Grady McCallie
@gradym.bsky.social
Environmental advocate in North Carolina. Water, flood resilience, climate, toxics, growth. Non-work: gardening, books, hiking.
This is sea level rise: "I’ve lived in Atlantic for six decades. I’ve never seen the roads hold water like this. The fields don’t dry out anymore. The ditches stay full — they just don’t drain."
Guest commentary: When the water doesn’t go away coastalreview.org/2025/11/gues...
Guest commentary: When the water doesn’t go away coastalreview.org/2025/11/gues...
Guest commentary: When the water doesn’t go away | Coastal Review
Drainage systems that rely on gravity fail when the difference in elevation that drives water from land to sea has been shrinking as sea level rises.
coastalreview.org
November 14, 2025 at 3:23 PM
This is sea level rise: "I’ve lived in Atlantic for six decades. I’ve never seen the roads hold water like this. The fields don’t dry out anymore. The ditches stay full — they just don’t drain."
Guest commentary: When the water doesn’t go away coastalreview.org/2025/11/gues...
Guest commentary: When the water doesn’t go away coastalreview.org/2025/11/gues...
I'm looking forward to reading the books. But this is such a thoughtful article, it is worth reading in its own right. And it's lovely for the hope it expresses in the power of clearly communicated ideas. coastalreview.org/2025/11/coas...
Coastal geologist Stan Riggs sets out on 10-book project | Coastal Review
“I've done a lot of work here," the East Carolina University professor told Coastal Review, and the book series to be rolled out over three years is a mission to share what he's learned.
coastalreview.org
November 12, 2025 at 2:32 PM
I'm looking forward to reading the books. But this is such a thoughtful article, it is worth reading in its own right. And it's lovely for the hope it expresses in the power of clearly communicated ideas. coastalreview.org/2025/11/coas...
"Three-quarters of refugees and other displaced people now live in countries facing high or extreme exposure to climate-related hazards, with repeated displacement becoming increasingly common."
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Climate disasters displaced 250 million people in past 10 years, UN report finds
Floods, storms and droughts have uprooted people across the globe as rising temperatures intensify conflict and hunger
www.theguardian.com
November 10, 2025 at 2:50 PM
"Three-quarters of refugees and other displaced people now live in countries facing high or extreme exposure to climate-related hazards, with repeated displacement becoming increasingly common."
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Reposted by Grady McCallie
Not every month will set a new record, but the warming trend is obvious. This graphic shows #Arctic air temperature rank by month over the satellite era - now updated through October 2025... 🧪
+ Ranks: 1=warmest (red), 46/47=coldest (blue)
+ Download higher resolution: zacklabe.com/arctic-tempe...
+ Ranks: 1=warmest (red), 46/47=coldest (blue)
+ Download higher resolution: zacklabe.com/arctic-tempe...
November 6, 2025 at 8:59 PM
Not every month will set a new record, but the warming trend is obvious. This graphic shows #Arctic air temperature rank by month over the satellite era - now updated through October 2025... 🧪
+ Ranks: 1=warmest (red), 46/47=coldest (blue)
+ Download higher resolution: zacklabe.com/arctic-tempe...
+ Ranks: 1=warmest (red), 46/47=coldest (blue)
+ Download higher resolution: zacklabe.com/arctic-tempe...
Reposted by Grady McCallie
Our analysis of EPA air monitoring data shows that companies have far underestimated the pollution caused by their facilities.
At a U.S. Steel plant outside Pittsburgh, monitors found benzene levels 37 times higher than estimated emissions.
@lisalsong.bsky.social, 📸: @annie-flanagan.bsky.social
At a U.S. Steel plant outside Pittsburgh, monitors found benzene levels 37 times higher than estimated emissions.
@lisalsong.bsky.social, 📸: @annie-flanagan.bsky.social
Air Pollution From Industrial Facilities Is Far Worse Than Estimated
The Trump administration has put a stop to EPA rules that would have required more than 130 industrial facilities to install air monitors to measure pollution. Millions of people living near these pla...
www.propublica.org
November 6, 2025 at 12:35 AM
Our analysis of EPA air monitoring data shows that companies have far underestimated the pollution caused by their facilities.
At a U.S. Steel plant outside Pittsburgh, monitors found benzene levels 37 times higher than estimated emissions.
@lisalsong.bsky.social, 📸: @annie-flanagan.bsky.social
At a U.S. Steel plant outside Pittsburgh, monitors found benzene levels 37 times higher than estimated emissions.
@lisalsong.bsky.social, 📸: @annie-flanagan.bsky.social
"[W]e need to regulate these compounds at the source....People downstream should not be the filtration system.”
www.wral.com/news/local/s...
www.wral.com/news/local/s...
