success

Relocating native plants

May 2, 2025 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Climate change is endangering many native plant species. As the climate warms, many species will need to establish themselves in new places that are more hospitable than their historic ranges. But many native plants in the U.S. cannot move themselves by natural forces quickly enough to avoid climate-change driven extinction. For such plants to survive into the future, they will need human help to move into adjacent areas, a process called “managed relocation.”

Such a process has its problems. There is no guarantee that a plant will thrive in a new area. On the other hand, relocating plant species historically has often had disastrous consequences. Consider, for example, the story of kudzu in the American south.

Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have studied this problem in detail and reported the results in the journal Global Change Biology.

The issue is how to help plants move successfully without their causing harm in their new locations. The study found that some plant traits can lead to success and some to ecological disaster. In some cases, the same traits that help plants to establish themselves in a new location make them powerful invasive species. Traits like having a large size predispose a plant to not only establish itself but spread wildly.

The study recommends that people managing relocation need to focus on plants whose traits they have determined to be conducive to successful relocation but more unlikely to cause harm in their new environment.

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If Native Plants Are Going to Survive Climate Change, They Need Our Help to Move—Here’s How to Do It Safely

Photo, posted August 17, 2012, courtesy of Joshua Mayer via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Vertical-axis wind turbines

February 19, 2025 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Nearly all wind turbines in use today are horizonal axis wind turbines. They are a familiar sight with their three giant rotor blades spinning about an axis high above the ground attached to a nacelle containing the gearbox and generator.

A vertical-axis wind turbine has its rotor shaft transverse to the wind; that is, the shaft rises up from the ground and the gearbox and generator are located close to the ground.

This type of wind turbine does not need to be pointed into the wind, which eliminates the need for wind-sensing and orienting mechanisms. It is also considerably quieter in operation than horizontal axis wind turbines. Vertical-axis wind turbines have enjoyed minimal success to date because of a variety of problems including reliability issues and complications related to how they respond to changing wind conditions.

A next-generation vertical wind turbine is going on trial in Australia as part of a research collaboration between Flinders University in South Australia and the start-up company VAWT-X Energy. The 6KW prototype will be installed at a field site in Australia’s Fleurieu Peninsula.

According to the developers, the new turbine design will be as efficient, or even more efficient, as existing horizontal turbines and will be able to thrive across diverse environments including being part of urban infrastructure where their relative quiet is a real advantage. Such turbines would be more accessible for applications like off-grid power and sustainable energy solutions for small businesses and farms. The developers claim the technology can also be scaled up for large-scale windfarms.

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Progress with new-look wind turbine

Photo courtesy of VAWT-X Energy.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Wind farms and sea farms

August 5, 2024 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

There has been increasing use of agriculture coexisting with solar farms. This dual use of land is a win-win situation. Recently, Danish researchers have been investigating the potential for farming marine products at offshore wind farms.

Scandinavia’s largest wind farm, Kriegers Flak, is the site of a four-year-old project in which long lines are stretched between the wind farm’s pylons and are used to grow mussels and seaweed. With the first harvest that has taken place after 18 months, it is showing signs of early success.

Seaweed and mussels are low trophic aquaculture crops. That means that that they don’t need to be fed or fertilized. They take up nutrients from the sea and produce healthy foods.

The 328-foot lines spread between the turbines can be used to grow substantial quantities of the underwater seafood. According to modeling by Aarhus University – the institution conducting the study – using just a tenth of Denmark’s wind park area could produce tons of seafood annually while using only the naturally-available resources. This form of aquaculture captures emissions instead of producing them.

Researchers say that it is time to develop guidelines to encourage companies to plan for multiple uses of the ocean because countries are ramping up production of clean energy from offshore wind farms. Denmark was the first country in the world to install a commercial offshore wind park in 1991. Over 30 years later, nearly half of the country’s electricity comes from wind turbines.

The benefits of such sea farms combined with offshore wind farms go beyond food production and clean energy production. They also help improve water quality and capture carbon. It is another win-win situation.

