Earth Wise

By Randy SimonScience Education Self-Improvement Natural Sciences Nature

Earth Wise episodes

June 07, 2019 Making Roads From Ocean Plastic
Like many other places around the world, India has a big problem with plastic waste. Its 1.3 billion people each use an average of 24 pounds of plastic per year and much of it ends up in the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean.
Fishermen in India’s southern state of Kerala have taken on the battle against plastic waste in the ocean by launching a campaign called Suchitwa Sagaram, or Clean Sea, in which they are collecting the plastic and bringing it back to shore.
In the first 10 months of the program, fisherman have removed 25 tons
of plastic from the Arabian Sea. Once
the plastic waste reaches shore, it is fed into a plastic shredding
machine. As is the case for many of
India’s plastic recycling schemes, the shredded plastic from the sea is
converted into material that is used for road surfacing.
There are more than 20,000 miles of plastic roads in India, mostly in
rural areas. In fact, more than half the
roads in the southern state of Tamil Nadu are plastic. Such roads have become popular because they
are more resilient to India’s searing heat.
The melting point of plastic roads is around 150 degrees Fahrenheit as compared
to 122 degrees for conventional roads.
Roads made from recycled plastic are also cheaper than ones using conventional plastic additives. A mile of plastic road uses the equivalent of a million and a half plastic bags and saves about a ton and a half of asphalt. Overall, plastic roads are about 8% cheaper than conventional roads and create jobs for people in the fishing communities.
India’s plastic roads are a promising way to fight the problem of
ocean plastic pollution.
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Web Links
These Indian fishermen take plastic out of the sea and use it to build roads
Photo, posted April 25, 2016, courtesy of Bo Eide via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.
2 min
June 06, 2019 Antibiotics In The Environment
Antibiotics make their way into the environment in many ways. Sources of antibiotic pollution include the waste from large-scale animal farms and the wastewater from hospitals, municipalities, and antibiotic manufacturing.
A new study has discovered concentrations of antibiotics in some of
the world’s rivers exceed safe levels by up to 300 times. In the project, researchers looked for 14
commonly used antibiotics in rivers in 72 countries across six continents. They found antibiotics at 65% of all the
sites they examined.
The antibiotic ciproflaxacin was the compound that most frequently
exceeded safe levels, surpassing that threshold in 51 places. The antibiotic
metronidazole exceeded safe levels by the biggest margin. Concentrations of this antibiotic at one site
in Bangladesh was 300 times greater than the safe level. The most prevalent antibiotic was
trimethoprim. It was detected at 307 of
the 711 sites.
Some of the world’s most iconic rivers were sampled as a part of this study, including the Danube, Mekong, Seine, Thames, Tiber and Tigris.
The project, which was led by the University of York, found that
high-risk sites were often located near wastewater treatment systems, waste or
sewage dumps, and in some areas of political unrest.
Safe levels for antibiotics, which were recently established by the
AMR Industry Alliance, range from 20,000 to 32,000 nanograms per liter
depending on the compound.
According to the research team, solutions to the problem of antibiotic
contamination should include infrastructure investment, tighter regulation, and
the remediation of already contaminated sites.
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Web Links
Antibiotics found in some of the world’s rivers exceed ‘safe’ levels, global study finds
Photo, posted October 7, 2013, courtesy of Nicola via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.
2 min
June 05, 2019 From Coal Plant To Solar Farm
The Nanticoke Generating Station in Ontario, Canada was the largest coal-fired power plant in North America. It was commissioned in 1972 and was capable of providing nearly 4,000 megawatts of electrical power into the southern Ontario power grid. At peak, the plant consumed nearly 40,000 tons of coal per day.
The government of Ontario eventually decided to phase out all of its coal plants about ten years ago but the decommissioning was delayed for a time because of the lack of replacement sources of energy. The plant began to shut down its individual generating units starting in 2010. By the end of 2013, the Nanticoke plant was shut down for good.
