disaster

Relocating native plants

May 2, 2025 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Climate change is endangering many native plant species. As the climate warms, many species will need to establish themselves in new places that are more hospitable than their historic ranges. But many native plants in the U.S. cannot move themselves by natural forces quickly enough to avoid climate-change driven extinction. For such plants to survive into the future, they will need human help to move into adjacent areas, a process called “managed relocation.”

Such a process has its problems. There is no guarantee that a plant will thrive in a new area. On the other hand, relocating plant species historically has often had disastrous consequences. Consider, for example, the story of kudzu in the American south.

Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have studied this problem in detail and reported the results in the journal Global Change Biology.

The issue is how to help plants move successfully without their causing harm in their new locations. The study found that some plant traits can lead to success and some to ecological disaster. In some cases, the same traits that help plants to establish themselves in a new location make them powerful invasive species. Traits like having a large size predispose a plant to not only establish itself but spread wildly.

The study recommends that people managing relocation need to focus on plants whose traits they have determined to be conducive to successful relocation but more unlikely to cause harm in their new environment.

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If Native Plants Are Going to Survive Climate Change, They Need Our Help to Move—Here’s How to Do It Safely

Photo, posted August 17, 2012, courtesy of Joshua Mayer via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Hurricanes and wildfires

April 3, 2025 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Early March saw more than 200 wildfires break out in the southeastern U.S. – a busy start to the region’s annual fire season. One fire in the Carolina Forest near Myrtle Beach scorched over 2,000 acres over a two-week period and firefighters were busy containing it and many other blazes.

Strong winds and an unusually long dry period have made fires more likely to ignite and be spread. Lightning strikes, power line sparking, backyard fire pits and leaf burning all can lead to wildfires under these conditions.

A weather disaster last year may be helping to make this fire season worse than usual. Hurricane Helene ravaged the Southeast last September, dumping more than a foot of rain in some locations and knocking over hundreds of thousands of acres of trees across the region.

Lots of dead trees lying on the ground allow sunlight to reach the ground and dry out all the biomass, including the trees. All of this desiccated plant material acts as kindling, providing fuel for wildfires. Fallen trees can be a fire nuisance for years after a hurricane, especially in the Southeast, where dried out pine needles are highly combustible. All it takes is an ignition.

In addition, all the fallen trees represent an access issue for firefighters as the logs block roads needed to reach the fires.

Research has shown that climate change is fueling more intense fires in the West. Whether the changing climate is having a major effect in the Southeast isn’t clear. But droughts are expected to become more intense and more frequent in the Southeast because of climate change and that isn’t good news for the likelihood of wildfires.

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How Hurricanes Can Fuel Wildfires in the Southeast

Photo, posted March 5, 2025, courtesy of the U.S. Army National Guard / Roberto Di Giovine via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Natural solutions for coastal defense

May 30, 2024 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Protecting coastal cities and towns from the dangers of tsunamis, storm surges, and sea-level rise has become an ever-increasing challenge. There are so-called hard coastal defenses as well as nature-based solutions. A new study by the University of Tokyo has found that combining the two types of defenses may be the most effective way to protect, support, and enrich coastal communities.

Sea walls, dikes, dams, and breakwaters are the traditional hard measures. They are popular and have proven track records but are facing challenges to keep pace with increasing climate risks. They are expensive to build and require continuous upgrades and repairs. While they do provide protection from many disaster risks, they also can cause significant disruption to coastal ecosystems as well as to coastal communities.

Nature-based coastal defenses include such things as mangroves and coral reefs. So-called soft measures involve restoring, rehabilitating, reforesting, and nourishing natural ecosystems that protect coastal areas.

The Tokyo researchers analyzed the defense strategies in terms of risk reduction, climate change mitigation, and cost-effectiveness over a 20-year period. The results of the study were that among all coastal defense options in lower-risk areas, hybrid measures provide the highest risk reduction and can harness the advantages of both hard and soft measures.

The findings provide strong evidence for integrating nature-based components into coastal defenses, but these approaches have not yet been adequately tested in circumstances of extreme events and high-risk urgency. Research in this area has important implications for policy makers, coastal planners, and communities looking to make evidence-based decisions.

