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Scientists Identify Bacteria That Can Break Down ‘Forever Chemicals’
Researchers have identified soil bacteria able to break down some PFAS chemicals, known as “forever chemicals” because they take decades to degrade naturally. PFAS are used in nonstick cookware, stain-resistant fabrics, and firefighting foams, and have been linked with higher cholesterol, lower fertility, developmental delays in children, and a greater risk of developing kidney, prostate, or testicular cancer.
Shanghai Sees Hottest May Weather On Record
Shanghai recorded its highest May temperature ever amid an extended stretch of sweltering spring heat. China’s most populous city saw the mercury soar to 97 degrees F (36.1 degrees C) Monday, beating the previous record of 96.3 degrees F (35.7 degrees) C to become the hottest May temperature in more than a century of record-keeping, Reuters reports. The hot spell comes just weeks after large parts of Europe, North Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia also saw record heat, which scientists linked to climate change.
With Climate Change, Antarctic Ocean Circulation Has Slowed Dramatically, Study Finds
Ocean circulation in the deep waters around Antarctica has slowed significantly over the past three decades, according to a new study. Ocean circulation is keeping climate change in check by drawing heat and carbon from the sea surface down to its depths. As polar waters freeze, they expel salt, causing surrounding waters to grow more saline — and thus, heavier — and sink to the ocean floor. But warmer temperatures are now melting polar ice, disrupting this process.
Are Sea Cucumbers a Cleanup Solution to Fish Farm Pollution?
Off the coast of the Hawaiian Island of Kauai, an underwater metropolis bustles. Sea turtles glide lazily through the surf while schools of fluorescent yellow butterflyfish weave between basketball-size sea urchins and sharp corals. But Dave Anderson isn’t distracted by the otherworldly charm of the coral reef — he’s here...
Among Some Fish, Heat Stress May Be Contagious, Study Finds
Heat stress not only afflicts fish in uncomfortably warm waters. It may also spread to other fish, a new study finds. Scientists have long known that fish can communicate using chemical cues. Fish harassed by predators, for instance, may release chemicals that spur nearby fish to guard against attack. The new research, authors write, uncovers “a yet untested dimension of chemical communication” — heat stress.
As Peak Oil Looms, Exxon Wades into Lithium Mining
Eyeing a future of waning oil demand and rising sales of electric cars, Exxon Mobil is set to begin mining lithium, a key ingredient in EV batteries. Exxon has bought drilling rights for a 120,000-acre swath of southern Arkansas that is estimated to contain enough lithium to supply 50 million electric vehicles, The Wall Street Journal reports. The $100 million investment, small for a company of Exxon’s size, does not signal a major strategy shift, but it does reflect a rapidly changing market in which EVs increasingly displace gas-powered cars.
New York City Sinking Under Weight of Skyscrapers
New York City is sinking under the weight of its massive buildings, leaving it more vulnerable to rising seas, a new study finds. Most coastal cities are slowly sinking as the earth beneath them settles and groundwater is drained away. In some metropolises, the weight of large, concrete-and-steel skyscrapers may be hastening this slump, but experts rarely, if ever, account for the mass of large buildings in projections of future sinking.
The Upper Atmosphere Is Cooling, Prompting New Climate Concerns
There is a paradox at the heart of our changing climate. While the blanket of air close to the Earth’s surface is warming, most of the atmosphere above is becoming dramatically colder. The same gases that are warming the bottom few miles of air are cooling the much greater expanses above that stretch to the edge of space.
April Heat Wave in South Asia Made 30 Times More Likely by Climate Change
Deadly heat and humidity across India, Bangladesh, Laos, and Thailand in late April was made significantly more likely by climate change, scientists say. In parts of Bangladesh, temperatures soared to 105 degrees F (40.6 degrees C), while several Indian cities saw highs of 111 degrees F (44 degrees C). Laos and Thailand recorded temperatures up to 109 degrees F (42.9 degrees) and 114 degrees F (45.4 degrees C), respectively, all-time highs for both countries. The hot spell led to a spike in heat strokes across the region.