Study finds ultrashort-chain PFAS built up in Wilmington residents' blood before GenX scandal
Archived blood samples show Wilmington residents carried high levels of little-known PFAS long before the public learned of contamination in the Cape Fear River.
www.wral.com
November 5, 2025 at 6:39 PM
"[W]e need to regulate these compounds at the source....People downstream should not be the filtration system.”
www.wral.com/news/local/s...
www.wral.com/news/local/s...
This is a complex argument, but the core point is simple: disturbing PFAS contaminated sediments in the Cape Fear could set up North Carolina for recurring costs that far outweigh any speculative benefits of the project. coastalreview.org/2025/11/port...
Port's Cape Fear dredge project fails taxpayers, environment | Coastal Review
Guest commentary: Deepening the Cape Fear River will only worsen flooding around the downtown Wilmington waterfront and the North Carolina Battleship site and lead to a substantial loss of vital wetla...
coastalreview.org
November 5, 2025 at 4:18 PM
This is a complex argument, but the core point is simple: disturbing PFAS contaminated sediments in the Cape Fear could set up North Carolina for recurring costs that far outweigh any speculative benefits of the project. coastalreview.org/2025/11/port...
Great news!
Nearly 500 acres purchased for a nature preserve near Chimney Rock, Lake Lure
wlos.com/news/local/n...
wlos.com/news/local/n...
November 3, 2025 at 6:10 PM
Great news!
Dam safety - and especially removal of old dams - is a crucial part of inland flood resilience. www.wral.com/news/local/h...
Helene revealed a hidden flood threat: North Carolina's aging dams
More than 40 dams failed when Helene hit the mountains in September 2024. Advocates say it won’t be the last time unless North Carolina confronts its aging, overlooked infrastructure.
www.wral.com
October 30, 2025 at 7:25 PM
Dam safety - and especially removal of old dams - is a crucial part of inland flood resilience. www.wral.com/news/local/h...
Chemours is doubling down on its toxic history: NRDC coastalreview.org/2025/10/chem...
Chemours is doubling down on its toxic history: NRDC | Coastal Review
Chemours is not a company that can be trusted to expand its operations responsibly, and it's an example of the national PFAS pollution crisis, writes Drew Ball of the Natural Resources Defense Council...
coastalreview.org
October 30, 2025 at 3:01 PM
Chemours is doubling down on its toxic history: NRDC coastalreview.org/2025/10/chem...
Most of the discussion about SNAP cuts focuses, rightly, on hungry people. But for North Carolinians concerned about food systems broadly, map 4 in this series - potential loss of grocery stores - is also chilling, implying much larger food deserts for everyone. ncbudget.org/mapping-what...
Mapping What’s at Stake: The Impact of SNAP on North Carolina’s Families and Local Economies - NC Budget & Tax Center
Every county in North Carolina benefits from federal food assistance. Each month, SNAP (aka food stamps) dollars flow into every community, helping families put food on the table and keep up with ris...
ncbudget.org
October 30, 2025 at 1:15 PM
Most of the discussion about SNAP cuts focuses, rightly, on hungry people. But for North Carolinians concerned about food systems broadly, map 4 in this series - potential loss of grocery stores - is also chilling, implying much larger food deserts for everyone. ncbudget.org/mapping-what...
The bottom line is, Asheboro needs to tell its local industrial dischargers to stop putting 1,4-dioxane into the municipal sewer system. It really is that simple. coastalreview.org/2025/10/oppo...
Opponents urge EPA to uphold objection to Asheboro permit | Coastal Review
Those who spoke last week at the Environmental Protection Agency's hearing on Asheboro's wastewater permit urged the EPA to uphold its objection to the city's proposed permit with no effluent discharg...
coastalreview.org
October 27, 2025 at 12:28 PM
The bottom line is, Asheboro needs to tell its local industrial dischargers to stop putting 1,4-dioxane into the municipal sewer system. It really is that simple. coastalreview.org/2025/10/oppo...
Reposted by Grady McCallie
"These actions by Asheboro are despicable."
Folks at @usepa.bsky.social public hearing are beyond p*ssed about the city's discharge of 1,4-Dioxane, a likely carcinogen, into the drinking water supply.
Folks at @usepa.bsky.social public hearing are beyond p*ssed about the city's discharge of 1,4-Dioxane, a likely carcinogen, into the drinking water supply.
October 22, 2025 at 11:16 PM
"These actions by Asheboro are despicable."
Folks at @usepa.bsky.social public hearing are beyond p*ssed about the city's discharge of 1,4-Dioxane, a likely carcinogen, into the drinking water supply.
