Most Of The World's Carbon Emissions Come From Just 100 Companies
And the people in the Trump administration tasked with regulating those companies are dining out with them instead.
LEARN MORESomething Might Be Keeping The Ozone Layer From Healing Itself
Certain chemicals chewed a hole in Earth's ozone layer. But regulating those substances doesn't seem to have made much difference.
Something Might Be Keeping The Ozone Layer From Healing Itself
NASA
October 12, 2017
After 30 years, the Earth's ozone layer seems to have stabilized. But it's not showing any signs of recovering from the damage chemicals did to it.
In the 1980s, scientists discovered certain chemicals had chewed a "hole" in Earth's ozone layer, which protects us from the sun's ultraviolet radiation. Several nations enacted the Montreal Protocol, which was designed to phase out damaging chemicals like chlorofluorocarbons and hydrofluorocarbons. Since then, satellites monitoring the ozone hole haven't seen any improvement.
It could be because of atmospheric conditions. A 2013 NASA study found that heat and wind in Earth's stratosphere change the average size of the ozone hole from year to year. In 2016, for example, NASA scientists determined the fluctuations were due to an unusually warm stratosphere.
And now, some researchers argue the ozone layer is facing a new threat from harmful substances that aren't regulated by the Montreal Protocol. They're used in everything from pharmaceuticals to paint stripper, and we'd previously thought they degraded before they reached the stratosphere.
But a recent study found there's more of them in the atmosphere than expected. Levels of dichloromethane, for example, have increased 60 percent over the past decade.
Researchers say we might need to expand the Montreal Protocol to include these harmful substances. Until then, scientists will continue to monitor the ozone hole's fluctuations.
3:45
Federal funding helps Jackson, Mississippi address water crisis
A Jackson restaurant owner shares what the millions headed to the city could do to help businesses like his deal with aging infrastructure.
By AP6:26
Supply chain issues slowing down recovery from natural disasters
Supply chain shortages can cause years-long delays in recovering from natural disasters.
By Wilfredo Lee / APStudy finds high levels of 'forever chemicals' in freshwater fish
U.S scientists found the median levels of PFAS in freshwater fish were more than 270 times higher than those detected in commercially caught fish.
By Andrew Muir / Great Lakes Fishery Commission via APTop Stories
1:07
US infiltrates big ransomware gang: 'We hacked the hackers'
Officials said the targeted syndicate, known as Hive, is among the world's top five ransomware networks and has heavily targeted health care.
By Jose Luis Magana / AP0:32
Israel, Gaza fighters trade fire after deadly West Bank raid
The flare-up in violence casts a shadow on U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken's expected trip to the region next week.
By Majdi Mohammed / AP2:34
Biden touts economic record, criticizes House Republicans
The president's first major economic address this year comes as the White House and Congress remain at odds over increasing the debt ceiling.
By Andrew Harnik / AP