Funding gained for commercial pilot to test radio frequency oilsands tech: Acceleware

CALGARY — A company investigating the use of radio frequency energy as a cleaner and cheaper way to produce bitumen from the oilsands says it has the financial means to proceed with a commercial pilot project.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

A recent commitment of $5 million from Alberta Innovates, a provincial research agency, brings its direct funding to $19 million and fully funds its proposed pilot, Calgary-based Acceleware Ltd. said Wednesday.

Its other funders include Suncor Energy Inc. and an unnamed second major oilsands producer with up to $2 million each, $5.25 million from Sustainable Development Technology Canada and $5 million from Emissions Reduction Alberta.

"The COVID year was pretty good for us because we were able to secure a site for that commercial pilot, we were able to get it approved by the Alberta Energy Regulator and now with this last little bit of funding, we've got all the financial resources we need to pull it off," said CEO Geoff Clark in an interview.

"Now it's just executing, drilling some wells, putting some equipment on site and seeing if it works."

The company says a test site at Marwayne in east central Alberta has been cleared, equipment and materials have been ordered and service company partners selected.

When its backing was announced in December, Suncor senior vice-president Sandy Martin said the company is innovating to meet evolving energy needs and environmental challenges.

“There isn’t an easy or quick solution to transform to a low-carbon energy future. It will take original thinking, collaboration and commitment,"' he said at the time.

Acceleware's RF XL process uses electromagnetic energy to heat an underground oil-bearing reservoir to mobilize the heavy oil and allow it to flow into a parallel well to be pumped to surface, thus eliminating the need for injecting steam as is currently extensively done in the oilsands.

The company says it expects construction at the site to be completed by June, followed by about six months of reservoir heating.

"We'd like to produce some oil … but really what we want to do is be monitoring that temperature downhole and see if it matches our simulations," Clark said.

The company says the technology eliminates the need for fresh water, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, uses no added solvents and requires less land use.

Clark said the technology's potential customers include existing oilsands producers planning bolt-on expansions and smaller newcomers looking for a cheaper, scalable way to begin production. It's hoped the process will also attract attention from other domestic and international heavy oil producers.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 17, 2021.

Companies in this story: (TSXV:AXE)

Dan Healing, The Canadian Press

AGRICULTURE REMAINS ALBERTA'S #1 INDUSTRY
Plant-based protein industry set to grow in Alberta with new Calgary facility
Pamela Fieber CBC

3/17/2021

© Elizabeth Chorney-Booth/CBC, Nancy Russell/CBC Agrifood analyst says more people are turning to plant-based proteins as a supplement to meat in their diets.

The plant-based meat alternative market is expected to be worth $140 billion by 2029 — and some producers say Calgary is the ideal place to set up shop.

"Everyone thinks beef when they think of Alberta, or oil and gas, but they don't necessarily think yellow peas," said Chris Shields, general manager at Lovingly Made Ingredients.

The plant based meat facility has been producing plant based ingredients at its flagship facility in the northeast since earlier this month.

The company is a subsidiary of Meatless Farm, out of the U.K.

The facility processes textured plant protein ingredients for things like burgers and sausages.

Agrifood experts say while Alberta's reputation for beef is alive and well, that doesn't mean the province shouldn't expand into plant-based production.

"Whenever we can add more processing in the province it's a positive, right? It's local … which is a big thing in consumers' minds nowadays," said Robert Semeniuk, the chair of Alberta Pulse Growers.

"It's an interesting product that they're going to be putting forward. I think it's going to be nothing but positive for pulse production in Alberta, [and] just plant-based protein production in general."

Semeniuk says the fewer export hurdles to deal with, the better, and the more product, the better.

"We don't have tariffs to deal with … you don't have shipping issues. You know, coastal, you don't have ports to deal with," said Semeniuk.

"You can have it right here."

Semeniuk said the pulse industry is looking to innovate.

"Our vision is pulses on every farm, on every plate. We're really trying to lead through innovation and collaboration to get more value for Alberta pulse farmers," he said.

"So this really works, this Lovingly Made plant ... whenever there's an end use for our product, it's a big help."

Sylvain Charlebois, an agrifood analyst with Dalhousie University, says it's a sign of the times.

"More and more people are looking for different options for a variety of reasons. And I would say the top three are health, the environment and animal welfare," he said.

Charlebois says people are not necessarily moving away from animal proteins but they are looking for different options at the meat counter.

