Tag Archives: farms

How Spreading Crushed Stone on Farms Can Capture 1 Billion Tons of CO2

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Crushed basalt in carbon dioxide removal trial

Innovative Carbon Removal Technique

Credit: Paul Nelson

Applying crushed silicate rocks, like basalt, in agricultural fields could potentially eliminate up to 1.1 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere each year while simultaneously enhancing crop yields, according to global assessments of this innovative method. Nevertheless, some scientists express skepticism about the feasibility of these claims.

This approach, termed enhanced rock weathering, accelerates the natural process of rock breakdown by rain. For millions of years, this mechanism has facilitated the transfer of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to oceans, helping to regulate Earth’s climate during historical greenhouse periods. Farmers, for generations, have employed crushed limestone to enrich soil nutrient uptake in crops.

“The primary benefit of this method is its ability to mitigate atmospheric CO2 through a chemical reaction,” states Chuan Liao, a researcher at Cornell University, New York. “It also offers additional advantages such as the potential introduction of magnesium and calcium, aiding in soil nutrient enhancement.”

As global emissions persist in escalating, the United Nations climate agency emphasizes the necessity for effective carbon removal solutions to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius over pre-industrial temperatures. Countries like Brazil are advocating for enhanced rock weathering as a strategy to mitigate emissions and reduce fertilizer expenses. Mati Carbon, an Indian startup, achieved the top award of $50 million in Elon Musk’s XPRIZE competition last year, showcasing the large-scale potential for carbon removal through this technique.

Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere undergoes dissolution in rain, forming carbonic acid, which reacts with silicate rocks to trap CO2 in bicarbonate ions. These ions can flow into rivers and oceans, either remaining dissolved for extensive periods or being absorbed into the calcium carbonate structures of marine life such as clams, corals, and sea urchins. Fragmenting the rock enlarges its surface area, enhancing carbon dioxide absorption.

According to the study, considering the volume of rock that farms can accommodate, accelerated rock weathering could contribute significantly, potentially saving up to 5 billion tons of CO2 annually this century. Liao and his colleagues conducted a “reality check” on these estimates by evaluating the rate at which farmers have adopted other innovations like irrigation, and how effectively weathering can occur in various regions.

The models explored limited versus extensive implementation of enhanced weathering and identified a potential removal range of 350 million to 750 million tons of CO2 annually by 2050, escalating to 700 million to 1.1 billion tons by 2100. For context, global fossil fuel CO2 emissions are projected to reach approximately 38 billion tons by 2025.

Initially, Europe and North America will lead this removal effort, but as supply chains for silicate rock are established and costs decline, regions in Asia, Latin America, and sub-Saharan Africa may emerge as frontrunners. Increasing temperatures and precipitation patterns could further accelerate weathering processes in these areas, providing farmers with the opportunity to monetize carbon removal credits for each ton of rock applied.

“For future farmers in the Global South, there will be fewer obstacles to sustainable practices,” notes Liao.

However, Marcus Siedung and colleagues from the Thünen Institute for Climate and Smart Agriculture in Germany raise essential concerns in their recent paper. They highlight significant uncertainties surrounding the accelerated rock weathering estimates; for instance, drought conditions can amplify carbon release, undermining the intended benefits. Siedung suggests that the estimation of 1.1 billion tons being removed is likely overstated.

In calcium-rich soils, rainfall may weather the carbonate instead of the crushed rock, resulting in a reversal of carbon absorption back into the ocean, leading to CO2 release instead of removal. Furthermore, low pH soils can react with crushed rock, resulting in negligible carbon uptake. As acidity diminishes, CO2 emissions from soil microbes may intensify.

Moreover, the carbon released during the mining and transportation of rocks to farms may surpass the amount removed, according to Siedung.

“I approach this with skepticism,” he asserts. “It’s crucial to ensure that CO2 is genuinely captured; otherwise, we risk miscalculating the benefits of carbon removal.” He emphasizes the complexities of the geochemical processes involved.

Others warn that weathering rocks could introduce toxins into the food chain. The olivine used in Liao’s projections entails heavy metals such as nickel and chromium.

Most residual rock from current mines is also likely polluted with metals, states David Manning from Newcastle University, UK. Countries may need to open numerous basalt quarries, which could be a lengthy and costly endeavor.

“To eliminate one gigaton of CO2 annually, approximately five gigatons of rock would be needed each year, and it remains unclear where this rock will be sourced from—this poses a significant challenge to scalability,” Manning concludes.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

AI, Bot Farms, and Innocent Indie Victims: The Dark Side of Music Streaming Scams

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The music industry is currently facing a struggle, particularly regarding the operations of streaming services, with unsuspecting indie artists caught in the crossfire.

Streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music are inundated with AI-generated tracks, which are cheap and easy to produce. In April, Deather estimated that 20,000 fully AI-created tracks—making up 18% of new releases—were being consumed daily, nearly double the number from January. Scammers often employ bots, AI, or even humans to loop these fake songs repeatedly to generate revenue, while some exploit upload services to place counterfeit songs on legitimate artist pages, siphoning off royalties.

Spotify has begun penalizing the most egregious offenders, with the statement that it is utilizing “significant engineering resources and investigations into the detection, mitigation, and removal of artificial streaming activities.” Meanwhile, Apple Music contends that “less than 1% of all streams are manipulated.” While this might sound reassuring, the global streaming business generated $20.4 billion (according to IFPI), indicating that hundreds of millions of dollars could be lost annually to fraudulent operators.

One significant issue arises from the drastically lowered entry barriers for musicians; uploading a song to streaming platforms is now much simpler than producing CDs and vinyl. However, this ease has similarly afforded fraudsters an easier path. Though the industry has declared war on this manipulation, the automatic detection systems can mistakenly flag innocent artists, leading to their music being taken down.




Spotify’s headquarters in New York. Photo: John Nacion Imaging/Shutterstock

Darren Owen, COO of music streaming service Fuga, identified a “surge in streaming scams” spreading throughout the industry since around 2021.

Utilizing AI and machine learning, FUGA assigns a “severity score” to streaming patterns and distinguishes “nonhuman listening habits” to uncover fraudulent activities. “I wouldn’t listen to the same song on different devices at once,” Owen states. Countries like India, Vietnam, Thailand, and certain areas in Eastern Europe have been flagged as hotspots for click-farm operations utilizing low-wage labor. “It’s also been revealed that organized crime is involved,” he adds.

It’s not just platforms like Germany’s Pimpyourfollower.de, which was taken down following a court order. Similar services in Canada and Brazil are also facing scrutiny from record industry trade organizations for inflating streaming numbers artificially. Universal Music Group (UMG), the world’s largest record label, has allegedly conspired to boost play counts for Kendrick Lamar’s diss track “None Like Us.”

The Guardian has spoken with several artists who find themselves in the firing line of this manipulation war.

Darren Hemmings, managing director and musician at the music marketing company Motive Unknown, reported that a recent EP saw a track’s plays spike over 1,000—an indication of manipulation. “I don’t blame them for concluding that,” he says, but adds, “it’s very much like being judged, tried, and executed all at once.” He insists he did not manipulate his streams but couldn’t identify the cause aside from climbing popularity among real listeners.

The Northern Irish rock band Final 13 experienced their music being removed from streaming services due to a sudden spike of tens of thousands of plays. They believe this surge resulted from airplay on Radio 1, yet concluded their distributors were caught up in automated manipulation. “It’s really tough for any artist to prove they didn’t [manipulate streams], but it’s even more challenging for Spotify to justify what they did,” remarks their drummer, Doubes. “[They] take it down, and that’s the end of it.”




Matthew Whiteside at night… Photo: Julie Houden

Indie artist Adam J. Morgan, known as Naked Burner, earned over 10,000 streams in a week, likely due to his music being featured in TikTok videos, but was flagged as suspicious by distributor Routenote. “I hadn’t done anything wrong, and they offered no evidence,” he states, suspecting that it was simply due to an overly sensitive algorithm. “I spent the weekend trying to understand the problem, but Spotify informed me that my music wasn’t flagged at all.” Routenote did not respond to a request for comment.

Such takedowns can disrupt musicians, hinder marketing efforts, and ultimately affect earnings. Matthew Whiteside, who heads TNW Music Label, has faced claims of artificial streaming for three different albums. He noted that TNW Music tracks had been included in a controlled playlist. “It didn’t make sense based on genre. My distributor said I could resubmit the album for $40 each time, but that’s not feasible without assurance of success.”

“Streaming generally favors smaller acts and niche genres,” he observes. “I’d be thrilled to get 1,000 streams a month with an album.” Consequently, paying to re-upload an album can be beyond the release budget.

Deezer claims to be leading the way in implementing fraud detection mechanisms. “We monitor various metrics to help our algorithms determine user authenticity,” says Thibault Roucou, reporting director at the company’s royalties department. “When we initiate a takedown, we manually review the situation to ensure it’s a serious issue.”

