Abstract
Olympic Committee Bids Adieu to Single‐Use Plastics
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced plans to eliminate single‐use plastics from the organization and its events worldwide. In addition, seven major sporting bodies and representatives from more than 20 National Olympic Committees have joined the UN Environment's Clean Seas campaign to help increase awareness of marine litter and the plastic threat. “This is the biggest commitment ever made from sports to address plastic pollution,” says Erik Solheim, executive director of UN Environment and a member of the IOC Sustainability and Legacy Commission. “[This pledge] will transform the awareness and use of plastic waste in sport.” IOC's Sustainability Strategy focuses on sourcing and resource management as well as encouraging best practices across the Olympic Movement. Solheim notes that the committee has already begun reducing waste at its headquarters and at the Olympic Museum. It is also emphasizing responsible material use at all IOC events in collaboration with its suppliers by 2020. Future efforts include coastal cleanups, campaigns, and education programs such as those underway in Oceania, a region with a documented history of plastic pollution in its oceans.
Single-use plastics are out as far as the International Olympic Committee is concerned. IOC and related groups plan to switch to environmentally friendly materials by 2020.
Drying Lakes May Be Toxic Dust Bombs
As the Salton Sea dries up, residents of communities surrounding California's largest lake are dealing with a bigger problem than loss of tourism dollars: They're also seeing their health decline. According to a report in The Verge, each day increasing square miles of playa—the lake bed once hidden by water—is emitting tons of dust laced with industrial runoff from surrounding farms. The result is an asthma epidemic for residents in cities like Salton City, Coachella, and El Centro, where an estimated 30 percent of the populace now require inhalers and nebulizers to aid with breathing. “My 10‐year‐old son goes to baseball practice with a glove in one hand and an inhaler in the other,” says Humberto Lugo, who works for the environmental nonprofit Comite Civico Del Valle. “It's a way of life here.” That way of life is becoming commonplace: Similar problems are occurring near other vanishing water bodies such as Iran's Lake Urmia, Africa's Lake Chad, Kazakhstan's Aral Sea, and Utah's Great Salt Lake. The impact also goes beyond public health. Death of a lake also means destruction of the ecosystems that relied upon it. Salton Sea, which once had 450 different species of wildlife, could be lifeless by 2045, The Verge reports. And with that loss comes an economic hit. A result at Great Salt Lake similar to Salton's would be disastrous for Salt Lake City, which receives $1.32 billion annually from water‐ and mineral‐based activities, according to researchers with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. Most frustrating for all concerned is the lack of an easy way to prevent it. Since 1997, Los Angeles has paid $2 billion to fund a massive dust suppression effort around Owens Lake, which from 1913 to 1926 was effectively wiped out by thirsty, growing Southern California populaces. The system splits the dry lake bed into 75 separate cells for dust control and prevention—not very attractive, but it works, according to Owens Lake Air Pollution Control Officer Phil Kiddoo. The effort now captures 95 to 98 percent of the playa's dust. Such a program could help Salton Sea, but only if undertaken immediately.
Once a prime Southern California tourist spot, the Salton Sea has become home to abandoned buildings and piers, and an increasingly toxic salinity.
Biodegradable Drones Boost Study of Coral Reefs
Scientists have an ally in their effort to understand climate change and coral reefs: biodegradable drones. According to a report in Geospatial World, the unmanned aerial probes are a key part of researchers' attempts to “conserve the environment.” For example, with the study of coral reefs, drones allow scientists to conduct reef population surveys, understand how reefs change over time, including how they react to climate change, and determine how pollution affects the reefs. In the past, scientists utilized technologies such as underwater photography, which can be costly and time‐consuming, and satellite technology, which has poor resolution. With drones, scientists can better study the changing environment of coral living at shallow depths, which are also the reefs most likely to experience environmental stress. Importantly, when its usefulness has ended, decommissioning this type of drone is easy—it's made of biodegradable materials including cardboard and fungus.
NASA scientists have developed a drone made of fungus that breaks down after use―another sign that the technology’s time has come.
