tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83906758468943215602024-03-10T19:13:41.148+00:00The Thin EndA journey of discovery of what makes us who we are and the choices we make through topical issues. Ray Noblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14476882788439008315noreply@blogger.comBlogger616125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8390675846894321560.post-38557926126301247392021-10-29T09:23:00.000+00:002021-10-29T09:23:16.674+00:00The internet trails of Ants<p>Ants share, and they are built to do just that. They walk and talk to cooperate in all they do. Ants have two stomachs, with the second one set aside for storing food to be shared with other ants. Ants get pretty intimate when meeting each other. The ants kiss, but this kiss isn't any ordinary kind of kiss. Instead, they regurgitate food and exchange it with one another. By sharing saliva and food, ants communicate. </p><p>Each ant colony has a unique smell, so members recognize each other and sniff out intruders. In addition, all ants can produce pheromones, which are scent chemicals used for communication and to make trails.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnwrWq8qvbQRNyNj8YOYSdkYIhR2kBvuTwoOcVUNfuGKaCYFdipcjCiEt3nUSqqf8c6Plbj9qqvUeAHvP4-HS-SIPyBUyjXqL0QyHGA_vgM5zE_n7UWru5RmXaja_8GmeDI-07WoZdi1Zb/s2048/salmen-bejaoui-pTWNamiyDkQ-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnwrWq8qvbQRNyNj8YOYSdkYIhR2kBvuTwoOcVUNfuGKaCYFdipcjCiEt3nUSqqf8c6Plbj9qqvUeAHvP4-HS-SIPyBUyjXqL0QyHGA_vgM5zE_n7UWru5RmXaja_8GmeDI-07WoZdi1Zb/s320/salmen-bejaoui-pTWNamiyDkQ-unsplash.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Ants are problem solvers. We may recall the problems puzzles we were given as children. We look to see if the pieces will fit. Jiz saw puzzles are much the same but with many contextual factors. First, the picture tells a story. Then, once we know what the image might be, it becomes easier to see which pieces to look for. </p><p>Ants lay down trails. Just as we follow well-trodden paths in our country walks, so ants follow the scented trails, they mark out. They present a maze of possible routes, but the most well-trodden tracks carry their greatest scent over time. The ways are a bit like the internet created by the colony. When foraging for food, ants will prefer the shortest possible route. Scouts will explore alternative avenues. Ants are creative in solving the problem. If the trails are blocked or disruptive, they reset or recreate their internet of possible paths and re-establish connectivity. Ants follow an algorithm in decisions, but it is an algorithm of their making. Ants create the logic. </p><p><span style="background-color: whitesmoke; caret-color: rgb(17, 17, 17); color: #111111; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; white-space: nowrap;">Photo by </span><a href="https://unsplash.com/@slmnbj?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #767676; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration-skip: ink; transition: color 0.1s ease-in-out, opacity 0.1s ease-in-out; white-space: nowrap;">Salmen Bejaoui</a><span style="background-color: whitesmoke; caret-color: rgb(17, 17, 17); color: #111111; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; white-space: nowrap;"> on </span><a href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/ants?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #767676; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration-skip: ink; transition: color 0.1s ease-in-out, opacity 0.1s ease-in-out; white-space: nowrap;">Unsplash</a></p><p>Writer: Ray Noble is a chartered biologist</p>Ray Noblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14476882788439008315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8390675846894321560.post-52199620436546230402021-10-25T11:07:00.001+00:002021-10-27T16:43:31.305+00:00Insulate Britain<p>Insulate Britain is back on the roads after a ten-day break. Protestors block three locations across The City of London, including Upper Thames Street, Bishopsgate, and Limehouse Causeway. They are demanding that the government gets on with the job of insulating Britain’s homes, starting with the homes of the poorest people in the country. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpy_Qsipk7oL4WLf9rHRCsH2gIfubyAvwWoiI_-Ic_A-CNhUqyqTjQnLzWwaoswY__j1g3LPiBmHjXmNaOTjptQ_TpJlKcRja1LoCZqnCd2-aWfYKfvLVzV6OtnEWc4eYYguKJ7L7T5TxB/s2048/mika-baumeister-UHVndV0rsqw-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpy_Qsipk7oL4WLf9rHRCsH2gIfubyAvwWoiI_-Ic_A-CNhUqyqTjQnLzWwaoswY__j1g3LPiBmHjXmNaOTjptQ_TpJlKcRja1LoCZqnCd2-aWfYKfvLVzV6OtnEWc4eYYguKJ7L7T5TxB/s320/mika-baumeister-UHVndV0rsqw-unsplash.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><p>This is the fourteenth time Insulate Britain has caused disruption on motorways and A-roads as part of its campaign of nonviolent civil resistance over the past six weeks. </p><p>Frustrated drivers will get angry with Insulate Britain protestors, and some no doubt will violently pull them from the road and hurl abuse at them. But what do they want, and when do they want it?</p><p>Of course, it can be annoying to be delayed in one's journey, and it may also have fatal consequences in emergencies. It is difficult to balance ethically. That is true for all such forms of protest. However, stopping traffic is not a new form of protest. Truck drivers have done it; taxi drivers and farmers have done it. How one feels about it often depends on viewpoint and perspective. We should ask what the protesters wish to achieve. </p><p> Liam Norton from Insulate Britain said:</p><p> “We know that the public is frustrated and annoyed at the disruption we have caused. They should know that one way or another, this country will have to stop emitting carbon. We can do that now in an orderly, planned way, insulating homes and preventing thousands of deaths from fuel poverty, or we can wait until millions have lost their homes and are fighting for water or starving to death. </p><p>“This treasonous government has betrayed the public. It is actively following a path that will lead to the death of millions - that’s genocide. If you know this and are not joining nonviolent civil resistance then you are complicit. We can’t be bystanders. Short term disruption or genocide - that’s your choice.”</p><p> Tracey Mallaghan from Insulate Britain said: </p><p>“I am gutted that we’ve had to return to the roads and irritate people. I am irritated too. I am a single mum, and I don’t have time to read climate science and parliamentary reports, but I’ve read the Chatham House report, and it's terrifying. Everyone should read it and ask why their government isn’t taking action necessary to defend our country from the climate crisis.</p><p>“I understand, more than most, that money is tight and many people are struggling and stressed beyond belief. It's hard to see the bigger picture when you are anxious about putting food on the table but stop and think for a moment. The people on the road are not your enemy, they are not the ones that have betrayed you and fucked over this country. They are acting out of love to protect your children and people everywhere from misery, starvation and death.” </p><p>Last week the government published their Heat and Buildings Strategy, Net Zero Strategy, and the Cost of Net Zero report.</p><p>The Heat and Buildings Strategy is not adequate to decarbonise our homes. It has revealed the duplicity of the government. It requires major public investment. Poorly insulated homes are the major stumbling block to energy efficiency needed to reduce carbon emissions. The task is enormous. We need to insulate millions of old houses. Leaving it to the market doesn't work as too many families simply cannot afford the high cost involved. The climate emergency affects us all; it requires social action. If ever there was a need to pull together to solve a problem, this is it. </p><p>At £3.9bn, the funding provided for 2022-2025 is a fraction of the £27bn the government plans to spend on roads. Moreover, according to the Climate Change Committee, the £450m allocated to grants for heat pumps will help just 90,000 households over the next three years - compared with the 900,000 a year needed every year by 2028. </p><p>The government proposal isn't a plan; it is a weak incentive. Where we need bold action, we have dithering and delay. Just as with the COVID pandemic, we need to heed scientific advice and projections. </p><p>The government’s £1.75bn funding for insulating social housing and the homes of those on low income will achieve only around 4% of what the Climate Change Committee recommends we should achieve by 2035. Just a paltry 4% of what needs to be done. </p><p>Furthermore, it breaks a key manifesto pledge made by the Conservative Party in 2019 to provide £6.3bn of energy efficiency funding for low-income families. </p><p>By focussing on heat pumps, the government has missed the fundamental importance of insulation. Heat pumps operate most efficiently when a home has a high energy performance, but most UK buildings fall well below the standard required. Insulating first will reduce energy demand and ensure that homeowners don’t pay more for their energy when they switch. That is common sense. It is also recommended by the home heating sector: heat pumps are inefficient without adequate insulation of homes. </p><p>Sources: Insulate Britain, BBC, UK Government</p><p>Writer: Ray Noble is a Chartered Biologist and Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Ray Noblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14476882788439008315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8390675846894321560.post-68892160746078065862021-10-24T15:04:00.002+00:002021-10-24T15:04:56.430+00:00Gambling is no way to save our bacon<p>The problem with the UK government’s Net Zero Strategy is that it isn’t backed up by the government’s own actions. It is a ‘wish’ without a will to act. We really need bold action, yet we get timid attempts to solve the problem through broken markets. So, we go on investing in fossil fuels while extolling the virtue of carbon-free energy. We seek more trade deals that are likely to destroy rainforests and increase the carbon footprints of our daily lives. Politicians want us to go on behaving as if nothing needs changing. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP0ytHtovweMLzo3wZwX_z6zSEb-NSLPh50kWGB0Xahybog1D4vVClFuCWvoBNtZTF7t3k4vVdukgTG8GhdT4dzneTG4LiBF_NHltJjpyFVVvgqtE2rogiE_a2L8JZcFNxWxW2nC3WxaaH/s1920/free-walking-tour-salzburg-WLNdV3xC-fI-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1920" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP0ytHtovweMLzo3wZwX_z6zSEb-NSLPh50kWGB0Xahybog1D4vVClFuCWvoBNtZTF7t3k4vVdukgTG8GhdT4dzneTG4LiBF_NHltJjpyFVVvgqtE2rogiE_a2L8JZcFNxWxW2nC3WxaaH/s320/free-walking-tour-salzburg-WLNdV3xC-fI-unsplash.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>This is not to say there are no good points in the UK government strategy. Of course, there are. But we are so far behind the curve on what needs to be done that half measures and ‘incentives’ are no longer sufficient. </p><p>We need a bold strategy to insulate our homes, which requires funding, particularly for older houses. If we do that, then the costs will be returned in energy savings. This should be rolled out as a significant program region by region. Heat pumps are not effective in heating homes that are poorly insulated. But older homes with solid walls are much more expensive to protect. Giving incentives to those who simply can’t afford it isn’t a sensible strategy. Instead, we need to bite the bullet and invest as a country. We all depend on rescuing the planet from man-made emissions. </p><p>It is estimated that the UK must insulate 25 million homes. Experts say more than one home every minute will need to be refurbished in the UK between now and 2050. It is beyond the price of too many. Yet all homes must be brought up to a set energy efficiency standard, yet we lag behind other European countries. </p><p>From 1831 London suffered a series of cholera outbreaks. At the time, the inhalation of ‘foul air’ was widely thought to be responsible for spreading this dreaded disease. Many blamed the fetid smell that hung over the River Thames – little more than an enormous sewer by this time. In reality, of course, cholera was a waterborne disease. It wasn’t the stink but the sewage contaminating drinking water. That caused the problem. It needed action. </p><p>Faced with a fundamental public need, the Victorians invested in building a sewage system. In London, construction of the system required 318 million bricks, 2.7 million cubic metres of excavated Earth and 670,000 cubic metres of concrete: 82 miles of intercepting sewers parallel to the River Thames, and 1,100 miles of street sewers at £4.2 million. We need such boldness now in dealing with our energy inefficient homes. </p><p>All environment organisations are of one voice that the government proposals fall short of needs. Friends of the Earth’s head of policy Mike Childs says the Net Zero Strategy is</p><p>“Riddled with holes and omissions, this strategy falls a long way short of the bold action plan needed to decarbonise the UK.</p><p>“The rapid electrification of new vehicles is undoubtedly welcome, but many of the carbon savings this could be wiped out by the government’s £27 billion road programme.</p><p>“The development of England’s substantial onshore wind potential continues to be hampered by unfair planning rules, while the slow roll-out of heat pumps, and lack of support for energy efficiency measures, will leave millions of homes hooked on climate-wrecking gas.</p><p>The failure to just say no to further fossil fuel extraction seriously weakens UK credibility ahead of the crucial international climate negotiations, COP26. </p><p>The Chancellor has announced a raft of measures, but it is not clear how much of it is genuinely new money. </p><p>“With the lack of serious new investment, it looks like the Prime Minister has lost his battle with the Treasury to put the climate crisis centre-stage in next week’s comprehensive spending review.”