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☆ Solugen: 2024 CNBC Disruptor 50
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Cnbc.Com Staff | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Over the past century, major chemicals companies like BASF, Dow and LyondellBasell have maximized a global manufacturing process that is derived from fossil fuels. Sparked by a chance medical school poker game conversation in 2016, Solugen evolved from prototype to physical asset in five years, and production hit commercial scale shortly thereafter. "Solugen is the first synthetic biology company with a demonstrated ability to scale both their sales and their own manufacturing," an investor told CNBC at the time of the 2021 deal. The Bioforge, as its manufacturing platform is known, is designed to minimize the massive environmental toll of traditional chemical manufacturing, and in a perfect world, result in carbon-neutral if not carbon-negative emissions. Bioforge 1, its Houston-based site, is a zero discharge facility without air or wastewater emissions.

Persons: Solugen, Baillie Gifford Organizations: BASF, Dow, CNBC Locations: Houston

☆ Tesla is sued over air pollution from factory operations in Fremont, California
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Lora Kolodny | In Lorakolodny | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Tesla is being sued by the nonprofit Environmental Democracy Project, which alleges "ongoing failure to comply with the Clean Air Act" at the electric vehicle company's assembly plant in Fremont, California. The latest lawsuit in California described Tesla's environmental violations as "ongoing" and said that residents and employees in the surrounding area have been exposed to "excess amounts of air pollution, including nitrogen oxides, arsenic, cadmium, and other harmful chemicals." The Bay Area Air Quality Management District, an environmental regulator, recently accused Tesla of allowing "unabated emissions" in Fremont that should have been prevented. Air pollution from the assembly plant is the result of equipment that frequently breaks down, allowing emissions to vent directly into the air without proper filtration, regulators have said. Additionally, Tesla employees or contractors have allegedly shut off air pollution controls in the factory, particularly when the company was having trouble with other paint shop equipment.

Persons: Tesla, Tesla's, Elon Musk, Musk Organizations: Democracy, Political Economy Research, University of Massachusetts, Environmental Protection Agency, Tesla, Bay Area Air Quality Management District, CNBC Locations: Fremont , California, San Francisco, Amherst, California, Germany, Berlin, Fremont

☆ U.S. energy panel approves rule to expand transmission of renewable power
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Republican Mark Christie opposed the rule, dismissing it as a gift to solar and wind power operators. Many power companies and Republican-led states don't want to spend money on new transmission lines or upgrades for renewable energy, creating conflicts with Democratic states that have ambitious clean-energy goals. The rule is intended to streamline how power lines are sited and how costs are shared between states. It could accelerate construction of new transmission lines for wind, solar and other renewable power and add huge amounts of clean energy to the grid. The new rule "will improve regional transmission planning, break down barriers to grid buildout and support the delivery of more affordable and reliable power,″ Zaidi said.

Persons: Joe Biden's, Willie Phillips, Allison Clements, Republican Mark Christie, Phillips, Christie, ″, Biden, Ali Zaidi, ″ Zaidi, Clements, Heather O'Neill, Chuck Schumer, Schumer Organizations: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Democratic, Republican, Energy Department, FERC, Advanced Energy Locations: Washington, U.S

☆ Summer 2023 Was the Northern Hemisphere’s Hottest in 2,000 Years, Study Finds
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Delger Erdenesanaa | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The summer of 2023 was exceptionally hot. Scientists have already established that it was the warmest Northern Hemisphere summer since around 1850, when people started systematically measuring and recording temperatures. Now, researchers say it was the hottest in 2,000 years, according to a new study published in the journal Nature that compares 2023 with a longer temperature record across most of the Northern Hemisphere. The study goes back before the advent of thermometers and weather stations, to the year A.D. 1, using evidence from tree rings. “That gives us the full picture of natural climate variability,” said Jan Esper, a climatologist at Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, Germany and lead author of the paper.

