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Earth Wise

Robo-Taxis And The Grid

October 25, 2018 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

https://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/EW-10-25-18-Robo-Taxis-And-The-Grid.mp3

The world of personal transportation is evolving.  There are three trends that are developing at the same time:  cars running on electricity rather than fossil fuels, cars operating autonomously, and people sharing vehicles instead of owning them.

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Glacial Engineering

October 24, 2018 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

https://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/EW-10-24-18-Glacial-Engineering.mp3

As the world struggles with trying to limit carbon emissions and slow the pace of global warming, there is increasing analysis of various forms of geoengineering.   Often, these consist of nearly unthinkable efforts to intervene in the climate on a global scale with unpredictable and possibly catastrophic consequences.

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Legos And Plastics

October 23, 2018 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

https://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/EW-10-23-18-Legos-and-Plastics.mp3

Globally, consumers are voicing concerns about the impact of plastic waste on the planet. Conscious of these consumer concerns, many companies are trying to switch to recyclable or less-polluting packaging.  Some are even ditching plastics all together. 

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Diesel Is Dirty

October 22, 2018 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

https://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/EW-10-22-18-Diesel-is-Dirty.mp3

Three years ago, Volkswagen was found to have illegally cheated federal emissions tests in the US using devious programming of emission control devices.  The subterfuge enabled 11 million passenger cars to meet U.S. emissions standards in the laboratory despite that fact that they actually produced up to 40 times higher emissions than the legal limit in real-world driving.

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Peak Fossil Fuel Demand

October 19, 2018 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

https://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/EW-10-19-18-Peak-Fossil-Fuel-Demand.mp3

There used to be a lot of talk about peak oil.  Peak oil was the theorized point in time when the maximum rate of extraction of petroleum was reached, after which there would be a terminal decline.  It was often presented as a looming catastrophe for civilization.

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Airports and Rising Seas

October 18, 2018 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

https://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/EW-10-18-18-Airports-and-Rising-Seas.mp3

There are many low-lying coastal airports around the world.  These airports are increasingly vulnerable to the rising sea levels and the more extreme weather brought about by climate change.  

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Rapid Response To Climate Change More Important Than Ever

October 17, 2018 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

https://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/EW-10-17-18-Rapid-Response-to-Climate-Change.mp3

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has issued a new report emphasizing the importance of taking rapid action to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius and examining the consequences of allowing temperatures to rise 2 degrees instead.

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Cleaning Up the Garbage Patch

October 16, 2018 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

https://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/EW-10-16-18-Cleaning-Up-The-Garbage-Patch.mp3

We have been talking about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch for several years.  Two years ago, we reported on the activities of a company called Ocean Cleanup, founded five years ago by an 18-year-old Dutch entrepreneur named Boyan Slat.  Two years ago, the company was conducting comprehensive surveys of the patch, which covers an area twice the size of Texas and contains some 80,000 tons of plastic debris.

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Where Does The Plastic Go?

October 15, 2018 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

https://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/EW-10-15-18-Where-Does-Plastic-Go.mp3

The glut of plastic in the oceans is a global problem.  About 9 million tons of plastic enter the oceans each year.  Much of it is discarded fishing gear, plastic bags, and other macroscopic objects.  But a great deal of it is in the form of microplastics or small particles.  Some microplastics come from cosmetics and other products containing them but a lot of them are the result of larger plastic objects breaking down into small particles.

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The Problem With Flaring

October 12, 2018 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

https://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/EW-10-12-18-The-Problem-with-Flaring.mp3

Oil and gas are typically produced together.  If oil wells are located near gas pipelines, then the gas gets used.  But if the wells are far offshore, or it is not economical to get the gas to market, then oil companies get rid of the gas by burning it – a process known as flaring.

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The Earliest Overshoot Day Ever

October 11, 2018 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

https://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/EW-10-11-18-The-Earliest-Overshoot-Day-Ever.mp3

Earth Overshoot Day marks the date when humankind’s demand for ecological resources and services in a given year exceeds what our planet can regenerate in that year.  The deficit for the remainder of the year means we are liquidating stocks of ecological resources and accumulating waste, primarily carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

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Sustainable Whaling?

October 10, 2018 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

https://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/EW-10-10-18-Sustainable-Whaling.mp3

The hunting of whales in the 19th and 20th Century nearly drove the giant mammals to extinction. By the 1960s, improved hunting methods and factory ships made it clear that whaling could not continue unchecked. 

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Earthquakes And Injection Wells

October 8, 2018 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

https://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/EW-10-08-18-Earthquakes-and-Injection-Wells.mp3

The expanded use of injection wells and fracking has brought about a significant increase in earthquakes in places that didn’t have very many before.  Wastewater injection in Oklahoma increased earthquake totals from dozens per year to over 900 in 2015 before collapsing oil prices reduced the use of the technique.  Increased earthquakes in Alberta, Canada were triggered by fracking in that area.

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The Famous 97%

October 5, 2018 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

https://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/EW-10-05-18-The-Famous-97-Percent.mp3

One still hears reference to “the debate on global warming”.  Is there really a debate?  Certainly, there are people who want to think there is, especially those with a vested interest in not doing anything about it.

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Cleaning Up Storm Water

October 4, 2018 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

https://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/EW-10-04-18-Cleaning-Up-Storm-Water.mp3

Storm water reclamation is an important activity for cities with limited water resources, such as those in Southern California.   Many places have small-scale reclamation efforts using rain gardens and bioswales.  Collecting storm water on a large scale faces a number of problems.

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Using The Sun To Remove Ice

October 3, 2018 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

https://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/EW-10-03-18-Using-the-Sun-to-Remove-Ice.mp3

Ice buildup can cause all sorts of problems ranging from performance issues to catastrophic failures.  For example, ice buildup can negatively impact things like airplanes, power lines, wind turbines, and the like.  Preventing this ice buildup typically requires energy-intensive heating systems or environmentally-harmful chemical sprays.

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Better Sell-By Dates For Milk

October 2, 2018 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

https://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/EW-10-02-18-Better-Sell-By-Dates.mp3

The sell-by and best-by dates on milk cartons are ones we tend to pay close attention to.  Many of us automatically discard milk if it is past one of those dates.  However, those dates are not really scientifically established but rather are guesses based on experience.

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Pests And Crops In A Warming World

October 1, 2018 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

https://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/EW-10-01-18-Pests-and-Crops-in-Warming-World.mp3

By the year 2050, scientists predict that there will be two billion more people to feed in the world.  And climate change isn’t making that task any simpler.  From extreme weather events to rising global temperatures, climate change is expected to affect the types of food we grow, and to negatively affect the food production needed to feed the growing population.

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The Return Of The Bison

September 28, 2018 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

https://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/EW-09-28-18-The-Return-of-the-Bison.mp3

At one time there were 20 to 30 million bison in North America, dominating the landscape from the Appalachians to the Rockies, and from the Gulf Coast to Alaska.   A combination of habitat loss and totally unregulated hunting of the huge animals reduced the population to just over 1,000 in 1889.  

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Energy Justice In California

September 27, 2018 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

https://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/EW-09-27-18-Energy-Justice-in-California.mp3

California put in place a cap-and-trade program in 2013.  In such a program, companies pay penalties if they exceed a cap in carbon emissions but can buy and sell allowances that permit them to emit a given amount. Trading gives companies a strong incentive to save money by cutting emissions.  Since taking effect, the California program has raised more than $6.5 billion and is the fourth largest in the world.

[Read more…] about Energy Justice In California

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