Earth Wise

According to a new study published by Stanford University, the average number of people in the U.S. exposed to unhealthy levels of airborne particulates at least one day a year has increased 27-fold over the last decade as a result of wildfires. Millions of Americans are now routinely exposed to plumes of wildfire smoke that […]

Over the past three decades, the owners of 16 million small farms in the Bengal Basin of Bangladesh have been pumping shallow groundwater during dry seasons to irrigate rice paddies.  By lowering groundwater levels in this way during the dry season, the ability of leakage from rivers, lakes, and ponds to replenish the groundwater was […]

A remote region in the high Andes straddling the borders between Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile has become known as the Lithium Triangle.   The area has become the focus of a global rush for lithium to make batteries for electric cars.  The global demand for lithium is expected to quadruple by 2030 to 2.6 million tons […]

Insects can be found in every environment on Earth and are critical components of many ecosystems.  They perform countless important functions, including aerating and fertilizing soil as well as pollinating flowers.  In fact, according to the USDA, 75% of the world’s flowering plants and about 35% of the world’s food crops depend on animal pollinators, […]

According to the National Retail Federation, Halloween participation is expected to return to pre-pandemic levels this year.  Spending on Halloween festivities by the 69% of Americans who celebrate is expected to add up to $10.6 billion in 2022 – or more than $100 per person – reaching a new record high.  Halloween generates a mind-boggling […]

California is fighting the effects of climate change on multiple fronts.  The state has been grappling with relentless drought, record heat waves, and persistent wildfires.  The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is enlisting the help of beavers in its battle against climate change. The state has created a beaver restoration unit charged with developing […]

Sea levels across the globe are rising as a result of the changing climate.  Two factors are largely responsible: the melting of ice sheets in the polar regions and the fact that as the oceans get warmer, the water in them expands.   Estimates are that by 2050, there will be over 800 million people […]

Most of us have heard the sound of a woodpecker drumming on a nearby tree, or unfortunately, on the walls of our house where it can be very destructive.  We were often told that the birds were hunting for insects inside the wood, or perhaps trying to open up a nest. But a new study […]

During the summer of 2021, much of Europe experienced a “wind drought” – wind speeds in many places were about 15% below average.  In the UK in particular, winds were unusually calm and wind energy production was dramatically reduced. Globally, wind speeds have been dropping by about 2.3% per decade since the 1970s.  In 2019, […]

According to a new study recently published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, blue lakes around the world are at risk of turning green-brown if climate change continues unabated.  For the study, the research team used over five million satellite images of more than 85,000 lakes and reservoirs around the globe between 2013 and 2020 […]