Earth Wise

By Randy Simon

From green business and new environmental legislation to how nature impacts our environment in ways never before considered, Earth Wise offers a look at our changing environment.... more

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How many episodes does Earth Wise have?

The podcast currently has 2,516 episodes available.

Earth Wise episodes:

August 26, 2019 Exotic Pets Can Become Problems
Each year, millions of exotic animals are sold as pets around the world. The term “exotic” lacks a set definition but is generally used to refer to an animal that’s wild or more unusual than standard pets, like cats and dogs.
The exotic pet trade is a multi-billion dollar industry, involving tens of millions of individual
animals from thousands of species, including reptiles, amphibians, fish, birds,
and mammals.
Some of the exotic pet trade is legal, but a lot of it isn’t. Many animals are illegally captured from the
wild to meet the global demand for exotic pets.
People often purchase exotic animals without completely understanding the consequences. Some exotic pets, for example, can live nearly twice as long as the average dog. Caring for exotic pets can be both expensive and risky, since they are largely undomesticated (and therefore can have unpredictable behavior).
As a result, it’s not uncommon for owners to release exotic pets
intentionally. When this happens, the
consequences can be catastrophic.
Sometimes the animal dies from starvation or predation, but in other
instances, the animal proliferates and becomes an invasive species.
Invasive species are the second largest driver of biodiversity loss
worldwide, and they cost the U.S. $120 billion a year.
According to an academic review recently published in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, the exotic pet trade is one of the primary causes of the spread of invasive species and has fueled the establishment of hundreds of them. Tegus, Burmese pythons, and red lionfish are examples of pets-turned-pests.
The best way to combat this trend is through education, detection, and
rapid response.
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Web Links
Why you should never release exotic pets into the wild
Photo, posted September 19, 2010, courtesy of Mike Baird via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.
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2min
August 23, 2019 We’re Still Eating The Wrong Things
A new study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has found that despite efforts to increase public awareness of health issues related to diet, the amount of processed meat consumed by Americans has remained unchanged in the past 18 years. Furthermore, our intake of fish and shellfish has not increased. One quarter of US adults are still eating more unprocessed read meat than the recommended level, and less than 15% meet the current guidelines for fish and shellfish consumption.
About the only positive note is that Americans are eating less beef
and more chicken than they did 18 years ago and, in fact, for the first time,
the consumption of poultry exceeds that of unprocessed red meat.
Accumulating evidence has linked excessive consumption of processed
meat to increased risk of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and some
cancers. The study’s authors speculate
that public awareness of these linkages is not widespread enough to affect
change and, in any case, factors other than health – social, cultural, and
economic – have greater influence over Americans’ food choices. The top five consumed processed meats are
luncheon meat, sausage, hot dogs, ham, and bacon.
The low consumption of fish and shellfish among U.S. adults could be
due to high retail prices, lack of awareness of the health benefits, and
concerns about mercury contamination in certain types of fish.
Future research is needed to identify barriers to reducing processed
meat consumption and increased seafood consumption. Policies such as nutrition quality standards,
excise taxes, health warning labels, and other interventions need to be
explored.
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Web Links
Americans still eat too much processed meat and too little fish
Photo, posted January 28, 2014, courtesy of Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.
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August 22, 2019 Concerns About Dam Safety
The United States has a total of 91,000 dams of various sizes and types. Many of them are aging and sorely in need of repairs. All that maintenance would add up to tens of billions of dollars. Experts are increasingly worried that as extreme precipitation events become increasingly common, dams are increasingly at risk of failure, threatening lives and posing environmental risks.
In 2017, Oroville Dam in California – the tallest dam in the country –
nearly collapsed. That incident forced
the evacuation of 190,000 people and cost the state of California $1.1 billion
in repairs. California is considered one
of the nation’s leading states in dam safety management and yet the partial
disintegration of Oroville’s two spillways during a heavy rainstorm was not
