The Emerald Review
Since 2011, agricultural gag laws have been introduced in several states in order to prohibit undercover inquiries of factory farms and slaughterhouses. As whistleblowing employees and activists were conducting investigations with the intent of exposing the abuse performed by these agricultural corporations, state governments implemented gag laws to protect “well-meaning farmers” from animal rights and […]
Scientists around the world observe the public health consequences of human activity on the environment. The recent coronavirus pandemic has inspired a notable scientific regard in identifying the role of the environment and human activity on the spread of disease. The dominant areas of environmental investigation concern worldwide deforestation, and the loss of biodiversity among […]
With the rise of the electric car, fossil-fuel alternatives for transportation have become increasingly popular. Electric cars have often been touted as a response to the climate crisis, because they do not run directly on fossil fuels. This seemingly “green” vehicle, however, comes with its own set of environmental detriments. The electric car is not […]
The Atlantic horseshoe crab, limulus polyphemus, have existed for approximately 450 million years, hence its nickname of “the living fossil.” This species has survived ice ages, the separation of Pangea, and several mass extinctions, including the Cretaceous-Tertiary Extinction that wiped out the dinosaurs, and the Great Dying, which killed 90% of life on Earth 250 […]
The emergence of single-use plastics in the mid-20th century revolutionized the fields of healthcare and medicine. This new form of technology brought about unprecedented sanitation capabilities due to its flexibility and disposability. For decades since, plastic has been selected as the primary material produced and discarded in healthcare on an international level. However, current worldwide […]
On August 7, 2008, the Massachusetts legislature ratified the Global Warming Solutions Act (GWSA) with the intention of cutting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions state-wide. Massachusetts’ Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EOEEA), in collaboration with other state agencies and the public, set out to devise GHG emission reduction goals to help Massachusetts reduce its […]
As scientists and governments seek new ways to counteract the anthropogenic causes of climate change, one popular channel is waste management. In 2018, the United States generated 292.4 million tons of municipal solid waste (MSW). This is equivalent to 4.9 pounds of MSW per person per day—an unnervingly large statistic, and the highest per capita […]
In April 2021, the Biden administration implemented a new Greenhouse Gas Pollution Reduction Target. This plan aims for a 50–52% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) pollution by 2030 from 2005 levels. The United States also set a goal of completely divesting from carbon-emitting electricity sources by 2035. To some, these goals may appear too ambitious. […]
The reliance of the European Union (EU) on nonrenewable energy has perpetuated the ongoing violence occurring in Ukraine, and the solution could be renewable energy. The acts of war that have occurred between Russia and Ukraine may influence the long-overdue switch to renewable energy in many major world powers. This is because of the European […]
On any given cold night in March, dozens of students take walks on Bay State Road. Looking up to the sky, they may see the windows of Myles Standish Hall, a residence at Boston University whose brightly lit rooms create the image of a checkerboard in the dark. Each day, warm bulbs illuminate pages of […]