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Updates: polution; hunting; animal slaughter; climate change

This is where you can talk about every subject (previously it was called shout room)

Re: Updates: polution; hunting; animal slaughter; climate ch

PostAuthor: Anthea » Sat Jan 21, 2023 1:45 pm

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Plastic to outnumber fish

Businesses in Russia have begun to invest resources into the creation of recycling facilities in an attempt to reverse the trend

By 2050, the volume of plastic in the ocean will surpass the amount of fish in the oceans.

This forecast was predicted on the basis of current levels of consumption rate, with around 10 million tonnes of plastic waste thrown into the ocean every year.

"It is just horrible when each banana and candy is in a separate package. And it is us who has made it all together as consumers … This could lead to disaster: 10 million tons of plastic ends up in the ocean every year, and by 2050 there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish if people continue to consume like this," Abramchenko said, adding that the government's is tasked with promoting recycling in businesses.

"Waste sorting has already become a standard project that the regions have learned to implement. Meanwhile, the creation of utilization capacities remains a difficult task and my role is to remind all participants of the process that we must lower the waste burial twice," Abramchenko said, noting the urgent necessity of changing the culture of consumption to reach this target.

Abramchenko also said that Russian businesses are prepared to launch new recycling tech ventures.

So far, 25 companies have contracted deals for the construction of 44 facilities at the recently created eco-industrial parks under the new project dubbed "Circular Economy."

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Re: Updates: polution; hunting; animal slaughter; climate ch

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Re: Updates: polution; hunting; animal slaughter; climate ch

PostAuthor: Anthea » Tue Jan 24, 2023 8:21 pm

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Bee-harming pesticide use in UK

The UK government has once more authorized the use of a pesticide that has been outlawed to protect bees

The UK government has given emergency authorization for the use of a banned pesticide because of the harm it can cause bees. The permission to use a neonicotinoid on sugar beet seeds has been given to protect the crop from a particularly damaging virus that is spread by aphids.

The authorization was given despite the independent panel of pesticide experts' advice. The campaign group Friends of the Earth labeled the move "incredibly brazen." However, Michael Sly, chairman of the NFU Sugar board, welcomed the decision, saying he was "relieved".

"The British sugar beet crop continues to be threatened by virus yellows disease, which in recent years has caused crop losses of up to 80%. The homegrown sugar industry is working hard to find viable, long-term solutions to this disease," he said.

The Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) stated that strict conditions would be in place and that the pesticide, thiamethoxam seed treatment, could only be used if independent modeling predicted a yellow virus incidence of 63% or higher.

If that threshold is met and the pesticide used, other conditions will minimize risks to the environment, it said. The overall ban on the use of neonicotinoid pesticides remains in place.

Farming Minister Mark Spencer said the emergency authorization was taken after "careful consideration" and as "a necessary measure to protect the industry".

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the independent UK Expert Committee on Pesticides (ECP), and DEFRA's own Chief Scientific Adviser, Professor Gideon Henderson, all provided input into the decision. However, the ECP was not in favor of the authorization, saying "In light of the risk assessment conducted, a reduction in survival of honey bees and impacts on homing flight ability could occur."

The HSE mentioned the risks posed to bees foraging on the pollen and nectar from flowering crops planted in fields after the impact of treated sugar beet. Professor Henderson, however, said that could be dealt with by insisting on a 32-month minimum period before planting a flowering crop.

In his advice, he also said, "There is clear and abundant evidence that these neonicotinoids are harmful to species other than those they are intended to control, and particularly to pollinators, including bees."

In granting authorization, the Minister conceded that there was still "a degree of uncertainty in relation to the risks to bees."

Despite the pesticide not being approved, this is the third year the government has given emergency authorization.

    Sandra Bell, of Friends of the Earth, described the decision as "incredibly brazen", adding that "the government has gone directly against the advice of its own scientific advisors with potentially devastating consequences for bees and other vital pollinators."
"The health of us all and the planet depends on their survival. The government must fulfill its duty to protect wildlife and keep pesticides off our crops for good."

