Golf courses are a significant burden on the environment. The US has 16,000 golf courses which use 1.5 billion gallons of water a day and are treated with 100,000 tons of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium each year. In recent years, the golf industry has taken steps to lighten its environmental toll by using less water, […]
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Earth Wise offers a look at our changing environment. Eco-friendly business practices, the latest environmental news, and how nature impacts our environment in ways never before considered.
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Iceland power
Iceland burns very little fossil fuel to power its economy and heat its homes. About 85% of its energy comes from geothermal power and hydropower. Its unique geology provides it with the highest percentage of renewable energy in the world. The fossil fuel that Iceland does burn is primarily used to power cars and trucks […]
A lake in Death Valley
Death Valley in California is the driest place in North America, averaging only 2 inches of rain each year. Badwater Basin in Death Valley is the lowest point in North America with a depth of 282 feet below sea level. Currently, Badwater Basin is the site of an ephemeral lake called Lake Manley. The lake […]
AI’s Environmental Footprint
Artificial intelligence is everywhere these days. Some say it is the biggest development since the discovery of fire. There is a lot of hype regarding AI, and it will be a while before the hype is sorted out from the reality. But one thing that is certain is that AI is resource-intensive and has a […]
Is the Amazon rainforest nearing a tipping point?
The Amazon rainforest is the largest rainforest in the world, covering more than 2.5 million square miles. More than three million species live in the rainforest, which constitutes approximately 10% of the world’s known biodiversity. The Amazon rainforest’s biodiversity is so rich that scientists are still discovering new species all the time. The Amazon rainforest […]
The East Coast is sinking
Most of the world’s largest cities are located in coastal regions and coastal regions are on the front lines of the climate crisis. Human populations continue to migrate towards low-elevation coastal areas at the same time that sea level rise is accelerating. Coastal communities worldwide are increasingly vulnerable to the dangers of flooding and erosion. […]
Little ice on the Great Lakes
In an average year, the Great Lakes end up about 40% covered in ice. But this is not an average year. 2023 was the warmest year on record and, in fact, the global temperature was more than 1.5 degrees above the pre-industrial average for the full year. That hasn’t happened before. As a result of […]
Polar bears and the changing climate
The changing climate poses a major threat to polar bear survival. Polar bears, whose native range lies largely within the Arctic Circle, depend on sea ice for nearly all of their lifecycle functions. Rising global temperatures are causing this sea ice to disappear. With less sea ice, polar bears are forced to stay longer on […]
A wet January
For the first time in a while, the monthly report on the US climate did not feature record-setting heat. The average January temperature across the contiguous U.S. was 1.6 degrees above the average, but that only ranked it in the middle third of the climate record. The diminishing El Niño probably helped. On the other […]
Record energy transition investments
Global investment in the energy transition – that is, the transition away from fossil fuels – increased by 17% in 2023, reaching a new high of $1.8 trillion dollars. That number includes spending on electric vehicles and their associated infrastructure, electrification of the power grid, and various other changes to the energy system. Electrified transport […]
Global groundwater depletion
Groundwater is found underground in aquifers and it bubbles up naturally into springs, streams, and rivers. It’s also often pumped out for use by people. Researchers from UC Santa Barbara have conducted the largest assessment of groundwater levels across the globe, spanning 170,000 wells and nearly 1,700 aquifers across more than 40 countries. The team […]
Record renewable energy in Scotland
The Scottish government recently announced that in 2022, renewable technologies in that country produced the equivalent of 113% of Scotland’s electricity consumption. Fossil fuels still supplied electricity in Scotland, helping to fill in gaps in renewable power, but the government figures showed that the growing amount of Scottish renewable generation can easily generate more power […]
Fusion energy
Nuclear fusion is the process that powers the sun. Two atoms of hydrogen unite to form one helium atom and release energy in the process. Hydrogen bombs work in this way and since their development in the 1950s, scientists have sought a way to use fusion to generate electricity. Many scientists believe that the key […]
Hope for white rhinos
There are only two northern white rhinos left in the world, and both of them are female. The last male died in 2018. Northern white rhinos live to about 40 and one of the two remaining is 35 and the other 24. The clock is ticking for the species. Recently, scientists with the BioRescue consortium […]
Protecting wine grapes from wildfire smoke
In recent years, wildfires have become a major threat to the wine industry because of the effects of smoke on wine grapes. Smoke taint from the California fires of September 2020 significantly impacted the quality of wine grapes. In total, smoke taint cost the wine industry in Western states more than $3 billion in losses […]
Natural hydrogen
Hydrogen is considered to be a potential substitute for conventional fossil fuels in applications where electricity cannot easily be used such as in blast furnaces, cement works, industrial heating, long-distance aviation, and shipping. But most hydrogen is manufactured by separating it from methane, which is energy-intensive and produces carbon dioxide. So-called green hydrogen is made […]
Otters to the rescue
California sea otters were hunted almost to extinction in the 19th century. Only a small number survived along California’s central coast. But over time, the otters recovered and increasingly recolonized their former habitats. Sea otters are playing an important role in safeguarding California’s kelp forests and marshlands against the harmful effects of climate change. Over […]
Groundwater and climate change
Groundwater is the vast reserve of water beneath Earth’s surface. It’s an essential resource for humans, plants, animals, and other living organisms. According to the United States Geological Survey, about 30% of all readily available freshwater in the world is groundwater. In areas lacking sufficient surface water supply from rivers and reservoirs, groundwater is critical […]
Red mud and steel
Most of us have never heard of red mud. Otherwise known as bauxite residue, it is an industrial waste product generated by the most common process by which aluminum is made and the world produces 200 million tons of red mud each year. The stuff is a significant environmental hazard being extremely alkaline and corrosive. […]
Satellites discovering penguins
The loss of sea ice in Antarctica has forced emperor penguins to seek out new breeding grounds. Some colonies have traveled more than 20 miles in search of stable ice. Emperor females lay a single egg on a stretch of sea ice at the start of winter and males keep the eggs warm while the […]