KNIGHT WATCH

ISN'T THE WHOLE WORLD OUR ENVIRONMENT?

The orangutans in Borneo are in danger of extinction. Although in 2010 it’s estimated there are 11,000, they could be gone in 60 years because of inbreeding and loss of habitat. The long-term solution is reforestation. Forests have been cut for development, logging and palm oil plantations, isolating groups of orangutans on opposite sides of rivers. Because finding new mates will increase the species chances for survival, old fire hoses have been slung across rivers or used to make bridges. Orangutans can’t swim – and humans – when it comes to the environment – have difficulty keeping their heads above water too.

Deforestation is one cause of global warming and global warming is killing coral. According to a study done by the ARC Center of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and James Cook University, a mass of abnormally hot water moved into the Indian Ocean in mid-2010, increasing the water temperature 4 degrees Centigrade. This caused corals to shed algae that nourish them. When algae are gone, corals starve and appear bleached. Coral coverage in affected areas could drop from 50% to 10%, unable to support as much marine life. The hot water was caused by carbon emissions warming the atmosphere – a carbon copy of what humans are doing elsewhere.

Cows contribute to global warming. They produce methane gas, a greenhouse gas. However, manure can be put in a digester. The methane released by the manure bubbles to the top, passes through a pipe to a generator and is used to produce electricity. California is the biggest dairy state. John Fiscalini is a California farmer who spent $4 million on a digester, followed by $200,000 to control the pollution created by the generator. Until cheaper pollution controls are available, states like New York and Wisconsin – with different air quality restrictions – won’t be “cowed” by regulations.

Landfills also produce methane gas. Nationwide landfills – a $50 billion business - are responsible for 22% of human-related methane emissions. That’s second only to methane gas produced by livestock. After processing, landfill gas is identical to natural gas from underground reservoirs. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. has 2,300 landfills and 520 capture and burn methane gas to make electricity – enough to power 688,000 homes. In fact, landfills supply approximately 1% of the nation’s natural gas demand. With plans to turn yard clippings and food waste into gasoline, landfills seem to be filled with potential too.

 

IS ENVIRONMENT GOOD OR BAD FOR US?

The coastal area of 26 states is an environment in which winds could generate 4 times as much power as our present electric capacity. That’s according to the Department of Energy. Although the U.S. leads the world in installed, land-based wind energy capacity, in 2010 there are no offshore wind farms. Europe has led in using this energy resource since Denmark’s first project in 1991. Presently Europe has more than 830 turbines with grid connections to 9 countries. Considering developing offshore wind power could reduce air pollution, provide 20% of U.S. electricity by 2030 and create more than 43,000 jobs, it could be a “windfall”.

Flight paths create an environment that’s bad for the heart. A study published in the journal Epidemiology analyzed 15,532 heat attack deaths occurring between 2002 and 2005. After accounting for things like air pollution, income and education, the researchers found that people living under flight paths and exposed to a daily average of 60 decibels had 30% greater risk of heart attack death. Being exposed to that for 15 years made the risk 50%. Noise causes a stress response increasing heart rate and blood pressure, which over time damages the heart. Maybe it’s not coincidental it’s spelled “hear-t”.

Work environments are good for the brain. Researchers from the Rand Center for the Study of Aging and from the University of Michigan examined 20 years’ worth of government data supplied by the U.S. and 12 European countries. They plotted the performance of 60- to 64-year-olds on memory tests. Americans, who often work well into their 60’s, performed better on the tests. Italians, Spaniards and the French, who often retire in their early 60’s, performed the worst. It seems work helps keep the brain alert - and preventing dementia is something on which we all have “to work”.

Light in a nighttime environment could cause weight gain. Researchers at Ohio State University exposed mice to 16 hours of light and then 8 hours of darkness, continuous light or dim light – as from electricity or television and computer screens. Although the mice’s food intake and activity level were the same, the light-exposed mice experienced a 50% weight gain during the 8-week study. Those mice were eating about 55% of their food when they normally would have slept. It seems eating during rest phases could disrupt metabolism causing weight gain. However, human experiments should put this theory “to rest”.

 

WHAT CAN WE DO TO HELP THE ENVIRONMENT?

