Leaders insisted China-backed coal deals would fix Pakistan’s energy crisis. But the power plants have threatened residents’ health and left the nation in a debt trap. By Aman Azhar Planet China: Fourteenth in a series about how Beijing’s trillion-dollar development plan is reshaping the globe—and the natural world.Continue Reading
“Giving up is not an option – so many people depend on you,” the words of Maryanne Gichanga, a participant in a UN supported initiative, which aims to help farmers in Kenya find solutions to alleviate the pressures of climate change on agriculture production. Continue Reading
Facing staunch local opposition and federal roadblocks, new wind project development is teetering on the brink, despite growing power demand. Even Iowa, the nation’s most wind-powered state, is “closed for business,” experts say. By Dan Gearino, Anika Jane Beamer SHENANDOAH, Iowa—First viewed from a pickup truck driving south on U.S.Continue Reading
Europa’s subsurface ocean might be getting fed after all. Scientists found that salty, nutrient-rich surface ice can become heavy enough to break free and sink through Europa’s icy shell, delivering essential ingredients to the ocean below. The process is fast, repeatable, and works under many conditions. It offers a promisingContinue Reading
The future has already happened. The post Three books explore deep time and help us look forward appeared first on High Country News.Continue Reading
The snowpack this winter is smaller than average in California’s Sierra Nevada as well as the Rocky Mountains. The lack of snow reflects record warmth.Continue Reading
With rising effects of climate change across the globe, the world has started recognising that climate change is not just an ecological collapse, but also a human rights crisis.Continue Reading
Somalia is facing a rapidly worsening drought emergency, with vast swaths of the country now parched after four failed rainy seasons, leaving millions at risk of hunger and displacement, UN humanitarians warned on Wednesday.Continue Reading
A new MIT Global Change Outlook finds current climate policies and economic indicators put the world on track for dangerous warming. By Ryan Krugman After yet another international climate summit ended last fall without binding commitments to phase out fossil fuels, a leading global climate model is offering a starkContinue Reading
As batteries have gotten cheaper and more powerful, they have enabled the electrification of everything from vehicles to lawn equipment, power tools, and scooters. But electrifying homes has been a slower process. That’s because switching from gas appliances often requires ripping out drywall, running new wires, and upgrading the electrical box.Continue Reading
Locust swarms can wipe out crops across entire regions, threatening food supplies and livelihoods. Now, scientists working with farmers in Senegal have shown that improving soil health can dramatically reduce locust damage. By enriching soil with nitrogen, crops become less appealing to the insects, leading to fewer locusts, less plantContinue Reading
From toxic air to climate-wrecking greenhouse gases, pollution harms lives and cuts a swath through economic bottom lines. Interview by Steve Curwood, Living on Earth From our collaborating partner Living on Earth, public radio’s environmental news magazine, an interview by Steve Curwood with Dr. Vanessa Kerry at the Harvard T.Continue Reading
Bad weather delayed expedition scientists’ efforts to set up camp on Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica and take measurements to determine how quickly it is melting. After the skies cleared, our journalists, Raymond Zhong and Chang W. Lee, took us along for their first steps on Thwaites.Continue Reading