Under the Lens: The Truth About Natural Gas
Long pushed as a cleaner energy source, natural gas is no more natural than coal or oil. Discover why continued reliance on this fossil fuel will mean disaster for our climate and health.
Author: Paul Mathewson
Under the Lens: Environmental benefits of solar farms extend beyond cleaner air
Large scale solar development is rapidly expanding in Wisconsin. Utility-scale solar (USS) farms are large, ground-mounted solar arrays that produce electricity for the grid. In 2020 there was 150 MW of USS capacity in the state, enough to power roughly 22,500 homes. By the end of this year, the Wisconsin Public Service Commission (PSC) anticipates
Under the Lens: Mitigating bird and bat mortality at wind farms
Comparing the impact of wind turbines with other contributors to contributors to bird and bat mortality One of the main environmental concerns associated with wind energy is bird and bat collisions with wind turbines. Studies report that wind turbines kill 4-11 birds and 12-19 bats per megawatt capacity per year in the United States. The
Under the Lens: Hazardous Air Pollutants in Wisconsin
Over half of people of color in Wisconsin cities live within one mile of a facility that emits Hazardous Air Pollution. By Paul Mathewson, Science Program Director, and Sausann Al Jawhar, Summer Science Research Intern. Air pollution is a leading environmental threat to public health in the United States. The Clean Air Act requires
Under the Lens: Visualizing Ammonia Air Pollution
It’s summer, and in Wisconsin, that means peak season for dangerous ammonia air pollution. A new analysis of satellite imagery by Clean Wisconsin shows monthly concentrations of ammonia air pollution in our state are worst in May but last all summer long. “Emissions peak around May in the agricultural areas of the state, particularly
Under the Lens: Exploring carbon capture and storage
Carbon Capture and Storage, what is it and how does it work? Many analyses investigating how to reach climate goals include carbon capture and storage (CCS) if we are to reduce emissions quickly enough to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. This column takes a look at what this process is. In short,
Under the Lens: Homegrown energy in Wisconsin
Which land use produces more energy per acre, corn ethanol or solar? More than a million acres of land in Wisconsin is used to grow corn for ethanol One of the concerns about utility-scale solar development is the amount of land needed for these large solar facilities, which are commonly placed on agricultural land.
Under the Lens: Wisconsin’s Wolves
Wolves have been in the news with the controversial quota-setting process for Wisconsin’s wolf hunt. Clean Wisconsin Staff Scientist Paul Mathewson takes a look at the wolf population in our state.
Under the Lens: Just how bad is tar sands oil for the climate?
With the proposed rerouting of the Line 5 Pipeline in northern Wisconsin making headlines last year and currently going through the environmental impact analysis process with the Department of Natural Resources, this column takes a look at tar sands oil and its effect on climate change.
Under the Lens: Is Wisconsin seeing more heavy rain events?
One of the anticipated impacts of climate change in Wisconsin is an increase in extreme storms and subsequent flood events. Those of us in southern Wisconsin got a taste of this from the storm last August that dropped nearly of a foot rain in parts of Dane County, and many other areas of the state experienced similar heavy rain events. While it is impossible to definitively attribute a particular event to climate change, is there any evidence that we are already experiencing more heavy rain events?
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