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Climate change could pose an urgent threat to pollinators, with critical ecological and economic consequences. However, for most insect pollinator species, we lack the long-term data and mechanistic evidence that are necessary to identify climate-driven declines and predict future trends. Here we document 16 years of abundance patterns for a hyper-diverse bee assemblage¹ in a warming and drying region², link bee declines with experimentally determined heat and desiccation tolerances, and use climate sensitivity models to project bee communities into the future. Aridity strongly predicted bee abundance for 71% of 665 bee populations (species × ecosystem combinations). Bee taxa that best tolerated heat and desiccation increased the most over time. Models forecasted declines for 46% of species and predicted more homogeneous communities dominated by drought-tolerant taxa, even while total bee abundance may remain unchanged. Such community reordering could reduce pollination services, because diverse bee assemblages typically maximize pollination for plant communities³. Larger-bodied bees also dominated under intermediate to high aridity, identifying body size as a valuable trait for understanding how climate-driven shifts in bee communities influence pollination⁴. We provide evidence that climate change directly threatens bee diversity, indicating that bee conservation efforts should account for the stress of aridity on bee physiology.
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Kristin M. Conrad, Valerie E. Peters & Sandra M. Rehan
Maryse Vanderplanck, Baptiste Martinet, … Denis Michez
Panagiotis Theodorou, Sarah-Christine Herbst, … Robert J. Paxton
All datasets generated and/or analysed during the current study are publicly available. Long-term bee monitoring data are available via the Environmental Data Initiative (EDI) at https://doi.org/10.6073/pasta/cdc8381b8b2be97188daeffcd6310e9b. Also available via EDI are the SEV-LTER meteorological data (https://doi.org/10.6073/pasta/decdaa0c695cb2070c73f5b684a32e73), plant phenology data (https://doi.org/10.6073/pasta/ceb693495ef57b8b1ba075ca1ee0f7ed), and plant biomass data (https://doi.org/10.6073/pasta/5d6fa085c3d31bc1bc352081ec9e839a). Bee body mass, life history trait, and physiological tolerance data are available via the Open Science Framework (OSF) at https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/H2YV6. Projected future climate data are available from ClimateNA at https://climatena.ca/.
Computer code used in the analyses is available via Zenodo at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8412361 (ref. ⁹²).
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Funding was provided by the NSF Long-Term Ecological Research programme (DEB-1655499), the Southwestern Association of Naturalists, the University of New Mexico (UNM) Department of Biology, the UNM Graduate and Professional Student Association, and an NSF REU Site Award to S. Collins (DBI-1950237). The authors thank M. Aizen, F. Bozinovic, M. Dillon, R. Irwin, V. Martinson, H. Wearing and N. Williams for providing feedback that improved the manuscript; B. Wolf for equipment and advice on physiological measurements; M. Litvak, T. Duman, K. Hall and L. Baur for help with climate and plant community analyses; and D. Lightfoot, J. Bettinelli, O. M. Carril, J. McLaughlin, B. Turnley, A. Garcia and R. Martinez for their contributions to laboratory and field data collection.
Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
Melanie R. Kazenel, Karen W. Wright, Kenneth D. Whitney & Jennifer A. Rudgers
Washington State Department of Agriculture, Yakima, WA, USA
Karen W. Wright
USDA-ARS Pollinating Insects Research Unit, Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA
Terry Griswold
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M.R.K. created the conceptual framework, collected bee physiology and morphology data, analysed the data, and wrote the manuscript. K.W.W. designed the long-term bee monitoring study and completed specimen collection and identification. T.G. provided taxonomic expertise. J.A.R. and K.D.W. contributed to conceptualization, statistical analyses and writing. All authors helped to revise the manuscript.
Correspondence to Melanie R. Kazenel.
The authors declare no competing interests.
Nature thanks Bryan Danforth, Baptiste Martinet, Nicole Miller-Struttman and Justin Sheffield for their contribution to the peer review of this work.
Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
(a, b) Trends for the monsoon season in Socorro, NM, USA. In (a), points show the 6-month integrated aridity index, calculated from temperature and precipitation data recorded since 1900, with positive values indicating hotter and drier conditions relative to the mean. In (b), points show the coefficient of variation (CV) in the aridity index for non-overlapping 5-yr time windows (adapted from Rudgers et al., Ecology, 2018). (c) Predicted future monsoon season aridity trends for the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge (NM, USA) under low, moderate, and high CO₂ emissions scenarios (RCP 2.6, 4.5, and 8.5, respectively), using projected future climate data from six General Circulation Models (ACCESS 1.0, CanESM2, CCSM 4.0, CNRM-CM5, CSIRO-Mk3.6.0, and INM-CM4). RCP 2.6 data were only available for the CanESM2 GCM. Positive and negative values indicate hotter/drier and cooler/wetter conditions relative to the historic mean (2002–2019), respectively. In all panels, error bands represent 95% confidence intervals.
