New ocean data disprove any slowdown in the rate that our planet is warming
The measurements can be “noisy,” explains St. Thomas professor John Abraham, but the warming signal within them is clear.
Earth Journal
Earth Journal aims to clarify environmental issues in the news, lend proportion and perspective to competing claims, and engage MinnPost readers in exploring subjects that lie beyond the headlines — with a special emphasis on solutions to environmental challenges.
Uh-oh. Ocean temperatures are rising much faster than we’ve been thinking
A St. Thomas prof who worked on the study explains how even small errors in ocean assessments can have big consequences.
Human carelessness is more responsible than climate change for worsening wildfires
Year after year, July 4 is the worst day for wildfire as Americans celebrate independence by igniting their environment with fireworks and barbecue grills.
Trump’s EPA cuts would undo local efforts to restore iconic places — like the Great Lakes
As it happens, regulation of business activity is only a tiny part of what the EPA does.
Suppressed memo shows many failings in Corps review of Dakota Access plan
This goes beyond silly and transparent revisionism. It’s an attempt to muddy some serious shortcomings in the Corps’ performance on DAPL that are little known and less understood.
At the Vatican, a discussion of forces driving species to mass extinction
Despite Pope Francis’ strong advocacy of better environmental stewardship, population and its control remain a difficult issue.
Could millions of wind-powered pumps reverse the loss of Arctic sea ice?
The cost would be huge, but then so is the extent of damage associated with this rapidly accelerating transformation.
Bit by bit, the dams are coming down and streams are regaining their health
Minnesota ranks No. 3 among the states for dam removals in 2016, but the pace here and elsewhere is far from furious.
American households’ energy costs fall to a new low: just 4 cents of each dollar
Low oil and natural-gas prices were a driver, but so were efficiency, conservation and a continuing shift to ever-cheaper renewables.
Trump’s no friend of the environment, but Congress is doing the real damage
Not content to posture and tweet, Republican lawmakers are following a Koch brothers playbook and knocking away protections with a little-used cudgel left over from the Contract With America.
Lawsuit against PolyMet land exchange raises potent issue of taxpayers’ rights
Apart from issues of water quality and habitat protection, it asks: Is the Forest Service getting enough value for the public’s land?
Fast-food wrappings are found to carry nonstick coatings linked to health risks
About 40 percent of the food-contact packaging collected from 27 fast-food chains in 2014 and 2015 carried a key indicator of PFC content, according to researchers.
Of oil pipelines, bacteria’s self-defenses, and a ‘tree that changed human history’
Like water, oil pipelines follow the path of least resistance — and fewer in the West means more in the Great Lakes region.
Thanks to one primate species, most others in the world are facing oblivion
Some 75 percent of species are already in steep decline, and trends suggest 60 percent could be gone in 25 to 50 years.
The world sets a record for temperature in 2016 — for the third year running
“We are heading into a new unknown,” a scientist says — speeding at night, without headlights, eyes on the rearview mirror.
Obama’s record-breaking creation of national monuments is an enduring gift
The three newest monuments honor places of key importance in America’s history of struggle and progress on race.
New insight on bird migrations, and how climate change may reshape them
It turns out the longest flights are anything but direct, with long pauses to rest and eat — assuming plentiful food is available.
How ridesharing via smartphones could create an alternative to driving alone
New York City’s taxi fleet could shrink from 13,000 to 3,000 or even 2,000, researchers find, while pollution and congestion also diminish.
From climate to lizards in amber: top environmental news of 2016
Election of Donald Trump as “denier-in-chief” was a top topic, too, and some writers struggled to find good news among all the bad.
A look at some of the biggest subjects shaping environmental news in 2017
Without question, I think, the most important environmental news in Minnesota next year will center on precious-metals mining, in particular the progress of PolyMet Mining Corp.’s NorthMet project.
