Environmental protections and data access face mounting threats

by Wanjiru KamandeSeptember 20, 20266 links · ~49 min read · ~1 min for the TL;DR

Parts Per Million by Wanjiru Kamande: six links on Environment every week.

TL;DR

Environmental groups may sue the Trump administration for failing to protect West Coast gray whales, whose population has declined by half.
The Hunga Tonga volcanic eruption triggered a chemical reaction that destroyed atmospheric methane, potentially offering new methods to slow global warming.
The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative is seeing reduced effectiveness in cutting emissions as power bills in the Northeast rise.
Scientists are transferring U.S. climate data to repositories in Germany to protect it from potential meddling by the Trump administration.
Human-caused global warming is disrupting the centuries-old climatic link between the Indian and Pacific oceans.
A chemical industry campaign is removing air monitors across several states, limiting the public's ability to hold polluters accountable.

From the curator

Political and industrial pressures are increasingly undermining environmental oversight and data transparency. The Grist article reports that environmental groups may sue the Trump administration over its failure to address the starving West Coast gray whale population. Simultaneously, the Yale E360 article explains that researchers are moving U.S. climate data to Germany to prevent potential interference by the same administration.

Beyond political maneuvering, industrial interests are actively reducing public accountability. The Grist article by Ames Alexander, Brad Racino, and Floodlight details how a chemical industry campaign is removing air monitors across several states, making it harder to expose polluters. These actions, combined with the weakening effectiveness of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative noted in the Canary Media article, highlight a growing trend of diminished environmental protection and oversight.

Wanjiru Kamande

Curated for this issue

Grist7 min readGray whales are starving as the Arctic warms. Will the US protect them?
The population on the West Coast has plunged by half, and environmental groups might sue the Trump administration for ignoring their plight.

Sachi Kitajima Mulkey · curated 1 time

ScienceDaily8 min readScientists stunned as volcano cloud starts destroying methane
The Hunga Tonga eruption may have triggered a surprising chemical reaction that destroyed some of the methane released into the atmosphere. Scientists say the discovery could…

Canary Media6 min readIs it time to rethink the Northeast's cap-and-trade system?
The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative isn’t having the same emissions-cutting effect it used to. As power bills rise, some wonder if it is worth…

Yale E36010 min readWhy Germany Is Building an Ark for U.S. Climate Data
As researchers around the world begin work on the next U.N. climate assessment, fears are growing that the Trump administration could meddle with critical U.S. climate data. In…

ScienceDaily4 min readGlobal warming is breaking a 400-year climate link between two oceans
The Indian and Pacific oceans have been climatically linked for centuries, but scientists say that connection is now breaking down in an exceptional way. Ancient climate records…

Grist13 min readAmerica’s air monitors are disappearing. So is your power to expose polluters.
Across several states, a quiet chemical industry campaign is making it harder to hold polluters accountable.

Ames Alexander, Brad Racino, Floodlight

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From the curator

Grist7 min readGray whales are starving as the Arctic warms. Will the US protect them?The population on the West Coast has plunged by half, and environmental groups might sue the Trump administration for ignoring their plight.

ScienceDaily8 min readScientists stunned as volcano cloud starts destroying methaneThe Hunga Tonga eruption may have triggered a surprising chemical reaction that destroyed some of the methane released into the atmosphere. Scientists say the discovery could…

Canary Media6 min readIs it time to rethink the Northeast's cap-and-trade system?The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative isn’t having the same emissions-cutting effect it used to. As power bills rise, some wonder if it is worth…

Yale E36010 min readWhy Germany Is Building an Ark for U.S. Climate DataAs researchers around the world begin work on the next U.N. climate assessment, fears are growing that the Trump administration could meddle with critical U.S. climate data. In…

ScienceDaily4 min readGlobal warming is breaking a 400-year climate link between two oceansThe Indian and Pacific oceans have been climatically linked for centuries, but scientists say that connection is now breaking down in an exceptional way. Ancient climate records…

Grist13 min readAmerica’s air monitors are disappearing. So is your power to expose polluters.Across several states, a quiet chemical industry campaign is making it harder to hold polluters accountable.