A graph is worth a thousand words: By now you’ve heard the buzz about the new draft of the National Climate Assessment, published four days ago. For those who don’t feel like wading through a document of 1,000 pages or more, here’s a handy guide to the five most important charts from the report. Spoiler alert: it’s not good news. Climate Central
Déjà vu: The inhabitants of Handan, China, have more to worry about than the air pollution currently blanketing their Beijing neighbors to the north. About 39 tons of aniline, a probable carcinogen, had been leaking into their drinking water for five days before their government warned them of the danger. Such reckless contamination and its threat to public health is all to familiar to environmental writer Dan Fagin (an OnEarth editorial board member), who reminds us in an op-ed piece that the history of aniline and other industrial toxins tends to repeat itself, whether it's 19-century Switzerland, 20th-century New Jersey, or 21st-century China. New York Times
Fresh tracks: Looking for a way to be as eco-friendly as you can while still hitting the slopes? How about a snowboard made from recycled materials and organic fibers? Scientists at the University of Sheffield's Advanced Manufacturing Research Center have created just that. Instead of carbon fiber, their board is made from recycled PET (think Coke bottles), flax fibers (think tough), and cashew nut husk epoxy (think tasty?). Suddenly product testing doesn’t sound so bad. Outside Magazine
Road till: Ever wondered what happens to road kill? Oregon’s Department of Transportation, along with some other states, have an ingenious solution to the carcass problem: compost. Dead animals from roadsides throughout eastern Oregon are being brought to a composting center, where they slowly decompose amid woodchips and other plant matter. The goal is to produce enough compost to fertilize plantings along the highway, an apt tribute. High Country News
Chile catches on: Fish and fish-lovers alike rejoice: Chile has overhauled its fishing regulations, replacing unsustainable practices with fishing quotas based on sound science. The new regulations also protect seamounts from bottom-trawling fishing nets, which destroy reefs as they drag along the ocean floor. National Geographic
The thrill of the drill: The United States is pulling ahead in a scientific race to the bottom...that is, a race to find life beneath Antarctica’s massive sub-glacial Lake Vostok. Both Russian and British expeditions have run into problems, but the U.S. team is poised to start drilling very soon. All three scientific teams hope to find microscopic life hidden in the lake, which has been isolated from the outside world for millions of years by miles of glaciers covering its surface. New York Times
Playing chicken: Why did the lesser prairie chicken cross the drill pad? Because it had nowhere else to go. Lesser prairie chickens are in trouble, as habitat loss has their population plummeting in states like Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, and New Mexico, where oil and gas development and wind farms often overlap with the bird’s habitat. The Fish and Wildlife Service will decide by the end of September whether the bird warrants protection under the Endangered Species Act. The Texas Tribune
Grain drain: The South American grain quinoa leads the pack in trendy, eco-chic food choices, while also packing a highly nutritional punch with every bite. Unfortunately, the quinoa boom could undermine the health of the very people who provide it. The grain grows high in the Andes, where it is a traditional staple of Peruvian and Bolivian farmers. The good news is that these farmers are making big bucks. The bad news is that they haven't been saving any quinoa for themselves, and could potentially face malnutrition. The Guardian
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