In a new report, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said 2023 had the highest average global surface temperature on record: The 20th century average was 13.9°C (57.0°F), and the 2023 average was 1.18°C (2.12°F) above that average. Other highlights of NOAA’s annual Global Climate Report for 2023: 2023 was considered the warmest year since 1850 globally for the land and oceans with a few exceptions—land in the southern hemisphere ranked second, Arctic land and ocean ranked fourth, and Antarctic land and ocean ranked 40th. By region, 2023 was the warmest for North America (since 1850), South America (since 1910), Africa (since 1910), and second warmest (since 1910) for Europe and Asia. It was less warm in Oceania and Antarctica, being the 10th highest and 40th highest, respectively. Heavy rains brought flooding to Chile, Ghana, Pakistan, and India. As a result, 20,000 people were affected in Chile, nearly 26,000 people were evacuated in Ghana, and over 100,000 people were evacuated in Pakistan and India. Globally, there were 78 storms. These included 45 major storms, such as a cyclone in the Brazilian states of Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina, Cyclone Mocha in Myanmar, and Cyclone Ilsa in western Australia. California experienced 32 trillion gallons of rain and snow in January 2023 due to nine back-to-back atmospheric rivers. Global ocean heat content (OHC) for 0 to 700 meters (2,296 ft) was warmest for the entire basin of the Atlantic, Indian, and “World,” with the Pacific being second warmest since 1955. Global OHC has been on a rising trend since about 1970. The annual global OHC for 2023 for the upper 2,000 meters (1.2 miles) was a record high, beating the previous record in 2021. Sources: https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/monthly-report/global/202313

GDP Projected to Slow in Developed Countries, Grow in Developing Countries The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs released its flagship annual economic report, World Economic Situation and Prospects 2024, on January 3. The report offers a somber economic outlook for the near term, citing high interest rates, instability and conflict, sluggish international trade, and increasing climate disasters. Global GDP growth is projected to slip from 2.7% in 2023 to 2.4% in 2024. The US is projected to see the largest percentage decrease, from 2.5% in 2023 to 1.4% in 2024. Western Asia has the largest projected increase, from 1.7% in 2023 to 2.9% in 2024. Global headline (total) inflation is expected to decline to 3.9% in 2024, a welcome change from the 8.1% inflation seen in 2022. However, food prices remain high: In 2023, acute food insecurity rose to an estimated 238 million people, an increase by 21.6 million people from 2022. Real gross fixed capital formation is expected to remain lackluster. It rose by around 1.9% in 2023, but this was far below the average 4.0% growth rate seen 2011–2019. Global trade decreased to 0.6%, significantly below 5.7% in 2022, but it is expected to recover to 2.4% in 2024. Services in tourism and transport continued to rebound, while exports from developing countries suffered setbacks. World energy investment is estimated to have increased by 7% to $2.8 trillion in 2023, while the share of clean energy in total energy investment increased from 60% in 2020 to 62% in 2022. Meanwhile, investment in fossil fuels surpassed pre-pandemic levels in 2022 and 2023. Source: https://desapublications.un.org/

By Robert R. Selle* Planet Earth is marvelously constructed of biological, geological, climatological, hydrological, and oceanic elements. Today, however, anthropological, or human, intervention is threatening to irreversibly sicken the delicately balanced terrestrial system. To mitigate this threat, many Earth watchers believe that a global monitoring network is needed to assess the condition of the “Earth-body,” much as a human being in a hospital is hooked up to an array of digital monitoring devices. Today, there is no such Earth-wide digital monitoring system to help “patient planet” get better. But efforts are now underway by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Coalition for Digital Environmental Sustainability (CODES), the latter having been co-founded in 2021 by UNEP and a variety of international environmental organizations. Enter artificial intelligence (AI), which can be defined as computer systems or algorithms that can imitate the human ability to analyze data and make inferences and decisions. AI is fed by digitized data. All interactions in the world—whether related to business, government, science, sports, entertainment, or personal (social media)—are becoming ever more digitalized. This means that—once all environment-related data can be collected and funneled through AI-based analytics—a system can be created to monitor all of Earth’s vital signs—at once and in real time. Once all environment-related data can be collected and funneled through AI-based analytics—a system can be created to monitor all of Earth’s vital signs—at once and in real time. Despite the concerns about the increasing energy consumption of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and AI infrastructures as well as the potential for in-built biases of data flows, “[t]here’s a lot of opportunities out there,” says David Jensen, coordinator of the Digital Transformation subprogram at UNEP, “but harnessing [them] will require unprecedented collaboration between public sector, private sector, civil society, and [subject matter experts]—everybody is going to have to collaborate to come together.” Jensen is also UNEP’s point man at CODES and one of the two chief authors of the CODES Action Plan for a Sustainable Planet in the Digital