Litter Summary
Much of the Ocean's pollution has reached the sea floor. The amount is vast and it is being mistaken for food and fish are either adapting to the trash food or dying. "One researcher from the international study team commented: "Most of the deep sea remains unexplored by humans, and these are our first visits to many of these sites, but we were shocked to find that our rubbish has got there before us."
Marine litter throughout the ocean has been documented and known to cause problems for marine mammals and fish when mistaken for food and eaten, or else when it entangles coral and fish—a process known as "ghost fishing."" It is important to take action and try to support litter reducing efforts and understand the effects of this trash disaster.
Litter Reaches Seafloor before Man
"For the first time in the history of human exploration, scientists have found litter is now arriving before man himself. A 10-year large-scale seafloor survey off the European coast has found the widespread presence of bottles, plastic bags, fishing nets and other types of human litter at all sample locations, many previously unvisited.
One researcher from the international study team commented: "Most of the deep sea remains unexplored by humans, and these are our first visits to many of these sites, but we were shocked to find that our rubbish has got there before us."
Marine litter throughout the ocean has been documented and known to cause problems for marine mammals and fish when mistaken for food and eaten, or else when it entangles coral and fish—a process known as "ghost fishing."
However, high cost and variations in sampling methods currently limit scientists' ability to survey litter on the ocean floor in hopes of obtaining a comprehensive analysis.
To better understand the extent and composition of marine litter off the coast of Europe, scientists analysed nearly 600 seafloor transects over 10 years from 32 sites across the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans and in the Mediterranean Sea, at depths ranging from 35 meters to 4.5 kilometers.
Scientists used photos, videos , and trawling to survey or collect seafloor litter. They classified the litter into six categories, including plastic, fishing gear, metal, glass, clinker, and other.
Litter was found at all surveyed locations, ranging from coastal seas to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, 2000 kilometers from land. Litter was also found at all depths, from shallow, 35-meter waters in the Gulf of Lion to 4500-meter waters in Cascais Canyon, Portugal.
The highest litter density occurs in submarine canyons, whilst the lowest density can be found on continental shelves and on ocean ridges. Plastics accounted for 41% of litter and derelict fishing gear 34%. Glass, metal, wood, paper, cardboard, clothing, pottery, and unidentified materials were also observed.
The authors hope these results highlight the extent of ocean litter and the need for action to prevent increasing accumulation of litter in marine environments."(http://www.enn.com/wildlife/article/47339)
Frog Summary
Frog's skin is a very good environmental indicator of environmental toxins and pollutants in the environment. Researchers in colorado have been developing theories about reintroduction of endangered species and the chemicals that kill frog species off.
"We have all these amphibians in captivity now, like the golden frog in Panama, a really beautiful species that is now extinct in the wild," said Douglas Woodhams, a postdoctoral researcher at CU-Boulder and lead author of the paper.
"We want to be able to reintroduce them, but the pathogen that attacked them is still out there," he said. "Now we can determine what probiotic treatment might work best to protect the frogs without infecting them with the pathogen and seeing how many die."
The mucus that coats amphibians is home to a teeming community of microbes and also contains biochemical defenses secreted by the animal itself. The interplay between these microbes -- which include beneficial and pathogenic species of bacteria and fungi -- and the biochemical defenses determine how susceptible the amphibian is to a particular disease."
Unfortunately, amphibians are good environmental indicators but it is important to act after we are aware of these pollutants and issues.
"We have all these amphibians in captivity now, like the golden frog in Panama, a really beautiful species that is now extinct in the wild," said Douglas Woodhams, a postdoctoral researcher at CU-Boulder and lead author of the paper.
"We want to be able to reintroduce them, but the pathogen that attacked them is still out there," he said. "Now we can determine what probiotic treatment might work best to protect the frogs without infecting them with the pathogen and seeing how many die."
The mucus that coats amphibians is home to a teeming community of microbes and also contains biochemical defenses secreted by the animal itself. The interplay between these microbes -- which include beneficial and pathogenic species of bacteria and fungi -- and the biochemical defenses determine how susceptible the amphibian is to a particular disease."
Unfortunately, amphibians are good environmental indicators but it is important to act after we are aware of these pollutants and issues.
Sample of a frog's slimy skin predicts susceptibility to disease
"A simple sample of the protective mucus layer that coats a frog's skin can now be analyzed to determine how susceptible the frog is to disease, thanks to a technique developed by a researcher at the University of Colorado Boulder.
The same method can be used to determine what kind of probiotic skin wash might be most effective at bolstering the frog's defenses without actually exposing the frog to disease, according to a journal article published today in the journal PLOS ONE.
The findings could help scientists successfully reintroduce endangered amphibians into the wild by reducing the chance that the amphibians will be killed by diseases that may have played a role in the species' original declines.
"We have all these amphibians in captivity now, like the golden frog in Panama, a really beautiful species that is now extinct in the wild," said Douglas Woodhams, a postdoctoral researcher at CU-Boulder and lead author of the paper.
"We want to be able to reintroduce them, but the pathogen that attacked them is still out there," he said. "Now we can determine what probiotic treatment might work best to protect the frogs without infecting them with the pathogen and seeing how many die."
The mucus that coats amphibians is home to a teeming community of microbes and also contains biochemical defenses secreted by the animal itself. The interplay between these microbes -- which include beneficial and pathogenic species of bacteria and fungi -- and the biochemical defenses determine how susceptible the amphibian is to a particular disease.
"What we find is that the amphibian skin is really a micro-ecosystem," Woodhams said. "All these things are interacting together."
The research team, led by Woodhams, studied midwife toads, which live in Europe and are highly susceptible to the chytrid fungus, a skin disease that is devastating amphibian populations across the globe.
In the new study, the scientists collected samples from the frogs' skins and then incubated spores from the chytrid fungus in the mucus. The ability of the mucus samples to kill the fungal disease was related to how prevalent the infections were among the frog population in the field as well as the survival rate of frogs raised in the laboratory that were exposed to the disease.
The correlations mean that scientists no longer have to expose frogs to the disease to determine whether the frog is susceptible to it.
"We can assess the risk of disease in different species and populations by this method, and focus resources were they are most needed," Woodhams said. "Now we can just test the mucus to see how susceptible the amphibian is."
The research team also used mucus tests to determine how effective probiotic treatments would be at increasing amphibian defenses against disease in a range of environmental conditions and at a range of life stages.
Because the microbial community in the mucus of each amphibian species differs, adding a particular type of bacteria to the mucus through a probiotic wash will have different impacts on different types of frogs.
To determine which probiotic would work best for which frog, the researchers added the probiotic to the mucus before incubating the fungal spores in the sample. The researchers could then determine the effect of the probiotic by observing whether the spores were able to survive in the mucus or whether they were killed off.
The researchers also found that the survival rate of the fungal spores differed depending on the environmental conditions. For example, the bacteria Serratia plymuthica, which can be found on the skin of midwife toads, is known to fight off fungal infections. But when the researchers increased the temperature at which the fungal spores were incubated in a mucus sample containing the bacteria, the results flipped. An increase of about 5 degrees Celsius caused the bacteria to actually encourage the growth of the fungus instead of inhibiting it.
This type of environmental information can help scientists determine where the best location to reintroduce an endangered amphibian species might be by understanding what environmental conditions might bolster the frog's own defenses, Woodhams said."
Story Source:
The above story is based on materials provided by University of Colorado at Boulder. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
Journal Reference:
Douglas C. Woodhams, Hannelore Brandt, Simone Baumgartner, Jos Kielgast, Eliane Küpfer, Ursina Tobler, Leyla R. Davis, Benedikt R. Schmidt, Christian Bel, Sandro Hodel, Rob Knight, Valerie McKenzie. Interacting Symbionts and Immunity in the Amphibian Skin Mucosome Predict Disease Risk and Probiotic Effectiveness. PLoS ONE, 2014; 9 (4): e96375 DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0096375
The same method can be used to determine what kind of probiotic skin wash might be most effective at bolstering the frog's defenses without actually exposing the frog to disease, according to a journal article published today in the journal PLOS ONE.
The findings could help scientists successfully reintroduce endangered amphibians into the wild by reducing the chance that the amphibians will be killed by diseases that may have played a role in the species' original declines.
"We have all these amphibians in captivity now, like the golden frog in Panama, a really beautiful species that is now extinct in the wild," said Douglas Woodhams, a postdoctoral researcher at CU-Boulder and lead author of the paper.
"We want to be able to reintroduce them, but the pathogen that attacked them is still out there," he said. "Now we can determine what probiotic treatment might work best to protect the frogs without infecting them with the pathogen and seeing how many die."
The mucus that coats amphibians is home to a teeming community of microbes and also contains biochemical defenses secreted by the animal itself. The interplay between these microbes -- which include beneficial and pathogenic species of bacteria and fungi -- and the biochemical defenses determine how susceptible the amphibian is to a particular disease.
