environment

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Pot Farms Eat Up 1% of Nation's Electricity

Smoking joint like leaving light on all day

(Newser) - Bad news for eco-conscious stoners: That joint you just smoked hurt the planet. Marijuana grown indoors accounts for 1% of America’s yearly electricity consumption, or $5 billion worth of energy, a study finds. That’s equivalent to the annual energy bills of 2 million homes. And in terms of...

Arctic Ozone Took 40% Hit This Winter

Up from previous record of 30%

(Newser) - The ozone layer above the Arctic withered by 40% this winter, according to the UN's weather agency, a stark increase from the previous seasonal record of 30%. The loss was driven largely by frigid conditions in the stratosphere—though surface temperatures were actually warmer than normal—and lingering chemicals banned...

Ethics, Science Both Inconvenient for Climate Deniers

High stakes demand high seriousness, not 'cynical careerism': Krugman

(Newser) - Climate change deniers aren’t just flouting scientific evidence—they’re flouting morals, writes Paul Krugman in the New York Times . Case in point: Last week, Republicans invited a pair of scientists to testify at a Congressional hearing on climate science. When Berkeley’s Richard Muller, a climate change skeptic,...

Earth Hour: Lights Dim at 8:30pm Around the World
 Lights Dim for Earth Hour 
Mar 26, 2011 10:21 AM CDT

Lights Dim for Earth Hour

It's that time of year again: 8:30pm local

(Newser) - Earth Hour is back for the fifth year, with cities around world dimming the lights at 8:30pm local time. Last year, nearly 130 nations took part, and National Geographic thinks the number could be bigger this year. The idea is to raise awareness of energy conservation: Click to read...

'Earth Hour' Won't Solve Our Energy, Climate Change Troubles: Bjorn Lomborg

 'Earth Hour' Is a Joke 

Bjorn Lomborg
Mar 24, 2011 11:08 AM CDT

'Earth Hour' Is a Joke

We need real green solutions, not just 'feel-good' movements: Bjorn Lomborg

(Newser) - This Saturday night, environmental activists are calling on the world to dim the lights for “Earth Hour”—a nice idea, but one that may actually be counterproductive. Look at it this way: "If everyone in the world participated in this year's Earth Hour, the result would be...

USDA Sinks $60M Into Trio of Climate Change Studies

3 projects seek adaptable agriculture for specific regions

(Newser) - The USDA is sinking $60 million into a trio of studies that will investigate how climate change affects crops and forests. The three studies will focus on specific crops in specific regions—Midwestern corn, Northwestern wheat, and pine forests in the South—and aim to help farmers and foresters continue...

Why Plastic Isn't Evil

 Why Plastic Isn't Evil 
OPINION
Mar 18, 2011 12:44 PM CDT

Why Plastic Isn't Evil

It's just the way we use plastic that's the problem: Susan Freinkel

(Newser) - Plastic is the material environmentalists love to hate, but it's getting a bad rap, writes author Susan Freinkel in the New York Times . These days, plastic is equated with junk and litter because we waste it on things like shopping bags and drinking straws. "If we understood plastic’s...

Thanks to Obama, My Toilet Won't Flush: Rand Paul

Senator slams administration's energy-efficiency rules

(Newser) - Sen. Rand Paul yesterday ripped into the Energy Department's efficiency rules, which he says require Americans to buy poorly-flushing toilets and unwanted light bulbs, reports USA Today . "My toilets don't work in my house. And I blame you and people like you who want to tell me what I...

Latest Arctic Warning Sign: Early Blooms of Plankton

Essential organisms affected by melting ice: study

(Newser) - Melting Arctic ice has spurred tiny organisms in the region to bloom far earlier, a study suggests—a shift which could have disastrous results for the entire Arctic ecosystem. Phytoplankton are at the root of the food web there: zooplankton subsist on them, fish eat the zooplankton, birds eat the...

Save the Economy: Ride a Bike
 Save the Economy: 
 Ride a Bike 
OPINION
Mar 2, 2011 1:55 PM CST

Save the Economy: Ride a Bike

You'll save money, and local businesses get a boost

(Newser) - Think of it as the "bicycle economy," writes Elly Blue in Grist . Ditching your car for a bike not only saves you thousands of dollars every year, it boosts local businesses. "It's amazing how much money can stay in your community when it isn't being pumped into...

