 Cosmos
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EDF Launches Climate Satellite
On Thursday, the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) announced its plans to develop and launch a new satellite that will identify and measure methane emissions from human-made sources worldwide, starting with the oil and gas industry. The satellite will produce a global snapshot of 80 percent of the globe every seven days and will detect methane in concentrations of as little as two parts per billion. This data will be used to compare emissions reduction pledges made by countries and companies to their actual emissions.
EDF President Fred Krupp unveiled the satellite, MethaneSAT, in a TED Talk at TED’s flagship event in Vancouver, British Columbia, as part of The Audacious Project, successor to the TED Prize. MethaneSAT is part of the inaugural round of world-changing ideas for which a coalition of philanthropists have contributed and helped raise $400 million.
Why This Matters: Cutting greenhouse gasses such as methane is the single most impactful thing we can do to slow climate change. Methane is especially potent and is responsible for a quarter of the warming our planet is experiencing. As the Washington Post reported, "In February, EDF estimated methane emissions from Pennsylvania’s shale oil and gas sites may be more than five times higher than what oil and gas companies reported to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection."
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 Air
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Interview of the Week: Joseph Goffman, Executive Director of Harvard's Environment and Energy Law Program
Joe has played an instrumental role in writing and implementing the Clean Air Act over the last 30 years. A senior lawyer at EPA from 2009-2017, he was one of the chief architects of the Clean Power Plan. Goffman has been called “EPA’s Law Whisperer” because “his specialty is teaching old laws to do new tricks.”
ODP: The Administration decided to roll back fuel efficiency standards for cars. What does that have to do with air pollution — why does this impact smog?
JG: When cars burn less gasoline, they emit fewer pollutants, including the pollutants which contribute to the forming of smog in the air. Cars also emit the gases that cause global warming, and in a warming world smog forms more easily.
ODP: Do you think California and the other states with more stringent fuel efficiency standards than the federal governments will stick to their standards?
JG: Yes. California and the states that have adopted California’s standards have been implementing their own standards for a long time and have lots of reasons to continue, including reducing smog and climate change.
ODP: Why was the Clean Power Plan so important, beyond the climate change mitigation benefits?
JG: Because the things that the electric utility system does to reduce CO2 emissions also reduces other dangerous pollutants, particularly sulfur dioxide and fine particles, which cause direct harm to human health.
ODP: Some people say EPA rigging its science in favor of industry. Is it true? If so, how?
JG: Under Scott Pruitt, EPA is adding industry members to its science panels and shedding independent scientific experts. The Agency is also planning to set aside certain health studies that some in industry object to. These changes make it much more likely that the Agency will reach industry-friendly conclusions about whether to reduce pollution further.
ODP: Even if the EPA’s rollback of rules won’t hold up in court, isn’t there still a danger to the public? Won’t they just stop enforcing the tougher rules?
JG: It often takes several years before courts make decisions about EPA rules. In the meantime, weaker rules, allowing for higher levels of pollution, will be on the books. At the same time, even before the weakening changes are finalized, Scott Pruitt is speaking and acting as if the changes have already been made, tempting industry to begin to cut corners.
ODP: What are you up to now that you have left Washington, D.C. for Harvard Law?
JG: At Harvard's Environmental and Energy Law Program, among other things, we operate two "trackers" to document and inform people of the attacks on our public health and environmental laws.
- Our Regulatory Rollback Tracker links you to pages that describe what’s at stake, current status, rulemaking history, and deregulation efforts for each rule listed. The table also makes it easy for people to submit their comments.
- Our series “Can EPA Maintain Its Mission?” tracks Scott Pruitt’s efforts to dismantle EPA’s very capacity to carry out its public health, scientific, and environmental mission. Sadly, there are many examples.
We recommend the trackers as a definitive source of information about the Trump Administration's actions -- they are a great way to keep up with all the "undoing" the Trump Administration is doing.
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 Climate Change
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Museums Do Their Part to Spread Climate Awareness
Museums are places to see pretty objects but they're also institutions that evoke emotions in their visitors. Museum curators are becoming increasingly interested in conveying messages about climate change to help visitors develop a deeper understanding of the phenomenon. CSM explained that as world leaders increasingly face up to the fallout of climate change, curators are planning a new wave of museums, devoted to what many consider a defining issue of the times. From Germany to Denmark, Hong Kong to Canada, talk of climate museums is on the rise.
