EarthX Website: https://earthxmedia.com/
A landmark fossil fuel agreement at COP28; the Navy salvages a plane that crashed into a coral reef; youth clean up Indonesia's waterways; the 2023 Arctic Report Card; saving California's kelp forests
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
A landmark fossil fuel agreement at COP28; the Navy salvages a plane that crashed into a coral reef; youth clean up Indonesia's waterways; the 2023 Arctic Report Card; saving California's kelp forests
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
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00.
00:02Countries reached a landmark agreement on fossil fuels at COP28.
00:07Plus, work is underway to salvage a jet plane while protecting the coral reef it crashed into,
00:12what the U.S. Navy is doing to minimize the damage to marine life.
00:16And a group of young people are working to clean up some of the waterways in Indonesia.
00:21We'll take a look at their efforts.
00:23Hello and welcome to EarthX News, where we focus on sustainability and the environment.
00:33I'm Christina Thompson.
00:34Let's dive into some of the biggest headlines facing our planet today.
00:37A major step for global action on climate change at COP28.
00:41For the first time in the summit's history, countries reached an agreement that specifically included language on fossil fuels.
00:48The global stock take, as it's being called, pushes for transitioning away from fossil fuels and energy systems in a just, orderly and equitable manner.
00:57Accelerating action in this critical decade to achieve net zero by 2050 in keeping with the science.
01:04COP28's President Sultan Al Jaber praised negotiators for working together.
01:09My colleagues and friends, you did step up.
01:14You showed flexibility and you put common interest ahead of self-interest.
01:24Now, if the deal is adhered to, it would signal one of the most significant moves towards the mass reduction of fossil fuel use on record.
01:31Also at COP28 this year, 50 oil companies representing nearly half of global production.
01:37They pledged to reach net zero methane emissions and end routine flaring in their operations by 2030.
01:43This includes companies like Shell, Total Energies and BP.
01:47Some experts say this is one of the most significant announcements ever to come out of the COP.
01:52One prominent climate scientist calculated that if the companies carry out their pledges, it could trim one-tenth of a degree Celsius from future warming.
02:00That's according to the Associated Press.
02:03Many climate experts maintain that having the industry's buy-in is crucial to drastically slashing the world's greenhouse emissions by nearly half in seven years to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius compared with pre-industrial times.
02:18Now, to keep within the 1.5 degrees Celsius limit, experts say the world needs to cut carbon dioxide about 40% and methane by about 60% by 2030.
02:29Methane reduction and control has been gaining attention.
02:32It is considered a major contributor to warming, reportedly causing about half the world's warming since pre-industrial times.
02:39One reason oil companies are focusing on methane versus carbon is because it can be reduced with existing technologies and updates to current procedures.
02:48However, some environmental groups are saying the pledge is simply a, quote, smokescreen meant to allow the industry to maintain the status quo.
02:56Critics say this move addresses the symptoms brought on by oil and natural gas production, and the only real solution is to eliminate the use of fossil fuels.
03:05But some observers say that position is too harsh, and the phase-out needs measures like this to continue progressing towards the goal.
03:12The U.S. recently targeted methane from existing oil and gas wells in a new rule, claiming the country now has the strongest methane regulations in the world.
03:22And the U.S. Navy says it will take $1.5 million to salvage a jet plane that overshot a runway and crashed on a coral reef in waters off Hawaii.
03:33The plan is to use inflatable cylinders to lift the plane off the reef.
03:38The area is home to a host of marine life, as well as an ancient Hawaiian fish pond, which locals are in the process of restoring.
03:45Military experts say the goal is to cause the least amount of damage to the coral and its ecosystem as possible.
03:51It remains to remove the aircraft from the bay as quickly and safely as possible.
03:56The team has been working around the clock to develop a salvage plan for this aircraft that prioritizes the safety of our personnel and the safety to the critical ecosystems here in Kaneohe Bay.
04:08When inflated, the bags will float across the water toward the runway, where it will then be pulled on shore.
04:13The military didn't want to commit to a timeline for when the work would be done, given the weather and other conditions could affect the outcome.
04:20But once the extraction is complete, state officials will examine the reef for any damage.
04:25DuPont is forced to pay the state of Ohio $110 million in a lawsuit settlement that says the company released Forever Chemicals into the Ohio River for more than seven decades, even though they knew the chemicals were a health hazard.
04:40The lawsuit alleges that from the 1950s through 2013, DuPont manufactures Teflon products using the manmade chemical perfluorooctenoid acid, commonly known as PFOA or C8, and released it in the air and water from DuPont's Washington Works facility in Petersburg, West Virginia, which is just across the border from Ohio's Washington County.
