Latest / Mostly Good Environmental News / Mostly Good Environmental News #20
Transcript
- Lenny: Hi, this is Lenny Librizzi along with Dominique Burrell, Mark Latour, Charlie Olson and Jim Scarcella. Welcome all of you listeners to the Mostly Good Environmental News Report, where we cover positive local and global environmental issues, milestones and activities that you may not hear about. Very often the news about the environment is not good. We hear about climate chaos and all of its manifestations, drought, wildfires, floods, species loss, or the weakening of environmental regulations. But there are good things happening in the environment we will share with you in this podcast. We hope you enjoy listening. And if any listeners have ideas for stories we should do, please let us know in the comments. For our first good news item, Dominique Borel will tell us about how giant tortoises are repopulating the Galapagos. Dominique? Dominique Borel: Thank you, Lenny. Giant tortoises are once again walking the landscapes of Floriana Island, which is one of over a hundred islands in the Archipelago. Early year, ⁓ 158 juvenile giant tortoises of Floriana lineage were released into their ancestral habitat. marking a historic milestone for ecological restoration in the Galapagos. This is the first of twelve native species that will be reintroduced to the Galapagos. Driven to extinction in the mid-1800s, these giant tortoises had been absent from the island for generations. Its return signals the beginning of a new phase of rewilding Under the Floriana Ecological Restoration Project, one of the most ambitious ecosystem recovery initiatives ever undertaken here. The restoration project has been developed with the people of Floriana and is focused on the long-term well-being of both the island's ecosystems and livelihoods. The project is led by Ecuador's Ministry of Environment through the Galapagos National Park. Directorate and is implemented by the Charles Darwin Foundation and other environmental groups. The Return of the Tortoises reflects a long-term vision focused on restoring the functionality of Floriana's ecosystems. It shows how conservation and community well-being go hand in hand because people's livelihoods, from tourism to agriculture and fishing, depend On the ecological health of the island. Community engagement here has already contributed to conservation successes, including rediscovery of the Galapagos rail, locally known as the Pakche, a rare bird that had not been seen on the island since Darwin's first visit in 1835. The released tortoises are the result of decades of scientific research. genetic studies revealed that some tortoises living on Wolf Volcano to the north of Isabella Island carried ancestry from Floriana, the last living descendants of a lineage long believed to be lost, due mostly to historical whaling practices that involved offloading invasive animal species before long sea voyages. ⁓ Through a carefully managed breeding program, these individuals were raised to form a population that is genetically as close as possible to the original Floriana giant tortoise. As keystone species, tortoises help maintain open habitats, promote native plant growth, and create conditions that allow entire ecosystems to function. Their absence on Floreana altered ecological processes for nearly two centuries. their return is expected to help drive natural regeneration processes ⁓ that support a wide range of native plants and Giant tortoises are a critical part of the Galapagos ecology. By dispersing seeds shaping vegetation, creating microhabitats such as their wallows and influencing how landscapes regenerate, they rebuild ecological processes that other species depend on. The return of giant tortoises will also strengthen Floreana's land and sea connections. By dispersing seeds and opening habitats, tortoises help improve nesting and and feeding conditions for birds, including species slated for future reintroduction. healthy seabird populations in turn contribute that support surrounding marine ecosystems, including coral reefs and fisheries. Seeing tortoises walk freely on Floriana after 180 years shows what's possible when local partners, global experts, and the community share a vision for recovery. With the first species successfully reintroduced, project partners will evaluate conditions for the next phase of rewilding, which includes iconic species such as the Floreana mockingbird, the Floreana racer snake. The vegetarian finch, the little vermilion flycatcher. Reaching this moment has taken more than fifteen years of dedicated work, coordination, and long term planning. And the early success of this reintroduction project is good news for giant sea turtles and good news for the environment. And now Charlie will speak to you about the myth of solar panels. charlie olson: Thanks, Dominique. New solar power met three-quarters of the world's new energy demand last year. But in the United States, there is still local opposition to solar farms based on fears about