"What we find is that the amphibian skin is really a micro-ecosystem," Woodhams said. "All these things are interacting together."
The research team, led by Woodhams, studied midwife toads, which live in Europe and are highly susceptible to the chytrid fungus, a skin disease that is devastating amphibian populations across the globe.
In the new study, the scientists collected samples from the frogs' skins and then incubated spores from the chytrid fungus in the mucus. The ability of the mucus samples to kill the fungal disease was related to how prevalent the infections were among the frog population in the field as well as the survival rate of frogs raised in the laboratory that were exposed to the disease.
The correlations mean that scientists no longer have to expose frogs to the disease to determine whether the frog is susceptible to it.
"We can assess the risk of disease in different species and populations by this method, and focus resources were they are most needed," Woodhams said. "Now we can just test the mucus to see how susceptible the amphibian is."
The research team also used mucus tests to determine how effective probiotic treatments would be at increasing amphibian defenses against disease in a range of environmental conditions and at a range of life stages.
Because the microbial community in the mucus of each amphibian species differs, adding a particular type of bacteria to the mucus through a probiotic wash will have different impacts on different types of frogs.
To determine which probiotic would work best for which frog, the researchers added the probiotic to the mucus before incubating the fungal spores in the sample. The researchers could then determine the effect of the probiotic by observing whether the spores were able to survive in the mucus or whether they were killed off.
The researchers also found that the survival rate of the fungal spores differed depending on the environmental conditions. For example, the bacteria Serratia plymuthica, which can be found on the skin of midwife toads, is known to fight off fungal infections. But when the researchers increased the temperature at which the fungal spores were incubated in a mucus sample containing the bacteria, the results flipped. An increase of about 5 degrees Celsius caused the bacteria to actually encourage the growth of the fungus instead of inhibiting it.
This type of environmental information can help scientists determine where the best location to reintroduce an endangered amphibian species might be by understanding what environmental conditions might bolster the frog's own defenses, Woodhams said."
Story Source:
The above story is based on materials provided by University of Colorado at Boulder. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
Journal Reference:
Douglas C. Woodhams, Hannelore Brandt, Simone Baumgartner, Jos Kielgast, Eliane Küpfer, Ursina Tobler, Leyla R. Davis, Benedikt R. Schmidt, Christian Bel, Sandro Hodel, Rob Knight, Valerie McKenzie. Interacting Symbionts and Immunity in the Amphibian Skin Mucosome Predict Disease Risk and Probiotic Effectiveness. PLoS ONE, 2014; 9 (4): e96375 DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0096375
TUSKS Summary
Authorities in Togo seized many containers of elephant tusks. They were disguised as nuts and timber but the ivory was recovered. "The international trade in ivory has been banned but conservationists say African elephants are being poached at an alarming rate, especially in Central Africa.
The United Nations warned last year that the ivory trade had become an important source of funding for armed groups and was a growing security concern, especially in Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad and Gabon." The illegal ivory trade it decimating the elephant population. In Togo there are only 115 elephants. It is important to be aware of this illicit trade and be aware of the very permanent fate people are spelling out for elephant populations.
TUSKS
By John Zodzi, Reuters
Authorities in Togo have seized nearly 4 tons of ivory — the tusks from over 500 dead elephants — hidden in containers destined for Vietnam, officials said on Monday. The tusks, disguised as cashew nuts and timber, were found late last month, underscoring a flow of ivory to Asia that environmentalists warn is decimating elephant populations and diplomats say also risks fueling conflict in Africa.
Kotchikya Okoumassou, a senior official in Togo's environment ministry, said the tusks were found in two seizures in the port of Lome, one on Jan. 22 and another on Jan. 28.
Some 500 elephants would have been killed in the haul, which has a value of around $8 million on the international market, he added.
Two locals and a man from Vietnam, where the containers were headed to, were arrested but it was not clear where the ivory came from.
"Togo only has 115 elephants so it is clear that the ivory did not come from here," Okoumassou said.
The international trade in ivory has been banned but conservationists say African elephants are being poached at an alarming rate, especially in Central Africa.
The United Nations warned last year that the ivory trade had become an important source of funding for armed groups and was a growing security concern, especially in Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad and Gabon.
Elephants are hunted for their tusks, which are mainly used for carvings but are also used in traditional medicines.
The demand mainly comes from Asia, home to growing economies that are increasingly expanding into Africa." (http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2014/02/03/22559096-togo-seizes-tusks-of-500-dead-elephants-hidden-in-cargo-bound-for-vietnam?lite)
Natural Gas Summary
Polls have shown that younger Americans are more apt to support natural gas exports than older populations. Energy exports are very important to be aware of and be educated about because a lot our our energy is imported. "The first thing I notice is that younger Americans are much more likely to support natural gas export than older Americans. It makes me wonder if this may reflect older respondents’ memories of living through the 1970s energy crisis." Most environmental impacts are very political and it is important to stay informed.
"Younger Americans More Supportive of Exporting Natural Gas Than Older Americans"
"The infographic above shows a snapshot of current survey responses collected March 3-17 among 2,133 U.S. residents aged 18 and older*.
The first thing I notice is that younger Americans are much more likely to support natural gas export than older Americans. It makes me wonder if this may reflect older respondents’ memories of living through the 1970s energy crisis.
Republicans and Libertarians are also more likely than Democrats and Independents to support natural gas export, but age seems to be the most influential factor we observe in the data.
Looking at the data over time [not pictured], support for export has increased during the past year from 28 to 37 percent. Meanwhile, the percentage of Americans who disagree has decreased from 39 to 28 percent. Still, nearly one third of Americans remain neutral, which is not surprising giving energy literacy among the publicremains low.
Why are we seeing increased support for natural gas export? It’s possible that these trends may reflect the current media attention to Russian energy and the crisis in Ukraine. We can’t be sure, but it will be interesting to see the Fall data in six months…
* Data from the poll were weighted for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income based on U.S. Census Bureau figures, as well as propensity scores, to ensure the sample’s composition reflects the actual U.S. population. MOE for this wave is 3.0"
Amazon Summary
The Amazon is a very important place for all forms of life. It absorbs lots of carbon, provides us with medicine and is home to many endangered species. Because of its size and diversity it is a good area to study. There has been a lot of destruction and deforestation thus, causing lots of extreme weather conditions. Scientists have been studying the Amazon to predict what will happen to other ecosystems in terms of deforestation and climate change. It is important to study these issues and then act on them because the more we take from ecosystems and do not replenish, the more danger and harm people are creating.
"Amazon studied to predict impact of climate change"
"Three extreme weather events in the Amazon Basin in the last decade are giving scientists an opportunity to make observations that will allow them to predict the impacts of climate change and deforestation on some of the most important ecological processes and ecosystem services of the Amazon River wetlands.
Scientists from Virginia Tech, the Woods Hole Research Center, and the University of California, Santa Barbara, funded by NASA, are collaborating with Brazilian scientists to explore the ecosystem consequences of the extreme droughts of 2005 and 2010 and the extreme flood of 2009.
"The research fills an important gap in our understanding of the vulnerability of tropical river-forest systems to changes in climate and land cover," said the project's leader, Leandro Castello, assistant professor of fish and wildlife conservation in Virginia Tech's College of Natural Resources and Environment.
The huge study area encompasses 1.7 million square miles, the equivalent of half of the continental United States.
In addition to historical records and ground observations, the researchers will use newly available Earth System Data Records from NASA -- satellite images of the Amazon and its tributaries over the complete high- and low-water cycles.
NASA is funding the study with a $1.53 million grant shared among the three institutions.
"Amazon floodplains and river channels -- maintained by seasonal floods -- promote nutrient cycling and high biological production, and support diverse biological communities as well as human populations with one of the highest per capita rates of fish consumption," said Castello.
The researchers will look at how the natural seasonality of river levels influences aquatic and terrestrial grasses, fisheries, and forest productivity in the floodplains, and how extreme events such as floods and droughts may disturb this cycle.
"We are confident that deforestation and climate change will, in the future, lead to more frequent and severe floods and droughts," said Michael Coe, a senior scientist at the Woods Hole Research Center. "It is important that we understand how the Amazon River and ecosystem services such as fisheries are affected so that we can devise mitigation strategies."
Amazonian grasses, sometimes called macrophytes, convert atmospheric carbon to plant biomass, which is then processed by aquatic microorganisms upon decomposition.
"Terrestrial grasses grow during the short window when water levels are low, sequestering some carbon, and then die when the floods arrive, releasing the carbon into the aquatic system," said Thiago Silva, an assistant professor of geography at São Paulo State University in Rio Claro, Brazil. "They are followed by aquatic grasses that need to grow extremely fast to surpass the rising floods and then die off during the receding-water period."
