EartherEnvironmental Justice

The Navajo Generating Station’s Last Coal Delivery Marks the End of an Era

In Arizona, former coal workers—many of whom are from the Navajo Nation or Hopi Tribe—are preparing for major layoffs. The Navajo Generating Station is officially on its death bed. The last coal train left the Kayenta Mine Monday, reports Arizona Central, marking the end of an era of carbon emissions and air pollution. It also … Continued

EartherEarth Science

Puerto Rico Battens Down the Hatches as Tropical Storm Dorian Nears

On Tuesday morning, Tropical Storm Dorian looked like it would thread the needle between western Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. But as the sun rose on the still-organizing storm on Wednesday, Dorian’s forecast track has shifted. It could now strafe or even hit the heavily populated eastern side of Puerto Rico and parts of … Continued

EartherConservation

Noted Forest Management Expert Donald Trump Wants to Log World’s Largest Intact Temperate Rainforest

Donald Trump’s administration has turned its all-consuming maw to Alaska’s 16.7-million-acre Tongass National Forest, per a Tuesday report in the Washington Post citing three sources briefed on a plan to exempt the forest from logging restrictions imposed in 2001. As the Post noted, Tongass National Forest is the world’s largest intact temperate rainforest, and the … Continued

EartherConservation

New Survey Finds Hundreds of Endangered Bird Parts for Sale on Facebook

Hundreds of parts of the critically endangered helmeted hornbill appeared for sale on Thai-language Facebook groups, according to a new report. The helmeted hornbill is a large bird with a yellow, orange, and red helmet-like growth on its beak used like elephant ivory is for ornamental purposes. The bird is protected in all five countries … Continued

EartherConservation

A Hurricane Obliterated Hawaii’s Most Spectacular Reef

Rapture Reef was an undersea Eden, hundreds of miles out in a remote, ocean wilderness. It was a pristine, coral wonderland, renowned among marine biologists. But now it’s gone. This month, stunned scientists discovered that a hurricane wiped Rapture Reef off the map last fall. Researchers with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and … Continued

EartherEarth Science

Tropical Storm Dorian Could Pose the First Cyclone Threat to Puerto Rico Since Maria

On Tuesday morning, the National Hurricane Center issued a forecast with words nobody on Puerto Rico wants to see: hurricane watch. Tropical Storm Dorian ripped across Barbados and the Eastern Antilles islands on Monday night and emerged on the other side with winds around 50 mph. The storm is expected to strengthen as it churns … Continued

Earther

Bolsonaro Government Throws Tantrum, Says It Won’t Accept Amazon Firefighting Funds

Brazilian president and far-right climate denier Jair Bolsonaro won’t even accept the paltry $20 million that G7 countries pledged towards creating a fund to “help Amazon countries fight wildfires and launch a long-term global initiative to protect the rainforest,” Bolsonaro’s chief of staff Onyx Lorenzoni told Globo on Monday. “We appreciate it, but maybe these … Continued

EartherEarth Science

Gigantic Pumice Raft from Underwater Eruption Is on a Wild Ride Across the Pacific Ocean

In early August, sailors in the southwest Pacific Ocean began to see their environment transmogrify. As far as the eye could see, the ocean turned from an azure delight into a colossal gathering of clinking, floating rocks. And then came the foul, sulfurous odors. These rocks, some as big as a human head, were easy to … Continued

EartherConservation

Scientists Just Took a Big Step In the Race to Save the Northern White Rhino

Thanks to groundbreaking science, conservationists could save the critically endangered northern white rhino. Only two animals of this species remain—Najin and Fatu, both of which are female—and an international team of scientists have come together to harvest 10 eggs from the hopeful rhino mamas in the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya. And now scientists have … Continued

EartherClimate Change

Andrew Yang: Still Dangerous

On Monday, Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang put out his climate plan. And Yang Gang, I am sorry, but your man is still the most dangerous Democratic presidential candidate. Just as the Bernie plan perfectly characterized the Vermont senator, Yang’s plan is perfectly suited for the entrepreneur. It starts with a doom-and-gloom introduction and veers … Continued

