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As reported in Nature, researchers at MIT have developed a heat engine, with no moving parts, that is as efficient (40%) as a steam turbine in converting high heat into electricity. Their heat engine is actually a thermophotovoltaic (TPV) cell—not unlike a solar panel’s photovoltaic cell—that “passively” converts photons from a high-temp source into electricity. The MIT team's heat engine can generate electricity from heat sources between 1,900 to 2,400°C, or as high as 4,300°F. According to the study, TPVs convert mostly infrared wavelength light to electricity via the “photovoltaic effect,” enabling energy storage [1, 2] and conversion [3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9] that uses “higher temperature heat sources than the turbines that are ubiquitous in electricity production today.” The team’s cells use “band-edge spectral filtering” to achieve their engine’s higher efficiency, using back-surface reflectors to reject unusable radiation back to the heat emitter. The study’s authors hope that cells such as theirs can be “integrated into a TPV system for thermal energy grid storage to enable dispatchable renewable energy,” creating a way for thermal energy grid storage to reach efficiency and cost levels that will enable decarbonization of the electricity grid. As a result of their achievement, the researchers imagine that a “proliferation of (Thermophotovoltaic Electricity Grid System) TEGS could ultimately enable abatement of approximately 40% of global CO2 emissions,” by way of decarbonizing the electricity grid and enabling CO2-free electric vehicle charges. They believe that a TPV efficiency of 40% means that TEGS are now feasible, as are other applications in “natural gas, propane or hydrogen-fueled power generation [3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9], and high-temperature industrial waste heat recovery.” Source: Nature

A new study out of Université de Genève (UNIGE) and the University of Queensland's Sustainable Minerals Institute (SMI) in Australia suggests a novel solution to one of the world’s largest waste streams—waste leftover from mineral processing. In fact, according to the researchers, this novel solution could simultaneously reduce mineral-processing waste and the over-exploitation of global sand reserves, a practice that tends to occur in areas, such as shorelines, that are best left undisturbed. So, less waste and more sand? How is it possible? The researchers’ findings, released this month in the report, Ore-sand: A potential new solution to the mine tailings and global sand sustainability crises FINAL REPORT, refer to left-over waste from mining extraction that has been crushed and from which potentially harmful substances have been removed. The team coined the term, ore-sand, to describe this by-product and its suitability as a sand replacement in the cement industry, for instance. The research team examined tailings produced from iron ore mining in Brazil. After looking at chemical properties and refining operations, they could show that some of the waste stream destined to be mining residues could replace sand in construction and industry, in a manner similar to that of recycled concrete and steel slag. Follow-up will require collaboration with aggregate producers and other industry players to demonstrate ore-sand's ease-of-use, performance, and sourcing process. Other factors to be examined could be CO2 emissions from transporting the material, additional revenue value to ore producers, local demand and so on. With global sand usage at billions of tons annually, due primarily to demand from urban development, “ore-sand” production could significantly impact the environment by lowering the global need for sand mining and by turning harmful ore mining residues into industrial products, thus contributing to a more circular and sustainable economy. Source: Science Daily Release - Solution to world’s largest waste stream

By now, most of us have heard of the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and have some ideas about them. It’s good to see them, all in one place, to know where the goals would like to take us by 2030. They were established in 2015. Where SDGs would like to take us by 2030 Goal 1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere Goal 2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture Goal 3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages Goal 4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all Goal 5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls Goal 6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all Goal 7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all Goal 8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all Goal 9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation Goal 10. Reduce inequality within and among countries Goal 11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable Goal 12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns Goal 13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts Goal 14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development Goal 15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss Goal 16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels Goal 17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development Source: UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs - Sustainable Development

Refugees not only suffer trauma as they flee from war and disasters, but once they reach safety in a refugee camp, they face the need for a daily water supply. Here is how the UN catalogs those needs. Four liters is equal to a little more than one gallon (1.06 gal). A refugee camp should have one water tap for every 80 to 100 individuals. Otherwise, there should be one communal well or hand pump per every 200 refugees. Each camp household of five needs the following five water containers: one 20-liter, two 10-liters, and two five-liters. Camp schools need to stock three liters of water per student. Camp feeding centers should stock 20 to 30 liters per person. Camp outpatient health centers need to stock five liters per visitor. In-patient centers need at least 40 to 60 liters per patient. Wells should be located more than 30 meters (32 yards) from latrines and other possible contaminant sources. A minimum of one water source quality test should be administered per 5,000 beneficiaries per month. Source: UNHCR Water Brochure

The elusive marten can be found on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. In the UK, the pine marten’s appetite for squirrels is garnering interest (see the “Squirrel War” article), so we thought we’d gather some data on this rarely seen predator. Data on Martens Martens are about the same size as a domestic cat. They weigh between 1.0-2.2 kilograms (2.2-4.8 pounds). From nose to tip of tail, martens measure about 65 centimeters (23 inches). Female martens are generally lighter and smaller than males. The tails of the UK pine marten are around 20 centimeters (7.8 inches). Martens breed once a year, with usually two to five “kits” born in spring. Kits are born blind and hairless, and are wholly dependent on their mothers for about six weeks. In addition to eating squirrels, martens are omnivores that dine on nuts, seeds, rabbits, mice and birds. Sources: Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

