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💧🌏 Greg Cocks<p>Oceanic Evasion Fuels Arctic Summertime Rebound Of Atmospheric Mercury And Drives Transport To Arctic Terrestrial Ecosystems<br>--<br><a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56300-3" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-563</span><span class="invisible">00-3</span></a> &lt;-- shared paper<br>--<br><a href="https://techhub.social/tags/GIS" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>GIS</span></a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/spatial" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>spatial</span></a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/mapping" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>mapping</span></a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/mercury" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>mercury</span></a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/Hg" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Hg</span></a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/contamination" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>contamination</span></a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/summerrebound" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>summerrebound</span></a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/arctic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>arctic</span></a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/summertime" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>summertime</span></a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/atmospheric" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>atmospheric</span></a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/transport" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>transport</span></a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/contaminate" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>contaminate</span></a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/terrestrial" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>terrestrial</span></a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/ecosystems" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ecosystems</span></a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/Hg0" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Hg0</span></a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/model" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>model</span></a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/modeling" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>modeling</span></a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/framework" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>framework</span></a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/spatialanalysis" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>spatialanalysis</span></a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/spatiotemporal" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>spatiotemporal</span></a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/concentrations" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>concentrations</span></a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/seaice" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>seaice</span></a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/atmosphere" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>atmosphere</span></a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/river" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>river</span></a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/riverine" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>riverine</span></a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/GDAS" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>GDAS</span></a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/GEOS" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>GEOS</span></a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/GEOSChem" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>GEOSChem</span></a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/MERRA2" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>MERRA2</span></a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/GTMM" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>GTMM</span></a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/global" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>global</span></a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/NDVI" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>NDVI</span></a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/remotesensing" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>remotesensing</span></a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/cycling" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>cycling</span></a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/marine" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>marine</span></a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/ocean" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ocean</span></a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/water" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>water</span></a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/hydrology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>hydrology</span></a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/seawater" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>seawater</span></a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/icemelt" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>icemelt</span></a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/anthropogenic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>anthropogenic</span></a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/coast" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>coast</span></a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/coastal" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>coastal</span></a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/tundra" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>tundra</span></a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/permafrost" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>permafrost</span></a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/climatechange" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>climatechange</span></a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/evasion" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>evasion</span></a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/vegetation" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>vegetation</span></a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/uptake" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>uptake</span></a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/mitigation" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>mitigation</span></a></p>
