ubiquitous

Redefining the perfect beach

April 30, 2025 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

The iconic image of the “perfect” tropical beach is fine white sand, a few coconut palm trees, a gently sloping beach, and unobstructed views of the blue sea. This image came about to a great extent from fascination with Polynesian scenery at the time of World War II. And because of this imagery, beach resorts around the world have tried to achieve this look, often by reengineering and altering natural ecosystems to meet this artificial standard of perfection.

But natural tropical and subtropical beaches with their mangrove forests and seagrass meadows are complex ecosystems that support biodiversity, provide protection from storms, and capture carbon in significant amounts from the atmosphere.

With all this relandscaping of beaches, by the end of the 20th century, 35% of the world’s mangrove forests and 29% of its seagrasses were gone. Mangroves sequester 10 times more carbon than mature tropical forests and sea grass can pull in up to 15 times as much.

In recent years, some resort developers are starting to embrace having beachscapes in their more natural states. They are planting or preserving native vegetation and allowing sea grass to flourish. The Six Senses Laamu resort in the Maldives, a major luxury tourist destination, was a trendsetter in this way.

Coconut palms do little to prevent sand erosion, block wind, or even provide much shade. In a warming world with increasingly powerful storms, they offer little protection for the world’s beaches. They are not even native to the Caribbean, where they are now ubiquitous, having been introduced by Europeans.

Many resort developers are now rethinking the description of the perfect beach.

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Your Resort’s ‘Perfect’ Beach Is a Lie

Photo, posted March 2, 2011, courtesy of Breezy Baldwin via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Barley plastic

July 24, 2024 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

The durability, malleability, and low cost of plastics have made them ubiquitous. Plastics are everywhere: in packaging, clothing, and an endless variety of products. As a result, they are everywhere in the environment and they tend to stay there, contaminating land and sea. They are tough to recycle, and their production emits more carbon dioxide than all air traffic combined. The search for viable substitutes for plastic is global and intensive.

Most common bioplastics are not an ideal solution. They don’t break down that easily when tossed into the natural environment. The process can take years.

Researchers at the University of Copenhagen have invented a new material made from modified starch that can completely decompose in nature and can do so in only two months. The material is made using natural plant material from crops and could be used for food packaging as well as many other things.

The new material is a biocomposite composed of several substances that decompose naturally. The main ingredients are amylose and cellulose, common in many plants. Amylose is extracted from crops like corn, potatoes, wheat, and barley.

The Danish researchers have developed a barley variety that produces pure amylose in its kernels. Pure amylose is ideal because it is less likely to turn into a paste when it interacts with water.

Combining the amylose with cellulose forms long, strong molecular chains, resulting in a durable, flexible material that can replace plastic in many applications. The research team has founded a spinoff company and have applied for a patent for the new material. It is unclear when the biofriendly barley-based plastic might be commercialized, but its potential is quite good.

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Researchers invent one hundred percent biodegradable “barley plastic”

Photo, posted May 20, 2010, courtesy of Frederick Lang Jr. via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Plastics and agriculture

November 14, 2023 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

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

A Growing Threat To Wheat | Earth Wise

January 27, 2023 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Wheat is one of the most widely-grown crops in the world and plays a major role in human nutrition. In fact, wheat contributes approximately 20% of the protein and 20% of the calories consumed by humans globally. It is grown on every continent except Antarctica.

But wheat is under growing attacks from harmful toxins. According to a new study by researchers from the University of Bath and the University of Exeter in the U.K., almost half of wheat crops across Europe are impacted by the fungal infection that gives rise to mycotoxins.

Mycotoxins are naturally occurring toxins produced by the fungus that causes Fusarium Head Blight. Fusarium Head Blight is a disease that affects wheat and other grains growing in the field. Eating products contaminated with mycotoxins can cause sickness in humans and livestock, including vomiting and other gastrointestinal problems.

In the study, the research team examined 10 years of government and agribusiness data, which tracked Fusarium mycotoxins in wheat entering the food and animal supply chains across Europe and the U.K. Half of the wheat intended for human food in Europe contained the Fusarium mycotoxin. In the UK, 70% of wheat was contaminated.

Governments set legal limits on mycotoxin contamination levels in wheat that is to be consumed by humans. But with the ubiquitous nature of these mycotoxins, the effect of constant, low-level exposure in the diet over the course of a lifetime is not known.

With climate change and the war in Ukraine already impacting both wheat yield and price, preventing toxin contamination is critical to help maintain a stable crop price and to protect global good security.

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Harmful fungal toxins in wheat: a growing threat across Europe

Photo, posted July 11, 2011, courtesy of Maria Keays via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Lighted Nets Protect Marine Wildlife | Earth Wise

March 16, 2022 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Gillnets are walls or curtains of netting that hang in the water to trap fish. They are one of the most extensively used fishing gear in coastal regions throughout the world’s oceans. While they are very effective at catching targeted fish species, they are not discriminating. As a result, they carry significant risk of bycatch – the accidental capture of unwanted species as well as other interactions with various marine animals.

Researchers from The Wildlife Conservation Society, NOAA Fisheries, Arizona State University, and the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Institute of Mexico have recently published a study showing that using lighted gillnets reduced overall bycatch by 63%, including a 95% reduction in sharks, skates, and rays, and an 81% reduction in Humboldt squid.

Gillnets often catch endangered, threatened, and protected species such as sharks, sea turtles, marine mammals, and seabirds, as well as unwanted species and non-marketable juvenile target fish species. The bycatch animals are often dead or injured and are generally dumped overboard.

Illuminating gillnets with LED lights has emerged over the past decade as an effective tool to reduce bycatch of endangered sea turtles. The new study is the first detailed examination of the effectiveness of illumination for other vulnerable species.

Gillnets are ubiquitous because they are inexpensive and catch everything that passes them. Global populations of sharks, skates, and rays have declined as a result of bycatch and illegal fishing. The results of this study are encouraging because they provide a practical solution for increasing the selectivity of gillnets and avoiding bycatch.

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