metro observer daily news
California’s national forests are facing significant changes as the Trump administration’s recent order expands timber production across the United States. On April 5, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins issued an emergency declaration mandating the U.S. Forest Service to open approximately 112.5 million acres of national forestland to logging. While a grainy map was provided…
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump took to the White House podium to boost one of his favorite energy sources. “We’re ending Joe Biden’s war on beautiful clean coal once and for all,” he said, as uniformed coal miners lined up behind him. “I tell my people never use the word ‘coal’ unless you put ‘beautiful…
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has overturned long-held assumptions about how aging stars consume their planets, providing a clearer understanding of the fate that may await planetary systems like our own. Observations indicate that instead of dramatic engulfment, a planet slowly spiraled inward over time before meeting its fiery end. Data gathered by researchers…
On Friday, many of the world’s largest shipping nations decided to impose a minimum fee of $100 for every ton of greenhouse gases emitted by ships above certain thresholds, marking what is effectively the first global tax on greenhouse gas emissions. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) estimates that the new fees will generate between $11…
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been collecting and reporting data on the generation and disposition of municipal solid waste (MSW) in the United States for over 35 years. This extensive research is vital for measuring the success of materials management programs across the country and characterizing the national waste stream. The latest collected Facts…
On November 15, America Recycles Day, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) highlights the significance of recycling and its impact on both American prosperity and environmental protection. The recycling rate in the United States has surged from less than seven percent in 1960 to a current rate of 32 percent. In a bid to enhance this…
A severe weather outbreak in mid-March left a trail of destruction across multiple states from Texas to Tennessee, leading to several fatalities and extensive damage. Two powerful EF-4 tornadoes struck Arkansas on the same day, highlighting the intensity of the storms that swept through the region. In addition to tornadoes, wildfires wreaked havoc across parts…
The deep roots of Earth’s oldest continents have long been thought to be unshakable. But a new seismic discovery suggests that even these stable landmasses can change. Beneath the center of North America, pieces of the deep continental base appear to be dripping away—slowly pulled into the deeper mantle. For the first time, scientists are…
The Trump administration this week intensified its efforts to undermine nationwide climate progress with a sweeping executive order aimed at restricting states’ abilities to set their own environmental policies, specifically targeting key components of California’s initiatives against climate change. In an order dated April 8, the president directed Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi to identify and…
President Donald Trump has issued an order that takes aim at state and local climate change laws and policies, including California’s landmark market program for reducing greenhouse gases. Trump’s executive order directs U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to identify state and local acts that may be unconstitutional or preempted by federal law. Within 60 days,…