Americans could stop being wasteful. Over 206 million computer products and 140 million phones are discarded a year. Seventy percent of heavy metals in landfills come from outdated electronics and contain toxins such as lead and mercury. In 2010 twenty-three states have electronic recycling laws, but regulations are inconsistent. As a result, only 15%-20% of electronics are recycled. Electronic Recyclers International, in Fresco CA, is the largest electronics recycler in the U.S. It recycles 100% of all material into 3 main commodities: metal, plastic and glass. ERI is a $50-million-in-revenue company that expects to double by 2012 – obviously “wasting” no time.

Americans also waste food and that’s wasted energy. Calories in the food meant to provide us energy are wasted. So is the energy it takes to grow, process, package and transport the food. According to research by the University of Texas, American food waste equals 350 million barrels of oil a year – enough to power the country for a week. Then there’s climate change. In 2008 agriculture caused 7% of the greenhouse gas emissions – and that was without processing and transporting the food. Americans waste 27% of their food – and they “waist” much of the rest.

To fight climate change we could paint roofs white. According to Energy Secretary Steven Chu, “cool roofs” are one of the quickest, low-cost ways to reduce carbon emissions and slow climate change. White roofs keep homes cooler in summer by reflecting – not absorbing – heat, thus saving energy. However, white roofs have little impact in winter because the sun isn’t as strong. Supposedly, a 1,000-square-foot roof painted reflective white can save 10 tons of carbon dioxide – that’s equal to emissions from 1 car for 2 years. Painting roofs white is something Americans can do to help “white-out” climate change.

General Mills, maker of Cheerios, Betty Crocker and Hamburger Helper, made a decision that will help. In September 2010 General Mills decided to try to get all its palm oil from “responsible and sustainable sources” by 2015. Palm oil is used to fry food; make cosmetics and candy; and when mixed with diesel, it’s used for fuel. Palm oil is primarily produced in Indonesia and Malaysia and the production is destroying valuable rain forests and threatening habitats of endangered species. Unilever, Nestle, Kraft and Burger King previously made similar decisions. If we are what we eat, food manufacturers are what they put in our food.

 

IS GLOBAL WARMING GETTING WARMER?

Global warming causing the extinction of animals isn’t a new phenomenon. According to a study published in the journal Evolution, Earth began warming 21,000 years ago; and the warmer areas became, the higher the extinction rate was. For example, Africa had a relatively small climate change and fewer species became extinct. North America had a substantial climate change and more species – giant beaver, dire wolf, ground sloth – became extinct. Although humans hunting for game would have affected the extinction of large animals, global warming affected both large and small animals – and will until human doubt becomes extinct. Global warming is threatening lizards with extinction. Scientists studying lizards in Mexico warn that 20% of lizard species could be extinct by 2080. Lizards are ectotherms – they depend on the environment to control their body temperature. Because they don’t sweat or pant, they seek shade to cool down. Because of needing more shade due to the rising temperatures, lizards have less time to look for food and mate; and because the temperatures are rising quickly, lizards don’t have time to evolve. Considering lizards eat insects and birds eat lizards, the food chain is being affected. Unfortunately, humans have a slow (chain) reaction time. One solution that is being considered to fight global warming is cloud whitening. When water vapor encounters sea salt crystals in cloud-forming areas, the water vapor condenses around the crystals, forming tiny droplets. These droplets make clouds whiter and the whiteness diffuses sunlight. Researchers want to build on this natural cloud-forming process. They want to put boats in the ocean to spray clouds with seawater mist, thus making the clouds whiter and able to reflect the sun’s rays, sending them back into space. It is not a solution for global warming, but in this case “cloudy thinking” could help. Global warming isn’t destroying the world’s mangroves. Ironically, mangroves – forests straddling both land and sea – generate $2,000-$9,000 per hectare annually from fishing – much more than is generated by the aquaculture, agriculture and tourism that are destroying them. In fact, mangrove forests are being destroyed 4 times faster than land-based forests. One-fifth have been destroyed since 1980. Mangroves cover about 150,000 square kilometers in 123 countries. In addition to providing valuable fishing, mangroves are a replenishing source of timber and charcoal. Mangroves also help fight global warming and provide ecosystems resilient to increasing temperatures. It’s the “man” in mangrove that’s destroying them.

