Earth Wise

A look at our changing environment.

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Half A Degree

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The average global temperature is one degree Celsius above pre-industrial levels.   There has long been a goal to limit global warming to no more than 2 degrees above those levels.  But the Paris climate conference has set a more ambitious goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees.   What difference would that half a degree make?

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Light Pollution

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The luminous glow of the Milky Way, the galaxy that contains our Solar System, has inspired everything from stories and songs to paintings and poems for centuries.  But now one third of the people on the planet – including 80% of Americans and 60% of Europeans – cannot see the Milky Way at night because of light pollution.  Nighttime light pollution now covers nearly 80% of the globe.   

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Social And Ecological Underpinnings Of Infectious Disease

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When it comes to addressing infectious disease, we have a short attention span. Forces are mobilized when we’ve crossed a tipping point, and demobilized when the immediate threat has passed. In the case of Zika, the World Health Organization declared a public health emergency based on a strong association between Zika infection and microcephaly in newborns and a spike in Guillain-Barré syndrome. 

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Drones And Wildlife Preservation

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We hear more and more about drones these days.   There is plenty of controversy about their use in warfare.   Drones are also used to snoop on construction projects.   Drones are spotted at the beach being used as high-tech toys.   And drones are becoming a powerful tool in wildlife protection.

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Natural Geoengineering

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The term geoengineering has started to appear in discussions about how to combat climate change.  Mostly, it is used to describe using technology to tinker with the global environment, for example, by artificially enhancing the atmosphere’s ability to reflect the sun’s rays back out into space and thereby cooling the planet.

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Crocodiles And Climate Change

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Crocodiles are large aquatic reptiles that live throughout the tropics in Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Australia.  The first crocodiles appeared approximately 240 million years ago – around the same time as dinosaurs.  And while the resilient species did survive the last great extinction, crocodiles might not be climate change-proof after all. 

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WAMC Northeast Public Radio

WAMC/Northeast Public Radio is a regional public radio network serving parts of seven northeastern states (more...)