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Green grout for stabilizing buildings

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We are all familiar with the grout that is used for tiles in our homes. We are less familiar with grout that is used to stabilize the soil beneath buildings.  Grouting is a process of ground improvement by injecting materials that can fill voids and cracks, strengthen and increase the bearing capacity of soil, and reduce permeability.

Traditional grouting methods have environmental downsides.  Most often, silica-based chemical grouts are used, and they are produced through energy-intensive processes that contribute substantially to carbon dioxide emissions.  As is the case for all materials and practices of the construction industry, developing sustainable, low-emission alternatives to conventional grouting materials has become an important priority.

Researchers from the Shibaura Institute of Technology in Japan have developed an innovative new grout material called Colloidal Silica Recovered from Geothermal Fluids.  This grout material enhances soil stabilization and simultaneously reduces the environmental impact of geothermal energy harvesting.

Geothermal energy production generates large amounts of silica-rich waste fluids which creates challenges for its maintenance and disposal.  The new grout repurposes this waste material thereby transforming an industrial byproduct into a valuable construction material.

The new grout material is particularly valuable in earthquake-prone regions, where soil stabilization is essential in preventing structural damage during seismic events.  In addition, the grout’s superior water-sealing properties makes it ideal for underground construction projects like tunnels, subways, and basements.  The new grout in an important step for the construction industry’s efforts to achieve carbon neutrality.

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From Waste to Wonder: Revolutionary Green Grout for Sustainable Construction Practices

Photo, posted July 8, 2011, courtesy of MTA Construction & Development Mega Projects via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Recycling lithium-ion batteries

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Lithium-ion batteries are used to power computers and cellphones and, increasingly, vehicles.  The batteries contain lithium as well as various other valuable metals such as nickel, cobalt, copper, and manganese.  Like other batteries, lithium-ion batteries have a finite lifetime before they can no longer perform their intended function.

Recycling lithium-ion batteries to recover their critical metals is an alternative to mining those metals.  A recent study by Stanford University analyzed the environmental impact of obtaining those metals using lithium-ion battery recycling compared with mining.  They found that the recycling process is associated with less than half of the greenhouse gas emissions of conventional mining.  The process uses about one-fourth of the water and energy of mining new metals.  North America’s largest industrial-scale lithium-ion battery recycling facility is Redwood Materials, located in Nevada, which uses a clean energy mix that includes hydropower, geothermal, and solar power.

These calculated advantages are associated with recycling batteries that have been in use.  The advantages are even greater for recycling scrap:  defective material from battery manufacturers.

The advantages of recycling are dependent on the sources of electricity at the recycling plant and the availability of fresh water. 

At present, the U.S. recycles about half of its available lithium-ion batteries.  By comparison, 99% of lead-acid batteries (like those found in cars and trucks) have been recycled for decades.  As the supply of used lithium-ion batteries continues to increase, it is important for the availability of industrial-scale battery recycling to keep pace. 

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Recycling lithium-ion batteries delivers significant environmental benefits

Photo, posted May 7, 2020, courtesy of Mark Vletter via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

The importance of shallow water

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Vacationers love beaches with shallow water.  They are great for families with small kids and for less confident swimmers.  Such beaches often attract intense coastal development.  However, they are also fragile habitats that are disappearing around the world.

A new study led by the University of South Florida highlights the need to protect these marine ecosystems.  Shallow coastal waters are known as tidal flats, and they are critical to global seafood supplies, local economies, and overall marine health.  Shallow water ecosystems are interlinked with other marine habitats and are vital for the lifecycle of marine species far from shore.

Shallow water ecosystems are at risk not only from coastal development, but from harmful algal blooms triggered by human activity, from marine heatwaves, and from boats operating in sensitive habitats such as seagrass meadows. These habitats contribute millions of dollars to local economies such as those in Florida but there is not much direct habitat managements in place to protect these ecosystems.

The University of South Florida study, published in the journal Fisheries, enumerated ten core strategies that boaters, anglers, wildlife managers, and policymakers can adopt to prioritize and preserve shallow marine ecosystems from humans and from increasingly powerful weather events.  Foremost among these efforts are the protection of key fish species, such as tarpon, whose protection would benefit additional species that use the same habitats.

