Earth Wise

There are vibrations occurring in the ground nearly all the time. They happen when cars pass by, when machines are operating, and from natural forces in the earth’s crust. For the most part, we don’t notice these vibrations. But they are there, and they represent an untapped source of clean energy.

As warmer spring temperatures spread across much of the country, people and pets are spending more time outdoors, and fleas and ticks are becoming active again. Many pet owners rely on flea and tick treatments to keep their animals protected, but new research suggests that some of these medications may have unintended consequences.

Utility-scale solar power is the fastest-growing source of electricity in the U.S. Well over half of all new U.S. electric capacity added in 2025 was utility-scale solar. As of late 2025, total utility-scale solar capacity surpassed 153 GW, enough to power 45 million homes.

Since the 1950s, Madagascar has lost over 27,000 square miles of forest – more than half of its natural forest cover. The decimation of the forests has been the result of small-scale agriculture, illegal logging for fuelwood and charcoal extraction, and from uncontrolled fires.

The world is moving towards the electrification of vehicles. In 2025, EVs grew by 33% in Europe and 20% worldwide. They represented 50% of new car sales in China. It’s a very different story in the United States, where EV sales actually fell by 4% year-over-year.

Toxic algal blooms have been a growing problem in recent years associated with warming waters and nutrient-rich agricultural runoff in lakes, rivers, and oceans. These outbreaks can damage ecosystems, degrade water quality, and release toxins that threaten both wildlife and people. But a recent discovery suggests that nature may have found a way to fight back.

It seems as if the whole world is retreating on climate and green energy. Politicians in many places are calling for so-called energy realism. In the US, President Trump calls global warming a hoax. The EPA has repealed the endangerment finding, the 2009 science-based finding that the buildup of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere endangers public health and welfare.

Artificial intelligence has become an important tool for weather forecasting. AI models often outperform conventional forecast models, providing more detail and the ability to look farther into the future.

Globally, the clean energy economy has been on a steep growth trajectory for more than a decade. Global investment in the clean energy transition reached a record high of over $2.3 trillion dollars in 2025, driven by major spending on renewable power, electric vehicles, and modernizing grid infrastructure. Around the world, battery manufacturing, solar and wind generation, and electrical vehicle manufacturing all surged. Last year, spending on renewables, nuclear power, and energy storage was roughly double what was spent on fossil fuels.

As the dangers of climate change continue to grow, so has interest in geoengineering – deliberate tinkering with the earth’s climate system. However, actually doing it on a scale that matters is fraught with peril from unintended consequences of disrupting the delicate interactions between the Earth’s atmosphere, ocean, land, and sea ice.