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Federal tax dollars meant to fight climate change could end up boosting fossil fuel production. That might sound like an April Fools’ gag, but environment scholar Ned Randolph writes that it may soon be reality in Louisiana.
The problem involves new federal tax credits for carbon capture and storage – a set of technologies meant to keep greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere. But the way the tax credits were created, these projects may actually lead to more fossil fuel extraction. Randolph, who has written about Louisiana’s history of using disasters to boost the fossil fuel industry, explains how funding for a technology pitched as a climate change solution could lead to more net
emissions.
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Louisiana accounted for nearly one-sixth of the nation’s oil-refining capacity and shipped 63% of its liquefied natural gas exports in 2022.
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Ned Randolph, Tulane University
Carbon capture is turning the oil and gas industry into a critical player for mitigating climate change – while its products continue to heat up the planet.
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Science + Technology
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Douglas Goodwin, Scripps College
Your phone can’t take a perfectly clear picture of a solar eclipse like a professional camera can, but there are lots of other creative directions you can take to capture the rare moment.
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Robin Chataut, Quinnipiac University
The 485 multiterabit-per-second undersea data cables that span the world’s oceans link the globe and maintain the digital realm.
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Environment + Energy
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Chen Liu, Clarkson University
It’s common to see solar panels on rooftops and fields, but they aren’t widespread on cars − yet.
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Politics + Society
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Dara E. Purvis, Penn State
In the past, when courts considered disputes over what to do with no-longer-wanted embryos, they typically considered them property. The Alabama ruling challenges this legal precedent.
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Charlie Hunt, Boise State University
If you hear the 118th Congress described as a bunch of slackers, you’re not getting the whole story.
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Health + Medicine
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Maria J Silveira, University of Michigan
When dementia patients on Medicare enroll in hospice, they lose other crucial supports and services.
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Jason Sawyer, Bryant University
Both high- and moderate-intensity exercise provides similar overall health benefits.
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Education
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Joseph Soares, Wake Forest University
A few Ivy League schools say the tests enable them to find students of promise from low-income families. But not all sociologists agree.
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International
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T. Michael Anderson, Wake Forest University
Lessons from the Serengeti herds may help conservationists manage migratory herbivore populations.
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