"Although most of the macrophyte carbon is released back to the atmosphere in the same form that it is assimilated, carbon dioxide, some of it is actually exported to the ocean as dissolved carbon or released to the atmosphere as methane, a gas that has a warming potential 20 times larger than carbon dioxide," said John Melack, a professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Researchers will measure plant growth and gas exchange, and use photographs from the field and satellites.
Two other Amazon resources -- fisheries and forests -- are important to the livelihood of the people of the region.
"We will combine water level, fishing effort, and fish life-history traits to understand the impact of droughts and floods on fishery yields," said Castello, whose specialty is Amazon fisheries. "Floods in the Amazon are almost a blessing because in some years they can almost double the amount of fish in the river that is available for fishermen and society."
The fishery data include approximately 90,000 annual interview records of fisheries activities on the number of fishers, time spent fishing, characteristics of fishing boats and gear used, and weight of the catch for 40 species. The hydrological data include daily water level measurements recorded in the Madeira, Purus, and Amazonas-Solimões rivers.
The researchers will examine the potential impact of future climate scenarios on the extent and productivity of floodplain forests -- those enriched by rising waters, called whitewater river forests, and nutrient-poor blackwater river forests.
For example, extreme droughts may reduce productivity due to water stress and increases in the frequency and severity of forest fires. Prolonged periods of inundation, on the other hand, may decrease productivity or increase mortality due to water-logging stress.
"We will evaluate these responses for the first time at a regional scale using remotely sensed indicators of vegetation condition and fire-induced tree mortality to measure the response of floodplain forests to inter-annual flood variability and extreme climate events," said Marcia Macedo, a research associate at the Woods Hole Research Center.
Researchers will measure tree litter dry weight, depth of flooding, tree height and diameter, and stand density. They will also use photographs and satellite images.
Previous research has focused on Amazon upland forests and the potential impacts of deforestation, fire, and drought. The research team will compare new greenhouse gas simulations to previous simulations.
"Our research informs large river ecology globally because natural flowing rivers like the Amazon are rare these days, and most research to date, being done in North America and Europe, has focused on degraded systems," Castello said."(http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/04/140401210250.htm)
Kangaroo Summary
Greenhouse gasses are a big issue. Especially in the Unites States, we consume large amounts of methane producing animals and humans produce methane as well. This cycle is a issue and can be very negative for our environment. However, scientists have realized that the wild eastern gray kangaroos do not produce a large amount of methane and they are curious as to why. It seems as if it is a bacteria in their digestive organs that is responsible for this miracle. It would be great to mimic this and eventually have our livestock produce less methane.
"Kangaroos have ‘green’ farts"
"Nearly all animals burp and fart. Kangaroos, however, are special. The gas they pass is easy on the planet. Some might even call it “green” because it contains less methane than emissions from other grass grazers, such as cows and goats. Scientists now credit the ‘roos low-methane toots to the bacteria living inside their digestive tracts.
These researchers hope their new finding could lead to tips for cutting methane emissions from farm animals.
Some chemicals in the atmosphere, known as greenhouse gases, trap incoming heat from the sun. This leads to warming at the Earth’s surface. Methane is one of the most potent of these greenhouse gases. Its impact on global warming is more than 20 times greater than that of carbon dioxide, the best-known greenhouse gas.
Cutting the methane released by livestock could slow global warming. Scott Godwin works for the Queensland Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry in Brisbane, Australia. He and his coworkers thought studying the germs responsible for kangaroos’ flatulence (ahem, farts) might offer clues on how to do this.
To sniff out the kangaroo's secret, the microbiologists collected microbes from the digestive tracts of three wild eastern gray kangaroos. They also collected microbes from cows.
These microbes had been dining on the animals’ last grassy meals. The scientists placed the microbes in glass bottles and let them continue to break down the grasses. The bugs do it through a process known as fermentation.
In many animals, this fermentation creates two gases, carbon dioxide and hydrogen. But in animals like cows and goats, other microbes called methanogens gobble up those substances and turn them into methane.
In the kangaroo experiment, the scientists did find some of those methane-making microbes. But some other germs were active too, they reported March 13 in ISME Journal. One key hint: The gas produced by 'roo microbes smelled unusual — like manure with a bit of vinegar and parmesan cheese.
Among the kangaroos’ microbes were acetogens. These microbes take in carbon dioxide and hydrogen — but make no methane. They instead produce a substance called acetate.
Acetogens compete with methanogens in the digestive tracts of animals. Methanogens usually win, Peter Janssen told Science News. He’s a microbiologist at the New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre in Palmerston North. He did not take part in the new study.
In kangaroos, though, the acetogens often win the battle, the researchers report. The result is fairly low levels of methane.
The new research does not fully explain the greener gas of kangaroos, Janssen says. In fact, it raises questions about why methanogens don't always win out in kangaroos.
“It’s an important first study,” he says, and the research offers a clue about where to look for answers.
Acetogens also live in the digestive tract of cows, Godwin told Science News. If scientists could find a way to give their acetogens an edge over their methanogens, cows too might produce low-methane farts and burps." (https://student.societyforscience.org/article/kangaroos-have-green-farts)
"Country, the City Version: Farms in the Sky Gain New Interest"
“What if “eating local” in Shanghai or New York meant getting your fresh produce from five blocks away? And what if skyscrapers grew off the grid, as verdant, self-sustaining towers where city slickers cultivated their own food?
Dickson Despommier, a professor of public health at Columbia University, hopes to make these zucchini-in-the-sky visions a reality. Dr. Despommier’s pet project is the “vertical farm,” a concept he created in 1999 with graduate students in his class on medical ecology, the study of how the environment and human health interact.
The idea, which has captured the imagination of several architects in the United States and Europe in the past several years, just caught the eye of another big city dreamer: Scott M. Stringer, the Manhattan borough president.
When Mr. Stringer heard about the concept in June, he said he immediately pictured a “food farm” addition to the New York City skyline. “Obviously we don’t have vast amounts of vacant land,” he said in a phone interview. “But the sky is the limit in Manhattan.” Mr. Stringer’s office is “sketching out what it would take to pilot a vertical farm,” and plans to pitch a feasibility study to the mayor’s office within the next couple of months, he said.
“I think we can really do this,” he added. “We could get the funding.”
Dr. Despommier estimates that it would cost $20 million to $30 million to make a prototype of a vertical farm, but hundreds of millions to build one of the 30-story towers that he suggests could feed 50,000 people. “I’m viewed as kind of an outlier because it’s kind of a crazy idea,” Dr. Despommier, 68, said with a chuckle. “You’d think these are mythological creatures.”
Dr. Despommier, whose name in French means “of the apple trees,” has been spreading the seeds of his radical idea in lectures and through his Web site. He says his ideas are supported by hydroponic vegetable research done byNASA and are made more feasible by the potential to use sun, wind and wastewater as energy sources. Several observers have said Dr. Despommier’s sky-high dreams need to be brought down to earth.
“Why does it have to be 30 stories?” said Jerry Kaufman, professor emeritus of urban and regional planning at theUniversity of Wisconsin, Madison. “Why can’t it be six stories? There’s some exciting potential in the concept, but I think he overstates what can be done.”
Armando Carbonell, chairman of the department of planning and urban form at the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy in Cambridge, Mass., called the idea “very provocative.” But it requires a rigorous economic analysis, he added. “Would a tomato in lower Manhattan be able to outbid an investment banker for space in a high-rise? My bet is that the investment banker will pay more.”
Mr. Carbonell questions if a vertical farm could deliver the energy savings its supporters promise. “There’s embodied energy in the concrete and steel and in construction,” he said, adding that the price of land in the city would still outweigh any savings from not having to transport food from afar. “I believe that this general relationship is going to hold, even as transportation costs go up and carbon costs get incorporated into the economic system.”
Some criticism is quite helpful. Stephen Colbert jokingly asserted that vertical farming was elitist when Dr. Despommier appeared in June on “The Colbert Report,” a visit that led to a jump in hits to the project’s Web site from an average of 400 daily to 400,000 the day after the show. Dr. Despommier agrees that more research is needed, and calls the energy calculations his students made for the farms, which would rely solely on alternative energy, “a little bit too optimistic.” He added, “I’m a biologist swimming in very deep water right now.”
“If I were to set myself as a certifier of vertical farms, I would begin with security,” he said. “How do you keep insects and bacteria from invading your crops?” He says growing food in climate-controlled skyscrapers would also protect against hail and other weather-related hazards, ensuring a higher quality food supply for a city, without pesticides or chemical fertilizers.
