Natural Resources

"Flood Risks Getting Worse Along U.S. Coastlines, New Analysis Shows"

"Flooding in coastal areas of the United States is projected to occur 10 times more often over the next 25 years, with about 2.5 million people and 1.4 million homes facing severe property damage from sea level rise, according to a new analysis released Wednesday by Climate Central."

Source: Floodlight, 04/03/2025

Firing National Park and Forest Workers Stresses Nearby Communities

"As government agencies slash staff managing federal lands, rural populations dependent on outdoor tourism face mounting economic and environmental risks that are trickling down from the cuts."

Source: Inside Climate News, 04/03/2025

HHS Fires Entire Staff That Helps Low-Income People Afford Heat, AC

"The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has fired all of the workers in its program that seeks to help low-income Americans pay their energy bills. Everyone who had been working on the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) was let go on Tuesday, according to now-former employee Andrew Germain."

Source: The Hill, 04/03/2025

"Why Our Nation's Most Vulnerable Species Are At Risk"

"President Trump’s zest for rapidly shrinking the government is triggering anxiety about conservation priorities that have been embedded for more than five decades in the country’s national parks and wildlife refuges. Amid the staffing whiplash — chaotic firings and reinstatement of rangers, scientists, and other civil servants — America’s most vulnerable plant and animal species face new peril in their struggle to survive."

Source: National Parks Traveler, 04/02/2025

West Africa's Hazardous Winds: Harmattan Carries Dust, Spreads Disease

"Every year, from December to April, the Harmattan sweeps across Africa. This cool, dry and dust-laden wind gets its name from haramata, a word in the Ghanaian language Fanti. ... The Harmattan's effects go beyond reduced visibility and dryness. It has an impact on human health, agriculture and ecosystems."

Source: The Conversation, 04/01/2025

"Calif. Snowpack Is Near-Average — What Does This Mean For Water Supplies?"

"At 90% of the state historical average, the Sierra Nevada snowpack is nothing like record-smashing 2023. But it ‘s the third year in the row with near-average or above-average snowpack."

Source: CalMatters, 04/01/2025

"Trump Halts Historic Orphaned Well-Plugging Program"

"The billions of dollars approved by Congress to clean up abandoned oil and gas wells have been frozen as part of President Donald Trump’s sweeping cuts to government spending, creating concerns that the cleanup will be halted just as it’s getting started."

Source: High Country News, 04/01/2025

"Blue Ridge Parkway: Will "Take Years" For Some Areas To Be Repaired"

"While repairs to storm-battered sections of the Blue Ridge Parkway are underway, it will "take years" to repair some of the damage, according to the National Park Service."

Source: National Parks Traveler, 03/31/2025

Some L.A. Homes Are Being Built To Resist Wildfires — And Some Aren't

"Homeowners in Los Angeles have started the long process of rebuilding after the destructive wildfires in January. Some are constructing homes that are much less likely to burn when the next wildfire hits." "Still, thousands of other homeowners in the urban center of Altadena are about to rebuild without wildfire-resistant materials, because they live outside a state-designated wildfire zone."

Source: NPR, 03/31/2025

"Unearthed: The Mining Issue"

"The world needs massive amounts of critical minerals to power the transition to clean energy. But as countries and industries explore new mining opportunities, a major question looms: Can all of this extraction be done without the same environmental and human costs associated with fossil fuels?"

Source: Grist, 03/28/2025

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