"Humanity will have given up on planet Earth if world leaders cannot reach an agreement this year to stop the mass extinction of wildlife and destruction of life-supporting ecosystems, the United Nation’s new biodiversity chief has warned."
"The Bureau of Land Management is preparing to overhaul grazing regulations, including how it addresses scofflaw ranchers on public lands."
"President Donald Trump on Tuesday warned the international community against heeding the advice of environmental activists — dismissing them as fear-mongering “prophets of doom” who will cripple global economies and strip away individual liberties in what he described as a misguided mission to save the planet."
"Greta Thunberg on Tuesday punched a hole in the promises emerging from a forum of the global political and business elite and offered instead an ultimatum: Stop investing in fossil fuels immediately, or explain to your children why you did not protect them from the “climate chaos” you created."
Despite warnings that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency would be dismantled under the Trump administration, it remains very much alive, thanks to the realities of politics and litigation. Yet its staffing, enforcement and science advisory roles remain under the gun. In the latest of our Backgrounders for the “2020 Journalists’ Guide to Energy & Environment,” we read the tea leaves on the future of the EPA.
"Gina McCarthy wrapped up week two as head of the Natural Resources Defense Council by laying out her goals to reporters for what will be a pivotal year in energy and environmental policy."
"Trenton Water Works — a 200-year-old utility that is owned and operated by the city and serves 217,000 customers in Trenton, Hamilton, Lawrence, Ewing and Hopewell Township — plans to spend $150 million over the next five years to replace more than 36,000 lead service lines in the water system."
"Even before catastrophic fires broke out in Australia in late fall, climate change was at the top of the list of priorities at the 50th anniversary of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, this week."
"A six-mile-long barrier would help protect the city from floodwaters during fierce storms like Sandy, but critics say rising seas make the option inadequate."
"When patients participate in health studies, their medical and genetic details are typically kept anonymous to protect them. A controversial Trump administration plan to limit the scientific studies used in policymaking could put that anonymity in jeopardy, a new study warns."