05:02The chemical has been linked to serious health issues, including kidney and testicular cancer, thyroid disease, low birth weight and high cholesterol.
05:11It is remarkably persistent in water and soil, resisting typical environmental breakdown processes.
05:17The millions from the settlement will pay for environmental restoration projects meant to provide clean drinking water and clean up the chemical.
05:2480% will address pollution from the Washington Works plant, 16% will address damages from firefighting foam, which also contains the chemical, and 4% will mitigate damages to natural resources.
05:37Demand for oil is getting lower, but it's not so much thanks to electric cars.
05:43No, we can thank the 280 million electric bikes and mopeds in the world.
05:48It's a category that's referred to as electric micromobility.
05:52It's outpacing EVs by a 14 to 1 ratio.
05:56Their popularity is already cutting global oil demand by 1 million barrels a day, which is roughly 1% of the world's demand.
06:04Now, for short trips, an electric bike or moped might be better for the planet, even more so than EVs.
06:10A study in the UK showed electric scooter companies produced up to 45% less carbon than alternative modes of transportation.
06:17And taking a bike or moped is cheaper to buy and run.
06:21Estimates show charging costs for a commute of 20 kilometers or about 12 miles per day five days a week would be roughly $20 for the year.
06:30In the US, 60% of all car trips are less than seven miles.
06:34In China, electric powered mopeds are already common.
06:37And in Australia, over 100,000 e-bikes were sold last year.
06:41Turning now to a group of youth in Indonesia.
06:44They're taking on the responsibility of cleaning up trash from the waterways.
06:48Though their efforts are making a big difference, it's still a hefty feat and one that needs a more permanent solution.
06:54Here's that story.
06:56Over the last 10 years, a group of about 20 young environmentalists have collected more than 5,900 pounds of trash in and around the Tujid Lake in the West Javen city of Bagor, Indonesia.
07:07I enjoy cleaning up solo because for me, clean up is catharsis. Clean up is refreshing.
07:13And every once in a while, kids that are playing around the lake would spot me and they would say like,
07:19Oh, can I join you?
07:23But the country's trash problem is far bigger than what the group can take out of waterways.
07:28The larger problem of creating too much waste needs to be addressed.
07:32Indonesia produced more than 35 million tons of waste last year.
07:36This according to Indonesia's Environmental and Forestry Ministry.
07:40The ministry estimates that 35% of waste in the country is unmanaged.
07:45If you walk along the roadsides, waterways and natural environments, you'll likely see garbage.
07:51The trash problem has also raised health concerns.
07:54Plastic waste, for example, gets broken down into tiny pieces called microplastics, which can enter the human body.
08:00These particles can harm the endocrine, nervous and immune systems and can carry an increased risk of cancers.
08:07But hope isn't all lost.
08:09There are alternatives to landfill or littering for some waste products.
08:13For example, food waste can be composted and certain types of plastic can be reused or recycled.
08:18But environmentalists also say the world needs to make less waste in the first place.
08:23I'm not trying to clean up per se.
08:25What I'm trying to do is I'm trying to counter the behavior that is the cause of trash to be out there in the environment, which is littering.
08:35As much of it ultimately ends up in landfills or in the world's oceans.
08:40Reporting for EarthX News, I'm Mike Carter.
08:43Now we turn our attention to the Arctic.
08:46Think the polar vortex that froze Texas in 2021 was a fluke?
08:50Think again.
08:51The polar vortex, a weather feature that contributed to the Great Texas Freeze, is a large area of low pressure and cold air surrounding both of Earth's poles.
09:00It's currently strengthening in the stratosphere over the North Pole.
09:03When the vortex is strong and stable, the polar jet stream shifts northward, keeping the cold air in the Arctic.
09:10But when the vortex weakens or is disrupted, the jet stream becomes extremely wavy,
09:15which allows warm air to flood into the Arctic and polar air to sink down to the mid latitudes.
09:21A recent study found that rising global temperatures has increased the number of polar vortex outbreaks.
09:27And the number of times the vortex was weakened per year has doubled since the early 1980s.
09:33Climate scientists say the Texas freeze of February 2021 is a poster child for the link between a changing Arctic and colder blasts in lower latitudes.
09:42The Arctic permafrost is 1000 years old and it's thawing.
09:47A fear of what might be released once it melts is worrying scientists.
09:51And no, this isn't a plot for the latest disaster movie.
09:54For thousands of years, bacterial, fungal and viral pathogens have been lying dormant in permafrost across the Arctic,
10:01which stretches across Alaska, Canada and Russia.
10:04Scientists say temperatures in the Arctic have risen at two to four times the rate of the rest of the world.