Ocean's Plastic Waste Hits New Low: The Mariana Trench
Even the world's deepest ocean trench can't escape an onslaught of plastic trash. Researchers at the Japan Agency for Marine‐Earth Science and Technology (JAMEST) have discovered at least 3,000 pieces of plastic debris at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, including one plastic bag sitting at 36,000 feet below sea level. Using the Deep‐Sea Debris Database—an online public catalog of more than 5,000 images and videos taken by deep sea vehicles—scientists have determined that 33 percent of plastic within the trench is macro‐plastic, such as plastic bags, plastic bottles, fishing nets, or expanded polystyrene (Styrofoam™), of which 89 percent is of single‐use variety. Other waste found includes metal, rubber, fishing gear, glass, and other human‐made items. Even more alarming, according to JAMEST scientists, is that some of the plastic trash is around 30 years old. “The [deepest] plastic bag in question was added to JAMEST's Deep‐Sea Debris Database 20 years ago,” says Nicholas Mallos, director of Ocean Conservancy's Trash Free Seas Program. “This problem didn't start today or this year, or even this decade. But it will only get worse if we do not take action.” JAMEST researchers note that finding plastic debris seven miles below sea level underscores how widespread a problem such pollution has become. “The influence of land‐based human activities has now reached the deepest parts of the ocean in areas more than [620 miles] from the mainland,” writes Sanae Chiba, co‐author of “Human Footprint in the Abyss,” JAMEST's paper on the findings. That paper appears in the journal Marine Policy.
Plastic pollution such as this ice bag has reached even the deepest parts of the Earth’s oceans.
Fast Fashion under Scrutiny in the U.K.
Members of the British Parliament (MPs) are investigating the environmental impact of “throwaway fast fashion” in the United Kingdom amid concerns that the multibillion‐pound industry is wasting valuable resources and contributing to climate change. According to MP Committee Chair Mary Creagh, the inquiry will explore the carbon impact, resource use, and water footprint of clothing throughout its life cycle and supply chain. “The way we design, make and discard clothes has a huge environmental impact,” Creagh says. “Producing clothes requires climate‐changing emissions. Every time we put on a wash, thousands of plastic fibers wash down the drain into the oceans. We don't know where or how to recycle end‐of‐life clothing.” She notes that the globalized market for fashion manufacturing has facilitated a “fast fashion” phenomenon—a proliferation of “cheap and cheerful” clothing, with quick turnover that encourages consumers to keep buying. The trick is to learn how to change that line of thinking by consumers and encourage them to consider how to best dispose of unwanted clothes. An estimated 300,000 tons of fashion waste goes into the landfill annually. Efforts such as improving recycling rates could go a long way toward reducing that figure, Creagh asserts.
The United Kingdom, and the rest of the world, is grappling with massive amounts of discarded clothing―as illustrated in this image of French artist Christian Boltanski’s No Man’s Land exhibit.
University of Utah Awarded $140M for Geothermal Research
The University of Utah will receive up to $140 million in funding through 2023 from the U.S. Department of Energy to boost the school's geothermal research and development. The funding is set to primarily go toward the university's forthcoming Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy (FORGE) field laboratory in Milford, Utah. This new FORGE site will specialize in enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) or human‐made geothermal reservoirs. Although conventional geothermal resources occur naturally in the United States, they are geographically limited to places where heat, permeability, and fluid are co‐located underground. As a result, American geothermal electricity production is located solely in western states. But human‐made geothermal reservoirs can be engineered wherever hot rocks are found, and since such formations are almost ubiquitous (they just vary in depth), those reservoirs have the potential to be utilized practically everywhere.
Geothermal energy is effective, but limited in scope. Enhanced geothermal can make the energy source available worldwide.
Presidential Order Ends Obama‐Era Ocean Safeguards
Citing economic and security concerns, President Trump has issued an executive order that erases former President Barack Obama's 2010 oceans policy, which emphasized conservation and sustainability. Instead, the new edict calls American waters “foundational to the economy, security, global competitiveness, and well‐being of the United States,” according to a report in Science. Trump says his policy “promotes the lawful use of the ocean” by U.S. agencies, and facilitates the economic growth of coastal communities and ocean‐based industries—such as offshore oil drilling. Representative Rob Bishop (R–UT), chairman of the House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee, says the order repeals and replaces the “bureaucratic, overreaching policy created under the previous administration, [and] puts our country's ocean policy back on the right track. The policy will help the health of our oceans and ensure local communities impacted by ocean policy have a seat at the table.” In contrast, those involved with drafting Obama's plan say Trump's order represents a significant step backward. “It's a throwback to the 1960s, when the primary focus was on aggressively expanding the use of the ocean with the assumption that it is so immense, so bountiful that it must be inexhaustible,” says marine ecologist Jane Lubchenco, director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration under Obama. “We learned through painful experience that the ocean is indeed exhaustible, but we also learned that if we are smart about how we use the ocean, it can provide a wealth of benefits for decades and decades.”
