Yale Environment 360

1 week ago | e360.yale.edu | Nicola Jones

Weather forecasts powered by artificial intelligence are usually more accurate — and require less computational energy and fewer human hours — than physics-based predictions. But questions remain about A.I. systems’ reliability and their ability to forecast extreme weather events.

2 weeks ago | e360.yale.edu | Anita Makri

Indigenous communities that rely on the natural flow of the Xingu River have long fought the Belo Monte dam in Brazil. With the dam now up for relicensing, they are urging the government to allow more water to flow, which would help revive the river and their way of life. A belt of bare treetops jutting out of the water is the first sign of sweeping change.

2 weeks ago | e360.yale.edu | Jim Robbins

One of the most endangered animals in the world, freshwater mussels are threated by pollution, climate change, habitat loss, and invasive species. But in the epicenter of their diversity — the Southeastern U.S. — the root cause of a catastrophic die-off remains a mystery. Recent finding have helped biologists develop techniques for raising the most threatened mussel species in labs.

3 weeks ago | e360.yale.edu | Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow

As interest in nuclear power rises, startups are pursuing plans to recycle spent fuel and reuse its untapped energy to power reactors. Advocates tout new recycling methods as a breakthrough, but many experts warn it will extract plutonium that could be used for nuclear weapons. Nuclear power plants keep their waste close by. Every nuclear power plant in the United States includes an area onsite where spent fuel is being stored.

3 weeks ago | e360.yale.edu | Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow

As interest in nuclear power rises, startups are pursuing plans to recycle spent fuel and reuse its untapped energy to power reactors. Advocates tout new recycling methods as a breakthrough, but many experts warn it will extract plutonium that could be used for nuclear weapons. Nuclear power plants keep their waste close by. Every nuclear plant in the United States includes an area onsite where spent fuel is being stored.