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A Record Drop In Coal Consumption

August 2, 2017 By EarthWise

A Record Drop In Coal Consumption https://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/EW-08-02-17-Coal-Consumption.mp3

Global consumption of coal dropped by 1.7% last year.  This is a major change considering that it had increased by an average of 1.9% per year from 2005 to 2015.   China, which accounts for about half of the coal burned in the world, used 1.6% less in 2016, as compared to an increase of 3.7% per year over the previous 11 years.

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Exporting Emissions

July 26, 2017 By EarthWise

Exporting Emissionshttps://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/EW-07-26-17-Exporting-Emissions.mp3

The Paris Climate Agreement seeks to reduce global carbon emissions.  The nearly 200 countries who signed it have pledged to reduce their own emissions within their borders.  And therein lies the rub:  the agreement says nothing about the impact their products have across the world.   For some countries, the problem is not so much the emissions they produce; it is those they export.

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Palm Oil Progress

July 21, 2017 By EarthWise

Palm Oil Progresshttps://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/EW-07-21-17-Palm-Oil-Progress.mp3

According to the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil or RSPO, almost 12 million tons, or 21% of the global supply of palm oil, is now certified as responsible and sustainable.  The massive expansion of palm oil plantations has been one of the primary causes of global deforestation.  This has been especially the case in Borneo, where 85% of global palm oil production takes place.

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Saving Borneo’s Forest

July 3, 2017 By EarthWise

Saving Borneo’s Foresthttps://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/EW-07-03-17-Saving-Borneos-Forest.mp3

Borneo is the third-largest island in the world, home to part of Indonesia, part of Malaysia, and the small sultanate of Brunei.   It is also home to the oldest forest on earth – 130 million years old – which is more than twice as old as the Amazon rain forest.

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Carbon Dioxide Marches On

June 21, 2017 By EarthWise

Carbon Dioxide Marches Onhttps://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/EW-06-21-17-Carbon-Dioxide-Marches-On.mp3

The end of 2013 marked the first occasional observations of carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere of 400 parts per million.  There is nothing magical about that value, but we do tend to focus on round numbers.

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Increasing Biological Invasions

June 1, 2017 By EarthWise

Increasing Biological Invasionshttps://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/EW-06-01-17-Increasing-Biological-Invasions.mp3

Invasive species have been a problem for quite some time.  Over the years, we have grappled with – among other things – invasive plants from Japan, zebra mussels from eastern Europe, and Asian fungus that kills off ash trees in our forests.

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Food Waste Into Tires

April 21, 2017 By EarthWise

Food Waste Into Tireshttps://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/EW-04-21-17-Food-Waste-into-Tires.mp3

Researchers at Ohio State University have developed a way to use food waste to partially replace the petroleum-based filler that has been used in manufacturing tires for more than a century.

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The Threat Of Man-Made Earthquakes

April 14, 2017 By EarthWise

The Threat Of Man-Made Earthquakeshttps://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/EW-04-14-17-Man-Made-Earthquakes.mp3

According to a new report from the U.S. Geological Survey, millions of people living in Oklahoma and parts of Kansas face significant potential for damaging earthquakes this year as a result of human activity.  The only other part of the continental United States facing a similar danger is California, which has natural faults lines slicing through the state.

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Cleaning Britain’s Air

April 13, 2017 By EarthWise

Cleaning Britain’s Airhttps://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/EW-04-13-17-Cleaning-Britains-Air.mp3

According to a new study by the non-profit group Carbon Brief, carbon dioxide emissions in the United Kingdom are at their lowest levels since the 1920s.  Four factors are responsible:  a record drop in coal use, the rapid growth of renewable energy, the expansion of energy efficiency programs, and the increased use of natural gas for electricity power plants.

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Fast Food Packaging

April 6, 2017 By EarthWise

Fast Food Packaginghttps://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/EW-04-06-17-Dangers-of-Fast-Food-Packaging.mp3

Much has been made of the dangers of eating fast food.  Certainly, its high fat, sodium, and calorie content calls for moderating its role in our diets.  But a recent study has found that even the packaging that the food comes in might present health hazards.