Age. World Environment Situation Room CODES and its associated UNEP program, the World Environment Situation Room (WESR), envision the vast array of platforms, apps, and algorithms in the world’s sprawling digital economy adopting a built-in orientation toward environmental-health sustainability. WESR, launched in 2022, is much like the White House Situation Room, where senior White House officials gather in emergencies to analyze complex unfolding threats and decide how to address them. By contrast, WESR uses AI’s capabilities to crunch multifaceted climate datasets. The agency’s goal, through collecting and analyzing data from the leading Earth observation platforms, is to create a picture of Earth’s health in real time—from atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) to glacier mass, deforestation, and sea-level rise. WESR’s goal is, through collecting and analyzing data from the leading Earth observation platforms, to create a picture of Earth’s health in real time. “WESR is being developed to become a user-friendly, demand-driven platform that leverages data into government offices, classrooms, mayor’s offices, and boardrooms,” Jensen says in an article on the UNEP website. “It provides credible, trustworthy, and independent data to inform decisions and drive transparency. Over time, the goal is for WESR to become like a mission control center for Planet Earth, where all our vital environmental indicators can be seamlessly monitored to drive actions.” Jensen, pointing to what he calls the “five hard problems” of climate action, is confident that solutions can be found through sustainability-driven digital transformation. Monitoring at the Global Level The first of these problems is monitoring and modeling environmental systems and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions at the global level. For example, to hold themselves accountable to the goals of the Paris Agreement, countries decided to create a global stocktaking process, which “is a two-year process that happens every five years.” However, to properly guide global environmental action, this really should be done annually or, better yet quarterly—a monumental task that can be handled by AI. Some examples of progress in this direction are Climate Trace and IQAir. Climate Trace is a digital analytics tool that is plugged into a global network of satellites and sensors. It tracks daily CO2 emissions. IQAir is a Swiss company that, together with UNEP, has built an international web of 80,000 air-quality sensors. The firm’s public dashboards, accessible online, can warn citizens about air pollution threats. Achieving Full Supply Chain Transparency The second hard problem, also a task for AI, is achieving full supply chain transparency, from procuring materials to manufacturing, advertising, and disposal or reuse. Moreover, there should be disclosure of every step’s impact on the environment, whether a benefit or a detriment. One company that is moving strongly in this direction is the German multinational software firm SAP SE. They have created what is known as enterprise resource planning software that now is part of 87% of all world commerce. SAP is poised to develop this sort of worldwide supply chain transparency, disclosing the details to the public, perhaps through a QR code for each product or service. “[AI] can help calculate the [environmental] footprint of products across their full life cycles and supply chains,” Jensen says, “and enable businesses and consumers to make the most informed and effective decisions. … This kind of data is essential for sustainable digital nudging on e-commerce platforms, such as Amazon.com, Shopify, or Alibaba.” “The use of information and communications technology, which is what feeds AI, can lead to 20% less production of CO2 from the transportation, manufacturing, agriculture, housing, and energy sectors.” The third hard problem is all about automating and optimizing sustainability decisions. According to Global e-Sustainability Initiative’s SMARTer2030 report from 2015 , the use of information and communications technology, which is what feeds AI, can lead to 20% less production of CO2 from the transportation, manufacturing, agriculture, housing, and energy sectors. The development of “smart cities” is a notable example, where homes, vehicles, factories, farms, and the grid are digitally connected to use energy in the most efficient way. Developing Environmental Governance The fourth conundrum is how to develop environmental governance processes driven by citizen participation. An example in this direction is the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), which has mobilized more than 1 million people to observe fauna and flora around the globe and provide notes to GBIF on various species’ occurrence. AI analyzes and keeps track of all the input. This type of environmental crowdsourcing could be harnessed to get otherwise hard-to-obtain large amounts of information on many other ecological variables. Eco-conscious Consumption The fifth problem is enabling consumers to select green products and lifestyles. Amazon, for example, now stamps various products with seals of approval in 34 different climate-friendly categories, giving eco-conscious shoppers a guide to desirable purchases. And Alipay, the huge Chinese payment platform, with 1.3 billion connected consumers, is using incentives and gamification to encourage participation in reducing CO2-producing behaviors. After all is said and done, Jensen exudes optimism that these five mammoth hurdles can be overcome through the use of digital innovations to accelerate worldwide sustainable development. *Robert R. Selle is a freelance writer with a background in biochemistry and ecology who lives in Bowie, Maryland.

