In The News

Guardian: Indigenous Women Confront Ecuador's President

Dan Collyns March 28, 2018
Amazon indigenous women are protesting oil drilling and mining in their territories, urging Ecuador’s President Lenin Moreno to combat not only environmental exploitation but also the sexual and psychic violence “they claim accompany the industries.” A delegation of indigenous women met with Moreno after 100 protested by camping in Quito’s plaza near the Carondelet government palace for five days...

Asia Sentinel: Plastics Makers Told to Clean Up Mess

Jed Alegado March 23, 2018
About 75 percent of all the billions of tons of plastics produced is waste that won't break down quickly. Several massive patches, the size of countries, move about in the ocean. The Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives, an alliance of more than 800 grassroots organizations from more than 90 countries, questions why governments subsidize oil and plastic production yet do not require...

ENS: Solar Power in Gaza

March 19, 2018
Power outages are common in Gaza, and a solar rooftop will provide energy for the largest business park in the Palestinian territory of Gaza by 2019. Environment News Services reports Gaza’s population of 2 million people has about a quarter of the power it needs to function. “Gaza’s sole power plant is hampered by fuel shortages, outdated transmission lines, and damage from three wars in the...

Wired: Thank Colleges for Carbon Taxes – Really

Matt Simon March 13, 2018
Taxes fund public goods including health care, fire and police protection, education and more. A MIT economist points out that taxing carbon can be up to 10 times more efficient than current policies like fuel-economy standards for reducing emissions. Universities are leading the way in showing government how to tax carbon emissions. Matt Simon, writing for Wired, describes two programs. Yale...

New Yorker: When 26,000 Stinkbugs Invade a Home

Kathryn Schulz March 9, 2018
Brown marmorated stinkbugs are ravaging an array of crops along with ordinary trees and plants. They also swarm some US homes by the thousands. The insect, known for a noxious smell, is a product of globalization, explains Kathryn Schulz for the New Yorker. The stinkbug’s native habitat is East Asia, and the United States lacks natural predators like the samurai wasp. Stinkbugs are attracted to...

New York Times: Forests Protect the Climate

Henry Fountain March 7, 2018
Hurricanes and other large storms have ravaged forests in recent months. Writing for the New York Times, Henry Fountain reports on the environmental implications after Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico in September. About 23 million to 31 million of the island’s trees were damaged or killed after the hurricane. Researchers are assessing the damage to forests and studying how extreme weather...

Newcastle Herald: 20,000 “Ravenous” Kingfish Escape and Hit Marine Park

Donna Page and Sam Norris February 4, 2018
Rough seas allowed thousands of predatory kingfish to escape a fish farm north of Newcastle in Australia. Officials worry about the escapees destroying wild fish, especially those in a nearby marine park. “The future of the controversial joint NSW government and Tasmania-based Huon Aquaculture project, which is 18 months into a five-year research trial, is under a cloud following the loss of...