• Land

House Passes Historic Conservation Bill to Protect 3M Acres

• 30 by 30
• biodiversity
• Congress
• conservation
• Deb Haaland
• nature

by Ashira Morris, ODP Staff Writer Nearly 3 million acres of federal land could gain new protections after the House of Representatives passed a major conservation bill last Friday. The bill, called the Protecting America’s Wilderness and Public Lands Act, rolls together eight bills previously introduced. If passed in the Senate, it would: Designate 1.5 […]

• Land

One-Third of Topsoil Is Gone From Midwestern Farmland

• corn
• erosion
• ethanol
• farm
• no-till
• soil
• soybeans
• topsoil

New research shows that fertile, carbon-rich topsoil is completely gone from one-third of all farmland in the Midwest, severely impairing crop growth and future harvests. 

Why This Matters: Experts say this “growing” problem is mostly due to over-tilling the soil and other unsustainable farming practices.

• Land

Melting Permafrost, Exploding Methane Behind Mystery Craters in Russian Arctic

• Arctic
• climate change
• methane
• permafrost
• Russia
• Siberia
• tundra

by Amy Lupica, ODP Staff Writer A new study may reveal the mystery behind violently exploding craters in the Siberian tundra. Last year, a 17th massive permafrost crater cracked open in the Russian arctic; the first was spotted in 2013, leaving scientists searching for a reason as to why it had appeared.  The craters, the most recent 100 […]

• Land

The World’s Cities Are Sinking

• aquifer
• San Francisco
• sea level rise
• sinking

by Ashira Morris, ODP Staff Writer How much does a city weigh? You can’t put San Francisco on a scale, but new research from the US Geological Service estimates that the number is 1.6 trillion kilograms, about the same as 250,000,000 elephants.  This isn’t just a clever math problem, though: all that weight is causing […]

• Land

No Accountability in Sight for Indiana’s Coal Ash Ponds

• Coal Ash
• coal ash ponds
• Indiana

by Ashira Morris, ODP Staff Writer The state of Indiana is home to 80 pits of coal ash, the toxic byproduct of burning coal, more than any other state in the country. These pits are not lined, allowing the ash to contaminate groundwater and rivers across the state. As the Indianapolis Star reports, power companies […]

• Land

Making Soil A Part Of The Climate Solution

• agriculture
• farming
• regenerative farming
• soil carbon sequestration

by Ashira Morris, ODP Staff Writer One of the best ways to tackle the climate crisis is literally under our feet: revitalizing soil removes carbon from the atmosphere, no high-tech gadgetry needed. Plants store carbon in the soil through photosynthesis and by pushing out carbon-based sugars through their roots. That stored carbon is like a […]