Latest news with #humanimpact
Fast Company
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Fast Company
Humans have irreversibly changed the planet. These photos prove it
On the second and third floors of New York City's International Center of Photography (ICP), a collection of over 40 years worth of Edward Burtnysky 's vision of industrial, human impact on the planet will be displayed throughout the summer. It's Burtnysky's first solo, NYC institutional exhibition show in over 20 years, and is more or less—an ode to his life's work. From some of his earliest work in the 80s as a student on the upper level, to his newer, larger scaled work on the lower, each piece represents the development of human industry through a 'concerned photography' lens. 'All the work kind of pokes around into those zones of globalism and as well as the need for materials, and looking at our population growth,' Burtynysky says. 'I was born in 1955 when the world population was under 3 billion people and now we're over 8 billion. I kind of knew then that we were talking about a human population explosion.' While studying photography in 1981, Burtynsky was working in 'big industry' to put himself through school. There, he said he decided to focus on big industries like oil and cobalt mining, and define them through photography. Regardless of place or subject, he says he wanted to focus on one continuous idea— our impact on the world. The works range in location and anthropogenic effect. From large, aerial views of chain restaurants and gas companies on the outskirts of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to up-close portraits of recycling workers in China, Burtynsky's work is meant to feel human and appear visually cinematic. According to David Campany, ICP's creative director and curator of the show, these photos are not the kind meant to be viewed on a smartphone. 'I think when you go to the cinema, you're part of a slightly more collective consciousness, and I think it's the same when people stand and look at big images,' Campany says. The larger scale allows the viewer to get lost in the details within the bigger picture, like being able to look at dusty orange landscapes with sleek lines—but backing up and realizing it's a commercial road in the middle of the desert. The show brings together around 70 images of Burtynsky's work, and create a 'survey of the last 45 years' of environmental impact. In turn, it makes people look closely at the negative human effect and how each image is interconnected to the larger idea. 'You might look at that picture of a mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo in Central Africa and think that's got nothing to do with me, but 70% of the world's cobalt currently comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo,' Campany says. 'And when you put your hand in your pocket [and feel for your smartphone ], you've suddenly got a very intimate connection with that image on the wall.' Although there's no specific method or direction to view or engage with the work, each piece is generally meant to hold 'equal value' when it comes to lighting and subject matter importance. Burtynsky refers to this as the 'democratic distribution of light and space.' For him, it allows the viewer to 'fall into the surface' of the image itself. 'In 1981, which was my student work, I was looking at our relationship with nature containing nature, controlling nature, greenhouses,and large industrial farms,' Burtynsky says. 'Even back then, I realized farming was our biggest impact in the planet, and it's kind of makes sense to have a farming as a central image for the exhibition.' Despite the works spanning decades of his travels and anthropogenic view, they are all embedded with what he says is a sense of aesthetic, wonder, and impact. 'Shipbreaking work was some of the most incredible locations I've ever photographed and experienced,' Burtynsky says. 'It still stands as one of the most crazy experiences of my life. The pictures that came out of that were sort of wild, and [the one you see when] you come out of the elevator where you see all the men—it's like being greeted by the other world that deals with our shit.' In addition to Burtynsky's show, ICP is also showing Panjereh, meaning 'window' in Farsi, from Iranian-American artist Sheida Soleimani. The exhibition emphasizes her Ghostwriter series, where she 'explores her parents' experiences of political exile and migration' through layered, magically surreal pieces. Both exhibits can be viewed simultaneously at the ICP. from June 19 until September 28.