Habitat management and restoration should be essential concerns for coastal communities to provide long-term benefits for both themselves and for the marine life that depends on shallow-water habitats.

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Why shallow water at the beach is more important than you might realize

Photo, posted February 14, 2018, courtesy of Marcelo Campi via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Trapping carbon with rocks

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Many experts say that combating global warming will require both drastically reducing the use of fossil fuels and permanently removing billions of tons of CO2 already in the atmosphere.  Developing practical, large-scale technologies for carbon removal is a significant challenge.

There is a nearly inexhaustible supply of minerals that are capable of removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, but they don’t do it quickly enough to make a significant dent in the ever-growing supply in the atmosphere.  In nature, silicate minerals react with water and atmospheric CO2 to form minerals in the process called weathering.  But this chemical reaction can take hundreds or even thousands of years.

Researchers at Stanford University have developed a new process for converting slow-weathering silicates into much more reactive minerals that capture and store carbon quickly.  The new approach resembles a centuries-old technique for making cement.  They combine calcium oxide and another common mineral containing magnesium and silicate ions in a furnace.   The result are new materials that, when exposed to water, quickly trap carbon from the atmosphere.

In their experiments, the carbonation process took weeks to months to occur, thousands of times faster than natural weathering.

The idea would be to spread these materials over large land areas to remove CO2 from the air.  Meaningful use for trapping carbon would require annual production of millions of tons.  But the same kiln designs used to make cement could produce the needed materials using abundant minerals found in many places.  In fact, the required minerals are often common leftover materials – or tailings – from mining.

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Scientists discover low-cost way to trap carbon using common rocks

Photo courtesy of Renhour48 via Wikimedia.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Sea turtles and climate change

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Life is a struggle for survival from the moment a sea turtle hatches.  In fact, only one sea turtle out of every 1,000 typically reaches adulthood as a result of natural predators and other challenges.  Those fortunate enough to make it to adulthood face serious threats from humans. For example, sea turtles are hunted for their meat, eggs, and shells in some regions. Their beach habitats get developed. Harmful marine debris and oil spills pollute their waters and beaches.

Now, climate change is exposing sea turtles to even greater threats.  Rising sea levels and stronger storms threaten to erode and destroy their nesting beaches. Warming oceans disrupt currents, potentially exposing sea turtles to new predators, and damaging the coral reefs that some depend on to survive.

As these environmental challenges intensify, sea turtles are beginning to adapt in surprising ways.  According to a new study by researchers from the University of Exeter in England and the Society for the Protection of Turtles in Cyprus, sea turtles are responding to climate change by nesting earlier.  Researchers monitoring nesting green and loggerhead turtles in Cyprus have discovered they are returning to their regular nesting spots earlier each year to compensate for rising temperatures.

Temperature plays a crucial role in determining the biological sex of sea turtles.  Warmer nest temperatures produce more female hatchlings than males.

But at least for now, sea turtles seem to be doing enough to ensure their eggs continue to hatch by nesting earlier in more ideal temperatures.  While this is good news, there’s no guarantee that it will continue. 

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Turtles change nesting patterns in response to climate change

Photo, posted December 20, 2021, courtesy of Cape Hatteras National Seashore via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Sand mining and the environment

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Sand mining is the world’s largest mining endeavor.  It is responsible for 85% of all mineral extraction.  It is also the least regulated, possibly the most corrupt, and likely the most environmentally destructive.  Sand is the second-most exploited natural resource in the world after water.  Its global use has tripled in the past two decades.  More than 50 billion tons of sand is extracted from the environment each year.

Sand plays a critical role in much of human development around the world.  It is a key ingredient of concrete, asphalt, glass, and electronics.  It is relatively cheap and relatively easy to extract.  But we use enormous amounts of it.

Sand mining is a major threat to rivers and marine ecosystems.  It is linked to coastal erosion, habitat destruction, the spread of invasive species, and damage to fisheries. 

The harm from sand mining is only beginning to attract widespread attention.  A recent study by an international group of scientists published in the journal One Earth identifies        threats posed by sand mining.  Sand extraction in marine environments remains largely overlooked, despite sand and sediment dredging being the second most widespread human activity in coastal areas after fishing.

