Earth Wise

Two dams in Central Michigan were breached by rain-swollen floodwaters in May and forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents and prompted officials to warn of life-threatening danger from a flooded chemical complex and a toxic waste cleanup site.  Engineers say that most dams in the U.S. were designed many decades ago – in […]

Coral reefs are in decline all over the world.  Corals are under increasing pressure as water temperatures rise and the frequency and severity of coral bleaching events increase.  Nowhere is this more evident than in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef system, where severe bleaching events have happened in three of the past five years. Long-term prospects […]

In recent years, the Bureau of Offshore Energy Management – the agency that oversees energy projects in federal waters – has been granting leases for offshore wind projects in the waters of multiple states on the East Coast.  Up until now, none of these leases have actually resulted in the deployment of any wind turbines […]

Plastic debris comes in all different shapes and sizes, but those that are less than five millimeters in length are called microplastics.  Some microplastics come from larger plastic debris that degrades into smaller bits over time.  Another type of microplastics – called microbeads – are intentionally manufactured tiny plastic beads that are added as exfoliants […]

Offshore wind is big in Europe.  There are more than 5,000 offshore wind turbines across 12 European countries with a total capacity of more than 22 gigawatts.  Almost every one of those turbines sits on a long tower sunk into the seabed and bolted into place in places where the water is 60 to 160 […]

The number of electric cars around the world is growing steadily.  Battery technology continues to improve and the battery packs in the cars can have a long life.  Generally, the batteries are considered to require replacement only when their range has dropped below 80% of its original value.  Many are warranted to last for 8 […]

As the spread of COVID-19 continues throughout the U.S. and around the world, health officials continue to ask people to keep physical space between themselves and others outside their homes.  It’s an important and effective way to slow down and prevent the spread of disease.  But it’s not just humans who can benefit from social […]

On hot, sticky summer days, one often hears the expression “it’s not the heat, it’s the humidity.” That isn’t just an old saw; it is a recognition of what might be the most underestimated direct, local danger of climate change.   Extreme humid heat events represent a major health risk. There is an index called “wet-bulb […]

Plagues of locusts have been reported since the times of the Egyptian pharaohs.  In recent history, there have been desert locust plagues during multiple decades of the 20th century.  Since January, a very large population of locusts gathered in Kenya and has destroyed over 2,000 square miles of pasture and crop land.  Swarms have since […]

Charleston, South Carolina is visited by millions of tourists each year.  The town is a glimpse into the past, showcasing antebellum mansions, row houses, historic African American churches and scenic harbor views from a Civil War-era promenade. Charleston is also visited more and more by water from rising seas and increasingly powerful storms.  The city […]