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Is The World’s Largest Sea Turtle No Longer Endangered?

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The rapid disappearance of many plants and animals around the world has many scientists saying we are experiencing a sixth mass extinction – the first since the dinosaurs were wiped out some 66 million years ago.  Despite all sorts of conservation efforts, living things are struggling as a result of climate change, habitat loss, and countless other natural and manmade pressures.  Conservation success stories have been few and far between. 

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Green Tech In 2018

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Clean power gathered unprecedented momentum in 2017.  With climate problems on the rise, national and local governments are pushing for more renewable energy and the end of fossil-fueled cars.  Corporations around the globe are making major commitments to green technology.  Despite the Trump Administration’s open hostility toward clean power and its rejection of climate science, American states, municipalities and private companies are all getting with the program.

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Hopeful Climate Trends

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In November, Syria joined the Paris Climate Accord.  As a result, the United States is now the only country in the world that has rejected the global pact.  Despite this embarrassing news, there is reason for optimism in the effort to stave off the worst impacts of climate change.  In particular, 7 major trends provide hope that things could move in the right direction.

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An Internal Price On Carbon

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As the world looks to reduce carbon emissions, many companies are dealing with paying for their carbon emissions as part of the cost of doing business.  But apart from the situations in which companies already are required to pay for their carbon emissions, a growing number of companies now build carbon pricing into their business plans even if they are not yet directly paying for their emissions.  This practice is known as putting an internal price of carbon into their business plan.

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Corporate Fleets And Electric Cars

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A group of 10 major transnational corporations has launched a new global initiative to slash vehicle emissions by increasing the number of electric vehicles in their corporate fleets.  Known as EV100, the initiative commits companies to integrate EVs in their owned or leased fleets and install charging stations for customers and employees.

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More Fake Fish News

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There has been quite a bit of news in recent years about the mislabeling of fish sold in markets and restaurants.  One study a few years ago concluded that 1/3 of fish sold is not what it is labeled to be. Much of the practice is economic fraud:  substituting cheaper, easier-to-find fish for rarer, more valuable types.  For example, the study found that fish sold as red snapper was almost always not what it claimed to be.  But cheating paying customers is not the only problem associated with the misidentification of fish.

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Winter Outlook

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Each year around this time, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, releases its U.S. Winter Outlook that predicts overall weather trends around the country for the upcoming winter.  They produce these seasonal outlooks to help communities prepare for the weather that is likely to be forthcoming.

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The End Of British Coal

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In the 19th century, Britain produced 80% of the world’s coal.  Britain was the dominant global power in the industrial revolution with its giant blast furnaces, steam locomotives and steam ships.  And with advent of the electric age, coal once again was the power source of choice.  Even as late as the 1970s, Britain got 80% of its electricity from burning coal.

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Lawnmower Pollution

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Over 50 million Americans mow their lawns each week, which uses 800 million gallons of gas per year and produces tons of air pollutants.  Garden equipment engines were completely unregulated with respect to emissions until the late 1990s and still emit high levels of carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, and nitrogen oxides.  In fact, gas mowers and their relatives like leaf blowers and edgers produce 5% of the air pollution in this country.

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Dioxane And Drinking Water

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A byproduct of plastics production, dioxane is a clear, synthetic, liquid solvent that easily mixes with water.  It’s frequently used in paint strippers, dyes, and varnishes, as well as shampoos and body washes – particularly those that are sudsy.  Dioxane doesn’t really biodegrade and is widely regarded as a contaminant.    

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Spreading Like Wildfire

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Last July 7th, 140 wildfires started up in British Columbia, triggering a state of emergency.  By the end of the summer, more than 1,000 fires had been triggered across the Canadian province, burning nearly 3 million acres of forest, about 10 times more than the average over the past decade.

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Earthquake Warning System

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The destructive power of both hurricanes and earthquakes has made headlines in recent times.   The slow development of the hurricanes in the Atlantic was monitored for days before they wreaked havoc on Caribbean islands and Florida cities.  Earthquakes, on the other hand, occur suddenly and without warning.   Except, that isn’t entirely true.

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Climate Change And Hurricanes

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No single weather event can be attributed to climate change.   Storms, floods and droughts have always happened and some of them have always been severe.   However, two centuries of people burning fossil fuels has altered temperatures just enough that some of the storms we have seen in recent times have been much worse than they otherwise would have been.

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The Tiny Country That Feeds The World

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The Netherlands is a small, densely populated country with more than 1,300 inhabitants per square mile.  It lacks almost every resource one associates with large-scale agriculture.  Nevertheless, it is the number two exporter of food in the world, second only to the United States, which is almost 300 times bigger.  The Dutch lead the world in exporting tomatoes, potatoes and onions and produce many other crops as well. 

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WAMC Northeast Public Radio

WAMC/Northeast Public Radio is a regional public radio network serving parts of seven northeastern states (more...)