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EarthX Website: https://earthxmedia.com/   Onshore wind energy eyes a comeback; can beanless coffee end deforestation?; debating energy subsidies; the long-lasting effects of war on the environment; climate change connects the US and China.   About EarthxNews:  A weekly program dedicated to covering the stories that shape the planet. Featuring the latest updates in energy, environment, tech, climate, and more.   EarthX & EarthXtra  Love Our Planet.  The Official Network of Earth Day.    About Us:  At EarthX, we believe our planet is a pretty special place. The people, landscapes, and critters are likely unique to the entire universe, so we consider ourselves lucky to be here. We are committed to protecting the environment by inspiring conservation and sustainability, and our programming along with our range of expert hosts support this mission. We’re glad you’re with us.     EarthX is a media company dedicated to inspiring people to care about the planet. We take an omni channel approach to reach audiences of every age through its robust 24/7 linear channel distributed across cable and FAST outlets, along with dynamic, solution oriented short form content on social and digital platforms. EarthX is home to original series, documentaries and snackable content that offer sustainable solutions to environmental challenges. EarthX is the only network that delivers entertaining and inspiring topics that impact and inspire our lives on climate and sustainability.       EarthX Website: https://earthxmedia.com/    Follow Us:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/earthxmedia/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/earthxmedia  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EarthXMedia/  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@earthxmedia  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@EarthXMedia  Dailymotion: https://www.dailymotion.com/earthxmedia    How to watch:    EarthX - Cable:  - Spectrum  - AT&T U-verse (1267)  - DIRECTV (267)  - Philo  - FuboTV   EarthXtra - Streaming:  - Plex  - Fire TV  - Xumo  - Sling    #EarthDay #Environment #Sustainability #EcoFriendly #Conservation #EarthX

Transcript

00:00Working on a comeback. Onshore wind energy in the U.S. suffered a bit of a slump recently,

00:08but now experts say the industry is rebounding. What may help spark the recovery? We'll take a

00:13look. Plus, beanless coffee? A Seattle-based startup has devised a new way to brew a cup of

00:19joe as it bids to slash the environmental impact of the popular drink, we'll explain.

00:25And the growing debate over subsidies and whether fossil fuel companies should get

00:29tax breaks as governments push incentives for incorporating clean energy.

00:42Hello and welcome to EarthX News, where we focus on sustainability and the environment.

00:47I'm Christina Thompson. Let's get into some of the biggest headlines facing our planet.

00:52Onshore wind farms in the United States are fighting to get away from the boom and bust cycle.

00:57Despite the renewable energy source leading the country in renewable power,

01:02onshore wind farms are falling second fiddle to utility-scale solar and battery storage,

01:07which are both growing at much faster rates.

01:10If you look at 2022, onshore wind farms had the least productive year since 2018.

01:16Wind energy manufacturers suffered through this setback with layoffs and financial losses.

01:21Many experts are hoping the tax credits under the Inflation Reduction Act will be enough to turn this

01:27around. According to several reports, there have been a significant number of wind turbine collapses

01:33in the U.S. and Europe in the last 18 months. Manufacturers are pointing to the need to build

01:39more powerful turbines as the reason for the issues, citing the need to slow the adoption of new designs.

01:45According to GE's CEO, Larry Culp, rapid innovation strains manufacturing and the broader supply chain,

01:52and it takes time to stabilize production and quality on these new products.

01:57Because of the increase in malfunctions, there is now growing concern the insurance rates will swell.

02:02But despite this, investments in wind energy continue to grow.

02:06Pivoting now to this, scientists ruffling some feathers to create a better and cheaper form of clean energy.

02:12That's right, we're talking chicken feathers. Scientists in Singapore say they've discovered

02:17a way to turn the agricultural waste product into fibrils that make up a key building block

02:23of a hydrogen fuel cell. According to researchers, the keratin found in the feathers can be turned

02:29into ultra-fine fibers, which can replace highly toxic forever chemicals commonly found in the

02:35semi-permeable membrane of a hydrogen fuel cell. Not only does this new process keep millions of tons

02:42of feathers from being incinerated, reducing the carbon footprint, but it also lowers the cost

02:47of fuel cell production while ditching the need for damaging forever chemicals.