DoomsdaysCW<p>Not just human health! The <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Toxic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Toxic</span></a> Blend of LA’s Urban <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/WildfireSmoke" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>WildfireSmoke</span></a> Will Have Lasting Health Consequences </p><p>Los Angeles residents are breathing bits of "cars, metal pipes, plastics."<br> <br>By Zoya Teirstein, January 22, 2025</p><p>“These fires are different from previous quote-unquote ‘wildfires,’ because there are so many structures that burned,” said Yifang Zhu, a professor of environmental health sciences at the University of California, Los Angeles. 'Everything in the households got burned — cars, metal pipes, plastics.'</p><p>"<a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Wildfiresmoke" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Wildfiresmoke</span></a> is toxic. Burning trees and shrubs produce very fine <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/particulatematter" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>particulatematter</span></a>, known by the shorthand PM 2.5, which burrow deep into the lungs and can even infiltrate the bloodstream, causing cold- and flu-like symptoms in the short term, and heart disease, lung cancer, and other chronic issues over time. </p><p>"But the fires that raced through Los Angeles burned thousands of homes, schools, historic buildings, and even medical clinics, blanketing the city in thick smoke. For several days after the first fire started, the city’s air quality index, or <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/AQI" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>AQI</span></a>, exceeded 100, the threshold, typically seen during wildfires, at which air becomes unhealthy to breathe for children, the elderly, and those with asthma. In some parts of the city, the AQI reached 500, a number rarely seen and always hazardous for everyone. </p><p>"At the moment, air pollution experts know how much smoke fills the air. That’s shown improvement in recent days. But they don’t know what’s in it. 'What are the chemical mixtures in this smoke?' asked Kai Chen, an environmental scientist at the Yale School of Public Health. 'In addition to fine particulate matter, there are potentially other hazardous and <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/carcinogenic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>carcinogenic</span></a> organic compounds — gas pollutants, trace metals, and microplastics.'</p><p>"Previous research shows that the spikes in unhealthy air quality seen during such events lead to higher rates of hospitalizations for issues like asthma, and even contribute to heart attacks among those with that chronic disease. A 2024 study on the long-term effects of smoke exposure in California showed that particulate matter from wildfires in the state from 2008 to 2018 contributed to anywhere from 52,000 to 56,000 premature deaths. A health assessment of 148 firefighters who worked the Tubbs Fire, which burned more than 36,000 acres in Northern California in 2017 and destroyed an unusually high number of structures, found elevated levels of the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/PFAS" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>PFAS</span></a> known as forever chemicals, <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/HeavyMetals" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>HeavyMetals</span></a>, and flame retardants in their blood and urine.</p><p>"The L.A. County Department of Public Health has formally urged people to stay inside and wear masks to protect themselves from windblown toxic dust and ash. Air quality measurements don’t take these particles into account, which means the air quality index doesn’t reveal the extent of contaminants in the air. </p><p>"Zhu and her colleagues have been collecting samples of wildfire smoke in neighborhoods near the fires. It’ll be months before that data is fully analyzed, but Zhu suspects she will find a dangerous mix of chemicals, including, potentially, <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/asbestos" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>asbestos</span></a> and lead — materials used in many buildings constructed before the 1970s. </p><p>"The risk will linger even after the smoke clears. The plumes that wafted over the landscape will deposit chemicals into drinking <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/water" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>water</span></a> supplies and <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/contaminate" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>contaminate</span></a># soil. When rains do come, they’ll wash <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ToxicAsh" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ToxicAsh</span></a> into streams and across the land, said Fernando Rosario-Ortiz, an environmental engineer and interim dean of the University of Colorado Boulder environmental engineering program. 'There’s a lot of manmade materials that are now being combusted. The potential is there for contamination,' he said, noting that little research on how toxic ash and other byproducts of wildfires in urban areas currently exists. 'What we don’t have a lot of information on is what happens now.'</p><p>"After the Camp Fire razed Paradise, California, in 2018, water utilities found high levels of volatile organic compounds [<a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/VOCs" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>VOCs</span></a>] in <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/DrinkingWater" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>DrinkingWater</span></a>. Similar issues have arisen in places like Boulder County, Colorado, where the Marshall Fire destroyed nearly 1,000 structures in 2021, Rosario-Ortiz said, though the presence of a contaminant in a home doesn’t necessarily mean it will be present in high levels in the water. Still, several municipal water agencies in Los Angeles issued preemptive advisories urging residents not to drink tap water in neighborhoods near the Palisades and Eaton fires. It’ll be weeks before they know exactly what’s in the water. </p><p>"As wildfires grow ever more intense and encroach upon urban areas, cities and counties must be prepared to monitor the health impacts and respond to them. 'This is the first time I’ve ever even witnessed or heard anything like this,' said Zhu, who raised her daughter in Los Angeles and has lived there for decades, said. 'Even being in the field studying wildfires and air quality impacts, I never imagined that a whole neighborhood, a whole community in Palisades, would burn down.'"</p><p>Read more:<br><a href="https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/the-toxic-blend-of-las-urban-wildfire-smoke-will-have-lasting-health-consequences/?utm_source=flipboard&amp;utm_medium=flipboard_rss&amp;utm_campaign=znetwork" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">znetwork.org/znetarticle/the-t</span><span class="invisible">oxic-blend-of-las-urban-wildfire-smoke-will-have-lasting-health-consequences/?utm_source=flipboard&amp;utm_medium=flipboard_rss&amp;utm_campaign=znetwork</span></a><br><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/AirPollution" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>AirPollution</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/WaterPollution" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>WaterPollution</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/AirIsLife" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>AirIsLife</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/WaterIsLife" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>WaterIsLife</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ToxicMaterials" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ToxicMaterials</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/EnvironmentalDisaster" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>EnvironmentalDisaster</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/EnvironmentalDamage" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>EnvironmentalDamage</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Pyrocene" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Pyrocene</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/PyroceneEra" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>PyroceneEra</span></a></p>
