homes

Lifestyle And Carbon Footprint | Earth Wise

March 23, 2020 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Many studies have shown, to no great surprise, that affluent lifestyles lead to larger carbon footprints. Households in Switzerland enjoy a high standard of living and a team of researchers there has been studying the consumption and travel habits of Swiss citizens to better understand the impact of various factors on carbon footprint. Key factors include household composition and income, and whether the households are in the city or the countryside – even though, in the end, people’s lifestyles do not differ greatly from one environment to another.

A team of researchers at EPFL’s School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering analyzed data from Switzerland’s household budget survey for 2008, 2011 and 2014. They combined that data with an environmentally extended input-output analysis to assess households’ carbon footprints by measuring their direct and indirect emissions.

Overall, households in the countryside have larger carbon footprints than those in the city, mainly because they travel more and use more energy in their homes. But urban households have larger carbon footprints than their rural counterparts when it comes to food, clothing, cultural activities and air travel.

A household’s composition directly influences its carbon footprint. A two-person household has the largest per-capita carbon footprint, and it falls as the size of the family grows since many of the same resources are shared by more people.

Income levels play an important role. People consume without much thought because they can afford to and enjoy doing it. But there is a trend towards people becoming more conscious of their levels of consumption and trying to be more responsible in Switzerland. Overall consumption has actually declined over the years studied.

**********

Web Links

Our carbon footprint is highly impacted by how we live

Photo, posted December 19, 2017, courtesy of Alexander Kozik via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Tough Times For Fireflies | Earth Wise

March 11, 2020 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Fireflies or lightning bugs are soft-bellied beetles known widely for their use of bioluminescence – the biochemical emission of light – to communicate and to attract mates. There are more than 2,000 species of these beetles globally. They can be found in temperate and tropical climates, like marshes or wet, wooded areas, all throughout the world.

But if you are seeing fewer fireflies each summer, you’re not alone. Like many insects, firefly populations are under duress from threats like pesticides, pollution, and habitat loss. But fireflies are also facing another threat unique to luminous bugs: light pollution. Light pollution is making it harder for fireflies to reproduce because the artificial light is outshining their mating signals.

Male fireflies light up to signal availability and female fireflies respond with patterned flashes to indicate they’re interested. But artificial bright light from things like billboards, streetlights, buildings, and homes, is interfering with the fireflies reproduction communications.

The study, by researchers at Tufts University and the IUCN, warned that these threats facing fireflies could lead them globally to extinction.

The researchers also point to habitat loss as another major threat to fireflies. Firefly populations are especially vulnerable because they need special conditions to complete their life cycle. Mangrove forests and marshes around the world are being removed in favor of cash crops like palm oil.

Insects like fireflies are crucial components of many ecosystems where they perform important functions, like aerating soil, pollinating plants, and controlling pests. Firefly larvae feed on snails, slugs and mites, and many fireflies are effective pollinators.

We can’t afford for fireflies to go dark.

**********

Web Links

A Global Perspective on Firefly Extinction Threats

Fireflies Have a Mating Problem: The Lights Are Always On

Photo, posted June 5, 2010, courtesy of Matt MacGillivray via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Should New York Build A Storm Surge Barrier?

December 6, 2019 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

In 2012, Superstorm Sandy’s storm surge combined with a high tide and buried lower Manhattan under 13 feet of water. Across all five boroughs, subways, highways, and parking garages flooded and homes and businesses were destroyed. Sandy caused nearly $20 billion in damages in New York City alone and more than 50 people died.

Ever since that disaster took place, there have been discussions about building storm surge barriers to protect the city from future storms. Columbia University’s Sabin Center recently hosted an event to discuss the feasibility of building such barriers.

A study by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers called the NY and NJ Harbor and Tributaries Focus Area Feasibility Study (HATS, for short) evaluates five options for coastal protection, which range in scope and price.

The most extensive option would involve constructing six miles of storm surge gates along with 26 miles of floodwalls, levees, and buried seawalls. This option would cost $62 billion but could theoretically save $131 billion in damages and protect 95% of the study area.

The study also considers the side effects of building storm surge barriers. These include environmental impacts such as effects on fish and wildlife, water quality, noise and vibrations, and changes in water flow. While these effects can be quite serious and there is opposition from many quarters related to environmental impacts, others point out that there is really no other credible defense against storm surge. The debate over whether or not to build storm surge barriers could easily last for many more years.

In the bigger picture, storm surge barriers do nothing to protect against rain-driven flooding, sea level rise, and tidal floods which continue to increase.

**********

Web Links

Should New York Build a Storm Surge Barrier?

Photo, posted October 30, 2012, courtesy of Pamela Andrade via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Beavers And Biodiversity

October 10, 2019 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Beavers are large, semi-aquatic rodents known best for their ability to construct dams, canals, and lodges (their homes). They are among the largest rodents in the world. With powerful jaws and strong teeth, beavers fell trees to use as building materials, often changing their environment in ways few other animals can. But in a good way. As it turns out, beavers are important for biodiversity.

According to new research from the Faculty of Natural Sciences at the University of Stirling in Scotland, reintroducing beavers to their native habitats is an important step towards solving the freshwater biodiversity crisis.

