Earth Wise

According to the World Health Organization and UNICEF, 1 in 4 people globally – about 2.1 billion – lack access to safely managed drinking water. The definition of this is water from sources located on premises, free from contamination, and available when needed. Climate change, population growth, conflicts, and humanitarian crises are only putting increasing pressure on the world’s water resources.

There seems to be no limit to the kinds of pollution society creates. One source that doesn’t get all that much attention is factory farm pollution. Factory farms, also known as concentrated animal feeding operations or CAFOs, produce enormous amounts of pollution and federal laws to regulate it are limited in scope and full of loopholes.

Metropolitan areas tend to be significantly warmer than surrounding rural areas because of human activities, infrastructure, and the lack of vegetation. Asphalt, concrete, and dark rooftops absorb sunlight during the day and slowly release it at night. This raises temperatures by 1 to as much as 7 degrees during the day and 2-5 degrees at night. This is known as the urban heat island effect.

The oceans are home to a quarter million species that have been catalogued and undoubtedly a far greater number undocumented, hosting over 80% of global biodiversity. Oceans are the planet’s primary life-support system, producing at least half of its oxygen.

In mid-March, the final turbine blades of Vineyard Wind, the offshore wind farm sited 15 miles south of Nantucket, were installed. Vineyard Wind is the first large-scale offshore wind project in the U.S. The $4.5 billion project features 62 turbines and is capable of providing clean energy to approximately 400,000 homes.

Plastic pollution continues to wreak havoc on the planet. It can be found everywhere on Earth, from the highest mountain peaks to the deepest parts of the ocean. According to the National Resources Defense Council, nearly ten billion tons of plastic have been produced since the 1950s, with more than half created in just the past 25 years.

The sources of U.S. electricity production have changed dramatically over the past 15 years and continue to change as the political winds blow in different directions.

A coalition of 24 states as well as a dozen cities and counties has sued the Trump administration over its decision to relinquish the government’s legal authority to fight climate change. The lawsuit is likely to be consolidated with a case that 18 environmental, healthcare, and scientific groups already filed in February.

The Trump administration is pushing to scale up oil and gas production in the US, despite heavy criticism and environmental concerns. It is urging the establishment of an 11th National Outer Continental Shelf Leasing Program to open up areas in Alaska, California, and the Eastern Gulf of Mexico. The Interior Department is advancing a new 5-year leasing program to increase oil and gas development, reversing prior restrictions.

Last year, Congress eliminated the federal tax credit that made electric cars more affordable. As a result, enthusiasm for and interest in electric cars diminished. But the war in Iran has resulted in soaring gasoline prices and suddenly electric cars seem more attractive again.