EARTH Magazine - environment

The rising global interest in coal fires

Glenn B. Stracher — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 10:08:32

Thousands of coal fires burn around the world; in the U.S., more than 100 underground fires are burning in at least nine states. Some have been burning for decades, but although they present a health and environmental hazard, they have been difficult to extinguish.

Finding water in the heart of darkness: Afghanistan's ongoing water challenges

David B. Williams — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 10:56:08

A decades-long drought, the ravages of long-running warfare and shrinking glaciers have exacerbated the ongoing water crisis in Kabul, Afghanistan, heightening concerns for future water availability — and also for security — in one of the harshest environments on Earth.

Science and soccer: They're both child's play

Carolyn Gramling — Thu, 13 May 2010 21:46:34

Nine-year-old Claire Dworsky combined her interests in science and soccer — to become one of the first winners of the national Kids' Science Challenge competition, and the youngest presenter at the American Geophysical Union's fall meeting in 2009.

Voices: Greening the Gross Domestic Product

Garrett C. Groves and Michael E. Webber — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 16:59:28

National income isn't the only factor that should go into calculating a country's GDP, according to a new EARTH feature - environmental sustainability should be part of the equation, too.

Voices: Redefining humanity through energy use

Michael E. Webber — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 14:22:17

What makes humans human? Many definitions have been proposed — language, using tools, even recreational sex — but none of these are unique to human beings. So energy policy analyst Michael Webber, of the University of Texas at Austin, proposes another option: manipulating energy.

Reclaiming Alberta's oil sands mines

Bridget Mintz Testa — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 10:35:46

In 1983, the erstwhile surface mine Gateway Hill, part of Canada's Athabasca Oil Sands Deposit, resembled a pockmarked, barren moonscape. Today, after years of reclamation effort, Gateway Hill is thickly forested and filled with wildlife — and as the first oil sands mine site to be certified by the government to be at pre-mine condition, it is a model for new and ongoing reclamation projects.

Termites and climate change: Here, there and everywhere?

Chris J. Peterson — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 17:08:14

As the climate changes, warmer conditions are creeping northward — and termites, among other creatures, are likely to expand their territories into higher latitudes. Those areas, however, are currently ill-equipped to handle termites, which could cause billions of dollars in property damages.

Voices: Natural gas can lead the way

Mark Zoback — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 09:44:51

Inexpensive, abundant and relatively clean: EARTH commenter and Stanford geophysicist Mark Zoback makes the case for natural gas to become a key part of U.S. energy policy.

Testing methane's potential on the North Slope

Nicole Branan — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 12:42:09

Buried beneath Alaska’s North Slope are an estimated 17 trillion cubic meters of frozen methane, or natural gas. Getting the gas out of the reservoirs poses technical problems and serious risks — but a new approach that proposes to pump carbon dioxide in to replace the methane could help to solve two looming problems.

Extinction-era coal linked to Chinese cancer epidemic

Mary Caperton Morton — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 17:37:59

The people of Xuan Wei, China, suffer the world's highest incidence of lung cancer among non-smokers. Burning coal from the Permian-Triassic boundary may be to blame.

Thirsty Cities: Water management in a changing environment

Lisa Song — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 10:02:57

Whether storing water for the future or conserving it in the present, cities across the United States are beginning to reconsider their water management practices.

Sunlight mobilizes mercury in wetlands

Nicole Branan — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 16:57:06

Elemental mercury enters the atmosphere via multiple sources, from volcanoes to forest fires to power plants. From there, rain washes it into waterways and wetlands — where it can enter the food chain. But a new study shows that sunlight can help remove significant amounts of mercury from wetlands.

Blogging on EARTH: \"Climategate\" scientist tells his side

Carolyn Gramling — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 19:24:52

Climatologist Michael Mann met the press today at the American Geophysical Union's fall meeting to answer questions about "Climategate" and what those hacked emails really said about climate science.

Crystal Ball EARTH: Agriculture: The future will have a different face than the past

George A. Seielstad — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 19:49:32

The biggest change in tomorrow's agriculture will be one of mindset: It must become an industry closely connected to energy, environment, health, global security and economic prosperity, says EARTH regular contributor George A. Seielstad in this comment.

Mississippi Delta drowning

David B. Williams — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:32:16

Subsidence, sedimentation, sea-level change and human manipulation constantly alter the Mississippi Delta. And now, the beloved delta may be irrevocably shrinking.