All posts tagged: environmental

Building a strategic approach to environmental PFAS testing

Building a strategic approach to environmental PFAS testing

Published by skeptic

As PFAS regulation expands and the list of PFAS-related contaminants continues to grow, successful environmental programmes depend on testing strategies that connect analytical results to ecological risk, regulatory compliance and action. Environmental PFAS testing is no longer just about finding compounds. It is about understanding what the results mean for environmental risk, regulatory obligations and future action. Today, PFAS can be measured in water, soil, sediment, leachate, air emissions/immission, ambient air monitoring, landfill gas, biota, waste materials and at sites impacted by aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF). The challenge for regulators, water utilities, consultants, and industry is no longer simply detection. It is assessing the presence or absence of a broad range of PFAS-related substances, within the limits of current analytical capability, and connecting those findings to the decision that matters. A drinking water investigation, a landfill assessment, an industrial emissions study or an AFFF-impacted site do not present the same risks. They should not automatically use the same analytical methods or generate the same evidence. Effective PFAS testing begins by defining the environmental decision to …

SpaceX, Blue Origin may get quicker launch OK with fewer environmental rules

SpaceX, Blue Origin may get quicker launch OK with fewer environmental rules

Published by Sam Flores

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying Northrop Grumman’s Mission Robotic Vehicle (MRV) and Mission Extension Pods (MEPs) launches from Space Force Station’s Launch Complex 40 in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on July 21, 2026. Chandan Khanna | AFP | Getty Images The Trump administration on Tuesday said it was moving to waive what it called “unnecessary environmental laws and regulations” to speed up the approval process for commercial space rocket launches and reentries. The proposed rule by the Federal Aviation Administration would be a boon for Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Blue Origin, founded by Jeff Bezos, as well as other rocket launch companies. The FAA’s rule would allow the agency to waive requirements imposed on certain commercial space licenses and permits under 13 laws, including the National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act, parts of both the Clean Water and Clean Air acts, the National Historic Preservation Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. “Requirements that are needed to protect public health and safety, property, national security, or U.S. foreign policy interests would not be …

Trump administration’s border barrier project sparks environmental concerns in Texas national park

Trump administration’s border barrier project sparks environmental concerns in Texas national park

Published by Sam Flores

With sheer cliffs towering hundreds of metres above the waters of the Rio Grande, vast desert landscapes, and rugged mountain ranges, Big Bend National Park in southern Texas is considered one of the most remote parks in the United States. But this park on the Mexican border has also become a battleground, with strong public opposition to a border infrastructure construction project looming over the area for months, and the waiver of a series of laws to expedite its implementation. The project is part of US President Donald Trump’s massive “One Big Beautiful” tax-and-spending bill passed in May 2025, which allocated $46.5 billion to build a wall along the US-Mexico border. However, this border corridor spans several protected areas, including Big Bend Ranch State Park and Big Bend National Park. A post from February 23, 2026, opposing the construction of a border wall in the Big Bend Sector. Source: Instagram / @tylerpriest To display this content from Instagram, you must enable advertisement tracking and audience measurement. Accept Manage my choices Shifting plans Repeated changes regarding the …

What’s in wildfire smoke? An environmental health expert explains how it affects your body

What’s in wildfire smoke? An environmental health expert explains how it affects your body

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the Well Enough newsletter with Harry Bullmore for tips on living a healthier, happier and longer life Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore Wildfire smoke has been pouring across the U.S. border from fires in Canada again, turning skies an eerie shade of orange in several states in July 2026. In the West, smoke has also been spreading into communities in Colorado and neighboring states as more wildfires burn in hot, dry conditions. University of Colorado environmental health researcher Colleen Reid explains what’s in that smoke and why breathing it is a health concern everyone should be aware of. University of Colorado environmental health researcher Colleen Reid explains what’s in that smoke and why breathing it is a health concern everyone should be aware of (Getty Images) What is in wildfire smoke? Wildfire smoke is a complex mixture that includes nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and particulate matter. When homes or buildings also burn, they can release …

Europe Launches First Environmental Certification for Animation

Europe Launches First Environmental Certification for Animation

Published by Daniella Wilson

European animation is about to get their own environmental report card. A new European certification program, called ANiMPACT, has begun testing a system that will let animation studios prove they’re producing their work in an environmentally responsible way, something the live-action film industry has been able to do for years. ANiMPACT is run jointly by three organizations: CineRegio, a network of 53 regional film funds across Europe; Ecoprod, a French nonprofit that has worked on sustainable filmmaking since 2009; and Green Film, a certification system for live-action productions that launched in Italy’s Trentino region in 2017 and has since certified more than 340 films and shows in about a dozen countries. The pilot program officially launched on June 25 at the international animation film festival in Annecy. It follows two years of work and a public feedback period that drew responses from more than 100 organizations in 18 countries. The idea fills a gap that has existed for as long as environmental certification has been around. Live-action films have had programs like Green Film, the …