In 2016, a 44 MW solar power station was contracted for the site and
construction began last year. The plant
opened at the beginning of April coinciding with the one-year anniversary of
the demolition of Nanticoke’s smokestacks, which once stood 650 feet tall.
The new solar farm has 192,431 solar panels spread across 260 acres. The facility, situated on the shores of Lake Erie in Ontario, will generate enough electricity to power more than 7,200 homes.
The idea to use part of the retired coal plant’s property for a new
solar farm was spearheaded and paid for by Ontario Power Generation, the Six
Nations of the Grand River Development Corporation, and the Mississaugas of the
Credit First Nation.
The Chief of the Mississaugas called the solar project an important
economic development in the region and for tribal nations that sets the stage
for future mutually-beneficial partnerships between Ontario Power Generation
and others.
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Web Links
Canadian Coal-Fired Power Plant Transformed into Solar Farm
Photo, posted July 26, 2009, courtesy of Jason Paris via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.
2 min
June 04, 2019 Edible Six-Pack Rings
There has much talk about plastic straws and their harmful effects on the environment. But much like the straws, plastic six-pack rings are also enemies of the ocean. While straws and six-pack rings account for only a tiny fraction of all the plastic trash in the ocean, images of marine animals tangled up in the rings have sparked public backlash against these common items. The soft but tough plastic rings are transparent which means that in the water animals don’t even see them. They end up tangled in the loops, which can cut into their skin and constrict parts of their bodies, leading to serious injury or death. Birds, turtles, and otters are among the frequent victims of six-pack rings.
Plastic straws have readily available alternatives such as paper
straws and reusable straws. But the
plastic rings that have been available for more than 40 years are not as easy
to replace. By law, six-pack rings are
photo-degradable, so they do gradually disintegrate when exposed to direct
sunlight. But even then, they remain
quite dangerous at least for a while.
The Saltwater Brewery in Delray Beach, Florida, recently has released
edible six-pack rings, representing a brand-new approach to sustainable beer
packaging. The rings are 100%
biodegradable and edible. They are
actually made from barley and wheat ribbons from the brewing process. This packaging can be safely eaten by animals
that may come into contact with them in the wild.
Producing the edible rings represents a big investment for a small
brewery but the company hopes to influence larger brewers and inspire them to
get on board with the safer packaging.
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Web Links
Saltwater Brewery Creates Edible Six-Pack Rings
Photo courtesy of Saltwater Brewery.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.
2 min
June 03, 2019 Climate Change And Economic Inequality
A new study by Stanford University looked at the effects of climate change on global economic inequality. The study found that the gap between the economic output of the world’s richest and poorest countries is larger today than it would have been without global warming.
The warming climate has enriched cooler countries like Norway and Sweden while dragging down economic growth in warm countries such as India and Nigeria. The results of the study showed that most of the poorest countries on Earth are considerably poorer than they would have been in the absence of rising temperatures. At the same time, the majority of rich countries are richer than they would have otherwise been.
Detailed analysis of 50 years of annual temperature and GDP measurements for 165 countries demonstrated that growth during warmer than average years has accelerated in cool nations and slowed in warm nations. Historical data clearly show that crops are more productive, people are healthier, and they are more productive at work when temperatures are neither too hot nor too cold. That means that in cold countries, a little bit of warming can help but the opposite is true in places that are already hot.
For most counties, whether global warming has helped or hurt economic growth is pretty certain. Tropical countries in particular tend to have temperatures far outside the ideal for economic growth and they are already among the poorest countries. It is less clear how warming has influenced growth in countries in the middle latitudes, such as here in the United States. Some of the largest economies are near the perfect temperature for economic output but continued warming in the future is likely to push them away from the temperature optimum.
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Web Links
Climate change has worsened global economic inequality
Photo, posted November 1, 2011, courtesy of CIAT via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.
