A Guide to a Healthier Planet : Scientific Insights and Actionable Steps to Help Resolve Climate, Pollution and Biodiversity Issues

This book focuses on closing the gap between scientific insights on pressing environmental issues that do not often reach the general public, and putting that scientific knowledge in the hands of everyday people who can use these insights to take action against climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss. The goal of this work is to share fascinating facts about nature and sustainability to inspire taking action toward a healthier planet, and to provide ideas on how we can take action to solve environmental issues in an informed and easy-to-understand way. The chapters are sourced from the author's work published on medium.com/@ErlijnG with added content not available on medium.com. All chapters are based on open-access research articles covering various environmental issues and solutions that are not often disseminated in popular discourse but are nonetheless important for non-scientific audiences to understand and become familiar with. They allow readers to explore the broad range of concepts and issues and recognize the far-reaching consequences, and trigger the desire to take action. Also, each chapter provides concrete ideas of how we as individuals can take action in daily life to make a positive difference related to the issues described. The book is a multimodal work, as it includes images and videos that accompany the text. Foreword Acknowlegment Introduction Figure Credit Contents Part I: Climate Change Chapter 1: How Climate Change Impacts Our Future 1.1 Higher Temperatures 1.2 Sea Level Rise 1.3 Regional and Seasonal Changes 1.4 Recovery 1.5 Conclusion 1.6 How We Can Take Action Figure Credits Credit This Chapter Is Based On: Chapter 2: How Climate Change Impacts Our Wine 2.1 Impact on Phenology 2.2 Impact on Plant Growth 2.3 Impact on Product Quality 2.4 Impact on Yield 2.5 Impact on the Existence of Viticultural Areas 2.6 Conclusion 2.7 How We Can Take Action Figure Credits Credit This Chapter Is Based On: Chapter 3: How Climate Change Impacts Mental Health 3.1 Impact of Extreme Weather Events 3.1.1 Heat Waves 3.1.2 Floods 3.1.3 Tornadoes, Hurricanes, and Storms 3.1.4 Wildfires and Bushfires 3.1.5 Droughts 3.2 Impact of Environmental Changes 3.2.1 Higher Temperature 3.2.2 Sea Level Rise 3.2.3 Deforestation 3.3 Conclusion 3.4 How We Can Take Action Figure Credits Credit This Chapter Is Based On: Chapter 4: How Climate Change Impacts the Safety of Bridges 4.1 Durability Risks 4.2 Serviceability Risks 4.3 Geotechnical Risks 4.4 Increased Demand Risks 4.5 Accidental Loads Risks 4.6 Extreme Natural Events Risks 4.7 Operational Risks 4.8 The Interconnection Between Risks 4.9 Conclusion 4.10 How We Can Take Action Figure Credits Credit This Chapter Is Based On: Chapter 5: Climate Solutions: Controlling CO2 Levels 5.1 Conventional Mitigation Strategies 5.1.1 Renewable Energy 5.1.2 Nuclear Power 5.1.3 Carbon Capture and Storage Utilization 5.1.4 Alternative Fuels and Improving Energy Efficiency 5.2 Negative Emission Strategies 5.2.1 Bioenergy Carbon Capture and Storage 5.2.2 Afforestation and Reforestation 5.2.3 Biochar 5.2.4 Soil Carbon Sequestration 5.2.5 Direct Air Carbon Capture and Storage 5.2.6 Ocean Fertilization 5.2.7 Enhanced Terrestrial Weathering 5.2.8 Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement 5.2.9 Wetland Restoration and Construction 5.3 Conclusion 5.4 How We Can Take Action Figure Credits Credit This Chapter Is Based On: Chapter 6: Climate Solutions: Controlling Methane Levels 6.1 Research 6.2 Agriculture 6.3 Wetlands 6.4 Regulations 6.5 Conclusion 6.6 How We Can Take Action Figure Credits Credit This Chapter Is Based On: Part II: Pollution Figure Credits Chapter 7: How Plastic Pollution Impacts our Environment 7.1 Biodegradability Depends on Environmental Factors 7.2 Biodegradability in a Laboratory Versus Natural Environments 7.3 Misconceptions 7.4 Conclusion 7.5 How We Can Take Action Figure Credits Credit This Chapter Is Based On: On Great Pacific Garbage Patch: Chapter 8: How Plastic Pollution Impacts