Latest News
Oil industry may soon be on the hook for earthquakes. -
Recent research suggests that injecting wastewater into the ground after drilling can trigger tremors. Oklahoma, where drilling is rampant, saw about a 50 percent increase in earthquakes 3.0 or larger between 2013 and 2014. An upcoming decision by the state's Supreme Court could hold oil companies liable for quake-related injuries. Think Progress
To hinder environmental laws, GOP takes aim at science. -
Republicans plan to reintroduce legislation that would slow the processes by which the EPA, FDA, and other agencies gather scientific data to inform their policies—"hamstring[ing] federal agencies with additional procedural burdens," according to the Union of Concerned Scientists. Pass the red tape! Washington Post
A new trade agreement could take a bite out of wildlife crime. -
The Obama administration is trying to crack down on the $10 billion contraband market by including anti-trafficking rules in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) currently under negotiation by Asia-Pacific nations. While the move could help relieve pressure on endangered species (a good thing), there are concerns that the TPP could gut environmental protections here at home (not so good). NPR
Admiral, you might not understand—here at Disney, it’s in our culture to tell stories that project optimism and have happy endings.
—A Disney executive to Admiral Robert Papp, U.S. special representative to the Arctic, when Papp suggested the company make climate change PSAs starring Anna and Elsa from the insanely popular Frozen
Monarchs may be rebounding, but they're definitely not out of the woods. -
The Mexican government just announced that the area occupied by the butterflies during their winter migration rose 69 percent over the past year, representing an increase of around 23 million monarchs. That's still way down from a decade ago, though, and the second-lowest count on record, largely due to the loss of milkweed, which monarch larvae rely on for food. A single winter storm, like the one that devastated monarchs in 2002, could easily wipe out the entire remaining population. Washington Post
World's biggest palm oil trader tells all (well, some). -
Wilmar International is making its supply chain visible online and allowing anyone to report violations of its sustainability pledge. The move is the most significant yet toward reforming the industry's notoriously unsustainable practices, which have destroyed vast swaths of wildlife habitat, contributed significantly to carbon emissions, and exploited migrant workers. Grist