By Robin Whitlock* While advances have been made in plastics recycling technologies, it still faces many challenges. Plastic waste is now ubiquitous in our natural environment, and currently about 400 million tons of plastic waste is produced every year. An astounding 91% of plastics produced from 1950 to 2015 were not recycled, according to a 2017 study. Instead, 12% of these plastics were incinerated, while the bulk—79%—were sent to landfills or left in the environment, where it can take decades to millennia to degrade. Also, only clean plastics (such as those without food residues) can be recycled, and the recycling process itself is energy intensive and costly. This means that, for a manufacturer, it is often more economical to buy new, cheaper plastic than it is to use recycled plastic. Meanwhile, the global plastic market is expected to grow significantly at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4% to 5% to 2030. This means the value of the global plastics market, which was $712 billion in 2023, could grow to more than $1.050 trillion by 2033, according to statistica.com. Given the insatiable demand for plastic, there is keen interest in new recycling technologies. The Earth & I talked to Novoloop CEO Miranda Wang to discuss the Menlo Park, California-based company’s innovative approach to plastic waste “upcycling” and its potential impacts on the recycling industry once it is established at scale. Thermoplastics versus Thermosetting Plastics To understand upcycling, a brief review of the plastics landscape is in order. There are seven different types of plastics [see The Earth & I August 2023 article, "Keeping Plastics Out of Landfills and Public Spaces"], each with varying physical and chemical properties. Plastics are advantageous from an industrial perspective, given their low production costs, light weight, high chemical stability, durability, high impact resistance, and good electrical insulation. Their versatility makes them ubiquitous in the production of a wide variety of manufactured goods and packaging. Most plastics produced—around 75%—are thermoplastics, known for their malleability at high temperatures and stability once cooled. Thermoplastics include polyethylene and polystyrene (PS) in the form of single-use plastics, as well as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polycarbonate (PC). In theory, thermoplastics can be melted and remolded continuously to produce recycled plastic material. Most plastics produced—around 75%—are thermoplastics, known for their malleability at high temperatures and stability once cooled; these include polyethylene and polystyrene (PS) in the form of single-use plastics, as well as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polycarbonate (PC). In reality, however, thermoplastic pollution is proving to be a major environmental problem, particularly the prevalence of microplastics in the water cycle (as in the microplastic cycle). The incineration of thermoplastics can generate energy, although at the cost of greenhouse gas emissions and toxic substances in open field situations. The remaining 25% of plastics are thermosetting plastics (thermosets), which generally cannot be recycled given how they typically burn when heated. Examples of thermosets include polyester, epoxy, and phenolic, and, given their durability and heat resistance, thermosets are found in cars and electrical appliances. There is also research underway to produce recyclable thermosets, such as through additives or photopolymerization. Thermosets are not thrown away as often into the environment as thermoplastics given their enhanced durability. Types of Plastic Recycling Currently, the recycling industry mostly considers mechanical recycling to be the foremost approach to recycling plastic waste. Mechanical recycling is used to recycle thermoplastics, such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE). This involves collection, washing, first and second sorting, shredding, and extrusion (reforming into plastic pellets). These pellets are then used to manufacture new products. Challenges in mechanical recycling include polymer scission, lack of sorting methods at scale, and inconsistent product quality, although it can be the most effective in terms of time, economic cost, and environmental impact. Chemical recycling … utilizes a number of technologies in which the chemical structure of the plastic is altered, including pyrolysis, gasification, hydro-cracking, and depolymerization, such as for PET, nylon (PA), polyurethane (PU), and polypropylene (PP). Chemical recycling is becoming more popular given its scalability of operations. This approach utilizes a number of technologies in which the chemical structure of the plastic is altered, including pyrolysis, gasification, hydro-cracking, and depolymerization, such as for PET, nylon (PA), polyurethane (PU), and polypropylene (PP). Dissolution of plastics in solvents (solvolysis) is also included in depolymerization, such as through hydrolysis, glycolysis (ethylene glycol), acidolysis (acids), and alcoholysis (methanol). Challenges in chemical recycling include potential toxic and hazardous byproducts being released into the environment. Finally, organic recycling (or biological recycling) utilizes microbiological treatment, either in an aerobic environment (a composting process) or an anaerobic environment (utilizing biogasification). Challenges in biological recycling include high start-up costs, limited applications of enzymes, and potential risks of using enzymes. Plastic Upcycling and Novoloop Given the limitations of recycling alone, research is underway on upcycling (the conversion of “by-products or waste products into valuable and new materials”) to convert