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UrduAmid increasing concern about the effects of plastic pollution on marine ecosystems, a new study led by Portland State University found that North America is lagging behind other continents when it comes to understanding the potential risks that microplastics and…
Tag: POLLUTION/REMEDIATION
UK needs to act to prevent electric vehicle battery waste mountain — new study
Recycling technologies for end-of-life lithium ion batteries (LIBs) are not keeping pace with the rapid rise of electric vehicles, storing up a potentially huge waste management problem for the future, according to a new study. A review of lithium ion…
Carbon dioxide capture and use could become big business
Researchers from UCLA, Oxford and other institutions analyze 10 different industrial applications for greenhouse gas emissions
What we can learn from Indigenous land management
Lessons from first nations governance in environmental management
China meets ultra-low emissions in advance of the 2020 goal
China is working hard to reduce emissions and mitigate global climate change despite the significant challenges it faces as an emerging economy. A recent study shows the country has achieved notable success by beating its own rigorous timetable. Scientists from…
Declaration of a climate emergency and next steps for action
Scientific consensus on the threat of climate change is well established, reaching back 40 years to the First World Climate Conference, held in Geneva in 1979. Over the ensuing decades, attendees of similar assemblies have cited the growing threat of…
On the road to Paris: The shifting landscape of carbon dioxide reduction
Carnegie Mellon University researchers have found that current forecasts call for the U.S. electric power sector to meet the 2020 and 2025 CO 2 reduction requirements in the Paris Agreement–even though the U.S. has announced its withdrawal–and also meet the…
Invasive species short-circuiting benefits from mercury reduction in the Great Lakes
MADISON – According to a new study published today [Nov. 4, 2019] in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , 40 years of reduced mercury use, emissions, and loading in the Great Lakes region have largely not produced…
Sea levels to continue rising after Paris agreement emission pledges expire in 2030
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Sea levels will continue to rise around the world long after current carbon emissions pledges made through the Paris climate agreement are met and global temperatures stabilize, a new study indicates. The historic Paris agreement on climate…
Sea levels to continue rising after Paris agreement emission pledges expire in 2030
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Sea levels will continue to rise around the world long after current carbon emissions pledges made through the Paris climate agreement are met and global temperatures stabilize, a new study indicates. The historic Paris agreement on climate…
Invasive species short-circuiting benefits from mercury reduction in the Great Lakes
MADISON – According to a new study published today [Nov. 4, 2019] in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , 40 years of reduced mercury use, emissions, and loading in the Great Lakes region have largely not produced…
Invasive species short-circuiting benefits from mercury reduction in the Great Lakes
MADISON – According to a new study published today [Nov. 4, 2019] in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , 40 years of reduced mercury use, emissions, and loading in the Great Lakes region have largely not produced…
Sea levels to continue rising after Paris agreement emission pledges expire in 2030
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Sea levels will continue to rise around the world long after current carbon emissions pledges made through the Paris climate agreement are met and global temperatures stabilize, a new study indicates. The historic Paris agreement on climate…
Microrobots clean up radioactive waste (video)
According to some experts, nuclear power holds great promise for meeting the world’s growing energy demands without generating greenhouse gases. But scientists need to find a way to remove radioactive isotopes, both from wastewater generated by nuclear power plants and…
Finally, the answer to a ‘burning’ 40-year-old question
Cutting-edge instrumentation reveals mechanism behind catalysis that neutralizes air-polluting NOx from power plant emissions
Low temperature district heating: New plants for eight European cities
Eurac Research is leading a €15 million European project that will build innovative district heating networks and study business models to manage them.
Waste plastic converted into filtration membranes
In a world that seems to be drowning in plastic bottles, recycling this waste into useful materials would help to reduce its environmental impact. KAUST researchers have now invented a way to turn plastic bottles into porous membranes that could…
Recent increase in fine particulate matter associated with more premature deaths in US
In the United States, annual average levels of fine particulate matter–PM2.5, a measure of solid particles and liquid droplets that are 2.5 micrometers or smaller found in the air–declined 24% from 2009 to 2016, then increased 5% between 2016 to…
Lead poisoning reduced with safer mining practices
Blood lead levels reduced by 32% in Nigerian gold mining communities
New science on cracking leads to self-healing materials
Cracks in the desert floor appear random to the untrained eye, even beautifully so, but the mathematics governing patterns of dried clay turn out to be predictable–and useful in designing advanced materials. In a pair of new studies from Princeton…
Identifying a cyanobacterial gene family that helps control photosynthesis
A new Michigan State University study has identified a family of genes in cyanobacteria that help control carbon dioxide fixation. The discovery furthers our basic knowledge of photosynthesis. It also opens new doors to design systems for sustainable biotech production.…
Dual approach needed to save sinking cities and bleaching corals
DURHAM, N.C. – Local conservation can boost the climate resilience of coastal ecosystems, species and cities and buy them precious time in their fight against sea-level rise, ocean acidification and warming temperatures, a new paper by scientists at Duke University…
Researchers find antibiotic resistant genes prevalent in groundwater
Scholars warn attention needed to make wastewater potable and ensure public safety nationwide against emerging threat of antibiotic resistance
Exposure to air pollution increases violent crime rates, study finds
Breathing dirty air can make you sick. But according to new Colorado State University research, it can also make you more aggressive
Managing stormwater and stream restoration projects together
Both stormwater control and stream restoration are proven ways to reduce erosion along water channels. Often, though, each method is managed by a different urban land-management department, measuring different success values. Efforts are rarely coordinated due to funding and other…
