ENVIRONMENT

Hard-hitting, evidence-based solutions journalism on environmental sustainability topics, from climate action and conservation to clean technology.

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In March

The Political Path Forward on Climate Change

Green investments aimed at tackling climate change could create historic economic growth, but the current polarized political landscape makes common ground increasingly difficult to find. Still, working across political and socioeconomic lines can offer major opportunities, this climate justice advocate argues.

(Image credit: RDNE Stock project/Pexels)

Could Arsenic-Laced Wells Help Protect Indigenous Lands From Wildfires?

Wells with elevated levels of arsenic may sound alarming, but they actually present a wildfire, climate and ecosystem solution for Indigenous lands across the United States.

Taylar Dawn Stagner

(Image: Paul Summers/Unsplash)

Brands Taking Stands

Forests, Carbon Offsets and a Clear Path to Decarbonization

Emerging evidence gives brands that engage in forest projects for carbon offsets an opportunity to highlight their support for sustainability, but they should continue paying attention to the impact on communities.

February 28, 2024

Dragon's blood trees on Socotra Island in Yemen. (Image: Rod Waddington/Flickr)

Amidst Ongoing Conflict, Efforts To Save This Endemic Tree Are Threatened

On Yemen’s Socotra island, poverty and political disruption hinder efforts to give its prized dragon’s blood tree a future. A local journalist explores efforts to preserve it despite all odds.

Abdulmalik Alnemri

February 8, 2024

(Image: Any Lane/Pexels)

The Solutions Effect

Live Christmas Trees Bring More Benefits Than Just Holiday Merriment

Have you driven past a Christmas tree sale and wondered if chopping down, and inevitably disposing of, that many trees has a negative environmental impact? As it turns out, live Christmas trees can help local communities thrive environmentally and economically.

Taylor Haelterman

December 21, 2023

Delegates including U.S. climate envoy John Kerry (center) look on as the final agreement text is announced at the COP28 climate talks on Wednesday. (Image: COP28 UAE/Flickr)

After COP28, Where Does the Fight Against Climate Change Go From Here?

Amidst strong pushback from oil-rich nations, some have called the agreement reached at the COP28 climate talks a historic milestone. But how a just and equitable energy transition will be financed remains an unanswered question.

Abha Malpani Naismith

December 15, 2023

This Company Turns Retired Buoys Into Outdoor Clothing

Blue Ocean Nylon, made primarily from recycled fishing buoys gathered off the coast of Taiwan, is the star material in Livsn’s Ecotrek line of trail shorts and pants.

Taylor Haelterman

December 12, 2023

Leaders discuss nature-based solutions at the World Climate Action Summit at COP28. (Image: COP28 UAE/Flickr)

Nature-Based Solutions Are Crucial to Combat the Climate Crisis, Leaders Say at COP28

“We are moving very rapidly toward the 1.5 degree Celsius limit. The only way to avoid it is with an enormous effort by nature," Johan Rockström, scientist and director at Potsdam Institute for Climate Change, said at COP28.

Abha Malpani Naismith

December 7, 2023

Foliage grows over the site of an abandoned coal mine in Tennessee

Abandoned Coal Mines Are Home to Surprising Biodiversity

“We’re increasingly finding that it’s not true that these are just ecological voids where nothing is living there," said Wally Smith, a biologist at the University of Virginia who is studying biodiversity at abandoned coal mines.

November 13, 2023

The colloidal activated carbon filtration product known as PlumeStop is injected into the subsurface to treat PFAS impacts at Martha’s Vineyard airport. (Image courtesy of Regenesis)

From Panic to Progress: Remediating PFAS in Groundwater

The public is rightfully nervous about the group of chemicals known as PFAS contaminating water sources. Colloidal activated carbon offers promise for remediation, removing PFAS from groundwater before it can reach the tap and trapping it in the soil for decades.

October 30, 2023

From hippopotami

Cultivating Conservation: The Interconnected World of Agriculture and Freshwater Mammals

Nearly a third of freshwater mammals are threatened, and their numbers are declining faster than other species. But we can help the beavers, minks and river dolphins of the world with changes in an unexpected area: agriculture.

Ruscena Wiederholt

October 26, 2023

It may be hard to believe

Brands Taking Stands

These Climate Solutions Could Get Us Halfway to Capping Temperature Rise at 1.5 Degrees

And the best news? We already know how to do them, and we have the technology we need to move from ambition to action.

October 25, 2023

"Floating solar" was just one big idea that came to the fore in the 2010s. (Image: Tom Wang/Adobe Stock)

Brands Taking Stands

Top Environmental Solutions of the 2010s: Where Are They Now?

These ideas and innovations were touted as "the next big thing." Which ones took off, and which ones faded away?

October 18, 2023

Trees and greenery surround the Town Square at Meta's campus in Menlo Park

What Corporate Sustainability Means in Practice: How Things Really Get Done

Birds and Bees: Bringing Biodiversity Into the Workplace

As companies look to act on climate change, many overlook a crucial and impactful area of focus: preserving biodiversity. We spoke with Lauren Swezey, sustainability and landscape project lead for Meta, about how the tech giant approaches biodiversity — from beehives and green roofs to platform moderation.