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Stories in California

There is a future where fire restores our forests instead of destroying them.

Let's stop making history Fires in California continue to set new records for the "largest," "most damaging," "worst air quality" and sadly, the "most deadly" we've ever seen. © Christian Roberts-Olsen

A devastating trend

Catastrophic wildfires in California continue to set new records for the "largest," "most damaging," "worst air quality" and sadly, "deadliest" we've ever seen.

The Problem | Megafires
It took 100 years to destroy the health of Sierra forests, but with the right resources, we can restore our forests in mere decades.
Thanks to Smokey Bear, a century of fire exclusion and the forced removal of Indigenous forest stewards, California's Sierra forests are dangerously overgrown. Now, trees are packed together at up to five times their natural density, and fires that should regenerate our forests explode into infernos that destroy them. These forests help provide 60% of our state's developed water supply, and losing them would leave millions of people without clean drinking water.
TNC has a plan to reverse this terrible trend: Ecological Forest Restoration.

Sierra forests evolved with frequent fire, which removed brush and helped space out trees. In the right amount, fire recycles critical nutrients in forest soil and stimulates new growth. Ecological Forest Restoration is a proven technique to prepare forests to withstand extreme fire by removing brush and small and unhealthy trees, and then conducting controlled burns.

Indigenous Peoples understand the importance of frequent, controlled fire. For millennia, they have tended the forests of the West with cultural burning practices. It's time to follow Indigenous leadership and re-establish these practices across California.

The Science Behind Forest Restoration

Our paper, Wildfires and Forest Resilience: the case for ecological forestry in the Sierra Nevada, cites over 130 scientific studies to make the case for ecological forestry as the best solution to combat megafires in California's fire-adapted conifer forests. Our major findings are:

Ecological Forest Restoration (ecological thinning combined with controlled burns) can significantly reduce the risk of megafires in fire-adapted conifer forests. Additionally, this practice helps combat the effects of drought and climate change, with significant benefits for air quality, water quality, carbon storage and wildlife habitat.

Now it's time to apply these practices on a landscape scale. TNC's French Meadows project is an example of what a large-scale restoration looks like.

Read the Wildfires and Forest Resilience paper.

Got questions? We've got answers!

Is Ecological Forest Restoration the same as logging?

No. Industrial style logging techniques like clear cutting remove every tree in a given area, but Ecological Forest Restoration is designed to remove only the smaller trees that have grown in the absence of frequent fire while protecting older, more established trees. The process begins with "ecological thinning," the strategic removal of smaller or unhealthy trees that can bring fire up into the forest canopy where it can more easily spread to healthy trees and become a severe fire. This process is designed to remove overgrown plants and trees that act as fire fuels and protect a forest's larger, healthier and more fire-resilient trees.

FIRE FACT: Ecological Forest Restoration improves the way the forest functions. The trees that are removed during Ecological Forest Restoration are selected based on extensive science and field observation, with the goal of making sure that the surrounding trees can survive a severe fire. Thinning reduces competition for limited soil moisture which increases tree growth and strengthens its defense system to insect outbreak and drought.

Is all fire is bad?

No. Smokey Bear told us that it was our job to prevent forest fires, and while preventing unwanted fires is a good idea, eliminating the role of fire in many forests is not. Historically, the forced removal of Indigenous Peoples and cultural burning, livestock grazing, industrial logging of fire resistant trees and finally a policy of fire suppression, left our forests unhealthy and overgrown.

FIRE FACT: Western dry forests evolved WITH frequent fire (see map). Low-severity fire is critical to sustaining forest health in dry, lower elevation forests and can help fire workers better reduce the risk of severe fires. Indigenous Peoples tended Western forests using intentional fires and lived productively with fires caused by lightning strikes and other natural phenomena for millennia. Now, it's time to elevate the value of these practices and expand the safe use of fire by Indigenous and non-Indigenous practitioners.

How safe are controlled burns?

Controlled burns rarely get out of control. In 2022, the U.S. Forest Service reported 99.84% of prescribed fires go as planned. Burns are staged by trained fire professionals who ensure that the timing, weather conditions and moisture levels are right to keep fire from spreading beyond designated boundaries. Practitioners use best practices and extensive planning to prevent accidents, but recent changes in climate and weather require re-examination of how to apply this tool.

FIRE FACT: Controlled Burns help reduce the impacts of extreme wildfires.. Forests that have been treated with thinning and prescribed fire have healthier spacing and less fuel, making wildfires less severe and destructive.

Do controlled burns produce a lot of smoke?

Controlled burns are managed by trained, experienced fire practitioners who evaluate all the necessary factors-weather, moisture levels, humidity, wind and more-to ensure conditions are exactly right for a safe and controlled burn. Because the timing is carefully planned, there is greater opportunity to control where smoke goes and to work with local communities to minimize disruption.

FIRE FACT: Wildfires, on the other hand, can burn unpredictably for weeks or months on end, threatening homes and infrastructures and blanketing entire regions with smoke. Smoke from wildfires can be particularly toxic because it contains particles from buildings and cars.

Are controlled burns bad for wildlife?

No. Wildlife need a home and if a megafire destroys the forest, and with it, habitat for many species, there is nowhere for species to live. Restoration also opens forests to the light and moisture, allowing trees and plants to grow and provide food for wildlife.

Can we protect our communities from megafires?

When we use these restoration tools effectively, our forests and the communities around them are less likely to experience megafires. With proactive treatment, communities are better protected from severe wildfires. At the same time, forests become more resilient-able to withstand climate change.

FIRE FACT: Fire Adapted Communities offer community-based leaders, resources, tools and connections to reduce their wildfire risk and increase community preparedness. Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network focuses on relationships each community has with the landscape around it. Fire Adapted Communities is a catalyst for spreading fire adaptation practices and innovations nationwide.

Ecological Forest Restoration protects more than just trees. 60% of California's clean water supply comes from Sierra Nevada forests. Forests clean our air, store carbon and provide habitat for wildlife. But megafires threaten everything forests do for people and nature. In California, by protecting our forests, we are protecting amazing species like brown bear, mountain lion and the iconic California spotted owl.

It creates a vicious cycle: When forest restoration is put on hold, the risk of megafires increases. When megafires happen, it reduces the funds available to better manage our forests.

David Edelson

Program Director Emeritus with The Nature Conservancy

Investing in Resilient Communities

In the face of megafires, we have a responsibility to invest in and create fire resilient communities. To do this, we must thoughtfully consider where we build new homes for California's ever-growing population, as well as how we adapt our existing communities to deal with the escalating threat of fires.

This is particularly true in the coastal and foothill regions of central and southern California, where many people live within and next to highly flammable shrublands. In these areas, vegetation management and controlled burns may make matters worse. Our best defense in these areas is a robust investment in community protection measures focused on preventing human-caused ignitions and creating fire resilient communities.

For communities that have already been established in high-risk fire areas, we must make those homes and communities more resilient to fire through fire-safe building retrofit incentives, science-based defensible space programs, evacuation planning and prevention of human-caused ignitions. Developing updated Disaster Preparedness Plans and investing in early detection and fire suppression systems in the most dangerous weather conditions can also further protect communities.

We also need to rethink the land-use policies that put people in harm's way. We need new policies that provide incentives to build in safe and sustainable locations. We also must ask hard questions in the face of these fires-such as how do we respond to increasing risks from climate change factors including fire, floods and rising sea levels? We need new solutions to incentivize building in locations that enhance public safety and make our communities more resilient.

In places like the Sierra Nevada, resilient communities require smart development planning AND healthy forest management. In more shrub-dominated landscapes, smart decisions about where and how we build our communities and identifying measures to reduce ignitions can greatly reduce risk to people, making their homes more secure.

What We're Doing and How You Can Help

TNC is working hard to break the cycle of disastrous megafires in the Sierra Nevada. We us on-the-ground science, education and advocacy to conduct and promote techniques that work and to advocate for state policies that:

Promote Ecological Forest Restoration and fuels reduction in fire-adapted forests like the Sierra Nevada;

Take a landscape scale approach to forest restoration across multiple watersheds and prioritizing high impact and large-scale projects;

Invest in policies and programs that promote fire resilient communities by directing growth away from high fire risk zones and creating options for communities already in harm's way.

Wildfire Resilience Insurance

We know that ecological forest restoration practices make fire-adapted forests healthier and reduce the risk of severe wildfire. But should insurance losses and pricing be lower where ecological forest practices have taken place?

The answer is yes. Working with our global insurance partner Willis Towers Watson, TNC used our French Meadows Restoration Project in the Sierra Nevada ( See Case Study #2 below) as a test case to determine whether the risk reduction benefits of ecological forestry could be incorporated into insurance modeling, structuring and pricing.

The results were exciting. For the first time, we incorporated ecological forestry into insurance modeling and pricing. Our study quantifies the insurance benefits of ecological forest restoration including insurance premium savings for communities and businesses in or near forests.

The insurance savings from ecological forestry can be captured and used to fund or finance forest restoration. The results also encourage increased investment in ecological forestry practices from both the public and private sector.

Read our full report and summary here.

More Science and Case Studies

In the Sierra Nevada, TNC's science is leading the way in better defining the problems facing our forests and solutions by:

Here are three pilot projects underway in the Sierra Nevada that helped inform our forest restoration recommendations to curb the cycle of megafires.

Case Study #1: Independence Lake Preserve

TNC is using our 2,325 acre Independence Lake Preserve, located in the northern Sierra Nevada near Truckee, as a demonstration site for forest restoration. High-severity wildfire is a significant threat to the water supply, neighboring communities and wildlife that thrive here. Since 2010, TNC has used ecological thinning and controlled burning to reduce wildfire risk and promote healthier, more resilient forests at the preserve.

Case Study #2: French Meadows Forest Restoration Project

TNC is partnering with the U.S. Forest Service, Placer County Water Agency, Placer County, the Sierra Nevada Conservancy, American River Conservancy and the Sierra Nevada Research Institute at UC Merced to restore 28,000 acres of forest in the headwaters of the Middle Fork of the American River, just west of Lake Tahoe. We believe this partnership can serve as a model to increase the pace and scale of forest restoration on national forest lands throughout the Sierra. TNC just published a Lessons Learned Paper on behalf of the French Meadows partners summarizing the elements that were key determinants to the success of our partnership and making policy and practice recommendations for future partnerships.

