Ukraine Russia attack

Ukraine, war and our world

Waking up to a world at war

It is hard to think about the environment when lives are being torn asunder by war.


I woke up this morning yearning for peace, mourning the harm and loss Ukrainians are experiencing, and hoping for better collective wisdom to guide us through this insanity.

At the top of my inbox this morning was a note from Katelyn Jetelina, a University of Texas epidemiologist who publishes the newsletter "Your Local Epidemiologist."

Posting on a global pandemic feels "insensitive without addressing a different kind of pain and suffering and tragedy that millions will soon face," she said. I concur.

Her wisdom is worth sharing:

"Just like the pandemic, many will also fall victim to mis and disinformation—a new tool that enemies have found to work swimmingly well in a time of anxiety and confusion. Please be sure to find (and share) only solid sources; preferably ones with a reporter on the ground in Ukraine. There are such things as disaster epidemiologists, so I hope they come to the forefront, too, ... to share the public health perspective of war or, more accurately, the devastating interaction between war and pandemic."

War and energy

With Russia serving as Europe's largest energy producer, early reporting has focused on how the global response is hindered by the EU's need for Russian natural gas.

But Russia is also a major provider of nickel, copper, cobalt – all necessary materials for alternative energy sources necessary in the transition away from fossil fuels.

Two stories of note:

Could Russian sanctions hobble U.S. clean energy push?

Norilsk Nickel Russia

Hans Olav Lien/Wikimedia Commons

Politico's Jael Holzman explores the metals market—and how reliant clean energy technologies are on exports from autocratic countries like Russia and China.

Key quote:

“Our concern is that our energy markets are so tied up with nations that do not share our values.”

Worth your time...

The Coming Energy Shock

Gasoline shortage florida 2021

CWMc/flickr

The Atlantic looks at the global energy market, Russia's immunity from foreign sanctions, and the havoc Russia could inflict on world markets.

"Any Russian retreat from world oil markets will jolt prices in ways that will be felt at gas pumps around the world."

Keep reading...

Some good news

In dark times I often turn back to Gary Snyder's short poem, "For the Children."

I need this today, and his advice at the end is worth carrying forward:

stay together
learn the flowers
go light

I'm grateful to our researcher, Autumn Spanne, who found this morsel of good news on the website Reasons to be Cheerful:

More women than ever are contributing to the next IPCC climate report

Women's Science March San Francisco

Matthew Roth/flickr

“Things are changing,” Miriam Gay-Antaki, an assistant professor of geography & environmental studies told reporter Jessica Kutz.

“People are realizing that attending to gender is not a nuisance but something that a lot of people actually want.”

Read the good news...

A colorful satellite photo of a hurricane nearing the coast.

NOAA scrambles to fill key weather roles after deep Trump-era staffing cuts

Despite sweeping staff reductions this year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will temporarily hire for critical weather forecasting positions as hurricane season approaches.

Alexa St. John and Matthew Daly report for The Associated Press.

Keep reading...Show less
Graphic of Elon Musk in red and black.

Democrats weigh whether to embrace Elon Musk’s criticism of GOP clean energy rollback

Elon Musk’s break with Republicans over a House-passed bill slashing clean energy tax credits is prompting Democrats to reconsider him as an ally, despite months of political antagonism.

Debra Kahn reports for POLITICO.

Keep reading...Show less
A National Park Service sign on the side of a brick building.

Budget plan slashes science and staffing at EPA, NOAA, and Park Service

President Trump’s detailed budget blueprint proposes steep staffing and program cuts across environmental agencies including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Park Service, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), targeting science, disaster response, and clean energy.

Rachel Frazin reports for The Hill.

Keep reading...Show less
Military members in fatigues walking onto an airplane

Trump’s defense buildup could fuel global emissions surge, researcher warns

A growing military footprint under President Trump is poised to escalate U.S. and global greenhouse gas emissions, with climate consequences obscured by administration secrecy.

Nina Lakhani reports for The Guardian.

Keep reading...Show less
Yellow and black radioactive warning sign.

Western Pennsylvania residents protest landfill plan over fracking waste fears

For years, residents of Grove City, Pennsylvania, have fought to stop the reopening of a nearby landfill that could accept radioactive waste from oil and gas drilling.

Kiley Bense reports for Inside Climate News.

Keep reading...Show less
Mining equipment in a pit mine.

Trump bypasses reviews to reopen Utah uranium mine, but low prices may stall production

The Trump administration is fast-tracking a long-idled uranium mine in southeastern Utah under emergency orders, but market realities could delay any revival of domestic uranium production.

Mead Gruver and Hannah Schoenbaum report for The Associated Press.

Keep reading...Show less
a group of corals on a coral reef

U.S. launches deep-sea coral rescue after BP oil spill left ecosystems in ruins

Scientists are restoring coral habitats damaged by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill using underwater robots, lab-grown corals, and Navy divers in one of the most ambitious marine restoration efforts ever attempted.

Liz Kimbrough reports for Mongabay.

Keep reading...Show less
From our Newsroom
Multiple Houston-area oil and gas facilities that have violated pollution laws are seeking permit renewals

Multiple Houston-area oil and gas facilities that have violated pollution laws are seeking permit renewals

One facility has emitted cancer-causing chemicals into waterways at levels up to 520% higher than legal limits.

Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study

Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study

"The reality is, we are not exposed to one chemical at a time.”

Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro speaks with the state flag and American flag behind him.

Two years into his term, has Gov. Shapiro kept his promises to regulate Pennsylvania’s fracking industry?

A new report assesses the administration’s progress and makes new recommendations

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An open letter from EPA staff to the American public

“We cannot stand by and allow this to happen. We need to hold this administration accountable.”

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New evidence links heavy metal pollution with wildfire retardants

“The chemical black box” that blankets wildfire-impacted areas is increasingly under scrutiny.

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