Peeling back the layers of history, we find ourselves in the heart of the ancient copper industry in the time of King Solomon’s mines.



The tale of this legendary biblical king and his mines has been passed down through generations, with many people assuming that the mining process of ancient copper production left rampant pollution and environmental destruction.



But what if that ominous narrative isn't as factual as we’ve been led to believe?



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-new-perspective-on-copper-production">New perspective on copper production </h2>



Researchers from Tel Aviv University (TAU) have recently challenged this story. Their study delivers a new perspective on the industrial history of these legendary mines.



Their findings not only rewrite the story of ancient copper smelting but also invite a reexamination of how we interpret environmental impacts in historical contexts.



The research, published in the journal Nature Scientific Reports, reveals that the environmental pollution generated by ancient copper production was far less severe than previously thought.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-surveys-at-copper-production-sites">Surveys at copper production sites</h2>



The study was led by Professor Erez Ben-Yosef, Dr. Omri Yagel, Willy Ondricek, and Dr. Aaron Greener from the Chaim Rosenberg School of Jewish Studies and Archaeology at <a href="https://english.tau.ac.il/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tel Aviv University</a>.



To investigate, the team conducted comprehensive geochemical surveys at copper production sites in the Timna Valley near Eilat, Israel.



The sites dated back to the 10th century BCE - an era that echoes with the names of the biblical Kings David and Solomon.



"We inspected two major copper production sites in the Timna Valley, one from the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hazelnut-shells-offer-clues-ancient-landscapes/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Iron Age</a> and King Solomon’s era and another nearby that is about 1,500 years older,” said Professor Ben-Yosef.



“Our study was very extensive. We took hundreds of soil samples from both sites for chemical analyses, creating high-resolution maps of heavy <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/iron-was-lifes-first-essential-metal-and-shaped-early-evolution/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">metal</a> presence in the region,” he explained.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-extremely-low-pollution-levels">Extremely low pollution levels</h2>



The results of the study were rather surprising. According to Professor Ben-Yosef, the team found that pollution levels at the Timna copper mining sites are extremely low and confined to the locations of the ancient smelting furnaces.



 “For instance, the concentration of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/151-million-americans-have-mental-health-disorders-linked-to-leaded-gasoline/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">lead</a> - the primary pollutant in metal industries - drops to less than 200 parts per million just a few meters from the furnace," said Professor Ben-Yosef.



"By comparison, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency defines industrial areas as safe for workers at 1,200 parts per million and residential areas as safe for children at 200 parts per million.”



The experts noted that this finding directly contradicts a series of papers published since the 1990s alleging pollution caused by the ancient copper industry.



"We demonstrate that this is not true. Pollution in Timna is very restricted spatially, and it’s likely that only those working directly at the furnace suffered from inhaling toxic fumes, while just a short distance away, the soil is entirely safe," said the researchers.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-debunking-old-theories">Debunking old theories </h2>



Seeking to understand the bigger picture, the TAU archaeologists also conducted a comprehensive review of existing literature on ancient industrial <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/one-in-six-deaths-in-2019-was-caused-by-pollution/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">pollution</a>.



Their review unveiled a recurring assumption: traces of ancient metallurgical activity were labeled as "pollution." 



As a result, the inference was drawn that metal industries, from their earliest beginnings, were <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/car-tires-shed-pollutants-that-are-especially-toxic-for-humans-and-wildlife/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">harmful to humans</a>. This standpoint, the researchers argue, is far from the truth.



"Even when metal production was large-scale, becoming integral to human civilization, it was the toxic lead industry that caused global pollution, not necessarily other metals," the team noted.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-projecting-our-pollution-problems">Projecting our pollution problems </h2>



The experts emphasized that in dealing with the severe environmental challenges of our time, we must be cautious not to project modern pollution problems onto the past.



“While we might label a few pieces of slag on the ground as 'pollution,' we should not confuse this localized waste with regional or global environmental pollution,” they cautioned.



Taking us on a journey through time, the researchers at TAU help us see the past in a new light - one that challenges our preconceived notions about an ancient copper industry. 



The findings provide a crucial reminder that we need to view the past without the lens of our current environmental anxieties.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-80939-5" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Scientific Reports</a>.



-----



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Copper industry of King Solomon’s era didn't harm the environment

Peeling back the layers of history, we find ourselves in the heart of the ancient copper industry in the time of King Solomon’s mines. The tale of this legendary biblical king and his mines has been passed down through generations, with many people assuming that the mining process of ancient copper production left rampant pollution and environmental destruction. But what if that ominous narrative isn't as factual as we’ve been led to believe? New perspective on copper production Researchers from Tel Aviv University (TAU) have recently challenged...

Farmers Markets And Food Coops Are Becoming More Popular. University of Iowa study finds local food movement rooted in relationships and values

More Americans than ever before are supporting their local farmers markets, and it's not just because they believe the food is fresher and tastes better.

According to a new University of Iowa study, people are shopping farmers markets and joining food coops at record numbers because they enjoy knowing who grows their food. These so-called "locavores" are also driven to eat locally grown produce and meat because their commitment to do so makes them feel a part of something greater than themselves - a community that shares their passion for a healthy lifestyle and a <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/new-discovery-could-provide-sustainable-freshwater-to-volcanic-islands/">sustainable</a> environment. Farmers Markets And Food Coops Are Becoming More Popular

For these enthusiasts, supporting the local food movement is a sort of civic duty, an act to preserve their local economy against the threats of globalization and big-box stores.

"It's not just about the economical exchange; it's a relational and ideological exchange as well," said Ion Vasi, an associate professor with a joint appointment in the Department of <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=Sociology&amp;cvid=f66c94e4734a43f195c8f6ab20853621&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">Sociology</a> and Tippie College of Business at the UI and corresponding author of the study.

Vasi said the local food market is what sociologists call a "moralized market," that is a market in which people combine economic activities with their social values. Among their findings, the UI researchers discovered local food markets were more likely to develop in areas where residents had a strong commitment to civic participation, health and the environment.

"It's about valuing the relationship with the farmers and people who produce the food and believing that how they produce the food aligns with your personal values," Vasi said.

Vasi shared the results of the study August 22 at the American Sociology Association Annual meeting in Chicago.

For his study, Vasi examined the development of local food markets by looking at the number of farmers markets, food coops, community-supported agriculture providers and local food restaurants in cities across the United States. Researchers also conducted 40 interviews with consumers and producers in different local food markets in Iowa and New York.

From a historical perspective, the recent growth of local food markets is rather surprising.

In 1971, Jane Pyle predicted farmers markets were "doomed by a changing society" in an article penned for The Geographical Review. At the time, there were about 340 farmers markets left in the United States and many were "populated by resellers, not farmers, and were on the verge of collapse," Pyle wrote.

Some 20 years later, the tide was beginning to turn.

According to the United State Department of Agriculture, national direct-to-consumer food sales increased three-fold between 1992 and 2007, growing twice as fast as total agricultural sales. The number of farmers markets listed in the USDA National Farmers Markets increased from 3,706 in 2004 to 8,268 in 2014. Plus, UI researchers found the number of Internet searches for farmers markets has almost tripled during that same 10-year period and the number of newspaper articles that mention farmers markets has almost quadrupled.

So, what's behind this need to know who grows your food and to believe in how it's produced?

It was the onslaught of big-box stores and globalization forces that reignited "buy local" campaigns across the country in the 1990s, said the UI researchers.

According to the study: "A growing number of communities have attempted to gain control of their own economies by encouraging civic engagement that supports investing in locally owned businesses instead of outside companies."

Sara Rynes, a professor of Management &amp; Organizations in the UI's Tippie College of Business, and co-author of the study, said the researchers also found that local food markets, whether farmers markets, food coops or otherwise, were more likely to be located in cities and counties with higher education levels, higher income levels and more institutions of higher education.

"Sociologists and political scientists have argued that higher income allows people to make consumption decisions based on values in addition to matters of price or value," Rynes said. "Education is likely to facilitate knowledge about such things as links between the way products are produced and their environmental and health impacts. And universities sometimes get involved in helping local farmers and individuals who are struggling to make a living, particularly through extension efforts."