Key elements of the project include:

Collaborative management, allowing the project to advance quickly and efficiently

Funding from a wide variety of federal, state, local and private sources

Shared stewardship to accelerate on-the-ground restoration with TNC helping to direct use of prescribed fire

Research on how forest restoration benefits water supply and forest health

Innovative planning, including use of state-of-the-art fire behavior modeling

Case Study #3: Tahoe-Central Sierra Initiative

Independence Lake and French Meadows are part of the much larger Tahoe-Central Sierra Initiative (TCSI), covering approximately 2.4 million acres around Lake Tahoe and the central Sierra Nevada. TNC is part of a diverse coalition bringing together innovative approaches to increase the pace and scale of restoration work across this entire region. The TCSI initiative is improving the health and resiliency of forest ecosystems and communities by:

Raising federal, state and private funding

Using a rigorous planning and analytic process (co-led by TNC) to develop forest restoration approaches that can influence the entire landscape

Analyzing the benefits to clean water, clean air, wildlife habitat and other values from implementing the forest restoration scenarios

Definitions

1. MEGAFIRE: a fast-moving, high intensity forest fire that burns a large area, typically 100,000 acres or more

2. FOREST RESTORATION/ECOLOGICAL FORESTRY: the use of forest thinning in combination with controlled burns, where it is safe and appropriate, to reduce high fuel loads that contribute to megafires

3. FOREST THINNING: strategically removing smaller trees and brush from conifer forests that fuel megafires

4. CONTROLLED BURN: an intentionally-ignited fire contained within a designated area. the goal is to remove highly-flammable undergrowth (and thus reduce the risk of megafire) while promoting healthier forest conditions

5. MANAGED WILDFIRE: lightning-ignited fires that can be safely managed for the benefit of nature while reducing the risk of future megafires

Our work to curb the cycle of megafires is far from over. TNC is uniquely positioned to protect our fire-adapted forests and help communities prepare for climate-exacerbated natural disasters. Let's stop making history and start fixing the problem.

Let's stop making history and start fixing the problem.

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California: Let's Stop Making Wildfire History

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Fires in California continue to set new records for the "largest," "most damaging," "worst air quality" and "most costly" we've ever seen.

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We could ship in water from a dwarf planet about 257 million miles away. This could solve many problems within certain areas since we could introduce new water into the system. It is salt water therefore we must desalinate the water first before inserting it into places like the colorado river, but could place salt water into the ocean.

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Learn how moving water is converted into electricity in this comprehensive overview, including a discussion of the hydropower resource, its environmental and societal impacts, and the potential for future expansion of hydroelectic energy.

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What is Hydropower?

Hydropower, or hydroelectric power, is one of the oldest and largest sources of renewable energy, which uses the natural flow of moving water to generate electricity. Hydropower currently accounts for 28.7% of total U.S. renewable electricity generation and about 6.2% of total U.S. electricity generation.

While most people might associate the energy source with the Hoover Dam-a huge facility harnessing the power of an entire river behind its wall- hydropower facilities come in all sizes. Some may be very large, but they can be tiny, too, taking advantage of water flows in municipal water facilities or irrigation ditches. They can even be "damless," with diversions or run-of-river facilities that channel part of a stream through a powerhouse before the water rejoins the main river. Whatever the method, hydropower is much easier to obtain and more widely used than most people realize. In fact, all but two states (Delaware and Mississippi) use hydropower for electricity, some more than others. For example, in 2020 about 66% of the state of Washington's electricity came from hydropower.

In a study led by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory on hydropower flexibility, preliminary analysis found that the firm capacity associated with U.S. hydropower's flexibility is estimated to be over 24 GW. To replace this capability with storage would require the buildout of 24 GW of 10-hour storage-more than all the existing storage in the United States today. Additionally, in terms of integrating wind and solar, the flexibility presented in existing U.S. hydropower facilities could help bring up to 137 gigawatts of new wind and solar online by 2035.

How Does Hydropower Work?

Hydropower technologies generate power by using the elevation difference, created by a dam or diversion structure, of water flowing in on one side and out, far below, on the other. The Department of Energy's "Hydropower 101" video explains how hydropower works and highlights some of the research and development efforts of the Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO) in this area.

What is the cost of Hydropower?

Hydropower is an affordable source of electricity that costs less than most. Since hydropower relies only on the energy from moving water, states that get the majority of their electricity from hydropower, like Idaho, Washington, and Oregon, have lower energy bills than the rest of the country.

Compared to other electricity sources, hydropower also has relatively low costs throughout the duration of a full project lifetime in terms of maintenance, operations, and fuel. Like any major energy source, significant upfront costs are unavoidable, but hydropower's longer lifespan spreads these costs out over time. Additionally, the equipment used at hydropower facilities often operates for longer periods of time without needing replacements or repairs, saving money in the long term.

The installation costs for large hydropower facilities consist mostly of civil construction works (such as the building of the dams, tunnels, and other necessary infrastructure) and electromechanical equipment costs (electricity-generating machinery). Since hydropower is a site-specific technology, these costs can be minimized at the planning stage through proper selection of location and design.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF HYDROPOWER?

The benefits of hydropower have been recognized and harnessed for thousands of years. In addition to being a clean and cost-effective form of energy, hydropower plants can provide power to the grid immediately, serving as a flexible and reliable form of backup power during major electricity outages or disruptions. Hydropower also produces a number of benefits outside of electricity generation, such as flood control, irrigation support, and water supply.

WHAT IS THE HISTORY OF HYDROPOWER?

The history of hydropower dates back thousands of years. For example, the Greeks used water wheels to grind wheat into flour more than 2,000 years ago. The evolution of the modern hydropower turbine began in the mid-1700s when a French hydraulic and military engineer, Bernard Forest de Bélidor, wrote Architecture Hydraulique. Many key developments in hydropower technology occurred during the first half of the 19th century, and more recently, the past century has seen a number of hydroelectric advancements that have helped hydropower become an integral part of the renewable energy mix in the United States.

To learn how to join the hydropower industry and more about science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce development opportunities, visit the Hydropower STEM Portal.

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Hydropower, or hydroelectric power, is one of the oldest and largest sources of renewable energy, which uses the natural flow of moving water to generate electricity.

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The Red Cross provides drought preparedness tips by conserving water and limiting water use. Learn more about drought preparedness and water conservation today!

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The environmental impact of fishing includes issues such as the availability of fish, overfishing, fisheries, and fisheries management; as well as the impact of industrial fishing on other elements of the environment, such as bycatch. These issues are part of marine conservation, and are addressed in fisheries science programs. According to a 2019 FAO report, global production of fish, crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic animals has continued to grow and reached 172.6 million tonnes in 2017, with an increase of 4.1 percent compared with 2016. There is a growing gap between the supply of fish and demand, due in part to world population growth.

Fishing and pollution from fishing are the largest contributors to the decline in ocean health and water quality. Ghost nets, or nets abandoned in the ocean, are made of plastic and nylon and do not decompose, wreaking extreme havoc on the wildlife and ecosystems they interrupt. The ocean takes up 70% of the earth, so overfishing and hurting the marine environment affects everyone and everything on this planet. On top of the overfishing, there is a seafood shortage resulting from the mass amounts of seafood waste, as well as the microplastics that are polluting the seafood consumed by the public. The latter is largely caused by plastic-made fishing gear like drift nets and longlining equipment, that are wearing down by use, lost or thrown away.

The journal published a four-year study in November 2006, which predicted that, at prevailing trends, the world would run out of wild-caught seafood in 2048. The scientists stated that the decline was a result of overfishing, pollution and other environmental factors that were reducing the population of fisheries at the same time as their ecosystems were being annihilated. Many countries, such as Tonga, the United States, Australia and Bahamas, and international management bodies have taken steps to appropriately manage marine resources.

Reefs are also being destroyed by overfishing because of the huge nets that are dragged along the ocean floor while trawling. Many corals are being destroyed and, as a consequence, the ecological niche of many species is at stake.

Some fishing techniques cause habitat destruction. Blast fishing and cyanide fishing, which are illegal in many places, harm surrounding habitats. Blast fishing refers to the practice of using explosives to capture fish. Cyanide fishing refers to the practice of using cyanide to stun fish for collection. These two practices are commonly used for the aquarium trade and the live fish food trade. These practices are destructive because they impact the habitat that the reef fish live on after the fish have been removed. Bottom trawling, the practice of pulling a fishing net along the sea bottom behind trawlers, removes around 5 to 25% of an area's seabed life on a single run. This method of fishing tends to cause a lot of bycatch. A study of La Fonera Canyon compared trawled versus non-trawled areas. The results show that areas at 500 to 2000 meters depth that is non-trawled have more biodiversity, biomass, and variation of meiofauna than trawled areas at 500 meters depth. Most of the impacts are due to commercial fishing practices. A 2005 report of the UN Millennium Project, commissioned by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, recommended the elimination of bottom trawling on the high seas by 2006 to protect seamounts and other ecologically sensitive habitats. This was not done.

In mid-October 2006, United States President George W. Bush joined other world leaders calling for a moratorium on deep-sea trawling. The practice has shown to often have harmful effects on sea habitat and, hence, on fish populations, yet no further action was taken (Vivek). The sea animal's aquatic ecosystem may also collapse due to the destruction of the food chain.

Additionally, ghost fishing is a major threat due to capture fisheries. Ghost fishing occurs when a net, such as a gill net or trawl, is lost or discarded at sea and drifts within the oceans and can still act to capture marine organisms. According to the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, States should act to minimize the amount of lost and abandoned gear and work to minimize ghost fishing.

Jack mackerel caught by a Chilean purse seiner

Fishing down the food web

Overfishing can result in the over-exploitation of marine ecosystem services. Fishing can cause several negative physiological and psychological effects for fish populations including increased stress levels and bodily injuries resulting from lodged fish hooks. Often, when this threshold is crossed, hysteresis may occur within the environment. More specifically, some ecological disturbances observed within the Black Sea marine ecosystem resulted from a combination of overfishing and various other related human activities which adversely affected the marine environment and ecosystem. Ecological disruption can also occur due to the overfishing of critical fish species such as the tilefish and grouper fish, which can be referred to as ecosystem-engineers.

Fishing may disrupt food webs by targeting specific, in-demand species. There might be too much fishing of prey species such as sardines and anchovies, thus reducing the food supply for the predators. Disrupting these types of wasp-waist species may have effects throughout the ecosystem. It may also cause the increase of prey species when the target fishes are predator species, such as salmon and tuna.

Overfishing and pollution of the oceans also affect their carbon storage ability and thus contribute to the climate crisis. Carbon stored in seafloor sediments risk release by bottom-trawling fishing.

Fisheries-induced evolution or evolutionary impact of fishing is the various evolutionary effects of the fishing pressure, such as on size or growth. It is manly caused by selective fishing on size, bigger fish being more frequently caught. Moreover, policy of minimum landing size, based on the idea that it spares young fishes, have many negative impacts on a population by selecting slow growth individuals.

