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India set a record by planting 50 million trees in one day

by Cesar46F721 Posted on July 20, 2016

Forest for the trees

India set a record by planting 50 million trees in one day

By on Jul 20, 2016Share

Trees are a valuable tool in the fight against climate change. It’s the ultimate in carbon-capture technology — but all natural, and without the licensing fees.

On July 11th, volunteers in India took this old-school climate-fighting tool to a whole new level by planting a record number of trees in a single day, beating Pakistan’s previous record of planting 847,275 trees in 2013.

It took 800,000 volunteers to plant just under 50 million tree saplings along India’s roads, rail lines, and on public lands. This is all a part of India’s commitment to reforest 12 percent of its land — a commitment made at the Paris climate talks last year. The goal will increase the total amount of India’s forested areas to 29 percent of the country’s landmass, or 235 million acres.

India, already one of the world’s warmest nations, is particularly vulnerable to climate change. A May heatwave reached 123 degrees and led to thousands of deaths, while severe water shortages impacted 330 million people.

Trees won’t make it rain, but they could bring down the temperature a few degrees. Not only do trees absorb carbon, they also cool the air itself and can even reduce energy consumption and annual cooling costs. Fifty million of them will certainly help.

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India set a record by planting 50 million trees in one day

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Playing Pokémon Go? The internet has some advice for you.

by Jim Bow Posted on July 15, 2016

snorlax attention

Playing Pokémon Go? The internet has some advice for you.

By on Jul 15, 2016Share

Soon after Pokemon Go hit the App Store, reports started rolling in of the dumb lengths people have gone to in order to capture the little guys — like playing at the Holocaust Museum, Ground Zero, a funeral, or — more commonly — the middle of the street. Concerned about potential accidents caused by zombie-like trainers with their heads in their screens, the National Safety Council urged people to exercise caution playing the game. “No race to ‘capture’ a cartoon monster is worth a life,” wrote the Council. Clearly, they’ve never seen a Charizard.

Naturally, both players and haters alike took to Twitter to remind people to look up from their screens every once in awhile — and, for once, we recommend listening to them. And if you need a reminder, well, there’s an app for that, too.

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Playing Pokémon Go? The internet has some advice for you.

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GOP lawmaker says EPA is absurd, irresponsible, and “un-American”

by NoeliaDrury Posted on July 7, 2016

Rep. Bill Johnson REUTERS/Jason Reed

GOP lawmaker says EPA is absurd, irresponsible, and “un-American”

By on Jul 7, 2016 4:49 pmShare

A Congressional hearing regarding the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) regulatory power showed us that time travel may be real after all.

On Wednesday, a House Republican took us back to the 1950s when he accused the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of being “un-American” at a committee hearing to review the EPA’s Clean Power Plan — regulations aimed at reducing carbon emissions from the energy industry.

“It’s draining the lifeblood out of our businesses,” Rep. Bill Johnson (R-Ohio) said to top EPA official Janet McCabe. “The hundreds of billions of dollars that you guys are sucking out of our economy every year that could be going toward job creation.” Johnson then ranted for several minutes before declaring, “I think it’s absurd, I think it’s irresponsible. Quite frankly, Ms. McCabe, I think it’s un-American.”

This does seem rather ironic considering the EPA’s job is literally to keep poisoned air and water from harming American bodies (one at which it’s frankly failed recently.) But Rep. Johnson may argue that irony is also “un-American,” much like royalty, bidets, gun control, and poutine.

The Congressman was unavailable for comment as he immediately sock-hopped into his Studebaker and headed back to Ohio after the hearing.

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GOP lawmaker says EPA is absurd, irresponsible, and “un-American”

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Ocean acidification is eating into mussels

by EstelleHorrell Posted on July 7, 2016

flex your mussels

Ocean acidification is eating into mussels

By on Jul 7, 2016 11:55 amShare

Ocean acidification is bad for mussels. You may think you’ve heard this story before (cf. clams, oysters, scallops) but wait! This time it’s a little different.

It turns out that acidifying seawater prevents the tasty mollusks from attaching to rocks and other surfaces, scientists from the University of Washington found in a new study. And while mussels are famously good at sticking to things, it turns out they’re pretty useless at everything else. If they can’t cling to rocky surfaces near the surf line, they sink, and become easy targets for predators.

“A strong attachment is literally a mussel’s lifeline,” said lead author Emily Carrington.

This is especially concerning for mussels farms, where weak attachments are already responsible for loss of as much as 20 percent of mussels.

Ocean acidification already threatens coral, crabs, and other shelled organisms that may not survive as their environment grows more acidic. The oceans are already over 30 percent more acidic than they were 200 years ago; by the end of the century, they could be 150 percent more acidic. Beyond lost biodiversity, the effect on aquaculture could threaten both global food security and the seafood economy as a whole, which employees an estimated 10 to 12 percent of the world’s population.

