New research finds areas in the Arctic with dwarf birch are experiencing longer periods with no snow, resulting in deeper thawing of the ground, and that may lead to faster thawing of the permafrost. While their impact varies, a paper recently published in the journal Arctic Science found areas with birch shrubs had longer snow-free periods, in turn accelerating the…

Hello, people! This is our weekly newsletter on all things environmental, where we highlight trends and solutions that are moving us to a more sustainable world. (Sign up here to get it in your inbox every Thursday.) This week: How grocery stores could produce less plastic waste Heated debate over the Australian wildfires The second life of electric vehicle…

A new study estimates almost two million pieces of junk lie on the seafloor of the Bay of Fundy between Nova Scotia and New Brunwsick, most of which is plastic and fishing gear, but the number is likely more. The study, Benthic marine debris in the Bay of Fundy, said seafloor debris in the Bay of Fundy is…

Another detail into one of the Arctic’s top predators is being filled in, with a new study on how they behave after killing their prey.   Scientists have always thought of polar bears as fast eaters, chowing down on the choicest cuts of seal, walrus and whale right after they’ve killed it.  But that’s not always…

A Vancouver conference promoting business links between Canada and China is under fire for inviting a company that’s blacklisted in the U.S. for its work monitoring the Uighur ethnic group in China. Jimmy Zhou, executive director of SenseTime, is one of the Chinese corporate leaders invited to speak at the China Forum to be held Nov. 16 and 17 and sponsored by BizChina Club…

Children are growing up in a warmer world where they’ll face more and different health problems than their parents experienced, an international report by doctors says. With increasing diarrhea diseases, more dangerous heat waves, air pollution and increases in mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue fever and malaria, man-made global warming is already harming public health…