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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The podcast currently has 2,518 episodes available.

Earth Wise episodes:

February 27, 2019 More Renewables Without Storage In Texas
Texas has a Texas-sized appetite for electricity and relies most heavily on natural gas, coal and nuclear power to get it. But in recent times, wind power has grown tremendously in the Lone Star State and it has already leapfrogged past nuclear power. Coal could be the next domino to fall.
In the past few years, solar power has become competitive with wind in
terms of price. Texas is a large,
coastal state in the sunny southwestern U.S. and has significant solar
resources. As a result, the amount of solar
power in Texas is now growing rapidly.
In order for a combination of solar and wind power to address the bulk
of electricity demand in Texas, there needs to be a way to provide reliability
that these intermittent sources don’t necessarily provide. Energy storage is a solution that ultimately is
likely to be part of most electricity grids, but currently it is still
expensive on a utility scale.
A new study from Rice University looked at the complementarity of
solar and wind power in Texas.
Complementarity refers to balancing the output of solar and wind
systems. The peak performance of wind
and solar occurs at very different times in different regions of the
state. The study suggests that the right
mix of solar and wind systems in the right parts of Texas could provide a continuously
reliable energy system. On both a yearly
and daily basis, wind and solar power resources in Texas complement each other
in terms of peak performance. It is a
matter of locating the solar power and wind farms in the right places.
With the Texas solar industry really starting to boom, there is a real
opportunity to integrate far more renewable energy into the Texas grid.
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Web Links
More Renewables with Less Energy Storage: Texas Shows How
Photo, posted June 8, 2018, courtesy of Laura Lee Dooley via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.
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2min
February 26, 2019 New Nutrition Labels
Food and beverage packaging in this country has included a Nutrition Facts panel for nearly 25 years. Over 700,000 products have the labels which provide consumers with information like serving sizes, calories per serving, ingredients, and nutritional content.
Surveys indicate that 77 percent of all U.S. adults claim to use the
labels at least some of the time.
Whether the labels are actually useful is somewhat debatable. A couple of years ago, the FDA released a
proposal to update the labels to make them more useful and to reflect more
recent nutritional research. The new
labels are finally going to be implemented and food manufacturers with annual
sales exceeding $10 million have until January of 2020 to update their
packaging with the new labels.
One of the biggest changes is that the “serving size” section of the
label will be changed to more accurately reflect the actual portions consumed
by the typical American. For example, a
20-ounce soft drink will now be labeled as a single serving because most people
will drink the whole bottle in one sitting.
The new labels will no long list the amounts of Vitamin A and C,
because recent research shows most Americans are not deficient in these
nutrients. Instead, the amount of
Vitamin D and potassium will be listed, two nutrients lacking in many
diets. New labels will also show amounts
of “added sugars”, defined as caloric sweeteners with no nutritional value. The
new labels will also display the calories per serving in much large type making
that piece of information far more noticeable.
There is surely more to be done to make food labeling more transparent and useful for consumers, but the new changes at least seem to be in the right direction.
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Web Links
Nutrition Labels Get a Makeover: Will It Make a Difference?
Photo, posted September 9, 2014, courtesy of Mike Mozart via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.
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February 25, 2019 Hacking Photosynthesis
There is an enzyme known as RuBisCo that is involved in carbon fixation, the process plants use to convert carbon dioxide into sugar molecules. The RuBisCo molecule is inside the leaves of most plants and is probably the most abundant protein in the world.
RuBisCo picks up carbon dioxide from the air and uses energy from the
sun to turn the carbon into sugar molecules.
This process of photosynthesis is pretty much the foundation of life on
Earth.
Wonderful as it is, the process is not perfect. RuBisCo is not very selective in grabbing molecules
from the air. It picks up oxygen as well
as CO2 and it produces a toxic compound when it does that.
Plants operate a whole other complicated chemical process to deal with
this toxic byproduct and uses up a lot of energy along the way, leaving less
energy for making leaves or food that we can eat.
A research program at the University of Illinois called Realizing
Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (or RIPE) has been trying to correct this
problem; they have been trying to hack photosynthesis. And they may well have succeeded.