"During the last four months, the trifecta of meats, chicken, pork and beef, it remains popular, but we're also seeing an increase in sales for specialty meats and, of course, plant based products as well."

Charlebois says the industry has seen a 30 per cent increase in demand for plant-based products over last year.

"I think it's a clear message about a shift in paradigm," he said.

"I think it's more about selling value to consumers. People may decide to eat steak one day, while on Tuesday, Wednesday they may opt for something else [like] chickpeas … which is great. And so I think the relationship that consumers will have with livestock is going to change for the better."

Charlebois said the change will be good for both the livestock industry and the agriculture industry.

"You do have a lot of farmers out there farming, producing great vegetable proteins that we do export across across the world," he said.

#ENDFURFARMING

Quarantined B.C. farms where over 1,000 mink died resume breeding stock

VICTORIA — Two mink farms that are still quarantined after COVID-19 outbreaks have begun annual breeding programs along with seven other farms in British Columbia.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

The Agriculture Ministry said the province's chief veterinarian Dr. Rayna Gunvaldsen has approved the resumption of breeding while the farms remain under quarantine to reduce the risk of the virus spreading.

Staff are in contact with all licensed mink farms to ensure precautions are in place to minimize any transmission of COVID-19 from humans to animals or from animals to humans, the ministry said in a statement Wednesday.

About 200 mink died late last year at the first farm to test positive, and Gunvaldsen has said the animals were likely infected after eight employees became ill.

A breeder at a second property in the Fraser Valley decided to euthanize about 1,000 mink in January after three of the animals died at the farm.

The B.C. chapter of the SPCA has called for a moratorium on mink farming, saying the animals are kept in tightly packed cages where infection spreads quickly and they shouldn't be killed for clothing.

A non-profit society called The Fur-Bearers has also said it's time to end the practice of using fur for apparel, especially because the industry is not a big economic driver for the country.

Alan Herscovici of the Canada Breeders Association said years of research has gone into the optimal raising of mink, and animal rights group that have opposed fur farming for years are now using COVID-19 to spread fear against a mostly family-run "artisanal" industry.

“That’s really irresponsible and not true and not fair,” he said from Ste-Agathe-des-Monts, Que.

“This is not a time to be attacking farmers. It’s a time to be supportive. Frankly, it’s offensive. And it’s all happening because of what happened in Denmark,” he said of the world's largest supplier of mink fur, where at least 15 million mink were culled last year to reduce the spread of COVID-19 from farm to farm.

Canada is known for producing some of the highest-quality mink fur in the world, as is the United States, Herscovici said.

“That’s only done with excellent care for the animals.”

Sixty mink farms across the country established strict precautions last year to restrict visitors, require employees to wear personal protective equipment and tell them not to come to work if they are feeling sick.

“They’ve apparently been very successful because we’ve only had these two farms in all of Canada where COVID was brought to the animals and the animals were infected,” Herscovici said.

Four mink farms also experienced outbreaks in separate U.S. states, and all of them followed similar procedures, he added.

The National Farm Animal Care Council develops codes of practice, the same for other livestock, he said, and provincial governments license and inspect the farms.

Most of Canada’s mink farms are in Ontario and Nova Scotia.

— By Camille Bains in Vancouver.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 17, 2021.

The Canadian Press

How Industrial Fishing Creates More CO2 Emissions Than Air Travel
Aryn Baker

TIME

3/17/2021

It’s been well established by now that the agricultural systems producing our food contribute at least one fifth of global anthropogenic carbon emissions—and up to a third if waste and transportation are factored in. A troubling new report points to a previously overlooked source: an industrial fishing process practiced by dozens of countries around the world, including the United States, China, and the E.U.

© Getty Images

The study, published today in the scientific journal Nature, is the first to calculate the carbon cost of bottom trawling, in which fishing fleets drag immense weighted nets along the ocean floor, scraping up fish, shellfish and crustaceans along with significant portions of their habitats.

According to calculations conducted by the report’s 26 authors, bottom trawling is responsible for one gigaton of carbon emissions a year—a higher annual total than (pre-pandemic) aviation emissions. Not only does the practice contribute to climate change, it is extremely damaging to ocean biodiversity—the “equivalent of ploughing an old-growth forest into the ground, over and over and over again until there is nothing left” according to lead author Enric Sala, a marine biologist who is also National Geographic’s Explorer in Residence.

