An illustration highlights the moon's Clavius Crater with an illustration depicting water trapped in the lunar soil there. NASA / Daniel Rutter
A pair of studies released Monday confirmed not only the presence of water and ice on the moon, but that it is more abundant than scientists previously thought. Those twin discoveries boost the prospect of a sustainable lunar base that could harvest the moon's resources to help sustain itself, according to the BBC.
<p>Both studies were printed in <em>Nature Astronomy</em>. In the <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-020-01222-x" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">first study</a>, a NASA telescope affixed to the fuselage of a 747 airplane flying at altitudes up to 45,000 feet detected the presence of water in a large crater visible from Earth. The telescope, called the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), zeroed in on the moon's surface with remarkable clarity to determine the molecular composition of the moon's face, according to a <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-s-sofia-discovers-water-on-sunlit-surface-of-moon/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">NASA</a> statement.</p><p>Images from SOFIA allowed scientists to determine that a large portion of the hydrogen and oxygen combination they had previously noticed on a sunlit area of the moon are water, according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/26/science/moon-ice-water.html?action=click&module=Well&pgtype=Homepage&section=Science" target="_blank">The New York Times</a>.</p>
<p>"This discovery reveals that water might be distributed across the lunar surface and not limited to the cold shadowed places near the lunar poles," Paul Hertz, the director of NASA's astrophysics division, said during a news conference on Monday, as The New York Times reported.</p><p>In the <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-020-1198-9" target="_blank">second study</a>, the NASA scientists suggest that water might be more widespread than they initially thought since it is likely trapped in many of the moon's shadowy surfaces, according to <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2020/10/26/21530198/moon-water-ice-sun-cold-traps-nasa-artemis-astronauts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Verge</a>. Those cold areas of the moon possibly shelter water in an area over 15,000 square miles, according to the study.</p><p>The discovery is a boon to a potential lunar base since taking water to space is pricey, costing thousands of dollars per gallon. The discovery of water on the moon may mean that future astronauts will be able to hydrate and refuel their rockets, as <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2020/10/26/water-on-the-moon/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Washington Post</a> reported. It also means they would be able to water plants, according to The Verge.</p>
<p>"Anytime we don't need to pack water for our trip, we have an opportunity to take other useful items with us," said Jacob Bleacher, chief exploration scientist for NASA's human exploration and operations directorate, to The New York Times.</p><p>Hannah Sargeant, a planetary scientist from the Open University in Milton Keynes, told the BBC that the location of the water will likely determine where a lunar base is established</p><p>Previous discoveries of water were found in craters in the moon's perpetually dark south. Temperatures there reach about -400 degrees Fahrenheit, making it impossible to reach the water with modern technology.</p><p>"They happen to be the coldest known places in the Solar System, believe it or not," Paul Hayne, a planetary scientist at the University of Colorado and a lead author on the second study, told The Verge.</p><p>That makes the discovery of water deposits in less treacherous areas appealing to scientists thinking about future moon exploration, according to The New York Times.</p>
<p>"If we find that it's abundant enough in certain locations, it would be easier to access versus going into these very cold, very dark places," said Casey Honniball, a postdoctoral fellow at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and lead author of the first study, to The Verge.</p><p>For the next steps, NASA will send unmanned rovers to the moon's south pole in 2023 to drill for water a meter below the surface, according to The Washington Post.</p><p>"Both papers deepen the mysteries of lunar water while providing pieces of the puzzle," wrote Bethany Ehlmann, an assistant professor of planetary science at Caltech who was not involved in the research, in an email to The Washington Post. "It's exciting to think that lurking in the shadow within ten degrees of the pole are tiny reservoirs of water ice."</p>
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A full moon above Middletown Works, an AK Steel facility in Southwest Ohio, on April 7, 2020. Lucian / Flickr
Scientists have discovered rust on the moon, something they did not believe was possible.
<p>Hematite, a type of rust, requires both water and oxygen to form. But the moon lacks both oxygen and liquid water. Which is why scientists were so surprised when they discovered hematite in lunar water samples they were studying from India's 2008 Space Research Organization's Chandrayaan-1 mission.</p><p>"It's very puzzling," research leader Shuai Li from the University of Hawaii said in a statement reported by <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/moon-rust-nasa-oxygen-water-1529364" target="_blank">Newsweek</a>. "The Moon is a terrible environment for hematite to form in."</p><p>So Li sent the samples to Abigail Fraeman and Vivian Sun from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory for confirmation.</p><p>"At first, I totally didn't believe it," Fraeman told Newsweek. "It shouldn't exist based on the conditions present on the Moon. But since we discovered water on the Moon, people have been speculating that there could be a greater variety of minerals than we realize if that water had reacted with rocks."</p>
<p> The scientists detailed their surprising find in <a href="https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/6/36/eaba1940" target="_blank">Science Advances Wednesday</a>. They think the rust can be explained by three things, as the <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/earth-moon-rust-nasa-oxygen-a9702491.html" target="_blank">Independent reported</a>:</p><ol><li>Magnetism: Oxygen can travel from the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/earth" target="_self">Earth</a> to the moon via the Earth's magnetic field. This explains why there is more rust on the side of the moon facing the Earth.</li><li>Hydrogen Shield: Solar winds bombard the moon with hydrogen, which interferes with the oxidation process that forms rust. But the Earth's magnetic field also blocks the moon from solar winds when the moon is full, giving rust enough time to form.</li><li>Water Ice: There is water ice present on the moon, as <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/115/36/8907.short?rss=1" target="_blank">Li discovered in 2018</a>. Li thinks that the water molecules in the ice could be freed by dust particles that strike the moon's surface, then mix with iron to form rust. The oxidation process would be sped as the particles became heated.</li></ol>
<p>Li's two discoveries — of water ice and rust — were both located near the moon's poles.</p><p>"This discovery will reshape our knowledge about the Moon's polar regions," Li said in a <a href="https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2020/09/02/earth-oxygen-moon-rust/" target="_blank">University of Hawaii press release</a>. "Earth may have played an important role on the evolution of the Moon's surface."</p>
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Saturn's moon, Enceladus, is one of three moons that appear to contain subsurface oceans underneath an icy shell. Marc Van Norden / NASA / Flickr / CC by 2.0
By Zulfikar Abbany
"We don't have a definition of life," says Kevin Peter Hand, one early California morning when we speak via video. "We don't actually know what life is."
