Hacker News with Generative AI: Environmental Issues

First analysis finds America's butterflies disappearing at "catastrophic" rate (apnews.com)
America’s butterflies are disappearing because of insecticides, climate change and habitat loss, with the number of the winged beauties down 22% since 2000, a new study finds.
Environmental Issues, Climate Change, Insects, Biology, Conservation
10 points by lelandfe 1 day ago | 0 comments
Half of world’s CO2 emissions come from 36 fossil fuel firms, study shows (theguardian.com)
Half of the world’s climate-heating carbon emissions come from the fossil fuels produced by just 36 companies, analysis has revealed.
Climate Change, Environmental Issues, Fossil Fuels, Business, Research
15 points by giuliomagnifico 3 days ago | 8 comments
PFAS in fertilisers blamed for killing livestock in Texas and wreaking havoc (chemistryworld.com)
The mystery of why farmers had started falling ill in Johnson County, Texas and what killed the fish in their ponds and livestock on their ranches may have been solved.
Environmental Issues, Agriculture, Chemicals, Texas, Livestock
107 points by chiffre01 5 days ago | 38 comments
Federal Firings Threaten Great Lakes' $5B Fishery (insideclimatenews.org)
Sweeping layoffs of federal employees have struck the program responsible for controlling the invasive sea lamprey that threatens fish across the Great Lakes, the earth’s largest freshwater ecosystem.
Government, Environmental Issues, Invasive Species, Great Lakes, Fisheries
33 points by rntn 7 days ago | 2 comments
Environmental Protection Agency Will Lose 65 Percent of Staff, Trump Says (nytimes.com)
During his cabinet meeting on Wednesday, President Trump casually mentioned that Lee Zeldin, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, intended to fire 65 percent of employees, an incision so deep that officials said it would hobble the E.P.A.
Politics, Environmental Issues, Government, Staff Reductions, Trump Administration
28 points by insane_dreamer 10 days ago | 4 comments
These park rangers oversaw Florida's only manatee refuge. Then they were fired (tampabay.com)
The Trump administration’s sweeping cuts to the federal workforce are impacting the only national refuge created specifically for threatened manatees.
Environmental Issues, Politics, Florida, Endangered Species, National Parks
10 points by howard941 14 days ago | 2 comments
Brazilian city in Amazon declares emergency after sinkholes appear (theguardian.com)
Authorities in a city in the Brazilian Amazon have declared a state of emergency after huge sinkholes opened up, threatening hundreds of homes.
Brazil, Amazon Rainforest, Natural Disasters, Environmental Issues, Emergency Response
7 points by tosh 14 days ago | 0 comments
'Triangle of death': will Italy tackle mafia's toxic waste dumping? (theguardian.com)
Cancer rates have soared in Casalnuovo di Napoli, Italy, where burying or burning of waste has poisoned water and land
Mafia, Environmental Issues, Italy, Crime, Health
4 points by rntn 18 days ago | 0 comments
'Honestly terrifying': Yosemite National Park is in chaos (sfgate.com)
Yosemite National Park is in trouble. Hamstrung by President Donald Trump’s hiring freeze, hundreds of rescinded job offers and the threat of coming layoffs, the park is poised to enter its busiest months of the year severely short-staffed.
National Parks, Politics, Environmental Issues, Tourism
116 points by tzs 19 days ago | 48 comments
Worst avian flu crisis ever recorded spreads across Antarctica (elpais.com)
The highly pathogenic avian influenza virus, which has caused the death of hundreds of millions of birds in the last five years around the world, is spreading across Antarctica, a pristine paradise for wildlife.
Avian Flu, Antarctica, Wildlife, Environmental Issues, Global Health
9 points by belter 19 days ago | 0 comments
Man who lost $800M Bitcoin in landfill wants to buy the garbage dump (cnn.com)
Cryptocurrency, Finance, Technology, Environmental Issues
10 points by teleforce 20 days ago | 10 comments
After Trump killed a report on nature, researchers push ahead with release (arstechnica.com)
The first-ever National Nature Assessment—which was based on significant public feedback and strove to reveal how nature loss influences climate change and impacts humanity—may still see the light of day after the Trump administration abruptly ended the ambitious project.
Environmental Issues, Science, Government, Climate Change
10 points by ultra-boss 25 days ago | 1 comments
Man who lost Bitcoin fortune in Welsh tip explores purchase of entire landfill (theguardian.com)
A computer expert who has battled for a decade to recover a £600m bitcoin fortune he believes is buried in a council dump in south Wales is considering buying the site so he can hunt for the missing fortune.
Bitcoin, Cryptocurrency, Wales, Technology, Environmental Issues
41 points by n1b0m 27 days ago | 59 comments
Exxon is quietly planning a new $8.6B plastics plant in Texas (grist.org)
Diane Wilson had heard rumors for months that Exxon might be coming to Point Comfort, Texas, which sits on the Gulf Coast south of Galveston. She recalls whispers about the global behemoth hiring local electricians and negotiating railroad access. Two days before Christmas, the first confirmation quietly arrived: an application for tax subsidies to build an $8.6 billion plastics manufacturing plant.
ExxonMobil, Plastics Industry, Environmental Issues, Texas, Business
5 points by Brajeshwar 29 days ago | 0 comments
Giant Solar Farm in Mojave Desert Could Close Just a Decade After Opening (ibtimes.com)
A California utility wants to end its agreement to buy power from a giant solar farm in the Mojave Desert because it found cheaper alternative clean energy sources, a move that will sound the death knell to what was once the world's largest solar plant, according to reports.