---

<a href="http://www.uiowa.edu" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">University of Iowa</a>

Farmers Markets And Food Coops Are Becoming More Popular

Farmers Markets And Food Coops Are Becoming More Popular. University...

University of Iowa study finds local food movement rooted in relationships and values

Farmers Markets And Food Coops Are Becoming More Popular. More Americans than ever before are supporting their local farmers markets, and it's not just because they believe the food is fresher and tastes better.

According to a new University of Iowa study, people are shopping farmers markets and joining food coops at record numbers because they enjoy knowing who grows their food. These so-called "locavores" are also driven to eat locally grown produce and meat because their commitment to do so makes them feel a part of something greater than themselves - a community that shares their passion for a healthy lifestyle and a sustainable environment. Farmers Markets And Food Coops Are Becoming More Popular

For these enthusiasts, supporting the local food movement is a sort of civic duty, an act to preserve their local economy against the threats of globalization and big-box stores.

"It's not just about the economical exchange; it's a relational and ideological exchange as well," said Ion Vasi, an associate professor with a joint appointment in the Department of Sociology and Tippie College of Business at the UI and corresponding author of the study.

Vasi said the local food market is what sociologists call a "moralized market," that is a market in which people combine economic activities with their social values. Among their findings, the UI researchers discovered local food markets were more likely to develop in areas where residents had a strong commitment to civic participation, health and the environment.

"It's about valuing the relationship with the farmers and people who produce the food and believing that how they produce the food aligns with your personal values," Vasi said.

Vasi shared the results of the study August 22 at the American Sociology Association Annual meeting in Chicago.

For his study, Vasi examined the development of local food markets by looking at the number of farmers markets, food coops, community-supported agriculture providers and local food restaurants in cities across the United States. Researchers also conducted 40 interviews with consumers and producers in different local food markets in Iowa and New York.

From a historical perspective, the recent growth of local food markets is rather surprising.

In 1971, Jane Pyle predicted farmers markets were "doomed by a changing society" in an article penned for The Geographical Review. At the time, there were about 340 farmers markets left in the United States and many were "populated by resellers, not farmers, and were on the verge of collapse," Pyle wrote.

Some 20 years later, the tide was beginning to turn.

According to the United State Department of Agriculture, national direct-to-consumer food sales increased three-fold between 1992 and 2007, growing twice as fast as total agricultural sales. The number of farmers markets listed in the USDA National Farmers Markets increased from 3,706 in 2004 to 8,268 in 2014. Plus, UI researchers found the number of Internet searches for farmers markets has almost tripled during that same 10-year period and the number of newspaper articles that mention farmers markets has almost quadrupled.

So, what's behind this need to know who grows your food and to believe in how it's produced?

It was the onslaught of big-box stores and globalization forces that reignited "buy local" campaigns across the country in the 1990s, said the UI researchers.

According to the study: "A growing number of communities have attempted to gain control of their own economies by encouraging civic engagement that supports investing in locally owned businesses instead of outside companies."

Sara Rynes, a professor of Management &amp; Organizations in the UI's Tippie College of Business, and co-author of the study, said the researchers also found that local food markets, whether farmers markets, food coops or otherwise, were more likely to be located in cities and counties with higher education levels, higher income levels and more institutions of higher education.

"Sociologists and political scientists have argued that higher income allows people to make consumption decisions based on values in addition to matters of price or value," Rynes said. "Education is likely to facilitate knowledge about such things as links between the way products are produced and their environmental and health impacts. And universities sometimes get involved in helping local farmers and individuals who are struggling to make a living, particularly through extension efforts."

---

<a href="http://www.uiowa.edu" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">University of Iowa</a>

University of Iowa study finds local food movement rooted in...

Obama Continues Push For More Clean Energy Choices. Pushing back against fossil fuel interests, President Barack Obama is pressing to give ordinary Americans more clean energy choices and more power to choose what kind of power they use.
The president, in a speech at a clean energy conference in Las Vegas on Monday night, planned to announce new executive actions and other efforts aimed at making it easier for homeowners and businesses to invest in green energy improvements that in the past may have been impractical or unaffordable. Obama Continues Push For More Clean Energy Choices
The moves are designed to build on the clean power plant rules that the president announced earlier in the month to cut carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants by a third. They all feed into Obama's goal of cutting overall U.S. emissions by 26 percent to 28 percent over the next decade to combat climate change and encourage other countries to do likewise.
Monday's actions are focused on giving families and businesses more say in what types and how much power they rely on. That could mean rooftop solar panels, once largely the province of committed environmentalists, or other renewable energy innovations. A senior administration official, previewing the president's speech on condition of anonymity since the actions had not been publicly announced, said the steps could dramatically expand opportunities for Americans to have greater flexibility in the types of power they use.
Obama's speech, at an annual energy conference hosted by Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid, was aimed at countering fossil fuel and utility interests that have been working at the state level and elsewhere to undercut clean energy policies with arguments that the matter should be left to the free market.
The Heartland Institute, a conservative think tank that denies manmade climate change, was among groups co-sponsoring a simultaneous "affordable energy summit" in Las Vegas as a counterpoint to Reid's gathering, maintaining that Obama's policies promote wind and solar power at the expense of conventional energy and "will inevitably cause skyrocketing electricity prices while providing little if any net environmental benefits," according to the summit's website.
Among the steps being announced by Obama:
-New guidance from the Federal Housing Administration that could dramatically expand the use of so-called PACE loans that allow homeowners to install energy improvements and pay back the costs over time. So far, use of Property-Assessed Clean Energy financing has been constrained by regulatory obstacles.
-Making $1 billion in additional loan guarantees available from the Department of Energy to encourage innovation in technologies that give Americans more flexibility in choosing renewable energy options.
Obama also was announcing the approval of a transmission line that will support a 485-megawatt solar plant planned for Riverside County in California. The Blythe Mesa plant is expected to produce enough renewable energy to power more than 145,000 homes.
While in Nevada, Obama also planned to attend an evening fundraiser benefiting the Nevada State Democratic Party.
---
Follow Nancy Benac on Twitter at <a href="http://twitter.com/nbenac" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://twitter.com/nbenac</a>
© 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Obama Continues Push For More Clean Energy Choices

Obama Continues Push For More Clean Energy Choices. Pushing back...

