Air

Pollution

Toxic Releases in Missouri (2/24/13)

Is Air Quality Better or Worse (5/9/13)

On Some Days, Air Quality is Good (5/13/14)

Fewer Unhealthy Air Days (5/20/13)

Ozone is the Most Important Air Pollutant (7/1/13)

Background Air Quality (4/10/14)

Background Sulfur Dioxide and Nitric Acid Pollution Improve (4/13/14)

The Worst Is Better, but the Best Is Worse(4/17/14)

The Best Is Better, but the Worst Is Worse (4/20/14)

Ozone on the Rise in the Mid-Troposphere (4/24/14)

Summary of Background Air Pollution (4/27/14)

Missouri Toxic Releases Down 2% in 2012 (6/5/14)

Eighty-Four Percent of Missouri Toxic Waste is “Managed” (6/12/14)

Does St. Louis Have A Tornado Alley? (9/25/14)

Missouri Tornados Up by 70% in 2013 (9/25/14)

Update on Missouri Air Quality (10/16/14)

Air Quality Improves in 2013 (10/23/14)

Unhealthy Air Days Down from 2012 (10/30/14)

Ozone and PM2.5 Are Our Most Important Air Pollutants (11/6/14)

Missouri Has Made Dramatic Air Quality, but Still Has Work to Do  (2014/11/13)

Air Quality Update 2014 (11/12/15)

2014 Air Quality Improved in Some Counties (11/12/15)

Few Unhealthy Days in Most Counties (11/19/2015)

The Most Important Pollutants in 2014 (11/26/2015)

Summary of Missouri Air Quality in 2014 (12/3/2015)

Invisible Pollution (2/2/2016)

Air Quality Update, 2016 (4/6/2017)

Missouri Air Quality Improved in 2016 (4/13/2017)

Few Unhealthy Air Days in Missouri Counties (4/20/2017)

Ozone Was the Most Important Air Pollutant in Missouri in 2016 (4/27/2017)

Bacground Air Quality 2017 (1/4/2018)

Good Days Are Better in Bryce Canyon, and Bad Days Are, Too (2/11/2018)

Air Quality Update, 2017 (8/9/2018)

Slightly Fewer Good Air Quality Days in 2017 (8/16/2018)

Few Unhealthy Air Days in Missouri Counties in 2017 (8/23/2018)

Ozone Was the Most Important Air Pollutant in Missouri in 2017 (8/30/2018)

Air Pollution Is a Killer (9/6/2018)

 

Climate Change

Weather Patterns

Tornadoes In and Around Missouri
 (6/24/2013)

Tornadoes Seem More Frequent, But they Aren’t (6/29/2013)

The Most Powerful Tornadoes Are Less Frequent (7/1/2013)

Billion Dollar Weather Disasters in the United States (8/19/2013)

Missouri Damage from Severe Weather Increases 9/26/2013)

The Role of Climate Change in Extreme Weather Events of 2012 (12/12/2013)

Drought in Missouri (12/17/2013)

Drought Trends in the Northern Plains and California (12/23/2013)

A “Truthier” Look at Tornadoes? (1/28/2014)

California Drought Intensified in 2013 (1/30/2014)

Missouri Wetter than Average in 2013 (2/4/2014)

It Was Less Hot in 2013 (2/7/2014)

Does St. Louis Have a Tornado Alley? (7/6/14)

Summer Sets Global Heat Record (9/19/14)

Missouri Tornadoes Up by 70% in 2013 (9/25/14)

Baby, It’s Cold Outside! (1/15/15)

Wobbly Polar Vortex (1/22/15)

2014 Hottest Year On Record (1/29/15)

Don’t Look Now… (2/5/15)

Record Low Snowpack in California (4/23/15)

Drought in California: Introduction (6/24/15)

Drought in California Part 1: California Climate and Drought (6/25/15)

Drought in California Part 2: The Status of California’s Current Water Resources (7/2/15)

Drought in California Part 3: California’s Total Water Deficit (7/9/15)

Drought in California Part 4: The Potential to Procure Additional Ground and Surface Water (7/16/15)

Drought in California Part 5: The Potential of Desalination (7/23/15)

Drought in California Part 6: Conserving Water – Population and Environment 97/30/15)

Drought in California Part 7: Conserving Water – Agricultural Water Efficiency (8/6/15)

Drought in California Part 8: Conserving Water – Urban Water Conservation (8/13/15)

Drought in California Part 9: Summary of the Water Deficit and Strategies to Cover It (8/20/15)

Drought in California Part 10: How Drought May Affect California’s Economy (8/27/15)