</p><p>Friends of the Earth also criticises the Net Zero Strategy for failing to accept that the growing demand for aviation needs to be constrained instead of relying on unproven and speculative sustainable aviation fuels.</p><p>Too much reliance is put on wishful thinking for technology options such as CCS, heat pumps as cheap as boilers, and harmful emissions. </p><p>It is a role of the technological dice, hoping that technology will rescue the planet. But, unfortunately, it is unlikely to do so, and where there is hope, it will take a decade or more of development. Now, we no longer have the time to wait and wish. Now, it requires a substantial change in the way we live. And for that, we need courageous leadership. But, unfortunately, Santa Claus is not coming to the rescue. Gambling is no way to save our bacon. </p><p>Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@freewalkingtoursalzburg?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Free Walking Tour Salzburg</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/roulette-wheel?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a></p><div>Sources: Friends of the Earth, BBC</div><div><br /></div><div>Writer: Ray Noble is a Chartered Biologist.</div>Ray Noblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14476882788439008315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8390675846894321560.post-87008444796202025492021-10-23T17:28:00.000+00:002021-10-23T17:28:07.345+00:00Half measures on heat pumps<p>Through the "Heat and Buildings Strategy", the UK government has set out its plan to incentivise people to install low-carbon heating systems in what it calls a simple, fair, and cheap way as they come to replace their old boilers over the coming decade. New grants of £5,000 will be available from April next year to encourage homeowners to install more efficient, low carbon heating systems – like heat pumps that do not emit carbon when used – through a new £450 million 3-year Boiler Upgrade Scheme. However, it has been widely criticised as inadequate and a strategy without a strategy. Essentially, it will benefit those who can afford more readily to replace their boiler. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqvdXYyytr2TI53-jP7cbtl91iua4ZBYhfH8eUdekDWjpOw46ZFkZwfi9rieHtL0ukN-J3ABCtfZnmkA1B81OKfHZrky7Hlt9N08YzQotrSJkNwJsir3b2LJ2-D9dh7i_tYIHrkO8KO1q_/s640/industry-1752876_640.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="426" data-original-width="640" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqvdXYyytr2TI53-jP7cbtl91iua4ZBYhfH8eUdekDWjpOw46ZFkZwfi9rieHtL0ukN-J3ABCtfZnmkA1B81OKfHZrky7Hlt9N08YzQotrSJkNwJsir3b2LJ2-D9dh7i_tYIHrkO8KO1q_/s320/industry-1752876_640.png" width="320" /></a></div><p>Undoubtedly, the grants will be welcome to those who plan to replace their boilers in the next three years, and it might encourage others to do so, but for too many households, it leaves them between a rock and a hard place. There are no plans to phase out gas boilers in existing homes. Yet, that is what we should be doing. But it requires a greater commitment of funding, particularly for low-income families. Given that the average cost of installing a heat pump is around £10,000, the government's plan is a half measure. </p><p>When it comes to green homes, the UK is way behind other countries. As so often, the UK does too little, too late. </p><p>According to an assessment of the most up to date data by Greenpeace, the UK sells and installs fewer heat pumps per household than Poland, Slovakia, Estonia, and most other European countries.</p><p>The data provided to Greenpeace UK by the European Heat Pump Association shows how the UK is seriously lagging behind its European neighbours when switching to clean home heating sources and decarbonising its housing sector.</p><p>Of the twenty-one countries for which data was available, the UK came bottom on heat pump sales last year, with just 1.3 heat pumps sold per 1000 households. The UK was second to last for total installations, with just 10 per 1000 households. </p><p>The UK’s heat pump sales figures per household were three times lower than in Poland, ten times lower than France, and thirty-two times lower than sales in Norway.</p><p>The disparity is even greater for installations. The UK installed more than five times fewer heat pumps than Lithuania, more than thirty times fewer than Estonia, and sixty times fewer heat pumps than Norway – who topped the charts both in sales and installations.</p><p>Poorly insulated homes are the major block on heat pump installation. </p><p>Currently, housing is responsible for around 14% of the UK’s total greenhouse gas emissions, mostly down to gas boiler heating systems in poorly insulated homes. However, as countries worldwide ramp up their efforts to decarbonise housing to help tackle the climate crisis, heat pumps are widely anticipated to become the alternative to gas boilers for heating homes.</p><p>This slow rollout of clean sources of home heating in the UK is not only a missed opportunity to create new long-term, green jobs and boost economic growth, but it also risks jeopardising plans to decarbonise housing and derail the UK’s climate commitments. Furthermore, without action, it will undermine the UK’s leadership as host of the upcoming global climate conference, COP26, held in Glasgow in November. The government has taken the first step, but much more is needed urgently. It is not something that can simply be left to the market. We need 1) an intensive effort to improve home insulation with targets set region by region and 2) a phase-out of gas boilers. </p><p>Greenpeace UK’s policy director, Doug Parr, said:</p><p>“The UK already has the draughtiest homes in western Europe, now we’re last when it comes to clean heating too. We perform better in Eurovision than we do decarbonising our homes, and that’s saying something.</p><p>“If the government wants a chance to catch up, it needs a proper strategy and enough cash to clean up our homes on a massive scale. This means substantial grants for heat pump installations, especially for the poorest families, removing VAT on green home technologies and a phase-out of gas boilers early next decade.</p><p>“Without these measures, which many of our European neighbours already have in place, we’ll fall further behind on the ‘green homes’ leaderboard. But more importantly we’ll fail to remove emissions from homes fast enough to meet our legally-binding climate obligations.”</p><p>Greenpeace UK is calling on the government to learn from the policies introduced across Europe that have delivered much faster deployment of heat pumps. This starts with a comprehensive package of grants, loans, and tax incentives, such as removal of VAT on heat pumps and energy efficiency products, as well as 0% or low-cost loans for installation.</p><p>It is vital to pay particular care to ensure low-income families are not disadvantaged by the high capital costs. The UK would also require a commitment to phasing out new gas boiler installations early in the 2030s within its Heat and Buildings Strategy.</p><p>The government grants to cover installation costs for heat pumps should be offered at a level that aims to make the upfront costs of installing a heat pump, and complementary energy efficiency measures the same as replacing a gas boiler, with subsidies reducing over time as costs fall. In addition, the entire cost should be covered by grants for low-income households.</p><p>Greenpeace estimate this will require a new public investment of £4.76 billion from the Chancellor at the Spending Review to leverage private investment, accelerate heat pump installation, down the cost curve, and be fair to low-income households. In addition, a further £7 billion of public investment is required at the Spending Review for energy efficiency measures, such as insulation and double glazing, to sufficiently cut emissions from housing.</p><p>Let's insulate to a better future. </p><p>Sources: Greenpeace UK, UK Government</p><p><br /></p><div><br /></div>Ray Noblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14476882788439008315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8390675846894321560.post-78282094966930359112021-10-23T14:12:00.001+00:002021-10-23T14:12:32.008+00:00Could do better on palm oil<p>According to recent market reports, demand for palm oil is 'skyrocketing worldwide,' with global demand estimated at 74.6 million tons in 2019 and expected to grow. It is used in packaging and in so much of our snack foods, cookies, crackers, chocolate products, instant noodles, cereals, and doughnuts, and the list goes on. Palm oil is used in a staggering 50% of consumer products. Yet, unethical exploitation is destroying rainforests and harming the planet. Asia Pacific countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia are the top producers contributing 80% to the global market. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX3UCxM5MuIeDfibGeugXYeJBxG8h1Djp7sSrry_ixWVcJ2onrFQAg6cD5A15N4TDKnuQdW3_KZwv_EFLUOfi9vWIZNZUCTY09pp0MIalMz3eAZAPmZf-ppQZoiacSbZbwGuPPeuoiwavP/s1920/dimitry-b-GNu4g4Z5jN4-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1920" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX3UCxM5MuIeDfibGeugXYeJBxG8h1Djp7sSrry_ixWVcJ2onrFQAg6cD5A15N4TDKnuQdW3_KZwv_EFLUOfi9vWIZNZUCTY09pp0MIalMz3eAZAPmZf-ppQZoiacSbZbwGuPPeuoiwavP/s320/dimitry-b-GNu4g4Z5jN4-unsplash.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>WWF’s 2021 Palm Oil Buyers Scorecard published last month found that some of the world’s most influential brands are still failing to tackle the deforestation and damage to critical natural habitats caused by unsustainable palm oil production. </p><p>The sixth edition of the scorecard, the most far-reaching to date, examined 227 major retailers, consumer goods manufacturers and hospitality companies across the globe on their commitments and actions to create a sustainable palm oil industry. So, how did they fair?</p><p>John Lewis Partnership was top of the class in the UK, ‘leading the way’ on sustainable palm oil. The Co-operative Group UK, Unilever, Tesco and Saputo Dairy UK are described as ‘well on the path to sustainable sourcing. </p><p>The John Lewis Partnership/Waitrose show what can be done with effort. Alongside global brands, Arla Foods and The Estée Lauder Companies, John Lewis Partnership jumped from the middle to the top category in just a year, with John Lewis achieving fourth place globally. </p><p>In contrast, 11 UK companies failed to provide information on their palm oil usage and sustainability efforts, including healthcare giant Glaxo SmithKline and the Wetherspoons pub chain. Globally a third of companies failed to respond. </p><p>Katie White, Executive Director of Advocacy and Campaigns at WWF, said on presenting their report: </p><p>“A few companies have made impressive strides to eliminate unsustainable palm oil from their businesses to protect nature. Moreover, they have shown their competitors that it can be done. </p><p>“However, despite many global brands making long-standing commitments to eliminate the destruction of nature from their palm oil supply chains by 2020, the vast majority are still not acting on their promises. We won’t forget the companies that don’t step up - with so much at stake, there is no room for inaction or half measures.” </p><p>All in all, much more progress is needed to achieve environmental sustainability in palm oil usage. WWF’s new scorecard highlights significant room for progress for companies from all parts of the palm oil industry and in all countries.</p><p>This year, UK companies scored an average of just 14.4 out of 24, slightly higher than the international average of 13.2 points and on par with the European average of 14.1. However, so much more could be done. But it also requires greater transparency on sourcing. </p><p>Most scorecard companies have failed to establish robust policies and mechanisms to ensure that the palm oil they source is free of deforestation, conversion, and human rights abuse. While seven out of 10 have committed to addressing deforestation in their palm oil supply chains, and nine out of 10 to protecting human rights, only a handful apply these commitments to all ecosystems and the people most at risk of unsustainable palm oil production. </p><p>The scorecard also finds that half of the respondent companies are still not sourcing 100% RSPO (Round Table for Sustainable Palm Oil) certified sustainable palm oil. In addition, only a quarter have systems in place to check if their suppliers are meeting their sustainability commitments. </p><p>WWF’s palm oil scorecard also examines actions companies are taking beyond their own supply chains to support a sustainable palm oil industry. Encouragingly, just over half of companies are actively participating in sustainability platforms, including the Palm Oil Transparency Coalition (POTC) or the GCF Forest Positive Coalition, to drive industry-wide transformation. In addition, four out of ten companies are investing in projects to support real change on the ground in palm oil-producing landscapes, such as building the capacity of smallholders and forest protection. </p><p>After a decade of inaction by many, this is a positive shift that all companies should adopt as quickly as possible. </p><p>Source: <a href="https://www.wwf.org.uk" target="_blank">WWF</a></p><p><span style="background-color: whitesmoke; caret-color: rgb(17, 17, 17); color: #111111; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; white-space: nowrap;">Photo by </span><a href="https://unsplash.com/@dimitry_b?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #767676; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration-skip: ink; transition: color 0.1s ease-in-out, opacity 0.1s ease-in-out; white-space: nowrap;">Dimitry B</a><span style="background-color: whitesmoke; caret-color: rgb(17, 17, 17); color: #111111; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; white-space: nowrap;"> on </span><a href="https://unsplash.com/collections/9437628/palm-oil-deforestation?