Nature-lovers are voicing fierce opposition to a plan to expand hiking and biking trails they say would threaten the “wildest place in Maryland,” The Washington Post reported.  

The proposal, supported by two conservative state lawmakers and the nonprofit organization Garrett Trails — would bring permanent two-way paths through what the Post described as “the heart of the scenic Youghiogheny River.” 

Advocates like Garrett Trails, which is led by resort, lodging and other business interests, say that the canyon trail would broaden public access to Appalachia and contribute to the local economy, according to the Post.   

“I can’t kayak that river anymore — I’m past my prime being able to enjoy that — but I would certainly enjoy hiking up and down that river,” Rob Hammond, a security systems consultant who used to kayak when he lived in Cleveland, told the Post.  

While Hammond argued that people “should have access” to this public resource, opponents say the plans would violate a 1968 law that designated the Youghiogheny as Maryland’s only wild river, the Post reported.  

“Personally, I’m for trails,” Roger Zbel, owner of a local whitewater rafting company, told the Post.  

“I mountain bike, I hike, I do it all,” he added. “But I’m really against a trail going up in the wild and scenic corridor.” 

Welcome to Equilibrium, a newsletter that tracks the growing global battle over the future of sustainability. I’m Sharon Udasin. Send me tips and feedback. A friend forward this newsletter to you? Subscribe here.

Today we’ll start with a look at how drought is affecting two sides of the world — threatening industry and uncovering relics of yesteryear. Then we’ll turn to a judge’s decision to block President Biden’s pause on oil leases, followed by a study exploring how spikes in wheat prices could exacerbate economic inequalities.  

Chinese officials have issued the country’s first nationwide drought warning in nine years, as residents contend with one of the worst heat waves in 60 years, CNN reported.  

Blazing temperatures all-around: The “yellow” alert, declared on Friday, is the third-highest drought level on China’s four-step scale, according to CNN.    

Rivers drying up: Some 66 rivers across 34 counties in China’s southwestern region of Chongqing have dried up, Reuters reported, citing state broadcaster CCTV.  

Precipitation this year in Chongqing has plunged 60 percent in comparison to the seasonal norm, according to Reuters.  

Global tech could suffer: The province of Sichuan — about 200 miles northwest of Chongqing — closed down factories this week to alleviate heat-related electricity shortages, as we reported.  

Sichuan is a manufacturing hub for some of the world’s largest electronics firms, including Apple supplier Foxconn and chipmaker Intel. 

Economic impacts: Extreme heat in China could also strain the world’s second-largest economy, which is already coping with the effects of its pandemic lockdowns and an ongoing real estate crisis, according to CNN.  

HISTORIC RELICS EMERGE IN DROUGHT-RAVAGED EUROPE 

Across the world, European countries are likewise weathering drought conditions so intense that long-lost relics of history are emerging from once-flowing bodies of water.  

Uncovering the ‘Spanish Stonehenge’: A prehistoric stone circle — dubbed the “Spanish Stonehenge” — has risen out of dam whose waterline receded, Reuters reported.  

Officially known as the Dolmen of Guadalperal, the circle of megalithic stones may date back to 5000 BC, according to Reuters.  

A ‘rare opportunity’: The ancient stones are now sitting full exposed in a corner of the Valdecanas reservoir, located in the central province of Caceres, Reuters reported.  

“It’s a surprise, it’s a rare opportunity to be able to access it,” archeologist Enrique Cedillo, of Madrid’s Complutense University, told Reuters.  

Nazi-era ships blocking the Danube: Plunging water levels in Europe’s Danube River have exposed a series of vessels receiving much less welcome than the Spanish Stonehenge.  

The receding river has revealed “dozens of explosives-laden German warships sunk during World War II” that had sunk near the town of Prahovo in Serbia, another Reuters story reported.  

Pending ecological disaster: “The German flotilla has left behind a big ecological disaster that threatens us, people of Prahovo,” Velimir Trajilovic, who wrote a book about the ships, told Reuters.   

A Louisiana judge has issued a permanent injunction against President Biden’s pause on new oil and gas leasing on federal lands, our colleague Zack Budryk reported for The Hill.  

Violation of two key acts: Judge Terry Doughty of the Western District of Louisiana on Thursday blocked a January 2021 order in 13 states that had sued over that order in March of that year.  

What was in Biden’s order? The president’s original order blocked new federal oil and gas leasing on federal lands, while enabling existing leases and leases on private land to continue, Budryk reported.  

Which states sued over the order? Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and West Virginia. 

Doughty’s ruling applies only to these states that were involved in the lawsuit, Budryk reported.  

Surges in wheat prices — fueled by climate change — can both threaten food security and exacerbate economic inequality, a new study has found.  

Wheat yield economics: The study, published in One Earth on Friday, explored the impacts of climate change on the global wheat supply and demand chain in an environment that is 2 degrees Celsius warmer (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit). 

What did they find? The authors found that “carbon dioxide fertilization” — in which greater levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide end up increasing the rate of photosynthesis — could make up for the temperature stress on crops.  

Farmers could therefore end up with a slightly greater wheat yield under a 2-degree Celsius temperature rise, according to the authors.  

Isn’t that a good thing? Not necessarily. The researchers observed that global yield increases do not necessarily lead to lower consumer prices.  

That’s because global wheat price spikes would also become higher and more frequent, placing added economic pressures on daily livelihoods, according to their model.  

The impacts could be location-dependent: “This counterintuitive result is initially driven by uneven impacts geographically,” lead author Zhang Tianyi, an agro-meteorologist at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said in a statement.   

“Wheat yields are projected to increase in high-latitude wheat exporting countries but show decreases in low-latitude wheat importing countries,” Zhang added.  

Global ramifications: Such differences could result in “higher demand for international trade and higher consumer prices in the importing countries,” according to co-author Karin van der Wiel, a climate scientist at the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute.  

In which we revisit some of the issues we’ve covered over the past week. 

Traffic deaths reached record highs in first months of 2022 

Tropical wave moving into Gulf of Mexico  

US oil and gas rigs fall for third consecutive week 

Please visit The Hill’s Sustainability section online for the web version of this newsletter and more stories. We’ll see you next week.

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