post-consumer plastic waste into valuable products—such as footwear, automotive materials, and sporting goods. In a review of chemical upcycling methods, there have been numerous examples of using metal catalysts for depolymerization under high pressure conditions. Meanwhile, Wang has indicated that the company has been working on upcycling polyethylene over the past eight years and is now nearing completion of the planning phase for its first industrial facility. A proprietary four-step process called accelerated thermal-oxidated decomposition (ATOD) is used to produce materials for shoes and bonding products from polyethylene. E&I: What is Novoloop’s innovation in upcycling plastic waste? Miranda Wang: “Novoloop is the original developer of a novel chemical technology to transform hard-to-recycle plastic waste into performance materials. We oxidize polyethylene into chemical building blocks; then we harvest, purify, and build back up into a platform of materials that are indistinguishable from normal plastics made from fossil fuels. The formation of monomers is achieved through the addition of oxygen, which means that the mass of monomers produced can exceed the mass of plastic waste entering the process. Novoloop has demonstrated that we can reproducibly exceed 100% yields using the ATOD process.”“After monomers are created from digesting polyethylene, we implement a robust purification process that allows us to harvest virgin quality monomers for further processing. Because we build our intermediates and polymers out of virgin quality monomers, the quality of our products are high performance and consistent.” E&I: How effective is ATOD? Miranda Wang: “ATOD takes polyethylene and digests it over three to four hours and reliably makes chemical monomers for performance materials. We have successfully run this chemistry process more than a thousand times in the lab at various scales, and it has been successfully replicated by three separate contract manufacturers. We're now building a continuous integrated pilot plant for it and the support systems enabling cost competitive operations.” “What sets us apart … is our ability to upgrade commodity plastic waste into virgin quality performance materials worth 40 times more. We offer chemically upcycled products at quality and price parity to fossil-based virgin materials while delivering a significant carbon reduction.” E&I: What is unique about ATOD? Miranda Wang: “What sets us apart from existing recycling solutions is our ability to upgrade commodity plastic waste into virgin quality performance materials worth 40 times more. We offer chemically upcycled products at quality and price parity to fossil-based virgin materials while delivering a significant carbon reduction. Novoloop holds 51 patents worldwide and is uniquely advantaged over other chemical recycling.” “Novoloop offers a range of products from dicarboxylic acid monomers, polyol intermediates, and thermoplastic polyurethane resin. These are all made through Lifecycling post-consumer polyethylene using our ATOD technology. Our monomers and intermediates can be used to make products with total addressable markets of $140B, including various polyurethanes, coatings, and nylons.” E&I: How will your process be implemented on an industrial scale? Miranda Wang: “We are building chemical operations (plants) around the world to transform plastic waste from that region into monomers. Then, by partnering with a network of existing capacity in the industry, we build back up those monomers into various chemical and performance material products, which we sell around the world. We are in early stages of planning our first commercial factory. Tentative timelines point to a first project operational in 2027.” E&I: What are environmental considerations you have made for your process and factory? What are the implications once the factory is up and running? Miranda Wang: “Based on our ISO-compliant lifecycle assessment, each 20,000-metric-ton (plastic intake capacity) deployment increases our impact, diverting an additional 20,000 tons of plastic waste, preventing 120,000 tons of carbon emissions, and saving 66,000 L [about 17,435 gal] of water per year. Novoloop recovers and recycles the predominant waste products back into the system.” A Pressing Challenge Given the rate of the growth of the plastics industry and the relative ineffectiveness of current recycling approaches, it would be easy to become despondent about the idea of a waste-free world. However, Novoloop’s entry into the recycling industry with a new and innovative approach shows that humanity’s capacity to adapt and develop new ways of solving global trash problems isn’t exhausted. *Robin Whitlock is an England-based freelance journalist specializing in environmental issues, climate change, and renewable energy, with a variety of other professional interests, including green transportation.