Kent State University – Climate360 News

New Intel chip factory raises questions about sustainability

6Apr

By Climate 360 NewsNo Comments

Economy, Featured, Kent State University

New Intel chip factory raises questions about sustainability

By Grace Springer Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announces the new Intel factories. Photo via Ohio.gov Since the explosion of sustainability movements across the world, companies have released corporate responsibility reports often with a section on how they plan to protect the environment for future generations. Intel has outlined several sustainability goals for the two new factories. These goals include aiming to run on 100% renewable energy, meeting exceptional water conservation standards and sending zero waste to landfills by 2030. “I’m not saying that Intel cannot do it — definitely they can if they wanted to. The problem is, at the end of the day, it kind of gets back to money,” Omid Bagheri, Ph.D., professor of economics at Kent State University told Climate360....

Western wildfires: A growing threat across the country

17Feb

By Climate 360 NewsNo Comments

Featured, Kent State University, Loyola Marymount University, Science

Western wildfires: A growing threat across the country

By Alex Kim, Grace Springer Smoke rising in this California forest as the blaze continues. Photo via Flickr As I’m writing this article in February, there is a wildfire burning in Laguna Beach, California, that forced evacuations — an occurrence that used to be rare at this time of year, but not anymore. Parts of Southern California are experiencing a heatwave that’s fueling winter wildfires that can potentially send smoke thousands of miles outside of California. Jana Houser, Ph.D., is a professor of meteorology at Ohio University. She told Climate360, “We [Ohioans] can periodically notice the effects of wildfires out west when the fires become so numerous and large that their smoke enters the jet stream of the upper atmosphere.” In July 2021, Public Health Dayton ...

Five questions about pandemics and climate change, answered

16Feb

By Climate 360 NewsNo Comments

Kent State University, Science

Five questions about pandemics and climate change, answered

By Grace Springer Photo via MaxPixel What is a pandemic? According to the Columbia School of Public Health, a pandemic is, “a virus [that] covers a wide area, affecting several countries and populations.” An outbreak is declared a pandemic when it is spread exponentially.  What types of diseases are affected by climate change?  There are two types of diseases that are affected by climate change—vector-borne diseases and zoonotic diseases. What are vector-borne diseases? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), vector-borne diseases are diseases spread to humans by insects that feed on blood such as mosquitos and fleas. Due to global warming, these insects are increasingly able to survive in more areas of the world...

Proposed efforts to stop future pandemics also fight climate change

16Feb

By Climate 360 NewsNo Comments

Kent State University, Science

Proposed efforts to stop future pandemics also fight climate change

By Grace Springer Microbiologist tests specimen for COVID-19. Photo Via Flickr A new study published in Science Advances argues that steps must be taken now to avoid future pandemics as people continue to interact with wildlife that carry many different pathogens. Researchers defined three primary prevention methods to prevent the spillover of diseases from animals to humans, some of which benefit the planet as well. These methods include better pathogen surveillance, wildlife and hunting management and forest protection. Zoonotic diseases are pathogens that originate in animals before being spread to humans. Detection and containment of these pathogens before their spillover into humans would save lives and money. Dr. Marcia Castro, Andelot Professor of Demography ...

Promise & Peril: Fighting Climate Change One Animal at a Time

15Feb

By Climate 360 NewsNo Comments

Community, Featured, Kent State University, Loyola Marymount University, Morgan State University, Video

Promise & Peril: Fighting Climate Change One Animal at a Time

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOfjRiouoXQ In a world where no one can seem to agree on any meaningful solutions to climate change, we need to find all the common ground we can. "Promise & Peril," a Los Angeles Loyolan Project Citizen Climate 360 film, seeks to find that ground through telling the stories of two animal populations affected by climate change.

Citizens’ Climate Lobby national conference reignites the movement

18Dec

By Climate 360 NewsNo Comments

Community, Kent State University, Policy

Citizens’ Climate Lobby national conference reignites the movement 

  By Grace Springer Photo courtesy of Citizens' Climate Lobby Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL) held its virtual national conference last month with a major focus on carbon price, how to effectively lobby members of Congress and diversity and inclusion within the movement. The conference, which coincided with the end of COP26 and a historic vote on President Biden’s Build Back Better agenda, represented an important moment for the movement.   According to Flannery Winchester, CCL communications director, getting involved in climate movements is the best way to combat climate dread and anxiety.   “If you feel overwhelmed by the scale of the problem the best thing you can do is get active,” she told Climate360. “Like we say in CCL, ‘...

Pesticides Bring Problems Like the “Dirty Dozen”

16Aug

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Community, Kent State University

Pesticides Bring Problems Like the “Dirty Dozen”

By Willow Campbell https://youtu.be/TGe3sRyGLHo Many synthetic pesticides used in farming can harm both the climate and your body. Some foods retain the residue of pesticides more than others, to the point where no existing product can wash them away. In May of this year, a study from Frontiers in Environmental Science showed that pesticides widely used in American agriculture pose a threat to organisms that are necessary for healthy soil, biodiversity and soil carbon sequestration. The idea of regenerative agriculture and using soil as a carbon sponge to help combat climate change is gaining momentum around the world, according to Friends of the Earth, an environmentally focused campaign organization that helped ...

What is reef-safe sunscreen, and why is it important?

11Aug

By Climate 360 News1 Comment

Kent State University, Science

What is reef-safe sunscreen, and why is it important?

By Connor Fallon, Grace Springer Graphic by Connor Fallon Sunscreen is a product made to protect humans from the sun’s ultraviolet rays, however, some ingredients found in sunscreen put our marine life in danger. Reef-harming chemicals found in sunscreen are introduced into the environment when people wear sunscreen while swimming. Research says that 4,000 to 6,000 tons of sunscreen enters reef areas annually. These chemicals can also enter the ocean from overspray of aerosol sunscreens or through shower drains while rinsing off. Chemicals commonly found in sunscreens can cause permanent DNA damage to coral and the more than one million other organisms that call reefs home around the world. Coral reefs are also a vital contribution to...

6Aug

By Climate 360 NewsNo Comments

Energy, Kent State University, Policy

What you can do to help get the U.S. to net-zero

By Spencer Hayes Clean energy, otherwise known as renewable energy, is energy that is taken from resources that are naturally replenished by the Earth. President Joe Biden’s goal for the United States is to use clean energy to get to net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. This would mean removing greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere by using carbon removal as well as reducing human caused emissions. But what does that mean for everyday American citizens? There are many things that people can do in their day-to-day life that can help the country achieve this goal. Here are six steps you can take to keep the country on track. President Joe Biden’s goal for the United States is to use clean energy to get to net zero green house gas emissions by 2050. Photo above of Biden ...

Policy versus science over Miami building collapse

30Jul

By Climate 360 NewsNo Comments

Community, Kent State University, Policy

Policy versus science over Miami building collapse

By Spencer Hayes A building collapse that took the lives of almost 100 people has devastated the Miami Surfside community. It has also reignited the climate change discussion across the country. It will take some time for the building analysis to be completed, however, many theories are already circulating, attempting to answer questions behind the collapse of the Champlain Towers on June 24. One theory that has spurred attention is whether or not climate change played a role in the building collapse. Aftermath of the Champlain Tower collapse in Miami Florida. (Photo by Giorgio Viera / AFP) (Photo by GIORGIO VIERA/AFP via Getty Images) U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm jumped right in stating that rising sea levels may have contributed to the disaster. In a CNN interview,...