Via Data is Plural: “Through the Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule, the Environmental Protection Agency “collect[s] data for contaminants that are suspected to be present in drinking water and do not have health-based standards set under the Safe Drinking Water Act.” The current version of the rule requires public water systems to test for lithium and 29 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, better known as PFAS. (Prior iterations, which go back to the early 2000s, have tested for other contaminants.) The EPA publishes the data collected, with the most detailed files listing each sample, its public water system, facility, sampling point, sample date, contaminant tested, concentration detected, and more. Related: Last week, the EPA finalized its first-ever limits for PFAS in drinking water. [h/t Lisa Sorg]
Accurate, Focused Research on Law, Technology and Knowledge Discovery Since 2002
Category Archives: Climate Change
Climate crisis: average world incomes to drop by nearly a fifth by 2050
The Guardian: “Average incomes will fall by almost a fifth within the next 26 years as a result of the climate crisis, according to a study that predicts the costs of damage will be six times higher than the price of limiting global heating to 2C. Rising temperatures, heavier rainfall and more frequent and intense… Continue Reading
The invisible seafaring industry that keeps the internet afloat
The Verge: “…The world’s emails, TikToks, classified memos, bank transfers, satellite surveillance, and FaceTime calls travel on cables that are about as thin as a garden hose. There are about 800,000 miles of these skinny tubes crisscrossing the Earth’s oceans, representing nearly 600 different systems, according to the industry tracking organization TeleGeography. The cables are… Continue Reading
US DOT – PROTECT Discretionary Grant Program Award Recipients
PROTECT Discretionary Grant Program Fact Sheet – “The vision of the PROTECT Discretionary Grant Program is to fund projects that address the climate crisis by improving the resilience of the surface transportation system, including highways, public transportation, ports, and intercity passenger rail. Projects selected under this program should be grounded in the best available scientific… Continue Reading
Is 2024 the Cicadapocalypse or a Cicadapalooza?
Axios: “In 2024, a double brood of periodical cicadas will appear across the United States. Some have called the emergence a “cicadapocalypse,” but is it really? Why it matters: Axios Visuals fact-checked the insect hype and found that no matter how you crunch the numbers, 2024 will likely offer just a taste of the cicada… Continue Reading
BirdCast
USFWS Pacific “About 90-140 million birds are predicted to migrate across the U.S. each night this weekend! Lights at night can be very disorienting to birds during their long spring migration. To help prevent deadly bird collisions, turn off or dim unnecessary lights! Graphic: BirdCast The Pacific Region for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service… Continue Reading
80 Percent of Global CO2 Emissions Come From Just 57 Companies
Smithsonian Magazine: “A new analysis released last week by the international non-profit InfluenceMap reveals an overwhelmingly unequal share of fossil fuel pollution worldwide. From 2016 to 2022, 80 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions were produced by just 57 companies. Shared in the think tank’s Carbon Majors Database, which is authored by some of the… Continue Reading
Mapping America’s access to nature, neighborhood by neighborhood
Washington Post – “A city is a science experiment. What happens when we separate human beings from the environment in which they evolved? Can people be healthy without nature? The results have been bleak. Countless studies have shown that people who spend less time in nature die younger and suffer higher rates of mental and… Continue Reading
Japan Gives Washington 250 Cherry Trees as Replacements
The New York Times [unpaywalled]: “Japan is giving the United States 250 cherry trees to replace more than 100 that will be torn up during construction around the Tidal Basin in Washington, the Japanese prime minister, Fumio Kishida, said on Wednesday. The gift honors the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence,… Continue Reading
Transportation Climate Impact Index
2024 U.S. Transportation Climate Impact Index: How metros rank across 8 key factors – “With transportation still representing the top source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the U.S., new federal funding and regulations hope to spur climate-friendly infrastructure. Meanwhile, agencies across the nation are working to drive down Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT), boost walking… Continue Reading
What’s the Cloud Forecast for Eclipse Day?
The New York Times – See if the Weather Is on Your Side [unpaywalled]: “April 8 will be your last opportunity to see a total solar eclipse in the contiguous United States or Canada until 2044. Mexico will have to wait longer. But if clouds fill the sky, or major storm activity emerges, your shot… Continue Reading
Forest Pulse: The Latest on the World’s Forests
World Resources Institute – How much forest was lost in 2023? The Forest Pulse draws on the most recent data and analysis to reveal the latest trends in global forest loss and deforestation. Tropical Forest Loss Drops Steeply in Brazil and Colombia, but High Rates Persist Overall – Between 2022 and 2023, Brazil and Colombia… Continue Reading