IS GLOBAL WARMING WARMING UP?

Nearly half the fish the world eats depends on coral reefs for feeding and spawning, but the reefs are dying. Coral reefs are a vital source of food, medicine and livelihood for hundreds of millions of people worldwide; but at least 19% of the world's reefs are already gone and another 15% could die within 20 years. Global warming, pollution, coastal development, bottom-dragging fishing boats and international trade in coral jewelry are killing it. According to the 2010 Global Marine Species Assessment, all coral could be extinct in 100 years if those killing coral aren't "corralled".

Global warming seems to be making allergies worse. Warming seasons across the U.S. are longer and cooling seasons are shorter. Not only are plants producing more pollen because of longer growing seasons, but also because of increased carbon dioxide in the air. Based on pollen scores, allergy medicine use per patient and board-certified allergists per patient, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America determined that Knoxville is the country's allergy capital for 2010. Of course, Louisville, Chattanooga, Dayton and Charlotte - which came in second, third, fourth and fifth respectively - don't have numbers to sneeze at.

Faster growing trees are another result of global warming. When the trees at the Smithsonian's Environmental Research Center outside Washington, D.C. were measured in 2010, the forest was increasing 2 extra tons per acre per year - up to double the usual growth rate for some trees. This is attributed to global warming - to the average temperature increasing three-tenths a degree Celsius in 23 years, a week-longer growing season and an increase of 12% in the carbon dioxide level. Because similar increases in tree growth rate have been seen worldwide, I guess it's not caused by hot air coming from the United States Congress.

Finally, Glacier National Park in northwestern Montana lost 2 more glaciers in 2010 because of global warming. In 1910 when the 1.4 million acres of wilderness became the 10th U.S. national park, there were 150 glaciers. Now there are only 25; and according to the U.S. Geological Survey, many of those could be gone by 2020. In recent years glacier melting has increased as global temperatures have increased. In the past 100 years the park's mean summer temperature has gone up approximately 3 degrees Fahrenheit. The warmer temperatures shrink the rivers of ice until they stop. It's another type of man-made meltdown.

IS GLOBAL WARMING BECOMING A HOT SUBJECT?

Global warming causes more snow. According to the National Center for Atmospheric Research, oceans are warmer than they were 30 years ago. This means there's approximately 4% more water vapor rising over oceans. What goes up in the air as water vapor comes down as snow if it's cold enough. According to the Web site Weather Underground, it is average temperatures - not snow - that measures climate change. Temperatures have warmed about 1 degree Fahrenheit over the past 100 years and that isn't enough warming to end snow. Saying it is would be a "snow job".

Global warming also causes less fog. According to research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the high pressure cell off California's coast in summer, plus the cold ocean and the land gradient combine to make fog. However, over the past century there's been about a 30% decline in fog frequency - which translates into about 3 hours less fog daily. The leaves of California redwoods absorb fog. It provides them with 30%-40% of their yearly water. The future of the redwoods depends on the future of California's fog, which depends on how global warming affects California. Predictions are "foggy".

Global warming was predicted to cause the extinction of pikas. The small, chinchilla-like animals are disappearing from the Great Basin. The chronically warm temperatures have risen above 78-85 degrees Fahrenheit - making it too hot for pikas to survive. The good news is pikas are thriving in the Sierra Nevada Mountains., where it is cooler. The freezing and thawing of exposed rock has formed fields of beach-ball-sized rocks and the caverns between those rocks provide pikas with an excellent, cool habitat. If only the legislators fighting over global warning would learn to keep their "cool".

However, legislators could learn that white roofs would reduce city heat. The black tar roofs, black asphalt roads and other black artificial surfaces that are prevalent in cities absorb the sun's heat, creating the "urban heat island effect". This effect makes temperatures on average 2-5 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than in rural areas. White surfaces have the reverse effect. They reflect most of the light that hits them. A study done by the National Center for Atmospheric Research suggested if every city roof were painted white, the urban heat island effect could be reduced one-third. The world's cities would be .7 degrees cooler by "white-outing" heat.