2 min
May 31, 2019 Cleaning Up Mount Everest
Mount Everest is the highest mountain above sea level with an elevation over 29,000 feet. As such, it is a prime attraction for mountain climbers seeking that ultimate achievement. The summit was first reached in 1953 and for a long time, only major expeditions by the best mountaineers sought to repeat the feat.
In recent years, climbing Everest has become much more common. In fact, since 1953, more than 4,000 people
have reached the summit of the world’s highest mountain. A record 807 accomplished the feat last year
alone. Thousands more visit lower
elevations.
But climbing Everest is neither safe nor easy. Ice and snow, powerful winds, and generally harsh conditions make Everest a treacherous place. Over the decades, hundreds of climbers have died on its slopes and many of their bodies are still up there. Apart from human remains, there are decades worth of garbage left behind by hikers and tourists.
The government of Nepal has mounted an ambitious project to clean up
the refuse on Mount Everest. In just the
first two weeks, volunteers removed more than three tons of trash from the
mountain. Among the rubbish removed from Everest are tents, climbing equipment,
bottles, cans, empty oxygen containers, and human waste. They also discovered the bodies of four
climbers that had emerged from melting snow and ice.
Helicopters carried a third of the garbage to Kathmandu for
recycling. The rest was taken to a local
district for disposal in landfills. The
initial work started at Everest’s base camp.
They are next moving to sites higher on the mountain. They hope to remove at least 10 tons of trash
this year.
Nepal would like to make the world’s tallest mountain clean.
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Web Links
Volunteers Remove 3 Tons of Trash From Mount Everest in Two Weeks
Photo, posted May 23, 2012, courtesy of Gunther Hagleitner via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.
2 min
May 30, 2019 Solar Equity for Low-Income Communities
A couple of years ago, the number of American roofs covered with solar panels passed the one million mark and the numbers keep growing. But nearly half of U.S. households – accounting for more than 154 million people – aren’t able to host their own solar arrays because they lack suitable rooftop space, or they rent their homes. But millions more simply can’t afford to spend tens of thousands of dollars to buy or lease solar panels.
In recent years, community solar has become popular. These are projects where multiple
participants own or lease shares in a mid-sized solar facility and receive
credits that lower their monthly utility bills.
Community solar in the U.S. has more than quadrupled just since 2016.
However, the majority of community solar subscribers to date have been
businesses, universities, government agencies, and higher-earning
households. These users can generally
pay steep project enrollment fees or meet various financial requirements. Meanwhile, those who could benefit most from
access to renewable energy and lower utility bills – low-income residents –
have largely been left out.
Low-income households on average spend over 8% of their income on
utility bills, about three times more than moderate- to high-income
households. So, reducing electricity
bills with community solar power is a big deal for them.
Given this situation, there are now a growing number of programs that
make use of community solar to reduce living expenses for low-income
households. In a dozen states, new
programs include a variety of mandates, financial incentives, and pilot
programs targeting benefits for people with low incomes. These programs will allow them to participate
in both the environmental and economic benefits of renewable energy.
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Web Links
Energy Equity: Bringing Solar Power to Low-Income Communities
Photo, posted November 27, 2012, courtesy of Oregon State University via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.
2 min
May 29, 2019 The American Bumblebee
Pollinators, such as bees and bats, are vital for global food production. They provide an ecological service that’s necessary for the reproduction of nearly 75% of the world’s flowering plants, including more than two-thirds of the world’s food crops.
Bumblebees are among the most important plant pollinators. They pollinate many food crops, including apples, tomatoes, blueberries and legumes, as well as countless types of trees, shrubs, and wildflowers. But researchers have documented declines in both the abundance and range of many bumblebee species.
The American bumblebee, which is native to North America, is one of
them. The species can currently be found
in eastern Canada, throughout much of the Eastern United States, and much of
Mexico.
According to a new study led by York University and recently published
in the Journal of Insect Conservation, the American bumblebee is critically
endangered, and it faces imminent local extinction from Canada. This is considered the highest and most at-risk
classification before extinction.
