For decades, hurricanes have been rated on a scale of 1 to 5 based solely on a storm’s wind speeds. But as recent hurricanes show, a tropical cyclone’s winds often tell us little about its real threats — coastal storm surge and precipitation-driven flooding.
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Biodiversity
Conflicting Data: How Fast Is the World Losing its Forests?
The latest UN report on climate says reducing deforestation is crucial to slowing global warming. But researchers must first reconcile two contradictory sets of statistics on tree loss in order to determine whether promises made by nations to protect and restore forests are on target.
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Interview
An Inside Look at How Trump Turned the EPA into an Industry Subsidiary
In an interview with Yale Environment 360, former EPA official Elizabeth Southerland discusses the hostile takeover of the EPA by the Trump administration and industry interests and explains why she is hopeful that the recent damage can be undone.
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Climate
How Wildfires Are Polluting Rivers and Threatening Water Supplies
As wildfires become more frequent and destructive in a warming world, they are increasingly leaving in their wake debris and toxic runoff that are polluting rivers and fouling water supplies. Some municipalities are having to upgrade their water treatment methods to counter the new danger.
Food & Agriculture
In the Heart of the Corn Belt, an Uphill Battle for Clean Water
Runoff from farms and feedlots has badly polluted Iowa’s waterways, more than half of which do not meet federal quality standards. Now, an unlikely coalition is calling for stricter controls to clean up the drinking water sources for millions of the state’s residents.
E360 Digest
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10 States Now Get At Least 20 Percent of Their Electricity from Solar and Wind
Solar and wind energy now generate more than 20 percent of electricity in 10 states, according to a new report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). Iowa is at the top of the list, with 37 percent of its electricity coming from wind and solar in 2017, followed by Kansas, Oklahoma, and South Dakota, all above 30 percent, PV Magazine reported. More about 10 States Now Get At Least 20 Percent of Their Electricity from Solar and Wind →
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Bees Went Completely Silent During Last Year’s Total Solar Eclipse
As a strip of darkness fell across the continental United States during last year’s total solar eclipse, bees in the path of the rare celestial event went abruptly and completely silent for several minutes. The sudden halt in buzzing was caught by tiny microphones set up by more than 400 students, teachers, and volunteers in the path of the total eclipse as part of a massive citizen science experiment. More about Bees Went Completely Silent During Last Year’s Total Solar Eclipse →
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Trump Administration Moves to Lift Restrictions on Higher-Ethanol Fuels
President Donald Trump has announced a plan to allow the year-round sales of higher-ethanol blends of gasoline, recharging a longstanding debate over the pros and cons of biofuels ahead of the midterm elections, several news outlets reported. The new policy will also make changes to how renewable fuel credits are marketed and regulated. More about Trump Administration Moves to Lift Restrictions on Higher-Ethanol Fuels →
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Marine biologist Daniel Pauly is calling for a total ban on open-ocean fishing. In an e360 interview, he contends that such a step is essential for rebuilding badly depleted global fish stocks and preventing the demise of the fishing industry itself.
Opinion
Why We Must Save the Endangered Species Act from the Trump Administration
Urged on by the oil and gas industry, the Trump administration is moving to drastically weaken the Endangered Species Act. But the act, writes a former U.S. Interior Secretary, has saved hundreds of species that might now be extinct, while allowing for well-managed development.
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Biodiversity
The Ongoing Disgrace of South Africa’s Captive-Bred Lion Trade
An estimated 7,000 to 14,000 lions are held in captivity and bred in South Africa. Increasingly, the animals are slaughtered for their bones and other body parts, many of which are sold in Asia for their purported — and scientifically discredited — health benefits.
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Field Notes
As Greenland Warms, Nature’s Seasonal Clock Is Thrown Off-Kilter
For millennia, ecosystems in Greenland and throughout the Arctic have been regulated by seasonal changes that govern the greening of vegetation and the migration and reproduction of animals. But a rapidly warming climate and disappearing sea ice are upending that finely tuned balance.
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Analysis
Paris Conundrum: How to Know How Much Carbon Is Being Emitted?
As climate negotiators consider rules for verifying commitments under the Paris Agreement, they will have to confront a difficult truth: There currently is no reliably accurate way to measure total global emissions or how much CO2 is coming from individual nations.
2018 Yale Environment 360 Video Contest
The winners of our annual contest honoring the best short environmental films.
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E360 VIDEO CONTEST WINNER
In Sicily, A Plague of Cancer Overwhelms an Oil Refinery Town
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E360 VIDEO CONTEST WINNER - SECOND PLACE
For Iranian Villagers, A Dam Uproots a Rural Way of Life
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E360 VIDEO CONTEST WINNER - THIRD PLACE
Off the African Coast, a Struggle to Revive a Battered Fishery