environmental health
Newsletter
Credit: Daniela Paola Alchapar/Unsplash
Corn seeds sprayed with DNA-altered bacteria may reduce fertilizer use
Scientists are modifying the DNA of bacteria in corn seeds to cut down on chemical fertilizer use, which contributes significantly to climate change.
In short:
- Pivot Bio, a California company, coats corn seeds with genetically modified bacteria to produce nutrients, reducing fertilizer reliance.
- Fertilizer production releases greenhouse gases; Pivot’s technology could lower emissions by replacing 20% of the needed fertilizer.
- Critics, including environmental groups, raise concerns about the unknown risks of altering natural systems on such a large scale.
Key quote:
“We are engineering organisms to do things that nature has not designed them to do and releasing them, in the billions, into incredibly complex ecosystems.”
— Kendra Klein, deputy director for science, Friends of the Earth.
Why this matters:
Reducing chemical fertilizer use could lower greenhouse gas emissions, but the widespread release of genetically modified organisms carries risks. Understanding potential long-term consequences is critical as these innovations scale up.
Read more: Exploring the potential of genetically engineered crops in agriculture and the environment
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Newsletter
Credit: Karl Hörnfeldt/Unsplash
Wyoming continues legal battle against coal regulations despite Supreme Court decision
The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to block new EPA regulations forcing coal plants to reduce emissions or shut down, leaving Wyoming and other coal-reliant states to fight the rules in lower courts.
In short:
- Wyoming's coal industry faces closure or costly retrofits as EPA rules require steep emissions cuts by 2032.
- Wyoming is part of ongoing lawsuits to overturn the regulations, citing the economic impacts on coal-dependent communities.
- Utilities argue that retrofitting coal plants with carbon capture technology remains financially unviable.
Key quote:
"Intentionally making reliable and dispatchable energy needlessly more expensive will kill people."
— Rep. John Bear, R-Gillette
Why this matters:
Wyoming's coal industry provides electricity to half the nation’s coal-fired power plants, making these federal rules a serious threat to the state's economy. As coal plants close or convert, communities reliant on coal jobs face a future of economic uncertainty.
Related: Wyoming hesitates to embrace solar energy despite its potential
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Credit: Brigitte Werner/Pixabay
Scientists hope to revive drying sections of the Rio Grande in Texas
The once-powerful Rio Grande, now largely dry in West Texas, could see restored flows through local conservation efforts focused on tributaries and cross-border collaboration with Mexico.
In short:
- Water diversions for cities and farms have reduced the Rio Grande’s flow by over 70%, leaving large sections dry.
- Environmental advocates are working to restore tributaries and secure "environmental flows" that support wildlife and ecosystems.
- Cross-border cooperation with Mexico is crucial for larger restoration efforts, but political will and funding are needed.
Key quote:
“The problem of environmental flows on the Rio Grande is not about science. We know that the river is drying and we know that it’s about willingness, political willingness.”
— Samuel Sandoval Solis, professor of water resource management at the University of California Davis
Why this matters:
The Rio Grande’s decline endangers wildlife, ecosystems and communities relying on the river. Solutions, including cross-border water management and environmental restoration, offer a way forward but require strong political and financial support.
Related:
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Credit: Felton Davis/Flickr
Scientists uncover cause of explosive craters in Siberia
A new study reveals that warming temperatures in Siberia are triggering explosive methane gas releases, creating mysterious craters.
In short:
- The craters are caused by methane gas bursts from underground ponds of salty water known as cryopegs, which destabilize as permafrost thaws.
- As the soil above these cryopegs defrosts, cracks open, leading to a sudden release of methane gas.
- While seldom experienced, the climate impacts of these potent greenhouse gas releases cannot be shrugged off as inconsequential.
Key quote:
“Although infrequent, the explosions release large amounts of methane and could have a significant warming impact.”
— Report from Geophysical Research Letters
Why this matters:
The explosive craters popping up across Siberia are another eerie signal of our warming planet. These methane time bombs, hiding beneath permafrost, have been stable for millennia, but rising temperatures are changing that. It’s an uncommon but dramatic reminder of how climate change is altering even the most remote corners of the planet, with methane—one of the most potent greenhouse gases—escaping into the atmosphere, amplifying the very cycle that caused the explosion in the first place. Read more: People are flocking to see melting glaciers before they're gone—bringing both benefit and harm.
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Credit: Mark Fox/Flickr
Cambodia’s Siamese crocodiles are making a slow but hopeful recovery
Once thought extinct, Cambodia’s Siamese crocodiles are slowly returning to the wild thanks to conservation efforts, although challenges remain.
Aniruddha Ghosal and Anton L. Delgado report for the Associated Press.
In short:
- Conservationists discovered a remnant population of Siamese crocodiles in Cambodia’s Cardamom Mountains in 2000, sparking efforts to save the species.
- Captive breeding programs, which ensure purebred crocodiles, have led to reintroductions in the wild, but habitat loss and hybridization remain threats.
- Cambodia’s vast rainforests, crucial for carbon sequestration, are key to the crocodiles' survival, but deforestation has been rampant.
Key quote:
“Protecting habitat is the most important part of this whole project.”
— Pablo Sinovas, Fauna and Flora
Why this matters:
The sprawling rainforests that are home to these crocs aren’t just important for the species but are also critical to the planet's health, serving as massive carbon sinks. As Cambodia’s forests fall to logging and development, the future of the crocodiles—and the fight against climate change—grows ever more challenging. Read more: The health of wildlife is inseparable from our own.
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Credit: Gale/Flickr
Alaska's Arctic refuge faces uncertain future amid oil debate
The fate of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, one of the wildest places in the U.S., is at stake as local communities and environmentalists clash over oil and gas development on the land.
Juliet Eilperin, Carolyn Van Houten, and Alice Li report for The Washington Post.
In short:
- The small village of Kaktovik relies on oil tax revenue, but residents face a paradox: the push for development could threaten their environment.
- The local Iñupiat community is divided, with some supporting drilling for economic reasons and others fighting to preserve the wildlife, particularly the Porcupine caribou herd and polar bears.
- Oil companies have retreated due to environmental concerns, but a second lease sale in 2024 could reignite interest.
Key quote:
“The refuge with development is a city. … If we lose these big areas of public lands, we will lose these species.”
— Martin Robards, regional director of the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Arctic Beringia Program
Why this matters:
For now, the Arctic refuge remains caught between two futures. The stakes aren’t just about local jobs or energy independence—they’re about the survival of one of the last true wildernesses and the traditional way of life that depends on it. Read more: Biden’s Arctic drilling go-ahead illustrates the limits of democratic problem solving.
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Rangers face isolation and challenges as they protect a remote reef in Palau
Rangers on Palau's Helen Reef endure months of isolation and limited supplies while patrolling a rich ecosystem threatened by poachers and climate change.
In short:
- Helen Reef, part of Palau’s Protected Areas Network, is home to over 500 fish species, sea turtles and coral, attracting poachers.
- Four rangers at a time live on Helen Island, patrolling for illegal fishing while battling isolation and resource shortages.
- Erosion from rising sea levels now threatens the island itself, putting their station at risk.
Key quote:
“What we are worried about is the disappearance of the island.”
— Hercules Emilio, senior conservation officer
Why this matters:
Helen Reef supports rare species and biodiversity, but climate change and poaching jeopardize its future. Protecting this remote ecosystem is vital for conservation efforts in the Pacific.
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