anticipated.
So far, federal and state dam safety officials have not been able to
get disinterested state legislatures and the U.S. Congress to fork up the money
needed for repairs to the nation’s aging dam infrastructure.
Th American Society of Civil Engineers gave the nation’s dams a D
grade on the latest infrastructure report card.
They estimate that the cost of rehabilitating dams whose failure would
threaten human life at nearly $45 billion, and the cost of fixing all dams in
need of repair at more than $64 billion.
Scientists say the likelihood of dam failures – which not only
threaten lives but also release toxic sediments trapped in reservoirs behind
many dams – will increase as extreme precipitation events become more frequent
in a warming world. Apart from about
1,500 dams owned by federal agencies, regulating dam safety is primarily the
responsibility of the states. So far,
states have not applied remotely sufficient resources to a growing problem.
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Web Links
In an Era of Extreme Weather, Concerns Grow Over Dam Safety
Photo, posted August 20, 2014, courtesy of Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.
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2min
August 21, 2019 Heat And Plastic Bottles
In the middle of July, Americans along the East Coast and in the
Midwest suffered through a massive heat wave that saw actual temperatures
soaring and so-called feels-like temperatures go much higher. The punishing heat had many of us reaching
for those plastic water bottles all day long as we tried to keep hydrated.
Studies have shown that those single-use plastic bottles do not handle
the heat very well. Most plastic items
release tiny amounts of chemicals into the beverages or food that they contain.
But the hotter it gets, the more the
substances in plastic can move into food or drinking water. As temperature and time increase, the
chemical bonds in plastics increasingly break down and chemicals are more
likely to leach.
A study at Arizona State University in 2008 looked at how heat sped up
the release of the element antimony in bottles made of the common plastic
PET. Antimony is used to manufacture the
plastic and can be toxic in high doses.
At mild temperatures, very little antimony is released. But PET and other plastics can leach a
variety of chemicals when exposed to higher temperatures.
According to the FDA, the amounts of chemicals released by plastics
are too miniscule to cause health problems.
However, scientists are still looking at the long-term effects of using
so much plastic. The question is whether
all those small doses can eventually add up to something not so harmless. Given that we don’t really know the
cumulative effect of being surrounded by plastics in the goods we buy as well
as the presence of microplastics in our water, it seems like a good idea to try
to limit our exposure when alternatives are available.
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Web Links
Exposed to extreme heat, plastic bottles may ultimately become unsafe
Photo, posted June 7, 2013, courtesy of Tim Stahmer via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.
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2min
August 20, 2019 Fighting Climate Change With Trees
We cut down forests all around the world for a myriad of reasons, including livestock grazing, agricultural production, timber, and urban development. But what if we stopped cutting down forests for these things and additionally grew new forests on vacant lots and any other available parcels of land on earth? What impact could this have on our survival?
For the first time, scientists have quantified what impact this plan could have. According to a new study by researchers at ETH Zurich – a university that specializes in science, technology, and engineering – the planet could support nearly 2.5 billion additional acres of forest without shrinking current cities and farms. When all those acres of forest mature, the trees could store an extra 200 gigatons of carbon. This reforestation could stave off the most devastating impacts of global climate change.
Russia could restore the most acres of forest – 373 million acres to
be precise – followed by the United States with 255 million acres and Canada
with 193 million acres. Australia,
Brazil, and China also have large areas well-suited for forest restoration.
The average global temperature has risen by 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit
since the start of the industrial age with its surge in greenhouse gas
emissions. Temperatures are projected to
rise even more in the coming years as the planet continues to warm.
Trees absorb CO2 from the atmosphere and store it in their roots and branches. The absorbed carbon becomes part of the soil when trees die and decompose, and it can linger there for millennia depending on things like temperature and soil management. Trees are critical in the fight against climate change.
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Web Links
How trees could save the climate
Photo, posted June 18, 2011, courtesy of K.W. Barrett via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.
