Earth Wise

By Randy SimonScience Education Self-Improvement Natural Sciences Nature

Earth Wise episodes

November 08, 2019 The Benefits Of Zero-Carbon Cities
A new report issued by a coalition of 50 leading international institutions shows that low carbon initiatives in cities could reduce urban emissions by nearly 90% and support 87 million jobs worldwide by 2030. The report finds that implementing low carbon measures in cities would be worth almost $24 trillion by 2050.
Cities are home to more than half the world’s population but produce
80% of gross domestic product and 75% of carbon emissions. The research highlights the significant
benefits carbon reduction can bring to cities in areas such as public health,
job creation, and poverty alleviation.
The report shows that it is possible to cut 90% of emissions from
cities using currently available technologies and practices including carbon
savings from buildings, transportation, materials efficiency, and waste
reduction. Doing so would require an
investment of nearly $2 trillion per year but would generate annual returns of
nearly $3 trillion in 2030 and $7 trillion in 2050 based on cost savings
alone. Many low carbon measures would
pay for themselves in less than five years, including more efficient lighting,
electric vehicles, improved freight logistics, and solid waste management.
In addition to economic benefits, compact, connected and clean cities could
provide a higher standard of living and greater opportunity for all. These measures would also reduce air
pollution, cut chronic traffic congestion, and improve worker productivity.
The report offers case studies from around the world where national and local governments have worked together to rapidly and profoundly transform their cities for the better within 20 or 30 years.
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Web Links
The benefits of investing in zero-carbon cities
Photo, posted September 8, 2018, courtesy of Steffen Flor via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.
2 min
November 07, 2019 Pesticides In The Great Barrier Reef
Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is one of the greatest natural wonders in the world and it has been under siege by warming waters and ocean acidification. Widespread coral bleaching has damaged or destroyed large portions of the 1,400-mile long coral reef system. But the effects of climate change are not the only threat to the reef. Pesticides found in waterways that flow into the Great Barrier Reef are another serious problem.
According to a new study by the University of Queensland, the combined
toxicity of 22 of the most common pesticides that flow into the Reef are not
meeting pollution reduction targets.
Different pesticides affect different organisms. Herbicides affect organisms that
photosynthesize such as seagrass, corals, mangroves, and algae. Insecticides affect insect larvae in
freshwater, and crustaceans such as crabs, prawns, and lobsters. Previous assessments have only examined
individual pesticides and only for limited times. The new study has utilized a methodology that
estimates the combined toxicity of multiple pesticides found in the waterways
that discharge into the Reef and does it for the entire wet season.
The research revealed that the pesticide reduction target set in the
Australian Government’s Reef 2050 Water Quality Improvement Plan is not
being met. Only one natural resource
management region – the Cape York region – was found to be meeting its target.
By having estimates of the risk posed by pesticides in the various
regions and individual waterways, governments, farmers, and conservationists
can see which areas pose the greatest risk and where to maximize efforts. Stakeholders have to come together to reduce
pesticide concentrations through better management practices and by using less
toxic pesticides.
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Web Links
High pesticide concentrations continue to enter Great Barrier Reef
Photo, posted July 29, 2010, courtesy of Kyle Taylor via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.
2 min
November 06, 2019 Cooling Down Urban Heat Islands
Researchers have known about and studied the urban heat island effect for quite some time. Since large cities began to emerge in the 19th century, it has been understood that various aspects of the urban environment lead to warmer temperatures than the surrounding countryside.
Researchers led by a group at Portland State University in Oregon have
been utilizing a new way of studying the urban heat island effect. They have used citizen science volunteers in
24 cities around the world to map temperatures in the cities at ground level in
great detail using mobile sensors attached to slow-moving vehicles. Previous studies have used data from satellite
or stationary sensors. They have learned
that the urban heat island effect is more complicated, more varied, and subtler
than the earlier data indicated.