Persons: ”, Jan Esper, El Niño Organizations: Northern Hemisphere, Johannes Gutenberg University Locations: Mainz, Germany

Smarter grids, like Chattanooga's, are just part of what it will take to modernize the American grid in the coming decades. A troubled transition to renewable energyOffshore wind farms are one of the growing areas of renewable energy. And the Edwards & Sanborn project, the US's largest solar energy and energy storage project in California, came online in January. Renewable energy is not only cleaner than fossil fuels but also often less expensive. Breaking down barriersThe US grid isn't designed for fluctuating renewable energy, so much of it goes to waste because clean-energy projects can't connect to the grid.

Persons: Kevin Schneider, Harris, Joe Rand, Joshua Rhodes, barleyman, Edwards, Rand, Philip Odonkor, Seib, headwinds, Julia Bovey, Ørsted, Bovey, Paul Denholm, We'll, Denholm, There's, PATRICK T, FALLON, we're, Schneider, We've, EPB, MISO, it's Organizations: Infrastructure, Service, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Nationwide, Biden, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, University of Texas, Renewables, Sanborn, of Systems, Enterprises, Stevens Institute of Technology, Trump, Fork, Eversource Energy, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Getty, Infrastructure Law Locations: Chattanooga , Tennessee, Chattanooga, EPB, Austin, Maine, North Carolina, California, United States

☆ I traveled beyond the Arctic Circle to see the Northern Lights. Here are 4 things to know before you go.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Taylor Rains | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Read previewIn February, I finally checked off one of my top bucket list items — seeing the aurora borealis, better known as the northern lights. I journeyed all the way to Finland's northernmost municipality, Utsjoki, about 280 miles north of the Arctic Circle. Location, location, locationWhile recent environmental phenomena have made the northern lights visible in places as far south as England and Denmark, the aurora borealis are best viewed within the Article Circle. AdvertisementThe vibrant colors that appear in photos are not what humans seeNot every color of the northern auroras is visible to the naked eye. "The lights are there, but if it is super cloudy — we can't, of course, see them," Tiina told me.

Persons: —, Tiina, Taylor Rains, Tiina Salonen, Utsjoki, it's, Nature Organizations: Service, Business, Finnair, Disney Locations: Utsjoki, New York, Ivalo, Finland, Helsinki, Lapland, Aurora, Norway, —, England, Denmark, Fairbanks , Alaska, Tromsø, Territories, Sweden, Ilulissat, Greenland, Antarctica, Kathmandu

☆ I saw the northern lights during the historic solar storm. I was surprised by how misleading the photos are.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Read previewI saw the northern lights glowing in the California skies last weekend — but just barely. Over the weekend, this solar activity brought the northern lights south, as far as Arkansas, and gave us a rare chance to see it in California. That's when we knew we were seeing the northern lights. My first solid glimpse of the northern lights came through my iPhone camera. AdvertisementWhy photos make the northern lights look more colorful than they areThe skies looked fully pink in my photos.

Persons: —, Morgan McFall, Johnsen, San Francisco —, Dan Bartlett, Maria Walach, auroras, Bartlett, I'm Organizations: Service, Business, Mount, State Park, Lancaster University Locations: California, Arkansas, San Francisco, Lake , California, Yosemite

☆ Smoke-Filled Skies Leave Midwest Fearing Another Season of Polluted Air
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Ernesto Londoño | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A cloud of smoke from Canadian wildfires suddenly blanketed Minnesota on Sunday evening, marring what had otherwise been a sun-drenched weekend and leaving some residents wondering whether the misery of last summer was starting all over again. A thick haze of smoke had repeatedly hung over cities in the Midwest and on the East Coast throughout the summer last year, leaving some communities breathing air so polluted that schools were closed and sporting events canceled. For now, experts say that a similar pattern has indeed appeared to have emerged. “We’re expecting a pretty active wildfire season in Canada,” said David Brown, an air quality meteorologist at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. For now, he added, people on the East Coast appear unlikely to endure the kind of periods of highly polluted air that startled many people last year.

