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Trying to replace neonics

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Neonicotinoids – often called neonics – are a class of insecticides that are among the most widely used in agriculture.  They are neuro-active, meaning that they affect the central nervous system of insects, killing or harming a wide variety of both target and non-target insects.  They are often applied to seeds before planting as a prophylactic treatment for potential insect pests.

Neonics have been linked to adverse ecological effects, especially the harm they cause to bees and other pollinators.  The Birds and Bees Protection Act in New York State, signed into law in 2023, is phasing out the sale, distribution, or purchase of certain neonic-treated corn, soybean, and wheat seeds over the next few years. 

A multi-year, multi-state study by researchers at Cornell University investigated the ability of a variety of non-neonicotinoid insecticides to protect large-seed vegetable crops including snap beans, dry beans, and sweet corn.  It is a difficult problem because insecticides kill insects, and it isn’t easy to find ones that kill pests but have minimal effects on pollinators and other beneficial insects.

The research found safer alternative insecticides with comparable effectiveness for treating snap bean seeds but not for dry beans. Much more successful was the result that five alternative seed treatments proved as effective as standard neonics for sweet corn while having far fewer negative environmental impacts.  Sweet corn is a major crop in New York state, so these results could be of great importance in improving the long-term sustainability of pest management programs.

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New pesticides provide challenging alternatives to neonicotinoids

Photo, posted May 31, 2021, courtesy of Papa Piper via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Abandoned farmland and the environment

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Abandoned farmland has been increasing dramatically in recent decades.  Estimates are that a billion acres – an area half the size of Australia – have been relinquished from cultivation globally.  While more and more of the tropics have been cultivated in recent times, the global amount of land used for agriculture has been in decline since 2001.  In the past 30 years, arable land in the United States has declined by almost a sixth.  The situation in Europe is similar.  Huge amounts of the former Soviet Union now lie abandoned. 

Farmland is abandoned for various reasons.  It may suffer from damaged soil so that crop yields are too low to be worth the effort.  Farm owners may become too old or be physically unable to continue farming.  Many younger people head for jobs in the cities and more attractive opportunities.  Wars, natural and man-made disasters, and political turmoil have all contributed.

Another form of largely ignored lands are so-called degraded forests.  These are forests that were logged in the past but are no longer productive and aren’t protected either.  These places also represent unused land with great potential value.

Ecologists point to the potential of these lands as neglected resources for rewilding efforts, improving biodiversity, and for increasing natural ways to capture carbon.  Left to its own devices, nature will usually reclaim abandoned places.  This generally provides benefits for biodiversity and climate.  But mapping, studying, managing, and protecting the increasingly vast tracts of abandoned land could increase their potential to contribute to climate change mitigation and the restoration of species and their habitats.

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Abandoned Lands: A Hidden Resource for Restoring Biodiversity

Photo, posted January 26, 2023, courtesy of Larry Syverson via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

The benefits of agroecology

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Agroecology focuses on sustainably managing agricultural systems by applying ecological principles.  The goal is to optimize the interactions between plants, animals, humans, and the environment.

A four-year study by the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology found that incorporating nature-friendly practices within farming increases biodiversity, pollination by bees, natural pest control, and the numbers of earthworms. 

The study compared three agricultural systems:  typical intensive agriculture, enhanced ecological farming, and maximized ecological farming.  Enhanced ecological farming involves planting wildflower field margins to provide habitat for bees, beetles, and spiders, and sowing overwinter cover crops to capture carbon and retain soil nutrients.  Optimized ecological farming adds planting in-field strips of wildflowers to attract beneficial insects and adding organic matter such as farmyard manure to improve soil health.

The ecological systems had increased populations of earthworms and pollinators, as well as natural predators of crop pests. 

The study concluded that while there are multiple benefits in terms of biodiversity, soil carbon, and crop yield when ecological farming systems are used, many farmers will be deterred from adopting agroecological farming practices and system because of the reduced profitability.  They argue that financial incentives such as subsidies are needed and are well worth it for the long-term sustainability of agriculture.

