biodiversity

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What Does the Paris Climate Agreement Mean for the World's 8 Million Other Species?

In December, the world’s nations agreed on an aggressive plan to combat climate change. But what, if anything, will the landmark Paris agreement do for thousands of species already under threat from global warming? - The Guardian

Politics of Climate Unlikely to Change in 2016

In 2016, Americans will go to the polls to elect a new president, 34 senators, 435 representatives and 12 governors, not to mention countless state and local leaders. And despite this happening during what many scientists believe will be the hottest year on record and the stakes for the planet growing ever higher, climate change won't crack the list of top political issues. - InsideClimate News

The Lawyer Who Became DuPont's Worst Nightmare

Rob Bilott was a corporate defense attorney for eight years. Then he took on an environmental suit that would upend his entire career — and expose a brazen, decades-long history of chemical pollution. - New York Times Magazine

BA Blames UK Government for Scrapping of £340m Green Fuels Project

A groundbreaking plan to turn London’s rubbish into green jet fuel has been abandoned due to a lack of UK government support, British Airways says. - The Guardian

As If Slavery Weren't Enough, Six Other Reasons to Avoid Shrimp

For all its abundance, the diminutive shellfish carries some heavy baggage you might want to consider before consuming your next shrimp cocktail. Since its inception, the farmed-shrimp industry has been plagued by reports of unsavory working conditions and ecological destruction. - Mother Jones

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China Ends One-Child Policy

The Chinese government will allow all couples to have two children as a ‘response to an ageing population’ and amid concerns over economy. -- The Guardian

Markey Calls Chemical Reform Senate Standoff 'Nothing Short of Absurd'

Senators took to the floor yet again today to talk about the standoff between a vote on a clean TSCA-reform bill and permanent reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Act. Sen. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) called the situation “nothing short of absurd.” -- Bloomberg BNA

EPA To Mandate Disclosures on Chemical Releases From Gas Processing Plants

The agency committed to writing new regulations requiring gas processing plants to report the information to the government’s Toxics Release Inventory in a letter to environmental groups that have been pursuing the disclosure since 2012. But the EPA denied the environmentalists’ plea to impose the disclosure mandates more broadly on other parts of the oil and gas extraction sector, with the agency specifically rejecting potential chemical reporting about pipelines, compressor stations and wells themselves. -- Fuelfix

Olympic Sailing in Rio Still Planned for Polluted Guanabara Bay

The world governing body for sailing is expected to announce this week that it is tentatively sticking to plans to hold races in next year’s Summer Olympics inside highly polluted Guanabara Bay, yet will keep the option open to moving the courses. -- The New York Times

African Vultures Targeted By Poachers Are Headed for Extinction

Africa's vultures are vanishing, according to a report released on Thursday, a situation that could affect human health and livestock since populations of other scavengers such as rats and jackals could rise as a result. The assessment, carried out by conservation group BirdLife International, found that six of Africa's 11 vulture species were at risk of extinction. -- Reuters

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Study Finds Elevated Carbon Dioxide Impairs Human Brain Function

In a landmark public health finding, a new study from the Harvard School of Public Health finds that carbon dioxide has a direct and negative impact on human cognition and decision-making. These impacts have been observed at CO2 levels that most Americans — and their children — are routinely exposed to today inside classrooms, offices, homes, planes, and cars. -- Climate Progress

As Gulf of Maine Warms, Puffins Recast as Canaries in Coal Mine

Since 2004 the Gulf of Maine has warmed faster than anyplace else on the planet save an area northeast of Japan, and climate models suggest 2012-like conditions will become the new normal by the 2050s, with dramatic implications for life in Maine, on land as well as at sea. Scientists say the most catastrophic outcome would be a collapse in the foundations of the marine food web that sustains not just the puffins and their prey but most other species, from endangered right whales to the haddock and cod that fishermen depend on. -- Portland Press Herald

Leaked Map Reveals Big Gas Eyeing One of Most Biodiverse Places on Earth

Manu National Park in Peru’s Amazon is targeted by Pluspetrol, according to map of planned geological fieldwork -- The Guardian

Processed Meats Cause Cancer, and Red Meat Probably Does, Too

Eating hot dogs, ham and other processed meat can cause colorectal cancer, and eating red meat probably can cause cancer, the World Health Organization's cancer agency reported Monday. Dr. Kurt Straif, with the International Agency for Cancer Research, said the risk of developing colorectal cancer from eating processed meat remains small but rises with the amount consumed. Consuming red meat was linked to colorectal, pancreatic and prostate cancer, but the link was not as strong, the IARC report said. -- USA Today

Climate Change a Major Threat to Children's Health, Doctors Warn

Climate change poses a rising global public health and safety threat, and children are particularly vulnerable, the American Academy of Pediatrics says in a new policy statement. The group is urging pediatricians and politicians to work together to solve the crisis and protect children from the immediate and long-term health consequences of climate change. -- CBS News