Environment & Energy

A collection of 238 posts

Study: Air Pollution is the Greatest External Threat to Global Health

According to a study published by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago on Tuesday, air pollution is the world's greatest external risk to human health.

United States

Maui County Suing Hawaii Electric Company

On Thursday, Maui County filed suit against Hawaiian Electric Company and its local subsidiaries for failing to shut down the county’s power despite extreme winds and dry conditions — connecting the company’s negligence to this month’s devastating wildfires.

Hawaii

Study: Antarctica's Emperor Penguins Risk 'Quasi-Extinction'

According to a study published in the journal Nature Communications Earth & Environment on Thursday, no emperor penguins survived in four out of five breeding colonies in the Bellingshausen Sea, west of the Antarctic Peninsula, in 2022.

Antarctica

Greece: Wildfires Highlight the Plight of Asylum Seekers

On Tuesday, Greek officials announced that in the Evros region of the country — where wildfires are burning out of control — the bodies of 18 people have been found. The victims are believed to be asylum seekers.

Social issues

Japan Begins Releasing Fukushima Water Into Pacific

Japan on Thursday began releasing its treated radioactive water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant ― which was devastated by the deadly 2011 earthquake and tsunami ― into the Pacific Ocean, prompting China to ban seafood from Japan.

Social issues

Report: Vietnam's 'Kissing Rocks' at Risk of Collapse

According to a study published by Vietnam's Institute of Geosciences and Mineral Resources (IGMR), Trong Mai Islet — otherwise known as the "kissing rocks" in Vietnam's Ha Long Bay — is on the verge of collapse due to rising seawater levels, tidal forces, tourism, and other factors.

Vietnam

Ecuador Votes to End Drilling in Amazon Bioreserve

Ecuadorians have voted in a referendum to halt all new oil developments in the Yasuní national park, a UNESCO world biosphere in the Amazon rainforest.

Social issues

Biden Maui Visit Met With Anger From Some Residents

Almost two weeks after wildfires hit the Hawaiian island of Maui, US Pres. Joe Biden made his first visit to the island, sparking anger from some residents who said he should've been there sooner, while others welcomed him with the shaka.

United States

Japan Set to Release Fukushima Water

an is set to begin releasing over 1M metric tons of treated radioactive water from the tsunami-hit Fukushima nuclear power plant starting Thursday, despite ongoing controversy over the plan's safety.

Japan

London Mayor Accused of Stifling Dissent Over Emissions Zones

Newly-released emails show the office of London Mayor Sadiq Khan pressuring a scientist to downplay a study released which showed that London's Ultra-Low Emissions Zones program has a negligible effect on pollution.

Social issues

Canada: Wildfires Spark Evacuations in NW Territories

On Wednesday, residents of Yellowknife, the capital city of Canada's Northwest Territories, were given until noon on Friday to evacuate as a wildfire approaches the city. At the time of the order, the fire was 10 miles (16KM) outside of the city and expected to breach the city limits by the weekend.

Canada

Report: 25% of Global Population Faces Water Crisis

According to the Aqueduct Risk Atlas, published on Wednesday by the World's Resources Institute, 25% of the global population faces significant water scarcity and by 2050, another 1B people could experience the same.

World

NASA/NOAA: Earth Logs Hottest July on Record

According to US government agencies NASA and NOAA, the Earth just endured its warmest July on record "by a long shot," with NOAA's chief scientist Sarah Kapnick adding that "it’s very likely that July 2023 was hotter than any month in any year since at least 1850."

United States

Scientists Turn Fly Carcasses Into Biodegradable Plastic

Findings presented at a meeting of the American Chemical Society show that the carcasses of black soldier flies could be harvested to produce biodegradable plastic in an attempt to produce bioplastics from organic waste products to stem plastic pollution.

United States

Hawaii Wildfires Kill At Least 36, Force Thousands to Evacuate

On Wednesday, Maui County officials announced that at least 36 people have died in the fast-moving wildfires that have destroyed Lahaina, a resort city, and several surrounding neighborhoods on the western side of Hawaii's Maui island.

Weather

Beyond Meat Sales Plummet, Shoppers Shift to Cheaper Options

Sales at vegan food firm Beyond Meat have plunged by almost a third in recent months, amid a significant rise in living expenses for consumers.

Health

Brazil Hosts Amazon Rainforest Summit

South American leaders from the eight Amazon rainforest countries gathered in Belem, Brazil on Tuesday for the first time in 14 years to discuss issues facing the region and to reach a broad agreement on topics such as deforestation and the financing of sustainable development.

Brazil

Study: Antibiotic Resistance Linked to Air Pollution

According to a global study published Monday in The Lancet Planetary Health, antibiotic resistance among pathogenic bacterial infections may be linked to increased fine particle — or PM2·5 — air pollution.

Health

Report: Major Indian Rivers Causing Cancer in Over 100 Villages

High toxicity levels in the Hindon, Yamuna, and Kali rivers are causing cancer and death in over 100 villages, Indian MP Vijay Pal Singh Tomar recently told the Parliament. Tomar also urged the central government "to intervene and direct the state government to take strict action."

India

Report: World's Oceans Break Heat Record

According to the EU's earth observation program Copernicus Climate Change Service, the average surface temperature of the world’s oceans hit a record-breaking 20.96C (69.73F) this week.

Weather

Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon Falls 66% in July

According to satellite data from Brazil's National Institute for Space Research (INPE), there were 193 sq miles (500 sq km) of deforestation in the nation's Amazon rainforest last July, down 66% from that month last year and its lowest level in six years.

Brazil

Controversy Mounts Over LK-99 Superconductor

LK-99, a material discovered by Korean researchers last month — reportedly capable of conducting electricity at room temperature and pressure — has touched off a global race to replicate and verify the groundbreaking superconductor.

South Korea

Mediterranean Wildfires Kill Dozens

Deadly wildfires burning in at least nine countries across the Mediterranean have so far claimed the lives of dozens of people as thousands of firefighters continue to bring the infernos under control.

Social issues

One Killed as Ship Carrying 3K Cars Burns off Dutch Coast

One crew member died and another 16 have been taken to hospital on Wednesday after a fire blazed on a cargo ship carrying some 3K cars off the Dutch coast, 30 km (18 mi) north of the island of Ameland.

Netherlands

NASA: July 2023 Likely to Be World's Hottest Month on Record

Top NASA climatologist Gavin Schmidt has stated that this July may be the world's hottest month in "hundreds, if not thousands, of years" as unprecedented heat waves are recorded in China, Europe, and the US.

Metaculus