Environment
Record cold temperatures don’t mean the planet isn’t warming
A frigid blast of Arctic air is gushing over much of the Midwest this week, hammering many cities including Chicago, Minneapolis, Detroit, and Milwaukee. Temperatures will dip lower than they have for over two decades in some areas, down to -30 to -55 ºF with wind chill. In this cold,[...]
Environment
Brazil’s new president plans to plunder the Amazon, which is bad news for all of us
On Sunday, Brazil elected a new president: Jair Bolsonaro. Bolsonaro has been compared to President Donald Trump for his far-right politics. Like Trump, his election is a sign of dissatisfaction with the status quo in Brazil, but also like Trump, his actions on matters like the environment will have consequences[...]
Environment
It’s World Turtle Day, so here are a bunch of adorable turtles
In 2000—the year that the summer Olympics were held in Sydney, that Florida electoral boards poured over hanging chads, and Microsoft founder Bill Gates stepped down to focus on his foundation—the American Tortoise Rescue declared May 23rd World Turtle Day. The goal, according to their official website, is to “help[...]
Environment
This is what America looked like before the EPA cleaned it up
In 1970, Republican President Richard Nixon signed an executive order creating the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It was a time when pollution made many of our nation's rivers and streams unsafe for fishing or swimming. Back then, New York City's air pollution was so thick that you often[...]
Environment
We suck at recycling straws—so maybe we should ban them
Walk into any casual restaurant and before you’ve finished looking at the menu, your waiter will probably give you a glass of cold water. There might be a lemon in it. There might be ice. There’s probably a plastic straw sticking out of the cup. Perhaps this morning you slurped[...]
Environment
This remote island in the South Pacific is covered in 18 tons of our trash
Traveling by ship, it takes about 13 days to reach Henderson Island from New Zealand. Hidden in the South Pacific, 3000 miles from anywhere, this UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Pitcairns is “one of the most pristine islands left in the world, never inhabited by humans, rarely visited even[...]
Environment
Researchers say we have three years to act on climate change before it’s too late
If you want to lose 10 pounds by a certain date there are, broadly speaking, two ways of going about it. You could take it slow and steady, cutting down slightly on your daily caloric intake to achieve a modest weekly weight loss, making your way to your goal weight[...]
Environment
Don’t believe our planet is warming up? Look at this.
2016 WAS OUR PLANET’S HOTTEST YEAR since humans began keeping records, with average global land and water surface temperatures spiking to 58.69 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s 1.69 degrees warmer than the 20th-century average. It might not sound like a lot, but the difference between our current global average and one during[...]
Environment
The Green New Deal is more feasible than you think
There’s no question that we need fast and far-reaching action to curb our emissions if we’re to stop the catastrophic effects of impending climate change. That’s why a number of policies—at local, state and national levels—are advancing new goals to meet our energy demands from clean and renewable sources.The Green[...]
Environment
Hurricane Irma threatens the United States with power rarely seen
One of the most powerful hurricanes ever recorded in the Atlantic Ocean will soon slam into the Antilles before setting its sights on the continental United States. Hurricane Irma grew into a scale-topping Category 5 storm on Tuesday, making it the second major hurricane to threaten land in the past[...]
Environment
Why don’t we just throw all our garbage into volcanoes?
Great question. Glad you asked. While volcanoes might seem like the ideal natural incinerator for our massive amounts of garbage, there are a few obstacles between us and a magical geological trash chute to the center of the earth.Americans generate about 4 and a half pounds of trash per person,[...]
Environment
Hurricane Ophelia is one extremely weird storm
Hurricane Ophelia is an odd storm. It’s a picture-perfect hurricane with winds around 90 MPH, but that’s not the odd part, of course. What makes this storm weird is its location. It’s way out in the Atlantic, where it’s usually too cool for hurricanes to develop—much less survive. Ophelia is[...]
Environment
Why don’t we just throw all our garbage into volcanoes?
Great question. Glad you asked. While volcanoes might seem like the ideal natural incinerator for our massive amounts of garbage, there are a few obstacles between us and a magical geological trash chute to the center of the earth.Americans generate about 4 and a half pounds of trash per person,[...]
Environment
Record cold temperatures don’t mean the planet isn’t warming
A frigid blast of Arctic air is gushing over much of the Midwest this week, hammering many cities including Chicago, Minneapolis, Detroit, and Milwaukee. Temperatures will dip lower than they have for over two decades in some areas, down to -30 to -55 ºF with wind chill. In this cold,[...]