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced its decision, on October 5, 2021, to award the 2021 Nobel Prize in Physics to three Laureates for their studies of “chaotic and apparently random phenomena.” According to the official press release, two of this year’s recipients, Syukuro Manabe of Princeton University and Klaus Hasselmann of the Max Planck Institute of Meteorology “laid the foundation of our knowledge of the Earth’s climate and how humanity influences it.” The third recipient, Giorgio Parisi of Sapienza University of Rome, Italy, was lauded “for the discovery of the interplay of disorder and fluctuations in physical systems from atomic to planetary scales.” Manabe was honored for demonstrating how increased levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere led to increased temperatures at the Earth’s surface. Early in his career, he helped develop physical models of the Earth’s climate and was the first to explore interactions between radiation balance and vertical transport of air masses, thus laying the foundation for today’s climate models. Hasselmann created a model linking weather and climate that showed how climate models can be reliable despite weather being changeable and seemingly chaotic. He helped identify certain signals or “fingerprints” that natural and anthropogenic phenomena leave on the climate. His methods helped to prove that increasing temperatures in the atmosphere are the result of human emissions of carbon dioxide. “The discoveries being recognized this year demonstrate that our knowledge about the climate rests on a solid scientific foundation, based on a rigorous analysis of observations. This year’s Laureates have all contributed to us gaining deeper insight into the properties and evolution of complex physical systems,” stated Thors Hans Hansson, chair of the Nobel Committee for Physics.

Seasonal Soups that (Momma Said) Can Cure Anything By Julie Peterson* While holidays typically mean extravagant meals and festive ambiance, on other days a simple, healthy, comforting bowl of soup may be just what is needed. The soup might be a special one that was served up and spoon-fed by a parent or grandparent and brings back childhood memories. Or maybe it’s a delicious soup that was brought by a friend to mollify the symptoms of the flu or a cold, or to cheer a friend when they were feeling down. There is no doubt that soup can be a soothing treat, and most people have a favorite go-to soup (and maybe even a favorite bowl and spoon). This season, ladle up some of these international classics and see if they don’t bring some much-needed soothing and a sense of well-being. Immune-Boosting Qualities of Soup Almost every culture swears by a variety of soups to nurse the sick back to health. Most people would likely agree that soup can help relieve cold symptoms by inhaling the steam to relieve congestion. Soup broth also provides fluid, which thins mucus and helps prevent dehydration. There is plenty of research on the health advantages of a multitude of available soup ingredients. It is well known that certain vegetables boost immunity, like leafy greens and brightly colored vegetables that offer loads of vitamin C, beta carotene, and antioxidants. Spices such as garlic, ginger, and turmeric have been considered for ages to have immune-boosting properties that fight infection. The high levels of omega-3 fatty acids in some fish (e.g., mackerel, salmon, tuna) may reduce infection and sickness by enhancing the activity of certain types of white bloods cells of the immune system. Olive oil fights inflammation. The list goes on, but it’s time to put the pot on the stove and get cooking! Chicken Noodle Chicken soup has been a popular home remedy for the common cold since at least the 12th century. Poultry is high in vitamin B-6, which can reduce inflammation and is needed in the creation of new red blood cells, and it’s loaded with zinc, which increases production of white blood cells. The following recipe has a German twist with Würze seasoning and spaetzle dumplings. It is recorded in the tradition of many family recipes—without exact quantities and measurements—because it was handed down from generation to generation and taught in the kitchen. This recipe can be completed easily without exact measurements. Chicken soup has been a popular home remedy for the common cold since at least the 12th century. Mom’s Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe by Tami Hetzel, reprinted with permission Ingredients for Soup: 1 large package frozen chicken breasts Chicken soup base (bouillon cubes or paste) Chopped celery Chopped onion Sliced carrots Chopped fresh parsley 1 can corn, drained 3 bay leaves “Crazy Salt” (saltless seasoning) A few splashes of Würze Seasoning Salt to taste (1 ½ – 2 tsp) Pepper to taste (1/4 – ½ tsp) Garlic powder to taste (1/2 – 1 tsp) Ribbon noodles Dumplings (recipe below) Directions: Place chicken breasts in a large pot; cover with water and add 2 tsp salt. Bring water to a boil, then lower heat and cover. Cook for 30 minutes to 1 hour. When chicken is done, remove from liquid and place in colander to drain—but keep the water. This is the base for the soup. Run a spatula along the edges of pot to loosen any chicken debris. With a small sieve, collect and discard any floating particles in chicken water. Put water back on burner and heat at medium. Add more water for more soup. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of chicken soup base. Add chopped celery, onions, carrots, parsley, bay leaves, and drained corn. Season broth with salt, pepper, garlic powder, crazy salt, and Würze to taste. Let simmer. When chicken has cooled, peel off skin, pull chicken off bone, and shred with fingers. Add shredded chicken to broth; taste and add spices or more chicken base as needed. Let simmer. About 20 minutes before serving, turn heat to medium high; once soup is hot, toss in a couple handfuls of ribbon noodles, cover, and lower heat to medium low. Let noodles cook while preparing dumplings. Ingredients for Dumplings: 2–3 cups flour ½ tsp salt 1 tsp ground nutmeg 4 eggs Directions: Start with 2 cups flour and mix all ingredients together well. Dough should be elastic and stick to spoon. Stir hard and fast until bubbles pop. Add small amounts of flour as needed to get dough to elastic consistency. Drop by spoonfuls into boiling soup and cover. Turn heat to medium. Soup is done when dumplings puff up and float to top. Miso This traditional Japanese soup is made with a dashi stock (typically using dried seaweed, dried fish, and dried mushrooms) and