Latest News
A fast-shrinking glacier in Greenland could raise seas by a foot and a half. -
A new study finds warm air and seawater are melting the Zachariae Isstrom glacier from both sides, causing it to break up and calve rapidly. If it disappears completely, the incoming water would boost sea levels by more than 18 inches. USA Today
New Delhi air pollution spikes after Diwali. -
Levels of PM 2.5 on Thursday—a day after many revelers celebrated the ancient Hindu festival of lights with elaborate fireworks—were up to eight times higher than what the Indian government deems safe, and 20 times higher than the World Health Organization’s recommended limit. Associated Press
Fire chiefs meet at White House to discuss climate action. -
Wildfires torched 9.4 million acres this season—about triple the acreage of last year. Earlier this week, 20 fire officials from vulnerable states met with Vice President Joe Biden to talk about the blazes and how climate change is fueling bigger, badder fires that pose a huge risk to firefighters. McClatchyDC
Farmers have relied on honeybees for nearly 9,000 years. -
A new study found beeswax residue in pottery from the Neolithic Age, which suggests humans were purposefully using the bees for wax and honey. The finding that our symbiotic relationship with these pollinators goes back many millennia adds weight to the current crisis of mass die-offs of honeybees. Washington Post
This summer’s algae bloom in Lake Erie was the worst on record. -
Agricultural runoff feeds the algae, turning parts of the lake into thick green sludge most years. But NOAA just announced that 2015’s phenomenon was vast enough to beat out the previous record-holder, 2011, and the infamous 2014 bloom that contaminated Toledo’s drinking water. cleveland.com
Court fines Lumber Liquidators $13 million in illegal logging case. -
The fine is the largest ever imposed under the Lacey Act against wildlife trafficking. The investigation revealed details about a worrying rise in timber theft in the Russian Far East, where the illegal lumber market threatens the region’s diverse plants and animals (including the endangered Siberian tiger) and the indigenous groups who rely on the forests. National Geographic