DoomsdaysCW<p>A small town in rural Ohio is producing <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/EnrichedUranium" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>EnrichedUranium</span></a> again. Here's why that matters</p><p>The Ohio Newsroom | By Erin Gottsacker<br>Published April 18, 2024 </p><p>"When Centrus Energy flipped three switches at its new plant last fall, it was a new beginning for an industry that had been dormant for more than a decade in <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Ohio" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Ohio</span></a>: <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/UraniumEnrichment" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>UraniumEnrichment</span></a>.</p><p>"As the U.S. looks to meet its clean energy [sic] goals, there’s increasing demand for the resource, which is necessary for nuclear power generation.</p><p>"For years, the U.S. didn’t have a American-owned source of enriched uranium. (A subsidiary of <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Urenco" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Urenco</span></a> enriches <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/uranium" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>uranium</span></a> in <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/NewMexico" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>NewMexico</span></a>, but it's owned by a conglomeration of foreign governments and European-based businesses.) Now, <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/CentrusEnergy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>CentrusEnergy</span></a> is attempting to fill in the gap. And it’s doing that at a plant in <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/PiketonOhio" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>PiketonOhio</span></a>.</p><p>[...]</p><p>"Some locals aren’t thrilled. One group worries about the industry’s connection to <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/NuclearWeapons" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>NuclearWeapons</span></a>. Others fear the waste from the plant could <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/contaminate" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>contaminate</span></a> the surrounding <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/environment" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>environment</span></a>. The specter of the last time <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/uranium" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>uranium</span></a> was being enriched in Piketon looms large: many former plant workers get federal compensation because of illnesses they sustained as a result of exposure to <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/toxic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>toxic</span></a> and <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/radioactive" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>radioactive</span></a> materials.</p><p>"'I feel violated,' said Vina Colley, a former worker at the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/PortsmouthGaseousDiffusionPlant" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>PortsmouthGaseousDiffusionPlant</span></a>. 'They said I would get more radiation by getting on the plane than working out here.'</p><p>"In the time since she worked at the plant, she’s battled <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/beryllium" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>beryllium</span></a> disease, <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ChronicBronchitis" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ChronicBronchitis</span></a>, <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/COPD" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>COPD</span></a>, <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/neuropathy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>neuropathy</span></a> and <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/HeartFailure" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>HeartFailure</span></a>."</p><p>Read more:<br><a href="https://www.wvxu.org/2024-04-18/a-small-town-in-rural-ohio-is-now-the-only-place-in-america-producing-enriched-uranium" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">wvxu.org/2024-04-18/a-small-to</span><span class="invisible">wn-in-rural-ohio-is-now-the-only-place-in-america-producing-enriched-uranium</span></a></p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/NoUraniumEnrichment" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>NoUraniumEnrichment</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/RadioactiveContamination" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>RadioactiveContamination</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/NewNuclear" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>NewNuclear</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Uranium" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Uranium</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/HALEU" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>HALEU</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/UF6" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>UF6</span></a></p>
DoomsdaysCW<p>Dirty Water and Dead Rice: The Cost of the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/CleanEnergy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>CleanEnergy</span></a> Transition in Rural <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Minnesota" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Minnesota</span></a> </p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Mining" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Mining</span></a> the critical minerals needed for electric vehicle (<a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/EV" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>EV</span></a>) <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/batteries" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>batteries</span></a> could threaten local water supply and <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/IndigenousCulture" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>IndigenousCulture</span></a>.</p><p>By Karina Atkins<br>November 21, 2023</p><p>"More than 250 years ago, the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Ojibwe" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Ojibwe</span></a> people, one of the largest Indigenous populations in North America, received a prophecy to migrate westward until they reached the land where food grows on water.