Yale e360 · Page 38

In a global first, Brazil's supreme court has declared the Paris Climate Agreement a human rights treaty. Within Brazil, the court ruled, the climate pact should supersede national law. Read more on E360 →

Alaska is on pace for a historic fire season, spurred on by warm temperatures, a diminished snowpack, and an apparent uptick in lightning strikes. Fires have ripped through 2 million acres so far this year, roughly 10 times the total area burned in all of…

With a growing number of studies demonstrating the importance of large mammals to healthy ecosystems, scientists are proposing concrete plans to reintroduce these animals to the wild. The return of just 20 species to native habitats, they say, could be a boon…

In a 6-3 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday to severely restrict the ability of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to limit carbon emissions. Read more on E360 →

The Dutch government is capping the number of flights from Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport at 440,000, a 12 percent cut from pre-pandemic levels. The new policy, set to take effect at the end of 2023, is the world's first to limit flights for environmental…

South Sudan is moving ahead with plans for a 240-mile canal to divert water from the White Nile and send it to Egypt. But critics warn the megaproject would desiccate the world’s second largest wetland, impacting its rich wildlife and the rains on which the…

Viruses are able to survive in fresh water by clinging to microscopic pieces of plastic, posing a potential threat to public health, according to a new study. Read more on E360 →

A Honduran court has sentenced former power company president Roberto David Castillo to 22 years and six months in prison for his role in the 2016 assassination of environmental activist Berta Cáceres. Read more on E360 →

Urban ecologist Eric Sanderson focuses on the natural history of cities. In an interview with Yale Environment 360, he explains why recovering and restoring streams, salt marshes, and woodlands should be a vital part of how cities adapt to climate change in…

Restoring Yellowstone National Park after recent floods washed away bridges and roads could cost more than $1 billion, and the effort could take years given the challenge of making repairs in a protected landscape. Read more on E360 →

The enormous energy demands of Bitcoin mining are prompting some U.S. municipalities to impose moratoriums or outright bans on cryptocurrency facilities. Bitcoin mining activity, critics warn, is leading to electricity price hikes and a revival of dirtier…

A census of California bumble bees failed to locate several once-common species, including the formerly abundant Western bumble bee, a key pollinator for many wild plants and crops. Read more on E360 →

The European Union relies heavily on Russia to supply nickel and other metals for electric vehicle batteries and other renewable technologies. War-related price increases and shortages of these metals could hinder Europe’s drive to sharply cut emissions by…

An eight-story high-rise planned for West Melbourne, Australia will sport 1,182 solar panels on its facade, which, along with a rooftop solar array, will provide the building with nearly all of its power. Read more on E360 →

Farmers and scientists are increasingly observing that unusually high springtime temperatures can kill pollen and interfere with the fertilization of crops. Researchers are now searching for ways to help pollen beat the heat, including developing more…

A once-sprawling lake, the Penuelas reservoir in central Chile has all but disappeared, desiccated by a 13-year drought. The resulting water shortage has fueled tensions over supplies needed for farming and lithium mining, and spurred the Chilean capital of…

The larvae of a common species of beetle are able to survive on a diet comprised entirely of polystyrene thanks to bacterial enzymes found in their gut, a new study finds. Read more on E360 →

With its highways and suburbs, modern America was built around the automobile and powered by fossil fuels. The oil crises of the 1970s provided an opportunity to change course and move to renewable energy, but any momentum achieved then proved to be very…

New Zealand unveiled a proposal Wednesday to put a price on methane from belching sheep and cattle, a plan that, if enacted, would make the country the first to compel farmers to pay for livestock emissions. Read more on E360 →

Long discussed but rarely used, carbon capture and storage projects — which bury waste CO2 underground — are on the rise globally. Some analysts see the technology as a necessary tool in reducing emissions, but others say it simply perpetuates the burning…