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #767676; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration-skip: ink; transition: color 0.1s ease-in-out, opacity 0.1s ease-in-out; white-space: nowrap;">Unsplash</a></p><p><br /></p>Ray Noblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14476882788439008315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8390675846894321560.post-26757768765983235582021-10-20T19:29:00.000+00:002021-10-20T19:29:21.438+00:00Rabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit<p>Increasing global temperatures are affecting the populations of rabbits with an increased risk of soil parasite infections. </p><p>We are used to seeing rabbits as the epitome of rapid population growth - "they breed like rabbits' - is often used as a disparaging social comment. Even Pope Francis has used the figurative term. Rabbit numbers have fallen by up to 80% in the UK since 1995. That is a big fall. However, rabbits are certainly fast in the breeding league. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOPotCScWfKCZa7QZzFBRFDl8SZTr-adin4NaBsxd8xkKXecEOoS67iBGDz5iHSaHqxOMuL0Xh0LQ5T4kQKtXSOUfDlxyFoXJHPkzOljoSoHO4Es_IVf2Lp1XAtkZOtgZAsS8oP3XO-36B/s1920/fidel-fernando-RziD_07DW6g-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1920" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOPotCScWfKCZa7QZzFBRFDl8SZTr-adin4NaBsxd8xkKXecEOoS67iBGDz5iHSaHqxOMuL0Xh0LQ5T4kQKtXSOUfDlxyFoXJHPkzOljoSoHO4Es_IVf2Lp1XAtkZOtgZAsS8oP3XO-36B/s320/fidel-fernando-RziD_07DW6g-unsplash.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Like most fast-breeding species, rabbits don't live long. The average life span of a wild rabbit is just two to three years, with many falling victims to predators. </p><p>It is not uncommon for the average female rabbit to have several litters in a year because gestation is only about 1 month. Thus, each litter can have three or four babies to seven, eight, nine, and sometimes more.</p><p> But even the breeding of rabbits is dependent on conditions. If conditions are right, they will breed quickly; if not, they will breed less. So, could rabbits be a barometer for the impact of global warming? Indeed, they can, and in some perhaps surprising ways. </p><p>One reason populations of rabbits might fall is through the spread of disease carried by parasites. Global climate change is predicted to alter the distribution and dynamics of soil-transmitted helminth (parasitic worm) infections. Yet, host immunity can also influence the impact of warming on host-parasite interactions and mitigate the long-term effects. <a href=" https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1501193113" target="_blank">Studies </a>suggest that young rabbits' less well-developed immune system allows a deleterious effect on the population because of the weaker defense against such parasites. </p><p><br /></p><p><span style="background-color: whitesmoke; caret-color: rgb(17, 17, 17); color: #111111; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; white-space: nowrap;">Photo by </span><a href="https://unsplash.com/@fifernando?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #767676; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration-skip: ink; transition: color 0.1s ease-in-out, opacity 0.1s ease-in-out; white-space: nowrap;">Fidel Fernando</a><span style="background-color: whitesmoke; caret-color: rgb(17, 17, 17); color: #111111; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; white-space: nowrap;"> on </span><a href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/wild-rabbits?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #767676; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration-skip: ink; transition: color 0.1s ease-in-out, opacity 0.1s ease-in-out; white-space: nowrap;">Unsplash</a></p><p>Author: Ray Noble is a Chartered Biologist. </p>Ray Noblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14476882788439008315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8390675846894321560.post-53365949010172455362021-10-19T22:45:00.000+00:002021-10-19T22:45:42.263+00:00 California Protects Leatherback Sea Turtles<p>At least some good news this month for Leatherback Turtles. The California Fish and Game Commission voted to protect leatherback sea turtles as endangered under the state’s Endangered Species Act. In addition, the commission acted on the California Department of Fish and Wildlife recommendation, which is concerned by the turtles’ dramatic decline in the state's waters.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcrOzJFnxqxS3TyZw3dwYeRXMJFnP5VjlJ-gEP28Gyztisg33DgFVz8Vv__QR1mc-vg6kbvS1RnjnEeHF8x-LyxC6NM0qdACvvIvmpNfiHQl1ZupDSoCzIAXCUJsJar36qTrLIzh_7Mt5d/s550/RSLeatherbackSeaTurtle_ScottRBenson_NOAA_NMFS_SouthwestFisheriesScienceCenter_FPWC_PD_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="413" data-original-width="550" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcrOzJFnxqxS3TyZw3dwYeRXMJFnP5VjlJ-gEP28Gyztisg33DgFVz8Vv__QR1mc-vg6kbvS1RnjnEeHF8x-LyxC6NM0qdACvvIvmpNfiHQl1ZupDSoCzIAXCUJsJar36qTrLIzh_7Mt5d/s320/RSLeatherbackSeaTurtle_ScottRBenson_NOAA_NMFS_SouthwestFisheriesScienceCenter_FPWC_PD_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>“California’s action will make an outsized difference for leatherback sea turtles, even in the face of global threats like the loss of nesting beaches,” said Catherine Kilduff, an attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. “Protecting the state’s ocean to save leatherbacks benefits not only sea turtles, but whales and people too. The California Endangered Species Act will ensure that leatherbacks’ decline gets the attention it deserves during this global biodiversity crisis.”</p><p>Scientists estimate that leatherback sea turtles have declined in abundance off California by 5.6% annually over nearly 30 years. An estimated 50 Pacific leatherbacks now forage in California waters annually compared to 178 Pacific leatherbacks during the years 1990-2003. Whale-watching trips observed three leatherback sea turtles in August 2020 in Monterey Bay.</p><p>“Leatherbacks that forage for jellyfish off the California coast will now receive greater protection in our state from entanglement in fishing gear, giving them a better chance at survival,” said Todd Steiner, executive director of Turtle Island Restoration Network. “We are hopeful this action will put these ancient, gentle giants on a path to recovery.”</p><p>Protecting leatherbacks under the California Endangered Species Act would make them a state conservation priority. Despite the lack of regular monitoring of state fisheries, leatherback sea turtles have been tangled in commercial rock crab gear (in 2019) and Dungeness crab gear (in 2015 and 2016).</p><p>In June 2020, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife determined that increased protections may be warranted and began the status review. The action came in response to a petition from the <a href="https://biologicaldiversity.org" target="_blank">Center for Biological Diversity</a> and Turtle Island Restoration Network.</p><p>Last year, a federal review of leatherback sea turtle science concluded that West Pacific leatherbacks, one of seven distinct populations of leatherback sea turtles worldwide, face a high extinction risk. The National Marine Fisheries Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service found that all seven leatherback sea turtle populations remain endangered and denied a petition by the commercial fishing industry to relax some protections.</p><p>The California legislature has designated the Pacific leatherback sea turtle as the state marine reptile and October 15 as California’s official Pacific Leatherback Sea Turtle Conservation Day.</p><p>Photo credit: <span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(71, 71, 71); color: #474747; font-family: WorkSans, Tahoma, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">NOAA, Southwest Fisheries Science Center</span></p><p>Story courtesy of <a href="https://biologicaldiversity.org" target="_blank">The Centre for Biological Diversity</a></p><p>Related Articles: <a href="https://www.thinend.today/2021/10/the-turtles-tears.html" target="_blank">The Turtle's Tears</a></p><p><br /></p>Ray Noblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14476882788439008315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8390675846894321560.post-22182958322204556302021-10-19T18:09:00.005+00:002021-10-19T22:48:32.838+00:00The Turtle's TearsVisiting the Galapagos Islands in 1835 on his famous voyage of discovery, Charles Darwin noticed the differences in turtles he saw on each island. Furthermore, he realized that each tortoise type had traits adapted to the specific conditions on the island they occupied. Thus, the turtles provided a major empirical observation for his theory of evolution by natural selection. <div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ7GHBu_iDsVZUQzGCTVkDBhd6fDuMJ5Lb7oecwLZ4bJ3MT1KOmsOL-KNNVglIcShLKytSfBAihn-O3aSrfHGnFEBsnJEzr425jIX8pL1e05-CoDyFm2runb_Dub4yXnvKYNqlNN41rbZr/s640/wexor-tmg-L-2p8fapOA8-unsplash.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="640" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ7GHBu_iDsVZUQzGCTVkDBhd6fDuMJ5Lb7oecwLZ4bJ3MT1KOmsOL-KNNVglIcShLKytSfBAihn-O3aSrfHGnFEBsnJEzr425jIX8pL1e05-CoDyFm2runb_Dub4yXnvKYNqlNN41rbZr/s320/wexor-tmg-L-2p8fapOA8-unsplash.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div>We learn so much from the Turtles. They have been around for over 220 million years, yet now they are a threatened species, and that threat is us. Today, more than half of the 360 species of turtles and tortoises are threatened with extinction.<br /><div><div><br /></div><div>We are killing the turtles by our egregious quest for energy and food, with habitat destruction, poaching, plastic pollution, accidental capture in fishing gear, and fundamentally climate change. Unless COP26 finds an answer and politicians are willing to act, then global warming will destroy their habitats along with so much of life on earth. </div><div><br /></div><div><div>Sea turtles are the only reptiles that migrate long distances to lay their eggs on a favoured beach. As a result, they are a barometer of climate change precisely because they are sensitive to the smallest change in temperature. For example, the sex of a marine turtle is determined during the incubation of the egg on the nesting beach where it was laid, and the mix of males and females depends on the temperature of the sand. </div><div><br /></div><div>So, with global warming, hotter sand leads to a disproportionately higher number of female turtles. This is real, not a theoretical academic suggestion tucked away in an obscure academic paper. At one major nesting site in north-western Costa Rica, 90% of hatchlings were female. But this is not the only threat. </div></div><div><br /></div><div>Turtles lay their eggs in the sand, and rising sea levels are reducing nesting sites. Through a combination of manmade climate change and other human activity, turtles face extinction. Turtles have evolved, adapting to change in climate and environment over generations and millions of years. Now, they cannot adapt sufficiently fast to cope with man-made change. </div><div><br /></div><div>Turtles have adapted in evolution to land, sea, and freshwater. Access to water and salt balance is a key ingredient for their survival. Arid-living tortoises have bladders that serve as water reserves, storing up to 20% of their body weight in fluids. To regulate salt balance, sea turtles excrete excess salt from their tear glands. </div><div><br /></div><div>It is now illegal in the UK to import or sell live wild-caught protected species of tortoises or products made from them without a permit for commercial purposes. So instead, breeders can sell only captive animals bred from parental stock in their care. But this is far from the truth worldwide. </div><div><br /></div><div><div>A recent <a href="https://www.traffic.org/publications/reports/slow-and-steady-the-global-footprint-of-jakartas-tortoise-and-freshwater-turtle-trade/" target="_blank">report </a>in 2018 on trafficking in Indonesia found 4,985 individuals of 65 different tortoise and freshwater turtle species in just seven locations over a four-month period. Nearly half of these were threatened with extinction, according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. </div><div><br /></div><div>Rising sea levels, higher tides, and increased storm events, which are more likely as the climate changes, wash away turtle nests and permanently destroy nesting beaches in the long term. Without anywhere to lay their eggs, the turtles cannot reproduce.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span face="-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: whitesmoke; caret-color: rgb(17, 17, 17); color: #111111; font-size: 13px; white-space: nowrap;">Photo by </span><a href="https://unsplash.com/@wexor?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #767676; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration-skip: ink; transition-duration: 0.1s, 0.1s; transition-property: color, opacity; transition-timing-function: ease-in-out, ease-in-out; transition: color 0.1s ease-in-out, opacity 0.1s ease-in-out; white-space: nowrap;">Wexor Tmg</a><span face="-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: whitesmoke; caret-color: rgb(17, 17, 17); color: #111111; font-size: 13px; white-space: nowrap;"> on </span><a href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/leatherback-turtle?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #767676; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration-skip: ink; transition-duration: 0.1s, 0.1s; transition-property: color, opacity; transition-timing-function: ease-in-out, ease-in-out; transition: color 0.1s ease-in-out, opacity 0.1s ease-in-out; white-space: nowrap;">Unsplash</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Article: Ray Noble is a chartered biologist. </div><div><br /></div><div>Related Articles:<a href="https://www.thinend.today/2021/10/california-protects-leatherback-sea.html" target="_blank"> California Protects Leatherback Sea Turtles</a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div></div></div></div>Ray Noblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14476882788439008315noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8390675846894321560.post-22878596948610274812021-10-16T16:12:00.001+00:002021-10-16T16:12:23.827+00:00International body fails young people on climate change<div>When it comes to climate change, our failure is our duty to care for the planet and our children. As we approach the COP26 meeting in the U.K., we see few signs that world governance has grasped the problem. Governments seek votes rather than take the difficult decisions we all face. There is more 'blah, blah. blah,' than action. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQfwTq6U0rP7vl3JmD2HIqnwdVfrWymEzl-qvr3OGzPX4G3pj0XbV4EZFnZHuC75QWuw518VXl7p-DaWT6x4CK4mN6If_RLxItFPTGKbxERbrDqSRTLoGQ-vjISpOaPUy0Z60ZclJlIY8I/s1920/kurt-cotoaga-FicJW813UHM-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQfwTq6U0rP7vl3JmD2HIqnwdVfrWymEzl-qvr3OGzPX4G3pj0XbV4EZFnZHuC75QWuw518VXl7p-DaWT6x4CK4mN6If_RLxItFPTGKbxERbrDqSRTLoGQ-vjISpOaPUy0Z60ZclJlIY8I/s320/kurt-cotoaga-FicJW813UHM-unsplash.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div>If a neighbour sets out to systematically destroy your garden, you consider your right to be protected from such behaviour. It is a matter of human rights and law. Yet, it seems the rights of a child have no bearing in international justice. </div><div><br /></div><div>In a stunning decision, the United Nations (U.N.) Committee on the Rights of the Child, the global human rights body tasked with protecting children's rights, refused to hear the case of 16 youth from around the world threatened by the climate crisis.</div><div><br /></div><div>The young people argued that five G20 countries are violating their rights to life, health, and culture under the Convention on the Rights of the Child by failing to curb greenhouse gas emissions to levels that would limit global warming to 1.5°C, a target set by climate science and the Paris Agreement.</div><div><br /></div><div>This month, the Committee delivered a blow to young people worldwide who are demanding immediate action on the climate crisis. In dismissing the case, the Committee told children that climate change is a dire global emergency, but the U.N.'s doors are closed. The one organisation set up to represent their rights globally has failed at a crucial hurdle; justice. </div><div><br /></div><h4 style="text-align: left;">Core argument accepted</h4><div><br /></div><div>The petitioners won on several of the most challenging legal issues in climate litigation. The Committee accepted their arguments that states are legally responsible for the harmful effects of emissions originating in their territory on children outside their borders. The fact that all states are causing climate change, the Committee held, does not absolve states of individual responsibility to reduce their share of emissions. The Committee also found that the youth are victims of foreseeable threats to their life, health, and cultural rights.</div><div><br /></div><h4 style="text-align: left;">Hollow victory</h4><div><br /></div><div>Yet this was a hollow victory. The Committee also held that the petitioners must first bring lawsuits in each of the five state's national courts — despite tomes of case law and expert evidence showing that none of those cases would succeed. In the cases of Germany and Turkey, for example, the Committee disregarded national court decisions that would deny foreign nationals the right to bring environmental claims.</div><div><br /></div><div>In effect, the Committee instructed the youth to squander years waiting for inevitable dismissal. For petitioner Litokne Kabua and other children from the Marshall Islands in the south Pacific, there is simply no time to file a climate change case in every state in the world that is fueling global warming: without immediate reductions of emissions, the Marshall Islands will likely be submerged in the ocean within the children's lifetime.</div><div><br /></div><div>"I have no doubt this judgment will haunt the Committee in the future," said petitioner Alexandria Villasenor. "When the climate disasters are even more severe than they are now, the Committee will severely regret not doing the right thing when they had the chance. Children are increasingly on the frontlines of the climate crisis, accounting for over 80% of climate related deaths. Yet again, the adults have failed to protect us."</div><div><br /></div><div>"We are going to continue to fight for pathways to justice for children staring down climate extinction," said Scott Gilmore, lead counsel from global law firm Hausfeld. "The Committee acknowledged that states are legally obligated to act, that our clients' lives are at risk, and that time is running out. But they still closed the U.N.'s doors. So be it. The legal battle for the climate now returns to national courts."</div><div><br /></div><div>"Once again, polluting states are given a free pass to perpetuate the climate crisis," said co-lead counsel Ramin Pejan, Senior Attorney at environmental non-governmental organisation Earthjustice. "Despite acknowledging that the 16 youths are already experiencing devastating impacts from climate change that will continue throughout their lifetime if immediate action is not taken, the Committee leaves them with no effective way to protect their rights."</div><div><br /></div><div>Ayakha Melithafa (19, South Africa): "We are on the verge of an abyss, and our political leaders must change course immediately — young people should not need to bring legal claims seeking to hold them to account for promises made."</div><div><br /></div><div>Catarina Lorenzo (14, Brazil): "We have our own stories to show how we are being impacted by the current climate change, and yet, the case was still not accepted." </div><div><br /></div><div>source: <a href="https://earthjustice.org" target="_blank">EarthJustice</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Photo: <span style="background-color: whitesmoke; caret-color: rgb(17, 17, 17); color: #111111; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; white-space: nowrap;">Photo by </span><a href="https://unsplash.com/@kydroon?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #767676; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration-skip: ink; transition: color 0.1s ease-in-out, opacity 0.1s ease-in-out; white-space: nowrap;">Kurt Cotoaga</a><span style="background-color: whitesmoke; caret-color: rgb(17, 17, 17); color: #111111; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; white-space: nowrap;"> on </span><a href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/marshall-islands?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #767676; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration-skip: ink; transition: color 0.1s ease-in-out, opacity 0.1s ease-in-out; white-space: nowrap;">Unsplash</a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div><br /></div>Ray Noblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14476882788439008315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8390675846894321560.post-77936296746942887472021-10-16T10:13:00.001+00:002021-10-16T10:15:22.901+00:00The Herring Song<p>For all the fish that are in the sea, the herring is the fish for me! These are the words of a song my mother used to sing, and the whole family would join in the chorus. But how many fish are in the sea? </p><p>Estimates of the numbers of fish in the oceans vary, of course. How could it be an exact measure? One figure given by scientists places the number of fish in the ocean at 3,500,000,000,000. That is a lot of fish? </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNjOWRKGwBFlicVNQ-_E_IhUpVnlQ21O2Pa6zGMaYfC4621rfIK9ogc6stq1IxS8JyOuIYyU6QO4jLOPMacoRrZhYY2Hgzjj3egHl2INocUp4Y_GE6yzc6RHdAcXShJPIuSRLwMqvXceY-/s2048/jet-kim-_w-VVA8PrC0-unsplash.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNjOWRKGwBFlicVNQ-_E_IhUpVnlQ21O2Pa6zGMaYfC4621rfIK9ogc6stq1IxS8JyOuIYyU6QO4jLOPMacoRrZhYY2Hgzjj3egHl2INocUp4Y_GE6yzc6RHdAcXShJPIuSRLwMqvXceY-/s320/jet-kim-_w-VVA8PrC0-unsplash.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><p>So, what about 'the fish for me', the herring? Archaeologists counting herring bones along North America's west coast recently found evidence that herring that had been abundant for thousands of years. </p><p> Like so many, they are in decline due to overfishing. Herring collapse has signifcant knock-on effects both for humans and for ecological balance. Over time, there have been serveral periodic collapses. Sometimes the recovery has been slow. </p><p>Herring is the fish for me could be a standard for seabirds, With loss of fish such as herring, the seabird population is dramatically affected. This is certainly so for the Western Grebe that dive for carp, herring, mollusks, crabs, and amphibians, such as salamanders. But not only does the Western Grebe suffer from loss of a major fish source, it's breeding is also impacted by human activity. Little wonder then that the population of the Western Grebe is in decline. </p><p>A broader food chain is also detrimentally affected by overfishing. Killer whales eat seals that eat herring. By blowing bubbles, Humpback whales confuse the fish before eating them. </p><p>So, is this what the Herring song is about? Not exactly. The song my mum sang was about the uses we could put herring to. </p><p><span face="-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: whitesmoke; caret-color: rgb(17, 17, 17); color: #111111; font-size: 13px; white-space: nowrap;">Photo by </span><a href="https://unsplash.com/@frogman39?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #767676; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration-skip: ink; transition-duration: 0.1s, 0.1s; transition-property: color, opacity; transition-timing-function: ease-in-out, ease-in-out; transition: color 0.1s ease-in-out, opacity 0.1s ease-in-out; white-space: nowrap;">Jet Kim</a><span face="-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: whitesmoke; caret-color: rgb(17, 17, 17); color: #111111; font-size: 13px; white-space: nowrap;"> on </span><a href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/herring?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #767676; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration-skip: ink; transition-duration: 0.1s, 0.1s; transition-property: color, opacity; transition-timing-function: ease-in-out, ease-in-out; transition: color 0.1s ease-in-out, opacity 0.1s ease-in-out; white-space: nowrap;">Unsplash</a></p><p><a href="https://soundcloud.com/ray-noble-2/the-herring-song?si=878280a75e2f4bfc98ad5b42b48fb525" target="_blank">The Herring Song Clip</a><br /></p>Ray Noblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14476882788439008315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8390675846894321560.post-36319765400467058292021-10-14T20:49:00.000+00:002021-10-14T20:49:03.122+00:00Peatland fires undermine UK commitment on climate change<p>Is the UK government serious about action on climate change? Recent decisions suggest not. </p><p>Over one hundred fires have been reported on carbon-rich peatland in Northern England in the last four days despite a new government ban and just weeks before the UK is due to host a major climate summit, COP26.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXpLNW9NCfgTjKfquaKTwJMsuRwa_j-X_YoA7WfRGSFRco7JoYLZl6RWA0Q6miuDeSgQ_E8FllPoriw1MXMuAP5wCe9GC1neaIlN24uFNFCz6ppCBhzbg83Wtz_pYXn7Td8_a7HgOnWve6/s600/GP1SW4RL_Low_res_with_credit_line.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="337" data-original-width="600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXpLNW9NCfgTjKfquaKTwJMsuRwa_j-X_YoA7WfRGSFRco7JoYLZl6RWA0Q6miuDeSgQ_E8FllPoriw1MXMuAP5wCe9GC1neaIlN24uFNFCz6ppCBhzbg83Wtz_pYXn7Td8_a7HgOnWve6/s320/GP1SW4RL_Low_res_with_credit_line.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Most of the fires have taken place inside the North York Moors, Peak District and Yorkshire Dales national parks.</p><p>Wild Moors, the campaign group that collected the data and shared it with Unearthed, has recorded 109 peatland fires as of 10 October, raising questions about the effectiveness of the government ban.</p><p>Dramatic drone footage captured by <a href="https://unearthed.greenpeace.org/2021/10/12/fires-peatlands-england-national-parks-grouse-shooting/" target="_blank">Unearthed s</a>hows vast smoke clouds rising from moorland in North Yorkshire.</p><p>Peatland is the UK’s largest natural carbon store on land, ‘locking in’ an estimated 3.2 billion tonnes, as well as providing nesting and feeding grounds for many wading birds and important habitats for rare insects and plants.</p><p>Landowners deliberately started Peatland fires to provide younger, more nutritious heather to grouse reared for shooting.</p><p>Last May, the government introduced a ban to curb the controversial practice, but it has been widely criticised for being riddled with loopholes. For example, it only applies to areas of deep peat – more than 40cm in depth – that sit within specially protected areas. These restrictions mean that only 8% of England’s peatland is subject to the ban.</p><p>In July, 105 organisations called on Boris Johnson to introduce a comprehensive ban on burning vegetation on all peat soils and extracting peat for use in compost, ahead of the COP26 climate summit.</p><p>Commenting on the latest figures, Luke Steele, Executive Director of Wild Moors, said:</p><p>“Since Thursday, over 100 fires have been started by grouse moors on carbon-rich peatlands — an unprecedented increase of five times the number of incidents recorded this time last burning season. It’s illogical to keep this outdated, intensive and environmentally-destructive practice afloat for the sake of a cohort of unscrupulous grouse moors who can’t break their burning habit. That’s why we’re calling on the Government to introduce an immediate and complete ban on the burning of peatland.”</p><p>Kate Blagojevic, Greenpeace UK’s head of climate, said:</p><p>“Just days before the UK is due to host a major climate summit, our largest terrestrial carbon store is on fire. And this is not a natural disaster, but an entirely avoidable one caused by grouse moor owners setting fire to their own land. It’s obvious that the government’s regulations are worse than toothless and completely failed to stop this absurd practice that damages both the climate and wildlife. A comprehensive ban should be introduced immediately along with concrete measures to fully or highly protect at least 30% of our land and seas by 2030. Anything less would be a major embarrassment for the UK government. There are better ways to welcome world leaders to a crucial climate summit than the sight of smoke and flames engulfing our largest carbon store.”