EartherConservation

Leo’s $5 Million Donation Is Great, But It’s Not Enough to Save the Amazon

Leonardo DiCaprio’s environmental organization Earth Alliance created a donation fund over the weekend to help address the crisis in the Amazon. The actor kicked in a $5 million donation, and the group is calling on the public to help as well. The thing is, Amazon rainforest is burning, and it’ll need a lot more money … Continued

EartherEarth Science

The Amazon Fires Coughed Up an Enormous Plume of Carbon Monoxide

New satellite imagery shows gigantic plumes of noxious carbon monoxide wafting over Brazil’s Amazon rainforest and surrounding areas—the result of massive forest fires currently raging in the region. The new timelapse video was produced by NASA, and it shows the movement of carbon monoxide in the upper atmosphere above South America from August 8-22. Data … Continued

Earther

Brazil Deploys Troops to Fight Wildfires After Widespread Outrage at Bolsonaro’s Government

Brazil has deployed nearly 44,000 soldiers as part of an operation to fight the rampant fires currently burning in much of the Amazon, with officials stating two C-130 firefighting planes have also been dispatched, according to the Daily Beast. After President Jair Bolsonaro, a far-right climate denier, took office this year and immediately began gutting … Continued

Earther

DNC Votes 222-137 Against Allowing Candidates to Participate in Climate Debate

Democratic National Committee delegates in San Francisco voted against allowing candidates to participate in a primary debate focused on climate change, per the Mercury News, in a contentious 222-137 vote that comes amid ongoing devastation in the Amazon rainforest and growing evidence that scientists have underestimated the pace at which the world is warming. Top … Continued

EartherEnvironmental Justice

A Last Ditch Legal Effort to Stop the Keystone XL Pipeline Has Failed

A new president is looking more and more like advocates’ only way of stopping the Keystone XL Pipeline. The Nebraska Supreme Court approved the pipeline route that cuts through the state, which environmental advocates argued was illegal. The court battle over the pipeline’s fate has come a long way. In November 2017, the Nebraska Public … Continued

EartherConservation

One of the Most Eaten Sharks in the World Is Now in Greater Danger [UPDATED]

This week, conservation experts from around the world are meeting in Geneva for the triennial Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species conference of the parties. One of the highest-profile proposals is to provide protections for shortfin mako sharks, which are among the most common sharks caught for food. Yet in a bizarre twist, the … Continued

EartherEnvironmental Justice

The Amazon Forest Fires Are a Form of ‘Genocide’

When Richard Pearshouse visited indigenous communities in the Brazilian Amazon in April to investigate illegal deforestation, he heard countless horrors of land grabbers directly threatening and intimidating people. One story, however, really stuck with the head of environment and crisis with Amnesty International: a 22-year-old mother who finally lulled her children to sleep despite the … Continued

EartherEnvironmental Justice

David Koch Escaped the Climate Hell He Helped Create

David Koch is dead. The billionaire died this week at age 79 of causes yet unknown. While he certainly enjoyed the fruits of his labors to deregulate U.S. industry and reduce taxes on the super-wealthy like himself, he will never have to experience the consequences of his biggest achievement: putting the entire planet on the … Continued

EartherClimate Change

Climate Change Could Be Behind An ‘Extraordinary’ Ancient Plant Bloom in the UK

Cycads are palm-tree like plants that dominated the Earth’s landscape some 280 million years ago when the continents were smashed up into Pangea. Back then, the planet was going through global warming due to increased carbon dioxide levels from natural processes, which allowed plants called cycads to flourish around the world. They still grow throughout … Continued

EartherClimate Change

Jay Inslee Changed Everything

Jay Inslee, the first presidential climate candidate and noted hottie, is out of the race for the White House. The Democratic Washington governor announced he was ending his campaign on Wednesday night. Despite never really catching fire in the polls, his campaign could very well have altered the course of history for the better. From … Continued