By Christopher Thompson The latest global population report from the United Nations estimates the number of people on the planet will peak at 10.9 billion by the end of the century. The vast majority of population growth is expected to come from sub-Saharan Africa, with declining population growth predicted in Asia, Europe and Latin America […]

By Ryan Johnson Climate change may lead to unlikely illnesses in unexpected places, new research suggests: In the past two years, five cases of Vibrio vulnificus, a flesh-eating bacterial infection spread by handling or eating contaminated seafood, have been tied to Delaware Bay, where water temperatures have been on the rise in recent years, according […]

By Christopher Thompson In the recent standoff between the U.S. and Mexico, the Trump administration commingled the issues of trade and immigration. This is the wrong approach, and it ignores one of the root causes of the migration challenge: a rapidly warming planet. Climate change and immigration have become more inextricably linked than ever. As […]

By Ryan Johnson A new study of climate changes and their effects on past societies offers a sobering glimpse of social upheavals that might happen in the future. The prehistoric groups studied lived in the Amazon Basin of South America hundreds of years ago, before European contact, but the disruptions that occurred may carry lessons […]

By Ryan Johnson The incoming environment minister has a clear opportunity to tackle this debilitating disease. Wildlife carers and conservationists want it to be a priority Last month Grasso wasn’t doing well. The bare-nosed wombat, dubbed Fatso in Italian, was infected with mange. The devastating skin disease caused by parasitic mites had left his skin […]

By Christopher Thompson 1. Your coffee cup probably isn’t recyclable Items composed of different kinds of materials present a big challenge for recyclers. The billions of single-use coffee cups discarded each year are a classic example: a thin, plastic coating inside the cup may prevent leakage, but it’s extremely difficult to separate it from the […]

By Christopher Thompson The oil and gas industry is ramping up petrochemicals — building blocks of plastics —right as the global outcry intensifies over plastic waste. The big picture: Most people associate oil companies’ products mainly with gasoline. But they also generate plastics that are interwoven into all facets of our lives. This durable material […]

By Ryan Johnson Arizona is home to a number of species that are threatened by climate change and human activity. Under legislation proposed by Rep. Raul Grijalva, Arizona fish and butterflies may get additional federal funds for conservation efforts. The Tucson Democrat, who chairs the House Committee on Natural Resources, last month introduced the Extinction […]

By Christopher Thompson Give priority to retirement savings over children’s education or marriage This Father’s Day, keep the expensive gifting ideas aside. Instead, spend time with your dad talking about money, and help him get his finances in order. The first step is to have an open and honest conversation about money. Start by talking […]

By Ryan Johnson Whether they’re clogging our oceans or causing harm to sea creatures, the use and creation of plastics has quickly become a crushing and widespread problem across the planet. Plastics have become an almost unnoticed part of our daily lives, from the food we eat, the transportation we take and the products we […]