Earth Wise

Bycatch is the fishing industry term used to describe the deaths of non-target fish and ocean wildlife during the fishing process.  Some bycatch species are thrown away because regulations prohibit them from being kept.  Others are thrown out because they won’t fetch high enough prices.  According to some estimates, global bycatch amounts to about 10% […]

The most recent report issued by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change states that the world must halt the increase in greenhouse gases within three years, reduce emissions by 43% in the next seven years, and eliminate them entirely by 2050.  Otherwise, there will likely be catastrophic and irreversible impacts on the climate. With respect […]

Every year in the US, about 13 million tons of asphalt material is removed from old roofs to be replaced with new shingles.  Only about 10% of that is recycled for use in paving and various roadway projects.  The other 12 million tons of asphalt ends up in landfills where it takes a very long […]

As the planet continues to heat up, animals big and small are moving towards the poles to escape the heat.  According to researchers, these animals are likely to come into contact with other animals that they normally wouldn’t, and are likely to relocate to regions with large human populations.  These factors create opportunities for pathogens […]

According to a new study by Cardiff University in the UK, Britain could achieve nearly half of the carbon removal needed to meet its climate goals by adding basalt rock dust to crop fields.  The process is known as enhanced weathering and has been the subject of ongoing research in the U.S. at Cornell University […]

The ivory-billed woodpecker was the largest woodpecker in the US.  They were once relatively common, stretching from the Carolinas through the southeast and across to Texas.  Their numbers started to drop sharply in the 19th century because of habitat loss and overhunting.  Many were taken as valuable specimens; some were even eaten by poverty-stricken people. […]

India is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world.  An estimated 47,000 plant species and 89,000 animal species can be found in India, with more than 10% of each thought to be on the list of threatened species.  India is also among the top ten countries in the world in terms of total […]

According to a new report from the climate think tank Ember, the rapid growth that has been going on for solar and wind power could allow the global electricity sector to do its part in limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. In 2021, solar power grew by 23% worldwide and wind power grew by […]

California, the most populous state, is the second largest electricity user.  Only Texas, the second most populous state, uses more energy, in part because it consumes large amounts in refining fossil fuels. Overall, California uses about 8% of the electricity generated in the U.S. Thus, it was a significant milestone when briefly, on April 3, […]

The use of pesticides in global agriculture brings with it many problems including the killing of non-target, beneficial species as well as reversing pest-management gains from the use of conservation agriculture methods. In a newly published study by researchers at Penn State University, the use of plant cover, such as cover crops, was shown to […]