Jon Devine, Senior Attorney, Washington, D.C. Forty-two years ago this past Saturday, Congress passed the law known today as the Clean Water Act. I salute their forethought and bipartisan leadership, not just because I make my living implementing that law, but because it has helped to restore waters that are special to me. I grew…
Burden of the Boom: Who Will Pay the Price for Fracking in California?
Miriam Rotkin-Ellman, Scientist, San Francisco From polluted skies to contaminated drinking water and hazardous waste, communities of color in California get way more than their fair share. If the oil and gas industry gets their way, drilling – and the environmental and health threats from fracking, acidizing, and other technologies – will be piled onto…
Why California thirsts for rain and the East Coast gets soaked
By Ilissa Ocko Source: Flickr/Jared Tarbell If you think the weather’s acting strange, you’re correct. Extreme weather in the United States is trending upward, and human-caused climate change has already been blamed for much of it – most recently in connection with theCalifornia drought. But along with extreme weather we’re also getting extreme contrasts. What on Earth is…
Pollution In China Just Reached A Startling Milestone
China is known for having some of the world’s worst air pollution, but air quality in the country recently hit a new high at 20 times greater than the safety limit for human health. The Guardian reports heavy smog is enveloping parts of northern China and causing visibility levels to drop as measurements of small (PM 2.5) pollutant particles are…
In 24 Hours We Lose 80,000 Acres Of Rainforest – This Invention Could Help Change That
New innovative ideas to help improve the dire situation we face when it comes to our climate and ecosystem are coming from all areas. Whether it be large scale systems and infrastructures or smaller ideas like the new invention below (Hydria Pot,) no idea is too small and all are very important. With our climate…
A Strange Spot Near The Four Corners Is Pumping Out A Ton Of Methane
Methane is an extremely baleful greenhouse gas, with more than 20 times the pound-for-pound impact on global warming as CO2. So imagine the alarm scientists felt when they noticed a big ol’ cloud of it, pouring out of the Southwest like noxious vapors from a volcano. The plume measured half the size of Connecticut and…
Obama Preserves San Gabriel Mountains in LA’s Backyard
Frances Beinecke, President of NRDC, New York City America grew richer in natural heritage today. President Obama is declaring Los Angeles’ San Gabriel Mountains a national monument, ensuring this beautiful landscape will remain wild for generations to come. Now the 17 million people living in Greater Los Angeles—and the many who visit every year—will always…