The decision comes days after the Court of Justice of the European Union said that EU member states can't offer exemptions to the bloc's ban on crop seeds treated with neonicotinoids.

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Re: Updates: polution; hunting; animal slaughter; climate ch

PostAuthor: Anthea » Thu Jan 26, 2023 1:16 am

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Giant iceberg breaks away

The iceberg covers around 1550 square kilometers

British Antarctic Survey reported that an iceberg nearly the size of Greater London broke off the Brunt Ice Shelf in Antarctica on Sunday.

Scientists identified substantial breaches in the ice shelf a decade ago, but two big breakdowns have occurred in the last two years. The Brunt Ice Shelf is home to the BAS Halley Research Station, which glaciologists claim is safe.

The iceberg covers around 600 square miles (1550 square kilometers). According to the experts, this event was predicted and was not caused by climate change.

In a news release, Professor Dominic Hodgson, a BAS glaciologist, said, "This calving event has been expected and is part of the natural behavior of the Brunt Ice Shelf. It is not linked to climate change. Our science and operational teams continue to monitor the ice shelf in real-time to ensure it is safe, and to maintain the delivery of the science we undertake at Halley.”

The calving occurs during summer with record-low sea ice extent in Antarctica.

Over the last two decades, Antarctica's sea ice extent has been like a roller coaster, swinging dramatically from record highs to record lows. In contrast to the Arctic, where scientists believe climate change is hastening its effects, Antarctica's sea ice extent is highly changeable.

According to satellite data dating back to 1978, the region was still producing record-high sea ice extent as recently as 2014 and 2015. Then it dropped precipitously in 2016 and has remained lower than average ever since.

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Re: Updates: polution; hunting; animal slaughter; climate ch

PostAuthor: Anthea » Sat Jan 28, 2023 5:37 pm

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Rich EU sends rubbish to poorer neighbors

A recent study initiated by Greenpeace reveals that wealthy EU countries saw a positive GDP impact, while "outsourcing" environmental impact to places providing consumer goods

Consumption patterns in rich European Union states are having detrimental environmental effects on poorer EU countries, a study published Thursday in Nature Sustainability revealed, exposing damaging inequalities on the continent.

The study, which was initiated by Greenpeace to examine the impact of the EU's Green Deal climate plan, looked at 10 key environmental impacts, including greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution, land use, and toxins in water and soil, in supply chain nations and stacked them up against GDP levels in EU countries.

The detrimental impacts went beyond Europe -- Brazil, China, India, and Japan were included -- but the most remarkable findings were on the continent.

"There are huge inequalities between the EU, and that was the surprising thing," said Klaus Hubacek from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, the study's co-author.

Poorer nations within the EU were affected, in addition to non-EU countries like Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, Moldova, and Ukraine, said the study.

"Eastern Europe consistently ranked as the region receiving the lowest share of economic value added compared to environmental pressures and impacts associated with EU consumption," the press release said.

According to Hubacek, the researchers studied a "giant matrix" of data from 1995 to 2019, focusing on the GDP growth related to the consumption of food, clothing, manufactured products, and services, compared to environmental impact.

The study revealed that richer European countries saw a positive GDP impact, while "outsourcing" environmental impact to places providing consumer goods.

The impacts "increased notably outside the EU, while decreasing within the bloc," the study said.

'Winners and losers'

Some of the environmental effects come down to lax environmental regulations in poorer nations or depending on older technologies and tools that could be damaging or more polluting -- some of which would not be allowed in EU countries.

The impact was also seen within the EU.

For instance, agricultural producers in Greece and Spain saw disproportionate detrimental effects on water, land use, and biodiversity compared to the economic benefits from producing goods largely exported beyond their borders.

"It's a fascinating part of the picture that we have rich and poor, and winners and losers, within countries and regions," Hubacek told AFP.

He said consumers could change consumption patterns, such as eating less inexpensive meat from countries with lax environmental laws but urged the EU at the same time to introduce tougher import rules.

