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Bees and urban wildflowers

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Post-industrial cities often have large numbers of vacant lots, left behind as people have moved out of the area.  Local residents are often tempted to plant wildflowers to make these deserted spaces more attractive. 

Wildflowers are an important food source for bees.  Pollinators like bees play a vital role in food production and attracting them with food sources is a good idea.  However, a study by researchers at the University of Cambridge in the UK found that there are dangers associated with planting wildflowers in some urban settings.

Wildflowers growing on land previously used for buildings and factories can accumulate lead, arsenic, and other metal contaminants from the soil.  These metals have previously been shown to damage the health of pollinators that ingest the metals in the nectar as they feed.

The Cambridge study was carried out in Cleveland, Ohio, which has nearly 34,000 vacant lots.  Cleveland was previously the site of iron and steel production, oil refining, and car manufacturing.  The researchers tested the nectar from flowering plants growing on disused land throughout the city.  Lead was the contaminant found in the highest concentrations.  They also found that different species of plants accumulate different amounts and different types of metals.

The goal of the study was not to discourage the planting of wildflowers in towns and cities.  It is to highlight the importance of growing the right species of wildflowers as well as to encourage testing soils for metals before planting wildflowers and to clean up pollution.  Wildflowers are important for pollinators, but it is also important that they don’t contribute to the decline of pollinator populations that has already been happening for a number of reasons.

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Growing wildflowers on disused urban land can damage bee health

Photo, posted August 26, 2012, courtesy of RJP via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

The problem of mountain lions

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Mountain lions – also known as pumas, cougars, and even sometimes panthers – are the most widely distributed wild land mammal in the world.  They are found from Canada to South America.  There are an estimated 30,000 mountain lions in the United States, mostly in the West, but there are also mountain lions from the Midwest to the East Coast. 

Unlike wolves or grizzly bears, mountain lions are not managed by the federal government; they are managed by states and state regulations vary greatly.  In some places, hunting mountain lions is banned completely; in other places, it is always open season.

As more people encroach on wild land – building homes and small farms, as well as hiking and biking – the numbers of encounters between people and mountain lions are increasing.  And when mountain lions lose their fear of people, there is trouble.

Since 1890, there have been at least 32 fatal mountain lion attacks on humans and more than 170 non-fatal attacks.  California has seen the most attacks in the last 40 years with 22 people injured and four killed.  Despite this, Californians passed a ballot initiative in 1990 that bans all hunting of mountain lions.

There are strategies to reduce habituation and instill fear of humans in mountain lions.  One is called “tree-and-free” that uses dogs to chase mountain lions up trees.  But there are opponents of this and other measures employed. 

The fact is that there are simply too many mountain lions living in close proximity to humans and peaceful coexistence is very difficult to achieve.  Places where hunting lions is permitted have few problems with them, but that is not a solution that is acceptable in many places.  It’s a difficult problem.

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Deadly Encounter: Mountain Lion Attacks Spark Controversy

Photo, posted March 26, 2013, courtesy of the USFWS via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

The dangers of deep sea mining

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The White House is considering an executive order that would fast-track permitting for deep-sea mining in international waters and allow mining companies to bypass a United Nations-backed review process.

Deep sea mining is the extraction of minerals from the seabed in the deep ocean.  Most of the interest is in what are known as polymetallic nodules, which are potato-sized mineral deposits that have built up in layers over thousands of years. They are located several miles below the surface, primarily in what is called the Clarion-Clipperton zone, which is an environmental management area of the Pacific Ocean about halfway between Mexico and Hawaii.

A new multiyear study led by UK’s National Oceanography Center and published in the journal Nature found that the site of a deep-sea mining test in 1979 still showed lower levels of biodiversity than in neighboring undisturbed sites 44 years later.

Much is not known about the undersea nodules.  We know that they produce oxygen.  If the nodules are removed, will that reduce the amount of oxygen in the deep sea and affect the organisms that live there?  If mining occurs, what effect will the metal-containing sediment plumes churned up by the mining process have? 

The nodule fields sustain highly specialized animal and microbial communities.  More than 20 billion tons of nodules are estimated to lie on the seabed of the Clarion-Clipperton Zone.  If large-scale mining takes place, and there is much interest in that happening, it is important to find out what the impact will be on the ocean and its ecosystems because it is likely to be largely irreversible.

