Caravan of 1,200 migrants marching through Mexico to seek asylum in U.S. – “If we all protect each other we’ll get through this together”

By Adolfo Flores 31 March 2018 San Pedro Tapanatepec, Mexico (BuzzFeed) – Taking a drag from her cigarette, a Mexican immigration agent looked out toward a caravan of migrants that grew larger with each step they took on the two-lane highway.When the agent, who’d covered her uniform with an orange and white shawl, learned that […]

Leaked memo: EPA shows workers how to downplay global warming

By Alexander C. Kaufman 28 March 2018 (Huffington Post) – The Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday evening sent employees a list of eight approved talking points on climate change from its Office of Public Affairs ― guidelines that promote a message of uncertainty about climate science and gloss over proposed cuts to key adaptation programs. […]

When nature says “Enough!”: the river that appeared overnight in Argentina – “The roar was terrifying”

By Uki Goñi 1 April 2018Villa Mercedes, Argentina (The Guardian) – After a night of heavy rainfall, Ana Risatti woke to an ominous roar outside her home. Mistaking the noise for a continuation of the night’s downpour, she stepped outside to look. “I nearly fainted when I saw what it really was,” said Risatti, 71. […]

Biodiversity and nature’s contributions to humanity continue dangerous decline, scientists warn – “We must act to halt and reverse the unsustainable use of nature”

23 March 2018 (IPBES) – Biodiversity – the essential variety of life forms on Earth – continues to decline in every region of the world, significantly reducing nature’s capacity to contribute to people’s well-being. This alarming trend endangers economies, livelihoods, food security and the quality of life of people everywhere, according to four landmark science […]

Tropospheric ozone pollution declining in Europe and U.S. but rising in East Asia

5 February 2018 (University of Edinburgh) – Potentially harmful levels of the air pollutant ozone are present in many regions around the world, a widespread study has shown. Levels of ozone in the troposphere – the lower region of the atmosphere – have decreased in much of Europe and the US over the past 15 […]

60 million acres of monarch butterfly habitat to be doused with herbicide – Despite steep declines in monarch population, dicamba will be used in heart of migration path

PORTLAND, Oregon, 1 March 2018 (CBD) – Within the next two years, more than 60 million acres of monarch habitat will be sprayed with an herbicide that’s extremely harmful to milkweed, the only food for monarch caterpillars, according to a new analysis by the Center for Biological Diversity.Monarch populations have already fallen by 80 percent […]

Trump environment head expected to limit science used to make EPA pollution rules – “It really hamstrings the ability of the EPA to do anything, to fulfill its mission”

By Scott Waldman and Robin Bravender 16 March 2018 (E&E News) – U.S. EPA chief Scott Pruitt is expected to roll out plans soon to restrict the agency’s use of science in rulemakings, pitting him against critics who say it would threaten public health and environmental protections. In a closed-door meeting at the Heritage Foundation […]

U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke says Interior Dept. should be a partner with oil companies – “If anything is un-American, it’s this administration’s persistent attacks on America’s public lands”

By David Koenig 6 March 2018 HOUSTON (AP) – Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke says his agency should be a partner with oil and gas companies that seek to drill on public land and that long regulatory reviews with an uncertain outcome are “un-American.” Speaking Tuesday to a major energy-industry conference, Zinke described the Trump administration’s […]

Why are big, insect-eating birds disappearing? Maybe we’re running low on bugs.

By Brandon Keim 14 March 2018 (Anthropocene) – No guild of North American birds is declining so rapidly as aerial insectivores: acrobatic marvels whose maneuvers make our hearts soar, and who provide a vital ecosystem service. Why are their numbers plummeting? A leading explanation is a widespread decline in insect populations — a troubling possibility, […]

Amazon rainforest hit by surge in small-scale deforestation, study finds

By Morgan Erickson-Davis 2 February 2018 (Mongabay) – A new study finds small-scale deforestation in the Amazon rainforest has been increasing over the past decade, with new hotspots emerging in Bolivia and Peru. The news somewhat dampens Brazil’s touted successes at combatting deforestation, with researchers saying the country’s forest monitoring system is not capable of […]

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