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Earth Wise

WAMC Northeast Public Radio

A look at our changing environment.

education natural sciences

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2:00

Air pollution in India

Earth Wise ·

2024/02/19

India is one of the world’s most polluted countries. In fact, of the 30 cities with the worst air pollution around the globe, 21 of them can be found in India. India’s capital city, New Delhi, is the most polluted city in the world. Concentrations of fine particulate matter (known as PM2.5) in Delhi, which is the name of the larger city that includes the capital New Delhi, are nearly 10 times greater than the World Health Organization guidelines. To reduce air pollution in Delhi, officials

2:00

Pollinator-friendly solar power

Earth Wise ·

2024/02/16

Global insect biodiversity has been in decline as a result of habitat loss, pesticide use, and climate change. Restoring insect habitat is a way to reverse that trend. Expanded use of solar energy is a critical part of mitigating climate change. In order to meet the grid decarbonization goals the U.S. has set, approximately 10 million acres of land will be needed for large-scale solar development. According to a new study by Argonne National Laboratory and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory,

2:00

Adirondack lakes becoming inhospitable for trout

Earth Wise ·

2024/02/15

A combination of the warming climate and the phenomenon of lake browning are making the bottom of most lakes in New York's Adirondack Mountains unlivable for cold water fish - such as trout, salmon, and whitefish - in the summer. Lake browning occurs when dissolved organic matter from forests turns the water tea-brown. Browning is the legacy of a century of acid rain and subsequently the fact that forest soils have suffered reduced capacity to absorb weak organic acids, leading to more dissolved

2:00

Sustainable hydrogen from methane

Earth Wise ·

2024/02/14

Hydrogen could serve as a viable alternative to fossil fuels that can be used directly as a fuel or can be used to generate electricity to power cars and other devices.However, large-scale production of hydrogen currently relies on fossil fuels and creates carbon emissions in the process. So-called green hydrogen involves using electricity to split water into its component elements to produce it. If the electricity is generated without emissions, then the hydrogen is truly green. Another way

2:00

Protecting coastal areas with tidal range electricity...

Earth Wise ·

2024/02/13

Tidal range electricity generation uses the water level difference between high and low tides to operate generator turbines. The method requires the construction of barrages and sluices to capture water during high tides and then release it during generation at low tide. Tidal range generation is predictable renewable energy driven by the gravitational pull of the moon and sun. It is only a practical scheme in those places that have large tidal ranges. The largest tidal range in the world is in

2:00

One in five cars will be electric this year

Earth Wise ·

2024/02/12

There has been lots of turbulence in the electric car industry of late. Part of it is aggressive publicity campaigns spreading misinformation and part of it is the natural fits and starts associated with major change. But apart from the ups and downs of individual companies and countries, analysts are projecting another record year for the sales of electric vehicles and are expecting that plug-in cars will account for 20% of all car sales globally. Much of the growth will be driven by China, where

2:00

Confusion about monarch butterflies

Earth Wise ·

2024/02/09

For years, we have heard that the iconic monarch butterfly is in great peril. Monarchs east of the Rocky Mountains undertake a 4-generation, 3,000-mile migration in late summer to their winter home in central Mexico. Since the 1990s, the overwintering monarch colonies began a steep decline causing scientists to fear for the sustainability of the species. Trying to help, ordinary citizens have been planting milkweed – the food for the caterpillars – and have been rearing eggs and caterpillars on

2:00

Why are bees making less honey?

Earth Wise ·

2024/02/08

Scientists have been sounding the alarm on the global struggle of pollinators for a long time. According to the United Nations, nearly 35% of the invertebrate pollinator species, such as bees and butterflies, are facing extinction. And since 75% of the world’s food crops depend on pollination to some extent, the decline of pollinators poses a major threat to global food security. Honey bees are among the struggling pollinators. Honey bee colonies in the United States have experienced annual

2:00

Lower carbon emissions in the U.S.

Earth Wise ·

2024/02/07

American greenhouse gas emissions in 2023 fell by 1.9%. In total, U.S. emissions have now fallen by over 17% since 2005. The largest factor in the decline has been the reduction in the burning of coal to produce electricity. Coal-fired generation has fallen to its lowest level in half a century. There was a huge drop in emissions at the start of the covid pandemic when large segments of the economy shut down. But then there was a sharp rebound in emissions in the following two years when economic

2:00

Elephants and protected areas

Earth Wise ·

2024/02/06

Standing up to 13 feet tall and weighing up to 7 tons, African savanna elephants are the largest species of elephant and the biggest terrestrial animal on Earth. According to the World Wildlife Fund, African savanna elephants can be found in 23 countries and live in a variety of habitats, including savannas, forests, and deserts. The largest populations are in Southern and Eastern African countries. According to assessments from the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the population

2:00

A giant underground battery

Earth Wise ·

2024/02/05

Two up-and-coming energy technologies are coming together near a tiny town in central Utah. Outside of the town of Delta, population 3,600, two caverns, each as deep as the Empire State Building, are being created from an underground salt formation to be used to store hydrogen gas. The gas will be used as a fuel in a new electricity generation plant. The plant will replace an aging local coal-fired power plant. The new plant will burn a mixture of natural gas and hydrogen – green hydrogen

2:00

Why was 2023 so hot?

Earth Wise ·

2024/02/02

Five separate weather-tracking organizations have proclaimed 2023 as the hottest year on record. They all agreed that 2023 beat the previous record-holder - 2016 - by a wide margin. Organizations that use a pre-industrial baseline of 1850-1900 found that 2023 was 1.45 to 1.48 degrees Celsius above the baseline. But what caused 2023 – especially the second half of it – to be so hot? Scientists believe that there were multiple factors that contributed to the record-breaking heat. First and

2:00

Offshore wind in Massachusetts

Earth Wise ·

2024/02/01

On January 2nd, the first large offshore wind farm in New England started producing electricity when its first turbine came online. The Vineyard Wind project, located off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard, will by the end of the year have a total of 62 turbines with a capacity of 800 megawatts, enough electricity to power 400,000 homes. Power finally flowing from Vineyard Wind is an important milestone for an industry that has struggled to get going. It is the second utility-scale offshore wind farm

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