Half of global methane emissions come from highly variable aquatic ecosystem sourcesJust a week ago some thirty countries, including the U.S., committed to reducing methane emissions by half between now and 2030. The commitment is based on limited data regarding “sources” of methane. The usual suspects, like methane being flared off natural gas wells, are primary targets. But the actual, largest single source of methane, isn’t being factored in. It is aquatic ecosystems, fresh water systems throughout the planet, including the freshwater lakes we hold so dear for our drinking water and recreation.
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What will it take to reverse the pandemic downward spiral of eutrophication that otherwise results in HABs and methane?
When organic material, such as leaf litter, breaks down in water, the muck that accumulates breaks down slowly and can easily generate methane if the water doesn't have enough oxygen.
In the current climate emergency, fish are the marker. If we can keep them alive and well, we have hope.
Water is a new realm for climate action and represents a relatively easy fix, following nature's modelAs climate action finally begins in the United States in earnest, leaders face a maze of choices. The data keep coming in, and shifting, and sometimes changing. An example: methane is 21 times more impactful than carbon dioxide, per our EPA. Yet other credible and science-based entities state it’s 67 times more impactful, or 89 times. The fact that methane does not sustain in our atmosphere the same length of time as carbon dioxide does complicate quantifying its impact. We long for the day we can rely on data based on factual, empirical, nonpolitical science.
A Step Towards Paradise... How Do We Build On Nature's Model and Create Beauty and Abundance?5/13/2021 Manmade nutrients are being unleashed against water at pandemic volumes. We have no choice but to fix this, unless we are prepared to dig our own graves. The benefits outweigh the costs.
We must maintain aerobic conditions top to bottom in our freshwater settings. When we do this, we are rewarded with super abundance. When we don’t do this, we experience an anaerobic nightmare of decline
Biomimicry - nature as model - will steer a course through the vagaries of human endeavor towards sustainable living
Is it true… can we grow new real estate and take a bite out of greenhouse gas emissions in the process? Aerial view of large floating island built for tern nesting habitat Who would challenge the obvious truth, the basic statement that “they aren’t making more real estate”? It’s clear in the general public’s mind that real estate is finite. Right? But is it? Since 2005, Floating Island International has “launched” 10,000 pieces of real estate around the planet - some large, some small, all of them representing new “land” that wasn’t there before. And these new islands actually grow over time, and as they grow, they fight climate change.
Recent developments in floating solar provide hope for the future of waterHaving been afforded the opportunity to make a difference relative to water management, (after all, I have my own research laboratory in Fish Fry Lake) recent developments are exciting. Here’s what I’m talking about:
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