Climate Change
Reducing trash may reduce the need for incinerators in Mass.
Editor’s note: This is the second in a two-part series about trash incineration in Massachusetts. Part 1 looks at the perspectives of the communities housing incinerators. The roads heading to the incinerator in Haverhill, Mass., can at times look like a parade in honor of trash. Dump trucks rumble in carrying garbage bags from 24 cities and…
Read MoreN.H. lawmakers consider bill that would stop new landfills, for now
New Hampshire legislators are considering a bill that would prohibit the Department of Environmental Services from issuing new permits for landfills until they revise the state’s solid waste plan. Controversial landfill expansions, lack of leadership The state’s solid waste plan is supposed to be updated every six years, but the most recent plan is from 2003. Rep. Linda…
Read MoreTrash is a burning question with mixed answers in some Mass. towns
Editor’s note: This is the first of two stories about the state of trash incinerators in Massachusetts. The first thing you notice in the warehouse at the Haverhill incinerator is the giant mechanical claw. It moves across the ceiling and drops into the second thing you notice: a pit of trash, 30 feet deep. The…
Read MoreEarly data suggest 2021 was one of the hottest years on record in Gulf of Maine
Surface water temperatures in the Gulf of Maine this fall hit new seasonal highs, and it looks like 2021 overall will be one of the hottest ever in the gulf. Researchers at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute said that this fall, temperatures in the gulf ran more than four degrees Fahrenheit above the historical norm. “It…
Read MoreCape Cod’s water quality is getting worse, report finds
A new report released Monday finds that surface water quality on Cape Cod has degraded for the third year in a row. The Association to Preserve Cape Cod’s annual State of the Waters report tracks the water quality of the Cape’s freshwater ponds, marine estuaries, and public drinking water. Although the report’s findings don’t indicate an immediate threat…
Read MoreWhat will it take to get more Mainers driving electric vehicles? Let’s find out with our own EV
Vehicles are responsible for most of the greenhouse gas emissions in Maine. One goal in the state’s climate change response plan is to get more electric vehicles on the road. There are currently only about 6,000, which is a 90% increase from just a couple years ago. But it’s still a drop in the bucket…
Read MoreFor Christmases yet to come, climate change threatens Maine’s beloved evergreens
Since the 1800’s in Maine, the Christmas tree has been an essential point of light for many in the darkest month of the year. But scientists say that some of the state’s best-loved conifers are under threat, with extreme weather making it difficult for them to grow. When Ephraim Weston moved from Massachusetts to the…
Read MoreWarming waters will affect these tiny, mighty sea organisms, New England researchers say
Different types of phytoplankton will react differently to warming oceans and this can affect which marine species thrive in the region, according to a new study led by researchers in New England. Phytoplankton — single-celled, diverse organisms that use carbon dioxide to produce oxygen — are the base of the food web for species like…
Read MoreConnecticut climate bills are killed by energy company lobbyists, study finds
Governor Ned Lamont announced this week that he is moving forward without state lawmakers to address climate change — and perhaps for good reason. A study from Brown University shows most legislation proposed over the last decade that would keep Connecticut on track to take action on climate change was derailed by lobbyists from the energy industry.…
Read More19th century New England whaling logs offer clues to 21st century climate change
Tucked away in the New Bedford Whaling Museum is a room full of records. It holds manuscripts, manifests, banking records and crew accounts from New England’s storied whaling industry. It also contains the largest collection of whaling logbooks in the world. Logbooks were a legal record of each voyage, in which first mates documented…
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