<p>He says that in between sips of coffee, as though it were perfectly obvious.</p><p>But scientists must really get bored — even annoyed — by journalists repeatedly asking how their fundamental research in space can be applied in the <em>real world</em>. It is a question worth asking, however. Especially when they tell you that they are looking for a "second origin of life." You just have to ask why.</p><p>Fortunately, Hand, who heads NASA's Ocean Worlds Lab, is charming and gentle as he explains his fascination with what he calls "alien oceans" both on Earth and on distant water worlds, like Jupiter's moon, Europa, Saturn's moon, Enceladus, or Triton, a "bizarre" object that rotates in the opposite direction from its host planet, Neptune.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzUzNTU2Ni9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2ODAyOTcyMX0.ZJugFf2oRLgcx8nH3jr1KNBC7o6jMmwKU0LMzsY1IyY/img.png?width=980" id="cd21f" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="946767de5696a09fc34090e5ade96142" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1920" data-height="3177" /><p>"We have numerous hypotheses for how life originated on Earth," says Hand. "For instance, it may have originated in the hydrothermal vents of our ocean, or in warm tide pools on the continents of an ancient Earth, or perhaps it originated from spark discharge from lightning in the atmosphere and precipitating organic compounds glued together to form life… But nothing has so far crawled out of the lab."</p>
Alien Oceans Here and There
<p>Europa, Enceladus, and Triton are just three of over 200 moons in our solar system. But they are special moons. They seem to have live, liquid water environments below the surface — also known as subsurface oceans — under an icy shell.</p><p>"These are global liquid oceans covered with ice," says Hand. "And if we go to Europa or Enceladus, these worlds where hydrothermal vents could exist, but where no continents exist, and there's no atmosphere, and if we found life, that would almost certainly point to an origin of life in hydrothermal vents."</p><p>And that may then tell us more about life on Earth. </p><p>Hydrothermal vents are found at extreme depths of around 6,000 kilometers (3,728 miles) in vast trenches below the surface of Earth's own ocean.</p><p>Not so long ago, those trenches were believed to be too dark for any life to exist. But through oceanographic research and commercial prospectors trawling for rare minerals like manganese nodules, we now know that hydrothermal vents are teeming with microbial life. So, the same may be true on a distant moon.</p><p>"That's not to say we'd be able to cross off the potential for the origin of life in tide pools on ancient Earth, but if we found life in hydrothermal vents on these moons, we would at least have another data point," says Hand.</p>Biology Beyond Earth
<p>Biology — or organic life as we know it — is perhaps the final piece in a jigsaw puzzle for space scientists.</p><p>Thanks to Galileo, says Hand, we know that the laws of physics work beyond Earth. So, too, with the principles of chemistry and geology.</p><p>"But we don't know whether this phenomenon called life has happened a second, independent time from life here on Earth. And that's why the question of a second origin of life is so compelling," says Hand.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzUzNTYxNy9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2MjgxNTIyMX0.g81Fz-l3O-_c03B3ah_duedhacdE9CaiMfHcTRiX1L4/img.png?width=980" id="b00a6" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="720a25ec63df8ccb03462e1f5752f8f3" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1920" data-height="2209" /><p>And it's vital that that second origin of life is discovered — if at all — on planets, moons and other celestial bodies deep in the solar system, bodies that are too far away for any Earthly life to have reached or "contaminated" what may, or may not, be there.</p><p>"It would be hard for an Earth rock to get out there with Earth microbes and seed those oceans with DNA-based life," says Hand. "So, if we find life on these worlds, they will represent a separate, independent origin of life and, as such, that will tell us about the diversity of life, not just in our solar system, but in the universe as a whole."</p>
The Europa Clipper
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="367f258c4634fbd67ad3ce7ef3a73b5f"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GqTaDCt_F1Y?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span><p>Hand's focus for now is Jupiter's moon, Europa. One of his current projects is the <a href="https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/europa-clipper/" target="_blank">Europa Clipper</a> mission, which will perform about 45 so-called "flybys" of the moon. </p><p>Its launch date has yet to be decided. But the plan is for the Europa Clipper to take hi-resolution images of the moon's surface on a scale of between 50 centimeters per pixel and tens of meters per pixel.</p><p>It will look for organics, like salt.</p><p>It will have an ice penetrating radar onboard, and spectrometers that could "taste" any plumes erupting out of Europa.</p><p>"It will fly through the plumes and capture some of that material so we can analyze it directly. That will be phenomenal, but it won't get us down to the surface," says Hand. So, they are working on another mission that would land on Europa, too.</p>Trident for Triton
<p>Meanwhile, NASA's <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-selects-four-possible-missions-to-study-the-secrets-of-the-solar-system" target="_blank">Discovery Program</a> has two further outer solar system moon missions under consideration. One of those missions is called Trident. And if it's selected to move forward, the mission will investigate Neptune's moon, Triton.</p><p>Trident would launch in 2026 for a 12-year journey to Triton. The last spacecraft to study Triton was Voyager 2, which launched in 1977. It got to within 40,000 km of Triton, whereas Trident would get as close as 500 km on two flybys.</p><p>"Voyager gave us pictures that let us see geysers and plumes on Triton and that was 30 years ago — 50 years before Trident," says Yohai Kaspi, a professor of atmospheric dynamics and planetary science at the Weizmann Institute in Israel. "But with today's technology and imaging, we can do much better."</p><p>Kaspi and his colleagues are contributing a special clock to the project, with which they hope to measure the density and temperature of Triton's atmosphere.</p><p>The clock is called an Ultra-Stable Oscillator (USO).</p><p>It's a basically quartz clock, like a quartz wristwatch, but it's kept it at a very stable temperature to protect it from all the temperature variations in space.</p><p>"You hold it in a little oven, literally a tiny oven, with a stable temperature of one milliKelvin," says Kaspi, "and that gives us an accurate time frequency."</p><p>The spacecraft will have a radio link to Earth for the purpose of Kaspi's experiment and for general use, such as navigation. It will be a constant signal.</p><p>But the speed at which that signal travels back to Earth will change as the spacecraft enters and moves through Triton's atmosphere. The atmosphere is almost a filter through which the signal will have to pass. Measuring and comparing the difference in time it takes the signal to travel to Earth will allow scientists to measure thickness of Triton's atmosphere and build a profile of the moon's atmospheric temperature.</p>How Do Moon Oceans and Their Atmospheres Interact?
<p>Kaspi says Triton's atmosphere makes it unique. "Enceladus is too small to have an atmosphere and Europa barely has an atmosphere," he says. "Triton's atmosphere is not as dense as the one on Earth but it's enough of an atmosphere to transport material around. And in addition to that, it's likely that Triton was not even formed in our solar system. So, it's a real opportunity."</p><p>If the mission goes ahead, it may also be an opportunity to understand more about the interaction between subsurface oceans, or the "interior" of such moons, and their atmospheres. Because atmospheres are just as important for maintaining life and water is for originating life.</p><p>"We see these plumes coming from the interior, and they are then transported by the atmosphere. We see these active geysers and then these streaks on the planet, and they're all in the same direction," Kaspi says. "So, you would assume that there is a wind going from one side to the other. Voyager observed that. But that is about as much as we know."</p><p>What we don't know, says Kaspi, is how much of Triton's atmosphere originated from the interior, or whether the subterranean ocean can communicate or interact much with the outside.</p><p>The instruments on Trident are designed to find out how the whole system works together. They may even get us a little closer to that elusive definition of life itself.</p><p>"I hope that maybe 400 years from now our descendants will be able to point to innovations and discoveries that we made and go, 'Wow, can you believe they argued about the importance of searching for life beyond Earth and its application?'" says NASA's Kevin Hand.</p><p>"And perhaps they will be able to laugh about that in the same way that we look at Galileo and say: 'Of course, Galileo's work was pivotal in changing the way we think about the universe' — and everything that cascades from that, right down to the computer conversation that we're having now."</p><p>Message received.</p>From Your Site Articles
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The moon sets over the border fence between the U.S. and Mexico on March 14, 2017 in Hidalgo, Texas. John Moore / Getty Images
In the midst of a global pandemic, President Donald Trump found time earlier this week to sign an executive order for U.S. companies to mine the moon's mineral resources, according to Newsweek.
