Reporting on species who are gone forever can be disheartening, but don’t let that stop you. After more than two decades on the extinction beat, John R. Platt has learned this work can also be deeply rewarding. He explains why he’s stuck with it and why other journalists should consider joining him in telling the stories of vanishing animals and plants.
"It’s finally peak bloom for the airy pink cherry blossoms in Washington, a welcome sign of spring in a city of concrete and granite continuously weighed down by the necessary heft of the nation’s decision-making."
"Rare footage of a sperm whale giving birth has offered scientists a window into the behavior of these large, elusive mammals."
"The United States has spent nearly a year pursuing deep sea mining without cooperation from the rest of the world. Now, Japan has said it will help out." "The arrangement could signal a fracture in the decades-long effort among nations to reach consensus on how to mine the ocean floor while protecting ecosystems."
"Vital Arctic sea ice shrank to tie its lowest measured level for the winter, the season when ice grows, as a warming Earth shattered records across the continents."
"US and European regulators should take urgent action to more tightly regulate glyphosate, the world’s most widely used weed killer, in light of strong scientific evidence that the pesticide can cause cancer and other health problems, a group of international scientists said on Friday."
"As the war in Iran pushes U.S. gas prices toward $4 a gallon nationally, some lawmakers are pushing to suspend the federal gasoline tax in the latest attempt to try to control surging energy costs."
"Cahokia Heights, a Black Illinois community, was already drowning in sewage. Now it faces the loss of crucial federal repair money."
"A federal judge has declined to act on an emergency request from an environmental group to stop the Trump administration from exploring an exemption to the Endangered Species Act for oil and gas drilling, setting the stage for an unusual government meeting to be held next week."
"A trio of House progressives launched a new caucus Thursday they say will allow communities to better liaise with Congress on environmental issues."