miso (fermented soybean paste). Some drink it as a healthful broth for the abundant vitamins and minerals, and others use it to improve digestion as it is high in probiotics. For flavor and health, miso soup is a staple in Japanese cuisine and is served almost daily for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. It may be enjoyed as a plain broth or with other ingredients. Made-from-scratch miso recipes can be found at Just One Cookbook, or one can simply experiment with the broth and add other ingredients such as mushrooms, seafood, root vegetables, tofu, seaweed, leafy greens, or noodles to make a nourishing meal. Ching Bo Leung Ching Bo Leung is an all-purpose tonic soup made with seven dried Chinese herbs. If no Chinese supermarket is available to purchase the individual herbs, herb blends are available in premeasured seasoning packets. The soup is often made with pork or chicken but can also be made without the meat and with the addition of sugar to make it a sweetened broth. The Chinese Soup Lady offers a recipe and recommends that children be given only small servings of Chinese herbs. Borscht Popular in Ukraine and Eastern Europe, borscht is made with powerhouse foods such as beets, carrots, cabbage, tomatoes, garlic, and onions. But anyone who is beet wary need not fear borscht because the beets all but disappear into the complex flavors of this multidimensional soup. And once borscht is appreciated for flavor, the nutritional benefits can’t be ignored. According to the American Heart Association, ancient Romans believed that beets had medicinal properties, and modern science has proven them correct. According to the American Heart Association, ancient Romans believed that beets had medicinal properties, and modern science has proven them correct. Research has shown that beets can improve cardiovascular health, lower blood pressure, increase blood flow, increase oxygen uptake, and may protect against dementia. Bring on the borscht! Dal Common in India, dal (also spelled, dhal, daal, or dahl) is a vegan and gluten-free dish that is packed with protein, fiber, and beneficial spices such as ginger and turmeric. It is typically made with lentils, but any dried, split pulses (e.g., lentils, peas, and beans) that do not need soaking before cooking can be used. The soup can also be adjusted to fit different flavor preferences from mild to very spicy, and is delicious served with naan bread, basmati rice, or sauteed spinach. Recipes like Red Lentil Dahl and Indian Red Lentil Dal are popular worldwide. Explore the idea of ramping up the spices or trying other split pulses such as chickpeas, kidney beans, or black-eyed peas in dal recipes. Peanut With ingredients like sweet potatoes or yams, chickpeas, and fresh spinach, African Peanut Soup delivers a good dose of vitamins, minerals, and fiber. The recipe can be varied to include corn, eggplant, okra, chicken, or tofu, and it can be served over brown rice, millet, or quinoa. Vegetable A centuries-old European folktale called Stone Soup is about a traveler who tells villagers he can make soup with a stone. He starts the soup with a stone and a pot of water, which inspires others to throw in a few vegetables and meat. Soon, a feast was created. The moral of the story is that there is value in sharing. It’s a great story to tell over a dinner with friends where everyone brings an ingredient they have on hand to add into the soup pot. It’s also a great way to get kids interested in cooking. Let the kids shop for the veggies they would like to contribute to the meal and act out the story from Stone Soup while making the meal. One small potato could be the “stone” in the soup. The moral of the story [Stone Soup] is that there is value in sharing. Here is a recipe from the author’s kitchen for a vegetable soup that is flexible enough to incorporate what is on hand, in season, or brought by guests. It can be as spicy as one likes, low in sodium, gluten-free, vegan, and contains a lot of fiber and protein. Vegetable Soup Recipe by Julie Peterson Soup Base: 1 64 oz bottle Campbell’s Spicy Hot V8 vegetable juice (low sodium if possible) 1 29 oz can crushed tomatoes 5 cloves garlic, pressed 1 Tbsp liquid aminos 1 Tbsp basil or Italian blend 1 Tbsp turmeric powder Add additional seasoning (black pepper, salt, hot pepper sauce, paprika, etc.) to taste. Ingredients: 1 head green cabbage, coarsely chopped 10 red potatoes, diced with peel 10 large carrots, chopped (orange, yellow, or purple) 5 stalks of celery including leaves, chopped 3 yellow onions, diced 1 16 oz can of black beans, drained 1 16 oz can of white beans (butter, great northern, or navy), drained Possible additions: Chopped or diced spinach, turnip, rutabaga, sweet potato, zucchini, green beans, peas, corn, green chiles, etc. Directions: In a large kettle, begin to heat soup base on medium heat. Begin chopping washed vegetables. As each ingredient is ready, toss into kettle. When all ingredients are in kettle, stir and add water, more V8, or vegetable broth to cover vegetables. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered until carrots are as soft as desired. Serve. Soup can be thick or thin, spooned or sipped, creamy or chunky, spicy or sweet, and can include a wide range of ingredients. Soup might be an appetizer or an entire meal at any time of the day. There are holidays for soup and there are soups for holidays, with myriad international possibilities for any day of the year. One thing is for sure: soup is conventional and exceptional at the same time. *Julie Peterson is a freelance journalist based in the Midwest region of the US who has written hundreds of articles on natural approaches to health, environmental issues, and sustainable living.