<p>The executive order makes it clear that the administration does not view space and celestial bodies as global commons, allowing for mining operations without any international treaties, as <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/apr/07/trump-mining-moon-executive-order" target="_blank">The Guardian</a> reported.</p><p>"Outer space is a legally and physically unique domain of human activity, and the United States does not view space as a global commons," the order, called Encouraging International Support for the Recovery and Use of Space Resources, states.</p>
<p>According to <a href="https://www.mining-technology.com/features/trump-wants-us-companies-to-mine-the-moon/" target="_blank">Mining Technology</a>, the order states that commercial partners participate in an "innovative and sustainable program" headed by the U.S. to "lead the return of humans to the Moon for long-term exploration and utilization, followed by human missions to Mars and other destinations." The document adds that successful long-term exploration of space will require commercial entities to recover and use resources, including certain minerals, in outer space.</p><p><a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/executive-order-encouraging-international-support-recovery-use-space-resources/" target="_blank">While the order specifically noted that a return to the moon</a> would allow the country to explore and exploit lunar minerals, it implied a future commercialization of the solar system would apply to "the Moon, Mars, and other celestial bodies," as <a href="https://www.desertsun.com/story/news/environment/2020/04/09/trump-calls-american-businesses-mine-moon/5123361002/" target="_blank">The Palm Springs Desert Sun</a> reported.</p>
<p>The U.S. never signed the 1979 moon treaty, which states that non-scientific use of space resources must be governed by international regulations. Then in 2015, Congress passed a law to allow American companies and citizens to use resources from the moon and asteroids, as <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-signs-order-encouraging-us-mine-moon-minerals-1496823" target="_blank">Newsweek</a> reported.</p><p>As <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/apr/07/trump-mining-moon-executive-order" target="_blank">The Guardian</a> points out, the willingness to plunder natural resources is part and parcel with the administration's policies on Earth. The Trump administration has opened up wide swaths of <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/public-lands" target="_self">public land</a> to mining and rolled back environmental regulations in an attempt to prop up the coal industry.</p>
<p>The federal government has routinely ignored requests to update the main law governing hardrock mining, even as the planet careens towards a <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-crisis">climate crisis</a>. The law has been effectively untouched since its inception in 1872, according to <a href="https://www.desertsun.com/story/news/environment/2020/04/09/trump-calls-american-businesses-mine-moon/5123361002/" target="_blank">The Palm Springs Desert Sun</a>.</p><p>The U.S. interests in the moon seem to revolve around building a sustainable settlement. In 2024, the Artemis 3 mission will touch down at the moon's South Pole, brining one female and one male astronaut who will become the first moonwalkers of the 21st century, as <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamiecartereurope/2020/04/09/trump-wants-to-mine-the-moon-this-is-how-nasa-will-do-it-using-roomba-sized-rovers/#838b31840d61" target="_blank">Forbes</a> reported. While that will be a brief visit, NASA has plans for future Artemis missions to create "a sustained lunar presence" in 2028.</p><p>The Artemis program is seen as a program to create a waystation for an eventual U.S. voyage to Mars, though it's not clear how these long-term plans will work nor what role private companies like SpaceX will play, as <a href="https://www.popularmechanics.com/space/a32082958/trump-moon-mining-asteroids/" target="_blank">Popular Mechanics</a> reported.</p><p>According to <a href="https://www.popularmechanics.com/space/a32082958/trump-moon-mining-asteroids/" target="_blank">Popular Mechanics</a>, "Scientists and researchers are investing a lot of time and resources in ways astronauts will be able to gather what's around them on the moon or on Mars in order to make building materials, life-sustaining shelter, and even renewable fuel for people staying on these celestial bodies."</p>
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Jupiter and Saturn Will Form ‘Double Planet’ This December for the First Time in 800 Years
04 December 2020
Science
On Dec. 21, Jupiter and Saturn will be so closely aligned that they will appear as a "double planet." NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory / YouTube
The night sky has a special treat in store for stargazers this winter solstice.
<p>On Dec. 21, Jupiter and Saturn will be so closely aligned that they will appear as a "double planet," Rice University astronomer Patrick Hartigan announced in a university <a href="https://news.rice.edu/2020/11/19/christmas-week-worlds-will-align-for-spectacular-heavenly-sight-2/" target="_blank">press release</a>. This is called a conjunction, and the last time such a close one between the two planets was visible from Earth was in 1226.</p><p>"That's just [shy] of 800 years ago" <a href="https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/" target="_blank">Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics</a> spokeswoman Amy Oliver <a href="https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/12/03/2020-great-conjunction-rare-christmas-star-jupiter-saturn-align/3808185001/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">told USA TODAY</a>. "Call [2020's conjunction] a unique, holiday gift to the world. Maybe it's the soothing band-aid for 2020."</p>
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="5337d80301fe60e7bb3f852458f07708"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NEVCDhEyKx0?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span>
<p>A conjunction occurs when two celestial objects appear close together when seen from Earth. The conjunction between Jupiter and Saturn occurs when the orbits of the two planets align with Earth's, something that only happens once every 20 years and is referred to as a "great conjunction," <a href="https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/resources/2567/whats-up-december-2020-video/#:~:text=In%20fact%2C%20Saturn%20will%20appear,as%20some%20of%20Jupiter's%20moons.&text=This%20event%20is%20called%20a,together%20in%20our%20nighttime%20sky." target="_blank">according to NASA</a>.</p><p>However, this great conjunction brings the planets even closer together than usual. They will appear to be separated by just a tenth of a degree, or the thickness of a dime held at arm's length.</p><p>"On the evening of closest approach on Dec 21 they will look like a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_planet" target="_blank">double planet</a>, separated by only 1/5th the diameter of the full moon," Hartigan said in the press release. "For most telescope viewers, each planet and several of their largest moons will be visible in the same field of view that evening."</p>
<p>However, if the skies are cloudy the night of the 21st itself, the planets will still be close from Dec. 16 to 25. The space between them will be less than the diameter of the full moon.</p><p>The phenomenon will be easiest to see from the equator, but should be visible everywhere on Earth. To see it, look to the low western sky for about an hour after sunset. However, those in northern latitudes should try to look for the sight as closely after sunset as possible.</p><p>"The further north a viewer is, the less time they'll have to catch a glimpse of the conjunction before the planets sink below the horizon," Hartigan explained.</p>
<p>If you miss this conjunction, another so close won't be visible until 2080. After that, it will not occur again until after 2400. While the last time the phenomenon was visible was in the Middle Ages, a similar alignment occurred in 1623, but it was too close to the sun to be seen from Earth, USA TODAY explained.</p><p>"You would be lucky to see this once in a lifetime," Andrew Jacob of the Sydney Observatory said, as the <a href="https://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/jupiter-saturn-great-conjunction-christmas-800-years-b155652.html" target="_blank">Evening Standard</a> reported.</p><p>The event is also known as the "Christmas Star" or the "Star of Bethlehem."</p><p>German astronomer Johannes Kepler theorized in 1614 that a similar conjunction might have been the source of the bright "star" that the Wise Men followed to visit the baby Jesus in the nativity story.</p>
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What You Need to Know About This Year’s Winter Solstice and the Great Conjunction
18 December 2020
Popular
On Dec. 21, Saturn and Jupiter will appear so close together that some people may have a difficult time seeing them as two objects. Haitong Yu / Getty Images
By William Teets
Editor's note: Dr. William Teets is the director of Vanderbilt University's Dyer Observatory. In this interview, he explains what does and doesn't happen during the winter solstice on Dec. 21. Another cosmic phenomenon is also going to occur on the same day called “the great conjunction," where Saturn and Jupiter, both of which can be seen with the naked eye, will appear extremely close to one another.