Real-time PFAS detection in air for environmental and industrial settings

Real-time PFAS detection in air for environmental and industrial settings

Published by skeptic

From waste incinerators to chip fabs, mass spectrometry is closing the gap between PFAS emissions and real-time detection. A few years ago, PFAS monitoring in air was largely a research curiosity, confined to a handful of academic labs willing to wrestle with low concentrations and difficult chemistry. That has changed fast. Waste incinerators, remediation contractors, chipmakers, and consumer product testers are now asking the same question that once belonged almost exclusively to atmospheric chemists: what is coming out of these processes, and how much PFAS is being released in it? The shift is partly regulatory and partly technical. As PFAS restrictions tighten across water and soil, attention is turning to the pathway that connects the two: air. A new generation of mass spectrometry is making it possible to watch that pathway in real time, rather than waiting weeks for a lab report that only confirms what was already suspected. The problem with looking only after the fact Most regulatory PFAS air methods, including the EPA’s OTM-45, OTM-50 and upcoming OTM -55, are built around collecting …

Iran’s environmental catastrophe has also wrecked its economy

Iran’s environmental catastrophe has also wrecked its economy

Published by skeptic

For several decades, Iran has devoted substantial financial, institutional and political resources to military expansion. It has invested heavily in supporting its regional partners, as well as in pursuing geopolitical influence across the Middle East. Previously, the Islamic Republic has shown few signs of swivelling its resources toward fixing its ever expanding environmental problems. And those problems are considerable. Around 11% of deaths and 52% of the burden of diseases across the country are attributable to environmental risk factors, according to the World Health Organization. Excessive groundwater extraction has caused buildings and roads to crack and sometimes collapse. Iran’s capital Tehran is often ranked as having the worst levels of air pollution in the world. In 2025 local media reported 350 deaths caused by poor air quality within a ten-day period. Hospitals at the time reported rising numbers of cases of respiratory and cardiac complications across Iran. Lake Urmia – once the Middle East’s largest saltwater lake – has dried out, leaving salt-laden dust plumes were capable of travelling hundreds of kilometres and even crossing …

As heatwave sweeps across Europe, UN urges AI firms to ‘come clean’ on environmental footprint

As heatwave sweeps across Europe, UN urges AI firms to ‘come clean’ on environmental footprint

Published by Sam Flores

UN chief Antonio Guterres called on June 23 for faster action on global warming, challenging AI firms to “come clean” about their environmental footprint and warning that fossil fuels were driving climate and energy crises. This comes as Europe bakes under a second heatwave in as many months. A UN study earlier in June found that the facilities consumed more electricity than all but 10 countries in 2025. FRANCE 24’s Philip Turle tells us more. Keywords for this article Source link

What Is Ecofeminism? Gender Equality & Environmental Justice

What Is Ecofeminism? Gender Equality & Environmental Justice

Published by Sam Flores

  Ecofeminism isn’t just a word that’s thrown around—it’s a potent movement that combines fighting for gender equality with environmental justice. Imagine a world where the subjugation of women and destruction of nature are seen as two sides of the same coin. Here, we’ll examine the origins of this influential philosophy, what it stands for, and why it might matter more now than ever before. Whether you’re new to ecofeminism or want to deepen your knowledge, consider this an introduction that highlights how important and transformative it can be.   Origins of Ecofeminism Thinking about Death, Frida Kahlo, 1943. Source: FridaKahlo.org   In the 1970s, ecofeminism arose during a period of social movement and challenge to established authority. It developed from an understanding that there is a close link between the subjugation of women and the exploitation of the natural world.   The term “ecofeminism” was created by French feminist Françoise d’Eaubonne in her book Le Feminisme ou la Mort (Feminism or Death) from 1974. D’Eaubonne suggested that patriarchal societies—ones in which men tend to …

Eco-literate children can be stewards of nature – here’s how to boost environmental education

Eco-literate children can be stewards of nature – here’s how to boost environmental education

Published by skeptic

Most of my ecology and evolution undergraduates have never held a pair of binoculars or looked at a bug through a magnifying glass. They don’t know how to use a key to identify a plant or insect, let alone why they should bother. They struggle to name common garden birds. They expect to learn about biodiversity from behind the safety of a computer screen. Fieldwork is considered a luxury or an inconvenience, depending on your tolerance to rain. It’s not the students’ fault. Ecology and evolution offerings in the biology school curriculum are slim pickings: blink and you miss them among a sea of cells and neurons. The education system has done little to nurture a curiosity and understanding of nature in real life. This is about to change. Fifteen years ago, environmentalist and author Mary Colwell started campaigning for the government to introduce a GCSE in natural history. It was a bold ambition. The proposed curriculum teaches students to identify native species found in grasslands, woodlands, urban and marine environments. PeopleImages/Shutterstock The term natural …