Latest News
The Paris Agreement is set to take effect next month -
As of yesterday enough countries have signed on to the landmark deal to pass a key threshold. The treaty will officially go into effect on November 4—less than a year after the agreement was finalized and much sooner than expected. Climate Central
Paris is cutting emissions by reusing heat from sewage -
The 14th arrondissement's Aspirant Dunand swimming pool began using a new heating system this week—that recovers warmth from sewers. Other pools, apartment buildings, and schools around France are adopting similar systems in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The technology is similar to geothermal energy. Reuters
The great Pacific garbage patch is worse than we thought -
A new aerial survey finds that the density of plastic waste in this swirling mass of ocean trash is much higher than expected. Much of the debris is large items that will eventually break down into harmful micro plastics that can work their way into the food chain. The Ocean Cleanup, a foundation dedicated to ridding the oceans of plastic, aims to deploy a massive boom to funnel some of the garbage into a cone for removal. The Guardian
Sharks and rays gain new protections -
Representatives from the 182 countries meeting at a conservation conference in South Africa have voted to better control the trade in silky sharks, thresher sharks, and devil rays. Some 100 million sharks are killed each year, and until now protections have eluded many of the predators. The Guardian