Abstract
Racial Gap Exists between Air Polluters and Pollution Breathers
Pollution, much like wealth, is not distributed equally in the United States. According to a report by researchers at the University of Minnesota (UM) and University of Washington (UW), air pollution is disproportionately caused by white Americans' consumption of goods and services but disproportionately inhaled by black and Hispanic Americans. The finding is an extension to earlier findings indicating that minorities live in more polluted areas than whites. According to UM Professor Jason Hill, researchers generated maps showing the location of different types of emitters, such as agriculture or construction, and their related excessive pollution. “We then tied in census data to understand where different racial-ethnic groups live to understand exposure patterns,” Hill explains. After accounting for population size differences, they found that whites experience about 17 percent less air pollution than they produce through consumption, while blacks and Hispanics experience 56 and 63 percent more air pollution, respectively, than they cause by their consumption. “[There's] an inherent unfairness,” says Anjum Hajat, a UW epidemiologist who was not involved in the study. “If you're contributing less to the problem, why should you suffer more for it?” The research appears in the journal PNAS.
The pollution-filled environment experienced by lower-income minorities is often caused by non-minorities further up the income chain.
Defense against Coronavirus Is Ocean's Newest Threat
Scientists are warning that the coronavirus pandemic could lead to a surge in ocean pollution due to a growing number of discarded disposable masks, latex gloves, and hand sanitizer bottles found in sea beds and washed up on beaches. According to a report in The Guardian, the “COVID waste”—first noticed along the Mediterranean—adds an ever-expanding glut of waste circling the globe. While the quantities of masks and gloves found were not enormous, the discovery “hints at a new kind of pollution that can become ubiquitous after the world's population turns to single-use plastics to combat the coronavirus,” warns Joffrey Peltier, cofounder of the French nonprofit Opération Mer Propre. “It's the promise of pollution to come if nothing is done.” Earlier this year, Hong Kong-based nonprofit OceansAsia surveyed some of the area's uninhabited islands and made a troubling finding. “On a beach about 100 meters long, we found about 70 [masks],” reports association operations director Gary Stokes. “One week later, another 30 masks had washed up. And that's on an uninhabited island in the middle of nowhere.” He compares the mask pollution to the plastic bags or straws that have been washing up on other city shorelines. “It's no better, no worse,” he says. “Just another item we're leaving as a legacy to the next generation.”
The Earth’s oceans, already in danger from plastic waste, have a new threat in the form of the disposable—and nonbiodegradable—masks being used to protect against COVID-19.
Climate Change Could Be Culprit in Past and Future Pregnancies
Global climate change can have negative pregnancy outcomes nationwide, according to a new study by researchers with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). Researchers analyzed 68 U.S. studies dating back to 2007, which included more than 32 million births. Eight-four percent of the births showed “a statistically significant” association between increased air pollution and climate-related heat exposure and serious pregnancy risks such as preterm birth, low birth weight, and stillbirth. “Who's the image of climate change? For a while it's been the polar bear on a floating iceberg,” notes Nathaniel DeNicola, ACOG's environmental health expert and senior author of the study. “But really, the image of climate change and its effects should be human health—kids and pregnant women being affected right now.” The study's subpopulations found to have highest risk included minority groups, especially black mothers, and individuals with asthma. First author Bruce Bekkar, a retired obstetrician and current full-time climate activist, adds that education is key regardless of where in the world people live. “We hope [women and families] realize that this is a risk factor for them that they need to engage with,” Bekkar says. “And that means asking their health care providers for ways specifically that they can address it.” The study appears in the Journal of the American Health Association.
With Green Energy, U.S. Businesses Are Going with the Wind
Commercial and industrial companies made record purchases of wind power in 2019, resulting in 10 percent of all operating wind capacity now being used by corporate customers. According to the inaugural report Wind Powers American Business from the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), 4,447 megawatts (MW) of U.S. wind capacity was purchased last year, bringing total corporate agreements for wind power to 16,857 MW. The total reflects a dramatic increase from the 800 MW purchased in 2013, notes AWEA CEO Tom Kiernan. “Leading businesses are increasingly relying on wind energy to power their operations, reduce costs to their customers, and help achieve their sustainability goals,” Kiernan asserts. “These companies are leaders in their industries, making sustainability commitments that are good for business and good for the environment.” More than 140 companies have purchased U.S. wind energy since 2013. Google tops the list, with 2,397 MW contracted. Facebook is the second largest, with 1,459 MW, followed by Walmart, AT&T, and Microsoft. AWEA's report can be found at www.awea.org.