<h2>What Happens on the Winter Solstice?</h2><p>The winter solstice this year happens on Dec. 21. This is when the Sun appears the lowest in the Northern Hemisphere sky and is at its farthest southern point over Earth – directly over the Tropic of Capricorn. For folks living at 23.5 degrees south latitude, not only does this day mark their summer solstice, but they also see the Sun directly over them at local noon. After that, the Sun will start to creep back north again.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDk3NzAyMS9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2MDAyNTE2Nn0.zKAze0FjgPopKXi-JeZiw8ACUDisgPIw3r5Zr6FVjJw/img.png?width=980" id="6ddfd" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="49e16dcd66a1f011ec9330b79957fab6" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1630" data-height="924" /><p>The sequence of images below shows the path of the Sun through the sky at different times of the year. You can see how the Sun is highest in the Northern Hemisphere sky in June, lowest in December, and halfway in between these positions in March and September during the equinoxes.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDk3NzAzMi9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0NzEzNDc3OX0.9kmWUqfBf8WzJXJtTiBtiDTGCSfUbMtUWMw2YeV-Q0Q/img.png?width=980" id="4001b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="1c6bbb8a0b2557af7059d807f6a4d12b" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1636" data-height="928" />
<h2>The winter solstice is the shortest day in the Northern Hemisphere but not the day with the latest sunrise and earliest sunset. How is that possible?</h2><p>The winter solstice doesn't coincide with the latest sunrise or the earliest sunset. Those actually occur about two weeks before and two weeks after the winter solstice. This is because we are changing our distance from the sun due to our elliptical, not circular, orbit, which changes the speed at which we orbit.</p><p>If you were to look at where the Sun is at exactly the same time of day over different days of the year, you would see that it's not always in the same spot. Yes, the Sun is higher in the summer and lower in the winter, but it also moves from side to side of the average noontime position, which also plays a role in when the Sun rises and sets.</p><p>One should also keep in mind that the seasons are due to the Earth's axial tilt, not our distance from the Sun. Believe it or not, we are closest to the Sun in January.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDk3NzA0MC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzMzMyOTI4NX0.jRdEXXPw5Xv3zUI03OvTr64OIlaDI7VlWKpYfqBkfe8/img.jpg?width=980" id="86702" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="efd84b5d5dfd92f7956f233a811e0b63" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1200" data-height="1386" />
A photograph of the position of the Sun, taken at the same time on different days throughout the year, shows a figure-eight pattern known as an analemma. This photo was taken in Callanish, Scotland. Giuseppe Petricca / NASA
<h2>What Is 'The Great Conjunction'?</h2><img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDk3NzA0Ni9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzNzcyNTk4MH0.JZHdrkz4NjNhhxOvGipfpCSoTQwMaZK8i3rdJ7TN8lU/img.png?width=980" id="ec2b6" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="f4b4db5d4765a53457c36e327ae285ab" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1634" data-height="924" />
<p>Saturn and Jupiter have appeared fairly close together in our sky throughout the year. But on Dec. 21, Saturn and Jupiter will appear so close together that some folks may have a difficult time seeing them as two objects.</p><p>If you have a pair of binoculars, you'll easily be able to spot both planets. In even a small telescope, you'd see both planets at the same time in the same field of view, which is really unheard of. That's what makes this conjunction so rare. Jupiter and Saturn appear to meet up about every 20 years. Most of the time, however, they're not nearly as close together as we're going to see them on Monday, Dec. 21.</p><p>For a comparison, there was a great conjunction back in 2000, but the two planets were separated by about two full-Moon widths. This year, the orbits will bring them to where they appear to be about one-fifth of a full-Moon diameter.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDk3NzA1NS9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzMTk1NDUzN30.rv9YX8_jtHOBKy6LrQxCHjm25mtFKYMmZXdmItRr9bU/img.png?width=980" id="94fc3" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="eb856b28ccaa0ae406eb3cd99169c874" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1622" data-height="908" /><p>We have been encouraging folks to go out and look at these planets using just their eyes between now and Dec. 21. You'll actually be able to see how much they appear to move over the course of a single day.</p><p>The next time they will get this close together in our sky won't be for another 60 years, so this is going to be a once-in-a-lifetime event for many people. In fact, the last time they got this close together was in the year <a href="https://whenthecurveslineup.com/2020/02/20/1623-the-great-conjunction-of-jupiter-and-saturn/" target="_blank">1623</a>, but it was really difficult, if not impossible, to see them then because they appeared much closer to the Sun and set soon after it. Go back another 400 years to <a href="https://thehill.com/changing-america/opinion/529835-the-great-conjunction-of-jupiter-and-saturn-the-dawn-of-a-new-era" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">1226</a> and this would have been the last time that we would have had a good view of this type of conjunction.</p><h2>What advice would you give to people who want to see the great conjunction?</h2><p>If weather permits at <a href="https://dyer.vanderbilt.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Dyer Observatory</a>, we'll be streaming a live view of the conjunction from one of the observatory's telescopes, and I'll be available to answer questions. Even if you don't have a telescope or a pair of binoculars, definitely go out and check out this very rare alignment with your own eyes. Remember that they set soon after sunset, so be ready to view right at dusk!</p>
<p>
<em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/william-teets-1188928">William Teets</a> is Acting Director and Astronomer, Dyer Observatory, Vanderbilt University.</em><br/>
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<em>Disclosure statement: </em><em><em>William Teets does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</em></em>
</p><p>
<em><em></em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-you-need-to-know-about-this-years-winter-solstice-and-the-great-conjunction-152224" target="_blank">The Conversation. </a> </em>
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21 stars have changed human understanding about the universe. titoOnz / Getty Images
By Zulfikar Abbany
How do you whittle down the 200 billion in our Milky Way galaxy to a mere 21? Focus on the ones that have changed human understanding of the universe, as astronomer Giles Sparrow told DW.
<p><em>DW: Let's start with the basics: We often talk about stars in the night sky as though we could reach up and touch them. But even the nearest star to Earth is beyond our solar system — within our galaxy, the Milky Way, but almost too far to comprehend. When in writing your book </em>A History of the Universe in 21 Stars (and 3 imposters)<em>, have you found a tangible way for non-astronomers to understand what we're talking about?</em></p><p><em>Giles Sparrow: The most intuitive way of approaching it is first to understand that light is the fastest thing in the universe, and it travels at 300,000 kilometers a second. And so light from the moon takes about a second-and-a-half to reach Earth. <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/after-apollo-a-new-era-for-american-human-spaceflight/a-53586377" target="_blank">When we sent astronauts to the moon</a>, radio signals took about that time to reach the Earth as well.</em></p><p><em></em>If you compare that to objects at the edge of the solar system, you know, light may take a few hours to reach the Earth. Then the very nearest star, Proxima Centauri: Light from that star takes four years and three months to reach us.</p><p>So, I think, that gives you some idea of the scale. As for the rest of the universe, within the Milky Way, you're talking about many thousands of years for light to reach us on Earth, and from distant galaxies it takes millions of years.</p><p><em>It certainly does put things into perspective, if we think that sending humans to the next planet from the sun, Mars, is hard enough. Yet these stars have contributed to our life on Earth. Is that what fascinates you about them, that distance?</em></p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDk4NjgwMi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2NzMxODg4OH0.5VILJXBgaRDZTpkjp-MJwek23zQqSabrM7-ZEYuwoPU/img.jpg?width=980" id="9388f" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="58193871e5f64217e976bc462216c2ac" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="700" data-height="394" />
Illustration: Betelgeuse in "A History of the Universe in 21 Stars" by Giles Sparrow — a star big enough to turn supernova and explode.
<p>It is fascinating. Unlike other forms of science, where you can chop things up or do experiments in a lab, with astronomy the only thing that we really have, apart from the occasional asteroid or meteorite that falls to Earth, is light and other radiations that have crossed all of this space. </p><p>Then, we pick them up with our telescopes on Earth and reconstruct the information. It often ends up being this amazing exercise in lateral thinking, because these things are physically so far beyond our reach.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDk4NjgwOS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0NDg3NTM2Nn0.A0hY7QuzpiwFgRf4OhTpmPE5D1rU-5oYHfSQZQqunGE/img.jpg?width=980" id="413d4" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="64323e2a8456fc8733e4e452d0336d18" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="700" data-height="394" />
Illustration: Polaris and its constellation from "A History of the Universe in 21 Stars" by Giles Sparrow.
<p><em>But that does raise the question: how reliable is our science on stars? We're talking about 21 stars in your book out of how many billions…</em></p><p>About 200 billion stars in the Milky Way, and about as many galaxies in the observable universe as there are stars in the Milky Way. And that's only the observable universe, which is the area that light has had time to reach us since the Big Bang. The entire universe probably stretches far, far beyond that. And it's expanding. </p><img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDk4NjgxMi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxMTMyMDMwMX0.lWDZNCWgoQ4hwTwSrWmQtDega_ym68AH_moFEH7ljqo/img.jpg?width=980" id="6007f" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a73506003f0f53d83af3dfd2a0c9cc4c" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="700" data-height="394" />
Illustration: Our sun is just one of 200 billion (and counting) stars.
