocarbon with a plethora of applications. This highly flammable gas is used for welding, industrial cutting, metal hardening, heat treatments, and other industrial processes. In addition, it is an important precursor in the production of synthetic resins and plastics, including PVC. Since the production of C2H2 requires fossil fuels as feedstock, a more environmentally friendly synthesis route is urgently needed.
Against this backdrop, a research team based on an academia–industry collaboration between Doshisha University and Daikin Industries, Ltd., Japan, has been developing a new and promising strategy to produce ...
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After a hurricane or wildfire, communities can be overwhelmed by debris:

 
After a hurricane or wildfire, communities can be overwhelmed by debris - Yale Climate Connections - Weather
Mar 27 · Stay in the know about climate impacts and solutions. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
Yale Climate Connections
After a hurricane, flood, or wildfire, communities face a long process of rebuilding.
But in the immediate aftermath of a disaster, there’s a lot of debris lying around - sometimes more waste than a community would typically produce all year.
Townsend: “You get buildings that are destroyed. You get lots and lots of earth and trees and other debris which now need to be cleaned up and moved somewhere.”
Timothy Townsend is an environmental engineer at the University of Florida.
He says some of this debris can be dangerous.
For ...
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Amazon pours an additional $2.75 billion into AI startup Anthropic:

 
Amazon pours an additional $2.75 billion into AI startup Anthropic - PHYS.ORG - Technology
Mar 27 · Amazon said Wednesday it is pouring an additional $2.75 billion into Anthropic, bringing its total investment in the artificial intelligence startup to $4 billion.
Amazon will maintain a minority stake in San Francisco-based Anthropic, a rival of ChatGPT maker OpenAI.
"Generative AI is poised to be the most transformational technology of our time, and we believe our strategic collaboration with Anthropic will further improve our customers' experiences, and look forward to what's next," said Swami Sivasubramanian, vice president of data and AI at AWS, Amazon's cloud computing subsidiary.
The Seattle-based tech giant made an initial investment of $1.25 billion in ...
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Amazon's pharmacy will offer same-day delivery in LA and NYC and plans to expand:

 
Amazon's pharmacy will offer same-day delivery in LA and NYC and plans to expand - PHYS.ORG - Technology
Mar 27 · Amazon will soon offer same-day delivery of several prescription medications in Los Angeles and New York, yet another example of the online shopping giant's bet on consumers' growing dependence on ease and speed.
As Amazon Pharmacy expands into the nation's two biggest markets, Angelenos and New Yorkers will be able to order several common medications, including those used to manage high blood pressure, diabetes and the flu, online and have them delivered on their doorstep within hours, the company said in a statement Tuesday.
Amazon plans to offer the service in more than a dozen U.S. cities by the end of the year, the company said, noting that it already offers ...
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America's climate boomtowns are waiting:

 
America's climate boomtowns are waiting - The Atlantic
Mar 23 · Rising temperatures could push millions of people north.
As my airplane flew low over the flatlands of western Michigan on a dreary December afternoon, sunbursts splintered the soot-toned clouds and made mirrors out of the flooded fields below. There was plenty of rain in this part of the Rust Belt - sometimes too much. Past the endless acres, I could make out the eastern shore of Lake Michigan, then soon, in the other direction, the Detroit River, Lakes Huron and Erie, and southern Canada. In a world running short on fresh water in its lakes and rivers, more than 20 percent of that water was right here. From a climate standpoint, there couldn’t be a safer place in the country ...
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An eco-lodge in Baja California Sur teaches guests how to live sustainably. Can it survive rising seas and storms?:

 
An eco-lodge in Baja California Sur teaches guests how to live sustainably. Can it survive rising seas and storms? - Yale Climate Connections - Arts
Mar 27 · Stay in the know about climate impacts and solutions. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
Yale Climate Connections
Driving to La Duna Ecology Center, you typically lose cell connection before turning off Mexico’s coastal Highway 1. You’re bound to question some turns and follow one or two wrong forks in the road weaving between towering cardon cactuses that reach for the sky. La Duna’s rustic welcome sign and palm-frond-topped casitas remain invisible until you arrive. Once inside the gate, you’re tucked into a lumpy blanket of shrubs, earthy shelters, and the namesake wall of dunes.
These sandy coastal barriers of the Baja California peninsula buffer the wind and ...
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Ancient isolation's impact on modern ecology: How deep biogeographic divides drive divergent evolutionary paths:

 
Ancient isolation's impact on modern ecology: How deep biogeographic divides drive divergent evolutionary paths - PHYS.ORG - Earth
Mar 28 · A new study led by Michigan State University researcher Peter Williams sheds light on the profound influence of deep geographic isolation on the evolution of mammals. Published in Nature Communications, the research reveals how long-lasting separation between continents has shaped distinct mammal communities around the globe.
"Today's ecology was not inevitable. If there were different isolating factors long ago, we might have vastly different ecosystems today," said Peter Williams, the lead author of the study. Williams is a research associate in the Integrative Biology department and a postdoctoral researcher in MSU's Ecology, Evolution and Behavior program, or ...
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Andean alarm: Climate crisis increases fears of glacial lake flood in Peru:

 
Andean alarm: Climate crisis increases fears of glacial lake flood in Peru - newsletter.climatenexus
Mar 26 · In 1941, thousands of people died in Huaraz when the natural dam on a lake above the city gave way. Now, melting glaciers are raising the chances of it happening again Photographs by Harriet Barber
Lake Palcacocha is high in the Cordillera Blanca range of the Peruvian Andes, sitting above the city of Huaraz at an altitude of about 4,500 metres. When the lake broke through the extensive moraines, or natural dams, holding it in place on 13 December 1941, it sent nearly 10m cubic metres of water and debris into the narrow valley towards the city, 1,500 metres below.
The result was one of the most devastating glacial lake outburst floods – or “GLOFs” – ever recorded. The ...
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Anthropocene or not, it is our current epoch that we should be fighting for:

 
Anthropocene or not, it is our current epoch that we should be fighting for - PHYS.ORG - Earth
Mar 27 · Does this mean that humans haven't actually changed the planet? Not at all and while we may not officially be in a geological Anthropocene, the term will likely persist in reference to human environmental interference in years to come. As such, the wake of this vote is perhaps the best moment to consider a more essential question: what will we do next?
Can we take the official rejection on an Anthropocene epoch as an implicit vote of confidence in our ability to return the planet to Holocene-like conditions? Is climate change reversible?
As a limnologist, I can share insights from long-term research on lakes. And as one Canadian lake, Crawford Lake, had been selected as ...
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Artificial Reef Designed by MIT Engineers Could Protect Marine Life, Reduce Storm Damage:

 
Artificial Reef Designed by MIT Engineers Could Protect Marine Life, Reduce Storm Damage - Science Daily - Earth and Climate
Mar 24 · The beautiful, gnarled, nooked-and-crannied reefs that surround tropical islands serve as a marine refuge and natural buffer against stormy seas. But as the effects of climate change bleach and break down coral reefs around the world, and extreme weather events become more common, coastal communities are left increasingly vulnerable to frequent flooding and erosion.
An MIT team is now hoping to fortify coastlines with "architected" reefs -- sustainable, offshore structures engineered to mimic the wave-buffering effects of natural reefs while also providing pockets for fish and other marine life.
The team's reef design centers on a cylindrical structure surrounded by four ...
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Behavior of ant queens found to be shaped by their social environments:

 
Behavior of ant queens found to be shaped by their social environments - PHYS.ORG - Earth
Mar 26 · The common perception is that the queen's only task is to lay eggs—and that this attribute is an inherent trait, not influenced by external factors. In contrast, recent research undertaken at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) has demonstrated that in certain ant colonies, the social environment can play a crucial role in shaping the behavioral specialization of the queens.
"With regard to the ant species we studied, it is social factors that control whether queens become specialized or not. Our findings challenge the widely accepted notion of social insect queens as inherently specialized egg-laying machines," stated Dr. Romain Libbrecht.
Concept of insect ...
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Berkeley Will Repeal Its Landmark Ban on Natural Gas in New Homes:

 
Berkeley Will Repeal Its Landmark Ban on Natural Gas in New Homes - New York Times - Climate Section
Mar 27 · The decision, which came after a legal challenge, throws into question the fate of dozens of similar measures across the United States.
The city of Berkeley, Calif., has agreed to repeal a landmark climate rule that would have banned natural gas hookups in new homes, throwing into question the fate of dozens of similar restrictions on gas in cities across the country.
Berkeley’s gas ban, which was the first of its kind when it passed in 2019, had been challenged in court by the California Restaurant Association and was struck down last year by a three-judge panel on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The city settled the lawsuit last week by ...
| By Brad Plumer    Read more ...
 

Biden administration announces $6 billion in clean energy funding:

 
Biden administration announces $6 billion in clean energy funding - Greenbiz
Mar 27 · Historic amount signals what companies might expect from another four years of Biden.
The Biden administration announced $6 billion in funding for projects that will decarbonize and modernize the U.S. industrial sector this week. The Department of Energy (DOE) will manage the funds, disseminating them to recipients in some of the highest emitting industries, including aluminum, cement and concrete, chemicals, iron and steel and food.
The DOE estimates that the projects will cut the equivalent of 14 million metric tons of CO2 emissions each year, once completed.
"Heavy industry like steel, cement and concrete account for nearly one-third of all U.S. emissions, and ...
| By Leah Garden    Read more ...
 

Biden administration announces $6 billion to slash industrial emissions:

 
Biden administration announces $6 billion to slash industrial emissions - Huffington Post
Mar 25 · Senior Reporter, HuffPost
The Biden administration on Monday announced it will distribute up to $6 billion to curb planet-warming emissions in some of America’s most polluting industries, including chemical, metal and cement operations.
The awards, which the administration called the “largest investment in industrial decarbonization in American history,” are aimed at both advancing the administration’s climate goals and boosting domestic manufacturing.
Energy Secretary Jennifer M. Granholm told reporters the investments target technologies that are scalable and will “set a new gold standard for clear clean manufacturing in the United States and around the ...
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Building energy management platform uses AI and statistical methods to optimize operations:

 
Building energy management platform uses AI and statistical methods to optimize operations - PHYS.ORG - Technology
Mar 26 · Buildings exhibit varying levels of energy consumption depending on their use, location, and the characteristics of their users, even down to different floors and zones within the same building.
In light of initiatives such as carbon neutrality and RE100, many buildings are now implementing renewable energy solutions like solar panels, fuel cells, and energy storage systems. Furthermore, as the usage of high-end electrical appliances continues to grow, it has become crucial to manage building energy for efficient consumption effectively.
Existing Building Energy Management System (BEMS) technologies primarily rely on simple monitoring of energy usage and the experience ...
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Calls for international criminal court to end 'impunity’ for environmental crimes:

 
Calls for international criminal court to end 'impunity’ for environmental crimes - Guardian - Energy
Mar 2 · Campaigners say activities leading to severe environmental harm usually also violate human rights
The international criminal court (ICC) has been urged to start investigating and prosecuting individuals who harm the environment.
Academics, lawyers and campaigners from around the world have sent expert opinions to the court outlining what they call its current regime of “impunity” for serious environmental crimes.
The comments were made in response to an invitation by the ICC’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, who announced in February that his office was developing a new policy paper on environmental crimes.
Khan said the paper, due to be published by the end of ...
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CDP: Water Now a Major Risk for World’s Supply Chains:

 
CDP: Water Now a Major Risk for World’s Supply Chains - Sustainable Brands
Mar 26 · With $77B under threat due to water risk in supply chains, 50% of large corporate buyers now engage suppliers on water issues; but only 14% financially incentivize senior leaders to act on water.
The water crisis threatens global supply chains like never before, according to new research from CDP - the global non-profit that runs the world’s environmental disclosure system.
Stewardship at the Source - CDP’s most-extensive-ever analysis on how companies are responding to water security, based on record-high disclosure numbers - focuses on 3,163 large companies with an annual revenue of more than €/US$250 million, who responded to CDP’s annual water-security questionnaire ...
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Century-Old Powdered Milk in Antarctica:

 
Century-Old Powdered Milk in Antarctica - Science Daily - Earth and Climate
Mar 24 · In a remarkable discovery, whole milk powder manufactured in New Zealand in 1907 and transported to Antarctica with explorers seeking the South Pole was unveiled after more than a century. The find has allowed dairy researchers to answer the question: Is the milk we enjoy today different from the milk consumed in previous generations?Now, a new comparative study in the Journal of Dairy Science, published by the American Dairy Science Association and Elsevier, has peered back in time to demonstrate that -- despite advancements in selective breeding and changes to farm practices -- milk of the past and milk today share more similarities than differences and are still crucial building ...    Read more ...
 

