Tag: pollution

Nuclear Energy Should Help Pave the Way for a Renewable Energy Future

Nuclear Energy Should Help Pave the Way for a Renewable Energy Future

By: Jack Sundermann

Demand for electricity varies greatly from day to day or even hour to hour.[1] The amount of electricity consumed on a hot summer day can be multiple times greater than the amount consumed at night on a cool summer evening.[2] Baseload plants provide the minimum amount of power that is always in demand.[3] Traditionally, baseload demand has been met by fossil fuel plants that burn coal or natural gas.[4] Modern nuclear power plants can provide a carbon-free alternative to coal or natural gas fired baseload plants.[5]

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A New High Seas Treaty: What it Could Mean for the Future of the Oceans

A New High Seas Treaty: What it Could Mean for the Future of the Oceans

By: Mira Rhodes

The ocean makes up about 70% of the earth’s surface.[1] Because these waters flow outside national boundaries, they have always been unregulated and thus unprotected from human-created environmental threats.[2] However, in early March of 2023, United Nations (U.N.) member states agreed upon a High Seas Treaty aimed at protecting and conserving biodiversity in international waters.[3] This treaty is known as the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) treaty.[4] The treaty was formally adopted by the U.N. in June of 2023[5] and signed by the United States on September 20, 2023.[6]

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PFAS: Illinois’ Chance to Confront “Forever Chemicals”

What do pizza boxes, non-stick pans, make-up, firefighting foam, water-repelling clothing, and fast-food packaging all have in common? A simple, four-letter word: PFAS.[1] Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been around for decades, appear in a vast variety of industries around the globe, and pose a substantial risk to human health and the environment.[2] Worst of all, they rarely degrade.[3] For this reason, they have been dubbed by the scientific community “forever chemicals.”[4]

PFAS is an umbrella term for a group of thousands of man-made chemicals characterized by their ability to repel water, grease, dirt, and oil.[5] PFAS are chains of one of the strongest chemical bonds in nature, which do not easily break down under natural conditions.[6] This has far reaching implications that are not readily apparent. When the rest of a product that contains PFAS breaks down, you are left with tiny remnants of forever chemicals. But where do they go and what happens to them?

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