Earthweek: a diary of the planet

For the week ending Friday, Nov. 12.

Naturally abundant

Wind and solar could provide enough electricity to meet most of the current U.S. demand, an international study says. Writing in Nature Communications, researchers say batteries and other storage methods could provide even more reliable round-the-clock power. “Wind and solar could meet more than 80% of demand in many places without crazy amounts of storage,” said co-author Steve Davis of UC Irvine. “But depending on the country, there may be many multi-day periods throughout the year when some demand will need to be met by energy storage and other non-fossil energy sources in a zero-carbon future.” Wild bee bonanza

The last descendants of England’s wild honeybees have been discovered in pristine ancient woodlands just outside Oxford, long after the species was thought to have been wiped out. The wild bees are smaller, darker and with more fur than bees in managed hives, according to bee conservationist Filipe Salbany. He says they also nest among branches located high above the ground, which is why they had never been spotted before. The woodlands in which they were found are not open to the public, and gardening, beekeeping and planting are prohibited.

Leak detection

Satellite data has revealed nearly 800 major methane leaks from four countries. While methane accounts for only 16% of greenhouse gas emissions, it is 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide in causing global heating. American and European scientists used data from two satellites to detect the most methane leaks from oil and gas facilities in the U.S., Algeria, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. They say the leaks could be repaired or prevented with better fossil fuel infrastructure maintenance.

Unbridled warming

A report warns that even with all the pledges made at the Glasgow climate conference, roughly twice as much carbon will be emitted by manufactured sources by 2030 than will be needed to push global heating past the 1.5-degree Celsius mark. Under “business as usual,” without any of the new pledges, the world will warm up by 2.7 degrees this century, says Climate Action Tracker. Its CEO, Bill Hare, says there are no plans to achieve many of the 2030 targets. Scientists say that to keep warming to the goal of 1.5 degrees, global greenhouse gas emissions must fall 45% from 2010 levels by 2030 to hit “net zero” by 2050.

5.1

Debris damage

The huge amount of floating pumice spewed in August from an undersea volcano in southern Japan’s remote Ogasawara Islands has damaged boats and ports as far north as Okinawa and Kyushu. Japanese scientists have begun to analyze the composition of the pumice and ocean currents that carried it far from the eruption. A eruption of the same volcano in 1986 also carried pumice stones to Okinawa.