Using genetic modification on tobacco plants, they have shut down the
existing detoxification process and set up a much more efficient new one. The result is super plants that grow faster
and up to 40% bigger.
The next step is to get it to work on plants that people actually rely
upon for food, like tomatoes, soybeans and black-eyed peas (which are a staple
food crop in sub-Saharan Africa where food is scarce.)
It will be years before we know if the process can really produce more
food and be safe, but it may end up leading to a major increase in crop
productivity.
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Web Links
Scientists Have ‘Hacked Photosynthesis’ In Search Of More Productive Crops
Photo, posted June 10, 2013, courtesy of Boon Hong Seto via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.
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2min
February 22, 2019 Saving Beaches With Seagrass
Almost a quarter of the Gross Domestic Product of places around the Caribbean Sea is earned from tourism. Preserving the beaches in the region is an economic imperative. With increasing coastal development, the natural flow of water and sand is disrupted, natural ecosystems are damaged, and many tropical beaches simply disappear into the sea.
With such high stakes, expensive coastal engineering efforts such as
repeated replenishing of sand and the construction of concrete protective walls
are common strategies. Rising sea levels
and increasingly powerful storms only increase the threat to tropical beaches.
Researchers from The Netherlands and Mexico recently published a study
in the journal BioScience on the
effectiveness of seagrass in holding onto sand and sediment along shorelines.
Seagrasses are
so-named because most species have long green, grass-like leaves. They are
often confused with seaweeds but are actually more closely related to flowering
plants seen on land. Seagrasses have roots, stems and leaves, and produce
flowers and seeds. Seagrasses can form dense underwater meadows and are one of
the most productive ecosystems in the world. Seagrasses provide shelter and
food to an incredibly diverse community of animals, from tiny invertebrates to
large fish, crabs, turtles, marine mammals and birds.
The researchers performed measurements of the ability of seagrass along Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula coastline to keep sand in place and prevent erosion. They found that the amount of erosion was strongly linked to the amount of vegetation. Quite often, seagrass beds have been regarded as a nuisance, rather than a valuable asset for preserving valuable coastlines. The study opens opportunities for developing new tropical beach protection schemes in which ecology is integrated into engineering solutions.
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Web Links
Seagrass Saves Beaches and Money
Photo, posted October 13, 2010, courtesy of NOAA via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.
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2min
February 21, 2019 Liquid Fuel From The Sun
Most forms of energy we use ultimately come from the sun in one way or another. Even fossil fuels are the end product of millions of years of plant life that captured solar energy. The advantage fossil fuels have over direct solar power is that they are, in fact, fuels and therefore can be stored for use when needed.
Scientists in Sweden have now developed a specialized fluid that
absorbs some of the sun’s energy, holds it for months or even years, and then
releases it when needed. This solar
thermal fuel is like a rechargeable battery for heat rather than electricity.
The special fluid is pumped through transparent tubes where
ultraviolet light from the sun excites its molecules into an energized
state. A compound called norbornadiene
is converted into quadricyclane. The quadricyclane is a quite stable substance until
it is passed over a cobalt-based catalyst, which causes it to turn back into
norbornadiene and release copious amounts of heat.
Such a solar thermal fuel could be stored in uninsulated tanks in
homes or factories or piped or trucked to where it was needed. It could then be used for water heaters,
dishwashers, or clothes driers. The room
temperature fluid quickly warms to about 183 degrees when passed over the
catalyst, plenty warm enough for heating a home or office. Both the fuel and the catalyst are damaged
very little by the reactions, so the process can be recycled many times.
There is much development work needed to optimize shelf life, energy
density, good recyclability and other properties before this technology can be
commercialized but there are at least 15 groups around the world now studying
this intriguing way to get liquid fuel from the sun.
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Web Links
Scientists transform sunlight into a liquid fuel that can be stored for 18 years
Photo, posted August 17, 2009, courtesy of Hiromichi Torihara via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.