</p><p>Wild Moors is working on the ground and with members of local communities to monitor the ongoing grouse moor burning season. Incidents of burning are reported to their monitoring service by eyewitnesses on an almost daily basis. Their dedicated investigators also attend moorland locations to log incidents of burning taking place. They can catalogue the scale, frequency, and location of burning on northern England’s peat moors through these channels.</p><p>Source: Greenpeace</p><div><br /></div>Ray Noblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14476882788439008315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8390675846894321560.post-76750243769161322742021-10-11T14:29:00.001+00:002021-10-11T14:34:28.307+00:00No real commitment on climate<p>Actions, they say, speak louder than words. So, when we look at the UK government's actions, we can only conclude they don't mean what they say about the environment and climate change. Despite their claims to be leading the charge on reducing emissions, the UK government is still looking to approve new oil fields. The Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has announced his support for developing the Cambo oil field and 16 other climate-destroying oil projects.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg43b3fPk4hy_1D7OyXGYrK-JYyPn4jI8tL77-53dQktrv23oqTDpx_w1wzSTmOwpkVfwNSve7c5oEKkd8IAiV6CINvaNMjrlDkR77LRM9QE2LIMvaUIHOdWSCgJLv3NR0-1s1JWPVrgmjW/s1920/jeremy-bezanger-8wtmT9ottYM-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1920" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg43b3fPk4hy_1D7OyXGYrK-JYyPn4jI8tL77-53dQktrv23oqTDpx_w1wzSTmOwpkVfwNSve7c5oEKkd8IAiV6CINvaNMjrlDkR77LRM9QE2LIMvaUIHOdWSCgJLv3NR0-1s1JWPVrgmjW/s320/jeremy-bezanger-8wtmT9ottYM-unsplash.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Cambo is an oil field in the North Sea, west of Shetland. A company called Siccar Point has applied for a permit to drill at least 170 million barrels of oil there. If it's allowed to go ahead, it will result in the emissions equivalent of 18 coal plants running for a year. </p><p>What? Yes, 18 coal plants a year! </p><p>Today, as I write, Greenpeace is demonstrating in Downing Street against this project. I suppose it will get the usual government dismissal and complaints about inconveniencing others. Well, we know it won't inconvenience the Prime Minister because he is on holiday yet again. </p><p>Boris Johnson is backing 16 more oil projects. We need to let that sink in before we believe he is interested in rescuing the planet from our destructive behaviour. He makes jokes about Thatcher being ahead of her time for closing the coal mines, yet our reliance on coal continued for many decades. The difference was that instead of producing it all in the UK, we were importing it! And we go on doing so. </p><p>We are just a few weeks away from COP26, hosted by the UK in Scotland. The COP26 summit will bring parties together to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. But, sadly, we shouldn't hold our breath. We need urgent action, and we see no real resolve to do that in the UK. There is no real plan for energy. There is no plan for the environment. There just isn't any planning at all. We have a chaotic government, and the appalling consequences of Brexit beginning to bite. </p><p><br /></p><p><span style="background-color: whitesmoke; caret-color: rgb(17, 17, 17); color: #111111; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; white-space: nowrap;">Photo by </span><a href="https://unsplash.com/@jeremybezanger?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #767676; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration-skip: ink; transition: color 0.1s ease-in-out, opacity 0.1s ease-in-out; white-space: nowrap;">Jeremy Bezanger</a><span style="background-color: whitesmoke; caret-color: rgb(17, 17, 17); color: #111111; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; white-space: nowrap;"> on </span><a href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/rainforest-destruction?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #767676; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration-skip: ink; transition: color 0.1s ease-in-out, opacity 0.1s ease-in-out; white-space: nowrap;">Unsplash</a></p><p>Author: Ray Noble is a Chartered Biologist. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Ray Noblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14476882788439008315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8390675846894321560.post-32445327637670096232021-10-10T12:20:00.004+00:002021-10-10T12:23:43.039+00:00When Finance Drives Destruction<p>Tackling climate change means stopping the funding of rainforest destruction, says a significant study commissioned by the World Wildlife Fund. The UK's financial services have provided directly over £8.7 billion to 167 different traders, processors, and buyers of forest-risk commodities (cocoa, rubber, timber, soy, beef, palm oil, pulp & paper) from 2013 to 2021. With direct and indirect investment, the figure rises to a staggering £200 bn. Whilst not all that investment is in destructive projects, the study concludes there is little transparency on the risk. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBvD8fykUdQw7Zv0OsRmmFGEZHUU_Qnkgvg83vRIn0NrGH76PK07BNlAB2WrLH0Mw4lFPbBRINxU4mGnljg8Et2HIPzZESQNxNVAQx7Ngkyxhbeie6z5dR-LhnISpq8vzaaXum-06WQXTH/s2048/birger-strahl-ksiGE4hMiso-unsplash.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1510" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBvD8fykUdQw7Zv0OsRmmFGEZHUU_Qnkgvg83vRIn0NrGH76PK07BNlAB2WrLH0Mw4lFPbBRINxU4mGnljg8Et2HIPzZESQNxNVAQx7Ngkyxhbeie6z5dR-LhnISpq8vzaaXum-06WQXTH/s320/birger-strahl-ksiGE4hMiso-unsplash.jpg" width="236" /></a></div><p>Finance is the oil in the economic machine. But it also drives decisions. We all know the importance of money. We borrow to invest. So much depends on it, such as company pensions. Do we really know what our pension pots are doing? We invest for the future. But what kind of future? Is all investment good? </p><p>Much investment is bad. Investment drives the nature of our economy. It drives our decisions as individuals, as communities, as producers, and as consumers. Its power is all around for us to see. </p><p>The Tory Party in the UK has just had its Party conference. Its slogan is Build Back Better. There is no strategy, but the 'growth is good' mantra. It is an ongoing theme on The Thin End that growth is not good for the planet. </p><p>So, we need accountability, not least to stakeholders. Where and what is our money doing? There needs to be corporate responsibility for the environment and human rights. There also needs to be a legal framework for independent audits of the environmental impact assessment. Profit and loss accounting is not sufficient. </p><p>Laws tackling illegal deforestation are not enough, particularly when what is legal is even more destructive. Moreover, there are perhaps limitations on what individual governments can do in proscribing action in other countries. </p><p>However, the government could have specific laws controlling finance emanating from within its bounds or allowing companies to trade that are not transparent or are blatantly harming the environment. Companies registered, or trading in the UK should be made accountable for their investments and actions. Investment in environmentally harmful activity is culpability. We need to see that in the profit and loss columns. The cost is enormous. If we factored that in, most companies would see their profits shrink dramatically. Let us see the real cost of what we do, or what is done in our name, to feed, clothe, and keep us warm. </p><p>For decades we pumped out carbon from coal, gas, and oil. Now we worry about the consequences. Black gold is no longer good. Yet we go on trading as if that is not equally as harmful. Trade, trade, trade. The market cannot package and sell an ounce of clean air, an ounce of reduced carbon emissions. Yet, that has been the approach of international trade. Let someone else pay the true cost. The poor farmer struggling to make a living producing the crops that give us cheap food, scratching a living for a farthing to have cheap products on our shelves. We need to pay more. Let us see the real cost of what we do or what we consume. </p><p>And so back to finance that drives it all. Disclosure of investment should not be voluntary as if some form of a PR exercise. Shame alone is insufficient if companies have a choice over what they disclose. So, the laws in individual countries should be tougher on financial disclosure. Where's the money going, and what does it do to the planet?</p><p><span face="-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: whitesmoke; caret-color: rgb(17, 17, 17); color: #111111; font-size: 13px; white-space: nowrap;">Photo by </span><a href="https://unsplash.com/@bist31?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #767676; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration-skip: ink; transition-duration: 0.1s, 0.1s; transition-property: color, opacity; transition-timing-function: ease-in-out, ease-in-out; transition: color 0.1s ease-in-out, opacity 0.1s ease-in-out; white-space: nowrap;">Birger Strahl</a><span face="-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: whitesmoke; caret-color: rgb(17, 17, 17); color: #111111; font-size: 13px; white-space: nowrap;"> on </span><a href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/rainforest-wildlife?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #767676; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration-skip: ink; transition-duration: 0.1s, 0.1s; transition-property: color, opacity; transition-timing-function: ease-in-out, ease-in-out; transition: color 0.1s ease-in-out, opacity 0.1s ease-in-out; white-space: nowrap;">Unsplash</a></p><p>Author: Ray Noble is a chartered biologist. </p>Ray Noblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14476882788439008315noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8390675846894321560.post-17157072760536986102021-09-25T14:12:00.000+00:002021-09-25T14:12:26.083+00:00Earthjustice sue EPA over paraquat<p>SAN FRANCISCO— Farmworker groups, environmentalists, and health organizations represented by Earthjustice are legally challenging the Environmental Protection Agency for approving the continued use of the deadly pesticide paraquat, which has been linked to Parkinson’s disease.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6GcPpkiinryL_edSxjMow88J5lgq7mdeD_3fzjSRCDA29IaBzp2x4yILcM2P0-a71g7oiYy40ZzBV_R-gLZpfMtVDENdIGU4ExbgUw4WgP9USzoBMwHIcsWYFRqtjZ396AB5Xx9YytJ0J/s2048/markus-spiske-EK8QN9O0wRk-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6GcPpkiinryL_edSxjMow88J5lgq7mdeD_3fzjSRCDA29IaBzp2x4yILcM2P0-a71g7oiYy40ZzBV_R-gLZpfMtVDENdIGU4ExbgUw4WgP9USzoBMwHIcsWYFRqtjZ396AB5Xx9YytJ0J/s320/markus-spiske-EK8QN9O0wRk-unsplash.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><p>Paraquat is currently banned in 32 countries, including member states of the European Union, where the chemical is manufactured and exported, and China. In July, the US EPA reapproved the pesticide’s registration for another 15 years.</p><p>“This paraquat registration puts EPA on the wrong side of science, history and the law,” said Jonathan Kalmuss-Katz, a senior attorney at Earthjustice. “With dozens of countries banning paraquat because of its severe health effects, there is no excuse for leaving farmworkers and agricultural communities exposed to extreme risks.”</p><p>All major agricultural states are hot spots for paraquat use, according to the latest government data. But communities in Kansas, Texas, and southern states like the Carolinas and Florida face extreme exposure, while nearby communities can be impacted by runoff and downstream effects.</p><p>“The Biden EPA’s decision to reapprove widespread use, including aerial spraying, of this highly lethal pesticide shocks the conscience,” said Nathan Donley, environmental health science director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “Although much of the rest of the world has banned this dangerous poison, thanks to our rubber-stamp pesticide-approval process its use will continue to increase here in the United States, even as scientific studies reveal stronger links between paraquat use and neurological harm in both people and wildlife.”</p><p>Paraquat is manufactured by several companies, including Chevron, Adama Group, and Syngenta, which face a growing number of personal injury lawsuits related to the use of paraquat and its long-term impacts on human health.</p><p></p><blockquote><p>Paraquat Is Associated With Parkinson’s Disease, Other Serious Health Effects</p><div></div></blockquote><div>“It is unconscionable that EPA so devalues the lives of farmworkers as to allow the continued use of this harmful toxic pesticide,” said Jeannie Economos, coordinator of the Pesticide Safety and Environmental Health Project for the Farmworker Association of Florida. “The pandemic made the country aware that our nation’s agricultural laborers are essential. Yet EPA gives a green light to this health-harming chemical that puts men, women and children at risk of life-long health effects. Paraquat has got to go!”</div><p>"Paraquat is a pesticide that has harmed too many of our farmworkers already! We cannot allow any more farm workers and their families to be exposed,” said Milly Trevino-Sauceda, executive director and co-founder of Alianza Nacional de Campesinas. “Too many farm workers have become affected, become disabled and even suffered from kidney problems due to the exposure to this harmful pesticide.”