New Tools for sensing Microplastic, an Emerging Food Security Issue

Awareness of the global plastic crisis is rising as cities pledge to reduce their waste and major media publications like National Geographic campaign for education and action. Single-use plastic pollution has been shown to harm wildlife time and again. Most recently, a whale was found beached in the Philippines with 88 pounds of plastic in its stomach – its death likely caused by starvation due to complications with the plastic.

New textbook offers comprehensive and practical guidelines to critical infrastructure resilience

The legacy infrastructure in the United States is aging -- and not gracefully -- as it’s being placed under greater stress by users trying to extract more from systems such as water, transportation and power grid networks. At the same time, the nation's infrastructure faces greater hazards – both manmade and naturally occurring. With leaders poised nationally to make a major investment in critical infrastructure, now is the key time to build back better and stronger than what was inherited from the work of prior generations. Dr. Stephen E. Flynn, one of the world’s leading experts on infrastructure resilience and supply chain security, has co-authored a textbook offering comprehensive and practical guidelines to developing and deploying these resilient upgrades.

New resilience organization at FEMA aims to build ‘culture of preparedness’

The 2018 Atlantic Hurricane Season has begun, and federal first responders are preparing ways to better respond to historic storms like those seen in last year's record-setting season. In 2017 alone, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) responded to dozens of natural and other disasters across America and its island territories, including multiple-strike situations like Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria. According to FEMA, roughly 25.8 million people were affected by Harvey, Irma, and Maria -- eight percent of the entire U.S. population. In testimony before the House Appropriations Committee on November 30, 2017, FEMA Administrator Brock Long emphasized the importance of resilience for future disaster preparedness efforts. "We have to do more pre-disaster mitigation," Long stressed. "Pre-disaster mitigation is the key to becoming more resilient and reducing disaster impacts."

New recycling regulations in China create pile-up in U.S.

The United States produces the most recyclable waste in the world, more than half of which is bought by recycling mills in other countries. The majority of it went to China, who bought about two thirds of the paper and aluminum scraps recycled in the US. However, starting January 1, 2018, new regulations went into place in China which restricted what plastics will be accepted to be recycled. Additionally, as of March, China placed a limit on what percentage of a bale to be recycled can be other waste, such as food waste or non-recyclable garbage. As a result, the US market has had to find other outlets for their recycling. Some is being sent to other countries or to developing US recycling mills, but the price for scrap has still taken a downturn. Further, because sending waste to China allowed the returning ships to deliver goods to the US, it was more cost effective than sending scrap elsewhere. As the US struggles to deal with the new surplus, some recycling processors are holding onto their waste hoping prices will go up, while some states are granting waivers that will allow recyclable waste to go into landfills.