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The human impact on biodiversity

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Biodiversity is under threat.  More and more plant and animal species are disappearing and humans are to blame.  Humans cause biodiversity loss through habitat destruction, invasive species, pollution, direct exploitation, and climate change, all of which are significantly influenced by human activities.

But until now, drawing broad conclusions about human impacts on biodiversity has been difficult because a clear, global overview of how human activity affects nature across all species did not exist. Most studies have focused on specific places, impacts, or time periods.

To fill these research gaps, a research team from the University of Zurich in Switzerland and the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology conducted an unprecedented synthesis study.  The researchers compiled data from around 2,100 studies that compared biodiversity at almost 50,000 sites affected by humans with similar places that hadn’t been affected by humans. 

The synthesis study, which was recently published in the journal Nature, found humans are having a highly detrimental impact on biodiversity worldwide.  In fact, not only is the number of species declining, but the composition of species communities is also changing.  On average, the number of species at impacted sites was almost 20% lower than at unaffected sites.

The study, which is one of the largest ever conducted on this topic, highlights the widespread negative impact of human activities on nature, and emphasizes the need to consider all forms of life when assessing biodiversity loss. 

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The Devastating Human Impact on Biodiversity

Photo, posted November 19, 2014, courtesy of Green Mountain Girls Farm via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Corals and climate change

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Climate change is a major threat to coral reefs around the world.  Ocean warming triggers coral bleaching – a stress response where corals expel the symbiotic algae essential for their survival.  If coral bleaching is severe, it can lead to coral death.

A new study led by scientists from Newcastle University in England suggests that corals are unlikely to adapt to ocean warming quickly enough to keep pace with global warming, unless there are rapid reductions in global greenhouse gas emissions.

The study, which was recently published in the journal Science, found that coral heat tolerance adaptation via natural selection could keep pace with ocean warming, but only if the climate goals of the Paris Agreement are realized.  In the Paris Agreement, countries agreed to limit global warming by the end of the century to two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.  

However, current climate policies around the world have the globe on track to warm by three degrees Celsius.  According to the research team, this could lead to significant reductions in reef health, elevated risks of local coral extinctions, and considerable uncertainty in the so-called “evolvability” of corals. 

Coral reefs are among the most biologically diverse ecosystems on Earth.  They are often referred to as the “rainforests of the sea” because they support an incredible variety of marine life.  They provide essential ecosystem services, such as protecting coastlines from erosion and storm surges, supporting fisheries, and serving as a source of income through tourism. Coral reef health is vital for the health of the planet.

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Coral adaptation unlikely to keep pace with global warming

Photo, posted June 9, 2012, courtesy of Bokissa Private Island Resort via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Mangrove forests and rising seas

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Mangrove forests play a vital role in the health of our planet.  They protect coastal regions by acting as natural barriers against storms, erosion, and flooding. The intricate root systems of mangrove forests, which allow the trees to handle the daily rise and fall of tides, also serve as biodiversity hotspots, attracting fish and other species seeking food and shelter from predators.

But mangrove forests around the world are under increasing threat from deforestation, coastal development, and climate change.  In fact, according to a new study led by researchers from Northumbria University in England, the mangrove trees in the Maldives are actually drowning. 

The research, which was recently published in the journal Scientific Reports, found that sea levels around the Maldives rose more than 1.18 inches per year from 2017 to 2020.  An unusually intense climate phenomenon, known as the Indian Ocean Dipole, occurred toward the end of this period, causing warmer sea surface temperatures and an increase in sea level in the Western Indian Ocean. 

While mangrove forests can naturally keep pace with gradually rising seas, this rate of sea level rise was too fast.  The rising sea level meant that seawater effectively flooded mangrove forests, causing many trees to lose their resilience and die.  Some islands in the Maldives have lost more than half of their mangrove cover since 2020.

Since mangrove forests also store massive amounts of carbon, the research team fears that the loss of mangrove forests could release large amounts of carbon, further accelerating climate change.

The researchers warn that the findings in the Maldives could have implications for coastal ecosystems around the world.

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“Drowning” mangrove forests in Maldives signal global coastal threat

Photo, posted February 11, 2015, courtesy of Alessandro Caproni via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Tourism and climate action

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Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is one of the foremost natural wonders of the world and is a major tourist attraction.  It is well-known that the changing climate is threatening the survival of the Great Barrier Reef as well as other coral reefs around the world.  A recent study by researchers at the University of Queensland looked at the reactions of tourists to being informed about the impact of the changing climate on the reef.