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Ocean acidification is eating into mussels

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Coal baron is trying to elect Trump with old tricks

by DebraWilmoth Posted on July 5, 2016

Coal baron is trying to elect Trump with old tricks

By on Jul 5, 2016 2:18 pmShare

The owner of the nation’s largest private coal company backs the GOP presidential nominee, pressures his employees to fundraise for him, and promises layoffs if he doesn’t get his way. If all this sounds familiar, it’s because CEO Robert Murray is reusing an old playbook to elect Donald Trump.

Last week, Murray announced potential plans to lay off as much as 80 percent of his workforce, or 4,400 employees, blaming the “ongoing destruction” of the coal industry on “President Barack Obama, and his supporters, and the increased utilization of natural gas to generate electricity.” Right now, it’s unclear just how serious the company is, since Murray Energy noted in a second statement that “no layoffs are contemplated or expected at this time.”

Meanwhile, Murray has actively campaigned for Donald Trump, calling him the industry’s only hope, and hosting a fundraiser in his name. 

There are echoes of the 2012 election in his recent actions: Murray similarly predicted layoffs if Obama won reelection, followed through on the threat immediately after he won, and went so far to pressure his employees to contribute to Mitt Romney.

Coal’s poor fortunes have more to do with the market than politics, and there’s little Donald Trump — or any president — could do to bring it back. The rise of cheap natural gas and declining demand for coal from China have been the largest factors in coal’s bankruptcies.

A Trump presidency will hardly be a miracle for the coal industry, either. Murray’s admitted that much a few months ago, saying, “I don’t think it will be a thriving industry ever again.”

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Coal baron is trying to elect Trump with old tricks

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TransCanada’s latest move perfectly illustrates why so many people hate free-trade deals

by PatrickY96 Posted on June 27, 2016

Ceci n’est pas une pipeline

TransCanada’s latest move perfectly illustrates why so many people hate free-trade deals

By on Jun 27, 2016Share

TransCanada is demanding that the U.S. fork over $15 billion to make up for the fact that the company didn’t get to build the Keystone XL pipeline. That’s one damned expensive temper tantrum.

On Friday, TransCanada filed a formal request under NAFTA seeking to recover costs and damages related to the thwarted pipeline project, following through on a threat it made in January. The Canadian firm claims that the Obama administration’s decision to reject the pipeline was unjustified and violated the U.S.’s obligations under NAFTA. “[T]he rejection was symbolic and based merely on the desire to make the U.S. appear strong on climate change,” TransCanada complained in its filing.

Climate activists and other environmentalists say this is a perfect example of why they oppose many trade deals, like the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which Obama is currently trying to get approved. “The TPP would empower thousands of new firms operating in the U.S, including major polluters, to follow in TransCanada’s footsteps and undermine our critical climate safeguards in private trade tribunals,” said Michael Brune, executive director of the Sierra Club.

The State Department argues that the Keystone rejection was consistent with NAFTA requirements, but some trade experts say there’s a real chance TransCanada could win its case.

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TransCanada’s latest move perfectly illustrates why so many people hate free-trade deals

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20,000 leagues under the sea, we’ve made a mess

by QuinnTiffany Posted on June 22, 2016

Deep sea dumpster diver

20,000 leagues under the sea, we’ve made a mess

By on Jun 22, 2016Share

Congratulations, us! We’re officially everywhere.

Not content with corralling our influence to the land-based parts of the globe, we’ve managed to weasel our way into the very depths of the ocean, according to scientists from the University of Aberdeen who found pollutants in the bodies of amphipods more than six miles under the sea.

Among the chemicals detected were polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), a class of chemicals used to make plastics. PCBs are known to act as carcinogens, neurotoxins, and hormone disrupters, so they were banned in the United States and many other countries in the 1970s. But PCBs are hard to break down, and — clearly — haven’t been banned everywhere. Scientists suspect the high concentrations in the Mariana Trench are due to its proximity to plastic manufacturers in Asia.

Researchers also found polybrominated diphenyl ethers, which are found in flame retardants and are currently being phased out in parts of the world.

Scientists are concerned that these toxins could impact the trench’s ability to act as a carbon sink. Deep trenches are full of microbes that help convert carbon and regulate climate, but pollution could disrupt that ecological service.

“We often think deep-sea trenches are remote and pristine, untouched by humans,” said Alan Jamieson.

Looks like nothing on this planet is.

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20,000 leagues under the sea, we’ve made a mess

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That massive methane leak in L.A. was visible from space

by JulianeBurchfie Posted on June 16, 2016

emission control

That massive methane leak in L.A. was visible from space

By on Jun 16, 2016Share

The massive methane leak in California’s Alisio Canyon may have been invisible to the human eye, but it wasn’t invisible to NASA.

The leak, which spewed an estimated 97,100 metric tons of the greenhouse gas into the atmosphere, led to the evacuation of thousands of residents, and took nearly 4 months to stop. Now, NASA has released infrared images of the methane plume, as captured by satellites. This is the first time a methane leak has been observable from space, the Washington Post reports.

