The Conversation - Environment
2 days ago
Data centers need electricity fast, but utilities need years to build power plants – who should pay? -- Theodore J. Kury, University of Florida2 days ago
Even with Trump's support, coal power remains expensive – and dangerous -- Hannah Wiseman, Penn State and Seth Blumsack, Penn State2 days ago
US oil industry doesn't see profit in Trump's 'pro-petroleum' moves -- Skip York, Rice University4 days ago
New industry standards and tech advances make pre-owned electronics a viable holiday gift option -- Suvrat Dhanorkar, Georgia Institute of Technology3 days ago
Polar bears are adapting to climate change at a genetic level – and it could help them avoid extinction -- Alice Godden, University of East Anglia1 day ago
PFAS in pregnant women's drinking water puts their babies at higher risk, study finds -- Derek Lemoine, University of Arizona; Ashley Langer, University of Arizona, and Bo Guo, University of Arizona4 days ago
Songbirds swap colorful plumage genes across species lines among their evolutionary neighbors -- David Toews, Penn State2 days ago
From FIFA to the LA Clippers, carbon offset scandals are exposing the gap between sports teams' green promises and reality -- Brian P. McCullough, University of Michigan and Edward Carrington, University of Michigan4 days ago
What does it mean to be a new national park? Ocmulgee Mounds in Georgia may soon find out -- Seth T. Kannarr, University of Tennessee5 days ago
Iran's president calls for moving its drought-stricken capital amid a worsening water crisis – here's how Tehran got into water bankruptcy -- Ali Mirchi, Oklahoma State University; Amir AghaKouchak, University of California, Irvine; Kaveh Madani, United Nations University, and Mojtaba Sadegh, Boise State University; United Nations University12 days ago
What are small modular reactors, a new type of nuclear power plant sought to feed AI's energy demand? -- Leonel Lagos, Florida International University6 days ago
Winter storms blanket the East, while the US West is wondering: Where's the snow? -- Adrienne Marshall, Colorado School of Mines11 days ago
Google plans to power a new data center with fossil fuels, yet release almost no emissions – here's how its carbon capture tech works -- Ramesh Agarwal, Washington University in St. Louis12 days ago
When the world's largest battery power plant caught fire, toxic metals rained down – wetlands captured the fallout -- Ivano W. Aiello, San José State University12 days ago
Read our latest Environment + Energy stories6 months ago
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Sea level doesn't rise at the same rate everywhere – we mapped where Antarctica's ice melt would have the biggest impact -- Shaina Sadai, Five College Consortium and Ambarish Karmalkar, University of Rhode Island18 days ago
No time to recover: Hurricane Melissa and the Caribbean's compounding disaster trap as the storms keep coming -- Farah Nibbs, University of Maryland, Baltimore County1 month ago
4 lessons for Jamaica from Puerto Rico's troubled hurricane recovery, from out-migration to rebuilding for the future -- Ivis García, Texas A&M University1 month ago
Hurricane Melissa turned sharply to devastate Jamaica − how forecasters knew where it was headed -- Ethan Murray, University of Colorado Boulder1 month ago
FEMA buyouts vs. risky real estate: New maps reveal post-flood migration patterns across the US -- James R. Elliott, Rice University and Debolina Banerjee, Rice University1 month ago
Read more about extreme weather8 months ago
Black families pay more to keep their houses warm than average American families -- George C. Homsy, Binghamton University, State University of New York and Ki Eun Kang, California State University, San Bernardino25 days ago
Renewable energy is cheaper and healthier – so why isn't it replacing fossil fuels faster? -- Jay Gulledge, University of Notre Dame; University of Tennessee26 days ago
Supply-chain delays, rising equipment prices threaten electricity grid -- Morgan Bazilian, Colorado School of Mines and Kyri Baker, University of Colorado Boulder27 days ago
Sulfur-based batteries could offer electric vehicles a greener, longer-range option -- Golareh Jalilvand, University of South Carolina1 month ago
When coal smoke choked St. Louis, residents fought back − but it took time and money -- Robert Wyss, University of Connecticut1 month ago
Read more about energy8 months ago
AI's ballooning energy consumption puts spotlight on data center efficiency -- Divya Mahajan, Georgia Institute of Technology3 months ago