China's latest EV is a 'connected' car from smart phone and electronics maker Xiaomi:

 
China's latest EV is a 'connected' car from smart phone and electronics maker Xiaomi - PHYS.ORG - Technology
Mar 28 · Xiaomi, a well-known maker of smart consumer electronics in China, is joining the country's booming but crowded market for electric cars.
The tech company will start taking orders for the SU7, a sporty four-door sedan, following a launch event with founder Lei Jun in Beijing on Thursday evening. Analysts think it will be priced in the 300,000 yuan ($40,000) range.
Government subsides have helped make China the world's largest market for electric vehicles, and a bevy of new makers are locked in fierce competition. Most of the industry's sales have been domestic, but Chinese makers are pushing into overseas markets with lower-priced models, posing a potential challenge to ...
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Chinese EV giant BYD announces record annual profit for 2023:

 
Chinese EV giant BYD announces record annual profit for 2023 - PHYS.ORG - Technology
Mar 26 · Chinese battery and automotive giant BYD achieved a record profit in 2023, annual results showed Tuesday, despite fierce competition in the country as demand for electric vehicles grows.
The Shenzhen-based company is now moving quickly overseas - including into countries in Southeast Asia but also further afield in Latin America and Europe - as a price war continues to be waged in China, the world's largest automotive market.
BYD overtook Elon Musk's Tesla in the fourth quarter of 2023 to become the world's top seller of EVs.
The firm recorded a net profit of 30 billion yuan ($4.16 billion) last year, according to a filing to the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, up 80.7 ...
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Chinese EV makers challenging market leaders at auto show in Bangkok:

 
Chinese EV makers challenging market leaders at auto show in Bangkok - PHYS.ORG - Technology
Mar 26 · Companies like BYD, XPeng and Great Wall Motors are quickly growing their sales in Thailand, challenging longstanding market leaders like Toyota, Isuzu and Ford, as they expand exports across the globe.
And Thailand, one of the biggest markets in Southeast Asia, a region of more than 600 million people, has made developing its EV market a priority.
Tesla launched sales in late 2022, offering its popular Model 3 and Model Y at prices aimed at competing with rivals like China's BYD.
BYD, or Build Your Dreams, displayed a wide range of its EV lineup, including its Dolphin, a pure EV that it says runs 490 kilometers (about 300 miles) on a single charge and is priced at ...
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Climate change is altering Earth’s rotation enough to mess with our clocks:

 
Climate change is altering Earth’s rotation enough to mess with our clocks - Washington Post - Climate and Environment
Mar 27 · Climate change is messing with time itself.
The melting of polar ice due to global warming is affecting Earth’s rotation and could have an impact on precision timekeeping, according to a paper published Wednesday in the journal Nature.
The planet is not about to jerk to a halt, nor speed up so rapidly that everyone gets flung into space. But timekeeping is an exact science in a highly technological society, which is why global authorities more than half a century ago felt compelled by the slight changes in Earth’s rotation to invent the concept of the “leap second.”
Climate change is now making these calculations even more complicated: In just a few years it may be ...
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Climate change is messing with how we measure time: Study:

 
Climate change is messing with how we measure time: Study - PHYS.ORG - Earth
Mar 27 · In a strange twist, global warming could even help out timekeepers by delaying the need for history's first "negative leap second" by three years, a study published on Wednesday suggested.
Experts fear that introducing a negative leap second—a minute with only 59 seconds—into standard time could cause havoc on computer systems across the world.
For most of history, time was measured by the rotation of the Earth. However in 1967, the world's timekeepers embraced atomic clocks—which use the frequency of atoms as their tick-tock—ushering in a more precise era of timekeeping.
But sailors, who still relied on the sun and stars for navigation, and ...
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Climate change puts global semiconductor manufacturing at risk. Can the industry cope?:

 
Climate change puts global semiconductor manufacturing at risk. Can the industry cope? - PHYS.ORG - Technology
Mar 27 · The 21st century chip manufacturing industry has been described as "at least as significant geopolitically as oil was in the 20th." But semiconductor manufacturing requires vast quantities of water to keep machinery cool and wafer sheets free of debris, and the unfolding climate emergency puts the industry at risk.
Despite the industry's dependence on water, little attention has been paid to how changing environmental conditions may impact it. Reporting by journalists and think tanks tend to overlook climate as a risk factor for the future of the industry.
Yet, globally and regionally there are signs of trouble. Taiwan, for example, produces about 90 percent of the ...
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Climate Change Will See Australia's Soil Emit CO2 and Add to Global Warming:

 
Climate Change Will See Australia's Soil Emit CO2 and Add to Global Warming - Science Daily - Earth and Climate
Mar 24 · New Curtin University research has shown the warming climate will turn Australia's soil into a net emitter of carbon dioxide (CO2), unless action is taken.
Soil helps to keep the planet cool by absorbing carbon, however as the climate gets warmer its ability to retain carbon decreases -- and in some instances can start to release some carbon back into the air.
A global research team -- led by Professor Raphael Viscarra Rossel from Curtin's School of Molecular and Life Sciences -- predicted the changes in the amount of carbon in Australia's soil between now and the year 2100.
To do so, the team ran simulations using three different paths for society: an eco-focused ...
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Climate change will see Australia's soil emit CO2 and add to global warming, research shows:

 
Climate change will see Australia's soil emit CO2 and add to global warming, research shows - PHYS.ORG - Earth
Mar 26 · New Curtin University research has shown the warming climate will turn Australia's soil into a net emitter of carbon dioxide (CO2), unless action is taken. "A warming climate will make Australian soil a net emitter of atmospheric CO2" was published in NPJ Climate and Atmospheric Science.
Soil helps to keep the planet cool by absorbing carbon, however as the climate gets warmer its ability to retain carbon decreases - and in some instances can start to release some carbon back into the air.
A global research team - led by Professor Raphael Viscarra Rossel from Curtin's School of Molecular and Life Sciences - predicted the changes in the amount of carbon in Australia's ...
    Read more ...
 

Coral research finds bleaching impedes reproduction and hinders recovery:

 
Coral research finds bleaching impedes reproduction and hinders recovery - PHYS.ORG - Biology
Mar 26 · Aerial surveys over the Keppel Islands in February observed extensive bleaching in nearshore areas consistent with increased sea surface temperatures and accumulated heat exposure in the wider southern region. In-water surveys conducted by AIMS are continuing in order to assess the severity of the bleaching.
Lead author Nico Briggs said his study found a 21% decrease in the reproductive output of Acropora millepora despite apparent recovery and low mortality after the 2020 mass bleaching event.
"Coral bleaching isn't always a death sentence for every coral. Corals can and do recover if stress inducing conditions subside. But our research shows there is a price to pay for ...
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Critical materials assessment tags potential supply chain bottlenecks:

 
Critical materials assessment tags potential supply chain bottlenecks - PHYS.ORG - Technology
Mar 27 · As demand jumps for these critical materials, which are sourced from all over the world, the risk of disruption to supply chains also increases. One way the United States can reduce supply chain risks is to develop a strong domestic manufacturing sector with a diverse set of producers, according to a new report developed by researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) national laboratories, including Argonne.
The report "draws upon mature expertise in complex supply chains and our understanding of the underlying causes of disruptions," said Allison Bennett Irion, director of supply chain research at Argonne. "It can help strengthen America's energy security and help ...
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Crowdsourced data provides accurate biodiversity picture to aid conservation efforts:

 
Crowdsourced data provides accurate biodiversity picture to aid conservation efforts - PHYS.ORG - Biology
Mar 27 · This combination of fields, technologies, and methodologies is solid and improves species distribution maps formerly based solely on limited data gathered by scientists using traditional surveys.
Ecosystems—and their direct and indirect contributions to human society—have been rapidly declining in recent years. To address this, the United Nations Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF) has a target of protecting 30% of Earth's land and ocean area by 2030 (30x30) and requires companies to monitor and transparently disclose their impacts on biodiversity. To do so, it's essential to accurately assess the state of biodiversity over space and time, with ...
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Curbside collection improves organic waste composting, reduces methane emissions:

 
Curbside collection improves organic waste composting, reduces methane emissions - PHYS.ORG - Earth
Mar 26 · Most organic household waste ends up in landfills, where it generates methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. Composting food and garden waste instead of sending it to landfills can significantly reduce methane emissions and help mitigate global warming. A new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign explores the effects of curbside compost collection programs in New South Wales, Australia.
"Governments around the world are interested in composting organic waste and reducing their methane emissions, and they are looking for ways to make waste collection more convenient for households. As municipal composting services were being rolled out in Australia, we wanted to ...
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Curbside Collection Improves Organic Waste Composting, Reduces Methane Emissions:

 
Curbside Collection Improves Organic Waste Composting, Reduces Methane Emissions - Science Daily - Earth and Climate
Mar 24 · Most organic household waste ends up in landfills where it generates methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. Composting food and garden waste instead of sending it to landfills can significantly reduce methane emissions and help mitigate global warming. A new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign explores the effects of curbside compost collection programs in New South Wales, Australia.
"Governments around the world are interested in composting organic waste and reducing their methane emissions, and they are looking for ways to make waste collection more convenient for households. As municipal composting services were being rolled out in Australia, we wanted to ...
    Read more ...
 

Discovery of amino acid unveils how light makes stomata open in plants:

 
Discovery of amino acid unveils how light makes stomata open in plants - PHYS.ORG - Biology
Mar 26 · "This phosphorylation event, previously unknown, activates the proton pump, facilitating stomatal opening and enhancing photosynthetic activity," senior researcher Toshinori Kinoshita said. "The findings shed light on the intricate signaling pathways underlying plant responses to light and hold promise for future applications in plant engineering."
Stomata are microscopic pores on the surface of plant leaves. They play a crucial role in gas exchange by regulating the uptake of carbon dioxide essential for photosynthesis.
Understanding the molecular mechanisms that govern stomatal opening in response to environmental signals, such as light, is fundamental to plant ...
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Droughts in Europe Could Be Avoided With Faster Emissions Cuts:

 
Droughts in Europe Could Be Avoided With Faster Emissions Cuts - Science Daily - Earth and Climate
Mar 24 · Rapid climate action could mean devastating dry periods in the Mediterranean become less frequent by the end of the century, a new study shows.
Advanced computer modelling suggests summer rainfall in southern Europe could decline by up to 48% by the year 2100 if emissions of greenhouse gases continue to rise rapidly, but much of this projected decline could be avoided by reaching net-zero emissions as soon as possible.
The study, led by scientists at the University of Reading, published today (Monday 25 March) in Geophysical Research Letters, provides additional evidence to motivate accelerated climate action and prevent drastic rainfall decline, more droughts and more ...
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Early spring, earlier nesting birds:

 
Early spring, earlier nesting birds - PHYS.ORG - Biology
Mar 26 · Did spring arrive early this year? Some people think so. Apparently, some birds do, too. The NestWatch project at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology documents when and where birds are nesting.
The evidence from recent years shows that birds are nesting weeks earlier than they used to and this spring may be no exception. As climate change causes seasons to shift and the world to get hotter, becoming a NestWatcher is an even more important part of the overall effort to understand its impact on birds.
Joining NestWatch is free, and it only takes about 15 minutes to learn how to participate, keeping the safety of the birds in mind. Simply find a bird's nest or monitor a nest box ...
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Effective data management plays vital role for smallholder sheep and goat breeding programs:

 
Effective data management plays vital role for smallholder sheep and goat breeding programs - PHYS.ORG - Biology
Mar 27 · Sheep and goat breeding plays a vital socioeconomic role in the agricultural sector across Central and West Asia and North Africa (CWANA) and beyond, providing valuable resources such as meat, milk, and wool. However, insufficient or ill-adapted breeding programs and practices are compromising the conservation and improvement of animal genetic resources, resulting in lower quality and less productive herds, which in turn impacts farmers' incomes and livelihoods.
To address these issues, the CBBPs supported by ICARDA and its partners focus on empowering farmers to improve selection methods without undermining indigenous breeds' resilience and genetic integrity and without ...
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Engineers find a new way to convert carbon dioxide into useful products:

 
Engineers find a new way to convert carbon dioxide into useful products - MIT - Energy
Mar 27 · d="M12.132,61.991a5.519,5.519,0,0,1-5.866,5.753A5.554,5.554,0,0,1,.4,61.854a5.809,5.809,0,0,1,1.816-4.383,6.04,6.04,0,0,1,4.05-1.37C9.9,55.965,12.132,58.43,12.132,61.991Zm-8.939-.137c0,2.328,1.117,3.7,3.073,3.7s3.073-1.37,3.073-3.7-1.117-3.835-3.073-3.835C4.45,58.156,3.193,59.526,3.193,61.854Z" transform="translate(-0.4 -55.965)" fill="#333"/> d="M17.884,67.531l-3.352-5.753-1.257-2.191v7.944H10.9V56.3h2.793l3.212,5.616c.419.822.7,1.37,1.257,2.328V56.3h2.374V67.531Z" transform="translate(3.765 -55.889)" fill="#333"/> ...    Read more ...
 

