Climate Change

Hoover Dam was built in the 1930s during the Great Depression. It is famous for taming the wild Colorado River, providing the power that electrified the American Southwest, and for creating Lake Mead, the largest man-made reservoir in the United States. The dam is as tall as a 60-story building and was the world’s highest dam when it was built. And now, it has real problems.

Cacti are famous for their ability to survive some of the harshest conditions on Earth, making them symbols of resilience in a warming world. But climate change is altering temperatures and rainfall patterns across many desert regions, highlighting the importance of understanding how these plants adapt.

The starry night sky has fascinated humanity for countless millennia. For most of that time, it was an untouchable, immutable and vast expanse that was beyond the influence of anyone. But the present-day commercial space race has created new threats to the relationship between people and the celestial expanse by crowding the night sky and polluting the atmosphere.

The part of the year between the chill of winter and the heat of mid-summer tends to be when renewable energy systems perform best. Longer, milder days when electricity demand is relatively low are when wind and solar power are ramping up and can account for greater shares of grid energy consumption.

Lithium is the key metal for electric vehicle and energy storage batteries. Viewed as a way to strengthen U.S. energy independence, there has been a growing rush for lithium across the country. By 2030, at least six new mining projects are projected to be underway and another 13 will soon follow, mostly in the Southwest. There are more than 100 U.S. projects to which companies have staked claims. Worldwide, there are over 500 proposed lithium mines as the need for batteries skyrockets.

Tire pollution consists of a toxic mix of microplastics and heavy metals that are shed into the air, soil, and water as tires wear down as they travel on roads. Over six million tons of rubber and particles are shed from tires globally every year.

Mangrove forests play a vital role in the health of our planet. They protect coastal regions by acting as natural barriers against storms, erosion, and flooding. Although they cover less than 1% of Earth’s surface, these coastal ecosystems also hold an estimated 15% of the carbon stored in ocean environments, much of it buried in the soils beneath their roots.

There is organized opposition to renewable energy. Most of it comes from the fossil fuel industry whose market share and business models are threatened by renewables. There is also opposition from conservative political groups, although that opposition doesn’t really have an ideological basis. And then there is NIMBYism: opposition to renewable energy because people don’t want any of it near where they live.

Microplastics have been found pretty much everywhere on Earth, from the highest mountain peaks to the deepest parts of the ocean. They have also been detected in rivers, lakes, wildlife, and even in the human body.

Rising sea levels around the world is one of the most visible consequences of human-caused climate change. As global temperatures rise, oceans absorb more heat and expand, while melting glaciers and ice sheets add even more water to the seas.