Yale e360 · Page 51

Melting sea ice is spurring a shipping boom in the Northwest Passage, raising the specter of oil spills in the Arctic. A new study evaluates the impact of such a disaster in Canada's Rankin Inlet and finds an oil spill there would be uniquely devastating,…

The Gila was once a vibrant desert river, providing a lifeline for the riparian habitat and wildlife that depended on it in the U.S. Southwest. But population growth, agricultural withdrawals, and, increasingly, climate change have badly diminished the river…

Britain announced that it is aiming to phase out coal power by October, 2024, one year earlier than its previous target date, Reuters reported. By contrast, Asia remains heavily committed to coal, with five countries — China, India, Indonesia, Japan and…

Cities have long been considered species deserts, devoid of wildlife beyond pigeons and squirrels. But with animals such as snowy owls, otters and bobcats now appearing in urban areas, scientists are recognizing that cities can play a significant role in…

Only a few years ago, Samburu women in northern Kenya were cutting down firewood in the Kirisia forest and burning it to make charcoal. Now, those same women are directly involved in managing the forest, using it sustainably and reporting any illegal activity…

A new study finds that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has severely underestimated methane emissions from U.S. oil and gas development, adding to a growing body of work showing that pollution from drilling is greater than EPA figures would suggest.…

Long famed for its spectacular fishing, sprawling coral reefs and literary residents such as Ernest Hemingway, the Florida Keys is now acknowledging a previously unthinkable reality: it faces being overwhelmed by the rising seas and not every home can be…

For years, analysts have predicted that rising world oil consumption would peak and start declining in the coming decades. But with a recent string of setbacks for big oil companies and the rapid advance of electric vehicles, some now say that “peak oil”…

Maintenance costs for a light-duty, battery-powered car are around 40 percent less per mile than for a gas-powered car, according to a recent report from the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory. Read more on E360 →

A new report details global warming’s impact on Yellowstone Park, changes that have begun to fundamentally alter its famed ecosystem and threaten everything from its forests to Old Faithful geyser. Such troubling shifts are occurring in national parks across…

A new paper argues that adapting to climate change over the long term will require managed retreat from areas that are prone to floods or other hazards. While managed retreat has long been viewed as a solution of last resort, authors say that it can be an…

Volvo has announced plans to manufacture cars using fossil fuel-free steel by 2026. The company is partnering with Swedish steel firm SSAB to source steel made with hydrogen. Read more on E360 →

Previous periods of rapid warming millions of years ago drastically altered plants and forests on Earth. Now, scientists see the beginnings of a more sudden, disruptive rearrangement of the world’s flora — a trend that will intensify if greenhouse gas…

High-elevation forests in Colorado and southern Wyoming are experiencing bigger wildfires than at any point in the last 2,000 years, according to a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Read more on E360 →

Stemming the methane leaks from landfills, oil fields, natural gas pipelines and more is one of the most powerful levers we have to quickly slow global warming. New satellites are bolstering this urgent mission by pinpointing emitters of this potent greenhouse…

A new analysis of more than 12 million pieces of ocean litter collected around the world found that the majority took the form of takeout items: bags, wrappers, containers, straws and cutlery, aluminum cans, and plastic and glass bottles. Eighty percent of all…

A new analysis from Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) suggests that global sales of gas-powered cars likely peaked in 2017, marking a major milestone in the shift to electric vehicles. Demand for conventional vehicles fell in 2018 and 2019 before dropping…

A recently released report on the 2018 grounding of a Russian ship in the Canadian Arctic points out the many dangers of a coming shipping boom in an increasingly ice-free Arctic, including the lack of reliable navigational charts and crews inexperienced in…

A consortium of French laboratories, the ALPALGA project, has set out to study the little understood communities of microalgae that live in mountains, including some that turn snow orange or red, a phenomenon known as "glacier blood." Scientists believe that…

As part of a broader effort to create a circular economy that reduces waste and greenhouse gas emissions, the EU will ban a host of throwaway plastic items next month and is creating an expansive and lucrative market for recycled plastics. Read more on E360 →