Free Republic

Two-thirds of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia recorded the highest amount of coral cover in nearly four decades, though the reef is still vulnerable to climate change and mass bleaching, a monitoring group said Thursday. The northern and central parts of the UNESCO world heritage-listed reef have experienced some recovery while the southern region has seen a loss of coral cover due to crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks, according to a report by the Australian Institute of Marine Science, a government agency. AIMS CEO Paul Hardisty said that while the coral in the north and central regions was a sign the...

In a bid to refute contentions that they are indifferent to public suffering at the gas pump, Democrats at both the federal and local levels are taking bold steps to limit how much drivers pay to fuel their vehicles. US Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen announced a global price cap on the price Russia will be allowed to charge for its exported petroleum. “Events since the start of the war in Ukraine indicate that our efforts to boycott Russian oil have been thwarted by other countries,” Yellen complained. “Instead of being hurt by their aggression against Ukraine Russia has...

It’s all about the environment, America. In the eyes of the “climate change” obsessed, Green New Deal left, that is. Hence, Joe Biden and Democrats continue to lecture everyday Americans about the nirvana of electric vehicles (EV) — Americans who remain outraged over Biden’s skyrocketing gas prices.Now, two new studies suggest that Biden and the Democrats are full of either don’t know what they’re talking about, lying, or both. Yeah, I know; both possibilities would be “shocking.” [eye-roll emoji]Based on separate studies published by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) and J.D. Power, electric vehicles are worse for the...

New York (Knewz) — Despite high gas prices, Americans trust Democrats more than Republicans when it comes to energy, according to a new poll. According to a recent Morning Consult/POLITICO poll, 41 percent of Americans trust Democrats in Congress, compared to 39 percent among Republican support..... The fact the poll showed Americans trust Democrats when it comes to energy was among the closest to breaking even, along with gun policy. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percent.

According to Footman James' study, reality is far different because classic cars with those evil, gas-burning engines are better for the environment than new electric vehicles. The thing is people who believe the opposite just look at tailpipe emissions, behaving as if that’s everything in the equation. They don’t consider pollution generated by the manufacturing process. In the study, Footman James mentions that in the UK a classic car on average is driven 1,200 miles a year and puts out 563 kg of CO2 as a result. But a new VW Golf is made by generating 6.8 tonnes of CO2e....

White House national climate adviser Gina McCarthy took left-wing censorship a step further by proposing tech companies must shut down conversations that challenge the administration’s narrative on energy last Thursday.“The tech companies have to stop allowing specific individuals over and over again to spread disinformation,” McCarthy said in an interview with Axios.Let’s play along with McCarthy’s hypothetical in which “disinformation” means the facts and opinions not specifically spoon-fed to Americans by the government. Here are six truths about the environment that the Biden administration would probably censor.1. The Green New Deal could harm the environment.The left’s plan to employ “WWII-type...

[Video 7:38] Human Feces, Other Biohazards on San Diego Sidewalks Cost City Nearly $1 Million Every Year NBC 7’s Alexis Rivas takes a look at the issues behind filth on public streets, and the price tag for cleaning it up. NBC Universal, Inc. Taxpayers in San Diego spend nearly $1 million each year sanitizing sidewalks from biohazards, including needles, personal hygiene waste and human feces. It’s a problem that is not only gross, it's also a major public-health threat some say the city isn’t doing enough to fix. “Maybe this is really gross,” said Sherman Heights resident Essence McConnell, “but...

◾The UK is prioritizing its energy security over its climate pledges with support for ongoing oil and gas operations. ◾Despite previous plans to end coal production by 2024, the UK government appears to be going back on its pledges. ◾In the face of rising consumer energy prices, which have sent many into fuel poverty, Johnson says that North Sea oil will be vital in tackling the cost of living. The U.K. appears to be doing a 180 on its climate promises, as the government shows significant support for ongoing oil and gas operations and several new fossil fuel projects. Despite...

The New York State Postconsumer Paint Collection Program began on May 1, 2022. For drop-off locations and the latest program information, please visit the PaintCare New York program page (leaves DEC website). As of May 1, 2022, a producer or retailer shall not sell, or offer for sale, architectural paint to any person in the state unless the producer and the producer's brands are participating in the program by having registered with PaintCare

A massive spill of an unknown substance has been detected in the Baltic Sea, off the coast of Sweden. According to the Swedish Coast Guard, who detected the spill on June 8, the affected surface area is 77 km2 (30 mi2) and is located in both Swedish and Finnish waters. “What the spill consists of is still not clear but it is not mineral oil, and there is currently no immediate threat of landfall,” the coast guard said. It said it had mapped the spill using planes and also collected samples, adding that it would not be able to comment...

