The Answer to Climate-Killing Cow Farts May Come From the Sea
Cristina Byvik One day in January 2014, police rushed to a farm in Rasdorf, Germany, after flames burst from a barn. They soon discovered that static electricity had caused entrapped methane from the flatulence and manure of 90 dairy cows to explode. Headline writers had a field day. But the incident pointed to a serious…
Following Trump’s Threat, the EPA Suddenly Cares a Lot About Water Quality in SF
A general overview of the Golden Gate Bridge from the Marin Headlands in San Francisco, California on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2011. Alex Menendez/AP Photo On Wednesday, the Environmental Protection Agency issued a notice of environmental violation to San Francisco after President Donald Trump claimed that the city’s large homeless population was causing water pollution. Addressed to Harlan Kelly…
Tufted Puffins, Gray Wolves, and Grizzlies: 9 Species Likely Screwed Thanks to Trump’s Endangered Species Rollbacks
A grey wolfDennis Fast/Zuma Trump’s war on wildlife continued this week when new rules went into effect that weaken protections for plants and animals listed under the Endangered Species Act, a powerful environmental law responsible for saving the bald eagle, humpback whale, and brown pelican from extinction. The Trump administration announced the final set of rules last…
Arctic Ice Is Melting Faster Than Expected. These Scientists Have a Radical Idea to Save It.
Krista Kahl/Ice911 Tiny glass beads might seem an unlikely hero in the fight against climate change, but they may end up playing an outsize role in tackling one of the natural world’s most dire predicaments. A group of researchers have found that millions of these spheres spread in a layer across swaths of Arctic ice…
In Trump’s Brawl With California, the Law Is With California—but Will That Matter?
Bruce Chambers/Orange County Register/AP The Environmental Protection Agency announced on Thursday that it will revoke California’s waiver that allowed the state to enforce its own tailpipe greenhouse gas emission standards. On Friday, California and 23 other states filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration to challenge the move. When the Trump administration announced it would roll…
Hurricane Dorian Could Slam 67 Toxic Sites. But Hundreds More Are at Risk.
A Superfund site in North Carolina in 2014.Chuck Burton/AP Ten days before Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas on August 25, 2017, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that reversed an Obama administration directive that required infrastructure projects using federal funding—like roadways and stormwater infrastructure—to be designed to accommodate the rising sea levels associated…