Aquatic Animals 8.1 Affecting Food Intake 8.2 Impacting Growth and Development 8.3 Causing Damage Due to Toxicity 8.4 Entering the Food Chain 8.5 Conclusion 8.6 How We Can Take Action Figure Credits Credit This Chapter Is Based On: Chapter 9: How Light Pollution Impacts Our Environment 9.1 Impact on Animals 9.2 Impact on Plants 9.3 Impact on Ecosystem Functioning 9.4 Conclusion 9.5 How We Can Take Action Figure Credits Credit This Chapter Is Based On: Chapter 10: How Heavy Metal Pollution Can Cause Parkinson Disease 10.1 Iron 10.2 Copper 10.3 Manganese 10.4 Zinc 10.5 Aluminum 10.6 Mercury 10.7 Lead 10.8 Conclusion 10.9 How We Can Take Action Figure Credits Credit This Chapter Is Based On: Chapter 11: Pollution Solutions: Removing Pollutants from Soil and Water 11.1 Microorganisms 11.1.1 Oil Sludge 11.1.2 Agrochemicals 11.1.3 Heavy Metals 11.1.4 Petroleum 11.1.5 Azo Dyes 11.1.6 Microplastics 11.2 Plants 11.2.1 Phytovolatilization 11.2.2 Phytodegradation 11.2.3 Phytostabilization 11.2.4 Phytoextraction 11.2.5 Phytostimulation 11.2.6 Phytofiltration 11.3 Conclusion 11.4 How We Can Take Action Figure Credits Credit This Chapter Is Based On: Microorganisms: Plants: Chapter 12: Pollution Solutions: Removing Pollutants from Air 12.1 Plants 12.1.1 Green Air Barriers 12.1.2 Green Walls 12.1.3 Green Oasis 12.1.4 (Blue-)Green Roofs 12.2 Buildings 12.2.1 Nano-additives 12.2.2 Anti-smog Towers 12.2.3 Activated Carbon 12.3 Conclusion 12.4 How We Can Take Action Figure Credits Credit This Chapter Is Based On: Plants: Buildings: Part III: Biodiversity Figure Credit Chapter 13: How Biodiversity Impacts Our Health 13.1 Reducing Harm 13.2 Restoring Capacities 13.3 Building Capacities 13.4 Conclusion 13.5 How We Can Take Action Figure Credits Credit This Chapter Is Based On: Chapter 14: How Soil Biodiversity Impacts the Health of Our Planet 14.1 Supporting Food Production 14.2 Regulating Pests and Pathogens 14.3 Supporting Animal Life Above the Ground 14.4 Improving Water Quality and Availability 14.5 Controlling Invasive Species 14.6 Regulating Climate 14.7 Conclusion 14.8 How We Can Take Action Figure Credits Credit This Chapter Is Based On: Chapter 15: How Beavers Impact Their Ecosystem 15.1 Stream Shape and Structure 15.2 Water Movement and Storage 15.3 Water Quality 15.4 Plant and Animal Life 15.5 Consequences Over Space and Time 15.6 Conclusion 15.7 How We Can Take Action Figure Credits Credit This Chapter Is Based On: Chapter 16: How Urbanization Impacts Pollinator Behavior 16.1 Higher Short-Term Specialization 16.2 Higher Long-Term Specialization 16.3 Preferring Invasive and/or Exotic Plants 16.4 Longer Visiting Times 16.5 Conclusion 16.6 How We Can Take Action Figure Credit Credit This Chapter Is Based On: Chapter 17: Biodiversity Solutions: Saving Wildlife 17.1 Wildlife Rehabilitation Centers 17.1.1 Facilities 17.1.2 Staff 17.1.3 Procedures 17.1.4 Release 17.2 Fences to Protect Wildlife 17.2.1 Protection from Illegal Hunters 17.2.2 Protection of Their Territory 17.2.3 Protection from Revenge and Preventive Killing 17.3 Conclusion 17.4 How We Can Take Action Figure Credit Credit This Chapter Is Based On: Chapter 18: Biodiversity Solutions: Sustainable Agriculture 18.1 Organic Farming 18.1.1 Improving Organic Farming 18.1.1.1 Mixed Crop Fields 18.1.1.2 Smaller Fields 18.1.1.3 Border Strips and Semi-natural Landscapes 18.1.1.4 Diversified and Extended Crop Rotations 18.1.2 Seed Priming 18.1.2.1 Removing Disease-Causing Microorganisms 18.1.2.2 Boosting Seed Germination and Plant Growth 18.1.2.3 Improving Abiotic Stress Tolerance 18.1.2.4 Enhancing Seed Metabolism 18.2 Integrated Systems 18.2.1 Duck-Rice Integrated System 18.2.2 Silvopasture 18.3 Conclusion 18.4 How We Can Take Action Figure Credits Credit This Chapter Is Based On: Organic Farming: Cold Plasma Seed Priming: Duck-Rice Integrated System: Silvopasture: Part IV: Conclusion Chapter 19: Psychological Aspects 19.1 Beliefs About Ourselves 19.2 Goal-Setting 19.3 Intrinsic Motivation 19.4 Cost of Change 19.5 Fear of Failure 19.6 Experienced Pains and Gains 19.7 Consistency Figure Credits Chapter 20: How We Can Take Action Figure Credit Index