Charges are reasonable after July 2023 extreme weather event, prosecutors write in new memorandum
Prosecutors in Arizona could reasonably press homicide charges against big oil for deaths caused by a July 2023 heatwave, lawyers wrote in a new prosecution memorandum.
“[T]he case for prosecuting fossil fuel companies for climate-related deaths is strong enough to merit the initiation of investigations by state and local prosecutors,” the document says.
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Breaking Waves: Ocean News
06/26/2024 - 09:00
06/26/2024 - 08:00
As temperatures broil the US, experts share ways to mitigate increased chances of heat illness and heatstroke
Millions of Americans are under a heat advisory as record temperatures scorch much of the country. Pregnant people are among the most at risk – they are more susceptible to heat exhaustion and other ailments. Extreme heat is associated with stillbirth, preterm birth and other adverse pregnancy outcomes. “When we think of heat, a lot of us think of discomfort,” said Blair Wylie, an OB-GYN who leads Columbia University’s Collaborative for Women’s Environmental Health. “For pregnant patients, not only is it uncomfortable, it’s actually risky.”
Public health experts and physicians explain the risks of extreme heat during pregnancy and share ways to stay safe.
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06/26/2024 - 07:00
We asked a naturalist, a writer, a champion surfer, a walker, a forager and a yoga teacher to tell us what makes the seaside so special
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Steve Backshall – Sandaig Bay, Scotland
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06/26/2024 - 07:00
Boom in air cargo due to shoppers’ expectations of speedy delivery and shift in post-pandemic economy, researchers say
Air freight operators have increased their greenhouse gas emissions by 25% compared with 2019, analysis has found.
In 2023, air freight operators ran about 300,000 more flights than in 2019, an increase in flight volume of almost 30%. The US accounted for more than 40% of global air freight emissions, according to the report by campaign group Stand.earth.
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06/26/2024 - 06:24
New law is too weak and has been made harder to enforce, while transport ministry has not taken sufficient action, groups say
German climate activists are taking the government to court for “unconstitutional” climate policy, seeking to build on a landmark victory three years ago that they had hoped would force Europe’s biggest polluter to clean up quickly.
The activists argue that the new climate law is too weak, that a recent update makes it harder to enforce, and that inaction from the transport ministry, which has repeatedly failed to meet its emissions targets, will force tough measures on poor groups in the future.
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06/26/2024 - 06:00
Higher PFAS exposure could cause lactation to slow or stop altogether within six months, new research finds
Women exposed to toxic PFAS “forever chemicals” prior to pregnancy face an elevated risk of being unable to breastfeed early, new research finds.
The study tracked lactation durations for over 800 new moms in New Hampshire and found higher PFAS exposure could cause lactation to slow or stop altogether within six months.
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06/26/2024 - 04:00
Study finds carbon credits could raise billions for climate action but only with changes, such as rigorous standards
The carbon-credit market must reform or “go out of business”, leading scientists have concluded in an international review of the offsetting industry.
The market for carbon offsets shrank dramatically last year after a series of scientific and media reports found many offsetting schemes had little environmental impact.
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06/26/2024 - 02:43
Statutory nuisance complaint lodged by Save Windermere against United Utilities is a first over sewage pollution
Campaigners fighting to stop sewage discharges into Windermere, the Lake District’s largest lake, have made a statutory nuisance complaint against a water company in the first legal action of its kind.
The civil complaints are normally used in noise disputes, or over noxious smells. But the environmental barrister Nicholas Ostrowski has for the first time lodged a complaint on behalf of campaign group Save Windermere against United Utilities over raw sewage discharges into the lake.
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06/26/2024 - 01:28
Facing accusations from Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young that the approval of a Senex Energy coal seam gas project would threaten koala habitat, Labor senator Penny Wong defended the move, saying the approval comes with 'strict limits on habitat loss'
Gina Rinehart-backed company gets approval from Tanya Plibersek for coal seam gas project
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06/25/2024 - 20:44
Environment minister gives go ahead for Senex Energy to develop and operate up to 151 new coal seam gas wells in inland Queensland
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The environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, has given a company co-owned by Gina Rinehart approval to develop and operate up to 151 new coal seam gas wells in inland Queensland.
A spokesperson for Plibersek said the Atlas stage 3 project proposed by Senex Energy, which is jointly owned by South Korea’s steel giant Posco and Rinehart, would “primarily contribute domestic gas supply to households and Australian manufacturing – including for glass, bricks, cement and food packaging”.
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