San Francisco Battles Odor of Low-Flow Toilets

It's going to start treating wastewater with lots of bleach

(Newser) - The good news is that San Francisco's embrace of low-flow toilets has cut annual water consumption by 20 million gallons. The bad news is the smell. Because the water doesn't have enough oomph to push waste out of sewer pipes, a not-so-pleasant odor wafts throughout the city at times, explains...

Climate Change: Sea Levels Threaten 180 US Cities by 2100
Rising Sea Could Sink Parts of 180 US Cities by 2100
study says
Feb 17, 2011 6:09 AM CST

Rising Sea Could Sink Parts of 180 US Cities by 2100

Miami, New Orleans among most endangered

(Newser) - By the end of the century, 180 coastal US cities could be partially submerged thanks to rising seas, finds a new study that looked at cities in the Lower 48 with populations of at least 50,000. The climbing sea poses a risk to, on average, 9% of the land...

Hundreds of Yellowstone's Bison May Be Slaughtered

And a $3.3M habitat-expansion program looks doomed

(Newser) - Yellowstone National Park's iconic bison herds are suffering their worst winter in several years, with almost 400 of the animals being held for possible slaughter—as an effort to expand their habitat seems poised to fail, the AP reports. Some 368 bison have been captured and placed in government corrals...

Vintners Will Genetically Engineer Wine Grapes

Pesticide bans will require pest-resistant plants

(Newser) - If you enjoy a nice glass of wine every now and again, take note: The species of grape that provides many of the most popular varieties of vino will probably need to be replaced or, at best, enhanced a little, the BBC reports. The EU—the source of 70% of...

Africa Rapidly Breaking in Two
 Africa Rapidly Breaking in Two 
Jan 21, 2011 9:55 AM CST

Africa Rapidly Breaking in Two

Quakes widen fissure at rarely-seen speed: scientists

(Newser) - Africa is gradually breaking apart—and in the past several months, the process has accelerated. Now, amid earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, it’s happening exceptionally quickly, reports Der Spiegel . Water is threatening to flood a fracture between Ethiopia and Mozambique, scientists say; while it will be millions of years before...

EPA Yanks Permit for Vast Mountaintop Mine

It uses Clean Water Act to kill West Virginia plan

(Newser) - Environmentalists won a big victory today in the debate over mountaintop mining: The EPA took the rare step of revoking a permit for a massive site in West Virginia, ruling that it would foul the water for residents in that region of Appalachia, reports the Charleston Gazette . Mountaintop mining involves...

Paper or Cloth? Italy Bans Plastic Bags

Country uses 20 billion a year

(Newser) - Italians use some 20 billion plastic bags yearly—or 300 per person. But that ends tomorrow: the country is banning the non-biodegradable bags in shops, the BBC reports. It’s “a key step forward in the fight against pollution and it makes us all more responsible in terms of...

California Approves Cap-and-Trade System

3 years in the making; first of its size in the nation

(Newser) - While climate legislation flounders in Congress, California is taking the lead: Air regulators there voted yesterday to cap industrial greenhouse gas emissions and instate the first carbon-trading program of its size in the US, the Los Angeles Times reports. “Most political people said we should do as little as...

How the States Rank on the Environment

Vermont, Maine, and Hawaii lead the way

(Newser) - Which states are the most environmentally friendly? 24/7 WallSt analyzes pollution levels, energy use, and environmental policies to rank them from 1 to 50:
  1. Vermont: Among its many "green" attributes, Vermont has the smallest carbon footprint in the country. It also releases the fewest carcinogenic toxins.

Arctic Melting May Bring New Beast: Polar-Grizzly

Mama grizzly, papa polar means threatened baby

(Newser) - Melting arctic sea ice isn’t just threatening polar bears’ lives—it’s threatening their gene pool. The loss of ice means more contact between polar bears and genetically-similar grizzlies, which means cross-breeding, scientists say. Hunters have shot at least two polar-grizzly crosses since 2006, the Independent reports. Other species...

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