CONTENTS NEWS SECTION US Climate Attitudes Shift Slightly The Earth & I Editorial Team Japanese Scientists Make Shocking Discovery The Earth & I Editorial Team COP 28’s UAE Consensus Draws Mixed Reviews The Earth & I Editorial Team DATA SECTION NOAA Global Snow and Sea Ice Report Indicates Decadal Trends: Slightly More Snow Cover, Slightly Less Sea Ice The Earth & I Editorial Team Two Decades of UN Data: Increases in Food Production, Hunger, and Obesity The Earth & I Editorial Team UN 15-Country Report Finds Only 61% of Internally Displaced Persons Have Adequate Shelter The Earth & I Editorial Team The Hottest 12-month Period Above Baseline The Earth & I Editorial Team Gap Between the Present and 2030 Climate Goals Calls for Accelerated Change The Earth & I Editorial Team 2023 Report Finds Stagnation in Corporate Directors’ Engagement with ESG The Earth & I Editorial Team ECOSYSTEMS The Race to Grow New Biocrusts Mark Smith Innovations in Chemical Catalysis Will Revolutionize the Future Prof. MacMillan FOOD Zuppa! Sopa! Soupe! Julie Peterson Himalayan Sea Buckthorn Joins the Fight Against COVID-19 Dr. Mahesh Kumar Gaur HUMAN HEALTH Whole Foods, Herbs and Healing David Christopher Microplastics in Babies—Scary Science Meets Eerie Silence Natasha Spencer-Jolliffe CLIMATE CHANGE School ‘Bike Buses’ Travel New Roads Gordon Cairns Negative Emission Technologies Tackle U.S. Decarbonization Dr. Eric Larson NATURAL DISASTERS Europe’s Abandoned Mountain Farms Kate Pugnoli ENERGY A ‘Current’ Case for Nuclear Energy Christopher Olson Reducing Friction in Machines Means Less Drag on the Environment Rick Laezman WATER QUALITY The Blissful Benefits of Hot Springs Rainer Fuchs Danish NGO Launches Zero-Input ‘Ocean Regeneration’ Farms Yasmin Prabhudas WASTE MANAGEMENT Combustible Wood and Coal Leave Mountains of Troublesome Waste Robin Whitlock ECONOMICS & POLICY Feeding the World While Healing the Planet—the Genius of Permaculture Marion W. Miller EDUCATION Promoting Grassroots Eco-Awareness Robert R. Selle

CONTENTS NEWS SECTION Thirsty? Maybe Avoid Drinking Sugary Colas … The Earth & I Editorial Team Babies, Cooking, and Indoor Air Pollution The Earth & I Editorial Team Rome to Host SDG Awards Gala The Earth & I Editorial Team DATA SECTION The Cost of Cool—India’s AC Demand Heats Up The Earth & I Editorial Team COVID-19 Boosted Antimicrobial Resistance The Earth & I Editorial Team Crypto Currencies: Energy Hogs? The Earth & I Editorial Team Not Ready for ESG Disclosures: 39% of US Firms The Earth & I Editorial Team Half of Earth’s Largest Lakes Are Losing Water The Earth & I Editorial Team List of Top Greenhouse Gas Emitters Released The Earth & I Editorial Team ECOSYSTEMS Our Sacred Bond with Nature, Part 2: The Animal/Human Connection Dr. Lisa Miller ‘Trophy Lawns’: Putting ‘Pretty’ Before Planet Mal Cole FOOD Top Fermented and Pickled Summer Foods to Make at Home Julie Peterson Forty Percent of Food Harvests Are Lost Danielle Nierenberg, Founder of Food Tank HUMAN HEALTH Getting Started with Meditation: Can Being in the Moment Help with Healing the Earth? Gregory Henschel Seeking Alternative Treatments After the COVID-19 Lockdowns Yuka Sakai and Sang Hyun Lee CLIMATE CHANGE Decarbonizing the Building Sector Dhanada K Mishra The Environmental Problem That Threatens to Bury Central Asia Yasmin Prabhudas NATURAL DISASTERS ‘Giant’ Tsunami Science Gordon Cairns ENERGY Electric Bikes: Revolutionizing Personal Transportation David Dodge Ambient Energy—Untapped Power for the Future Rick Laezman WATER QUALITY Artificial Islands: Economic Promise Versus Environmental Peril Nnamdi Anyadike Chlorine: Making Water Safe, Inside and Outside the Body Robin Whitlock WASTE MANAGEMENT Rare Earth Elements: Critical Developments in Harvesting from Waste Mark Smith ECONOMICS & POLICY Securing A Beautiful Future for Food Chef Dan Barber EDUCATION The Anacostia River Comeback Marion Warin Miller

CONTENTS NEWS SECTION Colombians Dive Deeper to End Plastic Pollution The Earth & I Editorial Team Nigeria VP Upgrades Africa’s Great Green Wall Project to “Emergency” Status The Earth & I Editorial Team How Plant Roots Know to Grow—During Heat, Drought The Earth & I Editorial Team DATA SECTION Does Artificial Intelligence Have Energy and Water Costs? Early Studies Say ‘Not Zero’ The Earth & I Editorial Team The US Averages Eighteen ‘Billion Dollar’ Natural Disasters Per Year The Earth & I Editorial Team Urban Air Quality—Who’s Up and Who’s Down? The Earth & I Editorial Team May 2023: Earth’s Third-Warmest May on Record The Earth & I Editorial Team World Seafood Consumption at Record Level The Earth & I Editorial Team Seven ‘Green’ Business Trends to Watch in 2023 The Earth & I Editorial Team ECOSYSTEMS The ‘Cover Cropping’ Renaissance Ray Weil, PhD Managed Grazing—A Greener Path to Sustainable Agriculture Ecosystems Prof. Richard Teague FOOD Keeping Mother Cows with Calves for Better Milk Mark Smith Going Global with Gazpacho Julie Peterson HUMAN HEALTH Sweet, Salty, Ultra-Processed Food Products on the Move Yasmin Prabhudas The Growing Global Nutrition Deficit The Earth & I Editorial Team CLIMATE CHANGE Dealing with Climate Anxiety Natasha Spencer-Joliffe Taking a Closer Look at Carbon Credits Dhanada K Mishra NATURAL DISASTERS How to Protect Against Smoky Air Alina Bradford ENERGY Deep Energy Retrofit—Total Residential Makeover Raises Energy Efficiency David Dodge Breakthroughs Fuel Growth in Hydrogen Technology Rick Laezman WATER QUALITY ‘The Fourth Phase of Water’—How Pure Water Is More Than H2O Gerald H. Pollack Animal Farms, Waste, and Water: Turning the Tide on Agricultural Water Pollution Gordon Cairns WASTE MANAGEMENT Keeping Plastics Out of Landfills and Public Spaces Robin Whitlock ECONOMICS & POLICY The True Cost of Food Marion W. Miller EDUCATION Sanctuary Farm Heals Animals, Changes People's Hearts The Earth & I Editorial Team