Drought in California Part 11: Studies of the Economic Damage (9/3/15)

Drought in California Part 12: The California Economy in General (9/13/15)

Drought in California Part 13: Some Options California Won’t Try (9/17/15)

Drought in California Part 14: A Scenario California May Follow (9/30/15)

Drought in California Part 15: Summary and Discussion (10/1/15)

Vanishing Lake Mead (10/22/15)

Billion Dollar Weather Disasters 2015 (3/3/2016)

Missouri Weather Disasters 2015 (3/10/2016)

Hot First Half of 2016 (7/28/2016)

Heavy Precipitation Events on the Increase (12/7/16)

The Temperature Keeps on Rising (2/9/17)

And Now, Three Consecutive Record Warm Years (2/16/17)

Oroville Dam: When It Rains, It Pours (2/22/17)

2016 Second Hottest Year in United States (2/23/17)

Above Average Precipitation in 2016 (3/2/17)

California Drought Emergency Officially Declared Over (5/4/2017)

California Continues to Face Future Water Supply Challenges (5/11/2017)

Declining Snowpack in the American West (6/15/2017)

Harvey Devastates Houston (9/12/2017)

Severe Storms on the Increase (9/19/2017)

Damaging Weather Events in Missouri (9/26/2017)

California Ablaze: Nature’s Revente? (10/26/2017)

Record Damage from Disasters in 2017 (2/1/2018)

Did Missouri Have Record Cold? (2/8/2018)

The Second Warmest Year Ever (2/25/2018)

Above Average Precipitation in 2017 for Contiguous USA (2/22/2018)

Below Average Snowpack in the American West (4/5/2018)

The First Half of 2318 Was Hot, but Not Record-Breaking (7/26/2018)

Drought in American West and Southwest (Revised) (8/3/2018)

Very Dry vs. Very Wet Months in the United States, 2018 Update (9/13/18)

Hurricane Climatology (9/20/2018)

California Snowpack Update – January 2019 (1/31/19)

2018 Was rthe Fourth Hottest Year on Record (2/7/19)

2018 Was Wetter Than Usual in Missouri (2/14/19)

Cold Winters and Phony Baloney (at least in Missouri) 2/21/19

Natural Disasters Down in USA in 2018 (4/11/19)

Missouri Weather-Related Deaths, Injuries, and Damages in 2017 (4/18/19)

No Decline in Missouri Crop Yields (Yet) (5/2/19)

Western USA Snowpack and Reservoirs (7/18/19)

Hurricane Barry, Tropical Cyclones, and Climate Change (7/25/19)

Is It Cloudier Than It Used to Be? (8/1/19)

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

1.16 Million Nuclear Generating Plants (1/11/15)

Record High Concentrations of Greenhouse Gas (2/12/15)

View of Carbon Dioxide in the Atmosphere (1/12/17)

World Carbon Dioxide Concentration Above 400 ppm. for the First Time Ever (7/6/2017)

Why 543 ppm CO2e Matters (7/13/2017)

Worldwide Carbon Dioxide Emissions Holding Constant (12/7/2017)

Social Cost of Carbon Update (3/22/2018)

Energy-Related Emissions Grew in 2017 (5/3/2018)

Statewide GHG Emissions

Missouri 1990 Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Missouri GHG Emissions from Electricity in 1990

Comparing GHG Emissions Across States

Missouri GHG Emissions Update (1999)

Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Fossil Fuel – 2016

Ten Largest GHG Emitters in Missouri (1/19/17)

Countdown of the Top 10 GHG Emitting Facilities in Missouri (1/26/17)

Invisible Pollution (2/2/17)

Local GHG Emissions

Local Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Columbia, MO: 2.6 Million Tons of GHG in 2000

Kansas City GHG Emissions Top 9.9 Million Metric Tons in 2000

Creve Coeur GHG Emissions Inventory

Kirkwood Emissions at 576,676 MTCO2e in 2008

Clayton Reports 472,466 MTCO2e in 2006

Richmond Heights: 243 Metric Tons of GHG in 2008

Lee’s Summit Reports Emissions of 1,756,819 MTCO2e in 2009

St. Louis County Emissions at 23.5 Million Metric Tons of CO2e in 2008

City of St. Louis GHG Emissions Down 6% Between 2005 and 2010

Summary of Missouri GHG Inventories

Maplewood Reduces GHG Emissions 5%

Wildwood Reports Low GHG Emissions

Wildwood and Maplewood Lead the Pack on GHG Emissions – But Should they Celebrate?

