Scott Pruitt, Trump’s E.P.A. chief, resigns under cloud of ethics scandals

Scott Pruitt, head of the Environmental Protection Agency, has resigned his position, President Donald Trump announced via Twitter today. Although Pruitt was regularly criticized for ethical and perhaps legal misdeeds, he infamously urged Trump to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement and oversaw the rollback of numerous environmental rules designed to reduce emissions and  mitigate global warming. Read more at The New York Times …

How more carbon dioxide in the air could lead to more human disease

As the level of carbon monoxide increases, our food becomes less nutritious. And that could cause widespread malnutrition and an increase in diseases such as malaria, pneumonia and diarrhea. Cutting emissions might reduce this issue, researchers found. Read more at NPR …

Local food grown by immigrants is connecting this Seattle suburb

Shoppers in Kent, Washington, soon will find an unusual variety of vegetables, grown by an unusual collective of farmers, at the East Hill Farmers Market. A 2-year-old farming enterprise, Living Well Kent, consists of immigrants, refugees and people of color. In addition to selling the “ethic vegetables,” the organization will donate some of its harvest to local food banks. Read more at Civil Eats …

Great Barrier Reef imperiled as heat worsens die-offs, experts say

Australia’s Great Barrier Reef could suffer mass bleachings more frequently if greenhouse gas emissions aren’t reduced, scientists reported. Nearly one-third of the reef’s coral was killed in 2016 and 2017 because of high ocean temperatures. Governments should see these findings as a warning, said the Climate Council’s acting chief executive officer. Read more at The New York Times …

Red-hot planet: All-time heat records have been set all over the world during the past week

Baby, it’s hot outside. Not just in Colorado, but throughout the United States. Not just in the United States, but in Canada, Ireland, Europe—even the Northern Siberia. See how recent temperatures around the world compare with what’s happening in your neck of the woods. Read more at The Washington Post …