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Beneath offshore wind turbines, researchers grow seafood and seaweed

Photo, posted August 5, 2007, courtesy of Andreas Klinke Johannsen via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Fusion energy

February 29, 2024 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Nuclear fusion is the process that powers the sun. Two atoms of hydrogen unite to form one helium atom and release energy in the process. Hydrogen bombs work in this way and since their development in the 1950s, scientists have sought a way to use fusion to generate electricity. Many scientists believe that the key to a fully decarbonized future is a combination of solar, wind, and fusion power.

Nuclear fusion does not involve radioactivity and thus does not have the dangers associated with the nuclear fission used in existing power plants. Over the decades, billions of dollars have gone into fusion research, but the challenges faced in peacefully triggering a fusion reaction have made success always seem to be extremely far off in the future.

The world’s largest fusion project – the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor or ITER – was initiated in 1985. The project involves 35 countries, and the reactor, still under construction in France, has yet to deliver any tangible results.

In the past couple of years, there have been important demonstrations of new and different ways to create nuclear fusion. A system using laser fusion achieved fusion ignition, in which a reaction briefly became self-sustaining. A system using magnetic confinement fusion produced a plasma that generated 11 megawatts of power for a world-record five seconds.

There are more than 30 companies competing in the race to deliver fusion energy. Governments and private investors are funding efforts around the world. Whether any of them will succeed remains to be seen. The challenges are immense but so are the potential rewards.

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Will Tech Breakthroughs Bring Fusion Energy Closer to Reality?

Photo, posted July 31, 2010, courtesy of Steve Jurvetson via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Elephants and protected areas

February 6, 2024 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Standing up to 13 feet tall and weighing up to 7 tons, African savanna elephants are the largest species of elephant and the biggest terrestrial animal on Earth. According to the World Wildlife Fund, African savanna elephants can be found in 23 countries and live in a variety of habitats, including savannas, forests, and deserts. The largest populations are in Southern and Eastern African countries.

According to assessments from the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the population of African savanna elephants has decreased by at least 60% over the last 50 years. Poaching and habitat loss are the two main drivers of the population decline. In 2021, the status of the African savanna elephant was changed from vulnerable to endangered on the IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species.

However, according to a new study recently published in the journal Science Advances, conservation measures have successfully stopped African savanna elephant population declines across southern Africa. The international team of researchers found that the pattern varies regionally, with some elephant populations soaring while others are still facing large declines.

Overall, the study found that there are the same number of elephants now as there were 25 years ago. According to researchers, the key to long-term elephant population growth and sustainability isn’t where a protected area is, but rather how connected it is to other protected or neutral areas around it.

This isn’t a new concept; in fact, many parks have been connected to one another. But this study helps prove that the method is effective for elephant conservation.

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Protected Areas for Elephants Work Best if They Are Connected

African elephant species now Endangered and Critically Endangered – IUCN Red List

African savanna elephant

Photo, posted October 20, 2018, courtesy of Ray via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

How will we know if the world is 1.5 degrees warmer?

January 12, 2024 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

The Paris Climate Agreement has a goal of limiting global warming to less than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. How do we know if we are succeeding and, more importantly, how would we know if we have failed?

This may seem like something fairly obvious, but it isn’t. Global temperatures are definitely creeping upward. This past year has been the warmest on record. In fact, the global average temperature was more than 1.4 degrees above pre-industrial levels. November was 1.75 degrees above pre-industrial levels. So, does that mean that our climate goals have already failed? Not really.

On a monthly scale there have already been individual months where warming has exceeded 1.5 degrees in 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, and 2023. Would an entire year above the target constitute failure? Not necessarily. There really isn’t an agreed-upon answer and that in itself represents something that could undermine global efforts to tackle climate change.

If we don’t know whether we are succeeding or failing, it is more difficult to pursue success. The United Nations IPCC says the threshold will be surpassed when average warming exceeds 1.5 degrees for 20 years. But that seems like a building a mountain highway with no guardrails and hoping to be safe.

