Earth Wise

A look at our changing environment.

You are here: Home / Archives for Climate Change

Climate Change

A Battle For The Automobile Fuel Business

By Leave a Comment

Energy giant BP predicts that electric vehicle sales will increase by an incredible 8,800 percent between now and 2040.  That creates a major business opportunity for oil companies as well as a real problem because demand for gasoline and diesel is destined to slow.

[Read more…] about A Battle For The Automobile Fuel Business

Feeding Seaweed To Cows

By Leave a Comment

Methane emissions are a real problem.  As a greenhouse gas, methane has at least 25 times the heat-trapping power of carbon dioxide.  More than a third of all the methane that humans are responsible for putting into the atmosphere comes from domestic livestock:  cattle, sheep, goats and buffalo.  In California alone, dairy cows along with a smaller number of beef cattle emit the heat trapping equivalent of the emissions from 2.5 million cars.

[Read more…] about Feeding Seaweed To Cows

A Small Win For Coral

By Leave a Comment

The Belize Barrier Reef is the largest barrier reef system in the Northern Hemisphere.  It extends roughly 200 miles, and is made up of a series of coral reefs, cays and islands, many of which are covered with mangroves. It was designated a Unesco World Heritage Site in 1996, and added to its endangered list in 2009.  

[Read more…] about A Small Win For Coral

A New Catalyst For Splitting Water

By Leave a Comment

Hydrogen is widely considered to be a desirable source of clean energy.  It can be used in fuel cells to power electric motors in cars or can be burned directly in internal combustion engines.   If it is compressed or converted to liquid, it can be efficiently stored and transported.  Most of all, when it is used as an energy source, the only emission it produces is water.

[Read more…] about A New Catalyst For Splitting Water

How Much Cleaner Is Natural Gas?

By Leave a Comment

The ascendance of natural gas over coal during the past decade has been driven primarily by fracking technology that has provided large quantities of the stuff at low prices.  But beyond that, there are environmental issues as well.  Natural gas emits 50 to 60% less carbon dioxide when combusted in a new, efficient natural gas power plant compared with emission from a typical new coal plant.  It appears to be a win-win situation.

[Read more…] about How Much Cleaner Is Natural Gas?

Labeling Genetically Engineered Foods

By Leave a Comment

There has been a great deal of debate over mandating labels for genetically engineered foods.  On the pro side, people argue that they have a right to know whether what they are eating contains GMO – or as they are also called GE — ingredients.  On the con side, people argue that the aversion toward GE is unfounded and that labeling foods will simply drive away consumers undeservedly.

[Read more…] about Labeling Genetically Engineered Foods

Greenhouses Adapt To Climate Change

By Leave a Comment

The Telangana region of India has struggled with extreme weather patterns attributed to climate change.  Extended periods of drought, heatwaves, and unpredictable heavy rainfalls have led to crop failures, mounting debt, and a heavy human toll.  More than 3,000 farmers committed suicide in Telangana during a three-year drought.

[Read more…] about Greenhouses Adapt To Climate Change

Salt Cocktails Compromise Freshwater

By Leave a Comment

Human activities are exposing US rivers and streams to a cocktail of salts, with consequences for infrastructure and drinking water supplies. Road salt, fertilizers, and mining waste – as well as natural weathering of concrete, rocks, and soils – all contribute to increased salt in waterways. When these different salt compounds combine, their harmful effects can amplify.

[Read more…] about Salt Cocktails Compromise Freshwater

Increasing Antarctic Ice Loss

By Leave a Comment

Antarctica’s ice sheets contain enough frozen water to raise sea levels globally about 190 feet.  Ice in the Antarctic is melting at a record-breaking rate and subsequent sea rises could have catastrophic consequences around the world.  So, it is no surprise that scientists have been closely tracking ice loss in recent decades to understand both the current and future impacts of climate change.

[Read more…] about Increasing Antarctic Ice Loss

Bursting The Carbon Bubble

By Leave a Comment

One way or another, the fossil fuel industry seems to be destined to shrink away.  A combination of technological advances and climate policies are going to drastically reduce the global demand for fossil fuels over the course of time.   New research shows that the demise of the fossil fuel industry will have profound consequences.

[Read more…] about Bursting The Carbon Bubble

Removing CO2 From The Air

By Leave a Comment

A growing body of work is leading to the conclusion that it may be nearly impossible to prevent global temperatures from rising more than 1.5 degrees Celsius (or 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) because we are simply not reducing emissions quickly enough.  By some estimates, the current level of emissions will lock in that large a gain within the next few years.  At that point, the only way to reverse the effects is to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, where it otherwise will stay for hundreds to thousands of years.

[Read more…] about Removing CO2 From The Air

WAMC Northeast Public Radio

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