energy, energy use, environmental consequences, new discoveries

Unprecedented Energy Use Has Transformed Humanity’s Geologic Footprint

A new study makes clear the extraordinary speed and scale of increases in energy use, economic productivity, and global population that have pushed the Earth toward a new geological epoch, known as the Anthropocene. Distinct physical, chemical, and biological changes to Earth’s rock layers began around the year 1950, the research found. Led by Jaia Syvitski, ...

Troy Oakes

A mining excavator.

Do Face Masks Increase Pollution?

Before the coronavirus pandemic, people used to wear face masks to protect themselves from air pollution. With the spread of COVID-19, the use of face masks has jumped dramatically worldwide. As a result, many environmentalists are concerned that such a huge consumption will lead to large-scale waste generation and subsequent pollution of the land and ...

Raven Montmorency

A woman wearing a face mask.

China’s Not So Good Ecological Restoration Projects

Through concerted, policy-driven efforts, China has converted large swaths of desert into grassland over the past few decades, but this success has come at a cost. In a study published recently in Nature Sustainability, scientists at the University of California, Irvine report that the Asian nation’s environmental restoration programs have substantially diminished terrestrially stored water. Co-author ...

Troy Oakes

Mu Us Sandyland ecological restoration site.

Satellite Survey Shows California’s Sinking Coastal Hot Spots

A majority of the world’s population lives on low-lying lands near the sea, some of which are predicted to submerge by the end of the 21st century due to rising sea levels. In California, millions of people live along the coast. The most relevant quantity for assessing the impacts of sea-level change on these communities ...

Troy Oakes

A man walking on a beach.

How Reliable Are the Reconstructions and Models for Past Temperature Changes?

An understanding of climate change during the past millennia is crucial for the scientific attribution of the current warming and the accurate prediction of future climate change. The proxy-based reconstructions and model simulations that offer insights into past temperature changes, however, are subject to large uncertainties. Large-scale climate reconstructions are always related to the uncertainties ...

Troy Oakes

A hot summer day.

Oil and Gas Wastewater May Be Suppressing Plant Immune Systems

The horizontal drilling method called hydraulic fracturing helps the United States produce close to 4 billion barrels of oil per year, rocketing the U.S. to the top of oil-producing nations in the world. The highly profitable practice comes with a steep price: For every barrel of oil, oil and gas extraction also produces about seven barrels ...

Troy Oakes

Hydraulic fracking.

250,000 Melbourne Residents Losing Water Due to Logging

Logging in Melbourne’s largest water catchment has led to a loss of water equivalent to the amount used by 250,000 people each year, new research from The Australian National University (ANU) shows. The Thompson water catchment, located to the northeast of the city, is Melbourne’s most important, helping supply water to 5 million people. The ...

Troy Oakes

Professor David Lindenmayer.

China’s Rare Earths: The Grave Environmental Consequences

Rare earths refer to a group of 17 elements that are vital to the tech industry and are used in a large variety of sectors like communications, the military, renewables, transportation, and so on.  China is the world leader in rare earth production, accounting for almost 90 percent of the global supply. However, the country’s ...

Max Lu

Rare earth mining.