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Humanity's first influence on climate change could have come much earlier than previously thought
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, BGR may receive an affiliate commission. We all know that humans are helping drive climate change. No, we aren't the only cause of the increasing global temperatures, but there's no question that we have had a serious impact over the years. Now, new research estimates that humanity's first influence on global climate change may have come much earlier than previously believed. By most accounts, it's believed that the human fingerprint on global warming really began when modern cars took off. However, our first misstep in the fight against climate change may have come far before the first modern cars roamed the streets. Instead, researchers believe the start of the industrial revolution may have been the tipping point. Today's Top Deals Best deals: Tech, laptops, TVs, and more sales Best Ring Video Doorbell deals Memorial Day security camera deals: Reolink's unbeatable sale has prices from $29.98 During that time, more factories sprouted up, leading to increased output of greenhouse gases. To dig a little deeper, the researchers believe that the first signs of human influence on climate change likely happened as early as 1885, just before the gas-powered car became a standard part of life. These findings are detailed in a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. However, it's extremely difficult to tell exactly when we first started to have a noticeable impact on the global climate. While we've done plenty to try to combat climate change in recent years, with a mission set to test a solar umbrella happening later this decade, there's still a long way to go if we truly hope to stop rising sea levels. While some scientists argue that we're far past the tipping point, others aren't sure. But one thing is clear: if we want to truly make a difference, we need to understand where we started to go wrong. Not only can that help us ascertain how much damage we've actually done, but it could help us find ways to go about living in a way that doesn't risk additional climate change pushes, without making us give up the modern luxuries we've come to depend on. One researcher says that had we kept track of the changes in the atmosphere back then like we do now, it's very likely we could have detected the signals of incoming climate change far before it became such a problem. Instead, we'll simply have to accept that the world is what it is now, and that human influence on climate change has been running rampant for centuries at this point. More Top Deals Amazon gift card deals, offers & coupons 2025: Get $2,000+ free See the
Fast Company
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Fast Company
This renowned climate scientist says this is the most difficult time for climate science he's ever seen
In 1995, Benjamin Santer was the lead author on a chapter of the second Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that would alter climate science forever. In a culmination of more than a year of meticulous research, the chapter came to a groundbreaking conclusion—confirming an international scientific consensus that humans were having a discernible impact on the climate. The pushback was immediate and immense. Lobbyist groups erroneously accused Santer of removing discussion of scientific uncertainty in the report. Frederick Seitz, former president of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and a founding member of the environmental skeptic conservative think tank the George C. Marshall Institute, published an opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal claiming, 'I have never witnessed a more disturbing corruption of the peer-review process.' Despite being backed up by the climate science community, Santer underwent congressional hearings, personal threats, and calls for his dismissal at his lab. Despite the pushback, Santer has continued to do groundbreaking research identifying human fingerprints in many different observed climate variables and received a number of awards for his work, including a MacArthur Fellowship in 1998. Santer recently spoke to Fast Company about the threats the second Trump administration poses to the future of climate science and shared advice for the next generation of scientists entering a contentious time. (This interview has been edited for length and clarity.) How does the current state of climate research compare to other peaks and valleys you have seen over your career? I think this is the deepest valley that I've ever been in in my entire scientific career. It feels different from anything else that I've encountered, and I encountered some pretty deep valleys after publication of the discernible human influence finding in the 1995 IPCC report. But this is different because it's so targeted. The intent of the administration is to destroy, to tear down a capability to do basic science, to understand how and why the world around us is changing, to understand the inequities of climate change, to invest in low-carbon energy sources and support the development of low-carbon energy. All of these things have happened in the first 100 days of the Trump administration, and so much destruction has impacted not only our long-term futures—in academia, in research, the grants that will be available for us, the opportunities at university—but also the leadership of this country and science and technology. And of course, not only in climate science and green energy, but also increasingly in health, the development of novel vaccines, the development of cancer drugs, all of that is imperiled. To turn away from those challenges as this administration is doing makes no sense whatsoever. What are some of the concrete steps this administration is taking to reduce climate protections? It's been a full-court press, I would say: not only the illegal termination of probationary employees, tens of thousands of them across agencies like NOAA [National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration], EPA [Environmental Protection Agency], and NASA, but the changing of language [around climate change]. This willful ignorance seems very reminiscent