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Predicting major earthquakes

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Natural disasters continue to be major threats for people, just as they always have been.  But modern technology has greatly improved our ability to prepare for and, in many cases, escape from the worst effects of these events.  A good example is hurricane forecasting.  Nowadays, there is plenty of warning when a major hurricane is headed toward a populous area.  It is still up to people to get away from the danger zone, but at least there is the opportunity to do so.

Major earthquakes are a different story.  There is generally little or no warning when one will strike.  But scientists at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich, Germany have developed a technique that may provide days or even months of warning about an impending major earthquake.

The detection method is based on machine learning and is described in a paper in the journal Nature Communications.  The researchers wrote a computer algorithm that looks for abnormal seismic activity.  Advanced statistical techniques found that approximately three months of abnormal low-magnitude regional seismicity occurred in the regions where two major earthquakes took place.  One was the magnitude 7.1 Anchorage earthquake in 2018 and the other was a similar-sized quake in Ridgecrest, California in 2019.

Considerably more testing – particularly in real-time rather than looking at historical data – is needed.  But accurate earthquake forecasting has the potential to save lives and reduce economic losses.  However, there are ethical and practical questions to answer.  False alarms could lead to unnecessary panic, economic disruption, and loss of public trust.  On the other hand, missed predictions can have catastrophic consequences.

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UAF scientist’s method could give months’ warning of major earthquakes

Photo, posted January 22, 2012, courtesy of the Climate and Ecosystems Change Adaptation Research University Network via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Pollution in downwind states

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Air pollution is a serious health threat.  It is associated with asthma and can lead to chronic disease, cancer, and premature death.  Globally, air pollution kills 7 to 9 million people, and 200,000 Americans die from it each year.

There are multiple sources of air pollution including automobiles, power plants, and other industrial activities.  Exposure to pollutants such as nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide, and particulate matter does not require living or working near their sources.  Winds can carry pollution great distances including across state lines.  

The Clean Air Act included the EPA’s “Good Neighbor Plan”, which requires “upwind” states to implement plans to reduce emissions from power plants and other industrial sources.  However, three states – Indiana, Ohio, and West Virginia – along with various industrial companies and trade organizations sued the EPA when it tried to enforce these plans.  A recent Supreme Court decision to block a federal rule curbing interstate air pollution further complicates efforts to reduce emissions.

As a result, there is a disproportionate burden on downwind states.  They face major challenges in demonstrating and attributing air pollution to sources across state lines and pursuing legal actions to get the EPA to address their problems.

A recent study by the University of Notre Dame looking at all the complex issues related to interstate pollution underscored how the regulatory system continues to be hamstrung when attempting to address a serious threat to human health and the environment.

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Downwind states face disproportionate burden of air pollution

Photo, posted February 19, 2021, courtesy of David Wilson via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Industrial agriculture and the risk of pandemics

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The domestication of pigs, cows, chickens, and other animals as livestock for their meat, milk, and eggs was historically revolutionary.  It boosted food security by giving people a readily-available means of feeding themselves as opposed to more traditional methods such as hunting and fishing.

But the industrialization of agriculture has led to horrendous conditions for animals.  Many are kept in huge quantities and packed together with little regard for their health and welfare.  This approach is designed to maximize production while minimizing costs.

With its chemical inputs and toxic outputs, intensive animal agriculture is also a major threat to the environment.  In fact, it’s a major driver of habitat degradation and biodiversity loss all around the globe.  

According to a new study led by researchers from the University of Exeter in the U.K., intensive livestock farming can also increase the risk of new pandemics.  These findings go against the widely held belief that industrialized farming reduces the risk of disease transmission between animals and humans. 

Zoonotic diseases are those that are spread from animals to humans.  According to the CDC, zoonotic infections account for three in every four new or emerging infectious diseases in humans.  The current bird flu outbreak in the U.S. is an example of this. 

In the paper, which was recently published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, the researchers conclude that the effects of intensifying animal agriculture “are at best uncertain and at worst may contribute to emerging infectious disease risk.”