Europe's forgotten forests could be 21st century 'biodiversity hot spots':

 
Europe's forgotten forests could be 21st century 'biodiversity hot spots' - PHYS.ORG - Earth
Mar 27 · According to new research, published in PLOS ONE, there is ample habitat for the Eurasian aspen, and these environments will continue to be suitable for this "keystone species" as the global climate warms.
"The Eurasian aspen, and aspen species globally, are home to vast populations of other dependent plants and animals," said the study's lead author, Antonin Kusbach, an applied ecologist at Mendel University in Brno, Czechia, also known as the Czech Republic, where the team's research was conducted.
"Additionally, aspen systems regenerate and colonize new areas quickly, so these types of forests are ideally adaptive to increased forest disturbances like fire, diseases, ...
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Everything You Need to Know about EPA’s New Clean Car Emissions Standards:

 
Everything You Need to Know about EPA’s New Clean Car Emissions Standards - Union of Concerned Scientists - Vehicles
Mar 26 · Last week, the Biden Administration finalized the newest, and strongest, set of vehicle emissions standards for new passenger cars and trucks. These new rules apply to all auto manufacturers and only affect new vehicle sales. They will go into effect in model year 2027 and steadily increase in stringency through model year 2032. Here’s what you need to know:
Transportation is the largest source of climate emissions in the US (29 percent) and passenger cars and trucks account for the majority of this pollution. These new rules represent the largest climate regulatory action ever adopted by EPA and are expected to reduce more than seven billion tons of climate emissions. That’s ...
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Evolution of the Most Powerful Ocean Current on Earth:

 
Evolution of the Most Powerful Ocean Current on Earth - Science Daily - Earth and Climate
Mar 24 · The Antarctic Circumpolar Current plays an important part in global overturning circulation, the exchange of heat and CO2 between the ocean and atmosphere, and the stability of Antarctica’s ice sheets. An international research team led by the Alfred Wegener Institute and the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory have now used sediments taken from the South Pacific to reconstruct the flow speed in the last 5.3 million years. Their data show that during glacial periods, the current slowed; during interglacials, it accelerated. Consequently, if the current global warming intensifies in the future, it could mean that the Southern Ocean stores less CO2 and that more heat reaches ...    Read more ...
 

Expectations mount as loss and damage fund staggers to its feet:

 
Expectations mount as loss and damage fund staggers to its feet - Climate Change News - Politics
Mar 25 · Demand for finance to pay for the aftermath of climate impacts is rocketing – but progress on getting a new UN loss and damage fund up and running is slow
Villager Mujahid Ali dewaters his fields in the flood-hit village Gozo, Pakistan January 17, 2023. Thomson Reuters Foundation/Waqar Mustafa
The newly appointed board of the climate finance world’s latest entry – the hard-won UN “loss and damage” fund – will likely hold its first meeting in late April after delays in agreeing members. But despite soaring needs for help, the fund itself isn’t expected to hand out any money until 2025 at the earliest, officials say.
The World Bank ...
| By Laurie Goering    Read more ...
 

Extreme heat is deadly. Californians need to pay up to protect themselves:

 
Extreme heat is deadly. Californians need to pay up to protect themselves - newsletter.climatenexus
Mar 26 · “If there is one idea in this book that might save your life, it is this: The human body, like all living things, is a heat machine. Just being alive generates heat. But if your body gets too hot too fast - it doesn’t matter if the heat comes from the outside on a hot day or the inside from a raging fever - you are in big trouble.”
So writes journalist Jeff Goodell in “The Heat Will Kill You First,” an eye-opening, blood-curdling investigation into the many ways that rising temperatures from fossil fuel combustion are making our planet increasingly unlivable. Jeff is one of several authors I’ll be interviewing next month at the L.A. Times Festival of Books, as part of a ...
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Extreme weather forecasts: Algorithm 'nudges' existing climate simulations closer to future reality:

 
Extreme weather forecasts: Algorithm 'nudges' existing climate simulations closer to future reality - PHYS.ORG - Earth
Mar 26 · To estimate Boston's future risk of extreme weather such as flooding, policymakers can combine a coarse model's large-scale predictions with a finer-resolution model tuned to estimate how often Boston is likely to experience damaging floods as the climate warms. But this risk analysis is only as accurate as the predictions from that first, coarser climate model.
"If you get those wrong for large-scale environments, then you miss everything in terms of what extreme events will look like at smaller scales, such as over individual cities," says Themistoklis Sapsis, the William I. Koch Professor and director of the Center for Ocean Engineering in MIT's Department of Mechanical ...
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Five new hydrothermal vents discovered in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean:

 
Five new hydrothermal vents discovered in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean - PHYS.ORG - Earth
Mar 27 · The pace of discovery in the oceans leaped forward thanks to teamwork between a deep-sea robot and a human occupied submarine leading to the discovery of five new hydrothermal vents in the eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean.
Late last week, ocean scientists aboard the research vessel Atlantis returned to port in San Diego from a research expedition in the eastern Pacific Ocean. There, the team discovered the new deep-sea hydrothermal vent sites on the seafloor at 2,550 meters (8,366 feet, or 1.6 miles) depth. The venting fluids are all hotter than 300°C (570°F). The discovery was supported, and in many ways accelerated, by making use of the unique strengths offered by robotic and ...
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Florida is a Climate-Denying Hellscape:

 
Florida is a Climate-Denying Hellscape - Legal Planet
Mar 27 · Take the latest, science-backed climate policies that are gaining traction in state houses around the country - and then do the exact opposite. That seems to be the Florida playbook for dealing with the climate crisis facing Floridians in the form of rising sea levels and deadly temperatures.
This legislative session, state lawmakers in the Sunshine State focused on erasing climate change from their laws, killing offshore wind, and banning local heat protection ordinances that are meant to keep people safe in the hottest state in the nation.
Last year, residents of Miami suffered through 46 straight days of the heat index topping 100 degrees while coastal waters rose to ...
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Food matters: Healthy diets increase the economic and physical feasibility of 1.5°C target:

 
Food matters: Healthy diets increase the economic and physical feasibility of 1.5°C target - PHYS.ORG - Earth
Mar 27 · A new study published in Science Advances finds that a more sustainable, flexitarian diet increases the feasibility of the Paris Agreement climate goals in different ways.
"The reduction of greenhouse gas emissions related to dietary shifts, especially methane from ruminant animals raised for their meat and milk, would allow us to extend our current global CO2 budget of 500 gigatons by 125 gigatons and still stay within the limits of 1.5°C with a 50% chance," says Florian Humpenöder, PIK scientist and co-lead author of a study.
Putting a price on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the energy and land system is an important policy instrument to stay within the limits of ...
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Forest regeneration projects failing to offset carbon emissions:

 
Forest regeneration projects failing to offset carbon emissions - PHYS.ORG - Earth
Mar 27 · HIR projects are the world's fifth largest nature-based offset type by credit issuances, and the largest when projects involving avoided emissions are excluded.
The analyzed projects are mostly located in dry outback areas in Queensland, New South Wales and Western Australia, and are being credited for regenerating native forests in areas that are largely uncleared.
The projects do not involve any tree planting. They are mainly claiming to regenerate native forests from soil seed stock, and suppressed seedlings, by reducing livestock and feral animal numbers.
The study assessed if woody vegetation cover increased in the 'credited areas' of the projects, where ...
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Future of 1 billion people in South Asia hinges on water pact, says new analysis:

 
Future of 1 billion people in South Asia hinges on water pact, says new analysis - PHYS.ORG - Earth
Mar 27 · The three rivers provide food and water security to nearly a billion people in some of Asia's most vulnerable communities, as well as underpinning industry and industrial policies in one of the most densely populous and geopolitically sensitive zones in the world.
In a series of reports, scientists call for joint action to tackle what they see as a lack of planning, research, cooperation and data sharing in these basins, highlighting growing pressures on water resources in the Hindu Kush Himalaya region from population growth and rising temperatures.
The reports, released by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development and the Australian Water Partnership ...
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Geometry-adaptive electrocatalysis: Proposed approach could double efficiency of energy conversion technologies:

 
Geometry-adaptive electrocatalysis: Proposed approach could double efficiency of energy conversion technologies - PHYS.ORG - Earth
Mar 26 · Oxygen electrocatalysis involves reactions, such as oxygen evolution and reduction reaction, which are crucial in various electrochemical energy conversion and storage systems like water splitting, fuel cells, and metal-air batteries. These reactions involve breaking and forming multiple chemical bonds, which typically have high activation energies.
This makes it difficult to find catalysts that can effectively lower these energy barriers and facilitate the reactions. To overcome these limitations and accelerate the transition to a hydrogen economy, a novel paradigm for catalyst design is required. Despite theoretical constraints, the research team has discovered a practical ...
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Ghana's decades-old ambition to build an integrated aluminum industry faces a new hurdle: The clean energy transition:

 
Ghana's decades-old ambition to build an integrated aluminum industry faces a new hurdle: The clean energy transition - PHYS.ORG - Technology
Mar 26 · Under the Volta River Project, Nkrumah's vision was to construct a dam on Ghana's Volta River to provide dedicated electricity to a newly built smelter. The smelter was to be run by the Volta Aluminum Company (Valco) in the new industrial city of Tema.
The smelter would be linked to a refinery to process Ghana's bauxite, currently estimated at 900 million tons. Ghana has the second largest reserves in Africa after Guinea.
Successive Ghanaian governments have pursued this strategy over the decades. The most recent push came in 2017 when the government embarked on its latest drive to develop an aluminum producing capacity.
Since then, the Ghana Integrated Aluminum ...
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Global corporate tax competition challenges climate change mitigation:

 
Global corporate tax competition challenges climate change mitigation - Nature Climate Change
Mar 27 · Many countries have cut their corporate tax rates in the past decades to attract foreign investment. To prevent this, a global minimum tax policy was approved by OECD countries in 2021. Global changes in corporate tax rates could reshape production and investment networks while impacting welfare and global emission patterns. Here we develop a theoretical multi-country multi-industry general equilibrium model and show that global corporate tax competition during 2005–2016 would increase global carbon emissions and shift more emissions to developing economies. Implementing a global minimum tax rate of 15% would reduce global carbon emissions and effectively decrease the developing ...    Read more ...
 

Groups Connect Home Efficiency Need With Resources In Virginia:

 
Groups Connect Home Efficiency Need With Resources In Virginia - Energy News
Mar 25 · Register today to stay up-to-date with the latest news.
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Home weatherization contractors in the Harrisonburg, Virginia, region are flush with heat pumps, triple-pane windows and insulation.
But they’re finding it challenging to identify and connect with low-income residents who could benefit from that full array of ...
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He’s Got a Plan for Cities That Flood: Stop Fighting the Water:

 
He’s Got a Plan for Cities That Flood: Stop Fighting the Water - New York Times - Climate Section
Mar 28 · A landscape architect in China has a surprising strategy to help manage surges of water from storms supercharged by climate change.
Cities around the world face a daunting challenge in the era of climate change: Supercharged rainstorms are turning streets into rivers, flooding subway systems and inundating residential neighborhoods, often with deadly consequences.
Kongjian Yu, a landscape architect and professor at Peking University, is developing what might seem like a counterintuitive response: Let the water in.
“You cannot fight water,” he said. “You have to adapt to it.”
Instead of putting in more drainage pipes, building flood walls and channeling rivers ...
| By Richard Schiffman    Read more ...
 

Heat, Cold Extremes Hold Untapped Potential for Solar and Wind Energy:

 
Heat, Cold Extremes Hold Untapped Potential for Solar and Wind Energy - Science Daily - Earth and Climate
Mar 24 · Conditions that usually accompany the kind of intense hot and cold weather that strains power grids may also provide greater opportunities to capture solar and wind energy.
A Washington State University-led study found that widespread, extreme temperature events are often accompanied by greater solar radiation and higher wind speeds that could be captured by solar panels and wind turbines. The research, which looked at extensive heat and cold waves across the six interconnected energy grid regions of the U.S. from 1980-2021, also found that every region experienced power outages during these events in the past decade.
The findings, detailed in the journal Environmental ...
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Heat, cold extremes hold untapped potential for solar and wind energy, climate scientist suggests:

 
Heat, cold extremes hold untapped potential for solar and wind energy, climate scientist suggests - PHYS.ORG - Technology
Mar 27 · The findings, detailed in the journal Environmental Research Letters, suggest that using more renewable energy at these times could help offset increased power demand as more people and businesses turn on heaters or air conditioners.
"These extreme events are not going away anytime soon. In fact, every region in the U.S. experiences at least one such event nearly every year. We need to be prepared for their risks and ensure that people have reliable access to energy when they need it the most," said lead author Deepti Singh, a Washington State University climate scientist.
"Potentially, we could generate more power from renewable resources precisely when we have ...
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High-resolution solar data enables renewable energy expansion across two continents:

 
High-resolution solar data enables renewable energy expansion across two continents - PHYS.ORG - Technology
Mar 27 · It comes in the form of a new, high-resolution solar timeseries data set on the Renewable Energy Data Explorer (RE Data Explorer) tool, tailored to the needs of stakeholders in energy sectors across national governments, academia, and private industry.
Development of the data set was motivated by the unique challenges facing two countries working with NREL and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID): Tanzania and Ukraine. In both countries, the availability of reliable, long-term resource data is a barrier in accelerating the deployment of renewable energy.
In Ukraine, planners are working to find ways to rebuild and decentralize a grid that has been ...
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Highest power efficiency achieved in flexible solar cells using new fabrication technique:

 
Highest power efficiency achieved in flexible solar cells using new fabrication technique - PHYS.ORG - Technology
Mar 27 · Current flexible perovskite solar cells (FPSCs) suffer from lower power conversion efficiency than rigid perovskite solar cells because of the soft and inhomogeneous characteristics of the flexible base material, made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), the perovskite films of FPSCs are built upon.
FPSCs also have lower durability than rigid solar cells that use glass as a base substrate. Pores in flexible solar cell substrates allow water and oxygen to invade the perovskite materials, causing them to degrade.
To address these issues with current FPSC technology, a team of material scientists from the State Key Laboratory of Power System Operation and Control at ...
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How climate change could affect the microbes that ferment grapes and give wine its specific flavors:

 
How climate change could affect the microbes that ferment grapes and give wine its specific flavors - PHYS.ORG - Biology
Mar 26 · In New Zealand, winemaking is an important business, with exports worth more than NZ$2 billion per year.
Earlier studies have already suggested that grapevine characteristics such as flowering and grape sugar ripeness may be linked to climatic changes. But so far, the microbes that ferment grapes have received little attention.
Our new research explores how yeasts, bacteria and fungi may be affected by changes in temperature and rainfall.
Microbes, wine and the coveted gold star
Without microbes, all we have is grape juice.
It is well established that individual strains of yeast (most commonly Saccharomyces cerevisiae) used to ferment grape juice into ...
    Read more ...
 

