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Tigers in India

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The Anthropocene is the term that describes the current era in Earth’s history when human activities are having a significant impact on the planet.  It is an epoch filled with species extinction and species attrition in both numbers and range.  The population of large carnivores are among the most affected species and recovering these animals that play important roles in ecosystems is a formidable challenge.

Tigers in Asia are a prime example of extirpation – removal of a species from a specific area.  They have been eliminated in more than 90% of their historic Asian range over the past century.  A new study, published in Science has found that tigers in India are making a comeback.

India’s National Tiger Conservation Authority estimates that between 2010 and 2022, India’s tiger population grew from 1,706 to 3,682.  Tigers are thriving not only on protected lands but also near some human communities.

Tigers are gone from poorer areas where poaching was prevalent and from areas affected by the violent conflict associated with India’s Maoist rebellion.  On the other hand, the big cats can be found near some prosperous communities where poaching is rare.  Farmers keep cattle in enclosures to protect them from tigers.  

The success in protecting tigers in India could provide some insights for Europe where wolves are making a comeback, and perhaps even in the American West where the resurgence of wolf populations is triggering a violent backlash.

Large predators can survive in the modern world with creative thinking and willingness to find a balance between protection and coexistence.

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India Doubled its Tiger Population in a Little More Than a Decade

Photo, posted January 8, 2014, courtesy of Roderick Eime via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Planting trees in Europe

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Planting lots of trees is one of many strategies being pursued to combat climate change.  Trees are storehouses of carbon from the atmosphere and planting more of them helps remove carbon dioxide.  But trees do more than that.  Trees are natural air conditioners in cities.

Trees significantly cool urban environments by providing shade and via a process called evapotranspiration by which they release water vapor into the air, which provides cooling.  This helps mitigate the urban heat island effect. Areas under trees in cities can be as much as 25 degrees cooler than in unshaded areas covered in asphalt.

The city of Paris has laid out a plan to help the city prepare for increasing amounts of extreme heat.  The goal is to replace 60,000 parking spaces across the city with trees by the end of this decade.  The plan to rip up parking spaces is part of a greater aim to create more than 700 acres of green space by 2030.  The Paris plan also includes creating more car-free zones and installing reflective roofs on 1,000 public buildings.  Nearly 80% of the buildings in Paris have zinc roofs – an affordable, corrosion-resistant and pretty much inflammable innovation of the 19th century.  However, these roofs can heat up to 194 degrees on a summer day, transferring heat into largely uninsulated top-floor garrets below.

Elsewhere in Europe, Danish lawmakers have agreed on a plan to rewild 10% of the country’s farmland and plant one billion trees.   According to the Danish government, this plan would bring about the biggest change to the Danish landscape in over 100 years.

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To Cope with Extreme Heat, Paris Will Swap Parking Spaces for Trees

Photo, posted April 11, 2014, courtesy of Val H. via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

October was another hot month

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In a year filled with unusually warm months, October 2024 ranked as the second-warmest October in the 175 years of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s records.  It was just 0.09 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than the previous global record set just last year.

In our part of the world, North America had its warmest October on record.

Year-to-date, the global surface temperature has been 2.3 degrees Fahrenheit above the 20th century average, which is the warmest such period on record.  This record warmth was observed in Africa, Europe, North America, Oceania, and South America.  With only a little of the year to go, predictions are that there is a greater than 99% chance that 2024 will rank as the world’s warmest year on record.

Other aspects of the warming climate were also in full evidence in October.  Global sea ice coverage was the smallest in the 46 years that it has been tracked, about 1.25 million square miles below the 1991-2020 average.  Ice extent in the Arctic was the fourth lowest on record and ice extent in the Antarctic was the second lowest on record.

Global ocean surface temperature was the second warmest for October and is the warmest ever for the period January to October.

The Atlantic basin saw five tropical cyclones during October, including the deadly and destructive Hurricane Milton that made landfall just south of Tampa Bay. 

