Economy and Policy
Getting Tough On Illegal Fishing
A White House task force has issued a set of recommendations to combat the growing problem of illegal fishing and make it easier to tell if the fish you are buying is what you think it is and whether it was legally caught and imported. [Read more…] about Getting Tough On Illegal Fishing
Let’s Get The Lead Out!
Lead has long been recognized as a potent neurotoxin associated with cognitive problems. Children who are exposed to lead often have lower IQ scores and behavioral troubles.
Strontium And Drinking Water
Thanks to the Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974, every five years the Environmental Protection Agency identifies new contaminants in our drinking water supply and determines if they should be regulated. This year, of the handful of contaminants assessed, the EPA made a preliminary determination to regulate strontium.
A Waste-Fueled Bus
The Bath Bus Company in Great Britain recently introduced into its fleet a bus powered by human and food waste. The 40-seater Bio-Bus runs on gas generated through the treatment of sewage and food waste. This fuel is both renewable and sustainable and the new bus helps to improve urban air quality because it produces fewer emissions than traditional diesel engines.
The Circular Economy
In the traditional linear economy, products are made from raw materials and ultimately everything – the byproduct waste and the products themselves – ends up in the scrap heap. In contrast, an emerging concept is the circular economy in which products are made from recycled materials and end up being recycled themselves.
Turning Farms Into Deserts
By now, we all know too much salt is bad for our health. But did you know excess salt also threatens global food security? According to a new report by the United Nations, 20% of irrigated farmland worldwide suffers from escalating salt levels. Losses in crop productivity are estimated to cost 27 billion dollars annually.
Toilet-to-Tap: It’s A Good Thing
California, which is the number one food and agricultural producer in the United States, is in the third year of one of the state’s worst droughts in a century. This has led to an increase in wildfires, losses in agriculture, and water restrictions and shortages. Some small communities even run the risk of running out of water.
A Solar Bike Path
Solar panels are an increasingly common sight on rooftops and also in standalone ground arrays. But people are starting to embrace the idea of incorporating solar power into other elements of existing infrastructure.
Climate Change And Airplanes
Climate change could have a major impact on future air travel. According to a new study published in the American Meteorological Society Journal, researchers suggest warmer global temperatures will make it harder for airplanes to take off. This could either limit how much luggage or how many people can board an airplane in the future.
Nanoscale Batteries
Electric vehicles and renewable energy are widely thought to be essential in combating climate change. Both desperately need better and cheaper batteries if they are to achieve truly widespread use.
Big Plans For Better Batteries
The government has established goals for the next decade to produce a quarter of the country’s electricity from solar and wind power and to have a million all-electric vehicles on the road. If these goals are to be met, we will need cheaper batteries with higher energy density and faster charging time.
Geoengineering: Not A Quick Fix
Geoengineering – the deliberate, large-scale intervention in the Earth’s climate system – is the subject of continuing speculation by researchers from many disciplines. The notion is that if our efforts to combat climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions are too little or too late, we may have to try to change the climate deliberately.
Using Less Water
According a new report from the US Geological Survey, water use across the country has reached its lowest level in 45 years. This reflects positive trends in conservation achieved by improved water-use technologies and water management.
A Boom In Energy Storage
Wind and solar power are growing by leaps and bounds. Both are playing an increasingly large role in the electricity grid. But as their roles increase, so does a troublesome vulnerability: utilities cannot control when the sun shines or the wind blows. So how can we become dependent on wind and solar power?
An App Called i-Tree
There are computerized applications for just about everything – from tracking our finances to planting a vegetable garden. So it should come as no surprise that there are even apps that aid in the conservation, management, and understanding of urban forests.
Dangerous Air Near Oil And Gas Sites
A peer-reviewed study recently published in the journal Environmental Health looked at the air quality near natural gas wells in five states: Arkansas, Colorado, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wyoming. In 40 percent of the air samples, laboratory tests found benzene, formaldehyde and other toxic substances at levels above what the federal government considers safe for brief or long-term exposure. In some cases, the levels were far above the safe standards.
Increasing Solar Grid Parity
Oil prices have come down dramatically. Gasoline is suddenly cheaper than it has been in a long time. Historically, every time fossil fuels get cheaper for a while, people lose interest in alternatives like solar energy. That may be about to change.
Road Salt
Salt has been used to keep winter roads free of ice and snow since the 1940s. It works by lowering the freezing point of water. In the U.S. alone, some 15 million tons of salt is applied to roadways each year. While its use has real benefits, in terms of safety and navigation, there have been cumulative costs to the environment.
What Is The Carbon Limit?