Mass Study Shows Antarctic Ice Melt Far Worse Than Expected
Antarctica's ice sheet is melting at three times its rate of 10 years ago, and now pours more than 200 billion tons of ice into the ocean annually, according to a study by more than 80 South Pole specialists. If the acceleration continues, rising oceans could leave low‐lying cities and communities with less time to prepare than they had hoped. “Ice Sheet Mass Balance Inter‐Comparison Exercise” also reinforces that nations may have no more than a decade to cut greenhouse‐gas emissions if they hope to avert some of the worst consequences of climate change. The report notes that the growth is largely attributable to just two huge glaciers: Pine Island and Thwaites. Pine Island is now losing about 45 billion tons per year, and Thwaites 50 billion. Both numbers are higher than the annual losses for any other glacier in the world. “The increasing mass loss that they're finding is really worrying, particularly looking at the West Antarctic, the area that's changing most rapidly,” says Christine Dow, a glaciologist at the University of Waterloo in Ontario who was not involved in the research. “And it's the area that we're most worried about, because it's below sea level.” The largest part of the continent, East Antarctica, has remained more stable and did not contribute much melt to the ocean during the period of study, the assessment says. But in the past five years, it too has begun to lose ice, estimated at up to 28 billion tons per year. “We cannot count on East Antarctica to be the quiet player,” says Isabella Velicogna, an Antarctic expert at the University of California at Irvine and a study coauthor. “[We've started] to observe change there in some sectors that have potential, and they're vulnerable.” The study appears in the journal Nature.
The Pine Island Glacier in West Antarctica is among the ones contributing to polar melting and rising ocean levels.
Savona Becomes Europe's Initial LEED‐Certified City
Savona, Italy, is Europe's first LEED‐certified city in Europe. According to the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI), Savona received the agency's Gold Award for its efforts to develop high air‐quality standards that reduce risky conditions for the most sensitive population groups and mitigate urban pollution. Also, local police statistics show that the crime rate is close to zero, making Savona a safe and livable city. Savona Mayor Ilaria Caprioglio says the city is “proud to be recognized” for its green activities. LEED's certification program, LEED for Cities, addresses city planning, development, and operations that also improve life for people worldwide. It provides cities with a framework for measuring and managing the performance of water consumption, energy use, human experience, waste, and transportation. It is based on LEED, a widely used program for green buildings and communities. “Cities face many challenges in this day and age,” says Kay Killmann, managing director of GBCI Europe. “Citizens are demanding more transparency and information about the places where they live, work, learn, and play. Now more than ever, local governments are becoming laboratories of innovation and are committing to novel ways of solving social problems.” Savona becomes the third city to be LEED certified, following Washington, DC, and Phoenix.
Efforts to improve air quality and cut crime helped Savona, Italy, become the first LEED-certified city outside of the United States.
Biodiversity Will Take Critical Hit from Global Warming
Global warming and land‐use change could cause the world's ecosystems to lose more than a third of their animal species by 2070, according to a study by the Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research at University College London. “Future Effects of Climate and Land‐Use Change on Terrestrial Vertebrate Community Diversity under Different Scenarios” notes that climate change is expected to become the largest driver of biodiversity loss by the second half of the century, surpassing the effects of deforestation and agriculture. The local loss of species could greatly impair the ability of ecosystems to function normally, according to study lead author Tim Newbold. But restricting global warming to 2 degrees Celsius above pre‐industrial levels—which is the limit of the Paris agreement—could reduce the risk, Newbold says. That's in stark contrast to a business‐as‐usual scenario in which warming reaches 4 to 6 degrees Celsius above these levels, which leads to loss of about 35 percent of species. “Climate change is to become, perhaps, the greatest pressure on biodiversity and overtake land‐use in terms of impacts on biodiversity,” he explains. “If you combine these things together, the predictions are, at least under business as usual, for very large losses of biodiversity.” The study appears in Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
Land Transfer to Ponca Tribe May Stall Keystone Pipeline
One Nebraska couple has returned a portion of their land to the Ponca Tribe—acknowledging that the acreage along the infamous Trail of Tears rightfully belongs to the Ponca. But the donation may also throw a wrench in efforts of the TransCanada Corporation to build its Keystone XL pipeline through the area. The exact path of the nearly 2,700‐mile project, which ultimately would allow oil shipments along two lines from Canada to Missouri and Texas, has been contested for a decade, and the land transfer adds one more opponent. “Instead of dealing with farmers, TransCanada will have to negotiate with a new landowner—one that has special legal status as a tribe,” Poca Tribe Chairperson Larry Wright, Jr., asserts. “We want to protect the land. We don't want to see a pipeline go through.” The land donators, Art and Helen Tanderup, say the possibility of blocking the pipeline was only one factor in their decision. “The Ponca and people of this community continue to build strong relationships as they work in collaborative efforts,” Art Tanderup explains. “It is only fitting that out of the tragedy of the Ponca Trail of Tears that a small piece of this historic trail be transferred to them.” TransCanada officials had no comment at press time.