Wind is becoming a primary power source for businesses nationwide, leading to more than a 100 percent increase in contract purchases since 2013.
Pace of Ongoing Mass Extinction Is Deadlier Than First Thought
The world's sixth mass extinction rate is likely to be far worse than previously thought, according to a study by Stanford University and University of Mexico researchers. The report indicates the wildlife trade and other human impacts have wiped out hundreds of species and pushed many more to the brink of extinction at an unprecedented rate. Scientists estimate that in the entire 20th century, at least 543 land vertebrate species became extinct. Stanford biologist and study co-lead author Paul Ehrlich—whose 2015 paper announced the newest mass extinction—estimates that nearly the same number of species are likely to go extinct in just the next two decades. “When humanity exterminates populations and species of other creatures, it is sawing off the limb on which it is sitting, destroying working parts of our own life-support system,” he warns. The study calls for all species with populations under 5,000 to be listed as critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List database. “What we do to deal with the current extinction crisis in the next two decades will define the fate of millions of species,” explains study co-lead author Gerardo Ceballos, senior researcher at the Institute of Ecology at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. “We are facing our final opportunity to ensure that the many services nature provides us do not get irretrievably sabotaged.” The study appears in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The endangered red panda’s wild population is estimated at fewer than 10,000 mature individuals and continues to decline due to habitat loss, poaching, and inbreeding depression.
Germany's New Economic Plan Boon for Green Economy
Germany has taken a huge step toward switching to primarily climate-friendly industries and technologies, allocating a record $145 billion toward green research, business, and transportation, according to a report by Bloomberg News. The effort to wean off of fossil fuels consists of 57 different points addressing sectors such as taxes, agriculture, and energy. It's the most ambitious plan ever by any government to support green initiatives, Bloomberg notes. The accord omits funding for combustion engine vehicles and instead offers buyers subsidies if they go with battery-powered models. The plan has been praised by pro-environmentalists: Green Party leader Annalena Baerbock calls it “better than feared,” while Greenpeace Germany Executive Director Martin Kaiser says he is “pleasantly surprised.” “The magnitude of money is still too little to kick-start the transformation needed to meet the goals set under the Paris Climate Agreement,” says Kaiser, “but it's a clear indication that society is going green.”
Electric cars are expected to get a huge boost in popularity following the German government’s plan to move away from fossil fuel-consuming goods and services.
Rain Forests, Heavily Deforested in 2019, Could Have a Worse 2020
In 2019, the world lost almost 46,000 square miles of tree cover, according to data collated by the University of Maryland (UMD). Almost one-third of that loss—an area the size of Switzerland—occurred in humid tropical forests. According to a report in Mongabay, the deforestation total is the third-highest in the past 20 years. Brazil, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Indonesia were the top three, followed by Bolivia, Peru, and Malaysia. Meanwhile, Indonesia, West Africa, Colombia, and Madagascar experienced declines between 35 percent and 50 percent from 2018. But it will take legal recognition of indigenous land rights, effective law enforcement, and support from international markets and financial institutions to permanently reduce deforestation, according to Frances Seymour, sustainable development expert at the World Resources Institute. There's also a chance that the COVID-19 pandemic and deforestation might play into each other. Forest fires could worsen the condition of people affected by the virus whose lungs have become more sensitive to smoke pollution, Seymour warns. She also anticipates an increase in forest-dependent livelihoods as jobs are lost. “Consideration of forests in pandemic recovery efforts will determine if the tree cover loss numbers pivot up or down in the years to come,” Seymour notes. “Instead of actions that postpone overdue transitions to more resilient, low-carbon economies to avert the looming crisis of climate change, governments now have an opportunity to accelerate them.”
Rain forest deforestation in 2019 was at its third-fastest pace in the 21st century, with many nations continuing their upward trends.