Industrial animal agriculture is a threat to both human health and the health of our planet.

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Intensive farming could raise risk of new pandemics

Photo, posted January 29, 2016, courtesy of Farm Watch via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Forever chemicals in water

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So-called forever chemicals are pervasive in a wide range of products.  These are man-made substances called per- and polyfluoroalkyls or PFAS.  They get their unfortunate nickname because the chemical bonds in them are so strong that the compounds don’t break down for hundreds or even thousands of years.

PFAS compounds are used in makeup, dental floss, nonstick pans, food wrappers, pesticides, stain-resistant fabrics and carpets, firefighting foams, and more.  High level exposure to some of these chemicals has been linked to a variety of health problems include high cholesterol, liver and immune system damage, pregnancy problems, and kidney and testicular cancer.

A recent study published in the journal Nature Geoscience has found that PFAS chemicals are showing up in water around the world.  The study looked at more than 45,000 water samples and found that about 31% of ground water tested that wasn’t even near any obvious source of PFAS contamination had levels of the chemicals that are considered harmful to human health by the EPA.  About 16% of surface water samples – streams, rivers, ponds, and lakes – also not near any known source, had similar hazardous PFAS levels.

The EPA has now imposed strict new drinking water limits for six types of PFAS.  Going forward, water systems are required to monitor for these chemicals and remove them if they are found above allowable levels.  The new rules make the United States one of the strictest countries in the world in terms of regulating PFAS in water.

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EPA puts limits on ‘forever chemicals’ in drinking water

Photo, posted May 5, 2020, courtesy of Brandon Shaw via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

The health impacts of gas venting and flaring

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Oil and gas producers around the world use venting and flaring to remove excess natural gas in crude oil production.  Flaring is the process of burning excess natural gas at the production well using a flare to ignite the methane and other components in the gas, while venting is the direct release of natural gas into the atmosphere. 

Both practices are major sources of greenhouse gas emissions contributing to global warming.   Venting and flaring release carbon dioxide and methane – two major greenhouse gases. 

The practices contribute to air pollution in surrounding and downwind communities, resulting in increased risk of hospitalizations, emergency room visits, worsening asthma, and even premature death.  In fact, according to a new study recently published in the journal GeoHealth, pollution from oil and gas venting and flaring results in $7.4 billion in health damages, more than 700 premature deaths, and 73,000 asthma exacerbations among children in the United States annually. 

The study, which was led by researchers at the University of North Carolina, Boston University, and the Environmental Defense Fund, also found that emissions are underreported, and controlling emissions would be profitable for operators and would significantly improve public health.

The research team found that Texas, Pennsylvania, and Colorado had the highest health burdens in this analysis, accounting for 45% of the premature deaths. 

The researchers hope their findings will help improve air quality and human health by reducing emissions from venting and flaring. 

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New study quantifies health impacts from oil and gas flaring in U.S. 

Photo, posted June 20, 2020, courtesy of Jonathan Cutrer via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Wildfires and air quality

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The wildfires last summer in parts of the U.S. and Canada fouled the air over much of the country.  Air quality in many places was dangerous for human health.  And such fires are becoming more numerous and more intense.

A new study by the University of Iowa has assessed the effects of two decades of wildfires on air quality and human health in the continental U.S.

From 2000 to 2020, air quality in the western U.S. has gotten worse as a result of the numerous fires in that region.  More generally, all those fires have undermined the success of federal efforts to improve air quality, primarily through the reductions in automobile emissions.

American air had been getting cleaner and clearer as a result of EPA regulations on vehicle emissions, but the surge in wildfires has limited and, in some cases, erased these air quality gains.  Twenty years of efforts by the EPA to make our air cleaner have been lost in fire-prone areas and in many downwind areas.

The Iowa study looked at the concentration of black carbon, a fine-particle air pollutant from fires linked to respiratory and heart disease.  In the western U.S., black carbon concentrations have risen 86% on an annual basis.

