Susmita Baral

Writer/Editor

United States of America

Portfolio
Health.com
01/05/2021
Climate Change Is Affecting Our Mental Health-Here's How

More than half of Americans have reported at least a little anxiety regarding the health of our planet. While it'd be easy to chalk up those disasters to 2020 being an awful year overall, extreme weather events like these are becoming more commonplace, and scientists are increasingly linking them to climate change.

Vice
09/25/2020
As Earth's Ice Melts, Is Geoengineering Our Last Hope?

Geoengineering-a technological approach to tackling climate change-is either a dangerous distraction or our best hope, depending on whom you ask. In the minutes it takes to read this article, nearly 12 million tons of ice will have melted away from Greenland's ice sheet alone.

Teen Vogue
You Can't Just "Clean Up" the Plastic in the Ocean. Here's Why.

Since the early 1950s, there has been an estimated 8.3 billion tons - and counting - of plastic produced on the planet, according to a 2017 study published in the Science Advances journal. The United Nations Environment Program reports that roughly 60% of that lump sum has made its way to landfills or the ocean.

Kitchn
Organic Farming May Leave a Larger Carbon Footprint than You Think

We independently select these products-if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. When you consume organic food, there's that feeling that you've done something good - for your body and for the environment. But organic foods are not what they seem.

HuffPost
07/06/2017
Here's What's Causing India's 'Superbug' Problem

Last August, a Nevada woman in her 70s was hospitalized after returning from an extended trip to India. She was infected with multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae - what doctors call a " nightmare superbug" - that showed immunity from 26 antibiotics. She died in September from multiple organ failure and sepsis.

International Business Times
Canada Tests Microchip Tracking System To Deter Smugglers

A pilot project in Canada is working on inserting microchips in the hides of polar bears in efforts to curb wildlife trafficking. Officials in several Nunavut and Labrador communities started the utilizing the microchips earlier this year. With the technology, both buyers and wildlife enforcement officers can know exactly where the animal was hunted and whether it was legal.

International Business Times
09/15/2016
NASA Starts Studying Australia's Waters As Part Of 3-Year Mission To Save Reefs

An airborne mission by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA) is investigating Australia's Great Barrier Reef. The two-month mission is part of a larger three-year $15 million investigation by NASA's Coral Reef Airborne Laboratory ( CORAL) that aims to better understand the reefs, their health and how to protect them.

Kitchn
This Art Project Shows How Your Food Will Change Due to Climate Change

Whether you're a believer in man-made global warming or a denier, there's no ignoring the fact that our earth's climate is changing and with it comes modifications to the food ecosystem. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, climate change disrupts food accessibility, diminishes access to food, and impacts food quality.

Mic
02/14/2017
Hackers just helped NASA save a treasure trove of climate data from an uncertain future

While you were brunching and binge-watching your favorite TV series over the weekend, coders saved a large amount of the government's climate science data. Roughly 200 programmers congregated Saturday in the Doe Library at the University of California, Berkeley, to take part in a hackathon focusing on NASA's earth sciences programs and the Department of Energy.

International Business Times
07/28/2016
Why North American Forests Can't Combat Greenhouse Effect

Forests make up a third of the land mass in the United States with woodlands accounting for 751 million acres. From an environmental standpoint, the abundance of trees is good news, as they are believed to play a role in offsetting climate change by removing carbon dioxide from the air and emitting oxygen.

International Business Times
08/18/2016
Alaska Climate Change Makes Island Town Of Shishmaref Vote On Relocation

Climate change is posing a difficult question for the Alaskan village of Shishmaref: to relocate to the Alaskan mainland or not to relocate to the Alaskan mainland. On Tuesday, the town voted on the matter with 89 in favor of a move and 78 against, according to Donna Barr, the secretary of the Shishmaref Council.