Architects’ renderings of vertical farms — hybrids of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and Biosphere 2 with SimCity appeal — seem to be stirring interest. “It also has to be stunning in terms of the architecture, because it needs to work in terms of social marketing,” Dr. Despommier said. “You want people to say, ‘I want that in my backyard.’ ”
Augustin Rosenstiehl, a French architect who worked with Dr. Despommier to design a template “living tower,” said he thought that any vertical farm proposal needed to be adapted to a specific place. Mr. Rosenstiehl, principal architect for Atelier SOA in Paris, said: “We cannot do a project without knowing where and why and what we are going to cultivate. For example, in Paris, if you grow some wheat, it’s stupid because we have big fields all around the city and lots of wheat and it’s good wheat. There’s no reason to build towers that are very expensive.”
Despite its potential problems, the idea of bringing food closer to the city is gaining traction among pragmatists and dreamers alike. A smaller-scale design of a vertical farm for downtown Seattle won a regional green building contest in 2007 and has piqued the interest of officials in Portland, Ore. The building, a Center for Urban Agriculture designed by architects at Mithun, would supply about a third of the food needed for the 400 people who would live there.
In June at P.S.1 Contemporary Arts Center in Queens, a husband-wife architect team built a solar-powered outdoor farm out of stacked rows of cardboard tube planters — one that would not meet Dr. Despommier’s security requirements — with chicken coops for egg collection and an array of fruits and vegetables.
For Dr. Despommier, the high-rise version is on the horizon. “It’s very idealistic and ivory tower and all of that,” he said. “But there’s a real desire to make this happen.”(http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/15/science/15farm.html?action=click&module=Search®ion=searchResults%230&version=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fquery.nytimes.com%2Fsearch%2Fsitesearch%2F%3Faction%3Dclick%26region%3DMasthead%26pgtype%3DHomepage%26module%3DSearchSubmit%26contentCollection%3DHomepage%26t%3Dqry142%23%2Fvertical+farm&_r=0)
Emissions and Vertical Farming Summary
Farming has been a symbol of wholesome America, fresh milk, corn on the cob, tractors and big red barns along the blue horizon, for a very long time. However, these picturesque ideals of the all American family farm have been replaced with dangerous growing conditions for animals and plants, and the ammonia emissions are exceeding the "healthy" amount for the environment. The land is overused and not used in an efficient way. The manure that is produced from animals and then used to fertilize crops is polluting the air and water. People should look to other options, such as vertical farming. Vertical Farming is the future of our food source. It is highly productive and is the best way to always have a successful yield. The conditions are controllable therefore, the vegetables can be grown in the exact conditions the farmer wants, the trade can provide lots of jobs and the entire operation can be run off of renewable energy.
"Cost of agriculture related emissions outweigh benefits"
"Revenues associated with ammonia pollution generated by agriculture for export equate to higher than expected health care costs according to Harvard researchers Fabien Paulot and Daniel Jacob. The NASA funded study used computer models to identify harmful ammonia emissions created by the interaction of agriculturally generated ammonia in the atmosphere. It calculates health costs associated with harmful agricultural emissions to be $36 billion a year — equal to about half the revenue generated by those same exports — or $100 per kilogram of ammonia.
The new estimate is about double the current estimate by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which suggests a cost of $47 per kilogram of ammonia. The scientists say the new estimate is on the high end of the spectrum, which reflects the need for more research into characterizing the relationship between agricultural ammonia emissions and the formation of the harmful fine particulate matter — a relationship that's not as straightforward as previous estimates assumed.
"The effect of ammonia on fine particulate is complex, and we believe that the models previously used in the United States to price ammonia emissions have not captured this well," Paulot said.
Manure from livestock and fertilizer for crops release ammonia to the atmosphere. In the air, ammonia mixes with other emissions to form microscopic airborne particles, or particulates. The particulates that pose the greatest health risk are those that measure no more than 2.5 micrometers across, or about 1/30 the width of a human hair, which when inhaled can become lodged deep within the lungs. Long-term exposure has been linked to heart and lung diseases and even death. As such, the particles are on the list of six common air pollutants regulated by EPA's National Ambient Air Quality Standards.
An increase in ammonia, however, does not translate to an equal increase in particulates. The relationship depends on meteorology as well as the concentration of other precursors to particulate formation, such as sulfate and nitric acid.
To clarify the effect of ammonia on fine particulates, Paulot and Jacob first modeled the agricultural sources of ammonia emissions utilizing a relatively new ammonia emissions inventory. Next they used the NASA GEOS-Chem model of atmospheric composition to simulate the complex chemistry that converts agricultural emissions — in this case ammonia — into fine particulate matter.
This information was then combined with food export data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, averaged from 2000 to 2009. Results show that U.S. food exports account for 11 percent of the total U.S. emissions of ammonia."(http://www.enn.com/pollution/article/47226)
Shielding Summary
After an asteroid in Russia, the U.N. has made it a priority to focus on protecting the earth from asteroids. The Association of Space Explorers has recognized this looming issue and they are trying to seek out asteroid trajectories and alter them to preserve human kind essentially.
U.N. Shielding Earth from Asteroids
"The U.N. is taking first steps to curb the risk of wayward asteroids
This article was originally published with the title "Put Up the Earth Shield."When a meteor exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia, last February, the world's space agencies found out along with the rest of us, on Twitter and YouTube. That, former astronaut Ed Lu says, is unacceptable—and the United Nations agrees.
In October the U.N. General Assembly approved a set of measures to limit the dangers of rogue asteroids. The U.N. plans to set up an International Asteroid Warning Group for member nations to share information about potentially hazardous space rocks. If astronomers detect a threatening asteroid, the U.N.'s Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space will help coordinate a mission to deflect it.
Lu and other members of the Association of Space Explorers (ASE) had recommended that the U.N. take those first steps toward addressing the problem of wayward asteroids. The ASE has also asked the U.N. to coordinate a practice asteroid-deflection mission to test the technologies for pushing a rock off course before such tactics become necessary.
The ASE urges that each country delegate asteroid duties to a specific internal agency. “No government in the world today has explicitly assigned the responsibility for planetary protection to any of its agencies,” said ASE member and Apollo 9 astronaut Rusty Schweickart during a public discussion in October at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.
The next key step in defending Earth is to identify the menacing objects. “There are about one million asteroids large enough to destroy New York,” Lu said at the meeting. “Our challenge is to find these asteroids first, before they find us.”
The B612 Foundation, a nonprofit Lu created to tackle the problem of asteroid impacts, is developing a privately funded space telescope called Sentinel. The telescope's sensitivity to infrared light—the heat given off by objects warmed by the sun—should enable it to spot a large number of truly menacing asteroids, but smaller bodies, such as the one that hit over Chelyabinsk, will remain mostly unseen.
Early detection is important because it increases the chance of being able to deflect a giant asteroid before impact. If a spacecraft were rammed into an asteroid five or 10 years before the rock was due to hit Earth, the slight orbital alteration should be enough to ensure a miss.
The impact over Chelyabinsk, which injured 1,000 people, was a warning shot, American Museum of Natural History astronomer Neil deGrasse Tyson said at the discussion. Now it's time for Earth's citizens to take action." (http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/un-heeds-astronaut-advice-on-shielding-earth-from-asteroids/)
Algae's viability as a biofuel advanced
"Lab success doesn't always translate to real-world success. A team of Michigan State University scientists, however, has invented a new technology that increases the odds of helping algae-based biofuels cross that gap and come closer to reality.
The current issue of Algal Research showcases the team's invention -- the environmental photobioreactor. The ePBR system is the world's first standard algae growing platform, one that simulates dynamic natural environments.Simply put, ePBR is a pond in a jar that helps identify, cultivate and test algal strains that have the potential to make the leap from lab to pond, proliferate in real-world, real-pond settings and produce the most oil.
Many scientists around the globe are looking for strains of algae that could become a sustainable source of alternative energy. A vexing problem they face, however, is that algal strains that perform well in labs often get stomped when it's time to scale-up the experiment, said Ben Lucker, MSU research associate.
"It's like training elementary kids to be really good pingpong players," he said. "But then they take the kids and throw them into a football game against professional players; in those settings, they simply can't compete at all."
The ePBRs, which subsequently help make algae biofuel research more desirable to investors, were the brainchild of David Kramer, Hannah Distinguished Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at MSU.
Kramer's lab is like no other. Even though it's housed among other plant biologists, it could be mistaken for an electronics factory. The benches are covered with wires, soldering irons and printed circuit boards. There are even few early prototypes that provide a history of ePBR's progress.
The latest models glow green and whir quietly as they test various strains. By allowing scientists to duplicate natural settings in a lab, ePBRs eliminate many variables before scaling up. The bioreactors are about the size of coffee makers and can induce changes in light, temperature, carbon dioxide, oxygen, evaporation, nutrient availability and more.
The ePBR system also can duplicate and confirm results from experiments conducted anywhere in the world. It replaces home-built growing platforms made from flasks, tubing, aluminum foil and grow lights and gives researchers a tool that can consistently replicate conditions and reproduce results, Lucker said.