How Elon Musk Became 'Kind of Pro-China’:

 
How Elon Musk Became 'Kind of Pro-China’ - New York Times - Climate Section
Mar 27 · Mr. Musk helped create China’s electric vehicle industry. But he is now facing challenges there as well as scrutiny in the West over his reliance on the country.
When Elon Musk first set up Tesla’s factory in China, he appeared to have the upper hand.
He gained access to top leaders and secured policy changes that benefited Tesla. He also got workers accustomed to long hours and fewer protections, after clashing with U.S. regulators over labor conditions at his California plant. The Shanghai factory helped make Tesla the most valuable car company in the world and Mr. Musk ultrarich.
But Tesla is now struggling. Mr. Musk helped create his competition, Chinese E.V. ...
| By Mara Hvistendahl    Read more ...
 

How eutrophication and climate change alter food webs in the Baltic Sea:

 
How eutrophication and climate change alter food webs in the Baltic Sea - PHYS.ORG - Biology
Mar 27 · How much energy reaches the different organisms depends on their position in the food web. Around 90 percent of the energy is lost as heat from one level to the next. The more levels a food web has, the less energy reaches the organisms in the highest positions, such as predatory fish.
"The phytoplankton of the central Baltic Sea has changed considerably over the last three decades. In summer, it is increasingly dominated by mass developments of filamentous cyanobacteria. The phenomenon is known as blue-green algae blooms," says Markus Steinkopf, a marine biologist at the Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research (IOW).
The blue-green algae are competitively superior ...
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How fashion giants are tackling water risks in cotton supply chains:

 
How fashion giants are tackling water risks in cotton supply chains - Greenbiz
Mar 28 · Apparel companies are taking action to bolster their water-management commitments and practices.
Growing cotton uses 16 percent to 24 percent of insecticides and up to 40 percent of pesticides applied to fields globally. Source: Shutterstock/Kent Weakley
This is the second of a four-part series taking a closer look at how 72 companies in four industries - beverage, apparel, food and high-tech - performed in Ceres’ new Valuing Water Finance Initiative Benchmark report, which assesses how companies are valuing and acting on water as a financial risk and driving the systemic changes needed to protect freshwater systems around the world.
The fashion industry is a ...
| By Kirsten James    Read more ...
 

How much difference can one degree of warming make?:

 
How much difference can one degree of warming make? - PHYS.ORG - Earth
Mar 26 · A new study of long-term warming experimental results, led by Northern Arizona University ecologist Andrew Richardson, found that even slight increases in temperature in the boreal forests can lead to a significant reduction in snowpack. The research is published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences.
Less snowpack means more light and heat is absorbed into the soil, which further increases the ground temperature, resulting in warmer air temperatures and more snowmelt. This means that the boreal forest, which stretches across the northern half of three continents and is home to many critical ecosystems, is changing even faster than scientists ...
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How Patagonia and Seventh Generation include banks in their climate action plans:

 
How Patagonia and Seventh Generation include banks in their climate action plans - Greenbiz
Mar 27 · Corporate cash deposits are a huge source of carbon emissions, and sustainability leaders need to engage their bankers.
Most companies don’t report the "hidden" carbon emissions generated by how their corporate cash deposits are invested, but it’s larger than many realize.
If Apple, Google and Salesforce included that data in their disclosures, their total emissions would rise by 128 percent, 207 percent and 206 percent, respectively, according to an analysis published this week by a group of NGOs.
Their analysis found that non-financial companies in the United States cumulatively hold $7 trillion in cash and investments. The cumulative emissions enabled by those ...
| By Grant Harrison    Read more ...
 

Hyundai to invest more than $50 bn in South Korea in major EV push:

 
Hyundai to invest more than $50 bn in South Korea in major EV push - PHYS.ORG - Technology
Mar 27 · Hyundai on Wednesday revealed plans to invest more than $50 billion in South Korea by 2026, with a huge chunk dedicated to boosting the development and production of electric vehicles.
Along with its affiliate Kia, Hyundai is the world's third-largest automaker by sales, but the South Korean giant lags in the EV sector behind Elon Musk's Tesla and Chinese firm BYD.
Hyundai is keen to break into the global EV top three, saying last year that it was aiming to boost electric car production to more than 3.6 million units by 2030.
With the 68 trillion won ($50.5 billion) investment announced Wednesday, Hyundai Motor Group said it wants to "secure future growth engines ...
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If you've got a dark roof, you're spending almost $700 extra a year to keep your house cool:

 
If you've got a dark roof, you're spending almost $700 extra a year to keep your house cool - PHYS.ORG - Technology
Mar 26 · It's very different in Australia. New housing estates in the hottest areas around Sydney and Melbourne are dominated by dark rooftops, black roads and minimal tree cover. Dark colors trap and hold heat rather than reflect it. That might be useful in winters in Tasmania, but not where heat is an issue.
A dark roof means you'll pay considerably more to keep your house cool in summer. Last year, the average household in New South Wales paid A$1827 in electricity. But those with a lighter-colored cool roof can pay up to $694 less due to lower cooling electricity needs. Put another way, a dark roof in Sydney drives up your power bill by 38%.
When suburbs are full of dark ...
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Imaging turbulence within solar transients for the first time:

 
Imaging turbulence within solar transients for the first time - PHYS.ORG - Earth
Mar 27 · The Wide-field Imager for Parker Solar Probe (WISPR) Science Team, led by the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), captured the development of turbulence as a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) interacted with the ambient solar wind in the circumsolar space. This discovery is reported in the Astrophysical Journal.
Taking advantage of its unique location inside the sun's atmosphere, the NRL-built WISPR telescope on NASA's Parker Solar Probe (PSP) mission, operated by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHUAPL), captured in unparalleled detail the interaction between a CME and the background ambient solar wind.
To the surprise of the WISPR team, images from ...
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In France, the Future Is Arriving on a Barge:

 
In France, the Future Is Arriving on a Barge - New York Times - Climate Section
Mar 26 · The Seine is becoming a test case for a European plan to cut carbon emissions by turning rivers into the new highways.
A barge filled with items for Franprix supermarkets in Paris made its way along the Seine, not far from the Eiffel Tower.Credit...
Photographs and Video by James Hill
Reported and photographed along the Seine, between Le Havre and Paris.
As pale morning light flickered across the Seine, Capt. Freddy Badar steered his hulking river barge, Le Bosphore, past picturesque Normandy villages and snow-fringed woodlands, setting a course for Paris.
Onboard were containers packed with furniture, electronics and clothing loaded the night before ...
| By Liz Alderman    Read more ...
 

Indoor farms are remaking the produce market - at a cost to the planet:

 
Indoor farms are remaking the produce market - at a cost to the planet - Washington Post - Climate and Environment
Mar 27 · No one would argue that the climate in North Texas is ideal for growing lettuce, a crop that thrives when there’s a chill in the air. But the region’s boiling summers are of no concern to Eddy Badrina, the chief executive of Eden Green Technology, a vertical, hydroponic greenhouse company located just outside of Dallas.
The company, which sells its leafy greens to Walmart, controls every aspect of a plant’s life. Inside its 82,500 square foot facility, cool air is pumped in to create the ideal microclimate around each baby butterhead and romaine lettuce. Seven miles of pipes deliver nutrient-rich water. Although natural light floods the space - setting it apart from other ...
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International researchers explore new territory in the grand challenges of wind energy science:

 
International researchers explore new territory in the grand challenges of wind energy science - PHYS.ORG - Technology
Mar 26 · That is the thesis of a new report co-authored by researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) along with global industry and academic experts. The report, "Grand Challenges Revisited: Wind Energy Research Needs for a Global Energy Transition," follows a previous report published in the journal Science, which outlined three grand challenges of wind energy research.
Broadly speaking, these original three challenges focused on our inadequate understanding of and inability to accurately model atmospheric physics, wind turbine technology, and wind power plant integration into the grid.
The new report expands those three original ...
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Invasive Pacific oyster proliferation during Blob marine heat wave portends similar events as seas warm:

 
Invasive Pacific oyster proliferation during Blob marine heat wave portends similar events as seas warm - PHYS.ORG - Earth
Mar 26 · In the absence of any studies on effects of this marine heat wave on the populations of Pacific oysters in this area, a research team from the University of Washington, Pacific Lutheran University, and Harbor WildWatch has explored this topic. Their work is published in Frontiers in Marine Science.
Pacific oysters (Magallana gigas, formerly Crassostrea gigas) are native to the Pacific coast of Asia. Farming of this species began in 1919 in south Puget Sound and is now substantial across the region. Recently, wild populations have begun to establish in the area, but "we do not yet know how oysters perform outside of aquaculture on rocky shores of south Puget Sound," the ...
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Joe Lieberman, Democratic Senator And Vice Presidential Candidate, Dead At 82:

 
Joe Lieberman, Democratic Senator And Vice Presidential Candidate, Dead At 82 - Huffington Post
Mar 27 · Joe Lieberman, the former U.S. senator and Democratic vice presidential nominee whose conservative views on foreign policy and steadfast support for the Iraq War eventually led to his estrangement from the party, died Wednesday in New York City, his family said. He was 82.
The cause was complications after a fall.
“His beloved wife, Hadassah, and members of his family were with him as he passed,” his family said. “Senator Lieberman’s love of God, his family, and America endured throughout his life of service in the public interest.”
The speed of Lieberman’s partisan shift from 2000, when he became the first Jewish candidate on a major party ticket for the ...
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Land Under Water: What Causes Extreme Flooding?:

 
Land Under Water: What Causes Extreme Flooding? - Science Daily - Earth and Climate
Mar 24 · If rivers overflow their banks, the consequences can be devastating -- just like the catastrophic floods in North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate of 2021 showed. In order to limit flood damage and optimise flood risk assessment, we need to better understand what factors can lead to extreme forms of flooding and to what extent. Using methods of explainable machine learning, researchers at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) have shown that floods are more extreme when several factors are involved in their development. The research was published in Science Advances.
There are several factors that play an important role in the development of floods: ...
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Launch Webinar: 2023 Global Biochar Market Report:

 
Launch Webinar: 2023 Global Biochar Market Report - Climate Engineering (Lockley - Playlist)
Mar 26 · IBI and @USBiocharInitiative hosted the launch webinar of the 2023 Global Biochar Market Report! Drawing on perspectives from more than 1,000 global study respondents, the inaugural report marks a significant milestone in biochar market analysis.\n\nAvailable for download from 25 March 2024, it offers a snapshot of the biochar industry’s global landscape, delivering critical insights for policymakers and investors committed to the Paris Agreement goals and carbon removal initiatives. \n\nThe report highlights industry growth trends, key challenges, burgeoning market demands, and the pivotal role industry organizations play in this dynamic environment.\n\nDownload the report: ... | By International Biochar Initiative (IBI)    Read more ...
 

Lego invests $2.4 million in direct-air capture carbon removal:

 
Lego invests $2.4 million in direct-air capture carbon removal - Greenbiz
Mar 26 · Toymaker signs 9-year deal with Climeworks of Switzerland.
Lego is experimenting with more than 600 materials to replace petroleum-derived plastic, including arMABS made from a type of recycled artificial marble typically found in kitchens. Source: Lego Group
Lego Group plans to double its annual spending on emissions reduction and sustainability measures between 2023 and 2025, investing a total of $1.4 billion over the period.
The Danish company this week committed a small portion of that money to a $2.4 million carbon removal contract with Climeworks, which makes technology that filters carbon dioxide emissions out of the air. The family-owned holding company ...
| By Heather Clancy    Read more ...
 

