Environment

Statistic Of The Year: 90.5 Percent Of Plastic Has Never Been Recycled

This year, I served on the judging panel for The Royal Statistical Society’s International Statistic of the Year. On Dec. 18, we announced the winner: 90.5 percent, the amount of plastic that has never been recycled. Okay – but why is that such a big deal ...

Article - The Conversation - Dec 18 2018 - 2:49pm

Compostable Plastic Bags Create A Political Versus Science Conflict For European Policy Makers

European scientific decision-making is often overtly political and that can lead to decisions which defy common sense. Case in point; disposing of food waste. In some countries they want food waste separated into its own garbage can but people can't ...

Article - Hank Campbell - Dec 29 2018 - 11:17am

By Fixing Nature's Gap In Photosynthesis, Crops Could Get An Additional 40% Boost

The United States, and other countries with modern science and technology regulations, have enjoyed terrific boosts in yields, so great that food has become a cheap commodity, which has allowed for alternative processes (organic, shade tree, natural, etc.) ...

Article - News Staff - Jan 4 2019 - 12:54pm

Green Liver: Houseplant Genetically Modified To Filter Even Toxic Levels Of Home Air

House plants can help clean a home's air, but unless you live in a greenhouse a mechanical high-efficiency particulate (HEPA) air filter is the way to go, because it forces pet dander, pollen (even cigarette smoke if you still do that) or pollen throu ...

Article - Hank Campbell - Jan 8 2019 - 9:02am

How To Hurt The Environment: Elect A Democratic President, Says Sociology Paper

A team of sociologists say they know of a sure way to hurt environmental protection: Elect a Democratic president.  An analysis of over 20,000 people from the General Social Survey between 1973 and 2014 found that support for environmental spending consist ...

Article - Hank Campbell - Jan 22 2019 - 2:24pm

Forcing Other Countries To Ban Shark Finning: A Bipartisan Conservation Bill Back In Congress

During the George W. Bush administration, American furniture makers had a crippling disadvantage. While American timber was tightly regulated, foreign supplies had no limitations on where their wood originated from, and could engage in destructive practice ...

Article - Hank Campbell - Feb 4 2019 - 10:20am

In Chernobyl, It's No Bleak Metro 2033 Scenario- Wildlife Is Abundant

Wildlife is abundant in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, found a month-long camera study which found 10 mammal and five bird species scavenging fish carcasses placed on the shoreline of rivers and canals there. Among the species were white-tailed eagles, Amer ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 4 2019 - 12:20pm

Ants, Twinkies, Cockroaches; What Could Really Survive A Nuclear Apocalypse?

Cockroaches have a reputation for resilience, likely contributing to the belief that they could even survive a nuclear bomb and subsequent radiation exposure. And though Fukushima was not a nuclear bomb, or even a real disaster (more people died trying to ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 20 2019 - 10:25am

UN Biodiversity Report Far From Bleak- Encouraging Survey Of Measures To Preserve, Mapping Ways Forward To Meet Challenges

This UN Report is not saying we are going to be unable to feed everyone. But we need to be careful to maintain the biodiversity of the wild relatives of our crops and also of our ecosystems to be most resilient. We don’t risk mass famine, they say that sp ...

Article - Robert Walker - Mar 4 2019 - 1:45pm

Siberian Permafrost Carbon Release Significant But Exaggerated In News- Fifth Of Degree By 2299 At Most, Can Be Carbon Negative

Short summary. The journalist stories often don't even mention that studies are not agreed on whether it is carbon positive or even perhaps carbon negative. The amount in the worst case is around an extra quarter of a degree rise by 2100, a slow burn ...

Article - Robert Walker - Mar 5 2019 - 7:54pm