Earth Wise

There has been increasing use of agriculture coexisting with solar farms.  This dual use of land is a win-win situation.  Recently, Danish researchers have been investigating the potential for farming marine products at offshore wind farms. Scandinavia’s largest wind farm, Kriegers Flak, is the site of a four-year-old project in which long lines are stretched […]

As solar and wind power play an ever-growing role in the electricity grid, the need for energy storage also grows.  Even if sun and wind can provide more energy than is needed at a particular time, they can’t provide it at all times.  The ability to store excess energy waiting in reserve for when the […]

Brazil has made great progress in reducing deforestation in its Amazon Rainforest.  In 2023, the rate of deforestation in Brazil dropped by 50% over the previous year. This was the result of the efforts by conservation-minded President Luiz da Silva, who replaced Jair Bolsonaro, a big proponent of deforestation.  Da Silva’s government has cracked down […]

Opponents of electric vehicles and renewable energy often try to make arguments to the effect that the carbon footprint associated with producing electric cars, solar panels, and wind turbines negates their advantages over legacy technologies that involve burning fossil fuels.  These arguments have been soundly refuted for the case of electric vehicles but there have […]

Sewage sludge is the mud-like residue that is produced as a byproduct during wastewater treatment.  In the U.S., sewage sludge is referred to as biosolids after it’s been treated.  The term is meant to distinguish the higher quality, treated sludge from raw sludge and from sludge that contains large quantities of environmental pollutants.  However, according […]

A global survey of 75,000 people revealed that 80% of participants want their governments’ climate action commitments to be stronger.  The poll, conducted by the United Nations Development Program, GeoPoll, and Oxford University, asked 15 questions in telephone calls to residents of 77 countries representing 87% of the global population. According to the survey, 89% […]

According to a new study by the International Energy Agency, global clean energy investment will be nearly twice that of fossil fuels this year.  The surging funding for clean energy is being driven by a combination of lower costs for renewable energy and by improving supply chains. In 2024, the world’s investments in energy are […]

The use of greenhouses around the world has been growing dramatically.  A new satellite mapping exercise estimated the total land area covered with permanent greenhouses at 3.2 million acres, which is an area the size of Connecticut.  More than half of this is in China, where the growth of greenhouses has been driven by the […]

The durability, malleability, and low cost of plastics have made them ubiquitous.  Plastics are everywhere:  in packaging, clothing, and an endless variety of products.  As a result, they are everywhere in the environment and they tend to stay there, contaminating land and sea.  They are tough to recycle, and their production emits more carbon dioxide […]

The geographic range of a particular plant or animal species is the area in which it can be found during its lifetime.  The range of most species is limited by climatic factors, including temperature, precipitation, soil moisture, humidity, and wind.  Any changes in the magnitude or variability of these factors will impact the species living […]