Planet or plastic?
Out of sight, out of mind, they say. I’m originally from Finland, a country that prides itself on having the purest air in the world,…
Nature & Environment
Grass Lawns are an Ecological Catastrophe
Are American lawns beautiful visions of nature? Or ecological calamities? Unfortunately, the grass leaves in our parks leave havoc in their wake. Lawns are extremely…
What Does China’s “Ecological Civilization” Mean for Humanity’s Future?
China’s leader, Xi Jinping, affirms an ecological vision that is in line with progressive environmental thought. Is it mere rhetoric or does it have a…
Let’s follow new zealand’s lead and make people and nature as important as gdp
By requiring planners to consider impacts on society and the environment as well as economics, New Zealand is setting a much-needed example for other nations….
Permafrost and wetland emissions could cut 1.5°C carbon budget ‘by five years’
Emissions of CO2 and methane from wetlands and thawing permafrost as the climate warms could cut the “carbon budget” for the Paris Agreement temperature limits…
Pleistocene Park: protecting the future by returning to the past
It is a well-known fact that burning fossil fuels causes the buildup of greenhouse gases which leads to global warming. This results in melting permafrost…
From Australia to El Salvador to Vietnam, the environment is finally getting its day in court
When the improper disposal of wastewater from the construction site of a joint shopping center and apartment complex threatened to contaminate hundreds of residents’ water…
How the growing “One Water” movement is not only helping the environment but also saving millions of dollars
Solutions to floods, droughts and pollution that look upstream, downstream and everywhere in between save dollars and make sense. The Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District in…
The race is on to decarbonize the 50,000-plus ships that carry our stuff around the world
International shipping produces as much CO2 as aircraft. Here’s what we can do about that. May 3, 2018 — Watch out for the return of…
Climate change to become ‘greatest pressure on biodiversity’ by 2070
The combined effects of global warming and land-use change could cause the world’s ecosystems to lose more than a third of their animal species by…
Here are 6 big ideas to help the environment
Sometimes the news about our environment can feel a little monotonous. We read the same old headlines about how important the environment is, how the…
What Does China’s ‘Ecological Civilization’ Mean for Humanity’s Future?
Imagine a newly elected president of the United States calling in his inaugural speech for an “ecological civilization” that ensures “harmony between human and nature.”…
Dumb & Dumber: The global assault on environmental laws
Without environmental laws we’d all be breathing polluted air, drinking foul water, and living in a perpetual silent spring — where nature and wildlife had…
Radon smoke is rising
Warning: “Radon is all around us. You are now entering a radioactive area.”. It could be the sign at your front door. Would you stay…
A ‘moon shot’ to protect Earth’s species
Biologist E.O. Wilson and former National Park Service director envision massive conservation effort to stem extinction The extinction of our swimming, trotting, slithering, and flying…
‘Beast from The East’ – the science behind Europe’s Siberian chill
The so-called “Beast from the East” has arrived in the UK, bringing unusually cold weather – about 7°C colder than the historical average for this…