Kids Released From California Juvie System Given Nature Jobs. Harry Grammer, the CEO of a Los Angeles-based nonprofit that works with young adults, wanted to give kids recently out of the juvenile justice system real jobs and marketable skills.
Three years ago, a chance meeting gave Grammer what he wanted.
Explore.org, a philanthropic media branch of the Annenberg Foundation, has a network of more than 50 high-definition web cameras streaming live images of wildlife around the clock. The organization offered to fund a program that would hire his alums, regardless of their previous offenses, as camera operators earning hourly wage between $10 and $15 with benefits. Kids Released From <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=california&amp;form=EDGEAR&amp;qs=PF&amp;cvid=71fb5893ad784344a18f5f321ec476fe&amp;cc=US&amp;setlang=en-US&amp;elv=AY3%21uAY7tbNNZGZ2yiGNjfP8PQRg5BXbDJExOD1TP9bxleAZDQHFYlDFBvI61XnJMjTprP4Br1arWcJwW%212aPYQnnd9wOiZnsmxvQqwYmsuO&amp;plvar=0&amp;PC=HCTS">California</a> Juvie System Given Nature Jobs
Since then, New Earth has employed more than 30 camera operators, given them technical training and taught them film editing, production and multimedia skills. More than a million people watch the feeds online every month to get a glimpse of the most remote regions of the world, but few know that behind those cameras are young <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/air-quality-los-angeles-asthma/">Los Angeles</a> offenders, some of whom have never even been down the road to Disneyland.
But now they virtually step into the beehives in Bavaria, Germany, stand in the rough waters of Alaska where brown bears fish for salmon or watch pandas clumsily wrestling each other in China.
Brandon Monroe was stabbed 15 times when he was 15 years old. He said the attack and robbery in a dark Los Angeles-area alley turned him from a good person to "pure cold." Yet after years of crime and serious time in juvenile hall, at age 19 he's come in from the cold to spread warmth - in the form of penguins and brown bears, walruses and chipmunks.
From his desk in Culver City, Calif., and with simple shifts of a joystick, Monroe guides people to watch exotic animals around the world, remotely controlling cameras that capture the wonders of wildlife.
"Nature has no judgment," Grammer said. "I always tell my kids, when you go into nature, you don't see gang graffiti on the walls, you don't hear police sirens, you don't see people being violent with each other, you don't hear loud noises of hate, aggression, and racism."
Grammer's organization works with young men and women from 15 detention centers in Southern California during and after incarceration. Grammer, who once served time on residential burglary charges, founded the organization in 2004 to keep juvenile offenders off the streets and out of trouble.
For teens with a history of incarceration, finding employment - especially jobs that lead to successful careers - proves to be an unsurmountable challenge. Many fall into unemployment, poverty, and crime.
There's also a program called "Dog Bless You" with shots from domestic animal shelters, whose great Danes Monroe says he favors over all the exotic competition.
Many New Earth camera operators saw animals treated with cruelty in their neighborhoods, where pit-bull brawls and razor-bladed cockfights were considered entertainment.
Monroe said he never gave his own future, much less the welfare of animals, any thought before joining New Earth. He always had a roof over his head as a child, but said he never got the kind of support he needed. His mother was in-and-out-of-prison, leaving his father to raise five children after his own incarceration. Two of his younger siblings and all of his uncles are still in jail.
Committing petty crimes easily turned into a habit and Monroe became a frequent visitor to juvenile jail.
Eager for another chance but unsure of where to begin during his seventh and final jail visit, Monroe decided that if he didn't get better, he would "go all out."
The animals led him on a different path. He said he has grown more affectionate, more nurturing.
"It makes me see things I've never seen before," Monroe said.
"The animals give me a perspective on how to take care of people," he said. "I kind of compare animals to babies. Just watching the little baby is amazing."
-
Follow Linda S. Zhang on Twitter: <a href="http://www.twitter.com/lindaszhang" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://www.twitter.com/lindaszhang</a>
© 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Kids Released From California Juvie System Given Nature Jobs

Kids Released From California Juvie System Given Nature Jobs. Harry...

Kids Released From <a href="http://www.earth.com/image/brutal-fire-season-continues-in-california/">California</a> Juvie System Given Nature Jobs. Harry Grammer, the CEO of a Los Angeles-based nonprofit that works with young adults, wanted to give kids recently out of the juvenile justice system real jobs and marketable skills.
Three years ago, a chance meeting gave Grammer what he wanted.
Explore.org, a philanthropic media branch of the Annenberg Foundation, has a network of more than 50 high-definition web cameras streaming live images of wildlife around the clock. The organization offered to fund a program that would hire his alums, regardless of their previous offenses, as camera operators earning hourly wage between $10 and $15 with benefits.Kids Released From California Juvie System Given Nature Jobs
Since then, New Earth has employed more than 30 camera operators, given them technical training and taught them film editing, production and multimedia skills. More than a million people watch the feeds online every month to get a glimpse of the most remote regions of the world, but few know that behind those cameras are young Los Angeles offenders, some of whom have never even been down the road to Disneyland.
But now they virtually step into the beehives in Bavaria, Germany, stand in the rough waters of Alaska where brown bears fish for salmon or watch pandas clumsily wrestling each other in China.
Brandon Monroe was stabbed 15 times when he was 15 years old. He said the attack and robbery in a dark Los Angeles-area alley turned him from a good person to "pure cold." Yet after years of crime and serious time in juvenile hall, at age 19 he's come in from the cold to spread warmth - in the form of penguins and brown bears, walruses and chipmunks.
From his desk in Culver City, Calif., and with simple shifts of a joystick, Monroe guides people to watch exotic animals around the world, remotely controlling cameras that capture the wonders of wildlife.
"Nature has no judgment," Grammer said. "I always tell my kids, when you go into nature, you don't see gang graffiti on the walls, you don't hear police sirens, you don't see people being violent with each other, you don't hear loud noises of hate, aggression, and racism."
Grammer's organization works with young men and women from 15 detention centers in Southern California during and after incarceration. Grammer, who once served time on residential burglary charges, founded the organization in 2004 to keep juvenile offenders off the streets and out of trouble.
For teens with a history of incarceration, finding employment - especially jobs that lead to successful careers - proves to be an unsurmountable challenge. Many fall into unemployment, poverty, and crime.
There's also a program called "Dog Bless You" with shots from domestic animal shelters, whose great Danes Monroe says he favors over all the exotic competition.
Many New Earth camera operators saw animals treated with cruelty in their neighborhoods, where pit-bull brawls and razor-bladed cockfights were considered entertainment.
Monroe said he never gave his own future, much less the welfare of animals, any thought before joining New Earth. He always had a roof over his head as a child, but said he never got the kind of support he needed. His mother was in-and-out-of-prison, leaving his father to raise five children after his own incarceration. Two of his younger siblings and all of his uncles are still in jail.
Committing petty crimes easily turned into a habit and Monroe became a frequent visitor to juvenile jail.
Eager for another chance but unsure of where to begin during his seventh and final jail visit, Monroe decided that if he didn't get better, he would "go all out."
The animals led him on a different path. He said he has grown more affectionate, more nurturing.
"It makes me see things I've never seen before," Monroe said.
"The animals give me a perspective on how to take care of people," he said. "I kind of compare animals to babies. Just watching the little baby is amazing."
-
Follow Linda S. Zhang on Twitter: <a href="http://www.twitter.com/lindaszhang" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://www.twitter.com/lindaszhang</a>
© 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

<div id="titlewrap"></div>
Obama Continues Push For More Clean Energy Choices. Pushing back against fossil fuel interests, President Barack Obama is pressing to give ordinary Americans more clean energy choices and more power to choose what kind of power they use.
The president, in a speech at a clean energy conference in Las Vegas on Monday night, planned to announce new executive actions and other efforts aimed at making it easier for homeowners and businesses to invest in green energy improvements that in the past may have been impractical or unaffordable.
The moves are designed to build on the clean power plant rules that the president announced earlier in the month to cut carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants by a third. They all feed into Obama's goal of cutting overall U.S. emissions by 26 percent to 28 percent over the next decade to combat climate change and encourage other countries to do likewise.
Monday's actions are focused on giving families and businesses more say in what types and how much power they rely on. That could mean rooftop solar panels, once largely the province of committed environmentalists, or other renewable energy innovations. A senior administration official, previewing the president's speech on condition of anonymity since the actions had not been publicly announced, said the steps could dramatically expand opportunities for Americans to have greater flexibility in the types of power they use.
Obama's speech, at an annual energy conference hosted by Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid, was aimed at countering fossil fuel and utility interests that have been working at the state level and elsewhere to undercut clean energy policies with arguments that the matter should be left to the free market.
The Heartland Institute, a conservative think tank that denies manmade climate change, was among groups co-sponsoring a simultaneous "affordable energy summit" in Las Vegas as a counterpoint to Reid's gathering, maintaining that Obama's policies promote wind and solar power at the expense of conventional energy and "will inevitably cause skyrocketing electricity prices while providing little if any net environmental benefits," according to the summit's website.
Among the steps being announced by Obama:
-New guidance from the Federal Housing Administration that could dramatically expand the use of so-called PACE loans that allow homeowners to install energy improvements and pay back the costs over time. So far, use of Property-Assessed Clean <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/earth-could-be-powered-entirely-by-renewable-energy/">Energy</a> financing has been constrained by regulatory obstacles.
-Making $1 billion in additional loan guarantees available from the Department of Energy to encourage innovation in technologies that give Americans more flexibility in choosing renewable energy options.
Obama also was announcing the approval of a transmission line that will support a 485-megawatt solar plant planned for Riverside County in California. The Blythe Mesa plant is expected to produce enough renewable energy to power more than 145,000 homes. Obama Continues Push For More Clean Energy Choices
While in Nevada, Obama also planned to attend an evening fundraiser benefiting the Nevada State Democratic Party.
---
Follow Nancy Benac on Twitter at <a href="http://twitter.com/nbenac" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://twitter.com/nbenac</a>
© 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

War In The Middle East Has Resulted In Huge Air Pollution Reduction. In Damascus and Aleppo, the Syrian civil war has precipitated a 40 to 50 percent drop in NO2.

