Free Republic

If Mother Nature could talk, she’d probably ask if that gas guzzling Hummer is really necessary. Many car manufacturers would likely agree. However, even with a noted shift toward fully electric vehicle production in recent years, you may be surprised to learn that the most environmentally friendly car available isn’t fully electric at all — and that it’s based on a model that debuted in the late 1990s. If you’re one of the many prospective car owners hoping to lessen your carbon footprint without sacrificing safety or quality, then this may be the best vehicle for you.Meet the Most Environmentally...

As the November election approaches, voters are faced with a critical choice between two vastly different visions for America’s future. On one side stands Donald Trump, whose presidency demonstrated a profound commitment to both environmental protection and economic vitality. On the other side, Kamala Harris, who represents a continuation of the Biden administration's policies, which have, over the past four years, weakened America's economic standing and environmental progress. To understand why Donald Trump deserves the backing of both the working man and the businessman, it's essential to examine the tangible benefits his administration brought to environmental and economic policy—and why...

A Texas Monthly article published in 2008 took Reynolds, the incumbent district attorney, to task for a relatively low prosecution rate for cases of drug trafficking, theft, assault and robbery brought to his office by law enforcement. More than a decade ago, he faced scrutiny for letting a sex abuse case at a state-run school languish. It was ultimately taken over by the attorney general at the time, Greg Abbott, who is now the governor. After that scandal, Reynolds faced an opponent in the Democratic primary and won. He has not been opposed since.

“I can has cheezburger?” became one of the first internet memes... But research has now found that the vast majority of data stored in the cloud is “dark data”, meaning it is used once then never visited again. That means that all the memes and jokes and films that we love to share with friends and family – from “All your base are belong to us” ... are out there somewhere, sitting in a datacentre, using up energy. By 2030, the National Grid anticipates that datacentres will account for just under 6% of the UK’s total electricity consumption, so tackling...

In an effort to reduce the amount of plastic waste, California banned single-use plastic grocery bags in 2016. The thicker reusable totes that replaced these bags aren't, in fact, reused as often as had been hoped. Health concerns about reusing contaminated cloth bags led to stores offering customers sturdier reusable plastic bags for a small fee--typically ten cents per bag. However, most customers threw these bags out after a single use. The result is that the amount of plastic the state dumped into the Pacific Ocean soared from 157,385 tons in 2014 to 231,072 tons in 2022. The editors of...

Massive increases in coral across the Australian Great Barrier Reef (GBR) have been reported for 2023-24 making it the third record year in a row of heavy growth. Across almost all parts of the 1,500 mile long reef, from the warmer northern waters to the cooler conditions in the south, coral is now at its highest level since detailed observations began. The inconvenient news has been ignored in mainstream media which, curiously, have focused on a non-story in Nature that claimed “climate change” poses an “existential threat” to the GBR. “The science tells us that the GBR is in danger...

Vice President Harris’s ascendance as the likely Democratic nominee has sent a wave of excitement through environmental advocates and climate hawks in Congress, who point to her history of investigating the oil industry and support for the Green New Deal in the Senate. Environmental issues have not been a major part of Harris’s portfolio as vice president, but advocates see her as a figure who both has bona fides on the issue and is positioned to generate enthusiasm among younger and more progressive voters who were ambivalent about President Biden’s reelection bid. “I think she deserves more credit than she...

To save the imperiled spotted owl from potential extinction, US wildlife officials are embracing a contentious plan: hire trained sharp-shooters to assassinate its rivals. The US Fish and Wildlife Service strategy released Wednesday is meant to prop up declining spotted owl populations in Oregon, Washington state and California. Trained shooters will be deployed to the dense forests of the West Coast forests to kill almost a half-million barred owls that are crowding out their endangered cousins. Documents released by the agency show up to about 450,000 barred owls would be shot over three decades — a solution designed to level...

Findings from a recent case study show that personalized lifestyle and environmental changes successfully reversed autism symptoms in fraternal twin girls diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The study appeared in the Journal of Personalized Medicine.The study also reviewed existing literature on the impact of lifestyle and environmental modifications on ASD, supporting the findings with evidence from similar cases and studies.(Shavlovskiy/Shutterstock)The Study DetailsThe case study involved 4-year-old dizygotic twins who were diagnosed with “level 3 severity” autism spectrum disorder, which the study describes as “requiring very substantial support.” The twins were diagnosed at approximately twenty months of age.Dizygotic twins, or...