Folks at @usepa.bsky.social public hearing are beyond p*ssed about the city's discharge of 1,4-Dioxane, a likely carcinogen, into the drinking water supply.
Dredging for channel deepening, more than sea level rise, has killed cypress trees along the lower Cape Fear:
coastalreview.org/2025/10/cape...
coastalreview.org/2025/10/cape...
Cape Fear ghost forests tell tale of ever-saltier water upriver | Coastal Review
New findings in a report from the University of North Carolina Wilmington that examined tree cores and sediment samples from a nearby tributary show how the loss of cypress forests and protections the...
coastalreview.org
October 22, 2025 at 5:45 PM
Dredging for channel deepening, more than sea level rise, has killed cypress trees along the lower Cape Fear:
coastalreview.org/2025/10/cape...
coastalreview.org/2025/10/cape...
Reposted by Grady McCallie
The company “improperly withheld vital emission data from the public” in its Aug. 14 application to the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Air Quality, according to a letter to regulators from Southern Environmental Law Center attorneys.
coastalreview.org/2025/10/atto...
coastalreview.org/2025/10/atto...
Attorneys allege Chemours hid emission data from public | Coastal Review
The company “improperly withheld vital emission data from the public” in its Aug. 14 application to the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Air Quality, according to a let...
coastalreview.org
October 21, 2025 at 12:46 PM
The company “improperly withheld vital emission data from the public” in its Aug. 14 application to the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Air Quality, according to a letter to regulators from Southern Environmental Law Center attorneys.
coastalreview.org/2025/10/atto...
coastalreview.org/2025/10/atto...
Bad news for coastlines everywhere, including North Carolina. Curbing carbon emissions is an important as ever.
Another update for changes in land ice mass observed by GRACE(-FO) satellite in Antarctica (left) and Greenland (right)...
My visualization can also be downloaded: zacklabe.com/arctic-sea-i...
My visualization can also be downloaded: zacklabe.com/arctic-sea-i...
October 20, 2025 at 12:52 PM
Bad news for coastlines everywhere, including North Carolina. Curbing carbon emissions is an important as ever.
Missed this when it was first published three weeks ago, but it makes a crucial point: state policies and investments can save this and other species from extinction: www.charlotteobserver.com/opinion/arti...
A tiny, secretive bird is disappearing in NC. Why you should care | Opinion
These North Carolina birds are one of our most strange and secretive animals. For avid birdwatchers, just hearing one would be a lifetime highlight. | Opinion
www.charlotteobserver.com
October 20, 2025 at 12:49 PM
Missed this when it was first published three weeks ago, but it makes a crucial point: state policies and investments can save this and other species from extinction: www.charlotteobserver.com/opinion/arti...
Reposted by Grady McCallie
NEW An EPA report found that PFNA, a chemical in the drinking water of some 26M people, interferes with development and likely causes liver problems & male reproductive harms. The report was done in April, scientists told me. But the agency hasn't released it
www.propublica.org/article/epa-...
www.propublica.org/article/epa-...
Scientists Completed a Toxicity Report on This Forever Chemical. The EPA Hasn’t Released It.
Agency scientists found that PFNA could cause developmental, liver and reproductive harms. Their final report was ready in mid-April, according to an internal document reviewed by ProPublica, but the ...
www.propublica.org
October 9, 2025 at 1:41 PM
NEW An EPA report found that PFNA, a chemical in the drinking water of some 26M people, interferes with development and likely causes liver problems & male reproductive harms. The report was done in April, scientists told me. But the agency hasn't released it
www.propublica.org/article/epa-...
www.propublica.org/article/epa-...
Reposted by Grady McCallie
"This is a big opportunity to correct [the myth] that people who don't drive are [living] some sort of fringe lifestyle — that not having access to a car is something that only hippies do, or pp who are obsessed w/ biking.. there's a lot of nuance [here]" www.nrdc.org/resources/wh...
Who Doesn’t Have a Car?
A new NRDC map shows car-free living and the factors affecting car usage in United States.
www.nrdc.org
October 2, 2025 at 2:47 PM
"This is a big opportunity to correct [the myth] that people who don't drive are [living] some sort of fringe lifestyle — that not having access to a car is something that only hippies do, or pp who are obsessed w/ biking.. there's a lot of nuance [here]" www.nrdc.org/resources/wh...
The key quote: "There is something else going on here, rather than this normal erosion. You know, clearly the ocean’s higher, but … where is the equilibrium?” A: until we lower CO2 concentrations, there won't be one.
Read more at Coastal Review, coastalreview.org. coastalreview.org/2025/10/mess...
Read more at Coastal Review, coastalreview.org. coastalreview.org/2025/10/mess...