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Nature-friendly farming boosts biodiversity and yields but may require new subsidies 

Photo, posted July 27, 2023, courtesy of Judy Dean via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

More trouble for bees

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Honeybees are a critical resource for American agriculture.  The western honeybee, Apis mellifera, pollinates more than 130 types of nuts, fruits, and vegetables, adding up to $15 billion worth of crops every year.  Honeybee health has been harmed by a combination of factors:  weather extremes, habitat loss, pesticides, and disease.  One of the biggest problems has been a parasite called varroa destructor, which is a Southeast Asian mite that first entered the United States in the 1980s.  The mites spread viruses to the bees.

The past year has been a particularly bad one for the bees.  Nearly 56% of managed honeybee colonies died off in the past year, the worst rate since annual reporting began in 2011. 

Even while American beekeepers seek solutions to the varroa problem, a potentially worse threat is on the horizon.  Another Southeast Asian mite, tropilaelaps, has been making its way across Asia and into Europe. If these mites arrive in North America, the results would be disastrous, wreaking havoc on honeybees and ravaging the nation’s food supply.

Western honeybees are the only honeybee species that is not native to Southeast Asia.  As the cradle of development of the bees, Southeast Asia has given rise to a bounty of parasites and viruses that are dependent upon them.  In turn, bees native to that region have had time to evolve defenses against these pathogens.  Western honeybees have not.

Beekeepers and authorities are taking measures to delay or prevent the arrival of tropilaelaps mites.  The stakes are very high.

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After Devastating Winter Losses, Another Threat Looms for U.S. Beekeepers

Photo, posted April 14, 2013, courtesy of Paul Rollings via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Forest-based agroforestry

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Tree plantings have become a go-to climate solution for governments and conservation groups due to the carbon-storing potential of trees.  While planting new trees on open farmland would help capture additional carbon, a new study led by scientists from Yale School of the Environment suggests a powerful alternative: forest-based agroforestry.

Instead of clearing land for crops or starting fresh with new trees, forest-based agroforestry (or FAF) brings agriculture into existing forests.  Think fruits, nuts, and medicinal plants, for example, grown sustainably under a forest canopy – all while maintaining biodiversity and storing carbon.

According to the researchers, human activity in forests is often seen as harmful. But for thousands of years, Indigenous and local communities have managed forests in ways that actually strengthen them.

The study, which was recently published in the journal Nature Climate Change, found that FAF not only rivals tree planting in terms of climate benefits, but it can also generate income and support cultural practices tied to the land.

Despite these benefits, forest-based agroforestry receives far less funding and policy support due to two key misconceptions. It’s frequently confused with industrial systems focused on global commodity crops, and results from tropical regions are wrongly assumed to apply to temperate and boreal forests.

The researchers recommend including FAF in agroforestry policies, clearly distinguishing it from harmful industrial practices, and expanding research on FAF in temperate and boreal regions to guide better land management.

Forest-based agroforestry appears to be a natural climate solution hiding in plain sight.

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Agriculture in Forests Can Provide Climate and Economic Dividends

Photo, posted May 8, 2023, courtesy of Preston Keres / USDA Forest Service via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Biochar and poultry farm pollution

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Poultry farms are a significant source of air and water pollution.  In the US, they are the largest source of ammonia emissions, followed by dairy and non-dairy cattle farms. Poultry farms emit over two million tons of ammonia per year. Ammonia is not directly produced or excreted by the birds but is a common by-product of poultry wastes.

Poultry manure is a rich source of phosphate and large amounts of it are used in agricultural land as an organic fertilizer.  This poses an environmental risk when phosphates are washed into rivers and streams by rainwater. Phosphates lead to the proliferation of algae, harming other aquatic life and resulting in toxic conditions.

Researchers at the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology are investigating the use of biochar as a means of reducing air and water pollution from poultry farms in the UK.  Biochar is produced by heating biomass – typically wood – to high temperatures in the absence of oxygen.  The resultant material is effective at absorbing nutrients and other substances.

In laboratory experiments, adding biochar to birds’ bedding has been shown to reduce ammonia emissions from droppings by 58%.  The biochar binds ammonium to its surface, preventing release into the atmosphere as ammonia gas.