They found that
there are six things that affect urban heat. Three are living — the volume of
the tree canopy, the height of the tree canopy, and the ground level
vegetation. Three are human-built — the volume of buildings, the difference in
building heights, and the coloring of the buildings.
Buildings can
have both negative and positive effects. Tall buildings that cast shade actually
lower relative afternoon temperatures, while densely packed shorter buildings,
like the big-box stores in suburban areas, lead to hotter afternoon
temperatures. The studies show that increasing the difference in building
heights in an area creates more air circulation, which has a cooling effect.
The study also showed that urban heat is a social justice issue. Lower-income neighborhoods largely barren of
trees have considerably higher temperatures than more affluent, tree-shaded
areas.
Such detailed research can be used to guide decisions in urban
planning with regard to trees, building heights, and the color and type of
surfaces in our urban spaces.
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Web Links
Can We Turn Down the Temperature on Urban Heat Islands?
Photo, posted July 21, 2009, courtesy of Daniel Dionne via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.
2 min
November 05, 2019 Bad News For The Aletsch Glacier
The Aletsch Glacier in Switzerland is the largest glacier in the Alps. Every year, it attracts thousands of visitors from around the world. The huge ice flow in the Upper Valais region of Switzerland is an Alpine tourist attraction second only to the Matterhorn. In the summer, meltwater from the glacier is an important water source in the dry Rhone Valley.
As the climate continues to warm, the massive glacier continues to
shrink. The tongue of the glacier has
receded by about a kilometer since the year 2000 and scientists predict that
this trend will continue over the coming years.
Detailed simulations by researchers at ETH Zurich assessed the future of the Aletsch Glacier under different scenarios related to the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere and the resulting warming.
The best-case scenario in which global warming is limited to less than
2 degrees Celsius would result in the glacier being half the size it is today
by the end of the century. If the global
community does not pull together quickly to take effective measures against
global warming, Switzerland could warm by as much as 4 to 8 degrees and by
2100, what was once the largest glacier in the Alps will be a couple of measly
patches of ice.
To understand how much global warming has already impacted the glacier
to date, even if somehow the climate remains the same as it has been for the
past 10 years going forward, the ice volume of the Aletsch glacier will still
decrease by nearly half its volume by the end of the century. The glacier is no longer in equilibrium with
the climate.
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Web Links
Gloomy forecast for the Aletsch Glacier
Photo, posted April 7, 2007, courtesy of Jessica Gardner via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.
2 min
November 04, 2019 Out-Migration And Reforestation
A challenging global trend is that of deforestation in developing countries. But there are places where the opposite trend is happening. Nepal is one such place.
According to satellite imaging, in 1992 forest covered 26% of Nepal. As of 2016, that number was 45%.
To some extent, the forest regrowth was a result of policy changes
from about three decades ago, when the government began removing management
authority from bureaucrats and shifting it to local communities across the
country. This local management helped to
reduce illegal logging and many local villages undertook tree-planting
campaigns.
But perhaps a bigger factor at play is human migration. In recent decades, millions of Nepalis have
left the country to work in the Persian Gulf, Southeast Asia, and
elsewhere. The out-migrants wire money
home and meanwhile, families left behind rely less on forest products or
abandon farmland, aiding reforestation.
A 2018 study showed that the areas with the highest out-migration
experience, on average, had the most forest recovery.
Globally, migration has important impacts on forests, but not always
positive ones. In many countries,
forests seem to recover as people leave rural areas to work elsewhere. El Salvador, for example, has seen a rebound
of its forests as many of its rural residents move to cities or even to the United
States. But in Guatemala and Nicaragua, the return of migrants bringing money
they have earned overseas has led to an expansion of cattle ranching that has
harmed forests.
The global relationship between migration and forests is a complicated
one that depends on whether the migration is one-way or “circular” (meaning
that the migrants eventually return) and how returning migrants make use of
their earnings from abroad.
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Web Links
In Nepal, Out-Migration Is Helping Fuel a Forest Resurgence
Photo, posted September 30, 2018, courtesy of Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.