'Messy situation': Buxton beach closed after 8th house falls | Coastal Review
The first home fell two weeks ago, but the spate of collapses this week has turned this Cape Hatteras National Seashore beach and the crashing surf into a hazardous, dynamic debris field.
coastalreview.org
October 3, 2025 at 1:59 PM
The key quote: "There is something else going on here, rather than this normal erosion. You know, clearly the ocean’s higher, but … where is the equilibrium?” A: until we lower CO2 concentrations, there won't be one.
Read more at Coastal Review, coastalreview.org. coastalreview.org/2025/10/mess...
Read more at Coastal Review, coastalreview.org. coastalreview.org/2025/10/mess...
Oy.
Thursday update: The seventh oceanfront house in Buxton to collapse in less than 48 hours fell around 8 p.m. Wednesday at 46207 Tower Circle Road, Cape Hatteras National Seashore officials reported on its website. This remains a developing story.
coastalreview.org/2025/10/7-bu...
coastalreview.org/2025/10/7-bu...
Updated: 7th Buxton house collapses, officials advise caution | Coastal Review
New: Another unoccupied house in Buxton collapsed Wednesday evening, bringing the total to seven this week, and the National Park Services warns visitors of potentially hazardous debris may spread for...
coastalreview.org
October 2, 2025 at 8:04 PM
Oy.
Homes that are rented as beach houses ought collect a fee and put it into a pool to be used to pay the cost of removing condemned houses before they fall into the ocean. This problem is a direct result of a highly commercialized coast, and there’s an efficient solution to it.
Public Radio East reports: Five more seaside homes fell into the Atlantic Tuesday as offshore Hurricane Imelda created large waves and dangerous surf in the Outer Banks.
www.wunc.org/2025-10-01/f...
www.wunc.org/2025-10-01/f...
Five more beachfront homes collapsed into the ocean after Hurricane Imelda generated rough surf in OBX
Dare County officials said three houses on Cottage Avenue and two on Tower Circle Road in Buxton were destroyed. Officials with the Cape Hatteras National Seashore said the collapses began around 2 p....
www.wunc.org
October 1, 2025 at 1:04 PM
Homes that are rented as beach houses ought collect a fee and put it into a pool to be used to pay the cost of removing condemned houses before they fall into the ocean. This problem is a direct result of a highly commercialized coast, and there’s an efficient solution to it.
Reposted by Grady McCallie
Why are so many young people getting cancer? Scientists are now shifting their research from genetics to environmental exposures to explain rising early-onset cancer rates among millennials.
What researchers suspect may be fueling cancer among millennials
Studies suggest modern life may be fueling the rise of cancer in younger adults, with factors like ultra-processed foods and chemicals under scrutiny.
www.washingtonpost.com
September 27, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Why are so many young people getting cancer? Scientists are now shifting their research from genetics to environmental exposures to explain rising early-onset cancer rates among millennials.
This is a thoughtful and important point: "The best and most efficient use of funds would be to invest in treatment that tackles multiple pollutants", an improvement on the current practice of regulating contaminants one by one.
🚨 NEW from #EWG (@ewgofficial.bsky.social):
Tap water for nearly 100 million people is contaminated with 3 cancer-causing chemicals — #chromium-6, #arsenic and #nitrate.
A new report and an interactive map shows where.
🧵 (1/5)
www.ewg.org/news-insight...
Tap water for nearly 100 million people is contaminated with 3 cancer-causing chemicals — #chromium-6, #arsenic and #nitrate.
A new report and an interactive map shows where.
🧵 (1/5)
www.ewg.org/news-insight...
EWG map supports ‘co-contaminant’ tap water rules for preventing up to 50,000 cancer cases
Regulating and treating multiple drinking water contaminants as groups, instead of the standard method of targeting one at a time, would significantly benefit public health.
www.ewg.org
September 17, 2025 at 1:49 PM
This is a thoughtful and important point: "The best and most efficient use of funds would be to invest in treatment that tackles multiple pollutants", an improvement on the current practice of regulating contaminants one by one.
Sharing this happy and hopeful reminder.
🌍 Today is the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer.
Thanks to the #MontrealProtocol, the EU has cut ozone-depleting substances by 99% since 1986. The ozone layer is healing — continued action is key.
🔗 www.eea.europa.eu/en/newsroom/...
#OzoneDay #ClimateAction
Thanks to the #MontrealProtocol, the EU has cut ozone-depleting substances by 99% since 1986. The ozone layer is healing — continued action is key.
🔗 www.eea.europa.eu/en/newsroom/...
#OzoneDay #ClimateAction
September 16, 2025 at 1:59 PM
Sharing this happy and hopeful reminder.