PODCAST

Earth Wise

WAMC Northeast Public Radio

A look at our changing environment.

education natural sciences

All Episodes

2:00

Hydrogen-powered aviation

Earth Wise ·

2024/12/16

The transportation sector is responsible for about a quarter of human-generated greenhouse gas emissions. Most of the energy used by transport systems comes from fossil fuels. The transition to electric vehicles – cars, trucks, and buses – is making a real difference. However, the emissions from the aviation industry have continued to grow faster than those of other forms of transportation. There have been increased efforts to develop hydrogen-powered aircraft, but the challenges are

2:00

Capturing hot carbon dioxide

Earth Wise ·

2024/12/13

Decarbonizing industries like steel and cement is a difficult challenge. Both involve emitting large amounts of carbon dioxide both from burning fossil fuels and from intrinsic chemical reactions taking place. A potential solution is to capture the carbon dioxide emissions and either use them or store them away. But this sort of carbon capture is not easy and can be quite expensive.The most common method for capturing carbon dioxide emissions from industrial plants uses chemicals called liquid

2:00

Artificial plants to clean indoor air

Earth Wise ·

2024/12/12

The average American spends about 90% of their time indoors breathing the air in our workplaces, homes, or schools. The quality of this air affects our overall health and well- being. Indoor air quality is an issue because many sources can generate toxic materials, including building materials, carpets, and more. But high levels of carbon dioxide are a health hazard themselves. Indoor CO2 levels can often be 5 to 10 times higher than the already heightened levels in the atmosphere. Many of us

2:00

Reducing farm nutrient pollution

Earth Wise ·

2024/12/11

When farmers add nutrients to their fields in excess of their crops’ ability to utilize them, these excess nutrients can enter the surrounding environments and create environmental problems. The primary culprits are nitrogen and phosphorous. These fertilizer components emerge from fields and enter local waterways in surface runoff.Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have developed a form of designer biochar that can provide phosphorous in a time-released fashion and reduce

2:00

A better way to extract lithium

Earth Wise ·

2024/12/10

Lithium is the critical component in the batteries that power phones and computers, electric cars, and the systems that store energy generated by solar and wind farms. Lithium is not particularly rare, but it is difficult and often environmentally harmful to extract from where it is found. Traditional ore sources are increasingly difficult and expensive to mine. The largest known deposits of lithium are in natural brines – the salty water found in geothermal environments. These brines also

2:00

The race for fusion power

Earth Wise ·

2024/12/09

The sun is powered by fusion energy. Hydrogen atoms fuse together into helium atoms, liberating vast amounts of energy in the process. Our understanding of this process emerged early in the 20th century and by the 1950s, research efforts were underway trying to replicate the process on Earth. If it could be done, fusion would be a source of almost unlimited clean energy. But there has been a cynical saying going around for half a century: fusion power is the energy source of the future, and it

2:00

Mangrove forests and rising seas

Earth Wise ·

2024/12/06

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

2:00

Electric vehicles and health

Earth Wise ·

2024/11/29

Much of the discussion about the benefits of electric vehicles centers about the climate impact of not burning fossil fuels as well as about reduced operating costs. A new study by the University of Toronto looked at the health benefits of large-scale adoption of electric vehicles.The Toronto researchers used computer simulations to show that widespread electrification of the U.S. vehicle fleet when coupled with significant use of renewable energy to power the fleet could result in health

2:00

A giant solar project for Google

Earth Wise ·

2024/11/21

One of the largest solar projects in the US has recently come online in Texas. Three solar farms built side-by-side in Buckholts, Texas by SB Energy can provide 875 megawatts of electricity, nearly the size of a typical nuclear power plant. The project will supply the largest solar energy purchase ever made by Google and the electricity generated will be used to power its new operations in the area. Google will use about 85% of the project’s solar power for data centers in Ellis County and for cloud

2:00

Reducing emissions from cement

Earth Wise ·

2024/11/14

Cement production accounts for about 7% of global carbon emissions. It is one of the most difficult challenges for emissions reduction. The emissions associated with producing cement come from both the energy used to provide heat for the process and from the chemical reactions that take place in the formation of cement. Cement is an essential building block of society, and its use is not expected to decline over time.A German company called Heidelberg Materials is embarking on an ambitious

