Federal officials are set to launch an effort to save the threatened northern spotted owl by killing thousands of invasive barred owls in the Pacific Northwest. The initiative is supported by mainstream conservation organizations but opposed by animal welfare groups.
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INTERVIEW
On Gulf Coast, an Activist Rallies Her Community Against Gas Exports
Roishetta Ozane founded a grassroots organization to help frontline Louisiana communities recover from back-to-back hurricanes. Soon, she was educating people about the deadly interconnections between gas export plants, climate disasters, and environmental racism.
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Climate
With CO2 Levels Rising, World’s Drylands Are Turning Green
Despite warnings that climate change would create widespread desertification, many drylands are getting greener because of increased CO2 in the air — a trend that recent studies indicate will continue. But scientists warn this added vegetation may soak up scarce water supplies.
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WATER
As World’s Springs Vanish, Ripple Effects Alter Ecosystems
Springs, which bring groundwater to the surface and support a host of unique species, are disappearing globally, victims of development and drought. Researchers are working to document and map these life-giving habitats in an effort to save them before they are gone.
Climate
The Race to Save Glacial Ice Records Before They Melt Away
As glaciers melt around the globe, scientists are racing to retrieve ice cores that contain key historical records of temperature and climate that are preserved in the ice. Researchers are also pushing to gather ancient relics locked in the ice before they are lost to warming
E360 Digest
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Dragonflies Reveal Path of Mercury Pollution
To track the sources of mercury pollution across wildlands in the U.S., scientists have turned to an unlikely indictor: dragonfly larvae. More about Dragonflies Reveal Path of Mercury Pollution →
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Steelmakers Increasingly Forgoing Coal, Building Electric
The global steel industry is turning away from polluting coal-fired blast furnaces and toward cleaner electric arc furnaces, which now account for roughly half of all planned steelmaking capacity, according to a new report. More about Steelmakers Increasingly Forgoing Coal, Building Electric →
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Deep Ocean Producing 'Dark' Oxygen, Study Finds
A new study suggests that metals scattered about the deep ocean may be producing oxygen, a finding that could strengthen the case against controversial deep-sea mining. More about Deep Ocean Producing 'Dark' Oxygen, Study Finds →
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Solutions
To Foil a Deadly Pest, Scientists Aim for a Beetle-Resistant Ash Tree
Emerald ash borer beetles have killed hundreds of millions of ash trees in the U.S. Now, researchers are nurturing ash that can withstand the insects, in the hope of producing resistant seeds that would ensure a future for trees that are a crucial part of Eastern forests.
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INTERVIEW
Turning Brownfields to Blooming Meadows, With the Help of Fungi
Toxicologist Danielle Stevenson cleans up carbon-based pollutants and heavy metals from contaminated sites using fungi and plants. She’s also training environmental justice and tribal communities in using these methods so they can remediate toxic sites on their own.
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Climate
Could the Global Boom in Greenhouses Help Cool the Planet?
As agricultural greenhouses proliferate, researchers are finding that their reflective roofs are having a cooling effect. Some experts see this as an unintended experiment with lessons for cooling cities, but others point to the environmental damage that greenhouses can cause.
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Biodiversity
In North Macedonia, an Ancient Lake Faces Modern Threats
Lake Ohrid, at 2 million years old, may be the most biodiverse lake of its size in the world, teeming with fish, snails, crustaceans, and more. But tourism development along the edges of the lake and nutrient pollution are clouding its famously clear waters and altering its ecology.