The researchers used data from three sources in their study: the
Bumble Bee Watch (which is a citizen science project), the Bumble Bees of North
America database (that has records dating back to the late-1800s), and their
own field survey work. They used the
IUCN’s Red List assessment criteria to evaluate the status of the American
bumblebee within its Canadian range.
The research team found that the species’ area of occurrence has
decreased by approximately 70% and its relative abundance dropped by 89% from
2007-2016 when compared to 1907-2006.
The American bumblebee can still be found throughout its Canadian
range. But immediate conservation action
is desperately needed.
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Web Links
Disappearing bumblebee species under threat of extinction
Photo, posted August 22, 2011, courtesy of Rachel Elaine via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.
2 min
May 28, 2019 The Energy Vault
A potentially transformative utility-scale energy storage technology has won a 2019 “World Changing Idea” award from Fast Company magazine. Known as the Energy Vault, the technology seeks to be the successor to the granddaddy of grid energy storage: pumped hydro.
Shifting water between higher and lower reservoirs is still basis of
the vast majority of global grid storage capacity. But it is limited both by its unique location
needs and by environmental regulations.
A start-up company also called Energy Vault and based in both
Switzerland and Southern California has come up with an extremely creative grid
storage concept. The technology consists
of a six-armed crane that stacks huge concrete blocks using a currently
available source of cheap and abundant grid electricity, and then drops them
down to generate electricity when needed.
The system is said to operate at about 90% efficiency and can deliver
long-duration storage at half the prevailing price on the market today.
A full-scale Energy Vault plant, called an Evie, would look like a 35-story crane with six arms, surrounded by thousands of manmade concrete blocks, weighing nearly 40 tons each. When charging, the plant will stack the blocks around itself higher and higher in a Babel-like tower. To discharge, the cranes drop the blocks down, generating power from the speedy descent. This configuration can deliver 4 megawatts of power and store about 35 megawatt-hours of energy.
There isn’t even a factory needed. The company would deliver a crane from a manufacturer. The crane will then assemble the blocks onsite using recycled concrete. Operation is then fully automated. The system is expected to run for 30 or 40 years.
So far there is only a one-seventh scale demo unit in
Switzerland. But this is a very
intriguing idea.
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Web Links
Energy Vault Wins World Changing Idea Award 2019 from Fast Company for Transformative Utility-Scale Energy Storage Technology
Photo courtesy of Energy Vault.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.
2 min
May 27, 2019 Climate Change And Dolphins
We don’t think of heatwaves as something that affects the ocean, but increasingly, as the planet warms, there have been instances where ocean water temperatures become much higher than normal for extended periods of time. There has been much discussion of this phenomenon with regard to coral reefs where the catastrophic rise in coral bleaching events has been the result.
Recently, a study at the University of Zurich looked at the effects of
ocean heatwaves on marine life higher in the food chain. They studied the well-known dolphin
population in Shark Bay, Western Australia.
In early 2011, a heatwave caused water temperatures in Shark Bay to
rise more than 4 degrees above the annual average for an extended period. This led to a substantial loss of seagrass,
which is a driving factor in the Shark Bay ecosystem.
The researchers investigated how this environmental damage affected
survival and reproduction of dolphins, using long-term data on hundreds of
animals collected over a ten-year period from 2007 to 2017.
Their analysis showed that dolphins’ survival rate dropped by 12% and
female dolphins were giving birth to fewer calves. That phenomenon that began in 2011 lasted at
least until 2017.
The researchers were surprised by the extent and the duration of the influence of the heatwave, especially the fact that the reproductive rate of dolphins had not returned to normal even after 6 years.
This study shows for the first time that marine heatwaves not only
affect organisms at the lower levels of the food chain, but also might have
considerable long-term consequences for the animals at the top, such as
dolphins.
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Web Links
Climate change is a threat to dolphins’ survival
Photo, posted December 14, 2014, courtesy of Ed Dunens 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.