Modified biochars are also proven to be highly efficient at adsorbing phosphorous.  Adding a cost-effective biochar to poultry manure fertilizer could support the safe use of an important and otherwise renewable fertilizer.  The biochar binds phosphates in the manure to its surface, preventing leaching and run-off into waterways.

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Biochar could help restore River Wye

Photo, posted May 15, 2023, courtesy of Ark. Agricultural Experiment Station via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Climate change and hunger

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Worldwide, people are producing more food than ever, but most of that production is concentrated into only a handful of places.  For example, fully one third of the world’s wheat and barley exports come from Ukraine and Russia.  Across the globe, several major crop-growing regions, including some in the United States, are heading towards sharp drops in harvests as a result of climate change.

These forthcoming changes are not only bad news for farmers, but they are also bad news for everyone who eats.  According to a new study published in the journal Nature, it is going to become harder and more expensive to feed a more crowded and hungrier world.

Specifically, under a moderate greenhouse gas emissions scenario, six key staple crops will see an 11.2% decline by the end of the century, compared to a world without warming.  The largest drops won’t be in the poorer, more marginal farmlands, but rather in places that are major food producers.  These are places like the US Midwest that has long benefited by having both good soil and ideal weather for raising crops like corn and soy.

When the weather is not ideal, it can drastically reduce agricultural productivity.  Extreme weather in many places has already damaged crops.  Flooding has destroyed rice in Tajikistan, cucumbers in Spain, and bananas in Australia.  Severe storms in the US this spring caused millions of dollars’ worth of damage to crops.

As the climate changes, rising average temperatures and changing rainfall patterns are likely to diminish yields and extreme weather events like droughts and floods could wipe out harvests more often.  As climate change intensifies, agriculture is the most weather-affected sector of the economy.

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How climate change will worsen hunger

Photo, posted may 20, 2011, courtesy of Lance Cheung / USDA via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Record forest loss

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The world lost a record amount of forests last year.  The biggest factor for the unprecedented losses were wildfires that raged around the world.

According to the annual update by the University of Maryland and the World Resources Institute, pristine rainforests alone lost 17 million acres, which was nearly twice as much as in the previous year.  Overall, the world lost the equivalent of 18 soccer fields of forested land every minute last year.

Over time, agriculture has been the primary cause of forest losses, but last year, for the first time since record-keeping began, fires were the leading cause, accounting for nearly half of all the destruction.

With respect to the climate, wildfires emitted over 4 billion tons of greenhouse gasses, which is more than four times the amount generated by air travel in 2023.

Land clearing for agriculture, cattle farming, and other purposes was by no means in decline last year.  In fact, it rose by 14%, which was the sharpest increase in almost a decade.  This trend could permanently transform critical natural areas, unleashing large amounts of carbon, intensifying climate change, and fueling even more extreme fires.

Forests are a major contributor to the natural storing of carbon dioxide.  Intact tropical forests are especially effective at storing carbon.

Brazil has the largest area of tropical forest and it accounted for 42% of all tropical primary forest loss in 2024.  Fires fueled by the worst drought on record caused two thirds of that loss, more than a sixfold increase over the previous year.

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Global Forest Loss Hit a Record Last Year as Fires Raged

Photo, posted September 12, 2024, courtesy of the USDA Forest Service via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Fuel from Corn Waste

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A substantial amount of corn is grown in this country for the purpose of producing ethanol.  The value of doing so is debatable for many reasons.  Nevertheless, the majority of the corn crop is grown for food.  But along with all that corn, there is corn stover.  Stover is the dried stalks, leaves, and other plant parts that remain in the field after the corn itself has been harvested.  Corn stover is the largest quantity of biomass residue in the United States.  Around 250 million tons of it is produced annually and the majority of it is left unused.  Some is used for animal feed and other purposes and has monetary value, but much of it goes to waste.

Scientists at Washington State University have developed a way to produce low-cost sugar from stover that can be used to make biofuels and other bioproducts.