Biggest Fossil Fuel Firms Responsible for a Third of Western Forests Burned Since 1986, Study Finds
Emissions from the world’s 88 largest fossil fuel firms and cement makers are responsible for 37 percent of the forest burned in the western U.S. and Canada since 1986, according to a new study. “Over the last several decades, human-caused climate change has turned routine Western wildfires into exceptionally...
Amazon Deforestation Down 40 Percent So Far This Year
So far this year, deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon is down 40 percent from the same period in 2022, according to government data. The drop comes as a win for President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who has promised to curb forest less. In April alone, deforestation was down 68...
As Ocean Oxygen Levels Dip, Fish Face an Uncertain Future
Off the coast of southeastern China, one particular fish species is booming: the oddly named Bombay duck, a long, slim fish with a distinctive, gaping jaw and a texture like jelly. When research ships trawl the seafloor off that coast, they now catch upwards of 440 pounds of the gelatinous fish per hour — a more than tenfold increase over a decade ago. “It’s monstrous,” says University of British Columbia fisheries researcher Daniel Pauly of the explosion in numbers.
This Zambian Took on a U.K. Mining Giant on Pollution and Won
The southern African nation of Zambia is home to a wealth of minerals — in particular, lots of the copper and cobalt that the world will require to power a green economy. Among its largest operations is the Konkola Copper Mines (KCM), located in the country’s Copperbelt Province. In 2004, U.K.-based Vedanta Resources acquired the controlling stake in KCM, whose operations span 11 square miles along the Kafue River. Soon after, residents noticed that the Kafue was emitting foul odors. Fish began dying. Crops began to wither. Livestock fell ill. And villagers came down with mysterious headaches, nose bleeds, rashes, and burns.
Spring Brings Record Heat to Europe, North Africa, Southeast Asia
A hot spell in Southeast Asia has broken all-time heat records. It comes on the heels of a record-breaking heat wave in Southern Europe and North Africa that scientists say was “almost impossible” without climate change. Temperatures in parts of Laos breached 110 degrees F (44.1 degrees C)...
India Aims to Block New Coal Power Proposals
India is seeking to amend its National Electricity Policy to end the construction of new coal power plants. The world’s third-biggest emitter of carbon dioxide after China and the United States, India is highly dependent on coal power, with a capacity of 205 gigawatts. If its federal cabinet approves the proposed policy update, the 28 gigawatts of coal projects currently under construction will continue to move forward, but the government will block proposals for additional coal power, Reuters reports.
Avian Flu Outbreaks in Marine Mammals Mark New Era for Deadly Virus
Last June, the phones at Marine Mammals of Maine began ringing — a lot. People walking the craggy shoreline of Casco Bay, which stretches north and south of Portland, were reporting sick or dead seals. Late spring and early summer, as pups begin to set off on their own, are usually the rescue and rehabilitation center’s busiest time, but the volume of calls kept increasing. “We were dealing with three times the number of animals we would normally be dealing with,” says Lynda Doughty, the center’s executive director.
El Niño to Return This Year, and With It, More Heat
El Niño, a phase marked by warm waters in the eastern Pacific, will likely return this year, driving up global temperatures, according to the World Meteorological Organization. The Pacific has been in the cooler La Niña phase for the last three years, but that is coming to a close....
Finland Drained Its Peatlands. He’s Helping Bring Them Back
Until a century ago, almost a third of Finland was covered in pristine peatlands, which comprise one of the Earth’s largest and most important carbon sinks. Since then, however, half of Finnish peatlands have been strip-mined for fuel or drained to make room for forest plantations. But Tero Mustonen...
Only 10 Countries Meeting Basic Needs of Citizens in a Sustainable Way
Just 10 countries are meeting the basic needs of their citizens in a sustainable way, according to a new study that looked at the water use and carbon emissions of 178 nations. The study determined which countries are supplying needed water without drawing down reserves faster than they can be...
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Yale Environment 360 is an online magazine offering opinion, analysis, reporting, and debate on global environmental issues.
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