There are no silver linings in war. But there are byproducts, some of them positive. New research suggests one of those byproducts is cleaner air.

In the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/reducing-emissions-middle-east/">Middle East</a>, a region rife with conflict, researchers found upticks in violence were correlated with huge air pollution reduction. In Syria, where civil war has driven thousands from their homes, nitrogen oxide levels have dropped dramatically.War In The Middle East Has Resulted In Huge Air Pollution Reduction

<a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=nitrogen&amp;cvid=d45f91c1a8b7475da0d1e0ce240d1fa5&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">Nitrogen</a> oxides, like nitrogen dioxide, are are released into the atmosphere when fossil fuels are burned. They're commonly measured by scientists as a way to track both economic activity and the effectiveness of air quality regulations.

The new research suggests nitrogen oxides can reveal the presence of war, civil unrest and humanitarian crises.

As the new measurements show, economic activity has dwindled in Syria and Iraq as a result of the ongoing civil war and rise of the Islamic State. Similarly, economic sanctions in Iran have slowed the national economy -- and nitrogen dioxide emissions -- in recent years.

In Damascus and Aleppo, the Syrian civil war has precipitated a 40 to 50 percent drop in NO2.

"Analyzing the satellite measurements showed us that economic sanctions have had large effects in Iran since 2010," researcher Jos Lelieveld <a class="tpstyle" href="http://www.mpic.de/en/news/press-information/news/middle-east-atmospheric-signs-of-the-crises.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">said in a press release</a>.

The new data -- collected by NASA's satellite Aura and analyzed by scientists at the<a class="tpstyle" title="Max Planck" href="http://www.upi.com/topic/Max_Planck/">Max Planck</a> Institute for Chemistry in Mainz, Germany -- stands in contrast to trends witnessed between 2005 and 2010, when economic growth in the region led to high levels of pollution.

"It is tragic that the negative trends we observe in nitrogen oxide emissions accompany humanitarian catastrophes," Lelieveld said.

But the data -- <a class="tpstyle" href="http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/1/7/e1500498" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">published in the journal Science Advances</a> -- is also educational, and may help scientists better predict how geopolitical events and economic trends will affect air quality and global emissions.

Previous emissions models have failed to account for mitigating effects of war and crisis.

"A combination of air quality control and political factors, including economical crisis and armed conflict, has drastically altered the emission landscape of nitrogen oxides in the Middle East," researchers wrote in their new paper on the subject.

Meanwhile, emissions are up in Lebanon, where refugees from Syria have flooded in by the thousands.

And just because NO2 and other oxides are down in certain parts of the region, researchers say that doesn't mean war is good for the environment. Experts say modern warfare leaves behind plenty of contaminants on the land and in the water.

---

Credit: UPI

War In The Middle East Has Resulted In Huge Air Pollution Reduction

War In The Middle East Has Resulted In Huge Air...

Deforestation Triples In Mexico Butterfly Preserve. Illegal logging has almost tripled in the monarch butterfly's wintering grounds In central <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=mexico&amp;cvid=b0661822121c41318f36a4bdfd21b518&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">Mexico</a>, reversing several years of steady improvements, investigators announced Tuesday.
Almost all of the loss occurred in just one rural hamlet in the state of Michoacan. Loggers cut down 47 acres (19 hectares) of trees in <a href="http://www.earth.com/image/gulf-of-california/">San Felipe</a> de los Alzati since last year's gathering of butterflies, while little was lost in 31 other communities. A total of 52 acres (21 hectares) of forest were lost overall.Deforestation Triples In Mexico Butterfly Preserve
That's the highest figure since 2011, well above the 20 acres (8 hectares) lost a year earlier, according to the announcement by the World Wildlife fund and the Institute of Biology of Mexico's National Autonomous University.
The forest canopy is a sort of blanket against cold for the masses of orange-and-black butterflies that form huge clumps on tree branches during their winter stay in Mexico.
Loss of that habitat is just one of the threats to the butterflies' amazing migration across Canada and the United States to Mexico. The migration is an inherited trait: No butterfly lives to make the full round trip, and it is unclear how they find the route back to the same patch of pine forest each year. Some scientists suggest the butterflies may release chemicals marking the migratory path and fear that if their numbers fall too low, the chemical traces will not be strong enough for others to follow.
This year butterflies that reached the wintering grounds covered 2.79 acres (1.13 hectares), a 69 percent rebound from last February's 1.65 acres (0.67 hectare), which was the lowest since record-keeping began in 1993.
At their peak in 1996, the monarchs covered more than 44.5 acres (18 hectares) in the mountains west of Mexico City. But the overall tendency since then has been a steep, progressive decline. Each time the Monarchs rebound, they do so at lower levels. The species is found in many countries and is not in danger of extinction, but experts fear the migration could be disrupted if very few butterflies make the 3,400-mile (5,470-kilometer) trip.
Largely Indian farm communities in the mountain reserve have received government development funds in return for preserving the 139,000-acre (56,259 hectare) reserve in the mountains west of Mexico City that UNESCO has declared a World Heritage site. Some of the communities earn income from tourist operations or reforestation nurseries to grow and plant saplings.
The fact that most of last year's loss also occurred own in San Felipe indicates a growing problem there, said Omar Vidal, head of the World Wildlife Fund in Mexico.
"The government has to step up enforcement and start talking more seriously with this community, to find out the causes" behind the logging, Vidal said. Some communities have complained that outside loggers - sometimes armed - invade local forests without the consent of the community. Other logging, however, has been the work of locals who few other job opportunities.
After illegal logging felled hundreds of acres of trees in the reserve between 2003 and 2006 authorities, cracked down on illegal sawmills and stepped up incentives to encourage communities to preserve the woods.
"The main problem in Mexico is the lack of protection," said writer and activist Homero Aridjis, who noted that some officials at the reserve were replaced and that President Enrique Pena Nieto recently appointed his cousin, Alejandro del Mazo, to head the agency that oversees Mexico's nature reserves.
© 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Deforestation Triples In Mexico Butterfly Preserve

Deforestation Triples In Mexico Butterfly Preserve. Illegal logging has almost...

Navajo Farmers Reject Use Of Water After Gold King Mine Spill. One of the largest communities of Navajo farmers along the San Juan River has voted to keep irrigation canals closed for at least a year following a spill of toxic sludge at a <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=colorado&amp;filters=ufn%3a%22colorado%22+sid%3a%22a070c5c2-b22d-41d8-b869-f20e583c4f80%22&amp;form=EDGEAR&amp;qs=MB&amp;cvid=25f2a9ab3dd744e38d2113cfeafd8060&amp;cc=US&amp;setlang=en-US&amp;elv=AY3%21uAY7tbNNZGZ2yiGNjfP8PQRg5BXbDJExOD1TP9bx1eOfzSbRMnoS42%21wXB11fyTrj8uxsa0Vfs22M6ABNmEk*tuYC82HdWHvyBfPeLfb&amp;plvar=0&amp;PC=HCTS">Colorado</a> Gold King mine.
The unanimous vote by more than 100 farmers in Shiprock, New Mexico, was heart-wrenching and guarantees the loss of many crops, Shiprock Chapter President Duane "Chili" Yazzie said Monday.
But he said farmers don't want to risk contaminating the soil for future generations.<a href="http://www.earth.com/video/navajo-nation-arra/">Navajo</a> Farmers Reject Use Of Water After Gold King Mine Spill
"Our position is better safe than sorry," Yazzie said.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Navajo Nation EPA have said the water is safe for irrigation, based on surface water testing. Other communities off the reservation have cleared the water for drinking, recreation and irrigation.
The Navajo Nation has been hesitant to lift restrictions on using the river water, mostly over concerns about contaminants being stirred up and washed down the river. The Navajo Nation EPA expects to have test results from soil samples later this week.
Tribal President Russell Begaye has asked several farming and ranching communities impacted by the Aug. 5 spill from the Gold King mine near Silverton, Colorado, to weigh in by passing resolutions with an official position.
Shiprock is the only community that has submitted a resolution so far, tribal spokesman Mihio Manus said.
Begaye, who grew up in a small farmhouse in Shiprock, said he realizes the impact that keeping the water shut off will have on farmers.
"I am furious that the U.S. EPA has placed the Navajo Nation into this position," Begaye said in a news release. "Our farms will not last much longer without water, and our resources are depleting."
Manus said he wasn't sure how water hauling for livestock and agriculture would be funded.
The U.S. EPA said it stopped delivering water and hay to tribal communities last week. Begaye said the tribe is working with the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs to provide water to Navajos.
Neither the EPA nor the Bureau of Indian Affairs immediately responded Monday to questions from The Associated Press regarding water supplies for the tribe.
A water treatment plant on the Utah portion of the reservation that drew water from the San Juan River also will remain offline until Begaye gives the OK for it to begin operating again, said Deenise Becenti with the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority.
Water is being hauled in to top off a tank so residents can continue to have running water in their homes, she said.
In Shiprock, a constant line of vehicles waits to fill huge containers with water. Yazzie said he spent the weekend watering about 500 of his own plants but estimates that other families have thousands that have been wilting.
"We're going to struggle to save what we can and what we lose, we'll expect somebody to provide compensation," Yazzie said.
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Navajo Farmers Reject Use Of Water After Gold King Mine Spill