The monthly climate postings by NOAA continue to report record-breaking temperatures and significant climate anomalies and events.  This pattern is not likely to do anything but continue in the future.

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Planet saw its 2nd-warmest October in 175-year record

Photo, posted August 21, 2018, courtesy of Fabio Achilli via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

And the heat goes on

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August 2024 was the hottest August in the 175-years for which there are global records.  The last full month of summer also wrapped up the Northern Hemisphere‘s warmest summer on record.

The average global surface temperature in August was 62.39 degrees Fahrenheit, which is 2.29 degrees above the 20th century August average.  Furthermore, August was the 15th consecutive month of record-high global temperatures, which is a record in and of itself.

Regionally, Europe and Oceana had their warmest August on record.  Asia had its second-warmest August, and Africa and North America had their third-warmest August.

The summer in the Northern Hemisphere was a record-breaker with a temperature 2.74 degrees Fahrenheit above average.  Thinking about climate goals, this is 1.52 degrees Celsius above average, which is a troubling amount.  Meanwhile, in the Southern Hemisphere, where it was winter in the June-to-August period, it was also the warmest ever with a temperature 1.73 degrees Fahrenheit above average.

Globally, this year to date ranks as the warmest ever recorded with a temperature 2.3 degrees above the 20th-century average.  With a few months to go, the prediction is that there is a 97% chance that 2024 will rank as the world’s warmest year on record.

Other aspects of the global climate system were consistent with these record-breaking temperatures.  The global ocean surface temperature for June through August was the warmest on record. 

These monthly climate reports have an unfortunate similarity:  the heat goes on.

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Earth had its hottest August in 175-year record

Photo, posted June 22, 2021, courtesy of Vicky Brock via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Increasing plastic recycling

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Recycling plastic is a complicated matter.  There are many different types of plastic and knowing which things are made of which type isn’t easy.  There are increasingly widespread recycling systems across the U.S., but the actual rates of recycling have been described as “abysmal”.

The plastic commonly used in beverage bottles is polyethylene terephthalate, or PET.  The present nationwide rate of recycling PET is about 24% and has been about at that level for a decade.

A new study by MIT has found that with a nationwide bottle deposit program, the rates could increase to 82%.  At that level, nearly two-thirds of all PET bottles could be recycled into new bottles at a net cost of just a penny a bottle.

The study looked at PET bottle collection and recycling rates in different states as well as other nations with and without bottle deposit policies, and with and without curbside recycling programs.  The study is the first to look in detail at the interplay between public policies and the detailed end-to-end aspects of the packaging, production and recycling market.

Recycling of PET is highly successful in terms of quality.  New products made from all-recycled material is virtually indistinguishable from virgin material.  The crucial bottleneck is the collection of sufficient amounts of material to meet the needs of processing plants.  So, the conclusion of the study is that with the right policies in place, significant improvements can be made.  Several European countries manage to collect more than 90% of PET bottles for recycling.  So, it can be done.

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How to increase the rate of plastics recycling

Photo, posted August 10, 2013, courtesy of Lisa Risager via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Clean energy investment at record levels

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According to a new study by the International Energy Agency, global clean energy investment will be nearly twice that of fossil fuels this year.  The surging funding for clean energy is being driven by a combination of lower costs for renewable energy and by improving supply chains.

In 2024, the world’s investments in energy are expected to surpass $3 trillion dollars for the first time.  About $2 trillion of that will be directed at green technologies that include renewable power sources, grids, and energy storage; electric vehicles; low-emission fuels; nuclear power; and heat pumps and efficiency improvements.  The remaining amount of just over $1 trillion will fund oil, gas, and oil projects.

The record growth in clean energy investments is taking place in spite of challenging economic conditions related to high interest rates, which demonstrates the momentum behind the global energy transition.

The IEA report does caution that there are big imbalances and shortages in energy investment in various places around the world.  For example, there is a low amount of green energy spending in developing and emerging economies outside of China.  Countries like Brazil and India are leading the way for this sector by having investments in excess of $300 billion.

