EartherClimate Change

EPA Head Scott Pruitt: Discussing Climate Change Right Now Is ‘Insensitive’ to Irma, Harvey Victims

In a bonkers interview with CNN late Thursday, Environmental Protection Agency head Scott Pruitt doubled down on the climate censorship that’s become foundational to this administration’s environmental agenda. A longtime denier of man-made climate change, Pruitt told CNN it is “insensitive” to discuss the role climate change may have played in strengthening Hurricane Harvey or … Continued

By Sidney Fussell Published September 8, 2017 | Comments (0)

EartherClimate Change

Fighting Climate Change in a Red State

ATLANTA — “The South” describes a vast, diverse group of people, ideologies and cultures linked, sometimes exclusively, by soupy, sweaty summers. Georgia’s right wing government that recently attempted to pass an anti-LGBT “religious freedom” bill, its Paris Accord exit-supporting senators and Bible Belt location make its largest city, Atlanta, feel like a progressive island in … Continued

By Ryan F. Mandelbaum Published September 8, 2017 | Comments (0)

EartherClimate Change

Here’s the Destructive Path Hurricane Irma Is Carving Through the Caribbean Towards Florida [Updating]

Category 5 Hurricane Irma, the strongest storm ever recorded in the Atlantic north of the Caribbean and east of Florida, blasted its way through some of the first targets on its route on Wednesday—and the initial outlook is not pretty. Irma has continued to terrify with sustained winds of 185 miles per hour (298 kilometers … Continued

By Tom McKay Published September 6, 2017 | Comments (0)

EartherClimate Change

Trump’s EPA Head Is Pushing Out Hundreds of Employees As Houston Faces Unprecedented Environmental Disaster

As unprecedented flooding from Hurricane Harvey sets off a series of environmental disasters in Houston, the Environmental Protection Agency is shedding hundreds of jobs. E&E News reports that roughly 450 employees are poised to leave the EPA as the organization’s lead, Scott Pruitt, pushes for voluntary buyouts, early retirement, and budget cuts. In April, Trump … Continued

By Sidney Fussell Published September 6, 2017 | Comments (0)

EartherClimate Change

France Wants to Ban All Fossil Fuel Production By 2040

In what would be a world first, the government of President Emmanuel Macron wants to phase out all oil and gas exploration and production in France and its overseas territories by 2040. Sounds dramatic, but the EU nation has very little to lose as it sets its sights on a greener future. As The New … Continued

By George Dvorsky Published September 6, 2017 | Comments (0)

EartherClimate Change

Hurricane Irma Now ‘Potentially Catastrophic’ With Winds Hitting at Least 185 Miles Per Hour

Category 5 Hurricane Irma is currently barreling through the Atlantic Ocean and is now considered the strongest recorded storm in the Atlantic basin outside of the Caribbean Sea or Gulf of Mexico, the Weather Channel reported Tuesday night. “I am at a complete and utter loss for words looking at Irma’s appearance on satellite imagery,” … Continued

By Tom McKay Published September 5, 2017 | Comments (0)

EartherClimate Change

Nightmare Wildfires Force State of Emergency in Los Angeles County

Between Hurricane Harvey’s devastating path through southeast Texas and spiraling tensions with North Korea, which may now have advanced hydrogen bombs, it’s become pretty clear Earth and humans are in a race to see who can usher in the apocalypse quicker. Another point in Mother Nature’s corner: The largest wildfire in Los Angeles history, the … Continued

By Tom McKay Published September 3, 2017 | Comments (0)

EartherClimate Change

Donald Trump’s EPA Is Now Attacking Journalists [Updated]

On Saturday, Associated Press journalists Jason Dearen and Michael Biesecker reported at least five toxic, Houston-area Superfund sites in the path of Hurricane Harvey had been deluged with floodwater, potentially distributing the assorted nasty things contained within across a much larger geographical area. The AP report noted while its reporters were able to access the … Continued

By Tom McKay Published September 3, 2017 | Comments (0)

EartherClimate Change

Report: Hurricane Harvey Has Flooded at Least Five Toxic Superfund Sites

After a week of storms and high water, Hurricane Harvey has now left at least 43 people in southeast Texas dead. In addition to the damage to infrastructure, property and residents’ lives, the possible environmental consequences of the massive flooding in the nation’s largest petrochemical complex are just now becoming apparent. At least five highly … Continued

By Tom McKay Published September 2, 2017 | Comments (0)

EartherClimate Change

Pittsburgh Is Going Green, But Who Is Getting Left Behind?

