enforcement

The most endangered marine mammal

July 9, 2024 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

For the better part of a decade, conservationists have been trying to eliminate the use of gill nets by fishermen in the Gulf of California. Species such as the corvina fish have been decimated by the use of this fishing gear. The nets also trap other marine creatures, include the rare and elusive vaquita porpoise.

The vaquita is the world’s smallest porpoise, measuring no more than five feet in length. It is the most endangered marine mammal. They live only in the Gulf of California, which is the site of intense fishing activity. Some of that activity is directed towards a fish called the totoaba, which is an endangered species itself. The totoaba’s swim bladder is highly prized for Chinese traditional medicine, so there is a booming illegal market for it. The gill nets used to catch totoaba are especially lethal to vaquitas.

Every year, for a few weeks, an international team of scientists searches the Gulf for vaquitas. Recent surveys estimated that there are around 10 individuals in the area where they are most likely to be living. This year’s survey estimated that six to eight vaquitas are in the area. The ones spotted appeared to be in good health and one yearling was seen.

Officially, fishing with gill nets is banned throughout much of the upper Gulf of California. In practice, enforcement has been difficult to do. However, the Mexican government has been making an effort to improve the situation. The Mexican Navy dropped 193 concrete blocks with giant hooks designed to entangle gill nets to deter fishers and they plan to drop more.

The survival of the vaquita depends on whether the use of gill nets stops.

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The Most Endangered Marine Mammal Still Exists. Here’s the Latest Count.

Photo, posted July 12, 2011, courtesy of Semarnat via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Cleaning Up Abandoned Wells | Earth Wise

March 3, 2022 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

There are 130,000 documented abandoned oil and gas wells in the US, according to the Department of the Interior. The key word is documented. According to an EPA study in 2018, the actual number of abandoned wells could be as high as two or three million. According to an analysis by the Environmental Defense Fund and McGill University, about nine million people in the United States live within a mile of one of these wells.

Some of these wells might be fairly harmless, and others might be quite dangerous. Wells can emit a variety of gasses, including methane, which is a far stronger greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. Leaking wells are a major source of air and groundwater pollution. Apart from methane, substances such as arsenic can continue to leak from wells even after they are no longer operational.

At the end of January, the Biden Administration announced a series of new actions to tackle methane pollution. Among these measures is $1.15 billion in funds from the Department of the Interior that states can use to seal up abandoned oil and gas wells. That funding comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed in November, which sets aside $4.7 billion for a federal program dedicated to orphaned wells.

Addressing the largely ignored problem of abandoned wells is important from the standpoint of climate pollution as well as human health. Efforts to plug the wells will also provide high-paying jobs

Other methane-reduction measures include increased enforcement from the Department of Transportation on reducing pipelines leaks, research funding for limiting methane emissions from beef and dairy farming, and technical assistance from the Department of Energy on well-plugging efforts.

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Photo, posted March 23, 2011, courtesy of David Stone via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Alien Species On The Rise | Earth Wise

November 3, 2020 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Alien species are species that are introduced, accidentally or intentionally, outside of their natural geographic range as a result of human activities. More than 35,000 alien species have been recorded through 2005, which is the most recent year for which researchers have comprehensive global data.

Some of the alien species go on to become invasive alien species, which can have damaging impacts on both ecosystems and economies. In fact, alien species are one of the main drivers of plant and animal extinctions around the globe.

According to a new study by an international research team involving University College London, the number of alien species, particularly insects, arthropods and birds, is expected to increase globally by 36% by 2050 when compared to 2005 levels. The research was recently published in the journal Global Change Biology.

Using a mathematical model developed for the study, the researchers identified high levels of variations between regions. For example, the largest increase in alien species by the middle of the century is expected in Europe, where numbers are predicted to jump by 64%. The temperate regions of Asia, North America, and South America are also predicted to be hotspots of alien species. The lowest relative increase in alien species is expected in Australia.

The researchers do not expect a reversal or slowdown in the spread of alien species. In fact, with global transportation and trade forecasted to increase in the coming decades, they anticipate many new species will infiltrate non-native habitats by hitching rides as stowaways.

According to the research team, it would take a concerted global effort with stricter regulations and more rigorous enforcement to slow the flow of new species.

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Alien species to increase by 36% worldwide by 2050

Photo, posted October 3, 2016, courtesy of the Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee via Flickr. Photo credit: Ryan Hagerty/USFWS.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Air Quality In The U.S.

November 13, 2019 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Globally, poor air is a serious problem. According to the World Health Organization, exposure to air pollution is linked to the premature deaths of an estimated 7 million people every year. In fact, 91% of the people on the planet live in places where air pollution exceeds WHO guideline limits.

In the United States, air pollution has dramatically improved over the last four decades due in large part to federal regulations put in place under the Clean Air Act of 1970. Fine particulate matter (known as PM2.5) and other pollution, including ozone, sulphur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide, have all decreased during this time span.

But according to recent research, this trend has unfortunately done an about-face. New data reveals that air pollution has increased nationally since 2016. An analysis of Environmental Protection Agency data by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University found that, on average, fine particulate pollution increased 5.5% across the country between 2016 and 2018.

This increase in fine particulate pollution was associated with nearly 10,000 additional premature deaths in the United States during that time period.

According to researchers, there are several factors likely causing this uptick in unhealthy air, including increases in both driving and the burning of natural gas. Wildfires out west are also thought to be a major contributor.

The researchers also suggest that a decrease in enforcement of the Clean Air Act may also be playing a role. The law put in place strict air pollution standards for vehicles, factories, power plants, and other sources, and is credited with saving hundreds of thousands of lives.

It’s time for clean air to be recognized as a basic human right.

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America’s Air Quality Worsens, Ending Years of Gains, Study Says

Photo, posted April 6, 2007, courtesy of Brett Weinstein via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Return Of An Old Threat

July 3, 2019 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

The 1987 signing of the Montreal Protocol was one of the biggest victories for global environmental stewardship. The 197 signatory nations banded together to address a planetary emergency: the depletion of the ozone layer in the upper atmosphere resulting from the use of chlorofluorocarbons or CFCs.

Over the years, there were celebratory headlines like “The Earth’s Ozone Hole is Shrinking” and “Without the Ozone Treaty, You’d Get Sunburned in 5 Minutes”. And indeed, the hole in the ozone layer has shrunk over time.

However, the presence of CFCs in the atmosphere is continually monitored and studies in recent years reported new emissions of about 13,000 tons of CFC-11 a year from somewhere in eastern Asia starting in 2012. That was two years after the 2010 date for ending all CFC production under the terms of the Montreal Protocol.

A new study published in Nature has pinned down the source of more than half of the new CFC emissions to the provinces of Shandong and Hebei on the northeastern coast of China. The bulk of these emissions are believed to come from small factories using the chemical to manufacture foam insulation used in refrigerators and buildings.

The Chinese government has already shut down two manufacturing locations, but undercover agents have found that 18 out of 21 manufacturers in the region are using the banned substance. They appear to be quite adept at circumventing enforcement.

The new emissions aren’t large enough so far to be catastrophic, but the Chinese government needs to crack down on this illegal activity. It is difficult to stop because these are small companies operating in meth lab-like facilities. Saving the earth’s atmosphere from ourselves is a tricky business.

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How an Illicit Chemical Is Jeopardizing Recovery of the Ozone Layer

Photo, posted July 28, 2012, courtesy of Beth Scupham via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.