More money is currently going into solar power development than all other electricity generation technologies combined.  In 2024, solar photovoltaic power investment is set to grow to $500 billion as the falling price of solar modules spurs new investments.

The largest renewable investments will come from China at $675 billion, followed by Europe and the U.S. at $370 billion and $315 billion, respectively.

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Global Clean Energy Investment Will Nearly Double That of Fossil Fuels in 2024: IEA Report

Photo, posted October 2, 2015, courtesy of John Englart via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Potential for floating solar

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As installations of utility-scale solar power continue to expand around the world, there is the issue of where to put them.  They do take up considerable amounts of space and, in many places, available land is at a premium.

An alternative to taking up available land with solar panels is to deploy them on the surfaces of lakes and reservoirs.  A study by researchers at Bangor and Lancaster Universities in the UK calculated the potential electrical output for floating photovoltaic installation on nearly 68,000 lakes and reservoirs around the world.  The lakes and reservoirs selected were no more than 6 miles from a population center, were not in a protected area, and didn’t dry up and didn’t freeze for more than six months each year.  The calculations were based on covering just 10% of the surface area of the bodies of water.

The calculations were evaluated country-by-country.  Five countries could meet their entire electricity needs by floating installations including Papua New Guinea, Ethiopia, and Rwanda.  Many countries, mostly in Africa, South America, and Central Asia, could get between 40% and 70% of their electricity this way.  Most European countries could only meet a few percent of their electricity needs from floating solar, but even that could be significant. 

There are other benefits to floating solar apart from freeing up land.  The panels stay cooler, making them more efficient, and reservoirs lose less water through evaporation and the growth of algal blooms is reduced because there is less light reaching the water.

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Some countries could meet their total electricity needs from floating solar panels, research shows

Photo, posted November 25, 2015, courtesy of Smabs Sputzer via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

A brief bout of bad air in Scotland

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Scotland, and the UK in general, used to suffer from sulfur dioxide pollution.  Industrial and domestic emissions, especially from burning coal, contributed heavily to urban air leading to the London smog of the 1950s and the acid rain of the 1980s.  But national air pollution agreements and various international measures have been highly successful in reducing sulfur dioxide emissions.  Desulfurization of coal-fired powerplants and the introduction of ultralow sulfur fuels among other measures have decreased sulfur dioxide emission by 98% since 1970. 

As a result, it came as quite a surprise on May 31st when Edinburgh saw sulfur dioxide levels higher than had been observed in over 30 years.  The levels greatly exceeded air quality objectives for 10 hours with concentrations even creeping towards workplace exposure limits.

What happened?  For once, it was nothing that people did.  Two days earlier, a volcanic fissure eruption took place in the Reykjanes Peninsula in Iceland, some 850 miles from Edinburgh.  Because of an unusual meteorological configuration, the prevailing winds sent the plume of volcanic gases southward towards Scotland.  Had the eruption taken place 60 miles further north or happened a few hours later, the plume of gases would have missed the UK entirely and would have traveled north to the Arctic region.

Icelandic volcanic eruptions have impacted air travel in Europe on a number of occasions.  This non-explosive eruption had little impact outside of its local region, but it turned out to briefly wreak havoc in Scotland.  Fortunately, this pollution event was short-lived.

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Atmospheric sulphur dioxide levels reach historic high in Scotland following Icelandic volcano eruption

Photo, posted November 17, 2021, courtesy of Catherine Poh Huay Tan via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

EV growth and oil demand

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There has been lots of talk recently about the transition to electric vehicles sputtering out.  Several automakers have delayed their EV programs citing reduced demand for the vehicles and lack of profitability.  In the bigger picture, the auto industry as a whole is in a rough patch as rising interest rates and other factors have reduced car buying.

