Connecting California: State’s climate change fight about more than global warming – Desert Sun
California’s fight against climate change isn’t doing all that much to slow climate change. But it should be considered a success anyway. While California reached its 2020 goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels, it is lagging in…
Annotated Bibliography: Synthetic Turf and Climate, health, biodiversity and microplastics pollution issues
Increasing use of synthetic surfaces and synthetic turf is problematic for Several reasons. Synthetic turf is: Derived from fossil fuel petrochemical industry Produces greenhouse gas emissions during manufacturing and as it degrades Increases landfill at end of life Produces micro-plastic…
Transparent nanolayers for more solar power
(Forschungszentrum Juelich) There is no cheaper way to generate electricity today than with the sun. Solar cells available on the market based on crystalline silicon make this possible with efficiencies of up to 23 percent. With even higher efficiencies of more than 26 percent, costs could fall further. An international working group led by photovoltaics researchers from Forschungszentrum Jülich now plan to reach this goal with a nanostructured, transparent material for the front of solar cells.
Drought-induced mortality of conifers
(University of Würzburg) When trees die during a drought event, they die of thirst: A field study on spruce trees shows that an abrupt collapse of the hydraulic system is responsible.
Environmental protection could benefit from ‘micro’ as well as ‘macro’ thinking
(University of Southampton) Scientists at the University of Southampton have conducted a study that highlights the importance of studying a full range of organisms when measuring the impact of environmental change – from tiny bacteria, to mighty whales.
UNH researchers develop software to monitor ocean soundscape especially during COVID-19
(University of New Hampshire) An international development team, led by researchers at the University of New Hampshire, has created a user-friendly software program that can process sound data collected from the world’s oceans in a more standardized format that will enhance research and collaboration and help understand the global sea soundscape dynamics, including the impact of COVID-19 when travel and economic slowdowns put a halt to human activities in the ocean.
UPF presents its Planetary Wellbeing initiative to the world in a scientific article
(Universitat Pompeu Fabra – Barcelona) In 2018, Pompeu Fabra University launched its Planetary Wellbeing initiative, a long-term institutional strategy spurred by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and based on the Planetary Health project promoted by the Rockefeller Foundation and The Lancet.
VCs are hopeful Biden’s infrastructure investments boost startups tackling climate change – Axios
After co-piloting President Obama’s efforts to fight climate change as vice president, Joe Biden is having his second go, releasing a broad infrastructure proposal his administration hopes will lead to meaningful legislation and investment into stemming U.S. greenhouse emissions. The…
WHOI and NOAA release report on U.S. socio-economic effects of harmful algal blooms
(Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) Harmful algal blooms (HABs) occur in all 50 U.S. states and many produce toxins that cause illness or death in humans and commercially important species. However, attempts to place a more exact dollar value on the full range of these impacts often vary widely in their methods and level of detail, which hinders understanding of the scale of their socio-economic effects.
International Dark Sky Week is April 5 to 12
Celebrate dark night skies and help limit light pollution by raising awareness through the annual International Dark Sky Week, April 5 to 12, 2021. Find links to global events here.
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