Stories
“Climate resilience” has become a phrase that describes the efforts of scientists, conservationists and government officials to respond to sea-level rise, intense storms, and increasing temperatures. The concept is getting the attention of military planners as well, and in Maine, the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery is hardening its own historic facilities against higher tides,…
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Scientists at the New England Aquarium say they’ve developed a “revolutionary” way to monitor threatened and endangered sea turtles over long periods of time. After rehabbing four loggerhead sea turtles that were found cold-stunned on Cape Cod beaches, researchers surgically implanted acoustic tags just under the turtles’ skin, and have since found them thriving in…
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General Electric announced Tuesday it’s reorganizing into three companies, two of which it plans to spin off. The company isn’t saying yet which of its new companies will keep its commitment to clean up the Housatonic River. About 20 years ago, GE signed a court-ordered agreement to remove PCBs from the river, and from the…
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When it comes to raging wildfires, Maine is no California. As the most heavily forested state in the country, Maine’s climate is wetter. California is warmer and drier. There’s more lightning and more wind in the Golden State. But Maine’s changing climate is increasing the possibility of more and bigger fires — and now, like…
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Nearly 50,000 people live within two miles of a major trash incinerator in Hartford. In a few months, that garbage plant is slated to close. And as officials decide what’s next for the key piece of riverfront land, debate is focusing on a decades-old issue: environmental justice. Think of environmental justice as environmentalism meets civil…
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A new analysis of Massachusetts public water systems by the Sierra Club finds that 70% of communities have detectable levels of the six most dangerous PFAS chemicals in their ground and surface waters. When looking at a wider range of PFAS chemicals, 91% of communities have detectable amounts in at least one of their drinking…
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On a recent day, a steady stream of aluminum cans move down the assembly line at Lamplighter Brewery in Cambridge, Mass., being filled with a New England Style IPA. The cans move to their last stop: a device that presses plastic toppers onto four cans at a time. Standing next to the assembly line is…
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How much anesthesia does it take to put a fish under before surgery? It’s not a question most veterinarians have to answer, but it’s what Lisa Abbo was trying to figure out at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Mass., as she looked down at a striped bass on a steel operating table. “We…
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A representative with Connecticut’s mattress recycling program believes the pandemic is part of the reason more people are choosing to recycle their old beds in the state. Daniel McGowan, with the Mattress Recycling Council, told a coalition of state recycling leaders Tuesday that the number of old mattresses recycled in Connecticut was up 12% from…
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The population of North Atlantic right whales fell to an estimated 336 in 2020, the latest indication that the critically endangered species is edging closer to extinction. That number represents an 8 percent decrease from the 2019 estimate, and the lowest population estimate for the species in nearly 20 years, according to the North Atlantic…
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