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How “Big Ag” pollutes America’s water, and makes money doing it
By Keith Schneider
It’s been 33 years since an Iowa State University agronomist named Fred Blackmer thought he’d struck gold for Midwestern corn farmers. Using a fairly simple three-step method, Blackmer developed an analytical tool that could accurately tell farmers exactly how much fertilizer their fields needed to produce abundant harvests each season.
Effects of “unprecedented” marine heat waves may be irreversible
By Grace van Deelen
Tens of thousands of dead fish are washing up on the Texas Gulf Coast, unprecedented numbers of seabird carcasses are showing up on beaches, and toxic algal blooms are growing in size and frequency – all signs of the calamitous impacts of warming trends for ocean waters that some scientists say may be irreversible.
New worries about risks PFAS and other chemicals pose for pregnancies
By Carey Gillam
California researchers have found new evidence that several chemicals used in plastic production and a wide array of other industrial applications are commonly present in the blood of pregnant women, creating increased health risks for mothers and their babies.
Deep-sea mining has larger-than-expected impacts on sea life, study says
The fast-growing practice of deep-sea mining poses significant threats to important sea creatures, such as fish, shrimp, corals, and sponges, according to a new study.
EPA acts to phase out “super pollutants” used in refrigerators
By Shannon Kelleher
US regulators issued a final rule on Tuesday aimed at slashing the use of a highly potent greenhouse gas found in refrigerators and air conditioners.
Nearly half of US drinking water contains toxic PFAS chemicals, study finds
By Shannon Kelleher
At least 45% of US tap water is contaminated with harmful synthetic chemicals known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, a new federal study estimates.
As climate change threatens farming, incentives for cover crops could help
Once a farmer understands how ecosystems function, planting cover crops is an obvious choice. At least, that’s what North Dakota farmer Gabe Brown believes. For nearly three decades, Brown has been planting his cash crops (barley, oats, wheat, rye, and others) alongside cover crops—plants that are not for sale but instead are planted among cash crops to help retain water, prevent erosion, and increase soil fertility.
Poop pathogens threaten US beachgoers nationwide, study finds
By Shannon Kelleher
Beachgoers may be on the lookout for sharks and jellyfish, but one danger lurking beneath the waves this summer originated onshore — pathogens from human and farm animal waste. Over half of US beaches tested in 2022 harbored potentially unsafe levels of contamination, according to an analysis released today by the organizations Environment America Research & Policy Center and Frontier Group.
California’s “Skittles bill” could kick off broader actions against food additives
By Shannon Kelleher
After years of US debate over widely used food additives, California is poised to become the first state in the nation to ban additives found in popular candies and other processed foods.
Postcard from California: The climate crisis has become a home insurance crisis
By Bill Walker
It’s an ominous sign of how the climate crisis is hitting ever closer to home: Because of the heightened risk of catastrophic wildfires, the two leading U.S. homeowners insurance companies no longer offer new policies in California.