Regrettably, many systems that execute takedowns often presume guilt, and the appeal processes can be so complicated that many small acts, already struggling, simply give up. Levina, who represented Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2017, experienced her music being removed from streaming platforms without any warning. “Appealing against them is nearly impossible,” she sighs.




Levina is the chairman of the Artist Council in the Association of High-profile Artists. Photo: Sam Rockman

She is also the chair of the Artists Council within the Feature Artists Coalition, working to establish “minimum standards for what distributors should provide.” She suggests implementing a traffic light warning system, allowing artists the opportunity to present their defense or rectify issues.

Streaming platforms and distributors assert that the focus is on containment rather than complete removal. However, Owen notes that the current issue isn’t solely about scammers perpetrating large-scale manipulations but involves subtle adjustments to numerous tracks to avoid detection.

For Hemmings, this situation could result in a two-tier streaming landscape where smaller acts abandon mainstream platforms. “This might lead to the conclusion that focusing on alternative revenue streams is a wiser choice for many within the independent music community.”

Source: www.theguardian.com

Using a combination of crushed rock and fertilizer can decrease nitrous oxide emissions on farms

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Spreading rock dust on fields can sequester carbon and reduce nitrous oxide emissions.

SO-Photography/Alamy Stock Photo

Spreading crushed basalt on farmland and using special fertilisers to prevent nitrogen loss could cut global agricultural emissions of gases that are a powerful driver of global warming by 25%.

Nitrous oxide is a greenhouse gas with a warming potential 270 times greater than carbon dioxide. It has increased by 40% in the past 40 yearsAgriculture is a major factor, due to increased use of nitrogen-based fertilisers and rising livestock numbers.

Microorganisms in the soil convert ammonium in manure and animal waste into nitrates, releasing nitrous oxide in the process. Compounds that interfere with this process are called nitrification inhibitors, and can be added to fertilizer to reduce nitrous oxide emissions. Applying basalt dust to the soil, a technique called enhanced rock weathering (ERW), can also help by making the soil more alkaline.

However, nitrous oxide emissions are not only a global warming pollutant, they also have a complex relationship with the ozone layer, and in some circumstances even help it recover, so figuring out the best way to mitigate nitrous oxide emissions without damaging the ozone layer is difficult.

To address this, Maria Val Martin Researchers from the University of Sheffield in the UK modelled the impacts of widespread use of both ERW and nitrification inhibitors on nitrous oxide emissions and the ozone layer under two different climate scenarios.

The researchers found that a “moderate” approach, in which ERWs were introduced in key regions around the world and most farmers except the poorest used nitrification inhibitors, could reduce nitrous oxide emissions from agriculture by 25 percent, while nitrous oxide emissions overall would be reduced by 5 percent. These gases also come from combustion engines and industry.

What's more, up to two gigatons of additional carbon could be sequestered in the soil thanks to ERW, and neither scenario would harm the ozone layer, Val Martin says.

“we [carbon] “Enhanced rock weathering would sequestrate carbon dioxide, reduce nitrous oxide emissions, which is 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide, resulting in climate benefits, and protection of the ozone layer,” she says.

Deploying nitrous oxide abatement efforts on this scale would cost billions of dollars. Sequestering carbon using ERW costs between $80 and $180 per tonne of CO2. According to previous researchAccording to Val Martin, reducing nitrous oxide emissions is a “free” side benefit of carbon sequestration. Applying nitrification inhibitors costs about $28-45 per hectare, which would cost $17-27 billion per year to cover the 600 million hectares modelled in the study – roughly one-eighth of all agricultural land.

Still, Val Martin says the scenario is deliberately cautiously ambitious, and one that could play out in the real world. “What we wanted to do in this study is to come up with a realistic scenario, so if governments want to curb nitrous oxide emissions, [these] It’s a strategy we’re implementing.”

Parbhu Suntaralingam Researchers from the University of East Anglia in the UK say new strategies to curb nitrous oxide emissions are urgently needed, and that this research is particularly valuable because it focuses on curbing emissions without damaging the ozone layer.

topic:

  • Agriculture/
  • Greenhouse gas emissions

Source: www.newscientist.com

Organic Farms Impact Pesticide Usage on Nearby Conventional Farms

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On organic farms, conventional farming practices appear to inadvertently cause more pesticides to be used in surrounding fields

Daniel Balderas/Shutterstock

Organic farmers dedicate their working lives to producing food with minimal use of pesticides, but by curbing the use of chemicals on their land, they can unknowingly damage their neighbor’s fence. may be causing a sharp increase in pesticide use.