10:10And as the frozen ground begins to melt these dormant pathogens, they may be the latest threat from global climate change.
10:17In a troubling case from 2016, dozens of people were sickened and thousands of reindeer were killed when anthrax spores emerged from thawing permafrost in the Yamal Peninsula of Siberia and caught local human and wildlife populations by surprise.
10:33This was called a one off event, but with rising Arctic temperatures, these occurrences may become more likely.
10:40Scientists believe those pathogens won't survive, but some might adapt.
10:44While it's doubtful this could lead to the next global pandemic, these pathogens could have drastic impacts on the plant and animal life.
10:51It's feared that emperor penguin colonies may have experienced unprecedented breeding failure this year in a region of Antarctica where there was total sea ice loss in 2022.
11:02In a new study published recently in the journal Communications Earth and Environment, researchers from the British Antarctic Survey made the startling claim that it's very likely no chicks had survived from four of the five known emperor penguin colonies in the central and eastern Bellinghausen Sea.
11:19The scientists examined satellite images that showed the loss of sea ice at breeding sites well before chicks would have developed waterproof feathers.
11:27They believe the chicks all either fell into the ocean and drowned or froze to death as their feathers became wet.
11:34These claims could support predictions that over 90% of emperor penguin colonies will be quasi extinct by the end of the century based on current global warming trends.
11:44Coming up, the conversation about the Arctic and the region's climate continues as we talk to a scientist about this year's Arctic report card.
11:52Stay tuned.
11:53The rapidly warming Arctic hit another milestone this year.
12:11According to NOAA's annual Arctic report card, the region saw its warmest summer on record with average temperatures hovering at a balmy 43 degrees Fahrenheit.
12:21Earlier, we spoke to Alaska climate specialist at the International Arctic Research Center at the University of Alaska in Fairbanks, Rick Tolman, about this year's assessment.
12:31Here's that interview.
12:32Rick, thanks for coming on.
12:34You bet. Happy to be here.
12:37Happy to be here.
12:38So my first question is, can you explain to us what NOAA's annual Arctic report card is and the reason it's such a big undertaking?
12:44So every year for the last 18 years, NOAA has sponsored this report on the state of the Arctic.
12:54This started out 18 years ago really looking pretty much exclusively at the physical science side of what was happening in the Arctic.
13:05But we've expanded.
13:07We now have typically reports on things happening in the Arctic's ecosystems and increasingly we're incorporating the voices and the expertise of indigenous people in the Arctic.
13:22Conditions in the Arctic are very important to track.
13:27I know that it impacts the rest of the world.
13:29Can you explain this?
13:31The Arctic is, of course, the Northern Hemisphere's refrigerator.
13:37And it is the part of the world, actually, not just the Northern Hemisphere, where environmental conditions are changing most rapidly.
13:48And what happens in the Arctic doesn't stay in the Arctic.
13:52Warming Arctic overall is going to reduce in the Northern Hemisphere winter that temperature difference between the high latitudes and the mid latitudes.
14:01And that's an area of active work, ongoing science.
14:04It's messy and we don't have all the answers yet.
14:06But we know that what what's going on in the Arctic is not only affecting the Arctic and it is in a big way, but more indirectly is affecting people at the mid latitudes as well all around the world.
14:19You mentioned science. The report places a lot of the responsibility of the changes that we're seeing in the planet's climate on humans and human activities over any other sort of naturally occurring event or trends that we might see in the Earth.
14:33I'm wondering what's the specific science that clearly indicates that's the case?
14:39Well, I think there's there's two two different prongs of evidence that point clearly to human influences causing these very dramatic changes.
14:50One is particularly in the frozen part of our world, frozen environment, of course, critical to the Arctic.
14:58And in recent years, we are now starting to see permafrost.
15:03So permanently frozen ground that has been frozen for tens of thousands of years since before the last ice age that is now starting to thaw.
15:13So we have some very direct physical evidence.
15:16And the other line of evidence, of course, is that climate modeling suggests very strongly that without the human influences over the last 150 years,
15:28that the Earth's climate would be slowly cooling right now and would have been for for more than a century.
15:36And that, of course, is exactly not what we're seeing.
15:39And so when we take everything we know about the atmosphere, the ocean, the whole Earth system, the astrophysics, the orbital dynamics of the Earth and sun, we ought to be cooling.
15:50And we're most definitely not.
15:52What's the most concerning finding from this year's report?
15:55I think certainly this year, like much of the rest of the northern hemisphere, the Arctic had its warmest summer on record.
16:04But again, Arctic is just going along with the world.
16:07There was been a very warm last second half year of 2023 over much of the world.