One solution could be imposing a border tax adjustment in a way that goods from countries where environmental impact is higher would face higher import tariffs.

"It's improving the efficiency along the entire supply chain, meaning we have to improve the environmental problems here, as well as abroad," Hubacek said from the Netherlands.

"We can't just focus on our own little backyard, but also see what damage we do elsewhere."

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Re: Updates: polution; hunting; animal slaughter; climate ch

PostAuthor: Anthea » Mon Jan 30, 2023 3:24 am

KRG to renovate historic sites

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) on Sunday said it had signed 47 contracts with universities and foreign organizations to renovate archaeological sites

The projects, covering all governorates of the Kurdistan Region, will involve the excavation, land survey, renovation, and preservation of heritage sites. Of the total, 33 are new agreements and 14 are renewal contracts, according to the statement.

“The total number of sites that are going to be renovated is 114, of which 95 projects are in Erbil and Sulaymaniyah by university and foreign experts for the year 2022,” according to figures released by Directorate General of Antiquities and Heritage.

In October 2022, the Directorate General of Antiquities and Heritage held an international conference on Kurdistan's cultural and heritage sites in the Second Millennium, in collaboration with its international partners, and the participation of European academia.

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Re: Updates: polution; hunting; animal slaughter; climate ch

PostAuthor: Anthea » Wed Feb 01, 2023 4:37 am

Turkey pollutes Euphrates

A report reveals Turkey has been cutting off nearly half of the waters of the Euphrates it had agreed to release in 1987

In northern and eastern Syria, food and water security are in danger due to Turkey's weaponization of the Euphrates river waters, a report published in the New Internationalist website under the name Turkey is Running Northern Syria Dry revealed on Monday.

The report underscored that "the plummeting level of the Euphrates, Syria’s longest river and one of the longest in the world, is causing power outages and water shortages in a region where agriculture is the main source of income."

According to the New Internationalist, the Euphrates river originates in Turkey, which controls nearly 90% of its water flow. The river runs through Syria toward Iraq and is the main supplier of water for farming and electricity production.

The website indicated that as per an agreement signed in 1987, Syria and Turkey share the Euphrates waters after Turkey agreed to allow 500 cubic meters of water per second to flow into Syria.

However, after 30 years, Ankara violated the treaty by gradually reducing the water supply to a worrying level since early 2021, which resulted in a decline in energy production and threatened the livelihoods of millions, the report underlined.

It added that Turkey has also been weaponizing water, as part of a wider assault against the region.

Ziyad Rustum, the co-chair of the Energy and Power Board (of the autonomous Kurdish Administration), said Turkey has been cutting off nearly half of the water it had agreed to release in 1987.

"We should receive 500 metre-cubed of water per second from Turkey, but at the moment it’s around 220-230 metre-cubed," Rustum noted.

The report also mentioned that through its own network of dams, Turkey can regulate the amount of water flown to Syria.

Rustum pointed out that when the Euphrates dam "was under control of the Syrian government it was always full. Water was flowing, electricity was produced and agriculture was practiced."

The New Internationalist highlighted that a common view in the region is that Turkey is deliberately polluting water released into Syria, citing the co-chair of the Euphrates dam as saying that "most of the water flowing from Turkey contains sand, cement residues and waste."

According to the report, contaminated water harms crops and puts at risk people's health, as several foods are now unsafe to consume.

"In the current situation, people cannot be selective and will still use this water to grow anything," Rustum concluded.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/env ... es:-report
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Re: Updates: polution; hunting; animal slaughter; climate ch

PostAuthor: Anthea » Fri Feb 03, 2023 12:19 am

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Europe battles shortage of medicine

Across the EU, common pharmaceuticals such as antibiotics and children's pain relievers are short in supply

Since late 2022, EU countries have reported substantial difficulties obtaining key vital pharmaceuticals, with the majority now experiencing shortages.

In a new report, Politico eviscerated the severity of the issue and, more importantly, what is done about it.

Is Europe running out of medicines?

