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☆ When El Niño exacerbates global warming: Record heat, record flooding, record wildfires
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-15 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

Brown | Afp | Getty ImagesIf you feel like record-level extreme weather events are happening with alarming frequency, you're not alone. Global warming is making extreme weather events more severe, scientists said. But what is clear is that climate change makes it more likely that an extreme weather event will happen. "Higher temperatures from climate change are indisputable, and with each degree increase we're multiplying our changes of getting an extreme heat wave. Decreasing the greenhouse gas emissions released into the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels will help moderate the extreme weather trends.

Persons: Rai Rogers, Frederic J, Brown, Michael Mann, Brandon Bell, Phil Scott, Paul Ullrich, Mann, Ullrich, Justin Trudeau, El Niño, Timothy Canty, Canty, they're Organizations: Afp, Getty, University of Pennsylvania, CNBC, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, National Weather Service, Prediction, EMT, Emergency, Washington Post, The Washington Post, Anadolu Agency, University of California, Global, Wildfire, Bloomberg, University of Maryland, Government, Montreal Locations: Las Vegas , Nevada, California, Texas, Florida, United States, Northern, West Coast, Phoenix , Arizona, Nevada, Arizona, Montpelier , Vermont, Vermont, Canada, New York City, Anadolu, Davis, Lytton , British Columbia, El, Americas, Gulf, Pacific Northwest, Ohio, Northeastern, Ankara, Turkiye, Montreal

☆ US fines Texas oil company Callon Permian over emissions
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

July 13 (Reuters) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Thursday said Callon Permian LLC was fined $1.3 million for excess emissions from tanks, flares and other equipment at company's oil and gas facilities in the West Texas Permian Basin. The EPA said it identified emissions using a helicopter equipped with a special infrared camera that detects hydrocarbon leaks. The company failed to comply with requirements for flares, tanks, and combustors as well as general requirements of the federally approved Texas State Implementation Plan, the EPA said. Callon will perform corrective actions at 13 of its oil and gas facilities in the West Texas Permian Basin, resulting in an estimated reduction of over 1.2 million pounds of volatile organic compound (VOCs) emissions, the agency said. Reporting by Daksh Grover and Rahul Paswan in Bengaluru; Editing by David GregorioOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Callon, VOCs, Daksh Grover, Rahul Paswan, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, Thomson Locations: West Texas, Texas, Bengaluru

☆ White House releases report on reflecting sunlight to cool the earth, no formal study planned now
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The Biden-Harris administration has no plans underway to launch a comprehensive research program into solar radiation modification, according to a senior administration official. 'Risk vs risk'For decades, solar radiation modification has been relegated to the realm of science fiction. The White House report focuses on two methods of solar geoengineering. But it also has a lot of unknown risks — what the White House report called "known unknowns." Critically, solar radiation modification is not a permanent solution.

Persons: Harris, Chelsea Thompson Organizations: Biden, White, Office of Science, Technology, Consolidated, NOAA, SRM, European Union, European Commission Locations: United States

☆ How to stay healthy in hot weather
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Katia Hetter | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

And how can everyone prepare for hot weather events outdoors? She previously served as health commissioner of Baltimore, where her duties included overseeing the city’s “Code Red” responses to extreme hot weather. They should seek out resources from their local and state government, which may provide cooling centers and temporary shelters during periods of extreme hot weather. Especially if you live in environments where your children are not used to hot weather, monitor them closely. CNN: How can everyone prepare for hot weather events?

Persons: Leana Wen, Wen, Heatstroke, heatstroke, it’s, don’t Organizations: CNN, George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health, US Environmental Protection Agency, Getty Locations: United States, Baltimore

‘Living on top of each other’Mission Antarctica: Each year, the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust sends a crack team to run one of the world's most remote post offices. UK Antarctic Heritage Trust Shovel your way in: It was a tough start. UK Antarctic Heritage Trust Food reserves: Unsurprisingly, fresh food is in short supply, other than what comes their way via visiting cruise ships. UK Antarctic Heritage Trust Kitted out: Those sunglasses are crucial if you don't want to risk snow blindness. UK Antarctic Heritage Trust The post office at the end of the world Prev NextThe chosen candidates beat out odds of one in a thousand – but this is not a cozy posting.

