Updates: polution; hunting; animal slaughter; climate change

[Anthea]

Venice inundated by 2nd
worst flood in centuries

The famed city of Venice, Italy—well acquainted with high water, especially during autumn storms in the Mediterranean—was socked with one of the worst floods in its history on Tuesday night. Water levels reached 187 centimeters (74 inches) at 10:50 pm local time Tuesday night, just 7 cm (3”) shy of the record set in a devastating 1966 flood. Some 85% of the city was flooded on Tuesday night.



As reported by Reuters, more than a meter (3 feet) of water poured across Saint Mark’s Square, a tourist landmark often inundated during “acqua alta” (high water) events in autumn. Much more concerning was the floodwaters that poured into the adjacent Saint Mark’s Basilica. The building had flooding just twice in the 1200 years leading up to the 21st century; it’s now been flooded six times in the last 20 years. Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro said the basilica had suffered “grave damage.” He added: "A high tide of 187 cm is going to leave an indelible wound.”

Strong southeast flow up the Adriatic Sea teamed up with astronomical high tides associated with the full moon to trigger the flooding. The southeast flow was the result of a strong upper-level low and surface low over the Mediterranean, as well as a more compact “medicane” cyclone (a warm-core storm similar to a tropical cyclone) that came ashore in Algeria on Monday night. The larger storm absorbed the medicane’s remnants and energy on Tuesday.

As we discussed in a post last year, sea level rise associated with climate change has combined with local subsidence to put Venice at an ever-increasing risk of flooding. Tides in Venice are classified as “exceptional” when they exceed 140 cm (55.1"), which is enough to flood 59% of the city. According to City of Venice records, exceptional tides have occurred:

—only once from 1872 to 1950;
—about once every 5 to 10 years in the late 20th century;
—more than 10 times in last 20 years, including this week.

A set of 78 hinged, inflatable steel gates designed to protect the harbor and due to be completed by 2011 has fallen prey to a series of technical snafus and management scandals—including the arrest and indictment of the mayor of Venice—that pushed the expected opening day back until at least 2022.

In a 2017 investigative report, “Venice and MOSE: story of a failure,” the Italian newspaper La Stampa called the project an “anthology of horrors.” Yale's Environment 360 website has an excellent feature on the MOSE project and its travails, written by Jeff Goodell—author of the must-read book The Water Will Come: Rising Seas, Sinking Cities, and the Remaking of the Civilized World.

More flooding was expected in Venice with the Wednesday-night high tide, and another powerful Mediterranean storm is looming on the horizon for this weekend.

For more on this week's Venice flooding, see the new post from Dr. Jeff Masters at Eye of the Storm (Scientific American).

https://www.wunderground.com/cat6/Easte ... at6-widget

[Anthea]

This flood was foretold
it was publicly subsidised

These floods were not just predictable; they were predicted. There were clear and specific warnings that the management of land upstream of the towns now featuring in the news would lead to disaster. On 9 December one of my readers told me this. “I live in the middle of Foss drainage board land above York, where flooding would not harm a single property but water is sent down as fast as possible to York.” A few days later another reader wrote to me, warning that “upstream flood banks now protect crops, not the city of York”. On 26 December the Foss exploded into York

It is a complaint I’ve heard repeatedly: internal drainage boards – which are public bodies but tend to be mostly controlled by landowners – often prioritise the protection of farmland above the safety of towns and cities downstream. By straightening, embanking and dredging rivers where they cut through fields, the boards accelerate the flow of water, making flooding downstream more likely. When heavy rain falls, some land must flood. We have a choice: fields or cities. And all over Britain, we have chosen badly.

For several years campaigners in Hebden Bridge have been begging the government to stop the drainage and burning of the grouse moors upstream. Eighteen months ago I visited the town, where activists told me that thanks to the damage inflicted on the bogs and deep vegetation of the moors, which reduces their capacity to hold water, it was only a matter of time before Hebden Bridge was wrecked again by flash floods. Their warnings were not just ignored, but – if such a thing is possible – actively disregarded.

In 2002 Walshaw Moor, a 6,500-acre grouse shooting estate upstream of Hebden Bridge, was bought by the retail tycoon Richard Bannister. Satellite images before and after show a transformation of the land: a great intensification of burning and draining. These activities raise the number of grouse, which in turns raises the amount (running into thousands per person per day) people will pay to shoot them.

In 2011, the government body Natural England launched a prosecution of the estate, citing “illegal works” on the moor. The estate was charged with 45 offences, 30 of which involved building allegedly unauthorised drainage channels. It denied all criminal activity. In 2012, as Mark Avery documents in his book Inglorious, something very odd happened. After £1m had been spent on the case it was suddenly dropped. Instead, Natural England struck an agreement with the estate under which the owner of Walshaw Moor would be given £2.5m of public money, in the form of a special package of enhanced farm subsidies, to carry on more or less as before, without reversing what were alleged to have been illegal works.

Avery’s freedom of information requests seeking to discover why this astonishing reversal took place have been repeatedly blocked, so there is no definitive explanation. But we know that the minister responsible at the time, Richard Benyon, is himself a grouse moor owner, and was lobbied over this period by the Moorland Association, which represents other grouse moor owners. We have no way of knowing whether these facts are related, and I cannot make a direct connection between the management of Walshaw Moor and the present flooding of Hebden Bridge. But there’s little doubt that the management of grouse moors tends to increase the risk of flooding.