Persons: “ We’re, ”, David Brown, Mr, Brown Organizations: Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Locations: Minnesota, East, Canada, Quebec, Ontario

☆ Asia heatwave: Record temperatures cancel classes, widening learning gaps across Southeast Asia
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Heather Chen | Kathleen Magramo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

His class of 43 students pass around mini hand-held fans during lessons on most days to keep cool. More than 33 million children were impacted as a result of the heatwave, according to groups like Save the Children and UNICEF. The worst hit were poor children in rural areas whose families couldn’t afford devices like laptops and tablets to facilitate remote learning, UNICEF says. “We don’t allow children outside when temperatures get too hot,” said Bong Samreth, who teaches at a public school in Phnom Penh. Loose, lightweight and light colored clothing was also advised for students to protect them from sunburns and heat exposure.

Persons: Seila, ”, “, —, Sheldon Yett, ” Yett, Bong Samreth, Ezra Acayan, Benjo Basas, Basas, Mirasol, Hang Chuon Naron, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Chaideer Mahyuddin, it’s, Joy Reyes Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, CNN, Children, UNICEF, UN, ”, Volunteers, Getty, Governments Locations: Hong Kong, Cambodia, Phnom Penh, South, Southeast Asia, Bangladesh, Philippines, Tondo, Manila, Pangasinan, Philippine, Banda Aceh, Indonesia, AFP

☆ Climate crisis brings high school friends together to back startups overlooked by other VCs
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Lora Kolodny | In Lorakolodny | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Childhood friends Jeremy Brewer and Sam Levac-Levey started their first clean energy startup in 2018. Six years later, they're launching a new venture fund to invest in climate tech companies overlooked by their peers. According to PwC's 2023 study on the state of climate tech, more than 70% of investment went into energy and mobility. Brewer said Starshot is looking to invest in companies that offer "gigaton-scale solutions, that can increase their customers' profitability and revenue." They entered a climate tech accelerator in Canada called Creative Destruction Lab, where they worked for months to perfect their plan.

Persons: Jeremy Brewer, Sam Levac, Levey, Brewer, who's, Starshot, Levac Organizations: Google, Facebook, Tesla, SpaceX, Starshot, CNBC Locations: Montreal, Canada

The Major Supreme Court Cases of 2024No Supreme Court term in recent memory has featured so many cases with the potential to transform American society. In 2015, the Supreme Court limited the sweep of the statute at issue in the case, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. In 2023, the Supreme Court temporarily blocked efforts to severely curb access to the pill, mifepristone, as an appeal moved forward. A series of Supreme Court decisions say that making race the predominant factor in drawing voting districts violates the Constitution. The difference matters because the Supreme Court has said that only racial gerrymandering may be challenged in federal court under the Constitution.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Anderson, Sotomayor Jackson Kagan, Roberts Kavanaugh Barrett Gorsuch Alito Thomas, Salmon, “, ”, Mr, Nixon, Richard M, privilege.But, Fitzgerald, Vance, John G, Roberts, Fischer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Clarence Thomas, Samuel A, Alito Jr, Alito, ’, Moyle, Wade, Roe, Johnson, Robinson, Moody, Paxton, Robins, Media Murthy, Sullivan, Murthy, Biden, Harrington, Sackler, Alexander, Jan, Raimondo, ” Paul D, Clement, Dodd, Frank, Homer, Cargill Organizations: Harvard, Stanford, University of Texas, Trump, Liberal, Sotomayor Jackson Kagan Conservative, Colorado, Former, Trump v . United, United, Sarbanes, Oxley, U.S, Capitol, Drug Administration, Alliance, Hippocratic, Jackson, Health, Supreme, Labor, New York, Homeless, Miami Herald, Media, Biden, National Rifle Association, Rifle Association of America, New York State, Purdue Pharma, . South Carolina State Conference of, Federal, Loper Bright Enterprises, . Department of Commerce, Chevron, Natural Resources Defense, ”, SCOTUSPoll, Consumer Financial, Community Financial Services Association of America, Securities, Exchange Commission, Exchange, Occupational Safety, Commission, Lucia v . Securities, Federal Trade Commission, Internal Revenue Service, Environmental Protection Agency, Social Security Administration, National Labor Relations Board, Air Pollution Ohio, Environmental, Guns Garland, Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, Explosives, National Firearms, Gun Control Locations: Colorado, Trump v . United States, United States, Nixon, Florida, Gulf of Mexico, Dobbs v, Idaho, Roe, Texas, States, New, New York, Grants, Oregon, . California, Martin v, Boise, Boise , Idaho, Missouri, Parkland, Fla, Murthy v . Missouri, . Missouri, ., South Carolina, Alabama, SCOTUSPoll, Lucia v, Western