Sand is generally seen as an inert, abundant material, but it is an essential resource that shapes coastal and marine ecosystems, protects shorelines, and sustains both ecosystems and coastal communities.  Sand extraction near populated coastlines is particularly problematic as climate change makes coastlines increasingly fragile.

Like all other resources on our planet, even sand cannot be taken for granted.  It must be responsibly managed.

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The rising tide of sand mining: a growing threat to marine life

Photo, posted February 7, 2013, courtesy of Pamela Spaugy / U.S. Army Corps of Engineers via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Tearing down small dams to restore rivers

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There are more than 31,000 dams in the northeastern United States.  More than 4,000 of them are in the Hudson River watershed.  Most of these dams are quite small and were built in the 19th century to form ponds and to power grist, textile, paper, saw, and other kinds of mills as the region developed its industrial infrastructure.  The nonprofit organization American Rivers estimates that 85% of U.S. dams are unnecessary at best and pose risks to public safety at worst. 

Dam removals have been occurring for over 100 years, but the vast majority have taken place since the mid-2010s and have increased dramatically since the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which provided funding for such projects.

So far, 806 Northeastern dams have come down and hundreds more are in the pipeline.

Dam removals improve aquatic fish passage, water quality, watershed resilience, and habitat for all the organisms in river ecosystem food chains, ranging from insects to fish to otters to eagles.  Small dams have degraded habitat and altered downstream hydrology and sediment flows.  They have created warm, stagnant, low-oxygen pools that trigger algal blooms and favor invasive species.

But removing even small dams is not an easy matter.  Projects range in cost from $100,000 to $3 million and qualifying for funding – whether federal or state – requires projects to meet a variety of requirements including community support.  Not all dams can be removed, but many more should.

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How Tearing Down Small Dams Is Helping Restore Northeast Rivers

Photo, posted September 20, 2010, courtesy of Doug Kerr via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Fighting harmful algal blooms with harmful algal blooms

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Harmful algal blooms – HABs – occur when colonies of algae grow out of control and produce toxic or harmful effects on people, marine life, and birds.  HABs occur naturally but their frequency and intensity are often associated with increased nutrient loading (mainly phosphorous and nitrogen) in bodies of water that is the result of runoff from sources like lawncare and agriculture.

Researchers at Florida Atlantic University have developed a technique for transforming cyanobacteria – also known as blue-green algae and a prime HAB material – into an effective material for removing phosphorous from water.

Their process converts blue-green algal biomass – essentially hazardous waste – into a custom-made adsorbent material that can pull harmful phosphorous from water.  The algae is first quickly heated up using microwaves and then it is modified by adding lanthanum chloride. 

The study took blue-green algae from Florida’s Lake Okeechobee, synthesized the adsorbent material in minutes, and using only small amounts of it could remove 90% of the phosphorous present in only half an hour.  It worked perfectly well in the presence of natural organic matter.  Using the harmful algae itself to prevent algal growth in bodies of water is an innovative way to reduce its further occurrence.

Phosphorous is a major contributor to the occurrence of harmful algal blooms, which can lead to toxic water conditions, loss of aquatic life, and significant economic losses for the fishing and tourism industries.  This technique could prove to be an essential tool for managing the growing problem of nutrient pollution.

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FAU Engineering Develops New Weapon Against Harmful Algal Blooms

Photo, posted October 27, 2010, courtesy of Jennifer L. Graham / U.S. Geological Survey via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Wave energy in LA

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Ocean waves form as wind blows over the surface of open water.  Globally, waves contain tremendous amounts of energy.  Theoretically, the energy generating potential of waves off the coasts of the U.S. would meet more than 60% of the country’s electricity needs.  There are a variety of methods and technologies for tapping into this energy source, but none have reached the point of commercial adoption to date.  There are many problems that remain to be solved.

Eco Wave Power, a wave energy company, announced that it has received the necessary permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to operate the first onshore wave energy installation in the United States.  The installation will be at the Port of Los Angeles at the facilities of AltaSea, a public-private ocean institute that conducts research on food and energy supply, climate change, and ocean exploration.