It’s called “Biological Invasion Costs”—the price tag on dealing with invasive species—and simply put, it’s a lot of money. The National Invasive Species Information Center of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) shares some gargantuan global figures. Worldwide, since 1960, managing biological invasions has cost about $95.3 billion. During the same period, the damage cost of the invasions was more than $1.13 trillion. Like most everything else, invasion-associated management and damage costs are rapidly rising. Proactive, pre-invasion management spending is 25 times lower than post-invasion management costs. Countries all over the planet are declaring a National Invasive Species Awareness Week. In the US, it was February 28-March 4. There are more than 6,500 invasive species established across the United States. Sources: USDA National Invasive Species Information Center, U.S. Department of the InteriorIndian Affairs 2022 National Invasive Species Awareness Week

This issue of The Earth & I examines communities interconnected through solar grids (see Energy Section). Far beyond these communities lies another “solar community” with star-power like no other: the Universe. The European Space Agency (ESA) launched the satellite Hipparcos in 1989 to accurately measure the positions (and motions) of nearly 120,000 stars. It can also approximate the positions of about a million other stars with less precision. Besides our Sun, there are ten other stars in our neighborhood. The nearest star to our own is 39,900,000,000,000 km (4.22 light years) away. Scientists have named it Proxima Centauri. The farthest away, named Eta Cassiopeiae, is 19 light years away. At Voyager 1’s speed of 17.3 km/s, it would take some 330,700 years to arrive there. The red dwarf star Gliese 581 is about 20 light years from Earth. Its third planet appears to be an example of a possible terrestrial extrasolar planet where conditions are favorable (not too hot or cold) for life as it is on Earth. Source: National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Red clover is a distinctive perennial herb common in Europe and Asia and now naturalized in the Americas. It goes by different names, such as pal-gan keullobeo in Korea, trefle des pres in France, and trifolium pratense in the scientific community. By any name, it is trusted to benefit human, animal, and soil health. Here is how the world sees it. How the world sees red clover In Iraq, red clover is used as an expectorant and to treat asthma and bronchitis. In the US, it’s grown for soil health and used to treat cancer, the skin, and sores. It’s also used to fight cancer in the UK, Spain, Australia and elsewhere. In Spain, it is used for catarrh (mucous backup in the throat). Need a good sedative? People in Eurasia and the US use red clover for that purpose. In the Western Hemisphere, Amerindians use red clover for eye health and for burns. Europeans like to use it for dyspepsia and other digestive complaints. The people of Turkey use red clover—they call it kirmizi yonca—as a tonic or an alternative (an herb used to gradually restore bodily functions) for spasms, scrofula (glandular swelling) and as a sedative. Sources: U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Jimmy Donaldson (YouTuber MrBeast) and Mark Rober (former NASA engineer and YouTuber) partnered up with non-profits Ocean Conservancy and The Ocean Cleanup for an ambitious goal: raising $30 million by the end of 2021 to remove thirty million pounds of trash from the oceans. MrBeast and Rober began their fundraiser under the name, “#TeamSeas,” as they posted videos on YouTube on October 29, 2021; as of this month, they have garnered total views of more than 55 million and 24 million, respectively. The fundraiser reached its $30 million mark after a $4 million donation from billionaire entrepreneur Austin Russell, filling in the final gap after donations by over six hundred thousand individuals toward the cause. #TeamSeas states that the funds will be split 50/50 to Ocean Conservancy and The Ocean Cleanup. Ocean Conservancy collaborated with #TeamSeas through its “Fighting for Trash Free Seas®” program, in which volunteers traverse lakes, rivers, and beaches around the world and gather trash. Trash is weighed using Ocean Conservancy’s “Clean Swell®” application. Meanwhile, The Ocean Cleanup collaborated with #TeamSeas through its building, deployment, and operations of its “Interceptor” technology to pick up trash in rivers. Boyan Slat, founder and CEO of The Ocean Cleanup, said, “TeamSeas fits perfectly into our mission to rid the oceans of plastic and we’re honored to be part of this campaign. The donations raised from this campaign will help us implement more Interceptors around the world and curb the flow of riverine plastic into the oceans.” Although thirty million pounds of trash (including plastics) is insignificant compared to the ten million tons (twenty billion pounds) of plastic dumped in the oceans annually as estimated by Ocean Plastics, MrBeast and Rober were able to spread the message of cleaning up our oceans far and wide to their audiences. This will hopefully lead to a higher demand for systemic change to address garbage and plastic at their source.