Left: Map of sampling sites at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, NM, USA (beige polygon in upper map). Bees were sampled in three focal ecosystem types: Chihuahuan Desert shrubland (green points), Chihuahuan Desert grassland (black points), and plains grassland (blue points). To sample bees, we installed one passive funnel trap at each end of five 200 m transects/site; traps are indicated by colored points in the lower panel. Maps were generated via ArcGIS v. 10.1 (ESRI 2012, Redlands, CA) using the World Imagery basemap⁹³ (sources: Esri, Maxar, GeoEye, Earthstar Geographics, CNES/Airbus DS, USDA, USGS, AeroGRID, IGN, and the GIS User Community; accessed 23 February 2022 via https://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=10df2279f9684e4a9f6a7f08febac2a9). Upper right: Differences between sites in climate conditions (table) and plant community composition (figures). Table values are results from paired, two-sided t-tests comparing temperature and precipitation metrics from the month of greatest difference between the Plains and Chihuahuan Desert meteorological stations. Figures are NMDS plots⁹⁴ illustrating differences among ecosystems in plant cover for all species, and with the dominant species removed. Lower right: (a) Images of the environmental chamber used to assess thermal and desiccation tolerances of bees. The chamber consisted of an insulated ice chest (IceKool, Queensland, Australia). In the chamber, air temperature was controlled using a 162-W Peltier device (model AC-162, TE Technology, Traverse City, MI) and a custom-built controller that incorporated a TE Technology digital display (MP-2986) and control card (TC-36-25-RS486). (b) Traps used for bee collection. Each consisted of a 946 mL paint can filled with ~275 mL of propylene glycol and topped with a plastic automotive funnel (funnel height = 10 cm, top diameter = 14 cm, bottom diameter = 2.5 cm). The funnels’ interiors were painted with either blue or yellow fluorescent paint (Krylon, Cleveland, OH or Ace Hardware, Oak Brook, IL). Each trap was placed on a 45 cm high platform that was surrounded by a 60 cm high chicken wire cage to prevent wildlife and wind disturbance.
(a) Aridity index (inverse SPEI) as a function of maximum air temperature for the period leading up to the monsoon season (April–September), for the historic period (2002–2020) in the plains and Chihuahuan Desert ecosystems, and for 2021–2100 under three predicted future climate scenarios (RCP 2.6, 4.5, and 8.5) for the midpoint between ecosystems, using data from six General Circulation Models (ACCESS 1.0, CanESM2, CCSM 4.0, CNRM-CM5, CSIRO-Mk3.6.0, and INM-CM4). The red bar with an asterisk on the x-axis indicates the critical thermal maximum (CTMax) of the least thermally tolerant bee taxon in the dataset. The error band represents the 95% confidence interval. (b) Year-to-year variation in the aridity index calculated using two different PET estimation methods (Thornthwaite and Penman) for the spring and monsoon seasons in the plains ecosystem and Chihuahuan Desert ecosystems.
Phylogeny of the 339 bee species collected at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge (NM, USA) from 2002–2019, with direction of predicted future change in abundance from 2002–2100 based on averaged projections from six General Circulation Models of global climate (white = insufficient data).
(a) Change in community-weighted mean (CWM) bee body mass with monsoon season aridity (inverse SPEI) and over time in the combined historic and predicted future datasets, for low (RCP 2.6) and high (RCP 8.5) climate change scenarios. Points represent means and error bars indicate s.e.m. for the linear or quadratic effect of aridity or year on CWM body mass using results from each of six General Circulation Models (GCMs; listed on y-axis). RCP 2.6 data were only available for the CanESM2 GCM. Positive and negative aridity values indicate hotter/drier and cooler/wetter conditions relative to the historic mean (2002–2019), respectively. Statistical results are from mixed effects models (see Methods). (b) Change over time in total bee abundance across study sites, using long-term historic data and predicted future data for low and high climate change scenarios (RCP 2.6 and 8.5). Each point represents the sum for each ecosystem × year combination of all species-level mean predicted abundance values that were calculated by averaging across predictions from the six GCMs. Points are colored by monsoon aridity averaged across the six GCMs. Positive and negative aridity values indicate hotter/drier and cooler/wetter conditions relative to the historic mean (2002–2019), respectively. Error bands represent 95% confidence intervals. Statistics are from linear regression analysis.
Points represent means and error bars indicate s.e.m. (mean n = 15 bee individuals/species/year; see Methods for sample sizes per species). Statistical results are from linear regressions. Mean body mass did not change over time within any species.
Relationship between spring or monsoon season aridity and proportion of forb and shrub individuals in flower from long-term plant phenology data (2002–2019), in three focal ecosystem types. Positive and negative aridity values indicate hotter/drier and cooler/wetter conditions relative to the mean, respectively. Error bands represent 95% confidence intervals. Statistical results are from mixed effects models.
Mean air temperature and total monthly precipitation trends for the plains ecosystem and Chihuahuan Desert ecosystems (grassland and shrubland) at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, for each month averaged across the years 2002–2019 (top) and for each month within each year (bottom).
Monthly aridity index (inverse SPEI) as a function of four other climate variables (temperature, precipitation, relative humidity, and vapor pressure deficit) for each month of the year (1–12). Data are from two meteorological stations at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge (Chihuahuan Desert and Plains). Error bands represent 95% confidence intervals.
This file contains: Supplementary Tables 1–8, showing results from statistical analyses, with corresponding captions; a description of methods and results related to calculating potential evapotranspiration (PET) using two different estimation methods; and Supplementary Fig. 1, showing climate sensitivity function graphs.
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Nicole Conlan writes jokes for Jon Stewart on “The Daily Show.” But her master’s in urban planning from USC and her experiences growing up in Colorado surrounded by skiers were just as relevant to her task on the Universal Studios lot last week.
The Emmy-nominated writer had 10 minutes to pitch a studio executive on her half-hour climate change sitcom. She described it as similar to “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” only set at a Colorado environmental group, poking fun at a character who gets involved in climate advocacy for selfish reasons and must slowly learn to care.