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2min
February 20, 2019 Climate Change And The Polar Vortex
This winter has seen some brutally-cold weather in many places, some of it record-breaking. Predictably, some climate-change deniers point to this as evidence that the climate is not warming at all. They are quite wrong.
For starters, it is essential to understand the difference between
climate and weather. Climate is the
average weather patterns in a region over extended periods of time. Weather is the short-term fluctuations in
temperature, precipitation, barometric pressure, wind, and so forth. There can be extremes in weather of many
types in a given climate region including very cold weather in a warming
climate.
The recent cold weather events in the U.S. stem from the flow of
Arctic air into southern regions. Such
flows are impacted dramatically by the behavior of the jet stream. These high-altitude east-to-west winds are
driven by temperature differences between cold arctic air and warm tropical air
and play a huge role in our weather.
The Arctic has seen extremely unusual warming due to the changing
climate, weakening and fracturing the polar vortex, which is a persistent
low-pressure area near the pole. The changing air flow from the Arctic causes
the jet stream to take wild swings. When
it swings further south, it causes cold air to reach farther south. These swings tend to hang around for a while,
leading to extended periods of cold weather in the winter and, actually, extended
periods of warm weather or even droughts in the summer. Studies have predicted that extreme, deadly
weather events could increase by as much as fifty percent by 2100.
As more Arctic air flows into southern regions, North America can
expect to see harsher winters. The
warming climate doesn’t always lead to warmer weather.
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Web Links
Why cold weather doesn’t mean climate change is fake
Photo, posted January 30, 2019, courtesy of Kyle via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.
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2min
February 19, 2019 Disease On Coral Reefs
The warming oceans have led to bleaching events in coral reefs around the world, but bleaching is not the only problem corals face. Disease outbreaks are also becoming more frequent, severe, and widespread.
Many factors are contributing to the problem, including pollution and
nitrogen runoff from fertilizers and coastal sewer and septic systems. However, the key culprit is likely the
steadily increasing ocean temperatures, which are the cause of coral
bleaching. Elevated water temperatures
can cause coral polyps to expel the algae that sustains them and gives them
color.
According to scientists, bleaching makes corals more susceptible to
illness. In the Caribbean, a coral
disease hotspot, about 80% of coral cover has disappeared, largely from
outbreaks of “white band disease”, so called because of a white band of dead
tissue that forms in affected corals. Two
crucial reef-building species, elkhorn and staghorn coral, are now nearing
extinction in the regions. The reef
extending along the Florida coastline is the third largest reef ecosystem in
the world and nearly 35% of it has been lost to disease.
Estimates are that disease outbreaks have wiped out at least 6% of the
corals on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.
In that region, diseases are more prevalent in areas where corals were
damaged by fishing and other human activity because wounded coral provides an
entry point for pathogens and bacteria.
In the face of climate change and mounting disease outbreaks,
scientists are scrambling for solutions to stave off catastrophe. Assisting the migration of hardier coral
species and breeding so-called “super corals” are among the strategies being
pursued. It is unknown whether these and
other forms of intervention can be used on a wide enough scale to really make a
difference.
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Web Links
As Disease Ravages Coral Reefs, Scientists Scramble for Solutions
Photo, posted November 29, 2012, courtesy of Robert Linsdell via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.
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2min
February 18, 2019 Electric Cars In Norway
Norway has long been a world leader in sales of electric vehicles. The country only has 5.3 million people, so the absolute numbers cannot compete with those of large countries. Despite that, it wasn’t until the first quarter of last year that Germany became the leader in number of electric cars sold in Europe and Germany has 15 times the population of Norway.
In percentage terms, almost one-third of all new cars sold in Norway
last year ran on batteries. The country
offers generous subsidies for buyers who opt to go electric. The government has set a goal of having all
new cars be emission-free by 2025. Last
year, three of the top five most popular new car models were electric: the Nissan Leaf, the BMW i3, and the Tesla
Model X.
Tesla’s Model 3, which has shattered all records for electric car
sales in the United States, has yet to go on sale in Norway. When the car becomes available there in the
next few months, it is expected to generate very high sales figures.
