Methane emissions worldwide rising at fastest pace in decades, study finds & more environmental news.

[View this email in your browser]( Monday, August 5, 2024 "The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us, the less taste we shall have for the destruction." — Rachel Carson [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [X]( Methane Emissions Worldwide Rising at Fastest Pace in Decades, Study Finds According to a new study, global [methane emissions]( are “rising rapidly” — at the fastest pace in decades — with immediate action needed to help curtail a dangerous intensification of the [climate crisis](. [Read More]( Related: [Tree Bark Can Remove Methane Emissions From the Atmosphere, Study Finds]( Plastic Bag Pollution on UK Beaches Falls 80% After Single-Use Bag Fee Policy, Report Finds A new report from Marine Conservation Society has determined an 80% decline in the amount of plastic bags found washed up on beaches in the past 10 years. The report links the decline in plastic bag waste to the enacting of fees for single-use plastic bags at large supermarket retailers in 2015. [Read More]( Related: [U.S. Federal Government Introduces Measures to Tackle Plastics Crisis, Including Phasing Out Single-Use Plastics by 2035]( Park Fire Doubles in Size, Becomes Sixth-Largest in California History Thousands of firefighters in [California]( are battling the [Park Fire]( in northern California after it doubled in size within 24 hours, reported Reuters. The massive [wildfire]( is the sixth-largest in the state’s history, having burned [370,000 acres]( since it started on Wednesday, The New York Times reported. It had also destroyed more than 100 structures and threatened thousands more. [Read More]( Related: [California’s Devastating Wildfire Season: First Fatality Reported, Already 5x More Acres Burned Than Average]( U.S. Treasury Secretary Yellen: $3 Trillion Needed Annually to Reach 2050 Global Climate Goals In an address in Belém, [Brazil]( United States Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen said the world needs $3 trillion in financing annually to reach its 2050 [climate]( and [biodiversity]( goals. [Read More]( Related: [Battery Energy Storage Capacity Must Increase 6x Faster to Meet Global Climate Goals: IEA]( Koalas Can Predict the Hottest Summer Days and Lower Their Body Temperatures Accordingly, Study Finds A new [study]( by researchers in Australia has found that iconic and [endangered koalas]( have the ability to regulate their body [temperatures]( more than previously thought. For the first time, scientists have observed free-ranging, wild koalas drastically lowering their core body temperatures during cool mornings in preparation for the most sweltering summer days. [Read More]( Related: [Wild Bumblebees Capable of Logical Reasoning, Study Finds]( Fruit Bats Have Cognitive Abilities Previously Believed to Be Exclusive to Humans, Research Finds Researchers from Tel Aviv University (TAU) have studied [free-ranging fruit bats]( in a colony in Egypt to answer the long-standing question of whether [animals have complex cognitive abilities]( previously thought to exist only in humans. The [study]( focused specifically on mental time travel, episodic memory, delayed gratification and planning ahead, a [press release from TAU]( said. [Read More]( Related: [Elephants Call Each Other by Name, Like Humans Do, Study Finds]( Do you get this newsletter daily? If not, [sign up here]( or forward to a friend. [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Website]( [Instagram]( Copyright © 2024 EcoWatch, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you signed up for EcoWatch Top News of The Day Our mailing address is: EcoWatch 1122 Oberlin RoadRaleigh, NC 27605 [Add us to your address book]( Want to change how you receive these emails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](. [Mailchimp Email Marketing](