Pollution

Interior Department officials said that the Trump administration is preparing to announce policies on Monday to increase coal production, in an effort to reverse the decline in the use of this fuel. In April, President Donald Trump signed executive orders that increased coal production. This was one of many actions he took to counter global efforts to reduce carbon emissions. According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), coal-burning power plants will generate about 15% of U.S. electricty in 2024. This is down from 50% in 2000. Fracking and other drilling techniques have increased natural gas production. The growth of solar...

Tesla, a manufacturer of electric vehicles, urged the Trump Administration not to repeal the vehicle emission standards or the longstanding U.S. conclusion that greenhouse gas emissions are harmful to human health. Tesla stated in comments published on Thursday that the Environmental Protection Agency proposal to repeal standards would "give a pass to all engine and vehicle manufactures for measurement, control and reporting of GHG emission for any highway vehicle and engine." Earlier this year, a group of automakers including General Motors, Toyota, Volkswagen, and almost all others asked the EPA for a rollback on its aggressive vehicle emission limits, which...

Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, told the United Nations on Wednesday that his country planned to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 7%-10% by 2035. He also called out "some" countries for opposing the global clean energy shift. Xi delivered a video message live from Beijing to a climate leaders summit hosted by U.N. secretary-general Antonio Guterres, announcing China’s national climate plan. The plan was expected be announced prior to the COP30 Climate Summit in Brazil in November. In addition to the goal of reducing emissions, Xi stated that China intends to increase its installed wind and solar capacity to more...

On Wednesday, United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres called on all parties to the Paris Climate Agreement to develop new climate plans that would achieve greater and faster reductions in emissions than what they have already committed to. Guterres hosts a climate leaders' summit Wednesday on the sidelines the U.N. General Assembly. He has asked the countries to announce new climate targets in order to generate momentum for the global COP30 Climate Negotiations in November in Brazil. The summit takes place a day after U.S. president Donald Trump used the UNGA address to call climate change a "con-job" and to...

A study on mice suggests that researchers may have discovered a way to increase the success rate of liver transplants by finding a solution to a complication known to cause failure in the new organ. When the liver is removed from a donor, its blood supply is interrupted. The influx of blood that occurs when the blood supply is restored after transplantation causes inflammation in the liver. This is called ischemia-reperfusion damage. Graft failure and dysfunction can result from the cascade of molecular and cellular events that follow. Researchers discovered in previous experiments that a CEACAM1 protein helps protect the...

The U.S. Supreme Court is preparing to decide a number of cases during its upcoming term that begins in October. These cases include issues like tariffs, transgender, campaign finance, crisis pregnancy centers and religious rights. The following are some of the cases that will be heard during the upcoming court term. Separately, the court has also acted in emergency cases involving challenges against President Donald Trump's policy. TRUMP TARIFFS On September 9, the court agreed to rule on the legality Trump's sweeping tariffs around world, a test that will be a major part of his agenda for economics and trade....

Colin Penner, a farmer who farms 3,700 acres about an hour north of the U.S. Border, crunched a handful of canola pods, and blew away the chaff in a stiff prairie wind. In his hand, a small pile of black seeds was left. The harsh sun and high temperatures last summer scorched the yellow flowers of canola and destroyed their pollen. This led to lower yields in Western Canada. Smoke from nearby wildfires covered the skies in July and shielded Penner's young crops from the sun's rays. This resulted in more seeds and pods per plant. He said, "Look at...

Ed Miliband, Britain's Energy Minister, said that talk of an American-led retreat from climate action is overstated. He also stated that the economic arguments for net zero are strong enough to overcome domestic and international scepticism. Miliband spoke from New York Climate Week where speakers called on world leaders to put climate promises into actions, in the backdrop of U.S. president Donald Trump's agenda to boost fossil fuels and roll back pollution regulations, and to defund science and climate action. Not everyone is in favor of climate action He said via video link: "There are many people who say that...

