Our Environment
New Places For Solar Power
The modern face of solar energy is hundreds of thousands of rooftops covered with arrays of solar panels. It is also amazing expanses of solar panels and mirrors covering acres of desert land. Solar power capacity is expanding rapidly and is expected to at least triple over the next 10 years.
OTEC In Hawaii
The state of Hawaii has a bold energy agenda: it plans to get 100% of its energy from renewable sources by the year 2045. In order to get there, Hawaii is embracing a diversified mix of renewable energy generation sources. Of course, Hawaii’s famous sunshine has allowed the state to have the highest per-capital base of installed solar power in the nation. But it will take more than just solar power for Hawaii to get all of its energy from green sources.
Reducing Methane In The Atmosphere
Methane is the main component of natural gas. It is also a potent greenhouse gas, having 25 times the heat trapping ability of carbon dioxide.
Breeding Super Corals
The world’s coral reefs are increasingly threatened by the changing climate. Both warmer ocean temperatures and increasing ocean acidification are damaging coral populations and endangering the very existence of coral reefs.
Leave Leaves Alone
In natural ecosystems, there is little waste. Nutrients taken up by plants are returned to the soil when plants die and decompose. Food eaten by animals is excreted; at the end of their lives, animals are also returned to the soil. Ecologists call this nutrient loop a biogeochemical cycle.
Mercury And Selenium Pollution In The Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon Reach of the Colorado River is breathtaking and remote. For hundreds of miles, the rugged landscape renders the river virtually inaccessible to people. Those intrepid enough to explore the area are treated to red rocks, blue skies, and meandering waters.
[Read more…] about Mercury And Selenium Pollution In The Grand Canyon
Ocean Plastic And Birds
We have talked about the plastic blight – the growing presence of discarded plastic polluting our streets and our waterways. We have discussed the so-called garbage patches in the ocean, composed primarily of plastic. A new study discusses the effects of ocean plastic pollution on seabirds and the results are horrifying.
Plastic Shopping Bags: A Modern Blight
Single use plastic shopping bags are the norm at grocery stores, pharmacies, and big box retailers. They are also a familiar sight tumbling down roads, waving from trees, clogging storm drains, and polluting lakes, streams, rivers, and oceans.
Outsourcing Our Emissions
The average American is responsible for one of the largest carbon footprints in the world. Some 37% of our carbon emissions is associated with electricity generation; 33% stems from transportation – largely personal automobiles. The remaining 30% is attributed to industry, residential use, and agriculture.
Counting Trees
A new satellite study led by Yale University and published in the journal Nature calculates that there are more than three trillion trees on Earth. This is seven and a half times more than previous estimates, which had calculated just over 400 billion trees worldwide.
Artificial Leaf Progress
The Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis was established at Caltech and its partner institutions in 2010 with one main goal: to find a cost-effective way to produce fuels using only sunlight, water and carbon dioxide. The natural process of photosynthesis in plants accomplishes exactly the same thing. As a result, such a solar fuel generation system is generally described as an artificial leaf.
Less Beef
In the Northeast, grilling season is almost over. While many will miss backyard barbecues, it’s high time that we rethink the American summer ideal of a thick, juicy steak.
Solar Power And The Landscape
The use of solar power is growing rapidly but with all the growth, solar power only provides 1% of the country’s electricity. On the other hand, in 2014, solar power accounted for almost a third of all the new US electric generating capacity. According to the International Energy Agency, solar power could be the world’s leading source of electricity by the year 2050.
Global Extinction Rates And Biodiversity
Many ecologists believe that the sixth mass extinction is underway. Whereas previous mass extinctions have been associated with cataclysmic events like asteroid strikes, this one is said to be associated with the impact of humanity on nature.
Getting The Lead Out
Lead. Romans made pipes out of it. Armies use it for bullets, artists and builders for paint. And, automotive engineers once added lead to gasoline to make engines run better. The problem: lead is toxic to humans.
K-Cups And The Environment
The biggest news in the past decade in the coffee business is not the arrival of yet another new Starbucks two blocks from the old one. It is the explosive growth of pod-based coffee machines. These gadgets used to just be in offices and businesses, but almost one in three American homes now has one.
Turning Divesting Into Investing
Colleges and universities are bustling with activity. Among the conversations on campus: the call from students to sell endowment investments in the fossil fuel industry. Stanford has eliminated its coal investments, and a small number of other universities have divested to varying degrees.
The Expanding Threat Of Algal Blooms
It may seem like we are constantly talking about toxic algal blooms – in the ocean, in lakes, and in rivers. That’s because they are occurring with greater frequency and are posing a greater threat than they have in the past.
The Wind Boom Continues