The system will utilize eight of Eco Wave Power’s energy floaters that will be installed on the piles of an existing concrete wharf structure on Municipal Pier One.  The system will also include an energy conversion unit enclosed in two shipping containers and connected to the floaters.  The installation is expected to be completed by the end of the first quarter of this year.

Floaters draw energy from waves by using their rising and falling motion to generate electricity. The bobbing motion of the floaters compresses and decompresses hydraulic pistons.  These transmit hydraulic fluid into land-based accumulators that build up pressure.  The pressure rotates a hydraulic motor, which then operates a generator, producing electricity.

The project is a collaboration on the development of wave energy in the Port of Los Angeles between Eco Wave Power and Shell Marine Renewable Program.

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Eco Wave Power secures final USACE permit for its first U.S. wave energy project

Photo courtesy of Eco Wave Power.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Sharks and rays in a warming world

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Sharks and rays belong to a group of cartilaginous fish called elasmobranchs, which have been swimming in the world’s oceans for 450 million years. The resilient species have survived five mass extinction events, and are older than dinosaurs, trees, and Mount Everest. 

But despite their resilience, many species of sharks and rays today are threatened by human activities, including overfishing, habitat loss, and climate change.  In fact, according to a new study led by researchers from the University of Vienna in Austria, more than one third of the shark and ray species known today are severely under threat. 

The study, which was recently published in the journal Biology, found that higher carbon dioxide levels were having a negative effect on sharks and rays, ranging from impacts on the animals’ senses to changes in the skeleton during embryonic development.  An examination of fossil records found that higher CO2 levels had contributed to the extinction of individual shark and ray species in the past. 

But the study also found that global warming could be creating opportunities for sharks and rays.  Rising sea levels and higher temperatures have historically expanded shallow coastal habitats and warm waters, supporting species biodiversity.

But according to the research team, the rapid environmental changes, combined with the impacts from human activities, outpace the ability of sharks and rays to adapt, making it unlikely that they will benefit from global warming.

Protecting sharks and rays is crucial not only for their survival but also for maintaining entire ocean ecosystems. Without top predators, these ecosystems could collapse, impacting both marine life and the people and industries that depend on it.

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Sharks and rays benefit from global warming – but not from CO2 in the Oceans

Myths About Sharks and Rays

Photo, posted November 27, 2007, courtesy of Laszlo Ilyes via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Microplastics in Antarctica

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Microplastics are small plastic pieces less than five millimeters long and typically far smaller than that.  They come from a variety of sources, often from larger plastic debris that degrades into smaller and smaller pieces.  There are also microbeads, which are tiny pieces of manufactured polyethylene plastic that are added to various health and beauty products.  Tiny bits of plastic easily pass through filtration systems and end up in the ocean and other bodies of water.

Microplastics are a pervasive problem for which nowhere on Earth is truly untouched.  Despite stringent regulations on materials entering Antarctica, scientists have discovered microplastics in the snow near some of the deep field camps there.

A study by the British Antarctic Survey made use of a new and advanced technique that can detect microplastics as small as 11 microns – about the size of a red blood cell.

The research team found microplastics at concentrations ranging from 73 to 3,099 particles per liter of snow. 

Snow samples from three different sites identified polyamide (used in textiles), polyethylene terephthalate (found in bottles and packaging), polyethylene, and synthetic rubber.  The results suggest that at least the polyamide, which accounted for half the microplastics found, came from local sources.

Additional research is needed to fully understand the sources of microplastic pollution in Antarctica and to understand the broader implications of microplastics in that frozen wilderness. Microplastics have already been detected in several penguin, seal, and fish species.

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Microplastics discovered in Antarctica

Photo, posted February 3, 2015, courtesy of Christian Stangl via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Making hydrogen using bioengineering

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Hydrogen has great potential for helping society to reach net-zero emissions.  The problem is that the most economical and established production methods for hydrogen depend heavily on fossil fuels and result in roughly a dozen kilograms of carbon dioxide emissions for every kilogram of hydrogen produced.

The carbon-free way to produce hydrogen is by splitting water into its component elements.  This process generally requires the use of catalysts and lots of energy.