2 min
November 01, 2019 Removing Dams Restores Ecosystems
In many parts of the country, dams that sometimes date back as much as 100 years are being removed and are giving way to the revival of migratory fish and their river ecosystems. Since 1912, more than 1,600 dams have been removed in the U.S., but the pace of dam removal has greatly picked up in recent years. 2017 and 2018 were the highest years ever with 91 and 99 dams removed, respectively.
When dams are removed, the response from migratory fish can be almost
immediate. A large dam removal project
on the Penobscot River in Maine in 2012 opened up 1,000 miles of habitat with a
quick return of shad and alewives, followed by salmon.
In 2022, four large dams across the Klamath River will be removed. The dams, which are located at the California and Oregon border, were facing an expensive re-licensing process and, because of their age, could no longer be run at a profit.
Re-licensing the dams along the Klamath was going to cost as much as $400 million. On the other hand, uncapping the Klamath River has tremendous commercial and tourism potential. Two states, tribal nations, and other stakeholders have all seen the virtues of restoring the landscape to its original form.
Opposition to dam removal is typically driven by aesthetics or
recreational preferences. But dam
economics are getting increasingly worse.
Now that electricity can be produced far more cheaply with wind and
solar power, many American dams have become artifacts of an older manufacturing
era. Meanwhile, rural towns near
decommissioned dams are likely to now have more robust fishing industries.
In rivers big and small, migratory fish and river ecosystems surge
back to life as old energy structures are taken down.
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Web Links
Take Down That Dam: River Ecosystems Bounce Back As Removals Soar
Photo, posted June 11, 2016, courtesy of the Bureau of Land Management via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.
2 min
October 31, 2019 Electric Buses In Latin America
Latin America has become increasingly urbanized. In fact, about 80% of the region’s population lives in cities today and by 2050, that figure could climb to 90%. Transportation is the largest and fastest-growing source of energy-related emissions in Latin America and accounts for about a third of all of the region’s carbon dioxide emissions.
Private vehicle ownership is rising in Latin America but at the same
time, the region’s rapidly growing cities have increased demand for buses,
taxis, and motorcycles. Currently, an
estimated 64,000 people die prematurely every year in Latin America and the
Caribbean as a result of air pollution, which is mostly caused by
transportation emissions.
Given this situation, major cities across Latin America – from
Colombia to Argentina – are starting to adopt electric bus fleets. Latin America actually has the highest use
of buses per person globally. So, the
transition to electric buses is an important step toward meeting climate
targets, cutting fuel costs, and improving air quality.
Medellin, Colombia – whose metropolitan area has 3.7 million people – has started to add electric buses to its fleet, the rest of which runs on natural gas. When new units arrive from China later this year, Medellin will have the second largest electric bus fleet in Latin America, after Santiago, Chile.
Worldwide, 425,000 electric buses are in operation, 99% in China. Europe has a couple of thousand while the
United States has only 300. But going
forward, and especially in Latin America, electric buses are the wave of the future. Estimates are that there will be 1.3 million
on the roads by 2040.
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Web Links
An Increasingly Urbanized Latin America Turns to Electric Buses
Photo, posted April 22, 2018, courtesy of Hans Johnson via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.
2 min
October 30, 2019 Amazon And Climate Change
Online shopping giant Amazon has unveiled a Climate Pledge, committing to meet the goals of the Paris climate agreement ten years ahead of schedule, and to be carbon neutral by 2040. This is the company’s most ambitious push yet to reduce its carbon footprint, which currently rivals that of a small country. In fact, Amazon is responsible for 48.9 million tons of carbon dioxide last year, which is about 85% of what Switzerland typically emits in a year.
Amazon, which ships more than 10 billion items a year on fossil
fuel-intensive planes and trucks, has ordered a fleet of 100,000 electric vans
that will start delivering packages to doorsteps in 2021. The vans will be made by Rivian, a Michigan-based company
that Amazon invested in earlier this year.