Though grouse moors stretch the definition of agricultural land to breaking point, they remain eligible for public money in the form of farm subsidies. In 2014 as essential public services were hacked back, the government quietly increased the money to which they are entitled by 84%. Maximising the number of grouse means treating the moors as if they were giant chicken runs, draining the land, eradicating predators and competitors and burning the heather to stimulate the young shoots on which grouse feed. If the proles downstream are flooded out of their homes, really, who cares?

Similar irrationalities abound. Farm subsidies everywhere are conditional on the land being in “agricultural condition”. This does not mean any actual farming has to take place there – only that it looks like farmland. Any land covered by “permanent ineligible features” is disqualified. What does this mean? Wildlife habitat. If farmers don’t keep the hills bare, they don’t get their money. Scrub, regenerating woodland, forested gullies, ponds and other features that harbour wildlife and hold back water must be cleared. European rules insist that we pay farmers to help flood our homes.

The British government wants to deregulate dredging and channel clearance, to allow farmers to shift water off their land more quickly. It was instrumental in destroying the proposed European soil framework directive, which would have reduced flooding by preventing the erosion and compaction of the soil.

There are signs that this antediluvian thinking is beginning to shift. Rory Stewart, the minister in charge of floods, once mocked the organisations seeking to hold back water on farmland rather than letting it rush into homes. But this week he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that we need more trees in the hills, and should let our rivers meander once more. It was so welcome and surprising that it felt like a parting of the waters.

Building higher walls will not, by itself, protect our towns. We need flood prevention as well as flood defence. This means woodland and functioning bogs on the hills. It means dead wood and gravel banks and other such obstructions in the upper reaches of the streams (beavers will do such work for nothing). It means pulling down embankments to reconnect rivers to their floodplains, flooding fields instead of towns. It means allowing rivers to meander and braid. It means creating buffer zones around their banks: places where trees, shrubs, reeds and long grass are allowed to grow, providing what engineers call hydraulic roughness. It means the opposite of the orgy of self-destruction that decades of government and European policy have encouraged: grazing, mowing, burning, draining, canalisation and dredging.

Natural flood management of this kind does not guarantee that urban floods will never happen. But its absence exacerbates them. Yes, Britain has been hit by massive storms and record rainfall. But it has also been hit by incompetence, ignorance and concessions to favoured interests. This, at least, we can change.

Link to Article - Photos:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... -N8YWlqDT8

[Anthea]

Venice rejected climate crisis plan

Venice council flooded moments after rejecting climate crisis plan



Veneto’s regional council rejected a plan to combat climate change minutes before its offices on the Grand Canal, in Venice, were flooded, it has emerged as the city continues to battle high water levels.

Venice has been hit by recurrent flooding since Tuesday, with 70% of the lagoon city engulfed on Friday morning as the acqua alta, or high water, level reached 1.54 metres amid heavy downpours.

On Tuesday night, as Veneto councillors were debating the climate emergency in Ferro Fini Palace, Venice experienced its worst flooding since 1966.

Politicians from the regional council’s majority rightwing parties: the League, Brothers of Italy and Forza Italia, rejected amendments to fight the climate crisis in the 2020 budget that were proposed by the centre-left Democratic party.

Sharing pictures of the room as water entered, Andrea Zanoni, the Democratic party’s deputy chairman of the council’s environment committee, wrote on Facebook: “Ironically, the chamber was flooded two minutes after the majority parties rejected our proposals to tackle climate change.”

Zanoni, a green campaigner, said the proposals included measures to fund renewable energy sources, replace diesel buses with less polluting vehicles, scrap polluting stoves and reduce plastic use.

“There is no more meaningful image than a chamber being flooded, causing the representatives of the Venetian people to flee, to illustrate all the inconsistency and political nullity of a current miserable administrative led by the League, Brothers of Italy and Forza Italia,” he added.

Zanoni took particular aim at Luca Zaia, the Veneto president and League politician, for presenting a budget that contained “no concrete plan to tackle climate change”.

Zaia has described the Venice flooding, which has killed two people, as “an apocalyptic disaster”. “Venice has been tortured, but there are also other parts of the Veneto region besides Venice,” he said on Wednesday.

In a statement to CNN, Roberto Ciambetti, the council’s president and League member, rebuffed the criticism.

“Beyond propaganda and deceptive reading, we are voting [for] a regional budget that spent €965m over the past three years in the fight against air pollution, smog, which is a determining factor in climate change,” he said.

Venice’s mayor, Luigi Brugnaro, blamed the floods on the climate crisis and promised that the long-delayed Mose flood barrier project would be finished.

Brugnaro closed St Mark’s Square as the tide started to rise again on Friday morning, engulfing shops, restaurants and homes. “I’m forced to close the square to avoid health risks for citizens … a disaster,” he said.

“We’ve destroyed Venice, we’re talking about €1bn in damage and that’s just from the other day, not today.”

The Italian prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, declared a state of emergency on Thursday night, paving the way for the government to assist people whose businesses and homes had been damaged. Conte said the flooding was “a blow to the heart of our country”.

Residents whose homes have been flooded will receive €5,000 immediately while restaurant and shop owners will get up to €20,000.