The authorities determined the environmental impact of the monolith’s presence by considering the potential effects on the surrounding ecosystem. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) stated that the monolith was removed due to public safety and environmental concerns.

U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., responded to what she called a “bad faith report” on Tuesday after the Biden administration announced plans for a Columbia River Task Force. The White House’s announcement followed a report from the U.S. Department of the Interior on some of the impacts of federal dams on native tribes throughout the Columbia River Basin. However, according to the federal agency, it was also “based on limited sources.” The Department recognizes this report does not tell the complete story of the impacts that the Columbia River System and other federal dams have on the Basin Tribes,”...

“Part of how I think we’re going to turn the corner on the unacceptable level of roadway deaths that we just lived with for my entire lifetime is through these kinds of technologies,” said Buttigieg, who is 42.

The City of Ithaca has been mandated by Tompkins County Environmental Health to clean up a section of homeless encampments known as “the Jungle,” after the area was declared a public health hazard. The city received a notice on April 9 to address the conditions of a specific triangular strip of city-owned land by May 10, due to the accumulation of waste including bicycles, shopping carts, hypodermic needles, and garbage.

The recently launched satellite will provide a global view of methane emanating hot spots, and make its data open to the public. Earlier this week, a new satellite launched to track methane as it emanates from oil and gas fields across the world, hoping to expose major producers of the greenhouse pollutant and hold them accountable... “Data from this satellite will help us to better measure methane emissions and target their sources, bringing more transparency to the problem, giving companies and investors the information they need to take action, and empowering the public to hold people accountable,” Michael Bloomberg, United...

Electric vehicles may release more pollution than gas-powered vehicles, according to a report that has recently resurfaced. The study, which was published in 2022 but has begun circulating again after being cited in a WSJ op-ed, found that brakes and tires release 1,850 times more particulate matter compared to modern tailpipes which have filters that reduce emissions. It found that EVs are 30 percent heavier on average than gas-powered vehicles, which causes the brakes and tire treads to wear out faster than standard cars and releases tiny, often toxic particles into the atmosphere.

For over 100-years after the first dam was installed (Copco 1 Dam) and over 60-years after Iron Gate Dam was installed, there was nevertheless a decent run of Salmon and steelhead in the Klamath River, even with all of the changing ocean conditions, climate change, and OVERFISHING by both indigenous people and others. Any fishing guide on the Klamath River below Iron Gate Dam would attest to the fact that fishing was great. Therefore, this is the ONLY relevant Question: Is the deaths of millions of wildlife (mammals, birds, fish, etc.) and the collapse of an entire ecosystem, on top...

The "woke" government of Portland, Oregon now requires homeowners to obtain city permits to remove trees that have fallen on their houses. Recently, a large tree felled by an ice storm crashed into Joel and Sarah Bonds' home. Fear of this very outcome led the couple to request permission to remove the tree in 2021. They were turned down because the city's Urban Forestry Division (UFD) ruled that cutting down this tree "would have a negative impact on the neighborhood's character." Spokesman for the UFD Douglas Furr acknowledged that "the recent damage to the Bond's home is unfortunate, but we...

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Ephesians 6:12-13 (King James Version) It is so incredible when you catch a liberal saying the quiet part out loud. While filming the latest Forestry Board testimony we caught them in a unrehearsed moment, and they admitted the entire song and dance of protecting the forests...

On Friday’s broadcast of CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm stated that the pause in liquid natural gas (LNG) export approvals might actually be a pause on exports that are actually beneficial to the environment because LNG can replace far dirtier coal. Granholm stated, “[W]e just need to update the data associated with the factors. So, the factors are, does this impact — what is the impact on national security, what is the impact on foreign policy, what is the impact — in other words, our allies and whether they’re able to access the energy that they need, what...

As the catastrophic effects of the climate crisis have become tangible, daily realities to billions of people around the globe, here in New Mexico people are choking on oil and gas pollution — and our legislators have to act. Over the past decade, fossil fuel extraction in our state has increased tenfold, making New Mexico the second-largest producer of crude oil and seventh-largest producer of fossil gas in the country. Not only has this worsened the suffering created by human-made climate change around the world and in New Mexico, it’s also caused an explosion in pollution that is making our...