CONTENTS NEWS SECTION Searching for Ways to Save Giant Sequoias from Wildfires The Earth & I Editorial Team Japan Releases Treated Fukushima Daichi Wastewater into Pacific Ocean The Earth & I Editorial Team Scientists: Microbial Biodiversity Ten Times Higher Than Previous Estimates The Earth & I Editorial Team DATA SECTION Africa Food Report: Fertilizer Prices Up 78% Since 2021 The Earth & I Editorial Team Pew Research: Young Adults Most Enthusiastic About Renewable Energy The Earth & I Editorial Team US Congressional Report Analyzes Two Decades of Wildfire Data The Earth & I Editorial Team “Landscape Fire” Air Pollution Hits African Nations Hardest The Earth & I Editorial Team FAO Food Price Index Reveals Declines in Food Prices The Earth & I Editorial Team The Patient is Showing Improvement, But… The Earth & I Editorial Team ECOSYSTEMS Gifted with Unitive Awareness—Why Gen Z May Have the Mindset to Save the Planet Dr. Lisa Miller How Catalysis is Poised to Rock Our World Prof. David MacMillan FOOD Power to the Pumpkin: Nourish Body and Soul with the ‘People's Squash’ Julie Peterson How Safe Is Adding Nanoparticles to Foods and Packaging? Mark Smith HUMAN HEALTH The Healing Powers of Sunlight—Stronger Bones, Brighter Moods, Better Health Natasha Spencer-Jolliffe ‘An Herbalist in Every Home’—Pioneering a Path for Better Health David Christopher CLIMATE CHANGE Climate Ambition Summit 2023: SDG Programs are Lagging The Earth & I Editorial Team Long-lasting Infrastructures Combat Climate Change Dhanada K Mishra NATURAL DISASTERS Lahaina's Coral Reef Restoration—Dealing with Unknowns Gordon Cairns ENERGY AI and Robotics Power the Renewable Energy Transition Rick Laezman A ‘Green Grid’—Key for the World’s Energy Transition Angelica Sirotin WATER QUALITY Big Goals, Big Heart: “DigDeep” Wants Every American Home to Have Clean Water Yasmin Prabhudas Exclusion Zone (EZ) Water: Potential for Filtration and Electric Power Gerald H. Pollack WASTE MANAGEMENT Trashed Seas—The Race to Prevent and Remove Marine Litter Cassie Journigan ECONOMICS & POLICY A Tale of Two Companies Embracing ESG Practices Marion W. Miller EDUCATION Why Baltimore Has One of the US’s Most Diverse Urban Tree Canopies Ted Martello

CONTENTS NEWS SECTION Cleaning Up Plastic Pollution The Earth & I Editorial Team Carrots or Kale? Study Shows Fetuses Responding to Tastes The Earth & I Editorial Team ‘Mindfulness Meditation’ Shown to Ease Anxiety Disorders The Earth & I Editorial Team DATA SECTION ESG Investing: A Tale of Two Sets of Statistics? The Earth & I Editorial Team Washington DC-area Microgrid Powers Electric Transit Buses The Earth & I Editorial Team Four Eco-Friendly Proposals to Tackle Food Insecurity The Earth & I Editorial Team Zambians Forage for a Wide Variety of Foods The Earth & I Editorial Team UNICEF Reports on “Worst in a Decade" Nigerian Flooding The Earth & I Editorial Team COVID-19 Increased Gardening in the US—Will the Trend Last? The Earth & I Editorial Team CLIMATE CHANGE Archibiotics: Visionary Architecture and Design for a Better Planet The Earth & I Editorial Team COP27: Climate Change Leaders Establish Loss-and-Damage Fund for Stricken Nations Jaqueline Sordi NATURAL DISASTERS Red Clouds, Rainbows, and Rafts Yasmin Prabhudas ENERGY Living Off the Grid: Meet the ‘Hydrogen Houses’ Rick Laezman Canadian Hutterite Farmers Secure Their Colony's Future with Solar David Dodge WATER QUALITY Going Beyond ‘Yellow’ Snow: Contaminants in White Flakes Come from Many Directions Kate Pugnoli Cleaning the Chesapeake’s Waters with Oyster Restoration The Earth & I Editorial Team WASTE MANAGEMENT How ‘It’ Was Treated in 2022: Global Sanitation Efforts Culminate in World Toilet Summit Robin Whitlock ECONOMICS & POLICY The ‘Greening’ of Capitalism Dhanada K. Mishra EDUCATION Nature-based Education Boosts Wellbeing and Pro-Environmental Behavior Deborah Talbot

CONTENTS NEWS SECTION It’s Official: Arctic Heat Record of 100°F Broken Last Year The Earth & I Editorial Team Coastal Species Thrive on Pacific Garbage Patch The Earth & I Editorial Team “Let’s Restore Our Relationship with Nature” Urges UN Awarded Veterinarian The Earth & I Editorial Team DATA SECTION COP26 Financing Pledges Made as World Watches The Earth & I Editorial Team Burning Coal Releases the Most CO2 per Unit of Energy of All Fossil Fuels The Earth & I Editorial Team Pathogen Pollution Plagues About 1/3 of Rivers in Latin America, Africa, and Asia The Earth & I Editorial Team The Right to a Healthy Environment Helps to Secure Other Rights The Earth & I Editorial Team There Are 400 Million Tons of Krill in Antarctica’s Southern Ocean The Earth & I Editorial Team UNICEF: Drones Offer Humanitarian Assistance The Earth & I Editorial Team Nuclear Power Already Generates 10% Alina Bradford CLIMATE CHANGE Broken Financial Promises Threaten Developing Nations’ Climate Efforts Chelsea Noack COP26: Key Outcomes from the UN Climate Talks Jaqueline Sordi NATURAL DISASTERS Drones Are Ready to Take on Bigger Roles in Natural Disasters Jean Thilmany ENERGY Global Leaders Pledge to Stop Burning Coal Rick Laezman UK and France Promise Nuclear Energy Resurgence Nnamdi Anyadike WATER QUALITY Worsening Global Water Security Calls for Solutions from Humans and Nature Tasfia Tasnim and Sakib Rahman Siddique Shuvo Smaller Urban Rivers Dump Millions of Tons of Plastic into the Oceans Cassie Journigan WASTE MANAGEMENT Forever Chemicals Build Up in People and the Environment Mark Smith ECONOMICS & POLICY UN Human Rights Council Declares Right to Healthy Environment Natasha Spencer-Jolliffe EDUCATION Kupu Raises Hawaii’s Future Environmental Leaders Yasmin Prabhudas