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         The Wolf administration has agreed to a 15 year purchase agreement which will supply half the state's electricity. Governor Wolf  had an executive order on climate change called for at least 40% of the common wealth's electricity. It will go across 191 counties. It would most likely be a good boost for jobs and tax revenue for communities.      Honestly, I think this could be great for our state. If PA does this, it could great a good test state and could create an example for other states. It will also be beneficial to our state as well.  link!

 The government spends more than $500 billion dollars on their operations each year. This makes them a big consumer. If the government made ecofriendly decisions on the goods and services they chose, they would be able to make a big difference completely on their own. If the government spends money on sustainable options, they can improve and create more for the public. The government is planning on purchasing electric vehicles for their federal transportation. While this isn't that many vehicles, it funds the small, private businesses that make these cars. It could also be beneficial to have their buildings run on clean energy. I think it is a good idea for the government to go clean. They can make a big impact because of the amount of resources they use. Also, in areas where they might not make a big impact, they are still setting an important example. The people are supposed to look up to the government, so it could encourage them to consider clean options as well. If the govern

      Lake Michigan, the 5th largest lake in the world, is warming deep under the surface of the water. After 30 years of monitoring, the lake has not changed much- but now, it is warming, almost seemingly out of nowhere. Ice is melting, and the organisms that live within the lake are being put under massive stress over the 'early' change in temperature, and the overall possibility of a greater temperature over the summer.      A lot of blame for this increase in temperature comes solely to climate change. The monitoring of this lake, as well as the creatures that live within are considerably essential in order to track not only the progress of climate change, but to also keep note of Lake Michigan itself, and to protect the creatures that dwell in the lake. This change signifies a great turning point for greenhouse gasses and climate change as a whole. This increase in temperature is important to note and keep in mind, moving into the future of pollution control and energy pro

      Recently, species native to tropical areas, like Florida, have begun to move northward. Due to climate change, there has been a reduced amount of cold days in places where these animals live, causing some of them to move up the US coast. These species include not only animals native to the US already, but also invasive species such as Cuban tree frogs, Burmese pythons, & buffelgrass. Since the weather has been so unpredictable due to climate change, long amounts of time can go by without freezing temperatures, allowing these organisms to make their way further & further north. If this keeps happening, when the cold weather does hit, many specialist species will also be hit & will have their population be greatly reduced.  This is obviously concerning since tropical species were meant to stay in tropical areas. By combining tropical species with more northern species, there may be all kinds of conflict & harm between populations. Another problem is the potential en

  People have begun planting grass in places they shouldn't, which is affecting the deserts environment. The grass that is creating these problems is called Buffelgrass. It is a  perennial arid climate-adapted grass from Africa. It was planted thr ough Arizona, Texas, and Mexico to control soil erosion in the 1930's. It has spread so much that it is labeled a noxious weed, and has spread through many states, and invaded undisturbed deserts. The main reason it is bad is because it is major fuel for fire. It was the main cause of some of the largest fires in Arizona.  I think this is a major problem, especially since it has been spreading so rapidly. It is a great idea that volunteers were going into national parks to remove the Buffelgrass. It will take more, but anything will help.  https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/volunteers-help-fight-invasive-buffelgrass-in-sonoran-desert-parks

https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/02/americas/titanosaur-fossil-argentina-intl-hnk-scli-scn/index.html           Scientists have unearthed fossils of what may be the oldest-known member of the dinosaur group known as titanosaurs. Titanosaurs' are known to be the largest land animals in Earth's history.  Scientists have unearthed fossils of what may be the oldest-known member of the dinosaur group known as titanosaurs that includes the largest land animals that we know of.  They identified Ninjatitan as a titanosaur, a group of long-necked plant-eating dinosaurs that walked on four pillar-like legs.  The dinosaur's incomplete skeletal remains were discovered in Argentina's Patagonian wilderness, south of the city of Neuquen.  The researchers said Ninjatitan demonstrated that the titanosaurs, as a group, first appeared longer ago than what we think.  

