Caption:Backyard wind turbines could help us make the transition away from fossil fuels. Credit: Cowrin, FlickrCC. Dear EarthTalk: You see a lot of people putting solar panels on their homes these days, but windmills not so much. Is there any future for small residential wind turbines as we transition to more renewable forms of energy?— […]
Caption: XPRIZE founder Peter Diamandis has steered several competitions toward solving pressing environmental problems. Credit: XDRIVE Foundation. Dear EarthTalk: I’ve heard of XPRIZE, which funds innovations in space exploration technology. Is XPRIZE used to address climate change or other environmental problems?— J.D. via e-mail XPRIZE was launched in 1996 to spur innovation in the commercial […]
Caption: Consider yourself lucky to see a Toyota Mirai or any other “FCV” (fuel cell vehicle) out in the wild — there are only about 300 on the road in the U.S., with the vast majority of those in California. Credit: Aaron Smart, FlickrCC. Dear EarthTalk: What’s the latest on hydrogen powered fuel cells? Not […]
Caption: Climate feminists march outside international climate talks in Poland in December 2018. Credit: Greenpeace. Dear EarthTalk: What exactly is “climate feminism?”— Jim M., Lorton, VA Climate change impacts the everyday lives of all citizens around the globe, but certain communities are disproportionately affected. Women, in particular, shoulder a disproportionate burden as they are most […]
Caption: Dr. Wolfgang Feist and family pose in front of the world’s first passive solar house, constructed in 1991 in Darmstadt, Germany. Credit: International Passive House Association. Dear EarthTalk: What is a so-called “passive solar” house and can I retrofit my existing house accordingly?— Bill C., Raleigh, NC A passive solar house is typically designed […]
Caption: Wind power provides a small fraction of electricity in Texas; frozen natural gas lines caused the state’s power grid to go down recently. Credit: Athena, pexels. Dear EarthTalk: Were frozen wind turbines the reason for Texas’ historic power outages recently? If so, how can we make renewables more reliable moving forward?— G. S., Hartford, […]
Caption: The paint-like swirls of this visualization from Los Alamos National Laboratory depict global water-surface temperatures, with the cooler temperatures designated by blues and warmer temperatures by reds, as delineated by recent climate modeling efforts. Credit: Los Alamos National Laboratory, FlickrCC. Dear EarthTalk: How does climate modeling work? What is the state-of-the-art in the field […]
Caption: American bumblebee numbers have fallen by 89% over the last two decades across the U.S., and conservationists want the Biden administration to add this little flying stinger to the Endangered Species List. Credit: James Johnston, FlickrCC. Dear EarthTalk: How are bee population numbers doing these days?– B. Turner, via e-mail Whether you’ve noticed it […]
Caption: Could all the greenhouse gases we’re pumping into the atmosphere be compromising our ability to think straight? Credit: Pexels.com. Dear EarthTalk: Is there scientific basis to the assertion that global warming is affecting our ability to make decisions and lowering our collective intelligence?— P.D., Sacramento, CA As we continue to pump carbon dioxide (CO2) […]
Caption: Researchers studying Tallgrass prairie restoration at Illinois’ Nachusa Preserve found that reintroducing Bison there ended up bringing back other native wildlife much faster than merely reseeding bunchgrasses. Credit: Ralph Earlandson, FlickrCC. Dear EarthTalk: What is the “Field of Dreams” ecology restoration theory? — Mary W., Austin, TX The “Field of Dreams” hypothesis is a […]