The potential of ePBRs has already inspired the launch of a company, Phenometrics, an MSU spinoff headquartered in Lansing. The company is merely two years old, but steady orders for the bioreactors have the company already running in the black.
Additional MSU scientists who were part of this study include Christopher Hall and Robert Zegarac.
Kramer's work is funded in part by the U.S. Department of Energy and MSU AgBioResearch"(http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140226101825.htm)
The current issue of Algal Research showcases the team's invention -- the environmental photobioreactor. The ePBR system is the world's first standard algae growing platform, one that simulates dynamic natural environments.Simply put, ePBR is a pond in a jar that helps identify, cultivate and test algal strains that have the potential to make the leap from lab to pond, proliferate in real-world, real-pond settings and produce the most oil.
Many scientists around the globe are looking for strains of algae that could become a sustainable source of alternative energy. A vexing problem they face, however, is that algal strains that perform well in labs often get stomped when it's time to scale-up the experiment, said Ben Lucker, MSU research associate.
"It's like training elementary kids to be really good pingpong players," he said. "But then they take the kids and throw them into a football game against professional players; in those settings, they simply can't compete at all."
The ePBRs, which subsequently help make algae biofuel research more desirable to investors, were the brainchild of David Kramer, Hannah Distinguished Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at MSU.
Kramer's lab is like no other. Even though it's housed among other plant biologists, it could be mistaken for an electronics factory. The benches are covered with wires, soldering irons and printed circuit boards. There are even few early prototypes that provide a history of ePBR's progress.
The latest models glow green and whir quietly as they test various strains. By allowing scientists to duplicate natural settings in a lab, ePBRs eliminate many variables before scaling up. The bioreactors are about the size of coffee makers and can induce changes in light, temperature, carbon dioxide, oxygen, evaporation, nutrient availability and more.
The ePBR system also can duplicate and confirm results from experiments conducted anywhere in the world. It replaces home-built growing platforms made from flasks, tubing, aluminum foil and grow lights and gives researchers a tool that can consistently replicate conditions and reproduce results, Lucker said.
The potential of ePBRs has already inspired the launch of a company, Phenometrics, an MSU spinoff headquartered in Lansing. The company is merely two years old, but steady orders for the bioreactors have the company already running in the black.
Additional MSU scientists who were part of this study include Christopher Hall and Robert Zegarac.
Kramer's work is funded in part by the U.S. Department of Energy and MSU AgBioResearch"(http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140226101825.htm)
Logging Summary
Mozambique has an extremely lucrative issue. The illegal logging there is a huge money maker but the forests are being cut down at a rapid pace. At the rate these illegal companies are going there will not be any more forest growth for the coming generations. A lot of the world's lumber is stolen and cut down illegally. This logging is an environmental problem and a political danger.
Illegal logging threatens sustainability in Mozambique
"Illegal logging has spiked over the past five years in Mozambique, finds a new report by researchers at the University of Eduardo Mondlane. The report, published on the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization's web site, assesses timber production, consumption, and exports, finding that nearly two-thirds of logging is currently illegal. The report notes that harvesting is exceeding sustainable levels, threatening the long-term viability of the industry and putting local livelihoods at risk.
Forestry expert Sam Lawson, who assisted with the study, estimates that $250 million of illegal timber is cut each year, depriving the country of important tax revenue that could go toward law enforcement and better forest management.
Lawson adds that the report "is especially timely" because the official who has presided over the country's forests during the period — Minister of Agriculture Jose Pacheco — is on the shortlist of Presidential candidates who may stand in the election scheduled for later this year. An investigation last year linked Pacheco to a major timber smuggler, but the minister denied wrongdoing.
The report was immediately welcomed by NGO's who went on to call for forestry reform in the country.
"The Government can no longer deny or ignore the frightening extent of the problem. For years civil society has been asking for urgente action before Mozambique’s forests cease to exist," said Anabela Lemos of Justica Ambiental, a Mozambican NGO, in a press release. "Various studies were produced from national and international NGOS, and all of them reached the same conclusion. As such, we cannot understand the lack of action from our Government."
The report concludes with a call for a moratorium on new logging licenses; greater transparency from the government on forestry information; and the establishment of an independent forestry watchdog.
According to data published by researchers last year, Mozambique lost more than two million hectares of forest between 2000 and 2012."(http://www.enn.com/wildlife/article/47108)
Leaching Summary
The chemicals used in food processing can be extremely harmful. People who handle the food and process it can be harmed over time. Scientists are warning against these highly packaged and treated consumption products. They are concerned about the long term effects of chemical exposure. The chemicals leach into the food and our bodies absorb the chemicals and they stay in our bodies.
"The synthetic chemicals used in the packaging, storage, and processing of foodstuffs might be harmful to human health over the long term, warn environmental scientists in a commentary in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.
Despite the fact that some of these chemicals are regulated, people who eat packaged or processed foods are likely to be chronically exposed to low levels of these substances throughout their lives, say the authors.
And far too little is known about their long term impact, including at crucial stages of human development, such as in the womb, which is "surely not justified on scientific grounds," the authors claim.
They point out that lifelong exposure to food contact materials or FCMs -- substances used in packaging, storage, processing, or preparation equipment -- "is a cause for concern for several reasons."
These include the fact that known toxicants, such as formaldehyde, a cancer causing substance, are legally used in these materials. Formaldehyde is widely present, albeit at low levels, in plastic bottles used for fizzy drinks and melamine tableware.
Secondly, other chemicals known to disrupt hormone production also crop up in FCMs, including bisphenol A, tributyltin, triclosan, and phthalates.
"Whereas the science for some of these substances is being debated and policy makers struggle to satisfy the needs of stakeholders, consumers remain exposed to these chemicals daily, mostly unknowingly," the authors point out.
And, thirdly, the total number of known chemical substances used intentionally in FCMs exceeds 4000.
Furthermore, potential cellular changes caused by FCMs, and in particular, those with the capacity to disrupt hormones, are not even being considered in routine toxicology analysis, which prompts the authors to suggest that this "casts serious doubts on the adequacy of chemical regulatory procedures."
They admit that establishing potential cause and effect as a result of lifelong and largely invisible exposure to FCMs will be no easy task, largely because there are no unexposed populations to compare with, and there are likely to be wide differences in exposure levels among individuals and across certain population groups.
But some sort of population-based assessment and biomonitoring are urgently needed to tease out any potential links between food contact chemicals and chronic conditions like cancer, obesity, diabetes, neurological and inflammatory disorders, particularly given the known role of environmental pollutants, they argue.
"Since most foods are packaged, and the entire population is likely to be exposed, it is of utmost importance that gaps in knowledge are reliably and rapidly filled," they urge."(http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140219205215.htm)
And far too little is known about their long term impact, including at crucial stages of human development, such as in the womb, which is "surely not justified on scientific grounds," the authors claim.
They point out that lifelong exposure to food contact materials or FCMs -- substances used in packaging, storage, processing, or preparation equipment -- "is a cause for concern for several reasons."
These include the fact that known toxicants, such as formaldehyde, a cancer causing substance, are legally used in these materials. Formaldehyde is widely present, albeit at low levels, in plastic bottles used for fizzy drinks and melamine tableware.
Secondly, other chemicals known to disrupt hormone production also crop up in FCMs, including bisphenol A, tributyltin, triclosan, and phthalates.
"Whereas the science for some of these substances is being debated and policy makers struggle to satisfy the needs of stakeholders, consumers remain exposed to these chemicals daily, mostly unknowingly," the authors point out.
And, thirdly, the total number of known chemical substances used intentionally in FCMs exceeds 4000.
Furthermore, potential cellular changes caused by FCMs, and in particular, those with the capacity to disrupt hormones, are not even being considered in routine toxicology analysis, which prompts the authors to suggest that this "casts serious doubts on the adequacy of chemical regulatory procedures."
They admit that establishing potential cause and effect as a result of lifelong and largely invisible exposure to FCMs will be no easy task, largely because there are no unexposed populations to compare with, and there are likely to be wide differences in exposure levels among individuals and across certain population groups.
But some sort of population-based assessment and biomonitoring are urgently needed to tease out any potential links between food contact chemicals and chronic conditions like cancer, obesity, diabetes, neurological and inflammatory disorders, particularly given the known role of environmental pollutants, they argue.
"Since most foods are packaged, and the entire population is likely to be exposed, it is of utmost importance that gaps in knowledge are reliably and rapidly filled," they urge."(http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140219205215.htm)
Made in China Summary
People are consumers and now we are especially consumers of amenities. Goods that we have outsourced to other countries, such as televisions, are creating huge amounts of pollution in China and it is blowing across the pacific to poison us. China does not have strict pollution laws and there are obviously a lot of factories. People really need to think about supply and demand and buy locally.
