Environmental groups, oil industry file separate legal challenges to Biden’s offshore drilling plan & more environmental news.

[View this email in your browser]( Tuesday, February 13, 2024 “We have the choice to use the gift of our life to make the world a better place – or not to bother.” ― Jane Goodall Environmental Groups, Oil Industry File Separate Legal Challenges to Biden’s Offshore Drilling Plan Legal petitions have been filed in the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia by environmental groups and [oil and gas]( interests challenging the Biden administration’s plan to offer additional [Gulf of Mexico drilling leases]( [Read More]( Related: [Biden Freezes Approval of Liquid Natural Gas Exports to Consider Climate Impacts]( Great Lakes Winter Ice Cover Averaging Just 5.9%: NOAA In an average year, the Great Lakes get about 40% ice cover. Now, after the [warmest year on record]( and the first time the world has [passed the 1.5°C target]( for a full year, the most recent [Great Lakes ice cover analysis]( by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Weather Service shows that average ice cover is currently at about 5.9%. [Read More]( Related: [World Breaches 1.5°C for an Entire Year for First Time on Record]( Scientists Create Artificial Worm Gut That Breaks Down Plastic News of plastic-eating enzymes and insects has been making headlines in recent years. Take, for example, [fungi that digests plastic]( in coastal salt marshes, or the greater wax moth caterpillar that [can live on polyethylene]( in its larval stage. However, to utilize these plastic-eating organisms, scientists would need to be able to breed them in large numbers. Scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have come up with a potential solution to this problem by developing an artificial worm gut that can break down plastics without requiring extensive worm breeding. The scientists [published]( their results in the journal Environment International. [Read More]( Related: [1 in 10 Premature U.S. Births Linked to Chemicals Found in Common Plastic Products]( More Than 22% of Migrating Species at Risk of Extinction, UN Report Finds A first-ever United Nations [report]( — State of the World’s Migratory Species — has found that more than 22 percent of [migratory species]( are at risk of [extinction]( globally due to overexploitation, [habitat destruction]( and [climate change](. [Read More]( Related: [Africa’s Birds of Prey Are Experiencing an Extinction Crisis]( Snow Leopard Population in India Surveyed for the First Time For the first time, India has completed a survey of snow leopards, finding an estimated 718 cats living in the country. Snow leopards live in a harsh environment, high in the Himalayas. That has long made it difficult for scientists to study these animals, let alone complete a thorough survey. The first-ever [Snow Leopard Population Assessment]( provides more insight into the snow leopard population and their habitat. [Read More]( Related: [DNA From Paw Prints in the Snow Could Help Monitor Polar Bears and Other Threatened Animals]( 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](