&nbsp;<br>When the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/MilleLacsBand" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>MilleLacsBand</span></a> of Ojibwe encountered wild rice in north-central Minnesota, they knew they found their new home. Rice harvesting has been a cornerstone of Ojibwe culture ever since.&nbsp;</p><p>"Today, mining exploration company <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/TalonMetals" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>TalonMetals</span></a>, also has its sights set on Minnesota. Some of the world’s richest high-grade <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/nickel" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>nickel</span></a> and <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/copper" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>copper</span></a> deposits are thousands of feet below the state colloquially known as 'the land of 10,000 lakes.'</p><p>"Talon seeks to construct a mine in the rural town of Tamarack, which it says will be integral to building the nation’s domestic supply of materials necessary for a clean energy transition.&nbsp;</p><p>"Nickel and copper are key components of rechargeable <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/lithium" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>lithium</span></a> ion (<a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/LION" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>LION</span></a>) batteries that are widely used for low-emission technologies like electric vehicles (EVs). The company already has an agreement to supply <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Tesla" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Tesla</span></a> with nickel from its proposed mine, potentially bringing hundreds of unionized mining jobs to this rural area.</p><p>"The federal government has also recognized nickel and copper as 'essential to national defense,' adding them to the U.S. critical minerals list in 2022 and 2023, respectively. And, this September, the Department of Defense awarded Talon a $20.1 million matching grant to continue searching for deposits throughout the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/LakeSuperior" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>LakeSuperior</span></a> region.&nbsp;</p><p>"However, <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SulfideMining" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>SulfideMining</span></a>, the type that would happen at Tamarack, has a poor <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/environmental" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>environmental</span></a> track record. The Mille Lacs Band and local <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/environmentalists" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>environmentalists</span></a> warn that it could <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/contaminate" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>contaminate</span></a> nearby <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/lakes" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>lakes</span></a>, <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/streams" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>streams</span></a> and <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/wetlands" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>wetlands</span></a>, threatening the vitality of wild rice and local water supply down the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/MississippiRiver" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>MississippiRiver</span></a>. </p><p>"As the U.S. strives to be a leader in clean energy transition, the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/TamarackProject" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>TamarackProject</span></a> encapsulates both the promise and challenges that lie ahead.&nbsp;</p><p>"The Dangers of Sulfide Mining</p><p>"Kelly Applegate, the commissioner of natural resources for the Mille Lacs Band, was shocked when he first saw deep earth imaging of nickel-copper deposits beneath his tribal land in the late 1990s. </p><p>A study from the U.S. Geological Survey suggested that the Lake Superior region could have deposits as lucrative as high-yield mines in Canada and Russia.&nbsp;<br>'Oh my gosh, look at these mineral deposits that may one day be sought out,' he recalls thinking to himself.&nbsp;</p><p>"Two decades later, Talon Metals, a mining company founded by former Canadian venture <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/capitalists" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>capitalists</span></a> and based in the British Virgin Islands (BVI), applied for a permit with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to create the Tamarack Project just over a mile away from the closest Mille Lacs Band community.&nbsp;"</p><p><a href="https://insideclimatenews.org/news/21112023/talon-metals-tamarack-minnesota-copper-nickel-mining-wild-rice-water/" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">insideclimatenews.org/news/211</span><span class="invisible">12023/talon-metals-tamarack-minnesota-copper-nickel-mining-wild-rice-water/</span></a></p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/WaterIsLife" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>WaterIsLife</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/WildRice" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>WildRice</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Greenwashing" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Greenwashing</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/FirstNations" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>FirstNations</span></a><br><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/NativeAmericanRights" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>NativeAmericanRights</span></a><br><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/CulturalGenocide" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>CulturalGenocide</span></a><br><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/EnvironmentalRacism" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>EnvironmentalRacism</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/CorporateColonialism" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>CorporateColonialism</span></a></p>
beSpacific<p><a href="https://newsie.social/tags/EPA" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>EPA</span></a> Approved <a href="https://newsie.social/tags/Fuel" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Fuel</span></a> Ingredient Even Though It Could Cause <a href="https://newsie.social/tags/Cancer" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Cancer</span></a> in Virtually Every Person Exposed Over a Lifetime. EPA docs show new <a href="https://newsie.social/tags/Chevron" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Chevron</span></a> fuel ingredient has lifetime cancer risk more than 1Mx higher than what agency usually finds acceptable &gt; than another Chevron fuel’s sky-high risk disclosed earlier this year. New <a href="https://newsie.social/tags/boatfuel" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>boatfuel</span></a> ingredient made at <a href="https://newsie.social/tags/refinery" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>refinery</span></a> in <a href="https://newsie.social/tags/MI" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>MI</span></a>. Substance can <a href="https://newsie.social/tags/poison" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>poison</span></a> <a href="https://newsie.social/tags/air" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>air</span></a> and <a href="https://newsie.social/tags/contaminate" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>contaminate</span></a> <a href="https://newsie.social/tags/water" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>water</span></a>, EPA officials mandated no remedies <a href="https://newsie.social/tags/plastics" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>plastics</span></a> <a href="https://newsie.social/tags/toxic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>toxic</span></a> <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/epa-approved-chevron-fuel-ingredient-cancer-risk-plastics-biofuel" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">propublica.org/article/epa-app</span><span class="invisible">roved-chevron-fuel-ingredient-cancer-risk-plastics-biofuel</span></a></p>