City planners and experts should use museums to foster empathy in citizens on climate issues, according to Emlyn Koster, director of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. "Museums tend to measure their success on whether visitors have had a good time, but they should make you sad, disappointed, angry – make you want to take action," he said.
Though other experts want to see museums do more than just feature climate-related content but also become more sustainable themselves--through energy efficiency, eliminating single-use plastic etc.
Why This Matters: For many people around the world, climate change is already a component of their daily lives and because art reflects life and the human condition, it makes sense that it should tell their stories. In a time when climate science is being questioned and people can make up "alternative facts" to suit their agenda, scientists need cultural institutions more than ever to help make their voices heard.
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 People
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Pet Graduation at Eckerd College last May. Photo: Creative Loafing, Tampa Bay
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Pets Go To College?
Now that I (Monica) am an empty nester, I am glad to have the two dogs we got when our kids were younger to keep me company. But soon, many dog "parents" may not be so lucky. According to The Washington Post, colleges are increasingly allowing students to bring their pets to school to live in the dorms with them. A small but growing group of colleges, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Pfeiffer University in North Carolina; the University of Northern Colorado; Eckerd College in Florida; and Stephens College in Missouri, all "accept" pets.
At Stephens, they are quite proud of how pet-friendly they are -- their website boasts “Here, we treat pets like royalty.” Well at the price of private college today, they perhaps should treat pets like royalty. And it does "beg" the question, how many meal "swipes" are you allowed for your pet? And is the dorm food even fit for a dog, or a lizard for that matter? Heck, Eckerd College even holds a pet "graduation" ceremony -- last spring a hedgehog was among the graduates.
Why This Matters: All kidding about college costs aside, clearly humans are more attached to animals than ever. You see pets on planes, in stores, and now even "attending" their masters who are attending college. We seriously hope all this animal empathy translates into a desire by the public to ensure that animals in the wild get greater care and protection too.
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 Animals
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Photo: Thailand Wildlife/Alamy
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Leeches, the Latest in Conservation Tech
Leeches, the slimy bloodsucking annelids, are being used as an innovative tool by ecologists to better understand biodiversity in the environments they inhabit. Professor Michael Tessler, a postdoctoral fellow at the American Museum of Natural History’s Sackler Institute of Comparative Genomics, has collected hundreds of leeches and analyzed their last blood meals, hoping to identify their animal victims. And ultimately identify the range of species living in the forest.
Traces of a leech's bloodmeal can remain in its body for months which serves as great data for scientists wanting to understand the animals it's feeding on.
Why This Matters: From his research with leeches, Dr. Tessler co-authored 2 papers showing that analyzing the blood meals of leeches can offer a fast, cheap method for surveying biodiversity. As the New York Times noted, such basic data can be surprisingly difficult to come by, yet is often critical for making conservation decisions. Leeches are used by surgeons to help patients recover from surgery and now it seems as if they're sucking up to other scientists as well (get it?).
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 Hero
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Hero of the Week: Charley Peebler of Ocean Heirs
Earlier this week, we reported in ODP on the Pacific Fishery Management Council's foresight in protecting 16,000 square miles of ocean habitat off the coast of California. Our hero this week, 14-year old Charley Peebler, made her generation proud in testimony in front of the Commission, with an emotional plea that they should save corals for future generations. Her poised and passionate remarks (which you can watch below) are an inspiration. We expect to hear lots more from Charley as she leads her generation in pushing for greater protection for the ocean. It's kids like Charley that give us hope for the future. Keep fighting for the ocean, Charley. We are right there with you!
H/T to Sebastian Nicholls for nominating Charley and sharing the video of her testimony. If you have a hero you would like to nominate, send us an e-mail at news@ourdailyplanet.com. We love your suggestions!
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Charley Peebler pleads with the Pacific Fisheries Management Council lo save corals off California.
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Brad Paisley's "Welcome to the Future"
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Thanks for reading this week! Inspired by Charley, we leave you with this hopeful video about the future from our own favorite, Brad Paisley.
If you are in DC come join the second annual March For Science on Saturday on the Mall. Or look for a March for Science event in your hometown.
Have a great weekend. We will be back with special content all next week in the lead up to Earth Day on April 22nd.
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