Earth Wise

Researchers at Michigan State University's College of Agriculture and Natural Resources have been studying dietary fats and their effects on dairy cows for over a decade. This research in part focused on high-oleic soybeans, a variety that is rich in oleic acid, a type of fatty acid found in both animal and vegetable fats and oils. The conjecture was that if these soybeans were included in a cow’s diet, the yields of milk fat and protein would increase, and along with them, the profits of farmers.

When we talk about locust swarms, we envision biblical plagues and famines in ancient societies. But locusts continue to be a serious problem around the world. Huge swarms of the insects can destroy crops across entire regions and cause massive economic losses.

Windfarms located out to sea have the advantages that there is a lack of obstacles to airflow and higher wind speeds and steadier wind flow tend to be observed out at sea. As of last year, the global offshore wind capacity reached 83-88 gigawatts, enough to power 75 to 100 million homes and is growing rapidly with annual growth rates of 15% or more.

Hydrogen can play a key role in the transition to clean energy because when it is used as a fuel, it only produces water as a byproduct. Hydrogen is already produced in industrial quantities, but it is primarily made with methods that use fossil fuels like natural gas. But instead of extracting hydrogen from hydrocarbons, it can be obtained by splitting water into its constituent elements.

Greenhouse gas emissions rose again last year, while global temperatures continued to rise. Carbon dioxide concentrations reached new record highs. Despite this, climate-related issues, events, and developments saw less frequent media coverage around the world, down 14% compared to 2024 and 38% lower than in 2021.

People have always relied on natural resources like clean water, forests, soil, biodiversity, and more. According to an estimate by the World Economic Forum, more than half of the world’s gross domestic product is moderately or highly dependent on the environment. Or as one ecologist put it: if there were no nature, there would be no economy.

Tidal power is a way to generate clean, renewable energy by harnessing the rise and fall of ocean tides. Unlike wind and solar power, tidal power is predictable on a regular basis.

There are around 200,000 glaciers in the world and virtually all of them are melting with the rate accelerating. More than half of the world’s population makes use of meltwater from glaciers and snow for drinking, agriculture, and energy. Nearly 2 billion depend on seasonal glacier melt that supplies rivers and aquifers. This is especially true in Asia and in the Andes.

The global growth of electric cars has continued to rise over the past year, increasing by 20% over 2024. Worldwide, 20.7 million EVs were sold, constituting nearly 23% of all light vehicle sales.

Plastic pollution remains one of the world’s most challenging environmental problems. Plastic pollution has been found everywhere on Earth, from the highest mountain peaks to the deepest parts of the ocean. And scientists are finding that plastic is also moving through the air we breathe.