Food & Agriculture
Can the World Find Solutions to the Nitrogen Pollution Crisis?
More and more nitrogen keeps pouring into waterways, unleashing algal blooms and creating dead zones. To prevent the problem from worsening, scientists warn, the world must drastically cut back on synthetic fertilizers and double the efficiency of the nitrogen used on farms.
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Biodiversity
In New Park, China Creates a Refuge for the Imperiled Siberian Tiger
As part of a new national park system, China is setting aside a vast territory that is home to small numbers of Siberian tigers and Amur leopards along the Russian and North Korean borders. Officials hope it will bolster populations of the endangered big cats.
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Opinion
How the Trump Administration Distorts Analysis of Key Environmental Rules
In its zeal to roll back protections, the EPA under Scott Pruitt is abandoning long-standing standard methods of evaluating the costs and benefits of regulations. This unprecedented shift could damage the long-term credibility of the EPA and other government agencies.
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Food & Agriculture
Can Deepwater Aquaculture Avoid the Pitfalls of Coastal Fish Farms?
Near-shore fish farms have created a host of environmental problems. Now, U.S. aquaculture advocates – backed by mainstream conservation groups – are saying that locating well-run operations out in the ocean could produce sustainable food and protect wild stocks from overfishing.
E360 Video
On the Chesapeake, A Precarious Future of Rising Seas and High Tides
Maryland’s Dorchester County is ground zero for climate change on Chesapeake Bay, as rising seas claim more and more land. An e360 video explores the quiet beauty of this liquid landscape and how high tides and erosion are putting the bay’s rural communities at risk.
E360 Digest
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EPA Fines Declined More than 70 Percent in 2017
The Environmental Protection Agency fined polluters $1.6 billion in penalties for breaking emissions rules in fiscal year 2017 — one-fifth of the $5.7 billion that the Obama-era EPA fined companies and municipalities the year before, according to agency data and reporting by The Hill. More about EPA Fines Declined More than 70 Percent in 2017 →
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New Trump Administration Flood Standards Mirror Obama-Era Rules
Six months after President Trump revoked an Obama-era rule mandating that federally funded projects account for future sea level rise and flooding, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has announced that recipients of $7.4 billion in disaster recovery grants must do just that — seemingly representing a reversal of the administration’s stance on climate preparedness. More about New Trump Administration Flood Standards Mirror Obama-Era Rules →
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Saudi Arabia Makes Big Push to Boost Domestic Renewable Energy
The world’s largest exporter of oil, Saudi Arabia, is shifting away from fossil fuels toward renewable energy. The country’s government plans to invest up to $7 billion in seven new solar plants and a wind farm by the end of the year, with a goal to get 10 percent of its power from renewables by 2023, The New York Times reported. More about Saudi Arabia Makes Big Push to Boost Domestic Renewable Energy →
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Republican Congressman Carlos Curbelo of South Florida represents one of the U.S. regions most vulnerable to sea level rise. Now, he’s breaking with GOP orthodoxy to help build a bipartisan coalition in the House to influence climate legislation.
Energy
After an Uncertain Start, U.S. Offshore Wind Is Powering Up
After years of delays, the U.S. offshore wind industry is finally gaining momentum, with new projects being planned along the Atlantic coast. So far, the Trump administration seems to be regarding offshore wind as one form of renewable energy it can support.
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Climate
Warming Signs: How Diminished Snow Cover Puts Species in Peril
As the world warms, snow cover has been diminishing from the Alps to the Rockies. The dwindling snowpack is having a profound effect on ecosystems, disrupting the adaptive advantages of such northern species as lynx, wolverines, and snowshoe hares.
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Analysis
Will Self-Driving Cars Usher in a Transportation Utopia or Dystopia?
Innovation visionaries say electric, self-driving, shared cars will soon revolutionize the way humans move about. But experts caution that unless this paradigm shift is guided by sound public policies, the future of transportation could lead to more pollution, more emissions, and more gridlock.
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Biodiversity
Habitat on the Edges: Making Room for Wildlife in an Urbanized World
Efforts to protect biodiversity are now focusing less on preserving pristine areas and more on finding room for wildlife on the margins of human development. As urban areas keep expanding, it is increasingly the only way to allow species to survive.
The Urban Challenge
Cities are increasingly becoming the source of both environmental challenges and solutions.