Long-period oscillations control the sun's differential rotation: Study:

 
Long-period oscillations control the sun's differential rotation: Study - PHYS.ORG - Earth
Mar 27 · In addition, advances in helioseismology (i.e., probing the solar interior with the help of solar acoustic waves) have established that this rotational profile is nearly constant throughout the entire convection zone. This layer of the sun stretches from a depth of approximately 200,000 kilometers to the visible solar surface and is home to violent upheavals of hot plasma which play a crucial role in driving solar magnetism and activity.
While theoretical models have long postulated a slight temperature difference between solar poles and equator to maintain the sun's rotational pattern, it has proven notoriously difficult to measure. After all, observations have to "look ...
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Looking to the Past to Prevent Future Extinction:

 
Looking to the Past to Prevent Future Extinction - Science Daily - Earth and Climate
Mar 24 · During the Late Pleistocene, California -- at least at its lower elevations -- was teeming with vegetation. While much of North America was covered in Ice Age glaciers, here, mastodons lumbered across verdant meadows, stopping to feed on brush, warily eyeing the forest's edge for saber-tooth cats on the prowl for their calves.
Humans also flourished along the coastline, which extended hundreds of feet below where it is today.
But by 11,000 years ago, mastodons were extinct. Today, scientists are still debating the reasons for their demise: did human hunting do them in? Climate change? A cataclysmic event? Diminishing genetic diversity? Or some combination of ...
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Major Environmental Benefits Recycling Gold With Biodiesel:

 
Major Environmental Benefits Recycling Gold With Biodiesel - Science Daily - Earth and Climate
Mar 24 · "Pure metals have a number of uses in a modern society, not least for the development of green technologies. Our research shows how the metal industry can accelerate the transition from fossil to bio-based solvents," says Mark Foreman, Associate Professor of Chemistry at Chalmers.
Gold is not only a precious metal that is a symbol of wealth in jewellery and gold bars. A regular smartphone contains slightly more than 0.03 grams of gold, and the metal is found in most of the everyday electronics we have around us. It is also important in components for the aerospace industry. For many applications, gold is mixed with other metals, which then need to be removed when the valuable ...
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Mighty microbes: Soil microorganisms are combating desertification:

 
Mighty microbes: Soil microorganisms are combating desertification - PHYS.ORG - Earth
Mar 27 · Consequently, there is an ever-pressing requirement for management strategies to alleviate desertification and its impacts.
A new review of current research into combating desertification, published in Earth-Science Reviews, has identified soil microbes as critical to this mission. Waqar Islam, an Associate Professor at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and colleagues explain how a diverse community of bacteria, fungi, archaea and other microorganisms play vital roles in promoting soil health, ultimately impacting ecosystem functions and sustainable land management.
Desertification results from the interplay of both climate change and anthropogenic activities. Increasing ...
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Milk on ice: Antarctic time capsule of whole milk powder sheds light on the enduring qualities of dairy products:

 
Milk on ice: Antarctic time capsule of whole milk powder sheds light on the enduring qualities of dairy products - PHYS.ORG - Earth
Mar 28 · Now, a new comparative study in the Journal of Dairy Science has peered back in time to demonstrate that—despite advancements in selective breeding and changes to farm practices—milk of the past and milk today share more similarities than differences and are still crucial building blocks of human nutrition.
On New Year's Day in 1908, explorer Ernest Shackleton's British Antarctic Expedition aboard the ship Nimrod set sail from Lyttelton, New Zealand, on a quest to be the first to set foot on the South Pole.
While the wharf was packed with well-wishers, the ship was packed with dairy: 1,000 pounds of dried whole milk powder, 192 pounds of butter, and two cases ...
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MIT-derived algorithm helps forecast the frequency of extreme weather:

 
MIT-derived algorithm helps forecast the frequency of extreme weather - MIT - Research
Mar 26 · d="M12.132,61.991a5.519,5.519,0,0,1-5.866,5.753A5.554,5.554,0,0,1,.4,61.854a5.809,5.809,0,0,1,1.816-4.383,6.04,6.04,0,0,1,4.05-1.37C9.9,55.965,12.132,58.43,12.132,61.991Zm-8.939-.137c0,2.328,1.117,3.7,3.073,3.7s3.073-1.37,3.073-3.7-1.117-3.835-3.073-3.835C4.45,58.156,3.193,59.526,3.193,61.854Z" transform="translate(-0.4 -55.965)" fill="#333"/> d="M17.884,67.531l-3.352-5.753-1.257-2.191v7.944H10.9V56.3h2.793l3.212,5.616c.419.822.7,1.37,1.257,2.328V56.3h2.374V67.531Z" transform="translate(3.765 -55.889)" fill="#333"/> ...    Read more ...
 

More investment needed for climate science in Africa to improve weather forecasting and save lives:

 
More investment needed for climate science in Africa to improve weather forecasting and save lives - PHYS.ORG - Earth
Mar 27 · In a paper published in Nature, the researchers say African weather and seasonal forecasting is being held back by gaps in understanding of the science behind weather systems in the tropics.
Around half the population of Africa does not have access to any early warnings of hazardous weather, and massive improvements in global weather and climate science and services have not been reflected on the continent.
Organizations such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the World Bank, and the United Nations are keen to rectify this and have spent many millions of pounds on the delivery of weather radars to African nations, but few of them have delivered useful data ...
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New computational technique enhances accuracy of measurements in nuclear geoscience:

 
New computational technique enhances accuracy of measurements in nuclear geoscience - PHYS.ORG - Earth
Mar 26 · A study demonstrates the computational approach, the Fast Forward Computational Method (FFCM), recently published in the Journal of Nuclear Science and Techniques, has been developed to significantly enhance the accuracy of nuclear measurements in complex environments. This innovative method addresses the challenges posed by conventional techniques in interpreting geological formations.
FFCM leverages perturbation theory and the Rytov approximation to model detector responses with unparalleled speed and accuracy by constructing an extensive data library of simulated scenarios. This modeling accounts for various environmental perturbations, effectively minimizing errors in ...
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New design for a small, highly sensitive gravimeter that can operate stably at room temperature:

 
New design for a small, highly sensitive gravimeter that can operate stably at room temperature - PHYS.ORG - Biology
Mar 27 · A team of physicists and engineers affiliated with several institutions in China has developed a new kind of small, highly sensitive gravimeter that can operate stably at room temperature. In their project, reported in the journal Physical Review Letters, the group developed a dual magnet strategy that used a laser to measure changes in gravity.
Gravity measurement devices have existed for some time. Unfortunately, the two main types have drawbacks - those based on small oscillators tend to age quickly, resulting in loss of precision. And those based on superconducting materials require cold containers, which means they use a lot of power and are difficult to move around. In ...
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New Maps Help Decision-Makers Factor Albedo Into Tree-Planting Decisions:

 
New Maps Help Decision-Makers Factor Albedo Into Tree-Planting Decisions - Science Daily - Earth and Climate
Mar 24 · As efforts to restore tree cover accelerate to help avoid runaway climate change, a new study highlights how restoring tree cover can, in some locations, heat up the Earth rather than cool it by affecting how much sunlight the surface reflects (i.e. "the albedo").
This new study by researchers at Clark University in the United States alongside scientists from The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and ETH-Zurich, published today in the journal Nature Communications, provides a global analysis of where restoration of tree cover is most effective at cooling the global climate system, considering not just the cooling from carbon storage but also the warming from decreased ...
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New nearby mini-Neptune exoplanet discovered:

 
New nearby mini-Neptune exoplanet discovered - PHYS.ORG - Earth
Mar 26 · An international team of astronomers reports the discovery of a new mini-Neptune exoplanet orbiting a nearby star. The newfound alien world, designated TOI-4438 b is about 2.5 times larger than the Earth. The finding was detailed in a paper published March 14 on the pre-print server arXiv.
NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) has identified more than 7,000 candidate exoplanets (TESS Objects of Interest, or TOI), of which 417 have been confirmed so far. Since its launch in April 2018, the satellite has been conducting a survey of about 200,000 of the brightest stars near the sun with the aim of searching for transiting exoplanets - ranging from small, rocky ...
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New Research for Week #13 2024:

 
New Research for Week #13 2024 - Skeptical Science
Mar 28 · A survey of interventions to actively conserve the frozen North, van Wijngaarden et al., Climatic Change:
The frozen elements of the high North are thawing as the region warms much faster than the global mean. The dangers of sea level rise due to melting glacier ice, increased concentrations of greenhouse gases from thawing permafrost, and alterations in the key high latitude physical systems spurred many authors, and more recently international agencies and supra-state actors, to investigate “emergency measures” that might help conserve the frozen North. However, the efficacy and feasibility of many of these ideas remains highly uncertain, and some might come with ...
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New Roadmap to Prevent Pandemics Centers on Protecting Biodiversity:

 
New Roadmap to Prevent Pandemics Centers on Protecting Biodiversity - Science Daily - Earth and Climate
Mar 24 · An international team of 25 scientists has proposed a roadmap for how to prevent the next pandemic by conserving natural areas and promoting biodiversity, thereby providing animals with enough food, safe havens and distance to limit contact and the transfer of pathogens to humans.
Pandemics begin when disease-harboring animals, such as bats, come in close proximity with people, livestock or other animals and pass on new pathogens. Viruses such as SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV-1, Nipah, Hendra and possibly Ebola have all fatally spilled over from bats to humans, sometimes through an intermediate host.
"The world is focused on how can we detect and then contain a novel pathogen ...
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New study reveals influencers of global biogenic volatile organic compound emission trends over the last 20 years:

 
New study reveals influencers of global biogenic volatile organic compound emission trends over the last 20 years - PHYS.ORG - Earth
Mar 26 · In a study published in the journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, a team of scientists from the Institute of Atmospheric Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Texas A&M University has simulated regional to global changes in BVOC emissions over the past two decades using the latest BVOC emission model, MEGANv3.2.
While global greening trends significantly boost BVOC emissions, deforestation, coupled with the rapid agricultural expansion, reduces BVOC emissions in South America and Southeast Asia.
In addition, elevated temperatures in Europe and increased soil moisture in East and South Asia contribute to the increase in BVOC emissions in these ...
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New technique incorporates carbon-14 in a single step for safer, more efficient drug discovery:

 
New technique incorporates carbon-14 in a single step for safer, more efficient drug discovery - PHYS.ORG - Biology
Mar 27 · "Because this approach is so much more streamlined, it could help accelerate this step in the drug development process and make it less dangerous since probing the distribution and fate of a drug in the body is required for any pharmaceutical candidate to be approved," says Bruce A. Arndtsen, a James McGill Professor who teaches in the Department of Chemistry at McGill and is the senior author on the paper describing the new process, published recently in Nature Chemistry.
Before a drug makes it to market it is tested to make sure that the molecules reach the appropriate areas of the body. This is typically done by adding a radioactive atom (e.g., carbon-14) to the drug so ...
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New warning system could save lives during wildfires:

 
New warning system could save lives during wildfires - Yale Climate Connections - Weather
Mar 26 · Stay in the know about climate impacts and solutions. Subscribe to our newsletters.
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The biggest wildfire outside of Alaska in modern U.S. history recently tore a 100-mile-long, 20-mile-wide gash across the northeast Texas Panhandle and extreme western Oklahoma, destroying more than 500 structures and killing two people. Despite its horror, the fire served as a valuable test for a collaborative warning process that’s shaving precious minutes off the time needed to warn and evacuate residents.
The Smokehouse Creek Fire, which began on February 26, ...
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Newly uncovered history of a key ocean current carries a warning on climate:

 
Newly uncovered history of a key ocean current carries a warning on climate - PHYS.ORG - Earth
Mar 27 · In recent decades it has been speeding up, but scientists have been unsure whether that is connected to human-induced global warming, and whether the current might offset or amplify some of warming's effects.
In a new study, an international research team used sediment cores from the planet's roughest and most remote waters to chart the ACC's relationship to climate over the last 5.3 million years.
Their key discovery: During past natural climate swings, the current has moved in tandem with Earth's temperature, slowing down during cold times and gaining speed in warm ones―speedups that abetted major losses of Antarctica's ice. This suggests that today's speedup ...
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Novel multifunctional additive boosts efficiency, stability of inverted perovskite solar cells:

 
Novel multifunctional additive boosts efficiency, stability of inverted perovskite solar cells - PHYS.ORG - Technology
Mar 26 · The study was published in Angewandte Chemie International Edition.
PSCs have attracted considerable attention in the field of new-generation photovoltaic technologies due to their exceptional optoelectronic properties, low fabrication cost, and the prospect of large-area device fabrication. However, the commercialization and practical applications of PSCs have still been limited by the relatively low power conversion efficiency (PCE) and poor long-term stability, which can be attributed to the open-circuit voltage loss in devices and crystallographic defects in perovskite films.
To address this issue, the researchers used potassium (4-tert-butoxycarbonylpiperazin-1-yl) ...
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Paula García Knows Renewable Energy Is for the People:

 
Paula García Knows Renewable Energy Is for the People - Union of Concerned Scientists - Energy
Mar 26 · “Careful with the plants, careful with the trees, careful with the animals,” her grandfather would repeat.
Traveling to the southern region of Colombia as a young child, Paula García remembers being taught by her elders about the deep interconnectedness between humans and the natural world. During visits, her family would echo the teachings of their ancestors, perspectives that García still carries with her today.
As early as the 1920s, United States-based oil and gas companies like ExxonMobil began exploring and exploiting Colombian oil, starting with ExxonMobil’s acquisition of the Tropical Oil Company of Colombia in 1920. The subsequent decades brought expansion, ...
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Paving new paths for sustainable construction:

 
Paving new paths for sustainable construction - PHYS.ORG - Technology
Mar 27 · To address such challenges, researchers at the Center for Sustainable Technologies (CST), Indian Institute of Science (IISc), are exploring ways to store carbon dioxide from industrial flue gas in excavated soil and C&D waste. These materials can then be used to partially replace natural sand. This would not only reduce the environmental impact of construction materials but also impart properties that can enhance their use for construction.
"CO2 utilization and sequestration can be a scalable and feasible technology for manufacturing low-carbon prefabricated building products, while being aligned with the nation's decarbonization targets," explains Souradeep Gupta, Assistant ...
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Pluralistic: End of the line for corporate sovereignty (27 Mar 2024) – Pluralistic: Daily links from Cory Doctorow:

 
Pluralistic: End of the line for corporate sovereignty (27 Mar 2024) – Pluralistic: Daily links from Cory Doctorow - Euractiv (EU)
Mar 21 · 21-03-2024 (updated: 27-03-2024 )
News Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Environmental activists protest against Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) in front of European Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, 28 September 2021. EPA-EFE/OLIVIER HOSLET [OLIVIER HOSLET]
The European Commission’s plan to withdraw the bloc from the Energy Charter Treaty while allowing member states the right to remain if they choose was presented to Parliament on Thursday (21 March).
After several member states like Germany, Poland, and France withdrew from the treaty, member state ...
| By Olivia Gyapong | Euractiv    Read more ...
 