It’s the Fossil Fuel, Stupid

GHG Emissions Per Square Mile

GHG Emissions and Daytime Population

Why Per Capita GHG Emissions Vary Across Missouri Communities

University City Reports GHG Emissions

Brentwood Reports GHG Emissions (7/17/14)

Columbia Emissions Down More Than 14% (7/24/31)

Summary of 14 Missouri GHG Inventories (7/31/14)

Ameren Accounts for 1/3 of Missouri Large Source GHG Emissions (1/4/15)

Creve Coeur Shows Progress (1/7/2016)

Kansas CIty Shows Progress (1/14/2016)

U.S. GHG Emissions Increase (1/21/2016)

Other Climate Change

Record Heat in 2012

New Draft Climate Assessment Report Sees Many Changes Ahead

1 LED Per Household Would Save 8 Billion kWh in Missouri

Rebate Program Saves 37 Billion Btus Per Year

U.S. GHG Emissions Decline in 2011

Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Fossil Fuel

IPCC Fifth Assessment Report Summary Released

Damage from Carbon Dioxide to Cost Billions

Extremely Hot Days to Double in Missouri

Uncertainty in Climate Change Predictions for the Midwest (1/17/2014)

Electrical Outages from Storms Increase (2/20/2014)

Climate Change Predicted to Hit Missouri Forest Species Hard

Two Kinds of Abrupt Climate Change Likely Before 2100

Is Missouri Exempt from Abrupt Climate Change

National Academy of Sciences Publishes Primer on Climate Change

Climate Change Predicted to Impact the USA in Many Ways

Climate Change Threatens National Security

Americans Believe the Environment Should Be Protected (3/19/15)

In Missouri Your Electric Car May Be a Turkey (3/26/15)

2014 Was the Hottest Year Ever Worldwide (1/28/2015)

2015 the Second Warmest Year Ever in the USA (2/4/2016)

The Wettest Year Ever in the United States (2/9/2016)

California Water Update (2/18/2016)

Climate Predictions for St. Louis: Dangerously Hot (3/24/2016)

Posey Projects Climate Change for St. Louis (3/31/2016)

Climate Predictions for Columbia, MO (4/7/2016)

Summary of Climate Projections for St. Louis (4/14/2016)

Final California Snowpack Reading: Below Average (4/21/2016)

Report Describes Ways Climate Change May Impact Health in the United States (12/14/26)

Three Effects of Climate Change (3/1/2018)

Second Lowest Arctic Sea Ice on Record (4/19/2018)

Global Warming of 1.5°C (1) (12/6/18)

Global Warming of 1.5C (2) (12/13/18)

U.S. National Climate Assessment, Volume 1 (12/27/18)

Fourth National Climate Assessment, Volume 2 (1/3/2019)

State of the Climate in 2017 (1/10/2019)

2017 Climate in the USA (1/17/19)

The World’s Thinning Glaciers (7/4/19)

Energy

Missouri Low in Per Capita Energy Consumption

Energy Consumption per Unit of Gross State Product

Energy Consumption from Coal Soars

Per Capita Energy Consumption by Source

Energy Efficiency for All Sources Appears to Increase, But Does it Really?

Inflation Adjusted Energy Consumption by Source

Energy Consumption by Sector

Per Capita Energy Consumption by Sector

Energy Consumption by Sector Per Unit of Economic Output

Energy Consumption per Sector Per Inflation Adjusted Unit of Economic Output

Are Missouri Buildings Energy Efficient or Spendthrift?

Residential Energy Consumption Quadruples

Wind Turbines have No Affect on Nearby Property Values

Least Health Burden from Nuclear Energy?

Energy Sector Vulnerable to Climate Change & Extreme Weather

Electrical Outages from Storms Increase (2/20/2014)

The Grid (11/20/14)

NERC-NERC-NERC (11/27/14)

The Flow of Energy on the Grid (12/4/14)

Missouri and The Grid (12/11/14)

What Could Go Wrong? (12/18/14)

Long-Term Reliability of the National Electrical Grid (12/23/14)

Grid Unreliability Projected for Eastern Missouri (12/30/14)

Transportation by Car…or Not (2/19/15)

Vehicle Miles Traveled Again on the Increase (4/2/15)

Missouri Vehicle Miles Traveled (4/9/2015)

Vehicle Miles Traveled Per Capita and per Unit of Economic Activity (4/16/15)

Per Capita Energy Consumption in Missouri Increases (6/17/2016)

Energy Consumption per Unit of GDP Decreases in Missouri (6/30/2016)

