This story was originally published by Grist. Sign up for Grist’s weekly newsletter here Recycling was once all the rage. Reduce, reuse, recycle! We recited it like a mantra. To toss our cans and bottles into the blue bin was to take on personal environmental responsibility; it meant we care. However, of late,
Every summer, wildland firefighters across the West gear up for a monumental task, aiming to stop fires that are burning hotter and moving faster with climate change. They accomplish this in two ways: on the ground and out of the sky. From above, helicopters sling buckets of water, while airplanes dump fire retardant —
With the Montreal Protocol, life on Earth dodged a bullet we didn’t even know was headed our way. In 1985, the British Antarctic Survey alerted the world that in the atmosphere high above the South Pole a giant hole was forming in the Earth’s protective ozone layer. World leaders swiftly assembled to work
Populism and Democracy: An Intricate Dance Populism, both a boon and a bane for democracy, has seen a noticeable surge in the 21st century. Rooted in the principle of majoritarian rule, it serves as a conduit for the expression of widespread discontent and disillusionment, particularly with the political elite. This can invigorate democratic
Nearly a million acres have been destroyed in wildfires across the western Canadian province of Alberta, with more than 30,000 people forced to evacuate and oil production forced to halt after a state of emergency was declared this weekend. The province, which is the country’s largest producer of crude oil and natural gas,
What if governments finally decided to act on climate change and environmental degradation? Later this month world leaders will gather in Hiroshima, Japan for the 49th G7 summit, the annual meeting devoted to issues of global diplomacy. Will they listen to the voices of their youngest constituents and act on climate change? A
The journey of our food from farm to fork is a complex process that involves various scientific disciplines and techniques. Understanding the science behind food production, processing, and consumption can help us make informed choices about the food we eat and appreciate the intricate systems that bring sustenance to our tables. This article
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, photographer not specified or unknown, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Researchers in Kotzebue, Alaska, are investigating why their town is increasingly playing host to harmful cyanobacteria. Dead fish were everywhere, speckling the beach near town and extending onto the surrounding coastline. The sheer magnitude of the October 2021
The climate crisis is indisputably one of the most pressing challenges confronting humanity today. The repercussions of climate change are becoming increasingly apparent, with extreme weather events, rising sea levels, and disruptions to ecosystems jeopardising the livelihoods, health, and well-being of people worldwide. The urgency of the situation cannot be overemphasised, and immediate,
This transcript has been edited for length and clarity. California and Arizona are currently fighting each other over water from the Colorado River. But this isn’t new — it’s actually been going on for over 100 years. At one point, the states literally went to war about it. The problem comes down to