"Made in China for Us: Air Pollution Tied to Exports"
"Jan. 20, 2014 — Chinese air pollution blowing across the Pacific Ocean is often caused by the manufacturing of goods for export to the U.S. and Europe, according to findings by UC Irvine and other researchers published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study is the first to quantify how much pollution reaching the American West Coast is from the production in China of cellphones, televisions and other consumer items imported here and elsewhere."We've outsourced our manufacturing and much of our pollution, but some of it is blowing back across the Pacific to haunt us," said UC Irvine Earth system scientist Steve Davis, a co-author. "Given the complaints about how Chinese pollution is corrupting other countries' air, this paper shows that there may be plenty of blame to go around."Los Angeles, for instance, experiences at least one extra day a year of smog that exceeds federal ozone limits because of nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide emitted by Chinese factories making goods for export, the analysis found. On other days, as much as a quarter of the sulfate pollution on the U.S. West Coast is tied to Chinese exports. All the contaminants tracked in the study are key ingredients in unhealthy smog and soot.China is not responsible for the lion's share of pollution in the U.S. Cars, trucks and refineries pump out far more. But powerful global winds known as "westerlies" can push airborne chemicals across the ocean in days, particularly during the spring, causing dangerous spikes in contaminants. Dust, ozone and carbon can accumulate in valleys and basins in California and other Western states.Black carbon is a particular problem: Rain doesn't easily wash it out of the atmosphere, so it persists across long distances. Like other air pollutants, it's been linked to a litany of health problems, from increased asthma to cancer, emphysema, and heart and lung disease.The study authors suggest the findings could be used to more effectively negotiate clean-air treaties. China's huge ramp-up of industrial activity in recent years, combined with poor pollution controls, has unleashed often fierce international debates."When you buy a product at Wal-Mart," noted Davis, an assistant professor, "it has to be manufactured somewhere. The product doesn't contain the pollution, but creating it caused the pollution."He and his fellow researchers conclude: "International cooperation to reduce transboundary transport of air pollution must confront the question of who is responsible for emissions in one country during production of goods to support consumption in another."
"World's First Magma-Enhanced Geothermal System Created in Iceland"
"Jan. 23, 2014 — In 2009, a borehole drilled at Krafla, northeast Iceland, as part of the Icelandic Deep Drilling Project (IDDP), unexpectedly penetrated into magma (molten rock) at only 2100 meters depth, with a temperature of 900-1000 C. The borehole, IDDP-1, was the first in a series of wells being drilled by the IDDP in Iceland in the search for high-temperature geothermal resources. The January 2014 issue of the international journal Geothermics is dedicated to scientific and engineering results arising from that unusual occurrence. This issue is edited by Wilfred Elders, a professor emeritus of geology at the University of California, Riverside, who also co-authored three of the research papers in the special issue with Icelandic colleagues."Drilling into magma is a very rare occurrence anywhere in the world and this is only the second known instance, the first one, in 2007, being in Hawaii," Elders said. "The IDDP, in cooperation with Iceland's National Power Company, the operator of the Krafla geothermal power plant, decided to investigate the hole further and bear part of the substantial costs involved."Accordingly, a steel casing, perforated in the bottom section closest to the magma, was cemented into the well. The hole was then allowed to heat slowly and eventually allowed to flow superheated steam for the next two years, until July 2012, when it was closed down in order to replace some of the surface equipment."In the future, the success of this drilling and research project could lead to a revolution in the energy efficiency of high-temperature geothermal areas worldwide," Elders said.He added that several important milestones were achieved in this project: despite some difficulties, the project was able to drill down into the molten magma and control it; it was possible to set steel casing in the bottom of the hole; allowing the hole to blow superheated, high-pressure steam for months at temperatures exceeding 450 C, created a world record for geothermal heat (this well was the hottest in the world and one of the most powerful); steam from the IDDP-1 well could be fed directly into the existing power plant at Krafla; and the IDDP-1 demonstrated that a high-enthalpy geothermal system could be successfully utilized."Essentially, the IDDP-1 created the world's first magma-enhanced geothermal system," Elders said. "This unique engineered geothermal system is the world's first to supply heat directly from a molten magma."Elders explained that in various parts of the world so-called enhanced or engineered geothermal systems are being created by pumping cold water into hot dry rocks at 4-5 kilometers depths. The heated water is pumped up again as hot water or steam from production wells. In recent decades, considerable effort has been invested in Europe, Australia, the United States, and Japan, with uneven, and typically poor, results."Although the IDDP-1 hole had to be shut in, the aim now is to repair the well or to drill a new similar hole," Elders said. "The experiment at Krafla suffered various setbacks that tried personnel and equipment throughout. However, the process itself was very instructive, and, apart from scientific articles published in Geothermics, comprehensive reports on practical lessons learned are nearing completion."The IDDP is a collaboration of three energy companies -- HS Energy Ltd., National Power Company and Reykjavik Energy -- and a government agency, the National Energy Authority of Iceland. It will drill the next borehole, IDDP-2, in southwest Iceland at Reykjanes in 2014-2015. From the onset, international collaboration has been important to the project, and in particular a consortium of U.S. scientists, coordinated by Elders, has been very active, authoring several research papers in the special issue of Geothermics.Issue:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/03756505/49"
Confronting Climate Summary
There is not enough focus on renewable energy and its importance. The world's leaders can not ignore the truth any longer. Some of the damage we have inflicted upon the earth is irreversible but if people start now they can create a better future for the coming generations. Pollution and non-renewable energy are both issues that need to be addressed by a larger scale of people. The time to "go green" is now. These have always been important issues, but it is crunch time now!
"U.N. Says Lag in Confronting Climate Woes Will Be Costly"
"By JUSTIN GILLISJAN. 16, 2014
Nations have so dragged their feet in battling climate change that the situation has grown critical and the risk of severe economic disruption is rising, according to a draft United Nations report. Another 15 years of failure to limit carbon emissions could make the problem virtually impossible to solve with current technologies, experts found.
A delay would most likely force future generations to develop the ability to suck greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere and store them underground to preserve the livability of the planet, the report found. But it is not clear whether such technologies will ever exist at the necessary scale, and even if they do, the approach would probably be wildly expensive compared with taking steps now to slow emissions.
The report said that governments of the world were still spending far more money to subsidize fossil fuels than to accelerate the shift to cleaner energy, thus encouraging continued investment in projects like coal-burning power plants that pose a long-term climate risk.
Coal in Vietnam that is bound for China. A United Nations draft report says more is spent globally on subsidizing fossil fuels than on shifting to cleaner energy. Kham/Reuters
While the spread of technologies like solar power and wind farms might give the impression of progress, the report said, such developments are being overtaken by rising emissions from fossil fuels over the past decade, especially in fast-growing countries like China. And one of the most important sources of low-carbon energy, nuclear power, is actually declining over time as a percentage of the global energy mix, the report said.
Unless far greater efforts are made to reduce emissions, “the fundamental drivers of emissions growth are expected to persist despite major improvements in energy supply” and in the efficiency with which energy is used, the report said.
The new warnings come in a draft report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a United Nations panel of climate experts that won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 for its efforts to analyze and communicate the risks of climate change. The report is not final, but a draft dated Dec. 17 was leaked this week and was first reported by Reuters. The New York Times obtained a copy independently.
Business leaders will tackle many of the problems raised in the draft next week, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where a day will be devoted to addressing the rising economic costs of climate change — and the costs to businesses and governments of solving the problem.
Within the business community, “there is an awakening of increasing economic risk — a recognition that operating conditions are changing and we need to respond,” said Dominic Waughray, head of environmental initiatives for the forum. “There has been a failure of government to address these solutions. If there is an alliance of companies that can bite off pieces of the puzzle, it might help.”
In the dry language of a technical committee, the draft outlines an increasingly dire situation.
Even as the early effects of climate change are starting to be felt around the world, the panel concluded that efforts are lagging not only in reducing emissions, but also in adapting to the climatic changes that have become inevitable.
It is true, the report found, that the political willingness to tackle climate change is growing in many countries and new policies are spreading, but the report said these were essentially being outrun by the rapid growth of fossil fuels.
While emissions appear to have fallen in recent years in some of the wealthiest countries, that is somewhat of an illusion, the report found. The growth of international trade means many of the goods consumed in wealthy countries are now made abroad — so that those countries have, in effect, outsourced their greenhouse gas emissions to countries like China.
Emissions in the United States rose slightly in 2013, but are still about 10 percent below their 2005 levels, largely because of the newfound abundance of natural gas, which produces less greenhouse gases than burning coal.
The Kyoto Protocol, an international treaty meant to limit emissions, has “not been as successful as intended,” the report found. That is partly because some important countries like the United States refused to ratify it or later withdrew, but also because of flaws within the treaty itself, the report found. The treaty exempted developing countries from taking strong action, for instance, a decision that many experts now say was a mistake.