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Deep sea mining for rare metals impacts marine life for decades, scientists say

Photo, posted September 4, 2014, courtesy of James St. John via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Thawing permafrost in the Arctic

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Permafrost covers about a quarter of the landmass in the Northern Hemisphere.  It stores vast quantities of organic carbon in the form of dead plant matter.  As long as it stays frozen, it is no threat to the climate.  But as permafrost thaws, microorganisms start breaking down that plant matter and large amounts of carbon are released into the atmosphere in the form of carbon dioxide and methane.

Scientists estimate that there could be two and a half times as much carbon trapped in Arctic permafrost as there is in the atmosphere today.

Thawing permafrost poses various risks to the Arctic environment and the livelihoods of its people.  According to a new study led by researchers from the University of Vienna in Austria, Umeå University in Sweden, and the Technical University of Denmark, thawing permafrost threatens the way of life of up to three million people.

To identify these risks, the research team studied four Arctic regions in Norway, Greenland, Canada, and Russia between 2017 and 2023.  The research, which was recently published in the journal Communications Earth and Environment, identified five key hazards posed by the thawing permafrost: infrastructure failure, disruption of mobility and supply, decreased water quality, challenges for food security, and exposure to diseases and contaminants.

These are present developments – not future dangers.  Global scientific cooperation, policy interventions, and investment in research are critical to mitigate the impact of thawing permafrost and address the broader consequences it brings.

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A transdisciplinary, comparative analysis reveals key risks from Arctic permafrost thaw

Thawing permafrost threatens up to three million people in Arctic regions

Photo, posted February 9, 2017, courtesy of Benjamin Jones / USGS via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Dangers of distant fires

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Smoke from wildfires is well known to exacerbate health problems like heart disease, lung conditions, and asthma.  People living in the vicinity of where fires occur face these dangers.  But a new study at the University of Maryland has found that there are health impacts from wildfires occurring thousands of miles away.

During the summer of 2023, massive Canadian wildfires created a vast plume of smoke that drifted more than 2,000 miles across the country resulting in poor air quality across the entire East Coast of the U.S. 

Baltimore had very dark skies over a six-day period in June 2023, sending many individuals to doctors’ offices complaining of breathing issues.  University of Maryland researchers found that medical visits for heart and lung problems rose by nearly 20% during that period.

Using satellite and EPA data combined with electronic health records, the researchers found increased likelihood of patients going to the doctor for complications related to cardiopulmonary conditions during the days with the most smoke in the air.  They found a 55% increase in the risk for an outpatient visit for heart and lung conditions and these additional patients tended to be older, non-smokers, and more socio-economically affluent than the typical patients who see their doctors for such conditions when the air quality is good.

With more climate-related events likely to occur in the future, doctors may require better tools to help disadvantaged patients on so-called hotspot days when conditions are most dangerous.  Increasingly common wildfires are a particular danger to people even when those fires are far away from where they live.

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Exposure to Remote Wildfire Smoke Drifting Across the U.S. Linked to Increased Medical Visits for Heart and Lung Problems

Photo, posted June 8, 2023, courtesy of Marc A. Hermann / MTA via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

New approaches to nuclear power

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The US is the world’s largest user of nuclear power.  Its 94 reactors supply nearly 19% of the country’s electricity. But the number of U.S. reactors has steadily fallen over the past 30 years and new nuclear power plants are a real rarity.  The reasons are a combination of perceived dangers following several nuclear accidents and the increasing costs associated with building plants that can meet a growing number of regulatory requirements.

There are recent developments associated with new advanced reactor technologies that may lead to a resurgence in the use of nuclear power.  Bill Gates’ energy company TerraPower is developing nuclear reactors that use sodium instead of water for cooling.  Such reactors operate at lower pressures and higher temperatures.  

Meanwhile, Kairos Power, a California-based energy company, has entered into an agreement with Google to build multiple small modular nuclear reactors that will supply electricity to that giant tech company.  The modular reactors use a molten-salt cooling system combined with a ceramic, pebble-type fuel in order to transport heat to a steam turbine to generate power.  The novel design of these reactors can reduce construction timelines, allow deployment in more places, and make final project delivery more predictable.