In a letter seen by, 102 Democratic members of the U.S. House of Representatives urged the Trump Administration to drop plans to repeal vehicle emissions rules. In a letter, led by Representative Doris Matsui, 102 members of Congress called on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to abandon its plan to repeal all greenhouse-gas emission standards for heavy-duty, light-duty and medium-duty engines and vehicles. In a letter to the editor, the lawmakers stated that repealing vehicle pollution standards could hamstring the growing automotive industry by killing thousands of well-paying American. The EPA didn't immediately comment. If we turn away from clean...

enCore Energy, a South Dakota-based uranium company, announced on Tuesday that it would begin the process of obtaining state permits this year for its Dewey Burdock Project. This is ahead of schedule. In premarket trading, shares of the company increased by 3.6%. The announcement follows the denial of a review request by the Black Hills Clean Water Alliance, the Oglala Sioux Tribe, and the NDN Collective. They had contested the federal permits for the project. The petition alleged that the EPA had violated several laws, including the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Administrative Procedure Act. The appeals board, however,...

California's top environment regulator, who helped lead the state in its effort to ban gasoline-only vehicle sales starting in 2035 will retire on 30 September as the state spars over climate change regulations with President Donald Trump. Lauren Sanchez, the senior advisor to Governor Gavin Newsom for climate, will replace Liane Randolph. She has been a California Air Resources Board chair since 1992. Donald Trump has criticized the state's plans to reduce emissions and California has filed a lawsuit on several fronts against federal efforts that would loosen regulations related to climate change. In June, he approved three resolutions by...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed a rule on Friday to end the mandatory reporting of greenhouse gas emissions by 8,000 facilities. This program, the EPA said, was burdensome for businesses but left the public in the dark about the environmental impact. The agency stated that mandatory collection of GHG emission data is unnecessary as it "is not directly related to potential regulations and has no significant impact on improving the health and environment of humans." KEY QUOTE The Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program, according to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, is nothing but bureaucratic red-tape that doesn't improve air quality....

Petrobras failed a part of the test required to get a drilling license in the Foz do Amazonas Basin, Brazil's Environmental Agency wrote in its report made public on Wednesday. The agency Ibama said that Petrobras had passed the broad test. However, the technical report required the firm to resubmit their animal-rescue plans, listing this as a step necessary for its bids to drill in an ecologically sensitive area. Ibama wrote that the plan "is not capable of ensuring adequate actions for animal care." Petrobras and Ibama didn't immediately respond to requests for comments. Petrobras had previously stated that it...

Climate Week will kick off in New York City on Sunday, marking the biggest year ever for the event. Organizers report a record number companies participating and more than ever events to attend. This response was almost unanticipated in an event-hosting country that is the wealthiest nation on the planet. The host has a climate-denying program of increasing fossil fuels and rolling back pollution regulations, and defunding U.S. climate science and action. Climate Week organizers even wondered if people would show up, said Climate Group Chief executive Officer Helen Clarkson. Clarkson stated that there was a lot of enthusiasm. Climate...

Three people familiar with the plans said that Brazil would be the first to announce an investment into the Tropical Forests Forever Facility. This multilateral funding mechanism was proposed by Brazil to support the conservation of endangered forest globally. The President Luiz inacio Lula da So will announce the investment at the U.N. on Tuesday in New York. This is a move to unlock more contributions both from wealthy and developing countries, who have been at odds over funding global climate policies. The Brazilian government believes that the TFFF could be the main deliverable for the U.N. Climate Summit known...

Residents and local leaders from Ecuador's central Azuay Province took to the streets Tuesday to call for the suspension of an mining project by Canada’s Dundee Precious Metals. They claim that the project will have a negative impact on a crucial water reserve. Dundee had been granted an environmental permit by the government of President Daniel Noboa to begin construction of the Loma Larga Gold Mine there. However, as the community's pressure grew, the country’s energy minister suspended construction in August until Dundee provided an environmental management plan. Provincial authorities rejected the project because it would affect the 3,200-hectare Quimsacocha...