A survey of groups representing pharmacies in 29 European countries, including EU members as well as Turkey, Kosovo, Norway, and North Macedonia, showed that over a quarter of countries reported a scarcity of more than 600 pharmaceuticals, while 20% reported a shortage of 200-300 drugs.

Three-quarters of the countries indicated this winter's shortages were worse than a year earlier. According to groups in four nations, shortages have been the cause of several deaths.

It's a picture supported by regulatory data. According to Belgian officials, approximately 300 drugs are in limited supply. In Germany, that number is 408, while in Austria, more than 600 drugs are unavailable in pharmacies.

Italy's list is much longer, containing nearly 3,000 medications, many of which are different versions of the same medicine.

Wide antibiotics shortage

Antibiotics are in short supply amoxicillin, used to treat respiratory infections. Other drug groups, such as cough syrup, children's paracetamol, and blood pressure medication, are similarly rare.

What's behind the shortage is a combination of rising demand and decreased supply.

Seasonal diseases, most notably influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), have begun early and are more severe than usual. There is also an uncommon incidence of Strep A in children. Experts believe the exceptionally high level of disease activity is due to immune systems that are no longer accustomed to the soup of germs that surrounds us on a daily basis as a result of lockdowns.

After a couple of peaceful years (with the exception of COVID-19), this tough winter took drugmakers off guard.

Inflation and the rising energy crisis have also weighed on pharmaceutical firms, affecting supplies.

Will downplaying the drug shortage fix the crisis?

In principle, the EU should be more prepared than ever to deal with a pan-European crisis. It has reportedly improved its legislation to address health issues such as a scarcity of medications. The EMA's power is to monitor medicine shortages that have expanded.

A new entity, the Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA), has been established, with the authority to go to the market and buy pharmaceuticals for the entire bloc. However, not everyone agrees that it is yet that bad.

The EMA opted last Thursday not to petition the Commission to designate the Amoxycillin shortage a "major event," which would have triggered some (limited) EU-wide action, claiming that current steps are helping the situation.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/hea ... f-medicine
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Re: Updates: polution; hunting; animal slaughter; climate ch

PostAuthor: Anthea » Sun Feb 05, 2023 12:01 am

Birds Immunized Against Flu

The poultry vaccination campaign will begin in the next two months in a first phase, said the head of MAG, Bernardo Manzano, who added that four million doses will be imported through the Macuna-Avimex consortium, comprising companies from Ecuador and Mexico

According to Manzano, initially birds from farms in Cotopaxi, Tungurahua and Pichincha, where avian influence has been reported, will be vaccinated with a complete three-dose schedule.

The director of the Phytosanitary and Zoosanitary Regulation and Control Agency Patricio Almeida said that the injectable is biologically safe and does not constitute a risk for humans. "It decreases the mortality rate from 80 to 40%, however, it does not prevent contagion to other farms."

More than 2 million birds will be vaccinated against avian influenza. The first phase will start in the next 60 days.

The Technical Subcommittee of the National Poultry Commission recommended the use of the inactivated recombinant vaccine. This vaccine has been previously used in countries such as Mexico.

Avian influenza has been present in the South American country since the end of last November. Mexico, Colombia, Peru and Chile have reported cases and also Canada and the U.S. have informed of the virus' presence.

https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Ecu ... -0019.html
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Re: Updates: polution; hunting; animal slaughter; climate ch

PostAuthor: Anthea » Sun Feb 05, 2023 10:01 pm

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Heavy snowfall on Korek Mountain

Tourists were seen rushing and queuing for the cable car to get them to the top of Korek Mountain to enjoy the view and snowy scenery, as the area experienced around a meter of snowfall daily for five days straight

“This is our first time coming here,” Salwa Adnan, a tourist, told Rudaw’s Bakhtiyar Qadir on Thursday.

“Nature is wonderful and there has been a lot of snow this year compared to previous years,” she added.

The majority of the tourists that visit Korek Mountain come by buses provided by the local travel agencies.