16:14That's definitely very scary.
16:16Is there anything positive in the report?
16:19Anything that could give us reason for optimism that you guys have found?
16:23We have a essay this year from Finland illustrating how indigenous communities are working to restore the environment to a state that it was before we had extreme industrialization.
16:41The other piece we have is on salmon in western Alaska with really very different responses to a changing climate with some salmon, sockeye salmon in Bristol Bay at record high numbers.
16:54Meanwhile, we've had a collapse of Chinook and Chum salmon farther north.
17:00Same same warming environment, but very different responses.
17:04And it's a big deal here in Alaska.
17:06What's your hope for 2023?
17:07What do you hope the report will do?
17:09Well, I think that, as always, what we really want is to keep the Arctic in folks' minds.
17:19Because it is important, it's important for how the Arctic is influencing the mid-latitudes.
17:24But it's also important for the people that live here in the Arctic and anything that we can do to keep folks in the Arctic in the minds of policymakers from down south, we're happy to do.
17:38Well, Rick Thoman, thank you. We appreciate you coming on.
17:41Thank you very much.
17:44Coming up, saving California's kelp forests.
17:47Is it possible?
17:48Well, some are trying.
17:49That story is just ahead.
17:51Scientists are battling to save kelp forests that have been disappearing along California's coastline.
18:14Addison Smith has more on the efforts being made to keep the underwater plant life thriving.
18:19Along the coast of California, divers are working overtime to save the state's kelp forests, which are increasingly vanishing.
18:28Kelp are a type of algae that take plant-like form rooted in the ocean floor and can grow as much as a hundred feet tall.
18:37Nicknamed underwater towers, these forests are found mostly up and down the west coast, serving as a source of food and shelter for thousands of fish and mammals like sea lions, whales, and more.
18:50But over the years, these vital forests have been slowly disappearing, due in part, scientists say, to rising Pacific ocean temperatures, since kelp requires a cool environment to thrive.
19:01However, this isn't the only, or arguably even the biggest factor.
19:05The boom of sea urchins also plays a significant role.
19:09These urchins are mostly responsible for the wipeout of approximately 96% of California's bull kelp forests from 2014 to 2020, causing further damage to the marine habitats that rely on it.
19:24Such destruction has led to a simple, hands-on solution by volunteer divers, urchin hunting, whereby they dive down into the areas of once vibrant kale forests with pickaxes, hammers, and other tools to crush the urchins.
19:40Josh Russo is a former abalone fisherman and founder of the nonprofit group Waterman's Alliance, a spearfishing club dedicated to this cause.
19:51He says the work they've put in has made a noticeable difference in the waters.
19:56When we started, there was nothing but rocks and urchin.
19:59It was barren.
20:00It was nothing but rocks and urchin.
20:02And now it's beautiful.
20:03It's almost like it used to be.
20:05So there's kelp everywhere.
20:07There's fish everywhere.
20:09And to that progress, the numbers also speak for themselves.
20:12In Mendocino County's Casper's Cove alone, Russo says there's been an 80% reduction in purple sea urchins, thanks in part to the state's allowance of licensed fishers to hunt an unlimited number of them.
20:25Scientists have also figured out how to successfully grow kelp in labs and have actively seen them reproduce in the ocean.
20:32This, coupled with efforts from Good Samaritan divers, allow scientists more time to research other potentially permanent solutions in order to restore these forests to their former beauty.
20:44From San Diego, California, I'm Addison Smith.
20:49Addison Smith, thank you.
20:51And before we leave you, it appears Christmas came early at a reptile park in central Florida.
20:56Wildlife officials at Gatorland are celebrating the rare birth of an all-white leucistic alligator.
21:03The baby girl was born alongside her normal-colored brother last month, Mark Mahew, president and CEO of the park where the gators were born, explains just how special these alligators are.
21:13Leucistic alligators are unique and different from albino alligators.
21:17Now, there was 18 of these brothers were born in the swamps of Louisiana back in 1987.
21:23And we are blessed this year, for the very first time, to have a baby born from these leucistic alligators.
21:30It is incredibly rare.
21:32Leucistic alligators, not to be confused with albino gators, with their blue eyes and white skin, are the rarest genetic variation in the American alligator.
21:40And before the newborn came into the world, there were only seven on Earth.
21:44Now, there are eight.
21:46That's all according to Gatorland officials.
21:48That's it for this edition of EarthX News.
21:50Please join us again next week.
21:52I'm Christina Thompson.
Recommended
22:01
|
Up next
22:01
22:01
22:01
22:01
0:30
29:59
28:46
26:51
30:00
Be the first to comment