The 31% market share for electric cars in Norway far exceeds that of most other countries. In the United States, for example, plug-in cars account for only about 2% of new car sales. Only Hong Kong and Iceland are also currently above 5% electric.
Norway’s role in all of this is rather convoluted. The country has copious hydroelectric power resources that provide virtually all of its electricity. Thus, electric cars in Norway are truly clean, green vehicles. On the other hand, Norway is the 15th largest producer of oil in the world and gets about 17% of its GDP from oil exports. Tackling climate change must ultimately deal with the emissions Norway continues to export.
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Web Links
Photo, posted October 3, 2018, courtesy of Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.
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February 15, 2019 The Problem Of Microplastics
In recent years, there have been multiple reports of microplastic contamination seemingly everywhere: in the ocean, in lakes and rivers, in beverages and foods, and in the bodies of birds, fish, and even people. As the world tries to come to grips with this growing problem, there are many things that we simply don’t know.
Microplastics are usually formed by the breakdown of larger pieces of plastic. Shopping bags and cups degrade into
microplastics. Microfiber clothing
generates microplastics in washing machines.
And some manufacturers still intentionally add microplastics to personal
care products like toothpaste and facial scrubs.
Technically, a microplastic is any piece of plastic measuring five
millimeters in size down to one micron – which is one thousandth of a
millimeter. But there can be even
smaller plastic particles classified as sub-microplastics and even
nanoplastics.
A real concern is that it is not actually clear how dangerous
microplastics are for living organisms.
We know that aquatic and terrestrial species – including humans – can
and do absorb microplastic particles, but whether there is actual toxicity and the
nature of any detrimental effects is not yet well understood.
Another real problem is that it is actually not easy to distinguish
microplastics from other particles in a given sample. When you are looking at a particle that is
smaller than a millimeter in size, it is not easy to tell whether it is a grain
of sand, a bit of cellulose from a plant, or a microplastic. There are reliable and definitive ways to
analyze samples for microplastics, but they are not as simple and commonplace
as just looking through a microscope.
Microplastics are a rapidly growing problem and we don’t even really know how big and how bad the problem is.
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Web Links
How dangerous is microplastic?
Photo, posted January 10, 2015, courtesy of Daria Nepriakhina via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.
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February 14, 2019 Wildlife And The Border Wall
The border between the United States and Mexico is nearly 2,000 miles long, stretching from San Ysidro, California to Brownsville, Texas. Discontinuous barriers currently cover approximately 650 miles of our southern border. As the particulars of how to better secure the remaining 1,350 miles of border are worked out, one thing is abundantly clear: extending physical barriers would negatively impact wildlife and the environment.
The Trump Administration has called for a 1,000-mile wall, which would
cut across land that includes important habitats for wildlife. According to an article signed by nearly
3,000 scientists, this plan would “threaten some of the continent’s most
biologically diverse regions” by inhibiting species movement and triggering
flooding. The paper, which was published in the journal Bioscience, highlights
how more than 1,500 native animal and plant species would be affected by the
wall, including 62 that are listed as endangered or vulnerable.
An extended border wall would not only impede movement of many
wildlife species but it would also put pressure on creatures already in peril,
such as the Mexican gray wolf and the Sonoran pronghorn. Other at risk animals include the ocelot,
black bear, and desert bighorn sheep.
According to researchers, extending the border wall could cause problems for low-flying birds and insects. Even plants, including the endangered wildflower Zapata bladderpod and the threatened whiskerbush cactus, are particularly at risk.
According to a 2011 study, bird-watching and other forms of ecotourism
in the Lower Rio Grande Valley brought in more than $344 million in economic
activity and approximately 4,400 jobs.
Preserving our natural heritage must be part of this national security
discussion.
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Web Links
Nature Divided, Scientists United: US–Mexico Border Wall Threatens Biodiversity and Binational Conservation
Photo, posted December 14, 2014, courtesy of Tony Webster via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.
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2min

FAQs about Earth Wise:

How many episodes does Earth Wise have?

The podcast currently has 2,518 episodes available.