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2min
August 19, 2019 A Giant Seaweed Bloom
Scientists using data from NASA satellites have discovered and documented the largest bloom of seaweed in the world, stretching all the way from West Africa to the Gulf of Mexico. The gigantic macroalgae bloom has been dubbed the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt.
The brown seaweed floats in surface water and in recent years has
become a problem to shorelines lining the tropical Atlantic, Caribbean Sea,
Gulf of Mexico, and east coast of Florida.
The stuff carpets popular beach destinations and crowded coastal waters.
In 2018, more than 20 million tons of it floated on the ocean surface.
Scientists have been studying the Sargassum algae using satellites
since 2006, but the major blooms have only started appearing since 2011. They have occurred every year between 2011
and 2018 except for 2013. Before 2011,
most of the free-floating Sargassum in the ocean was primarily found in patches
around the Gulf of Mexico and the Sargasso Sea located on the western edge of
the central Atlantic Ocean.
Sargassum provides habitat for turtles, crabs, fish and birds, and
produces oxygen via photosynthesis.
However, too much of it can crowd out many marine species.
According to researchers, the ocean’s chemistry must have changed in
order for the bloom to get so out of hand.
The factors involved include a large seed population left over from a
previous bloom, nutrient input from West Africa, and nutrient input from the
Amazon River. The increase in nutrients
may be a result of deforestation and fertilizer use.
Climate-change effects on precipitation and ocean currents ultimately do play a role in this, but increased ocean temperatures do not. Unfortunately, these giant seaweed blooms are probably here to stay.
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Web Links
NASA Satellites Find Biggest Seaweed Bloom in the World
Photo courtesy of NASA.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.
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2min
August 16, 2019 Lots Of Renewable Energy Jobs
According to the International Renewable Energy Agency, there were 11 million people employed in renewable energy worldwide in 2018. This compares with 10.3 million in 2017. So roughly three-quarters of a million new jobs were added last year. As more and more countries manufacture, trade and install renewable energy technologies, renewables jobs continue to reach new high levels.
The geographic footprint of renewable energy jobs is changing. Until now, renewable energy industries have
remained relatively concentrated in a handful of major markets such as China,
the US, and the European Union. But more
recently, East and Southeast Asian countries have emerged alongside China as
key exporters of solar technology.
Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam were responsible for a greater share of
growth in renewables last year. Overall,
Asia has a 60% share of renewable energy jobs worldwide.
Beyond climate goals, low-carbon economic growth has become a driver
for renewables technology. Renewables
deliver on all the major elements of sustainable development: environmental, economic and social.
The solar photovoltaic industry continues to be the most dynamic renewable enterprise. It accounts for a third of the renewable energy workforce with more than three million jobs.
Biofuel jobs were up by 6% to over 2 million. Wind power supports 1.2 million jobs, with onshore projects predominant. But the offshore wind segment is gaining traction. Hydropower is still the largest installed capacity of all renewables but is now only expanding slowly. The hydropower sector employs 2.1 million people directly, three-quarters in operations and maintenance.
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Web Links
Renewable energy market employs 11 million in 2018 – IRENA
Photo, posted January 11, 2012, courtesy of the Oregon Department of Transportation via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.
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August 15, 2019 Climate Change And Nutrients
Ending hunger isn’t a question of producing enough food. Globally, enough food is produced to feed all 7.7 billion people on the planet. But despite this, approximately 1 in 9 people go hungry. Conflict, natural disasters, and extreme poverty are some of the main drivers of global hunger.
Climate change is another. The
more frequent and intense extreme weather events increase food insecurity and
malnutrition by destroying land, livestock, crops, and food supplies. Climate change makes growing crops harder
every year, especially for those who lack the tools and technology to adapt.
But the challenge of reducing hunger and malnutrition is to not only
produce foods that provide enough calories, but to also produce foods
that make enough necessary nutrients widely available. According to new research, climate change is
projected to significantly reduce the availability of critical nutrients such
as protein, iron, and zinc over the next 30 years. The total impact of climate change could reduce global per
