Environmental Policy News

April 14, 2025

Top Headlines

Marine Shipping Emissions on Track to Meet 2030 Goals, but Expected to Miss 2050 Target

Apr. 11, 2025 — The United Nations organization responsible for international marine shipping today approved new emission reduction policies. A new paper highlights the need. Researchers surveyed 149 marine shipping ...

European Bird Declines Linked to Range of Climatic Conditions Experienced

Apr. 9, 2025 — New research suggests conservation efforts could more effectively identify and protect bird species at greatest risk from climate change by better understanding the range of specific conditions they need to thrive. The study examined the ...

Bio-Oils for Greener Industrial Applications

Apr. 9, 2025 — New technology could enable more sustainable and cheaper production of bio-oils to replace petroleum-based products in electronic, construction and automotive applications. The technology, known as PYROCOTM, uses high temperatures without oxygen to ...

Role of Social Workers in Addressing Marginalized Communities Bearing Brunt of Climate Disasters

Apr. 8, 2025 — A researcher spent a year living in a jjokbang-chon, an extremely impoverished neighborhood in Seoul, South Korea. While there, he calculated residents' carbon footprints, finding they contribute ...

Latest Headlines

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Smoke from US Wildfires, Prescribed Burns Caused Premature Deaths, Billions in Health Damages

Apr. 8, 2025 — Researchers estimated that smoke from wildfires and prescribed burns caused $200 billion in health damages in 2017, and that these were associated ...

Climate and Health Litigation Mounting in Australia as Exposure to Heatwaves Grows

Apr. 7, 2025 — Australia has experienced a 37 per cent rise in dangerous heat exposure over the past two decades, while becoming the world's second-highest hotspot ...

Carbon Capture Technology to Produce Clean Fuel from Air

Apr. 3, 2025 — A unique carbon capture technology could offer a more cost-effective way to remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air and turn it into clean, synthetic ...

Dramatically Higher Loss of GDP Under 4°C Warming

Apr. 1, 2025 — New projections reveal a 4 degree Celsius rise in global temperatures would cut world GDP by around 40% by 2100 -- a stark increase from previous estimates of around ...

New Warnings of a 'Butterfly Effect' -- In Reverse

Mar. 31, 2025 — A new study warns that global climate change may have a devastating effect on butterflies, turning their species-rich, mountain habitats from refuges into traps. Think of it as the 'butterfly effect' ...

Study Shows Groundwater Gains in Arizona Yet Climate Risks Still Threaten Water Supply

Mar. 31, 2025 — A combination of water management practices has contributed to notable groundwater gains in Central Arizona despite the region dealing with long-term ...

Losing Forest Carbon Stocks Could Put Climate Goals out of Reach

Mar. 27, 2025 — In the past, intact forests absorbed 7.8 billion tons of CO2 annually -- about a fifth of all human emissions -- but their carbon storage is increasingly at risk from climate change and human ...

How Changing L.A.'s Tree Rules Could Cool More Neighborhoods

Mar. 26, 2025 — Los Angeles has some of the strictest tree planting rules in the nation. These policies limit tree growth, worsen shade disparities and don't improve safety, researchers found. When researchers ...

Household Electricity Three Times More Expensive Than Upcoming 'Eco-Friendly' Aviation E-Fuels, Study Reveals

Mar. 23, 2025 — Existing tax policies during the energy transition from fossil fuels to renewable sources will lead to major energy injustices and skewed priorities, ...

Shrinking Andean Glaciers Threaten Water Supply of 90 Million People, Global Policy Makers Warn

Mar. 20, 2025 — Scientists will warn policymakers that the shrinking glaciers of the Andes threaten the water supply of 90 million people on the South American ...

Man's Best Friend May Be Nature's Worst Enemy, Study on Pet Dogs Suggests

Apr. 10, 2025 — New research into the overlooked environmental impact of pet dogs has found far-reaching negative effects on wildlife, ecosystems and ...

Peatlands' Potential to Capture Carbon Upgraded as Temperatures Rise

Mar. 20, 2025 — According to a predictive model, the microalgae present in peat bogs could offset up to 14% of future CO2 emissions, thanks to their photosynthetic activity. This conclusion was reached by basing the ...

EPA Regulations Cut Power Sector Emissions but Miss Opportunities for Deeper Reductions

Mar. 19, 2025 — Regulations finalized by the Environmental Protection Agency in 2024 could cut emissions from the power sector by 51% over 2022 levels, compared to only 26% without the rules, according to a new ...