Bycatch is the portion of the catch that is not the target species. Unintentional bycatch occurs when fishing gear with poor selectivity is used. These are either kept to be sold or discarded. In some instances the discarded portion is known as discards. Even sports fisherman discard a lot of non-target and target fish on the bank while fishing. For every pound of the target species caught, up to 5 pounds of unintended marine species are caught and discarded as bycatch. As many as 40% (63 billion pounds) of fish caught globally every year are discarded, and as many as 650,000 whales, dolphins and seals are killed every year by fishing vessels.

Shark finning is the act of removing fins from sharks and discarding the rest of the shark. The sharks are often still alive when discarded, but without their fins. Unable to swim effectively, they sink to the bottom of the ocean and die of suffocation or are eaten by other predators. Though studies suggest that 73 million sharks are finned each year, scientists have noted that the numbers may actually be higher, with roughly 100 million sharks being killed by finning each year. The deaths of millions of sharks has caused catastrophic damage to the marine ecosystem.

Shark culling is the killing of sharks in government-run "shark control" programs. These programs exist to reduce the risk of shark attacks - however, environmentalists say that they do not reduce the risk of shark attacks; they also say that shark culling harms the marine ecosystem. Shark culling currently occurs in New South Wales, Queensland, KwaZulu-Natal and Réunion. Queensland's "shark control" program killed roughly 50,000 sharks between 1962 and 2018 - Queensland's program uses lethal devices such as shark nets and drum lines. Thousands of other animals, such as turtles and dolphins, have been killed in Queensland as bycatch. Queensland's shark culling program has been called "outdated, cruel and ineffective". The shark culling program in New South Wales (which uses nets) has killed thousands of sharks, turtles, dolphins and whales. KwaZulu-Natal's shark culling program killed more than 33,000 sharks in a 30-year period.

Recent research has shown that, by mass, fishing debris, such as buoys, lines, and nets, account for more than two-thirds of large plastic debris found in the oceans. In the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, fishing nets alone comprise at least 46% of the debris. Similarly, fishing debris has been shown to be a major source of plastic debris found on the shores of Korea. Marine life interacts with debris in two ways: either through entanglement (where debris entangles or entraps animals), or ingestion of the debris (either intentionally or accidentally). Both are harmful to the animal. Marine debris consisting of old fishing nets or trawls can often be linked to phenomena such as ghost fishing, wherein the netting debris, referred to as ghost nets, continues to entangle and capture fish. A study performed in southern Japan on octopuses noted that there was an estimated mortality rate of 212,000-505,000 octopuses per year within the area's fishing grounds, due in large part to ghost fishing. Tracking garbage and monitoring the logistics of human waste disposal, especially waste materials primarily associated with fishing, is one method to reduce marine debris. Using technological or mechanical innovations such as marine debris-clearing drones can further serve to reduce the amount of debris within oceans.

Recreational fishing is fishing done for sport or competition, whereas commercial fishing is catching seafood, often in mass quantities, for profit. Both can have different environmental impacts when it comes to fishing.

Though many assume recreational fishing does not have a large impact on fish, it actually accounts for almost a quarter of the fish caught in the United States, many of those being commercially valuable fish. Recreational fishing has its biggest impact on marine debris, overfishing, and fish mortality. Release mortality in recreational fisheries is the same as the impacts of bycatch in commercial fisheries. Studies have suggested that improving recreational fisheries management on a global scale could generate substantial social benefits of the same scale as reforming commercial fisheries.

Catch and release fishing involves several practices that aim to reduce the negative environmental impacts of fishing. This refers to the duration, timing, and type of hook used during angling. To increase the effectiveness of catch and release fishing and mitigate its negative impacts, species-specific guidelines are required. These guidelines help tailor specific rules and regulations to specific species of fish in relation to their locations and mating and migration cycles. A metastudy in 2005 found that the average catch and release mortality rate was 18%, but varied greatly by species. While catch-and-release fishing has been wildly used in recreational fishing, it is also beneficial for maintaining fish populations at a stable level for commercial fisheries to receive social and economic benefits. Combining catch and release fishing with biotelemetry data collection methods allows for researchers to study the biological effects of catch and release fishing on fish in order to better suit future conservation efforts and remedies.

Much of the scientific community blames the mismanagement of fisheries for global collapses of fish populations. One method for increasing fish population numbers and reduce the severity of adverse environmental impacts and ecological disturbances is the use of fisheries management systems. Traditional fisheries management techniques can signify restricting certain types of fishing gear, reducing the total allowable catch, decreasing fishing efforts as a whole, implementing catch shares, involving communities with conservation efforts and defining areas closed to fishing. In order to implement any of these tactics on a fishery, ample data collection and statistical analysis are necessary.

Whether or not traditional fisheries management techniques are effective at restoring fish populations is often seen as a debate in the fisheries science community. However, there are a few factors to consider when evaluating the efficiency of fisheries management techniques. For example, large fisheries are more likely to be managed whereas small fisheries are commonly left unassessed and unmanaged. Unassessed fisheries are thought to represent about 80% of all fisheries. Some researchers believe that the stability and health of these unassessed fisheries are worse than the assessed fisheries, justifying the premise that traditional fisheries management techniques are ineffective. However, many scientists highlight that those fish populations are declining due to the fact that they have not been assessed and therefore adequate fisheries management techniques have not been applied. Further, most of the assessed fisheries (and hence managed fisheries) are biased towards large populations and commercially lucrative species. Assessments are often performed by nations that are able to afford the assessment process and implementation of fisheries management tools.

Determining sustainable harvest quotas are another example of a traditional fisheries management technique. However, the intention behind harvest quotas are often not a big enough incentive for fishermen to adhere to them. This is because limiting individual harvests often leads to a smaller profit for the fleet. Since these fishermen are not guaranteed compensation for part of the quota, they tend to resolve to the method of harvesting as many fish as possible. This competitiveness among fishermen and their fleets leads to the increased use of harmful fishing practices, extremely large harvests, periods of reduced stocks and the eventual collapse of the fishery. To eliminate the need for such competitiveness among fishermen, many scientists suggest the implementation of rights-based fisheries reforms. This can be done by granting Individual Transferable Quotas (ITQs) or catch shares, a set portion of a scientifically calculated total allowable catch, to individual fishermen, communities and cooperatives. ITQs incentivize fishermen because the value of catch shares grows as the stability of the fishery improves.

It is estimated that around 27% of global fisheries were classified as collapsed in 2003 and that by 2048, 100% of global fisheries would be considered collapsed. In a study compiling data from 11,135 fisheries around the world (some ITQ-managed, some non-ITQ managed), the potential impact of ITQs on fisheries if they all implemented a rights-based management approach since 1970 was estimated. In that case, the percentage of collapsed fisheries in 2003 was projected as 9%, which remained fairly stable for the rest of the experiment's time period. Despite the projected success of the ITQ-managed fisheries, the results of this study may not be a completely accurate representation of the true impact of right-based management. This is due to the fact that the data used to create these results was limited to one type of catch share and that the true effects of ITQs can only be assessed if social, ecological and economic factors were also considered.

In some cases, changing fishing gear can have an impact on habitat destruction. In an experiment with three different types of gears used for oyster harvesting, compared to dredging and tonging, hand-harvesting by divers resulted in the collection of 25-32% more oysters within the same amount of time. In terms of habitat conservation, the reef habitat sustained damage to its height during the use of all three gear types. Specifically, dredging cut the height of the reef by 34%, tonging by 23% and diver hand-harvesting by 6%.

Opting for a different hook design or bait type can make fishing practices less dangerous and lead to less bycatch. Using 18/0 circle hooks and mackerel for bait has been shown to greatly reduce the amount of leatherback sea turtles and loggerheads caught as bycatch. The use of circle hooks was shown to decrease the amount of hooks ingested by loggerheads. Further, with the target species being swordfish, the use of both circle hooks and mackerel for bait had no negative impact on the amount of swordfish caught.

Ecosystem-based management of fisheries is another method used for fish conservation and impact remediation. Instead of solely focusing conservation efforts on a single species of marine life, ecosystem-based management is used across various species of fish within an environment. To improve the adoption of these types of fisheries management, it is important to reduce barriers to entry for management scenarios in order to make these methods more accessible to fisheries globally.

Many governments and intergovernmental bodies have implemented fisheries management policies designed to curb the environmental impact of fishing. Fishing conservation aims to control the human activities that may completely decrease a fish stock or washout an entire aquatic environment. These laws include the quotas on the total catch of particular species in a fishery, effort quotas (e.g., number of days at sea), the limits on the number of vessels allowed in specific areas, and the imposition of seasonal restrictions on fishing.

Fish farming, aquaculture, or pisciculture, has been proposed as a more sustainable alternative or as a supplement to the traditional capture of wild fish. Fish farms are usually located in coastal waters and can involve netpens or cages that are anchored to the sediment at the bottom. As many fisheries have been heavily depleted, farming profitable and commonly consumed fish species is a method used to supply larger quantities of seafood for human consumption. This is especially the case for marine aquatic species such as salmon and shrimp and freshwater species such as carp and tilapia. In fact, approximately 40% of seafood consumed by humans is produced in fish farms.

Even though fish farming does not require a lot of space, they can have significant ecological impacts on the fish around them and marine resources. For instance, low trophic level, wild caught fish like anchovies, capelin and sardines are used to feed marine and freshwater farmed fish. Farmed marine fish species, usually carnivores, tend require more fishmeal and fish oil to thrive. On the opposite end, farmed freshwater fish, usually herbivores and omnivores, are not as dependent on them. This can be problematic because the small fish used for the production of fishmeal also serve as food for predators living outside the enclosures.

It is not uncommon for farmed fish to escape their enclosures. This can lead to the introduction of non-native species to a new environment. Farmed species breeding with wild fish species of the same type, called interbreeding, can cause offspring to have reduced fitness.

Marine reserves serve to foster both environmental protection and marine wildlife safety. The reserves themselves are established via environmental protection plans or policies which designate a specific marine environment as protected. Coral reefs are one of the many examples which involve the application of marine reserves in establishing marine protected areas. There have also been marine reserve initiatives located in the United States, Caribbean, Philippines and Egypt. To mitigate the negative environmental impacts of fishing within marine environments, marine reserves are intended to create, enhance and re-introduce biodiversity within the area. As a result, the primary benefits arising from the implementation of this type of management effort include positive impacts towards habitat protection and species conservation.

Books:

Related:

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2. ^ Laville, Sandra (2019-11-06). "Dumped fishing gear is biggest plastic polluter in ocean, finds report". The Guardian.