of COVID under the first Trump administration. You may recall that President Trump argued that COVID was no worse than the seasonal flu. He seemed intent on downplaying any danger to the U.S. public that might interfere with the economy. Why do I mention that? Because it's the same deal with climate change. If you pretend it doesn't exist, then you can go on with business as usual, 'Drill baby, drill,' all that kind of stuff. And that's what's happening. The administration is pretending that human-caused climate change isn't happening, and everything's fine, when it isn't. In addition to the firings, in addition to the censorship, again—as has been widely reported—access to data is reducing. [For example,] because of some of the firings at NOAA, there aren't scientists to launch weather balloons. At a number of locations, weather balloons are critically important. They make measurements of temperature and moisture, and those measurements are ingested by weather forecast models. They help the weather forecast models to know something about the current state of the atmosphere and the surface of the ocean, and that information is extremely important in making a reliable weather forecast. Because of the firings, we're losing some of the weather balloon information that flows into weather forecasts. So all of this taken together, when you take a step back and look at it, is an effort to keep the public ignorant about the reality and seriousness of climate change. Do you think that there's any possibility that other countries might be able to step in to fill the gaps the U.S. is creating? I hope that there are folks in space agencies like the European Space Agency, the Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (German Aerospace Center), and in Japan and China, who understand the seriousness of the threat to the continuity of these records. These aren't records that just the U.S. uses. The entire world uses these estimates of global-scale changes in the atmosphere, the ocean, the land surface for evaluating climate models, for doing fingerprint research, for improving our basic understanding of the atmospheric and ocean general circulation. And the U.S. has been a leader in this Earth observation enterprise and in making these datasets available to the international community. Now all of that work is imperiled, so the hope is that there are indeed folks who are contingency-planning in other countries who are trying to figure out, well, what do we do? But if these satellites go away, the unfortunate thing is that it takes time, right? You can't just launch a satellite and do this gap-filling very quickly. The development of new satellites and the launching of new satellites is the stuff of years, not the stuff of months. It also would mean a huge financial investment in gap-filling, in the ocean, and in the satellite measurements of temperature, moisture, winds, you name it. So it is concerning. Hopefully there are those in Congress who will push back against the president's budget request for NASA and will recognize that if the U.S hands off the baton of leadership in Earth observation to other countries, it will be difficult to flip a switch and restart. In part because they will lose hundreds, perhaps thousands of good people who have no prospect of employment given what's happened with NSF [National Science Foundation] grants and firings and cuts to NOAA and NASA. If you lose that expertise, then even with a change of the administration, it's difficult to restart. This is why it's so critically important for folks to use their voices and speak publicly about the harms caused by this willful ignorance, and I'm going to try continuing to do that as long as I possibly can. Scientists don't have the hippocratic oath that doctors do, but we should. If you see that harm to the stability of climate and to present and future generations is being caused, then, in my opinion, you have a moral and ethical responsibility as a climate scientist to speak out against that. Do you have any advice for young people looking to get into the sustainability world in this tumultuous time? Keep plugging away. If you're passionate about the science, if it's part of your identity, find a way to do it. I can't imagine not doing research. It's part of who I am. It's part of what I think about when I get up in the morning. For anyone who is really concerned about the kind of world in which they and their loved ones will grow up, find a way of continuing to [work on climate research and advocacy], even if it's only in your spare time and you have to have a different day job. Science has to find a way of continuing. It's a harsh world out there now with a lot of powerful people wanting to fundamentally change the scientific enterprise in the United States and remove consideration of inequities in our society causing unequal impacts of climate change. Science has to find a way of continuing, of living, of tackling the big questions of the day, irrespective of whether the administration likes or does not like the answer.
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Our planet's oxygen levels will drop, and there's no way to stop it
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, BGR may receive an affiliate commission. It's no secret that Earth is doomed. Sure, there's the threat of climate change and the fact that sea levels are rising around the world. But that's not what we're talking about. Instead, our planet's impending doom is actually set to happen billions of years from now, long after we're all gone, when the oxygen levels drop and life as we know it ceases to exist. When this change occurs, it's going to happen pretty rapidly, a study published a few years ago claims. It will be similar to the Great Oxidation Event (GOE) that happened over 2.4 billion years ago. Back then, oxygen flooded the Earth's atmosphere, giving birth to life as we know it today, or at least its earliest evolutionary forms. Today's Top Deals Best deals: Tech, laptops, TVs, and more sales Best Ring Video Doorbell deals Memorial Day security camera deals: Reolink's unbeatable sale has prices from $29.98 Researchers have long argued that atmospheric oxygen, which humans need to breathe, is unlikely to be a feature of habitable worlds