Fires have also affected the air in the Midwest, although not to the same degree as in the west.  The eastern U.S. had no major declines in air quality during the 2000-2020 time period.  Given the episodes of smoke from Canadian wildfires experienced by the east coast this past summer – as far south as Florida – even the air in that part of the country is suffering from the spread of wildfires.

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Wildfires have erased two decades’ worth of air quality gains in western US

Photo, posted June 8, 2023, courtesy of Anthony Quintano via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Plastics and agriculture 

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Once celebrated as a symbol of modern innovation, plastic is now both a blessing and a curse of our time.  Since the 1950s, more than nine billion tons of plastic have been produced, and 50% of that has been during the past 15 years.  Plastic is ubiquitous in every sector, and agriculture is no different.

Modern agriculture is responsible for almost a third of global greenhouse gas emissions and is a major drain on the planet’s resources.  Modern agriculture is also inextricably linked to plastic. In fact, more than 13 million tons of plastic are used in agriculture every year.  It’s nearly impossible to imagine modern agriculture without plastics. 

But according to a new study led by researchers from Rutgers University, plastic use in agriculture must be reduced in order to mitigate pollution, and prevent toxic chemicals from leaching into the soil and adversely affecting human health. 

In the study, which was recently published in Nature Communications Earth & Environment, the researchers found that it is essential to adopt a strategic approach to mitigate plastic pollution in agriculture, including responsible usage, reduction, efficient collection, reuse, and the implementation of innovative recycling methods. 

According to the researchers, when these sustainable approaches aren’t possible, biodegradable and nontoxic bioplastics should be used.  The research team insists that environmentally benign additives should be mandated in order to reduce plastic toxicity. 

Plastic pollution is a problem that needs to be addressed in every sector. 

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Plastic Use in Agriculture Must be Reduced, According to New Research

How can the use of plastics in agriculture become more sustainable?

Photo, posted November 12, 2022, courtesy of Kevin Dooley via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Great Salt Lake In Danger | Earth Wise

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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

Energy From Rice Straw | Earth Wise

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Rice straw is produced as a byproduct of rice production.  Globally, as much as a billion tons of rice straw is produced each year, three-quarters of it in Asia.  Straw incorporation in soil for fertilization is not practical in most places because with multiple crops per year, there is not enough time for the material to decompose and become good fertilizer.  As a result, open-field straw burning is increasingly the standard practice.

Scientists at Aston University in Birmingham in the UK are embarking on a project to convert rice straw in Indonesia into low-cost energy on a commercial scale.

Indonesia produces 100 million tons of rice waste each year, of which 60% is burned in open fields, causing air pollution. 

The Aston researchers are developing a biomass conversion process based on pyrolysis.  This involves heating the rice straw to high temperatures over 900 degrees Fahrenheit to break it down, producing vapor and solid products.  Both of these things can be used to generate electricity.

A new combustion engine designed by a company called Carnot Limited is capable of converting 70% of the thermal energy extracted from the rice straw into electricity.

Energy extracted in this way could help low and middle-income countries to create their own locally generated energy, thereby reducing emissions, creating jobs, and improving human health.   The biomass electricity is predicted to be cheaper than solar, geothermal, wind, coal, or even subsidized gas-generated power.

The Aston University project will help develop a business model that could support companies and communities to produce local, cheap energy in Indonesia and other countries with biomass capacity. 

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Aston University to help power Indonesia with affordable energy made from rice straw

Photo, posted September 11, 2006, courtesy of Kristen McQuillin via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Electric Cars And Cleaner Air | Earth Wise

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Cities are awash in microscopic soot and other pollutants from the tailpipes of vehicles.  Apart from contributing substantially to the warming of the planet, these emissions have a significant impact on human health.  Research at Cornell University has determined that the continued growth of electric cars will lead to cleaner air and reduced human mortality in most if not all U.S. metropolitan areas.

The study, published in Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, estimated the health impact and consequential economic impact of cleaner air in American cities as a result of the transition to electric vehicles.