3. ^ Worm, Boris; et al. (2006-11-03). "Impacts of Biodiversity Loss on Ocean Ecosystem Services". Science. 314 (5800): 787-790. Bibcode:2006Sci...314..787W. doi:10.1126/science.1132294. PMID 17082450. S2CID 37235806.

4. ^ Juliet Eilperin (2 November 2006). "Seafood Population Depleted by 2048, Study Finds". The Washington Post.

5. ^ Michael Clark; Tilman, David (November 2014). "Global diets link environmental sustainability and human health". Nature. 515 (7528): 518-522. Bibcode:2014Natur.515..518T. doi:10.1038/nature13959. ISSN 1476-4687. PMID 25383533. S2CID 4453972.

6. Erdmann, Pet-Soede, Cabanban (2000). "Destructive Fishing Practices" (PDF). 9th International Coral Reef Symposium.

7. ^ Pusceddua, Antonio; Bianchellia, Silvia; Martínb, Jacobo; Puigb, Pere; Palanquesb, Albert; Masquéd, Pere; Danovaroa, Roberto (2014). "Chronic and intensive bottom trawling impairs deep-sea biodiversity and ecosystem functioning". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 111 (24): 8861-8866. Bibcode:2014PNAS..111.8861P. doi:10.1073/pnas.1405454111. ISSN 0027-8424. JSTOR 23802017. PMC . PMID 24843122.

8. ^ Blulab. "Destructive Fishing Practices and Bycatch - Ocean Threats | Slow Fish - Local Sustainable Fish". slowfood.com. Archived from the original on 2018-04-03.

9. Jennings, Simon; Kaiser, Michel J. (1998). The effects of fishing on marine ecosystems (PDF). pp. 201-352. doi:10.1016/S0065-2881(08)60212-6. ISBN 9780120261345.

10. Cooke, Steven J.; Suski, Cory D. (2005-05-01). "Do we need species-specific guidelines for catch-and-release recreational angling to effectively conserve diverse fishery resources?". Biodiversity & Conservation. 14 (5): 1195-1209. doi:10.1007/s10531-004-7845-0. ISSN 0960-3115. S2CID 16894387.

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12. ^ Coleman, Felicia C.; Williams, Susan L. (2002). "Overexploiting marine ecosystem engineers: potential consequences for biodiversity". Trends in Ecology & Evolution. 17 (1): 40-44. doi:10.1016/s0169-5347(01)02330-8.

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19. ^ https://www.ntd.tv/2018/09/04/video-endangered-hammerhead-sharks-dead-on-drum-line-in-great-barrier-reef/ Archived 2018-09-19 at the Wayback Machine Phillips, Jack (September 4, 2018). "Video: Endangered Hammerhead Sharks Dead on Drum Line in Great Barrier Reef". ntd.tv. Retrieved January 1, 2019.

20. ^ Eriksen, Marcus; Lebreton, Laurent C. M.; Carson, Henry S.; Thiel, Martin; Moore, Charles J.; Borerro, Jose C.; Galgani, Francois; Ryan, Peter G.; Reisser, Julia (2014-12-10). "Plastic Pollution in the World's Oceans: More than 5 Trillion Plastic Pieces Weighing over 250,000 Tons Afloat at Sea". . 9 (12): e111913. Bibcode:2014PLoSO...9k1913E. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0111913. PMC . PMID 25494041.

21. ^ Lebreton, L.; Slat, B.; Ferrari, F.; Sainte-Rose, B.; et al. (2018-03-22). "Evidence that the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is rapidly accumulating plastic". Scientific Reports. 8 (1): 4666. Bibcode:2018NatSR...8.4666L. doi:10.1038/s41598-018-22939-w. PMC . PMID 29568057.

22. ^ Jang, Yong Chang; Lee, Jongmyoung; Hong, Sunwook; Lee, Jong Su; Shim, Won Joon; Song, Young Kyoung (2014-07-06). "Sources of plastic marine debris on beaches of Korea: More from the ocean than the land". Ocean Science Journal. 49 (2): 151-162. Bibcode:2014OSJ....49..151J. doi:10.1007/s12601-014-0015-8. ISSN 1738-5261. S2CID 85429593.

23. Laist, David W. (1997). "Impacts of Marine Debris: Entanglement of Marine Life in Marine Debris Including a Comprehensive List of Species with Entanglement and Ingestion Records". In Coe, James M.; Rogers, Donald (eds.). Marine Debris. Springer Series on Environmental Management. New York, NY: Springer. pp. 99-139. doi:10.1007/978-1-4613-8486-1_10. ISBN 9781461384885.

24. ^ Sigler, Michelle (2014-11-01). "The Effects of Plastic Pollution on Aquatic Wildlife: Current Situations and Future Solutions" (PDF). Water, Air, & Soil Pollution. 225 (11): 2184. Bibcode:2014WASP..225.2184S. doi:10.1007/s11270-014-2184-6. ISSN 0049-6979. S2CID 51944658.

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Environmental impact of fishing - Wikipedia

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The environmental impact of fishing includes issues such as the availability of fish, overfishing, fisheries, and fisheries management; as well as the impact of industrial fishing on other elements of the environment, such as bycatch.

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CT.gov - Connecticut's Official State Website

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Tips for Conserving Water

(Information provided by the Environmental Protection Agency)

Bathrooms:

Never use your toilet as a waste basket.

Do not let the water run while shaving or brushing teeth.

Take short showers instead of tub baths. Turn off the water flow while soaping or shampooing.

If you must use a tub, close the drain before turning on the water and fill the tub only half full. Bathe small children together.

Never pour water down the drain when there may be another use for it -such as watering a plant or garden.

Kitchen and Laundry:

Keep drinking water in the refrigerator instead of letting the faucet run until the water is cool.

Wash fruits and vegetables in a basin. Use a vegetable brush.

Do not use water to defrost frozen foods, thaw in the refrigerator overnight.

Use a dishpan for washing and rinsing dishes.

Scrape, rather than rinse, dishes before loading into the dishwasher.

Add food wastes to your compost pile instead of using the garbage disposal

Operate the dishwasher only when completely full.

Use the appropriate water level or load size selection on the washing machine.

Outside:

Sweep driveways, sidewalks and steps rather than hosing off.

Wash the car with water from a bucket, or consider using a commercial car wash that recycles water.

When using a hose, control the flow with an automatic shut-off nozzle.

Avoid purchasing recreational water toys that require a constant stream of water.

If you have a swimming pool, consider a new water-saving pool filter.

Lower pool water level to reduce amount of water splashed out.

Use a pool cover to reduce evaporation when pool is not being used

Equipment:

Repair all leaks. A leaky toilet can waste 200 gallons per day. To detect leaks in the toilet, add food coloring to the tank water. If the colored water appears in the bowl, the toilet is leaking. Toilet repair advice is available at www.toiletology.com/index.shtml.

Install ultra-low flow toilets, or place a plastic container filled with water or gravel in the tank of your conventional toilet. Be sure it does not interfere with operation of the toilet's flush mechanism.

Install low-flow aerators and showerheads.

Consider purchasing a high efficiency washing machine which can save over 50% in water and energy use.

Water Efficiency Measures for Landscaping

Watering:

Detect and repair all leaks in irrigation systems.

Use properly treated wastewater for irrigation where available.

Water the lawn or garden during the coolest part of the day (early morning is best). Do not water on windy days.

Water trees and shrubs, which have deep root systems, longer and less frequently than shallow-rooted plants which require smaller amounts of water more often. Check with the local extension service for advice on the amount and frequency of watering needed in your area.

Set sprinklers to water the lawn or garden only - not the street or sidewalk.

Use soaker hoses and trickle irrigation systems.

Install moisture sensors on sprinkler systems.

Planting:

Have your soil tested for nutrient content and add organic matter if needed. Good soil absorbs and retains water better.

Minimize turf areas and use native grasses.

Use native plants in your landscape - they require less care and water than ornamental varieties.

Maintaining:

Use mulch around shrubs and garden plants to reduce evaporation from the soil surface and cut down on weed growth.

Remove thatch and aerate turf to encourage movement of water to the root zone.

Raise your lawn mower cutting height - longer grass blades help shade each other, cut down on evaporation, and inhibit weed growth.

Minimize or eliminate fertilizing which requires additional watering, and promotes new growth which will also need additional watering.

Ornamental Water Features:

Do not install or use ornamental water features unless they recycle the water. Use signs to indicate that water is recycled. Do not operate during a drought.
Content Last Updated February 12, 2020

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Introduction to nuclear energy, nuclear fission, nuclear fusion, and uranium as a source of nuclear fuel.

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Andrea Galindo, IAEA Office of Public Information and Communication

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What is Nuclear Energy? The Science of Nuclear Power

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Nuclear energy is a form of energy released from the nucleus, the core of atoms, made up of protons and neutrons.

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brianna

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The Vegetation Management Program (VMP) is a cost-sharing program that focuses on the use of prescribed fire, and some mechanical means, for addressing wildland fire fuel hazards and other resource management issues on SRA lands. Private landowners can apply to contract with CAL FIRE to reduce the fire hazard on their property by creating fuel breaks.

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A ‘Crossroads’ for Humanity: Earth’s Biodiversity Is Still Collapsing (Published 2020)

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Countries have made insufficient progress on international goals designed to halt a catastrophic slide, a new report found.

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What is Hydropower?

Hydropower, or hydroelectric power, is one of the oldest and largest sources of renewable energy, which uses the natural flow of moving water to generate electricity. Hydropower currently accounts for 28.7% of total U.S. renewable electricity generation and about 6.2% of total U.S. electricity generation.

While most people might associate the energy source with the Hoover Dam-a huge facility harnessing the power of an entire river behind its wall- hydropower facilities come in all sizes. Some may be very large, but they can be tiny, too, taking advantage of water flows in municipal water facilities or irrigation ditches. They can even be "damless," with diversions or run-of-river facilities that channel part of a stream through a powerhouse before the water rejoins the main river. Whatever the method, hydropower is much easier to obtain and more widely used than most people realize. In fact, all but two states (Delaware and Mississippi) use hydropower for electricity, some more than others. For example, in 2020 about 66% of the state of Washington's electricity came from hydropower.

In a study led by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory on hydropower flexibility, preliminary analysis found that the firm capacity associated with U.S. hydropower's flexibility is estimated to be over 24 GW. To replace this capability with storage would require the buildout of 24 GW of 10-hour storage-more than all the existing storage in the United States today. Additionally, in terms of integrating wind and solar, the flexibility presented in existing U.S. hydropower facilities could help bring up to 137 gigawatts of new wind and solar online by 2035.