Canada, Norway Slammed by Activist Thunberg for Hypocrisy
Two countries vying for seats on the UN Security Council may have their chances reduced by a 17-year-old Swedish activist who is chiding them for environmental hypocrisy. Greta Thunberg is best known for organizing a worldwide student-led strike in 2018 in response to governments' limited action on preventing climate change. She has since spoken at the 2019 UN Climate Action Summit, been named Time's Person of the Year, and been nominated for the Noble Peace Prize in 2019 and in 2020. Now, in a letter to UN Security Council members, she has some choice words for Canada and Norway, whom she feels are not meeting their climate change promises. “Both say they are concerned about the climate crisis, but they remain committed to expanding fossil fuel production, build pipelines through native land, and subsidize oil companies,” she points out. “For the young generation who will inherit the consequences of these decisions, it is critical that those who claim to be leading on climate action are held to account for decisions they are making back at home.” The letter also features the signature of three other youth activists and 22 climate scientists. Canada is criticized in the letter for being the second-biggest financer of fossil fuels in the G20. Meanwhile, Norway is slammed for its unwavering support of Arctic drilling. Thus far, neither nation has responded to the letter.
Teen environmentalist Greta Thunberg is urging Canada and Norway to keep their environmental promises before accepting other responsibilities.
The Cleanest Air on Earth Is Where Most of Humankind Isn't
Researchers have identified Earth's cleanest air in a region in the Southern Ocean off the coast of Antarctica. According to a report in EarthSky, climate scientists from Colorado State University (CSU) sailed from Tasmania into the Southern Ocean, which encircles Antarctica, to measure the atmospheric bioaerosol, or boundary layer composition. The air was free from aerosol particles produced by human activity, such as those from planting certain crops, burning fossil fuels, fertilizer production, and wastewater disposal. This effectively makes the air “truly pristine,” according to CSU researcher Thomas Hill, the study's coauthor. “Aerosols controlling the properties of Southern Ocean clouds are strongly linked to ocean biological processes, and Antarctica appears to be isolated from southward dispersal of microorganisms and nutrient deposition from southern continents,” he notes. “Overall, it suggests that the Southern Ocean is one of very few places on Earth that has been minimally affected by anthropogenic activities.” Air pollution is already a global public health crisis that kills seven million people each year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). More than 8 percent of people living in urban areas that monitor air pollution are exposed to air quality levels that exceed WHO guideline limits. The study appears in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
No humans means no air pollution—especially in Antarctica, which has the cleanest air in the world, according to a new study by climate scientists at Colorado State University.
Trump Eliminates Ocean Life Sanctuary, Returns It to Commercial Fishing
President Donald Trump has opened up a 5,000-square-mile conservation area in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of New England to commercial fishing. According to a report by Reuters, the move allows commercial fishing to resume in the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, a sanctuary created in 2016 during the Obama administration. It also cancels a planned phase out of red crab and lobster fisheries in the area. Trump says the action will restore much-needed jobs to Maine. He also claims that former President Obama “didn't have a reason” for closing off the area to begin with. Environmental groups and some recreational fishermen warn that allowing commercial fishing in these areas undermines the protections established by the monument designations, putting marine wildlife, including endangered whales and sea turtles, sharks, and fragile corals in danger of harm and entanglement in fishing nets. According to a report in the Washington Post, other opponents of the action say there is no evidence that the creation of the conservation area has hurt commercial fishing in New England. Brad Sewell, senior director of oceans for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), says the organization is prepared to take legal action against the Trump administration to “protect these marine treasures from harm and exploitation by commercial fishing and other extractive industries.”
Sperm whales are among the creatures at risk following President Trump’s reopening of the 5,000-square-mile Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument for fishing.
New App Launches to Aid Green Actions
A 19-year-old college student in France has created a free app to help people to protect the environment with a simple action: perform one Earth-friendly deed per day. According to a report by EcoWatch, “OneSave/Day” began out of Maxine Leroux's “growing sense of eco-anxiety” about where Earth was headed in terms of pollution, sustainability, and even human nature. “My thoughts were that [I] alone would not have a crucial impact, but as a community, we could make all the individual actions count,” Leroux asserts. “Imagine 100,000 persons picking up one piece of trash on the same day. The result would be amazing—it would only take seconds for each participant to complete and the actions can easily be done every day.” App users receive a daily notification to undertake a daily challenge. Once that action is completed, the user clicks on an I DID IT button to discover how many other people also participated in the task and helped make it a better world. “I try to bring in a high variety of saves,” Leroux says. “It can be from ‘only drinking tap water instead of buying plastic bottles' to ‘putting the phone on low power mode,’” The app is still being fine-tuned, and Leroux believes input from users will improve it further. OneSave/Day is available at www.onesaveaday.com.