Scientists are calling for new approaches to defining a universally agreed-upon measure of global warming that could trigger urgent action to avoid further rises. What we really don’t need are justifications and excuses for continued inaction. Clearly the climate is not waiting for us to debate the issue.

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Why We Won’t Know When We’ve Passed the 1.5-Degree Threshold

Photo, posted August 2, 2018, courtesy of J Bartlett Team Rubicon/BLM for USFS via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Low Fares Clean German Air | Earth Wise

September 29, 2022 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Germany’s parliament set summer public transport fares at 9 euros a month as a way to slash pollution and reduce imports of Russian oil. The low price included all buses, trams, subways, and regional trains, effectively lowering prices by more than 90% in some cities. Berliners saved 98 euros on their monthly travel pass; commuters in Hamburg saved even more.

The program began June 1 and ended August 31. The bargain rates drove widespread use of public transport and discouraged the use of cars, which already was undesirable due to high gasoline prices. Over the three-month period, transit authorities sold over 50 million subsidized tickets. One out of five travelers were using public transport for the first time, according to surveys.

According to an estimate from the Association of German Transport Companies, the program helped to avoid 1.8 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions. This is roughly equivalent to taking 1.5 million cars off the road for the summer or planting 30 million trees.

The discount transit program had a clearly positive effect on the climate and, obviously, was a source of financial relief for German citizens. Last year, Germany was the largest buyer of Russian oil in Europe and it wanted to make drastic reductions in its purchases. The success of the program prompted many to ask for it to be continued. However, the program cost the government about 2.5 billion euros in reimbursements to transit companies. The German government has said it would not be extended.

Nonetheless, German policymakers are weighing other proposals for low-cost public transit. Clearly encouraging people to use public transit pays dividends.

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Germany’s Cheap Summer Train Fares Prevented 1.8 Million Tons of Carbon Pollution

Photo, posted June 6, 2022, courtesy of 7C0 via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

A New Fishway Technology | Earth Wise

February 5, 2021 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Freshwater fish populations have declined by more than 80% over the past forty years across the globe. This is in part due to hundreds of thousands of dams, weirs, and barriers stopping their movements. These river barriers have disrupted fish reproduction cycles the world over by preventing river fish from migrating to spawn.

Fishways or fish ladders are waterways constructed on or around obstructions in order to provide passageways for fish and other aquatic species. Often, they consist of a series of small overflow weirs and pools constructed in the form of steps. Fish need to jump from one pool to another to migrate to the upstream. Such fish ladders require a large space to construct. These and several other types of fishways tend to be expensive to install and maintain and are not always successful in allowing fish to get to where they need to go.

Researchers at the University of New South Wales in Australia have come up with an ingenious new type of fishway. Called a “tube fishway”, it is a low-cost and low-energy installation that works by pumping fish at high velocity – protected by a cushion of bubbly water – through a tube running over the obstructing barrier to deliver them safely into the water on the other side.

They successfully demonstrated a prototype system on a rugged slope behind a campus building that transported fish from one tank to another about 25 feet up the slope.

Fish are attracted into the chamber by suitable geometry and the system uses the energy available from the upper reservoir to lift the fish. Modeling shows that the system will work for pipes as large as three feet in diameter and could lift fish more than 300 feet vertically.

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New fishway technology to get fish up and over those dam walls

Photo, posted October 19, 2019, courtesy of Andrew Harvey via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

A Second Life For Electric Car Batteries | Earth Wise

June 17, 2020 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

The number of electric cars around the world is growing steadily. Battery technology continues to improve and the battery packs in the cars can have a long life. Generally, the batteries are considered to require replacement only when their range has dropped below 80% of its original value. Many are warranted to last for 8 to 10 years or more than 100,000 miles. Some seem to do much better than that.

