Sustainability Weekly
Fridays are for…
Fold up Solar Panels, Endangered Species Protection, the Smog Paradox, and more!
by Alli DiGiacomo
Happy Friday and last week of June! If you are looking for something to do in NYC this weekend, check out the new pollinator lounge at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, or the Wonderland: Curious Nature exhibit at the New York Botanical Garden. If you are trying to use less plastic, there are plenty of zero waste bulk stores to shop at in the area. A Sustainable Village and Maison Jar are my personal favorites, but for a full list, there is a map showing BYO-friendly cafes and refill stores in NYC.
Keep reading below for more sustainability news!
T H I S W E E K ’ S T O P S T O R I E S
FOLD UP SOLAR PANELS CAN COVER A FIELD IN A SINGLE DAY
Fold up solar panels are expediting installation. 5B, a company out of Australia, has designed a modular accordion-like structure wired with 90 solar panels, which installs 5 – 10 times faster than standard practice. The pre-assembly allows this system to cover a field in a single day, significantly reducing cost and risk. The system is redeployable, allowing for temporary installations or the panels to be easily folded back up and moved if another use for the land is needed later on.
Last year, a crew of just eight workers in Australia installed 2,250 solar panels, covering an area larger than a soccer field, in a single day. During the installation, 25 of structures were placed instead of 2,250 individual panels. 5B’s structure is over 130 feet long and 20 feet wide. Once wired, the array is folded and transported in a shipping container or truck. On-site, a forklift unfolds it, making the system preassembled and plug-and-play. This method reduces costs, risks, and delays caused by weather. The system also has fewer parts, making it more durable to withstand hurricanes
David Griffin, CEO of 5B, explains that traditional solar farms are like assembling a multimillion-piece puzzle in often extreme conditions, making the process expensive, risky, and difficult to scale. As large solar farms become more common, finding enough workers also becomes challenging. While some startups, like Charge Robotics, are developing robotic systems for solar installation, 5B improved efficiency by rethinking panel layout.
NEW STUDY PREDICTS PROTECTING JUST 1.2% OF EARTH’S LAND COULD SAVE MOST THREATENED SPECIES
A new study published in Frontiers in Science reveals that protecting just 1.2% of Earth's land surface could save thousands of the world's most threatened species. Researchers identified 16,825 critical sites across the globe that need prioritization for conservation to prevent imminent extinctions of unique mammals, birds, amphibians, and plants. These sites, termed "conservation imperatives," span from Argentina to Papua New Guinea, focusing on species with very narrow habitats, like the peyote cactus in the Chihuahuan desert. They emphasize that most species on Earth are rare, either due to limited ranges or low densities.
38% of the identified conservation sites are near existing protected areas, suggesting a potential for fast conservation actions. However, the study notes that only 7% of new protected areas between 2018 and 2023 included the most threatened species, suggesting a misalignment in conservation priorities. Although the study focuses on immediate extinctions, expanding protected areas alone isn't sufficient for long-term biodiversity preservation. Effective conservation requires not just expanding protected areas, but ensuring their quality and strategic location.
THE POLLUTION PARADOX: HOW CLEANING UP SMOG DRIVES OCEAN WARMING
Recent research indicates that the reduction of smog particles from China's air cleanups has inadvertently caused extreme heat waves in the Pacific, contributing to the warming phenomenon known as "The Blob." This expanse of warm ocean water, extending from Alaska to California, has had devastating effects on marine life and ecosystems since it first appeared in 2013. Despite previous theories attributing it to climate change and natural cycles, new findings suggest a different cause.
Smog particles, which previously shielded the planet by reflecting sunlight, have decreased. The aerosols scatter sunlight and help form clouds, thus reducing the amount of solar radiation reaching the Earth's surface. The decrease in these has led to increased atmospheric heating as more sunlight is now reaching the surface. This has triggered a series of atmospheric changes over the Pacific, intensifying the Aleutian Low and reducing wind speeds, which in turn has warmed the ocean and caused regional heat waves
The reduction in aerosols is a result of clean air laws meant to protect public health. In China, emissions have fallen by 70% since 2013 due to stringent government controls. While this cleanup reduces premature deaths from air pollution, it also diminishes the cooling effect of aerosols, accelerating global warming.
This paradox highlights the complexity of balancing environmental health and climate goals. While reducing aerosols is crucial for health, it also necessitates stronger efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions to mitigate the resultant warming. Prioritizing the urgent reduction of methane emissions, a potent greenhouse gas that can be quickly reduced, would provide a counterbalance to the loss of aerosol cooling.
MORE IN SUSTAINABILITY NEWS
A wave of PFAS lawsuits may be coming for plastics makers. At an industry presentation about dangerous “forever chemicals,” lawyers predicted a wave of lawsuits with “astronomical” costs. Most of this future litigation hinges on the evidence over PFAS’s health risks. Used for decades in countless everyday objects — cosmetics, takeout containers, frying pans — PFAS have been linked to serious health risks including cancer.
EU bank is fining lenders who aren’t addressing climate change.
Heineken is using regenerative farming for its barley.
Why isn’t extreme heat considered a disaster in the U.S. even though it is the #1 killer of the climate crisis or any weather-related events?
We’ve got to talk about the environment when we talk about AI. But it isn't all bad news, some AI start-ups take aim at climate change.
Scientists develop a method of making healthier, more sustainable chocolate.
Coldplay has beat their own target for cutting carbon emissions for live shows.