The Golden State’s proposed legalization of recreational marijuana will likely make the crop more sustainable. In 1849, prospectors came to Northern California for gold. In 2016, they’re coming for green. Recreational marijuana isn’t yet legal in California, but the prospect has sparked a land grab in the area known as the Emerald Triangle. If Prop […]
Category: Environmental
Pennsylvania Pipeline Leaks 55,000 Gallons of Gas Into Potential Drinking Water
A pipeline managed by Sunoco logistics burst Thursday night after heavy rainfall in Pennsylvania. The spill dumped 55,000 gallons of gasoline into Wallis Run, a tributary of the Loyalsock Creek that drains into the Susquehanna River. The breach was detected at 3 am when the pressure of the pipeline dropped significantly, leading Sunoco to shut […]
83 Dakota Access Pipeline Protesters Arrested
MANDAN, N.D. — More than 80 people protesting the Dakota Access pipeline were arrested Saturday during a demonstration that gathered about 300 people at a construction site in North Dakota and prompted law enforcement officers to use pepper spray. Morton County sheriff’s office spokesman Rob Keller said authorities were called at 5:20 a.m. Saturday to […]
Zika spreading to new areas
Public health officials in Florida have identified a new area in Miami-Dade County where the Zika virus is being spread by mosquitoes, according to a report by the Florida Department of Health. In total, five people — three people living in the area and two who either visited or worked in the area — are […]
Great Barrier Reef declared dead
The Great Barrier Reef has been declared dead by scientists at 25 million years old — bringing an end to the colorful life of the world’s largest single structure of living organisms. The incredible Coral Sea wilderness, which stretches for roughly 1,400 miles over an area of roughly 133,00 square miles, has finally succumbed to […]
Clinton, Gore team up for climate change
MIAMI — Al Gore laid out the environmental stakes of the presidential race in stark terms during a campaign stop for Hillary Clinton Tuesday, arguing that electing her opponent would lead to “climate catastrophe.” Vice president during Clinton’s husband’s eight years in the White House and a longtime environmental activist, Gore served as a closer […]
Bernie Sanders calling for stop to Dakota pipeline
WASHINGTON Former Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders and four other U.S. senators on Thursday called on President Barack Obama to order a comprehensive environmental review of a pipeline project that has stirred widespread opposition from Native Americans and environmental activists. After a federal appeals court on Sunday night denied a request to halt construction of […]
Study: Global Warming The Cause Of More Destructive Fires
A new study of Western forest fires confirms what is already apparent – wildfire seasons are getting longer and more destructive. But researchers with the University of Idaho and Columbia University also say humans are to blame. The study made public Monday says human-caused global warming contributed an additional 16,000 square miles of burned forests […]
Is Hurricane Matthew racist?
“As per its coiner Ben Chavis, environmental racism is situation of poor minority communities in areas of higher environmental risk that can come about [in] 3 ways, most of which happen all at once. 1) Marginalization, 2) Degradation of protections 3) Making environment worse. Looking globally at the effects of colonialism, exploitation, and climate change […]
Dave Matthews Band performs for Pipeline protestor
Singer-songwriter David Matthews is headlining a Obama administration-sponsored concert for the benefit of a Democratic congressional candidate involved in protests to stop the building of a controversial oil pipeline. The “Turnaround: Arts Sings With Standing Rock” will feature performances by Matthews, Mic Jordan, Ledisi, DJ IZ, among other B-list celebrities. A poster for the show […]
Obama Warns Hurricane Matthew Could Have ‘Devastating Effect’
President Obama visited the Federal Emergency Management Agency headquarters today for a briefing from his homeland security team on the latest updates with Hurricane Matthew, which is currently barreling through the Caribbean and headed for Florida’s Atlantic Coast. Matthew is “a serious storm,” Obama said and asked residents in the storm’s path to take evacuation […]
Goodbye World: We’ve Passed the Carbon Tipping Point For Good
It’s a banner week for the end of the world, because we’ve officially pushed atmospheric carbon levels past their dreaded 400 parts per million. Permanently. According to a blog post last Friday from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, “it already seems safe to conclude that we won’t be seeing a monthly value below 400 ppm […]