Despite all this doom and gloom talk, sales of electric vehicles will hit an all-time high this year.  Adoption of EVs is accelerating more quickly than many people expected and government policies in China, the United States, and Europe have had a significant impact on vehicle sales.  In China, 37% of new cars sold last year were electric.  The country hit its 2025 target three years early and this year the figure could hit 45%.

But even as electric car sales rapidly increase, oil demand has continued to climb, reaching 100 million barrels a day, slightly more than it was before the COVID-19 pandemic.  The International Energy Agency expects that oil demand will peak before the end of this decade, but oil consumption could remain strong for decades unless there is further policy action encouraging the transition away from it.

Some experts say that the IEA’s models don’t take into account how quickly the world is changing.  New emission rules are expected to speed the adoption of EVs and plug-in hybrids.  In addition, falling battery costs are making the economics of electric vehicles increasingly attractive.  If EV adoption accelerates more rapidly than these models predict, then oil consumption could drop much more quickly.

However, the oil industry is deeply embedded in modern life and is not likely to fade away without a fight.

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EV Sales Are Taking Off. Why Is Oil Demand Still Climbing?

Photo, posted September 9, 2020, courtesy of Chris Yarzab via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

The world’s largest energy plant

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The largest energy plant in the world is being built in India.  In an area of barren desert in western India near the Pakistani border, Adani Green Energy Limited (or AGEL) is building a sprawling solar and wind power plant that will cover more than 200 square miles.  It will be five times the size of Paris and will produce enough electricity to power 16 million homes.

The Khavda Renewable Energy Park will cost about $20 billion to build and will take about five years to complete.

The success of the plant is critical to India’s efforts to reduce pollution and meet its climate goals.  India is the world’s third-largest energy consuming country.  Even though its energy use and emissions per person are less than half the global average, its enormous population offsets that advantage and its expanding economy and ongoing modernization are driving rapid growth of energy demand.  Energy demand has doubled since 2000 and 80% is still being met by coal, oil, and solid biomass.  India uses massive amounts of coal, and, in fact, the Adani Group of companies is India’s biggest coal importer and a leading miner of the fossil fuel.   Adani represents two sides of the coin.

More than 600 million people in India will be coming into middle and upper income over the next 10 to 15 years and they will have increasing energy needs.  India is in a race to develop clean energy capacity.  If it simply follows the torturous path that China, Europe, and US all have done, the prospects for the global climate are bleak.

Building the world’s largest clean energy plant is just a first small step in the necessary direction.

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A coal billionaire is building the world’s biggest clean energy plant and it’s five times the size of Paris

Photo, posted February 25, 2010, courtesy of Bhavin Toprani via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

One in five cars will be electric this year

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There has been lots of turbulence in the electric car industry of late.  Part of it is aggressive publicity campaigns spreading misinformation and part of it is the natural fits and starts associated with major change.  But apart from the ups and downs of individual companies and countries, analysts are projecting another record year for the sales of electric vehicles and are expecting that plug-in cars will account for 20% of all car sales globally.  Much of the growth will be driven by China, where 38% of new car sales will be electric cars.

Global sales of plug-in cars are expected to grow by 21% this year, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance.  Total projected sales are 16.7 million cars, including 1.9 million in the U.S., 3.4 million in Europe, and 9.7 million in China.  Because of the rapid adoption of electric cars in China, that country is expected to reach peak gasoline demand this year.  In other words, the use of gasoline in China will be diminishing from now on.

The auto industry is in flux.  The traditional big automakers are currently slowing down EV manufacturing as they work to come up to speed with the technology and market demand.  Meanwhile, EV-only carmakers such as Tesla in the U.S. and BYD in China are ratcheting up production. BYD is focusing on emerging economies with its lower-priced offerings.

In the U.S., EV adoption has been slowed somewhat by high interest rates and the slow rollout of EVs by the Big Three automakers.  But many new vehicles by a growing list of automakers will provide customers with more and more choices of EVs to suit diverse tastes and needs.

