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Global coal industry using as much water as a billion people each year

map: coal-fired power plants and regions of water scarcity in the USA

We already know that coal-fired power plants are bad for the planet, but that’s usually because we are just thinking about the enormous amounts of carbon dioxide emissions they contribute to our atmosphere. A new Greenpeace report entitled The Great Water Grab sheds light on another terrifying aspect of the coal industry – its astronomical water consumption. The report suggests that the global coal industry uses the same amount of … [more…] “Global coal industry using as much water as a billion people each year”

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Study: Humans Are Forcing Dolphins To Simplify How They Talk

Humans Are Forcing Dolphins To Simplify How They Talk To Each Other, Study Finds

It’s well known that dolphins are among the world’s smartest creatures, and humans are among the world’s most annoying. The marine mammals, which use a complex pattern of squeaks and whistles to communicate with each other under water are having trouble hearing themselves think because the nearby humans, with their noisy boats and shipping lanes, are making such a ruckus.

A study published in this week’s edition of Biology Letters… [more…] “Study: Humans Are Forcing Dolphins To Simplify How They Talk”

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Water, water, not everywhere: Former NASA hydrologist says water security issues worsening

photo: executive director of the Global Institute for Water Security, Jay Famiglietti speaking about water security and scarcity.

Photo: University of Saskatchewan hydrologist and executive director of the Global Institute for Water Security Jay Famiglietti gives a lecture at the University of Saskatchewan on Sept. 22, 2018.

A former NASA scientist has come to work at the University of Saskatchewan to address issues of water security and scarcity around the world.

Considered one of the leading hydrologists in the world, Jay Famiglietti was recruited to be the executive … [more…] “Water, water, not everywhere: Former NASA hydrologist says water security issues worsening”

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Three newspapers confront one challenge: Sea-level rise is real

photo: woman walking on flooded sidewalk in Florida. Three newspapers confront one challenge: Sea-level rise is real, South Florida needs all hands on deck — now

In August, 2017, a woman walks along a flooded sidewalk along Alton Road near Michigan Avenue in Miami Beach. New research from NOAA suggests this kind of flooding could happen every day by 2070 under most climate models. Emily Michot MIAMI HERALD

South Florida needs all hands on deck — now

No graver threat faces the future of South Florida than the accelerating pace of sea-level rise. In the past … [more…] “Three newspapers confront one challenge: Sea-level rise is real”

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The cataclysmic cost of Trump’s ‘war on oceans’

Photo illustration: The cataclysmic cost of Trump’s ‘war on oceans’

Photo illustration by Lesley Becker/Globe Staff/Adobe Stock

This summer, 60 million Americans will head to the seaside to enjoy majestic waves and salty breezes. It all seems reassuringly familiar. But the oceans, which cover 70 percent of the earth and control the climate, the water cycle, and 50 percent of the oxygen we breathe, are approaching a dangerous tipping point. The Arctic is melting faster than at any time in … [more…] “The cataclysmic cost of Trump’s ‘war on oceans’”