PODCAST: Do carbon offsets help with airplane emissions?:

 
PODCAST: Do carbon offsets help with airplane emissions? - MIT - Global Change
Mar 27 · If you frequently fly, then you might want to offset your carbon emissions. But what does that even mean, and how do you start? As a frequent flyer herself, Caleigh talks with Candice about the ways you can offset emissions in your personal life and through carbon offset projects.
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Quantifying community resilience to riverine hazards in Bangladesh:

 
Quantifying community resilience to riverine hazards in Bangladesh - PHYS.ORG - Earth
Mar 27 · A recent study, published in Global Environmental Change, evaluated the resilience of 35 such communities in the country.
Strong evidence on rising climate-related risks, along with first evidence of adaptation limits, is challenging conventional approaches to managing disaster and climate-related risk in populations around the world. In hot spot locations, addressing increasingly existential risks requires a step change toward transformational approaches to disaster risk management and climate change adaptation.
The recent study led by 2022 IIASA Young Scientists Summer Program (YSSP) alumna, Amelie Paszkowski from Oxford University, in collaboration with Reinhard ...
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Renewables toolkit aims to help smooth the road to net zero:

 
Renewables toolkit aims to help smooth the road to net zero - PHYS.ORG - Technology
Mar 26 · Working with local authorities, the National Farmers' Union (NFU), the National Trust and industry experts, academics from the University have developed a renewable energy toolkit which provides clear and accessible guidance to those interested in developing local scale renewable energy projects in North East England.
Advice is tailored for use at a local level, prioritizing individual farms or smallholdings, and takes into account the region's diverse energy needs, considering not only electricity generation, but also heat, energy efficiency, and energy storage.
It covers frequently asked questions on the logistics, finance and planning considerations relating to solar ...
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Research finds fragrant screw pines are pollinated by sap beetles rather than by wind:

 
Research finds fragrant screw pines are pollinated by sap beetles rather than by wind - PHYS.ORG - Biology
Mar 27 · The discovery overturned the long-held belief that these plants were pollinated by wind. The researchers also found that fragrant screw pines' male and female flowers produced heat at night stably, making them the first such species in the family Pandanaceae. The findings were published in the Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society.
The genus Pandanus, a member of the family Pandanaceae, boasts around 450 species spread around the paleotropical region. The species of this genus have male inflorescences, clusters of flowers on branches, that are pendent and nectarless, which has made scientists assume they are pollinated by wind.
However, some of their other properties, ...
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Research lights up process for turning CO₂ into sustainable fuel:

 
Research lights up process for turning CO₂ into sustainable fuel - PHYS.ORG - Technology
Mar 25 · An international team of researchers from the University of Nottingham's School of Chemistry, University of Birmingham, University of Queensland, and University of Ulm have designed a material made up of copper anchored on nanocrystalline carbon nitride.
The copper atoms are nested within the nanocrystalline structure, which allows electrons to move from carbon nitride to CO2, an essential step in the production of methanol from CO2 under the influence of solar irradiation. The research has been published in the Sustainable Energy & Fuels journal.
In photocatalysis, light is shone on a semiconductor material that excites electrons, enabling them to travel through the ...
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Researchers add virtual spatial displacement to extreme flooding scenarios:

 
Researchers add virtual spatial displacement to extreme flooding scenarios - PHYS.ORG - Earth
Mar 27 · In a recent study, a team of researchers led by Bruno Merz and Sergiy Vorogushyn from the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences proposes a new strategy to motivate society to discuss appropriate risk management strategies: They are developing a series of hypothetical extreme flooding scenarios in Germany by shifting previously observed precipitation events by a few tens of kilometers in space and then calculating their effects using a flood model.
Such scenarios are not improbable, as the actual precipitation could have fallen several dozen kilometers away. This results in events that are more than twice as severe as the most devastating flood in Germany since 1950. It ...
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Researchers demonstrate that forests trap airborne microplastics, acting as terrestrial sinks:

 
Researchers demonstrate that forests trap airborne microplastics, acting as terrestrial sinks - PHYS.ORG - Earth
Mar 27 · Think of microplastics, and you might think of the ones accumulating in the world's oceans. However, they are also filling the sky and the air we breathe. Now, it has been discovered that forests might be acting as a sink for these airborne microplastics, offering humanity yet another crucial service.
In a study recently published in Environmental Chemistry Letters, a multi-institutional research group led by Professor Miyazaki Akane of Japan Women's University has used a new technique to measure the levels of microplastics adhering to the leaves of trees, revealing that forests are potentially acting as terrestrial sinks for these particles.
Microplastics have come into ...
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Researchers discover 125,000-year-old coastal ecosystem underneath spaceport in Kourou:

 
Researchers discover 125,000-year-old coastal ecosystem underneath spaceport in Kourou - PHYS.ORG - Biology
Mar 26 · Covering over 270 species in total, including bony fish, sharks and numerous plants, they reflect the kind of climatic conditions that calculations suggest are set to reoccur in the year 2100. The team's findings have now been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Consisting of more than 270 animal, plant and micro-organism species, these coastal fossils are the first to have been unearthed in the equatorial Atlantic. They provide information about the prevailing environmental and climatic conditions in the region, both during a very warm period in the last interglacial between 128,000 and 116,000 years ago and during the subsequent glacial, i.e., ...
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Researchers Find Energy Development and Tree Encroachment Impact Wyoming Pronghorn:

 
Researchers Find Energy Development and Tree Encroachment Impact Wyoming Pronghorn - Science Daily - Earth and Climate
Mar 24 · While Wyoming is home to some of North America's most abundant populations of pronghorn that have largely been stable in recent years, a new analysis shows that many herds are experiencing long-term declines in fawn production.
Those declines are primarily a result of oil and gas development and encroachment of trees, according to researchers from the University of Wyoming, the University of Florida, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the University of Arkansas and the Northern Plains Agricultural Research Laboratory. Their findings have been published in the journal Global Ecology and Conservation.
The study included data collected by the Wyoming Game and Fish ...
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Researchers find the more flood driving factors there are, the more extreme a flood is:

 
Researchers find the more flood driving factors there are, the more extreme a flood is - PHYS.ORG - Earth
Mar 27 · The result: precipitation was the sole determining factor in only around 25% of the almost 125,000 flood events. Soil moisture was the decisive factor in just over 10% of cases, and snow melt and air temperature were the sole factors in only around 3% of cases.
In contrast, 51.6% of cases were caused by at least two factors. At around 23%, the combination of precipitation and soil moisture occurs most frequently.
However, when analyzing the data, the UFZ researchers discovered that three—or even all four—factors can be jointly responsible for a flood event.
For example, temperature, soil moisture, and snow depth were decisive factors in around 5,000 ...
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Researchers harness the sun to produce hydrogen gas from water:

 
Researchers harness the sun to produce hydrogen gas from water - PHYS.ORG - Earth
Mar 26 · A team of chemistry researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has developed a unique approach to harnessing the sun's energy to produce hydrogen gas, a potential clean energy source, from water, according to a paper published in Nature Chemistry.
Led by UNC-Chapel Hill chemist Alexander Miller, the study, "Catalyst Self-Assembly Accelerates Bimetallic Light-driven Electrocatalytic H2 Evolution in Water," investigates a system that uses light and electricity to split water into its constituent elements - hydrogen and oxygen.
"What we found is you can induce these catalysts to self-assemble into these globules, which become better at absorbing light ...
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Rethinking wind power's towers and turbines:

 
Rethinking wind power's towers and turbines - PHYS.ORG - Technology
Mar 26 · At first glance, the wind-turbine tower that rises from the green landscape in the Swedish municipality of Skara looks like any other. It reaches a height of 105 meters and, at the top, supports a familiar trio of big rotating blades.
But unlike most wind-turbine towers, which are made of steel, this one is wooden. It represents the first commercial installation by Swedish engineering company Modvion—and it could point to the future of wind energy.
When it comes to renewable energy, wood can make wind power even greener by serving as the material for the towers.
What's more, wood can help wind turbines to become cheaper and more powerful, providing an ...
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Satellite data shows how drought changes wildfire recovery in the West:

 
Satellite data shows how drought changes wildfire recovery in the West - PHYS.ORG - Earth
Mar 27 · The West has been witnessing a trend of increasing number and intensity of wildland fires. Historically a natural part of the region's ecology, fires have been exacerbated by climate change—including more frequent and intense droughts—and past efforts to suppress fires, which can lead to the accumulation of combustible material like fallen branches and leaves. But quantifying how fire and drought jointly affect ecosystems has proven difficult.
In the new study, researchers analyzed over 1,500 fires from 2014 to 2020 across the West, and also gathered data on drought conditions dating back to 1984. They found that droughts make it harder for grasslands and ...
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Saudi Aramco CEO calls energy transition strategy a failure:

 
Saudi Aramco CEO calls energy transition strategy a failure - PHYS.ORG - Earth
Mar 28 · Pointing to the still paltry share of renewable energy in global supply, the head of Saudi Aramco described the current energy transition strategy as a misguided failure on Monday.
"In the real world, the current transition strategy is visibly failing on most fronts," Saudi Aramco Chief Executive Amin Nasser said at the CERAWeek conference in Houston.
Fossil fuels accounted for 82 percent of global consumption last year, according to a report from consultancy KPMG cited by Nasser, who noted that the International Energy Agency has said oil demand could hit a record this year.
"This is hardly the future picture some have been painting," Nasser said.
"All this ...
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Schools in the path of April's total solar eclipse prepare for a natural teaching moment:

 
Schools in the path of April's total solar eclipse prepare for a natural teaching moment - PHYS.ORG - Earth
Mar 28 · Seventh-grade student Henry Cohen bounced side to side in time to the Beatles' "Here Comes the Sun" playing in teacher Nancy Morris' classroom, swinging his arms open and closed across the planets pictured on his T-shirt.
Henry and other classmates at Cleveland's Riverside School were on their feet, dancing during a session of activities tied to April's total solar eclipse. Second-graders invited in for the lessons sat cross-legged on the floor, laughing as they modeled newly decorated eclipse viewing glasses. Dioramas with softball-sized model earths and moons and flashlight "suns" occupied desks and shelves around the room.
Henry said his shirt reflected his love of ...
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Scientists discover that the natural purification of groundwater is enhanced by nitrate:

 
Scientists discover that the natural purification of groundwater is enhanced by nitrate - PHYS.ORG - Earth
Mar 27 · A team of researchers including Dr. Seunghak Lee, Jaeshik Chung, and Sang Hyun Kim from the Water Resources Cycle Research Center has discovered that the natural purification of groundwater is enhanced by nitrate, a known pollutant.
In order to apply ASR techniques in practice, it is very important to predict and manage the quality of recharged water, and this research is expected to mark a turning point in the water quality management strategy of ASR systems. The study is published in the journal Water Research.
In addition to storing water resources, ASR techniques have the added benefit of improving water quality through various reactions in the ground. The organic ...
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Scientists on the Hunt for Evidence of Quantum Gravity's Existence at the South Pole:

 
Scientists on the Hunt for Evidence of Quantum Gravity's Existence at the South Pole - Science Daily - Earth and Climate
Mar 24 · University of Copenhagen team contributes to an Antarctic large-scale experiment striving to find out if gravity also exists at the quantum level. An extraordinary particle able to travel undisturbed through space seems to hold the answer.
Several thousand sensors distributed over a square kilometer near the South Pole are tasked with answering one of the large outstanding questions in physics: does quantum gravity exist? The sensors monitor neutrinos -- particles with no electrical charge and almost without mass -- arriving at the Earth from outer space. A team from the Niels Bohr Institute (NBI), University of Copenhagen, have contributed to developing the method which ...
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Scientists warn that the Baltic Sea gray seal hunt is too large:

 
Scientists warn that the Baltic Sea gray seal hunt is too large - PHYS.ORG - Biology
Mar 27 · After decades of hard hunting and environmental contamination by toxins such as PCBs, there were only 5,000 gray seals left in the entire Baltic Sea by the 1970s, falling from an initial size of more than 90,000 at the beginning of the century. Since then, the population has partially recovered, and today stands at around 55,000 animals for all countries combined.
Baltic gray seals are genetically isolated from the closest gray seal populations in the Atlantic. They are generally slightly smaller and, unlike solely land breeding seals found in the British Isles, can give birth to young on both drift ice and on land.
The population is now facing new challenges in a world ...
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Scientists Warn: The Grey Seal Hunt Is Too Large:

