Earth Wise

Platinum is a key industrial catalyst because its electronic structure gives it an exceptional ability to accelerate oxidation and hydrogenation chemical reactions. Among its uses are in catalytic converters in automobiles and in fuel cells that generate electricity from hydrogen. Catalysts are also critical for methods of upcycling plastic waste and converting old plastics into high-quality new products.

A study by scientists at the Columbia University Climate School has found that the weather conditions driven by climate change that are increasing the occurrence of wildfires are playing a growing role in shaping summer air quality in both the United States and Canada. And the news isn’t good. The air is getting smokier and the impact on public health is not something that can be addressed by regulatory action, as was the case for fossil fuel pollution.

In early February, the Trump administration formally rejected the scientific finding that greenhouse gases threaten human life and wellbeing. Known as the endangerment finding, the 2009 ruling empowered the Environmental Protection Agency to impose regulations that limit carbon dioxide, methane, and other pollution from oil and gas wells, tailpipes, smokestacks and other sources that burn fossil fuels.

Federal agencies are delaying approvals for renewable energy projects all across the country on both federal land and private property. Meanwhile, electricity demand continues to rise.

The oceanic conditions that create the planet’s most powerful hurricanes and typhoons are heating up in the North Atlantic and Western Pacific, fueled by warm water that now extends far below the ocean surface. These expanding hot spots can supercharge the strongest storms.

Installing solar panels on bodies of water has the potential to generate large amounts of renewable energy. Among other benefits, floating solar has the advantage of not taking up land that has other uses. However, there are potential interactions between birds and floating solar facilities, possibly being problematic for both.

Mining tailings are the waste byproduct of mining, consisting of ground rock, water, and processing chemicals that remain after extracting valuable minerals. They have been disposed of for thousands of years, but the industrial mining in the late 19th and 20th centuries is responsible for most of what occupies large, engineered dams. Estimates are that there are over 8,000 active and inactive tailings facilities storing nearly 220 billion cubic meters of material. They pose many environmental dangers, some catastrophic in nature.

In January 2025, two large wildfires burned through large areas of greater Los Angeles damaging or destroying more than 18,000 buildings and directly causing the death of 31 people. A study by public health researchers attributed another 409 deaths to factors associated with the fires. While the fires burned, air quality in Los Angeles was terrible. Researchers from UCLA’s School of Public Health collected air samples both indoors and out during and after the fires.

Our country has a deep political divide over wind and solar renewable energy sources. Generally, Democrats are in favor of them, and Republicans are against them. The current administration is doing whatever it can to stop the growth of wind and solar power despite that they involve nearly $100 billion in US investments and nearly 500,000 jobs.

Greenland is one of the fastest-melting cryosphere regions on Earth. In fact, scientists say the large-scale melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet is irreversible, and it’s happening now at an accelerating rate. Understanding what is driving this melting is crucial for predicting how much sea levels will rise and what that means for coastal communities around the world.