New method to raise investment funds for projects that restore coastal wetlands for climate adaptation

Conservation takes cash. Lots of it.

By Mike Peña

Photo by Will Collette

Key takeaways

• Researchers have launched an innovative process for turning natural flood protection into a certifiable investment. By quantifying the exact dollar value of storm protection provided by wetlands, this new methodology creates “Coastal Resilience Assets” that can be sold to private and public investors.
• This tool aims to close the global funding gap for coastal protection. In addition to the new investment framework, the team released a web-based calculator to help project developers worldwide estimate the financial value of mangrove conservation in the face of increasing storm risks.
• The program shifts how climate adaptation is funded, by moving away from traditional debt. This standardized approach creates a clear pathway for businesses and governments to proactively invest in nature-based solutions that protect property and lives.

The Center for Coastal Climate Resilience (CCCR) at the University of California, Santa Cruz, has partnered with The Nature Conservancy to develop a new tool for funding wetland conservation and restoration projects through verifiable “Coastal Resilience Assets.”  The value of these assets are based on the storm and flood protection benefits that the wetlands provide. 

Wetlands play an extremely valuable role in storm protection. For example, mangroves reduced storm damages from Hurricane Ian by more than $4.1 billion; and in San Francisco Bay, the value of some marshes that serve as flood protection infrastructure exceeds $350,000 per acre. 

URI studies drugs in the water

URI Professor Studies Effects of Pharmaceutical Pollution on Wastewater Systems

By Ellie Sennhenn / ecoRI News contributor

One University of Rhode Island researcher is studying the health and environmental effects of pharmaceutical pollution from over-the-counter and prescribed medications designed to treat ailments from headaches to infections.

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) are a diverse group of chemicals that include all drugs (both prescription and over-the-counter medications) and non-medicinal consumer chemicals, such as the fragrances in lotions and soaps and the ultraviolet filters in sunscreens, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. These compounds are considered contaminants because they are released into water systems through sewage or agricultural runoff.

Finding out what happens when these drugs enter the environment is the premise of Thomas Boving’s recent research into PPCPs. These pollutants occur at low concentrations in soil and groundwater, according to Boving, chair of the University of Rhode Island Department of Geosciences. However, seemingly insignificant measurements can accumulate over time, creating potential adverse health effects, he said.

“These environments become breeding grounds for these bacteria, and if they spread, then we have a real problem,” Boving said.

One possible effect is antimicrobial resistance, according to Boving, which occurs when there is an overuse or misuse of antimicrobial compounds designed to treat or prevent infections, such as antibiotics, antivirals and antiparasitics.

NOAA Is Still Standing. For Now.

Impact on fisheries especially harsh

By Meg Wilcox

At a seafood expo in Boston last month, Togue Brawn, the founder of the seafood business Downeast Dayboat, spoke up from the audience to ask a panel of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) administrators an urgent question about funding.

What, Brawn wanted to know, is the status of the Saltonstall Kennedy program? The grant program—which helps fishing communities market their catch, build capacity, and conduct research to advance their fisheries—had been on hold for a year. “As someone who works with a lot of small-boat fishermen, we could use all the help we can get,” she told the panelists.

But Eugenio Pineiro Soler, assistant administrator of NOAA Fisheries, could not say when the popular program would restart.

Congress fully funded NOAA in January, ignoring the president’s plan to gut the agency. But NOAA has yet to restart many programs that were put on hold by the Trump administration in 2025, and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is slow-walking the release of congressionally approved funding.

Why Trump’s $2 billion buyoff to cancel offshore wind farms is a bad deal for American taxpayers and the US energy supply

Who, other than the fossil fuel industry, benefits from Trump's jihad on offshore wind?

Christopher Niezrecki, UMass Lowell; Ben Link, Johns Hopkins University, and Zoe Getman-Pickering, UMass Amherst

The U.S. is in a bizarre situation in 2026: It’s facing a looming energy shortage, yet the Trump administration is making deals to pay offshore wind developers nearly US$2 billion in taxpayer money to walk away from energy projects.

These politically motivated moves are costing Americans far more than just the buyouts.

Communities have been laying the groundwork for offshore energy projects for years. Offshore wind development brings jobs and economic development that reshape regional economies, with the scale of public and private investment reaching into the hundreds of billions of dollars over years. 

