Earth Wise
A look at our changing environment.
- Update frequency
- every day
- Average duration
- 2 minutes
- Episodes
- 71
- Years Active
- 2025
Paris and climate change
Paris is associated with climate change by virtue of the 2015 international agreement seeking to limit the amount of warming taking place on the planet. But Paris is well aware that the world is not…
00:02:00 |
Mon 08 Sep 2025
Harmful algal blooms and climate change
An algal bloom is a rapid increase in the density of algae in an aquatic system. Harmful algal blooms occur when bodies of water get overloaded with nitrogen and phosphorus runoff from agriculture a…
00:02:00 |
Fri 05 Sep 2025
Abandoned farmland and the environment
Abandoned farmland has been increasing dramatically in recent decades. Estimates are that a billion acres – an area half the size of Australia – have been relinquished from cultivation globally. Wh…
00:02:00 |
Thu 04 Sep 2025
Supermarket bargains and food waste
Food waste is a major global problem. The UN estimates that one third of all food goes to waste. Apart from the fact that this is happening in a world where many people don’t have enough to eat, fo…
00:02:00 |
Wed 03 Sep 2025
Recycling solar panels
The use of solar energy has been growing by leaps and bounds in recent years. It is the fastest growing source of energy in the U.S. Solar panels have a useful life of about 25 to 30 years and ther…
00:02:00 |
Tue 02 Sep 2025
Air pollution and human health
Climate change is making air quality worse in many parts of the world. Rising temperatures increase ground-level ozone, and more frequent wildfires release harmful smoke and particulates into the air…
00:02:00 |
Mon 01 Sep 2025
Seaweed and concrete
Modern civilization is pretty much made of concrete. People use more concrete than any other substance apart from water. But concrete is made from cement, and cement is the source of 10% of all car…
00:02:00 |
Fri 29 Aug 2025
Facemask pollution
During the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, the global usage of disposable facemasks reached a staggering 129 billion per month. Most of these masks are manufactured from petroleum-based non-renewabl…
00:02:00 |
Thu 28 Aug 2025
Better blue LEDs
LEDs have become the standard source of energy-efficient lighting. They make use of semiconductors to turn electricity into light. Depending upon the materials used to make them, LEDs produce diffe…
00:02:00 |
Wed 27 Aug 2025
An anti-malaria breakthrough
The deadliest animal in the world is the mosquito. Mosquitos infected 263 million people with malaria in 2023, leading to 600,000 deaths, 80% of which were children. Malaria is caused by infection …
00:02:00 |
Tue 26 Aug 2025
A hidden cost of climate change
Climate change is dramatically impacting food production by altering rainfall patterns, increasing temperatures, and triggering more frequent extreme weather events. These changes make crops more vu…
00:02:00 |
Mon 25 Aug 2025
Trouble for psychedelic toads
Back in the 1960s, it was discovered that secretions from toads native to the Sonoran Desert have psychedelic properties. The information did not have much impact for over 40 years but about ten yea…
00:02:00 |
Fri 22 Aug 2025
Disappearing wetlands
More than 170 countries gathered recently to discuss how to save wetlands, which are critical ecosystems. However, the U.S. was a no-show for most of the summit and Russia said it will withdraw from…
00:02:00 |
Thu 21 Aug 2025
AI and energy
MIT recently hosted a symposium on the subject of artificial intelligence being both a problem and a solution for the clean energy transition. AI-powered computing centers are expanding rapidly, crea…
00:02:00 |
Wed 20 Aug 2025
The benefits of agroecology
Agroecology focuses on sustainably managing agricultural systems by applying ecological principles. The goal is to optimize the interactions between plants, animals, humans, and the environment. A f…
00:02:00 |
Tue 19 Aug 2025
The demise of American offshore wind
Europe has 37 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity. China is catching up rapidly. Across the globe, offshore wind is an increasingly important source of clean, renewable power. The United States had…
00:02:00 |
Mon 18 Aug 2025
Soda can hydrogen
Hydrogen is an ideal climate-friendly fuel because it doesn’t release carbon dioxide when it is used. But most hydrogen is produced in ways that result in significant carbon emissions. Thus, the sea…
00:02:00 |
Fri 15 Aug 2025
New Orleans is sinking
As climate change accelerates, rising sea levels are putting coastal communities at greater risk of flooding and storm surge. Driven by melting glaciers and warming oceans, global sea levels are risi…
00:02:00 |
Thu 14 Aug 2025
Reducing emissions from ocean shipping
Ocean shipping is a significant contributor to global carbon emissions, accounting for about 3% of the total. It is a key part of international trade, moving goods like electronics, automobiles, and…
00:02:00 |
Wed 13 Aug 2025
More trouble for bees
Honeybees are a critical resource for American agriculture. The western honeybee, Apis mellifera, pollinates more than 130 types of nuts, fruits, and vegetables, adding up to $15 billion worth of cr…
00:02:00 |
Tue 12 Aug 2025
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