"U.S. greenhouse gas emissions fell 10.3% in 2020, the largest drop in emissions in the post-World War II era, as the coronavirus [affected] the economy, according to a report released Tuesday by the Rhodium Group."

Monarch butterflies are my favorite. I am sad.

...but i'm sure we'll keep trying to eradicate fat and disabled people.

Gas appliances create enough indoor pollution that it would violate existing regs if outdoors.

In April, as coronavirus cases multiplied across the country, the head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rejected scientists’ advice to tighten air pollution standards for particulate matter, or soot.

In the next few weeks, EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler likely will reaffirm that decision with a final ruling, despite emerging evidence that links particulate pollution to COVID-19 deaths.

There was enough evidence to support a stricter standard before the pandemic, said Christopher Frey, an environmental engineering professor at North Carolina State University who studies air pollution. The added threat from the coronavirus is like “icing on the cake,” he said, and should compel Wheeler to adopt an even more stringent limit.

Particulate matter kills people. “It is responsible for more deaths and sickness than any other air pollutant in the world,” said Gretchen Goldman, a research director at the Union of Concerned Scientists.

There are “more than 3.2 million deserted oil and gas wells in the U.S. and one of an estimated 29 million globally, according to Reuters. There's no regulatory requirement to monitor methane emissions from inactive wells, and until recently, scientists didn't even consider wells in their estimates of greenhouse gas emissions. With the pandemic depressing demand for fossil fuels and renewable energy development booming, why should owners idle or plug their wells when they can simply walk away?“

Migration pattern modeling related to climate change.

I’m sure I’m going to be horrified by the whole study, but I felt I should bookmark it for future rants about (lack of) ethics in research, and the importance of scientists evaluating their life choices.

Well at least something good came out of this hurricane.

Fire fighters “are often on the front line doing dangerous work and making low pay, between $2 and $5 per day and $1 extra per hour when fighting a fire.”