 
Scientists Warn: The Grey Seal Hunt Is Too Large - Science Daily - Earth and Climate
Mar 24 · After decades of hard hunting and environmental contamination by toxins such as PCBs, there were only 5,000 grey seals left in the entire Baltic Sea by the 1970s, falling from an initial size of more than 90,000 at the beginning of the century. Since then, the population has partially recovered, and today stands at around 55,000 animals for all countries combined.
Baltic grey seals are genetically isolated from the closest grey seal populations in the Atlantic. They are generally slightly smaller and, unlike solely land breeding seals found in the British Isles, can give birth to young on both drift ice and on land. The population is now facing new challenges in a world with a ...
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Seagrass meadows face uncertain future, scientists say:

 
Seagrass meadows face uncertain future, scientists say - PHYS.ORG - Biology
Mar 26 · James Cook University scientists who analyzed seagrass meadows around the world say the crucial habitats are under increasing threat and need to incorporate new management strategies if they are to survive climate change. The study is published in Global Change Biology.
JCU Master's Graduate Riccardo Losciale led the study of 28 World Heritage (WH) listed seagrass meadows.
"We assessed that more than 50% of WH seagrass habitats are highly vulnerable to climate change impacts, with long-term increases in sea-surface temperature and short-term marine heat waves being the greatest threats," said Mr. Losciale.
Among the largest natural carbon sinks on the planet, ...
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Severe hurricanes boost influx of juveniles and gene flow in a coral reef sponge:

 
Severe hurricanes boost influx of juveniles and gene flow in a coral reef sponge - PHYS.ORG - Earth
Mar 26 · Many sponges can survive severe damage and undergo frequent fragmentation, which is considered a mechanism for asexual reproduction. While fragmentation is a commonly utilized reproductive strategy in rope sponges, they also can reproduce sexually by producing larvae. How and whether they recolonize following extreme weather events is critical for the restoration and resilience of coral reef ecosystems.
Hurricanes Irma and Maria—both in 2017—were two rapid succession storms that provided researchers from Florida Atlantic University's Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College and Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute and collaborators from the University of the Virgin ...
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Severe Hurricanes Boost Influx of Juveniles and Gene Flow in a Coral Reef Sponge:

 
Severe Hurricanes Boost Influx of Juveniles and Gene Flow in a Coral Reef Sponge - Science Daily - Earth and Climate
Mar 24 · Named for its ropy-looking long branches, Aplysina cauliformis, a coral reef sponge, provides a critical 3D habitat for marine organisms and helps to stabilize the foundation of coral reefs. However, these upright branching sponges are highly susceptible to breaking during storms, which increases sponge fragmentation and contributes to population clonality and inbreeding.
Many sponges can survive severe damage and undergo frequent fragmentation, which is considered a mechanism for asexual reproduction. While fragmentation is a commonly utilized reproductive strategy in rope sponges, they also can reproduce sexually by producing larvae. How and whether they recolonize following ...
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Solar eclipse could scramble bird behavior:

 
Solar eclipse could scramble bird behavior - PHYS.ORG - Biology
Mar 26 · On April 8, the shadow of a total solar eclipse will race across North America. At the same time, researchers from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and partners will be hurrying to measure the impact of daytime darkness on the movements of birds, bats, and insects - flying creatures that are very attuned to changes in light levels.
Spring migration is underway right now and with most birds flying at night, a solar eclipse could heavily impact them.
"Light is such a fundamental and ubiquitous cue, governing so many aspects of life on Earth," said Cecilia Nilsson, lead author of a previous Cornell Lab study when she was a Rose Postdoctoral Fellow. "But it's pretty hard to ...
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Sounds emanating from coral reefs found to change as the moon rises and sets:

 
Sounds emanating from coral reefs found to change as the moon rises and sets - PHYS.ORG - Biology
Mar 27 · In their study, published in PLOS ONE, the group used underwater microphones to listen to sounds coming from coral reefs over the year 2020 to 2021.
For this new study, the research team explored changes to reef noise levels when the moon rises and sets. Noise levels vary between night and day due to the amount of light shining through the water—the moon reflects a lot of light; thus, the team thought its presence in the sky might also have an impact on coral organism activity and the resulting amount of noise.
To find out if the moon might have an impact on coral reef noise levels, the group lowered sonic monitoring devices into the vicinity of coral reefs off the ...
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Study finds decline in the stability of water yield in watersheds:

 
Study finds decline in the stability of water yield in watersheds - PHYS.ORG - Earth
Mar 27 · These changes directly or indirectly impact the hydrological processes of the watershed system. The water yield of the watershed system may experience persistent disturbances by enhanced extreme climate events and human activities under global warming, challenging both system components and system balance.
The water yield or hydrological system of the watershed continuously dynamic changes since human activities and climate change alter the balance state of this system, potentially leading it to disruption, restoration, or transformation into a new state. Therefore, the stability of the water yield in the watershed system is the capacity to restore its original state or ...
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Study of 34 countries finds ocean protection delivers overlooked economic benefits to fishing, tourism:

 
Study of 34 countries finds ocean protection delivers overlooked economic benefits to fishing, tourism - PHYS.ORG - Biology
Mar 27 · "In every corner of the globe, ocean protection boosts economies," said Dr. Mark John Costello, the study author and a professor at Norway's Nord University. "For far too long, marine parks have been overlooked as GDP generators and job creators. This study offers the strongest evidence yet that protecting the ocean replenishes it with abundant fish, protects it against climate change, but also boosts local and national economies. Now, we can add tourism operators and fisheries to the list of ocean protection beneficiaries."
The study builds on research that has found fully protected areas can help restore fish populations by 500% on average, yield bigger fish over time, and ...
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Surge of new oil and gas activity threatens to wreck Paris climate goals:

 
Surge of new oil and gas activity threatens to wreck Paris climate goals - Guardian - Energy
Mar 2 · World’s fossil-fuel producers on track to nearly quadruple output from newly approved projects by decade’s end, report finds
The world’s fossil-fuel producers are on track to nearly quadruple the amount of extracted oil and gas from newly approved projects by the end of this decade, with the US leading the way in a surge of activity that threatens to blow apart agreed climate goals, a new report has found.
There can be no new oil and gas infrastructure if the planet is to avoid careering past 1.5C (2.7F) of global heating, above pre-industrial times, the International Energy Agency (IEA) has previously stated. Breaching this warming threshold, agreed to by governments in ...
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Swapping Bordeaux for Kent, climate change to shift wine regions: Study:

 
Swapping Bordeaux for Kent, climate change to shift wine regions: Study - PHYS.ORG - Earth
Mar 26 · English wines could benefit at the expense of French and Italian vines as climate change shifts the landscape in traditional wine growing, according to a new study published on Tuesday.
Increased heat waves and erratic rainfall could wipe out vineyards from Greece to California by 2100, researchers found - while creating optimal conditions for wine growing in the UK and other unlikely regions.
"Climate change is changing the geography of wine," said Cornelis van Leeuwen, the lead author of the paper published in the journal Nature Reviews Earth & Environment.
"There will be winners and losers," he told AFP.
They found a "substantial" risk that 49 to 70 ...
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Swiss Re warns insured disaster losses could double in a decade:

 
Swiss Re warns insured disaster losses could double in a decade - PHYS.ORG - Earth
Mar 26 · Insured property losses could double in the coming decade due to climate change and more frequent and more intense severe weather events, reinsurance giant Swiss Re warned Tuesday.
The Zurich-based group - which acts as an insurer for insurers - also highlighted the rising costs from hailstorms.
Natural disasters caused $280 billion in damage worldwide in 2023, including $108 billion covered by insurance companies, Swiss Re said in its annual overview of the cost of disasters and natural catastrophes.
The total amount of damage, and the share covered by insurers, both fell compared to 2022, which saw Hurricane Ian - one of the deadliest storms to hit the United ...
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The Behavior of Ant Queens Is Shaped by Their Social Environment:

 
The Behavior of Ant Queens Is Shaped by Their Social Environment - Science Daily - Earth and Climate
Mar 24 · The queens in colonies of social insects, such as ants, bees, and wasps, are considered the veritable embodiment of specialization in the animal kingdom. The common perception is that the queen's only task is to lay eggs -- and that this attribute is an inherent trait, not influenced by external factors. In contrast, recent research undertaken at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) has demonstrated that in certain ant colonies the social environment can play a crucial role in shaping the behavioral specialization of the queens. "With regard to the ant species we studied, it is social factors that control whether queens become specialized or not. Our findings challenge the ...    Read more ...
 

The plastics industry’s carbon footprint has doubled in the past few decades:

 
The plastics industry’s carbon footprint has doubled in the past few decades - Yale Climate Connections - Economic
Mar 26 · Stay in the know about climate impacts and solutions. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
Yale Climate Connections
Plastic is used in many products - from containers and bags to electronics and vehicles. And it’s a significant source of climate-warming pollution.
Cabernard: “Plastics production at the moment, it contributes to 4.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions.”
Livia Cabernard of the Technical University in Munich, Germany, explains that almost all plastics are made from oil, natural gas, or coal. Extracting and transporting those fuels emits carbon pollution.
Then, more fossil fuels are burned to supply the heat and electricity used to refine ...
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The politics behind the SEC's new climate disclosure rule—and what it means for investors:

 
The politics behind the SEC's new climate disclosure rule—and what it means for investors - Inside Climate News
Mar 23 · From our collaborating partner “Living on Earth,” public radio’s environmental news magazine, an interview by executive producer and host Steve Curwood with Pat Parenteau, an emeritus professor of law at Vermont Law and Graduate School.
During the Great Depression, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed into law the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, to help safeguard U.S. financial markets against collapses like the Wall Street Crash of 1929.
That was decades before scientists alerted the world to the problem of climate disruption, which is creating new financial risks because of just how expensive it is; climate disasters now cost the U.S. around $100 billion every ...
| By Phil McKenna    Read more ...
 

The stunning echo of 800-year-old explosion:

 
The stunning echo of 800-year-old explosion - PHYS.ORG - Earth
Mar 27 · Ever since, scientists have tried to find the supernova's remnant. At first it was thought that this could be the nebula around the pulsar (dead star) 3C 58. However closer investigations revealed that the pulsar is older than supernova 1181.
In the last decade, another contender was discovered; Pa 30 is a nearly circular nebula with a central star in the constellation Cassiopeia. It is pictured here combining images from several telescopes. This composite image uses data across the electromagnetic spectrum and shows a new spectacular view of the supernova remnant, allowing us to marvel at the same object that appeared in our ancestors' night sky more than 800 years ...
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The surprising reasons why Big Oil may not want a second Trump term:

 
The surprising reasons why Big Oil may not want a second Trump term - Washington Post - Climate and Environment
Mar 26 · HOUSTON - As president, Donald Trump vowed to unleash American “energy dominance,” while on the campaign trail, he has summarized his energy policies with the slogan “drill, baby, drill.”
Yet a possible Trump victory in the 2024 election is not delighting oil and gas executives as much as one might expect, according to interviews with several industry leaders at a recent energy conference in Houston.
Fossil fuel firms have found a lot to like in President Biden’s signature climate law, the Inflation Reduction Act, which Trump has vowed to unravel. The law offers lucrative tax credits for companies to capture and store carbon dioxide - subsidies that several oil giants ...
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The Worst Climate Disaster You Haven’t Heard Of Just Got More Deadly - And It’s Not Over Yet:

 
The Worst Climate Disaster You Haven’t Heard Of Just Got More Deadly - And It’s Not Over Yet - Huffington Post
Mar 26 · In Mongolia, where nearly a third of the population still lives as nomadic herders, a winter so cold that livestock either freeze to death or starve as snow and ice make grazing impossible is called a “dzud.” These extreme seasons used to come once a decade. With climate change destabilizing the landlocked Asian country’s weather pattern, the dzud has haunted Mongolia for six of the last 10 years.
In 2018, when a dzud wiped out roughly 700,000 livestock, it was a devastating record. Last month, the death toll for this winter eclipsed 2 million, as HuffPost reported at the time. Weeks later, that figure has nearly tripled.
As of this week, at least 5.2 million animals ...
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These extraordinary Australian islands are teeming with life - and we must protect them before it's too late:

 
These extraordinary Australian islands are teeming with life - and we must protect them before it's too late - PHYS.ORG - Biology
Mar 27 · But as our report released today reveals, this special place in Australia's territory is at risk. In particular, climate change is warming the waters around the islands, threatening a host of marine life.
More than 20 years ago, a marine reserve was declared over the islands and parts of the surrounding waters. At the time, it was a significant step forward in environmental protection. But since then, science has progressed and the threats have worsened.
Our report reviewed these protections and found they are no longer adequate. The marine reserve surrounding the Heard and McDonald islands must urgently be expanded.
Spotlight on the reserve system
The Heard ...
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They Grow Your Berries and Peaches, but Often Lack One Item: Insurance:

 
They Grow Your Berries and Peaches, but Often Lack One Item: Insurance - New York Times - Climate Section
Mar 27 · Farmers of fruits and vegetables say coverage has become unavailable or unaffordable as drought and floods increasingly threaten their crops.
Farmers who grow fresh fruits and vegetables are often finding crop insurance prohibitively expensive - or even unavailable - as climate change escalates the likelihood of drought and floods capable of decimating harvests.
Their predicament has left some small farmers questioning their future on the land.
Efforts to increase the availability and affordability of crop insurance are being considered in Congress as part of the next farm bill, but divisions between the interests of big and small farmers loom over the ...
| By Patrick Cooley    Read more ...
 

