A Texas family’s ranch has been found to be one of the most contaminated coal ash sites in the country. Environmental groups say the pollution — and the ranchers’ bitter legal battle to stop it — is a stark example of the nation’s ongoing coal ash crisis.
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Policy
How an Illicit Chemical Is Jeopardizing Recovery of the Ozone Layer
An international treaty signed in 1987 officially halted production and use of chemicals that deplete the atmosphere’s critical ozone layer. But new research finds a troubling rise in emissions of a banned chemical that is being routinely used in factories in northeast China.
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Interview
Why Low-Income Households Need to Be Part of the Clean Energy Revolution
Researcher Tony Reames focuses his work on the growing energy divide between rich and poor Americans. In an interview with Yale Environment 360, he talks about why it is important to provide low-income communities with better access to affordable clean energy technologies.
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Policy
Fifty Years After, A Daunting Cleanup of Vietnam’s Toxic Legacy
From 1962 to 1971, the American military sprayed vast areas of Vietnam with Agent Orange, leaving dioxin contamination that has severely affected the health of three generations of Vietnamese. Now, the U.S. and Vietnamese governments have joined together in a massive cleanup project.
Food & Agriculture
Bee Alert: Is a Controversial Herbicide Harming Honeybees?
Recent court cases have focused on the possible effects of glyphosate, found in Monsanto’s Roundup, on humans. But researchers are now investigating whether this commonly used herbicide could also be having adverse effects on the health and behavior of honeybees.
E360 Digest
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Climate Change is Altering the Composition of the World’s Plankton Communities
The composition of the world’s plankton has changed significantly since before the Industrial Revolution, with zooplankton communities shifting poleward by an average 374 miles as a result of warming ocean temperatures. The findings, published in the journal Nature, show the widespread impact climate change is having on marine ecosystems. More about Climate Change is Altering the Composition of the World’s Plankton Communities →
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A Major U.S. Utility Is Closing Its Coal-Fired Power Plants a Decade Early
One of the United States’ largest utilities, Xcel Energy Inc., announced it will close its remaining coal-fired power plants in the Upper Midwest a decade ahead of schedule and add 3,000 megawatts of new solar capacity by 2030, E&E News reported. It is the latest step in the utility’s plan to provide 100 percent carbon-free electricity by 2050. More about A Major U.S. Utility Is Closing Its Coal-Fired Power Plants a Decade Early →
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A Quarter of West Antarctica’s Ice Now Considered Unstable, Scientists Find
Rising temperatures have sped up the melting of West Antarctica’s ice fivefold in the past 25 years, resulting in a quarter of the region’s glaciers being classified as unstable, according to a new study published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters. More about A Quarter of West Antarctica’s Ice Now Considered Unstable, Scientists Find →
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The world has done little to tackle global warming since Bill McKibben’s landmark book on the subject was published in 1989. In an e360 interview, McKibben talks about the critical time lost and what can be done now to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.
Solutions
On Java’s Coast, A Natural Approach to Holding Back the Waters
The Indonesian island of Java has lost 70 percent of the mangroves that once protected its coast from erosion and flooding. Now villagers are using natural wooden barriers to try to restore the mangrove forests and save their lands and homes from being washed away.
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Solutions
Coastal Recovery: Bringing a Damaged Wetland Back to Life
An ambitious wetlands restoration project is underway on Delaware Bay, where scientists are using innovative methods to revive a badly damaged salt marsh. The project could be a model for other places seeking to make coastal wetlands more resilient to rising seas and worsening storms.
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Policy
In Conservative Bavaria, Citizens Force Bold Action on Protecting Nature
Alarmed at steep declines in insects and wildlife, Bavarian voters backed a referendum aimed at changing destructive farming practices and repairing damaged ecosystems. Now, Bavaria’s initiatives are inspiring other German states to move to stem the loss of biodiversity.
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Energy
How Kenya’s Push for Development Is Threatening Its Famed Wild Lands
Kenya is pursuing a plan to build an extensive network of roads, power lines, dams, and renewable energy infrastructure. But many of these projects, including wind farms and geothermal facilities, are being constructed in the nation’s iconic parks and wildlife areas.
E360 Series
Crisis on the Colorado
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Crisis on the Colorado: Part I
The West’s Great River Hits Its Limits: Will the Colorado Run Dry?
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Crisis on the Colorado: Part II
On the Water-Starved Colorado River, Drought Is the New Normal
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Crisis on the Colorado: Part III
Running Dry: New Strategies for Conserving Water on the Colorado
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CRISIS ON THE COLORADO: PART IV
In Era of Drought, Phoenix Prepares for a Future Without Colorado River Water
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CRISIS ON THE COLORADO: PART V
Restoring the Colorado: Bringing New Life to a Stressed River