Earthweek: a diary of the planet

For the week ending Friday, May 6.

Methane detection Analysis of data from sensors aboard a Canadian satellite have for the first time identified an individual farm as the source of methane emissions from cattle. Aerospace firm GHGSat used one of its three orbiters for the exercise, which demonstrated a new level of precision in identifying where the greenhouse gas is polluting the atmosphere. With high-resolution images from Feb. 2, the firm used wind modeling to trace methane from bovine flatulence and belching to a farm near Bakersfield. The technology could help regulators monitor methane from specific cattle ranches.

Novel foods

A switch from the typical Western diets of meat and dairy products to such protein as insects, algae, kelp and lab-grown meat could slash the amount of Europe’s food-related greenhouse gases by more 80%, according to University of Finland researchers. “It would be a way for someone to consume their fast-food burger, but save on land use and water use and global warming potential,” researcher Rachel Mazac said.

Butterfly tags

Scientists have created tiny sensors that can be attached to the backs of monarch butterflies to track their migration. Millions of the colorful and threatened monarchs migrate each autumn to a cluster of mountain peaks in central Mexico’s Michoacan state. The new wireless sensing platform called mSAIL includes a chip that weighs only 0.002 ounces and measures only 0.315 inches in width. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh say the sensors store information during the migration until the butterflies arrive at checkpoints.

Canine destruction

Earth’s estimated 1 billion domestic and feral dogs are ravaging the planet’s ecology by killing, eating and scaring wildlife, spreading pathogens to endangered species and poisoning plants. New Scientist reports the threat is most acute from free-roaming dogs wandering through protected wildlife reserves, including the home of China’s giant pandas and India’s tiger habitats. But even on leashes, domestic dogs have been found responsible for a “dramatic” reduction in the diversity and abundance of birds around Sydney.

‘Hellish’ roast

South Asia’s annual season of “heat and dust” before the summer monsoon season typically brings relief in June has long caused discomfort this time of year. But an unprecedented and early heat wave this year has made life almost unbearable across Pakistan and India. The heat has sparked huge landfill fires and caused blackouts as more than 1.5 billion people try to keep themselves and their food cool with air conditioners and refrigerators. Electricity supplies are cut up to 18 hours each day in some areas. Crops are dying in the heat and drought, worsening acute food shortages.

Climate insurance

The floods, wildfires and other weather-related disasters that have plagued parts of southeastern Australia may soon become so frequent and vast that many homes will be deemed “uninsurable,” experts warn. “Uninsurable” means that the risks are so great that insurance is available only at such a high cost that no one can afford it.