The Great Barrier Reef faces many challenges.  Unprecedented marine heatwaves have triggered repeated mass coral bleaching events over the past decade. These climate driven disturbances are compounding the cumulative effects of chronic problems such as unsustainable fishing, pollution, and sedimentation as well as acute disturbances such as tropical cyclones and outbreaks of crown-of-thorns starfish.

Operators of five reef tourism boats assisted in the study.  As part of their boat trips, tourists were given climate information via a marine biology presentation and there were also posters around the vessel as well as regular mentions of climate change impacts and actions throughout the trip.

The tourism industry often has the idea that providing information on climate change might be detrimental to people’s enjoyment – basically a buzzkill.  But based on surveys conducted at the end of the trips, the researchers found that informing tourists about climate impact didn’t negatively affect their experience.  In fact, most tourists actually wanted more information, particularly about how they can take meaningful actions of their own.

The researchers believe that their study provides further opportunity to improve climate communication and effectively promote climate change engagement among tourists.

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Reef tourism encourages climate action

Photo, posted October 7, 2008, courtesy of eGuide Travel 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

Threats to the Amazon Rainforest

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Brazil has made great progress in reducing deforestation in its Amazon Rainforest.  In 2023, the rate of deforestation in Brazil dropped by 50% over the previous year. This was the result of the efforts by conservation-minded President Luiz da Silva, who replaced Jair Bolsonaro, a big proponent of deforestation.  Da Silva’s government has cracked down on land clearing by farmers and ranchers.

In the first quarter of this year, deforestation decreased by 40% over the previous year’s quarter.   Deforestation levels are the lowest they’ve been in six years, although the amount of forest cleared in the period was still nearly 200 square miles.

Unfortunately, the Amazon Rainforest is facing another growing threat:  climate change.  Because of pervasive drought and increasing temperatures, the number of wildfires in the region have hit a 20-year high.

According to satellite data from the national space agency, from January through June, Brazil recorded 13,489 wildfires in the Amazon.  That is 61% more fires than during the same period last year.  And the wildfire season has yet to reach its peak, which usually is in August or September.

Many of these fires begin in pastures or recently cleared rainforest, but then spread into the surrounding rainforest areas.  Many are huge fires.  Hundreds of square miles of rainforest have been consumed by fire, comparable in size to the areas deforested by farmers and ranchers.

Going forward, worsening wildfires could reverse the gains being made by the government’s deforestation policies.  This could not only threaten forest protection, but also weaken public support for the government’s commitment to protecting the region.

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Brazil Is Seeing a Record Number of Wildfires This Year

Photo, posted January 26, 2018, courtesy of Chris Parker via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Thawing permafrost:  Is it a ticking timebomb?

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Permafrost covers about a quarter of the landmass in the Northern Hemisphere.  It stores vast quantities of organic carbon in the form of dead plant matter.  As long as it stays frozen, it is no threat to the climate.  But as it thaws, microorganisms start breaking down that plant matter and large amounts of carbon are released into the atmosphere in the form of carbon dioxide and methane.

This process has often been described as a ticking timebomb for the climate.  The theory is that once global warming reaches a certain level, the process will become self-amplifying setting off a catastrophic amount of warming.  If that level was reached, it would be a tipping point in the changing climate.

An international research team from the Alfred Wegener Institute in Germany has extensively researched this hypothesis.  Their conclusion is that within the permafrost, there are multiple geological, hydrological, and physical processes that are self-amplifying and, in some cases, irreversible.  However, these processes act only locally or regionally.  There is no evidence that some particular threshold in global warming could affect all permafrost and accelerate its thawing on a global level.

This research does not mean that Arctic permafrost is nothing to worry about.  In fact, there are ways in which it is more worrisome.  Because the permafrost is very heterogenous – meaning it is very different in different places – there will be numerous small, local tipping points that will be exceeded at different times and at different levels of warming.  All of this will proceed in step with global warming, contributing to the overall worsening situation.  There is no warming level below which permafrost thawing is not a problem.

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Thawing permafrost: Not a climate tipping element, but nevertheless far-reaching impacts

Photo, posted January 24, 2014, courtesy of Brandt Meixell / USGS via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Olive oil and climate change

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Olive oil is a liquid fat obtained by mashing whole olives and extracting the oil.  A superfood staple of the Mediterranean diet, olive oil is used in kitchens around the world for frying, sauteing, baking, and as a condiment.  It can also be widely found in cosmetics, soaps, and pharmaceutical products. 