☆ Opinion: Trump’s congestion pricing outrage is classic ‘dead cat’ strategy
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Opinion Rosa Prince | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

In short, Trump’s New York congestion comment was classic dead cat. In the same Truth Social message, the former president mused about the impact of congestion pricing elsewhere in the world. After all, congestion pricing has been introduced in a number of cities, from Singapore to Stockholm, over the past 25-odd years. I live about four miles from the edge of the congestion zone, and it’s never once been a problem to circumvent. By most metrics, London’s congestion pricing experiment has been a resounding success.

Persons: Rosa Prince, Read, Donald Trump, ”, Rosa Prince Rosa Prince Here, Stormy Daniels, mused, It’s, “, I’m, it’s, Akmen, they’re, Boris Johnson, there’s, Sadiq Khan, Ella Roberta Adoo, Khan, Mayor Khan, he’s Organizations: Politico UK, London CNN — Former, New, Big Apple, Getty, Conservative, Transport, London, Labour Party, Trump, TfL, CNN, Twitter, New Yorker Locations: New York City, New York, Singapore, Stockholm, London, AFP, It’s, Manhattan, London —, England, New

☆ Take a look inside Menards, the Midwest home-improvement chain owned by Wisconsin's richest billionaire
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Talia Lakritz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

As the founder of home-improvement retailer Menards, John Menard Jr. is Wisconsin's richest billionaire with a net worth of $22.9 billion. John Menard Jr. (left) congratulates IndyCar driver Simon Pagenaud on his victory at the 2016 Angie's List Grand Prix of Indianapolis. Menard Jr. is a controversial figure known for his frugality and iron-handed management style. Menard Jr. denied any inappropriate conduct, his attorney told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Menard Jr. is also an avid race-car enthusiast, sponsoring Menards race cars at NASCAR and IndyCar events.

Persons: John Menard Jr, Simon Pagenaud, Khris Hale, Menard, Menards, Menard Jr Organizations: Prix, Indianapolis, Getty, Forbes, University of Wisconsin, Prosecutors, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, NASCAR Locations: Eau Claire, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

CNN —The world has passed a clean energy milestone, as a boom in wind and solar meant a record-breaking 30% of the world’s electricity was produced by renewables last year, new data shows. The planet is reaching “a crucial turning point” toward clean energy, according to the Global Electricity Review published Wednesday by climate think tank Ember. Record-breaking renewablesIn 2000, renewables made up less than 19% of the global energy mix. It made up nearly twice as much new electricity generation as coal last year. Electricity demand is set to soar from 2024 onward, Ember’s analysis found.