Brugnaro said a bank account would be opened to allow people from around the world to contribute towards repairing the city.

Water engulfed St Mark’s Basilica, flooding the crypt and smashing windows. It is unclear how much repairs will cost, but when water filled the 1,000-year-old cathedral in November 2018 the repair costs were estimated at €2.2m. The opera house, the Teatro La Fenice, was also damaged and a short circuit caused a fire at Ca’ Pesaro gallery. On the island of Murano, the mosaic floors of the cathedral were seriously damaged.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/ ... 1573832163

[Anthea]

Baby Elephant
Cried For 5 Hours

Do Animals Have Feelings? This Baby Elephant Cried For 5 Hours After His Mother Rejected



"Humans aren't as good as we should be in our capacity to empathize with feelings and thoughts of others, be they humans or other animals on Earth." - Neil deGrasse Tyson

Tyson, in my opinion, has it right. We don't do nearly as good of a job of empathizing with ours, animals or humans. For animals in particular, we regard them as tools for us, things for our pleasure and use. We justify it by saying that they don't have feelings, that they don't have thoughts, and that they don't perceive the world with the clarity that we do.

One elephant calf challenges some of those assertions.

When Zhuangzhuang was born, he was rejected by his mother. His keepers reacted in horror as the mother nearly stamped him to death almost immediately after he was born. They thought it was an accident at first. He was removed and his wounds treated, but when he was reintroduced, the mother attacked him again.

So the keepers had to remove him permanently, and that's when he began to cry. He cried for 5 hours, even though staff at the Shendiashan Wild Animal Natural Reserve tried to comfort him.

Fortunately, after some time, the calf snapped out of it and is living a happy, healthy life these days. Good news.



http://www.wisethinks.com/2015/11/do-an ... _vSypx7W74

[Anthea]

Humans make wars - Dogs do not

If humans are stupid to spend a fortune on weapons, instead of spending the money on helping other people and ending wars and destruction. It is OUR fault for supporting and voting for such warped warmongering political leaders and placing OUR future and the FUTURE of this planet in the hands

In the UK there is no conscription / national service. People voluntary join the Army - DOGS DO NOT

The US Army should NOT
be putting dog's in danger



The US Army has developed an advanced new head cover that will protect military dogs' hearing while riding in helicopters or being near loud explosions

The Canine Auditory Protection System will protect military dogs in combat

The flexible head wrap was designed to filter loud noises and fit on any size head

Dogs have sensitive ears that can impaired even after short helicopter rides

This week the Army announced a new high-tech piece of combat armor intended for an unlikely subject: dogs.

Called Canine Auditory Protection System, or CAPS, the head covering is designed to protect military dogs from short-term hearing loss that can occur when working around loud vehicles and machinery.

The covering is made from flexible acoustic absorption material that filters loud noises and can stretch or shrink to accommodate almost any head size and shape.

The Canine Auditory Protection System, or CAPS, will protect military dogs' hearing while working in loud surroundings

'Even a short helicopter flight can affect a dog’s hearing, resulting in impaired performance and inability to hear the handler’s commands, which can hinder the mission,’ Army researcher Stephen Lee said.

‘This new technology protects the canine while on missions and can extend the dog's working life.’

The CAPS cover is about an inch thick and was designed to work with helmets, goggles and other protective headgear designed for military dogs.

CAPS was developed by ZeteoTech, a biodefense and medical technology company, and retired Navy lieutenant commander Pete ‘Skip’ Scheifele MD, PhD.

It was funded by a Small Business Innovation Research Grant from the Army.

Before being officially unveiled, the head cover was tested extensively in both military and law enforcement settings.

The CAPS head cover was designed to be adaptable to a wide variety of head sizes and shapes

Researchers were particularly focused on protecting dogs hearing while traveling on military helicopters, which can produce noise well above 90db.

Dogs ears are significantly more sensitive than human ears.

The average human can’t hear sounds above 20,000Hz, but dogs can hears sounds up to around 50,Hz.

Dogs have three times the number of ear muscles compared to humans.

Even short rides on military helicopters can disrupt a dog's hearing

Military dogs became a point of popular interest recently when Conan, a Belgian Malinois, was celebrated for his role in the military operation during which Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed by the US Army.

That mission was conducted with eight heavy duty MH-47 and MH-60 helicopters.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech ... aring.html

[Anthea]

Man Walks Around Mexico
Saving Hundreds of Dogs

I Saw A Man Who Walks With A Trolley Around Mexico Saving Hundreds Of Homeless Dogs And His Story Touched Me



A few months ago, I was driving out of the small Mexican town of Mazunte, Oaxaca, when I saw a peculiar sight on the side of the road. A man was pushing a trolley along the road surrounded by dogs. Dogs were on top of his trolley. Dogs were behind him, in front of him and by his side. Tails were wagging furiously, barks were sounding and he just kept pushing his trolley through the heat.

This is the story of Edgardo Perros. He has walked 14,000 km around the perimeter of Mexico saving injured and sick dogs! Over the last six years, he has saved nearly 500 dogs. His humility and compassion for all beings were so striking that it touched me. For example, when he finds a dog that is too injured to be saved, he lies down with it on the road so it has company as it passes on.

His selfless attitude and service to these animals and the people he meets are so inspirational. Check out his Facebook page.

If you would like to contribute to Edgardo and his journey, follow this link.