Persons: They’d, Clare Ballantyne, it’s, Ballantyne, Lucy Bruzzone, Mairi Hilton, Natalie Corbett, Camilla Nichol, Nichol, “, ”, Vicky Inglis, ‘ Cheeriness, Cheeriness, They’ll, aren’t, Says Nichol Organizations: CNN, Britain’s Royal Navy, Port, Antarctic Heritage Trust, Base, Antarctic Heritage Trust Food, Antarctic Heritage, British Antarctic Survey, International Association of Antarctica Locations: there’s, Antarctica, Inglis, Montreal, Antarctic

☆ The risk of being bitten by a dog is higher on hot, sunny, and smoggy days, new research suggests
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Marta Biino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A new study from Harvard analyzed almost 70,000 reports of dogs biting humans in the US. The study showed that incidents of dogs biting humans increased in line with rising temperatures. It also increased with higher UV levels and on days when certain types of pollution were high. The research, led by Harvard Medical School scholars, found there were more reports of dog bites on days with higher temperatures, as well as days with higher UV and pollution levels. On days with higher UV, dog bites increased by 11%, and higher temperatures caused a 4% increase.

Persons: — Organizations: Harvard, Service, Harvard Medical School Locations: Dallas, Houston, Baltimore, Baton Rouge , Chicago, Louisville , New York City, Los Angeles

Ms. Hanif’s family history illustrates how Bangladeshi Kensington came to be. While the corner is often a male-dominated space, she and other Bangladeshi American women have carved out their own places there. Ms. Saeed wants to buy a house, but real estate in Kensington has become far too expensive. Ms. Saeed also faced opposition as she was growing up, from relatives on her mother’s side who frowned upon dance. With other public spaces so dominated by men, Ms. Ferdous sees it as vital that women gather to keep their traditions alive.

Persons: Shahana Hanif, Hanif’s, Hanif, Radhuni, Ms, Mir Hossain, Hossain, “, ”, Sala Miah, Rubel, Tarek Aziz, Uddin, Farojan Saeed, Syed Rehan, Saeed, Annie Ferdous, Ferdous, Eid, Mr, Mahmud Organizations: Young, City Council, Bangladesh Institute of Performing Arts, Bangladeshi Institute of Performing Arts, McDonald Locations: Kensington, Bangladesh, Pakistan, “, United States, America, Bengal, Noakhali, Chittagong, Sandwip, Brooklyn, East, South America, Colombia, Panama, Dhaka, Bangladeshi, Manhattan, East New York, Jackson Heights, Ozone, New York, Motiul, Philadelphia, Jessore District, Jamaica, Queens

☆ Singapore's love affair with air conditioning shows a Catch 22 of climate change
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Heather Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Thankfully, Chee said, his home has five air conditioners – one in each bedroom and a larger unit in the living room. “I drank plenty of water, took cold showers and kept the air conditioning on for the entire weekend. Indeed, in this city, air conditioning has become almost a way of life. But Singapore’s love affair with air conditioning has an enormous cost. Here are some possible solutions 02:39 - Source: CNNBreaking the loopStill, experts say there are ways to break the air conditioning doom-loop.

Persons: Chee Kuan Chew, ” Chee, “, Mo Kio, Chee, Lee Kuan Yew, Edgar Su, Suhaimi Abdullah, Matthias Roth, Roth, Radhika Khosla, ” Khosla, Heng Chye Kiang, Smart, Heng Organizations: CNN, Reuters, Economic, International Energy Agency, Urban, United States Environmental Protection Agency, National University of Singapore, United Nations, Montreal Protocol, Oxford University’s Smith School of Enterprise, Environment, Bloomberg, Getty, Singapore’s National Environment Agency, NEA, ”, National University of Singapore’s School of Design Locations: Singapore, New York City, Japan, United States, ”, Kigali, Montreal, Orchard