Corn stover is an abundant and cheap source of biomass, which holds great potential as a source of energy and valuable chemicals.  The challenge is to overcome the high cost of processing stover whose complex structural molecules like cellulose and lignin need to be broken down.

The new process uses potassium hydroxide and ammonium sulfite to convert stover into a sugar.  It is a mild-temperature process that allows enzymes to break down the cellulosic polymers in stover into sugar, which can then be fermented into biofuels.  The resulting sugar from the process would be cost-competitive with low-cost imported sugars. The researchers estimate that their patent-pending process could produce sugar that could be sold for as low as 28 cents per pound.

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Scientists discover a new way to convert corn waste into low-cost sugar for biofuel

Photo, posted August 30, 2012, courtesy of Idaho National Laboratory Bioenergy Program via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Advantages of vertical farming

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Vertical farming has been increasingly used for leafy greens like lettuce and kale, as well as for herbs and a few fruits like strawberries and tomatoes.  A recent study by the Technical University of Munich has investigated the use of vertical farming for a much broader range of foods.  The study looked at the positive effects of vertical farming on both yield and environmental impact.

Traditional agriculture can reach its limits as a result of extreme weather events or in areas of high population density and resultant high demand.   With vertical farming, food can be grown close to consumers independent of weather and can make very efficient use of space.

The Proteins4Singapore study investigated the potential of a 10-layer vertical farming system cultivating crops, algae, mushrooms, insects, fish, and cultivated meat.  Many of these things are not currently part of many people’s diets.  But these foods can increase the protein yield per cultivation area nearly three hundredfold for crops and 6,000-fold for mushrooms and insects. 

Mushrooms and insects are examples of foods that require little light and cultivating them reduces energy consumption and, therefore, associated costs.

The biggest challenges for controlled environment agriculture – which is what vertical farming is – are the high energy demands for cultivation and the social acceptance.  Some of the foods that are especially well-suited to vertical farming – such as algae and insects – are not generally accepted by many consumers.  Controlled environment agriculture can revolutionize food production, but it will take a combination of technological advances, policy initiatives, and public engagement.

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Vertical Farming to increase yields and reduce environmental impact

Photo, posted October 21, 2022, courtesy of Fred Miller / University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Feeding the future

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Climate change is already affecting the yields of major staple crops around the world, and researchers warn that the impacts will become more severe over time. Rising temperatures, shifting rainfall patterns, and more frequent extreme weather events are disrupting growing seasons and reducing agricultural productivity.

Addressing these growing threats requires rethinking how we grow, distribute, and consume food.  To kick off Climate Solutions Week, we wanted to examine some solutions that could make food systems more resilient, sustainable, and adaptable to our rapidly changing environment.

One solution is Climate-Smart Agriculture, which blends traditional practices with modern techniques to boost productivity while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Methods like zero tillage, intercropping, and crop diversification could improve soil health, conserve water, and help farms withstand climate extremes.

Expanding the production of highly nutritious and climate resilient food crops – like millet, sorghum, teff, quinoa, chickpeas, and tepary beans – will also have an important role to play.  At the same time, reducing food waste through better storage, labeling, and surplus food re-use could help meet demand without increasing production pressure.

Agriculture is the largest user of freshwater globally, and climate change is intensifying water shortages.  Farmers will need to transition to water-efficient farming practices, including drip irrigation, rainwater harvesting, and the reuse of treated wastewater. 

Together, these solutions could help revolutionize the global food system to both feed a growing population and help protect the planet. 

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Climate-smart agriculture

Water for Prosperity and Peace

A Food For The Future

Photo, posted October 16, 2011, courtesy of Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Building better blackberries

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The Human Genome Project is one of the greatest scientific feats in history.  It was launched in 1990 and completed in 2003.  The international group of researchers wanted to comprehensively study all of the DNA – the genome – from a select set of organisms, foremost of which being that of human beings.  The results accelerated the study of human biology and has led to improvements in the practice of medicine.

Every living thing – animal, plant, fungus, and various single-celled organisms – has a genome – a genetic blueprint.  A recent study by researchers at the University of Florida has done genome sequencing of blackberries with the hope of being able to achieve more efficient and targeted breeding.

