EcoWatch

By Melissa GaskillTwo decades ago scientists and volunteers along the Virginia coast started tossing seagrass seeds into barren seaside lagoons. Disease and an intense hurricane had wiped out the plants in the 1930s, and no nearby meadows could serve as a…

Carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere hit a new record in 2019 and have continued climbing this year, despite lockdowns and other measures to curb the pandemic, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Monday, citing preliminary data.Levels of…

These black-and-white lizards could be the punchline of a joke, except the situation is no laughing matter. That's because the Argentine black-and-white tegu is an invasive species of dog-sized lizards that scientists worry could pose a threat to endangered…

By Isabella GarciaSeptember in Portland, Oregon, usually brings a slight chill to the air and an orange tinge to the leaves. This year, it brought smoke so thick it burned your throat and made your eyes strain to see more than 20 feet in front of you.As…

Misunderstanding the needs of how to protect three rare cat species in Southeast Asia may be a driving factor in their extinction, according to a recent study. Only six to 11 percent of the habitat used by the fishing cat, leopard cat and rusty-spotted cat is…

Cyclone Gati made landfall in Somalia Sunday as the equivalent of a Category 2 hurricane, the first time that a hurricane-strength storm has made landfall in the East African country, NPR reported.Furthermore, at one point before making landfall, Gati…

By Julia Conley A new campaign unveiled this weekend by the nonprofit organization Fossil Free Media aims to expand on the goals of the fossil fuel divestment movement, cutting into oil and gas companies' profit margins through their public relations and ad…

By Jason Farley…

Despite being a well-known port of call on the Caribbean cruise circuit, the City of Key West voted to ban large cruise ships from visiting and to restrict foot traffic from vessels. Supporters and opponents disagreed about the safety, environmental and…

By Tara LohanHow much of U.S. energy demand could be met by renewable sources?According to a new report from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, the answer is an easy 100%. The report looked at how much renewable energy potential each state had within its…

Apparently, there ain't no mountain high enough to keep away the twin pressures of plastic pollution and the climate crisis. A series of newly-published studies based on a National Geographic expedition to Mount Everest in 2019 provide a shocking picture of…

By Amol MehraSet against rising calls for action to combat growing inequality and the climate crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic underscores the importance of the key drivers of industry and economic reform: workers, communities and the environment. The crisis has…

By Pamela M. Aaltonen…

Humans aren't the only animals that get "hangry" when deprived of a meal. A new study published in iScience Thursday found that monarch butterfly caterpillars (Danaus plexippus) will aggressively push each other out of the way when food gets scarce."The less…

By Gwen RannigerThe grocery store is a wonderful place: thousands of ingredients and products at your fingertips available to combine, cook, and eat. However, that choice can be overwhelming: while shoppers in the 1970s chose from a mere 9,000 products,…

The official 26th Conference of Parties (COP26) to discuss the international response to the climate crisis has been delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic. But young people aren't letting that stop them from taking action. A group of 18 student staff…

By Alexander FreundFinally, some good news — soon, frontrunning vaccine developers could submit applications for fast-tracked authorizations of their coronavirus vaccines.Three companies have reported early Phase III successes in the last several days. The…

The Castle Fire killed likely more than a thousand giant sequoias — including many that had stood for well over 500 years and some for 1,000 — on the western slopes of California's Sierra Nevada mountains, the Los Angeles Times reported."This fire could…

By Kenny Stancil "The Covid-19 pandemic has shown how vulnerable the world is to a truly global catastrophe. But another, bigger, catastrophe has been building for many decades, and humanity is still lagging far behind in efforts to address it." So begins Come…

In the South Atlantic Ocean, a tiny island of 250 people has made a significant contribution to global marine conservation by protecting a huge swath of ocean under its control.To reach Tristan da Cunha, a UK overseas territory, one must make a seven-day boat…

The Trump administration has finalized yet another environmental rollback that would allow more logging in national forests without environmental review. The new rule, finalized Wednesday, would allow the U.S. Forest Service to log or manage 2,800 acres of…

By Annamarie MeliCBD has taken the world by storm thanks to its keen therapeutic properties and potential medical benefits. CBD has been praised for many things: its therapeutic uses, potential medical benefits, and anti-anxiety and relaxation properties. As…

By Richard ThomasJoseph Biden was elected to office as the world continues to struggle with a global pandemic that has killed more than a million people and wreaked devastating economic havoc. The pandemic has highlighted how humankind's abuse of our planet…

In a historic move to resurrect the largest dam removal project in the U.S., Oregon, California, the Yurok Tribe and the Karuk Tribe signed an agreement on Tuesday to push forward on dam removal. The two states take on the liability of the project, along with…

A coalition launched the Zero Emission Transportation Association on Tuesday with plans to push for 100% EV sales across all sectors by 2030. The coalition of corporate entities that stand to benefit from broader electric vehicle adoption includes Uber, Tesla,…

Glass bottles could have an even bigger impact on the environment than plastic ones, a new study has found. Researchers at the University of Southampton in England set out to determine which common beverage containers cause the most and least harm to the…

By Genna ReedIn his first week as president-elect, Joe Biden instituted an advisory board of experts to provide science-based recommendations to respond to COVID-19. This could be a signal that independent science advice under a Biden administration is valued.…

By Andrea GermanosThe "just, green, and peaceful future we deserve is possible and together we can build the power to manifest it."So declares Greenpeace USA's new "Just Recovery Agenda." Released Tuesday and packed with more than 100 sweeping policy…

President-elect Joe Biden is starting to assemble his White House team, and one of his picks has already alarmed climate activists. Biden has chosen Louisiana Rep. Cedric Richmond as a senior advisor and director of the White House Office of Public Engagement,…

As carbon dioxide levels continue to rise, some have suggested geoengineering our way out of the climate crisis by intentionally cooling the earth's atmosphere.Now, a new study has shown that at least one popular global cooling strategy is unlikely to work if…