By a vote of 339 to 249 Members of the European Parliament (MEP) voted to outlaw fossil-fueled vehicles by the year 2035. Netherlands MEP Jan Huitema characterized the decision as "our last best chance to save the planet." BMW CEO Oliver Zipse pointed out that "a focus on tailpipe emissions neglects to take into account the total pollution impact of switching to battery-powered vehicles. First of all, they are more expensive. Many of the components require rare minerals—some of them from unreliable sources of supply like China. Worn out batteries cannot be safely disposed of without creating environmental problems. The...

Plunging poll numbers have President Biden in a snit. He's particularly irked that his intended "ultra MAGA" smear tactic has backfired as Trump proudly appropriated the phrase for his own use saying "after a year-and-a-half of ultra Biden incompetence and disaster the American people are eager for a return of the policies that had this country on track for record-breaking prosperity." "The runaway prosperity that Trump inflicted on the American people was wrecking the environment," Biden complained. "I don't understand why I'm not getting more credit for reversing course. It's as if voters prefer selfish personal gains over ecological virtue....

If we hope to preserve a healthy planet for our grandchildren and beyond, our oceans (Big Blue) will be the key. With 71 percent of Earth covered by water, this should be obvious to all. And right now, we have a golden opportunity to further protect our oceans while simultaneously putting the screws to China. Though Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine is on top of everyone's mind at present, China remains the far greater geopolitical risk to the global community, as well as to our oceans. The Mediterranean has long been known as the 'most overfished sea' in the world....

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (AP) — A California coastal panel on Thursday rejected a long-standing proposal to build a $1.4 billion seawater desalination plant to turn Pacific Ocean water into drinking water as the state grapples with persistent drought that is expected to worsen in coming years with climate change. The state’s Coastal Commission voted unanimously to deny a permit for Poseidon Water to build a plant to produce 50 million gallons of water a day in Huntington Beach, southeast of Los Angeles. Poseidon said it was disappointed in the decision. “California continues to face a punishing drought, with no end...

Antimicrobial resistance stewardship programs have to be prioritized, keeping the demands of the continuing Covid-19 pandemic in context On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19, the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, a pandemic. Two years later, the shadow of the Covid pandemic is still looming over us. While the world is making valiant attempts to move into the post-pandemic phase, the situation is akin to “one step forward, two-step backward”, as new variants of this virus are still emerging. Covid-19 has taken center stage in every facet of life. Policymakers and medical personnel are still...

New Mexicans will see thousands more electric vehicles available to buy in 2025 when a rule approved by two environmental boards takes effect. Dubbed the clean-car rule, it will require that electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids make up at least 7 percent of automakers’ new sales within New Mexico — adding up to an estimated 3,800 vehicles. The rule aligns with California's current standards and is part of the larger effort to cut climate-warming greenhouse gases as well as ground-level ozone and particulates that can cause respiratory problems. It will undergo a two-year waiting period to allow manufacturers, car dealers...

Attorney General Merrick Garland on Thursday announced a new office at the Justice Department that will focus exclusively on environmental justice. The office, which will prioritize low-income communities that have been hit hard by pollution and contamination, was launched in partnership with the Environmental Protection Agency. “The Office of Environmental Justice will serve as the central hub for our efforts to advance our comprehensive environmental justice enforcement strategy,” Garland said at a news conference alongside EPA Administrator Michael Regan. “Although violations of our environmental laws can happen anywhere, communities of color, indigenous communities and low-income communities often bear the brunt...

The Department of Justice is establishing a new “Office of Environmental Justice.” Attorney General Merrick Garland made the announcement at a press conference with EPA Administrator Michael Regan Thursday. Garland said that the new office, which will also be known by the initialism OEJ, would “oversee and help guide the Justice Department’s wide-ranging environmental justice efforts.” The office was created as part of the Department’s “comprehensive environmental justice enforcement strategy,” in compliance with the Biden administration’s January 2021 executive order directing the Attorney General to develop such a strategy in conjunction with the EPA. Garland said that OEJ would initially...

Liberal billionaire George Soros is throwing wads of cash at a climate plan to control the business world through woke environmental, social and governance standards.

Twitter levied a new ban today on “misleading” advertisements “that contradict the scientific consensus on climate change.”