Persons: It’s, Dave Jones, Ember, ” Jones, “ We’re, Jones, “, ”, Niklas Höhne, Nancy Haegel Organizations: CNN, Global, NewClimate Institute, European Union, EU, National Renewable Energy Laboratory Locations: China, India, Chile, Australia, Netherlands, California, United States

☆ Dementia cases are on the rise — avoid these 12 risks to keep your brain healthy
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Ernestine Siu | In Ernestinesiu | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Halfpoint Images | Moment | Getty ImagesA global mental health crisis is on the horizon — dementia. While a healthy body can mitigate dementia risks, a healthy mind is no less important. "We do know [that] people who have cumulative mental health symptoms during their lifetime, actually [have] an increased risk of dementia," said Singham. "If we see symptomatic improvement [to one's mental health] throughout the life course, then that can decrease your chances of having dementia eventually." "The other thing I would encourage young people to do is have a very disciplined, good sleep hygiene because our brains really really need to rest," Ng said.

Persons: Timothy Singham, Singham, Ng Ai Ling, " Ng Organizations: World Health Organization, WHO, National University of Singapore, CNBC, Community Services

☆ ‘World’s largest’ plant to suck carbon out of the air and turn it into stone opens in Iceland
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Direct air capture, or DAC, is a technology designed to suck in air and strip out the carbon using chemicals. Climeworks plans to transport the carbon underground where it will be naturally transformed into stone, locking up the carbon permanently. ClimeworksClimeworks' Mammoth plant will eventually be able to capture 36,000 tons of carbon from the air. It will increase the size of equipment to capture carbon pollution. It’s this kind of process that makes some critics concerned carbon removal technologies could be used to prolong production of fossil fuels.

Persons: ”, Lili Fuhr, Haukur, Climeworks Climeworks, Stuart Haszeldine, it’s, Jan Wurzbacher Organizations: CNN, Climeworks, Center for International Environmental Law, Mammoth, University of Edinburgh, International Energy Agency, Stratos, Occidental Locations: Iceland, Swiss, Texas, Occidental, Kenya, United States

☆ New Delhi’s Iron Pillar has been exposed to the elements for centuries. So why hasn’t it ever shown signs of rust?
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Poonam Binayak | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque is part of the UNESCO-listed Qutb Minar complex. Scientists both in India and abroad began studying the iron pillar in Delhi in 1912 to try to figure out why it hadn’t corroded. Stuart Forster/ShutterstockBeyond its metallurgical intrigue, the origin of the Iron Pillar is also veiled in mystery. In the epic poem “Prithviraj Raso,” penned by Chand Bardai, a courtier in the Chahamana dynasty under King Prithviraj Chauhan, the Iron Pillar holds great significance. “Bardai describes the Iron Pillar in Raso as a nail holding the Earth on the hoof of Sheshnag, the serpent king in Hindu mythology,” says Vikramjit.

Persons: Qutb, Anders Blomqvist, Balasubramaniam, Stuart Forster, Gupta, Chandragupta II, Vikramaditya, Vishnu, It’s, Garuda, Vikramjit Singh Rooprai, King Vikramaditya, Siddhanta, ”, Raja Anangpal, Qutbuddin, Prithviraj Raso, Chand Bardai, King Prithviraj Chauhan, “ Bardai, “ Raso, Anangpal, Qutub, Ravi Pratap Singh, Pragya Nagar Organizations: CNN, New Delhi’s UNESCO, UNESCO, Indian Institute of Technology, National Metallurgical Laboratory, Indian Institute of Metals, Varāhamihira, ASI, Survey Locations: Mehrauli, Islam, India, Delhi, Kanpur, Varah, Udayagiri Caves, Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh, “, Mihirapuri, Tomar, Raso

☆ A Highway Split Their Community. Efforts to Fix That Face Opposition.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Madeleine Ngo | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Steps from his front yard, thousands of cars rumble past each day as they travel along the Kensington Expressway, an expansive six-lane highway that slices through his neighborhood on Buffalo’s East Side. It has also posed a physical barrier, making it harder for residents to reach grocery stores and parks. State officials say the $1 billion project, backed by a $55.6 million federal grant, will enhance pedestrian access and stimulate economic growth. They include Mr. Richardson, 69, a retired electrician who moved to the neighborhood nearly a decade ago. He said that he did not think covering a section of the highway would do much to improve the area’s air quality and that he would rather see the highway completely torn out.