Navajo Farmers Reject Use Of Water After Gold King Mine...

One possible solution, researchers say, is for wealthier nations to pay developing countries to stop cutting down trees.

A Washington-based think tank is urging action on climate change.

Study: Tropical Forests Disappearing Faster Than Expected. In a <a class="tpstyle" href="http://www.cgdev.org/publication/future-forests-emissions-tropical-deforestation-carbon-price" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">new study</a>, researchers at the Center for Global Development predict 714 million acres of tropical forests -- enough to cover all of <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=india&amp;form=EDGEAR&amp;qs=PF&amp;cvid=eac2cf31f5694b17bfaf91d85441a453&amp;cc=US&amp;setlang=en-US&amp;elv=AY3%21uAY7tbNNZGZ2yiGNjfP8PQRg5BXbDJExOD1TP9bxMzBAM9262uJEJbj8Sr98m1tvW8G3yK7TSPqE*wNwc3t4pK8qi7jNPDNTYwPVMAu7&amp;plvar=0&amp;PC=HCTS">India</a> -- will be felled by 2015.

Such losses would be devastating for flora and fauna in some of the planet's most biodiverse regions, but it would also further accelerate climate change. Study: Tropical Forests Disappearing Faster Than Expected

If leaders don't take steps to protect the tropical forests of <a href="http://www.earth.com/image/phytoplankton-bloom-off-northwest-africa/">Africa</a>, Asia and South America, scientists at CGD warn that deforestation will release another 169 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Making matters worse, a significant portion of Earth's most effective carbon sink will be gone.

The predictions are based on the analysis of environmental economists at CGD, armed with data and satellite imagery collected from more than 100 countries. Using the imagery, scientists measured rates of deforestation and extrapolated future trends.

The report's authors say it's not too late to act. Earth's political and economic leaders can protect the planet's tropical forests by placing a price on carbon -- either through taxes or emissions reduction payments.

One possible solution, researchers say, is for wealthier nations to pay developing countries to stop cutting down trees.

"Conserving tropical forests is a bargain," report author Jonah Busch, CGD research fellow and environmental economist, <a class="tpstyle" href="http://www.cgdev.org/article/new-research-shows-forests-will-disappear-faster-we-thought-now-time-put-price-carbon" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">said in a press release</a>. "Reducing emissions from tropical deforestation costs about a fifth as much as reducing emissions in the European Union."

"The Paris climate agreement needs to provide funding and other resources to stop tropical deforestation," research associate Jens Engelmann added. "A climate agreement without robust action on forests will simply not be enough."

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Credit: UPI

Study: Tropical Forests Disappearing Faster Than Expected

One possible solution, researchers say, is for wealthier nations to...

Deforestation Triples In Mexico Butterfly Preserve. Illegal logging has almost tripled in the monarch butterfly's wintering grounds In central Mexico, reversing several years of steady improvements, investigators announced Tuesday.
Almost all of the loss occurred in just one rural hamlet in the state of Michoacan. Loggers cut down 47 acres (19 hectares) of trees in San Felipe de los Alzati since last year's gathering of butterflies, while little was lost in 31 other communities. A total of 52 acres (21 hectares) of forest were lost overall.
That's the highest figure since 2011, well above the 20 acres (8 hectares) lost a year earlier, according to the announcement by the World Wildlife fund and the Institute of Biology of Mexico's National Autonomous University. Deforestation Triples In Mexico Butterfly Preserve
The forest canopy is a sort of blanket against cold for the masses of orange-and-black butterflies that form huge clumps on tree branches during their winter stay in <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=mexico&amp;FORM=EDGENA&amp;PC=HCTS&amp;refig=00f657aea3884621f95d6688d7980d80">Mexico</a>.
Loss of that habitat is just one of the threats to the butterflies' amazing migration across Canada and the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/united-states-global-waste/">United States</a> to Mexico. The migration is an inherited trait: No butterfly lives to make the full round trip, and it is unclear how they find the route back to the same patch of pine forest each year. Some scientists suggest the butterflies may release chemicals marking the migratory path and fear that if their numbers fall too low, the chemical traces will not be strong enough for others to follow.
This year butterflies that reached the wintering grounds covered 2.79 acres (1.13 hectares), a 69 percent rebound from last February's 1.65 acres (0.67 hectare), which was the lowest since record-keeping began in 1993.
At their peak in 1996, the monarchs covered more than 44.5 acres (18 hectares) in the mountains west of Mexico City. But the overall tendency since then has been a steep, progressive decline. Each time the Monarchs rebound, they do so at lower levels. The species is found in many countries and is not in danger of extinction, but experts fear the migration could be disrupted if very few butterflies make the 3,400-mile (5,470-kilometer) trip.
Largely Indian farm communities in the mountain reserve have received government development funds in return for preserving the 139,000-acre (56,259 hectare) reserve in the mountains west of Mexico City that UNESCO has declared a World Heritage site. Some of the communities earn income from tourist operations or reforestation nurseries to grow and plant saplings.
The fact that most of last year's loss also occurred own in San Felipe indicates a growing problem there, said Omar Vidal, head of the World Wildlife Fund in Mexico.
"The government has to step up enforcement and start talking more seriously with this community, to find out the causes" behind the logging, Vidal said. Some communities have complained that outside loggers - sometimes armed - invade local forests without the consent of the community. Other logging, however, has been the work of locals who few other job opportunities.
After illegal logging felled hundreds of acres of trees in the reserve between 2003 and 2006 authorities, cracked down on illegal sawmills and stepped up incentives to encourage communities to preserve the woods.
"The main problem in Mexico is the lack of protection," said writer and activist Homero Aridjis, who noted that some officials at the reserve were replaced and that President Enrique Pena Nieto recently appointed his cousin, Alejandro del Mazo, to head the agency that oversees Mexico's nature reserves.
© 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