“Just a quick disclaimer: I named the character Nicole because I wanted to write the worst possible version of myself. But I’m not planning on acting in it. I would like somebody famous to be in my television show,” Conlan told the studio executive.
“The starting point for a lot of these episodes is in the climate space and the environmental world, but it really is a show about the characters and their interactions,” she added. “Kind of the same way ‘Parks and Rec’ is a show about local government, but it’s not really a show about local government. Or ‘Always Sunny’ is about running a bar, but it’s not really about running a bar.”
Conlan was one of 18 writers on the NBCUniversal campus — which hugs the Los Angeles River, within sight of Universal Studios Hollywood’s Hogwarts castle — for a climate change “pitchfest” organized by the Hollywood Climate Summit.
It was the group’s second such event, and the latest sign of a growing movement within the entertainment industry to tell stories that reflect reality — that is, stories about a world reshaped by rising temperatures, and a world it’s not too late to save.
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The Hollywood Climate Summit received 125 film scripts and TV pilots when it put out a call for submissions last year. The group and its advisors chose 51 semifinalists, evaluating entries based on the strength of the stories, the diversity of the characters and the attention paid to climate — although global warming didn’t have to be the explicit focus.
“We were hoping for scripts that addressed what we see as aspirational values in the age of climate,” said Heather Fipps, one of the summit’s co-founders. “This could be Indigenous LandBack stories. This could be ocean conservation. We’re looking for things that are not just apocalyptic or eco-terrorism-focused. We want to avoid the tropes of what we consider a climate story.”
Then a jury of entertainment industry veterans — some well-versed in climate, others new to this kind of storytelling — picked the finalist screenwriters, many of whom made it to the Universal Studios lot to pitch their stories to development executives.
“We did not have a hard time getting interest in the development executives coming. So that’s a good sign,” Fipps told me.
So far, there definitely aren’t enough references to the climate crisis on our screens.
When USC researchers analyzed 37,453 scripted television episodes and films released from 2016 through 2020, they found that just 2.8% mentioned climate change (or a long list of related terms). More recently, a consulting firm and an academic developed the Climate Reality Check, a test to determine whether a film or TV show acknowledges global warming. Of the 13 feature-length, fictional Oscar-nominated movies this year set in present-day or near-future Earth, just three passed the test.
Why does it matter whether Hollywood tells stories about the climate crisis?
Because for better or worse, the entertainment we consume can shape how we understand and interact with the world.
Researchers have found, for instance, that the beloved sitcom “Will & Grace” helped reduce prejudice against gay men. There’s also a long history of research suggesting that watching violence on screen can lead to increased risk of violent behavior.
So it’s encouraging to see screenwriters and producers coming together to talk climate — especially when the biggest barriers to avoiding a future of ever-deadlier heat waves, wildfires and hurricanes aren’t technological or economic, but rather political.
As the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication reported last week, there’s a huge “attitude-behavior gap” on climate in the United States. Lots of Americans say they would engage in political action on climate if someone they liked or respected asked them to — by signing a petition or donating money to an advocacy group or volunteering or contacting government officials — but few of them are actually doing so. They’re concerned about global warming but not doing much about it.
This is where TV and the movies could be a huge help — even when they’re not telling stories solely focused on climate.
Writers and studios could create action heroes who have solar panels on their roofs, or drive electric cars — or, gasp, take buses or trains instead of driving. They could have those characters mention global warming on occasion, or criticize fossil fuels.
“You put these stories in front of people where you’re hiding the spinach in the popcorn,” Jasmine Russ said.
Russ is vice president of production and development at Fabel Entertainment, one of the companies behind the “Bosch” television universe. She was recruited to listen to screenwriters’ climate pitches on the Universal Studios lot last week.
Global warming definitely wasn’t her focus beforehand. But by the end of the evening, it was front of mind.
Although she and her Fabel colleagues had talked previously about the possibility of telling stories dealing with climate themes, they weren’t sure how best to “thread the needle” between entertainment and environmental messages, she told me. So she was impressed by how deftly the writers at the pitchfest proposed “excellent stories” that just so happened to weave in climate.
She especially enjoyed the genre pitches — horror, science fiction, fantasy, anything “with a little bit of otherworldliness.”
“You don’t expect that,” Russ said. “People have this ‘Erin Brockovich’ idea of what an environmental story looks like.”
Our conversation made me think about “Echo,” the recent Disney+ show set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It was fabulously entertaining TV, centered on a superhero who happens to be Native American, Deaf and an amputee who uses a prosthetic leg. None of those elements formed the basis of the plot. But they all made the story richer and more engaging.
“Effortless representation is what we should all aim for,” Russ said. “That’s the most effective kind.”
The writers I spoke with last week didn’t have high hopes that their pitches would get picked up — at least not right away.
Each of them got a handful of 10-minute pitch sessions with executives — not much time. The event’s organizers told me that as far as they know, none of the finalist scripts from the first pitchfest in 2022 have been picked up, although one writer did connect with an executive on another project that got developed, and a second writer signed with a manager as a result of that event.
Still, several writers told me that they saw last week’s pitchfest as a valuable opportunity for networking and feedback.
For the Hollywood Climate Summit organizers, meanwhile, it was a chance to keep making their case to the studios.
“The reality is, every single person in this room has already made challenging content that is also entertaining. We turn tragedies into comedies all the time. And we’re here to show you that climate can be just the same,” said Ali Weinstein, one of the summit’s co-founders, during opening remarks to writers and executives before the pitches got started.