How Does Hydropower Work?

Hydropower technologies generate power by using the elevation difference, created by a dam or diversion structure, of water flowing in on one side and out, far below, on the other. The Department of Energy's "Hydropower 101" video explains how hydropower works and highlights some of the research and development efforts of the Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO) in this area.

What is the cost of Hydropower?

Hydropower is an affordable source of electricity that costs less than most. Since hydropower relies only on the energy from moving water, states that get the majority of their electricity from hydropower, like Idaho, Washington, and Oregon, have lower energy bills than the rest of the country.

Compared to other electricity sources, hydropower also has relatively low costs throughout the duration of a full project lifetime in terms of maintenance, operations, and fuel. Like any major energy source, significant upfront costs are unavoidable, but hydropower's longer lifespan spreads these costs out over time. Additionally, the equipment used at hydropower facilities often operates for longer periods of time without needing replacements or repairs, saving money in the long term.

The installation costs for large hydropower facilities consist mostly of civil construction works (such as the building of the dams, tunnels, and other necessary infrastructure) and electromechanical equipment costs (electricity-generating machinery). Since hydropower is a site-specific technology, these costs can be minimized at the planning stage through proper selection of location and design.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF HYDROPOWER?

The benefits of hydropower have been recognized and harnessed for thousands of years. In addition to being a clean and cost-effective form of energy, hydropower plants can provide power to the grid immediately, serving as a flexible and reliable form of backup power during major electricity outages or disruptions. Hydropower also produces a number of benefits outside of electricity generation, such as flood control, irrigation support, and water supply.

WHAT IS THE HISTORY OF HYDROPOWER?

The history of hydropower dates back thousands of years. For example, the Greeks used water wheels to grind wheat into flour more than 2,000 years ago. The evolution of the modern hydropower turbine began in the mid-1700s when a French hydraulic and military engineer, Bernard Forest de Bélidor, wrote Architecture Hydraulique. Many key developments in hydropower technology occurred during the first half of the 19th century, and more recently, the past century has seen a number of hydroelectric advancements that have helped hydropower become an integral part of the renewable energy mix in the United States.

To learn how to join the hydropower industry and more about science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce development opportunities, visit the Hydropower STEM Portal.

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Hydropower, or hydroelectric power, is one of the oldest and largest sources of renewable energy, which uses the natural flow of moving water to generate electricity.

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Over and over again, drought launches California into a familiar scramble to provide enough water.

Cities and towns call for conservation and brace for shortages. Growers fallow fields and ranchers sell cows. And thousands of people discover that they can't squeeze another drop from their wells.

So where can California get enough water to survive the latest dry stretch - and the next one, and the next?

Can it pump more water from the salty Pacific Ocean? Treat waste flushed down toilets and washed down drains? Capture runoff that flows off streets into storm drains? Tow Antarctic icebergs to Los Angeles?

The Newsom administration unveiled a roadmap for bolstering the state water supply. But the plan - which has few details, distant deadlines and scant plans for agriculture - has been met with criticism.

Every time another drought rolls around, an array of suggestions rise to the surface. We take a look at the strategies that could work - along with the more outlandish ones - and the obstacles they face.

Rachel Becker is a journalist reporting on California's complex water challenges and water policy issues for CalMatters. Rachel has a background in biology, with master's degrees in both immunology and... More by Rachel Becker

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How can California boost its water supply?

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From capturing stormwater runoff to transforming agriculture, here are some ways for drought-prone California to get more water.

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There are so many environmental problems we face today, and they all have to be addressed. But which environmental issues demand our attention now?

We'll discuss 10 environmental problems and solutions that we can work on now to change our collective future for the better!

10 Environmental Problems and Solutions

Want to know even more? Check out our List of Environmental Issues Examples where we discuss the 30 biggest threats earth faces today for a more in-depth understanding of environmental problems.

Here are the top 10 environmental issues that require immediate attention for the health of our planet and our own survival.

We'll discuss these top 10 environmental problems in detail and offer some real-world solutions to each one.

There is no magic bullet solution for the environmental issues we face. The real solution will come when individuals choose to make decisions in favor of the earth's welfare.

When billions of us combine a lot of small actions they add up to a big impact on the earth.

1. Climate Change

Climate change is a massive topic. Inside this topic are all the subtopics and environmental problems that add up to climate change.

Climate change is the term we use to refer to the changing atmospheric conditions that affect life on earth.

These things are intertwined and many of them have the same root cause - the main one is the burning of fossil fuels.

However, along with increased carbon dioxide output from fossil fuels, there are mainly CFCs and halons though other substances also destroy ozone molecules.

These substances are found in aerosols, refrigerants (like air conditioners) and other machinery. CFCs are banned, but other ozone-destroying chemicals are still in use.

Depletion of the ozone layer allows more UVB rays to get through the atmosphere which has a warming effect in the atmosphere of the globe. This changes weather patterns and climate expectations everywhere.

Climate Change Solutions

The solutions to climate change involve viewing the world differently than we currently do as a global culture.

We view the world as something to use. We want to get as much as we can while it's available. This is causing us to use things we don't need, create waste, and deplete our resources too fast.

Here are a few things we can do to help combat climate change.

Drive less often and less far. If there is an option to walk, ride a bike, carpool, or use public transportation then use those options first to help decrease your carbon footprint.

Reuse things instead of throwing them away. Americans seem to view recyclables as the way forward but they have limitations. They help us to reuse existing resources, but an even better choice is to choose reusable items every chance we get.

Aim for zero waste. Think about it before you buy. Choose to invest your money in things that will last a long time and can be reused or upcycled instead of thrown away. The world is awash in used cheap clothing, single-use plastics, and cheap appliances that are recyclable yet sit in filthy heaps.

Get involved. Too many people like to talk about climate change and even yell about climate change but don't do anything to solve it. Work to increase recycling facilities in your area, educate your community about reusables, and plant native species in your town.

Get Renewable Energy. Renewable energy is a must. Buying an EV car isn't enough because plugging into a fossil fuel electric grid just perpetuates the problem. Investigate your own chain of energy and opt for the cleanest energy you can afford.

Climate change is a real environmental issue and it's full of uncertainties. One thing we know is that the decisions we make today can have a major impact on the quality of life on planet earth in the future.

2. Water Pollution

Water pollution includes marine pollution and freshwater pollution. Let's take a look at both.

Marine pollution is largely caused by nitrogen that washes away from inland soils and drains into the ocean water.

The excess nitrogen creates algae blooms that prevent sunlight and oxygen from penetrating into the ocean water.

This creates a hypoxic environment called a "dead zone" where fish, crustaceans, and sea mammals can't live. Mobile marine animals leave the area. Immobile marine life dies.

This is the primary cause of our loss of coral reefs around the globe.

Marine pollution also takes the form of trash and recyclables that wash into the ocean and form massive flotillas of rubbish.

Freshwater pollution refers to the pollution of inland water like rivers, lakes, and reservoirs. We rely on these bodies of water for our drinking water, but they are quickly becoming too polluted to drink.

Freshwater pollution also happens due to nitrogen in the water, but it can also be the result of things people do.

Trash that ends up in the water

Sewer treatment plant releases (treated and untreated)

Dirty stormwater runoff

Pharmaceuticals, detergents, and other things people put in the water system

Heavy metals like lead and mercury

Arsenic

Radon

Some of these things we can't avoid, but a lot of it is preventable.

Water Pollution Solutions

The effects of pollution could be minimized and possibly healed if we began to consciously make decisions that will protect our watershed instead of polluting it.

Farmers can use cover crops to fix nitrogen in the soil. It's an investment, not an overnight fix, but it will make the biggest impact on the health of the oceans and will eventually eliminate dead zones.

Homeowners can use as little culinary water as possible for watering outdoor plants. Try xeriscaping to save water. Install rain barrels to collect free water to use on outdoor plants and trees.

Dispose of medicines, motor oil, household chemicals, and paint in the proper facilities so they stay out of the watershed.

Eat organic as much as you can. This isn't fail-proof, but most organic farms rely on natural sources of nitrogen rather than synthetic nitrogen to increase crop yields.

Be happy with imperfect produce. There is a massive global cost to get those perfect fruits and vegetables. They're treated with pesticides, herbicides, and chemical fertilizers to make them lovely. Go natural to encourage farmers who want to save the planet.

Enjoy water sports without a motor. You can greatly reduce your own impact on inland water supplies by enjoying muscle-powered water sports that don't introduce oils, gasoline, and exhaust particulates into the water supply.

Think about how you're using our precious water resources. Clean water is so easy to get in developed countries that we tend to forget the watershed it comes from.

That watershed needs our protection to continue to provide us with the clean water we need to survive.

3. Air Pollution

Air pollution is what we call the suspended particulates that become part of the atmospheric gases that we breathe.

We're not running out of oxygen. The earth has plenty of oxygen. The problem is that the concentration of carbon dioxide is increasing disproportionately and it's pretty much all our fault.

There is a natural carbon dioxide cycle that we have with all of the plants on the planet. We naturally produce carbon dioxide, and they breathe it in and convert it to oxygen.

In a natural state, this would be in perfect balance.

However, when we burn fossil fuels we pump massive amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere that can't be offset by the plants in the world.

Furthermore, the carbon dioxide is mixed with a slurry of carcinogens and toxins like methane, formaldehyde, phosphorus, styrene, and more.

Curious to see the full list? The EPA has a list of 188 air pollutants. Nobody benefits from breathing in these compounds.

Air pollution affects everything - us, plants, animals, all water on the planet, and marine fish and mammals.

Air pollution causes and effects have to be clearly understood to really grasp the solutions that we have to implement to clear the air.

Air Pollution Solutions

The biggest solution we can implement is the switch to clean alternative energy sources because fossil fuels are the biggest polluters on the planet.

However, we have to be clear that there isn't a totally clean energy solution.

Solar panels are made with coal and require toxic waste disposal when they're decommissioned.

Wind turbines have some recyclable parts but the huge fiberglass parts end up in landfills. One of the pros of wind energy is that wind turbines produce zero-cost electricity for about 10 years.

Nuclear energy pros and cons are hotly debated. It's a dependable and safe energy source that produces zero carbon emissions. However, uranium mining and disposal cause major environmental hazards.

One of the advantages of biomass electricity that it creates fewer carbons than fossil fuels. However, biomass production is resulting in deforestation.

Having said all that, we still have to choose these alternative energy sources over straight-up fossil fuel consumption.

Fossil fuels are the dirtiest sources of energy that we have and they contribute the most to the dirty air that we suffer from around the world.