Bottom trawling is also one of the least cost effective methods of fishing. Most locations have been trawled so many times, there is little left worth catching, says Sala. “Without government subsidies, no one would be making a penny.” But Sala didn’t set out to condemn bottom trawlers when he designed the research project back in 2018. He was looking for the incentives that just might make the fishing industry, and governments, give up on the practice on their own. The carbon findings may just do the trick.

Read more: Why This Year Is Our Last, Best Chance for Saving the Oceans

The study, which breaks the entire ocean down into 50-km-square units, measures how much each so-called “pixel” contributes to global marine biodiversity, fish stocks and climate protection, based on a complex analysis of location, water temperature, salinity and species distribution, among other factors. It also tracks how much CO2 each pixel is capable of absorbing as a carbon sink. (Overall, the ocean absorbs about a quarter of global CO2 emissions a year, though the amount fluctuates between regions).

By mapping those pixel-level baselines the study can then calculate the impact of increasing or decreasing fishing and other human activities. The overall goal was to develop a map of ocean locations that, if protected, would produce the maximum benefits for humans in terms of increased fish stocks, biodiversity and carbon absorption while minimizing a loss of income for the fishing industry. “The reason why we only have seven percent of the ocean under protection is because of the conflict with the fishing industry,” says Sala.

Refuting a long-held view that ocean protection harms fisheries, the study found that well placed marine protected areas (MPAs) that ban fishing would actually boost the production of marine life by functioning as fish nurseries and biodiversity generators capable of seeding stocks elsewhere. According to the study results, protecting the right places could increase the global seafood catch by over 8 million metric tons a year, despite the challenges of overfishing and climate change.

Bottom trawling, however, would have to stop, says Sala. While mangroves, kelp forests and sea grass meadows are good at capturing carbon, the bottom of the ocean, piled deep with marine animal debris, is a far greater carbon sink. But when the trawlers’ weighted nets scrape the sea floor that carbon is released back into the water. Excess carbon in water turns it acidic, which is damaging to sea life.

Worse still, the practice also impacts the ocean’s ability to absorb atmospheric carbon: if the water is already saturated from sources down below, it will be unable to absorb human-caused emissions from above, hamstringing one of our best assets in the fight against climate change. By combining publicly-available data on global bottom trawler activity with pixel-level assessments of carbon stored in the top layers of ocean sediments, Sala and his team were able to calculate the amount of emissions produced by the technique, down to the level of national fleets. The European Union, for example, releases 274,718,086 metric tons of marine sediment carbon into the ocean a year, while Chinese fleets release 769,294,185 metric tons, and the United States releases 19,373,438.

If, as a 2018 study on the economics of fishing the high seas points out, bottom trawling is the least profitable method of harvesting the ocean’s bounty while producing the most carbon, it makes little sense for industry to continue, says Sala. Now, armed with the science along with the math, countries could conceivably put a halt to bottom trawling while selling the offsets to pay for marine protection.

Technological innovations such as green power generation and battery storage are vital for reducing global greenhouse gas emissions. But we still need to reduce atmospheric carbon, and so far technology has not been able to do that affordably and at scale. The oceans have been absorbing carbon for millennia, says Sala. The best way to reduce global emissions is to allow them to keep doing their jobs. “Most people still see the ocean as a victim of climate change. What people don’t realize is that nature is half of the solution to the climate crisis.”

Canadians not near death gain access to assisted dying as Senate passes Bill C-7


OTTAWA — Intolerably suffering Canadians who are not near the natural end of their lives now have the right to seek medical assistance in dying.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

And that will eventually include people suffering solely from grievous and irremediable mental illnesses.

The expansion of Canada's assisted dying regime went into effect Wednesday night after the Senate accepted a revised version of Bill C-7.

The bill received royal assent a few hours later — just over a week ahead of a final March 26 deadline imposed by the court, which had granted four extensions to bring the law into compliance with a 2019 Quebec Superior Court ruling.

With royal assent granted, intolerably suffering Canadians who aren't near death immediately gained the right to seek medical assistance in dying.

People suffering solely from mental illnesses will have to wait two years to gain the same right.

The government had originally intended to impose a blanket ban on assisted dying for people suffering solely from mental illnesses. But, under pressure from senators who believed that exclusion was unconstitutional, it subsequently put a two-year time limit on it.

In the meantime, the government committed to setting up an expert panel to advise on the safeguards and protocols that should apply to people with mental illnesses.

The government rejected a Senate amendment to allow people who fear losing mental competence to make advance requests for an assisted death.