One major studio has shown a particular openness to the idea of telling climate-conscious stories.
That would be Universal Filmed Entertainment Group, whose parent company hosted the pitchfest. Last year the studio — which encompasses Universal Pictures, Focus Features and DreamWorks Animation — launched its GreenerLight Program, pledging to make sustainability a priority not only behind the scenes (by reducing planet-warming carbon pollution and other environmental impacts from the production of its films) but also in front of the camera.
“We have this really impactful voice. How can we use that to spread positive sustainability messaging across our content?” asked Kimberly Burnick, director of sustainable content and partnerships at Universal Pictures, who was at the pitchfest.
Considering how slowly films get made, it’s too soon to point to any movies that have hit theaters with climate themes as a result of GreenerLight in the year since the program launched, Burnick told me. But she was optimistic about what’s in the pipeline. She said that many of Universal’s filmmakers and creative executives are enjoying the challenge of “harnessing their impact,” and that she and her colleagues are trying not to push too hard, “so that nothing we’re doing feels forced.”
“We’re not going the mandate approach, but more of the partnership approach,” she said.
Burnick said the studio has been supported by the Natural Resources Defense Council’s Rewrite the Future team — staffers at one of the nation’s largest environmental groups who work with producers and writers to promote more and better climate stories.
Daniel Hinerfeld, an Emmy-winning filmmaker who oversees Rewrite the Future, told me the NRDC initiative has consulting deals with several major Hollywood production companies, although only two of those companies — Netflix and NBCUniversal — have made the deals public. NRDC also hosts public panels at the Sundance Film Festival and elsewhere, and offers annual fellowships that help screenwriters develop climate scripts by pairing those writers with industry veterans and climate experts.
Like other efforts to get film and TV executives to take the climate emergency seriously, Rewrite the Future is relatively new.
And like everyone else I interviewed for this story, Hinerfeld is optimistic.
He told me about Rewrite the Future’s first public event, at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood in late 2019. About 45 minutes after the panel discussion ended, there were still maybe 90 people in the room, “yammering away,” he said.
“There was this huge pent-up desire to talk about this issue,” he said. “We realized at that moment we were on to something.”
Let’s keep the conversation going — and make it louder, and get more people involved. In Hollywood and everywhere else.
If you live in the Los Angeles area — or will be in town Thursday, April 11 — please consider joining us at USC for a great event.
Starting at noon, legendary actor and climate activist Jane Fonda will be in conversation with Willow Bay, dean of the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. After that, I’ll be talking environmental journalism, climate activism and strategies for staying hopeful with KCRW healthy communities reporter Caleigh Wells and Allison Agsten, who leads the USC Center for Climate Journalism and Communication. We’ll be moderated by my L.A. Times colleague Faith Pinho.
Hope you can be there! More details — and a link to RSVP — here.
This column is the latest edition of Boiling Point, an email newsletter about climate change and the environment in California and the American West. You can sign up for Boiling Point here. And for more climate and environment news, follow @Sammy_Roth on X.

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Sammy Roth is the climate columnist for the Los Angeles Times. He writes the twice-weekly Boiling Point newsletter and focuses on clean energy solutions. He previously reported for the Desert Sun and USA Today, where he covered renewable energy and public lands. He grew up in Westwood and would very much like to see the Dodgers win the World Series again.
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The new EX30 is the smallest, fastest, most eco-conscious Volvo  Top Gear
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By EWG Science Team
MARCH 20, 2024
Non-organic produce is loaded with fungicides that may harm human hormone systems, EWG’s 2024 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce™ finds. 
Across fruits and vegetables from EWG’s Dirty Dozen™ – the component of the Shopper’s Guide that identifies the 12 non-organic, or conventional, fresh produce with the most pesticides – four of the five most frequently detected chemicals the fungicides fludioxonil, pyraclostrobin, boscalid and pyrimethanil. 
Two of these, fludioxonil and pyrimethanil, also show up in the highest average concentrations of any pesticides found on the Dirty Dozen. Both fungicides may be endocrine disruptors with potential to harm the male reproductive system. 
Other fungicides are linked to similar health harms – and many others have not been adequately studied. 
This year, EWG determined that 75 percent of all conventional fresh produce sampled had residues of potentially harmful pesticides. But for items on the Dirty Dozen, a whopping 95 percent of samples contain pesticides. 
EWG’s 2024 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce analyzes data from tests conducted by the Department of Agriculture and Food and Drug Administration on 47,510 samples of 46 fruits and vegetables. 
The USDA peels or scrubs and washes produce samples before they’re tested, whereas the FDA removes only dirt first. Even after these steps, the agencies’ tests still found traces of 254 pesticides in all fruits and vegetables tested – and 209 of these were on Dirty Dozen produce.
That’s why the EWG Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce also includes the Clean Fifteen™, a list of the fruits and vegetables with very low or no pesticide residues.
EWG recommends consumers seeking fresh produce with low pesticide residues buy organic versions of items on EWG’s Dirty Dozen and either organic or non-organic versions of produce on the Clean Fifteen. There are also many organic and Clean Fifteen options in the frozen food aisle.
This year we also conducted an analysis of the USDA’s first round of new baby food tests, summarized below.
Everyone should eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, whether organic or conventionally grown. The health benefits of such a diet outweigh the risks of pesticide exposure. 
Four of the five pesticides found most frequently on the Dirty Dozen are fungicides: fludioxonil, pyraclostrobin, boscalid and pyrimethanil. 