A new, free mobile phone app is encouraging people to take one eco-friendly action each day on the way to a greater whole.
When It Comes to Enviro Performance, U.S. Is “Just Okay”
A new biannual ranking by researchers at Yale and Columbia University finds that the United States only ranks 24th in environmental performance, largely due to the massive amounts of greenhouse gas that some of its businesses generate, and recent efforts by the government to roll back environmental protections. In contrast, the top-ranked nation in the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) has made commitments to a carbon-free future, renewable energy, and sustainable agriculture, according to a report in The Guardian. “If you look at Denmark, they're doing great but they're a tiny fraction of overall carbon emissions or greenhouse gas emissions broadly,” says EPI lead researcher Zach Wenderling. “The U.S. is one of the top five players in every greenhouse gas, so we need to do better than just OK if we're going to generate the best practices.” The EPI ranks 180 nations on 24 key indicators in 10 categories related to environmental health and ecosystem vitality. The data-driven and empirical approach to environmental protection “makes it easier to spot problems, track trends, highlight policy successes and failures, identify best practices, and optimize the benefits of investing in environmental protection,” explains Daniel Esty, a professor of environmental law and policy at Yale. “The EPI provides a clear and compelling way to see which countries are leading issue by issue, who is lagging, and what the best policy practices look like across a range of critical environmental challenges.” The Index is available at https://epi.yale.edu.
World's Mangrove Forests Could Be Down to Their Last 30 Years
Rising carbon emissions are contributing to the demise of a key CO2 cleaner—the planet's mangrove forests. According to Thresholds of Mangrove Survival under Rapid Sea Level Rise, a study by Rutgers University, growing carbon levels have increased the rate of the ocean's rise from 1.8 millimeters to 3.4 millimeters per year over the past century, and will increase it to more than 7 millimeters annually by 2050. That will exterminate roughly 80 species of mangroves found along coastlines in North America, South America, and Africa, and which collectively store more carbon than rain forests. Mangroves stabilize the coastline, reducing erosion from storm surges, currents, waves, and tides. They're also a habitat for various terrestrial, aquatic, and aerial creatures. The study notes that mangroves are more likely to survive when sea level rise is less than 5 millimeters per year, which is a projected low-emissions scenario for this century. As the water level rises and the coastline shifts, the plants will naturally move farther inward. But coastal developments along many coastlines already greatly impede such movement. “The findings stress the importance of mitigating the magnitude of rapid sea-level rise and ensuring that coastal adaptation measures allow mangroves to expand across coastal lowlands,” the study notes. The report appears in the journal Science.
Rising water levels could kill off all mangrove forests, a major remover of atmospheric carbon emissions, by 2050.
Danish Companies Set Plan for Decarbonizing Transportation
Some of Denmark's most-prominent companies are joining forces to build one of the world's largest synthetic fuels-producing facilities. According to The World Economic Forum (WEF), the goal is to help decarbonize the country's transport sector by manufacturing sustainable alternatives to fossil-based fuels such as gas and diesel. The vision includes generating hydrogen as an emissions-free alternative fuel, by using electrolysis powered by renewable energy. There are also plans for synthetic fuels for sectors that currently have limited low-carbon fuel options. The finished facility, expected to open in 2030, would have capacity to deliver 250,000 tons of synthetic fuel each year to power buses, trucks, maritime vessels, and aircraft, and reduce annual carbon emissions by 850,000 tons. Fittingly, the entire project will be powered by renewable energy sources. “This sort of industrial scale is key to bringing down the cost of sustainable fuels,” WEF asserts, “and meeting climate targets like Denmark's moves to cut carbon emissions to 70 percent of 1990 levels by the end of the decade.”