The return of land to Nebraska’s Ponca Tribe may slow TransCanada’s Keystone XL pipeline project.
Cardboard Recycling Requires More of Consumers
Looks can be deceiving: Although more cardboard shipping boxes than ever are found in recycling bins, Americans are actually recycling less than they were five years ago, according to USA Today. The culprit? A combination of higher online sales and high demands on consumers. The analysis found that cardboard use by online retailers such as Amazon, eBay, and Walmart increased by 8 percent from 2012 compared to 2017. But the percentage of corrugated containers that were sent back in some fashion for another go‐round only rose by 3.5 percent in that same period. That's bad news for the planet because manufacturers will need more virgin timber for new boxes. “We need those boxes to come back,” says Bill Moore, a recycling industry consultant with Moore & Associates in Atlanta. “The alternative is trees.” Part of the problem stems from the advent of online shopping. Prior to distribution of products directly to consumers, Americans really didn't have to worry about what happened to the packaging. Retailers made sure boxes were broken down, bundled into bales, and sold to recyclers; about 90 percent of all cardboard ended up being recycled, Moore estimates. Today, many consumers don't want the hassle. Forty percent do not have curbside recycling, and overall, only 1 in 4 of those with the service actually use it, according to Betsy Dorn, director of RSE USA, a sustainable‐packaging consulting firm in Orlando, Florida. “It's a hassle for them,” she says. “If you have to cut your cardboard up because it's too big, who's going to do that?” Some waste management companies are responding by increasing the size of customers' recycling bins and shrinking the ones for basic refuse. And cities are encouraging residents to arrange to use empty recycling cans belonging to neighbors if theirs become too full.
Despite more cardboard being boxed up for another trip to the recycler, fewer people are actually taking time to do it, according to USA Today.
Carbon Emissions Affect Quality of World's Staple Food—Rice
Rice—a primary food source for much of the world—could become less nutritious if carbon emissions continue to rise, a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)‐backed study warns. Scientists examined the effects of a 41.5 percent increase in carbon dioxide upon 18 varieties of rice and discovered decreases in the amount of zinc, iron, protein, and vitamin B. The CO2 change, from 410 parts per million to 580 ppm, was designed to mirror the expected level of increase if global warming continues rising at its current pace through the end of the century, according to study coauthor Lewis H. Ziska, a USDA plant physiologist. “We've often focused on how climate change might affect the production of crops,” he notes. “But the quality of those crops and their nutritional content can be just as important, and that hasn't always gotten the close scrutiny it deserves.” An estimated 3.5 billion people use rice as a staple food source, and production will need to increase by 100 million tons per year for every 1 billion people added to Earth's population, the study notes. Correcting the problem won't be easy, as rice itself produces about 10 percent of all methane, which scientists believe will be responsible for 20 percent of expected global warming by 2050. Increasing crop production will also be hampered by reduced availability of water, environmental degradation, and other effects of climate change. “People in wealthy countries with a diverse, healthy diet may not be impacted by less‐nutritious rice,” says study co‐author Kristie L. Ebi, a professor of public health at the University of Washington. “But in a country like Bangladesh, where rice provides 70 percent of the calories, there aren't a lot of other opportunities to get those nutrients.” The study appears in Science Advances.
Greenhouse gasses could rob rice, one of Earth’s most prevalent food sources, of major nutritional value throughout this century.
UN Environment, European Commission Agree to Oceans Roadmap
In an effort to address the threats of pollution, marine litter, and overfishing, UN Environment and the European Commission have adopted the 2018 Oceans Roadmap 2.0, an agreement to support conservation of marine biodiversity and ecosystems. According to Erik Solheim, director of UN Environment, the two groups are “making a commitment to protecting the world's oceans and seas by addressing land‐based sources to combat marine pollution, working through existing governance structures to share best practices and lessons learned, and supporting healthy marine and coastal ecosystems.” The agreement is also expected to strengthen the Our Ocean Conference to be held in Bali in October. Roadmap 2.0 on Healthy, Productive and Resilient Oceans is available at www.uenvironment.org.
