https://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Federal lands—which make up about 640 million acres, or 28%, of U.S. soil—are used for many purposes, including conservation, recreation, and extraction of resources such as coal. Greenhouse gas emissions are released throughout the life cycle of coal use, including during its mining, transport, and combustion. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-emissions-coal-federal.html Earth Sciences Wed, 20 Aug 2025 15:30:11 EDT news674922602 Nanotechnology is the use of materials that are one-billionth of a meter (a nanometer) in size. One of its potential uses is to clean up whatever is contaminating water supplies. Analytical chemist Philiswa Nomngongo, a leading researcher in nanotechnology for water in South Africa, tells The Conversation Africa what kinds of devices are being produced with nanotechnology and what they can do. https://phys.org/news/2025-05-tiny-technology-pollution-south-africa.html Nanomaterials Thu, 01 May 2025 12:35:22 EDT news665321719 Methane emissions from a large open-cast coal mine in Australia are three to eight times higher than reported. This has been revealed in a study based on aircraft-based measurements by the University of Bremen and Airborne Research Australia (ARA). It is the first time that precise data has been available. https://phys.org/news/2025-03-high-methane-emissions-australian-coal.html Earth Sciences Wed, 26 Mar 2025 11:28:04 EDT news662207282 I have, over the years, lost count of the number of times I have seen or heard people say that it doesn't matter what Canada, or the more-developed world, does to reduce carbon emissions. It is argued that the main global problem is that major emitters such as China, India, Russia and Brazil continue full tilt for economic growth at any carbon-cost. Consequently, global emissions continue to grow, despite falling emissions in the West. https://phys.org/news/2024-08-opinion-canada-emissions-actions-polluters.html Environment Wed, 21 Aug 2024 12:10:06 EDT news643461001 South Africa has plenty of environmental laws but none that specifically oblige government officials to consider the risks and impacts of climate change when they approve new developments. https://phys.org/news/2024-04-south-africa-laws-geared-climate.html Environment Mon, 01 Apr 2024 12:18:04 EDT news631192681 Planet-heating methane released by the fossil fuel industry rose to near record highs in 2023 despite technology available to curb this pollution at virtually no cost, the International Energy Agency said Wednesday. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-methane-emissions-energy-sector-rose.html Environment Wed, 13 Mar 2024 14:09:26 EDT news629557760 Police, who were deployed to block villagers from protesting a power plant on coastal wetlands in India 14 years ago, shot at protesters, killing three and injuring hundreds. Two years later on the other side of the country, a Buddhist monk was killed in resistance to construction of a hydroelectric dam project. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-state-violence-india-coal-war.html Environment Tue, 23 Jan 2024 04:48:36 EST news625207710 Climate-altering pollution from greenhouse gases declined by nearly 2% in the United States in 2023, even as the economy expanded at a faster clip, a new report finds. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-carbon-pollution-fast-biden-goal.html Environment Wed, 10 Jan 2024 09:22:49 EST news624100966 China's air pollution worsened in 2023, the first time it has done so in a decade, a study released on Friday said. https://phys.org/news/2023-12-china-air-pollution-worsens-decade.html Environment Fri, 22 Dec 2023 07:12:10 EST news622451522 Plans to expand oil, gas and coal production by major fossil fuel countries would push the world far beyond agreed global warming limits and are "throwing humanity's future into question", the UN warned Wednesday. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-fossil-fuel-nations-threatens-15c.html Environment Wed, 08 Nov 2023 05:00:01 EST news618641653 The Kolubara coal mine in Serbia never closes—24 hours a day, 365 days per year, excavators work around the clock gnawing away at the soil to extract the fossil fuel. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-cheap-electricity-jobs-serbia-coal.html Environment Thu, 02 Nov 2023 05:08:49 EDT news618120522 Carbon emissions from China are growing faster now than before COVID-19 struck, data show, dashing hopes the pandemic may have put the world's most polluting nation on a new emissions trajectory. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-china-carbon-emissions-covid-bad.html Environment Mon, 10 Jul 2023 12:27:55 EDT news608210871 A new study in New Mexico's San Juan Basin will boost efforts to identify and reduce methane emissions, a key element of the Global Methane Pledge. The research team found that using multiple methods to measure the ratio of ethane to methane in the ambient air around fossil energy development regions can be used to attribute emissions to specific polluters. https://phys.org/news/2022-10-approach-identification-natural-gas-emitters.html Earth Sciences Wed, 05 Oct 2022 11:46:03 EDT news584189161 Highways and school playgrounds in Beijing were closed Friday due to heavy pollution, as China ramps up coal production and faces scrutiny of its environmental record at make-or-break international climate talks. https://phys.org/news/2021-11-beijing-roads-playgrounds-heavy-smog.html Environment Fri, 05 Nov 2021 03:40:38 EDT news555302434 China launched a carbon trading system Monday designed to drive down emissions, as the world's biggest polluter takes steps towards decarbonising its economy by 2060. https://phys.org/news/2021-02-china-carbon-emissions-scheme.html Environment Mon, 01 Feb 2021 10:37:40 EST news531398257 These are very challenging times for U.S. fossil fuel-producing states, such as Wyoming, Alaska and North Dakota. The COVID-19 economic downturn has reduced energy demand, with uncertain prospects for the extent of its recovery. Meanwhile, rising concern about climate change and the declining cost of renewable energy are precipitating a sharp decline in demand for coal in particular. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-states-grew-rich-oil-gas.html Environment Wed, 23 Sep 2020 09:31:34 EDT news520072287 World powers must pull together and retool their economies for a green future or humanity is "doomed", UN chief Antonio Guterres has warned, telling AFP that failure to control the coronavirus pandemic illustrates the danger of disunity. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-cooperate-climate-doomed-chief.html Environment Tue, 08 Sep 2020 09:40:01 EDT news518775500 Coal ash is the less notorious byproduct of coal-fired power plants. It's the residual solid waste that comes from burning coal. While it doesn't have the same deleterious reputation of its airborne counterparts, tens of millions of tons of ash does up in landfills each year. Now researchers from Drexel University believe they have found a use for the powdery residue—one that could help make concrete more durable and crack-free. https://phys.org/news/2019-10-ashes-concrete.html Materials Science Tue, 29 Oct 2019 10:38:04 EDT news491564276 Murdoch University climate scientist Dr. Jatin Kala says coal needs to stay in the ground and fossil fuel emissions phased to net-zero starting now in order to limit global warming and its disastrous impacts. https://phys.org/news/2019-07-australia-commit-net-zero-emissions-climate.html Environment Wed, 17 Jul 2019 10:50:02 EDT news482577665 Tumelo has again lost several days at school because of sickness. https://phys.org/news/2019-06-coal-smog-plague-safrica-highveld.html Environment Wed, 26 Jun 2019 02:43:17 EDT news480735769 While methane pollution caused by natural gas production in Pennsylvania is underestimated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, natural gas still has half the carbon footprint of underground coal mining, according to an international team of researchers. https://phys.org/news/2019-05-methane-coal-gas-pennsylvania.html Environment Thu, 23 May 2019 12:37:31 EDT news477833841 A trio of researchers from the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, the University of the Witwatersrand and Geosyntec has published a Perspectives piece in the journal Science. Carlos Santamarina, Luis Torres-Cruz and Robert Bachus note in the article that many lives are lost each year when coal ash or tailings dams fail, causing mudslides. Many such failures are preventable. https://phys.org/news/2019-05-coal-ash-tailings-disasters.html Environment Fri, 10 May 2019 09:35:45 EDT news476699667 Germany said Tuesday it had reduced emissions of greenhouse gases signficantly for the first time in five years in 2018, although it has already abandoned self-imposed targets for the end of this decade. https://phys.org/news/2019-04-germany-greenhouse-emissions-fall-years.html Environment Tue, 02 Apr 2019 10:10:13 EDT news473417476 It is only the end of February, but air pollution in Milan has already exceeded the legal limit for 2019, and the Po Valley swims in a soupy smog. https://phys.org/news/2019-02-italy-polluted-po-valley-gasps.html Environment Thu, 28 Feb 2019 03:20:01 EST news470546085 Published in December 2018, the recent report of the International Energy Agency (IEA) indicates that global coal consumption is on the rise again (+1% compared to 2017). https://phys.org/news/2019-02-coal-consumption-worldwide.html Environment Mon, 25 Feb 2019 08:00:03 EST news470302050 If the U.S. wants to start using wood pellets to produce energy, either the government or power customers will have to pay an extra cost, a new University of Georgia study has found. https://phys.org/news/2018-04-biomass-produced-electricity-itll.html Energy & Green Tech Wed, 25 Apr 2018 08:35:14 EDT news443864090 Carl Borgquist wants to spend more than $1 billion to transform a remote butte fringed by pine trees into a giant water battery. https://phys.org/news/2018-03-power-northwest-future.html Energy & Green Tech Wed, 07 Mar 2018 16:00:01 EST news439659559 Bituminous coal comprises over 90 percent of organic fuels in the lithosphere of the Earth. Burning coal and other fossil fuels powers electricity generation (which is mainly happening at HPPs). However, the existing generation methods are not efficient, bad for the environment, and extremely resource-demanding (i.e. producing a lot of waste). Coal production and burning result in soil and air pollution, and adversely influence flora and fauna. https://phys.org/news/2017-12-scientists-technology-energy-bituminous-coal.html Energy & Green Tech Mon, 18 Dec 2017 05:36:09 EST news432797762 EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt is moving to repeal the Clean Power Plan as part of the Trump administration's efforts to bring jobs and prosperity to communities that rely on the coal industry. https://phys.org/news/2017-10-trump-policies-coal-dependent.html Environment Wed, 11 Oct 2017 09:02:15 EDT news426931326 If the U.S. wants to start using wood pellets to produce energy, either the government or power customers will have to pay an extra cost, a new University of Georgia study has found. https://phys.org/news/2017-09-biomass-produced-electricity-expensive.html Energy & Green Tech Fri, 22 Sep 2017 06:58:35 EDT news425282304