02:52And combating deforestation, that is the goal of one startup in Seattle, Washington.

02:57Atomo Coffee is the name of the company, and its new beanless cold brew is the game.

03:02Catching the eye of investors looking to slash the environmental impact of making the popular drink,

03:07the company uses superfoods and plant-based waste ingredients like date seeds to mimic

03:13the molecular structure of coffee to create the ecological cup of joe.

03:18Atomo's CEO and co-founder says sustainability issues plaguing the coffee industry helped play a role

03:23in developing their product. He said, quote,

03:26Coffee is causing deforestation at a pretty alarming rate, almost up to 10 New York Central parks a day.

03:32That's equivalent to 34 kilometers squared of forest. We're talking about a coffee machine

03:38that's never stopping, always looking for more land, and that's what we're trying to prevent.

03:43His comments come as studies find roughly half the land currently used to grow coffee

03:47could be unproductive thanks to climate change by 2050. Atomo says its initial proof of concept,

03:54cold brew beanless coffee caused 93 percent fewer carbon emissions and used 94 percent less water

04:02than regular coffee. And a California nonprofit is using wild horses as part of its forest protection

04:08plan. William Simpson II, founder of the Wild Horse Fire Brigade, says the animal's grazing habits

04:15could reduce the size and intensity of wildfires. Simpson explains the horses can help remove some of

04:21the fuel that feeds the flames by eating the brush under trees and breaking off low-hanging dry branches

04:27that catch fire easily. Simpson's organization also advocates for relocating wild horses to natural

04:34areas that need protection. But that effort has received some pushback. The opposition comes from

04:39ranchers who say wild horses use up the natural resources on the lands where they raise their livestock.

04:45According to media reports, in the U.S., animal grazing would only be a small part of the overall plan for fire

04:50management. But with a requested fire prevention budget of $4.3 billion for 2024, a small part could still be

04:58significant. A landmark summit brings together the Amazonian nations in Brazil. The eight countries that

05:05share the Amazon rainforest met as part of an effort to protect the world's largest rainforest. During the

05:11two-day event, the nations signed the Bellum Declaration, which created an alliance for fighting forest

05:16destruction, with countries left to pursue their individual deforestation goals. However, critics say the pact came up

05:23short because it did not secure deforestation commitments or address fossil fuels. A National Geographic

05:30photographer is raising awareness about America's water crisis using his camera lens. Pete McBride captured images of

05:37dwindling major waterways as a result of climate change and drought over the years. Both the Colorado River and Rio Grande have seen

05:44devastating impacts to water supply. The Rio Grande provides drinking water to more than 16 million

05:50people in the U.S. and Mexico, while the Colorado River supplies water to 40 million people in the United

05:56States. These rivers are vanishing at a dramatic rate due to farming withdrawals, rising temperatures and

06:02drought. McBride hopes his work will encourage more people to cut down on their water use. Investments in solar

06:09power are set to overtake oil production and attract over one billion dollars a day in 2023. That's

06:15according to the International Energy Agency. In fact, global investment in energy is expected to hit

06:21about 2.8 trillion in 2023. 1.7 trillion of that is set to go towards clean energy technologies like

06:29electric vehicles, renewables and storage. The reason for this is clean energy is getting cheaper. It's a lasting

06:35solution to an energy security problem. And governments are pushing incentives for incorporating

06:41clean energy. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden is trying to scrap oil and gas industry subsidies in

06:47the budget. That's according to Reuters, though the proposal itself has little chance of actually

06:52passing through a split Congress. Some think the move is meant to symbolize the growing debate over

06:57whether fossil fuel companies should continue to receive tax breaks. Environmental groups argue the

07:03subsidies are slowing the U.S. from making the shift to clean forms of energy, while oil industry

07:08companies argue they need the support to continue to provide reliable energy. According to the claims

07:15from the IMF, fossil fuels were subsidized by governments to the tune of $7 trillion globally. The

07:21IEA's findings say that number is likely closer to $1 trillion. Forbes contends all these numbers could

07:28likely be skewed. Let's dig a little deeper into these subsidies if they are or aren't important

07:33and what the true number might actually be closer to. For help with that, I want to welcome in business

07:39and markets analyst Seth Denson. Seth, thank you so much for coming on today. Are subsidies like these

07:44important for fossil fuel companies? Well, yeah, they are. But I'll tell you who they're more important

07:49for, Christina, is you and me, because we like low gas prices or at least lower. And, you know,

07:55there's a couple of things as it comes to subsidies we've got to think about. The first one being is

07:59that innovation doesn't grow on trees. It grows in brains and actual research and development.