</p><p>“Rural communities and farmworkers are left in harm’s way because of EPA’s recent decision to allow the continued use of the pesticide paraquat,” said Anne Katten, director of the Pesticide & Work Safety Project at California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation. “By discounting the body of scientific evidence that shows how dangerous this pesticide is, even in small quantities, EPA is ignoring the needs of the people and communities it’s legally responsible for protecting.”</p><p>“Paraquat is a deadly pesticide that mounting evidence shows is linked to Parkinson’s disease. It has no place near farmworkers or the country’s agricultural fields, let alone the food we eat,” said Margaret Reeves, senior scientist at Pesticide Action Network of North America.</p><p>“Farmworkers — children and elders — will be irreparably harmed for the rest of their lives by the re-registration of paraquat,” said Connor Kippe, policy advocate at Toxic Free North Carolina. “The science is clear — paraquat is highly toxic and even small doses by any method of transmission can affect health, especially for child farmworkers. Our flawed pesticide registration system enables this type of glancing regulatory approval, despite known harms to people in all parts of the food system.”</p><p>The suit was filed in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Earthjustice represents the Farmworker Association of Florida, Farmworker Justice, Alianza Nacional de Campesinas, California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation, The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, Pesticide Action Network North America, Center for Biological Diversity and Toxic Free North Carolina.</p><p>The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 1.7 million members and online activists dedicated to protecting endangered species and wild places.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Double standards in the UK</h3><p>Although the use of paraquat is banned in the United Kingdom, the country continues to manufacture and export it for use in other parts of the world. In 2018, half of the UK's exports went to the United States. </p><p><span style="background-color: whitesmoke; caret-color: rgb(17, 17, 17); color: #111111; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; white-space: nowrap;">Photo by </span><a href="https://unsplash.com/@markusspiske?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #767676; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration-skip: ink; transition: color 0.1s ease-in-out, opacity 0.1s ease-in-out; white-space: nowrap;">Markus Spiske</a><span style="background-color: whitesmoke; caret-color: rgb(17, 17, 17); color: #111111; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; white-space: nowrap;"> on </span><a href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/agriculture?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #767676; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration-skip: ink; transition: color 0.1s ease-in-out, opacity 0.1s ease-in-out; white-space: nowrap;">Unsplash</a></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Ray Noblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14476882788439008315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8390675846894321560.post-58274521030527591582021-09-24T07:15:00.000+00:002021-09-24T07:15:33.732+00:00Does politics matter for health? <p>Does politics really matter when it comes to our health? Labour or Tory, Democrat or Republican, does it have an impact? Of course, those who campaign for change would assume that it does. The progressive welfare policies of the Labour government after WW2, and particularly the creation of the NHS, have had a lasting impact on health and wellbeing. The austerity imposed during the last decade under Tory-led governments has had a deleterious effect on life expectancy. Yet, we often hear that 'it doesn't matter whose in power, they are all the same.' as a political mantra. It feeds into the narrative of general disillusion with politics and democracy. But now, the results of a study from the USA also suggests that party politics matters. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcRYVdSs_OtDO1QaWlb3PZ7mvQ29lfV719TOn8LjTvYr7mgSHS1Cg0SYyG6C_jtd0zQ43R3Ek3pTPgwrMGi_2dZA2Kdug2cNfa90fmKDL24bN5SWXUO1rderXGyvBFpPR-LIHmW5it3p2e/s2048/christian-bowen-I0ItPtIsVEE-unsplash.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1356" data-original-width="2048" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcRYVdSs_OtDO1QaWlb3PZ7mvQ29lfV719TOn8LjTvYr7mgSHS1Cg0SYyG6C_jtd0zQ43R3Ek3pTPgwrMGi_2dZA2Kdug2cNfa90fmKDL24bN5SWXUO1rderXGyvBFpPR-LIHmW5it3p2e/s320/christian-bowen-I0ItPtIsVEE-unsplash.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>A new study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine shows significantly higher infant and postneonatal mortality rates under Republican-controlled state legislatures than under non-Republican–controlled ones. Moreover, the effects may be more significant for black infants than for white infants.</p><p>“These findings support the politics hypothesis that the social determinants of health are, at least in part, constructed by the power vested in governments,” said lead investigator Dr Javier M. Rodriguez, of the Department of Politics & Government, Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, CA, USA.</p><p>Many social and health obligations depend on the decisions state representatives make. State legislatures are responsible for safety-net programs, the state’s minimum wage and many other public goods and services that influence the social determinants of health. The influence of state governments on population health followed decentralisation patterns since the 1970s, when states started to expand their independence from federal jurisdiction over welfare programs, including those directly affecting infant health, such as Medicaid.</p><p>The investigators examined how changes in the party composition of state legislatures and the upper and lower houses and governorships affected infant mortality rates, neonatal mortality rates, and post-neonatal mortality rates from 1969 to 2014. They also analysed annual state unemployment rates, the average age of female individuals, birth rates and other sociodemographic data.</p><p>They found that net of history, infant mortality is consistently higher under Republican-controlled state legislatures than non-Republican–controlled ones. Going from a non-Republican–controlled state Congress to a Republican-controlled one is associated with a 4.2% increase in infant mortality and an 8.1% increase in postneonatal mortality. Their findings show more significant estimates for Black than White infants, although the differences were not effective at conventional levels. Research has found that the introduction of Medicaid was associated with an 8% decline in non-White infant mortality between 1965 and 1980 (Goodman-Bacon, 2018). The annual increase in Black infant mortality under Republican legislatures found in this study is 5.9% — that is, equal to about 75% the magnitude of the 15-year benefit attributed to the introduction of Medicaid.</p><p>The party that controls state legislatures is powerfully associated with fluctuations in infant mortality rates and racial disparities in infant health, scientists report in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine (Credit: iStock.com/JimLarkin).</p><p>Aside from party control of legislatures, the investigators found no clear evidence that Republican governors impact infant mortality rates. The investigators suggest that this may reflect variability in the balance of power between legislative and executive branches across the states. In addition, some governors’ health policy positions seem to be more synchronised with state-level culture than with national party ideological stances. For example, some Republican governors who are not highly conservative in the conventional sense may be more aligned with a Democratic legislature on healthcare issues.</p><p>However, the authors caution that it may not account for unobserved differences across states that may change at the same time as the party control change of state legislatures. Nor could it account for other mechanisms not included in the study that may connect Republican administrations and increases in infant mortality rates.</p><p>Nevertheless, the findings emphasise the power political institutions and governments have on writing and executing the policies and programs that shape the social determinants of health, including infant health.</p><p>“Unfortunately, in a drastically polarized political environment, it is often difficult for Americans to notice the underlying mechanisms that distribute the production of illness and human suffering that ultimately decide who lives and who dies of preventable reasons,” commented Dr Rodriquez. “As political decisions are a matter of life and death, the parties, politicians and policies that Americans support should be evidence-based and incorruptible. A deep understanding of political processes and institutions at the state level is necessary for improving overall population health and promoting health equity.”</p><p>Perhaps, none of this should surprise us. It demonstrates that setting health goals with clear health policies makes a difference. The significant divide in politics is between those who believe economic goals alone are sufficient and those who believe in establishing a framework for social justice. We cannot buy an ounce of social justice in a 'free market'. Another way to describe the divide is between interventionist and non-interventionist strategies. </p><p><span face="-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: whitesmoke; caret-color: rgb(17, 17, 17); color: #111111; font-size: 13px; white-space: nowrap;">Photo by </span><a href="https://unsplash.com/@chrishcush?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #767676; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration-skip: ink; transition-duration: 0.1s, 0.1s; transition-property: color, opacity; transition-timing-function: ease-in-out, ease-in-out; transition: color 0.1s ease-in-out, opacity 0.1s ease-in-out; white-space: nowrap;">Christian Bowen</a><span face="-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: whitesmoke; caret-color: rgb(17, 17, 17); color: #111111; font-size: 13px; white-space: nowrap;"> on </span><a href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/child-health?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #767676; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration-skip: ink; transition-duration: 0.1s, 0.1s; transition-property: color, opacity; transition-timing-function: ease-in-out, ease-in-out; transition: color 0.1s ease-in-out, opacity 0.1s ease-in-out; white-space: nowrap;">Unsplash</a></p><p><i>About the author: Ray Noble is a Chartered Biologist and Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology. </i></p><p><br /></p>Ray Noblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14476882788439008315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8390675846894321560.post-37068901342817378342021-09-23T11:12:00.007+00:002021-09-23T11:53:05.488+00:00Is the UK serious about climate change?<p>The bells toll louder now, but will we listen and act? The UK is hosting the climate summit, the 26th UN Climate Change Conference, COP26, at the end of October. No doubt it will set new targets or reiterate old ones, but more is needed. Politicians need to face reality. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipM_wFRLKRs__5LWxjn5bVHaxsT7pFIe6OfXpvyz3CqsYtQnMgv5i3J6x3AoiR2nNMTmtLaDk0QkcOI5MvUtYYo6mRu1uzVpa9QjYy_CPYbHTVoTVQdFt2rr-fs7NQyQ-z-xm6LyowRDhO/s2048/mika-baumeister-UHVndV0rsqw-unsplash.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipM_wFRLKRs__5LWxjn5bVHaxsT7pFIe6OfXpvyz3CqsYtQnMgv5i3J6x3AoiR2nNMTmtLaDk0QkcOI5MvUtYYo6mRu1uzVpa9QjYy_CPYbHTVoTVQdFt2rr-fs7NQyQ-z-xm6LyowRDhO/s320/mika-baumeister-UHVndV0rsqw-unsplash.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><p>We need to set new goals for our economy and the way we live. It will require the most massive investment, probably bigger than the bail-out of the banking system. If we can bail out the banks, we can save the environment from a cataclysmic global crisis. But governments need to be honest with their citizens. Trading emissions is no longer an option. It simply allows the wealthy and rich countries to park their responsibility onto the shoulders of others. </p><p>No doubt, the UK will boast about approaching its targets in reducing carbon emissions. Sadly this is all a sleight of hand. The UK has, in large part, achieved that by exporting its carbon emissions. If the UK is serious about its carbon footprint, it will legislate to reduce this invisible trade-related impact. That is the hardest of the political tasks. It requires a significant restructuring of our economy and no doubt increased prices for our food and so many raw materials. But unless the UK does act on this, it cannot claim any high ground on tackling climate change. </p><p>COP26 is perhaps the last opportunity for us to avoid disasters and to impact climate change. It requires bold action. Let us hope our politicians do more than pay lip service to it. If you hear them boasting about what they are already doing, you will know they are missing the mark. If they say we have not done nearly enough and take drastic action, then there is hope. </p><p>What we know is that free trade deals that encourage destructive global trade will destroy our planet. Anything short of a significant restructuring of our production and trade will fail to halt the tragedy of adverse man-made climate change. </p><p><span face="-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: whitesmoke; caret-color: rgb(17, 17, 17); color: #111111; font-size: 13px; white-space: nowrap;">Photo by </span><a href="https://unsplash.com/@mbaumi?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #767676; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration-skip: ink; transition-duration: 0.1s, 0.1s; transition-property: color, opacity; transition-timing-function: ease-in-out, ease-in-out; transition: color 0.1s ease-in-out, opacity 0.1s ease-in-out; white-space: nowrap;">Mika Baumeister</a><span face="-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: whitesmoke; caret-color: rgb(17, 17, 17); color: #111111; font-size: 13px; white-space: nowrap;"> on </span><a href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/clamate-change?