noise, about visual pollution, and toxic waste. Yet these concerns are easily refuted by evidence showing that solar farms are harmless and do not pose significant health risks. Solar is cheaper than fossil fuels, which helps explain its expotential growth. Global solar power generation grew by 30% last year. That was the fastest growth in a year for any energy source on record. Over the past decade, solar power has increased tenfold. Still, not everybody loves solar energy. In the US Installations actually fell last year, bucking the trend in almost every other country. Solar was still the biggest source of new energy in the United States last year, making up fifty-four percent of all additions compared with just eight percent for natural gas. Solar and battery storage combined made up seventy nine percent of new US energy sources in twenty twenty five, and that's with the falling down. Down percentage wise that year. Still it was very high. One factor hurting solar in the U.S. is local opposition based on fears about the impacts of solar farms on human health. For example, St. Clair County, Michigan made it harder last year to build new solar installations on rural land, citing unfounded worries about noise, about visual pollution, and toxic waste. These are just a few of the health-related worries used to block or slow down solar development. And now I'm going to share you a partial list of some of those concerns. Many of these worries are understandable, but all of them are easily refuted. Myth number one solar farms are too noisy. In reality, solar farms do not make enough noise to hurt people physically or mentally. Inverters that change electricity from direct current to alternating current for the grid generate up to 70 decibels. That's 70. That's about as much noise as a window air conditioning unit. Battery storage systems and transformers produce similar sound levels, but once you're about a hundred feet away, their sounds disappear into the background. A rural solar farm generates only 30 decibels. That's forty decibels less. That's about as loud as a whisper. A tractor, on the other hand, can reach a hundred decibels or more. And that's like a subway car. Myth number two, solar farms are too ugly. In reality, appearance is subjective. They're not beautiful, that's for sure, but this is easily remedied by locating them remotely and surrounding them with landscaping. which can also reduce the sound. The noise. Proper positioning and landscaping can also eliminate any glare from the panels that might affect local airplane pilots or any kind of pilot. Myth number three solar panels release toxic materials. In reality, the amounts of dangerous elements such as lead and cadmium in solar panels are tiny. and they're encased in tempered glass in the panels. Cadmium in panels is typically only one one hundredth as toxic as regular cadmium. Panels can withstand sun, snow, rain, hail, and other natural assaults, meaning they won't crumble to bits. They don't burn easily, and if they do burn, their elements are trapped in the fused glass. Myth number four. Solar Farm's electric magnetic fields, that's the EMF for shorthand, make people sick. In reality, that is ridiculous. If you stand next to an inverter, you get the same EMF or electric magnetic force as an electric can opener. If you get nine feet away from it, that EMF drops to zero. You get much more exposure just by standing near your fridge or microwave. Myth number five. Solar farms are too hard to decommission and clean up. In reality, most solar panels are recycled these days, and developers are typically on the hook to clean up old solar farms, an obligation often secured with a bond. The amount of solar panel waste is negligible compared with, say, highly toxic coal ash waste. Solar panels waste is minimal. Especially when you compare it to toxic coal ash waste, electronic waste or e-waste, and other refuge. In fact, you can't talk about the health and environmental impacts of solar without weighing them against the alternatives. For instance, fly ash from burning coal leaches far more lead and cadmium and other materials into the ground, harming human health and agriculture. Even worse, The two million unplugged, unused oil and gas wells throughout the United States pump deadly toxins into our lands, our rivers, our lakes, and our aquifers and emit planet heating methane. On top of this, when you burn fossil fuels, you're making the planet hotter, and you're raising the risks of drought, of wildfire, and all kinds of disease that That will cost trillions and trillions of dollars and millions of lives. The human brain is hardwired to trust things that are familiar and to distrust things that are brand new or new. This makes people vulnerable to fear-mongering by the fossil fuel interests that incite resistance to newer technologies as it has throughout all of history and business, such as solar and wind. But relax. ⁓ Solar panels will not give you cancer or anything else except good sense. And that is good news for