This post contributed by Nadine Lymn, ESA Director of Public Affairs Among its many responsibilities, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is charged with implementing Plan EJ, issued by Executive Order twenty years ago by then-President Clinton to advance environmental justice through federal actions. According to EPA’s website, Plan EJ 2014 aims to “protect health in communities over-burdened by pollution;…
This post contributed by Heather Kirk, a post-doctoral researcher at the Institute of Agricultural Sciences at ETH in Zurich, Switzerland In the science fiction horror film “Alien” and its sequels, extraterrestrial monsters stalk human space travelers, and ultimately use their human prey as hosts for their own offspring. The alien implants its offspring into the body of its human host,…
This post contributed by Celia Smith, ESA Education Programs Coordinator In response to growing concern about the ecological and economic impact of invasive species, there has been increasing interest in developing cultivars of ornamental shrubs that produce few or sterile seeds. However, in a study published in the October issue of BioScience, researchers at Washington University in St. Louis and…
This post contributed by Nadine Lymn, ESA Director of Public Affairs Now that mid-October has arrived, many of us notice the shortening days, dark mornings, and new chill in the air. Thoughts turn to cozy indoor activities, hot beverages, and away from such outdoor hobbies such as gardening. But while we have the luxury of moving many of our activities…
This post contributed by Heather Kirk, a post-doctoral researcher at the Institute of Agricultural Sciences in Zurich, Switzerland When a 9.0 magnitude earthquake caused a series of nuclear accidents in Japan back in March of this year, there was nervousness in North America that nuclear fallout could blow across the Pacific Ocean to reach coastal cities in Canada and the…
This post contributed by Nadine Lymn, ESA Director of Public Affairs Typically the size of a football field and reaching a height of several hundred meters, the production life of an offshore oil or gas rig is over once it’s drained its location’s energy supply. Then a company must retire and remove the rig. Conceived by the former U.S. Minerals…
This post contributed by Lindsay Deel, a Ph.D. student in geography at West Virginia University and Intern with ESA’s journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment Infectious diseases won’t know what hit them. A massive new collaborative effort between funding sources in the United States (US) and United Kingdom (UK) takes aim at infectious diseases from ecological and social perspectives,…
When 3,500 individuals from across the country and around the globe convene for a scientific conference such as the Ecological Society of America’s (ESA) recent meeting in Austin, Texas, it takes a toll on the environment. There is the carbon footprint from the various modes of travel to get to the meeting. But there is also the broader environmental cost…
This post contributed by Lindsay Deel, a Ph.D. student in geography at West Virginia University and Intern with ESA’s journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment Memorizing diagrams of the nitrogen cycle – complete with all the little arrows flowing between atmospheric sources to uptake by vegetation – is a rite of passage for most undergraduate ecology students. Now, following…
Here are some highlights from the latest ESA Policy News by Science Policy Analyst Terence Houston. Read the full Policy News here. AIR POLLUTION: OBAMA ADMINISTRATION POSTPONES OZONE STANDARDS On Sept. 2, the White House requested the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) postpone plans to strengthen the George W. Bush administration’s 2008 ozone standard. In a letter to EPA Administrator Lisa…
Signs of fall are beginning to appear in the northeastern United States. Glimpses of colorful leaves are showing and a crisp autumn smell hangs in the air. Maple trees make up much of New England’s landscape and are integral to both thriving tourist and maple syrup industries. Now, a new study just out in the Canadian Journal of Forest Research…
Here are some highlights from the latest Policy News by Science Policy Analyst Terence Houston. EPA: AGENCY DEFENDS ‘ENDANGERMENT’ FINDING IN FEDERAL COURT On August 18, the Environmental Protection Agency filed a brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit defending its Dec. 2009 ‘endangerment’ finding that carbon dioxide emissions threaten public health. The finding…