Globally, 2.6 million tons of olive oil were consumed last year.  Spain is currently the world’s largest producer of this “liquid gold,” accounting for 44% of global production.  The second largest producer of olive oil is Italy, followed by Greece, Tunisia, Turkey, and Morocco.   

But recently, the price of olive oil has been rocketing up.  Droughts, wildfires, floods, and heat waves, combined with pests, have punished olive-producing regions around the world.  The climate-fueled extreme weather has significantly impacted olive oil production in southern Europe.  Olive trees are exceedingly vulnerable to climate change. 

Spain, for example, typically produces somewhere between 1.3 to 1.5 million metric tons of olive oil each harvest.  However, officials expect a production range of only 830,000 to 850,000 metric tons this season. 

This shortage has sent prices soaring.  According to the International Monetary Fund, the average price of olive oil has doubled over the past two years.  In fact, the price is currently hovering at or around $10,000 per metric ton.  And there doesn’t seem to be much relief in sight.  

The record-breaking price has also unsurprisingly fueled a surge in crime, with criminals targeting supermarkets, oil mills, and olive groves. 

The changing climate continues to threaten food security around the world. 

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‘Liquid gold’: An olive oil shortage is fueling record prices and food insecurity fears

Extra virgin olive oil prices tipped to top £16 a litre next month

Photo, posted October 29, 2015, courtesy of the U.S. Department of Agriculture via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

The global chocolate supply is threatened

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The world is facing the biggest deficit of cocoa in decades. Most cocoa beans are grown in West Africa, where climate change-induced drought has ravaged crops.  Harvests are forecasted to fall short for the third consecutive year. 

The harvest shortfall has triggered a steep rise in cocoa prices.  In fact, cocoa prices have more than doubled in the first four months of this year, and have more than tripled in the past 12 months.

But drought isn’t the only threat:  A rapidly spreading virus is also threatening the future of chocolate.   

Approximately half of the world’s chocolate originates from cacao trees in Ghana and the Ivory Coast.  The Cacao Swollen Shoot Virus Disease is spread by small insects called mealybugs, which eat the leaves, buds, and flowers of cacao trees.  The virus is attacking cacao trees in Ghana, resulting in harvest losses of 15-50%. 

Pesticides don’t work well against mealybugs.  Farmers can vaccinate trees to inoculate them from the virus.  But the vaccines are expensive, and the vaccinated trees produce a smaller harvest of cacao.

According to a new paper recently published in the journal PLOS ONE, an international team of researchers has developed a new strategy to combat these pests: using mathematical data to determine how far apart vaccinated trees need to be planted in order to stop mealybugs from hopping from tree to tree.  The researchers developed two models that allow farmers to create a defensive ring of vaccinated trees around unvaccinated trees

The research team hopes its models will help farmers protect their crops and achieve better harvests in the future. 

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Cacao sustainability: The case of cacao swollen-shoot virus co-infection

Will rising cocoa prices trigger a chocolate crisis?

Photo, posted April 1, 2019, courtesy of Konrad Lembcke via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Canadian zombie fires

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Canada’s 2023 wildfire season was the most destructive ever recorded.  Over 6,000 fires burned nearly 71,000 square miles of land from the West Coast to the Atlantic provinces.  The burned areas are roughly the size of the entire country of Finland and represent almost triple the amount burned in the previous year, which itself was a lot. Smoke from Canadian fires, particularly those in Quebec, blanketed many cities in the United States and made its way as far south as Florida.

An alarming aspect of the Canadian fire season is that it didn’t ever really end.  Late in the winter, 149 active wildfires are still burning across Canada.  92 are in British Columbia, 56 in Alberta, and one in New Brunswick.  In these places, the wildfire season is yearlong.

These overwintering fires have come to be known as zombie fires.  They burn slowly below the surface during the winter.  Many areas in the north contain porous peat and moss ground cover and these act as underground fuel for smoldering fires.

Wildfires have become more prevalent in Canada because the changing climate has brought about increases in the hot, dry, and gusty conditions that lead to drought.

Many of the zombie fires don’t pose an increased threat of triggering wildfires in the spring because they are in places that are already so charred that there is nothing left to burn.  But others are in drought areas that are basically tinder boxes ready to burst into flame once spring arrives.