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This Year One in Five Cars Sold Globally Will Be an EV

Photo, posted November 18, 2023, courtesy of RL via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Offshore wind in Massachusetts

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On January 2nd, the first large offshore wind farm in New England started producing electricity when its first turbine came online.  The Vineyard Wind project, located off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard, will by the end of the year have a total of 62 turbines with a capacity of 800 megawatts, enough electricity to power 400,000 homes.

Power finally flowing from Vineyard Wind is an important milestone for an industry that has struggled to get going.  It is the second utility-scale offshore wind farm in the U.S. to begin generating electricity.  The South Fork Wind project off the coast of New York began producing power in December.  That project will eventually produce 132 megawatts of electric power.

The offshore wind industry in the U.S. has faced some difficulties in recent times.  A combination of rising costs, high interest rates, supply chain delays, and incidents of local opposition have created headwinds.  Developers for several large planned windfarms in the northeast have terminated contracts because of inflation and high interest rates.  The second phase of Empire Wind, located southeast of Long Island, has been at least temporarily shelved awaiting more favorable contract terms.

To fight climate change, many Eastern states are hoping to install dozens of large wind farms in the Atlantic that can generate electricity without emitting greenhouse gases.  But as a result of the recent project cancellations, analysts are now projecting that U.S. offshore wind capacity in 2030 will likely be about a third less than previously predicted.

So far, the United States remains far behind Europe, which has already installed more than 32,000 megawatts of wind capacity in its waters.

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Massachusetts Switches On Its First Large Offshore Wind Farm

Photo, posted August 31, 2022, courtesy of Nina Ali via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Bio-based products on the rise

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There is a growing global movement working towards replacing conventional synthetic products – ones that are toxic to make or use, difficult to recycle, and have large carbon footprints – with products made from plants, trees, or fungi that can be safely returned to the earth at the end of their useful life.  This so-called bioeconomy is in its infant stages, but there is increasing interest in turning successful research into manufactured products.

One example is nylon.  Nylon was created in the 1930s by DuPont.  It has been used and continues to be used in a wide range of products.  The problem with it is that it is made from petroleum, it doesn’t biodegrade, and producing it generates nitrous oxide, which is a problematic greenhouse gas.

A San Diego-based company called Genomatica has developed a plant-based nylon using biosynthesis, a process in which a genetically engineered microorganism ferments plant sugars to create a chemical intermediate that can be turned into the nylon-6 polymer, and then into textiles. 

The impetus for developing bio-based products includes the growing public disgust at the mounting environmental toll of plastic, not the least of which is that people and animals are increasingly ingesting it.  Coupled with this, there is a rapidly-growing torrent of funding, especially in the US and Europe, aimed at accelerating the transition away from products that are non-biodegradable, toxic, and that produce carbon emissions.   Last September saw the launch of the National Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Initiative which will support research and development on such topics as the use of sustainable biomass and waste resources to make non-toxic, bio-based fuels, chemicals, and fertilizers.

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From Lab to Market: Bio-Based Products Are Gaining Momentum

Photo, posted May 27, 2010, courtesy of André C via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

The slow decline of coal

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Despite the fact that coal is the dirtiest and most climate-harmful energy source we have, the global demand for it hit a record high in 2023. The demand for coal grew by 1.4% worldwide, according to an analysis by the International Energy Agency.

Coal use grew by 5% in China and 8% in India.  The two countries are the world’s largest producers and consumers of coal.  Meanwhile, coal use in the U.S. and the European Union fell by 20%.

Despite this discouraging news, the IEA forecasts that coal use will decline over the next two years.  There have been declines in coal demand a few times before, but they were driven by unusual events such as the collapse of the Soviet Union and the Covid-19 crisis.  But the IEA says that the forthcoming decline is different.  It will be driven by the formidable and sustained expansion of clean energy technologies.