Limit your time on the road. Vehicle emissions are responsible for most of the dirty air that's found in cities and communities around the world.

Turn off the lights and turn down the heat. Electricity usage is directly tied to fossil fuel consumption for powering the electrical grid in many areas.

Help plant trees. You can plant native tree species in your own town to help clean the air.

Contribute to rainforest reforestation projects that aim to help strengthen the world's clean air and biodiversity.

Choose reusable items and avoid using plastics as much as possible. Manufacturing single-use items contribute a lot to air pollution.

Reducing dependence on fossil fuels will go the farthest in clearing the air around the world.

4. Natural Resource Depletion

The world is full of natural resources. A natural resource is anything that we can use to live or make something from.

Some natural resources examples include:

The world is full of natural resources that we use to enable life as we know it. Natural resources feed us, give us electricity, wire our laptops, and keep us hydrated.

The problem is not all natural resources are renewable. Coal, natural gas, uranium, gold, and even salt are natural resources we depend on but once they're used up we have no more.

This is why we have to focus on stewarding our renewable natural resources.

Keeping our water clean

Collecting sunlight for energy

Ensuring that fisheries are not over-harvested

Keeping soil as clean as possible - avoiding the use of pesticides, herbicides, and chemical fertilizers

Managing timber stands wisely so that we aren't using more trees than we can replenish in several decades.

When we overuse our natural resources we get a short-term payoff but a long-term loss.

For example, establishing reservoirs in the southwest was a good idea 90 years ago. It allowed the development of desert areas.

However, as communities expand across arid areas under the assumption that established water sources will be reliable, the water sources are being used faster than they can naturally replenish.

Natural Resource Depletion Solutions

One of the main natural resources that we're depleting is fossil fuel. It is not only going away, but it's also ruining our planet as we use it for fuel and energy.

Switching to cleaner energy sources is a non-negotiable for solving our climate crisis, but we also have to focus on decreasing our need for energy.

Here are some good ways to decrease your own energy demand so we use fewer natural resources to produce electricity.

Use less air conditioning in the summer. Willingness to be a little warm will go a long way toward decreasing your contribution to air pollution.

Use less heat in the winter. Wear a sweater and some slippers instead of cranking up the heat.

Get up and go to bed with the sun. This is harder in the winter, but by adjusting your waking and sleeping schedule to be more in tune with the sun you'll feel better and use less electricity in the morning and at night.

Help to plant trees. Again, replenishing the world's forests help ensure that our air is healthy and that we have timber stands ready to harvest in the future.

Waste less food. This doesn't mean cleaning your plate. This means putting less on it in the first place. Food waste begins at the store and it can end there too.

Eat whole foods. Whole, natural foods don't require processing. This means that there isn't a ton of electricity and fossil fuels going into the production of what you eat. Whole foods are better for the environment and better for your body.

Refill your water bottle. The majority of single-use plastics that are wandering around in the environment are plastic water bottles. Get a sturdy reusable bottle and refill it. You can keep thousands of water bottles out of the waste stream in your lifetime.

By focusing on sustainability we can help to reduce our dependence on non-renewable resources and help to conserve the resources that we have so they last longer.

5. Waste Management

Waste management has come a long way in the last decade, but it has a long way to go in certain areas of the United States.

According to the EPA, the total waste production in the United States averages out to 4.9 pounds per person per day. This includes all sorts of trash that is binned and collected.

50% of the waste stream goes into landfills.

About 32% of the waste collected in the United States gets recycled or composted.

Nearly 12% gets burned as "biomass" to generate electricity.

Around 6% of the waste is food waste that gets treated in other ways. It might be used in animal feed, turned into fertilizer, used in the creation of biochemicals, or other methods of disposal or reuse.

It's clear that the US has made a concerted effort to deal with waste streams. The problem is that the amount of waste generated per person is growing drastically.

In 1980 each person generated about 3.66 pounds per day. In 2018 that figure had risen to 4.9 pounds per day. This is the trend that we must change.

Worldwide waste production equals about 1.63 pounds per person with the bulk of that waste being generated in highly developed countries.

Though developing countries don't tend to generate nearly as much waste per person, they don't have any safe waste disposal infrastructure which leads to the creation of massive open dumps.

All landfills emit tons of greenhouse gases - mostly methane and carbon dioxide. This is another major contributor to global warming.

While recycling efforts in the United States and elsewhere have produced great results, the recycling waste stream produces much more material than can be currently recycled - ending in waste.

Waste Management Solutions

Waste management must be solved worldwide, but the only thing we can affect is our own consumption and waste patterns.

If each of us becomes wiser consumers we can have a dramatic impact on the waste streams and the carbon emissions from them.

Waste stops at the store. We can't impact how much production waste there is unless we stop supporting it with our money. Less demand equals less production.

Choose reusables. The best purchases are things that can be used hundreds of times before they're broken or used up.

Choose recyclables. The recycling stream is quickly outpacing available recycling facilities, so this still isn't the best choice, though it's better than throwing things in the landfill.

Don't buy more food than you can eat. Some areas have food composting programs, but when food is thrown away it also releases greenhouse gases. Don't fill your garbage can with food. Reduce your waste and compost food waste if you can. That will also help increase soil health.

Lobby for recycling. There are billions of dollars being spent on United States "infrastructure." Citizens need to raise awareness of the need for more and bigger recycling centers so the United States can process its own rubbish.

Lobby for action. Certain landfills are known as "super emitters." If local authorities and national politicians will focus on cleaning up the emissions from these sites it will make a huge difference.

In the case of waste streams, part of the responsibility lies with municipal governments to handle waste more cleanly.

The other part of the responsibility lies with the citizens. We are the ones generating the waste. We can all do our part to cut down on our own waste as much as possible.

6. Urban Sprawl

Urban sprawl is the term used to describe the way that cities spread from an urban center into widening suburban neighborhoods. Dwellings go from high-density to low-density, taking up more land.

Urban sprawl is characterized by land use and natural resource consumption.

Undeveloped land that was farmland, ranchland, native plants and soil, or forest is paved over for low-density housing and new strip malls, grocery stores, and restaurant chains.

Here are key takeaways you should know about Urban Sprawl.

These sprawling areas greatly tax the water supply in the area because the new parks, city strips, lawns, and gardens have to be watered continuously to keep their nice appearance.

Urban sprawl is a major contributor to the carbon emissions from vehicles. People must commute from sprawling areas into the downtown area for work and school. This increases time on the road. In the worst cases, these vehicles idle while they're stuck in traffic.

Urban sprawl creates a need for additional garbage processing resources, greenspace planning, freshwater wells, water treatment plants, waste treatment plants, power plants, substations, and more.

Many of these things aren't bad, and urban sprawl is often the natural outflow of living in a prosperous area.

It can also be a sign that the municipal government is not keeping the urban areas clean and safe.

Regardless, it is a style of living that uses many more resources than a high-density urban lifestyle.

Some cities including the Dallas/Ft. Worth area and Los Angeles are experiencing increasing urban density as more residents refurbish downtown areas to make them desirable neighborhoods.

Urban Sprawl Solutions

Keep residents safe. When people and businesses don't feel safe in an area they move. Most of the time they choose to move into a suburban or rural area that feels safer. When cities put the safety of residents first they enjoy the prosperity that a thriving urban core brings.

Focus on key infrastructure. Garbage services, stormwater runoff, sewage treatment, and traffic controls make a big difference in the quality of life in urban areas. When the urban areas feel dirty and congested people move out of the city.

Encourage community spirit. Cities that find ways to involve citizens in city life enjoy a much higher sense of community pride. This benefits everyone because people who take pride in their community work harder to keep it clean and safe.

Keep taxes fair. Many people choose to live outside of municipal boundaries because property taxes are much lower in unincorporated areas. Cities that cut fiscal waste can also keep property taxes lower while providing excellent city services.

There aren't any surefire solutions to urban sprawl. The fact is that people move away from urban areas for many reasons - not all of which can be solved.

Here are a few things that local governments can do to encourage people to adopt a high-density housing lifestyle in urban areas.

Over time cities can turn urban life into a desirable living situation for many, diminishing the exodus to outlying areas and helping to curb the rapidity of urban sprawl.

7. Energy Consumption

Our overall high energy consumption is the main contributor to climate change because 61% of the electricity generated in the United States is from burning fossil fuels.

So, on top of burning fossil fuels to commute from sprawling communities, we are also burning fossil fuels to charge our EV cars, keep the air conditioners running, and keep the lights on.

There is no denying the negative impact that our high energy consumption has on the planet, but we also rely on it for our highly technological way of life.

For example, let's take a look at data centers. The world relies on data centers.

They serve all of your cloud storage, social media content, online shopping, virtual worlds, game streaming, on-demand entertainment, and remote workflows.

Right now, data centers alone consume about 2% of all the energy generated in the United States, and that number is growing as data centers pop up everywhere to handle cloud storage needs.

We can't just stop feeding data centers because we rely on them for work, data storage, and socialization. Younger generations are more dependent on data center capacity and speed than ever before.

That's just one example of an energy consumer that we can't just shut down to save the planet. So we have to look at home to decrease energy consumption.

Shut off the lights and opt for sunshine. Even small amounts of wattage saved add up to big savings for the planet.

Keep appliances clean. Did you know that vacuuming your refrigerator condenser will help it to run less often and cool more efficiently? Keep the dryer clean too so it can dry clothing faster and use less energy.

Accept a little discomfort. Instead of running the heat and air conditioning to keep yourself at the ideal temperature, let it fluctuate up and down to save energy.

Reduce energy use during peak hours. 7am to 10pm are peak energy hours for most of the country during most of the year. It's hard to cut down on energy usage during waking hours, but if you can you'll save a lot of energy and cut down on your bill too.

Invest in solar panels. Even a couple of solar panels can really help offset your energy usage. Many utility companies around the United States are taking advantage of government incentives and may be able to install your solar system for free!

Buy into renewable energy. Many energy companies offer programs where subscribers can buy into renewable energy projects. The electricity from renewables costs a bit more, but by buying in you allow your energy provider to buy into renewable and burn fewer fossil fuels.

Energy Consumption Solutions

As with most solutions to our global environmental crisis, the answer begins at home.

There are dozens of ways we can all think of to save a little energy here and there. From riding a bike to eating fresh foods we can help decrease the amount of energy it takes to power our lives.

8. Environmental Degradation

Environmental degradation occurs when human activities change the environment for the worse.

Environmental Degradation Definition

Environmental degradation is the destruction or deterioration of the quality of natural resources and habitats including soil, water, air, and wildlife.

Degradation primarily happens through pollution, over-harvesting, and erosion.