For example, by 2050, Los Angeles will have 1,163 fewer premature deaths annually, corresponding to $12.6 billion in economic health benefits.  Greater New York City could see 574 fewer deaths a year leading to $6.24 billion in associated economic gains.

Global sales of electric cars have grown steadily.  In 2016, they accounted for less than 1% of the market.  That share grew to 2.2% in 2018, 4.1% in 2020, and 6.6% in 2021.

In the U.S., electric cars accounted for 4.5% of sales in 2021, but in many cities, the numbers were much higher. 

These trends are likely to accelerate as a combination of government policies and major decisions by automakers drive a rapid transition to electrification.  While mitigating the effects of climate change continues to be the main driving force for that transition, the human health benefits will be a very significant reward for doing the right thing for the planet.

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Electric car sales drive toward cleaner air, less mortality

Photo, posted May 11, 2021, courtesy of Chris Yarzab via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Rainforest Promises | Earth Wise

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The recent UN climate summit in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt brought with it lots of pledges for action.   Among them was a promise from the three countries that are home to more than half of the world’s tropical rainforests to try to do something to protect them.

The ministers of Brazil, Indonesia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo signed an agreement pledging cooperation on sustainable management and conservation, restoration of critical ecosystems, and creation of economies that would ensure the health of both their people and their forests.

The plan has no financial backing of its own.  The countries are pledging to work together to establish a funding mechanism that could help to preserve the tropical forests that both help regulate the Earth’s climate and sustain a wide range of animals, plants, birds, and insects.

That such an agreement has come about at all is a result of the election of Luiz Lula da Silva as Brazilian president, replacing Jair Bolsonaro, who was famously an opponent of any and all environmental conservation or protections.  President Lula addressed the attendees of the climate summit promising that “Brazil is back.”   He described his country as having been in a cocoon for the past four years under his predecessor.  He declared that going forward, Brazil will be a force to combat climate change.  Given the importance of the Amazon rainforest, that is critical for the success of the world’s efforts.

Like all other issues on the table at the climate summit, the real challenge is not to come up with meaningful pledges on climate action, it is to be able to follow through on those pledges.  If past summits are any indication, that is not an easy task.

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Brazil, Indonesia and Congo Sign Rainforest Protection Pact

Photo, posted September 15, 2013, courtesy of Moises Silva Lima via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

The Cost Of Heat Waves | Earth Wise

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Heat waves are defined as periods of abnormally hot weather generally lasting more than two days. To be considered a heat wave, the recorded temperatures must be substantially above the historical averages for a given area. According to climate scientists, anthropogenic climate change is likely causing heat waves to increase in both frequency and intensity.  

According to a new study by researchers from Dartmouth University, climate change-driven severe heat waves have cost the world economy trillions of dollars since the early 1990s. 

In the study, which was recently published in the journal Science Advances, researchers combined in-depth economic data for regions worldwide with the average temperature for the hottest five-day period —a commonly used measurement of heat intensity—for each region in each year.  The research team found that between 1992 and 2013, heat waves statistically coincided with variations in economic growth and that an estimated $16 trillion was lost to the effects of high temperatures on human health, productivity and agricultural output.

The results of the study underscore issues of climate justice and inequality.  According to researchers, the economic costs of extreme heat have been and will be disproportionately borne by the world’s poorest nations.  While economic losses due to extreme heat events averaged 1.5% of GDP per capita for the world’s wealthiest regions, the researchers found that low-income regions suffered a loss of 6.7% of GDP per capita.  Most of these low-income nations have contributed the least to climate change. 

According to the research team, immediate action is needed now to protect vulnerable people during the hottest days of the year.

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Heat Waves Have Cost World Economy Trillions of Dollars

Photo, posted July 23, 2021, courtesy of Martin Fisch (marfis75) via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

The Importance Of Wildlife Crossings | Earth Wise

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Highway accidents involving animals are a big problem for both people and animals.  According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, motorists in the United States kill one to two million large animals every year.  About 200 people are killed annually in the U.S. as a result of those collisions with animals.   