According to the IEA, global coal demand will fall by 2.3% by 2026 even in the absence of new policies to curb coal use.  Forces at play will be increased hydropower in China as it recovers from drought and puts new wind and solar projects online.  China is responsible for more than half of global coal demand, but it is also responsible for more than half of the planned renewable power projects coming online over the next three years.  Experts believe that with these forthcoming projects, Chinese emissions may have peaked in 2023.

The projected drop in coal demand is still far short of what is required for the world to avoid catastrophic warming.  Much greater efforts are needed to meet international climate targets.

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After a Record 2023, Coal Headed for Decline, Analysts Say

Photo, posted August 25, 2015, courtesy of Jeremy Buckingham via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

How to reduce pollution from food production

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Present in animal manure and synthetic fertilizers, nitrogen is an essential nutrient for plant growth and is a critical input to enhance agricultural productivity on farms around the world.  But excessive and inefficient use of this nutrient is widespread.  In fact, up to 80% of it leaks into the environment, mostly in various polluting forms of nitrogen: ammonia and nitrogen oxides (which are harmful air pollutants), nitrous oxide (a potent greenhouse gas), and nitrate (which affects water quality).

A new report prepared for the United Nations has put forth some solutions to greatly reduce nitrogen pollution from agriculture in Europe.  A group of researchers coordinated by the U.K. Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, the European Commission, the Copenhagen Business School, and the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment of The Netherlands produced the report.

In it, the research team puts forth its recipe to reduce nitrogen pollution in Europe.  The report’s ingredients include:

  • Reducing by 50% the average European meat and dairy consumption
  • More efficient fertilizer application and manure storage
  • Reducing food production demand by reducing food waste by retailers and consumers
  • Better wastewater treatment to capture nitrogen from sewage
  • Adopting policies addressing food production and consumption to transition them towards more sustainable systems

Taking action to reduce nitrogen pollution will require a holistic approach involving farmers, policymakers, retailers, water companies, and individuals. 

Do Europeans have an appetite for change?

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Scientists provide recipe to halve pollution from food production

Photo, posted March 10, 2022, courtesy of USDA NRCS Montana via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Offshore wind in the U.S. at last

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There have been large offshore wind farms in Europe for over 30 years.  Five Asian countries have had offshore wind installations for 7 years, with China now leading the world in total installed capacity.   The United States has been talking about offshore wind power for a long time and has been moving toward actually installing it in fits and starts.

As of early December, there is finally a wind turbine off the coast of eastern Long Island that has begun sending electricity onto the U.S. grid.  The South Fork Wind Farm will soon have 12 turbines generating 132 megawatts of offshore wind energy to power more than 70,000 homes.

Meanwhile, the first five turbines for the Vineyard Wind I project off the coast of Massachusetts have been installed and will be sending 65 megawatts of power to the electric grid in Massachusetts just weeks after the New York installation turned on.

Vineyard Wind I is planned to expand into a 62-turbine, 806-megawatt project when fully operational.  That is enough electricity to power an estimated 400,000 homes and businesses.

There are multiple offshore wind projects in various stages of development along the eastern seaboard.  There are also various projects in the planning stages on the west coast, where the deep seabeds require the use of much more challenging floating turbine installations.

While it is encouraging to see that offshore wind is finally happening here in the United States, it is sobering to realize that there is more than 63 thousand megawatts of offshore wind power capacity installed globally comprising more than 11,000 turbines.  We have a lot of catching up to do.

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Decades after Europe, South Fork Wind sends first commercial wind power onto US grid

First five turbines installed at Vineyard Wind 1

Photo, posted June 14, 2022, courtesy of Stephen Boutwell/BOEM via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Tracking down PFAS toxins

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PFAS – per- and polyfluoralkyl substances – are a group of organic compounds that have been extensively used to provide water-, oil-, and dirt-resistance to a wide range of products ranging from non-stick pans, clothing, and packaging to paint, car polish, and fire-suppressant foam.  Exposure to specific PFAS compounds is associated with multiple adverse health effects, including altered immune and thyroid function, liver disease, kidney disease, poor reproductive and developmental outcomes, and cancer.  PFAS compounds do not break down in the environment and therefore, over time, become concentrated in plants, animals, and people.