Here are some examples of environmental degradation.

Environmental degradation is inevitable because we have to use the land for food production, energy production, and dwellings, but we can do a lot to help preserve the quality of the land.

Replant native trees and plants. Much environmental degradation occurs because native plants are stripped away for development. Replanting exposed soil helps to replenish minerals, nitrogen, habitats, and stop erosion.

Curb energy consumption. Again we come back to energy use. The majority of the air pollution in the United States is caused by energy consumption and transportation.

Plan travel wisely. Instead of making lots of small trips, try to consolidate trips in the car to cut down on air pollution.

Invest in alternative energy. Alternative energy sources also cause soil degradation because of the raw materials that have to be mined to make them and soil disruption from placement. However, it is much less pollutive to the air than fossil fuels.

Eat whole foods. Responsible farming and ranching helps to replenish soils through crop rotation and the use of nitrogen-fixing cover crops. However, America's insatiable appetite for snack foods creates a high demand for irresponsibly grown crops. Eating whole foods is much better for the earth.

Invest in urban revitalization. If you're a renter it can be hard to find an urban dwelling. However, if you're an invester, consider revitalizing downtown industrial areas for housing instead of developing low-density suburban housing.

Environmental Degradation Solutions

There are a number of thing we can do to help reduce the amount of environmental degradation that happens as a result of our own needs and wants.

Humans aren't responsible for all types of environmental degradation, but we contribute a lot to it. We can also help clean up our habits and use fewer resources that result in habitat destruction.

9. Deforestation

Deforestation happens when trees are stripped away or burned away. It can be human-caused or the result of a natural disaster.

Sometimes humans and nature work together to create deforestation. Examples include when a hydroelectric dam bursts due to catastrophic rainfall, or a volcano like Mt. Saint Helens flattens a forest.

Human-caused deforestation is two-fold. Sometimes managed forests owned by timber companies are stripped and then replanted. This happens for lumber and to create biomass for power plants.

While habitat loss and environmental degradation are heartbreaking, the trees will regrow within a few decades. However, the animals and birds must shift from place to place to survive.

On the other hand, forest fires caused by human activity will deforest an area that may not ever recover. Habitat loss is sometimes permanent.

Deforestation Solutions

The most obvious solution to deforestation is to replant trees in areas that are logged or burned for any reason. Replanting with native species is a must.

The second solution to deforestation is to decrease the demand for paper products and lumber. Choose things that are reusable as much as possible.

The alternative to lumber is steel which creates a different problem because it requires mining and uses non-renewable resources.

However, steel can be recycled forever. One of the benefits of recycling steel is that the recycled steel is just as strong and pure as virgin steel.

So while the recycled steel industry can't keep up with the need for new steel, as more steel is recycled for construction purposes we should see it gradually relieve some of the need for lumber.

10. Recycling Inefficiencies

The final huge environmental problem that we must solve domestically is our recycling inefficiencies.

Most Americans don't realize that our recycling system is strained and largely broken because we don't recycle our trash at home.

The story of US recycling is a long one that's full of problems, even from the beginning. China used to handle the bulk of our recycling, but it is so polluted that they banned it in 2018.

Now America's recycling waste is shipped to developing countries like Cambodia, Bangladesh, and Ethiopia where it is piled waiting to be sorted and recycled into usable materials.

People are putting contaminated items into recycling bins. Dirty recyclables can cause an entire load of recyclables - several tons - to be dumped in a landfill.

People include non-recyclables in recycling bins. This wishful recycling is a major cause for discarding entire loads of recyclables. It's too expensive to go through and sort it all back out, so it all gets put in the dump.

The United States isn't processing recyclables. The United States doesn't have a federal recycling program and has been dependent on other countries to handle our waste. Now they don't want it, so we're stuck with it. We have to implement a recycling program and do it ourselves to succeed.

Recycling is expensive. Cities used to sell their recycling as a type of raw material and make money from it. Now that global market has dried up and cities are having to pay to get rid of recyclables. That means tons of it are going into the landfill instead of being recycled.

There are too many types of plastic. Plastic is a particular problem because there are so many types and not all are recyclable. Even though there is a number and a recycling symbol on the bottom doesn't mean it's accepted for recycling.

The problem is that anywhere from 20 to 70% of our recyclables end up in a landfill overseas or are burned. This is an outrage that has sparked a lot of discussions but it needs to be addressed at home.

Here are the reasons our recycling is not being recycled.

All of this is discouraging because those of us who recycle carefully realize that in spite of us our clean, sorted recyclables might still be ending in a landfill.

Education. Educate the public about what's happening to recyclables and why. When people understand why they can't throw grocery bags or plastic wrap in with clean water bottles they'll stop doing it.

Federal Investment. The federal government needs to invest in recycling centers that can turn US recyclable waste into clean, usable materials. It's an expensive solution but the only one that can turn the situation around long-term.

Business Investment. One of the major recycling benefits is that businesses can create packaging and goods with recycled materials. This will help to create a circular market for recyclables in the US economy.

Reduction. The US must turn away from consumerism and focus on sustainability. As long as we buy into the consumerist culture of getting as much as possible, the waste problem will continue to grow.

Recycling Solutions

The keys to our recycling disaster are expensive, and we have to play the long game to win.

We can help at home by ensuring that our recyclables are clean and generating less of a need for recycling by decreasing our dependence on single-use items.

It would also be helpful to limit plastic production to only types that are safe to use and can be recycled.

The benefits of recycling clothes and textiles can't be overstated. Engaging in this circular economy saves money, eliminates fabric waste, and turns fabric into a renewable resource!

Causes of Environmental Problems

The causes of environmental problems usually come back to excess consumption. As the human population expands we are also collectively demanding more resources per person.

Humans want to use more energy, more precious metals, more water, more food, and more luxurious items like fashionable clothing and multiple vehicles.

All of these demands can be met, but only by expending more of the earth's natural resources. Metals and fossil fuels are non-renewable so as demand increases the price goes up and the supply goes down.

The key to so many of our major environmental problems is to decrease personal consumption.

Why are environmental problems common in developing countries?

Good question and the answer comes back to excess consumption. Many developing countries receive our excess clothing, recyclables, and used goods.

They develop a market around these used goods, but there is simply too much. It ends up in massive waste piles because many of the goods we discard are low-quality and non-recyclable.

Developing countries lack the infrastructure to deal with polluted water, overflowing landfills, and piles of unused recyclables so they stay in the environment creating health and environmental hazards.

One example is electronics recycling. While we all want to reap the benefits of recycling electronics, when they're sent overseas for recycling the results are dangerous.

"Informal" recyclers are exposed to extremely high levels of neurotoxins and carcinogens as they break down e-waste by hand to recover gold, silver, copper, and other precious metals.

Instead of exposing the poor to these hazardous materials we should be doing the recycling at home and helping to develop a clean recycling industry abroad.

Final Thoughts

We've discussed 10 global environmental problems, and most of them center around the demands of the economically developed world.

The problems we face on planet earth can seem overwhelming, but they aren't. We can solve them beginning with our own buying and consumption habits.

We can become involved in clean-up efforts in our own communities. We can lobby for domestic recycling plants.

We can help educate our own community members about why recycling is important and why it's vital to do it right.

What do you think about these environmental problems and solutions? Do you have more ideas for how we can help to solve these environmental problems? Let us know in the comments below!

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10 Environmental Problems and Solutions in 2023

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Here are the top 10 ENVIRONMENTAL problems and solutions that we must take action on TODAY. Get the list and see how you can help!

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Thursday's U.S. Drought Monitor report shows all categories of drought have expanded in the state, putting conditions at their worst so far this year with little in the way of significant precipitation in the forecast.

'Exceptional' drought conditions surface

The latest U.S. Drought Monitor report for Minnesota is the worst yet this year. For the first time, we now have "exceptional" drought in portions of Aitkin and Carlton counties in the northeast as well as in Freeborn and Mower counties in the southeast.

The past two extreme and rare late season heat waves have really taken a toll on the drought situation. You can see the last four drought monitor reports become progressively worse.

It is worth noting that this latest drought monitor does not include the rainfall some areas saw late Tuesday. The areas of rainfall and exceptional drought do not overlap fully, however.

Since June 1, rainfall deficits across the state since range from as little as 1.72 inches below normal in the Fargo-Moorhead area to as high as 9.32 inches in Rochester.

The rainfall deficit in the Twin Cities stands at 7.79 inches below normal. We would have to receive more than double our normal fall rainfall in order to make up that deficit.

Minor rain chances, warmer temps ahead

Unfortunately, there are no widespread soaking rains in the forecast. We do have a chance of some spotty showers and thunderstorms late Saturday into Sunday and early Monday but it's unlikely to amount to a lot.

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Minnesota drought widens; report shows worst conditions this year

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Thursday's U.S. Drought Monitor report shows all categories of drought have expanded in the state, putting conditions at their worst so far this year with little in the way of significant precipitation in the forecast.

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Amount of water used in showering or bathing

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You may think that baths are more eco-friendly because water doesn't run the entire time. But have you ever thought about how much water it takes to fill a bathtub?

Generally, taking a shower uses less water than a full bath. A standard showerhead flows at a rate of 2.5 gallons per minute. This means that a ten-minute shower only uses 25 gallons of water. A full bath can use up to 50 gallons of water. Using these numbers, a shower will use less water in most cases.

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Which uses more water-a shower or a bath?

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Gusty offshore winds amid low relative humidity will continue today into tomorrow across southern California, with dry and breezy conditions also continuing across portions of the Desert Southwest into the weekend. Portions of the Mid-South, southern Appalachians, and Carolinas will have critically low relative humidity today. However, as an upper low approaches and a surface low develops in the Gulf of Mexico and tracks northeast along the Southeast Coast, rain is expected across much of the Southeast and up the East Coast this weekend through Monday. Snow is likely in portions of the Great Lakes tonight and the Northeast and eastern Great Lakes Monday into Tuesday, with dry and breezy post-frontal conditions likely in the Mississippi Valley and portions of the Southeast early to mid-next week. Post-frontal dry and windy conditions are likely today across Hawaii before trade winds return to more typical speeds and moisture gradually increases over the weekend into early next week. Stronger trade winds and drier conditions on leeward locations may return next week. Precipitation will return to the West Coast on Sunday and Monday and continue through mid-next week, with some precipitation spreading inland to the Intermountain West. The heaviest precipitation will be in the central and northern California Coast Ranges and Sierra, including heavy snow in the Sierra above 7,000-8,000 feet.

Number of new large fires or emergency response

* New fires are identified with an asterisk

0

States currently reporting large fires:

Number of active large fires
Total does not include individual fires within complexes.

