Energy

About World Ocean Radio: Peter Neill, Director of the World Ocean Observatory and host of World Ocean Radio, provides coverage of a broad spectrum of ocean issues from science and education to advocacy and exemplary projects. World Ocean Radio, a project of the World Ocean Observatory, is a weekly series of five-minute audio essays available for syndicated use at no cost by college and community radio stations worldwide.

Researchers have presented a paper on the concept of floating nuclear power stations, the results of which are outlined in a recent article in The Economist entitled, "All at Sea." In this episode of World Ocean Radio, host Peter Neill outlines both the article and the proposal, explains some of the usual assumptions about the ocean which the proposal contains, and cautions us to proceed with care as this new technology means much would be at stake for safety and health--not only of human life, but of the natural systems on which we all depend.

No place on Earth is immune from strategic oil. Technological advances have aided us in our objectives toward growth at all cost, and our capacity for consumption has led us beyond the point of unsustainable demand.

Vast amounts of resources are being consumed due to the increasing demand for electrical products and devices. This has led to mining of the ocean floor to recover gold, silver, and other precious metals. In this episode of World Ocean Radio, host Peter Neill will discuss a recycling alternative to the acquisition of new materials: the mining of e-waste, metals already in the urban stream which become obsolete, get replaced, or are discarded.

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In the past decade, dams have been targeted as outdated, inefficient energy providers with serious impacts for the immediate and downstream environments. Of the 79,000 dams in the national inventory, some 925 have been removed in the last 100 years. In this episode of World Ocean Radio, host Peter Neill will share six strategies to improve dam operations and reduce impacts, as well as new technologies in hydropower development.

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Wind is of particular relevance to the ocean, as evidenced by the number of near and offshore wind turbine proposals currently projected and in motion. In this episode of World Ocean Radio, host Peter Neill will describe a variety of innovative wind projects in varying stages of development  and use around the globe.

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The Arctic is one of the last great unspoiled natural areas of the world. Recent news of mishaps related to exploratory Arctic drilling remind us of the many past and present incidents of failed management, operations and technology.

Superstorm Sandy ravaged the east coast of the United States in late October, reigniting a conversation of changing climate and the impacts of what is happening to the ocean: acidity, sea level, temperature, polar ice, and extreme weather.

Fracking, a process to extract natural gas from reserves in shale deposits, is in use in over thirty states in the U.S. and is being investigated for use in Africa and elsewhere. It has been utilized for almost ten years in some areas and the outcomes have fueled a heated debate about its practice. In this episode of World Ocean Radio, host Peter Neill will explain what fracking has to do with the ocean: from toxic emissions which increase ocean acidification, to the water cycle--both in the use of vast amounts of fresh water and in the toxicity to the water table.