Consumption of Energy from Coal and Renewables (7/7/2016)

Summary: Little Meaningful Progress on Energy in Missouri, 2016 (7/14/2016)

A Wind Farm the Size of South Carolina? (9/8/2016)

Cover Texas With Solar Panels? (9/15/2016)

Too Little Real Estate on Rooftops? (9/22/2016)

A Wind Farm the Size of Iron County (9/29/2016)

We Could Do It, If Only We Wanted (10/6/2016)

The Grid – Update 2018 (5/10/2018

NERC, The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (5/17/2018)

The Energy on the Grid (5/24/2018)

Missouri and The Grid (5/31/2018)

What Could Go Wrong (6/7/2018)

Long-Term Reliability of the National Electrical Grid (6/14/2018)

Future Grid Resources in Missouri (6/21/18)

Missouri’s Major Power Outages (6/28/18)

Vehicle Miles Driven at a New All-Time High (9/27/18)

Missouri Has A Big, Unused Wind Resource (4/25/19)

Land

Pollution

Missouri’s Hazardous Abandoned Mine Lands

Hazardous Mine Lands – Comparisons Between States

Missouri Superfund Sites

Toxic Releases in Missouri

89 Toxic Waste Sites in Missouri

Interactive Map of Hazardous Waste Sites

Missouri Toxic Releases Down 2% in 2012

Eighty-Four Percent of Missouri Toxic Waste is “Managed”

Missouri Abandoned Mine Lands Increase

Hazardous Mine Lands – Contrasts Between States

Offsite Impacts from Abandoned Mine Lands

Missouri Superfund Sites Remain the Same (8/7/14)

Missouri Abandoned Mine Lands Increase – Again (5/21/15)

Hazardous Mine Lands – Comparisons Between States (5/28/15)

The Legacy of Abandoned Mine Lands (6/4/15)

Toxic Chemical Waste 2013 (12/10/2015)

Lead Is the Most Released Toxic Chemical in Missouri (12/17/2015)

Toxic Releases Increased in Missouri in 2013 (12/24/2015)

Interactive Map of Hazardous Waste Sites (Rerun) (3/17/2016)

Missouri Riverine GAP Analysis (7/21/2016)

Abandoned Mine Lands Increase Yet Again (8/24/2017)

High Priority Abandoned Mine Lands Spike in 2017 (8/31/2017)

The Legacy of Abandoned Mine Lands in Missouri – Update 2017 (9/7/2017)

Missouri Superfund Sites (11/2/2017)

Other Missouri Hazardous Waste Sites (11/9/2017)

Brownfield Sites (11/16/2017)

Tanks and More Tanks! (11/23/2017)

Hazardous Waste in Missouri – A Summary (11/30/2017)

Small Missouri Earthquakes Continue to Increase (1/24/19)

 

Invasive Species

The Monsters That Are Overrunning America

Honeysuckle Rose

Land Use-Land Cover

Sprawl

Land Use Change in Missouri

Converting Land From Its Natural State

How Much Land Is In Its Natural State?

Food Production Accounts for 57% of Missouri Land

More Homes and Bigger

Urban & Rural Home Size Growth Identical

Housing Increases Near Protected Lands

Decades of Development Near Protected Lands

Protected Lands Also Growing

Missouri Distance to Edge of Forest

High Quality Forest Giving Way to Low Quality Forest

Fragmented Forest Equals Wildlife Loss

Riparian Cover

Are Earthquakes Swarming Missouri?

More Than 1/4 of Missouri Natural Communities Imperiled

Sprawl Index (9/4/14)

Missouri Is Sprawling (9/11/14)

Are Compact or Sprawled Regions More Economically Vital? (9/18/15)

Many Missouri Counties “Struggling” (9/19/14)

More Developed Land Nationally and in Missouri (4/26/2018)

Land Use Change (7/11/19)

Land – Other

Birds Are on the Rebound…or Not (2/26/15)

Missouri Continues to Experience Increase in Earthquakes (6/11/15)

Wastewater Injection Causes Oklahoma Earthquakes (6/18/15)

Turkeys (11/1/15)

Wildfire! (10/20/2016)

Smokers, Smolders, and Big Blowups (10/27/2016)

Renewal by Fire (11/3/2016)

Wildfires Growing in Size, Not Number (11/10/2016)

The Role of Wildfire in Missouri (11/17/2016)

Missouri Wildfire Statistics (11/24/2016)

Area Burned by Wildfire Doubled by Climate Change (12/1/2016)

More and More Small Earthquakes (3/9/17)

The Challenge of Urban Sustainability (3/16/17)