Amazon plans to get 100% of its energy from solar and other renewable
sources by 2030. Currently, it gets
about 40% of its energy from renewables.
Amazon is also investing $100 million in nature-based climate
solutions and reforestation projects around the world in order to remove carbon
from the atmosphere.
While announcing these initiatives recently at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said the company needs to be a leader on the climate change issue:
We want to say
look, if a company of Amazon’s complexity, scale, scope, physical
infrastructure, delivering 10 billion items can do this, so can you.
After revealing Amazon’s Climate Pledge, Bezos said he would talk with CEOs of other large companies to try to get them to also sign it. You can find a link to Amazon’s progress on its commitments by visiting this website.
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Web Links
‘Middle of the herd’ no more: Amazon tackles climate change
Amazon: Committed to a sustainable future (track progress here)
Photo courtesy of Amazon.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.
2 min
October 29, 2019 Emissions-Free Cement
The production of cement – which is the world’s leading construction material – is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for about 8% of global man-made emissions.
Cement production produces carbon dioxide in two ways: from a key chemical process and from burning fuel to produce the cement. The process of making “clinker” – the key constituent of cement – emits the largest amount of CO2. Raw materials, mainly limestone and clay – are fed into huge kilns and heated to over 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit, requiring lots of fossil fuel. This calcination process splits the material into calcium oxide and CO2. The so-called clinker is then mixed with gypsum and limestone to produce cement.
A team of researchers at MIT has come up with a new way of
manufacturing cement that greatly reduces the carbon emissions. The new process makes use of an electrolyzer,
where a battery is hooked up to two electrodes in water producing oxygen at one
electrode and hydrogen at the other. The
oxygen-evolving electrode produces acid and the hydrogen-evolving electrode
produces a base. In the new process,
pulverized limestone is dissolved in the acid at one electrode and calcium
hydroxide precipitates out as a solid at the other.
High-purity carbon dioxide is released at the acid electrode, but it
can be easily captured for further use such as the production of liquid fuels
or even in carbonated beverages and dry ice.
The new approach could eliminate the use of fossil fuels in the heating
process, substituting electricity generated from renewable sources.
The process looks to be scalable and represents a possible approach to
greatly reducing one of the perhaps lesser known but nevertheless very
significant sources of greenhouse gas emissions.
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Web Links
New approach suggests path to emissions-free cement
Photo, posted March 26, 2014, courtesy of Michael Coghlan via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.
2 min
October 28, 2019 Which Cities To Save From The Changing Climate
After several years of brutal flooding and hurricanes in the U.S., a distressing debate is emerging: if there is not enough money available to protect every coastal community from the effects of global warming, how do we decide which ones to save first.
Recent research looked at the costs involved in providing basic
storm-surge protection in the form of sea walls for all coastal cities with
more than 25,000 residents. That number
was $42 billion. Expanding the list to
include communities smaller than 25,000 people would increase that cost to more
than $400 billion. Realistically, that is
just not going to happen.
This particular study only looked at sea walls and no other methods
for minimizing flood risk, such as moving homes and businesses away from the
most flood-prone areas. It also didn’t
look at additional and costlier actions that will be required even with sea
walls, such as revamping sewers, storm water, and drinking water
infrastructure.
The facts are that many cities, especially small ones, will not be
able to meet the costs facing them.
Those that can’t will depend on federal funding. But even optimistically large proposals for
federal infrastructure spending are likely to fall far short of the vast
need. Ultimately, the money will end up
being spent where it can do the most good – even if it means that some places
are left out.
But what criteria will be used to direct the money? Economic value? Historic significance? Population?
Political influence?
This is a looming and massive issue whose chief obstacle may be that many officials refuse to acknowledge that it is happening. This is the next wave of climate denial – denying the costs that we are all facing.
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Web Links
With More Storms and Rising Seas, Which U.S. Cities Should Be Saved First?
Photo, posted October 31, 2018, courtesy of Patrick Kinney via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.
2 min

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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.