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A natural touch for coastal defense

Photo, posted October 22, 2021, courtesy of Kevin Dooley via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

A common plant could be a valuable food source

April 4, 2024 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

A new study by researchers at Penn State University has found that a common water plant in the eastern U.S. could be a valuable green fertilizer, a feed for poultry and livestock, and even a life-saving food for people in the event of a catastrophe or disaster.

The plant is the Carolina azolla. It is sometimes called mosquito fern, fairy moss, or water fern. It is a water plant that grows very rapidly; it can double its biomass in two days. There are many varieties of azolla, but the Carolina strain is more digestible and nutritious for people than any of the others.

Azolla species have been used across the world for centuries as a livestock feed and as a fertilizer. They have not been good for human consumption because of high polyphenolic content, which can be 10 times more than that of common food plants. Polyphenols are abundant compounds in many plants and, in low concentrations, are beneficial antioxidants. But in high concentrations they act as antinutritional agents.

It turns out that the Carolina azolla – described as having a crisp texture and neutral taste – has a polyphenolic content comparable to many fruits, nuts, and vegetables. Furthermore, cooking significantly decreases the polyphenolic content in foods.

Carolina azolla has significant nutritional value including high mineral yields and calories, and moderate protein content. Whether it is used as a quick-fix in a disaster situation or as part of a long-term resilience plan, the study concludes that Carolina azolla holds excellent potential for use as a fast-growing, short-season crop that requires minimal effort to grow and process and could be used to increase food security in a hungry world.

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Common plant could help reduce food insecurity, researchers find

Photo, posted October 8, 2020, courtesy of Dana L. Brown via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Sponging up a river

March 20, 2024 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

During the first week of February, an atmospheric river dumped enormous amounts of rain on Southern California. Over the course of four days, Los Angeles received 9 inches of rain. The average annual rainfall in the city is only 14 inches.

But Los Angeles was not the site of a flooding disaster because the city has spent years preparing for this type of deluge by becoming a “sponge city.” By installing lots of green spaces and shallow basins with porous soil, Los Angeles was able to soak up 8.6 billion gallons of water during the storm, enough to meet the water needs of 100,000 people for a year.

Cities covered with impermeable concrete sidewalks and paved areas make storm-related flooding worse because they are unable to absorb water. Instead, the water flows into drains and overwhelms infrastructure.

Natural materials like dirt and plants take in water from storms and can filter it into underground aquifer that cities can then tap into, especially during droughts. Adding green spaces to cities has many other benefits beyond the ability to absorb large amounts of rainwater.

The so-called sponge-city movement is catching on in many other places. Philadelphia is revamping its water systems in a 25-year project that includes green spaces to absorb stormwater runoff. In China, the government has spent more than a decade adding spongy elements to dozens of cities around the country.

Sponge cities are part of a broader effort to combine modern engineering techniques with natural systems. This is known as green-gray infrastructure. Nature knows what it is doing when it comes to flood control as well as to pollution control.

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‘Spongy’ LA Soaked Up Tons of Water From Atmospheric River

Photo, posted December 28, 2011, courtesy of Ron Reiring via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Great Salt Lake In Danger | Earth Wise

March 20, 2023 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Utah’s Great Salt Lake has been plagued by excessive water use and extensive drought conditions. As of January, the lake dropped to record-low water levels, losing 73% of its water and exposing 60% of its lakebed. According to scientists, the lake could disappear entirely within five years.

Great Salt Lake is what is known as a “terminal lake,” which means that it is fed only by rain, snow, and runoff and has no rivers that take water to the ocean. As a result, salt and minerals build up over time. With so much salt in the water, only brine flies and shrimp can survive in it. The unique ecosystem supports 10 million migratory birds. As the lake continues to dry up, the water is becoming too salty for even algae and microbes to survive. With shallow mud replacing previous shallow water, the nests of the 80,000 white pelicans that annually come to the lake are endangered by predators that can simply walk over to the eggs.