Surveys indicate that a majority of Americans favor the use of nuclear power, which has the advantages that it doesn’t create greenhouse gas emissions and can run 24-7.  But traditional nuclear power plants are too expensive and have too many potential problems.  These new nuclear power technologies may be the answer for allowing nuclear power to play an important role in the future energy system.

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New nuclear clean energy agreement with Kairos Power

Photo, posted May 16, 2016, courtesy of Steve Jurvetson via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Renegade geoengineering

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As the dangers of climate change continue to grow, so has interest in geoengineering – deliberate tinkering with the earth’s climate system.  In particular, stratospheric solar geoengineering – releasing aerosols into the stratosphere to reduce the amount of heat from the sun reaching the Earth – is attracting increasing interest.  Scientists at Harvard, Cornell, Colorado State, Princeton, and the University of Chicago are all researching the topic.

Actually doing it on a scale that matters is fraught with peril from unintended consequences of disrupting the delicate interactions between the Earth’s atmosphere, ocean, land, and sea ice. 

Meanwhile, a tiny start-up company in Silicon Valley has raised more than a million dollars in venture capital and is busy releasing balloons full of sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere in the name of combatting global warming.  Furthermore, they are selling so-called “cooling credits” to customers who want to offset their personal carbon emissions.

The aerosol being released is on such a small scale that it can’t possibly have a meaningful effect on temperatures.  There really isn’t scientific analysis guiding or accompanying the work. 

There are no laws prohibiting the dispersal of small amounts of sulfur dioxide in California.  Even if there were, these people could go offshore or elsewhere to do their work.  But this renegade geoengineering highlights a serious issue; namely, that there doesn’t have to be scientific, political, or any other kind of consensus for someone to undertake a potentially catastrophic attempt to alter the climate.  It’s a real worry.

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Silicon Valley Renegades Pollute the Sky to Save the Planet

Photo, posted September 24, 2006, courtesy of Doc Searls via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Last chance tourism

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Glaciers around the world are shrinking or disappearing.  Melting glaciers and ice sheets are the biggest contributors to global sea level rise and ice loss rates are continuing to increase.  Even if the world somehow manages to meet the climate goal of limiting warming to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius, the world will still lose a quarter of its glacial mass by the year 2100.  At higher levels of warming, most of the world’s glaciers could be gone.

One result of this situation is that people are rushing to see glaciers before they melt.  Places like Iceland are experiencing a booming tourism economy.  Half a million people now visit Iceland for glacier tours every year.  The shrinking and disappearance of glaciers has popularized a new kind of adventure travel called ‘last chance tourism.’

Like other types of adventure travel, glacier tours are not without dangers.  An American tourist visiting a glacial ice cave in an Icelandic national park in August was killed when a frozen arch collapsed.  Ice caves, formed by glacial meltwater, are known for their brilliant blue walls.  Increasing meltwater can make these formations more prone to collapse. 

Glacial tours in Canada’s Jasper National Park are quite popular.  Tour operators have had to reroute trails to the foot of the Athabasca Glacier several times every season because of glacial melt. 

Glacier tourism is a goldmine for the tourist industry but conducting and managing it is increasingly challenging.  Meanwhile, people feel like it’s important to bring their kids to see glaciers because they may be the last generation that can go stand on a glacier.

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Climate Change Is Making ‘Last Chance Tourism’ More Popular, and Riskier

Photo, posted January 25, 2020, courtesy of Ron Cogswell via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Climate change lawsuits

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For the better part of a decade, there have been lawsuits against fossil fuel companies for their actions related to climate change.  The Center for Climate Integrity, a nonprofit that provides legal support to communities suing oil companies, has tracked 32 cases filed by state attorneys general, cities, counties, and tribal nations against companies including Exxon Mobil, BP, and Shell.

There has been extensive news reporting about oil companies’ efforts to undermine the scientific consensus about the climate as well as revelations about oil companies hiding their own research over decades projecting the dangers of climate change.

Oil companies have long sought to shut down the lawsuits or move them from the state courts where they were filed to federal courts where they believe national regulations could override local governments’ claims against them.  But a string of circuit court and U.S. Supreme Court decisions have ruled that the cases alleging violations of state laws do belong in state courts. 