New Jersey Reaches Settlement With Exxon Over Pollution. After originally seeking $8.9 billion, New Jersey's $225 million settlement with ExxonMobil over dozens of polluted sites is a reasonable compromise considering the substantial legal risks the state faced, a judge ruled Tuesday in approving a deal that Gov. Chris Christie's administration called historic and opponents called a sell-out.
The settlement ending an 11-year legal battle that spanned both <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/democracy-better-health-nations/">Democratic</a> and Republican governors is "fair, reasonable, in the public interest, and consistent with the goals of the Spill Compensation and Control Act," Superior Court Judge Michael Hogan wrote. He noted that the settlement is on top of Exxon's responsibility to clean up the sites, which include two oil refineries in Bayonne and Linden and retail gas stations across New Jersey.
<a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=new+jersey&amp;filters=ufn%3a%22new+jersey%22+sid%3a%2205277898-b62b-4878-8632-09d29756a2ff%22&amp;form=EDGEAR&amp;qs=MB&amp;cvid=44108b06410f40b6b32f56aa92193ce4&amp;cc=US&amp;setlang=en-US&amp;elv=AY3%21uAY7tbNNZGZ2yiGNjfP8PQRg5BXbDJExOD1TP9bxsHYa0gX0SEMzwC8NjO7*awpboaRczTu5g3CfaNyu*5Jz*vEDfvJZFiqwxzEcTHqI&amp;plvar=0&amp;PC=HCTS">New Jersey</a> sued ExxonMobil in 2004 for pollution dating back decades. The idea was to hold the company responsible not only for cleaning up polluted areas but to compensate the public for the alleged harm to groundwater, surface water and other ecological resources.
"This is an important settlement for the citizens of New Jersey and for our environment, one which came about because this administration aggressively pushed the case to trial," Acting Attorney General John Hoffman said.
Christie, a Republican running for his party's presidential nomination, has hailed the deal as the nation's second-largest of its kind against a corporate polluter, but the deal has been slammed by environmental groups and Democratic lawmakers who say the settlement is just a fraction of the billions of dollars New Jersey should have recovered.
"Today's decision by the court sadly rubber-stamps the Christie administration's sell-out settlement," said Doug O'Malley, director of Environment New Jersey. "This settlement still stinks."
The deal covered properties such as the gas stations that were not part of the lawsuit. It calls for the oil company to pay for environmental remediation at the sites for an as-yet-unknown cost.
Hogan opens his 81-page ruling with a quote from a previous, unrelated case: "Nearly any consent decree can be viewed simultaneously as `a crackdown or a sellout.'"
Hogan presided during 66 days of trial from January 2014 to September 2014 that included dueling damage estimates from experts hired by the state and Exxon. He said he was just beginning to work on a ruling when he received notice that the state and Exxon had reached a settlement in February 2015.
His decision to approve came after a 60-day public comment period, in which the vast majority of more than 16,000 public comments opposed the settlement, Hogan wrote.
He goes into detail in the ruling breaking down negotiations between Exxon and the state - New Jersey had asked for about $550 million under Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine in 2008, Exxon started with an offer of $0 - and cites the more than $257 million in remediation work that an Exxon project manager said the company had done at the sites from 1991 through December 2014.
Democratic State Sen. Raymond Lesniak dismissed that work, which opponents point out was part of separate court orders from 1991.
"It's not significant," said Lesniak, a likely 2017 gubernatorial candidate who represents the area around the Bayonne and Bayway sites. "They've been polluting that site for over a century."
Lesniak and environmental groups said they plan to appeal, although the environmental groups will first need an appeals court to grant them permission to intervene in the case.
Under law, about $50 million of the settlement will go toward site remediation. Another roughly $50 million will go toward the state's private legal costs. The rest is slated to go into the state's general fund.
Todd Spitler, a spokesman for Exxon, said the settlement brings the case to a "fair and reasonable conclusion."
"Both parties will now have the benefit of the certainty and finality that comes from this settlement," he said.
© 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

New Jersey Reaches Settlement With Exxon Over Pollution

New Jersey Reaches Settlement With Exxon Over Pollution. After originally...

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.igb.illinois.edu/">Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology</a> reveals how scientists can modify common crops like soybean, rice, and wheat to protect them from heat stress.



“We need to double crop production by 2050 to feed a growing global population, and not only are we not on track to do that, but climate change is further complicating things,” said Amanda Cavanagh, a lecturer at the University of Essex. 



The study is part of Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE), an international research project that aims to develop food crops that turn the sun’s energy into food more efficiently.



“Using an engineering approach we designed multiple alternative metabolic pathways to photorespiration. Testing them in the field showed increases in productivity which led Amanda to significantly move the project forward by showing our engineered plants can withstand pretty extreme temperature stress,” said study co-author and RIPE researcher Paul South.&nbsp;



“As the climate changes and temperature stresses increase the pressure on our global food supply, farmers will need every tool available including engineering approaches like the synthetic biology used here to maintain safe and productive harvests.”



The experts tested plants modified to have more efficient photorespiration to see if they were better adapted to warmer temperatures.&nbsp;



The team found that the engineered plants produced 26 percent more biomass than the wild-type plants exposed to the same temperatures, and had 15 percent less yield loss under the higher temperatures.



Video Credit: Amanda Nguyen/University of Illinois



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



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Designing crops that can beat the heat

[sendtonews key="QGPzYnXEtN-1712599-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from Carl...

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes the first comprehensive estimate of carbon density in the Saharan, Sahel, and Sudanian zones of Africa. In an effort to measure the amount of carbon stored across these drylands, a team of scientists used high-resolution satellite images and artificial intelligence to map nearly 10 billion individual trees. 



"The high spatial resolution (50 cm) combined with AI and field measurements used in this study is key to improving tree inventories in drylands," said Pierre Hiernaux, a French researcher working for NASA. "The ever-increasing availability of very high-resolution satellite imagery will make it possible to assess carbon pools and their dynamics at the individual tree level on a global scale."



"This study is exceptional because it is pioneering a type of approach that will revolutionize the monitoring of trees and forests on a global scale: in the short term, it will be possible to map the world's trees from the centre of the Amazon to our schoolyards," said <a href="https://www.inrae.fr/en">INRAE</a> researcher Jean-Pierre Wigneron.



"Many fields of application will become much more efficient and accurate, such as tracking carbon stocks, biodiversity, monitoring logging and protection against illegal forest degradation, in near real time.”



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



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Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

[sendtonews key="EjmSP20gQK-2593093-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from NASA...

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Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky" Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features northwest Lesotho in South Africa.



According to ESA, Lesotho is the only nation in the world that lies completely above 1,000 m in elevation. The country is famous for its tall mountains and narrow valleys, and is known as Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky."



Out of a population of around two million people, about 80 percent live in rural areas. More than 75 percent of these people are engaged in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-will-have-a-global-impact-on-agriculture/">agriculture</a>, including rainfed cereal production and animal grazing.&nbsp;



ESA reports that the country’s agricultural system faces a growing number of issues, with climate-related vulnerabilities such as drought, floods and extreme temperatures occurring more frequently. 



Diamonds are amongst the minerals found in the mountains. Indeed, Lesotho can truly be called the Kingdom in the Sky. Beautiful, culturally rich, safe, affordable, and easily accessible from Durban and Johannesburg, mountainous Lesotho is a vastly underrated travel destination. the Kingdom of Lesotho (Sotho: 'Muso oa Lesotho) is an enclaved country in southern Africa. It is just over 30,000 km2 (11,583 sq mi) in size and has a population of around 2 million.



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 



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Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> features a visual dataset of.methane emissions from wetlands across the globe. Atmospheric methane levels have reached record highs in recent years, and wetlands are a major source of these emissions.&nbsp;



"Methane is an important greenhouse gas that contributes substantially to global warming. On a molecule by molecule basis, methane is much more efficient at trapping heat than carbon dioxide, the main driver of warming," says NASA.



"Though human activities, including agriculture, oil and natural gas production and use, and waste disposal, collectively contribute the majority of methane to the atmosphere, about a third of total methane emissions comes from wetlands."&nbsp;



According to NASA, understanding methane emissions from wetlands and other natural sources is critically important for scientists and policymakers who are working to combat climate change by reducing emissions from human activities.



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



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Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/">NASA Earth Observatory</a> reveals the evolution of the Columbia Glacier in southeastern Alaska. Columbia is among the fastest shrinking glaciers in the world, and the video documents its rapid retreat over the years.&nbsp;



Columbia Glacier is a large, multi-branched calving glacier that flows out of the Chugach Mountains to the Prince William Sound.&nbsp;



According to USGS, Columbia had a long history of stability prior to 1980, with a length 41 miles, and small, short-lived advances or retreats.



In the years since 1980, however, satellite images have captured Columbia’s alarming retreat. By using false-color images, scientists can distinguish between snow and ice, open water, vegetation, and rocky debris on the glacier’s surface.



The series of false-color images featured in today's video were acquired over the span of 35 years. You can see that by 2021, the glacier’s main branch had retreated about 15 miles from its initial position.



