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Story Archives of 'Environment'
The Stuff Hospitals Throw Away
By Josie Huang on Thursday, November 5, 2009.Hospitals throw out millions of dollars worth of unused medical supplies every year, for a number of reasons - for instance, because they're outdated.
Nonprofit groups are collecting the supplies and shipping them to developing countries. But tons of items still wind up in landfills. As part of a collaboration with Northeast stations, Josie Huang of Maine Public Radio reports.
Climate Change Refugees
By Virginia Prescott on Thursday, November 5, 2009.From the coast of Australia to the shores of the Maldives public officials are looking out at the ocean with increasing alarm.
A report presented at the International Scientific Congress on Climate Change predicts that sea level could rise as much as three feet by the year 2100. If these predictions come to pass, entire cities and even countries would be wiped out, turning citizens into refugees. Some researchers predict that 75 million Pacific Islanders will be forced to relocate by 2050.
Last week, an Australian parliamentary committee recommended a ban on coastal development. One official there said bans would be necessary if the government wanted to prevent, “a major loss of life” if erratic weather patterns and rising seas continue.
Joining us with more is geophysicist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Henry Pollack. Pollack is the author of A World Without Ice which delves into what the rapid disappearance of ice would mean for millions on the planet.
(Drawing by Oxfam International via Flickr/Creative Commons)
Why is ocean plankton in decline?
By EarthTalk on Wednesday, November 4, 2009.
EarthTalk®
From the Editors of E/The Environmental Magazine
Convincing People Not to Burn in the Open
By David Sommerstein on Tuesday, November 3, 2009.For generations, rural residents of the Northeast burned everything from leaves and brush to garbage and tires to save on trash pickup. As of this fall, all states in the region are regulating open burning…not only to prevent wildfires, but to keep toxic smoke from polluting the region’s air.
As part of a collaboration with Northeast stations, North Country Public Radio’s David Sommerstein reports convincing people to obey the law is an ongoing effort.
Power Paths
By Virginia Prescott on Tuesday, November 3, 2009.
Since the 1960s, power companies operating in the four corners area of the U.S. have run power lines over the Navajo and Hopi nations. The transmitters carry electricity to growing sunbelt cities, supplying nothing to people living just below -- many of whom live in darkened homes without the luxury of electricity.
In exchange for use of the land, water and sky, Southern California Edison and other companies paid millions of dollars in royalties to the tribes. That relationship ended in 2003, when the Black Mesa and Kayenta mines closed, along with the Mojave Desert Power Plant. Now American Indians are trying to transition away from fossil fuel power into clean energy.
The story of that transition against the tribal governance and established power companies is told in Power Paths, a film by Bo Boudart, which airs on PBS’ Independent Lens tonight. Steve Michelson is the films executive producer, and joins us with more as part of our "next green thing" series.
Which cars are Earth-friendly AND budget-friendly?
By EarthTalk on Sunday, November 1, 2009.
EarthTalk®
From the Editors of E/The Environmental Magazine
Bethlehem Residents Have Higher Rate of Cancer
By Amy Quinton on Wednesday, October 28, 2009.Residents of Bethlehem have a higher than expected rate of both pancreatic and breast cancer.
That’s the finding of a New Hampshire Health and Human Services Department report released Tuesday.
The study was a follow-up on cancer rates in Bethlehem, and included eight surrounding towns.
But as New Hampshire Public Radio’s Amy Quinton reports, the report could not find a common factor that would explain the increase.
Building Artificial Trees
By Virginia Prescott on Monday, October 26, 2009.Think back to elementary school science and good old photosynthesis - when plants turn the energy from the sun into sugars and suck up carbon dioxide in the process.
Now scientists are trying to isolate that last step. In this case, using artificial trees made out of synthetic resin instead of leafy green plants. It’s called air-capture technology and researchers say it’s one of the more practical geoengineering ideas being developed to combat climate change.
As part of our next green thing series, we’re joined by David Biello, associate editor at Scientific American who wrote about air capture technology for Yale Environment 360.
Yale Environment 360: Pulling CO2 from the Air: Promising Idea, Big Price Tag
San Diego Union-Tribune: Scientists envision trees – real or fake – extracting excess CO² from air
CNN: 'Synthetic tree' claims to catch carbon in the air
(Photo courtesy of The Breakthrough Institute)
Are we ingesting too much molybdenum?
By EarthTalk on Sunday, October 25, 2009.
EarthTalk®
From the Editors of E/The Environmental Magazine
Do discarded cigarettes affect the environment?
By EarthTalk on Sunday, October 25, 2009.
EarthTalk®
From the Editors of E/The Environmental Magazine