The first case to reach trial will likely be a Massachusetts case against Exxon Mobil and that could happen as soon as next year.

What do these lawsuits seek?  Some seek to force oil companies to pay for the past and future damages caused by climate change that are costing states and communities billions of dollars.  Others seek to stop defendants from making false and misleading statements about the effects of burning fossil fuels, from greenwashing their own activities, and to fund corrective education campaigns.

The first trials could lead to a tidal wave of new cases, similar to what happened in the 1990s when tobacco companies were forced to pay billions of dollars under legal settlements.

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After a long slog, climate change lawsuits will finally put Big Oil on trial

Photo, posted August 18, 2021, courtesy of Chad Davis via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Buildings and birds

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Birds face a wide range of dangers.  Billions of them each year face violent deaths.  Concerned individuals point at such things as wind turbines, which in fact do kill hundreds of thousands of birds.  But the great majority of bird deaths are caused by cats.  And that’s a danger that isn’t going to go away.

The second largest cause of bird deaths is collisions with building windows.   Building collisions kill hundreds of millions of birds each year in the U.S. alone.  As other places have seen glass skyscrapers proliferate, such as in Chinese cites, these collisions have become a major global factor in bird mortality.

There are growing efforts across the U.S. and Canada to reduce bird collisions.  Many businesses are taking part in “lights out” programs in which their buildings dim lights during spring and fall migrations.  Some buildings now use special glass that birds can see and avoid.  Some communities even have adopted ordinances that require bird-friendly glass in new construction.  Keeping bird attractants away from windows is another important way to reduce bird strikes.  All these measures have been proven to be effective in reducing the number of bird collisions.

 Companies sell vinyl film with tiny dots that can be affixed to windows.  Both businesses and homeowners have seen substantial reduction in bird collisions with such films installed.

Bird collisions are not a new problem but is one that wasn’t really taken seriously until at least the 1970s.  There isn’t much to be done about the greatest threat to birds – namely cats – but how buildings are constructed and operated is something we can control.

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As Bird Kills from Buildings Mount, Cities Look for Solutions

Photo, posted December 24, 2017, courtesy of Nicolas Vollmer via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Geoengineering could create winners and losers

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Geoengineering – deliberate interventions to alter the climate and curb climate change – is a controversial topic, to say the least.  Once practically considered taboo even to discuss, there in increasing interest in at least exploring various ideas about how to halt or reverse climate change through direct actions that impact global temperatures.

Putting aside the very real concerns about the risks and dangers associated with such action, there is also the issue that climate interventions may create dramatically different effects across the globe, benefitting some areas and adversely affecting others.

A recent study by scientists at Rutgers University tackled this very issue.  Published in the journal Nature Food, it described the results of computer models simulating the impacts of stratospheric aerosol intervention (SAI), which is spraying sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere, where it would partially shield the Earth from the Sun, lowering temperatures.

The study looked at 11 different SAI scenarios and found that none of them benefitted everyone.  Uncontrolled global warming favors crop production in cold, high-latitude areas such as Canada, Russia, Scandinavia, and our northern border states.  Moderate amounts of SAI favors food production in the mid-latitudes (such as in the US and Europe.)  Large amounts of intervention favors agricultural production in the tropics. 

Even if geoengineering might not have dire consequences – which is by no means certain – it would create winners and losers.  Nations may have different ideas of what constitutes an optimal global temperature.  So, who gets to decide where to set the global thermostat?  The prospects for conflict loom large. 

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Climate Intervention Technologies May Create Winners and Losers in World Food Supply

Photo, posted November 18, 2021, courtesy of Conall via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Rare Earths And The Energy Transition | Earth Wise

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Limiting the rise in global temperature to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius requires decarbonization.  This means slashing fossil fuel use, switching to renewable energy sources, and electrifying as many sectors of the economy as possible.  Doing these things requires huge numbers of wind turbines, solar panels, electric vehicles, and storage batteries.   All of them use rare earth elements and other critical metals.

The 17 rare earth elements are actually common, but they are called rare because they are seldom found in sufficient quantities to be extracted easily or economically. 

China once supplied 97% of the world’s rare earth elements as a result of government support, cheap labor, lax environmental regulations, and low prices.  Once the world started to realize the dangers of being so dependent on China, many countries began developing their own rare earth element production. (However, today China still produces 60-70% of the world’s rare earth elements).