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #767676; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration-skip: ink; transition-duration: 0.1s, 0.1s; transition-property: color, opacity; transition-timing-function: ease-in-out, ease-in-out; transition: color 0.1s ease-in-out, opacity 0.1s ease-in-out; white-space: nowrap;">Unsplash</a></p><p><i>About the writer: Ray Noble is a Chartered Biologist. </i></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Ray Noblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14476882788439008315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8390675846894321560.post-1683156360812344132021-05-13T00:32:00.000+00:002021-05-13T00:32:00.481+00:00Food labelling confusion a factor in food waste<p>Misinterpretation of food labels is a major contributor to food waste. In the UK, an estimated 30% of household food waste may be attributable to this consumer confusion. The 'best before' and 'use by' dates are statutory requirements in food packaging for products sold in the UK and in many other countries. But are they properly interpreted? </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGeTdVORHpcVM7dZDZhSK9T98nfzgrbbyVcZY8XPUyrzcwpBY1eAuajR1u3qgK9dKIuaDM9pDl41mQH6mhSRyWtQu13DAXDKUoeBWQhAVnewj7c-8-y_RTNVujATQt6Oc_polGmAeb_Yiv/s2048/naseem-buras-SV4IJQDTZrA-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1363" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGeTdVORHpcVM7dZDZhSK9T98nfzgrbbyVcZY8XPUyrzcwpBY1eAuajR1u3qgK9dKIuaDM9pDl41mQH6mhSRyWtQu13DAXDKUoeBWQhAVnewj7c-8-y_RTNVujATQt6Oc_polGmAeb_Yiv/s320/naseem-buras-SV4IJQDTZrA-unsplash.jpg" /></a></div><p>A new study in the US published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behaviour shows that many consumers misinterpret food date labels, yet use them with confidence. </p><p>Consumer education is needed, the authors argue, to increase understanding of food date labels. Does it mean “spoiled - throw it out,” or “might not taste as good as it could anymore?”</p><p>Food date labels (e.g. “USE By August 16”) can play an important role in helping consumers make informed decisions about food, and ultimately prevent unsafe consumption and waste of food. Perhaps one problem is that this covers too wide a remit for the labelling. For example, food waste might conflict with a more judicious following of the labels. What does 'best' mean in this context. How quickly does food deteriorate after the 'best' date? Does our nose provide a better judge than a label? Who has not used that test?</p><p>Researchers surveyed 2,607 adults in the United States to assess consumer understanding of the streamlined 2-date labelling system and explore the relative effectiveness of educational messages in increasing understanding.</p><p>“Our study showed that an overwhelming majority of consumers say that they use food date labels to make decisions about food and say they know what the labels mean,” says Catherine Turvey, of the Department of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Milken Institute School of Public Health, in Washington DC. </p><p>“Despite confidently using date labels, many consumers misinterpreted the labels and continued to misunderstand even after reading educational messaging that explained the labels’ meaning.”</p><p>Less than half (46 per cent) of study respondents knew that the “BEST If Used By” label specifically indicates that food quality may deteriorate after the date on the label. Less than one-quarter (24 per cent) of study respondents knew that the “USE By” label means that food is not safe to eat after the date on the label.</p><p>Researchers explored if framing the messages with values like saving money or avoiding waste, would impact the effectiveness of messages at increasing consumer understanding. Whilst none of the seven value frames tested was significantly more effective at increasing understanding than another, but all messages significantly increased consumer’s general understanding of the labels.</p><p>After viewing educational messages, 37 per cent of consumers still did not understand the specific meaning of the “BEST If Used By” label and 48 per cent did not understand the specific meaning of the “USE By” label.</p><p>The research suggests that date labels are so familiar that some consumers believe they are boring, self-explanatory, or common sense despite misunderstanding the labels. “Unwarranted confidence and the familiarity of date labels may make consumers less attentive to educational messaging that explains the food industry’s labelling system.”</p><p> </p><p><br /></p>Ray Noblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14476882788439008315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8390675846894321560.post-4257472993785805222021-03-22T14:39:00.002+00:002021-03-22T16:05:41.502+00:00 Migration strategies of rosefinches<p>During their seasonal migration, birds typically travel between breeding and non-breeding grounds along migratory routes grouped into major flyways, such as the Indo-European flyway between Europe and the Indian subcontinent.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGlNr7xU-QmMmsMw1M-qJstOvb-oGhrUoNBiUxmFOaTWMajt_eikkVV6fcISR2zN4bBqFlVJbWAHHKUoMhRQTlxyVganwdyR5KeGXmzcV6P9gS3jJqLVe2d8SI_N13-VMsPIMU0mGY6nqF/s1280/Image.JBI.BenjaminMetzger.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGlNr7xU-QmMmsMw1M-qJstOvb-oGhrUoNBiUxmFOaTWMajt_eikkVV6fcISR2zN4bBqFlVJbWAHHKUoMhRQTlxyVganwdyR5KeGXmzcV6P9gS3jJqLVe2d8SI_N13-VMsPIMU0mGY6nqF/s320/Image.JBI.BenjaminMetzger.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>In a new study published in the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/jbi.14085" target="_blank">Journal of Biogeography</a>, investigators used modelling and tracking techniques to identify potential migratory barriers and corridors within the Indo-European flyway and birds’ adaptive behaviours that help with navigation along the route. </p><p>The study, tracking rosefinches (<i>Carpodacus erythrinus</i>) from five breeding populations using lightweight global navigation sensors, aimed to determine what factors influenced the birds' migratory paths: wind or resources.</p><p>Deserts, oceans and mountains influence weather systems and resource availability and create corridors or barriers for moving animals. Risks have to be balanced against food availability and energy conservation. Migratory birds have developed several adaptive behaviours that facilitate navigation across or around ecological barriers. So, do they cross these barriers, or do they go round them?</p><p>The research found that migrating birds adopt seasonally distinct migration strategies: following an energy minimization strategy in autumn, driven by resource availability, and a time minimizing strategy in spring, driven by wind conditions. </p><p>“For me, the study started years ago on the coast of the German Baltic Sea. Together with two of my co-authors Roland Neumann and Benjamin Metzger, we caught and tracked Common rosefinches aiming to reveal their exact wintering locations,” said lead author Dr Simeon Lisovski of the Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research in Germany. </p><p>“Years later, we found out that other researchers from across Europe did the same and that putting the tracks in perspective can yield more in-depth ecological insights than each single study could provide. Merging these tracks with flyway-wide datasets on climate and habitat has been a super insightful and exciting collaborative experience.”</p><p><i>Raymond Noble is a chartered biologist and Fellow of the Royal Society of biology.</i></p>Ray Noblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14476882788439008315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8390675846894321560.post-39155945894838444262021-03-21T13:12:00.001+00:002021-03-21T13:12:26.167+00:00Light pollution hindering firefly courtship<p>Right across the ecosystem, our pollution has a deleterious effect on the reproductive behaviour of many species. This is also true for light pollution. Imagine you are in a crowded noisy room and trying to ask your partner whether they would marry you, but they can't hear you no matter how loudly you shout the words. Pardon? What? </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGOXo0mTEciwlFcMvvvYM80BrpfAcj04qf0fQae9-cPb3eNbztCBlfHnB-hdHfiKo8YA5E52SEn-qUJBZPMZAj3CJmaKGGBtXo2LAS_WNniyIs8awL-R0ybXcuigluhN3Q0c7viGfTGBQw/s723/iStock-938978370.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="483" data-original-width="723" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGOXo0mTEciwlFcMvvvYM80BrpfAcj04qf0fQae9-cPb3eNbztCBlfHnB-hdHfiKo8YA5E52SEn-qUJBZPMZAj3CJmaKGGBtXo2LAS_WNniyIs8awL-R0ybXcuigluhN3Q0c7viGfTGBQw/s320/iStock-938978370.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>New research published in Insect Conservation and Diversity indicates that artificial light at night is most likely now to be interfering with the courtship and mating of bioluminescent fireflies. </p><p>Fireflies, or glowworms, attract mates by flashing light. The female finds a plant stalk to climb. and then she bends her abdomen upwards showing her glowing organs to attract males. </p><p>For the study, investigators exposed courting pairs of fireflies to five colours of light at two intensities, and they recorded changes in the rate, brightness, and pattern of male advertisement flashes, as well as how often females responded.</p><p>All artificial light treatments significantly suppressed courtship activity, but bright amber light had the greatest impact on female receptivity. This suggests that artificial lights that are closest in colour to firefly bioluminescence may be the most disruptive to firefly courtship.</p><p>“It’s definitely concerning because many ecologically-minded people are pushing the use of amber lights to safely light up streets and parks. But we’re finding that no colour of light is safe for fireflies—they need the dark,” said co-author Avalon C.S. Owens, a PhD candidate at Tufts University. </p><p><br /></p>Ray Noblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14476882788439008315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8390675846894321560.post-55543227794153495172021-03-17T12:34:00.001+00:002021-03-17T12:41:09.285+00:00Celebrities spread false news like a virus<p>Celebrities can spread false news like a virus a new study shows. </p><p>During the COVID-19 pandemic, misinformation about symptoms, vaccines and infections rates has been rife. New research published in Online Social Networks and Media investigated the authors, content and propagation of this 'infodemic'. Using data from over 92 professional fact-checking organizations between January and July 2020, researchers analyzed 1,500 false or partially false tweets that spread misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic. </p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWQhaagfWOnPl7bqTXkx2nxCFwbW3Vi_MWr7gS9fg2fE_aQdXasT8qIVp0opPXSyzaZ-IHBpK7chHNTqGFY4uS2HmCGuTHcBjoYU7DmPRZ_GNuO1TuHnJzOhIeE9Ksh1uC4zXulbz2WTwS/s640/benjamin-dada-EDZTb2SQ6j0-unsplash.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWQhaagfWOnPl7bqTXkx2nxCFwbW3Vi_MWr7gS9fg2fE_aQdXasT8qIVp0opPXSyzaZ-IHBpK7chHNTqGFY4uS2HmCGuTHcBjoYU7DmPRZ_GNuO1TuHnJzOhIeE9Ksh1uC4zXulbz2WTwS/s320/benjamin-dada-EDZTb2SQ6j0-unsplash.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Celebrities are a major source of false information, as they are more likely to be liked and shared by many followers. The results revealed that false claims spread faster than partially false claims and are generally focused on discrediting other information. The research found that brands (either organizations or celebrities) were involved in 70 per cent of the false information claims either through liking or retweeting false information. The study even identified the top ten emojis and hashtags used in tweets containing misinformation.</p><p>The study's lead author, Gautam Kishore Shahi, University of Duisburg-Essen, said: "Celebrity or not, we urge social media users to distinguish between fact and opinion and to meet any unsubstantiated claims with scepticism. We have also highlighted gaps in general understanding of COVID-19 to be addressed, as well as recommendations for authorities."</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Ray Noblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14476882788439008315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8390675846894321560.post-91989601268688520302021-03-14T15:11:00.004+00:002021-03-14T15:11:47.254+00:00Are we losing our moths?<p>Are we losing our moths? <a href="https://butterfly-conservation.org/moths/the-state-of-britains-moths" target="_blank">A new report</a> on the state of Britain’s larger moths shows a worrying 33% decline in their populations over the last 50 years.</p><p>The report has been produced by the wildlife charity Butterfly Conservation, in partnership with BBSRC- funded Rothamsted Research and the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5lIUTFkN3ywz-zwm7pqlVeyO5So5Rd03Db1g4wySMnx6l0tfcTK4f7YQQtRL-Ol4Qxgzb7RpSYC5hwrALSN8yyFQKcxDdXAGaVBPT3wAgUAagtqTe3DSABukDehwHNIOpRaHb8aUhPlxs/s640/moth-1736974_640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="440" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5lIUTFkN3ywz-zwm7pqlVeyO5So5Rd03Db1g4wySMnx6l0tfcTK4f7YQQtRL-Ol4Qxgzb7RpSYC5hwrALSN8yyFQKcxDdXAGaVBPT3wAgUAagtqTe3DSABukDehwHNIOpRaHb8aUhPlxs/s320/moth-1736974_640.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>The report updates the findings released in 2013, with tens of millions of records gathered through the Rothamsted Insect Survey and National Moth Recording Scheme.