Professor Luc Montagnier, an eminent French virologist who received the 2008 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, died on February 8, 2022, at the age of 89 in Paris. Sharing the award with Françoise Barré-Sinoussi and Harald sur Hausen, he was lauded as a co-discoverer of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the agent that causes AIDS. The discovery was made in the early 1980s at the Pasteur Institute, where he had founded and directed the Viral Oncology Unit. As a leading advocate for the prevention and treatment of AIDS, in the 1990s he co-founded and led the World Foundation for AIDS Research and Prevention. In recent years, he extended his research objectives to the infectious origins of several chronic diseases, including cancer, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, autism, and Lyme disease. Based on his research and that of others, he took controversial positions on several fronts, such as his view that water carries a certain type of “memory,” and vaccines can be harmful because of the aluminum adjuvant added to them. He postulated that the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 had accidentally escaped from a virology lab in Wuhan, China. He cautioned against the use of vaccines against this virus, believing that the vaccines may trigger the production of new variants of the virus. Prof. Montagnier was passionate about environmental issues that related to human health. He was particularly concerned about bacteria, viruses and parasites, stating in 2020 at the 26th International Conference on the Unity of the Sciences (ICUS): “Some kind of intelligence exists in parasites, as they try to use every weakness in our immune system. A recent example of this is the fact that some soil bacteria—bacteria that are normally associated with the roots of the plants we cultivate—have learned to change their host and infect animals and humans.” He lamented that this serious global issue was being “ignored completely” because the invisible, silent invasion “is detectable only by molecular techniques.” Montagnier went on to say that humanity, being “at the top” of the “biological and cultural evolution,” has a responsibility, particularly since “human activities are now a menace to our own environment, with effects on all living things.” To maintain our position at the top of the natural world, he advised recalling that “we are really fragile, and we are to be in harmony with nature.” He concluded that “what we take from nature, we should donate back to nature” and urged a return to Hippocrates’ admonition to “first do no harm.” [1] References [1] Montagnier, Luc. “Opening Remarks,” “Concluding Remarks.” ICUS XXVI. Resolving Environmental Threats for the Benefit of Humanity — Proceedings. Washington, DC: Hyo Jeong International Foundation for the Unity of Sciences (HJIFUS), 2020.

The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals come with a heavy price tag for developing nations. According to recent data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, it is a burden that they cannot afford. The OECD reports that developing nations face a shortfall of about $4.2 trillion if they want to keep on track with the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. If just 1.1% of the total assets held by banks, institutional investors, and/or asset managers were reallocated into ventures that support meeting the SDGs for developing nations, that would be sufficient to fill the financing gap. A partnership of UN initiatives has come up with an investor’s tool that it hopes will lure investment capital into ventures that support the SDGs. The tool is called the SDG Investor Platform and it was jointly created by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) allied with the UN Secretary-General’s Global Investors for Sustainable Development (GISD) Alliance. SDG Investor Maps—created by UNDP’s SDG Finance initiative SDG Impact—leverage UNDP’s presence in more than 170 countries and territories, providing private sector investors with access to national-level market intelligence, including insights on the local investment landscape and investor connections. The tool will allow investors to boost their profits and impact sustainability with a single investment. So far, it has identified over 200 promising investment opportunities in 14 countries that cover sectors ranging from food and beverage to healthcare and infrastructure. The future development of SDG Investor Maps is expected to include all continents. “UNDP’s new SDG Investor Platform provides the critical data, insights and tools that investors need to drive new levels of capital toward the Sustainable Development Goals,” said UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner. “In doing so, it will also help countries to unlock critical financing that is now needed to build forward better from the COVID-19 pandemic—ultimately advancing the well-being of both people and planet.” This article is based on the following press release by the UNDP: https://www.undp.org/press-releases/undp-and-gisd-alliance-launch-sdg-investor-platform-unlock-trillions-sdg-aligned

Drought has become a serious issue in America’s West. Not only are the region’s temperatures steadily rising and its annual rainfall totals falling, but dry periods between rains have become longer and annual rainfall is less predictable, according to a study published jointly by the US government’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and the University of Arizona. ARS research hydrologist Dr. Joel Biederman reported that annual rainfall totals across the West have declined by an average of four inches in the past five decades, with the longest dry spell in each year increasing from twenty to thirty-two days. “The greatest changes in drought length have taken place in the desert Southwest. The average dry period between storms in the 1970s was about 30 days; now that has grown to 45 days,” Dr. Biederman said. The growing fluctuations in drought and rain patterns are the study’s most significant finding, he said. “Consistency of rainfall, or the lack of it, is often more important than the total amount of rain when it comes to forage (dry and green fodder) continuing to grow for livestock and wildlife, for dryland farmers to produce crops, and for the mitigation of wildfire risks,” Dr. Biederman said. The rate of change also appears to be accelerating, with greater parts of the West showing longer drought intervals after the year 2000 when compared to previous years. “For regions such as the desert Southwest, where changes clearly indicate a trend toward longer, more erratic droughts, research is urgently needed to help mitigate detrimental impacts on ecosystem carbon uptake, forage availability, wildfire activity, and water availability for people,” said co-senior author Dr. William K. Smith of the University of Arizona. This article is based on the following bulletin released by ARS: https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDAARS/bulletins/2cb6d8b