But it committed to launching within 30 days a joint parliamentary committee to review that issue and other unresolved matters, including whether mature minors should have access to the procedure.

"For Canadians who are suffering intolerably, this process has taken too long, but their wait is now over," Justice Minister David Lametti tweeted shortly after the bill received royal assent.

"This is an important milestone but there is more work to do."

The bill was triggered by two Quebecers with severe disabilities who went to court to successfully fight for their right to choose an assisted death even though their natural deaths were not "reasonably foreseeable."

But disability rights groups have strenuously opposed the bill, arguing it devalues the lives of people with disabilities, particularly those who are Black, racialized, Indigenous or otherwise already marginalized and face discrimination in the health system. They fear such vulnerable people will be pressured — either directly or indirectly through societal attitudes and lack of support services — to end their lives prematurely.

Many mental health advocates have also weighed in against the eventual inclusion of people suffering solely from mental illnesses. They argue that it's harder to predict the outcomes of mental illnesses, many of which can be treated, and point out that a wish to die is often a symptom of these illnesses.

But Sen. Stan Kutcher, a psychiatrist and member of the Independent Senators Group who first proposed a time limit on the mental illness exclusion, argued that all competent Canadians suffering from irremediable and grievous illnesses, physical or mental, deserve the right to make their own choice.

"It is not for us to decide if a person's suffering is intolerable to them," he told the Senate shortly before the vote.

Dying with Dignity Canada welcomed the Senate's sign-off on the bill, calling it "a momentous day for end-of-life rights in Canada."

All 20 Conservative senators voted against the bill, several because they believed it didn't go far enough but most were fundamentally opposed to expanding the assisted dying regime, particularly to those with mental illnesses.

In an emotional speech just before the vote, Conservative Senate leader Don Plett pleaded with his colleagues to reject the bill.

"If there was ever a time to exercise sober second thought, it is now," he told the Senate.

"It is not often that we can truly say that with this vote we have the opportunity to save lives, to prevent the unnecessary premature death of the vulnerable, to offer hope to those who have lost it. But today we do."

For people who are near the natural end of life, the bill relaxes some of the rules for getting an assisted death.

It drops the requirement that a person must be able to give final consent immediately before the procedure is performed. That's intended to ensure that someone who has been approved for the procedure won't be denied if they lose mental capacity before it can be carried out.

It also drops the requirement that a person must wait 10 days after being approved for an assisted death before receiving the procedure. And it reduces the number of witnesses required to one from two.

People not near death will face higher hurdles.

Among other things, they'll face a minimum 90-day period for assessments of their requests for an assisted death. They'll have to be made aware of all alternatives, including counselling and they'll have to be able to give final consent immediately before receiving the procedure.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 17, 2021.

Joan Bryden, The Canadian Press

Mounties enforced racist policies, RCMP commissioner says

OTTAWA — The Mounties have enforced racist and discriminatory legislation and policies, with some incidents leaving generational scars, and they should do better in the future, RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki said Wednesday.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

"As an institution of the government we acknowledge that the RCMP is obviously part of social structures and systems that have perpetuated racism in Canada," Lucki told a virtual forum on First Nations policing hosted by the Assembly of First Nations.

"I am completely committed to reconciliation, both as an individual and as the commissioner of the RCMP."

The national police force is at the beginning of a very long journey to regain the confidence of First Nations, she said, noting that developing a respectful relationship is going to take time.

"Building trust is a shared journey but it's also bigger than words," she said. "We have to show actions. Then we have to work hard together to build and maintain relationships based on trust."

Last October, AFN National Chief Perry Bellegarde said he had "lost confidence" in Lucki after months of unrest and urged Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to replace her. This came as the RCMP faced heavy criticism for its response to violence toward a disputed Mi'kmaq moderate livelihood lobster fishery in Nova Scotia.

Lucki had already faced calls for her resignation earlier last year, when she said in an interview that she believed there is "unconscious bias'' in the RCMP but she was "struggling with the definition of systemic racism.'' She later reversed herself in a written statement that said systemic racism does exist, though she had trouble citing examples.

Those remarks came at a time when there was an outcry over violence against Indigenous people in encounters with police, alongside a renewed focus on racism following the death of George Floyd, a Black man, at the hands of police in Minneapolis.

On Wednesday, Bellegarde said there is a need to work with the RCMP to ensure policing is beneficial for Indigenous people.

