Climate Change
World Leaders Try to Ban Another Greenhouse Gas
Eliminating refrigerants known as HFCs could prevent a leap in global warming
Stories by Robynne Boyd
Environment
World Closes in on Consensus to Regulate Fishing on the High Seas
Nations agree that global action must be taken to improve the health of the deep ocean
Environment
Borlaug Dialogue Begins Today…Not Everyone’s Thrilled
How will humanity feed 9 billion people in the year 2050? That’s the question that helped harvest this year’s World Food Prize recipients, including Marc Van Montagu, Mary-Dell Chilton and Robert Fraley, from the field of food researchers...
Environment
Teach the Children Well…About Water
Today, all eighth and ninth graders in the public school system here in Decatur, Ga., are partaking in a day-long seminar known as Water Wise. Last night, I attended the preview complete with presentations about water-borne diseases, water conservation, and the intricate interplay between energy use and water...
As a River Runs Dry
Just outside of Thomaston Ga., a red dirt driveway winds its way through a forest of sweet gums, oaks, pines and beech trees, marking the lone driven track on a large swath of land.
Imagine There’s No Garbage. I Wonder If I Can.
In John Lennon’s iconic song “Imagine,” he paints a world without war, greed or hunger. I’d like to add garbage to his list.
Environment
Summertime and the Dams Come Down
Summer is called dam removal season by those who cherish the notion of dams being demolished. The hotter, dryer weather limits a river’s flow and seasonal fish migrations pause, providing the necessary conditions for demolishing the commonly aging infrastructure once erected to provide irrigation, water storage, hydropower and/or flood control...
Environment
The Best Protection Against Storms? Nature Herself
When the winds grow strong and the waves heavy, shorelines are proving to be an important shield from the damage these coastal storms can inflect. That's according to a new study by a group of scientists at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment...
Environment
Obama Looks to the Clean Air Act as Inspiration for Tackling Climate
A little while ago, President Obama revealed the details of his Climate Action Plan, which describes the first-ever federal regulations on restricting carbon dioxide (CO2).The plan has three main prongs, and many minor ones...
Environment
The Cold Rush: An Effort to Protect the Arctic from Oil Spills During Rapid Development
On May 15 th , the U.S. was given an assignment to create a contingency plan for oil and gas spills in the Arctic. Seven other Arctic Council nations - Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia and Sweden - have to do the same...
Environment
Summer of the Mosquito
I remember last summer as the summer of the mosquito. I wasn't prepared. Those buzzing, itching, carbon dioxide-seeking missiles chased my family out of the backyard.
Would You Eat AquAdvantage Salmon If Approved?
Environment
My computer recharged because I wrote this blog...
…well, not exactly. But, it could happen soon thanks to a nanogenerator created by Dr. Zhong Lin Wang and his team at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Ga.
Environment
It's Time for a Neonicotinoid Time Out
There's a mounting pile of evidence that three particular neonicotinoid insecticides, clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam, are harming bees. During the late 1990’s this class of pesticides began being used to treat corn and other field crop seeds...
Environment
California s Second Carbon Auction Today: An Explainer on Cap-and-Trade
At the beginning of this year, the Golden State officially launched its long-discussed market-based system to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. California’s GHG cap-and-trade program is not the first of its type...
Environment
The Quest for Vertical Axis Wind Turbines Despite Failures
The vision is beautiful, if not somewhat tried: a large cluster of 360 foot tall towers encircled with long, slightly cupped blades, similar to airplane wings, spinning in the wind like a wind vane...
Environment
Video: 1.5 Minute Climate Talk Crash Course
The Doha Climate Talks are now in session. It's the first time the negotiations are being held in the oil-productive Middle East. Yes, the meeting's trying to be more enviro-savvy with it's "paper-smart," initiative by limiting the usually endless stacks of printed documents...
Environment
Appalachia's Fall Colors Safe for Now
View from Rabun Bald peak on the GA/NC border. Elevation of 4,696 feet. Photo courtesy: Robynne Boyd It was time to get away. Remove myself from the city and head to the Appalachian Mountains to watch its warm-weather greens turn to the auburns, tangerines and rusts of autumn.First thing I noticed on arriving at the mountain cabin in the southwestern part of the state, just outside Highlands, NC, was the pressing quiet...
Will Sea Level Rise Make the Final Debate?
Tonight, President Obama and Governor Romney will step onto the stage at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida, for their final debate. Familiar topics, such as boosting the economy, healthcare reform and the role of government, are likely to be wrangled over...
Environment
Tax credits - the wind in wind energy
For wind power, 2011 was a great year. California added more new wind energy to the grid than any other state, according to a report published Tuesday by the U.S.