HOW ARE ENDANGERED SPECIES ENDANGERED?

According to a report by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, Clownfish - the real-life Nemos of the sea - are endangered. Sea waters are becoming more acidic because of high carbon dioxide levels, which prevent coral organisms from making shells. The coral reef habitats of Clownfish are also severely threatened by warmer waters, which bleach coral - eventually killing it. Mass coral bleaching is a relatively new phenomenon, first noticed in the 1980's. However, it's now the main cause of reef deterioration. That one-third of all coral species are threatened is an "offishial" IUCN fact.

According to the same 2009 report by the IUCN, koalas are endangered too. Koalas depend on eucalyptus leaves for food. However, the increasing levels of carbon dioxide in the environment are reducing the protein levels in eucalyptus leaves and increasing the tannin levels. Because carbon dioxide levels are expected to continue to rise, koalas could suffer from malnutrition. Then there's global warming, which is expected to cause more wildfires and more severe droughts in Australia, which are also threats to koalas. That koala bears don't have a strong ability to adapt is unfortunately a "bear" fact.

However, there's hope. Northern white rhinoceroses have been hunted to the point of extinction by poachers in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. None have been seen in the wild since 2005 and only 8 are known to remain in the world. Unlike other rhinos, this subspecies doesn't breed well in captivity. To prevent their extinction 4 northern white rhinoceroses - 2 males and 2 females - were shipped in December 2009 from a Czechoslovakian zoo to a Kenyan reserve. It's hoped the climate and terrain will encourage breeding. Otherwise, one of the rarest animals in the world will be rarefied into extinction. 

Hope continues. In January 2010 experts estimated there were only 350 whooping cranes left worldwide. In fact, in 2001 there were none in eastern North America. That's when the nonprofit "Operation Migration" started using ultralight aircraft to guide young cranes from Wisconsin to two wildlife refuges in Florida every year. Now there are more than 100 whooping cranes in Florida. Whooping cranes have to be shown the way south once and then they know how to fly north in the spring. Starting new generations of whooping cranes in Florida can prevent their extinction - giving Operation Migration reason for whooping it up.

WHO HAS ENVIRONMENTALLY GREEN THUMBS?

The Arctic isn't getting greener. A joint report by the UK-based Catlin Arctic Survey and the World Wildlife Fund said Arctic summer ice cover will be gone within 20 years. The thickness of a 450-kilometer stretch of ice floes averaged 1.8 meters - too thin to survive next summer's melt. The ice was primarily first-year ice - not the traditionally much older, thicker ice. Scientists expect this change in ice cover to increase global warming and face polar bears with extinction. They refer to Arctic ice as the planet's roof - which makes lawmakers who are indecisive about climate change "fiddlers on the roof".

San Francisco, however, is greener. As of October 21, 2009 it's against the law to put food scraps in the garbage. In the first, U.S. program of its kind, residents are required to put food waste into sealed compost bins. Garbage trucks pick up the food waste and take it to the Organic Annex, where it's turned into compost and sold to area farms and vineyards. Presently San Francisco keeps 72% of its trash out of the landfill by recycling cans, bottles, construction material and cooking oil. The goal is to have zero waste by 2020 - allowing little waste of time.

Even the Las Vegas Strip is greener. Harrah's Entertainment, owner of several resort/casinos, has built a multi-resort laundry that reduces water use 30% while increasing capacity 40%. At the Rio it's built a 5-megawatt cogeneration plant that generates electricity for one of the 2 towers. Then there's City Center, MGM Mirage's 67-acre resort. It has a cogeneration plant supplying 10% of needed electricity, with waste heat warming the water supply. Low-flow fixtures cut indoor water use up to 45% and heat-deflecting glass and shades reduce lighting and air-conditioning needs. Money isn't the Strip's only green anymore.

Finally, South Region High School #15 in Los Angeles will be the greenest high school ever built, generating 100% of its electricity. Energy will be conserved through the use of solar panels and 36 wind turbines, working in conjunction with a green, vegetated roof and shaded, operable windows. Not only has the 115,000 square foot structure been insulated and positioned to take advantage of sea breezes and maximum daylight, its design leaves natural areas where only native, California species will be planted. Although the school won't be ready for students until 2012, adults can learn from it now.

