Stories

The emerald ash borer beetle sits on leaf. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Flickr

Some In New England Unhappy With End Of Emerald Ash Borer Quarantine

January 25, 2021

The U.S. government has lifted a quarantine on an invasive insect, the emerald ash borer, that’s killed many trees in Massachusetts and Connecticut. But critics of the change have been more vocal outside those states. The emerald ash borer was first discovered in the U.S. in 2002 in Michigan. The federal government soon instituted a…

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ALS And Algae Blooms? Scientists Say A State Registry Is Needed To Study Possible Link

January 25, 2021

In the midst of a global pandemic, it’s easy to forget that there are other terrible diseases in the world, ones that we know very little about. Consider amyotrophic lateral sclerosis — ALS. Also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, ALS­ is an illness whose outcome is never in doubt. The always-fatal neurological disorder traps its…

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Americans Are Moving To Escape Climate Impacts. Towns Expect More To Come

January 22, 2021

The impacts of climate change could prompt millions of Americans to relocate in coming decades, moving inland away from rising seas, or north to escape rising temperatures. Judith and Doug Saum have moved already, recently leaving their home outside Reno, Nev. “It was with a view of the Sierra [Nevada Mountains] that was just to…

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Offshore Wind Backers Hope Vineyard Wind Permitting Woes Will End Under Biden

January 19, 2021

For Massachusetts to meet its 2050 climate change emission goal, the state is going to have to green the grid, replacing fossil fuel power plants with clean renewable energy sources. To do this, the commonwealth is banking on offshore wind. “Offshore wind is the linchpin of Massachusetts clean energy strategy and critical to our success,”…

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What The Biden Administration Will Mean For Climate Change In New England

January 14, 2021

Severe storms. Heat waves. Rising seas. New England is already seeing the impacts of climate change, and scientists project they will become more severe and deadly, shaping how we live and work in the northeastern U.S. In a special ahead of Inauguration Day, the New England News Collaborative and America Amplified look at climate change…

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Program Offers A Lifeline To Fishermen, And A Home For Unwanted Oysters

December 24, 2020

Standing on a cold, wet beach, Bruce Silverbrand rummages through a metal basket of oysters. He picks out a huge one — almost as big as a mitten, with a knobbed and lumpy shell. It’s what people in the shellfish industry call a “big ugly,” though Silverbrand abhors the term. “I would never call an…

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NENC/America Amplified Special: What The Biden Administration Will Mean For Climate Change In New England

December 11, 2020

Premieres: Thursday, Jan. 14, 2020 Severe storms. Heat waves. Rising seas. New England is already seeing the impacts of climate change, and scientists project they will become more severe and deadly, shaping how we live and work in the northeastern U.S. Ahead of Inauguration Day, the New England News Collaborative and America Amplified will look…

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Food scraps in a trash can

Closure Of MIRA Plant Sets Off Scramble To Recycle Thousands Of Tons Of Wasted Food

December 9, 2020

After decades of burning trash, the Materials Innovation and Recycling Authority (MIRA) will close its Hartford incinerator by July 2022. That means hundreds of thousands of tons of trash will be destined for out-of-state landfills, a costly reality that has state and municipal officials questioning how to quickly reduce trash volumes. One solution? Recycling leftover…

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State Workers’ Switch To Telework During Pandemic Brings ‘Seismic’ Drop in CO2 Emissions

December 8, 2020

Maine government workers have reduced their car travel by 1 million vehicle miles a week since the start of the pandemic, thanks to the rapid, wholesale adoption of telework policies. The preliminary data are opening an unexpected window on the future of telecommuting and its potential to deliver substantial reductions in global warming pollution. Last…

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To Survive The Pandemic, Vermonters Took A Hike

December 1, 2020

The reports from earlier this year are in, and all across the state, the number of people using Vermont’s hiking trails was way up. Whether it was the Long Trail, Vermont’s State Parks, or developed trails in our towns and cities, people flocked to the outdoors during the early months of the pandemic. Before COVID-19…

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