Posts Tagged ‘environmental policy’

Are new regulations too tough on coal?

DUKE (US) — The cost of complying with tougher EPA air-quality standards could cause a shift away from coal and toward natural gas for electricity generation, according to a new study. Continue…

Friday, April 5, 2013 14:50 - 0 Comments

Earth & Environment - Mar 4, 2013 11:12 - 0 Comments

Study: Fix California’s new permits for emissions

U. VIRGINIA (US) — California just launched the world’s first economy-wide “cap-and-trade” system for emissions. It could use some tweaks, say experts. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Jan 23, 2013 9:28 - 2 Comments

Vast amounts of wastewater as fracking expands

DUKE (US) — The amount of wastewater from natural gas production in the Marcellus shale region has increased by about 570 percent since 2004 as a result of increased shale gas production there. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Dec 19, 2012 11:52 - 1 Comment

Map details all Great Lakes threats

U. MICHIGAN (US) — A comprehensive map three years in the making tells the story of human impact on the Great Lakes, an ecosystem that contains 20 percent of the world’s fresh water. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Dec 11, 2012 9:48 - 2 Comments

Disgust, not guilt, may turn conservatives ‘green’

UC BERKELEY / STANFORD (US) — Concepts like the “purity” and “sanctity” of the Earth and our bodies resonate more with conservatives than environmental messages about moral obligations, research shows. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Nov 7, 2012 12:46 - 0 Comments

Is biofuel from algae ‘green’ enough yet?

U. ARIZONA (US) — “Algal biofuels are not quite ready for prime time,” says Joel Cuello, co-author of a new report evaluating the alternative fuel’s current drawbacks and its potential. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Oct 16, 2012 11:12 - 2 Comments

Arsenic from coal ash pollutes water sources

DUKE (US) — Scientists have found arsenic and other toxic elements—in levels beyond EPA guidelines for safe drinking water—in lakes and rivers downstream from coal-fired power plants’ settling ponds.

Earth & Environment - Aug 9, 2012 15:16 - 3 Comments

Hydrofracking wells may raise quake risk

U. TEXAS-AUSTIN (US) — Most earthquakes in the Barnett Shale region of North Texas occur within a few miles of one or more injection wells used to dispose of waste such as hydrofracking fluids, according to new research. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Aug 8, 2012 16:53 - 0 Comments

Groundwater ‘footprints’ are way too big

MCGILL (CAN) — Farmers are unsustainably exploiting groundwater in a number of important agricultural regions, say researchers. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Aug 6, 2012 14:29 - 1 Comment

Dust from abroad pollutes North America’s air

U. MARYLAND (US) — Most of the pollution migrating into the North American atmosphere is not industrial emissions but dust from Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Aug 3, 2012 11:47 - 0 Comments

Report: Climate will force California to adapt

UC DAVIS (US) — As climate change threatens to reshape California’s landscape, researchers are informing policymakers about the state’s vulnerability and suggesting ways to adapt. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Jul 30, 2012 14:01 - 0 Comments

Google Earth Engine adds time-lapse video

CARNEGIE MELLON (US) — A new capability within Google Earth Engine makes it possible to witness deforestation unfold in the Amazon, see the Aral Sea’s water levels rise and fall, and watch Las Vegas expand. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Jul 25, 2012 16:04 - 2 Comments

Biodiversity reserves ‘in danger of sinking’

MCGILL (CAN) / DUKE (US)— Many of the world’s tropical protected areas—the biologically richest ecosystems on Earth—are struggling to sustain their biodiversity. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Jul 12, 2012 17:10 - 0 Comments

Many threats spell trouble for Antarctica

TEXAS A&M (US) — Antarctica is at risk from human activities and other forces, say scientists, who call for environmental management to protect the planet’s last great wilderness area. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Jun 13, 2012 11:51 - 1 Comment

Climate debate tackles population growth

MICHIGAN STATE / STANFORD (US) — A new study forecasts that as Earth’s human population continues to grow, increased consumption—and increased emissions—are to come. (more…)

Earth & Environment - May 10, 2012 11:00 - 2 Comments

Poll: Less support for U.S. climate policy

STANFORD (US) — Political rhetoric and cooler-than-average weather may be the reason support for government action on global warming has dropped in the last two years, a new survey shows. (more…)

Earth & Environment - May 3, 2012 12:09 - 0 Comments

‘Tough love’ for energy reform so far

STANFORD (US) — To meaningfully affect energy security or the environment, America’s approach to clean energy needs reform, according to two writers. (more…)