<p>The scientific method is a matter of making increasingly good approximations to whatever reality is. And sometimes you get big things that come along and upset all the previous thinking, like Einstein's theories of relativity a century ago. So, yes, there are unanswered questions. But it feels like we understand the general principles pretty well and we've demonstrated them in nuclear fusion and experiments on Earth.</p><p><em>Now, you've narrowed down these billions upon billions of stars to just 21. What's the thinking there?</em></p><p>Well, the 21 stars form an overview of all the different aspects of the science, the stars that have been critical to our understanding of astronomy and its history. So, for instance, there's 61 Cygni, which is this obscure star in the constellation of a swan. It was the first star for which we worked out its distance. That was one of those lateral thinking tricks.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDk4NjgxNi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2MTc5NzUyMn0.cBBclzKKrXeAPOKzJuEgBIhDs0-1JizUkCMZGvSILsA/img.jpg?width=980" id="ccc98" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="ff5447584bc757e8ee421b661061e0a8" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="700" data-height="394" />
Illustration: 61 Cygni and its constellation from "A History of the Universe in 21 Stars" by Giles Sparrow.
<p><br>You know how things appear to be in a slightly different position or direction when you look at them with one eye and then the other — the idea of parallax. Well, people had pointed out that if the Earth was going around the sun, why weren't we seeing the stars shifting their positions?</p><p>And the reason for that was that the stars were vastly farther away than anyone had thought. It took a couple of hundred years before telescopes and measuring technology had advanced to the point where they could finally measure that distance. But that was the first step towards our working out the distances for other objects.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDk4NjgyMC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2NDE2MTcyNH0.3hN8cgli4Wt1LVVKZW1EjI1CPpn9VP53nN_n7DbxXTw/img.jpg?width=980" id="b08ce" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="25b35a9a638b7c4ba6f60fed10c8fe5d" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="700" data-height="394" />
Illustration: Helvetios from "A History of the Universe in 21 Stars" by Giles Sparrow.
<p>Then, a much more recent thing, we've got a star called Helvetios. That was the first star, where we found planets, eight of them, orbiting around it.</p><p><em>And the 3 imposters, what's up with them?</em></p><p>To tell the entire story, you need to go beyond the stars. And the imposters were first mistaken for the stars.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDk4NjgyMi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzMzA0OTM3OX0.Eb35edOhzOgUUKWhVI2deQv6o9_cv5JvqGUjT3o0HPY/img.jpg?width=980" id="644d2" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="e58e54ebfa76a7e1b48bcc6a55c93117" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="700" data-height="394" />
Illustration: Omega Centauri from "A History of the Universe in 21 Stars" by Giles Sparrow.
<p>For instance, Omega Centauri, which is this enormous globular cluster, a huge spherical ball of stars, orbiting around the Milky Way. That was classed as a star when they first catalogued it and the Andromeda Galaxy was seen as a star.</p><p>Then there's the first quasar, which means quasi-stellar object. They found this obscure star, giving off strange radio signals, relatively nearby. They realized it was this distant galaxy, billions of light years away, shining with such intense light that we could see it.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDk4NjgyNC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxNzk4NzAxMX0.vvjKoACMJHVwIOwyECgEOrZuIRy8hoij1Z7ifSd-P3I/img.jpg?width=980" id="72fd4" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="43649ea2ed7f847d1fe8d5e4fbe5c51e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="700" data-height="394" />
<p>
<em>Reposted with permission from </em><em><a href="https://www.dw.com/en/what-21-stars-tell-us-about-the-universe/a-55977304" target="_blank">Deutsche Welle</a>.</em><a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/r/entryeditor/2649618559#/" target="_self"></a>
</p><script type="text/Javascript"></script>Long story, short: Supernova 1994D has helped scientists realize that the expansion of the universe is accelerating, not slowing.
<p><em>And how do you feel about the idea of travelling to these distant locations? Is it worth it?</em></p><p>From a purely scientific point of view, you'd say: "Yes". If it was just about looking at the stars, then you're always going to come up against this problem that we have within our own solar system — when we send probes to investigate our own sun — they're staying quite a safe distance from it. You can't get within a few million kilometers without <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/solar-orbiter-blasts-off-in-mission-to-the-sun/a-52319412" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">burning up your spacecraft</a>.</p><p>On the other hand, we know, for instance, that Proxima Centauri, that first star close to Earth, has at least one planet orbiting it. And opinions differ, but it's in the right area for it to be potentially habitable. But we think that Proxima might be too unstable for that because it's giving off these very harsh stellar flares.</p><p>The prospect of investigating other solar systems is very enticing, though. Whether we do that using robot space probes and an awful lot of patience, or whether we find some way, whether it be suspended animation or warp drives, or any of these science fiction-ish ideas, which do have some scientific merit, that would be quite an adventure.</p>From Your Site Articles
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The Dalai Lama has co-written a new book addressing the climate crisis. Kristian Dowling / Getty Images
The Dalia Lama really wants the world to act on the climate crisis.
<p>The Tibetan Bhuddist spiritual leader has co-written a book called <a href="https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/our-only-home-9781472980755/" target="_blank"><em>Our Only Home: A Climate Appeal to the World</em></a>, which urges world leaders and ordinary people to work together to stop global warming.</p><p>"Buddha would be green," he claims in the book, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/11/buddha-would-be-green-dalai-lama-calls-for-urgent-climate-action?CMP=twt_a-environment_b-gdneco&fbclid=IwAR19o899tMmpcVQ55oEDqNXfuDJFnurfuyEZ3obc8XdoUfmLQeCq8VkNEqk" target="_blank">The Guardian reported</a>.</p><p>To promote the book, the 85-year-old leader has been giving interviews from his home in Dharamsala, India, where he lives in exile from his native Tibet. In a talk with <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/11/11/933754512/the-dalai-lama-offers-a-warning-on-climate-change" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">NPR's Noel King</a>, he spoke about the title of the book. He pointed to the recent discovery that there is more <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/moon-water-nasa-2648510521.html" target="_blank">water on the moon</a> than previously thought, but noted that settling there would still be "impossible."</p><p>"So now, therefore, we have to take care of our own planet," he said.</p>
<p>The Dalai Lama emphasizes the need for global action. He told The Guardian and <a href="https://www.channel4.com/news/dalai-lama-says-buddha-would-be-green" target="_blank">Channel 4 News</a> that the UN should take a leadership role and that the most powerful nations should step up to the plate.</p><p>"The big nations should pay more attention to ecology. I hope you see those big nations who spent a lot of money for weapons or war turn their resources to the preservation of the climate," The Guardian reported him saying.</p><p>The Dalai Lama has taken a firm stance against isolationism and told NPR he was very disappointed when President <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/donald-trump" target="_self">Donald Trump</a> decided to <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/trump-begins-withdrawal-paris-agreement-2641223963.html">withdraw the U.S.</a> from the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/paris-agreement" target="_self">Paris climate agreement</a>.</p><p>"America should think, not just 'America First,'" he said. He added that the U.S. had greater potential to help create a "happier world."</p>
<p><br><br></p><p>President-elect <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/joe-biden" target="_self">Joe Biden</a> has promised to return the U.S. to the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/paris-climate-agreement-biden-2648649350.html" target="_blank">climate accord</a> and also encourage more ambitious international action, in a vision that appears more in sync with the Dalai Lama's advice.<br></p><p>In the book, the Dalai Lama also suggested that world leaders be locked in a room full of carbon dioxide until they understand the severity of climate change, Channel 4 News reported. </p><p>But while the Dalai Lama urges global solutions, he is also aware of how the climate crisis will impact his native land. He told The Guardian and Channel 4 News that Tibet is the "roof of the world" and its rivers supply water to at least a billion people. But, as temperatures rise, those rivers could dry up and Tibet could "become like Afghanistan."</p>
<p>The Dalai Lama has advice for what individuals can do as well. For example, he told NPR that people in Western countries eat too much <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/meat" target="_self">meat</a>.</p><p>"Not only is it a question of, a sense of lov[ing] these animals," he told NPR, "but itself is very bad for ecology."</p><p>He also urged the importance of educating people to hold a less individualistic attitude toward the planet.</p><p>He told Channel 4 that students should be taught how "taking care about [the] environment is ultimately taking care of yourself."</p>
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The Earth has started to speed up in 2020. Trifonov_Evgeniy / Getty Images
It's a common truism that there are only 24 hours in a day, but, according to precise measurements, that isn't exactly true.
