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Earth Wise

A look at our changing environment.

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2:00

Artificial reefs

Earth Wise ·

2024/05/08

The coral reefs that surround tropical islands are a refuge for a wide variety of marine life and also form a natural buffer against stormy seas. The changing climate is bleaching coral reefs and breaking them down. Extreme weather events are becoming more common and are threatening coastal communities with flooding and erosion. Researchers at […]

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2:17

Climate change lawsuits

Earth Wise ·

2024/05/07

For the better part of a decade, there have been lawsuits against fossil fuel companies for their actions related to climate change. The Center for Climate Integrity, a nonprofit that provides legal support to communities suing oil companies, has tracked 32 cases filed by state attorneys general, cities, counties, and tribal nations against companies including […]

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2:00

Hope for amphibians

Earth Wise ·

2024/05/06

There are more than 7,000 known species of amphibians, the group of animals that includes frogs, toads, and salamanders. Over the past 25 years, more than 90 species are believed to have gone extinct and at least 500 more have declining populations. There are many factors contributing to the decline of amphibian populations but the […]

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2:00

Biochar and carbon

Earth Wise ·

2024/04/25

Biochar is a charcoal-like substance that is made by burning organic materials like crop and forestry wastes in a controlled process called pyrolysis, which is burning in an oxygen-deprived environment. Pyrolysis produces little or no contaminating fumes and results in a stable form of carbon that can’t easily escape into the atmosphere. Biochar is a […]

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2:00

Self-heating concrete

Earth Wise ·

2024/04/24

States in the colder parts of the country spend an estimated $2.3 billion a year on snow and ice removal as well as untold millions on repairing roadways damaged by winter weather. Researchers at Drexel University have been researching a way to extend the service life of concrete surfaces like roadways and to help them […]

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2:00

Forever chemicals in water

Earth Wise ·

2024/04/23

So-called forever chemicals are pervasive in a wide range of products. These are man-made substances called per- and polyfluoroalkyls or PFAS. They get their unfortunate nickname because the chemical bonds in them are so strong that the compounds don’t break down for hundreds or even thousands of years. PFAS compounds are used in makeup, dental […]

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2:00

Rising fossil fuel emissions

Earth Wise ·

2024/04/22

Almost every nation in the world has pledged to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. There is expanding use of renewable energy sources and growing numbers of electric cars. But despite all this, carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels rose again in 2023, reaching record levels. The world’s population continues to grow and nations with large, rapidly […]

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2:00

Wireless car charging

Earth Wise ·

2024/04/17

It’s increasingly common to see cars hooked up to charging cables in shopping centers, rest stops, and dedicated charging stations. Charging electric cars is easy to do, just like charging phones and laptop computers. These days, it is pretty common to charge phones without using any charging cable at all because of the availability of […]

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2:00

The health impacts of gas venting and flaring

Earth Wise ·

2024/04/15

Oil and gas producers around the world use venting and flaring to remove excess natural gas in crude oil production. Flaring is the process of burning excess natural gas at the production well using a flare to ignite the methane and other components in the gas, while venting is the direct release of natural gas […]

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2:00

Skiing and climate change

Earth Wise ·

2024/04/12

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, anthropogenic climate change resulting in higher average temperatures has caused a global decline in snowfall. Less snow threatens to reinforce global warming, and to disrupt food, water, and livelihoods for billions of people. According to a new study recently published in the journal PLOS ONE, annual snow […]

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2:00

Lithium in Arkansas

Earth Wise ·

2024/04/11

There are more and more electric cars on the road and utilities are installing record amounts of battery storage to back up solar and wind power generation. Both of these things currently use lithium-ion batteries so the need for them keeps growing. There is actually plenty of lithium in the world. Sources of more than […]

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2:00

Biodegradable microplastics

Earth Wise ·

2024/04/10

Ordinary plastics are not biodegradable, but they are also not indestructible. Plastics in the environment can break down into tiny fragments – microplastics – and those, unfortunately, are nearly indestructible. Microplastics have been documented in the oceans and in soil virtually everywhere on Earth including remote frozen wastelands and on top of high mountains. More […]

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2:00

An ice-free Arctic

Earth Wise ·

2024/04/09

According to a new study by Colorado University, Boulder, the Arctic could see summer days with practically no sea ice as soon as sometime in the next few years. Earlier predictions for when the first ice-free day in the Arctic could occur were sometime well into the 2030s. By mid-century, the Arctic is likely to […]

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2:00

Canadian zombie fires

Earth Wise ·

2024/04/08

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 […]

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2:00

Energy efficient cows

Earth Wise ·

2024/04/05

Livestock production – primarily cows – produce nearly 15% of global greenhouse gas emissions, mostly in the form of methane emitted by burping caused by the way they process food. A single cow produces roughly 200 pounds of methane gas per year and there are 1.5 billion heads of cattle in the world. Researchers at […]

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2:00

A common plant could be a valuable food source

Earth Wise ·

2024/04/04

A new study by researchers at Penn State University has found that a common water plant in the eastern U.S. could be a valuable green fertilizer, a feed for poultry and livestock, and even a life-saving food for people in the event of a catastrophe or disaster. The plant is the Carolina azolla. It is […]

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2:00

Who’s driving electric?

Earth Wise ·

2024/04/03

Electric cars are growing in popularity around the world and are expected to represent 20% of new car sales this year. In some places, they have a much bigger share: 38% in China and a whopping 82% in Norway. Here in the U.S., things are more complicated. Last year, EVs represented 8.5% of U.S. new […]

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2:00

Cyber protection for apple orchards

Earth Wise ·

2024/04/02

Spring frosts represent a real danger for apple orchards. The changing climate has brought about periods of unusually warm weather at times early in the year that have caused trees and other flowering plants to bloom early. For apple growers, this has made their orchards more susceptible to the damaging effects of extreme cold events. […]

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2:00

Progress on offshore wind in New York

Earth Wise ·

2024/04/01

New York has now conditionally awarded two offshore wind projects that will move towards operation in 2026. The projects, totaling more than 1,700 megawatts of power, will be the largest power generation projects in New York state in more than 35 years. It is an important milestone toward achieving the state’s goal of developing 9,000 […]

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2:00

Iceland power

Earth Wise ·

2024/03/15

Iceland burns very little fossil fuel to power its economy and heat its homes. About 85% of its energy comes from geothermal power and hydropower. Its unique geology provides it with the highest percentage of renewable energy in the world. The fossil fuel that Iceland does burn is primarily used to power cars and trucks […]

en-US

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Earth Wise

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