Add Cargo Shipping to the List of Industries Contributing to Global Warming
Magaiza/Getty This story was originally published by Grist and appears here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. The platform overlooking the Panama Canal’s Pacific exit is buzzing with energy on a muggy October afternoon. Tourists cram together, jostling for the best views of the blue container ship gliding by in the gray-green water below. The ship’s crewmembers wave…
He Was a Professional Climate Denier. Then He Switched Sides.
Christopher Dilts/Sipa US/AP The overwhelming majority of scientists as well as most Americans agree that climate change is occurring and it’s mostly caused by human activity. But for climate skeptics, the consensus means nothing. Though global warming deniers may be in the minority, they often have an outsize influence on government officials who are invested in…
You Can’t End the War on Coal Without Starting a War on Public Health
Steve Helber/AP This story was originally published by New Republic and appears here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. Of all the scenes of devastation in Puerto Rico caused by Hurricane Maria, one video has stood out. Shot from a balcony or rooftop, it depicts six seconds of horror: the city of Guayama, on the island’s southern coast, engulfed…
Science’s Top Foe in Congress Is Retiring
Jay Mallin/ Zuma It’s been a tough year for scientists, but a number of climate scientists found reason to celebrate on Thursday. The Texas Tribune broke the news that Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas), one of the most ardent skeptics of climate change in Congress, will be retiring next year. Smith has become one of the most polarizing figures on…
Monsanto Created a Huge Problem. Now That Problem Might Be Driving Sales.
A farmer shows his dicamba-damaged soybean plant in Arkansas.Andrew DeMillo/AP About 4 percent of all soybean crops planted in the United States have been damaged by a weed killer this year, the New York Times has reported. On Wednesday, the Environmental Protection Agency announced that more than 3.6 million acres of soybean crops had been…
Tesla Wants to Put Puerto Rico Back on the Grid
Milos-Muller/Getty This story was originally published by Grist and appears here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. It was a transaction concocted on Twitter—and in a few short weeks, declared official: Tesla is helping to bring power back to Puerto Rico. Early this month, Elon Musk touted his company’s work building solar-plus-battery systems for small islands like Kauai in Hawaii and Ta’u…