-
Lab-grown diamonds come with sparkling price tags, but many have cloudy sustainability claims
Lab-created diamonds come with sparkling claims: that they are ethically made by machines running on renewable energy. But many don’t live up to these claims.
-
Latest EPA assessment shows almost no improvement in river and stream nitrogen pollution
The EPA’s newest assessment of water quality and nutrient pollution in U.S. rivers and streams shows almost no progress on cutting the nitrogen pollution that comes primarily from farm chemical runoff.
-
Drought-prone California OKs new rules for turning wastewater directly into drinking water
California regulators on Tuesday approved new rules to let water agencies recycle wastewater and put it right back into the pipes that carry drinking water to homes, schools and businesses.
-
U.S. regulators will review car-tire chemical that kills salmon, upon request from West Coast tribes
Federal regulators will review the use of a chemical found in tires after a petition from Native American tribes in California and Washington states.
-
Invasive worm causing disease in Vermont beech trees
A disease that harms beech trees, caused by an invasive worm, has been confirmed for the first time in Vermont, officials said. Beech leaf disease — which has been reported in 14 states and in Ontario, Canada — was found in Vernon, in the southeastern part of Vermont. In early October, samples from Vernon were sent to the U.S. Department of…
-
Local researchers devise way to turn plastic into fuel
Every year the world produces 430 million tons of plastic, according to the United Nations. Much of that plastic ends up in our oceans. According to the UN, 11 million metric tons of plastic enters the ocean every year. Now, one group of researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute has come up with a groundbreaking way to turn that plastic into…
-
Local researchers looking to turn plastic into fuel
A group of researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute has come up with a groundbreaking way to turn that plastic into fuel and it could be a game changer when it comes to cleaning up our oceans.
-
A fight over precious groundwater in a rural California town is rooted in carrots
In a remote, dry patch of California farm country, a battle is raging over carrots. Or rather, over the groundwater where they’re growing northwest of Los Angeles.
-
UN kicks off Climate Week as phasing out fossil fuels becomes priority
The heat is about to be turned up on fossil fuels, the United States and President Joe Biden.
-
Hudson River swimmer completes 315-mile trek
Endurance swimmer Lewis Pugh completed the trek to raise awareness of the need for clean rivers.
-
‘Like a Russian roulette': US military firefighters grapple with unknowns of PFAS exposure
Federal research linking “forever chemicals” to testicular cancer confirms what U.S. military personnel long suspected. But as they seek testing for PFAS exposure, many wonder what to do with the results. There’s no medical treatment yet.
-
Paper and bamboo straws contain PFAS chemicals more often than plastic straws do, study finds
Some paper and bamboo straws contain so-called “forever chemicals” that could make them a less-than-ideal alternative to plastic, researchers have found.
-
China bans seafood from Japan after the Fukushima nuclear plant released wastewater into the sea
Japan’s tsunami-wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has begun releasing its first batch of treated radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean.
-
Conditions are ripe for a global coral bleaching event: ‘Florida is just the tip of the iceberg'
Florida’s coral reefs are getting hit the hardest by marine heatwaves right now, but conditions are ripe for a global coral bleaching event, NOAA says.
-
Livestock pollution: EPA denies tougher regulations for large farms
The Biden administration is rejecting a plea from environmentalists to toughen regulation of large livestock farms that release manure and other pollutants into waterways.
-
Montana judge rules Americans have constitutional right to clean environment
A Montana judge ruled Monday that citizens have a constitutional right to a clean and healthy environment.
-
Maui officials and scientists warn toxic particles will remain after the flames flicker out
Officials in Maui are warning residents that it remains too early to return to some parts of the island where firefighters have extinguished flames.
-
Shipping company ordered to pay $2.25M after discharging oily bilge off Rhode Island
The owner of a Greek oil tanker that discharged nearly 10,000 gallons of oily bilge water into the ocean has been ordered by a federal judge to pay $2.25 million in fines and penalties. Prosecutors said that Zeus Lines Management S.A. was formally sentenced Tuesday to pay a large fine plus other money to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation...
-
Scientists make it official. July was the hottest month on record by far
Now that July’s sizzling numbers are all in, the European climate monitoring organization made it official: July 2023 was Earth’s hottest month on record by a wide margin.
-
Hammerhead worms: What to do if you see these invasive pests
Hammerhead flatworms — an invasive pest that looks like a cross between a hammerhead shark and a leech — have been spotted in the Washington, D.C., area and across the United States.