<p>The Earth typically takes 86,400 seconds, or 24 hours, to spin on its axis, <a href="https://www.timeanddate.com/time/earth-faster-rotation.html" target="_blank">TimeandDate.com explained</a>. But the invention of precise atomic clocks in the 1960s showed that the length of the Earth's daily rotation could actually vary by a matter of milliseconds. Until recently, the Earth's rotation was slightly longer than 24 hours. But in 2020, the Earth started speeding up.</p><p>"It is certainly correct that the Earth is spinning faster now than at any time in the last 50 years," Peter Whibberley, National Physical Laboratory time and frequency group senior research <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/scientists" target="_self">scientist</a>, told <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/01/04/earth-spinning-faster-now-time-past-half-century/" target="_blank">The Telegraph</a> on Monday.</p><p>Before 2020, the record for the shortest day was set on July 5, 2005, which clocked in at 1.0516 milliseconds less than 86,400 seconds, <a href="https://weather.com/en-IN/india/science/news/2021-01-08-sci-simplified-is-earth-rotating-faster" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Weather Channel reported</a>. In 2020, that record was broken a total of 28 times. The fastest day since record keeping began happened on July 19, 2019, and clocked in 1.4602 milliseconds shorter than average. Scientists predict that days in 2021 will be even faster. They estimate that days are now 0.05 milliseconds shorter on average, which will leave 2021 running 19 milliseconds behind.</p><p>But why does a difference of milliseconds matter? At stake is the syncing of solar time with Earth's atomic clocks, because satellites and other communication devices are usually based on the position of the sun and stars.</p>
<p>The responsibility for keeping track of both sets of time falls to the French International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service (IERS).</p><p>TimeandDate.com explained how the difference is calculated:</p><blockquote>To determine the true length of a day, IERS scientists determine the exact speed of the Earth's rotation by measuring the precise moments a fixed star passes a certain location in the sky each day. This measurement is expressed as <a href="https://www.timeanddate.com/time/universal-time.html" target="_blank">Universal Time (UT1)</a>, a type of <a href="https://www.timeanddate.com/time/local-mean-time.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">solar time</a>.<br><br>UT1 is then compared to <a href="https://www.timeanddate.com/time/international-atomic-time.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">International Atomic Time (TAI)</a>, a highly precise time scale that combines the output of some 200 <a href="https://www.timeanddate.com/time/how-do-atomic-clocks-work.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">atomic clocks</a> maintained in laboratories around the world.<br><br>The true length of a day is expressed by the deviation of UT1 from TAI over 24 hours.</blockquote>
<p>When UTI and TAI differ by more than 0.9 seconds, the IERS can add or subtract a "leap second" from the world's clocks to keep them in sync, National Physical Laboratory Director Dr. DK Aswal told The Weather Channel.</p><p>So far, the IERS has only added leap seconds: 27 since 1972, to be exact. The last one was added on Dec. 31, 2016. But this could soon change.</p><p>"IERS has decided that no 'leap second' would be added to the world's official timekeeping in December 2020, indicating that Earth is rotating faster than it has in 50 years. If the Earth's rotation keeps accelerating, the world's first negative leap second can be announced by IERS in the future," Aswal told The Weather Channel.</p><p>But while adding or subtracting leap seconds is important for satellites, it can have a negative impact on other forms of communication. When a leap second was added in 2012, websites including Reddit, Yelp and LinkedIn crashed, according to The Telegraph.</p>
<p>Because of issues like this, some countries and computer scientists call for shifting to atomic time and to stop syncing with solar time, according to The Telegraph and Phys.org.</p><p>Interestingly enough, scientists are not overly worried about why the Earth's rotation is speeding up, <a href="https://phys.org/news/2021-01-earth-faster.html" target="_blank">Phys.org noted</a>. They say it can happen for a variety of reasons, including the pull of the moon, snowfall and erosion.</p><p>The <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/" target="_self">climate crisis</a> could also be a factor, as the warming planet contributes to mass redistribution events, such as melting glaciers.</p><p>"The mass redistribution of the Earth is one of the causes for its faster rotation," Aswal told The Weather Channel.</p>
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Researchers have discovered at least 12 new deep-sea species in the Atlantic Ocean. cosmin4000 / Getty Images
At least twelve deep-sea species were recently discovered in the Atlantic, BBC News reported. After five years of research, scientists of the ATLAS Project, a transatlantic assessment and deep-water management plan for Europe, discovered new species of sea mosses, molluscs and corals.
<p>Although much of the deep sea remains unexplored, researchers warn that the impacts of climate change, like ocean acidification, could threaten deep-sea species and their habitats.</p>
<p>"We can still say we have better maps of the surface of the Moon and Mars than of the sea floor," Professor George Wolff, an ocean chemist from the University of Liverpool, told BBC News. "So whenever you go to the deep ocean, you find something new — not just individual species but entire ecosystems."</p>
<p>Professor Murray Roberts from the University of Edinburgh described the importance of deep-sea communities, such as those created by corals and sponges.</p>
<p>"If those cities are damaged by destructive human uses, those fish have nowhere to spawn and the function of those whole ecosystems is lost for future generations," Roberts told BBC News. "It's like understanding that the rainforest is an important place for biodiversity on the land; the same is true of the deep sea — there are important places that need to be protected and, crucially, they are all connected."</p>
<p>Protecting these places, however, could become increasingly difficult. The ATLAS researchers also found that ocean acidification, caused by an increase in carbon dioxide, reduces deep-sea habitats, BBC News reported. </p>
<p>Over the past two centuries, the ocean has absorbed nearly one-third of all emissions, according to <a href="https://oceanfdn.org/ocean-acidification/" target="_blank">research by The Ocean Foundation</a>. This has led the ocean's surface to acidify at an increasing rate.</p><p>"The ocean plays a fundamental role in mitigating climate change by serving as a major heat and carbon sink," <a href="https://oceanfdn.org/ocean-and-climate-change/#:~:text=The%20ocean%20plays%20a%20fundamental,major%20heat%20and%20carbon%20sink.&text=Ocean%20waters%2C%20ocean%20animals%2C%20and,dioxide%20emissions%20from%20human%20activities." target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Ocean Foundation wrote on its site</a>. "The ocean also bears the brunt of climate change, as evidenced by changes in temperature, currents and sea level rise, all of which affect the health of marine species, nearshore and deep ocean ecosystems."</p><p>In their research, the ATLAS team found nearly 50 percent of the cold-water coral habitats were at risk of ocean acidification, the <a href="https://www.ibtimes.com/12-new-species-found-deep-atlantic-climate-change-threatens-their-existence-3111189" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">International Business Times reported</a>. They also found that ocean acidification and fisheries threaten nearly 19 percent of deep-sea ecosystems. </p><p>Deep-sea corals are among those threatened, as they are growing more brittle as the ocean becomes more acidic, a<a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2020.00668/full" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> recent study published by Frontiers in Marine Science</a> found. </p>
<p>The Marine Science study sampled live corals and compared them to weakened human skeletons that suffered from osteoporosis. The results found that crumbling corals weakened similarly to human bones, according to <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/09/200917105321.htm" target="_blank">Science Daily</a>.</p><p>"By being able to adapt strategies to coral reefs that are used routinely to monitor osteoporosis and assess bone fracture risk, we may have powerful non-invasive tools at our disposal to monitor these fragile ecosystems," Dr. Uwe Wolfram of Heriot-Watt University told Science Daily. </p><p>The push to understand deep-sea ecosystems coincides with the beginning of the <a href="https://www.oceandecade.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development</a>, set to begin in 2021. </p><p>In 2017, the United Nations announced an upcoming framework to ensure the protection and sustainable use of the ocean. Running until 2030, the program aims to mobilize communities to deepen their scientific understanding of the ocean and form science-based policies and mitigation strategies. </p><p>"The deep ocean can be so out of sight and out of mind that we're not really aware of what we're doing to its environments and the consequences of what we do," Professor Claire Armstrong, a natural resource economist from the University of Tromsø, told BBC News. "The value of all this knowledge is that it enables us to understand what we might risk losing." </p>
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5 Years After Paris: How Countries’ Climate Policies Match up to Their Promises
10 December 2020
Climate
Environmental activists protest during the UN Climate Action Summit, aimed at reinvigorating the faltering Paris agreement, on Sept. 23, 2019 in Washington, DC. MANDEL NGAN / AFP via Getty Images
By Morgan Bazilian and Dolf Gielen
This month marks the fifth anniversary of the Paris climate agreement – the commitment by almost every country to try to keep global warming well below 2 degrees Celsius.
