Deforestation-Free Palm Oil
Few of us cook with palm oil or have ever even seen the stuff. Nevertheless, 50% of all packaged grocery items – everything from ice cream and pizza to detergents and cosmetics – include it as an ingredient. The global market for palm oil was $65 billion in 2015, and that number was projected to grow by more than 7% each year through 2021.
Coral Nurseries
In the past, coral conservationists focused their efforts on protecting reefs from direct environmental threats such as land-based pollution and damaging fishing practices. These efforts continue, but as coral reefs face increasingly dire threats, conservationists are turning toward more proactive approaches.
Losing Forests Is Felt Far Away
Large areas of forests in our country are vulnerable to drought, fires and disease. When forests are heavily damaged, there are well-known local impacts: drier soils, stronger winds, increased erosion, loss of shade and loss of habitat.
Green Solutions To Storm Water Runoff
Philadelphia, America’s fifth largest city, has struggled with storm water runoff problems since the days of Benjamin Franklin. The city’s numerous streams that run into the Schuylkill and Delaware Rivers were eventually covered with brick arches or cemented into underground sewers. The network of underground-to-riverfront outfalls through increasingly-larger pipes is pretty much how all U.S. cities have been coping with storm water for over 200 years.
Better Ways To Fish
A recent study published in Fisheries Research looked at the effectiveness and level of waste for various categories of fishing gear used in the global fishing industry.
Saving Wheat
Rising temperatures, drought, pests and diseases are moving north into the U.S. heartland and are increasingly posing a threat to the wheat crop. An insect called the Hessian fly is reducing crop yields by 10% a year in the Midwest. Average temperatures in the Midwest have risen by 2 degrees since 2000, and periods of time between rainfalls is lengthening. Conditions in some areas of the Midwest are getting to be more like those in the Middle East.
Tourism And Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Tourism is a significant contributor to global gross domestic product. Furthermore, it is growing at an annual rate of 4%, more than many other economic sectors. There are many places around the world where it is the largest industry. But until recently, there really wasn’t very good information about its carbon footprint.
The Fight For Greener Cars
U.S. automakers have always been reluctant partners in the nation’s efforts to reduce air pollution and improve fuel efficiency. There have been struggles for decades between the carmakers and the government in setting Corporate Average Fuel Economy (or CAFÉ) standards. During the Obama administration, some of the most demanding fuel economy and emissions standards were mandated.
V2V And Safer Cars
Automated cars are coming, but they face many challenges in sharing the roads with human drivers. The on-board sensors in these cars are very effective in many ways, but they cannot see around corners or see through buses or trucks. They won’t know if six cars ahead, someone has slammed on their breaks leading to a chain-reaction collision. Of course, human drivers have the same problems.
Renewable Energy Jobs
According to a new report by the International Renewable Energy Agency, more than half a million new jobs were generated by the renewable energy industry last year, an increase of 5.3% when compared with 2016. The total number of people working in the renewables sector – which includes large hydropower facilities – has now exceeded 10 million people worldwide.
Cold Weather In A Warming Climate
The climate is warming. The average global temperature is going up year after year, bringing about significant changes to weather around the world. But the fact is that these changes don’t always lead to warmer weather. And ordinary variations in local weather can also go in either direction.
Polluted Air In the Womb
Air pollution is a major problem all around the world. In fact, exposure to polluted air is blamed for the premature deaths of an estimated 6.5 million people annually.
Geoengineering And Developing Countries
There are some mind-boggling schemes being discussed to mitigate the global warming caused by greenhouse gases. These include placing giant mirrors in orbit to reflect sunlight before it reaches Earth and launching millions of tons of sulfur into the stratosphere to simulate the effects of a major volcanic eruption.
Climate Change And Temperature Variations
It’s no surprise that not everyone on the planet is equally responsible for the effects of climate change. For instance, the Northern Hemisphere, which is home to 13 of the 15 largest countries by GDP, emits far more greenhouse gases than the Southern Hemisphere does. But the whole planet heats up as a result.
[Read more…] about Climate Change And Temperature Variations