08:04And unfortunately, what you have to do is apply those things, and that takes capital. Many banks,

08:09personal loans, I can say this, I'm an entrepreneur, it's difficult to get a loan on an innovative new

08:14idea. So subsidies play a vital role in our ability to continue to innovate and progress,

08:20especially as it comes surrounding energy. The first car didn't drive at 30 miles a gallon.

08:26It drove about two. And so getting it to 30 miles took some government subsidies along the way. So

08:30that keeps things moving forward. So is that one reason why banking, for instance,

08:35why fossil fuel industries still require these sort of subsidies? Well, sure. I mean, yeah,

08:40like I said, it keeps costs down. But it also makes them willing to invest in new technology that may

08:45improve the overall environment. Again, if I am an oil and gas company, and I've got market share,

08:51and no one else out there is innovating anything new, well, then we all kind of have a grip on the

08:55market. These subsidies really help incentivize and enhance the ability to develop and deliver new

09:03technologies.

09:03Some people might argue that these subsidies are propping up solutions that just aren't

09:08sustainable on their own long term. Do you agree with that?

09:11Well, they're not sustainable on their own, at least not right now. Nuclear is a perfect example of that.

09:14It would be cost prohibitive to adopt nuclear energy across the board, even though it is a long term solution

09:20that could help supply a solution to oil and gas and fossil fuel requirements. Solar is another example. At its

09:28best, solar is about 40 percent effective, and on average, it's about 20 percent effective. So again, we want

09:33reliability. And right now, that's fossil fuels.

09:37Right. Some might say, though, that that's why we need the battery storage, for example, when we're talking about

09:41things like nuclear, solar energy, to be able to prop them up at the times when it's just simply

09:45not able to provide power for the entire United States or the world. But I'm wondering if these

09:50renewable energy sources will eventually be able to compete once subsidies perhaps come to an end.

09:57Well, we're a long ways off. And let's just take automobiles, for example. You've got roughly

10:01two billion drivers across the globe, about 80 million new vehicles. At current production rates,

10:07you couldn't get enough EV vehicles to supply the population demand for about 25 years. So could

10:12we eventually get to a place where we are completely eliminated reliance upon fossil fuels? I suppose it

10:19could happen. It may not happen and probably won't happen in my lifetime. But that doesn't mean we don't

10:24strive for it. That's the beauty of innovation. It constantly has its own beta test on both adoption

10:30and execution. Do you think that if we keep pumping money into renewable energy sources, even if they fail,

10:36if we find just one that has the potential to provide more energy than fossil fuels, do you

10:41think it's worth it? Well, it has to be a balance. That's an open-ended question. So it's hard to say

10:45worth it unless you know what the totality of that number is. You don't continue to throw good money

10:50after bad. But you have to continue to try to innovate. And what I like to see is that we are

10:54seeing that. But I'll tell you where we're seeing it most, Christina, is we're seeing it in the private

11:00sector. That private sector, though, is getting subsidized by the government. And that's a positive thing.

11:05And that's a good use of some of our tax money. All right, Seth Dunson, thank you so much for

11:09coming on the show, for sharing your expertise. It's always a pleasure. Thanks, Christina.

11:13When countries go to war, the environment may get overlooked. Coming up, we'll explore how conflicts

11:18impact the planet's most important ecosystems. Stay tuned. This is such an important topic. The effects

11:25are infinite. And we always look at getting to the peace place or conflict resolution. But that's when

11:32real work starts to begin. Because if the world's going to get together at the UN level or a multinational

11:37level, it really ought to be what are we going to do about how we damage the environment once the war

11:43is over? How do we get at the best remediation that we possibly can?

