Marine researchers just wrapped up the first of three ocean expeditions off the coast of Southern California to map the biodiversity and support efforts to safeguard ocean animals from harmful fishing practices.

The nonprofit Oceana recently teamed up with a company called Blancpain to map and photograph undersea life around the Channel Islands.

Geoff Shester, California campaign director and senior scientist for Oceana, said the area is threatened by fishing gear from huge set gillnets.

"This type of fishing is a series of nets that can be over 20 football fields long," Shester pointed out. "It catches everything from gray whales and humpback whales to sea lions, and a whole variety of sensitive fish and shark species."

The California Fish and Game Commission is considering rules which would reduce bycatch in the set gillnet fishery. Set gillnets are banned in state waters off the mainland but still allowed around the Channel Islands and in federal waters starting three miles offshore.

Today conservation groups celebrate the International Day for Biological Diversity. Shester asserted the Channel Islands' biodiversity makes the area the Galapagos of North America.

"We've got these amazing kelp forests teeming with life; deep-sea coral and sponge gardens that are just as colorful as anything you might see in a tropical coral reef," Shester pointed out. "Once people realize what's at stake here, I hope that results in more of a drive to conserve these special areas."

He added the mission also collected water samples for DNA analysis, did scuba diving surveys of habitat and fish diversity, piloted a new underwater vehicle and collected samples to detect potential microplastics in the water column.

Today is the summer solstice, the day of the year with the most sunshine, and Indiana conservationists said they have a plan to make the best use of solar energy.

In a new report, called Mining the Sun, The Nature Conservancy says the quickest way for the state to gain energy independence is to utilize unused sites -- such as abandoned mines, brownfields or dumpsites -- to develop solar and wind farms.

Sean Mobley, senior policy associate for The Nature Conservancy-Indiana, said there is less resistance to using sites not being used in other ways.

"If you have acres that are abandoned mines or brown fields, they don't really serve a purpose in the community or economically anymore," Mobley pointed out. "We see clean energy as a way to transition those back to productive acres."

Mobley noted clean energy is a way to transition land back to productive acres. In a Nature Conservancy survey, 66% of Hoosiers favor solar energy production, and 69% support adding state incentives to facilitate solar and wind development on brownfields and mine lands.

Mobley emphasized solar capacity tripled across the state from 2021 to 2022, and Indiana ranks eighth in the nation for projected solar energy growth by 2025. He added the state's Department of Natural Resources currently has $385 million in federal grants available to reclaim abandoned mine lands.

"There are a little over 150,000 acres of mine lands, primarily in southwest Indiana, that would be suitable for solar energy development," Mobley stressed. "Again, bringing back economic and conservation value back to those acres."

The Mining the Sun report outlines steps to develop policies to generate new revenue streams for landowners and create jobs in construction and maintenance.

"I think the first step is to develop some bill language for the next legislative session that would direct the Indiana Department of Natural Resources to update the Indiana state reclamation plan for the abandoned Mine Lands program," Mobley urged.


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Worldwide, 40% of food is wasted but a new candy company is trying to make a dent in it and fight climate change to boot.

The company is called Climate Candy and their Faves fruit chews are made from imperfect-looking fruits and vegetables.

Amy Keller, CEO of Climate Candy, said about 10% of all greenhouse gas comes from landfills, where food waste rots and produces methane.

"20 billion pounds of produce goes to waste each year, simply because they are excess, or not perfectly shaped for grocery stores," Keller pointed out. "Meanwhile, climate change is escalating, people are going hungry. We found this to be unacceptable, wasting so much food, all while running out of land, water and healthy soil."

In 1906, Keller's family founded Spangler Foods, which makes Dum Dum lollipops, Circus Peanuts and Sweethearts. In 2018, she combined the family business with her interest in global health and cofounded Climate Candy. She noted her goal is to reduce food waste, and thus lower the amount of land disturbed to grow crops, while helping farmers sell their full harvest.

Keller explained Climate Candy is about making a lower carbon footprint, sustainable packaging and upcycled ingredients.

"If we can just help people realize their power, in our highest potential solution to heal ourselves and the planet is just what we choose to eat," Keller asserted. "That includes all of us. That's really been our secret to success."

The candy is made from a purée of carrots and beets and flavored with many different fruits, including cherry, apple, blueberry, raspberry, lemon, orange and strawberry.

This story was produced with original reporting by Sue Williams for The Story Exchange.


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Despite the official start of the summer season on Thursday, climate change is exacerbated by extreme weather events in the Keystone State.

The National Weather Service in Pittsburgh has issued an excessive heat watch for Pennsylvania, including parts of east-central Ohio and the northern panhandle of West Virginia.

Fiona Lo, climate scientist with the Environmental Defense Fund, said climate change has increased and will continue to increase the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, including heat waves in Pennsylvania.

"So in the future, we'll expect heat waves will likely be hotter, last longer and occur more often. And this will happen in Pennsylvania and all over the U.S. and likely over the globe," Lo said. "This summer is predicted to be warmer than normal for Pennsylvania, and this is due to the shifting weather patterns from climate change."

According to the National Weather Service, the heat index is expected to reach 100 to 104 this week. The heat advisory remains in effect until 8 p.m. local time on Friday.

Lo points out that in addition to a heat wave in Pennsylvania, more frequent thunderstorms are expected, bringing lightning, heavy rain, hail and flash flooding. These intense downpours could also lead to worsened flooding throughout the state.

"Since 1958, Pennsylvania and all of the northeast region of the U.S. has experienced 60% increase in heavy rainfall, and that's the largest in all of the U.S.," she said.

She added that Atlantic hurricanes have also increased with climate change. Even though hurricanes don't often hit Pennsylvania, the remnants of a hurricane and tropical storm can be felt up to 100 miles from the eye.

Lo said the consequences of flooding can impact health directly, such as drowning, injuries or powerlines in the water. For example, flooding can cause sewage to overflow and contaminate water, causing the transmission of diseases.

"Flooding can impact infrastructure. Erosion of roads, bridges, damage and disruption to transportation. And the impact on transportation means you might have less access to basic services such as health and food, " she explained.

Lo pointed out that Canadian wildfires, which affected the Northeast and Pennsylvania last year, were extreme weather events that impacted air quality. She said in addition to heat stress, flooding and changes in flowering cycles, warming disrupts agriculture. And the strain on infrastructure from heat waves can overload power grids from increased air conditioning use, which may require upgrades for better resilience.