Over the past 20 years, consumer demand for blackberries has increased leading to farmers growing more of the fruit in the United States.  The U.S. produces 37 million pounds of processed blackberries and almost 3 million pounds of fresh berries each year.

The Florida researchers made use of a large collection of DNA sequences to computationally piece together the entire genome of the blackberry variety in the study.  The genome study uncovered the secrets behind key traits that could lead to growing blackberry plants with no thorns and increasing the production of anthocyanin, which affects the color and health benefits of the fruit. 

For Florida, the southeastern United States and regions with similar climates, the genetic research holds the promise of accelerating the process to create blackberry varieties that are better suited to local growing conditions, enhancing both the yield and the quality of the increasingly popular fruit.

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Decoding blackberry DNA: UF study paves way for enhanced breeding strategies

Photo, posted September 18, 2016, courtesy of Theo Crazzolara via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Solar on farmland

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New studies have found that devoting a small percentage of U.S. farmland to producing solar power would benefit both the country’s energy system and its farmers.

Currently, about 46,000 square miles of farmland – about the area of Pennsylvania – is being used to grow corn to make ethanol.  One study looked at the impact of using some of this land for solar power instead of corn ethanol.

Not much of all this farmland is close enough to electrical transmission lines to be practical for utility solar power.  In fact, only about 1,500 square miles fits the bill.  But if even this small fraction of the corn growing land was used instead for solar power, it would generate as much energy each year than from all of the farms growing corn for fuel.

Solar installations on farms are helpful for farmers as well.  The land beneath the panels can be used to grow wildflowers that attracts the bees, wasps, and other insects needed to pollinate crops in the nearby fields.  In addition, the solar arrays provide a steady income stream for farmers.

In some places, farmers can earn substantially more from leasing their land for solar than from growing crops.  But a study of farms in California suggests that the best option is to do both.  Farmers who both grow crops and host solar arrays can have more financial security than those who do just one or the other.  The income from solar arrays is pretty predictable and is paid throughout the year.  Income from crops can drop off from, for example, a seasonal drought, or from extreme weather events.

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To Help Growers and the Grid, Build Solar on Farmland, Research Says

Photo, posted June 9, 2016, courtesy of Matt Lavin via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Finding peatlands

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Peatlands are a special kind of wetland that have enormous potential for helping to mitigate climate change.  They are great at capturing carbon because their constantly soggy soils deprive decomposer organisms of the oxygen they need to break down dead plants.  Living plants absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and incorporate the carbon into their tissues.  When plants die, decomposers like bacteria digest the plant matter and release the carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere.

Researchers from the University of California Santa Cruz found that the average per-area carbon densities in peatlands in Colombia are four to ten times higher than those in the Amazon rainforest.  This agrees with other studies around the world.  On a global scale, peatlands cover only 3% of land areas but store more carbon than all the world’s trees.  Peatlands are unsung heroes helping to reduce the impact of fossil fuel emissions.

Peatlands can only store carbon if they remain constantly wet.  When they are drained for agriculture or other development, decomposer organisms get back to work digesting organic matter and releasing carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere.

A major challenge in protecting peatland is finding them.  They are often hard to distinguish from other types of wetlands. 

The Santa Cruz researchers have been identifying and locating peatlands in Colombia, where decades of civil war had made many parts of the country inaccessible for research.  Finding and protecting peatlands there and in many other places around the world is an important task in the battle against climate change.

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Colombia’s peatlands could be a crucial tool to fight climate change. But first we have to find them.

Photo, posted January 2, 2018, courtesy of Roni Ziade / U.S. Forest Service via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Extreme heat and dairy production

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Climate change is causing more frequent and intense heat waves in the United States. Studies show that not only are heat waves now occurring more often, but that the average heat wave season is nearly 50 days longer now than it was in the 1960s.  The overall rise in temperatures, linked to climate change, has led to increased health risks and fatalities from extreme heat. 