11:47The world is now watching two more extremely significant wars, the war in Ukraine and Israel's

12:13war against Hamas. Not only does war destroy the people and communities in the areas it ravages,

12:20it also claims a silent casualty, the environment. The mass destruction to the earth is often an

12:26overlooked consequence of war. But regardless of intention, war can cause deep environmental harm.

12:32Soldiers dig trenches, tanks flatten vegetation, bombs scar landscape, and destroy soil for decades or

12:38longer. Weapons also spew toxic gases and particles into the air and leak heavy metals into soil and

12:45water. Here to help shed a light on this less talked about horror of war is retired Brigadier

12:51General Blaine Holt. General Holt, thanks for coming on the show. We appreciate it. I wanted to ask you,

12:56what are the impacts of war on nature and the environment?

12:59You know, Christina, this is such an important topic. The effects are infinite. And we always look

13:07at getting to the peace place or conflict resolution. But that's when real work starts to begin, because

13:13there are so many people that have died from the environmental effects after the war is long gone

13:19and done. You know, and it can be things that are so glaring and obvious, like chemicals that have been

13:24burst into the ground, or it could be depleted uranium shells that have created a radioactivity

13:32problem. But there's other effects that don't so easily get measured. If you remember the fall of the

13:39Soviet Union, half the wild boar population was gone because there was no economy, nobody could feed

13:45themselves, and they went out and just started exterminating every single wild boar that they had. If you go to

13:49Africa, we see 90% of the herbivores that are in the midsection of Africa depleted, depleted simply

13:57because the war factions either kill their environment or they kill them for food. It just

14:04goes on and on for trenches. And so if the world's going to get together at the UN level or a multinational

14:09level, it really ought to be what are we going to do about how we damage the environment once the war is

14:15over? How do we get at the best remediation that we possibly can? That's such a good point that you

14:20make is because we often think about while the wars are happening, so many innocent lives are being

14:24lost, they're being taken, and it's so terrible. But we don't often think about the after effects and

14:30the fact that the environment being damaged will also claim more lives. I mean, we haven't had a war

14:35on our own soil in many of our lifetimes. But we think about 9-11. And we know that people who lived in New

14:41York City during that are still dying because of the effects and the leftover lasting impact that 9-11

14:46had here in the water, in the air, all the people who fought back against it that day through the

14:51rubble. So let's expand on that and talk about the wildlife, the soil, the water and species in the

14:57area, especially after bombs are dropped. What happens to them? Right. So let's look at Ukraine because

15:03it's very topical right now. If you look at the damage from the reopening of some of the radioactive

15:10grounds in Chernobyl, the potential for Zaporizhia to get hit. And then you look at cluster bombs,

15:17depleted uranium shells, millions of landmines. What Ukraine will be dealing with afterwards is a lack of

15:24food. They'll be dealing with water that's undrinkable. They'll be dealing with stillborn death rates as a

15:30result of that, cancer rates that are soaring out of control. It will go on and on and on. So if you were to

15:37measure the start of the Ukraine war as 2022 to when it really, really ends, when you've got a

15:42stabilized environment again, you would, you would see that that war would last years and years.

15:47Who's there then? Who's there to clean up the destruction after the war quote unquote ends when

15:52a peace deal is signed? Is it the locals? Are there countries? Does the military take over?

15:56Yeah. Oftentimes it's the countries and the municipalities themselves that are left

16:00holding the bag. But quite honestly, this isn't a politically attractive subject for anyone after

16:06the war is over. So you don't see the UN standing up and saying, how are we all going to contribute to

16:12a global fund for war cleanup? So to your point, there is no centralized place. It's not in our psyche

16:19as a process that, oh my gosh, we've been to war. It was horrific, but we've got work to do now.

16:24And maybe if we actually centered on doing that work, there'd be more of a deterrent to having

16:29future wars. Obviously, we do want to be very clear that human life lost is the greatest tragedy

16:35of war. No means are we trying to diminish that pain and suffering of those who are truly enduring

16:39the horrors of war currently. But do you think the effects on the environment are often ignored? I

16:46mean, the earth and everyone on it, as we've been saying, will suffer for years to come as a result of

16:51these conflicts that are even thousands and thousands of miles away from home?

