Scientists Fix Photosynthetic Inefficiency, Boost Crop Yields 40 Percent

Scientists have found a way to boost crop growth by as much as 40 percent by fixing a glitch in the photosynthesis process, according to a new study published in the journal Science.  With current techniques to improve yields largely optimized — including using more pesticides, fertilizers, and irrigation — the scientists argue that the new findings offer a breakthrough way for farmers to feed more people on less land.

The yield-costing inefficiency lies within the process of photorespiration.  Plants use the enzyme Rubisco and sunlight to turn carbon dioxide and water into sugars that fuel plant growth and yield.  But Rubisco is unable to reliably distinguish between CO2 and oxygen, and will mistakenly grab oxygen 20 percent of the time, resulting in a plant-toxic compound that must be recycled through the process of photorespiration.  This process, however, uses energy and reduces photosynthetic efficiency – a key determinant of yield potential – of some of the planet’s most important crops by 20 to 50 percent.

“We could feed up to 200 million additional people with the calories lost to photorespiration in the Midwestern U.S. each year,” the study’s co-author, Donald Ort — a professor of plant and crop Sciences at Illinois’ Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology — said in a statement.  “Reclaiming even a portion of these calories across the world would go a long way to meeting the 21st century’s rapidly expanding food demands — driven by population growth and more affluent high-calorie diets.”

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A Surge of Climate Lawsuits Targets Human Rights, Damage from Fossil Fuels

Cities, states and the fishing industry want courts to hold fossil fuel companies accountable for global warming.  Others argue government inaction violates rights.

A climate denier is in the White House, pushing policies that will boost emissions.  Congress is doing nothing to stop him. So citizens and local governments who are facing the impacts of rising seas, worsening heat waves and extreme weather are increasingly looking to the courts for help.
The past year saw a surge in new lawsuits filed against fossil fuel companies, and major developments in cases pressing governments for action in the United States and abroad.  And while the plaintiffs haven't secured any substantial victories in U.S. courts, they may be scoring a different victory by drawing attention to the inaction of Congress and the Executive Branch, said Michael Gerrard, faculty director at the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia Law School.

"Lawsuits, even if unsuccessful, can help shape public opinion," he said.  "Mr. Scopes lost the monkey trial, but it led to a lot more awareness about the issue of teaching evolution."

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Tesla Q4 Deliveries Hit All-Time Record

Tesla delivered 90,700 vehicles in the last quarter of 2018, more than all the cars it delivered to clients in 2017, the company reported.  It also delivered a total 245,240 cars in full-2018, which is more than Tesla’s deliveries for all prior years, the company boasted.

The Q4 2018 number was 8 percent higher than in the previous quarter, with the Model 3 booking the largest increase in deliveries, from 55,840 in the third quarter, to 63,150 in the final quarter of last year.  It’s worth noting all Model 3 sales were made in North America, the company said.  There is likely a significant sales growth potential for the most affordable model of the EV maker abroad, but this has yet to be tapped.

Given the plans Tesla has for the Model 3, the news is more than good:  after a series of delays and uncertainty about whether the Fremont factory would be able to ramp up production of the affordable Tesla model quickly enough to keep up with pre-orders, Tesla proved it was capable of doing what many analysts considered impossible:  it did ramp up the Model 3 production and it even booked a quarterly profit for Q3 2018, for the first time in its history.

What’s more, Tesla said, it will cut the prices of its models by US$2,000 as it begins to absorb the cost of the cut in the federal tax credits for EV purchases, which, as of January 1, stood at US$3,750, down from US$7,500.

Adding that buyers of Teslas may be eligible for a range of state and local tax incentives for electric cars, Tesla also said that “Combined with the reduced costs of maintenance and of charging a Tesla versus paying for gas at the pump – which can result in up to $100 per month or more in savings – this means our vehicles are even more affordable than similarly priced gasoline vehicles.”

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One-Third of New Car Sales in Norway Are All-Electric Vehicles

Nearly a third of new cars sold in Norway last year were all-electric — a new global milestone and a major step for the country, which aims to end sales of fossil fuel vehicles by 2025, Reuters reported.

Last year Norwegians purchased 46,000 all-electric cars, which exclude hybrids, making up 31.2 percent of new vehicle sales.  That’s up from 20.8 percent in 2017 and 5.5 percent in 2013, according to the Norwegian Road Federation, an independent organization that tracks transportation trends.  Meanwhile, sales of diesel and gasoline cars were down 17 percent and sales of hybrids that cannot be plugged in fell 20 percent.  Nissan’s Leaf electric car was the top-selling vehicle in the country, followed by small, non-electric BMWs and Volkswagens.

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Melting Ice Sheets Release Tons of Methane into the Atmosphere, Study Finds

The Greenland Ice Sheet emits tons of methane according to a new study, showing that subglacial biological activity impacts the atmosphere far more than previously thought.

An international team of researchers led by the University of Bristol camped for three months next to the Greenland Ice Sheet, sampling the meltwater that runs off a large catchment (> 600 km2) of the Ice Sheet during the summer months.

As reported in Nature, using novel sensors to measure methane in meltwater runoff in real time, they observed that methane was continuously exported from beneath the ice.

They calculated that at least six tons of methane was transported to their measuring site from this portion of the Ice Sheet alone, roughly the equivalent of the methane released by up to 100 cows.

Professor Jemma Wadham, Director of Bristol's Cabot Institute for the Environment, who led the investigation, said:  "A key finding is that much of the methane produced beneath the ice likely escapes the Greenland Ice Sheet in large, fast flowing rivers before it can be oxidized to CO2, a typical fate for methane gas which normally reduces its greenhouse warming potency."

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