WHAT'S CHANGING IN CLIMATE CHANGE?

Scientists have discovered that nitrous oxide, produced mainly in agriculture, is harming the ozone layer more than synthetic chemicals are. Synthetic chemicals are being phased out by the Montreal Protocol treaty, but nitrous oxide is a natural part of the atmosphere. It is produced by microbes in soil; and when fed nitrogen fertilizer, the microbes produce even more of it. Although it’s estimated that nitrous oxide will reduce the stratosphere’s ozone 4% by the end of the century, nitrogen is an essential part of protein and a source of our food. Nitrous oxide can’t be phased out – unless we phase out eating too.

However, the World Agroforestry Center in Nairobi wants to phase in Faidherbia trees. These trees capture nitrogen from the air through their roots and incorporate it into their leaves.  Because these trees grow during the dry season, they drop their leaves in the rainy season, when nitrogen-needing plants start to grow. When a crop of corn was grown under Faidherbia trees, the yield was 3-4 times larger. These trees could help poor farmers throughout Africa, South America and much of south and Southeast Asia by providing free, organic fertilizer as a renewable “treetment” for soil.

According to the World Wildlife Fund, 163 new species were discovered in the Mekong River region of Southeast Asia in 2008. Among the 100 plants, 28 fish, 18 reptiles, 14 amphibians, 2 mammals and 1 bird was the Limnonectes megastomias, a fanged frog that eats birds and the Nonggang babbler, a bird that prefers walking to flying. The good news is that these new species were found in regions no longer involved in decades of war and political unrest. The bad news is that their diverse habitats are threatened by droughts and floods caused by climate change – which must change.

According to an editorial in the highly esteemed British medical journal “Lancet”, making contraceptives available in developing countries could help fight climate change by reducing population growth. More than 200 million women worldwide do not have access to contraceptives and that results in approximately 76 million unintended pregnancies a year. The world population is expected to reach 9 billion by 2050 – with more than 90% of the increase coming from developing countries. Increased need for food and shelter will increase carbon dioxide emissions and climate change. It’s hard to believe that there was a time when climate change just meant a vacation.

ARE MINDS CHANGING ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE?

According to evolutionary theory, sheep get bigger in order to survive winters and to reproduce; but this isn’t the case on a remote island in Scotland. There the wild Soay sheep have gotten smaller over the past 25 years. According to a study published in the journal “Science”, climate change has made the Scottish winters shorter and thus baby lambs don’t need to put on as much weight in the first few months to survive. As these smaller lambs grow into sheep and mate, environment and evolution intertwine. The globally large problem of climate change is producing smaller animals.

According to Russian and U.S. scientists, Siberia’s Lake Baikai, the world’s largest, most biologically diverse lake, is facing severe ecological change because of global warming. The worst problem is that the lake’s food chain is dependent on algae. Shorter ice periods slow algae growth and algae are the principal food for crustaceans, which are the principal food for fish, which are the principal food for Baikai seals. Because the seals mate and give birth on ice, they could be forced into the water before molting, drastically reducing fertility. Doing nothing, however, is not a seal of approval.

According to environmental experts, the diverse coral reefs of the Coral Triangle will disappear by the end of the century if action isn’t taken to fight climate change. If the reefs disappear, so will the coastal economies supporting approximately 100 million people in Indonesia; Malaysia; Papua, New Guinea; the Philippines; the Soloman Islands; and Timor Leste. The Coral Triangle includes 30% of the world’s reefs, 76% of global reef-building, more than 35% of coral reef fish and numerous species of coral. Preventing this disaster requires regional attention to overfishing and pollution, as well as worldwide action on climate change. Climate change requires change.

According to the “Global Humanitarian Forum”, climate change disasters kill about 300,000 people a year and cause about $125 billion in economic losses – most being agricultural. The Forum also estimated that 325 million people are seriously affected by climate change and that number is expected to double by 2030. Rising sea levels, desertification and changing rainfall patterns reduce access to safe drinking water and food – which increases disease. About 99% of those who die because of climate change live in developing countries – countries which generate less than 1% of the greenhouse gases causing climate change. More than climate has to change.