Edgardo Perros is walking the entire perimeter of Mexico while pushing a trolley with dogs and helps those in need along the way

“No one helps dogs living homeless on the roads. This is where I saw their pain,” said 49-year-old Edgardo

“What hurts me the most, is not the battered, hurt or abandoned dogs. It is the person that is doing it”

“I think that what someone in this situation needs, no matter if a person or animal, is some company and even a little bit of love”

Over the past six years, he has rescued and successfully homed close to 500 sick and injured dogs

He has found many dogs that were too damaged to be rescued. “Usually, I just keep them company, until in a natural way, they rest,” said Edgardo

To date, he has walked nearly 14,000 km around Mexico. He only has 1,432 km left to travel to reach his goal

Edgardo has three dogs of his own that have been by his side from the beginning of his journey 6 years ago

Patuleco was born with “swimmers syndrome“ and has dysplasia which means he doesn’t have knees. He’s been on the road with Edgardo for 3 years

A three-legged master Sin Pata has been traveling for a year now, and is waiting to be adopted

A beautiful China Pong is looking for a permanent home and has been on the road with him for almost three years

Kiwi was found with a severe skin condition but is now well and looking for a forever home

Little Enzo is now healing in a clinic after leg amputation due to bone infection. After that, he will join the journey and learn how to walk from Sensei Sin Pata

Other dogs have been castrated, vaccinated and are learning to behave before they are ready for adoption

“I can’t live the rest of my life just saying ‘I traveled once around Mexico and helped dogs.’ I want to continue to work with dogs”

Link to Article - Photos:

https://www.boredpanda.com/edgardo-perr ... HjlTH9Rwmg

[Anthea]

This could be the day I die

Owner of animal sanctuary recalls harrowing ordeal as wildfire approached



It had been an hour since Ellie Laks, the founder of The Gentle Barn, had called for backup as the wall of fire approached her property. The Tick Fire, which had been scorching Santa Clarita, California, was nearly at her doorstep. She and volunteers had since started loading up chickens and turkeys into crates. Potbellied pigs had been led into crates and cars before the dogs and the other household animals were herded into more cars belonging to the volunteers who had been working there that day. At the same time, volunteers who weren’t busy with the animals began to load files and computers into cars.

The Tick Fire, which would grow to 4,615 acres, ignited on Oct. 24. By the time it was 100% contained on Oct. 31, the blaze had destroyed 22 structures and damaged another 27. The Santa Ana winds had spurred the fire along, sending it racing to the edge of The Gentle Barn's property on the day the blaze started. The Los Angeles County Fire Department had issued mandatory evacuations for the area.

All of the trailers had been filled, but still some animals remained. Over the years, the population of The Gentle Barn had increased, but Laks and her husband didn't have enough trailers to evacuate all of the animals in one trip. They had a large stock trailer and three smaller ones that can fit two horses each. Still, they had to call volunteers to bring in more trucks and trailers.

Laks had recognized its shortage in trailers when the number of the sanctuary's animal residents began to grow, and she had pulled together an evacuation program. In it, Laks had created a list of volunteers who, with one phone call, would start heading their way.

"Where was everybody?" is the thought that was on Laks' mind as she looked for her husband, Jay Weiner. The sheep and goats were supposed to be loaded into trailers next.

"They won't let them through," Weiner told Laks. "They won't let them through the blockade."

Firefighters had blocked off the roads volunteers needed to use to reach The Gentle Barn, which was in an area that was still under a mandatory evacuation order.

“That’s the moment that it felt real, when I realized our backup was not coming,” Laks told AccuWeather. "That was the moment where I was like, this could be it. We could be dying today. This could be the day I die."



For Laks, there was no evacuation without all of her animals.

"Had that fire come and the trucks couldn't make it to us and we couldn't get out, I would be going down with my animals. There's no way I would leave them," Laks said. "I promised to protect them for the rest of their lives, and I will die fulfilling that promise."

The firefighters allowed the volunteers who were there to help through after Weiner drove up to the blockade.

The flames of the Tick Fire had burned across the road from their property, the wind blowing some embers onto their land. Armed with fire extinguishers, shovels, jackets and boots, Weiner and a handful of the working volunteers available had spent part of the day holding the frontline of their property to buy more time for the evacuation efforts.

"We're literally on fire. We need help," Laks said was the message Weiner had delivered to the firefighters.

After being given the green light by the firefighters, the volunteers rushed to help with evacuating the remaining animals. Still, there were a few animals that were unable to make it into the trailers.

A handful of animals remained on the property, including a 700-pound pig and a stubborn draft horse that either couldn't or wouldn't step into a trailer to evacuate. Staff and volunteers worked up to midnight evacuating the animals to safer locations.

For six days, Laks and Weiner stayed on fire watch with little to no sleep even though the evacuation had been lifted after Oct. 26, two days after the fire had started and the evacuation ordered. Laks told AccuWeather she and her husband had pulled all-nighters for the first three nights in fear that the fire would return. They cautiously began to bring their animals home after the evacuation had been lifted, keeping an eye on the winds.