Poisonous, Persistent Zombie Fires Make Their Return to Arctic
Wildfires that have raged in the Arctic Circle since early spring—even surviving snowpack and reemerging as zombie fires—have led to a record spike in pollution this summer. According to a report by Bloomberg News, Arctic fires emitted 60 million metric tons of carbon dioxide in June alone. That's the highest since at least 2003 and almost nine times more than the same month in 2018, according to Europe's Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service. The previous June record was registered last year, when fires were the worst on record. The fires typically burn through forests and peatland in Siberia, which can smolder under the snowpack as zombie fires and reignite when the weather warms. “Calling them ‘zombies' really does describe what these fires do,” explains Thomas Smith, an assistant professor in environmental geography at the London School of Economics. “They recover and they're difficult to kill.” In April, for example, a zombie fire was still smoldering near Willow, Alaska. The burn started in August 2019. Scientists are now concerned about a series of hot spots in the Arctic Circle that could return as full-fledged blazes this summer or fall. “We have no way of fighting them,” adds Jessica McCarty, an Arctic fire researcher and assistant professor in the Department of Geography at Miami University McCarty. “They're often fairly far-removed. How are we going to put them out?”
It’s the blaze that won’t die: Zombie fires, such as this one in Greenland in 2017, continue to burn for months after they appear to be out, reigniting once temperatures rise.
Little-Seen Biofuel Poised for Major Impact on Shipping Industry
International tanker shipping company Stena Bulk has developed a set of low-carbon fueling options for its customers. According to company president and CEO Erik Hånell, the options will range from 20 percent to 100 percent biofuel. “This allows customers to make use of low-carbon shipping options regardless of fuel availability on the specific route,” he says. “It also guarantees that operation is performed without any disturbance to the shipment.” Stena Bulk recently ran one of its medium range vessels, the Stena Immortal, on 100 percent biofuel during a 10-day sea trial, without incident. The product, made primarily from corn waste, was highly touted as the fuel of the future in the 1990s but has struggled over the past decade due to its high manufacturing cost. But the fact that it produces only 10 percent of the CO2 generated by regular gasoline when burned keeps it as a viable alternative to fossil fuels, according to a report in Scientific American. “We need to come together as an industry to find solutions that comply with future legislation,” Hånell notes. “By working together, sharing experiences and risks, and inspiring each other, we are convinced that we will meet the targets and ensure that shipping remains the most efficient and sustainable mode of transportation.”
Shipping firm Stena Bulk hopes to bring back public interest in biofuels with a new series of compatible fuels that burn far cleaner than petroleum-based versions.
Sea Life's Underwater Sneezes Could Be Key to a Cleaner Ocean
Mucus isn't always thought of in a positive way, but a sea creature is putting it to effective use when cleaning Earth's oceans. According to a study by researchers at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), tadpole-like giant larvaceans secrete a balloon of mucus about three feet wide, removing vast amounts of carbon dioxide from the surrounding water in the process. The creatures secrete the mucus once a day, after their mucus filters become clogged—almost the equivalent of an underwater sneeze, researchers note. The mucus and the carbon it entraps then sink to the ocean floor. The process also works with microplastics, lead researcher Kakani Katija states. It's also highly effective: In about 13 days, the giant larvaceans in Monterey Bay alone could filter most of the deeper water there. That's the equivalent of 500 Olympic-sized pools per hour, researchers note. MBARI senior scientist Bruce Robison says there is a lot that can be learned from such creatures. “If an alien civilization from some other solar system were to send an expedition to Earth to look at the dominant life forms on this planet, they wouldn't be up here walking around with us,” he says. “They'd be exploring the deep ocean.” The study appears in the journal Science.
Sea creatures like this giant larvacean are important to Earth’s health—below and above ground.
Changing Laundry Habits Could Mean Tons Less in Water Pollution
More than 13,000 tons of microfibers are being released into European marine environments each year, but that figure could be cut by about 30 percent if people simply washed their clothes in cold water at faster cycles, according a study by Northumbria University (Newcastle upon Tyne, England), and Proctor & Gamble. The study suggests that every time someone washes their clothes, an average of 114 milligrams of microfibers per kilogram of fabric ends up being rinsed out during a standard washing cycle. Consumer choice can have a significant impact on decreasing such pollution when making informed decisions in how they do laundry and the products that they purchase, John R. Dean, professor of analytical and environmental sciences at Northumbria University, notes. Though such choices will not eliminate the issue, they may “achieve a meaningful short-term reduction” in harmful environmental pollution. “Finding an ultimate solution to the pollution will likely require significant interventions in both textiles manufacturing processes and washing machine appliance design,” Dean asserts. The study appears in the journal PLOS ONE.
Changing the way people wash clothes—fewer, shorter loads and cooler water—will reduce the amount of pollutants going down the drain by nearly one-third.
