One of the notable aspects of climate change that has been observed is the further toward the poles one looks, the more pronounced global warming’s impact becomes. While the tropics have warmed somewhat, average temperatures in the Artic have soared: the North Pole was a full degree warmer than Seattle on Dec 30 2015, and while the contiguous U.S. broke a 3.3ºF (1.83ºC) above-average heat record for June of this year, Alaska saw a temperature record of nearly three times that level for the same month, at 9ºF (5.0ºC) above average.
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A great deal of the carbon dioxide that our industry produces can be extracted at the source before it gets into the atmosphere, where it would otherwise act as a greenhouse gas, trapping solar radiation before it can radiate back out into space. While the gas can be trapped, storage becomes an issue, especially given the sheer tonnage that is emitted by power plants and factories across the globe. But a new process may allow CO2 to be processed into solid rocks, made up of stable compounds that won’t enter the atmosphere.
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A recent investigation conducted by the Guardian newspaper in the U.K. has found that 33 U.S. cities across 17 states have engaged in water testing practices that have the potential to conceal high levels of lead in drinking water, using similar methods that obscured contamination levels in Flint, Michigan. These methods were employed despite warnings made by regulators and experts, presumably as cost-saving measures. Many of the cities affected are major urban centers, including Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Detroit, Miami, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, and Tampa, just to name a few examples.
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Earlier this month, the country of Portugal set a new landmark achievement in power usage, with the entire country running on electricity generated solely from renewable sources; including solar, wind, and hydro-electric for a little over four days straight.

The 107-hour record was announced by Portugal’s ZERO System Sustainable Land Association, in collaboration with the Portuguese Renewable Energy Association (APREN), covering a period beginning in the morning on May 7, and concluding in the evening on May 11, a little shy of four-and-a-half days.
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