Renewable Revolution

July 21, 2021 - Summaries written by Angely Mercado

In Today's Eco Update:

The red tide kills Tampa fish.
The deadly red tide has returned to Florida's Tampa Bay killing up to 600 tons worth of fish since this past June. In response, more than 100 protestors marched along the St. Petersburg waterfront this past weekend calling for Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis to declare a state of emergency so that Florida can allocate the funds to address the mass death of marine life. However, DeSantis responded by saying that there is enough funding available from the state's Department of Environmental Protection without the declaration.

The reoccurring red tide is caused by an overabundance of the algae Karenia brevis naturally occurs in the Gulf of Mexico, but is made worse by nutrient pollution. The previous major outbreak was in 2018 and this year's bloom may be even worst.

The true cost of food in the U.S.
There is a hidden cost to food in the United States, according to a new report that evaluated factors like healthcare costs, biodiversity loss, and the direct environmental impacts of farming in the country. The report was released by the Rockefeller Foundation explains in its report, True Cost of Food: Measuring What Matters to Transform the U.S. Food System, and analyzes how our current food system is really costing us in the long run.

This was evaluated through 14 metrics including air pollution, food insecurity, antimicrobial resistance driven by the widespread use of antibiotics in farming, and greenhouse gas emissions. Those "externalized costs" amount to at least $2.1 trillion annually and will be paid for by future generations.

Sustainable sector means sustainable jobs.
Jobs in the renewable energy and battery-related sectors have been much more resilient throughout the pandemic compared to the overall energy sector, according to the DOE's annual report. One in 10 U.S. energy workers lost their jobs in 2020 — oil and gas sectors lost the most jobs despite the billions in bailouts and substantial payouts to already wealthy executives. However, the wind energy employment grew by nearly 2% while jobs in the electric and hybrid-electric vehicle sectors grew by 8% and 6%.

And a look at why land runoff is dangerous for water ecosystems.
With #PlasticFreeJuly upon us, there has been a necessary, global focus on curbing plastic pollution and other trash that comes from land and often ends up in the sea. Now, in partnership with Plastic Oceans International, EcoWatch is highlighting the dangers of another land-based source of ecological harm: runoff.

According to the United States Geological Survey, runoff naturally occurs after rain falls onto a landscape. The water doesn't just sit on top of the ground; some seeps into soils to refresh groundwater, but most flows across ecosystems as surface runoff. In this way, runoff is an important part of the natural water cycle.