UST’s John Abraham talks about latest findings: that the oceans are warming faster than thought
A long-lived conundrum, over disparity between measurements and climate models, is resolved in modeling’s favor.
Environment
Antarctica’s largest ice shelf could be at risk of melting
The Ross Ice Shelf appears to be melting in previously unknown ways. The same mechanisms could be melting other giant ice shelves, too.
Barn Bluff has stood over thousands of years of history in the Red Wing area
A public park since 1910, the ancient bluff serves as an impressive landmark.
It turns out that, amid a whole lot of terrible, 2018 brought some good news for the environment, too
Without a doubt, consensus was strongest on various measures of progress toward a renewably powered world during 2018.
Walz administration reconsidering lawsuit against Enbridge pipeline project
Former Gov. Mark Dayton’s administration opposed the controversial proposal. Whether that approach will continue under Gov. Tim Walz is now unclear.
With environmental agency picks, Walz aims to strike a delicate balance
Tension between environmentalists and industry has become a hallmark of DFL politics. Walz is trying to keep both groups happy.
Of Teflon and A-bombs, Chicago’s buried river and other great reads
Three tales of things buried beneath the earth.
5 best Earth Journal subjects of 2018
From climate change’s potential to bring social collapse to ideas on why feathered dinosaurs survived.
Two big wins — and a setback — for mining projects in northern Minnesota
The developments left political opponents and environmental groups reeling, even as an attempt to cement a critical land-exchange between PolyMet and the U.S. Forest Service fell apart on Thursday.
Deborah Swackhamer on the long-term risk of tainting the science behind federal policy
The so-called “transparency rule” would exclude all epidemiology research from use in setting clean-air standards.
Minnesota’s Deborah Swackhamer is honored for speaking out on meddling at EPA
MIT lists the scientist in its 2018 Disobedience Awards, along with founders of #MeToo movement.
After Xcel Energy’s zero-carbon pledge, let’s make sure the public benefits
Meeting our carbon-reduction goal can go in many different directions, so it’s critical now that the PUC and state government protect the public interest. This may be no easy task.
Could pipeline politics affect Walz’s choice for next public utilities commissioner?
Enbridge’s Line 3 project looms especially large in the selection process for the next member of the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission.
With a new House membership comes a Green New Deal — and new attention to climate change on Capitol Hill
The climate rhetoric coming from the new Democrats is as radical as Congress has ever heard.
Meet some of our oddest, oldest fishes — as they rapidly approach extinction
Some of the world’s most evolutionarily unique fishes are also among its most imperiled, with illegal harvest and unintended harvest as key pressures.
Where the Enbridge Line 3 pipeline project stands, and where it goes from here
An FAQ about the $2.6 billion project.
Yes, there are earthquakes in the Land of 10,000 Lakes
Earthquakes are pretty uncommon in Minnesota — but they do happen.
What’s inside the much-anticipated farm bill — and why Rep. Collin Peterson blames Democrats and Republicans for its delay
Speaking at Fleming Field airport in South St. Paul, Peterson offered some insights on the legislation — and the political dynamics of why it took so long for lawmakers to reach an agreement.
How many senses do plants employ? More than animals or people, it seems
If this strikes you as interesting (or preposterous), you might spend a little time with Stefano Mancuso’s slim and engaging book, “Brilliant Green: The Surprising History and Science of Plant Intelligence.”
What the Trump administration climate report says about the Midwest
The government predicts global warming will present threats to human health and infrastructure in the region, as well as to some of Minnesota’s most important crops, animals and ecosystems.