Environmental News Network

Chilling facts about forever chemicals: 1000

In this instalment, Alice and Sue brave the walk-in freezers at the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) in Lancaster, where the temperatures get down to -18°C, to explore the story behind PFAS – per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances – also known as “forever chemicals”. T

Assessing the Real Climate Costs of Manufacturing

Producing materials such as steel, plastics and cement in the United States alone inflicts $79 billion a year in climate-related damage around the world, according to a new study by engineers and economists at the University of California, Davis.

Reducing the Impacts of Climate and Land-Use on Diseases

New research is investigating how climate and land-use change, as well as government policies, will affect the spread of some diseases that pose a particular threat to humans, animals or plants.

Study: Marshes Provide Cost-Effective Coastal Protection

Images of coastal houses being carried off into the sea due to eroding coastlines and powerful storm surges are becoming more commonplace as climate change brings a rising sea level coupled with more powerful storms. In the U.S. alone, coastal storms caused $165 billion in losses in 2022.

Now, a study from MIT shows that protecting and enhancing salt marshes in front of protective seawalls can significantly help protect some coastlines, at a cost that makes this approach reasonable to implement.

The new findings are being reported in the journal Communications Earth and Environment, in a paper by MIT graduate student Ernie I. H. Lee and professor of civil and environmental engineering Heidi Nepf. This study, Nepf says, shows that restoring coastal marshes “is not just something that would be nice to do, but it’s actually economically justifiable.” The researchers found that, among other things, the wave-attenuating effects of salt marsh mean that the seawall behind it can be built significantly lower, reducing construction cost while still providing as much protection from storms.

Caption: Graduate student Ernie I. H. Lee uses drone imaging and machine learning to help map salt marsh species, plant height, and shoots per bed area. (Photo Credit: Courtesy of the researchers)