Hacker News with Generative AI: Environmentalism

The EPA Isn't Killing Diesel–Tuners Are Killing Their Own Credibility (carsandhorsepower.com)
The diesel tuning community loves to play the victim. They cry about government overreach, whine about emissions regulations "killing performance," and rage against the "tyranny" of clean air laws. Yet, these same enthusiasts gleefully roll coal—intentionally spewing thick, toxic black smoke from their modified trucks—as if environmental destruction were a badge of honor.

Environmentalism, Automotive Industry, Diesel Engines

11 points by Anumbia 2 days ago | 14 comments

W.a.s.t.e. Not: John Scanlan looks for the future in the dustbins of history (thebaffler.com)
On a chilly day in Brooklyn, I paused to admire two trashmen at the intersection of Wyckoff and Suydam as they worked during rush hour.

History, New York, Waste Management, Environmentalism

8 points by Thevet 4 days ago | 4 comments

Gold rush moves closer to Amazon's second-tallest tree (mongabay.com)
Illegal gold miners are now operating very close to the second-tallest tree in the Amazon Rainforest, Mongabay’s Fernanda Wenzel reported in April.

Amazon Rainforest, Deforestation, Environmentalism, Illegal Mining

7 points by PaulHoule 6 days ago | 0 comments

The Japanese method of creating forests comes to Mexico (elpais.com)
In English, the Japanese concept satoyama translates as “village” and “mountain.” These are rural environments where communities manage forests and farmland based on a sustainable system, harnessing their resources without harming them, in a kind of sacred pact between humans and nature for living in harmony.

Forestry, Sustainability, Japan, Mexico, Environmentalism

88 points by geox 6 days ago | 3 comments

Better air quality is the easiest way not to die (dynomight.net)
What do you worry about more: Getting exercise, eating vegetables, or the air you breathe?

Health, Air Pollution, Environmentalism

11 points by haltingproblem 7 days ago | 0 comments

Tentative tree planting 'decades overdue' in sweltering Athens (phys.org)
On a cloudy spring morning in one of Athens' most densely inhabited districts, thousands of fresh saplings dotting a small hilltop park mark a fledgling effort to tackle crippling heat that critics say is long overdue.

Climate Change, Urban Planning, Greece, Environmentalism

10 points by PaulHoule 9 days ago | 0 comments

The Surreal Landscapes of Industrial Waste in Russia (comradegallery.com)
At first glance, these landscapes look like something from another planet—stunning expanses of turquoise water, vivid orange rivers, and vast, desolate plains. But beneath their surreal beauty lies a dangerous reality. These are industrial waste sites: ash disposal zones from power plants, sewage drainage channels, and toxic liquid reservoirs scattered across Russia.

Russia, Environmentalism, Photography, Industrial Waste

55 points by silverkite 10 days ago | 5 comments

Nothing Radicalizes You Against Dirty Diesels Like Riding a Motorcycle (jalopnik.com)

Motorcycles, Environmentalism, Transportation, Opinions

27 points by rntn 15 days ago | 19 comments

Researchers are studying how to minimize human impact on public lands (undark.org)
Most people used to think the Crestone Needle, a jagged peak in Colorado’s Sangre de Cristo range, was unclimbable. Until, that is, Albert Ellingwood and Eleanor Davis reached its summit in 1916.

Environmentalism, Nature, Research, Climbing, Colorado

63 points by droptext 24 days ago | 10 comments

Proforestation: The case for leaving trees alone (mongabay.com)
In a quiet corner of northern New York state, the white pines of the Adirondack Forest Preserve rise like sentinels, untouched for more than 125 years. Their silence speaks volumes.

Environmentalism, Conservation, Forestry, New York

15 points by PaulHoule 30 days ago | 0 comments

What to Read to Wrap Your Head Around the Climate Crisis (theatlantic.com)
These visceral reported accounts will help readers better understand the new ecological status quo.

Climate Change, Journalism, Environmentalism, Science

10 points by pmags 30 days ago | 1 comments

The Population Bomb (1968) (wikipedia.org)
The Population Bomb is a 1968 book co-authored by former Stanford University professor Paul R. Ehrlich and former Stanford senior researcher in conservation biology Anne H. Ehrlich.[1][2] From the opening page, it predicted worldwide famines due to overpopulation, as well as other major societal upheavals, and advocated immediate action to limit population growth.

Overpopulation, Environmentalism, Social Impact, Books, History

12 points by simonebrunozzi 31 days ago | 0 comments

Last Gasp of the Landfill Economy (blogspot.com)
It seems we're supposed to mourn the last gasp of The Landfill Economy. Perhaps we should celebrate its demise.

Waste Management, Environmentalism, Sustainability

7 points by spking 41 days ago | 0 comments

A wild 'freakosystem' has been born in Hawaii (bbc.com)
Ecosystems which have never been seen before are being accidentally created by humans. They offer a stark look into the nature of tomorrow.

Ecosystems, Hawaii, Environmentalism, Climate Change

86 points by pseudolus 49 days ago | 105 comments

World's largest wildlife crossing reaches critical milestone. Now what? (yahoo.com)
Monday was momentous for the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing although it still looked like a bridge to nowhere from the 101 Freeway, where more than 300,000 vehicles stream endlessly every day.