Government agencies such as the EPA in this country and the EU have set strict limits for allowable levels of PFAS in drinking water.  Testing water for the trace amounts of PFAS that constitute the limits is time-consuming and expensive and requires complex equipment and experienced personnel.

Researchers at MIT have now introduced a technique for making a portable, inexpensive test that can easily and selectively detect PFAS in water samples.  The test makes use of a special polymer containing fluorinated dye molecules that cause the polymer to fluoresce red.  If PFAS are present in the sample, they enter the polymer and displace the dye molecules and switches off the red fluorescence. 

The new technique is suitable for on-site detection in highly contaminated regions.  Detecting smaller concentrations can be achieved with sufficient precision after pre-concentrating the samples using the process of solid-phase extraction.

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Tracking down Environmental Toxins

Photo, posted October 16, 2021, courtesy of Nenad Stojkovic 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

Wind turbines and bats

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Collisions with wind turbines are one of the leading causes of bat mortality in North America and Europe.  Most bat fatalities are caused by bats colliding with the rotating blades of wind turbines.  Fatalities are highest during autumn migration and on nights with low wind speeds.

According to a recent study, land-based wind turbines kill as many as 880,000 bats a year and are wiping out so many threatened bats that some species may become endangered unless preventative action is taken.

The big challenge is that bat conservation experts and scientists don’t know how to stop or reduce turbine collisions.  They don’t really know why bats are interacting with turbines to the extent that they are.  Do turbines attract bats?  Do turbines’ bright lights or just their silhouettes stimulate an attraction response?

The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded $8 million to five research centers to develop strategies for deterring bats from wind turbines. 

One of these is Bat Conservation International, which is an organization whose mission is to accelerate research to address knowledge gaps in bat ecology and behavior and develop technologies and industry methods to reduce fatality of bats at wind farms.  Among the approaches to be tested is limiting the use of nighttime lighting on wind farms to make migrating bats less likely to fly through blades. 

Another team at Boise State University is designing ultrasonic noisemakers to scare off bats. 

In announcing the new program, the Department of Energy states that wind energy must be appropriately and responsibly sited, which includes the protection of wildlife and their habitats.

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Experts Seek to Spare Bats From Wind Turbine Collisions

Photo, posted January 10, 2013, courtesy of Tom Shockey via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Plastics In The Air | Earth Wise

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Plastic pollution is a big deal.  There are plastics clogging up landfills and waterways and accumulating in the oceans, choking turtles and seabirds.  Annual production of plastics has grown from 2 million tons a year in 1950 to more than 450 million tons today.

As if plastic problems weren’t already big enough, it is becoming increasingly clear that there are growing amounts of microplastic particles in the air. Bits of plastic are lofted into the sky from seafoam bubbles and from spinning tires on highways.  The particles are so light that they can travel for thousands of miles, far from where they originate.

Studies in recent years documented the presence of plastic particles even in places like the Pyrenees in Europe and in federally protected areas of the US.  Other studies have measured the quantity of plastic in the air of various locations and have looked at the origins of the particles.

In the western US, over 80% of microplastics came from roads where vehicles kick up particles from tires and brakes.   In remote areas of the Pacific, there is less than a single particle of plastic per cubic meter of air.  In cities like London and Beijing, on the other hand, there can be several thousand particles per cubic meter.

Microplastics can act as airborne aerosols, like dust, salt, soot, volcanic ash, and other particles.  Aerosols play an important role in the formation of clouds and in temperature regulation on the earth.  At low concentrations, such as exist in most places, microplastic aerosols don’t have much of an effect.  But there are more in the atmosphere all the time and, at this point, scientists don’t really know what effect they will have.

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Microplastics Are Filling the Skies. Will They Affect the Climate?

Photo, posted August 28, 2014, courtesy of Alan Levine via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

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