It's an ambitious goal, and the clock is ticking.
<p>The planet has already warmed by about 1°C since the start of the industrial era. That might not sound like much, but that first degree is <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/" target="_blank">changing the planet</a> in profound ways, from more extreme heat waves that put human health and crops at risk, to rising sea levels.</p><p>Bold visions for slowing global warming have emerged from all over the world. Less clear is how countries will meet them.</p><p>So far, countries' individual plans for how they will lower their greenhouse gas emissions don't come close to adding up to the Paris agreement's goals. Even if every country meets its current commitments, the world will still be on track to warm by more than 3°C this century, according to the United Nations Environment Program's latest <a href="https://www.unenvironment.org/emissions-gap-report-2020" target="_blank"><em>Emissions Gap Report</em></a>, released Dec. 9. And many of those commitments aren't yet backed by government actions.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDk0NDk2MS9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY3MjQxNDQ4M30.yp_K4op4iy0C8kVw9C06EQMtbB0ZdF_UIYL-zbg79qA/img.png?width=980" id="556a1" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="014a46ced9a02b15969e012191d1ca8f" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1200" data-height="790" />
<p>The COVID-19 pandemic's economic slowdown likely reduced global carbon dioxide emissions by <a href="https://www.unenvironment.org/emissions-gap-report-2020" target="_blank">about 7% this year</a>, but that temporary dip will have very little effect, the report notes – unless countries prioritize a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/may/28/eu-green-recovery-package-sets-a-marker-for-the-world" target="_blank">green recovery</a>.</p><p>This fifth anniversary of the Paris agreement was intended to be a progress check, with countries expected to increase their commitments. But because of the pandemic, the meeting and negotiations were postponed to November 2021. A smaller online <a href="https://www.cas2021.com/latest/events/2020/12/12/climate-ambition-summit" target="_blank">Climate Ambitions Summit</a> is planned this year on Dec. 12 instead.</p><p>Despite the delay, some big goals have been announced. In particular, more countries are now committing to reach net zero carbon emissions by midcentury. The U.S. is also expected to rejoin the agreement next year under President-elect Joe Biden.</p><p>But how well-grounded are these climate commitments in actual budgets, policies and regulations? As <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=sfI-c0YAAAAJ&hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">energy</a> <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=DAwwVkwAAAAJ&hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">policy experts</a>, we have both been involved in global climate negotiations, technology analysis and policy design for the last two decades, and we have watched the national commitments for signs of progress.</p>
<h2>Ambitious Goals, But Missing Actions</h2><p>The Paris agreement's formal goal is to stay "well below" 2 degrees of warming. That's based on political negotiations and scientific research <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">that models the increasingly harmful effects</a> rising temperatures will have on today's economies, agriculture and environment.</p><p>The sooner the world's emissions trajectory starts downward, the smoother the transition will be.</p><p>The leaders of China, Japan and South Korea each announced goals in recent weeks for reaching net zero carbon emissions by mid-century. But the detailed plans for how they will get there are largely missing.</p><p>Chinese President Xi Jinping drew global praise when he announced in September that his country's emissions – the highest in the world – would <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2020/09/24/china-carbon-emissions-420967" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">peak earlier than expected</a>, before 2030, and that China would strive to be carbon neutral by 2060. How and whether that happens will depend heavily on <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-politics-carbon-plan/xis-carbon-neutrality-vow-to-reshape-chinas-five-year-plan-idUSKBN27B08B" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the country's next Five Year Plan</a>, due in March. The leadership's priorities include expanding clean energy, but right now, China is still the world's largest coal user, and coal accounts for three-fifths of its energy supply.</p><p>South Korean President Moon Jae-in offered <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-southkora-environment-greenewdeal/south-koreas-moon-targets-carbon-neutrality-by-2050-idUSKBN27D1DU" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">more detailed goals</a> in November when he ordered government officials to develop a road map for transitioning to cleaner energy and carbon neutrality by 2050. He said his country would invest $7 billion in green projects, launch a carbon tax to encourage companies to reduce their emissions, and stop financing overseas coal plants. But those ideas, too, fall short of carbon neutrality in an economy that relies on energy-intensive industries.</p><p>The European Union is farther ahead. It established a net zero objective some time ago along with scenarios for how to get there. This summer, the EU also put climate-friendly projects at the heart of its <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-eu-summit-climate-change-factbox/factbox-how-green-is-the-eus-recovery-deal-idUSKCN24M19V" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">pandemic recovery strategy</a>. EU member states are now expected to develop long-term strategies for 2050 and revise their <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/energy/topics/energy-strategy/national-energy-climate-plans_en" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">integrated national energy and climate plans</a> through 2030.</p><p>The UK has announced a new 68% emissions reduction target for 2030. Meeting <a href="https://www.theccc.org.uk/publication/sixth-carbon-budget/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">this target</a> will require the UK to double its efforts compared to the last three decades.</p>
Progress Toward Net Zero
<p>Two countries have achieved net zero emissions, largely due to their tiny populations and thick forests that store more carbon than the country emits. Six countries have net zero carbon targets in law. Five plus the EU have proposed legislation. Several others have targets in policy documents or under discussion.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDk0NDk5OC9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyMDk0ODkxOX0.WCJtg5MvjOM2N4yLisZnwcABEoGXSquVGoXtrQMCjYU/img.png?width=980" id="86d0c" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="0588bbcc45be451b74466ecedfcb5fab" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1216" data-height="676" />
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDk0NDk5OS9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxNzgyMjQyNH0.ZWM2rpj_h7Ep7JjYpDBFktzyQKoRHULfDHm797_eiKQ/img.png?width=980" id="8cc0e" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8f20bb4afec5c3e8d4df0cac66faaea8" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1216" data-height="666" />
Data as of Dec. 7, 2020. Table: The Conversation / CC-BY-ND. Source: Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit Net Zero Tracker. Get the data
<h2>The Big Picture</h2><p>Overall, the current "nationally determined contributions" – the plans that countries submit to the UN spelling out how they will meet the Paris agreement – fall far short. A <a href="https://climateactiontracker.org/global/cat-emissions-gaps/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">five-fold acceleration in emissions reductions</a> is needed to come close.</p><p>Just days before the Ambitions Summit, <a href="https://climateactiontracker.org/climate-target-update-tracker/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">only 13 countries had submitted new targets</a>, and seven had announced they would not update their targets or resubmitted old targets. However, nearly half of high-emitting countries have indicated they will raise their mitigation ambitions by the end of next year.</p><p>Twenty-one states and regions have set <a href="https://www.theclimategroup.org/AnnualDisclosure2020" target="_blank">long-term targets</a> to reduce their emissions by 75%-90%, but how these will be met is not clear, a recent analysis found. Most <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/blog/the-avenue/2020/10/22/cities-are-pledging-to-confront-climate-change-but-are-their-actions-working/" target="_blank">pledges by cities</a> are similarly aspirational.</p>
Countries With the Most CO2 Emissions From Fossil Fuels
<p>In 2019, the world's six largest CO2 emitters together accounted for 51% of the global population and 67% of total CO2 emissions from fossil fuels.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDk0NTA0MC9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzMDYyOTUzNX0.5E0QJkVAhSXI56gRcCHYzLAxKu6x7-KBkNngebchYyY/img.png?width=980" id="1c95f" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="cff1f463d90cea8b32f3cfad1690ddb1" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1206" data-height="418" />
Chart: The Conversation / CC-BY-ND. Source: European Commission. Get the data