Efforts are underway to negotiate a new international treaty to replace Kyoto, but it is not even supposed to take effect until 2020, and it is unclear whether countries will agree on ambitious goals to limit emissions. It is equally unclear how much political support a new treaty will gain in China and the United States, the world’s largest emitters.
The new report suggests, however, that the real question is whether to take some economic pain now, or more later.The Obama administration is pushing for a deal, but any treaty would have to be ratified by the Senate; many Republicans and some coal-state Democrats are wary, fearing economic damage to the country.
Nations have agreed to try to limit the warming of the planet to 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit above preindustrial levels. Even though it will be exceedingly difficult to meet, this target would still mean vast ecological and economic damage, experts have found. But the hope is that these would come on slowly enough to be somewhat manageable; having no target would be to risk catastrophic disruption, the thinking goes.
As scientists can best figure, the target requires that atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas, stay below 500 parts per million. The level recently surpassed 400, and at present growth rates will surpass 500 within a few decades.
If countries permit continued high emissions growth until 2030, the draft report found, the target will most likely be impossible to meet, at least without a hugely expensive crash program to rebuild the energy system, and even that might not work.
If emissions do overshoot the target, the report found, future generations would probably have to develop ways to pull greenhouse gases out of the air. It is fairly clear this will be technically possible. It could be achieved, for instance, by growing bioenergy crops that take up carbon dioxide, burning the resulting fuel and then injecting the emissions into underground formations. But such efforts would compete with food production, already under strain.
The leaked draft is the third and final segment of a major report that the climate change panel is completing in stages. The first segment, published in September, found a 95 percent or greater likelihood that humans are the main cause of climate change. The second, due out in March, is expected to warn about the likely consequences of climate change, including risks to the food supply.
The third, focusing on policies to limit the damage, is due for publication in Berlin in April.
Coral Davenport contributed reporting.
A version of this article appears in print on January 17, 2014, on page A8 of the New York edition with the headline: U.N. Says Lag in Confronting Climate Woes Will Be Costly. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe" (http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/17/science/earth/un-says-lag-in-confronting-climate-woes-will-be-costly.html?ref=earth&_r=0)
Spill Summary
This accident was preventable and extremely hazardous. Not having clean drinking water is one of the worst things that could happen to really any organism. This scenario goes to show that we need to be protective and aware of these dangers. Conservation of a healthy water cycle is paramount to human survival. This was a really unacceptable "accident".
"Company behind W.Va. chemical spill files for bankruptcy"
"By M. Alex Johnson, Staff Writer, NBC NewsThe company whose leaking tank polluted the Elk River in West Virginia and left 300,000 people without water for days filed for bankruptcy protection Friday.Freedom Industries of Charleston faces at least two dozen lawsuits after the discovery last week that a 35,000-gallon tank had leaked almost 7,500 gallons of 4-methylcyclohexane methanol, which is used in coal processing. The chemical — better known by its abbreviation, MCHM — isn't considered extremely hazardous, although it is harmful if swallowed and can cause skin and eye irritation.Residents first reported a licorice odor in their water shortly after 8 a.m. ET on Jan. 9, but Freedom didn't report the spill until 12:05 p.m. — almost an hour after the state Department of Environmental Protection had already traced it to the company's leaking tank.The MCHM forced an immediate ban on tap water use across nine counties, shutting businesses and schools and forcing desperate residents to rely on bottled water.That ban continued through the weekend and wasn't eased until Monday.Records showed that the Environmental Protection Department had never inspected the facility because it didn't actually produce the chemical — it only stored it.State officials launched a formal investigation, and President Barack Obama declared a state of emergency for the nine counties left high and dry because their drinking water was contaminated.Chapter 11 allows companies under financial stress to reorganize and protect some of their assets while also giving creditors an avenue to recover some or all of the money they're owed. Industries said Friday it couldn't comment. But in documents the company filed Friday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court, it lists assets and liabilities alike between $1 million and $10 million. Included among its creditors is the IRS, which Freedom says it owes $2.4 million.Among hundreds of other creditors, it lists 20 major unsecured creditors, who are owed about $3.6 million. It said money would be available to repay them.In the filing, Freedom partly blames a break in a water line next to its Charleston facility for allowing the ground under its tanks to freeze. An unidentified object pierced the affected tank, causing the spill, it claims." (http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2014/01/17/22341049-company-behind-wva-chemical-spill-files-for-bankruptcy?lite)
Insects summary
Mr. Frainer wanted to look at new found high rates of extinction, particularly in insects. He wanted to look at an ecosystem and see the affect extinction would have on it. He noticed that in order to maintain clean water and the inhabitants, insects were vital; if the bottom rung goes they all go. Frainer concluded that this rapid extinction is mainly from farm runoff and other toxins leaking into the water. This just goes to show how important it is to contain chemicals and not underestimate the importance of insects.
Extinction of Insects Affects Water Conditions
"Extinction of Insects Affects Water Conditions
Dec. 9, 2013 — Biologist André Frainer shows in his thesis how important aquatic species richness is to the functioning of northern stream ecosystems. He defends his results at Umeå University in Sweden on December 6.
Because of the large effects that humanity has on nature, species are already being extinct at rates never seen before due to increased farming, urbanization, and industrialization. Even protected natural areas of Västerbotten are suffering the risks of species extinction.
André Frainer asked himself if all species are really necessary to maintain nature working properly. Perhaps, as some might say, with a handful of species and some technology we could survive in the future as well as we do now.
In his study he chose to survey a number of stream ecosystems of Umeå, Lycksele, Hörnefors, Vindeln, Botsmark, Robertsfors, and several other localities in Västerbotten.
In these streams, common aquatic insects as stoneflies and caddisflies play important roles in maintaining freshwaters working properly. These little insects are the basic food items for many fish and, also, they help decomposing the leaf litter that falls into the streams in autumn. By feeding on litter, they turn leaves into smaller particles, 'cleaning' the streams from this dead material. Although this role does not sound very sophisticated, it has large implications to the health of our streams, lakes, and coastal waters. The decomposition of leaf litter is a natural fertilizer to freshwaters, as it makes all nutrients found in the leaf available to other aquatic organisms, being fundamental to life in streams.
André Frainer found that several disturbances in the ecosystems affect the number of insect species present, or at least the type of species present.
One example is reduced riparian vegetation and increased land fertilization around streams that run through farmland, which affects the quality and quantity of stoneflies and caddisflies. Another typical disturbance in Västerbotten is the stream channelization for log transport, which happened many decades ago. The dredging and channelization of streams still affects the composition and the role of the aquatic insects.
As a consequence, the leaf litter in the streams is not decomposed efficiently, which may affect the cycling of nutrients, the water quality and the health of the streams.
Although the water conditions in Västerbotten are good compared to the streams in southern Sweden or most of Europe, we can still do more to help maintaining the diversity of aquatic insects and therefore the health of the stream, André Frainer emphasizes.
"Healthy streams have boulders and dead trees across its channel. These structures enhance the habitat conditions for insects, allowing the insect decomposers to flourish. Large restoration efforts including such features can already been seen in Västerbotten. The riparian vegetation should also be as large as possible, helping both with the input of leaf litter, and as a natural absorbent for the excess fertilization that may occur in farmlands," says André Frainer." (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/12/131209105017.htm)
Dec. 9, 2013 — Biologist André Frainer shows in his thesis how important aquatic species richness is to the functioning of northern stream ecosystems. He defends his results at Umeå University in Sweden on December 6.
Because of the large effects that humanity has on nature, species are already being extinct at rates never seen before due to increased farming, urbanization, and industrialization. Even protected natural areas of Västerbotten are suffering the risks of species extinction.
André Frainer asked himself if all species are really necessary to maintain nature working properly. Perhaps, as some might say, with a handful of species and some technology we could survive in the future as well as we do now.
In his study he chose to survey a number of stream ecosystems of Umeå, Lycksele, Hörnefors, Vindeln, Botsmark, Robertsfors, and several other localities in Västerbotten.
In these streams, common aquatic insects as stoneflies and caddisflies play important roles in maintaining freshwaters working properly. These little insects are the basic food items for many fish and, also, they help decomposing the leaf litter that falls into the streams in autumn. By feeding on litter, they turn leaves into smaller particles, 'cleaning' the streams from this dead material. Although this role does not sound very sophisticated, it has large implications to the health of our streams, lakes, and coastal waters. The decomposition of leaf litter is a natural fertilizer to freshwaters, as it makes all nutrients found in the leaf available to other aquatic organisms, being fundamental to life in streams.
André Frainer found that several disturbances in the ecosystems affect the number of insect species present, or at least the type of species present.