Missouri Forest Resources Largely Unchanged in 2016 (1/25/2018)

Missouri Species of Concern 2018 (3/8/2018)

The United States Wasted 31% of Its Food Supply in 2010 (3/15/2018)

Breeding Bird Survey (3/29/2018)

Fire and the Regeneration of Aspen Trees (6/13/19)

 

 

Opinion

 

The Opiate of Public Opinion (11/2/16)

The Election of 2016 (11/11/16)

Kurgman: “The Depravity of Climate-Change Denial” (12/20/18)

Americans Still Think the Environment Is Worth Saving (4/3/19)

Other

 

Death and Disease from the Environment (5/25/2017)

Disease Burden Attributable to Environmental Factors (6/1/2017)

Missouri Burden of Disease (6/8/2017)

Green Buildings Are Better – Health (7/20/2017)

Green Buildings Are Better – Financial Performance (7/27/2017)

 

Population

Missouri Population Growth Lags the Nation

Population Growth in Missouri’s Suburbs and Exurbs

Birth Rate Declines in 2013 (3/5/15)

People and More People (10/5/2017)

Why Does World Population Matter? (10/12/2017)

Technologtical Progress and Demographic Conversion (10/19/2017)

Birth Rates Have Declined, the Number of Births Has Not (4/12/2018)

Births and Birth Rate Decline in 2018 (6/20/19)

 

Toxic Chemicals

Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals (5/18/2017)

Toxic Chemicals in Missouri – 2017 (3/7/19)

Most Released Chemical – (3/14/19)

Trends Over Time (3/21/19)

Water

Pollution

Impaired Surface Water in Missouri

Surface Water Contaminants and Their Sources

Missouri Groundwater Contaminated at 607 Hazardous Waste Sites

Shallow Groundwater Contaminants Within Established Limits

Map of Impaired Surface Water in Missouri

Unwelcome Aquatic Species Invade Missouri

List of Aquatic Nuisance Species

Pesticides Seeping into Urban Streams (3/12/15)

Groundwater Contaminants Increase (4/28/2016)

Heavy Metals in the Big River (5/5/2016)

Missouri Surface Water Quality – 2014 (5/12/2016)

Water Quality Trends in Missouri Streams (5/19/2016)

Water Quality Trends in Missouri Lakes (5/26/2016)

Impairment in Missouri’s Streams, 2014 (6/2/2016)

Impairment in Missouri’s Lakes, 2014 (6/9/2016)

Missouri Monitors More of Its Lakes, Less of Its Streams, than the Nation as a Whole (6/16/2016)

Environmental Toxins Limit Fish Consumption (3/23/17)

Missouri Fish Advisory for 2017 (3/30/17)

Consumption

2,738 Public Water Systems in Missouri

A Few Public Drinking Water Systems Violate Water Quality Standards

7% of Water Systems Nationwide Had Health-Based Violations in 2010

95% of Missouri Water Systems Met All Water Quality Standards

Half of All Water Consumption Goes to Electricity Generation

Water Consumption Most Intense in Idaho, Nebraska, and Montana

U.S. Water Consumption Slowly Growing

Power Generation Uses 7 Out of Every 10 Gallons of Water in Missouri

Updated Census of Public Water Systems (8/14/14)

Missouri Public Water Systems Show Small Improvement (8/21/14)

Coliform Problems Are the Most Common Public Water System Violation

(8/28/14)

USA Water Consumption Declined in 2010 (12/21/16)

Missouri’s Water Consumption Decreasing Slower Than the Nation’s (1/5/17)

Other Water

Missouri River Annual Flow

2015 Census of Public Water Systems (4/30/15)

Missouri Water Systems Met EPA Target in 2013 (5/7/15)

Some Missouri Water Systems Are Repeat Violators (5/14/15)

Water Scarce for 2/3 of World’s Population (2/25/2016)

Missouri River Annual Flow, 2016 (8/4/2016)

Yearly Variation in Missouri River Flow Increasing (8/11/2016)

Harmful Algal Blooms (10/13/2016)

Will Climate Change Affect Water Supply on the Missouri River (6/22/2017)

Does Southwest Missouri Face a Future Water Shortage? (6/29/2017)

Say Goodbye to Saline Lakes (1/18/2018)

Census of Public Water Systems, 2018 (7/5/2018)

Most Public Water Systems Met All Health-Based Regulations in 2016 (7/12/2018)

Disinfectant Byproducts Are the Most Common Water System Violations (7/19/2018)

Peak Streamflow Increasing in Missouri (6/27/19)