AI has a hidden water cost − here's how to calculate yours -- Leo S. Lo, University of Virginia27 days ago
How your electric bill may be paying for big data centers' energy use -- Ari Peskoe, Harvard University and Eliza Martin, Harvard University27 days ago
Data centers consume massive amounts of water – companies rarely tell the public exactly how much -- Peyton McCauley, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Melissa Scanlan, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee3 months ago
Air quality analysis reveals minimal changes after xAI data center opens in pollution-burdened Memphis neighborhood -- Chunrong Jia, University of Memphis; Abu Mohammed Naser Titu, University of Memphis, and Namuun Batbaatar, University of Memphis2 months ago
Read more stories about AI13 days ago
What's at risk for Arctic wildlife as Trump expands oil drilling access in the fragile National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska -- Mariah Meek, Michigan State University28 days ago
Wildlife recovery means more than just survival of a species -- Benjamin Larue, University of Montana; Jonathan Farr, University of Montana, and Mark Hebblewhite, University of Montana1 month ago
How sea star wasting disease transformed the West Coast's ecology and economy -- Rebecca Vega Thurber, University of California, Santa Barbara2 months ago
2 iconic coral species are now functionally extinct off Florida – we witnessed the devastation -- Carly D. Kenkel, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences; Jenna Dilworth, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, and Maya Gomez, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences1 month ago
From tracking invasive species to water security – what's lost with federal funding cuts at US Climate Adaptation Science Centers -- Bethany Bradley, UMass Amherst; Adrienne Wootten, University of Oklahoma, and Ryan Longman, University of Hawaii18 days ago
Read more about environmental issues6 months ago
Want to make America healthy again? Stop fueling climate change -- Jonathan Levy, Boston University; Howard Frumkin, University of Washington; Jonathan Patz, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Vijay Limaye, University of Wisconsin-Madison1 month ago
How climate finance meant to help poor countries adapt became a global shell game -- Shannon Gibson, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences23 days ago
Global companies are still committing to protect the climate – and they're investing big money in clean tech -- Lily Hsueh, Arizona State University1 month ago
How the oil industry and growing political divides turned climate change into a partisan issue -- Joe Árvai, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences10 months ago
How the US cut climate-changing emissions while its economy more than doubled -- Valerie Thomas, Georgia Institute of Technology1 month ago
Read more about climate change6 months ago
As US hunger rises, Trump administration's 'efficiency' goals cause massive food waste -- Tevis Garrett Graddy-Lovelace, American University School of International Service13 days ago
Trump was already cutting low-income energy assistance – shutdown is making things worse as cold weather arrives -- Conor Harrison, University of South Carolina; Elena Louder, University of South Carolina; Nikki Luke, University of Tennessee, and Shelley Welton, University of Pennsylvania1 month ago
Why higher tariffs on Canadian lumber may not be enough to stimulate long-term investments in US forestry -- Andrew Muhammad, University of Tennessee and Adam Taylor, University of Tennessee1 month ago
Refinery fires, other chemical disasters may no longer get safety investigations -- Philip Steenstra, University of Michigan; Rachel O'Brien, University of Michigan, and Stuart Batterman, University of Michigan2 months ago
Trump administration is on track to cut 1 in 3 EPA staffers by the end of 2025, slashing agency's ability to keep pollution out of air and water -- Elizabeth Blum, Troy University and Chris Sellers, Stony Brook University (The State University of New York)2 months ago
Read more about environmental regulation6 months ago
Yosemite embodies the long war over US national park privatization -- Michael Childers, Colorado State University4 months ago
Hidden treasures of America's national parks are closer than you might think -- Jeffrey C. Hallo, Clemson University3 months ago
National parks are key conservation areas for wildlife and natural resources -- Sarah Diaz, Coastal Carolina University and Linda Lane, Coastal Carolina University4 months ago
