Archives
UK Pollution Linked to 40,000 Deaths a Year
“There is now good awareness of the risks from badly maintained gas appliances, radioactive radon gas and second-hand tobacco smoke, but indoors we can also be exposed to NO2 [nitrogen dioxide] from gas cooking and solvents that slowly seep from plastics, paints and furnishings.
“The lemon-and-pine scents that we use to make our homes smell fresh can react chemically to generate air pollutants, and ozone-based air fresheners can also cause indoor air pollution.”
A Way to Help Save the Bees
“Bee hotels are making a huge impact for the better. Easy to build, they keep wild bees safe and warm all winter and provide a safe refuge away from pets and kids. Build one near your garden and keep your own pollinators nearby.”
January is already breaking records for hottest month
“NASA’s announcement that last month was hottest January ever recorded foreshadows some sizzling months ahead and sets a pace for 2016 that may rival 2015 for the title of hottest year on record…
January’s alarming new record comes on the heels of 2015’s record heat. With global warming influenced primarily by human-caused greenhouse gases, climate experts agree that we can expect a dangerously hot 2016 as part of the overall warming pattern. At this point, of course, it’s unclear whether the year will be another record-breaker.”
EPA Protects Communities from sulfur dioxide air pollution
“The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) identified 12 new areas across the United States today where residents regularly breathe dangerous levels of sulfur dioxide air pollution. The EPA has proposed designating these areas as being in violation of the 2010 health-based clean air standard for sulfur dioxide and, if they are finalized, it will prompt states to create clean up plans to protect at-risk communities.”
Madrid’s Plan to Fight Climate Change
“In an epic move to restore the balance between city and nature, Madrid, Spain is working on plans to cover pretty much every bit of unused city space with plants, in an effort to combat the city’s rising temperatures. Madrid has already taken big steps towards making their city more environmentally-friendly by redesigning twenty-four of their busiest streets for pedestrians only. Under their new plan-of-action to fight climate change with plants, the city’s Department of Environment may turn some of those streets into beautiful, tree-lined parks.”
Shell’s Heir Goes Green
“It is perhaps no surprise that a country house bequeathed to the nation by the family that made its fortune from Shell petroleum should run entirely on barrel after barrel of oil – 25,000 litres of it each year.
But after a green makeover, the Upton House estate in Warwickshire has ditched the polluting fossil fuel and is now producing the equivalent energy from two wood pellet boilers.”
The 5 Main Drivers of the Water Crisis
“The California drought has grabbed America’s attention, but our water problems — and the coming scarcity — stem from a lot more than a few years of diminished rain and snow. The U.S. government’s National Intelligence Council predicts that, in less than 10 years, many large countries will be at risk of “state failure,” directly due to the global water crisis.”
Cars to Run on Cactus
Read the full article on http://www.climatechangenews.com/ “In Mexico, cars will soon run on cactus. A company has built the world’s first digester to make biogas from the desert plant’s fruit, according to media reports. The fruit or prickly pears are pureed, mixed with manure, then left to decompose, producing methane. That gas is used for […]
Helpful Tips to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint
“There are thousands of little actions you can take to reduce your carbon footprint — but you should consider a few major factors first.
Sustainability experts say, for instance, that changing your diet or the way you get to work can significantly cut the amount of planet-warming emissions released into the atmosphere as a result of your daily life.”
Mark Ruffalo and the Water Crisis
“For the past two years, the 100,000 residents of Flint, Michigan, drank, cooked and bathed with lead-contaminated water. Rates of lead poisoning—which can impair brain development and cause other serious health ailments—among the area’s children have skyrocketed, from 5 percent before the water turned bad to 16 percent today.”
