While a cold rain fell, turning what snow was left on the ground into slush, a group of about 60 Brandeis University students and faculty on Thursday demanded the school divest from fossil fuel companies as a way to address climate change. Rallying in the school’s “peace garden” outside the college’s Usdan Student Center, the […]
Miriam Wasser
WBUR
Posted inArticle, Environment
Coal Is Dirty. Amid Protests, Why New England Is Still Burning It For Power
On a freezing night in December, about a dozen climate activists stood on the train tracks in a wooded section of West Boylston, Mass. They huddled together, headlamps and flashlights pointing south towards an approaching coal train. The light from the train’s headlights got brighter, and the horns blared louder and longer, but the activists stayed put. […]
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The New England Aquarium Wants To Monitor Whales From Space
The New England Aquarium and Cambridge-based engineering company Draper have some big news: They’re working on technology that will allow them to monitor whales with satellites in space. Leaving the planet to watch whales might sound a little silly, but the ability to do it could represent a giant leap forward in our ability to protect these animals and our oceans. […]
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5 Takeaways For New England From U.N. Report On Climate Change And Land Use
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is out with a new report Thursday examining how land use contributes to climate change and other environmental problems. The report, “Climate Change and Land,” is the second of three special reports from the United Nations panel. “Global Warming of 1.5ºC” was published last October, and a third report about oceans and […]
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Seals On Cape Cod Are More Than Just Shark Bait
There are tens of thousands of seals on Cape Cod and the Islands, and everyone seems to have an opinion about them. Some see them as an adorable tourist attraction that helps the ecosystem. But to others, they’re Public Enemy No. 1 — a messy, fish-eating shark magnet that needs to be culled. Chatham-based commercial […]
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Pull The Plugs: How A Simple Move May Help Plum Island’s Salt Marshes Adapt To Sea-Level Rise
Walking through the Parker River Wildlife Refuge on Plum Island with wildlife biologist Nancy Pau is to take a tour through the various ways humans have disrupted the saltwater marsh for the last 300-plus years.The area is filled with what Pau calls “legacy infrastructure” — colonial-era irrigation canals and 20th century mosquito control ditches. These drainage canals were […]
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For 46 Years, Pilgrim Nuclear Plant Has Used Water From Cape Cod Bay. How Has It Impacted The Ecosystem?
The Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Plymouth pumps about a half-billion gallons of water from Cape Cod Bay into the plant every day. The water cycles continuously, passing through the plant’s condenser, and returning to the bay about 10 minutes later — and 30 degrees warmer. Ever since Pilgrim began producing power in 1972, local […]
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A New MA Bill Would Require Cities To Alert Public To Sewage In Rivers
In most communities, whatever you flush down the toilet goes to a treatment plant. But in some Massachusetts cities and towns, it could end up in a local river during a rainstorm. Miriam Wasser reports on a new statewide effort to let the public know when that happens.
Posted inArticle, Environment
Can Feces Save A Species? Boston Has The World’s Largest Collection Of Right Whale Poop
The Marine Stress and Ocean Health Lab at the New England Aquarium looks like your typical laboratory. It’s full of humming and whirring machines, beakers and test tubes, digital scales and centrifuges. What sets it apart is the freezer. At negative 80 degrees Celsius, it houses the world’s largest collection of right whale poop. Yes, poop. It […]