PITTSBURGH — America’s storied “Steel City” is on the forefront of an energy revolution, transitioning from its long reliance on fossil fuels to renewables and energy efficient homes. In June, Mayor Bill Peduto joined an alliance of over 100 cities committing to solar and wind power. The announcement came only hours after President Trump made … Continued

By Sidney Fussell Published September 1, 2017 | Comments (0)

EartherClimate Change

Hurricane Harvey Has Left a Chemical Plant Near Houston Ready to Detonate [Update: Two Explosions Reported]

As Hurricane Harvey’s floodwaters begin to slowly recede from Houston, leaving behind at least 23 dead, residents and authorities alike are only beginning to assess the surreal extent of the damage throughout the region. That includes the country’s largest refining and petrochemical complex, which experts have warned for years would be a serious hazard if … Continued

By Tom McKay Published August 30, 2017 | Comments (0)

EartherClimate Change

Scientists Aren’t Sure What Climate Change Did to Harvey

Hurricane Harvey and its remnants have quickly become one of the worst natural disasters in US history. The unprecedented duration and intensity of the storm has sparked a heated debate about how much climate change is to blame. The short answer is that we don’t really know, yet. But attempting to answer that question will … Continued

By Maddie Stone Published August 30, 2017 | Comments (0)

EartherClimate Change

Scientists Think They Know Why the Caspian Sea Is Shrinking

The Caspian Sea is about as strange as a body of water gets. Its surface still sits 27.5 meters (90 feet) below sea level, and water doesn’t flow out of it—it’s isolated from the oceans, and relies on a series of Asian rivers to maintain its levels. A team of researchers from universities around the … Continued

By Ryan F. Mandelbaum Published August 29, 2017 | Comments (0)

EartherClimate Change

Hurricane Harvey Is Only Getting Worse, With Floodwaters Continuing to Rise

The situation in Houston and surrounding areas of southeast Texas hit hard by Hurricane Harvey this weekend has gone from bad to worse as floodwaters continue to rise, with some of those left behind beginning to panic. According to CNN, the pace of emergency calls has only sped up as the water continues to deluge … Continued

By Tom McKay Published August 28, 2017 | Comments (0)

EartherClimate Change

EPA Spokesperson: Abandoning Our Sponsorship of Climate Leadership Program ‘Shouldn’t Be a Surprise’

On Friday, the EPA announced it was ending its sponsorship of the Climate Leadership Awards, a national program that rewards businesses and organizations making efforts to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Launched under Obama in 2012, the CLA awards companies for setting and meeting voluntary GHG emissions goals, publicly releasing emissions targets, or creating new … Continued

By Sidney Fussell Published August 28, 2017 | Comments (0)

EartherClimate Change

Donald Trump Is Impressed by Hurricane Harvey and He’s Letting Everyone Know

This weekend Category 4 storm Hurricane Harvey, the biggest natural disaster of President Donald Trump’s presidency so far, barreled into southeast Texas, whipping coastal areas with 130 miles per hour (209 kilometers per hour) winds and causing unprecedented, catastrophic flooding in the Houston/Galveston region. Trump, in predictable accordance with what has felt like decades of … Continued

By Tom McKay Published August 27, 2017 | Comments (0)

EartherClimate Change

Hurricane Harvey’s Fallout Continues With Nightmare Flooding in Houston Area

Just one day after Hurricane Harvey made landfall in southeastern Texas, historic flooding continued to wrack the city of Houston and surrounding areas. According to CNN, authorities said they have rescued more than 1,000 people from the rising waters, with more than 24 inches of water falling on the Houston area in the past 24 … Continued

By Tom McKay Published August 27, 2017 | Comments (0)

EartherClimate Change

Hurricane Harvey Floods, Thrashes Southeast Texas After Making Landfall [Updating]

Hurricane Harvey smashed into the Texas Gulf Coast on Friday night and Saturday morning after being elevated to Category 4 status, wiping out buildings with 130 miles per hour (209 kilometers per hour) winds and a 12-foot storm surge. At least one person died in Rockport, Texas during the storm when their house caught fire, … Continued

By Tom McKay Published August 26, 2017 | Comments (0)

EartherClimate Change

Another Government Agency Has Purged References to Climate Change From Its Site 

Data-tracking watchdog group, Environmental Data & Governance Initiative (EDGI), has reported dozens of instances where the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences has deleted references to climate change from its site. As the name suggests, the NIEHS’ site links to research summaries detailing how the environment affects personal health. Since it began tracking changes to … Continued

By Sidney Fussell Published August 24, 2017 | Comments (0)

EartherClimate Change

It Turns Out That Knowing More About Science Doesn’t Correct Misbelief

When Kevin Esvelt, an evolutionary biologist at MIT, started thinking about using genetically engineered mice to fight Lyme disease, among his first stops was a community meeting in the small Martha’s Vineyard town of Chilmark. Esvelt makes regular field trips to talk to the public about his work. If the potential of tools like CRISPR … Continued

By Kristen V. Brown Published August 23, 2017 | Comments (0)