Why protecting wildland is crucial to American freedom and identity -- Leisl Carr Childers, Colorado State University and Michael Childers, Colorado State University7 months ago
From Greenland to Fort Bragg, America is caught in a name game where place names become political tools -- Seth T. Kannarr, University of Tennessee; Derek H. Alderman, University of Tennessee, and Jordan Brasher, Macalester College5 months ago
Read more about national parks5 months ago
A walk across Alaska's Arctic sea ice brings to life the losses that appear in climate data -- Alexandra Jahn, University of Colorado Boulder2 months ago
Are people at the South Pole upside down? -- Abigail Bishop, University of Wisconsin-Madison5 months ago
US and Russia squabble over Arctic security as melting ice opens up shipping routes -- Stefan Wolff, University of Birmingham4 months ago
As mountain glaciers melt, risk of catastrophic flash floods rises for millions -- Suzanne OConnell, Wesleyan University and Alton C. Byers, University of Colorado Boulder4 months ago
At Antarctica's midwinter, a look back at the frozen continent's long history of dark behavior -- Daniella McCahey, Texas Tech University5 months ago
Industrial facilities owned by profitable companies release more of their toxic waste into the environment -- Mahelet G Fikru, Missouri University of Science and Technology and Jennifer Brodmann, California State University, Dominguez Hills1 month ago
Solving the world's microplastics problem: 4 solutions cities and states are trying after global treaty talks collapsed -- Sarah J. Morath, Wake Forest University2 months ago
You can be exposed to PFAS through food, water, even swimming in lakes – new maps show how risk from 'forever chemicals' varies -- Ruohao Zhang, Penn State; Jiameng Zheng, Louisiana State University ; Wendong Zhang, Cornell University, and Xibo Wan, University of Connecticut3 months ago
A red meat allergy from tick bites is spreading – and the lone star tick isn't the only alpha-gal carrier to worry about -- Lee Rafuse Haines, University of Notre Dame4 months ago
Read more about environmental health8 months ago
Farmers – long Trump backers – bear the costs of new tariffs, restricted immigration and slashed renewable energy subsidies -- Kee Hyun Park, Nanyang Technological University; Institute for Humane Studies and Shannon P. Carcelli, University of Maryland20 days ago
What is Fusarium graminearum, the fungus a Chinese scientist pleaded guilty to smuggling into the US? -- Tom W. Allen, Mississippi State University1 month ago
2 WAYS YOU CAN CONSERVE THE WATER USED TO MAKE YOUR FOOD -- Huma Tariq Malik, Colorado State University and Thomas Borch, Colorado State University1 month ago
Agricultural drones are taking off globally, saving farmers time and money -- Ben Belton, Michigan State University and Leo Baldiga, Michigan State University1 month ago
How Europe's deforestation law could change the global coffee trade -- Paul Mwebaze, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign24 days ago
Read more about food and agriculture24 days ago
How the US can mine its own critical minerals − without digging new holes -- Yuanzhi Tang, Georgia Institute of Technology and Scott McWhorter, Georgia Institute of Technology7 months ago
Critical minerals don't belong in landfills – microwave tech offers a cleaner way to reclaim them from e-waste -- Terence Musho, West Virginia University6 months ago
US, Ukraine sign 'economic partnership' centered on Ukraine's wealth of critical minerals – but extracting them isn't so simple -- Scott L. Montgomery, University of Washington7 months ago
Deep-sea mining threatens sea life in a way no one is thinking about, and Trump's order could clear the way for operations soon -- Alexus Cazares-Nuesser, University of Hawaii7 months ago
Greenland's rapidly melting ice and landslide-prone fjords make the oil and minerals Trump covets dangerous to extract -- Paul Bierman, University of Vermont9 months ago
Read more about critical minerals6 months ago
Measuring Colorado's mountains one hike at a time -- Eric Gilbertson, Seattle University10 days ago
Florida's 1,100 natural springs are under threat – a geographer explains how to restore them -- Christopher F. Meindl, University of South Florida2 months ago
How a devastating grape pest is reshaping vineyards across Colorado's Western Slope -- Charlotte Oliver, Colorado State University1 month ago
Many Colorado homeowners are underinsured − here's what to do before the next fire -- Tony Cookson, University of Colorado Boulder and Emily Gallagher, University of Colorado Boulder1 month ago