capita nutrient availability of protein, iron, and zinc by 19.5%, 14.4%, and
14.6%, respectively.
While higher levels of carbon dioxide can boost growth in plants,
wheat, rice, corn, barley, potatoes, soybeans, and vegetables are all projected
to suffer nutrient losses of about 3% on average by 2050 due to the elevated
CO2 levels.
The study, which
was co-authored
by an international group of researchers and published in the peer-reviewed
journal, Lancet Planetary Health, represents the most comprehensive synthesis
of the impacts of climate change on the availability of nutrients in the global
food supply to date.
Climate change is complicating the quest to end global hunger and
malnutrition.
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Web Links
Rising CO2, climate change projected to reduce availability of nutrients worldwide
Photo, posted April 30, 2015, courtesy of Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.
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August 14, 2019 Trees And Methane
The Amazon is a source of many mysteries. One that was as troubling as it was mysterious was the large amounts of methane emissions coming from the rainforest that were observed by satellites but that nobody could find on the ground. In total, there were 20 million tons of methane whose origin was unknown.
An expedition by a British postdoctoral researcher who spent two
months strapping gas-measuring equipment to thousands of trees has solved the
mystery. It turns out that trees,
especially in the extensive flooded forests, were stimulating methane
production in the waterlogged soils and pumping it into the atmosphere.
This research has uncovered a previously-ignored major source of the
second most important greenhouse gas in the world. Apparently, most of the world’s estimated 3
trillion trees emit methane at least some of the time.
This in no way implies that trees are bad for the climate and therefore should be cut down. The reality is that the carbon storage capability of trees far outweighs their methane emissions. But since corporations these days are planting trees to offset their carbon emissions, it is essential to know if their numbers add up. Carbon accounting has to include the complex chemistry of trees and methane.
Wetland tree trunks can act as passive conduits for methane generated
by micro-organisms in waterlogged soils.
The solid-looking trunks contain spaces and channels through which gases
travel up and down. But in wetland
systems, trees also create the conditions, and provide the raw materials, for
methane generation by micro-organisms.
Trees are essentially bioreactors.
Some trees even actively generate methane from photochemical reactions
in their foliage.
Understanding the interactions of ecosystems and the atmosphere is a
complicated business.
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Web Links
Scientists Zero in on Trees as a Surprisingly Large Source of Methane
Photo, posted December 13, 2008, courtesy of Ivan Mlinaric via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.
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August 13, 2019 Cities And Monarch Butterflies
Monarchs are some of the most well-known butterflies in the U.S. It is well-known that populations of the iconic orange-and-black butterflies have been in a steep decline for the last 20 years. In fact, the Monarch population has declined by 80% over that period.
Milkweed, the only plant that Monarchs can lay their eggs on,
continues to disappear across the United States and with it, the butterflies
can disappear too.
Two new studies published in the journal Frontiers of Ecology and
Evolution show that one of the most important things that can be
done to save the Monarchs is to plant milkweed in cities.
We tend to think of cities as being the enemy of nature. But metropolitan areas actually matter for
wildlife conservation and that is especially true for pollinators like
butterflies that can actually survive with very small patches of habitat.
The new study estimates the amount of habitat in cities that is
available to Monarchs and other pollinators and how much more can potentially
be added. It looked at cities from the
Monarch’s point of view by identifying the best places and most effective ways
to engage land owners to transform low-quality green space – such as lawns –
into high-quality homes for butterflies and other wildlife.
Just because urban dwellers can plant milkweed doesn’t always mean
that they will. There has to be a public
perception that milkweed and other native flowers are acceptable and beautiful
elements in home landscaping. It will
require some shifting of societal norms of what is desirable in neighborhood
gardens in order for cities to be able to do their part in protecting
butterflies and other species struggling in the modern world.
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Web Links
Cities are Key to Saving Monarch Butterflies
Photo, posted August 31, 2012, courtesy of Chris via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.
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FAQs about Earth Wise:

How many episodes does Earth Wise have?

The podcast currently has 2,516 episodes available.