Renewable Energy, Solar Power, California, Environmental Issues, Energy
4 points by Tempest1981 35 days ago | 2 comments
65% of all ski resorts in the US have closed since 1960s (2022) (mdpi.com)
More than half of the ski resorts in North America have closed since the early building booms—many facing a warming climate and pressures to find water to make artificial snow.
Climate Change, Skiing, Environmental Issues, Business, Geography
34 points by insane_dreamer 37 days ago | 28 comments
Infrastructure neglect and poverty lead to parasites in the Mississippi Delta (theguardian.com)
New research suggests parasitic infections in US south are far more widespread than previously acknowledged
Health, Poverty, Mississippi Delta, Research, Environmental Issues
7 points by PaulHoule 38 days ago | 0 comments
Real-time, river sections downstream of sewage discharges from storm overflows (sewagemap.co.uk)
Environmental Issues, Water Quality, Data Visualization, Infrastructure, Public Health
69 points by markx2 39 days ago | 16 comments
Astronomers seek global ban on space advertising (spacenews.com)
WASHINGTON — Astronomers are calling on nations to ban advertising in space that can be seen from the ground, calling it the latest threat to the dark and quiet sky.
Astronomy, Space, Advertising, Environmental Issues
52 points by belter 41 days ago | 22 comments
Big oil pushed to kill bill that would have made them pay for wildfire disasters (theguardian.com)
In the year preceding the devastating Los Angeles county wildfires, big oil fiercely lobbied to kill a “polluter pay” bill that moved through the California senate and would have forced major fossil fuel companies to help cover the costs of climate disasters.
Climate Change, Environmental Issues, Oil Industry, Politics, California
6 points by croes 50 days ago | 1 comments
What is the pink fire retardant used to control the L.A. fires? (nbcnews.com)
As the wildfires in Southern California continue to burn, streaks of bright pink fire retardant have become a familiar sight.
Wildfires, Fire Retardant, California, Environmental Issues, News
7 points by heresie-dabord 51 days ago | 2 comments
3M knew firefighting foams containing PFAS were toxic, documents show (theguardian.com)
The multibillion-dollar chemicals company 3M told customers its firefighting foams were harmless and biodegradable when it knew they contained toxic substances so persistent they are now known as “forever chemicals” and banned in many countries including the UK, newly uncovered documents show.
Environmental Issues, Chemistry, Corporate Misconduct, Lawsuits
8 points by jmsflknr 52 days ago | 0 comments
The case for letting Malibu burn (1995) (longreads.com)
Many of California’s native ecosystems evolved to burn. Modern fire suppression creates fuels that lead to catastrophic fires. So why do people insist on rebuilding in the firebelt?
California Wildfires, Environmental Issues, Fire Management, Urban Planning
180 points by pseudolus 55 days ago | 268 comments
Two fire experts interviewed about L.A. wildfires (latimes.com)
For decades, Jack Cohen and Stephen Pyne have studied the history and behavior of wildfires. The magnitude of destruction this week in Los Angeles and Altadena, they argue, could have been mitigated. Society’s understanding and relationship to fire has to change if the conflagrations like these are to be prevented.
Wildfires, California, Environmental Issues, Climate Change
74 points by hodgesrm 55 days ago | 129 comments
Gigantic SUVs are a public health threat. Why don't we treat them like one? (vox.com)
With an annual toll of 40,000 American lives, the deadliness of secondhand smoke is now common knowledge. But it was only a few decades ago that puffing on a cigarette was defended as an act that affected only the smoker.
Public Health, Automobiles, Safety, Environmental Issues
3 points by rntn 61 days ago | 0 comments
Foods with the Most Plastic Chemicals: Study Reveals Surprising Results (newsweek.com)
From popular brands like Burger King, McDonald's, Starbucks, and Whole Foods to everyday kitchen staples such as rice and salt, a new study highlights the alarming extent of plastic contamination in foods.
Food Safety, Environmental Issues, Consumer Products, Science, Health
17 points by XzetaU8 61 days ago | 1 comments
List of Products with Microplastics (plasticlist.org)
Microplastics, Environmental Issues, Consumer Products
6 points by IG_Semmelweiss 65 days ago | 3 comments
Toxic waste from Bhopal gas leak factory removed after 40 years (bbc.com)
Authorities in India have removed hundreds of tonnes of toxic waste from a chemical factory that witnessed one of the world's deadliest gas leaks 40 years ago.
Environmental Issues, India, Accidents, History, Chemical Industry
9 points by sohkamyung 66 days ago | 0 comments
The mighty Mekong River's growing plastic problem (japantimes.co.jp)
Flowing more than 4,300 kilometers from the Tibetan Plateau in China, through mainland Southeast Asia and then into Vietnam’s Mekong Delta before finally emptying into the South China Sea, the Mekong River is among the top 10 waterways in Asia most responsible for riverine plastic waste reaching the world’s oceans.
Environmental Issues, Pollution, Mekong River, Southeast Asia, Plastic Waste
5 points by PaulHoule 69 days ago | 0 comments
What happened to the American chestnut tree? (npr.org)
In the early 20th century, a blight fungus wiped out most of the 4 billion American chestnut trees on the eastern seaboard. The loss was ecologically devastating.
Environmental Issues, Ecology, History, Forestry, Disease
6 points by rbanffy 71 days ago | 0 comments