Once known as the Steel City, Pittsburgh is shedding its polluted past and embracing a rebirth built on health care, education, and technology. But the region’s surging fracking industry is attracting a $6 billion ethane plant and other petrochemical facilities, raising new pollution fears.
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Energy
In Germany, Consumers Embrace a Shift to Home Batteries
A growing number of homeowners in Germany are installing batteries to store solar power. As prices for energy storage systems drop, they are adopting a green vision: a solar panel on every roof, an EV in every garage, and a battery in every basement.
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Climate
As High-Tide Flooding Worsens, More Pollution Is Washing to the Sea
As sea levels rise, high-tide flooding is becoming a growing problem in many parts of the globe, including cities on the U.S. East Coast. Now, new research shows that as these waters recede, they carry toxic pollutants and excess nutrients into rivers, bays, and oceans.
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Biodiversity
Species Sleuths: Amateur Naturalists Spark a New Wave of Discovery
Scientists have not kept pace with the work of discovering new species. Now, a growing number of committed hobbyists – ranging from a Belgian bus driver to a California cybersecurity expert – are out in the field, igniting a boom in documenting the world's biodiversity.
Policy
Piling Up: How China’s Ban on Importing Waste Has Stalled Global Recycling
China’s decision to no longer be the dumping ground for the world’s recycled waste has left municipalities and waste companies from Australia to the U.S. scrambling for alternatives. But experts say it offers an opportunity to develop better solutions for a growing throwaway culture.
E360 Digest
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Mountain Lions Could Go Locally Extinct in Southern California Within 50 Years
Southern California’s mountain lions are at risk of going extinct locally in as little as 50 years, according to a new study published in the journal Ecologist Applications. The region’s two mountain lion populations are isolated from each other by urban sprawl, causing a decline in genetic diversity and high mortality rates from car collisions and wildfires. More about Mountain Lions Could Go Locally Extinct in Southern California Within 50 Years →
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U.S. States Finalize Plan to Reduce Water Usage on the Colorado River
Seven Western U.S. states that rely on the Colorado River for water supplies have reached a consensus on a landmark plan to voluntarily reduce water usage, the Associated Press reported. The new strategy is part of an effort to safeguard the river, which serves 40 million people and irrigates 7,812 square miles of farmland, in an era of worsening drought and climate change. More about U.S. States Finalize Plan to Reduce Water Usage on the Colorado River →
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As Risks Rise, An Overhaul Announced for Federal Flood Insurance
The Trump administration has announced plans to overhaul the federally subsidized National Flood Insurance Program, increasing policy premiums to more accurately reflect flood risk and home values starting in October 2020. The decision comes in the midst of historic flooding that has displaced thousands of people and destroyed homes, farms, and infrastructure across parts of the U.S. Midwest. More about As Risks Rise, An Overhaul Announced for Federal Flood Insurance →
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Senator Ed Markey has heard the criticism of the Green New Deal as overly broad and unrealistic. But in an e360 interview, Markey, who co-introduced the proposal in Congress, explains why he believes it will spark a much-needed debate about how to confront the climate crisis.
CRISIS ON THE COLORADO: PART V
Restoring the Colorado: Bringing New Life to a Stressed River
The Colorado River has been dammed, diverted, and slowed by reservoirs, strangling the life out of a once-thriving ecosystem. But in the U.S. and Mexico, efforts are underway to revive sections of the river and restore vital riparian habitat for native plants, fish, and wildlife. Last in a series.
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Policy
As Work Begins on Trump’s Border Wall, a Key Wildlife Refuge Is at Risk
Construction is underway on a stretch of President Trump’s border wall cutting through the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge in Texas. Biologists warn the steel wall will disrupt carefully preserved habitat critical for the survival of ocelot, jaguarundi, and other threatened species.
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Solutions
How Crowdsourcing Seeds Can Help Farmers Adapt to Climate Change
In Ethiopia and other developing nations, scientists are working with small-scale farmers on trials to see which seed varieties perform best in changing conditions. These initiatives are enabling farmers to make smarter crop choices in the face of rising temperatures, drought, and more extreme weather.
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Food & Agriculture
The Real Price of a Chocolate Bar: West Africa’s Rainforests
Ivory Coast has lost more than 80 percent of its forests in the last 50 years, mainly to cocoa production. The government has a plan to turn over management of former forest to international chocolate manufacturers: Is it a conservation strategy or a land grab?
Last-Ditch Conservation
Unconventional efforts to save endangered species.