The historic low water levels have exposed 800 square miles of lakebed. This lakebed holds centuries of natural and manmade toxins like mercury, arsenic, and selenium. The exposed mud ultimately turns to dust that is carried off into the air. This is contributing to what is already some of the worst winter air pollution in the nation. Scientists warn that the unfolding ecological disaster may become a human health disaster.

State officials and university researchers have formed a “Great Salt Lake Strike Team” looking for ways to get more water to the lake. There are a number of so-called moonshot proposals to save the lake. It remains to be seen what will be done, but the clock is ticking.

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Great Salt Lake will disappear in 5 years without massive ‘emergency rescue,’ scientists say

Scientists fear a Great Toxic Dustbowl could soon emerge from the Great Salt Lake

Photo, posted September 19, 2009, courtesy of John Morgan via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Expensive And Dangerous Storms | Earth Wise

August 7, 2020 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Severe storms are getting more and more common. Early in July, the United States experienced its 10th billion-dollar weather disaster of the year – the earliest this has happened. It also marks 2020 as the sixth consecutive year with at least 10 such extreme weather events, which is also a record. With the country struggling with the effects of a global pandemic, extreme weather is pretty much the last thing we need.

This year’s 10 storms have primarily consisted of tornadoes, damaging winds, and hail. Seven out of the 10 storms were in the South or Southeast. An Easter Sunday outbreak in that region saw 190 tornadoes and 36 people were killed that day.

Since 1980, the US has averaged nearly 7 billion-dollar weather disasters per year. But the last five years have seen nearly 14 severe storms on average. The way things are going this year, there will probably be more than that number.

This year’s growing total does not include the looming hurricane season, which is widely predicted to be more active than usual. Because so many places in the South are still recovering from earlier disasters, they are particularly vulnerable to the effects of an active hurricane season.

Meanwhile, much of the country is suffering from drought conditions, making wildfires a major concern. Recent years have seen deadly and destructive wildfires in many places, notably in California two years ago. Between hurricanes and wildfires, the prospects are alarming for what could turn out to be a disastrous year for expensive and dangerous severe weather.

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US hits 10th billion-dollar weather disaster of the year — at a record pace

Photo, posted March 3, 2020, courtesy of Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Volunteer Tourism | Earth Wise

February 13, 2020 By EarthWise 1 Comment

Spending vacation time in a disaster zone seems like a crazy idea, but so-called volunteer tourism can actually be a big help to communities trying to recover from natural disasters. It can also be a unique and rewarding experience for the volunteers.

Such volunteer tourism should not be confused with “disaster tourism”, the unfortunate practice of rushing to the scene of a calamity to gawk. That is certainly no help to anyone.

When disaster strikes a destination usually frequented by tourists, people naturally tend to stay away, leaving communities to deal with the loss of tourism income on top of the costs of repair and recovery.

A study by UTS, a technology university in Sydney, Australia, looked at the effects of volunteer tourism in the wake of the April 2015 earthquake in Nepal. They found that when it is done in an ethical matter than takes into account local conditions and the affected community, volunteer tourism can aid recovery and resilience.

In the months following the earthquake, most relief organizations asked international volunteers not to come unless they had specific expertise, such as medical skills, building skills, or emergency response experience. Eventually, Nepal relaxed conditions to include volunteers to help rebuild homes and schools, to intern in hospitals, and to support NGOs and to re-establish sustainable agriculture.

According to the Nepal Association of Tour and Travel Agents, almost one third of the tours booked to Nepal in the two years after the earthquake comprised groups who combined tourism with volunteering or philanthropy.

Volunteer tourism isn’t for everyone and for every situation, but for places that rely on tourism for their economy, building volunteer tourism into the recovery process can be a good strategy.

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Volunteer tourism can aid disaster recovery

Photo, posted July 2, 2015, courtesy of the World Humanitarian Summit via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Conspicuous Consumption

February 6, 2020 By EarthWise 2 Comments

Human civilization consumes vast amounts of material. The Circle Economy think tank actually puts some numbers on it. According to their latest report, the amount of material consumed by humanity has passed 100 billion tons every year. So, on average, every person on Earth uses more than 13 tons of materials per year.