[Anthea]

Climate change was
known about in 1966

Coal industry KNEW about climate change as far back as 1966

Unearthed journal reveals coal industry KNEW about climate change and dangers of burning fossil fuels in 1966 - admitting it could melt icecaps and flood cities including New York

The 1966 entry was uncovered in industry publication Mining Congress Journal
It suggests those working with coal were aware of 'vast changes in the climates'

And warned such changes 'will cause melting of the polar icecaps' and 'would result in the inundation of many coastal cities, including New York and London'

The piece was uncovered by university of Tennessee professor Chris Cherry

He told Huffington Post its discovery left him 'floored', adding: 'It's all in there'

Its discovery is thought to be the first piece of evidence to suggest the coal industry was aware of the ramifications of its work more than 50 years ago

The coal industry knew about climate change and the dangers of burning fossil fuels as far back as 1966, according to an explosive journal uncovered for the first time.



A shocking entry in industry publication Mining Congress Journal from that year suggests those working in the field were aware the process could see 'the temperature of the earth's atmosphere will increase and that vast changes in the climates of the earth will result'.

Written by the then president of the now defunct Bituminous Coal Research Inc., James R. Garvey, it goes on: 'Such changes in temperature will cause melting of the polar icecaps, which, in turn, would result in the inundation of many coastal cities, including New York and London.'

The piece was uncovered by university of Tennessee professor Chris Cherry, who told Huffington Post the words left him 'floored'.

'It pretty well described a version of what we know today as climate change', Cherry said, adding: 'Increases in average air temperatures, melting of polar ice caps, rising of sea levels. It's all in there.'

Its discovery is thought to be the first piece of evidence to suggest the coal industry was aware of the ramifications of its work more than 50 years ago.

The 1966 entry was uncovered in industry publication Mining Congress Journal, left. It suggests those working with coal were aware of 'vast changes in the climates', right

The piece was uncovered by university of Tennessee professor Chris Cherry. Its discovery is thought to be the first piece of evidence to suggest the coal industry was aware of the ramifications of its work more than 50 years ago

That could see mining companies similar face litigation to the oil industry after the revelation of #ExxonKnew.

Even as recently as four years ago coal company Peabody Energy argued that carbon dioxide was a 'benign gas essential for all life'.

The energy giant, which is the largest private-sector coal business in the world, wrote to the White House in 2015, telling them: 'While the benefits of carbon dioxide are proven, the alleged risks of climate change are contrary to observed data, are based on admitted speculation, and lack adequate scientific basis.'

Former Peabody executive Fred Palmer said in 1997: 'Every time you turn your car on and you burn fossil fuels and you put CO2 into the air, you're doing the work of the Lord. That's the ecological system we live in.'

The company, which filed for bankruptcy protection in 2016, now acknowledge climate change. DailyMail.com has contacted Peabody Energy for comment.

They told the Huffington Post: 'Peabody recognizes that climate change is occurring and that human activity, including the use of fossil fuels, contributes to greenhouse gas emissions.'

But they add: 'We also recognize that coal is essential to affordable, reliable energy and will continue to play a significant role in the global energy mix for the foreseeable future.

'Peabody views technology as vital to advancing global climate change solutions, and the company supports advanced coal technologies to drive continuous improvement toward the ultimate goal of near-zero emissions from coal.'



The piece, highlighted in yellow, suggests those working with coal were aware of 'vast changes in the climates' and warned such changes 'will cause melting of the polar icecaps' and 'would result in the inundation of many coastal cities, including New York and London'

Former US secretary of state Rex Tillerson was forced to deny in court last month that oil and gas giant ExxonMobil had downplayed the financial costs of mitigating climate change to mislead investors.

Tillerson, a former chief executive of ExxonMobil, gave evidence in an unprecedented lawsuit against the American multinational that is being closely watched by energy companies and environmental activists.

Massachusetts state is pursing similar litigation against the company. Experts expect to see further lawsuits against ExxonMobil and other energy companies over their activities related to the environment.

Kert Davies, founder and director of the Climate Investigations Center, said: 'The coal mining industry — the utilities that were burning it for electricity, along with the railroads who were hauling it — and manufacturing industries like steel were the first corporate forces to become climate deniers and try to block action on climate policy.

'They fought the hardest because they had the biggest existential threat.'

Global warming driving 'unprecedented' change in oceans, study says

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... -1966.html

[Anthea]

Greenhouse gas break records

Atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases once again reached new highs in 2018

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) says the increase in CO2 was just above the average rise recorded over the last decade.

Levels of other warming gases, such as methane and nitrous oxide, have also surged by above average amounts.

Since 1990 there's been an increase of 43% in the warming effect on the climate of long lived greenhouse gases.

The WMO report looks at concentrations of warming gases in the atmosphere rather than just emissions.

The difference between the two is that emissions refer to the amount of gases that go up into the atmosphere from the use of fossil fuels, such as burning coal for electricity and from deforestation.

Concentrations are what's left in the air after a complex series of interactions between the atmosphere, the oceans, the forests and the land. About a quarter of all carbon emissions are absorbed by the seas, and a similar amount by land and trees.

Using data from monitoring stations in the Arctic and all over the world, researchers say that in 2018 concentrations of CO2 reached 407.8 parts per million (ppm), up from 405.5ppm a year previously.

This increase was above the average for the last 10 years and is 147% of the "pre-industrial" level in 1750.

The WMO also records concentrations of other warming gases, including methane and nitrous oxide. About 40% of the methane emitted into the air comes from natural sources, such as wetlands, with 60% from human activities, including cattle farming, rice cultivation and landfill dumps.