This mega-city is running out of water: What will 22 million people do when the taps run dry?:

 
This mega-city is running out of water: What will 22 million people do when the taps run dry? - PHYS.ORG - Earth
Mar 26 · When Reina Cervantes Trejo heard the truck, gears grinding as it climbed the street to her house, she rushed outside.
"Thanks to our good Lord!" she said. "The water has finally arrived!"
Cervantes and her husband hurried to help the driver, Fredy Romero, as he yanked hoses from the truck to fill up a cistern and a hodgepodge of plastic buckets, pails and kitchen pots the couple had assembled on their patio.
The taps had dried up weeks ago, and Cervantes' daughter had been calling the city nearly every day, pleading for the water trucks to come to their working-class neighborhood in the city's south.
Cervantes desperately needed the water to bathe her father, ...
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This underwater forest is regrowing, bringing 'hope' in fight against Tasmania's warming ocean:

 
This underwater forest is regrowing, bringing 'hope' in fight against Tasmania's warming ocean - ABC
Mar 26 · Giant kelp forests on Tasman Peninsula survive marine heatwave, brings 'hope' amid climate change
Tucked away in a picturesque bay on the south-eastern tip of Tasmania is a precious underwater field of dreams.
Here, giant kelp has been painstakingly grown by hand, and there are now high hopes that one day, as a result of this effort, Tasmania's kelp forests will once again flourish.
The bay is the site of a restoration project that aims to regrow the unique seaweed species that once grew so densely here, that it was difficult for fishers to navigate through.
In an effort to protect the fragile nature of the site, the ABC is not identifying its ...
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Two coral snakes recorded battling for prey in a scientific first:

 
Two coral snakes recorded battling for prey in a scientific first - PHYS.ORG - Earth
Mar 27 · Kleptoparasitism, or food theft, is a well-documented behavior in many animal species, but is seldom reported among snakes in natural habitats.
The observation, detailed in a recent study published in Herpetozoa by Henrik Bringsøe and Niels Poul Dreyer, showcases the two Micrurus mipartitus snakes engaging in a tug-of-war over the limbless amphibian.
Elapid snakes are venomous and among the deadliest serpents in the world. There are more than 400 species comprising a very diverse group of snakes such as mambas, cobras, kraits, taipans, tiger snakes, death adders, sea snakes and coral snakes.
The battle occurred in the dense rainforests of Valle del Cauca, ...
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Two Coral Snakes Recorded Battling for Prey in a Scientific First:

 
Two Coral Snakes Recorded Battling for Prey in a Scientific First - Science Daily - Earth and Climate
Mar 24 · Two red-tailed coral snakes have been observed competing over a caecilian in the first documented wild case of kleptoparasitism within the family Elapidae.
Kleptoparasitism, or food theft, is a well-documented behaviour in many animal species but is seldom reported among snakes in natural habitats.
The observation, detailed in a recent study published in the open-access journal Herpetozoa by Henrik Bringsøe and Niels Poul Dreyer, showcases the two Micrurus mipartitus snakes engaging in a tug-of-war over the limbless amphibian.
Elapid snakes are venomous and among the deadliest serpents in the world. There are more than 400 species comprising a very diverse ...
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U.S. Approves $1.5 Billion Loan to Restart Michigan Nuclear Plant:

 
U.S. Approves $1.5 Billion Loan to Restart Michigan Nuclear Plant - New York Times - Climate Section
Mar 27 · The conditional loan from the Energy Department is part of a broad effort to revive the use of nuclear energy in the United States.
The Biden administration announced on Wednesday that it had agreed to provide a $1.52 billion loan guarantee to help a company restart a nuclear power plant in Michigan - the latest step in the government’s effort to revive the nation’s reactors.
The loan guarantee from the Energy Department will allow Holtec International to revive the Palisades nuclear plant in Covert Township, Mich., on the shores of Lake Michigan and about 40 miles west of Kalamazoo, and keep it going until at least 2051. The loan guarantee is conditional on the facility ...
| By Ivan Penn    Read more ...
 

U.S. clamps down on oil and gas firms releasing potent greenhouse gas:

 
U.S. clamps down on oil and gas firms releasing potent greenhouse gas - Washington Post - Climate and Environment
Mar 27 · Oil and gas companies will need to stem the release of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, from their drilling operations on federal and tribal lands under a highly anticipated rule the Biden administration finalized Wednesday.
The rule from the Bureau of Land Management, an arm of the Interior Department, builds on the Biden administration’s broader strategy for tackling methane, which accounts for nearly a third of global warming. Cutting methane emissions is one of the fastest ways to slow climate change, because it traps 80 times as much heat as carbon dioxide during its first 20 years in the atmosphere.
The Environmental Protection Agency unveiled plans for preventing ...
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Understanding cattle grazing personalities may foster sustainable rangelands:

 
Understanding cattle grazing personalities may foster sustainable rangelands - PHYS.ORG - Biology
Mar 27 · Recognizing those personality differences could help ranchers select herds that best meet grazing needs on rangelands, leading to better animal health and environmental conditions, according to a new paper from the University of California, Davis, published in the journal Applied Animal Behaviour Science.
"Cattle can actually be beneficial for the rangelands," said lead author Maggie Creamer, who recently earned her Ph.D. in animal behavior at UC Davis. "Vegetation in rangelands actually need these kinds of disturbances like grazing."
Ranchers can add elements to the rangeland such as water, mineral supplements and fencing to influence where cattle graze, but little ...
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Using nature to help the climate: Four ways that work:

 
Using nature to help the climate: Four ways that work - PHYS.ORG - Earth
Mar 26 · The majority of other such methods need additional research before their potential can be assessed, say the authors. The research was just published in the journal Nature Climate Change.
Nature-based climate solutions are conservation, restoration or management strategies whose primary purpose is to mitigate greenhouse-gas emissions or remove carbon from the atmosphere. More than 100 of the 167 signatories to the Paris Accords include them as part of their mitigation plans. Many, including Indonesia, Colombia and China are already using them to demonstrate progress on their climate commitments.
The study looked at the scientific basis of, and expert confidence in, 43 ...
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Vast Vienna wastewater heat pumps showcase EU climate drive:

 
Vast Vienna wastewater heat pumps showcase EU climate drive - PHYS.ORG - Technology
Mar 27 · In a large hall on the outskirts of Vienna, shiny pipes carry treated wastewater through three giant heat pumps, part of Austria's drive to reduce carbon emissions and its dependence on Russian gas, with more and more European cities eyeing this alternative.
The plant - billed as Europe's most powerful one - is churning out district heat to up to 56,000 Vienna households, with operator Wien Energie planning to double its capacity to 112,000 households by 2027.
"It is very clear that we have to restructure our energy system to become independent of fossil fuels or of different individual countries," Wien Energie manager Linda Kirchberger told AFP.
Heat pumps work ...
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Vietnamese automaker VinFast to start selling EVs in Thailand:

 
Vietnamese automaker VinFast to start selling EVs in Thailand - PHYS.ORG - Technology
Mar 26 · Vietnamese automaker VinFast announced Tuesday that it plans to sell its electric vehicles in Thailand and said it had tied up with auto dealers to open showrooms in the country.
VinFast, which only began exporting its EVs last year, faces stiff competition in Thailand from Chinese automakers like BYD. Tesla also recently entered the fray. All were displaying their latest models at the Bangkok International Motor Show.
The Thai EV market is small but growing fast, buoyed by incentives and subsidies from the government. The country of more than 70 million plans to convert 30% of the 2.5 million vehicles it makes annually into EVs by 2030.
VinFast hopes to start ...
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Walmart funds almost 1 gigawatt in new U.S. solar power:

 
Walmart funds almost 1 gigawatt in new U.S. solar power - Greenbiz
Mar 28 · Half the power needed by the world’s largest retailer now comes from clean energy projects.
Walmart is funding almost two dozen new community solar projects and three long-term purchase agreements that will add almost 1 gigawatt of zero-carbon energy to the U.S. grid. That’s roughly enough energy to power 750,000 U.S. homes.
The new installations include Walmart’s first investments in projects for Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi - almost half the amount in the new contracts. They are in addition to the more than 600 onsite and offsite renewable energy projects the retailer has supported in the past, representing 2 more gigawatts in clean electricity ...
| By Heather Clancy    Read more ...
 

What will it take to protect India’s angry farmers from climate threats?:

 
What will it take to protect India’s angry farmers from climate threats? - Climate Change News - Science
Mar 27 · Indebted farmers, facing falling yields and water scarcity, want legally guaranteed price support for more crops – but that may not fix their climate woes
Deedar Singh (middle) sits with colleagues by the side of the road at the Shambhu border, between Punjab and Haryana, protesting the government's inaction in providing legal MSP guarantees on crops, February 27 2024 (Photo: Kanika Gupta)
Indian farmers – struggling with erratic weather, shrinking water supplies and falling incomes – have quit their fields in a major new wave of protest, and plan to keep up the pressure on the government ahead of national elections starting on April ...
| By Kanika Gupta    Read more ...
 

Why Palm Oil Is Still a Big Problem:

 
Why Palm Oil Is Still a Big Problem - New York Times - Climate Section
Mar 26 · Subscriber-only Newsletter
Climate Forward
The ubiquitous ingredient contributes to the loss of tropical forests.
Palm oil - the ubiquitous ingredient for all things spreadable, from toothpaste to ice cream - is now the commodity consumed by Americans that contributes most to the loss of tropical forests.
That’s the conclusion of a new analysis by Global Witness, an environmental watchdog organization, and Trase, a nonprofit that analyzes supply chains. Cattle products, especially from Brazil and Australia, are a close second. Colombian coffee had a big footprint, too.
I want to focus on palm oil today because we’ve known about this problem for a long ...
| By Manuela Andreoni    Read more ...
 

Why Tennessee lawmakers are pushing a bill to keep government from spraying the sky:

 
Why Tennessee lawmakers are pushing a bill to keep government from spraying the sky - Washington Post - Climate and Environment
Mar 27 · Republican state lawmakers are going after a new threat they say could cause harm to the environment - and playing into a baseless claim at the same time.
In a Tennessee bill passed by the state Senate last week, lawmakers targeted geoengineering, an experimental - and controversial - practice not yet in use that could help cool the planet amid climate change.
But the text of the bill can also be seen as referring to “chemtrails,” plumes of toxic chemicals that believers of the unfounded claim say governments and corporations are spewing into the sky.
Now, the confusion between solar geoengineering and chemtrails threatens to muddy the waters around nascent ...
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Why the Solar Eclipse Will Not Leave People Without Power:

 
Why the Solar Eclipse Will Not Leave People Without Power - New York Times - Climate Section
Mar 27 · Grid managers say they are well prepared to handle a sharp drop in the energy produced by solar panels as the eclipse darkens the sky in North America on April 8.
Ivan Penn has covered the energy industry for more than 15 years.
When the sky darkens during next month’s solar eclipse, electricity production in some parts of the country will drop so sharply that it could theoretically leave tens of millions of homes in the dark. In practice, hardly anyone will notice a sudden loss of energy.
Electric utilities say they expect to see significant decreases in solar power production during the eclipse but have already lined up alternate sources of electricity, including ...
| By Ivan Penn    Read more ...
 

Why water must be at the heart of climate action:

 
Why water must be at the heart of climate action - PHYS.ORG - Earth
Mar 26 · Through their research, it was found that more than 1.6 billion CO2 emissions could be saved per year in the global water sector, equivalent to nearly half of the EU's annual emissions, confirming the importance of placing water at the heart of climate action.
Their report, just published, is titled "Decarbonizing Water: Applying the Voluntary Carbon Market Toward Global Water Security."
Evan Thomas, Director of the Mortenson Center in Global Engineering and Resilience and co-author of the report says, "The first thing many people notice about climate change is what it's doing to our water. Dry places are becoming drier; wet places are becoming wetter. But funding water ...
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You can start applying for the American Climate Corps next month:

 
You can start applying for the American Climate Corps next month - Skeptical Science
Mar 27 · This story by Naveena Sadasivam and Kate Yoder was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story.
The long-awaited jobs board for the American Climate Corps, promised early in the Biden administration, will open next month, according to details shared exclusively with Grist.
The program is modeled after President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Civilian Conservation Corps, launched in 1933 to help the country make it through the Great Depression. The positions with the new corps could range across a number of fields including energy-efficiency installations, disaster response ...
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Your emotional reaction to climate change may impact the policies you support, study finds:

 
Your emotional reaction to climate change may impact the policies you support, study finds - PHYS.ORG - Earth
Mar 27 · Emotional reactions to climate change may lead to specific policy preferences, according to a study published in the open-access journal PLOS Climate by Teresa A. Myers of George Mason University and colleagues.
A politician, public speaker, or journalist may opt for an emotional appeal when communicating about climate change. Indeed, research shows that emotional investment can raise awareness of important issues and galvanize an otherwise apathetic public. However, existing research has not explored the unique links between specific emotions and support for types of climate policies.
Myers and colleagues explored whether five common emotional reactions to climate ...
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