These crashes are expensive, too.  Deer-vehicle collisions cost an average of more than $8,000 each; elk-vehicle collisions cost about $25,000; and moose-vehicle collisions cost more than $44,000.

One solution that has been quite effective around the world in reducing car-animal collisions is wildlife overpasses and underpasses.  They are designed to help animals move in search of food and to escape predators and wildfires.  These traffic-spanning bridges and tunnels have been popular in Europe since the 1950s.  They look much like regular overpasses for cars but are decked out with native flora.  The underpasses, which assist shyer and smaller animals, are typically invisible to drivers.

According to a new economic analysis by researchers at Washington State University, wildlife crossings in Washington State save roughly $235,000 to $443,000 every year per structure. 

Wildlife crossing structures range in cost from $500,000 for a tunnel-like underpass to more than $6 million for a broad bridge.  There may soon be many more wildlife crossing structures across the country since $350 million was allotted in the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act signed into law in 2021.

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Wildlife crossings potentially save millions annually in Washington state

How wildlife bridges over highways make animals—and people—safer

Photo, posted March 24, 2017, courtesy of Jeffrey Beall via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Cleaning Up Forever Chemicals | Earth Wise

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PFAS, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are chemical pollutants that threaten human health and ecosystem sustainability.  They are used in a wide range of applications including food wrappers and packaging, dental floss, firefighting foam, nonstick cookware, textiles, and electronics.  Over decades, these manufactured chemicals have leached into our soil, air, and water.  Chemical bonds in PFAS molecules are some of the strongest known, so the substances do not degrade easily in the environment.

Studies have shown that at certain levels, PFAS chemicals can be harmful to humans and wildlife and have been associated with a wide variety of health problems.

Currently, the primary way to dispose of PFAS chemicals is to burn them, which is an expensive multistep process.  Even trace levels are toxic, so when they occur in water in low amounts, they need to be concentrated in order to be destroyed.

Researchers at Texas A&M University have developed a novel bioremediation technology for cleaning up PFAS.  It uses a plant-derived material to absorb the PFAS which is then eliminated by microbial fungi that literally eat the forever chemicals.

The sustainable plant material serves as a framework to adsorb the PFAS.  That material containing the adsorbed PFAS serves as food for the fungus.  Once the fungus has eaten it, the PFAS is gone. 

The EPA has established a nationwide program to monitor the occurrence and levels of PFAS in public water systems and is considering adding PFAS threshold levels to drinking water standards.  If this happens, the technology developed at Texas A&M may become an essential part of municipal water systems.

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Texas A&M AgriLife develops new bioremediation material to clean up ‘forever chemicals’

Photo, posted August 10, 2013, courtesy of Mike Mozart via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Air Pollution: The Greatest Danger | Earth Wise            

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The effort to reduce and ultimately eliminate the use of fossil fuels has largely been driven by the potentially catastrophic consequences of global climate change.  The need to stop dumping greenhouse gases into the atmosphere has become increasingly urgent.  But there is an equally compelling reason to stop burning fossil fuels.  According to a study published in the journal Lancet Planetary Health, outdoor air pollution is “the largest existential threat to human and planetary health.”

Pollution of various types was responsible for an estimated 9 million deaths around the world in 2019.  Half of those fatalities – 4.5 million deaths – were the result of outdoor air pollution coming from vehicles and industrial sources like power plants and factories.

The number of deaths attributed to air pollution has increased by 55% just since the year 2000.

The growth in air pollution deaths has offset a decline in deaths from other pollution sources that especially affect people living in extreme poverty, such as indoor air pollution and water pollution.  Overall, countries with lower collective incomes tend to bear a disproportionate share of pollution deaths.  Roughly 16% of deaths around the world are attributable to pollution, also resulting in more than $4 trillion in economic losses.

The peer-reviewed study was produced by the 2017 Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health.  The study notes that despite the enormous health, social, and economic impacts of pollution, preventing it is largely overlooked in the international development agenda.  The study calls upon governments, businesses, and other entities to abandon fossil fuels and adopt clean energy sources.