☆ Air quality alert apps see spike in usage as Canada wildfires burn
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Lora Kolodny | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Some apps run on data crowdsourced from relatively affordable air quality sensors sold by companies such as PurpleAir and IQAir. Air quality apps and mapsOutdoor air quality-monitoring apps like AirNow, AirCare and AirVisual have been among the nation's most used apps in past years when wildfires raged in Oregon and California. Like most air pollution trackers, it uses a color-coded visual system to indicate whether air pollution levels are good to hazardous, or whether there is not enough data to issue a rating. These include a Fire and Smoke Map, which provides information on fire locations, smoke plumes and air quality, and the AirNow Interactive Map shows ozone and particulate matter from air quality monitors across the country. Indoor air matters, tooWhile outdoor air quality is important, society doesn't talk or do enough about indoor air quality, said Richard Corsi, University of California, Davis' incoming dean of the college of engineering, currently a professor and dean at Portland State University.

Persons: AirNow, Yanelli Nunez, Anna Kioumourtzoglou, Nunez, Richard Corsi, Davis, Corsi Organizations: CNBC, U.S . Environmental Protection Agency, ZIP, Apple Watch, Huawei, Columbia University's Mailman, of Public Health, University of California, Portland State University Locations: North America, Europe, Quebec, Ontario, U.S, New York City, Oregon, California, Mexico, Canada, Macedonia, Australia, Swiss, Greater Los Angeles

☆ How to Clear 500,000 Feral Cats From New York’s Streets
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Richard Schiffman | Erin Schaff | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

There are colonies in virtually every neighborhood with suitable nooks and crannies — in Bushwick, in Washington Heights, in Ozone Park. There may be as many as half a million feral cats padding around New York City, but no one knows for sure. “No one knows, and the city doesn’t care to know,” said Will Zweigart, the founder of Flatbush Cats, the nonprofit group that Ms. Gabriel and scores of others volunteer with. “Because if they knew, they would be accountable to do something about it.”There are a number of reasons for the explosion in feral cat colonies. Some people, fearing that their unwanted cats would be euthanized if they were taken to a shelter, simply let them out on the streets and hoped for the best.

Persons: ”, Will Zweigart, Gabriel Organizations: Flatbush Cats, Yorkers Locations: Flatbush, Bushwick, Washington Heights, Ozone, New York City

As of Thursday morning, air filters were the top gainers in sales for tools and home improvement products on Amazon over the past 24 hours. Searches on Google for air purifiers have increased 16 fold since Monday, according to Google trends. Johnson Controls, which has a number of air filters on the market, has also seen its stock price soar. The air purifier market is poised to grow as climate change increases air pollution and exacerbates breathing difficulties. Climate change will worsen existing air pollution and lead to more dangerous air quality days like the current one in the Northeast.

Persons: humidifier, Johnson Organizations: New, New York CNN, Google, United States, Carrier Global, Johnson Controls, Economic Co, Environmental Protection Agency Locations: New York, United States, “

New York City’s air quality index was above 200 at one point Tuesday night – a level that is “very unhealthy,” according to IQair. Later Tuesday night, New York City had the second-worst levels of air pollution in the world after New Delhi, India, IQair reported. Air quality alerts were in effect across parts of the Northeast and the Midwest on Tuesday as wildfire smoke spread west into Detroit and Chicago. Spencer Platt/Getty ImagesDetroit was listed in IQair’s top 10 worst locations for air pollution on Tuesday afternoon. Chicago’s air quality was moderate on Tuesday afternoon and is expected to remain moderate for the next couple of days.

Persons: IQair, ”, William Barrett, ” Barrett, Spencer Platt Organizations: CNN, New, Doha, World Health, World Health Organization, American Lung Association, Canadian Interagency Forest Fire, Midwest, National Weather Service, Getty, Detroit, IQAir Locations: New York City, Quebec, York, New Delhi, India, Qatar, Baghdad, Iraq, Lahore, Pakistan, New York, Canadian, Canada, Detroit, Chicago, IQair’s, New England, Massachusetts , Connecticut, Rhode Island and Vermont, Cities, Baltimore, Boston, Hartford, Providence, Montpelier , Vermont, South Carolina, IQAir North America

☆ Safest summer sunscreens for 2023, according to the Environmental Working Group
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-23 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

In 2019, oxybenzone was an ingredient in 60% of all sunscreen products tested by EWG, dropping to 30% in 2022. Best sunscreen by useFor the 2023 report, EWG tested and ranked over 1,700 sunscreen products for their safety and effectiveness, grouping the results by use. In addition to chemicals, there are two types of mineral ingredients listed in the guide that the FDA said are safe and effective: titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. “Consumers need to have confidence that the sunscreen products they use meet international standards,” Swei said. Another plus — mineral ingredients don’t appear to harm the environment.

