Stories
Federal regulators issued new rules Tuesday for lobster and other trap-pot fisheries that aim to protect endangered North Atlantic right whales from harmful entanglements with fishing gear. The lobster industry and its political allies in Maine are condemning the decision, but conservationists say it doesn’t do enough to protect the whales. Among several significant measures,…
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The problem of garbage-filled recycling bins continues to foul up efforts to boost recycling levels in Connecticut’s capital city. Public records show Hartford is recycling more material since Connecticut Public reported on a major drop-off in recycling loads earlier this year, but the city still burned about 75 percent of its curbside recyclables from May to…
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Federal officials have issued new regulations for the lobster and Jonah crab fisheries that are designed to protect North Atlantic right whales from entanglements in gear. But conservationists say the long-awaited rules don’t go far enough to save the critically endangered species. The new regulations from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) require lobstermen to add more traps…
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As Tropical Storm Henri batters much of New England this weekend with damaging winds, heavy rainfall, storm surges and a large possibility of inland flooding, it may feel like one more item to add to the list of abnormal weather events we’ve seen this year. And what a year it’s been — from wildfires out west and record heat here in…
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The Connecticut River after Tropical Storm Elsa looked like a chocolate milkshake. And the reason is pretty gross: rainwater runoff and raw sewage. This dirty water makes its way into rivers because of century-old infrastructure called “combined sewer systems,” which merge stormwater and household water into one big pipe. And when it rains a lot,…
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Data has replaced oil as the world’s most valuable resource. But increasingly, our data is stored remotely “in the cloud” and climate change — challenging the resilience of the internet — puts access to our data at risk. Urban planner Duane Verner learned just how vulnerable our data are in the climate-changing world. When the COVID-19…
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The world needs to get to net-zero carbon emissions by the 2030s to have a chance of avoiding the worst effects of climate change. That’s the stark message delivered in a sweeping report on the current scientific consensus on climate, released Monday by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The report’s scope is global, but here are…
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On a farm in South Glastonbury, a tractor idles. It’s one of the most iconic farming inventions of the late 19th century, a tool that was invented shortly before Donald Preli’s grandfather came from Italy and started Belltown Hill Orchards. Now, more than 100 years later, Preli said a much newer invention could revolutionize farming…
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Close your eyes for a second. Listen. What do you hear? Do you notice the hum of a refrigerator? Are cars driving by? Kids yelling and playing? This is a soundscape. The sonic environment created by — and creating — the place where you are. “Our soundscape tells us a few things right away,” says…
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If you were hoping for hot, sunny days on the beach this summer, you’ve been mostly disappointed. But the wet, cool weather has been great for wild mushroom gatherers like Christine Gagnon. She’s known on Facebook for her pictures, including selfies with wild mushrooms, jokingly called “melfies.” On a recent walk along the Piscataqua River…
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