It is difficult to mine rare earth elements without causing environmental damage.  The prevalent extraction techniques involve toxic chemicals that can leach into the environment and, because rare earths are often found near radioactive elements, mining often brings dangerous radioactive waste into the environment.

Researchers are working on ways to make rare earth mining more sustainable.  Some of these include biomining – which uses microbes to extract rare earths from ores, electrical methods to free rare earths from ores, and so-called agromining, which is growing plants that hyperaccumulate rare earths from the soil into their tissues.

Making rare earth mining more sustainable and less harmful to the environment is an essential part of the world’s future.

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The Energy Transition Will Need More Rare Earth Elements. Can We Secure Them Sustainably?

Photo, posted November 18, 2008, courtesy of the Oregon Department of Transportation via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Dangers Of Melting Glaciers | Earth Wise

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Some of most dramatic evidence that the Earth’s climate is warming is the retreat and even disappearance of mountain glaciers around the world.  2022 was the 35th year in a row that glaciers tracked by the World Glacier Monitoring Service lost rather than gained ice.  Glaciers gain mass through snowfall and lose mass through melting and sublimation (water evaporating directly from solid ice.)  Some glaciers that terminate in lakes or the ocean lose mass through iceberg calving.

In the warming climate, glaciers retreat and meltwater collects at the front of the glacier forming a lake.  Such lakes can suddenly burst and create a fast-flowing Glacier Lake Outburst Flood that can spread over a large distance from the original site – in some cases over 70 miles.  These floods can damage property, infrastructure, and agricultural land and can also be deadly.

The number of glacial lakes has grown rapidly since 1990 as a result of climate change.  According to research by an international team of scientists led by Newcastle University in the UK, the number of people living in glacial lake catchments has increased significantly.

According to the study, 15 million people live within 30 miles of a glacial lake.  The highest danger is in High Mountain Asia – which encompasses the Tibetan Plateau.  That area, which spans from Kyrgyzstan to parts of China, has 9.3 million people potentially at risk.  India and Pakistan have around 5 million exposed people.

Detailed analysis shows that it is not the areas with the largest number or most rapidly growing lakes that are most dangerous.  It is the number of people in proximity to the lakes and their ability to cope with potential floods.

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Glacial flooding threatens millions globally

Photo, posted February 12, 2022, courtesy of David Stanley via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Reef Insurance | Earth Wise

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Coral reefs around the world face multiple dangers from warming waters, acidification, human activity, and more.  Powerful storms often cause tremendous damage to reefs.  When possible, snorkelers and divers are deployed to try to repair damage to reefs.  But philanthropy and government grants are basically the only resources available to fund such actions.

Three years ago, tourist businesses and the government in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo purchased an insurance policy to offset costs of protecting the local parts of the Mesoamerican Reef.  The environmental group the MAR Fund later took out an insurance policy on the rest of the reef in Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras. 

With this precedent, the Nature Conservancy recently purchased an insurance policy on behalf of the state of Hawaii to help offset repair work on its coral reefs.  It is the first U.S. coral insurance contract.

Coral reefs are more than just hosts for marine life.  They provide barriers against ocean storm surges, which is a major financial incentive for protecting them and hence an incentive to invest in insurance.

The new Hawaiian insurance policy has a premium of $110,000 a year and will provide $2 million in protection.  Payouts occur when wind speeds go above 50 knots.  No further proof of damage is required.

The Nature Conservancy has created teams called ‘Reef Brigades’ composed of snorkelers and divers who recover reef fragments, store them in ocean or shore-based nurseries, and then re-attach them when conditions are safe.  It can be very expensive to do this sort of work, particularly when new corals grown in a nursery are required.

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Analysis: First U.S. coral insurance marks the rise of the reef brigades

Photo, posted September 14, 2011, courtesy of Greg McFall/NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

The Race For American Lithium Mining | Earth Wise

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The auto industry is making a massive transition from gas-powered cars to electric cars.  The exploding electric vehicle market has set off what some call a global battery arms race.  Battery manufacturers are urgently trying to source the raw materials needed to make batteries, which presently include cobalt, nickel, graphite, and lithium.  There is encouraging progress in reducing and even eliminating cobalt and nickel from electric car batteries, but so far lithium seems to be essential.

