Public Posts

December 21 2024 -  A solstice is an event in which the earth’s poles are most extremely inclined toward or away from the sun, at about 23.5 degrees. Solstices happen twice a year, June and December, marking the change of seasons to summer and winter. During the December solstice, the sun is directly over the Tropic of Capricorn at noon and it marks the Northern Hemisphere's astronomical beginning of winter with the shortest period of daylight. In the Southern Hemisphere, it marks the beginning of astronomical summer with the day having the longest period of daylight of the year. More 

"A new type of absorbing material developed by chemists at the University of California, Berkeley, could help get the world to negative emissions. The porous material — a covalent organic framework (COF) — captures CO2 from ambient air without degradation by water or other contaminants, one of the limitations of existing DAC technologies."  More at UC Berkeley News ➜

"You probably have been hearing phrases like “climate crisis,” “climate emergency” or “climate justice” more often lately as people try to get across the urgent risks and consequences of climate change. The danger is real, but is using this language actually persuasive? ....It turns out that Americans are more familiar with – and more concerned about – climate change and global warming than they are about climate crisis, climate emergency or climate justice, according to a recent survey we conducted with a nationally representative sample of 5,137 Americans: More at The Conversation ➜

"Cities around the world are trying everything from reflective paint to underground water channels to manage the hotter days ahead."  More at Reasons to be Cheerful ➜ 

"On an evening in December 2023, 43-year-old small business owner Sarah Rosenkranz collapsed in her home in Granbury, Texas and was rushed to the emergency room. Her heart pounded 200 beats per minute; her blood pressure spiked into hypertensive crisis; her skull throbbed. “It felt like my head was in a pressure vise being crushed,” she says. “That pain was worse than childbirth.”.. " More at TIME ➜

Decades ago, Kris Hansen showed 3M that its PFAS chemicals were in people’s bodies. Her bosses halted her work. As the EPA now forces the removal of the chemicals from drinking water, she wrestles with the secrets that 3M kept from her and the world. More at ProPublica ➜

"As Tucson gets hotter and hotter, creating more shade in its most vulnerable neighborhoods is making a vital difference ...In 2020 Tucson set a lofty goal to plant one million trees by the decade’s end...More at Reasons to be Cheerful ➜

Earth Day is an annual event celebrated on April 22 since 1970. It is a time to demonstrate support for environmental protection and an important reminder that we all have a role to play in protecting the planet. For Earth Day 2024 on April 22nd, EARTHDAY.ORG is reinstating its unwavering commitment to end plastics for the sake of human and planetary health, demanding a 60% reduction in the production of ALL plastics by 2040

 Credit for the Earth Day idea goes to Gaylord Nelson, an American politician from Wisconsin and leading figure in the fight against environmental degradation and social injustice. Rachel Carson, a marine biologist and best-selling author provided the spark for this movement with the 1962 publication of her book, "Silent Spring" which showed the devastating effects of modern pesticides on the natural world.

"Organized crime is mining sand from rivers and coasts to feed demand worldwide, ruining ecosystems and communities. Can it be stopped? ....... Every year the world uses up to 50 billion metric tons of sand, according to a United Nations Environment Program report. The only natural resource more widely consumed is water. "  More at Scientific American ➜

"......once melting glaciers shut down the Gulf Stream, we would see extreme climate change within decades, study shows" More at The Conversation ➜

The growth of Data Centers is taxing our power systems. Now we are learning that they are also using our scared water resources. More at Noema ➜