forever. We've seen other planets around us that appear to have been stripped of their oxygen, like Mars and Venus. And many argue that Earth is set to see a similar future at some point down the line. Of course, the factors resulting in dropping oxygen levels are complex. Not only do we have natural global warming to blame, but human-driven climate change could also play a large role in the end of life on Earth as we know it. Models suggest that Earth's oxygen levels could drop as low as those of Archean Earth, when microbial life was the only life to be found on our little blue and green planet. Those levels of oxygen would, obviously, not be ideal for people or animals that require oxygen to breathe. Of course, there is always the chance that we manage to get off Earth and settle somewhere else before Earth becomes uninhabitable, but if we don't, and humans are still alive billions of years from now, then it will be the end of the road. Overall, Earth's future billions of years from now is looking pretty bleak. Scientists estimate that the sun will explode, effectively ending life in our solar system some 2 billion years from now. Before that happens, life on Earth will change drastically, as oxygen levels are expected to drop almost a million times lower than today, researchers told New Scientist. Luckily, the end of the world isn't the most pressing problem we have to face at the moment, though there are arguments about how we could possibly delay the inevitable. Even if we did, there's not really anything we could do about it but hope Elon Musk and NASA's plan to put humans on Mars in the 2030s works out. More Top Deals Amazon gift card deals, offers & coupons 2025: Get $2,000+ free See the
Fox News
05-06-2025
- General
- Fox News
Laken Riley's sister says family has 'hope' after Trump immigration changes: 'Still a lot to be done'
EXCLUSIVE: Laken Riley's sister said she and her family have "hope" due to the immigration policies President Donald Trump has put in place, telling Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview that, while there is "still a lot to be done," continuing in the direction of the new administration "will be very beneficial to our country." Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student at Augusta University, was brutally assaulted and murdered by an illegal migrant while on a morning run in February 2024. Her sister, Lauren Phillips, told Fox News Digital that she will always speak out in honor and remembrance of her older sister, and will continue to advocate for "securing our borders." "I think it's important that we keep reminding people of the importance of securing our borders and what can happen when it's not secure," Phillips told Fox News Digital. "We definitely feel hope – we just need to keep talking about it and keep everyone aware of what happens when nothing is done," she continued. "And I think a lot has been done so far, and I am grateful for that, but there is still a lot to be done." She added: "I think that continuing in the direction that the new administration is going will be very beneficial to our country." Phillips, on Thursday, was featured in the first video launched by the American Border Story (TABS), a national initiative dedicated to exposing the human impact of America's border crisis through storytelling. "I really feel it's important because it didn't stop with Laken – it keeps happening," Phillips told Fox News Digital. "I feel like just telling what's happening to all of these people isn't enough." "People aren't realizing what's truly being lost every single time something like this happens," she said. The TABS video is the first in a series that aims to bring "the truth to light." "Truth the media and politicians too often ignore," Nicole Kiprilov, executive director of TABS, told Fox News Digital. "Laken Riley's story is not just a tragedy – it's a wake-up call." Kiprilov said TABS is "honored to stand with her sister Lauren and brave families across America who are turning pain into purpose." "This documentary is about more than remembrance – it's about demanding accountability, restoring safety and putting the American people first," Kiprilov said. Phillips, in the video, spoke about her sister, their relationship and Riley's faith, while stressing that protecting the border "should be common sense." "I could talk about her forever," Phillips told Fox News Digital. "I think Laken is just the type of person that you want to be around. She's the type of person that shows up and she wasn't just my sibling – she was my best friend." "A lot of people would say her presence brought so much comfort and strength and peace, and I carry a lot of what she taught me in my everyday life," she continued. "She had a light that is so impossible to ignore." Meanwhile, Trump signed the Laken Riley Act into law just days after taking office. It was the first piece of legislation he signed in his second administration. The measure directs Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detain illegal immigrants arrested or charged with theft-related crimes, or those accused of assaulting a police officer. The law also allows states to sue the Department of Homeland Security for harm caused to their citizens because of illegal immigration. But Phillips told Fox News Digital that despite changes to federal law, it is "terrifying to have to walk around the same city where such a tragic thing happened to my sister." Riley was murdered near the University of Georgia campus in Athens, which is considered an unofficial sanctuary city. "The laws that were not put in place are still not put in place in a city where something so tragic happened," Phillips said. "I thought what happened to Laken would change that, but nothing has changed there, so I think continuing to talk about it, not backing down, not staying quiet, hopefully, will do something." In addition to being vocal on immigration and honoring the life of her sister, Phillips said she and her family have created the Laken Hope Foundation. "I thank God every day that I have the space to share, and that he gave me Laken for the time that he did, and I thank him for her faith and his faithfulness to know that none of this compares to what we're going to be given and where she is."