Persons: David Richardson, Richardson Organizations: Biden, Mr Locations: Kensington, Buffalo, . New York State

☆ Opinion | Congestion Pricing and Confusion
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

To the Editor:Re “M.T.A.’s Congestion Fees Will Launch on June 30” (news article, April 27):Any congestion pricing plan must be implemented responsibly, with full consideration of its effects on vulnerable communities and the environment. Drive, concentrated in an area with many low-income residents that is already designated as an Environmental Justice Area by New York State, is deeply concerning. If this plan is to be truly transformative, its effects must be thoroughly studied and mitigated. The M.T.A.’s resistance to a proper environmental impact study and its urgency in pushing this plan forward are alarming. Rushing forward without proper due diligence is irresponsible and risks irreparable harm to already vulnerable communities.

Organizations: Metropolitan Transportation, Environmental, New Locations: New York State, New Jersey, Bronx

Great Barrier Reef, Australia CNN —As the early-morning sun rises over the Great Barrier Reef, its light pierces the turquoise waters of a shallow lagoon, bringing more than a dozen turtles to life. CNN witnessed bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef in mid-February, on five different reefs spanning the northern and southern parts of the 2,300-kilometer (1,400-mile) ecosystem. “It’s a die-off,” said Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, a climate scientist at the University of Queensland in Australia and chief scientist at The Great Barrier Reef Foundation. Our destination is Lady Elliot Island, a remote coral cay perched on top of the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef. — Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort Guano miners once stripped Lady Elliot Island of its topsoil.

Persons: Elliot Island, ”, Kate Quigley, “ We’re, Ove Hoegh, I’m, Guldberg, ‘, Elliot, Peter Gash, “, ” Gash, Lady Elliot, ” Peter Gash, CNN Gash, Derek Manzello, Peter Harrison, “ We’ve, ” Harrison, ” David Ritter, ” Ritter, David Wachenfeld Organizations: Australia CNN —, Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, CNN, Minderoo, University of Queensland, Eco, Reef Watch, Southern Cross University, Australian Institute of Marine Science, Greenpeace, Australia CNN Scientists, AIMS Locations: Australia, El, Brisbane, Queensland, Red Sea, Indonesia, Seychelles, Caribbean, Florida, “, New South Wales, Greenpeace Australia, Briggs, Elliot Island

☆ Kenya floods: Anger mounts as people left homeless and searching for loved ones swept away in floods
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-04 | by ( Larry Madowo | Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Mai Mahiu, Kenya CNN —When Julia Wanjiku put her son Isaac to bed last Sunday after a day celebrating his third birthday, she didn’t realize she was also saying goodbye. She was among the survivors gathering at Ngeya Girls High School in Mai Mahiu on Tuesday. A damaged car buried in mud in an area heavily affected by torrential rains and flash floods in the village of Kamuchiri, near Mai Mahiu, on April 29. Luis Tato/AFP via Getty ImagesPeople removing mud and water from their house in Mai Mahiu, Kenya, on April 29. Rescuers carry the body of a young man recovered in the debris following flooding, in Mai Mahiu, Kenya.

Persons: Mai Mahiu, Kenya CNN —, Julia Wanjiku, Isaac, Wanjiku, — Isaac, “, ” Wanjiku, Isaac’s, Mai Mahui, It’s, Luis Tato, El, William Ruto, Kithure Kindiki, Isaac Mwaura, ” Ruto, Mark Laichena, ”, Simon Maina, Mwaura, Nyagoah Tut, James Wakibia, Joyce Kimutai, herder, Makau, “ I’m, ” Larry Madowo, Laura Paddison, CNN’s Louis Mian, Allison Chinchar, Mary Gilbert Organizations: Kenya CNN, CNN, Girls High School, Getty, Getty Images, “, Kenyan, Space Agency European Space Agency, European Space Agency, Isaac Mwaura ., Communities, United Arab Emirates, Rights Watch, Kenya Meteorological Department, Human Rights Watch, Rescuers, Imperial College London’s Grantham Institute Locations: Kenya, Mai, Kenya’s, Nairobi, Mai Mahiu, Kamuchiri, AFP, Getty Images Kenya, Garissa, Tanzania, Tana, Mathare, New York, El, Nyagoah Tut Pur, Africa, East Africa, London

