Arnold Schwarzenegger has been fighting pollution and climate change for nearly 20 years. His approach has always centred around the idea that we need “less talk, more action”. During his tenure as Governor of California he worked to pass the Global Warming Solutions Act to cut emissions to 1990 levels by 2020, the Low Carbon…
Today The Guardian filed, ‘US temperatures hit record levels as south-west bakes in heatwave‘, and cites 114F in Phoenix, 109F in Las Vegas, Denver hit 100F (37,7C), in California inland areas reached triple digits. A dangerous heat swept across the American south-west over the weekend as potentially deadly heat set temperatures soaring to record levels…
Duke Today‘s Amanda Solliday recently interviewed Erika Weinthal, professor of environmental and public policy in Duke’s Nicholas School of the Environment. Weinthal’s research examines global environmental politics, including conflict and peacebuilding. She wrote a book on shared water resources following the collapse of the Soviet Union, “State Making and Environmental Cooperation: Linking Domestic Politics and…
Environmental engineers are developing innovative solutions to energy-related emissions. Many countries are decarbonizing their power grids using renewable technologies. One challenge with solar and wind power is their low storage rates. Panels and turbines produce electricity on-site, delivering it directly to consumers. As energy professionals begin building emission-free grids, they must explore different storage options.…
Global sustainability efforts are influencing national regulations. Post-industrial nations, like the U.S., have been busy establishing emission-reduction policies. Industries can shrink their carbon footprints and get ahead of regulations by adopting renewable energy sources. Lithium-ion (li-ion) batteries support individual and industrial transitions away from fossil fuels. Residents and business owners are adopting lithium-powered devices to…
Since at least 1912, the production of fossil fuels has been linked to air pollution. Over the last 40 years, studies have shown a direct link between emissions from fossil fuel plants and an increasingly long list of health issues, ranging from birth defects to cancer to dementia. Based on these studies, switching from fossil…
The world is changing every day – often, not for the better. With climate change becoming more dangerous as each year passes, it’s time that people reflect on how it could change the nuances of the world – notably, the food every human being eats to survive. Weather helps people determine which crops to plant…
The mention of an oil spill conjures up images of inky oceans, beaches stained black and workers in protective gear wading down the coastline, rescuing animals caked in oil. They are indisputably terrible for the environment. However, in 2021 — even as the United States suffers over 100 oil spills per year — the largest…
Fossil fuels haven’t been a leading source of energy for long. Within the past 200 years, humanity has become reliant on it as a fuel source, especially for getting from place to place. While these fossil fuels can be convenient, they’re also limited and will eventually run out. Before humanity loses fossil fuels entirely, they…
Nature (February 2022): “Methane levels are growing dangerously fast,” says Euan Nisbet, an Earth scientist at Royal Holloway, University of London, in Egham, UK. The emissions, which seem to have accelerated in the past few years, are a major threat to the world’s goal of limiting global warming to 1.5–2 °C over pre-industrial temperatures, he…
Model S prototype ‘set a new benchmark for the entire automotive industry’ Independent: A Tesla vehicle equipped with a next-generation battery was able to travel more than 1,200km (750 miles) on a single charge. The first road test of the Gemini battery, developed by Detroit-based startup Our Next Energy (ONE), achieved nearly double the typical range that…
(CNN)A tsunami has hit Tonga’s largest island, Tongatapu, and reportedly sent waves flooding into the capital after an underwater volcano in the South Pacific exploded in a violent eruption on Saturday, sending a cloud of ash and gas steam into the air.Satellite imagery shows a massive ash cloud and shockwaves spreading from the eruption. The…