Fungicides are applied on fruits and vegetables to prevent or kill fungal diseases like powdery mildew. They’re often applied after harvest to keep produce mold-free on its way to market. That’s likely why fungicide concentrations can be so high on some samples – higher than other pesticides applied earlier in the growing season.
Although the potential human health harms of fungicides aren’t as well studied as other pesticides, emerging evidence suggests many widely used fungicides may disrupt the hormone system. 
These four are no exception, although more studies are needed for all of them to understand the risks they pose to humans, particularly children.
Of the 46 items included in our analysis, these 12 fruits and vegetables were most contaminated with pesticides:
Some Dirty Dozen highlights:
See the full list of all 2024 Shopper’s Guide fruits and vegetables.
These 15 types of produce had the lowest amounts of pesticide residues, according to EWG’s analysis of the most recent USDA data.
Some Clean Fifteen highlights:
See the full list of all Shopper’s Guide fruits and vegetables.
In 2022, the USDA collected and tested several types of baby food, including sweet potatoes, green beans, peaches and pears, for pesticides. This is the first time the agency has sampled baby food for pesticides in over a decade.
The results, released in January 2024, show that non-organic baby foods are considerably less contaminated by pesticides than their whole fruit and vegetable counterparts, suggesting that baby food manufacturers and suppliers may be taking extra steps to reduce pesticides in baby food. 
The USDA test results are largely consistent with what EWG found in our 2023 tests of baby food, which detected residues in 38 percent of products tested. 
This is just the first round of results from a series of USDA tests that will be conducted through 2024. A more complete picture of these and a few other types of baby food (carrots, peas and applesauce) will be available next year, once more samples have been analyzed and the results released by the USDA. 
Meanwhile, you can read a summary of our analysis of the USDA’s first round of baby food tests here.
This year, the overall picture remains problematic: Too many pesticides are still found on too much of the produce millions of Americans eat every day.
Many peer-reviewed scientific studies have shown links between pesticides and human health problems. These findings raise important questions about the safety of pesticide mixtures found on produce. For example, research from Harvard University shows that consuming fruits and vegetables with high levels of pesticide residues may lessen the benefits of fruit and vegetable consumption, including protection against cardiovascular disease and mortality.
But EWG is especially concerned about how pesticides can harm children’s health. A recent EWG investigation published in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health found that the EPA has failed to adequately protect children from pesticides. For almost 90 percent of the most common pesticides, the agency has neglected to apply the Food Quality Protection Act–mandated children’s health safety factor to the allowable limits.
The threats pesticides pose to children’s health have been known since at least 1993 – over 30 years ago – when the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine published a landmark study warning of inadequate oversight. 
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends parents concerned about their children’s exposure to pesticides consult EWG’s Shopper’s Guide.
EWG’s Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce is a suite of materials investigating the presence of pesticides in foods and the ways they could harm people, especially children – and to help consumers make the best, most informed choices for their families. 
We’ve published the guide nearly every year since 2004. 
EWG’s Shopper’s Guide is designed to support people who would like to minimize their exposure to pesticides. It includes two well-known lists: the Dirty Dozen, or the 12 fresh non-organic, or conventional, fruits and vegetables with the highest pesticide residues, as well as the Clean Fifteen, the conventionally grown fruits and vegetables with very low or no traces of pesticides.
Some pesticides have more data linking them to health concerns than others. These pesticides are particularly concerning for children, who are especially susceptible to many of the health harms associated with pesticide exposure. 
The presence of so many different pesticides in foods is also problematic. There’s little data available about how multiple pesticides interact with each other in the body or how such mixtures could compound each chemical’s individual potential health harms. But the data we do have suggests that when chemicals are present in a mixture, they may be toxic to humans at lower levels than when alone.  
When regulating pesticides, government bodies also consider them only one at a time. They don’t look at the potential total body burden for consumers. 
Here are more resources from EWG’s 2024 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce:
EWG helps protect your family from pesticides! Donate $15 today and EWG will send you our Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce™ bag tag FREE to say thank you.
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The project will introduce small-scale waste-to-energy to expeditionary bases.
February 13, 2018
The U.S. Department of Defense’s Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP) announced that it has approved Eco Waste Solutions to move forward with its Deployable Waste-to-Energy Convertor for Expeditionary Bases (SWECX) with Thermal Energy to Electrical Power System (TEEPS) project.
The project is in collaboration with companies Ethosgen and Rockwell Collins, which will assist Eco Waste Solutions with system engineering, design and hardware for the project.
"We've known for a long time that one of the major environmental challenges facing the Department of Defense is dealing with solid waste on expeditionary bases," said Jean Lucas, president of Eco Waste, in a statement. "Military installations often use open burn pits, which pose significant risks to the health of military troops, local populace and the environment. Our containerized waste systems can solve this problem, as they are easily deployable, operate in extreme climates and don't create airborne health hazards. The ESTCP project gives us an opportunity to take this further and demonstrate a practical approach to small-scale power generation from waste."
The project will help the Department of Defense address the issues of open burn pits and operational energy objectives while also maintaining the mobility and efficiency that an expeditionary base requires.
"This is a tremendous opportunity for the U.S. military to position itself on the cutting edge of waste-to-energy technology," said James Abrams, founder and president of EthosGen, in a statement. "Successful small-scale waste-to-energy simply hasn't been done like this before, and it could transform the way all expeditionary forces deal with waste."