The International Energy Agency has named lithium as the mineral for which there is the fastest growing demand in the world.  Estimates are that if the world is to meet the global climate targets set by the Paris Agreement, at least 40 times more lithium will be needed in 2040 compared with today.

According to the US Geological Survey, the US has about 9 million tons of lithium, which puts it in the top 5 most lithium-rich countries in the world.  Despite this, our country mines and processes only 1% of global lithium output.  Most of the rest comes from China, Chile, and Australia.  Being dependent upon these foreign sources is a serious concern for national security.

There is only one operational lithium mine in the US at present.  Multiple companies are pressing to get more mining projects in operation, including sites in North Carolina and Nevada.  But there are serious environmental problems associated with lithium mining and there is considerable local opposition to establishing the mines.

The US wants to be a leader in the global race to build the batteries that will power the green transition but it is a complicated situation that combines both undeniably important benefits as well as very real dangers.

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Powering electric cars: the race to mine lithium in America’s backyard

Photo, posted January 18, 2022, courtesy of Ivan Radic via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

What’s Killing Orcas? | Earth Wise

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With their characteristic tall dorsal fins and black and white color patterns, orcas are one of the ocean’s most iconic species.  Measuring up to 32 feet long and weighing as much as 6 tons, orcas have one of the largest geographic distributions of any species.  They live in all latitudes, in all oceans, from the Arctic to Antarctica.    

While they are often referred to as killer whales, orcas are actually not whales at all.  Orcas are the largest dolphin species and one of the most powerful predators on the planet. 

But human interference has made life significantly more difficult for orcas in recent years.  According to pathology reports on more than 50 orcas stranded over nearly a decade in the northeast Pacific and around Hawaii, the predators face a myriad of mortal threats.  Many of those threats stem from human interactions. 

Researchers from the British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture analyzed these orca pathology reports in a new study, which was recently published in the journal PLOS ONE,.  Of 52 orcas stranded between 2004 and 2013, causes of death were determined for 42%. For example, one orca died after receiving a halibut hook injury. Two orcas died from the blunt force trauma of vessel strikes. While there was no singular common cause of death, the study found a common theme:  human-caused deaths occurred in every age class – from juveniles to adults.

The researchers also note that humans aren’t just indirectly hurting orcas with things like lack of salmon or legacy toxins.  Humans are also directly killing killer whales with boat strikes and fishing gear.   

These findings will help establish a baseline of information to assess future orca conservation efforts. 

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What’s killing killer whales?

Photo, posted July 5, 2009, courtesy of Rennett Stowe via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Fall Safety Tips | Earth Wise

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The fall season has its own weather-related hazards, such as raging wildfires across the West and a busy hurricane season in the Atlantic.  There might even be snow in some places.  The National Weather Service issued a set of four broad safety tips for being prepared for the dangers of fall weather.

With regard to wildfires, it is important for smokers to properly discard cigarettes, for people to avoid activities with open flames or sparks, and to use fire-resistant landscaping around our homes. The Weather Service issues Red Flag Warnings when conditions are ripe for wildfires.

In this busy hurricane season, even people who don’t live in hurricane surge evacuation areas need to know their home’s vulnerability to damage from high winds and inland flooding.  People should have a plan that includes an emergency kit and a safe place to shelter should they need to evacuate.

It is important to have a plan in case strong winds pose a threat.  When preparing for an extreme wind event, secure objects that can be tossed or rolled, trim trees near homes, and have a plan in case of an extended power failure.  Strong winds can even happen on a clear day.

The key advice in case you encounter flood waters is “turn around, don’t drown.”  It is never safe to walk or drive into a flooded roadway.  It is best to delay travel until roads are clear.

Fall can be the most beautiful season of the year, but it also has its dangers.  Following advice such as that provided by the Weather Service is prudent and potentially life-saving.

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Four safety tips for fall hazards: Small actions can have big impacts

Photo, posted October 30, 2014, courtesy of Virginia State Parks via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Native Species Or Invasive Species? | Earth Wise

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For decades, conservation biology has characterized the movement of species into new habitats as potential invasions of alien species that pose serious dangers to local ecosystems and resident species.  Wild species are classified as either native or alien.  But this way of looking at the natural world is becoming increasingly controversial.