He said the RCMP should adopt a zero-tolerance policy for excessive use of force by members, as well as put in place better recruitment processes and proper training on de-escalating confrontations.

"It means a policy change," Bellegarde said.

Bellegarde also called on the federal government to strengthen civilian oversight for the RCMP and provide the necessary human and financial resources to deal with complaints about the Mounties. He also said there should be "incentives to keep experienced people in the communities rather than the inexperienced young rookies coming in."

Bellegarde noted the marching orders contained in the mandate letter that Public Safety Minister Bill Blair received from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on tackling systemic inequities involving the RCMP and the communities it serves. These also include unconscious-bias training, body-worn cameras and a move to community-led policing.

"RCMP need to work with our people in order to bring that about," Bellegarde said.

Lucki said the Mounties are focused on thoughtful action based on what they have been hearing in conversations with advisory groups, Indigenous communities and Indigenous employees.

"As part of our plan, the RCMP in each province and territory are using a trauma-informed approach to co-develop reconciliation strategies," she said, adding there are also courses on cultural awareness and humility, along with anti-racism training.

She said learning is really just one step on the path of reconciliation.

"We have a new Indigenous lived experience advisory group, which is now providing us with advice on how to advance reconciliation and address systemic racism issues," she said.

"We're partnering with Indigenous women's groups, initiating an equity, diversity and inclusion strategy. And we are now in the midst of formalizing a brand new office for RCMP indigenous collaboration, co-development and accountability."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 17, 2021.

———

This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship.

Maan Alhmidi, The Canadian Press

REST IN POWER
Federal, B.C. New Democrat politician Ian Waddell remembered for his passion, desire

3/17/2021

VANCOUVER — Federal and provincial leaders are among those offering condolences at the passing of long-serving British Columbia politician Ian Waddell.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

The former lawyer, New Democrat member of Parliament and member of the B.C. legislature died Monday at his Vancouver home at the age of 78.

B.C. Premier John Horgan says in a social media post that Waddell approached everything with a "passion and desire to make progress for people," while federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says Waddell was a champion of social justice who always lifted up those around him.

Waddell earned law degrees from the University of Toronto and London School of Economics and worked as a prosecutor, defence lawyer and council to the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline Inquiry before making a successful jump to federal politics.

Waddell served 14 years as an New Democrat MP, representing the ridings of Vancouver-Kingsway and Port Moody-Coquitlam, before turning to provincial politics from 1996 to 2001.

After losing provincially in 2001 and suffering defeat in an attempted federal comeback in 2004, Waddell worked as a documentary film producer.

Social media posts show him working out, skiing and golfing with friends in the weeks before his death.

He maintained an interest in politics with recent Twitter posts remarking on passage of the United States' COVID relief plan and the 2020 presidential election.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was also on the receiving end of Waddell's online advice in a message dated Jan. 25.

"My choice for new Governor General is Judge Murray Sinclair. Are you listening Justin," he tweeted.

In his last message, one day before he died, Waddell posted a photo from the balcony of his Vancouver home, with Stanley Park and the Coast Mountains in the distance.

His final sentence: "Paradise."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 17, 2021.

The Canadian Press

Scientists: Climate-whipped winds pose

 Great Lakes hazards

This undated photo provided by Josef Daniel Ackerman of the University of Guelph, in Guelph, Ontario, Canada, shows researchers aboard the research vessel Keenosay deploying scientific instruments in Lake Erie. Powerful gusts linked to global warming are damaging water quality and creating a hazard for fish in Lake Erie and perhaps elsewhere in the Great Lakes, according to researchers. (Aidin Jabbari/University of Guelph via AP)More

JOHN FLESHER
Mon, March 15, 2021

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — Powerful gusts linked to global warming are damaging water quality and creating a hazard for fish in Lake Erie and perhaps elsewhere in the Great Lakes, according to researchers.

Extremely high winds occasionally churn up deep water with low oxygen and high levels of phosphorus in Erie's central basin and shove it into the shallower western section, creating a hazard for fish and insects on which they feed.

Such events have happened more frequently since 1980 and particularly in recent years, scientists with the University of Guelph said in a paper published last week in the journal Nature Scientific Reports.

“As temperatures increase overall, we will get higher winds and larger waves," said Josef Ackerman, a professor of physical ecology and aquatic sciences with the Canadian university who led the study.