The Columbia Glacier has also lost more than 50 percent of its volume, mostly due to calving. <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/nasa-reveals-3d-visual-of-an-atmospheric-river/">NASA</a> reports that while climate change likely started the retreat, mechanical processes kept the disintegration going.



The NASA images are provided by Jesse Allen, Robert Simmon, Joshua Stevens, and Lauren Dauphin using data from Landsat satellites, from the U.S. Geological Survey, and data from MODIS on NASA’s Terra satellite. The structure of Columbia’s moraine played a large role in the stability of the glacier before 1980. 



Like other tidewater glaciers, the Columbia built up a moraine over time, and the mixture of ice and rock functioned like a dam keeping out the sea. It was supported on one end by the shoreline and by the underwater terminal moraine at the other.



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory/&nbsp; NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



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The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

[sendtonews key="0879czfG3k-1785905-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from NASA...

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes how record-breaking heat expressed itself around the world in 2022.



Scientists have determined that 2022 was the 5th warmest year since 1880. Furthermore, the last nine consecutive years have been the warmest on record.



From devastating floods and wildfires to natural disasters like Hurricane Ian, 2022 showed us yet again how a warming climate affects people across the globe.&nbsp;



"As we look back at 20:22 and years past, we see that each year we better understand the challenges we face and how important it is to meet them," says NASA.



Video/ Image Credit: NASA Goddard



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



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2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

[sendtonews key="3UUsNkFOuS-2487333-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from NASA...

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Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes Earth’s interconnected systems, and how this network is affected by rising temperatures.&nbsp;



During 2020, average global temperatures matched the hottest year on record. The hurricane season was also record-breaking, with many of the storms intensifying at extraordinary speeds. Hot water in the ocean is fuel for hurricanes. The satellite data shows that it's all one interconnected system showing how Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected.



According to NASA, dust swept up from Northern Africa plays a major role in the formation of hurricanes, and is also a key source of fertilization in the Amazon rainforest. As a result of<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/seagrass-wasting-disease-is-fueled-by-climate-change/"> climate</a> change, dust plumes are expected to decline, which will have an effect on vegetation far away.&nbsp;



Images from Earth-observing satellites show how the world’s plant life is affected by natural disasters, fires, and deforestation. Satellites also reveal how widespread changes in vegetation impact waterways,&nbsp; the climate, air quality. Satellites communicate by using radio waves to send signals to the antennas on the Earth. "Earth From Space" is a groundbreaking two-hour special that reveals a spectacular new space-based vision of our planet. 



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



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Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://welcome.miami.edu/">University of Miami</a> Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science explores how changes in water temperatures have affected tiger shark habitats and movements in the North Atlantic Ocean. The study reveals that rising temperatures have caused the sharks to shift toward the poles over the past 40 years.



“Tiger shark annual migrations have expanded poleward, paralleling rising water temperatures,” explained study lead author Neil Hammerschlag. “These results have consequences for tiger shark conservation, since shifts in their movements outside of marine protected areas may leave them more vulnerable to commercial fishing.”



The researchers analyzed nine years of tracking data from satellite-tagged tiger sharks, combined with four decades of conventional tag and recapture data provided by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Cooperative Shark Tagging Program.



The experts found that during the last decade of record heat, for every one-degree Celsius increase in water temperatures, tiger sharks migrated further poleward by over 400 kilometers. They also migrated two weeks earlier than usual to waters off the northeastern coast of the United States.



“Given their role as apex predators, these changes to tiger shark movements may alter predator-prey interactions, leading to ecological imbalances, and more frequent encounters with humans,” concluded Professor Hammerschlag.



Video Credit: University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



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Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

Today’s Video of the Day from the University of Miami...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> is focused on the melt ponds that emerge during the spring and summer on the Greenland Ice Sheet, which is the largest ice mass in the northern hemisphere.



"Melt ponds are vast pools of open water that form on both sea ice and ice sheets and are visible as turquoise-blue pools of water in this Copernicus Sentinel-2 image," says ESA.



"When snow and ice melts atop glaciers, water flows in channels and streams and collects in depressions on the surface. These melt ponds can speed up the melting of the surrounding ice since they greatly reduce the ice’s ability to reflect sunlight."



"This can create a positive feedback where an increasing number of melt ponds absorb more heat which causes ice cover to melt even faster."



According to ESA, Greenland has been hit with a late-season heatwave that began in early September. This caused the type of melt event that usually occurs in the middle of summer.



"In a recent paper published in Nature Climate Change, scientists found that major sea-level rise from the melting of the Greenland ice cap is now ‘inevitable’ even if the burning of fossil fuels were to halt overnight," says ESA. "Using satellite observations of Greenland ice loss and ice cap from 2000 to 2019, the team found the losses will lead to a minimum rise of 27 cm regardless of climate change."



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



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Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> describes how Earth is unique in our solar system for its ability to sustain liquid water on its surface. But now, the water cycle is shifting as the climate warms, and scientists must find ways to predict how these changes will affect water availability.



Overall, 96 percent of Earth's water is saltwater, and nearly all of freshwater is found in ice and groundwater. These sources of water are linked as it passes through solid, liquid and gas phases.



In a warmer climate, the water cycle will be transformed. It will be easier for water to evaporate and form clouds, and storms will become more frequent and intense. Some regions will get too much water, while others will be left without enough water. In addition, soil moisture will be lost - which threatens food security.



Scientists are using satellite data from over the last 40 years to track changes that are happening in the water cycle. This will ultimately help us prepare for extreme events and better manage our water resources, according to ESA.



Video Credit: ESA



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



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Tracking changes in Earth's water cycle

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a> features images of Saturn from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. The photographs capture the start of the mysterious "spoke season" on Saturn - when unexplained features appear on its rings. 



According to NASA, both the cause of the spokes and their seasonal variability have yet to be fully explained by planetary scientists.



"Like Earth, Saturn is tilted on its axis and therefore has four seasons, though because of Saturn's much larger orbit, each season lasts approximately seven Earth years. Equinox occurs when the rings are tilted edge-on to the Sun," explains NASA.



"The spokes disappear when it is near summer or winter solstice on Saturn. (When the Sun appears to reach either its highest or lowest latitude in the northern or southern hemisphere of a planet.) As the autumnal equinox of Saturn's northern hemisphere on May 6, 2025, draws near, the spokes are expected to become increasingly prominent and observable."



Experts believe that the spokes may be a product of the planet's variable magnetic field. When magnetic fields interact with solar wind, an electrically charged environment is created. This phenomenon is visible on Earth as the northern lights.&nbsp;



"Scientists think that the smallest, dust-sized icy ring particles can become charged as well, which temporarily levitates those particles above the rest of the larger icy particles and boulders in the rings," says NASA.



The spokes were first observed in the early 1980s by NASA's Voyager mission. Depending on the angle of the rings, the spokes can appear dark or light.



"Thanks to Hubble's OPAL program, which is building an archive of data on the outer solar system planets, we will have longer dedicated time to study Saturn’s spokes this season than ever before," said NASA senior planetary scientist Amy Simon, head of the Hubble Outer Planet Atmospheres Legacy (OPAL) program.



"Despite years of excellent observations by the Cassini mission, the precise beginning and duration of the spoke season is still unpredictable, rather like predicting the first storm during hurricane season."



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



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Mysterious "spoke season" captured on Saturn

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Closeup,Of,Fresh,Green,The,Napier,Bush,Grass,As,Animal

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="http://www.ntu.edu.sg/">NTU Singapore</a> reveals that some plants can remove toxic heavy metals from soil.&nbsp;



The researchers analyzed samples of various tropical plant species to test for levels of heavy metals and metalloids. The study showed that there are existing plants with high levels of these contaminants, which means that these species are great candidates for drawing pollutants out of the soil.&nbsp;



Among the plants examined in the study, 12 species had accumulated several types of heavy metals and metalloids. These plants are widely available, including species that are native to Singapore.



“In a small nation like Singapore, land may be repurposed to support new development plans, so it is important that we have a green and sustainable way to remediate land that is contaminated," said Professor Lam Yeng Ming.