One example is reduced riparian vegetation and increased land fertilization around streams that run through farmland, which affects the quality and quantity of stoneflies and caddisflies. Another typical disturbance in Västerbotten is the stream channelization for log transport, which happened many decades ago. The dredging and channelization of streams still affects the composition and the role of the aquatic insects.
As a consequence, the leaf litter in the streams is not decomposed efficiently, which may affect the cycling of nutrients, the water quality and the health of the streams.
Although the water conditions in Västerbotten are good compared to the streams in southern Sweden or most of Europe, we can still do more to help maintaining the diversity of aquatic insects and therefore the health of the stream, André Frainer emphasizes.
"Healthy streams have boulders and dead trees across its channel. These structures enhance the habitat conditions for insects, allowing the insect decomposers to flourish. Large restoration efforts including such features can already been seen in Västerbotten. The riparian vegetation should also be as large as possible, helping both with the input of leaf litter, and as a natural absorbent for the excess fertilization that may occur in farmlands," says André Frainer." (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/12/131209105017.htm)
Illegal
Putting a stop to these fisheries is definitely a step in the right direction for aquatic life. Stopping this means trying to end the actual act of illegal fishing and all of the dangers that come with it. It ends danger for other fishermen in the surrounding areas accidentally ending up in dangerous waters. It also means that there are more honest jobs now. This act is not only beneficial for the ocean but Indonesia too.
"13 Illegal Fishers Jailed in Indonesia’s Raja Ampat Archipelago"
"Back in September, the navy headquarters in Sorong, West Papua received information from the community marine protected area (MPA) patrol group that a Philippine fishing boat had entered Indonesian waters and was fishing illegally in the Ayau Asia MPA. During the night, the boat proceeded toward the Ayau Asia islands in search of fish and other marine life in shallower waters.
Upon receiving this news, the following day several MPA patrol teams, which are strongly supported by CI, set out to sea in search of the vessel. It wasn’t long before one of the teams captured the boat and arrested its 13 crew members, who were brought back to Sorong and detained for legal prosecution. Among the illegal catch found on the ship were Napoleon wrasse and green turtles, which were used as evidence for the subsequent court case. The boat had been underway for only two days before it was seized, giving fishermen little time to poach within these protected waters.
It took the official court in Sorong just over a month to complete the prosecution process and charge the arrested fishermen. Each was sentenced to eight months in prison, while the boat and all its equipment was confiscated and destroyed.
While it is not uncommon for illegal fishermen to be caught by MPA patrol teams in the Bird’s Head Seascape, the formal prosecution processes following their arrest are often ineffectual. This case’s successful prosecution represents a significant milestone for the Raja Ampat government in its fight to protect these beautiful, vital waters — and without the strong cooperation of local communities, this result would not have been possible.
Ayau Asia — where the illegal fishers were caught — is one of six MPAs officially established in the Raja Ampat archipelago since 2008. Raja Ampat is known to be one of the most diverse habitats on the planet for marine species.
Raja Ampat’s communities directly depend on these waters for a variety of uses, including fishing, coastal protection and a rapidly expanding dive tourism industry. Yet illegal fishing continues to threaten the long-term sustainability of all these benefits.
Illegal fishing is driven by the insatiable global demand for fish — and poor fishermen are driven by high profit margins to practice it. Shark fin soup and threatened species of tuna are in especially high demand, particularly in China and Japan.
Shark fishing is a lucrative pursuit worldwide — a brutal process in which fishermen cut off the shark’s fins and often discard the finless animal alive to sink and die. Unfortunately, Indonesia still ranks as the world’s largest supplier of shark fin. One kilogram of dried shark fin goes for anything from 1.8 million to 3 million rupiah (US$ 200–300).
According to the average reported catch between 2002 and 2005, which amounted to 4.7 million metric tons of fish and shellfish (excluding illegal and unreported catch), Indonesia ranked as the sixth most-important fishing nation in the world.
The rate of illegal fishers entering Raja Ampat’s waters remains steady, but law enforcement agencies have made significant progress in dealing with the issue since the program began eight years ago. Earlier this year, the Raja Ampat government declared its entire seascape Indonesia’s first shark sanctuary, a key step in protecting one of the ocean’s most essential and astounding predators.
The MPA patrol teams, comprised of community volunteers, continue to guard Raja Ampat’s waters to monitor activity and apprehend illegal vessels. Just three days after the capture of the boat in Ayau Asia, a team of MPA patrol teams captured two more illegal vessels in the waters of the Western Waigeo Islands, between the islands of Pam and Penemu. On board, illegal fishing gear including a diving compressor and nylon longlines were found and confiscated — items indicating that these fishermen were out to catch sharks, lobsters and sea cucumbers.
The patrol team’s work is never done; indeed, as stocks elsewhere are reduced, Raja Ampat’s marine bounty becomes increasingly attractive to illegal fishers. But CI-Indonesia is confident that with our support, the local government and communities can continue to effectively enforce the marine environmental laws necessary to protect Raja Ampat’s marine wealth for the benefit of future generations.
However, in order to successfully discourage illegal fishing, the strict but appropriate sentence in the Ayau Asia case must become more of a rule than an exception.
Carla Kerstan is an intern for CI-Indonesia.
- See more at: http://blog.conservation.org/2013/11/13-illegal-fishers-jailed-in-indonesias-raja-ampat-archipelago/#sthash.veJ9DTJW.dpuf"
Upon receiving this news, the following day several MPA patrol teams, which are strongly supported by CI, set out to sea in search of the vessel. It wasn’t long before one of the teams captured the boat and arrested its 13 crew members, who were brought back to Sorong and detained for legal prosecution. Among the illegal catch found on the ship were Napoleon wrasse and green turtles, which were used as evidence for the subsequent court case. The boat had been underway for only two days before it was seized, giving fishermen little time to poach within these protected waters.
It took the official court in Sorong just over a month to complete the prosecution process and charge the arrested fishermen. Each was sentenced to eight months in prison, while the boat and all its equipment was confiscated and destroyed.
While it is not uncommon for illegal fishermen to be caught by MPA patrol teams in the Bird’s Head Seascape, the formal prosecution processes following their arrest are often ineffectual. This case’s successful prosecution represents a significant milestone for the Raja Ampat government in its fight to protect these beautiful, vital waters — and without the strong cooperation of local communities, this result would not have been possible.
Ayau Asia — where the illegal fishers were caught — is one of six MPAs officially established in the Raja Ampat archipelago since 2008. Raja Ampat is known to be one of the most diverse habitats on the planet for marine species.
Raja Ampat’s communities directly depend on these waters for a variety of uses, including fishing, coastal protection and a rapidly expanding dive tourism industry. Yet illegal fishing continues to threaten the long-term sustainability of all these benefits.
Illegal fishing is driven by the insatiable global demand for fish — and poor fishermen are driven by high profit margins to practice it. Shark fin soup and threatened species of tuna are in especially high demand, particularly in China and Japan.
Shark fishing is a lucrative pursuit worldwide — a brutal process in which fishermen cut off the shark’s fins and often discard the finless animal alive to sink and die. Unfortunately, Indonesia still ranks as the world’s largest supplier of shark fin. One kilogram of dried shark fin goes for anything from 1.8 million to 3 million rupiah (US$ 200–300).
According to the average reported catch between 2002 and 2005, which amounted to 4.7 million metric tons of fish and shellfish (excluding illegal and unreported catch), Indonesia ranked as the sixth most-important fishing nation in the world.
The rate of illegal fishers entering Raja Ampat’s waters remains steady, but law enforcement agencies have made significant progress in dealing with the issue since the program began eight years ago. Earlier this year, the Raja Ampat government declared its entire seascape Indonesia’s first shark sanctuary, a key step in protecting one of the ocean’s most essential and astounding predators.
The MPA patrol teams, comprised of community volunteers, continue to guard Raja Ampat’s waters to monitor activity and apprehend illegal vessels. Just three days after the capture of the boat in Ayau Asia, a team of MPA patrol teams captured two more illegal vessels in the waters of the Western Waigeo Islands, between the islands of Pam and Penemu. On board, illegal fishing gear including a diving compressor and nylon longlines were found and confiscated — items indicating that these fishermen were out to catch sharks, lobsters and sea cucumbers.
The patrol team’s work is never done; indeed, as stocks elsewhere are reduced, Raja Ampat’s marine bounty becomes increasingly attractive to illegal fishers. But CI-Indonesia is confident that with our support, the local government and communities can continue to effectively enforce the marine environmental laws necessary to protect Raja Ampat’s marine wealth for the benefit of future generations.
However, in order to successfully discourage illegal fishing, the strict but appropriate sentence in the Ayau Asia case must become more of a rule than an exception.
Carla Kerstan is an intern for CI-Indonesia.
- See more at: http://blog.conservation.org/2013/11/13-illegal-fishers-jailed-in-indonesias-raja-ampat-archipelago/#sthash.veJ9DTJW.dpuf"
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