The findings underscore the need to limit phosphorus overloading that fuels algae-like bacterial blooms in Lake Erie's western basin, he said — an elusive goal despite pledges by Michigan, Ohio and the Canadian province of Ontario to achieve a 40% reduction from 2008 levels by 2025.

“We can't control the winds but maybe we could double down on our efforts to reduce inputs into the lakes to keep the ecosystems healthy," Ackerman said. “If so, the winds won't have as bad an impact.”

Marc Gaden, spokesman for the Great Lakes Fishery Commission who didn't take part in the study, said it illustrates the complexity of Great Lakes ecosystems and the need for better models that can forecast how weather can disrupt them.

“Any change that’s happening like this needs to be understood by fishery managers who are making decisions on a daily basis about stocking and harvests,” Gaden said Monday.

The report adds to a growing body of scientific evidence that human activity is affecting the Great Lakes in unforeseen ways.

Some nearshore areas have too much phosphorus because of runoff from overfertilized croplands and releases from sewage plants. In others, invasive quagga mussels that were brought to the lakes in ship ballast water are trapping the nutrient in shallow waters.

Yet deeper areas of Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Ontario and eastern Lake Erie are running short of phosphorus needed to feed algae that form a key link in food chains. Again, the mussels are suspected of playing a role.

A February study by University of Minnesota Duluth scientists found that quagga mussels, which filter phosphorus from the water and then excrete it, have become the biggest factor in determining concentrations of the nutrient in all the Great Lakes except Lake Superior.

Meanwhile, climate change resulting from emissions of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane is believed to be warming the lakes and causing heavier storms, which also affect water quality.

Lake Erie, shallowest of the Great Lakes, is deep enough in its central basin to have two distinct temperature levels. The lower, colder level has little oxygen and lots of phosphorus. Low or depleted oxygen, a condition known as hypoxia, can cause fish die-offs.

Unusually strong winds, which usually happen in August, can be powerful enough to propel that unhealthy water into the western basin even though Erie's prevailing current moves eastward, Ackerman said.

Those extreme events, which formerly happened a couple of times a year, more recently have happened three or four times annually, he said. In the past decade, they've increased more than 40 percent. They can alter lake chemistry within hours.

While adult fish can swim away from those low-oxygen, high-phosphorus zones, younger ones might be trapped and die, Ackerman said. Another victim is the mayfly, an important food for prized fish such as perch and walleye.

He said extreme gusts also might have similar effects in other waters that have experienced hypoxia, such as Lake Huron's Saginaw Bay, Lake Michigan's Green Bay and Muskegon Lake, which opens into Lake Michigan.

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Climate Change Is Behind Ghost Forests Along the Coast


Matthew Hart
Wed, March 17, 2021,

Over the past few months, scientists have continued to publish research outlining the destruction climate change may wreak soon. What could happen to Yellowstone’s Old Faithful geyser, for example, is kind of heartbreaking. Now, in an even darker report, scientists say climate change is causing a rise in “ghost forests” along the northeast coast of the US. And yes, they look super creepy.

Earther picked up on the new report, which researchers at Rutgers University in New Jersey recently released. The US Department of Agriculture hired on the researchers to surmise “the current state of knowledge” concerning how Northeastern US coastal forests are responding to impacts from climate change.

Scientists say so-called "ghost forests" are on the rise on

the East Coast of the U.S. thanks to climate change.

NC Wetlands

Upon inspection—which consisted of analyzing scientific literature, interviewing forestry and biology experts, and convening relevant scientists—the researchers found that climate change is causing the ocean to eat into the East Coast; flooding coastal forest land from Virginia up to Massachusetts, and threatening other areas.

As the ocean water floods into these forests, it displaces native fresh water, which deciduous trees rely upon for sustenance. The salt water subsequently poisons the living trees, leaving a “ghost forest” of dead and dying timber in its wake. To make the scene even more eery, the barren trees stick around; becoming purgatory versions of their former selves.

Scientists say so-called "ghost forests" are on the rise on the East Coast of the U.S. thanks to climate change.

Wing-Chi Poon

The affected forests “have a ghostly, spectral character,” Richard Lathrop Jr., who directs Rutgers University’s Center for Remote Sensing & Spatial Analysis and was a co-author of the new research, wrote in an email to Earther. “This is happening up and down the East and Gulf Coasts, especially in coastal areas where there is low lying, gently sloping land adjacent [to] coastal bays,” Lathrop added.

