Yale e360 · Page 59

Scientists and birdwatchers are reporting a mass die-off of migratory birds across the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, several news outlets reported. From flycatchers to swallows to warblers, researchers estimate hundreds of thousands to…

From Siberia to Australia to the western U.S, massive fires have consumed millions of acres this year and spawned fire-generated tornados and other phenomena rarely seen before. Scientists say the world has entered a perilous new era that will demand better…

The Arctic is transitioning from a frozen region to an entirely different climate, one dominated not by ice and snow, but by warming temperatures, open water, and rain, scientists warned in a new study published in the journal Nature Climate Change. Read more…

As suitable sites become scarce, commercial beekeepers are increasingly moving their hives to U.S. public lands. But scientists warn that the millions of introduced honey bees pose a risk to native species, outcompeting them for pollen and altering fragile…

In recent decades, ocean species from whales to corals have begun to shift poleward in search of cooler waters. But new research finds that many sedentary marine species — including snails, worms, and mussels — are actually being transported in the wrong…

As the Amazon undergoes another wave of deforestation, a blueprint for halting the runaway exploitation can be found in Southeast Asia, where pressure campaigns on companies and improved government monitoring are finally slowing the devastation caused by the…

As air conditioning sales in Africa soar, many of the units imported there are old and inefficient, driving up electricity consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. But some countries are taking action, banning the import of used air conditioners and adopting…

Young activists from Portugal have filed the first climate change case at the European court of human rights in Strasbourg, demanding 33 countries make more ambitious emissions cuts to safeguard their future physical and mental wellbeing. Read more on E360 →

Winter sea ice in the Bering Sea hit its lowest levels in thousands of years in 2018 and 2019, scientists reported in a new study. While much attention has been given to the rapid loss of summer ice in the Arctic Ocean and surrounding seas, the new research…

Gwich’in elder Sarah James has long fought efforts to drill in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. In an e360 interview, she talks about the Trump administration’s move to open these lands to development and why the fate of the refuge and of her…

Just one in 10 energy suppliers globally are prioritizing renewable energy over fossil fuel development, according to a new study of 3,000 power companies published in the journal Nature Energy. And just a handful have cut their oil, gas, and coal capacity…

Bioplastics are being touted by industry marketers as the solution to plastics pollution. But the idea that bottles and packaging made of plant-based material can simply be discarded and then break down and disappear is false – recycling and reuse are the…

Large-scale infrastructure investments in Latin American countries threaten efforts to protect tropical forests and mitigate climate change, according to a new analysis published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The analysis…

More than 385,000 residents in Texas and 200,000 in Louisiana have been told to evacuate ahead of Hurricane Laura, which strengthened to a Category 4 storm with “unsurvivable storm surge” before landfall, according to the National Hurricane Center. To the…

Photographer Sean Gallagher traveled to Cambodia to document the devastation of that nation’s forests. In an e360 photo essay, he shows how timber and agribusiness companies are ravaging lands that are supposedly protected and how Indigenous people are…

The resilience of North America’s plant biomes is declining — indicating that today’s landscapes are “primed to herald a major extinction event” not seen since the retreat of glaciers and arrival of humans 13,000 years ago, scientists reported in a…

Salmon returning to Alaskan rivers have become significantly smaller over the past 60 years, according to a new study published in the journal Nature Communications. The research found that due to climate change and competition from hatchery fish, wild salmon…

Once known for its filth, the Delaware River in Philadelphia is now enjoyed by boaters who flock to its improved waters. Now environmentalists there and across the country are pushing to ramp up the gains made and to complete the cleanup of America’s urban…

As temperatures climb, demand for home air conditioning in the United States is expected to increase 59 percent over the next 30 years, increasing emissions, straining power grids, and financially burdening millions of middle- and low-income American families…

After exhausting areas close to home, China’s vast fishing fleet has moved into the waters of other nations, depleting fish stocks. More than seafood is at stake, as China looks to assert itself on the seas and further its geo-political ambitions, from East…