Two images methane plumes over Aliso Canyon, California, acquired 11 days apart in Jan. 2016.NASA-JPL/Caltech/GSFC

Methane is an especially potent greenhouse gas, 84 times more powerful than carbon dioxide (though it doesn’t hang around in the atmosphere quite as long). The ability to observe it from space could be a powerful tool in tracking global emissions targets set at the 2015 Paris climate accord, according to the Post.

As for the Alisio Canyon leak, the natural gas facility has been shut down since February, prompting concerns about power outages for the region. The California Public Utilities Commission is currently looking at solutions, including voluntary air conditioning interruptions, rebates for smart thermostats, and expanded solar initiatives.

But the damage has been done: In the months before the Alisio Canyon leak was stopped, it released the equivalent annual greenhouse gas emissions of 572,000 cars.

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That massive methane leak in L.A. was visible from space

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Record-breaking floods hit Paris. Get used to it.

by Diana A. Kincaid Posted on June 3, 2016

Record-breaking floods hit Paris. Get used to it.

By on Jun 3, 2016Share

Record-breaking rains and flooding have inundated western Europe this week, killing at least 15 in France, Germany, Romania, and Belgium.

Paris has been hit especially hard by the deluge. Thousands have evacuated as the Seine reached nearly 20 feet on Friday, its highest level since 1982. Meanwhile, cultural institutions like the Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay are taking no chances: They’ve closed to tourists and have relocated some valuable works out of harm’s way.

French president Francois Hollande said at a Friday press conference that “what is happening now, especially in Paris and in some regions, is exceptional.” However, scientists note that flooding of this magnitude is the new normal — thanks to climate change.

“Heavy rains? Massive flooding? Get used to it,” Princeton climate scientist Michael Oppenheimer told the Associated Press.

Incidentally, Paris was the site of the 2015 United Nations climate accord, in which nearly 200 nations agreed to limit rising greenhouse gases. While it was the most far-reaching climate accord in history, some critics say it isn’t ambitious enough to avert disaster — a disaster like the one unfolding in Paris.

See more images of the flooding below.

#palaislespiedsdansleau #palaisdejustice #quaideseine #iledelacite #paris #crue #seine #seineencrue #sousleau #innondation #3juin #6mètres

A photo posted by mawrjo (@mawrjo) on Jun 3, 2016 at 1:29pm PDT

Тут ездят машины. Не сейчас! #сена #наводнение #париж #июнь2016 #seine #inondation #flood #paris #juin2016

A photo posted by Maria Rodina (@eltormaria) on Jun 3, 2016 at 1:24pm PDT

Ça déborde encore ! #paris #seine #2016

A photo posted by @turquoiz on Jun 3, 2016 at 1:15pm PDT

Let’s make the best of it! #beachparty #parisattitude #parisflood

A photo posted by Rasmus Michau (@rasmusmichau) on Jun 3, 2016 at 9:53am PDT

#CrueParis #parisflood #inondation #paris #flood #statueofliberty

A photo posted by Bart Wander (@bartwander) on Jun 3, 2016 at 11:12am PDT

#paris #needcoffee #workday #rainyday #feelinghealthy #healthy #goodcoffee #happy #happiness #healthyfood #healthylife #healthylifestyle #sport #workingout #motivation #fruits #vegetables #healthyfood #healthier #dontdrink #dontsmoke #water #vegan #veggie #vegetarian #guiltfree #flooded #veggielife #flood #parisflood

A photo posted by @violinplayinggoat on Jun 3, 2016 at 11:07am PDT

Parisian flood #paris #flood #sortezcouvert #bridge #symetricalmonsters #underwater #rtt #solferino #cestcrue #parisflood #seine

A photo posted by Jordi Scuyer (@s_cuyer) on Jun 3, 2016 at 5:51am PDT

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Record-breaking floods hit Paris. Get used to it.

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John Kerry just cannot with Donald Trump’s climate plan

by CortneyRestrepo Posted on June 3, 2016

John Kerry just cannot with Donald Trump’s climate plan

By on Jun 3, 2016Share

Secretary of State John Kerry sat down with MSNBC’s Chris Hayes recently to discuss, among other things, what a Donald Trump presidency would mean for climate change. Kerry didn’t mince words.

Trump, who doesn’t accept that climate change is happening, has threatened to rip up the Paris Agreement, the climate deal reached by nearly 200 nations last December to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

“Ripping up the climate agreement that was reached in Paris would be reckless, counterproductive, self-destructive,” Kerry told Hayes. “It would be an act of extraordinary danger to our country because of the path it would put us on both in terms of our global leadership on the issue as well as the actual policies we need to implement, and it would, in the end, be an act of ignorance — of utter, unbelievable, contemptuous ignorance — to get rid of something that the world has worked for since 1992 in Rio.”

Allow us to translate that diplomat-speak for you: “It would be nuts! You hear me? Completely fucking nuts!”

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John Kerry just cannot with Donald Trump’s climate plan

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