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Reduced Emissions From Electricity Generation

February 28, 2017 By EarthWise

Reduced Emissions From Electricity Generationhttps://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/EW-02-28-17-Reduced-Emissions-from-Electricity-Generation.mp3

A recent report from the Energy Information Administration notes that for the first time in 40 years, carbon dioxide emissions from electricity generation are less than those from transportation.   The reason is that power plants nationwide are abandoning the use of coal and turning to cleaner burning natural gas, as well as newer sources such as solar and wind power.

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2016 Carbon Progress Report

February 22, 2017 By EarthWise

2016 Carbon Progress Reporthttps://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/EW-02-22-17-2016-Carbon-Progress-Report.mp3

Last year was a big year for progress in the U.S. power sector.  Renewable energy provided nearly 17% of the country’s electricity, up from 13.7% in 2015.  The first offshore wind farm in the U.S. opened off the coast of Rhode Island.  And most significantly, carbon emissions from the power sector continued to decline and reached the lowest levels in nearly 25 years.

[Read more…] about 2016 Carbon Progress Report

Fracking And Earthquakes

January 5, 2017 By EarthWise

Fracking And Earthquakeshttps://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/EW-01-05-17-Fracking-and-Earthquakes.mp3

Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is the process in which water, chemicals and sand are injected at high pressure to split apart rock thousands of feet below Earth’s surface and release oil or natural gas.  And it’s a controversial practice. 

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Are Electric Cars Worth The Price?

October 21, 2016 By Nationally Produced Shows

Are Electric Cars Worth The Price?https://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/EW-10-21-16-Electric-Car-Economics.mp3

Pretty much every discussion of electric cars, plug-in hybrids and ordinary hybrids starts and ends up with the question of whether they are worth the money.  If the reason for buying such a vehicle is strictly economic, then this is the right question to ask.  But the naysayers who say such a purchase is foolish may be barking up the wrong tree.

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The BP Oil Spill

May 16, 2016 By Nationally Produced Shows

The BP Oil Spillhttps://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/EW-05-16-16-BP-Oil-Spill.mp3

In 2010, an explosion on the BP-owned Deepwater Horizon drilling rig released more than 200 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.  Some of the oil was recovered, burned, or dispersed at sea, while some washed up onto the shorelines of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. 

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Human-Caused Earthquakes

May 10, 2016 By Nationally Produced Shows

Human-Caused Earthquakeshttps://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/EW-05-10-16-Human-Caused-Earthquakes.mp3

Oklahoma has had its share of disasters over the years.  It has seen tornado outbreaks, massive wildfires, huge dust storms and even onslaughts of tumbleweeds.  But one thing it was not known for is earthquakes.

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Storing Heat From The Sun

December 29, 2015 By Nationally Produced Shows

Storing Heat From The Sunhttps://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/EW-12-29-15-Storing-Heat-From-The-Sun.mp3

We are all familiar with the solar panels that cover an ever-growing number of rooftops as well as large arrays in so-called solar farms.  These photovoltaic systems turn sunlight directly into electricity.  But they are not the only way to make electricity using the sun.

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A Tax On Carbon

November 27, 2015 By Nationally Produced Shows

A Tax On Carbonhttps://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/EW-11-27-15-Carbon-Tax.mp3

A while back we talked about the carbon tax in British Columbia and how it resulted in a dramatic reduction in carbon fuel use without any harm to the local economy.  Many economists believe that carbon taxes are one of the best ways to promote lower greenhouse gas emissions.

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Plugging Methane Leaks

November 23, 2015 By Nationally Produced Shows

Plugging Methane Leakshttps://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/EW-11-23-15-Trees-and-Methane.mp3

Natural gas, also known as methane, is one of several “greenhouse gases” that trap heat radiation trying to leave the Earth. Molecule-for-molecule, methane warms our planet’s atmosphere about 25X more than carbon dioxide.

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Cheap Oil From Algae

November 13, 2015 By Nationally Produced Shows

Cheap Oil From Algaehttps://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/EW-11-13-15-Cheap-Oil-from-Algae.mp3

We have had all too many scary stories about algae and the threats it is posing to health and safety.  This time, for once, we have some good news about algae.

[Read more…] about Cheap Oil From Algae

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