Methane is now at 259% of the pre-industrial level and the increase seen over the past year was higher than both the previous annual rate and the average over the past 10 years.

Nitrous oxide is emitted from natural and human sources, including from the oceans and from fertiliser-use in farming. According to the WMO, it is now at 123% of the levels that existed in 1750.

Last year's increase in concentrations of the gas, which can also harm the ozone layer, was bigger than the previous 12 months and higher than the average of the past decade.

What concerns scientists is the overall warming impact of all these increasing concentrations. Known as total radiative forcing, this effect has increased by 43% since 1990, and is not showing any indication of stopping.

"There is no sign of a slowdown, let alone a decline, in greenhouse gases concentration in the atmosphere despite all the commitments under the Paris agreement on climate change," said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas.

"We need to translate the commitments into action and increase the level of ambition for the sake of the future welfare of mankind," he added.

"It is worth recalling that the last time the Earth experienced a comparable concentration of CO2 was three to five million years ago. Back then, the temperature was 2-3C warmer, sea level was 10-20m higher than now," said Mr Taalas.

The UN Environment Programme will report shortly on the gap between what actions countries are taking to cut carbon and what needs to be done to keep under the temperature targets agreed in the Paris climate pact.

Preliminary findings from this study, published during the UN Secretary General's special climate summit last September, indicated that emissions continued to rise during 2018.

Both reports will help inform delegates from almost 200 countries who will meet in Madrid next week for COP25, the annual round of international climate talks.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-50504131

[Anthea]

Stray dog found keeping tiny kittens
warm by roadside on snowy night



A stray dog kept five young kittens alive during a snowy night in Canada before rescue workers brought the group to safety.

Pet and Wildlife Rescue, based in Chatham-Kent in Ontario, posted pictures of the dog, now named Serenity, alongside the five black kittens that it had protected from the cold.

The now-viral Facebook post read: "Our stray sweetheart is keeping her 'babies' safe at the shelter tonight!"

A passerby contacted a rescue centre after spotting the dog, who had wrapped her body around the kittens, on a roadside.



By the time they were brought in a strong bond had formed between the dog and kittens already, the shelter said.

Speaking to the Dodo, a shelter spokesperson said: "It's truly heartwarming!

"It had been a very cold night so these kittens would have had a very hard time surviving."

IIt is unclear whether the dog knew the the kittens before they were found but she oversees their progress on regular visits to her brood at the shelter where they are being treated for fleas and worms.

"Our staff sees many difficult situations on a daily basis and stories like this one make every heartache worth it," the shelter said.

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/s ... 96221.html

[Anthea]

Meat and Eggs Are Illegal Here:

The World’s First Vegetarian City

The mountainous town of Palitana is the world’s first vegetarian city, where the sale of meat and eggs, as well as animal slaughter are banned.

Boasting over 900 temples, Palitana, India is considered one of the holiest places for followers of Jainism, as it is the town where the religion’s first savior, Adinatha, is believed to have walked the hills.

Jainism is a religion of peace and non-violence, where the most fundamentalist followers carefully clear their path of insects as they walk, in order to not cause any harm.

Jainism teaches against the consumption of meat and eggs, but dairy consumption is allowed, despite also causing harm to animals.

While the areas nearby the town’s most holy sites were already declared meat-free zones, roughly 200 Jain monks decided that they would rather die than continue to tolerate the slaughter and consumption of animals anywhere in the town.

They went on a hunger strike in June 2014, threatening to starve themselves to death unless the government declared the town a meat-free zone.

To accomplish this “meat-free” status, the monks’ demands included a shutdown of more than 250 butcher shops, and a ban on ritual animal slaughter.

“Everyone in this world — whether animal or human being or a very small creature — has all been given the right to live by God,” said Virat Sagar Maharaj, a Jain monk.

“So who are we to take away that right from them? This has been written in the holy books of every religion, particularly in Jainism.”

Jainism is practiced by roughly 5 million Indians, a tiny fraction of India’s 1.3 billion population.

“Meat has always been easily available in this city, but it’s against the teaching of our religion,” says Sadhar Sagar, a Jain believer. “We always wanted a complete ban on non-vegetarian food in this holy site.”

The monks called off the hunger strike after politicians began considering legislation that would ban meat, much to the dismay of the town’s Muslim majority, which makes up about 25% of the population.

The government said they would hear out other perspectives, including the Muslims, who called the potential ban discriminatory as they consume meat and eggs and perform animal sacrifice.

In August 2014, the Gujarat government declared Palitana a meat-free zone, banning the sale of meat and eggs, as well as slaughter of animals in the town.

The ban was a blow to Muslims who called it a violation of their right to consume meat.

“There are so many people living in this city, and the majority of them are non-vegetarian,” said Muslim scholar Jehangir Miyan.

“Stopping them from eating a non-vegetarian diet is a violation of their rights. We have been living in this city for decades. It is wrong to suddenly put a ban on the whole city now.”

Others who work in the meat industry complained of the financial difficulty this law would cause.

“We have been stopped from selling anything in Palitana,” said fisherman Nishit Mehru.

“They shouldn’t have taken this one-sided decision. How will we survive if we are not allowed to sell fish? The government should not make decisions under pressure.”

