Finding Climate Solutions in Fairy Tales
Can traditional tales help us think productively about contemporary environmental issues? We have been exploring how fairy-tale tropes and archetypal characters offer new ways to…
Nature & Environment
Did plastic straw bans work? Yes, but not in the way you’d think
This story is part of the Grist arts and culture series Remember When, a weeklong exploration of what happened to the climate solutions that once clogged…
Why it’s time to say goodbye to the polluting recycling model
Every year, 10 million tons of plastic packaging reach the oceans, which is equivalent to 23,000 Boeing 747 planes landing in the seas and oceans…
Pilot project uses volcanic ash to make cement
The project takes advantage of ash from a 2021 eruption on the Caribbean island of St. Vincent. In 2021, La Soufrière volcano on the Caribbean…
UN Provides Blueprint for 80% Cut to Global Plastic Pollution by 2040
Global plastic pollution can be reduced by 80% by 2040 if countries and companies make far-reaching changes using existing technologies, according to a report published…
For weary Niger Delta residents, shocking oil pollution report offers little hope
A new report commissioned by the Bayelsa state government in Nigeria holds international oil companies like Shell, TotalEnergies, and ExxonMobil responsible for spilling at least…
The Biden administration has called for protecting mature US forests to slow climate change, but it’s still allowing them to be logged
Forests are critically important for slowing climate change. They remove huge quantities of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere – 30% of all fossil fuel emissions…
Wanted (by Scientists): Dead Birds and Bats, Felled by Renewables
“This is one of the least smelly carcasses,” said Todd Katzner, peering over his lab manager’s shoulder as she sliced a bit of flesh from…
Fresh-water scarcity prompts hunt for more from the air and sea
Carlos Garcia foresees a world in which many millions of homes will get water out of thin air – literally. Garcia is general manager of…
Now and then: how climate change messes with microbes
Climate change means more than warmer days, less rainfall and rising sea levels – it can have a big impact on tiny microbes. During the…
Tracing the Flow of Forever Chemicals Into Waterways and Wildlife
Martha Spiess, a retired veterinarian, began testing streams and ponds in Brunswick, Maine, after hearing that per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFASs, had contaminated farms…
Weather Whiplash: How Climate Change Killed Thousands of Migratory Birds
Can we help species adapt to the evolving threat of compound climate extremes? When dead birds fall from the sky, you know something is wrong….
The fight against deadly soot
The health risks from tiny airborne particulate matter may soon face stricter federal regulation. But improving air quality remains a complex challenge. This September a…