In 2024, two new satellites were launched to find methane super-emitters from space: the Environmental Defense Fund’s MethaneSAT took off in March 2024; and Carbon Mapperlaunched later last year as a public-private partnership. Methane is a super-powered greenhouse gas. Pound-for-pound, methane is 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide in the first two decades after […]
The Industrial Revolution was undeniably a major turning point in history. Beginning in the late 1700’s, human environmental impacts reached previously impossible new heights. Yet pollution wasn’t invented in the 18th century. Humans have been mucking up Earth for far longer, to our own detriment, as exemplified by new research linking lead air pollution to […]
Graphical abstract. Credit: Soil & Environmental Health (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.seh.2024.100083 Sludge, a byproduct of wastewater treatment, often harbors hazardous substances such as heavy metals and excess nutrients that pose significant environmental and health risks if not properly treated. Conventional treatment methods rely heavily on chemicals and energy-intensive processes, making them less sustainable. Sludge treatment reed […]
Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown speaks during a press conference on Sept. 24, 2024, in Baltimore. Credit: AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough, File Maryland is suing the company that produces the waterproof material Gore-Tex often used for raincoats and other outdoor gear, alleging its leaders kept using “forever chemicals” long after learning about serious health risks associated […]
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday signed off on two major California clean air rules designed to reduce pollution from cars and trucks, including a ban on selling new gasoline-powered cars statewide by 2035. Under the Clean Air Act, California has the ability to adopt more stringent vehicle emission requirements than the federal government. […]
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a red-state constitutional challenge to California’s special authority to fight air pollution. Over a dissent by Justice Clarence Thomas, the justices turned away an appeal from Ohio and 16 other conservative stateswhich asked the court to rule “the Golden State is not a golden child.” While Monday’s brief […]
Lizzy Steel / BBC “If it’s a choice between being lovingly wrapped, or boxed up, it’s a no-brainer for me”, Rachel says “I don’t want my last act on this planet to be a polluting act, if I can help that,” Rachel Hawthorn explains. She is getting ready to make her own burial shroud because […]
Credit: CC0 Public Domain A new study from Karolinska Institutet shows that long-term exposure to air pollution contributes to millions of deaths in India. The research, published in The Lancet Planetary Healthemphasizes the need for stricter air quality regulations in the country. Air pollution consisting of particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, PM2.5can enter […]
Amid all of these concerns, the city has been turning to drones to monitor pollution hotspotsin addition to those spraying water to suppress PM2.5. “Drones are useful for accessing areas that are hard to monitor manually, like crowded urban zones or industrial regions,” says R Subramanian, air quality head at the Center for Study of […]
Talks on the world’s first treaty to tackle plastic pollution will continue in coming months, delegates said.
