Crisis on the Colorado: Part I
The West’s Great River Hits Its Limits: Will the Colorado Run Dry?
As the Southwest faces rapid growth and unrelenting drought, the Colorado River is in crisis, with too many demands on its diminishing flow. Now those who depend on the river must confront the hard reality that their supply of Colorado water may be cut off. First in a series.
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Opinion
A Highway Megaproject Tears at the Heart of New Guinea’s Rainforest
The Indonesian government is building a 2,700-mile road network on the island of New Guinea, opening up some of the world’s last great tropical rainforests to development and threatening unique indigenous cultures. Can international pressure force Indonesia to scale back this megaproject?
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Oceans
As Disease Ravages Coral Reefs, Scientists Scramble for Solutions
As oceans warm, coral reefs are suffering not only from bleaching but from deadly outbreaks of disease. Researchers are developing remedies, but the key question is whether these solutions can work on a large-enough scale to save vast reef systems from Florida to Australia.
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Cities
In India’s Fast-Growing Cities, a Grassroots Effort to Save the Trees
In India’s burgeoning urban areas, residents are rallying against the widespread destruction of trees to make way for development. The recent protests highlight a global issue: densely populated megacities in the developing world, which are most in need of tree cover, often have the least.
Analysis
How China’s Big Overseas Initiative Threatens Global Climate Progress
China’s Belt and Road Initiative is a colossal infrastructure plan that could transform the economies of nations around the world. But with its focus on coal-fired power plants, the effort could obliterate any chance of reducing emissions and tip the world into catastrophic climate change.
E360 Digest
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California Teen Finds Thousands of Golf Balls Releasing Microplastics into Ocean
A teenager in Northern California has collected more than 50,000 golf balls — weighing some 2.5 tons — from the bottom of the ocean over the past two years. Now, working with scientists at the Stanford University, Alex Weber has co-published a new paper in the journal Marine Pollution Bulletin on the dangerous microplastics and toxins being released into the ocean as the golf balls degrade. More about California Teen Finds Thousands of Golf Balls Releasing Microplastics into Ocean →
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Elevated Nitrate Levels Found in Millions of Americans’ Drinking Water
Public water systems serving more than 5.6 million Americans contain concentrations of nitrate at levels found to cause health problems, including cancer and birth defects, according to a new study published in the journal Environmental Health. Systems serving Hispanic populations tended to have the highest levels of nitrate in drinking water. More about Elevated Nitrate Levels Found in Millions of Americans’ Drinking Water →
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To Hold Warming to 1.5 Degrees, Study Says Nations Must Stop Building New Fossil Fuel Infrastructure Immediately
If nations commit immediately not to replace fossil fuel infrastructure as it reaches the end of its expected lifetime, the world would have a 64 percent chance of keeping global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius, according to a new study published in the journal Nature Communications. More about To Hold Warming to 1.5 Degrees, Study Says Nations Must Stop Building New Fossil Fuel Infrastructure Immediately →
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Biodiversity
As Polar Bear Attacks Increase in Warming Arctic, a Search for Solutions
With sea ice reduced, polar bears in the Arctic are spending more time on land, leading to increased attacks on people. Concerned Inuit communities want to increase hunting quotas, but researchers are testing new technologies they hope will reduce these often deadly confrontations.
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Water
In India, Nature’s Power Overwhelms Engineered Wetlands
The picturesque Kerala backwaters in southern India, increasingly popular with tourists, form a network of engineered canals, lagoons, lakes, and rice paddies. But a fatal monsoon deluge has highlighted the global problem of how developed wetlands often lose their capacity to absorb major floods.
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Energy
Carbon Crossroads: Can Germany Revive Its Stalled Energy Transition?
Although Germany has been a global leader in moving to decarbonize its massive economy, the country's ambitious clean-energy transformation is faltering. Now, a broad spectrum of energy experts are working to revitalize the effort to make Germany nearly carbon-free by mid-century.
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Climate
Can Artificial Intelligence Help Build Better, Smarter Climate Models?
Researchers have been frustrated by the variability of computer models in predicting the earth’s climate future. Now, some scientists are trying to utilize the latest advances in artificial intelligence to focus in on clouds and other factors that may provide a clearer view.
In Search of Climate Solutions
Researchers, governments, and activists are pushing ahead on innovative ways to ease global warming and its impacts.