Earth Wise

The Atlantic hurricane season officially runs from June 1st until November 30th.  Forecasters at Colorado State University have issued forecasts of Atlantic basin hurricane activity since 1984 based on the pioneering work of Professor William Gray.  This year’s forecast, issued in April, predicts a higher-than-average number of Atlantic storms.  In fact, it may be one […]

Planting huge numbers of trees is often proposed as a way to reduce the severity of climate change.  Studies have looked at the potential for Earth‘s ecosystems to support large additional areas of forest and have found that it would be possible to have at least 25% more forested area than we do now.  This […]

Reducing the use of plastic is an important environmental goal.  Plastic is made from fossil fuels and plastic pollutes the land and the oceans.  It is estimated that 40% of plastic waste comes from packaging.  Plastic packaging is extremely common in the supermarket and there is a growing desire to reduce its use.  But it […]

The coral reefs that surround tropical islands are a refuge for a wide variety of marine life and also form a natural buffer against stormy seas.  The changing climate is bleaching coral reefs and breaking them down.  Extreme weather events are becoming more common and are threatening coastal communities with flooding and erosion. Researchers at […]

For the better part of a decade, there have been lawsuits against fossil fuel companies for their actions related to climate change.  The Center for Climate Integrity, a nonprofit that provides legal support to communities suing oil companies, has tracked 32 cases filed by state attorneys general, cities, counties, and tribal nations against companies including […]

There are more than 7,000 known species of amphibians, the group of animals that includes frogs, toads, and salamanders.  Over the past 25 years, more than 90 species are believed to have gone extinct and at least 500 more have declining populations. There are many factors contributing to the decline of amphibian populations but the […]

The last two coal-fired power plants in New England are scheduled to close by 2025 and 2028.  The New Hampshire-based plants are operated by Granite Shore Power.  The Schiller Station plant began operations in 1949 and the Merrimack Station was built in the 1960s. Granite Shore Power has come to an agreement with the Environmental […]

Climate change affects animal species in many ways.  It induces habitat loss, disrupts migration and breeding patterns, threatens marine life, and facilitates an increased spread of disease.  It may also affect where animals can be found in the future.  According to a new study led by researchers from the University of Toronto Mississauga and Apex […]

Researchers from Switzerland and Belgium have investigated the effects of the warming climate on access to meteorites in Antarctica.  Meteorites are of great scientific interest because they provide unique information about the makeup of our solar system.  Of all the meteorites that people have found, 62.6% of them were found in Antarctica. Why is this?  […]

California is a state known for its aggressive climate policies.  However, and rather ironically, California is also the nation’s greatest emitter of one little-known greenhouse gas: sulfuryl fluoride.  Sulfuryl fluoride is one of the few treatments to rid buildings of drywood termites, a common regional pest that can be found in wooden structures.  Sulfuryl fluoride […]