Overall, Canadian government officials are warning that this year’s wildfire season is likely to be even worse than last year’s, particularly in the Western provinces of British Columbia and Alberta.

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As ‘Zombie Fires’ Smolder, Canada Braces for Another Season of Flames

Photo, posted June 30, 2023, courtesy of P. McCabe / EU via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Polar bears and the changing climate

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The changing climate poses a major threat to polar bear survival.  Polar bears, whose native range lies largely within the Arctic Circle, depend on sea ice for nearly all of their lifecycle functions.  Rising global temperatures are causing this sea ice to disappear.

With less sea ice, polar bears are forced to stay longer on land.  However, according to a new study led by researchers from Washington State University, more time stranded on land leads to a greater risk of polar bear starvation. 

During three summer weeks in Manitoba, Canada, 20 polar bears observed by researchers tried different strategies to maintain energy reserves.  But the research team found that nearly all of them lost weight – losing about 2.2 pounds per day on average.     

Some scientists have speculated that polar bears might be able to adapt to the changing climate by acting more like grizzly bears by either resting or eating terrestrial food.  But the polar bears tried versions of both strategies – with little success.

Polar bears can weigh nearly twice as much as grizzly bears.  To maintain this size, polar bears rely on the energy-rich fat of seals, which they best catch on ice.

In the study, which was recently published in Nature Communications, the researchers found that some polar bears laid down to conserve energy, while others searched on land for food.  But neither the activity nor the lack thereof paid off.  In fact, only one bear out of the 20 gained weight after stumbling across a dead marine mammal on land.

Polar bears across the Arctic are at risk of starvation as the ice-free period continues to grow.

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Polar bears unlikely to adapt to longer summers

Photo, posted November 16, 2015, courtesy of Anita Ritenour via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Confusion about monarch butterflies

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For years, we have heard that the iconic monarch butterfly is in great peril.  Monarchs east of the Rocky Mountains undertake a 4-generation, 3,000-mile migration in late summer to their winter home in central Mexico.  Since the 1990s, the overwintering monarch colonies began a steep decline causing scientists to fear for the sustainability of the species.  Trying to help, ordinary citizens have been planting milkweed – the food for the caterpillars – and have been rearing eggs and caterpillars on their porches and releasing adult butterflies.

A number of recent studies have rocked the world of monarch science.  A growing group of scientists now believe that monarchs are not in fact imperiled and that the home rearing and commercial breeding of monarchs is actually a major threat to the butterfly.

According to a comprehensive 2022 study, there has been no sharp decline in Eastern monarch populations across their summer breeding range.  The long-term declines in winter colony sizes are real but do not appear to be affecting the collective breeding population of Eastern monarchs. 

An undisputed major threat to monarchs is a parasite known as OE, which weakens butterflies and also makes it unlikely for them to complete migrations.  It turns out that overcrowding of butterflies resulting from the efforts of backyard and commercial breeders is increasing the spread of the disease.  The butterflies are in need of social distancing.

Monarch scientists are split into two camps.  One group calls for the protection of the butterfly under the Endangered Species Act.  The other says that what monarchs most need is for us to leave them alone.  It is a confusing situation.

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Rethinking Monarchs: Does the Beloved Butterfly Need Our Help?

Photo, posted October 1, 2021, courtesy of Renee Grayson via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Why are bees making less honey?

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Scientists have been sounding the alarm on the global struggle of pollinators for a long time.  According to the United Nations, nearly 35% of the invertebrate pollinator species, such as bees and butterflies, are facing extinction. And since 75% of the world’s food crops depend on pollination to some extent, the decline of pollinators poses a major threat to global food security.

Honey bees are among the struggling pollinators.  Honey bee colonies in the United States have experienced annual population declines since 2006.  But in addition to there being fewer bees, the bees that remain are also making less honey.  In fact, honey yields in the United States have been declining since the 1990s. 

A new study by researchers from Penn State University has solved some of the mystery.  Using five decades of data across the United States, the research team analyzed the factors that could be affecting the number of flowers growing in different regions, which, in turn, affects the amount of honey produced by bees. 

In the study, which was recently published in the journal Environmental Research, the scientists found that climate conditions and soil productivity were two of the biggest factors in estimating honey yields.  States in both warm and cool regions produced higher honey yields when they had productive soils.  These two factors set a baseline production level of honey, while herbicide use, weather, and land use changes influenced how much honey was produced in a given year. 