As humans face increasing health risks from this extreme heat, livestock are also suffering from the effects of rising temperatures.  Extreme heat negatively impacts dairy production by causing heat stress in cows, which can reduce milk yield, quality, and the cows’ overall health.

A new study by researchers from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign analyzed milk production data from 18,000 dairy farms across nine Midwest states between 2012 and 2016.  The researchers found that high heat and humidity have led to a 1% decline in annual milk yield. While this might not sound like a lot, it amounts to about 1.4 billion pounds of milk over five years from the 18,000 herds included in the study – equivalent to about $245 million in lost revenue.

The study, which was recently published in the journal Food Policy, found that small farms are hit harder than large farms.  Larger farms may be able to mitigate some of the effects through management strategies, such as open barn sides, fans, and sprinklers.

Using projections from 22 different climate models, the research team estimates that more frequent extreme heat will increase milk yield losses by about 30% by 2050. 

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Illinois study: Extreme heat impacts dairy production, small farms most vulnerable

Photo, posted March 13, 2018, courtesy of Gosdin via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Bananas and climate change

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Bananas are one of the most widely produced fruits globally, with more than 100 million tons grown every year.  They are a key export crop worth approximately $11 billion annually. Bananas are also a staple food in many tropical countries, playing a vital role in both the economies of these nations and in global food security.

The Cavendish variety of banana dominates commercial exports, accounting for nearly 47% of global production. However, the Cavendish banana is highly susceptible to diseases like Panama disease, prompting ongoing efforts to develop disease-resistant alternatives. The spread of these diseases is exacerbated by climate change, which alters growing conditions and weakens banana plants. Additionally, climate change poses further threats to the banana industry by impacting crop yields and distribution patterns.

In fact, a new study led by researchers from the University of Exeter in the U.K. has found that by 2080, rising temperatures will make growing bananas for export economically unsustainable in many regions of Latin America and the Caribbean.  Colombia and Costa Rica will be among the countries most negatively impacted as they are expected to become too hot for optimal banana cultivation. 

The study, which was recently published in the journal Nature Food, found that 60% of the regions currently producing bananas around the world will struggle to grow the fruit unless there are urgent interventions to tackle climate change.  The researchers propose several adaptation strategies, including expanding irrigation systems, developing heat- and drought-resistant banana varieties, and helping banana producers manage climate-related risks.

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Climate change threatens future of banana export industry

Photo, posted June 26, 2024, courtesy of JJ Musgrove via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

The American butterfly census

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There has been a great deal of interest in the plight of monarch butterflies in this country.  Monarchs’ population and migratory habits are closely watched, and many people have been planting milkweed in their gardens to help their caterpillars.  But other butterfly species have received much less attention despite the fact that many butterfly populations are in decline.

A groundbreaking new study has provided comprehensive answers about the status of butterflies in America.  Over the past 20 years, the contiguous US has lost 22 percent of its butterflies.

The study is based on over 12 million individual butteries counted in 77,000 surveys across 35 monitoring programs from 2000 to 2020.  Three hundred forty-two butterfly species in total were analyzed.  Thirty three percent showed statistically significant declines while less than 3% displayed statistically significant increases.  Overall, 13 times as many species decreased as increased.

Why are butterfly populations crashing?  Experts point to a combination of factors:  habitat loss as land in converted for agriculture or development, climate change, and pesticide use.  It is not clear which factor is most important and may well vary by location.  Pesticide use – especially neonicotinoids – has been shown to play a particularly lethal role in studies. 

Insects including butterflies play a huge role in supporting life on earth.  They pollinate plants, feed birds and many other creatures in the food web.  Nature collapses without them.  And butterflies are clearly in trouble.

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See How Butterflies Are Surviving, or Not, Near You

Photo, posted August 9, 2016, courtesy of Rachel Larue/Arlington National Cemetery via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

The green grab for land

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Solar and wind farms are spreading rapidly around the world.  Many economists believe that solar power has crossed the threshold where it is generally cheaper than other ways to make electricity and will become the dominant energy source in the next couple of decades.  As a result, both solar and wind farms are gobbling up more and more land around the world.  Estimates are that they will take up around 30,000 square miles by mid-century.