Researchers at the University of Oxford are developing a synthetic biology approach to the production of so-called green hydrogen.  The idea is to replace expensive, exotic metal-based catalysts with a highly-efficient, stable, and cost-effective catalyst based on genetically-engineered bacteria.

There are specific microorganisms that can naturally induce the chemical reaction that reduces protons to hydrogen by the use of hydrogenase enzymes.  While these reactions do occur naturally, they are limited to low hydrogen yields.

The Oxford researchers genetically engineered the bacterium Shewanella oneidensis by inserting a light activated electron pump called Gloeobacter rhodopsin as well as adding nanoparticles of graphene oxide and ferric sulfate.  All of this tinkering with the bacterium resulted in a ten-fold increase in hydrogen yield.

The researchers believe that their system, based entirely on biological methods rather than traditional chemical approaches, could be scaled up to produce ‘artificial leaves’ that, when exposed to sunlight, would immediately begin producing hydrogen.  The Oxford work was published last summer in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.

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A green fuels breakthrough: bio-engineering bacteria to become ‘hydrogen nanoreactors’

Photo, posted July 27, 2016, courtesy of Blondinrikard Froberg via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

A new way to help purify water

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Engineers at the University of Michigan and Rice University have developed a new technology for removing boron from seawater, an important step in turning seawater into safe drinking water.

Boron is a natural component of seawater that remains a toxic contaminant in drinking water after conventional filters remove salts from seawater.  The boron levels in seawater are about twice as high as the World Health Organization’s most lenient limits for safe drinking water and 5 to 12 times higher than what many agricultural plants can tolerate.

Boron passes through the reverse osmosis membranes used in desalination plants in the form of boric acid.  To remove it, the desalination plants normally add a base to the treated water that causes the boric acid to become negatively charged.  An additional membrane then removes the charged boron, and an acid is then added to neutralize the water.  All of this is expensive and complicated.

The new technology uses electrodes that remove boron by trapping it inside pores studded with oxygen-containing structures that bind with boron but let other ions pass through.  Capturing boron with electrodes enables treatment plants to avoid the need for a second stage of reverse osmosis.

Global desalination capacity reached 95 million cubic meters a day in 2019.  The new membranes could save nearly $7 billion a year.  Such savings could make seawater a more accessible source of drinking water for a thirsty world.  Freshwater supplies are expected to meet only 40% of the world’s demand by 2030.

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New water purification technology helps turn seawater into drinking water without tons of chemicals

Photo, posted August 21, 2018, courtesy of Alachua County via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

La Niña has arrived

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After seven months of waiting following the end of the recent El Niño condition, La Niña finally showed up in the eastern Pacific Ocean in early December.

El Niño and La Niña are climate patterns in the Pacific Ocean that can affect weather worldwide.  Normally, trade winds in the Pacific blow west along the equator, taking warm water from South America towards Asia.  To replace the warm water, cold water rises from the depths.  During El Niño, trade winds weaken and warm water is pushed back east, toward the west coast of the Americas.  As a result, areas in the northern U.S. and Canada are dryer and warmer than usual.

During La Niña, trade winds are stronger than usual, pushing more warm water toward Asia.  This results in more upwelling of cooler water from the depths.  This tends to lead to drought in the southern U.S. and heavy rains and flooding in the Pacific Northwest and Canada.  During a La Niña year, winter temperatures are warmer than normal in the South and cooler than normal in the North.

According to the report published in January by NOAA, the La Niña that has arrived is not a particularly strong one.  Sea surface temperatures are only about 1.3 degrees Fahrenheit below average in the tropical Pacific.  The report also suggests that the La Niña condition may not stick around very long.

The El Niño-Southern Oscillation phenomenon adds a natural source of year-to-year variability in global temperatures.  The presence of La Niña for at least part of this year may temporarily keep the lid on rapidly climbing global temperatures.

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La Niña Is Here

Photo, posted November 23, 2011, courtesy of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Reliability of renewable energy

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Naysayers about renewable energy often claim that it is unreliable.  It is true that the sun sets every night and sometimes the wind doesn’t blow.  But with the growing use of battery banks to store excess power generated by renewables, the lack of reliability of renewable energy is turning out to be a myth.