Climate Change Fuelling Mental Health Crisis in Areas Most Affected by Climate Crisis

Mar. 18, 2025 — Climate change is not just an environmental issue -- it's a mental health crisis impacting on adolescent wellbeing right now in areas most affected by climate change, according to new ...

Kansas, Missouri Farmers Avoid Discussing Climate Change Regardless of Opinions, Study Finds

Mar. 18, 2025 — Researchers conducted interviews with farmers in Missouri and Kansas about their thoughts on climate change. Even though they are on the front lines of the topic, the farmers reported they avoid ...

Adopting Zero-Emission Trucks and Buses Could Save Lives, Prevent Asthma

Mar. 18, 2025 — Researchers used community input to design Advanced Clean Truck (ACT) air-quality model experiments. Community asked for ACT policy simulations that convert 48% of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles ...

Conservation Efforts Are Bringing Species Back from the Brink, Even as Overall Biodiversity Falls

Mar. 18, 2025 — A major review of over 67,000 animal species has found that while the natural world continues to face a biodiversity crisis, targeted conservation efforts are helping bring many species back from the ...

US Bird Populations Continue Alarming Decline

Mar. 13, 2025 — The 2025 U. S. State of the Birds Report, produced by a coalition of leading science and conservation organizations, reveals continued widespread declines in American bird populations across all ...

How Industrial Waste Gases Could Replace Fossil Fuels in Everyday Consumer Products

Mar. 13, 2025 — Industrial waste gases, long seen as a major contributor to climate change, could soon be captured and repurposed into everyday household products such as shampoo, detergent, and even ...

Cities That Conducted Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventories Moved Needle Toward Reduction

Mar. 12, 2025 — Researchers gathered emissions data from hundreds of US cities that either conducted a greenhouse gas emissions inventory, or reported they employed sustainability staff. The cities that conducted an ...

Uncovering Dementia's Environmental Triggers

Mar. 7, 2025 — A new study focuses on the powerful role our surroundings play in shaping dementia ...

Tropical Forests in the Americas Are Struggling to Keep Pace With Climate Change

Mar. 6, 2025 — Tropical rainforests play a vital role in global climate regulation and biodiversity conservation. However, a major new study reveals that forests across the Americas are not adapting quickly enough ...

Researchers Reveal Nitrogen's Dominant Role in Global Organic Aerosol Absorption

Mar. 6, 2025 — A collaborative research team has introduced a nitrogen-centric framework that explains the light-absorbing effects of atmospheric organic aerosols. This groundbreaking study reveals that ...

Climate Change Threatens Future of Banana Export Industry

Mar. 6, 2025 — New research has found it will be economically unsustainable by 2080 for many areas across Latin America and the Caribbean to continue growing bananas for export, because of rising temperatures ...

Concrete Evidence: Japanese Buildings Absorb 14% of Cement Production's Carbon Footprint

Mar. 5, 2025 — Concrete structures in Japan capture and store about 14% of the CO2 emissions released during cement production, according to a new study. Their findings provide crucial insights for offsetting CO2 ...

Footprints of Deep-Sea Mining

Mar. 5, 2025 — Mining of polymetallic nodules from the seabed might lead to significant and long-lasting ecological changes -- both in the mined area, where surface sediments and the fauna living in and on it are ...

World's Critical Food Crops at Imminent Risk from Rising Temperatures

Mar. 4, 2025 — A new study offers a more precise picture of exactly where and how warming will affect our ability to grow ...

Who Gets the Lion's Share? Ecologists Highlight Disparities in Global Biodiversity Conservation Funding

Mar. 3, 2025 — The extensive loss of biodiversity represents one of the major crises of our time, threatening not only entire ecosystems but also our current and future livelihoods. As scientists realize the ...

Melting Antarctic Ice Sheets Will Slow Earth's Strongest Ocean Current

Mar. 3, 2025 — Melting ice sheets are slowing the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), the world's strongest ocean current, researchers have found. This melting has implications for global climate indicators, ...

An Emissions Tale of Two Cities: Salt Lake City Vs. Los Angeles

Feb. 26, 2025 — Salt Lake City and Los Angeles, the major population hubs of their respective states, are much different places, but they both experience poor air quality and share valley topography that traps ...