One concern is whether we are entering an era of trading food for energy.  Land conflicts seem inevitable since solar power operates best in unshaded areas with gentle winds and moderate temperatures, which are the same conditions favored by many crops.

China is installing more solar farms than the rest of the world combined.  Many of these are in the Gobi Desert, where there is no competing need for the land.  But some are in eastern China, in densely populated grain-growing areas.

There are a number of strategies that reduce the impact of solar farms on land use.  One approach is to put them on old industrial or brownfield sites that are otherwise unusable.  Another is floatovoltaics:  putting solar panels on the surface of lakes and reservoirs.  And then there is agrivoltaics, where solar panels are installed above crop fields or where livestock graze between or even beneath solar arrays.  China has more than 500 agrivoltaic projects that incorporate crops, livestock, aquafarming, greenhouses, and even tea plantations.

Green energy has both environmental and economic benefits to offer, but it must conserve nature and not excessively grab land needed for people, wildlife, and ecosystems.

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‘Green Grab’: Solar and Wind Boom Sparks Conflicts on Land Use

Photo, posted May 25, 2011, courtesy of Michael Mees via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Fighting harmful algal blooms with harmful algal blooms

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Harmful algal blooms – HABs – occur when colonies of algae grow out of control and produce toxic or harmful effects on people, marine life, and birds.  HABs occur naturally but their frequency and intensity are often associated with increased nutrient loading (mainly phosphorous and nitrogen) in bodies of water that is the result of runoff from sources like lawncare and agriculture.

Researchers at Florida Atlantic University have developed a technique for transforming cyanobacteria – also known as blue-green algae and a prime HAB material – into an effective material for removing phosphorous from water.

Their process converts blue-green algal biomass – essentially hazardous waste – into a custom-made adsorbent material that can pull harmful phosphorous from water.  The algae is first quickly heated up using microwaves and then it is modified by adding lanthanum chloride. 

The study took blue-green algae from Florida’s Lake Okeechobee, synthesized the adsorbent material in minutes, and using only small amounts of it could remove 90% of the phosphorous present in only half an hour.  It worked perfectly well in the presence of natural organic matter.  Using the harmful algae itself to prevent algal growth in bodies of water is an innovative way to reduce its further occurrence.

Phosphorous is a major contributor to the occurrence of harmful algal blooms, which can lead to toxic water conditions, loss of aquatic life, and significant economic losses for the fishing and tourism industries.  This technique could prove to be an essential tool for managing the growing problem of nutrient pollution.

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FAU Engineering Develops New Weapon Against Harmful Algal Blooms

Photo, posted October 27, 2010, courtesy of Jennifer L. Graham / U.S. Geological Survey via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

A new way to help purify water

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Engineers at the University of Michigan and Rice University have developed a new technology for removing boron from seawater, an important step in turning seawater into safe drinking water.

Boron is a natural component of seawater that remains a toxic contaminant in drinking water after conventional filters remove salts from seawater.  The boron levels in seawater are about twice as high as the World Health Organization’s most lenient limits for safe drinking water and 5 to 12 times higher than what many agricultural plants can tolerate.

Boron passes through the reverse osmosis membranes used in desalination plants in the form of boric acid.  To remove it, the desalination plants normally add a base to the treated water that causes the boric acid to become negatively charged.  An additional membrane then removes the charged boron, and an acid is then added to neutralize the water.  All of this is expensive and complicated.

The new technology uses electrodes that remove boron by trapping it inside pores studded with oxygen-containing structures that bind with boron but let other ions pass through.  Capturing boron with electrodes enables treatment plants to avoid the need for a second stage of reverse osmosis.

Global desalination capacity reached 95 million cubic meters a day in 2019.  The new membranes could save nearly $7 billion a year.  Such savings could make seawater a more accessible source of drinking water for a thirsty world.  Freshwater supplies are expected to meet only 40% of the world’s demand by 2030.

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New water purification technology helps turn seawater into drinking water without tons of chemicals

Photo, posted August 21, 2018, courtesy of Alachua County via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

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