Persons: CNN —, ”, Emily Spilman, oxybenzone, EWG, David Andrews, EWG’s, Spilman, Homer Swei, ” Swei, ” Spilman, Oxybenzone, —, sunscreens, Alexandra Kowcz Organizations: CNN, Food and Drug Administration, Science, Environmental, Products, FDA, Healthy, EWG, sunscreens, European Union, Canada, US Environmental Protection Agency, National Toxicology Program, Skin Cancer Foundation, US Food and Drug Administration, Research, Care Products Council Locations: sunscreens, oxybenzone, EWG

But Michelin, Continental and Pirelli (PIRC.MI) told Reuters they are pursuing alternatives to 6PPD, with Michelin and Continental adding collective industry action may be necessary to find solutions. Continental said its dandelion tyres were developed to find a sustainable form of natural rubber, and addressing 6PPD was a separate focus. The worst-performing rival tyres Michelin has tested so far emit around 8 kg per year. Michelin and Continental said they are already focused on making their tyres more durable - Michelin cut its tyre emissions 5% between 2015 and 2020, Roget said. "The advent of the EV is the time to make this change," to improve tyres," Enso's Erlendsson said.

☆ Philips says tests on 95% of recalled devices show limited risks
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Companies Koninklijke Philips NV FollowAMSTERDAM, May 16 (Reuters) - Dutch medical devices maker Philips (PHG.AS) said on Tuesday that independent tests had shown 95% of its respiratory devices involved in a major global recall had shown limited health risks. The company expects to have test results for the remaining machines involved in the recall later in the year. It said exposure to particulate matter emissions and volatile organic compounds from degraded foam in DreamStation devices was "unlikely to result in an appreciable harm to health in patients". Philips had already said last year that tests indicated foam degradation was very rare and was linked to the use of unauthorised ozone-based cleaning products. It now added that foam degradation as a result of such cleaning was also unlikely to result in an appreciable harm.

☆ Cosmic Aerospace is working on an electric plane with real range
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Lora Kolodny | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Denver startup Cosmic Aerospace is developing a fully electric plane to reduce air pollution from regional flights. The aim is to build an electric plane that operates without any emissions but that can still fly for just over 600 miles. Alex Teng, a partner at 50 Years, told CNBC his firm invested in Cosmic partly owing to the cofounders' experience in aviation. The fund also liked that Cosmic is tackling a problem that other developers of electric planes and air taxis have not solved yet -- getting beyond the short hop flight. "Electric aviation has always suffered from a range problem," Teng said, "but my average flight is over 500 miles personally.

☆ Pollution Reveals What Russian Statistics Obscure: Industrial Decline
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Josh Zumbrun | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A satellite monitoring pollution released by Russian factories can detect gases including nitrogen dioxide, ozone, formaldehyde and methane. Photo: European Space AgencyEver since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, questions have multiplied about the reliability of Russia’s economic data. Official Russian government reports have often suggested the economy is surviving Western sanctions better than Western governments had hoped. Yet with Moscow’s penchant for wartime propaganda, to what extent should anyone trust Russia’s economic information? So here is a data point that is hard for Russia to fake: pollution emitted by its factories and detectable by satellites in outer space.

☆ Russia's economy is suffering from industrial decline as satellites detect less pollution in the air
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Pollution in Russia's industrial regions fell 1.2% in the six months to April, and is 6.2% lower annually. Still, the satellite data offers a picture that cannot be easily obscured. Additional satellite data shows that the automotive sector, construction, oil and gas, and even the defense industry are emitting less pollution. ECB economists Adrian Schmith and Hanna Sakhno have also incorporated satellite pollution data as part of their alternative tracker of economic data for Russia. Our tracker shows a contraction of the Russian economy ahead of the official figures release precisely because we use high-frequency indicators from the private economy."