A new study published in the journal Renewable Energy looked at the deployment of renewable energy in California last year.  From late winter to early summer, renewable sources supplied 100% of the state’s electricity demands for up to 10 hours on 98 out of 116 days.  There were no blackouts during that time thanks in part to the presence of battery backup power.  During peak generation periods, the renewables provided as much as 162% of the grid’s needs. 

The main finding of the study is that the electricity grid can be kept stable even as it adds more and more renewables.  Beyond that, every major renewable energy source – geothermal, hydroelectric, wind, and especially solar – is on average lower in cost than fossil fuels.

Despite the low cost of renewable energy, Californians pay the second highest rates for electricity in the country.  Part of the reason is that electrical equipment from utilities has set off wildfires, notably the 2018 Camp Fire that devastated the town of Paradise and killed 85 people.  California’s utilities are now passing the costs that come from lawsuits and from burying transmission lines to their customers.  Overhead power lines are especially prone to falling in high winds and igniting fires.

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California just debunked a big myth about renewable energy

Photo, posted December 16, 2024, courtesy of EDF Renewables / Bureau of Land Management California via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Megadroughts

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A new study by Swiss and Austrian scientists has found that persistent multi-year droughts have become increasingly common since 1980 and will continue to proliferate as the climate warms.

There are multiple examples in recent years in places ranging from California to Mongolia to Australia.  Fifteen years of persistent megadrought in Chile have nearly dried out the country’s water reserves and even affected Chile’s vital mining output.  These multi-year droughts have triggered acute water crises in vulnerable regions around the world.

Droughts tend to only be noticed when they damage agriculture or visibly affect forests.  An issue explored by the new study is whether megadroughts can be consistently identified and their impact on ecosystems understood.

The researchers analyzed global meteorological data and modeled droughts over a forty-year period beginning in 1980.  They found that multi-year droughts have become longer, more frequent, and more extreme, covering more land.  Every year since 1980, drought-stricken areas have spread by an additional fifty thousand square kilometers on average, an area the size of Vermont and New Hampshire combined. 

The trend of intensifying megadroughts is clearly leading to drier and browner ecosystems.  Tropical forests can offset the effects of drought as long as they have enough water reserves.  However, the long-term effects on the planet and its ecosystems remain largely unknown.  Ultimately, long-term extreme water shortages will result in trees in tropical and boreal regions dying, causing long-term and possibly irreversible damage to these ecosystems.

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The Megadroughts Are upon Us

Photo, posted January 7, 2018, courtesy of Kathleen via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Empire Wind moves forward

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Empire Wind 1, the first offshore wind project that will connect to the New York City grid, has received the financing needed to move forward.  Equinor, the Norwegian state-owned multinational energy company developing the project, closed on a more than $3 billion financing package.

The wind farm will span 80,000 acres in an area 15-30 miles southeast of Long Island.  When completed, it will have a capacity of 810 megawatts.  Equinor has executed a Purchase and Sale Agreement with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority to purchase power from Empire Wind 1 for 25 years at a strike price of $155/MWh. The operations and maintenance hub for Empire Wind 1 will be at the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal.  Commercial operation is expected by 2027.

The previously-planned Empire Wind 2 project was terminated a year ago because of inflation, interest rates, and supply chain disruptions.  More broadly, the U.S. offshore wind industry has been struggling for the past year. 

With the return of President Donald Trump to the White House, there is much greater uncertainty facing the industry.  As a result of the election, Attentive Energy, a planned 3-gigawatt wind project off the coasts of New York and New Jersey has been put on pause.  Trump’s public disdain for offshore wind energy is likely to create a major slowdown in the growth of the offshore wind pipeline.  On the other hand, the new administration is less likely to have much influence on projects already in progress including 4 gigawatts under active construction and more than 50 gigawatts in other stages of development.

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Empire Wind 1 secures $3B+ financing package, enters ‘full execution mode’

Photo, posted May 2, 2022, courtesy of California Energy Commission via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Native plants and road salt pollution

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Applying salt to roadways lowers the freezing point of water and prevents slippery surfaces, which makes it safer for people to drive in wintry conditions.  In the U.S., more than 22 million tons of road salt is spread every year. 