Waste360 Staff
Staff, Informa – Waste360
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PUBLISHED Dec. 13 2022, 2:39 p.m. ET
Candles are staples in many households — especially during Jewish homes during the eight nights of Hanukkah. However, many of us are painfully aware of the environmental harm that can come with burning them.
Many candles unfortunately contain paraffins, some are made from petroleum, and others contain nasty fragrances and other toxins. That’s why we’ve rounded up our favorite eco-friendly Hanukkah candles to use this holiday season.
All of the options we’ve listed below are all-natural, and many of them are fully vegan. So, with that in mind, prepare to light up that menorah, without feeling like you’re negatively impacting dear old Mother Earth.
Honey Candles’ all natural beeswax candles are free of toxic ingredients, they’re hand-dipped, and they burn with a warm, yellow glow. All of the wicks are made from paper or cotton, and they’re made without any harmful ingredients that you wouldn’t want to permeate throughout your home. The candles, which are made in Canada, are also also zinc- and lead-free, ensuring that your holiday is safe as can be.
This Hanukkah In A Box Set Includes A Silver-Plated Menorah, A Box Of 44 Multicolor Candles, 5 Toy Dreidels With Hanukkah Gelt Play Money, And A Hanukkah Celebration Guide. All Arrive Nicely Packaged In The Pictured Gift Box. https://t.co/Ls9ZyNACE4 pic.twitter.com/EBU2KCuWr6
Traditions Jewish Gifts’ Organic Vegetable Wax Chanukah Candles are another solid option. Not only are they hand-dipped, but they’re also biodegradable, hypoallergenic, and petroleum-free. Made from a combination of soy oil, palm oil, and beeswax, they burn cleanly for more than an hour. The wicks are also made from 100 percent cotton, and they’re lead-free — so you can rest assured you won’t be breathing in any toxic fumes.
A post shared by GoodLight Natural Candles (@goodlightcandles)
Because beeswax is an animal byproduct (as it’s made by bees), beeswax candles are all-natural, but they obviously are not vegan. Therefore, for many, it’s crucial to find fully plant-based options.
Goodlight offers vegan Hanukkah candles that are made from GMO-free palm wax. They are also REACH compliant, which means they meet regulations that protect both humans and the planet, as a whole.
A post shared by ModernTribe (@moderntribe_jew)
Modern Tribe’s Soy Vey Eco-Friendly Hanukkah Candles are unfortunately sold out right now, but when they’re back in stock, you’d best believe we’ll be ordering a pack for ourselves. As the name explains, these candles are made from 100 percent soy wax, ensuring that neither you, nor the animals, will be suffering as a result of buying and burning these babies. Plus, the name is hilarious, and you should definitely repurpose the packaging.
A post shared by Stylish Jewish Decor and Gifts (@peacelovelightshop)
Not only are these organic vegetable wax candles plant-based and pesticide-free, but they’re also made in the U.S. — meaning transportation emissions are minimal. They’re also biodegradable, hypoallergenic, and petroleum-, lead-, and dye-free. And with 100 percent cotton wicks and recycled paper boxes, they’re eco-friendly from start to finish.
In addition to making sure your candles are eco-friendly, there are many other ways to ensure you’re celebrating Hanukkah sustainably.
There are many durable menorahs that will last you a lifetime — inheriting one from family or finding one on Judaica.com is a good place to start. Opting for a plant-based latke or sufganiyot recipe is also an easy way to make sure your festivities aren’t taking a toll on the planet. Just make sure you’re safely disposing of all the leftover oil when you’re done cooking with it.
And finally, staying away from plastic dreidels, and exchanging eco-friendly gifts is an easy way to keep your impact low this holiday season — with all that in mind, happy Hanukkah!
The Ultimate Guide to an Eco-Friendly Hanukkah: Recipes, Candles, and More for a Lit Holiday
A Step-by-Step Guide on Making Your Own Natural Candles
How to Make Natural Vegan Candles at Home
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Former UN climate chief warns of global impact of a possible regression in US green policies
Victory for Donald Trump in the US presidential election this year could put the world’s climate goals at risk, a former UN climate chief has said.
The chances of limiting global heating to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels are already slim, and Trump’s antipathy to climate action would have a major impact on the US, which is the world’s second biggest emitter of greenhouse gases and biggest oil and gas exporter, said Patricia Espinosa, who served as the UN’s top official on the climate from 2016 to 2022.
“I worry [about the potential election of Trump] because it would have very strong consequences, if we see a regression regarding climate policies in the US,” Espinosa said.
Although Trump’s policy plans are not clear, conversations with his circle have created a worrying picture that could include the cancellation of Joe Biden’s groundbreaking climate legislation, withdrawal from the Paris agreement and a push for more drilling for oil and gas.
Espinosa said: “We are not yet aligned to 1.5C. That’s the reality. So if we see a situation where we would see regression on those efforts, then [the likelihood of staying within 1.5C] is very limited. It would certainly be a much bigger risk.
“We could see a slowdown, an even bigger slowdown [in action to reduce emissions], which would unfortunately probably take us to an even more terrible scenario, unless we see strong leadership coming from other places, [such as] Europe.”
She said other countries must continue with climate action even if the US were to renege on its goals under Trump, but the absence of the US would be a significant blow. “What happens in the US has a very big impact in so many places around the world,” she said.
It is not all gloom, however. Espinosa was the executive secretary of the UN framework convention on climate change, parent treaty to the 2015 Paris agreement, in 2016 when Trump was elected president. She said that if other countries put up a united front in favour of strong climate action, it could help to counteract the absence of the US.