Battling BPA with biofilms
Pitt researcher awarded $420,000 NSF grant to study growing biofilms on electrodes to degrade bisphenol A
USDA grant to study transport of pollen from hemp and genetically engineered switchgrass
A new season is often marked by the eruption of pollen into the air. As these invisible grains fall back down to Earth, those who suffer from grass and tree allergies are gravely impacted. And because allergy season is so…
Nuclear war between India and Pakistan would launch a global climate catastrophe
Rapidly expanding nuclear arsenals in Pakistan and India portend regional and global catastrophe
Aspirin may prevent air pollution harms
A new study is the first to report evidence that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like aspirin may lessen the adverse effects of air pollution exposure on lung function. The team of researchers from the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health,…
Seagrass meadows harbor wildlife for centuries, highlighting need for conservation
Seagrass meadows put down deep roots, persisting in the same spot for hundreds and possibly thousands of years, a new study shows. Seagrasses, crucial sources of shelter and food for thousands of species, are threatened globally by coastal development, pollution…
Study finds rising ozone a hidden threat to corn
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Like atmospheric methane and carbon dioxide, ground-level ozone is on the rise. But ozone, a noxious chemical byproduct of fossil fuel combustion, has received relatively little attention as a potential threat to corn agriculture. A new study…
Taxi drivers face highest levels of black carbon compared to other professional drivers
Madrid, Spain: Professional drivers working in congested cities are exposed to black carbon levels that are on average a third higher than would be experienced at a busy roadside, according to research presented at the European Respiratory Society International Congress.…
Longest coral reef survey to date reveals major changes in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef
Marine biologist Prof. Maoz Fine: ‘Following in the footsteps of the pioneers of coral reef biology and ecology was an inspirational experience’
Air pollution linked to increased risk of infant death & reduced lung function in children
Madrid, Spain: Air pollution is linked to an increased risk of death in babies according to a study of nearly eight million live births, to be presented at the European Respiratory Society International Congress on Sunday. Although it is known…
2019 Science in Society Journalism Award winners announced
We are pleased to announce the winners of the 2019 Science in Society Journalism Awards, sponsored by the National Association of Science Writers: In the Book category, She Has Her Mother’s Laugh: The Powers, Perversions and Potentials of Heredity ,…
Studies link air pollution to mental health issues in children
CINCINNATI — Three new studies by scientists at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, in collaboration with researchers at the University of Cincinnati, highlight the relationship between air pollution and mental health in children. A study to be published Sept. 25…
Plastic teabags release microscopic particles into tea
Many people are trying to reduce their plastic use, but some tea manufacturers are moving in the opposite direction: replacing traditional paper teabags with plastic ones. Now, researchers reporting in ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology have discovered that a soothing…
Aerosols from coniferous forests no longer cool the climate as much
Emissions of greenhouse gases have a warming effect on the climate, whereas small airborne particles in the atmosphere, aerosols, act as a cooling mechanism. That is the received wisdom in any case. However, new research from Lund University in Sweden…
Humankind did not live with a high-carbon dioxide atmosphere until 1965
A study co-authored by a Texas A&M researcher determined that Earth’s carbon dioxide atmospheric concentrations averaged 250 parts per million for 2.5 million years; today’s levels are about 410 parts per million
West Africa: human-induced air pollution is higher than expected
Emissions of volatile organic pollutants in West Africa are 100 to 150 times higher than current estimates for the region, according to a study by researchers from the CNRS and Université Clermont-Auvergne[1], in collaboration with the Institut Mines Télécom Lille-Douai…
Bee biodiversity barometer on Fiji
New species described as environment changes
Study estimates more than 100,000 cancer cases could stem from contaminants in tap water
WASHINGTON – A toxic cocktail of chemical pollutants in U.S. drinking water could result in more than 100,000 cancer cases, according to a peer-reviewed study from Environmental Working Group – the first study to conduct a cumulative assessment of cancer…
Climate protection and clean air: An integrated approach
Recommendations for boosting Paris Agreement and SDGs
Microbe chews through PFAS and other tough contaminants
In a series of lab tests, a relatively common soil bacterium has demonstrated its ability to break down the difficult-to-remove class of pollutants called PFAS, researchers at Princeton University said. The bacterium, Acidimicrobium bacterium A6, removed 60% of PFAS _specifically…
Cutting emissions gradually will avert sudden jump in warming
Study dispels fears that cutting fossil fuel emissions aggressively would backfire and cause unintended temperature spike
Rethinking scenario logic for climate policy
Current scenarios used to inform climate policy have a weakness in that they typically focus on reaching specific climate goals in 2100 – an approach which may encourage risky pathways that could have long-term negative effects. A new IIASA-led study…
Planned roads would be ‘dagger in the heart’ for Borneo’s forests and wildlife
Malaysia’s plans to create a Pan-Borneo Highway will severely degrade one of the world’s most environmentally imperilled regions, says a research team from Australia and Malaysia. “This network of highways will cut through some of the last expanses of intact…
Fungicides as an underestimated hazard for freshwater organisms
Fungicides are worldwide used in agriculture. Large amounts of applied fungicides leak into nearby surface waters. The effects of these substances on aquatic organisms are poorly understood and not specifically addressed in the EU regulatory frameworks with respect to the…
Finding (microbial) pillars of the bioenergy community
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Stems, leaves, flowers and fruits make up the biggest chunk of potential living space for microbes in the environment, but ecologists still don’t know a lot about how the microorganisms that reside there establish and maintain…
Environment: Pollutants found in skin and blubber of English Channel dolphins
High levels of pollutants, such as industrial fluids and mercury, may have accumulated in the blubber and skin of one of the largest coastal populations of dolphins in Europe, a study in Scientific Reports indicates. Mercury concentrations found in 82…