While many feel the government has no place telling people what they can and cannot eat, and religion should not influence policy, Palitana is not the only place with a ban on meat.

The slaughter of animals is also outlawed in the small country of Bhutan, where Buddhist monks are influential in policy making.

https://vegannews.co/meat-and-eggs-are- ... HSxYjRtKfg

[Anthea]

Bill to end animal
testing for cosmetics

Bill to end animal testing for cosmetics introduced in Congress with support from industry leaders

The United States is one of the world’s largest cosmetics markets and this bill has the potential to spare the lives of thousands of mice, rabbits, rats and guinea pigs.

The movement to end the testing of personal care and beauty products on animals has gained unprecedented momentum in recent years, with three U.S. states, 39 countries, and more than a thousand manufacturers abandoning this outdated and unnecessary practice. Today, Congress took an important step toward ending cosmetics animal testing in all of the United States, with the introduction of the Humane Cosmetics Act.

The bill would, with certain exceptions, end all animal testing for cosmetic products and ingredients in the United States and prohibit the import of cosmetics that have been tested on animals anywhere else in the world. The United States is one of the world’s largest cosmetics markets and this bill has the potential to spare the lives of thousands of mice, rabbits, rats and guinea pigs.

Although versions of the Humane Cosmetics Act have been introduced in past Congresses, we are especially optimistic it will succeed this time because there is unprecedented support for passing it from the cosmetics industry itself. In an exciting development, our Humane Society Legislative Fund and Humane Society of the United States teams worked with the Personal Care Products Council, the leading national trade association representing cosmetic and personal care products companies, to propose language for the bill in both its House and Senate versions.

Passing a law banning cosmetics testing would put us on a par with many other nations globally who have, working in cooperation with Humane Society International, already passed laws banning or limiting the use of animal tests for cosmetics, including India, New Zealand, South Korea, Guatemala, Australia and all countries in the European Union. Multinational cosmetics companies must already comply with the laws in these countries to sell products there, and, starting January 2020, they must also comply with laws banning the sales of cosmetics newly tested on animals in California, Nevada and Illinois.

This cruelty-free surge is driven by consumers who are increasingly scanning store shelves for products not tested on animals. Cosmetics producers have been only too happy to comply, and already more than 1,000 brands in North America have committed to producing cosmetics that are free of new animal testing.

When creating their products, these brands can choose from the thousands of safe ingredients already available, or use advanced scientific alternative test methods and new technologies that are often more reliable, efficient and cost-effective than animal tests. And as the global market for non-animal tests expands, new and improved methods will continue to be developed, leading to safer cosmetics without harming animals.

In recent years, our #BeCrueltyFree campaign has partnered with global beauty giants, including Unilever, Procter & Gamble, Avon and the Estée Lauder Companies, to ban animal testing for cosmetics in all major global beauty markets by 2023. We’ve worked together to standardize legislation to end cosmetics animal testing, share information on alternative testing methods, and invest in education and training for scientists.

Cosmetics tests on animals are not only unnecessary and ineffective, they also involve serious animal suffering. Animals used in these tests have substances forced down their throats, dripped into their eyes, or smeared onto their skin, and they are left to suffer for days or weeks without pain relief. Our thanks to Sens. Martha McSally, R-Ariz., Cory Booker, D-N.J., Rob Portman, R-Ohio, Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., and Reps. Don Beyer, D-Va., Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., Tony Cárdenas, D-Calif., Paul Tonko, D-N.Y., and Ken Calvert, R-Calif., for introducing this important bill designed to bring our nation’s laws into alignment with the wishes of the majority of American consumers. For our part, we promise to push with all our might and passion to make this the Congress that ends the ugliness of cosmetics animal testing.

https://blog.humanesociety.org/2019/11/ ... ygktJsFoH0

[Anthea]

Norway bans fur farming

Yesterday the Norwegian Parliament passed the Fur Farming Prohibition Act, banning the practise in Norway from February 2025 onwards

It’s a victory for Dyrevernalliansen (the Norwegian Animal Protection Alliance), Eurogroup for Animals’ Norwegian member organisation, which has been working to end fur farming for two decades.

The impossibility of solving the animal welfare concerns of keeping active carnivores in small cages was the main reason the majority of the Parliament voted in favour of the government’s ban on fur. “Fox and mink are carnivores with behavioural needs that cannot be met in captivity. Foxes live in family groups and mink are solitary,” explains Anton Krag of Dyrevernalliansen. “You can’t let 20,000 minks out to pasture. To produce pelts, fox and mink have to be kept in cages, which are highly unsuitable to these animals.”

Norwegian fur farming supplies 1% of the world market and comprises 167 fur farms, many fewer than ten years ago, when there were more than 500. 99% of Norwegian fur is exported mainly to Asian markets, and over 300 retailers in Norway have committed to not selling real fur.

The majority of the Norwegian Parliament also voted in favour of a proposed plan to compensate the existing fur farmers. Although they are not entitled to compensation by law, they will still receive considerable amounts from the state starting at the end of this year.

“By the end of 2024 there will be no more fur farms in the country,” Krag says. “We hope that the closing down of the Norwegian industry inspires other countries. Fur farming is a disgrace for our Scandinavian neighbours Sweden, Finland and Denmark.”

https://www.eurogroupforanimals.org/dyr ... Z2zor0BErc

[Anthea]

Climate Chaos

UN issues 'bleak' warning that countries must increase carbon-cutting aims five fold to avoid climate chaos

Countries have procrastinated for too long and will need to increase their carbon-cutting efforts five fold to avoid climate chaos, the UN has warned.