Wildlife Conservation, Infrastructure, California, Environmentalism

80 points by Stratoscope 52 days ago | 82 comments

'All the birds returned': How China led the way in water and soil conservation (theguardian.com)
It was one of China’s most ambitious environmental endeavours ever.

Environmentalism, China, Conservation, Water, Soil

6 points by PaulHoule 59 days ago | 0 comments

Please stop planting only corn (virtualize.sh)
If you’ve ever watched a nature documentary (one of those where David Attenborough quietly whispers the doom of an entire species) you know monocultures are bad.

Agriculture, Environmentalism, Sustainability

12 points by plam503711 59 days ago | 0 comments

Did you spot a fish? Press the Fish Doorbell (visdeurbel.nl)
Every spring, thousands of fish swim through the Oudegracht in Utrecht, searching for a place upstream to lay their eggs. But the Weerdsluis is often closed. You can help the fish continue their journey! If you see a fish, press the doorbell. This alerts the lock operator to open the lock.

Environmentalism, Technology, Netherlands

88 points by rguiscard 60 days ago | 29 comments

The Shitthropocene (patagonia.com)

Environmentalism, Climate Change, Humor

59 points by uptown 64 days ago | 23 comments

The Asbestos Times (2023) (worksinprogress.co)
Asbestos was a miracle material, virtually impervious to fire. But as we fixed city fires in other ways, we came to learn about its horrific downsides.

History, Environmentalism, Materials Science

4 points by Tomte 69 days ago | 0 comments

The long flight to teach an endangered ibis species to migrate (newyorker.com)
Our devastation of nature is so deep and vast that to reverse its effects, on any front, often entails efforts that are so painstaking and quixotic as to border on the ridiculous.

Conservation, Endangered Species, Climate Change, Environmentalism, Nature

74 points by FinnLobsien 71 days ago | 19 comments

Plastic pollution leaves seabirds with brain damage similar to Alzheimer's (theguardian.com)
Ingesting plastic is leaving seabird chicks with brain damage “akin to Alzheimer’s disease”, according to a new study – adding to growing evidence of the devastating impact of plastic pollution on marine wildlife.

Environmentalism, Science, Wildlife, Pollution, Health

6 points by pseudolus 71 days ago | 0 comments

'A new phase': why climate activists are turning to sabotage instead of protest (theguardian.com)
Tougher laws said to be inspiring clandestine attacks on the ‘property and machinery’ of the fossil fuel economy

Climate Change, Activism, Environmentalism, Protest, Sabotage

13 points by edward 73 days ago | 0 comments

The shrouded sinister history of the bulldozer (noemamag.com)
From India to the Amazon to Israel, bulldozers have left a path of destruction that offers a cautionary tale for how technology without safeguards can be misused.

History, Technology, Environmentalism, Social Impact

78 points by g8oz 74 days ago | 64 comments

Magpies and crows are using “anti-bird spikes” to make nests (2023) (audubon.org)
Humans have made the world less hospitable for birds in many ways. One obvious and intentional example of this can be found in towns and cities worldwide: anti-bird spikes. The pointy wires you might see attached to roofs, ledges, and light poles are meant to deter urban species like pigeons from landing, pooping, and even nesting where people don’t want them to. But in an avian act of poetic justice, a handful of European birds have struck back.

Nature, Animals, Urban Planning, Environmentalism

234 points by perihelions 74 days ago | 84 comments

Trees not profits: we're giving up our right to ever sell Ecosia (2018) (ecosia.org)
When I founded Ecosia a few years ago, I made two promises:

Environmentalism, Sustainability, Non-profit Organizations, Business

346 points by erlend_sh 74 days ago | 215 comments

'We're losing our environmental history': The future of government information (thebulletin.org)
As the director of the National Security Archive’s Climate Change Transparency Project, Rachel Santarsiero is in the business of monitoring and facilitating the flow of information from the government to the public. What she’s seeing now, in the first weeks of President Trump’s second administration, is throwing the continuity of that process into doubt.

Government, Climate Change, Environmentalism, Information Access

21 points by rntn 75 days ago | 1 comments

Hackintoshing as a sustainable environmental practice (medium.com)
In 2025 using Linux or a Hackintosh is a very sustainable practice in computing, because you are able to use hardware longer.

Sustainability, Computing, Operating Systems, Environmentalism

50 points by opengears 76 days ago | 78 comments

California banned polystyrene. Has industry spooked the governor into silence? (latimes.com)
California’s ban on polystyrene was one of the biggest wins for environmentalists in the state’s recent history.It went into effect on Jan. 1 — but no one, including the governor’s office and CalRecycle, is talking about it.

Environmental Policy, Politics, California, Industry, Environmentalism

12 points by PaulHoule 77 days ago | 3 comments

How to Build a Thousand-Year-Old Tree (noemamag.com)
As the world faces an accelerating crisis of biodiversity loss and spiking rates of extinction, Britain’s protected natural areas are getting an explicit new assignment.

Environmentalism, Conservation, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Nature

95 points by matthewjpo 77 days ago | 13 comments