That number has quadrupled since 1970, which is far faster than the population, which has only doubled during that time. In the past two years alone, consumption has jumped by more than 8%. While this has been going on, the proportion being recycled has been falling.

Of the 100 billion tons of materials, half of the total is sand, clay, gravel, and cement used for building, along with other minerals used for fertilizer. Coal, oil and gas make up 15% and metal ores 10%. The final quarter are plants and trees used for food and fuel. About 40% of all materials are turned into housing. A third of the annual materials consumed remain in use, such as in buildings or vehicles. But 15% is emitted into the atmosphere as greenhouse gases and a third is treated as waste.

The global emergencies of climate change and disappearing wildlife have been driven by the unsustainable extraction of fossil fuels, metals, building materials, and trees. The authors of the report warn that if we continue to treat the world’s resources as limitless, we are heading for a global disaster.

The Circle Economy think tank promotes the idea of a circular economy in which renewable energy supports systems where waste and pollution are reduced to zero. Some nations are taking steps towards circular economies, while others are not. This is a problem we can’t allow to be unaddressed.

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World Consumes 100 Billion Tons of Materials Every Year, Report Finds

Photo, posted March 13, 2015, courtesy of Joyce Cory via Flickr.

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A Disastrous Year

February 5, 2019 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

The number and economic impact of natural disasters around the world have increased dramatically over the past 30 years. In dollar terms, the amount has actually more than doubled. While 2017 and especially 2011 hold the records for worldwide economic damage, 2018 was pretty disastrous in its own right, totaling at least $160 billion.

The year was dominated by costly wildfires in California and tropical storms in the United States and Asia. According to a recent report by the reinsurance company Munich Re, the Camp and Woolsey fires in California alone caused losses of $21.7 billion, $16.5 billion of which was insured.

Overall, insurance companies paid out $80 billion in damage claims from natural disasters last year. This was less than the $140 billion in 2017 but is still double the 30-year average.

Losses from wildfires have increased dramatically in recent years and summers continue to get hotter and dryer, a likely consequence of climate change. These mounting costs bring into question whether people can continue to build in high-risk wildfire areas without dramatic changes in materials and the aggressive use of other protective measures.

Twenty-nine natural disaster events in 2018 caused more than a billion dollars in damage each. Tropical storms including hurricanes Michael and Florence in the United States and three Asian typhoons caused $57 billion in damage.

A severe drought in Europe that set off major wildfires and caused agricultural losses caused $3.9 billion in losses. Only about $280 million of this damage was covered by insurance companies since farmers in Europe don’t typically purchase insurance against drought. For them, 2018 was truly a disastrous year.

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Natural Disasters Caused $160 Billion in Damage in 2018

Photo, posted July 26, 2018, courtesy of Bureau of Land Management California via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Wildfire Pollution

January 24, 2019 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

California’s record-breaking wildfires this past season have been an unmitigated disaster with respect to loss of life, property, impact on human health, and in multiple other ways. And as if all of that was not bad enough, the impact on carbon emissions into the atmosphere was equally catastrophic. The wildfires were deadly and cost billions of dollars but were also terrible for the environment and for the public’s health.

According to estimates from the U.S. Department of the Interior, the California wildfires released emissions equivalent to about 68 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. That is equal to the emissions from generating one year’s worth of electricity in the state, or about 15% of the total annual emissions in the state of California.

It is a vicious circle in which the changes to the climate that have lengthened the fire season and shortened the precipitation season are creating additional contributions to the warming of the climate.

Over the past century, California has warmed by about 3 degrees Fahrenheit. That extra-warmed air sucks water out of plants and soils, resulting in trees, shrubs, and rolling grasslands that are dry and primed to burn. That vegetation-drying effect compounds with every additional degree of warming. Plants lose their water more efficiently as temperatures get higher.

The result is that wildfires are increasing in size both in California and across the western United States. Fire experts at Columbia University estimate that since the 1980s, the warming climate has contributed to an extra 10 million acres of burning in western forests – an area about the size of Massachusetts and Connecticut combined.

It’s a bad situation that is getting worse.

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