“More than 2,000 tourists visit Rawanduz daily,” Chya Muhammad, Director of Tourism of Rawanduz, told Rudaw on Thursday. “Since the beginning of the year, 18,000 tourists have stayed in Rawanduz and about 45,000 tourists have visited the area.”

Temperatures at Korek Mountain have dropped between three to four degrees below zero, which led tourists to keep warm by dancing to Kurdish folk songs.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/05022023
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Re: Updates: polution; hunting; animal slaughter; climate ch

PostAuthor: Anthea » Mon Feb 06, 2023 3:27 pm

At risk of extinction

Forty percent of animals and thirty-four percent of plants in the United States are on the verge of extinction

In an exclusive report by Reuters, the agency reveals that a conservation research group found that 40% of animals and 34% of plants in the United States are at risk of extinction, while 41% of ecosystems are facing collapse.

The report found that everything from crayfish and cacti to freshwater mussels and iconic American species like the Venus flytrap are in danger of extinction.

NatureServe, which analyzes data from its network of over 1,000 scientists across the United States and Canada, said the report was its most comprehensive yet, synthesizing five decades of its own data on animal, plant, and ecosystem health.

Importantly, the report identifies areas in the United States where land is unprotected and animals and plants are most vulnerable.

The report's conclusions were "terrifying," according to Sean O'Brien, president of NatureServe, and he hoped it would help lawmakers understand the importance of passing protections, such as the Recovering America's Wildlife Act, which died in Congress last year.

"If we want to maintain the panoply of biodiversity that we currently enjoy, we need to target the places where the biodiversity is most threatened," O'Brien said. "This report allows us to do that."

According to the report, US Representative Don Beyer, a Democrat who has proposed legislation to establish a wildlife corridor system to rebuild threatened fish, wildlife, and plant populations, said NatureServe's work would be critical in assisting agencies in determining what areas to prioritize and where to establish migration routes.

"The data reported by NatureServe is grim, a harrowing sign of the very real problems our wildlife and ecosystems are facing," Beyer told Reuters. "I am thankful for their efforts, which will give a boost to efforts to protect biodiversity."

Human involvement

Reuters states that some species at risk of disappearing are icons like the carnivorous Venus flytrap, which is only found in the wild in a few counties of North and South Carolina.

Nearly half of all cacti species are at risk of extinction, while 200 species of trees, including a maple-leaf oak found in Arkansas, are also at risk of disappearing, according to the report.

America's vast temperate and boreal grasslands are among the most threatened ecosystems, with more than half of the 78 grassland types facing range-wide extinction.

The report discovered a variety of threats to plants, animals, and ecosystems, including "habitat degradation and land conversion, invasive species, damming and polluting of rivers, and climate change."

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Re: Updates: polution; hunting; animal slaughter; climate ch

PostAuthor: Anthea » Wed Feb 08, 2023 2:07 am

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Origins of Arctic Plastic Waste

On Tuesday, the German Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) published a study showing that plastic waste found in the Arctic originated from all around the world

One-third of plastic waste that still bore imprints or labels allowing analysis of its origin came from Europe, according to the study, which was published in the journal Frontiers. Waste from Germany accounted for 8 percent.

"Our results highlight that even prosperous industrialized countries, which can afford better waste management, make significant contributions to the pollution of remote ecosystems like the Arctic," AWI expert Melanie Bergmann said.

In cooperation with Arctic tour operators, traveling tourists from Germany collected trash washed up on the shores of the Norwegian archipelago Svalbard. Between 2016 and 2021, around 23,000 items with a total weight of 1,620 kg were picked up.

Five percent of identified plastic trash in the Arctic originated from more distant places, such as the United States, China, Korea and Brazil. "Plastic debris is a global problem that even the uninhabited wilderness of the High North is not immune to," the AWI said in the statement.

The oldest item found was a bottle fragment from Norway produced in the 1960s. The most recent piece was a shoe from Germany dating to 2012-2013. Most of the waste could be attributed to international fisheries.