<h2>Ramping up Fast</h2><p>Even if established clean technologies like renewable energy are at the core of the transition, the pace of change required to meet the Paris goals remains daunting. Socioeconomic issues will also have to be put front and center.</p><p><a href="https://www.irena.org/publications/2020/Sep/Reaching-Zero-with-Renewables" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Net-zero solutions</a> are technically conceivable for a range of energy-intensive industries, agriculture and transport methods, but the speed and scale at which they would have to ramp up to meet a 2050 deadline is formidable.</p><p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esr.2019.01.006" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Our analysis</a> found the deployment of renewable power would need to accelerate two- to three-fold. Global renewable energy use would need to go from around 20% of energy today to 65% by 2050, and from 28% to 85% of the power sector. Electric vehicle use would have to skyrocket, from less than 10 million EVs today to more than 1.5 billion by 2050.</p>
<h2>Filling in the Gaps</h2><p>To finance these transformations, investors need to be confident that the world is committed to a cleaner future. Perceived risk will drive up costs, and uncertain or delayed government action <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-019-01312-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">are big risks</a>. International financial organizations, along with green banks and development banks, have an important role to play in encouraging private investment.</p><p>Moving from a focus on high-level goals to detailed pathways will help.</p><p>The global climate talks can continue to help by focusing on the specifics of the national commitments, ensuring they are detailed, well-designed and budgeted, and updated regularly.</p><p>The international community will also need to support countries that need assistance. Climate change is not the primary priority for most jurisdictions – though it is an existential crisis for some, including some small island states. That needs to be acknowledged and built in to the goals and planning.</p>
<p>
<em>Morgan Bazilian is a professor of public policy and director of the Payne Institute, Colorado School of Mines.<br/>
</em><em>Dolf Gielen is a Payne Institute fellow, at the Colorado School of Mines.</em>
</p><p>
<em>Disclosure statements: Dolf Gielen works for IRENA, an Intergovernmental Agency that advises its members on energy transition and climate. Morgan Bazilian does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</em>
</p><p>
<em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://theconversation.com/5-years-after-paris-how-countries-climate-policies-match-up-to-their-promises-and-whos-aiming-for-net-zero-emissions-151722" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.</em>
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Christian Aslund / EyeEm / Getty Images
By Anne-Sophie Brändlin
COVID-19 and climate change have been two of the most pressing issues in 2020.
<p>So why not spend your lockdown binge-watching environmental documentaries that come with an impactful message about the fate of our planet?</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from </em><em><a href="https://www.dw.com/en/9-environment-docs-to-watch-during-the-coronavirus-lockdown/g-55499117" target="_blank">Deutsche Welle</a>.</em><a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/r/entryeditor/2649073757#/" target="_self"></a></p>
1. My Octopus Teacher (2020)
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="43d618cfe4dea9f32fdb2880868a6f5f"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3s0LTDhqe5A?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span><p>No person has ever gotten as <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/my-octopus-teacher-movie-2647785692.html">close and intimate with a wild octopus</a> as South African filmmaker Craig Foster, who decided to head out to an underwater kelp forest in the Atlantic Ocean every day for an entire year to capture the life of the mesmerizing creature. An unusual, touching friendship develops that will likely change the way you see your relationship to animals and the planet.</p>2. David Attenborough: A Life On Our Planet (2020)
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="bab38965d072e9023c9c36b1ccf622c9"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/64R2MYUt394?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span><p><a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/David-Attenborough">David Attenborough</a> is the godfather of environmental docs. In his 94 years, the Briton has visited every corner of the world, documenting nature in all its variety and wonder. His latest film is a witness statement, in which he reflects upon the devastating changes he's seen in his lifetime. He also gives a vision of the future in which we work with nature, rather than against it.</p>3. The Human Element (2019)
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="f426ed5154f3133a6f8cb5d8d39cf211"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/k34FhplukXQ?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span><p>This doc follows environmental photographer James Balog on his quest to portray Americans on the frontlines of climate change whose lives and livelihoods have been affected by the collision between people and nature. Balog captures how the four elements of earth, water, air and fire are being transformed by a fifth element — the human element — and what that means for our future.</p>4. Before the Flood (2016)
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="619d7c35d25e9cfc6e239bc1bd7d1ea2"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/D9xFFyUOpXo?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span><p>In <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/leonardo-dicaprio-before-the-flood-2057070140.html">this doc</a>, actor Leonardo DiCaprio teams up with National Geographic to travel the globe and witness the effects of global warming that are already visible, such as rising sea levels and deforestation. Featuring prominent figures such as Barack Obama, Ban Ki-moon, Pope Francis and Elon Musk, the doc offers solutions for a sustainable future and shows how we can challenge climate change deniers.</p>5. Tomorrow (2015)
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8fdcf7de6bd422b6ab96134ce49366d9"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NUN0QxRB7e0?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span><p>Need an optimistic view on how to tackle the climate crisis? Then this upbeat French doc seeking out creative alternatives to our current form of agriculture, energy supply and waste management is for you. It introduces everyday sustainability innovators from across the world, such as urban gardeners and renewable energy enthusiasts, to inspire the rest of us to make local changes</p>6. Racing Extinction (2015)
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="6ec29ed8282004cb6ccc6e0eae7de1ae"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MwxyrLUdcss?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span><p>In this film by Oscar-winning director Louie Psihoyos, a team of activists expose the illegal trade of endangered species and document the global extinction crisis, which could result in the loss of half of all species. By using covert tactics and state-of-the-art technology, they take you to places where no one can go, uncover secrets and show you images you have never seen before.</p>7. Virunga (2014)
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="6922c47a9603f24dd431f6e5282f7cb5"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wxXf2Vxj_EU?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span><p>Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo is one of the only places in the world where you can still find wild mountain gorillas. But the park and its inhabitants are under attack from poachers, armed militias and companies wanting to exploit natural resources. This gripping doc follows a group of people trying to preserve the park and protect these magnificent great apes.</p>8. Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret (2014)
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9b7e7a93c26b3a3fc4f8a8374d98e2f2"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nV04zyfLyN4?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span><p>This crowdfunded documentary explores the impact of animal agriculture on the environment and investigates why the world's leading environmental organizations are too afraid to talk about it. The film has caused controversy by suggesting that animal agriculture is the primary source of environmental destruction and the main emitter of greenhouse gases, rather than fossil fuels.</p>9. Years of Living Dangerously (2014)
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="585f966df408ae57e3e31747a6c0a66b"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/juXzfwvVHZQ?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span><p>In this Emmy-winning documentary series, celebrity correspondents travel the world to interview experts and scientists on the climate crisis and its effects. But rather than focusing on its star power, the two-season series also shines a spotlight on ordinary people affected by the climate crisis and shows how we can save our world for future generations.</p>From Your Site Articles
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