Climate Corner: Greed (not need) behind ridiculous data center expansions
July 18, 2026 By Randi Pokladnik I recently did a presentation at the Dover Public Library about the environmental issues associated with data centers. These issues include: noise, water usage, hundreds of acres of land transformed into industrial developments, exposure to air pollution from power generation, light pollution from the facilities, high voltage transmission lines cutting through… Read More
Climate Corner: Public lands need protection
Apr 11, 2026 Randi Pokladnik For the first eight years of my life, our family lived in a small rented house in Steubenville, Ohio. We had a tiny yard lacking any trees, so my mom would take my… Read More
Climate Corner: Listen to the scientists
Feb 14, 2026 Randi Pokladnik editorial@newsandsentinel.com I was born in 1955, at a time when the USA was entering a new age of technology characterized by the dawn of computing, and when we were first attempting to get… Read More
Climate Corner: West Virginia residents deserve answers
Nov 29, 2025 Randi Pokladnik editorial@newsandsentinel.com Residents of West Virginia are seeking answers to their questions about proposed data centers/ power plants in their communities. These include a 500-acre data center in Tucker County, the 150-acre ammonia plant… Read More
Climate Corner: Hijacking the plastics treaty
Aug 30, 2025 Randi Pokladnik Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Corner On Aug. 15, the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee of the United Nations ended without a legally binding treaty on plastics pollution. With more than 2,600 participants,… Read More
Climate Corner: Biting your nose to spite your face
May 31, 2025 Randi Pokladnik editorial@newsandsentinel.com It has become obvious that the Trump administration as well as Republicans in Ohio and West Virginia no longer believe their own mantra “all of the above” when it comes to energy… Read More
Climate Corner: Carbon Capture and Sequestration not the answer
Mar 22, 2025 Randi Pokladnik editorial@newsandsentinel.com Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) is a process which captures carbon dioxide from industry emissions and injects the CO2 deep into the ground via Class VI injection wells. It is an unproven… Read More
Climate Corner: The Ohio Valley has a radiation problem
Jan 18, 2025 Randi Pokladnik editorial@newsandsentinel.com During the 60s, I remember the government conducted Civil Defense drills in my school. We were told to climb under our school desks, duck down, and cover our heads. We might have… Read More
Appalachian hydrogen hub is a dirty-energy boondoggle that should be canceled
December 6, 2024 Randy Pokladnik Cleveland.com editorial In the fall of 2023, the Biden administration’s Department of Energy (DOE) announced a $7 billion investment in seven regional hydrogen hubs, to be financed through the Inflation Reduction Act. One of… Read More
Posted: October 17, 2026 by main_y0ke11
Climate Corner: The death of natural history and why it matters
By Randi Pokladnik October 17, 2026 The Academy of Natural Sciences, located in Philadelphia, closed last month just shy of its 200th birthday. It was founded in 1812 and opened to the public in 1828. In 1868, the… Read More