"As for remote sources, plastic debris and microplastics are transported to the Arctic Ocean from the Atlantic, North Sea and North Pacific by various rivers and ocean currents," first author Anna Natalie Meyer said.

This study "makes an important contribution to filling knowledge gaps that exist with regard to the sources and distribution pathways of plastic waste globally and in the Arctic in particular," a spokesperson of the German Environment Agency (UBA) said, adding that "global efforts are needed to reduce the volume of waste in general."

According to estimates by the United Nations (UN), there could be more plastic in the sea than fish by 2050. The UN is currently working to negotiate a globally binding agreement to control plastic pollution.

"Toxic chemicals and millions of tons of plastic waste are flooding into coastal ecosystems, killing or injuring fish, sea turtles, seabirds and marine mammals, making their way into the food chain and ultimately being consumed by us," UN Secretary Antonio Guterres said in a speech at the end of January.

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Re: Updates: polution; hunting; animal slaughter; climate ch

PostAuthor: Anthea » Sat Feb 18, 2023 7:58 pm

Italian Drought

Italy's winter had little rain or snowfall, and experts anticipate a severe drought for the second year in a row which will impact farms and diminish access to potable water

With little rain and snowfall this winter, Italy is anticipated to face yet another year of severe drought. This possibility raised the alarm as it has several implications in various fields, such as farming, hydropower, and access to drinking water.

Vast stretches of the Po, the nation's longest river that provides water to several northern and central regions, are already dry. As for Lake Garda, its water levels are at their winter lowest in 35 years.

Venice's canals have dried up due to unusually low water levels, leaving gondolas stranded.

The National Research Council (CNR) of Italy reported that rainfall in the north was down 40% in 2022 and that there has been a notable absence of precipitation since the start of 2023.

Luca Mercalli, the president of the Italian Meteorological Society told The Guardian that “nothing has changed since 2022,” adding, “We are still in a situation of deficit … let’s wait for the spring, which is usually the rainiest period for the Po valley. There is a good possibility that rainfall in April and May can compensate – it’s the last hope. If we have no spring rain for two consecutive years then it would be the first time this has ever happened.”

In 2022, the drought cost farmers about €6 billion in damaged agricultural produce, Coldiretti, Italy’s biggest farmers’ association, noted.

Coldiretti also noted that unless the anticipated drought is averted, farmers warned that a third of all products will be at risk.

On a different but similar topic, Alessandro Bratti, the Po River Basin authority's president, explained that in Trentino, the drought was affecting hydroelectric power. Bratti said, “If you have no water you cannot produce energy, so this is another problem,” adding that “it is very critical because it hasn’t snowed or rained during this period and the forecast says it will stay this way.”

Furthermore, Bratti said the decrease in Po's water levels leads to the encroachment of seawater further up the river.

For example, “Last year seawater entered for almost 40km [25 miles], which also causes a problem for drinking water as you need to use desalinators,” said Bratti.

When it comes to solutions, Bratti highlighted that “we have projects and funds for hydrological infrastructure, such as building barriers to prevent the sea from entering the river,” adding, “There is also a proposal to build 10,000 lakes and to introduce technical systems to cut down the waste of water in farming. We now need to accelerate the projects.”

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Re: Updates: polution; hunting; animal slaughter; climate ch

PostAuthor: Anthea » Sat Feb 18, 2023 8:05 pm

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Climate doom awaits world

As the world is descending into a climate change nightmare, experts are stressing the need to adopt "extreme approaches", such as geoengineering

Human activity is causing global temperatures to rise, and climate change now endangers every facet of human existence. Human-induced climate change is the most pervasive threat to the environment and societies in the world. A thinktank report highlighted the consequences of a climate "doom loop" as they invite decision-makers to make efforts to prevent its escalation.

Coping with climate change impacts is not enough. The world is supposed to supply resources to significantly drop carbon emissions to control the situation.

Global heating is a cascading problem that hit the world so hard that recovering from it is already costing billions of dollars.

Can we tamper with the global temperature?

