Environment

NASA climatologist James Hansen has produced new research that ties the record heat waves the world has experienced over the past decade to climate change.

Hansen's paper will be published today, and in an Op-Ed in the Washington Post he previewed his findings. He and his colleagues analyzed 60 years of weather patterns and have found that extremely hot summers are increasing in frequency.

Carbon capture has been out of the news lately, as many power plants have abandoned efforts to capture and store carbon dioxide. But the University of Kentucky says the technology is still relevant.

UK’s Center for Applied Energy Research will host a carbon capture workshop in September. It’s meant for utility members and researchers to learn more about the technology.

A western Kentucky county has approved changes that will allow a new coal mine to be opened, but there are some restrictions once mining begins.

The Daviess County Fiscal court voted unanimously last night to uphold the rezoning of nearly 700 acres in the southern end of the county. But county officials also placed some limits on what type of equipment could be used at the mine and when the mine could operate.

Kentucky environmental attorney Tom FitzGerald has turned down an award from the federal Office of Surface Mining.

FitzGerald--also the head of the Kentucky Resources Council--was to be the first-ever recipient of the ECHO Award, named for the agency's stated principles of Environment, Community, Humanity, and Ownership. The award was given out yesterday in recognition of the 35th anniversary of the passage of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act, or SMCRA.