Archaeologists have confirmed that an ancient civilization has disappeared because of climate change by finding a small sculpture of toads and other water-related symbols near Caral, the once oldest city in the Americas. Climate change is a large-scale, long-term shift in weather patterns. It can be caused by natural factors such as solar activity changes or volcanic eruptions. Human activities have been the main cause of climate change since the early 1800s. Archaeologists found the small sculptures of two amphibians dating back 3,800 year, as well anthropomorphic figures in mud walls, earlier this year, at the Vichama archaeological site, around...

Naturally-regenerating forests are often ignored by policymakers working to curb climate change even though they hold an untapped potential to rapidly absorb planet-warming carbon from the atmosphere, scientists found in a research paper published Tuesday. The research in Nature Climate Change suggests that these so-called secondary forest, which have grown back after being destroyed, usually for agricultural purposes, can help the world get closer to the target of net-zero emission needed to slow down global warming. They found that young forests consisting of trees aged between two and forty years can remove up to eight-times more carbon per hectare from...

Brazil, the COP30 President, proposed on Friday that pledges of emissions reductions be expanded to include companies, states and cities. This was to bolster climate efforts after the U.S. withdrew from the Paris Agreement. Brazilian diplomats working on the climate summit are working closely with U.N. officials to encourage countries to submit revised targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions before September. Many missed the deadline of February. In the Paris Accord, where almost all countries agreed to limit global warming to 2 degrees Celsius or less from pre-industrial levels by 2050, it is required that these targets be submitted and...

Loreto, Peru: Illegal gold mining pollutes the region Nearly 80 percent of the population has mercury levels that are unsafe Most at risk are pregnant women and children By Dan Collyns Test results revealed this month showed that nearly 80% (of those tested) had mercury levels far above the safe limit in six communities along the Nanay River and Pintuyacu River. Jairo Reategui davila, Apu or leader of San Antonio de Nanay - one of the communities tested - said that the majority of its population was contaminated. He said, "We are concerned and we want the authorities to act."...

Underwater forests teem with life in the icy waters off Chile's northern coast. Red and green towers of seaweed rise from the ocean floor. They provide food for wildlife and income for the locals, as well as oxygen and carbon for the planet. Scientists believe that these forests have even greater potential for sustainable food, protein and other materials, despite the fact that they are threatened due to human pollution and warming oceans. "They form a band along the coastal edge, which is essentially an armour of protection and biodiversity," said Alejandra González, a marine scientist from the University of...

According to a letter released by the Brazilian presidency on Thursday, COP30, which is this year's global climate summit, has called for new global governance mechanisms in order to help countries implement their commitments and curb global warming. The summit in the Amazonian town of Belem, in November, will mark the 10th anniversary since the Paris Accord when signatories agreed that warming should be kept well below 2 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels. Many nations are still struggling to bring their plans to life and reduce carbon emissions to the level necessary to prevent the planet from reaching catastrophic...

The European Commission has made changes to the anti-deforestation legislation of the European Union that will take effect in December. The law will prohibit imports of products such as soy, beef and cocoa that are linked to the destruction of forests. Brussels delayed the launch of the policy by an entire year due to complaints from Brazil, Indonesia, and the former Biden administration. The Commission, in response to the industry's demands, published a set of rules late Tuesday that require companies to submit due diligence statements annually rather than each time a shipment or batch is placed on the EU...

Valter Correia Da Silva, Valter's Special Secretary for COP30 in the Brazilian government, said on Wednesday that Brazil had scheduled the first round of negotiations to help countries prepare for COP30 - the global climate summit. The main event will begin at Belem in the Amazonian region of Brazil about a month prior. He said that the Pre-COP will be held in Brasilia on October 14 and 15. The Pre-COP, despite being a smaller event with just the main negotiators present, has become more important this year due to the fact that countries are struggling to meet their new pledges...