The study’s findings  provide valuable insights that should help beekeepers, growers, and land managers better support honey bees.

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Why are bees making less honey? Study reveals clues in five decades of data

Photo, posted August 30, 2021, courtesy of Brandon O’Connor / NRCS via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Thousands of species threatened

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The International Union for the Conservation of Nature is an organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.  The IUCN has been around for nearly 75 years and is the global authority on the status of the natural world and the measures needed to safeguard it.

In its latest accounting, the IUCN has determined that more than 44,000 species worldwide are threatened with extinction.  Among them, nearly 7,000 face an immediate threat from climate change.

The organization tracks 157,000 species to compile its Red List and found that climate change poses a growing threat to many kinds of wildlife. At particular risk are freshwater fish including Atlantic salmon, which are now classified as “Near Threatened.” 

In all, about 25% of freshwater fish are threatened with extinction.  This is in part driven by rising sea levels which causes saltwater to be driven up into rivers.  Some 41% of amphibians are threatened with extinction, in part due to more intense heat and drought.  Many populations of green turtles are at risk of extinction because of rising temperatures lowering hatch rates and rising sea levels flooding nests.

It isn’t just animals at risk.  For example, big leaf mahogany, one of the world’s most commercially sought-after timber trees, has moved from Vulnerable to Endangered on IUCN’s Red List.  Thousands of trees have been added to the Red List, many of which are timber species, and some are keystone species in forests.

Endangered and threatened species are often irreplaceable parts of ecosystems which provide humans with many services that only the natural world can.

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More Than 44,000 Species Now Threatened With Extinction

Photo, posted November 22, 2010, courtesy of E. Peter Steenstra/USFWS via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Buildings and birds

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Birds face a wide range of dangers.  Billions of them each year face violent deaths.  Concerned individuals point at such things as wind turbines, which in fact do kill hundreds of thousands of birds.  But the great majority of bird deaths are caused by cats.  And that’s a danger that isn’t going to go away.

The second largest cause of bird deaths is collisions with building windows.   Building collisions kill hundreds of millions of birds each year in the U.S. alone.  As other places have seen glass skyscrapers proliferate, such as in Chinese cites, these collisions have become a major global factor in bird mortality.

There are growing efforts across the U.S. and Canada to reduce bird collisions.  Many businesses are taking part in “lights out” programs in which their buildings dim lights during spring and fall migrations.  Some buildings now use special glass that birds can see and avoid.  Some communities even have adopted ordinances that require bird-friendly glass in new construction.  Keeping bird attractants away from windows is another important way to reduce bird strikes.  All these measures have been proven to be effective in reducing the number of bird collisions.

 Companies sell vinyl film with tiny dots that can be affixed to windows.  Both businesses and homeowners have seen substantial reduction in bird collisions with such films installed.

Bird collisions are not a new problem but is one that wasn’t really taken seriously until at least the 1970s.  There isn’t much to be done about the greatest threat to birds – namely cats – but how buildings are constructed and operated is something we can control.

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As Bird Kills from Buildings Mount, Cities Look for Solutions

Photo, posted December 24, 2017, courtesy of Nicolas Vollmer via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Farming the frozen north

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Agriculture is the primary cause of land-based biodiversity loss.  As the global population grows, agricultural production needs to keep pace.  Estimates are that production needs to double by 2050.  How this can be accomplished without doing further harm to the environment and biodiversity is extremely challenging.

Climate change adds further complications to the challenge.  As the climate warms in the middle latitudes, agricultural zones may need to shift northward to regions which have evolved to have more suitable climates.  This represents a very real threat to the wilderness areas of Canada, Russia, and Scandinavia.  These places represent a significant fraction of the world’s wilderness areas outside of Antarctica.

According to researchers at the University of Exeter in the UK, if the forces driving climate change are not diminished, over the next 40 years warming temperatures are expected to make more than 1 million square miles newly suitable for growing crops.  As cropland goes barren in areas that have warmed too much, northern wilderness could be turned over to farming.  The vital integrity of these valuable areas could be irreversibly lost.

The study, published in the journal Current Biology, also says that climate change will shrink the variety of crops that can be grown on 72% of the land that is currently farmed worldwide.  Given this situation along with the rising global population, it is essential that land be used more efficiently.  We can feed a larger population from the farmland we already have, but people need to reduce meat consumption, cut food waste, and grow crops suited to their local climate.