East Coast communities have built up ports to support the industry and launched job-training programs to prepare workers. Construction, maintenance and shipping businesses have sprung up, along with secondary businesses that support the industry.

Losing the projects, and the threat of losing other planned wind farms, will also likely mean higher energy prices. And while some offshore wind farms are moving ahead, developers must account for both lost momentum and increased uncertainty from the Trump administration.

As a result, Americans will bear the economic brunt of these decisions for decades ahead.

He didn't like the soup

Most important part of Trump trip

Trump scheduled to come to New London on May 20

5 Simple Ways To Remember More and Forget Less

Good to know

By Elva Arulchelvan, Trinity College Dublin

Research suggests that improving memory may be less about ability and more about subtle shifts in daily habits. A handful of science-backed techniques, ranging from reducing distractions to rethinking how we revisit information, can quietly reshape how the brain holds onto what matters. Together, they hint at simple changes that could make remembering feel far more effortless.

As a researcher investigating how electric brain stimulation can improve people’s powers of recollection, I’m often asked how memory works—and what we can do to use it more effectively. Happily, decades of research have given us some clear answers to both questions.

Memory essentially operates in three stages, with different brain regions contributing to each one.

Sensory memory, which can last only milliseconds, registers raw information such as sights, sounds, and smells. These are first processed by the brain’s five primary sensory cortices (visual cortex for sights, auditory cortex for sounds, and so on).

Working (short-term) memory holds and manipulates a small amount of information over several seconds or more. Think of this as your brain’s mental workspace: the system that lets you do mental arithmetic, follow instructions, and comprehend what you’re reading. So it mainly involves the prefrontal cortex—the front part of your brain that supports attention, decision-making, and reasoning.

Finally, long-term memory stores information more permanently, from minutes to a lifetime. This includes both “explicit” memories (facts and life events) and “implicit” ones (skills, habits, and emotional associations).

For long-term memories, the hippocampus and temporal lobes—located deep within the brain, around the sides of your head near your temples—contribute largely to memories involving facts or life events, while the amygdala (near the hippocampus), cerebellum (at the back of the brain), and basal ganglia (deep in the brain) process emotional or procedural memories.

Working memory often acts as a conscious gateway to long-term memory—but it has its limits. In 1956, the American psychologist George Miller proposed that we can only hold about seven “chunks” of information in our working memory at any time.

While the exact number is debated to this day, the principle holds: working memory is limited. And that limitation can shape how effectively we learn and remember things.

But you can also get your memory working more effectively. Here are five easy steps for improving both your working and long-term memory.

Clam cakes, clam chowder, stuffies and more

10th Annual Quahog Week May 17-23

The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) and Rhode Island Seafood Marketing Collaborative, a public-private partnership led by DEM, is excited to announce the tenth annual Quahog Week, taking place May 17 to 23. 

This week-long event “shell-ebrates” the cultural and economic importance of the quahog, Rhode Island’s official state clam. The event promotes local seafood while honoring the dedicated harvesters and the vibrant local food industry that brings fresh quahogs to tables across the state.

During Quahog Week, restaurants and markets statewide will feature special quahog dishes. In its tenth year, the event is expected to draw a record number of participants. Visit seafood.ri.gov for a full list of locations and specials.

The last decade has seen DEM and its partners develop strong regulations, support infrastructure investments, advance monitoring efforts, and implement best practices that protect and improve the Ocean State’s water quality. These ongoing efforts have led to the opening of thousands of acres of new shellfishing waters; sustaining RI’s seafood industry and supporting the hardworking people and communities behind it.

Chart Shows How Trump 2.0 Is ‘Most Brazenly Self-Enriching’ Administration in US History

Buying Trump’s meme coin is like investing in “a pet rock, except you don’t even get a rock” 

Brad Reed for Common Dreams

Since returning to office a little more than a year ago, Donald Trump has nearly tripled his net worth, driven in large part by investments in his family’s cryptocurrency ventures.

Appearing on MS NOW, economist Steve Rattner broke down how Trump’s net worth has exploded from $2.34 billion in 2024 to an estimated $6.5 billion in 2026.

“So where did the money come from? He had $4 billion, he and his family, of profits,” Rattner said. “$3 billion of it came from crypto, and I will tell you, there are so many transactions here, so many structures, that made my head hurt trying to understand it.”

