Earth Wise
Keeping U.S. mercury off the global market
The Mercury Export Ban of 2008 went into effect last month. The bill, proposed by then-Senator Barack Obama, was signed into law by President George W. Bush on the eve of the 2008 elections. [Read more…] about Keeping U.S. mercury off the global market
Just how much gas is leaking?
As we tackle the emotional issue of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, as a means of producing natural gas, we need better data to assess one of the procedure’s big unknowns. Just how much gas leaks into the atmosphere? [Read more…] about Just how much gas is leaking?
Meet the new threat in cans
A past Earth Wise segment explored the health risks associated with bisphenol A, or BPA, a chemical used in polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins. Exposure has been linked variety of health concerns, among them obesity, reproductive cancers, asthma, and diabetes. [Read more…] about Meet the new threat in cans
An Oregon Mountain high
More than 50 years ago, an ecologist, Robert Whittaker, studied the distribution and abundance of plants at high elevations in the Siskiyou Mountains of Oregon. Like many early ecologists, he was interested in what grew where, and what controlled the distribution of plants. Mountains were a convenient natural laboratory because many different natural habitats occurred in close proximity. Whittaker’s field notes were left in an archive at Cornell University, when he died in 1980. [Read more…] about An Oregon Mountain high
Keeping fresh water flowing to NYC
Though it’s surrounded by the Hudson, New York City doesn’t rely on the river for its freshwater supply. Rather, decades ago, an aqueduct system was built to bring water to Manhattan from upstate—largely drawing on reservoirs in the Catskill region. This is one reason why we see so much concern about natural gas extraction by fracking in the watersheds that feed Catskill reservoirs. [Read more…] about Keeping fresh water flowing to NYC
Meat demand and the environment
The world’s population growth rate has been declining since its 20th Century peak – when mechanized agriculture, improved sanitation, and medical advances lead to the greatest population boom in human history. [Read more…] about Meat demand and the environment
The high cost of artisanal gold
Artisanal gold mines operate in more than 55 countries, generating around a quarter of the world’s gold supply. These smaller-scale mines use rudimentary methods of extracting and processing metals. [Read more…] about The high cost of artisanal gold
Is the ocean pumping iron?
About 30 years ago, an oceanographer, John Martin, noticed that large areas of the sea contained ample supplies of nitrogen and phosphorus. He wondered why these nutrients, which fuel plant growth, were not being used by marine plankton. [Read more…] about Is the ocean pumping iron?
Curbing global mercury pollution
Mercury exposure has been tied to a suite of health problems, among them damage to the central nervous system and the immune system. [Read more…] about Curbing global mercury pollution
Fast, cheap, and wasteful: Americans and food
A past Earth Wise segment explored global food waste: worldwide some 30-50% of food produced is never eaten. This figure includes inefficiencies in harvesting, storage, and transport, among other things. [Read more…] about Fast, cheap, and wasteful: Americans and food
The world is getting dustier
Scientists have estimated that dust in our atmosphere has doubled in the last century. Some airborne dust comes from naturally occurring geological events, such as drought or volcanoes. [Read more…] about The world is getting dustier
Are we prone to future urban drought?
Once in a while, we get a good piece of environmental news. Such is the case with a new assessment on the vulnerability of U.S. urban areas to water shortages. [Read more…] about Are we prone to future urban drought?
Get to know I-522
Three months ago, California voters struck down Proposition 37. The proposition, which was defeated 53-47%, would have required food and beverage manufacturers to clearly label products that contain genetically modified organisms—commonly known as GMOs. Opponents of the legislation led a $46 million dollar campaign to help ensure its defeat. [Read more…] about Get to know I-522
Can we sprawl forever?
How often do we return to the city of our childhood only to see massive suburban sprawl, traffic congestion, and loss of natural habitat? [Read more…] about Can we sprawl forever?
Reducing greenhouse emissions through contraception
Population Matters is a British nonprofit dedicated to improvements in family planning, sex education, and girls’ and women’s’ rights worldwide. [Read more…] about Reducing greenhouse emissions through contraception
The hazards of dust
[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/EW-01-28-13-Toxic-Dust.mp3|titles=EW 01-28-13 Toxic Dust]
It’s well known that dust is a human health hazard. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulates the emissions of particulate matter, which is essentially dust, from construction sites, power plants, dirt roads, automobile tailpipes and industry. [Read more…] about The hazards of dust
Methane: The other greenhouse gas
Most of us are familiar with the idea that we need to reduce carbon dioxide emissions to prevent global warming. Methane is also a problem, and we hear about it much less frequently. But compared to carbon dioxide, methane’s impact on climate change is some twenty times more powerful. [Read more…] about Methane: The other greenhouse gas
Loss of Arctic ice claims two more victims
Polar bears were the first animals to gain Endangered Species Act protection as a result of climate change. At a press conference announcing their listing some five years ago, then Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne acknowledged that warming was shrinking the sea ice essential to the bear’s survival. [Read more…] about Loss of Arctic ice claims two more victims
Collective action on invasive species
