Referring to the surrounding ecosystem of the planet Earth, its natural mechanisms and balances, and study of the effects of human interaction with it.
Questions tagged [environment]
191 questions
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Does recycling create more pollution than it prevents?
My city, like many, has a recycling program, which I believe is supposed to reduce pollution and create some positive economic activity. But I've heard many people argue that recycling programs are a waste in and of themselves. Essentially that…
Mark Rogers
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Can people feel somebody is watching them?
I think most of us is familiar with this feeling. You can tell someone (who stands behind your back) is staring at you without any physical evidence.
Is it possible or is it just a matter of coincidence? How is this phenomena called? Was it ever…
Ondřej Mirtes
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Is only 4% of original forest left in the US?
The 2009 video The Story of Stuff makes several rather incredible claims. For example:
Where I live, in the United States, we have less than 4% of our original forests left.
My gut feeling tells me to be skeptical of this number. Is it correct?
Jishin Noben
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Is cycling worse for the environment than driving to work if you need to take a shower?
I had an argument with a work colleague. He claims that me cycling to and from work is less environmentally friendly than driving because
I will eat more as a result of expending more energy.
I have to take 2 showers a day (1 at work, 1 at…
Samuelson
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Does Germany produce more waste than the US?
According to the German Environment Agency, Germany produced 411 million tons of waste in 2016. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, the US produced about 260 million US tons (236 million metric tons).
Are these numbers correct? Are…
Maxim
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47
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Was plastic from a seaplane shot down in 1944 recently found in an albatross stomach?
The environmentalist website Ocean Sentry makes the claim (citing Calgary Herald) that:
The massive clockwise North Pacific Gyre is carrying plastic that is over 50 years old. Last year, plastic found in the stomach of an albatross had a serial…
March Ho
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Is "Earth Overshoot Day" a useful or reliable metric of humanity's effect on the world?
Apparently, we are rapidly approaching Earth overshoot day and that day gets earlier every year. The Guardian explains:
Humanity is devouring our planet’s resources in increasingly destructive volumes, according to a new study that reveals we have…
matt_black
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43
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Is the Amazon rain forest man-made?
An article in the Atlantic quotes several experts who claim that the Amazon rainforest is the remnants of planted and cultivated orchards and farms, and that the land is not naturally conducive to this type of growth.
Planting their orchards, the…
Chad
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Is being a vegan more environmentally friendly than otherwise?
On their website, PETA claimed the following:
A recent United Nations report concluded that a global shift toward a vegan diet is necessary to combat the worst effects of climate change. And the U.N. is not alone in its analysis. Researchers at the…
Jose Luis
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Does flying a small GA aircraft use less fuel than driving the same distance by car?
This is a notable claim by Friedrich Merz, head of the CDU party and a member of the German parliament:
„Ich bereue nicht, dass ich zur Hochzeit von Christian Lindner geflogen bin. Um es mal auf den Punkt zu bringen: Mit meinem Kleinflugzeug…
Polygnome
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Does one acre of hemp yield as much paper as 4 acres of trees?
I saw the following photo on my Facebook news feed:
I asked my friend who posted it for a source, and he gave me a link to a hemp manufacturer. I'm pretty sure it's not a reputable source. I'm interested to see if there is any independent study,…
Dang Khoa
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Are we in a low CO2 period, compared to the last 590 million years?
In 2012 Burt Rutan, the aircraft designer, posted these slides summarizing his take on global warming/climate change.
Slide 14 is
In the big picture we are now in a low CO2 period. The 20th century increase shows as an insignificant dot at this…
Mike Dunlavey
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Can we grow enough crops to feed all people on Earth?
Vegetarianism is heavily promoted. But let's say all people on Earth stop eating animal products. Can we grow enough crops so all people on the Earth are provided with enough healthy, nutritious food?
The question is of course very theoretical, but…
Egle
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Organic food is worse for the environment because it requires more land than non-organic food
I've heard that organic crops and husbandry are worse for the environment than non-organic equivalents because in the absence of pesticides and fertilizers much more land is required for an organic yield equivalent to what would be achieved with…
Brian M. Hunt
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Is cancer a man-made disease?
Not too long ago a story about a study examining mummies for the prevalence of cancer caused a flurry of articles in the media claiming that cancer is a man-made disease. The researchers claim that cancer was very rare in ancient egypt compared to…
Mad Scientist
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