skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Wednesday, January 15, 2025

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Hegseth could lead troops who'd face getting fired for actions he's done in the past; Strong Santa Ana winds return for SoCal; Southeast Asian refugees in MA fear deportation, seek Biden pardon; RSV rise puts Indiana hospitals on alert; CT lawmakers urged to focus on LGBTQ+ legislation.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The Special Counsel's report says Donald Trump would have been convicted for election interference. Defense Secretary pick Pete Hegseth faces harsh questioning from Senate Democrats, and law enforcement will be increased for next week's inauguration.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

"Drill, baby, drill" is a tough sell for oil and gas companies in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, rising sea levels create struggles for Washington's coastal communities, and more folks than ever are taking advantage of America's great outdoors.

Tree coverage in cities crucial as planet warms, WA research shows

play audio
Play

Monday, February 19, 2024   

Trees in urban areas provide benefits for people, including decreased temperatures and improved air quality, according to new research from Washington state.

The Greening Research in Tacoma initiative measured air temperatures across a neighborhood in the city to understand the effects of urban trees.

Ailene Ettinger, qualitative ecologist for The Nature Conservancy in Washington and the study's lead author, said temperatures were as much as 18 degrees lower in areas with trees. Ettinger noted trees are essential to mitigate the effects of climate change.

"They reduce the probability of extreme heat occurring," Ettinger explained. "The kind of heat that can be harmful for human health, and can also just reduce the ability of people to do their work if they're working outside."

The Greening Research in Tacoma initiative is a partnership of The Nature Conservancy in Washington, University of Washington, Tacoma Tree Foundation and Tacoma Urban Forestry program. The study was published in the journal Scientific Reports.

Lowell Wyse, executive director of the Tacoma Tree Foundation, said urban trees are also an environmental justice issue. He pointed out the South Tacoma neighborhood where the study took place has half the canopy coverage of the rest of the city, and is also more racially and ethnically diverse.

"There's a growing awareness that the way the city's designed isn't fair for everybody," Wyse observed. "People that live in this neighborhood really care about making a change on all those fronts - environmental, social and economic."

Wyse added the work has gained greater urgency since the 2021 heat wave in the Northwest, which killed eight people in Tacoma, including one in the neighborhood studied.

"It's kind of becoming a life-and-death issue here to understand the urban heat-island effect, and start making investments in shade and cooling resources in these neighborhoods that are suffering the most from those kinds of events," Wyse stressed.

Disclosure: The Nature Conservancy of Washington contributes to our fund for reporting on Climate Change/Air Quality, Energy Policy, Environment, and Public Lands/Wilderness. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
Wisconsin is one of nine states where voters are required to present photo identification to vote. The current state law has been in place since 2011. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

A proposal to make Wisconsin's strict Voter ID law a constitutional amendment passed Wisconsin's Republican-controlled Assembly on Tuesday. Voters …


Social Issues

play sound

In Mississippi, where thousands of people are serving life sentences, the impact of long-term imprisonment falls disproportionately on Black …

Social Issues

play sound

One topic expected to make a big splash during Wyoming's general legislative session is property taxes at many levels. First on the agenda for the …


Feral hogs breed year-round and can have up to 12 piglets per litter, making population control difficult. (byrdyak/Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

The last Farm Bill allocated $75 million to reduce feral hog populations around the country but this year, funding has expired, which could be a …

Social Issues

play sound

In this year's state budget, Gov. Brian Kemp is proposing a $500 million investment to tackle a critical issue for Savannah and surrounding areas - …

Volunteer Hector Silva of Hunger Action Los Angeles prepares burritos for distribution to fire victims in Pasadena, Calif. (Sara Donis)

Social Issues

play sound

Food donations are pouring in to help victims of the Los Angeles fires, to the point donors are being asked to hold off a bit so it can all be …

Environment

play sound

By Jessica Scott-Reid for Sentient.Broadcast version by Suzanne Potter for California News Service reporting for the Sentient-Public News Service Coll…

Social Issues

play sound

In 2019, Colorado lawmakers set goals for cutting climate pollution by at least half by the year 2030, and by 90% by 2050 - compared with 2005 levels…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021