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Study Identifies Outdoor Air Pollution as the ‘Largest Existential Threat to Human and Planetary Health’

Photo, posted November 4, 2019, courtesy of Ninara via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Climate Change And Sleep | Earth Wise

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It’s no secret that our planet is heating up.  According to scientists, the warming is primarily the result of increased anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions.  In fact, human activities are responsible for nearly all of the increase in atmospheric greenhouse gas emissions over the last 150 years. 

Climate change has already left observable effects on the planet.  For example, glaciers have shrunk, oceans have warmed, heatwaves have become more intense, and plant and animal ranges have shifted.

Most research examining the impact of climate change on human life has centered around extreme weather events and how they will affect social and economic health.  But climate change may also have a major influence on fundamental daily human activities, like sleep, that are essential to well-being.   

According to a new study recently published in the journal One Earth, scientists have found that increasing temperatures are negatively impacting human sleep around the globe.  In the study, the research team analyzed anonymized global sleep data from sleep-tracking wristbands.  The data included 7 million nightly sleep records from more than 47,000 adults across 68 countries, spanning all continents except Antarctica.     

Before the year 2100, researchers say that suboptimal temperatures may erode 50 to 58 hours of sleep per person per year.  On warm nights – where temperatures are greater than 86 degrees Fahrenheit – sleep declines an average of more than 14 minutes.  To little surprise, they found that the effect of increasing temperatures on sleep loss is substantially greater for residents in lower income countries as well as in older adults. 

Sleep is an essential restorative process integral to human health and productivity.  And it’s threatened by our changing climate. 

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Climate change likely to reduce the amount of sleep that people get per year

Photo, posted March 16, 2006, courtesy of Joe Green via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Wildfires And Cancer Risk | Earth Wise

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Hotter and drier conditions are leading to an increasing number of wildfires in North America and elsewhere around the globe.  Scientists have linked the severe heat and drought that fuel these wildfires to climate change. As the climate continues to change, wildfires are projected to become more prevalent, more severe, and longer in duration. 

According to a United Nations report released earlier this year, the Western U.S., northern Siberia, central India, and eastern Australia have already seen an uptick in wildfires.  The likelihood of catastrophic wildfires globally could increase by a third by 2050 and more than 50% by the turn of the century. 

According to a new study by researchers from McGill University, living near regions prone to wildfires may boost the risk of developing serious health issues.  The study, which tracked more than two million Canadians over a period of 20 years, found a higher incidence of lung cancer and brain tumors in people exposed to wildfires.  People living within 50 kilometers of wildfires during the past 10 years had a 10% higher incidence of brain tumors and a 4.9% higher incidence of lung cancer when compared to people living further away. 

This study, which was recently published in The Lancet Planetary Health, is the first to examine how proximity to forest fires may influence cancer risk.

In addition to the impacts on air quality, wildfires also pollute aquatic, soil, and indoor environments.  While some pollutants return to normal levels shortly after the fire, many others persist in the environment for long periods of time. 

The research team notes that additional work is needed to develop more long-term estimates of the chronic health effects of wildfires.

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Exposure to wildfires increases risk of cancer

Climate change is causing more wildfires and governments are unprepared, says U.N.

Photo, posted August 17, 2020, courtesy of USFS via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

The Scourge Of Salt | Earth Wise

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Rising seas are increasing saltwater intrusion on land and rising temperatures are causing greater evaporation.   The result is mounting levels of salt in waters and in soils.

Rising sea levels cause salty ocean water to push further into river deltas.  There is already a surge in saltiness across all inhabited continents.   Seawater works its way further upstream when dams hold back water.  Pumps that remove fresh water from underground sources for irrigation and drinking supplies add to the problem.  In dry regions, irrigation systems delivering water to crops increasingly bring salt onto fields.

People add to the problem by pouring saline drainage water from mines into rivers and by using salt to de-ice roads in the winter.