0

Acres from active fires

0

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Gusty offshore winds amid low relative humidity will continue today into tomorrow across southern California, with dry and breezy conditions also continuing across portions of the Desert Southwest into the weekend. Portions of the Mid-South, southern Appalachians, and Carolinas will have critically low relative humidity today.

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Hydroelectric energy, also called hydroelectric power or hydroelectricity, is a form of energy that harnesses the power of water in motion-such as water flowing over a waterfall-to generate electricity. People have used this force for millennia. Over 2,000 years ago, people in Greece used flowing water to turn the wheel of their mill to ground wheat into flour.
How Does Hydroelectric Energy Work?
Most hydroelectric power plants have a reservoir of water, a gate or valve to control how much water flows out of the reservoir, and an outlet or place where the water ends up after flowing downward. Water gains potential energy just before it spills over the top of a dam or flows down a hill. The potential energy is converted into kinetic energy as water flows downhill. The water can be used to turn the blades of a turbine to generate electricity, which is distributed to the power plant's customers.
Types of Hydroelectric Energy Plants
There are three different types of hydroelectric energy plants, the most common being an impoundment facility. In an impoundment facility, a dam is used to control the flow of water stored in a pool or reservoir. When more energy is needed, water is released from the dam. Once water is released, gravity takes over and the water flows downward through a turbine. As the blades of the turbine spin, they power a generator.

Another type of hydroelectric energy plant is a diversion facility. This type of plant is unique because it does not use a dam. Instead, it uses a series of canals to channel flowing river water toward the generator-powering turbines.

The third type of plant is called a pumped-storage facility. This plant collects the energy produced from solar, wind, and nuclear power and stores it for future use. The plant stores energy by pumping water uphill from a pool at a lower elevation to a reservoir located at a higher elevation. When there is high demand for electricity, water located in the higher pool is released. As this water flows back down to the lower reservoir, it turns a turbine to generate more electricity.
How Widely Is Hydroelectric Energy Used Around the World?
Hydroelectric energy is the most commonly-used renewable source of electricity. China is the largest producer of hydroelectricity. Other top producers of hydropower around the world include the United States, Brazil, Canada, India, and Russia. Approximately 71 percent of all of the renewable electricity generated on Earth is from hydropower.
What Is the Largest Hydroelectric Power Plant in the World?
The Three Gorges Dam in China, which holds back the Yangtze River, is the largest hydroelectric dam in the world, in terms of electricity production. The dam is 2,335 meters (7,660 feet) long and 185 meters (607 feet) tall, and has enough generators to produce 22,500 megawatts of power.

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Hydroelectric energy is a form of renewable energy that uses the power of moving water to generate electricity.

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Colorado’s drought is back after only a short reprieve

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Colorado’s reprieve from drought lasted two whole weeks as warm temperatures and little precipitation have put the southwest corner of the state back to dry conditions.

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© Ecology Resources 2023. Registered in England: 10206574. Registered Address: Unit 11 Holts Court, Harlow, Essex CM17 0NS

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Local Futures is a pioneer of the worldwide localization movement.

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Local Futures works to renew ecological, social and spiritual well-being by promoting a systemic shift towards economic localization.

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Read the report

"Forgotten giant" of low-carbon electricity needs a sweeping policy and investment push to put it in line with net zero goals and to support a faster expansion of solar and wind, IEA special report shows.

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Hydropower has a crucial role in accelerating clean energy transitions to achieve countries' climate ambitions securely - News - IEA

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Hydropower has a crucial role in accelerating clean energy transitions to achieve countries' climate ambitions securely - News from the International Energy Agency

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Mulch and microirrigation help to reduce watering. DWR/2014.

Water is a precious and limited resource, especially in drought-prone California where the next dry period could be right around the corner. As a result, water conservation and the efficient use of California's water supply are major priorities for the State.

In coordination with the Association of California Water Agencies, we organized the Save Our Water program to help Californians learn ways to save water at home to reduce the effects of drought. Even the simplest changes to daily routines can have a significant impact. By making conservation a way of life in California, we save water, minimize water waste, rebuild our underground aquifers, prepare for the uncertainties of climate change, and minimize the harmful effects of drought.

We encourage all Californians to embrace wise water use as a daily habit, whether we are experiencing a year of heavy or meager rain. Start by following the water conservation tips below, and visit Save Our Water and your local water agency for more tips, tools, and incentives - including rebates. You can also view photos of our past California State Fair water-wise garden exhibits for ideas on how to create your own low-water use landscape.

Indoor Conservation Tips

Fix leaks, including leaky toilets

Install high-efficiency toilets, aerators on bathroom faucets, and water-efficient shower heads

Take shorter (5 minute) showers

Track your water bill and meter to curtail water use

Turn off water when brushing teeth or shaving

Use dishwashers and washing machines with full loads only

Outdoor Conservation Tips

Plant drought-tolerant/resistant plants and trees

Recycle indoor water to use on plants

Refrain from watering your home landscape when it rains

Replace your grass/turf with water-wise plants

Use a broom to clean driveways, patios, and sidewalks instead of water from a hose

Water your outdoor landscape earlier in the day when temperatures are cooler

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Water is a precious and limited resource, especially in drought-prone California where the next dry period could be right around the corner. As a result, water conservation and the efficient use of California's water supply are major priorities for the State.

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What Is Ecology? – The Ecological Society of America

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Ecology is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment; it seeks to understand the vital connections between plants and animals and the world around them. Ecology also provides information about the benefits of ecosystems and how we can use Earth’s resources in ways that leave the environment healthy for future generations.

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What is Hydropower?

Hydropower, or hydroelectric power, is one of the oldest and largest sources of renewable energy, which uses the natural flow of moving water to generate electricity. Hydropower currently accounts for 28.7% of total U.S. renewable electricity generation and about 6.2% of total U.S. electricity generation.

While most people might associate the energy source with the Hoover Dam-a huge facility harnessing the power of an entire river behind its wall- hydropower facilities come in all sizes. Some may be very large, but they can be tiny, too, taking advantage of water flows in municipal water facilities or irrigation ditches. They can even be "damless," with diversions or run-of-river facilities that channel part of a stream through a powerhouse before the water rejoins the main river. Whatever the method, hydropower is much easier to obtain and more widely used than most people realize. In fact, all but two states (Delaware and Mississippi) use hydropower for electricity, some more than others. For example, in 2020 about 66% of the state of Washington's electricity came from hydropower.

In a study led by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory on hydropower flexibility, preliminary analysis found that the firm capacity associated with U.S. hydropower's flexibility is estimated to be over 24 GW. To replace this capability with storage would require the buildout of 24 GW of 10-hour storage-more than all the existing storage in the United States today. Additionally, in terms of integrating wind and solar, the flexibility presented in existing U.S. hydropower facilities could help bring up to 137 gigawatts of new wind and solar online by 2035.

How Does Hydropower Work?

Hydropower technologies generate power by using the elevation difference, created by a dam or diversion structure, of water flowing in on one side and out, far below, on the other. The Department of Energy's "Hydropower 101" video explains how hydropower works and highlights some of the research and development efforts of the Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO) in this area.

What is the cost of Hydropower?

Hydropower is an affordable source of electricity that costs less than most. Since hydropower relies only on the energy from moving water, states that get the majority of their electricity from hydropower, like Idaho, Washington, and Oregon, have lower energy bills than the rest of the country.

Compared to other electricity sources, hydropower also has relatively low costs throughout the duration of a full project lifetime in terms of maintenance, operations, and fuel. Like any major energy source, significant upfront costs are unavoidable, but hydropower's longer lifespan spreads these costs out over time. Additionally, the equipment used at hydropower facilities often operates for longer periods of time without needing replacements or repairs, saving money in the long term.

The installation costs for large hydropower facilities consist mostly of civil construction works (such as the building of the dams, tunnels, and other necessary infrastructure) and electromechanical equipment costs (electricity-generating machinery). Since hydropower is a site-specific technology, these costs can be minimized at the planning stage through proper selection of location and design.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF HYDROPOWER?

The benefits of hydropower have been recognized and harnessed for thousands of years. In addition to being a clean and cost-effective form of energy, hydropower plants can provide power to the grid immediately, serving as a flexible and reliable form of backup power during major electricity outages or disruptions. Hydropower also produces a number of benefits outside of electricity generation, such as flood control, irrigation support, and water supply.

WHAT IS THE HISTORY OF HYDROPOWER?

The history of hydropower dates back thousands of years. For example, the Greeks used water wheels to grind wheat into flour more than 2,000 years ago. The evolution of the modern hydropower turbine began in the mid-1700s when a French hydraulic and military engineer, Bernard Forest de Bélidor, wrote Architecture Hydraulique. Many key developments in hydropower technology occurred during the first half of the 19th century, and more recently, the past century has seen a number of hydroelectric advancements that have helped hydropower become an integral part of the renewable energy mix in the United States.

To learn how to join the hydropower industry and more about science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce development opportunities, visit the Hydropower STEM Portal.

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Hydropower, or hydroelectric power, is one of the oldest and largest sources of renewable energy, which uses the natural flow of moving water to generate electricity.

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Examine ecology as a major branch of biological science that involves the scientific study of the relationships among organisms and their environment. Ecologists distinguish between two parts of the environment as a whole: the living or biotic part and the nonliving or abiotic part. The biotic part of the environment includes all organisms, such as animals, plants, bacteria, and fungi. The abiotic part includes all physical features like temperature, humidity, availability of light, as well as chemical components, such as the concentrations of salts, nutrients, and gases. Ecology studies the interactions between and among the biotic and abiotic environments.

Because the discipline of ecology involves all living things and the environments in which they live, it is a broad field that is often narrowed into sub-disciplines, including organismal ecology (study of the structure, function, and evolution of organisms), evolutionary ecology (the study of adaptations that allow organisms to live in specific habitats), population ecology (study of a particular group of organisms living in the same area at the same time), community ecology (study of all the populations living in a given area), and ecosystem ecology (study of all the organisms in an area as well as the community and the abiotic factors that influence that community).

Ecology takes an interdisciplinary approach to examining life on earth and the systems in which all life exists. This approach utilizes many different fields of study, including geology, soil science, geography, meteorology, genetics, chemistry, physics, biology, and many others. The application of ecology is as limitless as the organisms and environments it studies. For example, ecology is often applied to conservation efforts to responsibly manage natural resources, studies to demonstrate the effects of human behavior on the environment, and even urban planning.

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Ecology Databases, Journals, & Resources | Gale

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Gale provides useful resources for topics related to ecology. Explore databases, journals, primary sources, & other publications.