University of California - San Diego. "Fine particulate matter from wildfire smoke more harmful than pollution from other sources: Researchers call for revisions to air-quality monitoring guidelines to consider the sources of emissions." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 5 March 2021. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/03/210305080124.htm>.          Researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego  have been examining the  data of  hospital admissions  from the past  14 years. They can conclude that the fine particles in wildfire smoke can be several times more harmful to the lungs of humans and other animals, than particles of matter from other sources, such as car exhaust or other gas appliances. While there have been many laboratory experiments, the new study confirms it at a population level. W ildfire smoke can penetrate the human respiratory tract and can enter the bloodstream or impair vital organs.  To isolate wildfire-produced PM2.5 from other sour

Cameras are placed in the wild to capture pictures of different ecosystems and the wildlife living in them. The cameras are put in areas where the most food is located to capture the most activity and variety. The information collected, is used to study the patterns of different animals. The cameras offer scientists the opportunity to study wildlife without disturbing it. Click Here For More!!!   The cameras offer a great way to study different species that may be close to extinction and moniter their populations more closely. The cameras could also aid in protecting an environment from harmful activity by humans. The cameras create a fun and beneficial way to study wildlife without disturbing it.

     Senator Cory Booker’s has helped bring up the  Farm System Reform Bill of 2019 to the U.S. Senate. This is because they are tired of all the animal feeding operations, also known as factory farms. They are not only effecting animals, but humans too. Many of the large pandemics in America have formed from animals to humans, that came from these factory farms. Not only is the risk or bacteria and viruses high, but also the impact on the animals. They are getting abused and have no way of getting around it or out of it. The meat then gets sold cheaper than if you would buy it from a fresh farm, where they are raised properly. Senator Booker is trying his very hardest to pass this bill and help the US.  From this article, I feel like there needs to be more done about this problem. It shouldn't be only one person that is making an effort to the higher up. It is affecting everyone in the US, physically and emotionally. They are becoming sick or very unhealthy.  The animals should al

 From the Reading Eagle - a court has decided that Duke Reality can move the graveyard to build the warehouse in Maxatawny township. The judge ruled that the decedents are too far removed. 

 -Colin Schaller  Summary: This article is about how monkeys, but mainly apes are receiving the covid vaccines. This is due to the facts that some of the apes tested positive in January. It goes on to talk about how these apes are just as important to get the vaccine than humans. I personally do not believe that the vaccine should have been used on them. This is a waste. Humans should be taken care of first not monkeys in a zoo.  Link: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/first-great-apes-at-us-zoo-receive-coronavirus-vaccine-made-for-animals 

 The Kitefin Shark is the largest glow-in-the-dark species with a spine that was discovered on the planet.  Researchers went ahead with the study of this shark by attempting to catch them and transferring them to dark, cold tanks so pictures could be taken.  Skin was dissected in order to try to examine and understand the luminosity of these sharks.  It was also compared to the Tiny Lantern Sharks, which also glow.  Many bioluminescent organisms glow is controlled by their nervous system, but that was not the case.  Instead, this shark's glow is controlled by the hormone melatonin.  In humans, this hormone helps us sleep, but for this shark species, it makes them glow. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/05/science/biggest-glowing-shark.html?searchResultPosition=1 I think this shows just how much of the ocean is undiscovered.  There is this 6-foot shark that glows swimming around in the ocean and we just discovered it now.  There could be many other species like it that you think would

      As of the morning of February 26, a giant iceberg 20 times the size of Manhattan broke off from Antarctica's Brunt Ice Shelf. Scientists had been tracking the crack that causes the split since November 2020, and were not at all surprised or alarmed by its final break away. This "North Rift" crack was the third to form in the past decade. In January, the crack was recorded to grow northeast at an average rate of 0.6 miles per day, speeding up to widen by a few hundred meters in a couple of hours on the day it broke off. Currently, there is no direct evidence the split was caused by climate change. It is a completely natural process for icebergs to break off of ice shelves and the Brunt Ice Shelf routinely calves icebergs according to scientific study. This particular iceberg is very large however, and has a size of about 490 square miles, making this particular calving a rare and fascinating event. The Brunt Ice Shelf currently houses the BAS (British Antarctic Surve