A modeling study pinpointed hotspots for climate change-induced salinization in numerous locations including the U.S. Southwest, wide areas of Australia, Mexico, South Africa, Brazil, central India, northern China, and more.

Some ecosystems are adapted to saline environments but major alterations in the balance between saline and fresh water is creating growing problems for ecosystems, lake fisheries, crop growing, and even human health.

The damage caused by salt is likely to be so severe that salinization will become a major cause of environmental refugees when the land they live on can no longer sustain them. 

Salt will be a growing threat to the world’s food supplies, especially where farmers depend on artificial irrigation.  About a third of the world’s food is grown in irrigated fields, and a fifth of those fields are deemed to already be salt-contaminated.  Ultimately, only a halt to climate change will be capable of combatting the scourge of salt.

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Salt Scourge: The Dual Threat of Warming and Rising Salinity

Photo, posted June 3, 2017, courtesy of Jason Jacobs via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Atmospheric Plastic Polluting The Ocean | Earth Wise

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According to estimates, by 2040 there will likely be nearly 90 million tons of plastic pollution entering the environment each year.  Particles of plastic have been found in virtually all parts of our planet including the land, the water, and even the air.  Tiny plastic particles have been found in the Arctic, the Antarctic, and at the tops of the highest mountains.

A new study has shown that winds can carry plastic particles over great distances and in fact can bring them from their point of origin to the most remote places in a matter of days.   As a result, micro- and nanoplastics can penetrate the most remote and otherwise largely untouched regions of the planet

How does plastic get into the atmosphere?  Particles produced by tires and brakes in road traffic or ones in the exhaust gases from industrial processes rise into the atmosphere, where they are transported by winds.  There is also evidence that a substantial number of these particles are transported by the marine environment.  Microplastic from the coastal zone finds its way into the ocean through beach sand.  A combination of sea spray, wind, and waves forms air bubbles in the water containing microplastic.  When the bubbles burst, the particles find their way into the atmosphere.

Understanding the interactions between the atmosphere and ocean is important because the atmosphere turns out to be a major mechanism in depositing substantial amounts of plastic into a broad range of ecosystems.

The impact of plastic particles on ecosystems is not well understood.  Neither is the effect of plastic particles in the air upon human health.  In a recent British study, microplastic was detected in the lungs of 11 out of 13 living human beings.

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Micro- and nanoplastic from the atmosphere is polluting the ocean

Photo, posted April 25, 2016, courtesy of Bo Eide via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Climate Change And The Next Pandemic | Earth Wise

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As the planet continues to heat up, animals big and small are moving towards the poles to escape the heat.  According to researchers, these animals are likely to come into contact with other animals that they normally wouldn’t, and are likely to relocate to regions with large human populations.  These factors create opportunities for pathogens to get into new hosts, which dramatically increases the risk of a viral jump to humans.  Climate change could lead to the next pandemic.      

An international research team led by scientists at Georgetown University recently made this connection between climate change and viral transmission.  In the study, which was recently published in the journal Nature, researchers conducted the first comprehensive assessment of how climate change will restructure the global mammalian virome.  Their work focused on geographic range shifts. 

As animals eccounter other animals for the first time, the study projects that they will share thousands of viruses.  And as animals increasingly move into the same areas as humans, there will be greater opportunities for these viruses to jump to humans.  The research team says that the impact on conservation and human health could be alarming as viruses jump between species at unprecedented rates. 

In our warming world, much of this process may unfortunately already be underway.  And efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions may not be enough to stop these events from unfolding. 

According to the study, climate change will become the biggest upstream risk factor for disease emergence, eclipsing deforestation, industrial agriculture, and the wildlife trade.  Pairing wildlife disease surveillance with real-time studies of environmental change may be part of the solution to predicting and preventing the next pandemic. 

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Climate change could spark the next pandemic, new study finds

Coronavirus and Climate Change

Photo, posted October 16, 2014, courtesy of Shawn Thomas / NPS via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

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