Researchers from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) and Chatham House are investigating the impact of climate change, debating over whether it was still possible to keep the global temperature rise below 1.5°C, which is the international goal.

The researchers split up between those who argued that the current slow pace of action was sufficient and those who believed otherwise, highlighting the significance of adopting "extreme approaches", such as geoengineering.

Politicians are to pay more attention to the dangerous situation and show honest concern toward its great risks. They are responsible to enact laws while imposing harsh sentences on those who do not implement them fully and accurately.

Associate fellow at IPPR, Laurie Laybourn, announced that the world has entered a new chapter in the climate and ecological crisis as real consequences are looming in on us forcing us to take difficult decisions. The award-winning researcher believes in their ability to create a more sustainable world stressing that they would have to stay focused on the goal while navigating through the current consequences being faced.

The report draws focus on the fact that the longer the [climate] issue is ignored, the more resources will be consumed. It refers to the African community which has recorded worsening effects of global heating, emphasizing the need for support from developed countries that emit the most carbon dioxide.

The difficulty to resort to greener solutions has been often highlighted by Laybourn. Reevaluating local authority budgets and taxes to implement change, such as switching to electric vehicles and to better public transportation, is time-consuming and not that simple.

Bob Ward, of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change at the London School of Economics, said, “Our main aim should still be radical emissions cuts to try to avoid breaching 1.5C, but we should now also be considering what happens if we continue to fail."

He insists on investing in geoengineering options such as carbon dioxide removal and even solar radiation management. He stresses the dilemma that they will have to spend far more on dealing with climate damage, making it difficult to transition to a sustainable world.
No for green approaches? People want to save their money

Although people may be very pro resorting to green energy, however, citizens will not say yes to greener alternatives if it means they have to pay more. Green reforms mean more taxes; people do not like that. Expensively adopted climate change policies will make people reject the need for climate change. They are more likely to defend their wallets than the environment to resort to green approaches in the face of climate change.

“I’m a massive fan of citizens’ assemblies because if people feel they have a role in decision-making, they’re more likely to maintain their support, even in a future in which the shocks start to rack up. They become moments where we actually do build back better,” said Laybourn.

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Re: Updates: polution; hunting; animal slaughter; climate ch

PostAuthor: Anthea » Sun Feb 19, 2023 10:50 pm

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Saving coral reefs

Faster hardier specimens that can be multiplied and transplanted by robotic arms are being developed by biologists

Coral reef death and destruction harm the environment by removing a vital ecosystem that fosters biodiversity. With varying degrees of success, experts have experimented with breeding corals in nurseries, cross-breeding to create more resilient species, and adding microorganisms to corals.

The acidity of the ocean's water is rising as it warms and more carbon dioxide is absorbed by it. As a result, coral polyps' ability to extract calcium carbonate from the water and grow naturally slows down. Additionally, the already-formed skeleton may begin to disintegrate.

The chief of Coral Maker, Taryn Foster, is working to create a limestone skeleton for the coral to grow on using the equipment she inherited from her family's masonry business. Despite being faster than it would be naturally, the process is still slow.

Corals require between three and ten years to complete this process in the natural environment. This can be shortened to a year or a year and a half with skeletons. However, because corals are delicate and particular about their environment, all other factors, including light levels, salinity, water temperature, and current strength, must be carefully managed.

Foster now hopes to reach about 1.7 million corals by producing 280,000 skeletons annually after two successful tests, but in order to do so, a sizable portion of the process will need to be automated.

Foster is developing and training two robotic arms with Autodesk AI in San Francisco, one to cut coral fragments and glue them into plugs and another to attach them to the limestone skeletons.

More of these robots will be built, and the process will be applied globally to aid in coral reef restoration. "I think of this as a delivery or scaling mechanism for these other technologies that people are developing, like coral propagation," says Foster. "Just at a much faster rate and on a bigger scale."

