No. 118, Feb. 6, 2020
Hello Revelator readers, Later this year Colorado voters will decide if wolves should be officially reintroduced to the state. We talked with ecology professor Joanna Lambert about the science of wolf reintroduction. Birds don't get much bigger than Andean condors. But when people want you dead, size alone can't protect you. Read how illegal pesticides have put Andean condors on the fast track to extinction. Sad news: The number of Florida manatees killed by speeding boats increased to an all-time high last year. Some good news: Iceland is losing its taste for whaling. But getting to this point was ... difficult. Subscriber bonus: The Wild 5 Let's go a little deeper. Here are five more stories we're watching this week. 1. By the end of the century, rising seas will swamp many U.S. coastal areas. A new map shows where the estimated 13 million displaced residents are likely to go. 2. Climate change, what climate change? Japan plans to build 22 coal-burning power plants in the next five years. 3. In a blow to wildlife conservation efforts, the Trump administration has moved to roll back another environmental regulation, excusing industries from liability in accidental bird deaths. 4. New research finds that fireflies are facing a triple whammy of extinction threats from habitat loss, pesticides and light pollution. 5. Developers are working to keep up as more and more cities follow the lead of Berkeley, California, in ditching natural gas for electric power in new construction. Listen in: This week the Revelator editorial team appeared on the "Our Wild World" podcast to talk about the big environmental stories of 2020, including the Australian bushfires, water contamination and extinction. Give it a listen. In case you missed it: John Grant, author of the book Corrupted Science, passed away this week after a distinguished career in both science and science fiction. We were proud to publish this essay he penned for us about the roots of the Trump administration's attacks on science. What should we cover next? Our stories rely on insight from experts and readers around the world, so we always welcome your ideas and inside scoops. Drop us a line anytime. Coming up: We'll have lots to talk about in the days ahead, with new articles and essays about climate refugees, food waste, endangered species and a whole lot more. Look for our latest links in next Thursday's newsletter — or follow us on Twitter and Facebook for the headlines as they go live. As always, thank you for reading. |