But however long it takes, there will eventually be a wave of used batteries whose performance is no longer deemed sufficient for vehicle use. A new study, published in the journal Applied Energy, looked at the application of used vehicle batteries as backup storage for grid-scale solar photovoltaic installations where they could perform for more than a decade in this less demanding role.

The study looked at the economics of several scenarios including running a solar farm with no battery back up, running the same farm with brand-new batteries, and running the farm with a battery array made of repurposed vehicle batteries.

They found that the used EV battery array, if managed properly, could be a good, profitable investment provided that the batteries cost less than 60% of their original price. They looked at the technical issues of screening batteries and combining batteries from different cars to work together. They also looked at the economics of removing batteries from cars, collecting them, checking them over, and repackaging them.

Overall, they found that reusing vehicle batteries could ultimately meet half the forecasted demand for renewable energy backup storage over the next 10 years and would be both a technical and an economic success story.

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Solar energy farms could offer second life for electric vehicle batteries

Photo, posted June 10, 2011, courtesy of Nick Ares via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Too Many Bison | Earth Wise

May 8, 2020 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

The population of large herbivores in Yellowstone National Park has undergone many dramatic changes over the course of time. The numbers of both the iconic Rocky Mountain elk and bison have gone up and down as a result of human interactions.

Bison, of course, once were a dominant species from east of the Appalachians to west of the Rocky Mountains, with most of an estimated 30 million living on the Great Plains. As the west was settled, bison populations plummeted and by the late 1800s, they were nearly extinct.

When Yellowstone was established, there were exactly 22 bison in the park. By 1925, there were more than 750 in the park and culling of the herd in the park’s Lamar Valley was practiced for the next four decades.

The elimination of predators like grey wolves and cougars in the early 1900s caused both elk and bison populations to mushroom and both underwent culling. When culling was ended in 1968, there were 4,000 elk and 100 bison. Within 20 years, those numbers were 20,000 and 1,000. Reintroducing wolves and cougars reduced the elk population to about 5,000, but bison numbers have continued to grow, now reaching about 4,000.

While the long-term recovery of the Yellowstone bison herd is a major conservation success story, the fact is that bison are powerful ecosystem engineers. Large numbers of them disrupt species distribution across scrub steppe and grasslands because of what they eat, trample, and rub their horns and bodies on. They have a tremendous capacity to limit the structure and composition of ecosystems.

Park administrators have complicated management decisions to make to take into account the often wide range of ecological effects that abundant large herbivores can have on ecosystems.

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Bison in northern Yellowstone proving to be too much of a good thing

Photo, posted August 10, 2016, courtesy of Brian Gratwicke via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Plant-Based Jet Fuels

May 9, 2019 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

The global aviation industry uses a whole lot of fuel: more than 5 million barrels a day. It is an incredibly energy-intensive industry and almost all of its energy comes from petroleum-based fuels.

While other large energy sectors such as electric power, ground transportation and commercial buildings have well-defined pathways to adopting renewable energy sources, the aviation industry does not have such a straightforward way to make a transition to sustainability. Electrifying planes using batteries or fuel cells is very challenging for a number of reasons, notably the weight restrictions on aircraft. So liquid biofuels as replacements for petroleum-based fuels remain the most promising approach.

A new study at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory concludes that sustainable plant-based biofuels could provide a competitive alternative to conventional petroleum fuels if current development and scale-up initiatives are successful.

Multidisciplinary teams based at the Department of Energy’s Joint BioEnergy Institute are focused on optimizing each stage of the bio-jet fuel production process. This includes bioengineering ideal source plants and developing methods for efficiently isolating the carbohydrates in non-food biomass that bacteria can digest and bioconvert into fuel molecules.

The critical issue is cost. The theoretical cost of bio-jet fuel has come down dramatically in recent years but is still around $16 a gallon. The cost of standard jet fuel is about $2.50 a gallon. So, the real challenge is bridging that gap.

Reducing the cost of the fuel could come both from the material and process improvements that are underway as well as by finding ways to turn the leftover lignin residuals from the bioconversion process into valuable chemicals.

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