 As the world begins its return towards normalcy the amount of carbon emissions are rising at a staggering rate. The quarantine that started almost a year ago caused shutdowns all over the world and brought many economies to a halt. During this time carbon emission dropped by 7%. This kind of emissions drop put the world on the right path towards net zero carbon emissions in 2050. Although as the economy opens back up the amount of carbon emissions is recovering towards its previous state. China is one of the worlds biggest greenhouse gas emitter and they say a 12% carbon emissions drop during their lockdown but now as their economy recovers they are emitting 5% more emissions than they were in previous years. This article shows the absolute neglect the world has for the environment. The amount of carbon emissions reduced during lockdown is a great indicator of what is takes to work towards net zero emissions. If there would be work towards green energy to a degree large enough to make

      Studies have showed that when people buy their first car, it tends to be very fuel efficient car because people want to save money. But, people's second purchased car is normally a less fuel efficient car that is not very environmentally friendly.      Most of the pollution that cars give off is from people driving cars that aren't fuel efficient. Gas pollution goes down 57% when driving a car when you put it in ecoboost mode. This is what scientists in this field are telling people to do instead of one, buying cars that aren't fuel efficient and two, trying to put your car in ecoboost mode more ofter than not while driving. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/03/210302130642.htm 

 The invasive grass, buffelgrass, is continuing to spread and putting many things in danger. Not only does this grass prevent other growth of different plants, but also spreads the chances of a forest fire. This grass lights up quickly, intensifying the wild fires, but also spreading them. Many volunteers are out trying to pull the grass out to get rid of the threat, but it is much harder than you expect. The roots grow deep and the seeds are viable for years. You need actual equipment to pull them out, but they need constant pulling to prevent them from growing again.  In order to prevent this species from spreading, volunteers from all around need to come together and help get this grass out of the ground. It will take tons of time, speaking that it is spreading more and more every day. This grass is putting other species at risk by invading their habit, along with putting us at danger by adding to the possibility of wildfires.  Link: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article

 Planting trees is an efficient way to soak up carbon emissions. People are pushing for reforestation to help improve our climate. We would need to grow a lot of trees for them to be able to capture and store all the carbon dioxide. But the US isn't reaching there current goal. We have too little seedlings being planted right now. Studies show that tree nurseries would have to increase their production to at least 3 billion seedlings per year, doubling there current production.  The seedlings being produced now, are just replacing the trees being taken down due to deforestation. There are no additional trees being planted currently to help change the way our climate is.  I think that planting trees is a great idea. Trees give us oxygen to breathe, so they would be useful for other things also. Planting trees is good for the environment in many ways. It gives us oxygen, gives food sources to animals, and a habitat to animals. Trees could be what helps save our environment, so I thin

 Deserts in Arizona over the past couple of years have start to become more like grasslands. And that's where the problem starts. Buffelgrass, which is native to Africa, was brought to the US in the 1930s. It was planted in the Southern US and Mexico. Only after 50 years of being planted, real issues started to show up with the grass. The grass began fueling wildfires and now its labeled as a noxious weed in Arizona. This grass has spread from the South to areas such as Hawaii and Florida. It is so invasive that it takes over native plants to an area and destroys them. There is a group called the Buffel Slayers and they volunteer to take control of the grass. They will take crowbars to the grass to destroy it and get it out of the soil. Buffelgrass is both invasive and fuels the fires in the South.  I think this is a serious situation we need to focus on. Wildfires contribute to our climate and the effects it has on the air. Many people lose their homes each year due to wildfires.

During the recent loss of power in Texas because of the snow and cold weather, families with solar paneled houses and batteries maintained power. Their houses were used as safe houses for other people to warm up and shower. During extreme weather, solar panels become much more dependable because they aren't relying on the grid. Also using batteries to store energy is helpful when the sun isn't shining because of a storm. Also on a larger scale, extra solar energy could be stored on larger batteries that could be used to prevent blackouts like this. I think this article is important because it shows that solar energy not only helps to reduce climate change, but protect people from the extreme weather that is already being caused by climate change. Why continue using unsuitable energy that is less reliant and more expensive. This article also shows solar energy expanding and being used in grids instead of just private. Article