DoomsdaysCW<p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Chemical" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Chemical</span></a> companies’ <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/PFAS" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>PFAS</span></a> payouts are huge – but the problem is even bigger</p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/3M" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>3M</span></a>, <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/DuPont" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>DuPont</span></a>, <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Chemours" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Chemours</span></a> and <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Corteva" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Corteva</span></a> have agreed settlement in the billions for <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/polluting" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>polluting</span></a> drinking <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/water" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>water</span></a> with ‘forever chemicals’</p><p>by Tom Perkins, Aug 3, 2023</p><p>"“When the chemical giant 3M agreed in early June to pay up to $12.5bn to settle a lawsuit over PFAS contamination in water systems across the nation, it was hailed by attorneys as 'the largest drinking water settlement in American history', and viewed as a significant win for the public in the battle against toxic 'forever chemicals'.</p><p>“A second June settlement with the PFAS manufacturers DuPont, Chemours and Corteva tallied a hefty $1.1bn. But while the sums are impressive on their face, they represent just a fraction of the estimated $400bn some estimate will be needed to clean and protect the nation’s drinking water. Orange county, California, alone put the cost of cleaning its system at $1bn.</p><p>“‘While over a billion dollars is real money, it is a virtual drop in the bucket of potential utility costs to monitor, remove and dispose of these contaminants in accordance with anticipated federal regulations,' the American Municipal Water Association trade group said in a statement.</p><p>“Moreover, the two settlements include just over 6,000 water systems nationwide. Utilities that were not part of the suits but have PFAS in their systems can claim some of the settlement money, or they can sue the chemical manufacturers on their own.</p><p>“That means the settlements only represent the first wave of utility lawsuits to hit <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ChemicalManufacturers" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ChemicalManufacturers</span></a>, legal observers say. Because PFAS are so widely used and the scale of their harm is so great, chemical makers will get hit from a range of legal angles, and some suspect the industry’s final bill could exceed the $200bn paid by <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/BigTobacco" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>BigTobacco</span></a> in the 1990s.</p><p>“The number will be 'very large', said Kevin McKie, an attorney with the Environmental Litigation Group who represented a water management company in the 3M case. Though the 3M settlement does not cover all the nation’s costs, it is a strong start, he added.</p><p>“‘A good settlement is one where both sides walk away a bit frustrated’ is the old saying,' McKie said. 'Of course I would have liked a bit more money but I do believe they got as much as they could at this time, and there’s a lot more to go.'</p><p>“PFAS are a class of about 15,000 compounds used to make products across dozens of industries resistant to water, stains and heat. They are called 'forever chemicals' because they do not naturally break down, and are linked to <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/cancer" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>cancer</span></a>, <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/KidneyDisease" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>KidneyDisease</span></a>, <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/liver" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>liver</span></a> conditions, <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/immune" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>immune</span></a> disorders, <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/BirthDefects" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>BirthDefects</span></a> and other health problems.</p><p>“The chemicals are thought to be contaminating drinking water for over 200 million Americans. Tens of thousands of contaminated <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/PrivateWells" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>PrivateWells</span></a> are not included in the settlement. The chemicals are also widely used in thousands of consumer products from <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/DentalFloss" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>DentalFloss</span></a> to <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/cookware" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>cookware</span></a> to <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/clothing" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>clothing</span></a>, and have been found to <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/contaminate" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>contaminate</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/food" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>food</span></a>, <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/soil" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>soil</span></a> and <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/air" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>air</span></a>.</p><p>“PFAS constantly cycle and accumulate throughout the environment, and removing them from water is costly. The highly mobile chemicals can slip through most utilities’ filtration systems. Granular activated carbon and reverse osmosis are considered the best options.</p><p>“Leaders in Stuart, Florida, which was the bellwether case in the 3M settlement, chose to take what they could get without further litigation. Bellwethers are cases that represent all the other plaintiffs in a multi-district lawsuit. Stuart estimated damages at up to $120m, and the city acknowledged the settlement would fall short.