Researchers surveyed water plants and beetles in 20 wetlands in Sweden – 10 created by beavers and 10 that were not – in order to understand what impact beavers might have on the variety of plant and animal life around them.

The research team’s findings build on previous work that has shown that beavers have an important impact on biodiversity. This latest study discovered that the number of species found only in beaver-built ponds was 50% higher than in other non beaver-built wetlands in the same region.

Beavers are known to be profound engineers of the environment. They use wood to build dams across rivers in order to form ponds behind them. They do this to raise the water level in order to avoid predators, like bears and wolves. But it turns out many other plants and animals, like water plants and beetles, also benefit from their work.

According to the research team, reintroducing beavers to their native habitats should benefit the wider biodiversity and be seen as an important step towards solving the freshwater biodiversity crisis.

**********

Web Links

Beaver reintroduction key to solving freshwater biodiversity crisis

Photo, posted October 2, 2014, courtesy of USFWS Midwest Region via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Scottish Wind Power

September 5, 2019 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Scotland is a windy country. Most wind turbines in the European Union produce electricity at an average of 25% of their maximum rated power as a result of the variability of wind resources. The west and northern coasts of Scotland have an average capacity of 31% or more. Some wind farms in Scotland have achieved more than 50% capacity over the course of a year.

As of the end of last year, Scotland had more than 8 GW of installed wind power capacity. This included 7.8 GW of onshore wind and 623 MW of offshore wind generators. Estimates are that more than 11 GW of onshore wind could be installed in Scotland. The total offshore potential is far greater than that but would be much more expensive. There are multiple large-scale wind farms proposed or under construction in Scotland.

All of this growth in wind power has led to some remarkable results. During the first half of 2019, wind turbines in Scotland produced enough electricity to power every home in the country twice over. Scottish wind farms generated nearly 10 million megawatt-hours between January and June, which is equal to the consumption of 4.5 million homes during that period. That is enough to take care of all of Scotland’s homes plus a large portion of northern England’s.

Scotland has set a target of generating half of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030 and decarbonizing its energy system almost entirely by 2050. The recent performance of its wind power installations shows that the country might be able to reach its goal much sooner than anticipated.

**********

Web Links

Scotland’s Wind Farms Generate Enough Electricity to Power Nearly 4.5 Million Homes

Photo, posted March 27, 2017, courtesy of Ian Dick via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

The World’s Largest Storage Battery

May 24, 2019 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Many homeowners are installing solar energy systems with battery backup. Energy stored in the battery can be used when the sun isn’t shining. As battery prices come down, utility-scale solar installations are also turning to battery-based energy storage.

Florida Power & Light has announced plans to build the world’s largest solar-storage combination facility in Manatee County. The 409-MW Manatee Energy Storage Center will be the largest solar-battery system by a factor of four. The specifics of the technology and source of the battery system components have yet to be announced.

The system, which is scheduled to be completed in late 2021, will be charged by a nearby FPL solar power plant. The plan is to discharge batteries during times of higher demand, thereby offsetting the need to run other power plants. As a result, there will be reduced emissions and customers will save as much as $100 million through avoided fuel costs.

Installing the mega-sized battery system will accelerate the retirements of two nearby 1970’s-era gas-fired generation units. At peak efficiency, the Manatee energy storage system will be able to power 390,000 homes for up to two hours.

FPL has already been pursuing the use of battery storage technology. Last year, they added a 10 MW battery storage system to its 74.5 MW Babcock Ranch Solar Energy Center in Charlotte County.

These large battery systems are increasingly practical because of dramatic reductions in lithium-ion battery costs. The levelized cost of electricity from lithium-ion batteries has declined a remarkable 38% just since the beginning of 2018. The economics of clean energy continue to get better and better.

**********

Web Links

FP&L Plans World’s Largest Energy Storage Battery To Support Its Renewable Energy Goals

Photo, posted April 21, 2010, courtesy of Frank Starmer via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Building For Climate Change

May 13, 2019 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

The manifestations of climate change are creating increasingly familiar images: floodwaters rising up house windows, charred buildings in the wake of wildfires, and homes and businesses demolished by storm winds. As these sorts of calamities become ever more common, changes to how houses are built are going to be necessary.

How can homes become more resilient against severe and unpredictable weather?

Research at Carlton University’s Sprott School of Business looks at this issue.

As an example, houses can be framed and finished in certain ways that help protect them from wind and flooding. But such methods are currently only happening in the custom-build fringes of the housing sector. Widespread adoption will require, at the minimum, significant changes to building codes.

Revising building codes is not an easy matter. The codes themselves are highly technical and complex, and beyond that, the process Is often politicized.

Even simple things like hurricane ties, which are small pieces of hardware that prevent a roof from lifting during a severe wind are not now included in building codes. Insurance companies support their use as inexpensive protection for houses. But even though the overall cost is relatively minor, the building industry pushes back at the additional expense.

The need to reduce carbon emissions has created a push for sustainable housing. But the increasingly erratic weather means that houses also need resilience and adaptation. These features will inevitably add costs and incorporating them into building codes requires producing convincing business cases.

The U.S. experienced 394 natural catastrophe events last year costing $225 billion in damage. Finding ways to make homes and businesses more resilient is not just a good idea; it is essential.

**********