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Warming Could Make Northern Wilderness Ripe for Farming, Study Finds

Photo, posted September 7, 2016, courtesy of Scott via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Controlled Environment Agriculture | Earth Wise

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The term “controlled environment agriculture” (or CEA) refers to any number of systems embodying a technology-based approach to farming.  CEA can range from simple shade structures to greenhouses to full indoor or vertical farms.  At the most advanced level, CEA systems are fully automated, closed loop systems with controlled lighting, water, and ventilation.   Many systems make use of hydroponics rather than traditional soil.

The goal of CEA systems is to provide optimum growing conditions for crops and prevent disease and pest damage. 

A recent study by the University of Surrey in the UK sought to understand the impact of using CEA systems to grow lettuce, which is a high-value crop that is often grown in such systems.

The study found that, on average, CEA methods produce double the crop yields compared to field-based agriculture.  They also found that the cultivation time of CEA yields was, on average, 40 days.  This compares with an average cultivation time of 60-120 days for field-based agriculture.  More specifically, production of lettuce using CEA was 50% faster in the summer and up to 300% faster in the winter.

Climate change presents many difficult challenges to society, not the least of which is its threat to food security.  Controlled environment agriculture could allow cultivation of crops in harsh environments and in the face of changing climates.  Quantifying the benefits CEA can have on yield and growth provides important information for advancing our understanding of where and when this technology can bring the most value to society. 

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Using artificial methods for growing crops could help solve global food security

Photo, posted February 24, 2013, courtesy of Cindy Kurman / Kurman Photography via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Air Pollution And Insects | Earth Wise

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Insects can be found in every environment on Earth and play critical roles in the planet’s ecosystems.  Insects pollinate more than 80% of plants, including those that we eat and those that provide food and habitat for other species.  Without insects, we wouldn’t have the rich biodiversity that supports life on earth today.

But the world is experiencing a decline in overall insect populations as well as a collapse in insect diversity.  According to researchers from the University of Melbourne in Australia, Beijing Forestry University in China, and the University of California – Davis, air pollution particles may be the cause of the dramatic decline.  They found that an insect’s ability to find food and a mate is reduced when their antennae are contaminated by particulate matter. 

In the study, which was recently published in the journal Nature Communications, the research team exposed houseflies to varying levels of air pollution for just 12 hours and then placed the flies in a Y-shaped tube ‘maze’. Uncontaminated flies typically chose the arm of the Y-maze leading to a smell of food or sex pheromones, while contaminated flies selected an arm at random, with 50:50 probability.

Using a scanning electron microscope, the researchers also found that as air pollution increases, more particulate material collects on the sensitive antennae of houseflies. 

Insect antennae have olfactory receptors that detect odor molecules emanating from a food source, a potential mate, or a good place to lay eggs.  If an insect’s antennae are covered in particulate matter, a physical barrier is created between the smell receptors and air-borne odor molecules.

Air pollution poses a significant threat to insect populations around the world.   

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Air pollution particles may be cause of dramatic drop in global insect numbers

Photo, posted June 13, 2008, courtesy of Allen Watkin via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Endangered Plants And The Changing Climate | Earth Wise

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Plants are a critical resource because of the countless ways they support life on Earth. Plants release oxygen into the atmosphere, absorb carbon dioxide, and provide food and habitat for humans and wildlife.  Plants are also used to produce fibers, building materials, and medicines. 

Plants form the backbone of natural ecosystems, and absorb about 30% of all the carbon dioxide emitted by humans each year.  But plants are struggling to adapt in a human-dominated world.  Even though they are easier and cheaper to protect than animals, plants are often overlooked in conservation efforts.

Ironically, conservation efforts appear to be overlooking a key threat to endangered plants.  According to a new study led by researchers from Penn State University, all plants and lichens listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act are sensitive to climate change, but there are few plans in place to address that threat directly. 

The threat that climate change poses to endangered plants and lichens had not been thoroughly evaluated in more than a decade.  In the study, which was recently published in the journal PLOS Climate, the research team adapted existing assessment tools used to examine the threat of climate change for wild animals and applied them to 771 endangered plant species.  The researchers found that all endangered plant and lichen species are at least slightly threatened by climate change, and little is being done to protect the listed species from that threat.

The researchers hope their findings will be used to aid future conservation planning.  After all, plants can live without humans, but humans cannot live without plants.

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Climate change threatens 771 endangered plant and lichen species

Photo, posted June 12, 2014, courtesy of Mark Freeth via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

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