you. That's good news for me. That's good news for us and for everyone else, including the business industry. And it's definitely good news for the environment. And now, Lenny, you have something to tell us? Lenny: Yes, thank you, Charlie. Here is another story about species being restored to its former habitats. Ospreys, or as they are sometimes called, sea hawks, are a feel-good, good news story. Ospreys are two-foot tall raptors found near water, like rivers, lakes, and along coastlines. They are the only raptor that dives into the water feet first. often emerging with a fish in its talons. Their dives are spectacular and amazing to watch. A bird of friends says their dives are his favorite to watch. Like a number of other bird species, their numbers dropped drastically when the pesticide DDT was used extensively. Eagles and California condors, as well as other species like the osprey, produced thin shelled eggs when exposed to DDT. The shell often cracked before the young birds were fully developed and they disappeared from many areas, including Staten Island, where I live. Once DDT was banned and stopped being used, their numbers increased and they returned to their former habitats. One of their favorite perching spots is the tops of telephone poles. This has led to some conflicts with electric companies as their nest could short out electric wiring. Our local utility working alongside local environmental groups erected a pole without live electric wires near one of their favorite nesting spots and they quickly created a nest of twigs there. Another example of local volunteer efforts having a positive effect on nature. I have seen osprey, usually a single individual, when I take rides along the beach, including ⁓ I saw perched in a tree eating a freshly caught fish. They tend to be solitary or are found with their lifelong mate, which is appropriate and a fun fact that a group of ospreys are called a duet. And since male and female ospreys have different vocal ranges, when they call to each other, their song sounds like a duet. So if you are along the East or West coasts and the Great Lakes in the United States, or throughout much of Canada during the warm months, look for a large bird with a white breast and black rear and a white head with a black stripe. We can thank Rachel Carson for writing Silent Spring, environmental groups for their advocacy, and scientists whose research showed the connection between DDT and the dwindling number of birds for the osprey's presence. And that is good news for the environment. And now Jim Scarcella will tell us about advances in car batteries. Jim Scarcella: Lenny, thank you. Thank you, and Charlie and Dominique also for the information. We got some you know good news going. And we have some good news here about advances in batteries for electric cars. So last month, the world's largest electric vehicle battery manufacturer unveiled a new fast-charging technology in a bid to stay ahead of its competitors. The Chinese company known as CATL showcased its latest lithium iron phosphate battery that recharges from 10% power to 98% power in just six minutes. A development that brings electric vehicle charging closer to the speed of filling up the tank of a gasoline vehicle at a gas station. This new lithium iron phosphate battery is capable of recharging from ten percent to thirty five percent power in just one minute. But those time frames assume moderate temperature environments rather than the environments that are freezing or extremely hot. Still, the breakthrough exceeds a nine minute EV battery charge touted just last month by competitors. ⁓ The battery maker CATL cited additional achievements, including a nickel, cobalt, ⁓ battery to ⁓ provide 600 miles of range on a single charge, and an even more ambitious condensed matter battery that offers a range of well over 900 miles for a sedan, setting a new benchmark for premium models. The ability to travel greater distances on a single charge may help boost electric vehicle adoption and sales by reducing range anxiety, especially where charging stations are limited. The battery makers multi-chemical approach to batteries provides a solution for every tier of the market, from small city cars to luxury vehicles and heavy-duty trucks. This multi-chemical approach will help battery makers hedge against vital price swings of raw materials such as lithium, nickel, and cobalt. And that's good news for car buyers and good news for the environment. and now Mark will give us a preview of some more good news Lenny: Thank you for listening to the 20th Mostly Good Environmental News Report. We hope you enjoyed hearing some good news. If you like what you heard, please share with your friends and listen to more episodes of the Mostly Good Environmental News Report wherever you listen to podcasts. We can be found on Spotify, Apple podcasts, YouTube, iHeartRadio, and Amazon podcasts. A special thank you to Fred Duca for the original music we are using in this podcast. Here is a little bit of that music.