The emissions gap report found that even if all current climate pledges are met, the world will warm by 3.2C this century - bringing wide-ranging and destructive climate impacts.

The UN Environment Programme said it was still possible to stay within the 1.5C celling on temperature rises that scientists say is necessary to avoid disastrous consequences.
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However, this would require emissions cuts of 7.6 per cent a year between 2020-2030.

The report says that over the past decade, carbon dioxide emissions have risen on average by 1.5 per cent a year. In 2018, the total reached 55 gigatonnes.

Create Solutions Not Pollution

"The summary findings are bleak," the report said. "Countries collectively failed to stop the growth in global greenhouse gas emissions, meaning that deeper and faster cuts are now required."

The report added that “major societal and economic transformations need to take place in the next decade to make up for the inaction of the past”.

These measures would need to include ending the use of fossil fuels in the energy, building and transport sectors.

"The longer you wait, the more difficult it becomes," the report’s lead author, John Christensen, said.

He added: "Being a grandfather - we don't want to leave that for our grandkids”

The report found that a group of the 20 wealthiest countries that make up the G20 are responsible for 78 per cent of all emissions. But so far, only the EU, the UK, Italy and France have committed to long-term net zero targets.

Seven G20 members, including Australia, Brazil and Canada, need to take more action to meet their current carbon emission target, it said.

Meanwhile, India, Russia and Turkey are on track to meet their emissions targets comfortably. But the report said that this was because the targets they had set themselves were too low.

Inger Andersen, the head of the UN Environment Programme, said: "We need to catch up on the years in which we procrastinated.

“If we don't do this, the 1.5C goal will be out of reach before 2030."

The emissions gap report is one of several studies released ahead of the UN climate talks in Madrid next week which seek to advance a global strategy for tackling climate change.

Last week, the UN published a separate report which found that countries were planning to extract more than twice the amount of fossil fuels from the ground than can be burned by 2030 if the 1.5C target is to be met.

A study by the World Meteorological Organisation warned that levels of atmospheric greenhouse gases have reached another record high, “with no sign of a slowdown, let alone a decline”.

The concentration of CO2 is now 47 per cent higher than before the Industrial Revolution began in 1760, when levels were around 280ppm.

https://www.independent.co.uk/environme ... 18181.html

[Anthea]

Australian wildfire
re-ignites killing 6

The fire season hasn't even reached its peak

Thick smoke hangs in the sky in Sydney, Australia. EPA

Australia is enduring a horrific bush fire season, with six people dead, hundreds of homes destroyed, and more than 1.7 million hectares burnt through.

For around two weeks fires have raged in Queensland and New South Wales, with South Australia and Victoria plagued by fires more recently.

The severity and scale of the fires has sparked furious debate about the Australian Government’s alleged inaction on climate change, as record high temperatures and severe drought have combined to create the conditions for a catastrophic fire season.

Worse still, Australia's fire season peaks in January and February.

Smoke blanketed a number of major urban areas today, including Australia’s biggest city, Sydney.

New South Wales has been hardest hit by the fires, with six people killed and around 600 homes destroyed. At the peak of the crisis, 3,000 fire fighters were deployed in that state alone, supported by 70 aircraft. There are still 49 fires burning in New South Wales now, with 25 out of control.

In Queensland, to the north, there are 70 fires burning, one of which covers 13,000 hectares and, according to officials, could burn for weeks unless it rains soon.

In July, August and September combined, an area bigger than England covering parts of southern Queensland and northern New South Wales received less than 10mm of rain.

Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack recently attacked people who linked the fires to climate change as “raving inner city lunatics” and “disgraceful”.

Greens MP Adam Bandt responded by describing Mr McCormack as a “dangerous fool”.

Senator Jordon Steele-John said the government was “no better than arsonists” in their alleged dereliction of duty.

Mr Bandt defended the 25-year-old senator from criticism after the comments.

"I think you should listen to the emotion in Jordon Steele-John's voice as he is talking there… he is part of a generation that is terrified and aghast with what they are seeing with the climate crisis. What we are seeing (now) has happened with one degree of warming and they know we are on track for three (degrees of warming),” he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Mayors from 12 councils, some in fire-stricken regions, issued a statement urging the national government to take climate change seriously and to increase funding to frontline services.

“It is time to honestly and bravely address one of the major causes of these fires, climate change,” they said.

In April, 23 former chiefs and deputy chiefs of fire services said the country was unprepared for the impact climate change would have on fire conditions, urged action on climate change and requested a meeting - which they say Prime Minister Scott Morrison has continued to decline.

A group of Torres Strait Islander people are taking a complaint against the government’s policies on climate change to the United Nations.

Mr Morrison said his government has “a clear commitment to reduce emissions, 26 per cent by 2030”.

The Prime Minister was criticised after tweeting yesterday that Australia's cricket team would give the firefighters and communities impacted by the fire "something to cheer about".

The Prime Minister also drew criticism for claiming today that there was no link between Australia's carbon emissions and the deteriorating climate and fire conditions.

https://www.thenational.ae/world/oceani ... 6-1.940716