</p><p>The findings are stark. The abundance of larger moths in Britain decreased by 33% over a 50-year period between 1968-2017. This decline was seen across Britain with a greater loss in the south (39% decrease) than in northern Britain (22% decrease). </p><p>Dr Richard Fox, Associate Director of Recording and Monitoring at Butterfly Conservation and lead author of the report, says:</p><p>"This decline is worrying because moths play a vital role in our ecosystems. They are pollinators of many plants, with some wildflowers, such as orchids, relying on visiting moths for reproduction. They also provide essential food for thousands of animal species, including bats and many familiar birds.</p><p>We’re lucky enough to have almost 900 species of larger moths in Britain (including micromoths, Britain has a total of 2,600 species). Because moths are dwindling, we can be pretty sure that other wildlife is also in decline and that our wider environment is deteriorating."</p><p>So what is happening? Whilst many factors are at work, there is one common factor; human activity.</p><p>Habitat destruction and deterioration from changes in land management and chemical pollution are considered the major causes. With more sympathetic management (e.g. through agri-environment schemes), there can be an increased abundance and species diversity of moths.</p><p>A major factor has been increased light pollution. Artificial light at night has negative effects on individual moths.</p><p>Global warming is also playing its part in the loss. Warmer climates mean species located in southern regions tend to expand further northwards while also causing declines for moths adapted to cooler climates. One example is the Grey Mountain Carpet (<i>Entephria caesiata)</i>, which has seen an 81% decrease in distribution. </p><p>There is hope for the future. Reversing the decline is not impossible. The report contains numerous examples of conservation success for scarce and threatened moths. Work by Butterfly Conservation, its partners and volunteers has shown real results in recent years in reversing species at risk of extinction.</p><p><i>Ray Noble is a chartered biologist and Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology. </i></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Ray Noblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14476882788439008315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8390675846894321560.post-55608944073282980882021-02-27T14:08:00.000+00:002021-02-27T14:08:28.783+00:00The secret life of Giant Pandas<p>Giant pandas, <i>Ailuropoda melanoleuca</i>, have usually been regarded as solitary creatures, coming together only to mate; but recent studies have begun to reveal a secret social life for these enigmatic bears. GPS tracking shows they cross each others path more often than previously thought, and spend time together. What we don't know is what they are doing when together. </p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEhQ6d2TSrfGbGPJa-8s-4Qso3mF5GAFbzIEZlF-EcpDn0OQcqgj2C806MKiRaIRIhyh73Rrz8L15Au6lwXHTyFc04Q4KvQJa_eR6jRgVFTCHFpxYdPws2Sl2XP9-Y2QD89Aa9kAx7W0xt/s2048/sid-balachandran-_9a-3NO5KJE-unsplash.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1363" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEhQ6d2TSrfGbGPJa-8s-4Qso3mF5GAFbzIEZlF-EcpDn0OQcqgj2C806MKiRaIRIhyh73Rrz8L15Au6lwXHTyFc04Q4KvQJa_eR6jRgVFTCHFpxYdPws2Sl2XP9-Y2QD89Aa9kAx7W0xt/s320/sid-balachandran-_9a-3NO5KJE-unsplash.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;">Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@itookthose?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Sid Balachandran</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/pandas?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p>For such large mammals, pandas have relatively small home ranges. Perhaps this is no surprise. Pandas feed almost exclusively on bamboo. The only real threat to pandas has come from humans. No wonder then that the panda is the symbol of the WWF. Pandas communicate with one another through vocalization and scent marking. They spray urine, claw tree trunks and rub against objects to mark their paths, yet they do not appear to be territorial as individuals. </p><p>Pandas are 99% vegetarian, but, oddly, their digestive system is more typical of a carnivore. For the 1% of their diet that isn't bamboo, pandas eat eggs, small animals, carrion, and are known to forage in farmland for pumpkin, kidney beans, wheat and domestic pig food. It is thought these bears switched to eating bamboo, in part because it's extremely abundant and they don't have to fight with other animals to get it. Bamboo is high in fibre but has a low concentration of nutrients. So pandas have to eat 20 to 40 pounds of the stuff every day survive. </p><p>It is not clear if giant pandas are promiscuous, but out of the wild, pandas mate more successfully when they are free to choose their mate. This could also explain the poor breeding success in captivity. This is a significant ingredient in reproductive success across all species, and vital for species adaptation. Reproduction isn't simply about replication, but about change and variability. Charles Darwin also thought this to be a significant selection for survival and evolution. </p><p>Pandas sleep a lot, taking regular naps throughout the day simply lying on the ground or resting up against a tree, balancing on a branch. Much of their time is spent eating. </p><p>The iconic black and white panda is actually the Sichuan giant panda, one of two subspecies. Their recently discovered cousins are the brown-furred Qinling giant pandas. New research published in Science Bulletin has used state-of-the-art technology to genome sequence both subspecies to understand when the Sichuan and Qinling pandas diverged; and why giant pandas have small organs and difficulty reproducing. </p><p>The research concludes that the two subspecies diverged around 10-12 kya (thousand years ago), far more recently than previous estimates of 300 kya. Giant pandas have relatively small organs, including “diminutive penises”. A number of genes associated with reproductive performance, including sperm production and male genitals, exhibited unique evolutionary traits in the giant panda genome, which may be partially to blame for the giant panda’s low reproductive rate.</p><p><i>Ray Noble is a chartered biologist and Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology</i></p><p><br /></p>Ray Noblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14476882788439008315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8390675846894321560.post-43291480949019191152021-01-17T13:08:00.001+00:002021-01-17T13:08:39.252+00:00Quan lo riu de la fontana<iframe style="background-image:url(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/6iSkgpekDUg/hqdefault.jpg)" width="480" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/6iSkgpekDUg" frameborder="0"></iframe>Ray Noblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14476882788439008315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8390675846894321560.post-85094199384087562212020-10-14T18:17:00.005+00:002020-10-14T21:17:17.666+00:00A time for every purpose<p>All life moves. Or, more precisely, all life moves purposefully. This is true even for trees and plants. Movement is essential for maintaining life. Animals migrate; plants disperse. Some form of migration is an ingredient of all life. For many organisms, it is a key function of reproduction. We don't reproduce merely to create a new organism, but also to disperse the population - finding new fertile ground, or resources. Reproduction is a form of migration. Reproduction isn't merely to replicate. Reproduction produces change and diversity. While we may have strong resemblences in families, we also have differences. Creating a difference is how evolution works. In this sense, nature is a continuous exploratory process, finding what works best. Nature senses change and responds. Some of this is immediate and physiological or behavioural; some of it is over generations. </p><p>If we look at a forest over long periods of time, we would see that it shifts. There is a movement over generations. But we see movement in plants on a daily basis. Flowers open and stems bend toward the sun - they are phototropic. As all gardeners know, light is vital to the plant. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6kknpTqjfPn4hmGMj0RGjUY11mDGR1oums0TMe2Wzbl5MloS8YGeCA41q7kVBSBmFkfcp2MLFjnZIDPXHqkQZ84AL4kMvOqi9c6ICP32MxA5Wshg51eLEBFMr33gpcyJqMtP1rv1vK8tk/s1920/robert-thiemann-CmWCMEjnnTM-unsplash.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1277" data-original-width="1920" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6kknpTqjfPn4hmGMj0RGjUY11mDGR1oums0TMe2Wzbl5MloS8YGeCA41q7kVBSBmFkfcp2MLFjnZIDPXHqkQZ84AL4kMvOqi9c6ICP32MxA5Wshg51eLEBFMr33gpcyJqMtP1rv1vK8tk/s320/robert-thiemann-CmWCMEjnnTM-unsplash.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Charles Darwin and his son carried out an elegant experiment on grass stems. They put a cap on the very tip of the young stems. What they found was that the stems no longer bent towards the light. The bending is produced by elongation of the plant cells on one side of the stem. Clearly, some kind of signal was being sent to these cells from the light-sensitive tip. The Danish physiologist, Peter Boysen-Jensen, later showed that this signal was a chemical that travelled down from the tip only on the shaded side of the stem. The tips contain light-sensitive proteins - phototropins - that cause a hormone - auxin - to be transported down the stem. <p></p><p>Day length matters to a plant. Plants are good time-keepers. The Earth spins as it orbits the sun, and it is the measure of day length that really matters. Some plants - short-day plants - such as rice, will only flower when the day length drops below a certain threshold. Others, such as spinach and sugar beet are long-day plants - flowering only when the day length rises above a certain level. In this way, the plants monitor the seasons. Some are day-length neutral. </p><p>Hello, darkness my old friend. We refer to short-day plants, but it is the night that matters - the period of darkness. A short-day plant will only flower if it gets a continuous period of darkness for a given length of time. So, how do plants do this? </p><p>One idea is that it involves a synchrony - a lining up - of an internal physiological clock with the light/dark periodicity. Plants flower when these are in synchrony. But how would this work?</p><p>The plant produces a bloom inducing protein in a rhythmic cycle - the protein production ebbs and flows, but it is usually broken down as soon as it is produced, and this prevents the concentration rising. As the evenings get lighter, this breakdown of the protein is blocked, and the concentration increases and triggers flowering. That is one idea, but plants may have found different ways to solve the problem. </p><p>Production of seed is only half of the solution. Dispersal is a major part of the trick, for which nature has produced a variety of means. And this is where plants use animals - animals move at greater speeds and distance. They may collect and bury nuts; their fur may pick up seed. For plants and trees, animals make ideal dispersal kits. Evolution is an interactive process. </p><p><i>Ray Noble is a chartered biologist and Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology</i></p>Ray Noblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14476882788439008315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8390675846894321560.post-38514702486524728542020-10-02T17:42:00.001+00:002020-10-02T17:42:45.856+00:00A weaver's tail - the harvest mouse<p>Living in the grass is a tiny mouse: the tiny harvest mouse, with a wonderful scientific name that sounds like the title of a Charles Dickens Novel, <i>Micromys minutus. </i>It is the only British mammal with a prehensile tail. It uses its tail to hold on to the slender grass stems, at the tops of which it builds a nest.</p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0AXaG92inW8JO43qfSDm-m_nXQnzQC7F4oyWxeLRhN59_EZmlbKGXKcJcr2ZVj-o2ptgwWUCpMGKZBffo52PuHT6kFZCE9kPy1TQjp034vJ0gKCBDojYKPj8hzhCOHpeokwNy4hjVOUx-/s2048/nick-fewings--dtKoaHpi9M-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0AXaG92inW8JO43qfSDm-m_nXQnzQC7F4oyWxeLRhN59_EZmlbKGXKcJcr2ZVj-o2ptgwWUCpMGKZBffo52PuHT6kFZCE9kPy1TQjp034vJ0gKCBDojYKPj8hzhCOHpeokwNy4hjVOUx-/s320/nick-fewings--dtKoaHpi9M-unsplash.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo: Nick Fewing</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br />These tiny mammals (just around 5 cm long) build a spherical nest of tightly woven grass at the top of tall grasses, in which the female will give birth to about six young. </p><p>In the fields, we see cows and horses brushing away flies with their tails; often they will stand side-by-side and end-to-end, and help each other. Two tails are better than one! In nature, tails are put to good use. Just as a tight-rope walker uses his pole for balance, so for some species, a tail provides balance. When running, a squirrel uses its tail as a counterbalance to help the squirrel steer and turn quickly, and the tail is used aerodynamically in flight. But many animals, such as monkeys and possums, use their tail as an extra limb. Their tail is prehensile; which means it is used to grab hold of things. </p><p>Harvest mice are weavers or basket makers. Shredding grass by pulling it through their teeth, they use the strips to weave a hollow nest, about the size of a tennis ball, about 50 – 100cm above the ground and secured to grass stems. Harvest mice can breed up to three times a year, and build a new nest each time. While the adults will abandon their young once they are weaned, the pups continue to use the nest. </p><p>Harvest mice have many predators: weasels, stoats, foxes, cats, owls, hawks, crows, even pheasants, but another danger is one nature had not foreseen - the combined harvester. </p><p>While the harvest mice are not a species in danger, they are nonetheless on the conservation list as their numbers are thought to be in decline. </p><p>So remember this, when next you are walking in a field. You are walking through the home of the harvest mouse. </p><p><i>Ray Noble is a chartered biologist and Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology</i></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Ray Noblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14476882788439008315noreply@blogger.com0