During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, global road travel and commercial flight activity decreased by 50 percent and 60 percent, respectively, compared to pre-pandemic levels. During the lockdowns that cities imposed in the initial months of COVID, flight activity in particular was reduced to a near standstill, decreasing by 96 percent — nearly … Read more
Oil and gas producers rely on flaring to limit the venting of natural gas from their facilities, but new research led by the University of Michigan shows that in the real world, this practice is far less effective than estimated — releasing five times more methane in the U.S. than previously thought. Methane is known … Read more
After a two-year hiatus thanks to the pandemic, the Singapore Grand Prix — Formula One’s first ever night race — is roaring back this Sunday on a circuit that Oracle Red Bull’s Max Verstappen says he’s thrilled about. “We’re always very excited to come here because the track is amazing to drive,” the defending champion … Read more
In a review paper recently published in the journal Land Degradation and Development, Shrabya Timsina and Nora Hardy focused on the effects of surface gold mining in tropical regions, a growing environmental concern in recent years. According to a 2012 study, mining accounts for 7% of deforestation in developing nations and large-scale and artisanal, small-scale … Read more
A team of Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientists has developed a system that uses carbon dioxide, CO2, to produce biodegradable plastics, or bioplastics, that could replace the nondegradable plastics used today. The research addresses two challenges: the accumulation of nondegradable plastics and the remediation of greenhouse gas emissions. Published Sept. 28 in Chem, the research … Read more
Air pollution has been widely associated with an increased risk of stroke. A new study looks at the role of air pollution on the trajectory of stroke, including cardiovascular events after first stroke and death. The study is published in the September 28, 2022, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy … Read more
Rates of traumatic injury among workers in the Oregon agricultural and construction sectors are significantly higher during periods of high heat compared with periods of more moderate weather, a recent Oregon State University study found. The results underscore the importance of providing robust safety protections for outdoor workers, especially as extreme heat events become more … Read more
Millions more people across the globe are relying on our endangered coral reefs than 20 years ago, according to new figures into population growth in coastal areas. Research from the University of Essex has found that the number of people living in coastal areas by coral reefs has grown to nearly one billion — a … Read more
Researchers have used a novel near-infrared light imaging technique to capture the first cross-sectional images of carbon dioxide in the exhaust plume of a commercial jet engine. This new state-of-the-art technology could help accelerate turbine combustion research aimed at developing engines and aviation fuels that are more environmentally friendly. “This approach, which we call chemical … Read more
Taken as a share of the market price, the climate change impacts of mining the digital cryptocurrency Bitcoin is more comparable to the impacts of extracting and refining crude oil than mining gold, according to an analysis published in Scientific Reports by researchers at The University of New Mexico. The authors suggest that rather than … Read more