At the U.S. border, a diminished migrant caravan readies for an unwelcoming reception

By Nick Miroff 27 April 2018 TIJUANA, Mexico (The Washington Post) – The American president, a former real estate mogul, does not want Byron Garcia in the United States. But the Honduran teenager was too busy building his own hotel empire this week to worry much about that. Vermont Avenue and Connecticut Avenue were his. […]

What gave the U.S. West its soggiest winter-type atmosphere on record?

By Bob Henson  9 April 2018 (Weather Underground) – If you love atmospheric extremes, but you hate to see people in harm’s way, you couldn’t ask for a more pleasing event than the phenomenal infusion of moisture into the western U.S. from Friday into Saturday. No deaths or serious injuries were reported from the weekend […]

Mapping inequality: How U.S. cities are divided by income

By Tanvi Misra 27 February 2018 (CityLab) – In Philly’s Center City live its richest residents—those who can pay the premium for that walkable, amenity-rich, green neighborhood. But just across the river, blocks away from the lush, expanding campuses of the University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University, the visual landscape of the city changes: Pawn […]

Particulate matter from California wildfires linked to cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events – “It’s a local problem, but it’s also a national problem”

By L.A. McKeown 12 April 2018 (TCTMD) – New data show a surprising pattern of increased emergency department (ED) visits for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular problems on days when wildfires are burning in California. Researchers say the fine particulate matter created by the fires poses significant risk beyond the state’s borders, and in particular to people […]

Lloyd’s of London slumps to £2 billion loss over hurricanes and wildfires – 2017 was “the costliest year for a decade for natural catastrophes”

By Oliver Ralph 21 March 2018 (Financial Times) – Lloyd’s of London has reported its first loss in six years as a series of natural catastrophes took their toll on the insurance market.The underwriters at Lloyd’s faced claims for hurricanes in Florida and the Caribbean, earthquakes in Mexico and wildfires in California in what chief […]

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 […]

FEMA strips mention of “climate change” from its strategic plan

By Christopher Flavelle 15 March 2018 (Bloomberg News) – The Federal Emergency Management Agency, responsible for dealing with the effects of disasters like hurricanes and floods, has stripped the words “climate change” from the document meant to guide its actions over the next four years.FEMA on Thursday released its strategic plan for 2018-2022. It replaces […]

Judge approves waiving environmental laws to build U.S.-Mexico border wall

1 March 2018 (Mongabay) – On Tuesday, a federal judge in California ruled that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security did not abuse its authority in waiving dozens of environmental laws to build sections of wall along the border between the U.S. and Mexico. The ruling frees the department to waive laws for future border […]

Trump administration eyes big cuts to fuel economy rules – “It is unwise for the federal government to set the clock of automotive technology back a decade”

By Ryan Beene, Alan Levin, and John Lippert 9 February 2018 (Bloomberg News) – President Donald Trump’s administration is looking at ways to reduce future fuel economy standards for automobiles in a move to appease carmakers, who have asked to ease targets put in place under President Barack Obama.The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is […]

Household sprays rival diesel fumes for causing air pollution – “Perfume and other scented products are designed so that you can enjoy the aroma. You don’t do this with gasoline.”

15 February 2018 (NOAA) – Emissions from volatile chemical products like perfumes, paints and other scented consumer items now rival vehicles as a pollution source in greater Los Angeles, according to a surprising new NOAA-led study.Even though 15 times more petroleum is consumed as fuel than is used as ingredients in industrial and consumer products, […]

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