- How human ‘organs on a chip’ can help replace animal testing
When 4,000 beagles destined for animal testing were recently rescued from a breeding facility in Virginia, it was a reminder of the sheer scale of animals used in the pharmaceutical industry and other research: By one estimate, 192 million animals are used globally in labs each year. Beyond the ethical ... read more - Homes aren’t designed to withstand these brutal heatwaves—but they could be
Buildings are designed to keep people safe and comfortable according to the local climate: warm when it’s cold outside, dry when it’s wet, and sheltered when it’s stormy. If the climate changes, buildings may struggle to serve our needs in the new conditions. The U.K.’s recent 40°C heatwave showed that ... read more - Wildfires disproportionately impact low-income people. Here’s how communities can protect them
Though it’s 98% contained today, the Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire has been burning in New Mexico since April, becoming the largest fire in the state’s history. By late June, it had burned through almost 350,000 acres and destroyed 900 structures. More troubling still is that most of the counties impacted ... read more - This pastel clothing is dyed with old scraps of fabric
The light blue color in a new hoodie didn’t come from conventional dye: Instead, the sustainability-focused clothing brand Pangaia worked with a partner to create dye from scraps of blue fabric collected from its factory floor. A rainbow of other colors in the new product line, from light pink and ... read more - How flood maps can illuminate the risk from toxic waste sites
Climate science is clear: Floodwaters are a growing risk for many American cities, threatening to displace not only people and housing but also the land-based pollution left behind by earlier industrial activities. In 2019, researchers at the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) investigated climate-related risks at the 1,571 most polluted ... read more - Need help recycling beauty products? Check out this unlikely source
Plastic packaging is responsible for almost half of the world’s plastic waste. It’s particularly flagrant in the personal care and beauty industry, which globally produces 120 billion units of packaging per year. The bottles and packs themselves scarcely contain recycling instructions, and they end up in landfills, oceans, and our ... read more - These electric school buses can help power the grid
When the electric school buses in a small fleet in El Cajon, California, aren’t taking children to school, they serve another purpose: They can send extra power back to the grid. San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E), the local utility, recently installed six bidirectional chargers in the school district’s bus ... read more - Here’s how much Congress’s historic climate bill would actually cut emissions
The massive new climate bill under consideration in Congress isn’t perfect for the climate: At the same time that the policy boosts support for renewable energy, it also requires the government to auction off public land for oil drilling. Democratic West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin, who has raked in $689,860 ... read more - Here’s what science says about electric cars and their impact on noise pollution
If everyone everywhere received a free electric vehicle at the same time—and owners were required to travel at really slow speeds across well-maintained roads—the world would sound different. But that doesn’t mean it would be quieter. People can have different feelings about the same sound. As the founder of Community ... read more - ‘Rage giving’: How current events are driving a new kind of philanthropy
When anger over everything from the killing of unarmed people of color to new restrictions on access to abortion bubbles over, many Americans act on it. One avenue for someone who has gotten fed up with current events is to take part in protests, such as marching for gun reform ... read more - To understand flood and wildfire risks, homeowners need to understand their future costs
If you look at homes on real estate websites today, you’ll likely see risk ratings for flooding, hurricanes, and even wildfires. In theory, summarizing risk information like this should help homebuyers and renters make more informed housing choices. But surveys show it isn’t working that way, at least not yet. ... read more - Climate Neutral is trying to build a net-zero labeling system that drives change–and dollars
In a sudden and unanticipated move, Senator Joe Manchin approved a legislative bill that would deliver the most federal climate spending ever, to the sum of $369 billion. Lawmakers suggest it would allow the U.S. to reduce carbon emissions by 40% of 2005 levels by 2030. But it hasn’t yet ... read more - Cell-cultivated meat could make cruelty-free exotic animal meat a reality
If you follow the food tech space, cell-cultured beef, chicken, and fish—that is, real meat grown from animal cells rather than slaughtered animals—are practically old hat by now. Berkeley-based Upside Foods just raised a whopping $400 million in funding as the company prepares to bring its first consumer product to ... read more - This simple strategy could be part of the solution to the housing crisis and climate change
When you hear the words “trailer park” or “mobile home park,” what comes to mind? Crime? Poverty? Vulnerability to natural disasters? These negative images reflect the stigma, reinforced by popular culture, that many U.S. residents assign to manufactured home parks—the official name for these dwellings under federal standards adopted in ... read more - The Inflation Reduction Act is also an enormous climate bill. What’s in it?
Thanks to an unanticipated U-turn from Senator Joe Manchin, Senate Democrats have reached a deal on a new reconciliation bill that, if passed, would offer the most funding in history to curb carbon emissions and protect energy security. It’s framed as the Inflation Reduction Act, because it raises funds by ... read more
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