“When President Trump announced that they would withdraw from the Paris agreement, there was a certain fear that others would follow, and that there would be a setback in the pace of the climate change process. Not only did that not happen but some countries that had not yet adhered to the Paris agreement did so,” she said.
If Trump were to take the US out of Paris in a fresh term, she does not believe others would follow suit. “As of now, I don’t see countries really going back. I think that the process will continue.”
On the contentious issue – particularly for the US – of climate finance, Espinosa said Biden was now facing difficulty in getting climate finance commitments through a hostile Republican Congress.
“We are seeing a lack of leadership, including in the big countries that can make contributions,” she said. “[In the US] I think there is a willingness but there are also limitations. In the EU there has been a long period where they have been discussing the internal frameworks [for climate finance]. At the same time, we have been seeing a reduction of funds going in general to the global south, and very little is going to climate change. It’s really a question of giving it priority.”
She is also concerned that too much of the focus of climate finance and efforts to reduce emissions so far has been on shifting from a reliance on fossil fuels to renewables.
“We are now realising that nature will make or break net zero – decarbonising the energy sector will not be enough,” Espinosa said, calling for more emphasis on the role of nature, to halt deforestation and transform food production, which accounts for about a third of global emissions. “The 1.5C economy can only be achieved by ending deforestation and accelerating the transition to sustainable agriculture and food systems this decade.”
In 2024, most of the world’s population will go to the polls in elections, in the US, Russia, India, the UK and scores of other countries. Climate action will be a contentious issue in many of these elections, as some parties are arguing for stronger policies based on stark scientific warnings, while others oppose such action.
Espinosa warned of the opposition to climate action that is being orchestrated around the world. “In the US, we see a very well organised and very strong campaign intending to reduce the perception of the critical nature of action that needs to be taken.”
To combat this, she called for businesses to play a greater role in pushing for a low-carbon economy. “We need to work closely with the private sector, make them aware of the important opportunities that the new [low-carbon] economy provides. There are profitable investments that protect nature and innovate technologies.”

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Home George Washington University Hosts Environmental Law Symposium with Keynote and Panels Devoted to Hope
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Keynote speaker Robert Verchick advised people not to despair over global warming, but to work to mitigate its local effects. “The opposite of despair is action,” Verchick said. (William Atkins/GW Today)
Climate change is a problem so big it can flummox or frighten us into despairing inaction. To counter this inertia, according to legal scholar and author Robert Verchick, we should ask ourselves how climate change damages things we care about as individuals and seek appropriate remedies. One person can make a greater impact than we might think, and if enough of us act, the collective benefits of local efforts could be surprising.
“I think just doing that small thing is enough in the beginning,” said Verchick during his keynote address at the J.B. and Maurice C. Shapiro Environmental Law Symposium, an annual gathering hosted by GW Law’s Environmental and Energy Law Program. This year’s symposium, titled “Environmental Justice Solutions Summit: Strategic Litigation, Resilience and Hope,” highlighted youth climate activism and explored environmental justice issues such as climate migration through an interdisciplinary lens.
Verchick occupies the Gauthier-St. Martin Eminent Scholar Chair in Environmental Law at Loyola University New Orleans. He is also a senior fellow in disaster resilience at Tulane University and the president of the Center for Progressive Reform, a research and advocacy organization. ​In 2009 and 2010, he served in the Obama administration as deputy associate administrator for policy at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
His previous books include the award-winning “Facing Catastrophe: Environmental Action for a Post-Katrina World” (Harvard University Press, 2010). He is a frequent commentator in newspapers and other media.
In his latest book, “The Octopus in the Parking Garage” (Columbia University Press, 2023), Verchick describes efforts to promote climate resilience in various locales, including attempts to protect Joshua trees in the Mojave Desert and the work of citizen scientists to restore coral reefs in the Florida Keys. He spoke about these and other initiatives in his keynote address.
Praise for Verchick and his book were offered in introductory remarks by Randall S. Abate, assistant dean for environmental law studies, who also expressed his appreciation for the range of speakers in this year’s symposium, saying it reflects the growing scope of GW’s environmental law program. Further praise was offered by Robert L. Glicksman, the J.B. and Maurice Shapiro Professor of Environmental Law, who introduced the keynote speaker.
“It’s hard for me to believe that a law professor actually wrote this book,” Glicksman said. “It reads more like a thrilling mystery novel than a fusty academic tome. It’s a real page turner with Rob’s unique and accessible style and voice jumping off virtually every page.”
While existing laws can sometimes make matters worse and politicians seem unable or unwilling to act in effectively, Verchick said, the small efforts of individual citizens may be key to our survival.
“This is a moment when people are learning about climate change in a very personal, visceral way,” Verchick said. Yet no one living, he added, is likely to experience most of the positive results of our efforts to adapt. Even if optimal policies were put in place tomorrow, it will take a long time for the planet (and oceans) to cool. Nonetheless, he stressed, we must not give in to despair.
“What we have to learn is that the opposite of despair is action,” Verchick said.
The symposium’s keynote concluded with a Q & A session, with several panel discussions scheduled for the following day. Morning panels were on “Youth Community Organizing and Climate Justice” and “Climate Change Displacement and Migration.” Afternoon sessions were titled “Strategic Litigation to Promote Human Rights and Environmental Protection” and “Environmental Justice and Public Health.” Panelists included lawyers, activists and other experts across many disciplines who have been active in environmental justice initiatives around the world. Their discussions focused on success stories, proposed strategies for future progress, and hope.
