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EDF statement from Dr. Karla Sosa, Project Manager, New York State Affairs

NOTE: This is the second of a series about EPA’s prioritization of existing chemicals.  What Happened?  EPA just proposed to designate five chemicals, including the widely-known toxic chemical vinyl chloride, as high-priority chemicals – meaning they are toxic to human and/or environmental health.  If finalized, these chemicals will immediately undergo the risk evaluation process under …

New peer-reviewed research from EDF provides new and much-needed clarity about the methane footprint created by Canada’s oil and gas industry and the country’s progress toward addressing it.

The U.S. needs to build a lot more high-voltage electric transmission lines. Our current system is disconnected in all of the wrong places, leaving bountiful renewable resources stranded, individual regions isolated, and disadvantaged communities with unreliable power and exorbitant costs. Even where we do have connections, many of the lines are outdated and can’t accommodate …

Open ocean aquaculture in the U.S. has the potential to create diverse local jobs, build a more climate-resilient domestic seafood supply, and minimize impacts on the climate and environment. However, achieving these benefits hinges on practicing aquaculture the right way.  So, what does the “right way” entail? What do we still need to know to …

New comprehensive aerial measurements show oil and natural gas producers across the U.S. are emitting methane into the atmosphere at over four times the rates estimated by the Environmental Protection Agency for those same areas based on industry-reported data.

New, comprehensive data shows methane pollution from the U.S. oil and gas industry is more than 4 times EPA estimates. 

By Helen Spence-Jackson The EU’s hydrogen ambitions are facing a reality check. Despite an ambitious strategy launched in 2020 and ongoing work to establish a comprehensive policy framework, recent forecasts suggest hydrogen deployment is lagging behind initial targets. However, this moment offers an opportunity for reflection and provides valuable lessons not just for Europe, but …

EDF Statement from Will Scott, Southeast Climate and Clean Energy Director

By Magdalen Sullivan & Kate Roberts As the U.S. oil and gas industry expands, the vast network of largely unregulated pipelines that transport unprocessed natural gas —known as gathering pipelines — has crept closer and closer to residential communities. Most gathering pipelines are currently exempt from regular inspection, which means that leaks and other problems …

The Canadian government is likely overlooking an important source of climate pollution. Surface casing vent flow and gas migration (types of underground leakage from oil and gas wells) has the potential to leak a lot of methane, but according to new research, neither governments nor companies know how much.

The impacts from climate change will continue to escalate in the years ahead, and a growing number of scientists, philanthropies and companies have become interested in strategies to lower global temperatures more quickly. One of the options is reflecting some sunlight back into space.   Because the consequences of Solar Radiation Modification (SRM), as it’s called,

NOTE: This is the first of a series about EPA’s prioritization of existing chemicals.   What Happened?  EPA recently announced it had initiated the prioritization process for five chemicals for upcoming risk evaluation.  One of the chemicals, vinyl chloride, is a highly toxic chemical known to cause liver toxicity and liver cancer in humans. The other …

A report released Tuesday, June 18, 2024 by Environmental Defense Fund and the Coalition for Healthy Ports NY/NJ traces the growth of mega-warehouses in New Jersey and associated pollution from diesel trucks across New Jersey.

A new poll released by Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) reveals voters are open to growing more seafood in U.S. waters if it adheres to strong consumer and environmental standards.

This spring, hundreds of scientists, engineers, water managers, farmers and ranchers gathered in New Mexico to share and learn about how OpenET data is being used to advance water resources management. OpenET has radically improved access to data on evapotranspiration (ET) — or how much water plants and other vegetation consume. The result has been …

The ground beneath our feet holds more carbon than the Earth's atmosphere and all its plants combined. Scientists are investigating how to keep it there.

U.S. dairy farmers will soon be able to reduce the amount of methane their cows produce thanks to a new decision by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that clears the way for a product called Bovaer to come to market.

Environmental Defense Fund and co-authors released new research that may prove beneficial to resource managers, aimed at evaluating and implementing actions to improve the Mississippi River Basin’s overall health and resilience. Based on this research, we are sharing a comprehensive framework that can be used to effectively manage the Mississippi River Basin. The post New research could help resource managers improve the health and resilience of the Mississippi River Basin first appeared on Growing Returns.

As the American West faces intensifying water challenges, landowners and water managers are increasingly turning to the Groundwater Accounting Platform as

By Peri Rosenstein and Nicole Jenkins Methane emissions are a potent greenhouse gas, warming the climate more than 80 times faster than carbon dioxide on a 20-year timescale. Rapidly and significantly reducing methane is the most effective way to reduce the rate of warming, especially over the next few decades.  Agriculture is responsible for 40%

As the impacts of climate change reveal themselves to North Carolinians in the form of heat, flooding, wildfires, drought, and increasingly intense and more frequent tropical storms, the case for urgent action to combat climate change is strengthening. Our state has made important strides, setting vehicle electrification goals and power sector emissions reductions directives, but …

Environmental Defense Fund announced today that Senior Climate Scientist Ilissa Ocko has accepted an appointment with the U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, where she will be focusing on non-carbon dioxide climate pollutants, including methane and hydrogen.

Efforts to curb agricultural greenhouse gas emissions and increase soil carbon storage are picking up steam to help mitigate the impacts of climate change. To have maximum impact, we need ways to reliably quantify their outcomes.  Direct measurement of the impacts of climate smart agricultural practices are imperative to instill confidence, but they aren’t forward-looking …

Carbon markets and carbon monitoring programs track changes in cropland soil carbon stock over time to determine how agricultural management practices impact carbon storage in soil. Soil carbon stock is typically measured by taking soil samples prior to the adoption of a new farming practice, followed by additional sampling after the practice has been in …