Human-made substances hold dangers for the environment, but they also give scientists a view into recent history.
pollution
Posted inResearch & Developments
EPA to Abandon Stricter PM2.5 Air Pollution Limits
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency moved this week to reduce limits on fine particulate air pollution, including soot, set by the Biden administration last year.
Posted inResearch & Developments
5,500 Toxic Sites in the U.S. at Risk of Flooding as Seas Rise
Rising sea levels have put thousands of facilities containing hazardous materials at risk of flooding this century, according to a new study published in Nature Communications.
Posted inResearch & Developments
EPA Proposes That Major Polluters No Longer Report Their Emissions
The EPA proposed today that approximately 8,000 polluting facilities, including oil refineries, power plants, and steel mills, should no longer be required to report their greenhouse gas emissions.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
How North Carolina Trash Traps Could Help Inform Policy
Staff and volunteers at Waterkeepers collected and categorized more than 150,000 pieces of trash from the state’s waterways, the vast majority of which were plastic.
Posted inOpinions
Protein-Powered Biosensors with a Nose for Environmental Ills
Odorant-binding proteins derived from pigs, bovines, and other animals are the next frontier in localized, climate-smart sensing of pesticide spills, greenhouse gas precursors, and more.
Posted inNews
Artificial Light Lengthens the Urban Growing Season
New research shows that artificial light at night lengthens the plant growing season in cities, overshadowing the effect of high urban temperatures.
Posted inNews
Policy Success: Fees and Bans on Plastic Bags Reduce Beach Trash
Regardless of the patchwork of regulations aimed at limiting plastic bag use in the United States, new research indicates that such legislation does, indeed, limit the number of plastic bags found on beaches.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
What’s Changed—and What Hasn’t—Since the EPA’s Endangerment Finding
A scientist-authored brief played a role in the 2009 determination that greenhouse gases endanger public health. With the finding now up for reconsideration, the same scientists revisit their opinion.
Posted inResearch & Developments
EPA Proposes Removal of Carbon Dioxide Limits on Power Plants
On 11 June, the Environmental Protection Agency announced a proposal to repeal federal limits on power plant carbon emissions, including a Biden-era rule requiring power plants to control 90% of their carbon pollution and a 2015 standard limiting carbon dioxide emissions from new fossil fuel-fired power plants.