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A Battle For The Automobile Fuel Business

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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.

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A Small Win For Coral

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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.  

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A New Catalyst For Splitting Water

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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.

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How Much Cleaner Is Natural Gas?

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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.

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Labeling Genetically Engineered Foods

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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.

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Salt Cocktails Compromise Freshwater

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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.

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Increasing Antarctic Ice Loss

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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.

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Conflicts In Conservation

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In recent years there has been a great deal of discussion about animal intelligence and the idea of animal consciousness.   In the past, the notion that animals have feelings had been relegated to fringe status, but these days, a wealth of scientific findings has made it much more mainstream to entertain such ideas.

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Hurricanes Are Slowing Down

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According to a new study recently published in the scientific journal Nature, some hurricanes are moving slower and spending more time over land, which is leading to catastrophic rainfall and flooding. The speed at which hurricanes track along their paths – known as translational speed – can play a major role in a storm’s damage and devastation.  17

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Traffic Jams In The Jet Stream

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Many extreme weather events are associated with unusual behavior by the jet stream.   Jet streams are the global air currents that circle the earth.  The meandering and speed changes in the jet stream affect weather and also play a big role in how long it takes aircraft to make their way across the country.  The behavior that leads to extreme weather events is known as “blocking” in which the meandering jet stream stops weather systems from moving eastward.

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Trouble With China And Climate Progress

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With the United States backing away from the Paris climate agreement and with Europe taking a less active role in climate negotiations, China has become the bellwether on global climate change.  Recent climate negotiations in Bonn, Germany were rather acrimonious as countries accused other countries of not doing their part or keeping their promises.

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Green Solutions To Storm Water Runoff

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Philadelphia, America’s fifth largest city, has struggled with storm water runoff problems since the days of Benjamin Franklin.  The city’s numerous streams that run into the Schuylkill and Delaware Rivers were eventually covered with brick arches or cemented into underground sewers.  The network of underground-to-riverfront outfalls through increasingly-larger pipes is pretty much how all U.S. cities have been coping with storm water for over 200 years.

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Saving Wheat

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Rising temperatures, drought, pests and diseases are moving north into the U.S. heartland and are increasingly posing a threat to the wheat crop.  An insect called the Hessian fly is reducing crop yields by 10% a year in the Midwest.  Average temperatures in the Midwest have risen by 2 degrees since 2000, and periods of time between rainfalls is lengthening.  Conditions in some areas of the Midwest are getting to be more like those in the Middle East.

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WAMC Northeast Public Radio

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