☆ Making Flying Cleaner
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Manuela Andreoni | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Flying is just about the most polluting thing many of us do. This week the Biden administration announced new moves to make aviation cleaner, proposing guidelines for how fuel producers can qualify for tax credits as part of a program to increase production of more sustainable jet fuel, my colleagues Max Bearak and Dionne Searcey wrote. The guidelines are not yet final, but what caught my attention is that they allow corn-based ethanol to be part of the answer. Among experts, ethanol can be divisive and its environmental benefits are fiercely debated, even two decades after the U.S. started mixing it with gasoline. Today, I want to lay out why the aviation industry generates so much pollution and explain the debate over ethanol.

Persons: Hiroko Tabuchi, Max Bearak, Dionne Searcey Organizations: Google, Biden Locations: New York, San Francisco, Cameroon, U.S

☆ Glamping With the Stars
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Colleen Creamer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

I’d headed west for the sun, but even more so for the night sky, so I was hoping for clear weather ahead. The glamping resort, one of 12 Under Canvas sites, is anchored on a canyon rim plateau in southern Utah and is the first resort in the world to be certified by the nonprofit authority on light pollution, DarkSky International. My aim was to beat the heat and the crowds — but what I really wanted was to be an early adopter of certified starry resorts. The DarkSky Approved Lodging program is another step forward in the nonprofit’s history of advocacy for the reduction of light pollution. Broadly, the requirements for certification include being situated in an “exceptionally” dark location; having approved means of reducing the impact of light at night; and providing educational materials about night sky conservation to guests.

Persons: Harry Reid Organizations: Harry Reid International, DarkSky Locations: Tennessee, Utah

☆ This $119 houseplant is bioengineered to remove harmful air pollution in your home.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Ellyn Lapointe | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Biotech company Neoplants just released the first houseplant grown to reduce indoor air pollution. Neo P1 can remove 30 times more VOC's, harmful indoor pollutants, than a typical houseplant. This week, the France-based biotech company Neoplants released the first houseplant bioengineered to remove harmful chemicals from indoor air. AdvertisementUnpacking the Neo P1 systemThe Neo P1 system comes with a marble queen pothos potted in a specially designed "shell," and a six-month supply of power drops. AdvertisementStriving for sustainabilityEvery part of the Neo P1 air purifying system is manufactured in the US.

Persons: —, you'd, Glenn Morrison, Patrick Torbey, Lionel Mora weren't, Mora, Torbey, Morrison, Neoplants, Jennifer Brophy, " Mora, it's, we'll Organizations: Biotech, Neoplants, Service, American Lung Association, University of North, Business, Stanford University, MIT Tech Locations: France, University of North Carolina, Torbey, VOCs, Neoplants, Paris

☆ The 15 cities in the US with the worst air quality, ranked
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Mikhaila Friel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

IQAir's air quality report ranked the world's most and least polluted areas. The report revealed 92.5% of countries and only 9% of cities met WHO's PM2.5 guidelines in 2023. AdvertisementSwiss company IQAir ranked the most and least polluted countries and cities in the world in a recent air quality report. And only 9% of cities surveyed achieved WHO's guidelines of acceptable PM2.5 levels in 2023. Meanwhile, cities in California, Georgia, and Iowa were named the most polluted, as shown in the below ranking.

Persons: WHO's, —, IQAir Organizations: Service, Business Locations: California , Georgia, Iowa, Swiss, Arizona , Nevada, Colorado

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