But road salt harms infrastructure and the environment.   In fact, road salt damages cars and metal infrastructure by accelerating rust and corrosion.  Road salt can also leach into soil and waterways, disrupting ecosystems, degrading soil, contaminating water, and damaging vegetation. 

In cities and towns, road salts often wash into stormwater systems, posing health concerns and challenges for infrastructure.

A new study led by researchers from Virginia Tech looked at how salt affects plants and whether certain plants could mitigate salt pollution. The research team studied stormwater detention basins in Northern Virginia, examining the impacts of road salt on plants, soils, and water quality in green infrastructure systems.

The findings, which were recently published in the journal Science of the Total Environment, found that the amount of salt present in green infrastructure systems does reach levels that threaten plant communities.  However, the researchers found that relying on salt-tolerant plants for mitigation is unlikely to be effective because they simply don’t take in enough salt.

Certain plants, particularly cattails, absorbed substantial amounts of salt.  But even in a basin densely planted with salt-tolerant cattails, only up to 6% of the road salt applied during winter could be removed. 

Plants alone cannot solve our salt pollution problem.

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Researcher studies the power of native plants to combat road salt pollution

Photo, posted January 22, 2025, courtesy of the City of Greenville, North Carolina via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Drying rivers and hydropower

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A decade ago, Ecuador began a major transition to using hydroelectric power.  Like in many other South American countries, the presence of abundant rivers could supply large amounts of energy and drive economic expansion and lead to a new era of prosperity.

This ambitious plan has run into the impacts of climate change.  An extraordinary drought has engulfed much of South America, drying rivers and reservoirs, and has put Ecuador’s power grid on the brink of collapse. 

Since September, daily energy cuts in Ecuador have lasted as long as 14 hours.  An industry group says that the nation is losing $12 million in productivity and sales for every hour the power is out.  Just a few years ago, Ecuador was making great strides in reducing poverty.  Now, as the energy crisis has increased its grip on the country, much of what was achieved is being lost.

Ecuador’s situation is not unique.  In recent years, abnormally dry weather in multiple places has resulted in extreme low water levels in rivers, reducing hydropower resources in Norway, Canada, Turkey, and even rainforest-rich Costa Rica.

Overall, more than one billion people live in countries where more than half of their energy comes from hydroelectric plants.  With a warming climate and increasing incidence of extreme weather events like drought, it is likely that hydropower will become a less reliable energy source.  More than a quarter of all hydroelectric dams are in places with a medium to high risk of water scarcity by 2050. 

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The Rivers Run Dry and the Lights Go Out: A Warming Nation’s Doom Loop

Photo, posted January 15, 2020, courtesy of Pedro Szekely via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Curbing food waste

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According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, as much as 40% of the food supply in the United States is wasted.  In fact, Americans generate more food waste than all but two countries.

To address this problem, the federal government announced a goal nearly a decade ago to cut food waste in half by 2030 compared to 2016 levels.  Doing so would bring food waste down to approximately 164 pounds per person annually.

However, according to a new study led by researchers from the University of California – Davis, since 2016, per capita food waste has actually increased instead of decreasing. 

The study, which was recently published in the journal Nature Food, looked at how state policies align with federal targets.  The research team found that state policies focus more on recycling methods, such as composting and anaerobic digestion, rather than on prevention and rescue strategies, like food donations or repurposing food for animal feed.

In 2021, the EPA revised its definition of food waste to no longer include recycling methods.  But when food is wasted, the resources used to grow the food, including energy, water, and fertilizer, are also wasted. 

In the study, the researchers analyzed state-level food waste reduction efforts across four areas: prevention, rescue, repurposing, and recycling.  They found that recycling policies offered the most potential for diversion. Despite this, most states still fell short of the federal goal of 164 pounds per person annually. 

According to the research team, more comprehensive policies to address food waste must be implemented as soon as possible.

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States Struggle to Curb Food Waste Despite Policies

Photo, posted June 28, 2021, courtesy of Ivan Radic via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

WAMC Northeast Public Radio

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