Ashley Larsen and colleagues from the University of California, Santa Barbara, evaluated land use and pesticide data across 14,000 fields in Kern County, California. It is one of the largest agricultural counties in the state, producing agricultural products such as almonds, grapes, carrots, and pistachios.

The researchers found that when organic farmland is surrounded by conventional agriculture, neighboring farmers appear to increase their use of pesticides, which is associated with a 10 percent increase in organic farmland. Total pesticide use in conventional fields increases by 0.3%. Most of that is due to increased use of pesticides, the researchers found.

This is because more insects, pests or not, are present on organic land and tend to ‘bleed-off’ onto adjacent conventional farmland, leading these farmers to increase their use of pesticides. It is considered. “Pests come and sow the seeds for new outbreaks. [farmers] We will increase the use of pesticides,” Larsen told reporters at a press conference. This effect appears to be strongest when the adjacent field is within 2.5 kilometers of the organic “focal field”.

Conversely, the researchers found that the presence of organic fields was associated with reduced pesticide use in adjacent organic fields, with a 10 percent increase in the area of surrounding organic fields reducing total pesticide use on organic fields by 3%. He pointed out that it is associated with a decrease in the percentage of organic focal field. This may be because larger areas of organic farmland allow for larger and more stable communities of beneficial insects.

Organic agriculture only covers about 2 percent of the world’s land, but in Kern County, about 5.5 percent of the farmed area is organic.

If organic farming occupies a high proportion of agricultural land, perhaps Researchers say that regardless of where organic fields are located, net pesticide use is reduced by more than 20 percent.

However, when relatively small areas of organic cropland are evenly distributed across the landscape, such as in Kern County, net pesticide use may actually be higher than if no organic cropland were present.

“Our simulations suggest that low levels of organic agriculture in the landscape may actually increase net pesticide use,” Larsen said.

However, she said this impact can be completely mitigated by clustering organic farmland to minimize potential pest spillover. “Basically, at the policy level, how do we encourage the spatial clustering of new organic fields to take advantage of the pest control benefits of organic and limit the potential costs of organic to conventional growers?” It might be worth considering.

This could include paying subsidies to farmers to convert more land to organic farming in certain areas, or even creating buffer zones between organic and non-organic land. be.

robert finger Switzerland’s ETH Zurich said the study results demonstrate the need for policymakers to consider land use policy at a “landscape scale” to maximize the environmental benefits of organic farming. “Fundamentally, it’s not enough to think about a single field or a single farm,” he says.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Salmon farms are experiencing a growing problem of mass mortality

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Salmon die from algae bloom at Norwegian farm

Berit Roald/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Since 2012, mass die-offs of farmed salmon have become more frequent and increasing in number, with some locations wiping out millions of fish at a time. These mass mortality events are often caused by stress factors such as fluctuations in ocean temperatures and poor living conditions, highlighting the need to improve animal welfare practices on salmon farms.

Approximately 70% of the salmon sold worldwide is farmed. There is a high mortality rate of fish before they are ready for slaughter, and there are serious concerns about the environmental impact of salmon farming and the welfare of farmed fish.

Six countries produce 92% of the world's farmed salmon: Norway, Canada, the United Kingdom, Chile, Australia, and New Zealand. Gerald Singh Researchers from the University of Victoria in Canada analyzed mortality data from these countries.

The researchers found that high-fatality events increased over time, particularly in Norway, Canada, and the United Kingdom, from 2012 to 2022. A total of 865 million salmon died during this period.

“We are talking about very large numbers,” Singh says. “In the case of Norway, the worst ranged from about 935,000 fish lost in a month to just under 5 million. In Canada, the worst 10 per cent disaster ranged from about 935,000 fish lost in a month to just under 5 million. Between 10,000 and 3.8 million fish were lost.”

If this trend continues, researchers predict that future fatal crashes could cause up to 5.14 million deaths in Norway, 5.05 million people in Canada and just over 1 million people in the UK.

Environmental stressors such as marine heatwaves and lack of oxygen in the water, as well as sea lice infestations, can trigger these mass die-offs. To reduce the impact of these stressors on salmon, Singh says better animal welfare practices need to be implemented, such as not overcrowding fish pens.

“These events can have significant impacts on local economies, communities and ecosystems,” he says. “For example, if communities that rely on these industries are stripped of their farming permits, this can have a significant impact on local economies and livelihoods.”

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Source: www.newscientist.com