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Half of U.S. oil is now fracked – but it might not stay that way
Posted by Grist: None Given on March 28th, 2016
Grist: The U.S. has quickly become a global fracking powerhouse, and it`s not slowing down.
According to a March report from the Energy Information Administration, hydraulic fracturing now accounts for more than half of all U.S. oil output per day, compared with 2 percent in 2000. America`s 300,000 fracking wells pumped out 4.3 million barrels per day in 2015 - a staggering figure when compared to the 102,000 barrels a day in 2000. That growth has allowed the U.S. to "increase its oil production faster...
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Scotland closes its last coal-fired power plant
Posted by Grist: None Given on March 25th, 2016
Grist: Scotland may be home to golf, haggis, and Sean Connery - but it`s no longer hospitable to coal. On March 24, Scottish Power shut down Longanett power station, its last standing coal-fired power plant.
Weirdly enough, the act of silencing the plant`s turbines was exactly what you might imagine - granted, it would probably never occur to you to imagine something like this, but if you were going to: A crowd gathered `round a very retro control room as a man pressed a large, red button to the tune...
Vegetarian food companies finally get their own lobbyist in D.C
Posted by Grist: None Given on March 10th, 2016
Grist: When the giant companies that dominate U.S. meat, dairy, and egg production want something in Washington, they lean on armies of lobbyists, which are financed by flush trade groups like the North American Meat Institute, the National Pork Producers Coalition, the National Chicken Council, and the National Cattlemen`s Beef Association. But who speaks up for seitan chops on the Hill?
Until recently, essentially no one, says longtime food industry critic and researcher Michele Simon. And so she has...
Berta Cáceres the most recent environmental activist to be killed trying to protect her home
Posted by Grist: None Given on March 4th, 2016
Grist: In the middle of last night, Berta Cáceres, leader of the indigenous environmental activist group National Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (COPINH) and winner of the 2015 Goldman Environmental Prize, was assassinated in her home.
Perhaps that sentence does not mean much to you on its own - after all it`s just a sentence, about a woman you`ve never met, in a country you`ve likely never been to, fighting for something you understand in theory but do not relate to. Berta...
Anchorage is so warm this year it has to import snow for the Iditarod
Posted by Grist: None Given on March 3rd, 2016
Grist: Take an already warming planet, stir in a dash of El Niño, and add a splash of melting Arctic ice. Voila! You`ve got a baked Alaska.
The state has experienced a warm and wacky winter, with only one-tenth its usual snowfall and temperatures 10 degrees F above average. This lack of snow is especially problematic for a cherished tradition: the Iditarod, Alaska`s annual dogsled race.
To avoid the tribulations of slushy mushing, a snow-bereft Anchorage is importing snow for the beginning of the...
Scalia environmental legacy was decidedly negative
Posted by Grist: None Given on February 20th, 2016
Grist: Justice Antonin Scalia left an indelible mark on American law. His prodigious intellect, distinctive style, and sharp wit will be sorely missed by his family, friends, and colleagues.
His passing also creates a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to shift the balance of power on the Supreme Court toward greater protection for the environment and greater access to the courts by those most affected by pollution and resource degradation.
A look at Scalia’s legacy reveals why his absence in the coming...
Denmark preps for climate change by building parks transform into ponds
Posted by Grist: None Given on January 27th, 2016
Grist: The Danes may be among the happiest people in the world, but it’s going to take more than a good attitude to prepare for Denmark’s coming deluge. Climate change has big plans for the country, including loads and loads of heavy downpours.
In just the past five years, Denmark`s capital, Copenhagen, has been hit by two alleged "100-year floods" -- in other words, floods so disastrous, they’re only supposed to occur once a century. So what`s the best way to paddle a waterlogged city to safety? Here`s...
Bernie bashes Hillary on Keystone and other pipelines
Posted by Grist: None Given on January 26th, 2016
Grist: Bernie Sanders came after Hillary Clinton on climate change and energy issues on Monday night. At a Democratic candidate town hall forum in Iowa, Sanders argued that he has the judgment to be president, pointing out that, unlike Clinton, he was correct from the start in opposing both the Iraq War and Keystone XL.
“On day one, I said the Keystone Pipeline is a dumb idea,” said Sanders - who, as it happens, looks remarkably like Larry David doing Bernie Sanders. "I think the Bakken pipeline, and...
Map shows how Michigan’s lead problem extends far beyond the Flint water crisis
Posted by Grist: None Given on January 22nd, 2016
Grist: Flint is Michigan’s poster child for environmental disaster - a crisis that could have been avoided. As my colleague Raven Rakia has pointed out, lead exposure, which causes an array of health problems and is especially bad for children, is completely preventable. But that doesn’t mean that those responsible for public health do their jobs. In Flint, a city that’s nearly 60 percent black and where more than 42 percent of residents live below the poverty line, officials switched to a cheaper water...
Sorry! Winter Storm Jonas doesn’t make climate change a liberal hoax
Posted by Grist: None Given on January 22nd, 2016
Grist: Good news, folks! It turns out that climate change is a big ol` liberal hoax after all. Need proof? Just look out your window: If you`re anywhere east of Tupelo, you`re probably seeing a bunch of white stuff falling from the sky, compliments of Winter Storm Jonas. We call that "snow," and it proves once and for all that "global warming" is a conspiracy dreamed up by known communist Al Gore to bring down the world economy. Guess we can just pack up our desks and go home.
At least, that`s what America`s...