As the world warms, a mass exodus of tens of thousands of species is transforming the distribution of biodiversity.  Scientists have documented countless species shifting their ranges towards the poles, higher up into the mountains, and deeper into the oceans in response to the changing climate.

Deciduous shrubs have spread into the Arctic tundra.  Tropical fish have arrived in the kelp forests of the eastern Mediterranean. 

A growing number of scientists now say that continuing to base conservation policy on the native-alien dichotomy may actually endanger biodiversity.  The climate-driven range shifts may be the only way for many species to survive.  Furthermore, only a small fraction of new arrivals may actually endanger resident species and ecosystems.

There are real distinctions between climate-displaced species and disruptive alien species introduced through global trade and travel.  Among other things, climate-displaced species tend to shift their ranges alongside other species they have co-evolved with.

There is talk of establishing a Climate Change Redistribution Treaty that would create a transnational system to manage species shifting across geopolitical and biogeographical borders.  The assumptions traditionally made as to which species to protect, which to leave to their own devices,  and which to eradicate are no longer valid and the time has come to base conservation policies on the new reality.

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Native Species or Invasive? The Distinction Blurs as the World Warms

Photo, posted March 21, 2011, courtesy of Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Indoor Pollution

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We mostly think of air pollution as an outdoor problem.   The primary culprits are vehicle and factory exhaust as well as occasional wildfire smoke.  What we don’t think about is the air quality inside our own homes.

Researchers at Washington State University have found that indoor pollution levels can be surprisingly high and that they vary throughout the day and increase as temperatures rise.

Indoor air pollution comes from a variety of sources, including building materials, furniture, household chemical products, and from activities like cooking.  One of the most serious pollutants is formaldehyde, which often is emitted from gypsum wallboard.  About half of the gypsum used in homes as drywall is made from waste products from the coal industry.  When the material is heated, formaldehyde and possibly even mercury can be emitted.

Pollutant levels rise in homes as temperatures increase.  Thus, the highest levels of pollution occur in the afternoon and the lowest are in the early morning.  Before this research, manufacturers and builders assumed that pollution levels were pretty much constant over time.

Building laws require that homes are structurally sound, and that people are comfortable, but there is little regulation of air quality in people’s homes.  One of the best ways to clear out harmful chemicals is with ventilation to the outdoors.  But with increased concern about reducing energy use, builders are making homes more airtight, which may inadvertently be worsening the problem.

We need to balance making more energy efficient homes with protecting our health by being aware of the dangers that lurk in the air in our homes.  Running the air conditioning or opening windows are good things to do.

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Researchers uncover indoor pollution hazards

Photo, posted October 14, 2010, courtesy of Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

The Problem Of Microplastics

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In recent years, there have been multiple reports of microplastic contamination seemingly everywhere:  in the ocean, in lakes and rivers, in beverages and foods, and in the bodies of birds, fish, and even people.  As the world tries to come to grips with this growing problem, there are many things that we simply don’t know.

Microplastics are usually formed by the breakdown of larger pieces of plastic.  Shopping bags and cups degrade into microplastics.  Microfiber clothing generates microplastics in washing machines.  And some manufacturers still intentionally add microplastics to personal care products like toothpaste and facial scrubs.

Technically, a microplastic is any piece of plastic measuring five millimeters in size down to one micron – which is one thousandth of a millimeter.  But there can be even smaller plastic particles classified as sub-microplastics and even nanoplastics.

A real concern is that it is not actually clear how dangerous microplastics are for living organisms.  We know that aquatic and terrestrial species – including humans – can and do absorb microplastic particles, but whether there is actual toxicity and the nature of any detrimental effects is not yet well understood.

Another real problem is that it is actually not easy to distinguish microplastics from other particles in a given sample.   When you are looking at a particle that is smaller than a millimeter in size, it is not easy to tell whether it is a grain of sand, a bit of cellulose from a plant, or a microplastic.  There are reliable and definitive ways to analyze samples for microplastics, but they are not as simple and commonplace as just looking through a microscope.

Microplastics are a rapidly growing problem and we don’t even really know how big and how bad the problem is.

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How dangerous is microplastic?

Photo, posted January 10, 2015, courtesy of Daria Nepriakhina via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

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