"When Rachel Carson’s “Silent Spring” first sounded the alarm on DDT and its devastating effects on birds and fish, our understanding of how this pesticide affected humans was just beginning. Chemicals can take years to reveal their insidious power, and so for decades, scientists have been piecing together — study by study — the reasons why DDT still haunts us today."
"The sludgy geyser of gas, water and mud startled residents of Marina del Rey. ... The geyser most likely spewed from a naturally occurring underground gas pocket, state officials concluded. But for Angelenos, it was a dramatic reminder of the legacy of fossil fuel extraction on the city’s Westside — a legacy felt to this day."
"An urban wildlife refuge is meant to alleviate generations of environmental racism that has beset the historic neighborhood of Mountain View. That’s assuming it can meet the community’s needs".
"China must shut down nearly 600 of its coal-fired power plants in the next 10 years, replacing them with renewable electricity generation, to meet its goal of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2060, a report has said."
"A lawsuit filed by the Orutsararmiut Native Council has led to a judgment that invalidates a key permit for what could be one of the largest gold mines in the world: Donlin Gold in western Alaska."
"New research suggests that living near hazardous waste is, unsurprisingly, harmful to health and longevity. The study found a clear link between lower life expectancy and living near a waste site, with residents in poorer neighborhoods possibly losing as much as a year of life."
"With the annual proxy season about to kick off, corporate executives are encountering increasing investor scrutiny about their environmental policies. But rather than support green initiatives or even compromise with shareholders, some of the world’s biggest companies instead plan to crush efforts to slow the climate catastrophe."
"President Biden announced Wednesday that he will nominate Tommy Beaudreau to be deputy secretary of the Interior Department, ending a standoff between the White House and senators from fossil-fuel-rich states who derailed the president’s first choice."
"The U.S. Senate voted 53-45 to confirm Brenda Mallory as head of the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), a key role that is central to federal environmental reviews of major infrastructure projects and coordinating the administration’s environmental justice and climate change policies."
Hone your voice, put your skills to work and sharpen your non-fiction prose through the lens of nature, ecology and conservation. Sign up for a free virtual writing course, May 11, 14, 18, 20 and 25, to learn directly from some of the best science and nature writers in North America today.