2:00

Antarctic greening

Earth Wise ·

2024/11/06

The Antarctic Peninsula, like other polar regions, is warming faster than the rest of the world. Ocean heatwaves and ice loss are becoming more common and more severe.New research by the universities of Exeter and Hertfordshire in the UK along with the British Antarctic Survey used satellite data to assess how much the Antarctic Peninsula has been greening in response to climate change. The Antarctic Peninsula is an 800-mile extension of Antarctica toward the southern tip of South

2:00

Renewables progress

Earth Wise ·

2024/11/05

According to a new report by the International Energy Agency, the world is on track to produce nearly half of the electricity it uses from renewable sources by the end of this decade. The report also finds that in nearly every country, large wind and solar plants are the cheapest forms of new power. Between now and 2030, countries will add more than 5,500 gigawatts of new renewable capacity. That is as much as China, India, the U.S., and the EU combined have at present. Most of the new capacity

2:00

Rivers are drying up

Earth Wise ·

2024/11/04

According to a new U.N. report, the world’s rivers had their driest year in at least three decades. Record heat and droughts in many places contributed to low levels of water in many of the world’s rivers. The world faces problems of either too much or too little water. The warming climate has fueled both powerful storms with heavy rainfall and intense droughts around the globe. Last year was the hottest year on record, and it’s a record that is unlikely to last long. The Mississippi River and

2:00

The last coal plant in Britain

Earth Wise ·

2024/10/31

The Industrial Revolution, which basically got underway in the mid-19th century, was largely enabled by coal, which fueled iron manufacturing, railroads, steam engines, and more. Most of these things got their start in Britain, which inspired the rest of the world to follow suit.The world’s first coal-burning power plant began producing electricity at the Holborn Viaduct in London in 1882. This September, Britain - the birthplace of coal power - shut down its last coal-burning power station when

2:00

Renegade geoengineering

Earth Wise ·

2024/10/30

As the dangers of climate change continue to grow, so has interest in geoengineering – deliberate tinkering with the earth’s climate system. In particular, stratospheric solar geoengineering – releasing aerosols into the stratosphere to reduce the amount of heat from the sun reaching the Earth – is attracting increasing interest. Scientists at Harvard, Cornell, Colorado State, Princeton, and the University of Chicago are all researching the topic.Actually doing it on a scale that matters is

2:00

Big Food and greenhouse gas emissions

Earth Wise ·

2024/10/29

The global food system is responsible for as much as 40% of human-generated greenhouse gas emissions. The investor advocacy group Ceres has tracked whether the 50 largest North American food and agriculture companies have set targets to lower their emissions and whether doing so has actually resulted in lower emissions. The emissions from food and agriculture companies are grouped into three so-called scopes. Scope 1 are emissions from a company’s direct operations. Scope 2 are emissions from its

2:00

Halloween pumpkins

Earth Wise ·

2024/10/28

According to the National Retail Federation, spending on Halloween festivities this year by the 72% of Americans who plan to celebrate is expected to total $11.6 billion – or about $104 per person. The annual consumer survey also found that 67% of Americans plan to pass out candy this year, and nearly 50% of Americans plan to carve a pumpkin. To produce enough pumpkins for Halloween, farmers grow lots of them every year. In fact, more than two billion were grown in 2020 alone. But the vast

2:00

A structural battery

Earth Wise ·

2024/10/25

The size and especially the weight of batteries is a critical factor for most things that use them. Battery weight is a key limitation for computers and cell phones. It is even more of a limitation for electric cars, ships, or planes. If the battery of a device or vehicle can also function as a load-bearing structure, its weight and energy consumption can be dramatically reduced. This concept of a structural battery is sometimes called massless energy storage. It has the potential to halve the

2:00

Wildlife crossings

Earth Wise ·

2024/10/23

Every year, there are one to two million collisions between motor vehicles and large animals in the U.S. About 200 people are killed annually. Counting smaller vertebrates, around a million animals are killed by vehicles each day. Research has shown that global warming is triggering widespread species redistribution. As a result, more and more animals are on the move, changing their habitats to escape warming temperatures and climate extremes.This situation has created renewed interest in

2:00

Rising methane emissions

Earth Wise ·

2024/10/22

Methane is a colorless and odorless gas that occurs abundantly in nature and is also a product of certain human activities. It’s a short-lived but highly potent greenhouse gas and, as a result, is a major driver of climate change. In fact, methane heats the atmosphere nearly 90 times faster than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period. Despite a global pledge from more than 150 nations to reduce methane emissions by 30% this decade, methane emissions continue to rise. In fact, according to a new

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