Ecology
U.S. Asks China to ‘Immediately Halt’ Ban on Foreign Waste
Last year, China—the world’s largest importer of waste—announced it no longer wanted to take in other countries’ trash so it could focus on its own pollution problems. This unexpected policy shift, which took effect Jan. 1, has left exporters in…
Emissions Must Fall By Mid-Century to Meet Paris Temperature Goals, Study Finds
With the exception of the U.S., every country in the world has now expressed an intention to honor the Paris agreement, which means they have all committed to limiting global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels…
Research Finds Extreme Temperature Fluctuations Linked To Increased Rates Of Heart Attacks
Temperatures along the East Coast began fluctuating wildly last month, from winter-like cold one day — which is normal for February — to summer-like hot the next day — which is anything but. This is a portentous harbinger of global climate change, and an irksome turn…
Government Launches £260m Clean Air Fund
The government official launched its £220m Clean Air Fund to help local authorities cut air pollution across the UK late last week. But it disappointed campaigners by failing to move forward with plans for a nationwide diesel scrappage scheme, briefed…
New Data Confirms Increasingly Frequent Extreme Weather Events
New data published this week shows that man-made climate change has resulted in increasingly frequent extreme weather events such as excess rainfall leading to flooding, coastal flooding, heatwaves, and increased risks of wildfires. According to a new study published this…
Norway Aims for Electric Planes to Help Slow Climate Change
Norway—home to the world’s highest per capita number of all-electric cars—is also planning to go emission-free in the friendly skies. The Scandinavian country aims to be the first in the world to switch to electric air transport. State-owned Avinor, which…
‘Great Pacific Garbage Patch’ Sprawling with More Debris than Thought
An enormous area of rubbish floating in the Pacific Ocean is teeming with far more debris than previously thought, heightening alarm that the world’s oceans are being increasingly choked by trillions of pieces of plastic. The sprawling patch of detritus…