☆ Billionaire Richard Branson defends space travel, argues it can benefit planet
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Anmar Frangoul | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Richard Branson on board Virgin Galactic's VSS Unity in July 2021. The billionaire believes the environmental costs of space travel are set to "come down even further." British billionaire Richard Branson believes space travel can be beneficial for the planet, arguing that trips like the one he undertook in 2021 open doors and cut red tape. During his interview with the BBC, Branson described space travel as being "incredibly important" for the Earth and made the case for it to continue. "Communication between people is being transformed because of space travel and satellites up there," he said.

☆ The Met Gala Was Just the Start. Welcome to the After-Parties.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Jacob Bernstein | Sadiba Hasan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Florence Pugh, her head newly shaved, stood at the bar in the front room. Ms. Lipa was at the front of a narrow, packed dance floor, dancing in an outfit adorned with pearls. The singer Juan Luis Londoño Arias, who performs as Maluma, was on the balcony, flashing peace signs to the crowd below. Paris Hilton swayed from side to side, eyes hidden behind white sunglasses, with Marc Jacobs at her side. Mary J. Blige stood next to Mr. Combs as he played emcee.

Companies Ozone Networks Inc FollowNEW YORK, May 1 (Reuters) - A former employee of OpenSea, the world's largest marketplace for non-fungible tokens (NFTs), used inside knowledge of which assets would be featured on its homepage to make "free money," a prosecutor said on Monday as an insider trading trial wound to a close. Prosecutors have called it the first criminal insider trading case involving such assets. Prosecutor Thomas Burnett said in his closing argument that Chastain chose which NFTs to feature, and then profited illegally by selling his tokens shortly thereafter. They have said that his actions were not insider trading, and that the information he accessed was not OpenSea's property and had no inherent value to the company. Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York; Editing by Noeleen Walder and Conor HumphriesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ I've studied the sun for 23 years. Here's what happened during the last solar maximum and what to expect from this one.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Crystal Raypole | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Solar maximum is a peak in the sun's activity that happens around the middle of each solar cycle. Mathew OwensThe solar maximum represents a peak in solar activity when the sun's magnetic field reaches its strongest and most disordered and dynamic point. NASA/Solar Dynamics ObservatorySolar cycles typically last 11 years, and the solar maximum happens roughly in the middle of each cycle. The sun's magnetic field reaches peak strength during solar maximum, generating an increase in events like solar flares and coronal mass ejections. These bursts are around four times as likely to occur during a solar maximum than a solar minimum.

It is considered the first criminal insider trading case involving such assets. "He abused that position of trust," prosecutors said in an April 4 filing. He added that if prosecutors mention insider trading, "there is a substantial danger of undue prejudice and confusion of the jury." "Is it insider trading of anything?" "If this case sticks, there is precedent that insider trading theory can be applied to any asset class."

☆ How the U.S. Clean Air Act lets closed coal plants keep polluting for years
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( Tim Mclaughlin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +10 min

Under the federal program, states distribute a certain number of allowances to power plants annually. Reuters found dozens of other examples of coal plants using credits from closed facilities to help comply with pollution rules over the past five years. During the 2021 ozone season, New Madrid’s pollution was five times higher than average among coal plants participating in the NOx-reduction program, EPA data show. RED-STATE PROTESTSUtilities and lawmakers in Republican-controlled states have pushed hard against curbs on coal pollution, including the EPA’s latest NOx-reduction regulations. But even at that price, NOx allowances will find buyers among coal plants, including those that operate at high pollution rates.

☆ The Places With the Worst Air Pollution in America
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Gareth Vipers | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The Los Angeles-Long Beach, Calif., area ranked worst for ozone air pollution, according to a recent report. Photo: Jae C. Hong/Associated PressMore than one in three Americans—some 119.6 million people—live in areas with unhealthy levels of air pollution, according to a new study released by the American Lung Association. West Coast states are overwhelmingly affected by serious air pollution issues, the group’s annual State of the Air study found. Of the 25 worst counties for ozone air pollution, 17 were in California, according to the group’s data.

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