DNC Declines Fossil Fuel Campaign Monies
Campaign donations from fossil fuel companies are no longer being accepted by the Democratic National Committee (DNC). According to a report by The Hill, the committee's resolution is a way to connect with grassroots voters and emphasize the party's stance on environmentalism. The decision follows a previous one made during President Obama's administration to ban all corporate PAC donations to the DNC. The new ban will affect donations from oil, gas, and coal companies, but does not address donations from competing renewable energy industries. “Climate change caused by the burning of fossil fuels represents an existential threat to civilization,” the resolution reads. “[Democrats are committed to] curbing the effects of climate change, protecting America's natural resources, and ensuring the quality of our air, water, and land for current and future generations.” The vote comes as the U.S. energy industry is finding itself increasingly split as certain sources—coal and nuclear—struggle economically in spite of much vocal support from the Trump administration, The Hill reports.
Northwestern, WWF Enter Green Planning Mode
Northwestern University and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) have developed a collaborative strategy for advancing solutions to local and global sustainability and to biodiversity conservation challenges. According to Michael Wasielewski, executive director of the Institute for Sustainability and Energy at Northwestern (ISEN), the strategy's initial joint objectives and research areas include sustainable materials; green infrastructure planning; water science and flood management; plastic waste solutions; climate change impact and adaptation analysis; environmental communications; and training for policymakers, advocates, and students. It's not the first time the two institutions have worked together; previous joint projects include efforts to protect Arctic marine species from underwater noise pollution, to develop an environmental guide for building materials selection for reconstruction following disasters, and to quantify ecosystem impacts and sustainable design interventions for proposed transportation infrastructure projects. “We are thrilled to be formalizing our strategic alliance with [WWF],” Wasielewski says. “This agreement brings together two exceptional institutions, allowing us to explore new ideas and deploy solutions more quickly.” Demetria Giannisis, ISEN's managing director, echoes that sentiment. “No single entity can solve the complex challenges stemming from climate change alone,” Giannisis asserts. “Over the next several years, we will continue to work together to integrate our expertise, resources, and networks for greater global impact.”
China's Small Farms May Have Unintended Effects
The smaller a farm in China, the more likely it is to be damaging the environment by overusing agricultural chemicals. According to a study by a research team from Stanford University (Palo Alto, CA), the University of Melbourne (Australia), and the Universities of Zhejiang, Fudan, and Wuhan (China), inefficient use of chemicals on small farms causes serious local, regional, and global pollution, ranging from particle pollution in the air and global warming. That's of big concern in China, the largest consumer of agricultural chemicals. The country uses more than 30 percent of all fertilizers and pesticides sold globally on only 9 percent of the world's crop land, according to University of Melbourne and Zhejiang researcher Baojing Gu. The study found that for every 1 percent increase in farm size, there is a 0.3 percent decrease in fertilizer use and a 0.5 percent decrease in pesticide use per hectare. Part of the problem stems from land and labor migration policies that make larger farms difficult to manage, according to Gu. “Many technological innovations and modern management practices that reduce the use of agricultural chemicals are less effective on small farms due to the high costs of adoption,” Gu explains. The study's authors suggest that aiding smaller farms would decrease agricultural chemical use by 30 to 50 percent, and the environmental impact of those chemicals by 50 percent. It would also double the total income of all farmers. The study appears in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Green Burials Becoming Popular in U.S.
A growing number of Americans are opting for green burials instead of the traditional headstone‐and‐casket funerals because they literally want to be closer to nature. The process, in which a body is buried un‐embalmed within a bamboo box at least four feet underground and then naturally decomposes, is considered far more eco‐friendly than the standard practice of placing a corpse within a nonbiodegradable metal casket and stone crate. “There are over two billion pounds of concrete in our Earth in America today from burials,” says Cincinnati resident Bill Gupton, who wants to buy land to create the area's first fully green cemetery. “There are over 100 million tons of steel and metal and almost one million tons of formaldehyde buried each and every year in America in conventional burials. There's nothing green about that.” Many Baby Boomers find this concept appealing. They are now reaching the age where they need to make final arrangements for themselves and loved ones. Nearly 54 percent of Americans are considering a green burial, and 72 percent of cemeteries are reporting an increased demand, according to a survey by the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA). They're also keeping things close to family: many consider conducting other preparations at home, which extend beyond hospice to what is called “home death care.” This may include a funeral or wake in the home, and even preparation of the body, according to NFDA.
All-natural burials―no metal coffins, no headstones, no chemical embalming―are gaining in popularity as more people take a back-to-nature stance.