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Re: Updates: polution; hunting; animal slaughter; climate ch

PostAuthor: Anthea » Thu Feb 23, 2023 2:58 pm

Forever chemical pollution

Pollutants known as "forever chemicals," which do not degrade in the environment, accumulate in the body, and may be toxic, have been found in high concentrations at thousands of sites across the UK and Europe, according to a major mapping project

Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a family of about 10,000 chemicals valued for their nonstick and detergent properties, have been found in water, soils, and sediments from a variety of consumer products, firefighting foams, waste, and industrial processes, according to the map.

What are PFAS' effects?

Two PFAS have been linked to a number of health issues. Kidney and testicular cancer, thyroid disease, ulcerative colitis, high cholesterol, and pregnancy-induced hypertension have all been linked to PFOA. Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) has been linked to reproductive, developmental, liver, kidney, and thyroid dysfunction. PFAS has been linked to immunotoxicity at low levels.

Where were the substances discovered?

The substances have been discovered at approximately 17,000 locations throughout the United Kingdom and Europe. PFAS have been found in high concentrations of more than 1,000 nanograms per liter of water at approximately 640 sites, and above 10,000ng/l at 300 sites.

“These sorts of concentrations raise concerns with me,” said Prof Crispin Halsall, an environmental chemist at Lancaster University. “You have the risk of livestock gaining access to those waters and [then PFAS is] in the human food web.”

Halsall says there are also risks involving people “accessing wildlife as food sources like fishing and wildfowl”.

The map shows that Belgium has the highest levels of pollution, with PFAS concentrations in groundwater reaching 73m ng/l near 3M's (Multinational conglomerate company) PFAS manufacturing site in Zwijndrecht, Flanders.

Residents within 15 kilometers (10 miles) of the site have been advised not to eat any eggs laid in their gardens and to avoid eating homegrown vegetables. Meanwhile, 70,000 people living within a 5-kilometer radius of the plant have been offered a PFAS blood test.

3M says it will clean up the site and has "signed an agreement with the Flemish region... for an investment of €571 million" (£503 million). It has also announced plans to exit PFAS manufacturing "and work to discontinue the use of PFAS across its product portfolio by the end of 2025".

    The highest levels of PFAS were found in a discharge from a chemicals plant on the River Wyre, above Blackpool, in the United Kingdom. According to data from Defra's Centre for Environment, Fisheries, and Aquaculture Science, fish in the river contain high levels of PFAS, with flounder containing up to 11,000ng/kg
.Prof Ian Cousins, an environmental scientist at Stockholm University, stated that sites with readings greater than 1,000ng/kg should be "urgently assessed" in order to be remedied.

“At [highly] contaminated sites, local authorities should consider testing to ensure that PFAS levels are safe in local produce. This would help determine if local health advisories and publication campaigns to discourage regular consumption of wild fish, shellfish, free range eggs … are needed,” he added.

Halsall explained that “PFAS in groundwater is a big problem because if that groundwater is abstracted for farming, or more importantly for humans as a water source, then you’ve got PFAS in your drinking water and it’s very difficult to remove.”

PFAS water contamination

The map shows that drinking water sources in the UK have been contaminated with PFAS, but water companies claim that the chemicals do not make it into the final tap water because it is either blended with another source to dilute the PFAS or removed through a specialized treatment process.

Data obtained by The Guardian and Watershed from water companies and the Environment Agency show that since 2006, approximately 120 samples of drinking water sources have contained concentrations of PFOS or PFOS above the 100ng/l level - the point at which the Drinking Water Inspectorate's (DWI) guidelines state that water companies should take action to reduce it before supplying it to people's homes. The DWI guideline limit was much higher until 2009, at 3,000ng/l.

In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency has established a health advisory limit of 0.004ng/l for PFOA and 0.02ng/l for PFOS in drinking water.

The Environmental Protection Agency of Denmark requires that drinking water contain no more than 2ng/l of the sum of four PFASs.

According to Rita Loch-Caruso, a toxicology professor at the University of Michigan, drinking water limits for PFAS are continuing to be reduced in response to growing evidence about their health effects. "We're finding health effects at increasingly low concentrations - in the single digits," she explained.

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