16:56No, that's exactly right. The ecosystem gets damaged when we have these big wars. And then,

17:02God forbid that we would ever have a full-up nuclear exchange, we understand where that goes,

17:07and likely it goes to the ultimate bad place. But what we don't do is we never account for the true

17:14costs of war. And what I love about your show is that you're examining a significant cost imposition

17:23to humanity from having these wars. It doesn't mean we can eliminate the wars, but it does mean that we

17:28ought to calculate what is that damage going to be going forward and how do we address it?

17:33Absolutely. Very true. Brigadier General Blaine Holt, thank you so much for coming on the show,

17:37for sharing your expertise.

17:38Great to be with you.

17:40And coming up, could helping the planet be the key to easing tensions between the U.S. and China?

17:46We'll explore whether these two nations can find some common ground

17:49when it comes to the world's changing climate. Stay tuned.

17:53Welcome back to EarthX News. As tensions grow between China and the United States,

18:11there might be one area of common ground that promises to bring these two countries together.

18:17It's the environment. China says they want to strengthen cooperation with the United States

18:22to combat climate change. In fact, climate is one of the few issues China and the U.S.

18:27sometimes agree on.

18:28This is where the solutions are really going to come from. This is where the solutions are most

18:33needed. So I would like to encourage our friends, our business partners, our colleagues in China

18:40to come and share what they are learning and learn also from other regions about how we can solve

18:46the most pressing challenge facing all of humanity.

18:49Relations between the world's largest greenhouse gas emitters has been on a downworld spiral in recent

18:55years. Trade disputes, military tensions and accusations of spying, amongst other disagreements,

19:01are in part to blame for the tension.

19:03Today, we're in the strongest position in decades to compete with China or anyone else in the world.

19:09Anyone else in the world.

19:11And I'm committed.

19:12Over the summer, John Kerry, the U.S. special envoy on climate change, joined bilateral talks with Chinese

19:18climate leaders. They focused on issues like reducing methane emissions, limiting coal use,

19:23curbing deforestation and helping poor countries address climate change. They also discussed touchier

19:28topics like China's objections to U.S. tariffs and import restrictions of Chinese solar panels

19:33and battery compounds. Washington wants to protect U.S. manufacturers from low-cost competitors in China.

19:40China is beginning to change some of the rules of the game in terms of trade and other issues.

19:48I want to see China succeed economically. I don't want to see them succeed by the rules.

19:52Republicans accused the Biden administration of being too soft on Beijing in climate diplomacy.

19:58They say China continues to increase its greenhouse gas emissions while the United States pays a lot

20:04of money trying to clean it up. Kerry is one of several U.S. officials to visit China this year to try to

20:09reestablish a stable bilateral relationship. Both countries say they should be able to collaborate

20:15on climate change regardless of other disagreements. History proves that when the U.S. and China

20:21demonstrate they can at least find common ground when it comes to the planet, the rest of the world

20:26takes note. Take, for example, the Paris Climate Accord in 2015 when governments agreed to limit the

20:32industrial era rise in global temperatures. The passing of the Inflation Reduction Act counters China's

20:38dominance in the clean energy sector, reviving U.S. manufacturing. While China has added more

20:44renewable energy than the rest of the world combined, it also just pivoted back to coal,

20:49issuing its highest number of new permits for coal plants since 2015. But both Chinese and U.S.

20:55leaders want to see their nation's green tech leaders lead the world market, not least as a means of

21:00generating profit from this costly socioeconomic transition. While some fears may now be soothed,

21:07one fact remains. The U.S.-China relationship is precarious at best, and relying on continued

21:13cooperation between the two countries to solve global climate problems is dangerous. And before we leave

21:20you, take a look at this video. It's a rare species of octopus. It was recently spotted in the North Pacific

21:25Ocean. It is from NOAA's Ocean Exploration Trust and posted by NPR, deep-sea explorers revealing

21:32an intriguing encounter with the Dumbo octopus. The invertebrate is named after the flying elephant

21:39for its large, floppy, ear-like fins on the side of its head. The species is known to live over a mile

21:45below the ocean's surface, and it's rarely ever seen. All right, that's it for this edition of EarthX News.

21:50Please join us again next week. I'm Kristina Thompson.

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