Along with the encroaching salt water, the forests also face storm surges, which too leave behind an inundation of salt. Which, like the ocean water, not only kills current trees, but leaves the forests inhospitable for future ones.

Scientists say so-called "ghost forests" are on the rise on the East Coast of the U.S. thanks to climate change.

Bill Rand

The researchers say there are possible ways to mitigate the rise of these ghost forests, however. If the US more cautiously plans how coastal land is used, for example, that could cut down on ghost forests. Expanding the forests inland, likewise, could help them to survive the onslaught of saltwater. Which all sounds great, because the fewer parts of the US that look like the backdrop for an episode of True Detective, the better.

The post Climate Change Is Behind Ghost Forests Along the Coast appeared first on Nerdist.

Climate change: Jet fuel from waste 'dramatically lowers' emissions

Matt McGrath - Environment correspondent
BBC
Tue, March 16, 2021

contrail

A new approach to making jet fuel from food waste has the potential to massively reduce carbon emissions from flying, scientists say.

Currently, most of the food scraps that are used for energy around the world are converted into methane gas.

But researchers in the US have found a way of turning this waste into a type of paraffin that works in jet engines.

The authors of the new study say the fuel cuts greenhouse gas emissions by 165% compared to fossil energy.

This figure comes from the reduction in carbon emitted from airplanes plus the emissions that are avoided when food waste is diverted from landfill.

The aviation industry worldwide is facing some difficult decisions about how to combine increased demand for flying with the need to rapidly cut emissions from the sector.

In the US, airlines currently use around 21 billion gallons of jet fuel every year, with demand expected to double by the middle of the century. At the same time, they have committed to cutting CO2 by 50%.

With the development of battery-powered airplanes for long haul flights a distant prospect at this point, much attention has focussed on replacing existing jet fuel with a sustainable alternative.

In fact the UK government has just announced a £15m competition to encourage companies to develop jet fuel from household waste products.
Making paraffin from wet-waste

Current methods of making green jet fuel are based on a similar approach to making biodiesel for cars and heavy goods vehicles.

It normally requires the use of virgin vegetable oils as well as waste fats, oil and grease to make the synthetic fuel.

At present, it is more economical to convert these oils and wastes into diesel as opposed to jet fuel - which requires an extra step in the process, driving up costs.

Now, researchers say that they have developed an alternative method able to turn food waste, animal manure and waste water into a competitive jet hydrocarbon.

Much of this material, termed wet-waste, is at present is turned into methane gas. However, the authors found a way of interrupting this process so it produced volatile fatty acids (VFA) instead of CH4.

The researchers were then able to use a form of catalytic conversion to upgrade the VFA to two different forms of sustainable paraffin.

Food waste is a global problem and a major cause of global warming emissions

When the two forms were combined they were able to blend 70% of the mixture with regular jet fuel, while still meeting the extremely strict quality criteria that Federal authorities impose on aircraft fuels.

"There's exciting jet fuels that rely on burning trash and dry waste but this actually works for those wastes that have high water content, which we normally dispose of in landfill," said Derek Vardon, a senior research engineer at the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the lead author on the study.

"Being able to show that you can take these volatile fatty acids, and that there's a really elegant, simple way to turn it into jet fuel - that's where I see the broader applicability of this one, and folks can continue to develop and refine it."

The new fuel has a potentially significant impact on emissions as it not only limits the CO2 that comes from fossil sources used by the airlines, but it also gets rid of the methane that would bubble up from landfill if the waste food was just dumped.

Another major advantage is that this new fuel produces around 34% less soot than current standards. This is important because soot plays a key role in the formation of contrails from airplanes which adds a powerful warming effect to CO2 coming from the engines.

"That's where we see the most potential for this technology is that you're preventing methane emissions, and dramatically lowering the carbon footprint of jet fuel. And you just can't do that with fossil fuels without getting into things like offsets," said Derek Vardon.

The research team say they are planning to scale up the production of the new fuel and aim to have test flights with Southwest Airlines in 2023.

Many environmental groups are sceptical about attempts to develop sustainable aviation fuels, believing that it amounts to green-washing. They argue that people should just fly less.

"Sustainable aviation fuel is not a silver bullet," Derek Vardon says.

"So we do want to definitely emphasise that reduction is the most important and most significant change you can make. But there's also pragmatism and need for aviation solutions now, so that's where we want to strike a balance as we need a basket of measures, to really start getting our carbon footprint down in a variety of sectors, including aviation."

The study has been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

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