In addition to the crypto ventures, Rattner pointed to Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner raising money from investors in the Middle East through his investment firm Affinity Partners; increased revenue that came from raising admission fees to his Mar-a-Lago resort; and money he’d obtained from lawsuits against assorted media companies.

Rattner then explained the finances of the Trump meme coin, which he described as investing in “a pet rock, except you don’t even get a rock” out of the deal.

Trump’s Epic Stupidity Could Kill Millions of People

Worldwide economic disruption could lead to famine and pestilence. We're going to need a bigger ballroom

Dean Baker in Beat the Press   

Trump is both an incredibly ignorant person and incredibly dishonest person. As a result, when he claims ignorance of an obvious fact it is difficult to tell whether he really is as ignorant as he claims or he’s just lying.

Such is the case with Trump’s claim that he didn’t know Iran might attack its neighbors and close the Strait of Hormuz in response to his joint attack with Israel. Trump insisted that none of the experts thought this possible when in effect just about every expert thought it was both possible and likely.

Given Trump’s ignorance and propensity to lie, it is not easy to know whether Trump actually went to war totally unaware of the most likely consequences, or instead went to war anyhow, deciding that he didn’t care about the damage it would cause. Whatever the real story, the consequences are enormous and sure to get worse as the Strait remains closed longer.

The most immediate and obvious consequence is the higher price for oil and natural gas. People in the United States see this at the gas station every time they fill their tank. Paying a dollar or so more for a gallon of gas is an annoyance for everyone. It is very bad news for low- and moderate-income households, especially those who need a car for work.

But this is just the beginning of the story. Diesel prices are up by close to $2.00 a gallon. Diesel fuel prices have risen by far more than regular gas because there is more limited refining capacity. This means when some refiners lose access to their supply of oil, their production cannot be easily replaced. Also, there is less ability for users to cut back their demand.

Honoring Dear Leader

Waiting for your Trump phone?

What to Know Before You Get Balcony Solar

Balcony solar is poised to take the US by storm. 

By Alison F. Takemura / Canary Media

Bottom of Form

The DIY systems, which you can hang on a balcony and plug into a normal 120-volt outlet, help lower energy bills and carbon emissions. Already huge in Germany, solar that’s as easy to install as an appliance would be a game changer for the four out of 10 U.S. households that can’t get rooftop systems for financial or logistical reasons.

In 2025, deep-red Utah became the first state to pass a bill making it easier to adopt plug-in solar systems. So far this year, four more states have all advanced similar measures — and nearly two dozen others are weighing bills of their own.

Considering a balcony power plant yourself? Check our tracker to see the status of plug-in solar legislation in your state, and keep reading for some FAQs on the tech.

What is balcony (or plug-in) solar?

Balcony solar systems are modest in size, ranging from just one to a few solar panels. Most states, including California and New York, are considering capping systems at 1,200 watts — a sixth of the average home-solar installation.

The panels connect to an inverter that converts their direct current into alternating current, the kind our homes use. A plug from the inverter fits into a typical 120-volt outlet (15 or 20 amps), pumping the power of the sun directly into a home’s existing wiring.

The systems can cover a small but meaningful fraction of a home’s electricity use: An 800-watt unit can power the equivalent of a fridge or a few small appliances when the sun’s shining.

Judge quashes Trump DOJ attempt to get children's health records from Rhode Island Hospital

Rhode Island judge turns back Trump attack on trans kids

ACLU of Rhode Island

If they really cared about child welfare, the DOJ would
release the Epstein files

Upholding the privacy rights of vulnerable children, U.S. District Court Judge Mary McElroy quashed the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) subpoena for the sensitive private medical records of young patients who have received medical treatment for gender dysphoria at Rhode Island Hospital. In doing so, the judge also blasted the DOJ as having been “proven unworthy … at every point in this case” of the trust expected of federal prosecutors, saying they “misrepresented and withheld information” from the court.

The decision comes after an emergency motion was filed last week by attorneys for the Lawyers’ Committee for Rhode Island (LCRI) and the American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island (ACLU) on behalf of Rhode Island’s Child Advocate. The DOJ’s request to enforce the subpoena for these records was filed and approved, without opportunity for response, by a judge in Texas, not Rhode Island, all in one day at the end of April. [See: Child Advocate seeks to block federal government subpoena for private medical records of minors]