Winner of the Grodsky Prize for 2024
At midday, the winner of this year’s Grodsky Prize for Environmental Law Scholarship was announced. The prize was established to honor the legacy of Jamie Grodsky, who at the time of her death in 2010 was a professor of environmental law at GW Law. The award, of $5,000, is given annually for the best paper written by a GW Law student in the environmental field. The winning paper must be of publishable quality and make a significant contribution to the theory or practice of environmental law.
Before presenting the prize, Glicksman said Grodsky’s work continues to spur insights among legal scholars and scientific researchers as well. This year’s prize-winning paper was written by third-year GW Law student James Crisafulli.
“The paper addresses the interstate economic and public health problems caused by interstate pollution,” Glicksman said. “The burning of fossil fuels emits air pollutants that, by drifting into neighboring states, impose significant interstate economic costs. James argues in his paper that creative solutions are needed to address this problem.”
Further, Glicksman said, Crisafulli’s paper argues that there’s an existing legal tool that could do so: the dormant commerce clause.
“This is a court-created doctrine that invalidates state laws that discriminate against out-of-state parties, that either apply extraterritorially or otherwise burden interstate commerce,” Glicksman said. “It has traditionally been used in the environmental context to challenge state environmental protections, and recently has been used to challenge renewable energy programs. But James proposes that the dormant commerce clause principles can be used against state laws that promote fossil fuels.”
Accepting the prize, Crisafulli thanked his teachers and mentors and said an interest in environmental justice is what inspired him to apply to GW Law. He thanked Dean Dayna Bowen Matthew for spearheading the school’s investment in public interest law, particularly environmental law.
“I came to GW because it’s in the nation’s capital,” Crisafulli said. “I had a policy interest and background and just wanted to be where the action was. I was passionate about environmental issues, but I didn’t really realize what I was going to be getting at GW in terms of environmental law. And I’ve been so grateful.”
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From radar instruments smaller than a shoebox to radiometers the size of a milk carton, there are more tools available to scientists today for observing complex Earth systems than ever before. But this abundance of available sensors creates its own unique challenge: how can researchers organize these diverse instruments in the most efficient way for field campaigns and science missions?
To help researchers maximize the value of science missions, Bart Forman, an Associate Professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Maryland, and a team of researchers from the Stevens Institute of Technology and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center prototyped an Observational System Simulation Experiment (OSSE) for designing science missions dedicated to monitoring terrestrial freshwater storage.
“You have different sensor types. You have radars, you have radiometers, you have lidars—each is measuring different components of the electromagnetic spectrum,” said Bart Forman, an Associate Professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Maryland. “Different observations have different strengths.”
Terrestrial freshwater storage describes the integrated sum of freshwater spread across Earth’s snow, soil moisture, vegetation canopy, surface water impoundments, and groundwater. It’s a dynamic system, one that defies traditional, static systems of scientific observation.
Forman’s project builds on prior technology advancements he achieved during an earlier Earth Science Technology Office (ESTO) project, in which he developed an observation system simulation experiment for mapping terrestrial snow.
It also relies heavily on innovations pioneered by NASA’s Land Information System (LIS) and NASA’s Trade-space Analysis Tool for Designing Constellations (TAT-C), two modeling tools that began as ESTO investments and quickly became staples within the Earth science community.
Forman’s tool incorporates these modeling programs into a new system that provides researchers with a customizable platform for planning dynamic observation missions that include a diverse collection of spaceborne data sets.
In addition, Forman’s tool also includes a “dollars-to-science” cost estimate tool that allows researchers to assess the financial risks associated with a proposed mission.
Together, all of these features provide scientists with the ability to link observations, data assimilation, uncertainty estimation, and physical models within a single, integrated framework.
“We were taking a land surface model and trying to merge it with different space-based measurements of snow, soil moisture, and groundwater to see if there was an optimal combination to give us the most bang for our scientific buck,” explained Forman.
While Forman’s tool isn’t the first information system dedicated to science mission design, it does include a number of novel features. In particular, its ability to integrate observations from spaceborne passive optical radiometers, passive microwave radiometers, and radar sources marks a significant technology advancement.
Forman explained that while these indirect observations of freshwater include valuable information for quantifying freshwater, they also each contain their own unique error characteristics that must be carefully integrated with a land surface model in order to provide estimates of geophysical variables that scientists care most about.
Forman’s software also combines LIS and TAT-C within a single software framework, extending the capabilities of both systems to create superior descriptions of global terrestrial hydrology.
Indeed, Forman stressed the importance of having a large, diverse team that features experts from across the Earth science and modeling communities.
“It’s nice to be part of a big team because these are big problems, and I don’t know the answers myself. I need to find a lot of people who know a lot more than I do and get them to sort of jump in and roll their sleeves up and help us. And they did,” said Forman.
Having created an observation system simulation experiment capable of incorporating dynamic, space-based observations into mission planning models, Forman and his team hope that future researchers will build on their work to create an even better mission modeling program.
For example, while Forman and his team focused on generating mission plans for existing sensors, an expanded version of their software could help researchers determine how they might use future sensors to gather new data.
“With the kinds of things that TAT-C can do, we can create hypothetical sensors. What if we double the swath width? If it could see twice as much space, does that give us more information? Simultaneously, we can ask questions about the impact of different error characteristics for each of these hypothetical sensors and explore the corresponding tradeoff,” said Forman.
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