"We set out to uncover how to better make use of tropical plants to do phytoremediation and through advanced characterization techniques, we showed how some of these tropical plant species can be an environmentally friendly and literally a 'green' way to remove contaminants in soil."&nbsp;



"Phytoremediation also has benefits of cost effectiveness, simplicity of management, aesthetic advantages, and long-term applicability and sustainability. The strategy prevents erosion and metal leaching by stabilizing or accumulating heavy metals, so that helps reduce the risk of contaminant spread.”



Video Credit: NTU Singapore



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



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Plants help remove heavy metals from contaminated soil

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> describes why herbicides are not as effective in killing weeds anymore. In the 20th century, chemical companies developed thousands of herbicides. The most commonly used herbicide was glyphosate, which was introduced in 1974.



Over the past few decades, dozens of species of weeds have evolved resistance to glyphosate. Depending on the site of action, the part of the plant that an herbicide interacts with, weeds may even be resistant to herbicides that have not been developed yet.&nbsp;



With increasing resistance to glyphosate and other herbicides, weeds are - once again - becoming a major concern for farmers.&nbsp;



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



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Weeds are becoming increasingly resistant to herbicides

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/">NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory</a> (JPL) describes a dust storm on Mars that was nearly twice the size of the United States. As the storm covered the southern hemisphere of the planet, some of NASA’s explorers had to delay their normal activities.



NASA’s Insight lander put itself in a "safe mode" for 11 days to conserve battery power because solar power was disrupted by the dust. The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter postponed flights until conditions improved.



"A fleet of NASA orbiters monitor Martian dust storms like this one and serve as lifelines to Earth by relaying data from the rovers and lander on the ground back to the team. This includes the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, MAVEN, and Odyssey," reports JPL.



"Dust storms like this recent one start close to the ground and are spread by wind as they rise – warming the cold Martian atmosphere."



The images in the video were captured by NASA’s Curiosity as the dust rolled in. A fleet of orbiters monitored the dust storm from above, relaying data from Mars’ explorers back to scientists on Earth.



Video &amp; Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



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NASA monitors giant dust storms on Mars

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="http://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz. This strait provides the only sea passage from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean.



Qeshm is separated from the Iranian coast by the Clarence Strait, also known as Khuran.&nbsp;The Hara Forest Protected Area is a network of shallow waterways and forest located between the island and the mainland. This protected region is home to sea turtles, snakes, and more than 150 species of migrating birds.



Qeshm is famous for its wide range of&nbsp;ecotourist&nbsp;attractions, such as the&nbsp;Hara marine forests. According to environmentalists, about 1.5 percent of the world birds and 25 percent of Iran's native <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/female-hummingbirds-avoid-sexual-harassment-by-looking-like-males/">birds</a> annually migrate to the forests, which are the first national geo park in Iran.



Tourists are also drawn to the island to see an age-old Portuguese&nbsp;fort, historic mosques, the&nbsp;Seyyed Mozaffar&nbsp;and&nbsp;Bibi Maryam&nbsp;shrines, and the "Valley of Stars."



The average temperature on the island is 81 degress and the region is often hot and humid. From June to August, the island is described as being oppressively hot. The ideal time to visit is during the winter season. 



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



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Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Inhambane Bay in southeast Mozambique.&nbsp;



"Inhambane Bay is a deep inlet into which the small Mutamba River flows," says ESA. "On one side of the bay lies the historical city of Inhambane, capital of the Inhambane Province, while the sister city of Maxixe, the economic capital of Inhambane, sits across from it. The province is the second largest grower of cashews, after Nampula, and it also produces coconut and citrus fruits."



The beaches of Barra and Tofo are popular with tourists. There are also coral reefs along the long coastline of Inhambane, making it an ideal destination for scuba diving and snorkeling.



"Mozambique’s extensive coastline heightens the country’s vulnerability to tropical cyclones that develop in the Indian Ocean as well as storm surge flooding," says ESA.



"More than half of the population lives in low lying coastal areas, putting communities at risk. Inhambane Bay was dangerously close to where Cyclone Idai made landfall in 2019 causing widespread destruction to the country."



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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Inhambane Bay in southeast Mozambique

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency </a>&nbsp;features the Kangerlussuaq Glacier, one of the largest tidewater outlet glaciers in Greenland. The glacier is located on the east coast of the Greenland ice sheet.



As human-induced climate change continues to drive up temperatures, global ice loss is accelerating at an alarming rate. ESA reports that, over the past decade alone, 3.5 trillion tons of ice have melted from the Greenland ice sheet. This is enough to cover the UK with meltwater 15 meters deep.



Based on satellite imagery, researchers determined that Kangerlussuaq entered a new phase of rapid retreat and acceleration in 2017. In their study, published in <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2019.00123/full">Frontiers in Earth Science</a>,&nbsp; the experts report that the glacier's ice front is now at its most retreated position since the early 20th century.



"Given Kangerlussuaq’s previous impacts on both the magnitude and pattern of ice sheet wide mass loss, we predict that its new phase of retreat, acceleration and thinning will markedly enhance the south-east region’s contribution to increasing discharge from the ice sheet," wrote the study authors.&nbsp;&nbsp;



"More broadly, accurate forecasting of the ice sheet’s contribution to sea level rise will require a deeper understanding of, and responses to, these non-linear ice dynamic processes."



Video Credit: ESA



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



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Kangerlussuaq Glacier on the Greenland ice sheet

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> describes the complex relationship between ocean and climate. ESA's Climate Change Initiative will help us understand how oceans influence the climate and how climate change is impacting the oceans.&nbsp;



"Earth’s oceans are huge heat stores, soaking up 93% of the excess heat from human activity over the past 70 years. Ocean currents redistribute heat around the planet, from the Equator to the poles. Where this ocean heat goes influences weather patterns and regional climate," explains ESA.



"As well as absorbing heat, oceans are a natural carbon sink, absorbing a quarter of carbon dioxide emissions from human activity. This has led to the acidification of ocean water, threating marine life."



The amount of heat and carbon dioxide soaked up by the ocean depends on specific variables, including phytoplankton, temperatures, waves, salinity, and ice cover. Satellites can be used to measure these variables from space.



"From their unique vantage point, satellites provide key information for understanding the complexities of our planet and monitoring environmental issues," says ESA.



Video Credit: ESA



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



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Ocean heat influences regional climate

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> describes the importance of monitoring the shape of the sea surface, which is constantly changing. These observations have many applications, such as ship routing, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-modem-ocean-is-a-tough-place-for-whales-to-survive/">ocean</a> current forecasting, and debris tracking.



"A project supported by the Discovery element of ESA’s Basic Activities recently investigated a new technique to measure sea surface topography very precisely," reports ESA.



"The technique involves looking at satellite navigation (GNSS) signals that have been reflected off of the sea surface at very low angles. At these so-called grazing angles, waves and surface roughness have very little impact on the reflection process; the sea surface acts as a very smooth mirror."



Estel Cardellach is the principal investigator at the Institute for Space Studies of Catalonia, who first submitted the idea for the project.



“In a mirror-like reflection the phase of the signal can be tracked – it is continuous," said Cardellach. "Different surface heights result in different phase measurements. It gives a very precise measurement of the surface altitude at a few centimetres’ precision.”



The researchers developed a GNSS receiver and set up an experiment in the Balaeric Islands to collect signals from the receiver that were reflected off the sea surface. Ultimately, these signals will provide improved measurements of the shape of the sea surface.



Image/ Video Credit: ESA



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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Monitoring the dynamic shape of the sea surface

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center</a> describes how scientists are using autonomous sound sensors to monitor deforestation in the Amazon. By recording soundscapes, the experts can determine which animals are present through their distinct sounds.&nbsp;



Using this method, sounds can be used as scientific measurements to analyze the effects of deforestation. The researchers will gain a better understanding of how the acoustics of a forest can be used to measure its health.&nbsp;



"From space, parts of the Amazon rainforest that have previously been logged or burned may look lush and green, like a place buzzing with activity and full of sounds. But inside the rainforest, the animal life may tell a different story, of a harsh environment and a quieter soundscape," says NASA.



Video Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center&nbsp;



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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Monitoring deforestation in the Amazon through sounds

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