</p><p>“‘I don’t think we’ll ever get close to that much net to the city, so I think there is no making us whole,' Stuart’s city manager told the New York Times.</p><p>“Among those utilities going at it alone is the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority (CFPUA) near Wilmington, North Carolina, which sits on the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/CapeFear" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>CapeFear</span></a> River about 75 miles downstream from a Chemours PFAS manufacturing plant. It cost the utility about $46m to develop a granular activated carbon system to remove PFAS, and officials estimate an additional $5m in annual operational costs.</p><p>“The utility declined to comment, citing ongoing litigation, but in a late June op-ed, the CFPUA director Kenneth Waldrop explained the motivation for not joining the settlements: 'The information currently available suggests that the proposed settlement, when divided among thousands of other utilities with similar needs, would be insufficient to meet the needs of our community.'</p><p>“The utility has a 'strong case' against Chemours which has the reserves to cover the full cost, Waldrop added. There is generally support for that approach among Wilmington-area residents, said Emily Donovan, a public health advocate who lives in the region.</p><p>“‘This is not our fault, but it has been made our problem, and the community mostly understands what’s going on,' she said.</p><p>“The settlements also drew unlikely opponents in 22 state attorneys general who urged the judge to reject the 3M settlement because it 'does not adequately account for the pernicious damage that 3M has done in so many of our communities', said the California attorney general, Rob Bonta.</p><p>“Beyond water utility settlements, chemical makers face personal injury suits. Most US states will also probably sue over <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/contamination" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>contamination</span></a> of <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/lakes" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>lakes</span></a>, <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/rivers" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>rivers</span></a> and other <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/NaturalResources" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>NaturalResources</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Minnesota" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Minnesota</span></a> alone found eliminating PFAS contamination from its wastewater could run to $28bn.</p><p>“Local water systems that are not made whole will need help from the federal government, which 'basically abandoned public water infrastructure a long time ago', said Oday Salim, director of the Environmental Law and Sustainability Clinic at the University of Michigan.</p><p>“‘Any amount of money that gets shifted to the victims is helpful,' he added.<br>“The government could implement an excise tax on PFAS to help cover costs, McKie said, and he noted the chemical manufacturers are taking a significant hit. By some estimates, 3M’s PFAS liabilities may soar to as much as $30bn as claims roll in.<br>“‘That’s a pretty big chunk of the total size of their corporation,' McKie said."</p><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/aug/03/chemical-companies-pfas-payouts-forever-chemicals" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">theguardian.com/environment/20</span><span class="invisible">23/aug/03/chemical-companies-pfas-payouts-forever-chemicals</span></a></p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/EPA" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>EPA</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/EPAFail" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>EPAFail</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/PFOS" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>PFOS</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/WaterIsLife" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>WaterIsLife</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ToxicWaste" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ToxicWaste</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ChemicalIndustries" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ChemicalIndustries</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ForeverChemicals" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ForeverChemicals</span></a></p>
DoomsdaysCW<p>Study Says Up to 75% Of <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Plastics" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Plastics</span></a> From Detergent <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Pods" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Pods</span></a> Enter The Environment, Industry Says They Safely Biodegrade</p><p>by Jeff Kart, August 2021</p><p>"First we were told: Don’t put <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/detergent" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>detergent</span></a> pods in your mouth. Remember the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/TidePod" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>TidePod</span></a> Challenge? Now a study says the pods aren’t necessarily an eco-friendly option for your washing machine or dishwasher.</p><p>"That’s because the pods can contribute to plastic pollution when they’re used the 'right' way. They leak large amounts of untreated <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/PVA" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>PVA</span></a> that can potentially enter <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/groundwater" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>groundwater</span></a> resources and <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/water" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>water</span></a> systems and <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/contaminate" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>contaminate</span></a> the human food chain, according to a literature review by researchers with Arizona State University and the California nonprofit Plastic Oceans International."<br><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Environment" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Environment</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Environmental" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Environmental</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Pollution" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Pollution</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/WaterIsLife" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>WaterIsLife</span></a></p><p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffkart/2021/08/08/study-says-up-to-75-of-plastics-from-detergent-pods-enter-the-environment-industry-says-they-safely-biodegrade/?sh=108854ba796a" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">forbes.com/sites/jeffkart/2021</span><span class="invisible">/08/08/study-says-up-to-75-of-plastics-from-detergent-pods-enter-the-environment-industry-says-they-safely-biodegrade/?sh=108854ba796a</span></a></p>