Amazon Deforestation Increase Prompts Germany to Cut $39.5M in Funding to Brazil
A spectacular wide view of the 82-foot-high Juruena waterfall, part of a corridor of Brazil's protected areas, on May 4, 2016 in the Amazon Rainforest. Contributor / Barcroft Media / Getty Images
Germany said Saturday it would suspend aid to Brazil aimed at helping protect the Amazon forest in light of the stark increase in rainforest clearings since President Jair Bolsonaro took office.
"The policy of the Brazilian government in the Amazon raises doubts as to whether a consistent reduction of deforestation rates is still being pursued," German Environment Minister Svenja Schulze told Saturday's edition of the Berlin daily Tagesspiegel.
Initially the amount that will be stopped is around €35 million ($39.5 million), the newspaper reported.
Brazil is home to more than 60 percent of the Amazon forest, which is being cleared at an increasing rate to create more cropland.
Concern about the forest has grown even more since Bolsonaro took office in January. The Brazilian leader doesn't want to designate any further protected areas, pledging instead to allow more clearances and make more economic use of the Amazon region.
The former military officer also scorns any advice from abroad.
Huge Concern for the Forest
Since 2008 until this year, Berlin has paid about €95 million ($106 million) in support of various environmental protection programs in Brazil.
The German government also contributes to the Amazon Fund, a forest preservation initiative created in 2008.
The fund has a total volume of just under €800 million ($891 million), and is funded by Norway and to a small extent also by Germany. It is not affected by the German Environment Ministry's action.
The money is to be used to stop the deforestation of the rainforest, to finance reforestation projects and to support the indigenous population.
But Bolsonaro's plans to also use the funds for the compensation of farmers have raised hackles.
Norway, which has contributed the most to the fund, has threatened to withdraw, and said last year that payments to Brazil would be cut in half and might be eliminated altogether.
Reposted with permission from our media associate Deutsche Welle.
From Your Site Articles
- 'There Will Be an Increase in Deforestation': Brazil's New President ... ›
- How Jair Bolsonaro Is Boosting Deforestation - EcoWatch ›
- To Stop Amazon Deforestation, Brazilian Groups Take Bolsonaro to Court - EcoWatch ›
Related Articles Around the Web
RyanJLane / E+ / Getty Images
Toxins enter the body through what we eat, drink, breathe in, and process in any way. Once inside, toxins overtax our immune system and detoxification system and leave us more vulnerable to illness — not ideal during cold and flu season, and especially not this year during a pandemic — and make us age a little faster, too.
<p>Fortunately, there are a lot of simple things you can do from the comfort of your own home to keep toxins out of your body, flush them out of your system faster, and boost your immunity all at the same time, says Dr. Bill Rawls, Medical Director of Vital Plan. He shares his top 10 strategies below.</p>
<p><em><a href="https://vitalplan.com/about" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Dr. Rawls</a> is a licensed medical doctor in North Carolina and a leading expert in integrative health. He has extensive training in alternative therapies, and is the Medical Director of Vital Plan, a holistic health and herbal supplement company in Raleigh, NC.</em></p><p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://vitalplan.com/blog/10-natural-ways-to-detox-boost-your-immunity-at-home" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Vital Plan</a>. </em></p>
1. Source Your Food Wisely
<p>Try to stay away from packaged and processed foods that contain ingredients you can't pronounce, and instead reach for fresh food from natural sources. Aim to make vegetables more than 50% of your daily diet — their fiber is a great natural binder, and they're full of beneficial <a href="https://vitalplan.com/blog/the-case-of-the-missing-phytochemicals-and-how-to-get-them-back" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="">phytochemicals</a> — and minimize your red meat consumption.</p><p>Also, whenever practical, choose <a href="https://vitalplan.com/blog/how-to-eat-organic-without-spending-a-fortune" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">organic</a> over conventional products. That said, we know organic prices and accessibility can be an issue, so for help making strategic decisions, refer to the <a href="https://www.ewg.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Environmental Working Group</a> (EWG) "Dirty Dozen" and "Clean Fifteen" lists:</p><h3>The Dirty Dozen:</h3><ol><li>Strawberries</li><li>Spinach</li><li>Kale</li><li>Nectarines</li><li>Apples</li><li>Grapes</li><li>Peaches</li><li>Cherries</li><li>Pears</li><li>Tomatoes</li><li>Celery</li><li>Potatoes</li><li>Raisins*</li></ol><p><em>(*While raisins aren't technically a fresh food, the EWG found that they are "one of the dirtiest produce commodities on the market — and even some organic raisins are contaminated.")</em></p><h3>The Clean Fifteen</h3><ol><li>Avocado</li><li>Sweet corn</li><li>Pineapple</li><li>Onion</li><li>Papaya</li><li>Frozen sweet peas</li><li>Eggplant</li><li>Asparagus</li><li>Cauliflower</li><li>Cantaloupe</li><li>Broccoli</li><li>Mushrooms</li><li>Cabbage</li><li>Honeydew</li><li>Kiwi</li></ol>2. Consider Detoxifying and Immune-Boosting Herbs
<p>There are a number of herbs and natural ingredients that can help support detoxification and immune health. Here are the ones at the top of Dr. Rawls' list:</p><p><span></span><strong>Chlorella:</strong> This nutrient-rich freshwater algae binds to toxins so they can be eliminated from your body more efficiently. Chlorella works particularly well for withdrawing heavy metals. Pure chlorella can be purchased in the form of bulk powder, tablets, or capsules.</p><p><strong><a href="https://vitalplan.com/ingredients/milk-thistle" target="_blank">Milk Thistle</a>:</strong> It's been used for thousands of years to support a healthy liver, the primary organ responsible for detoxification.</p><p><strong>Dandelion:</strong> Known to help support liver function, research suggests <a href="https://vitalplan.com/ingredients/dandelion-extract" target="_blank">dandelion</a> helps promote the body's natural detoxification and elimination processes.</p><p><strong>Bitters:</strong> <a href="https://vitalplan.com/blog/the-impressive-health-benefits-of-bitter-foods" target="_blank">Bitter</a> flavors are important to digestion — they stimulate the release of the saliva, enzymes, and bile that help break down your food. Include bitter herbs and foods in each meal, or take a botanical extract that blends bitter herbs like dandelion root, burdock root, orange peel, and gentian root</p><p><strong>Reishi mushroom:</strong> An extensively studied adaptogenic mushroom, <a href="https://vitalplan.com/ingredients/reishi" target="_blank">reishi</a> has exceptional immunomodulating and antiviral properties. It helps normalize <a href="https://vitalplan.com/blog/are-you-inflammaging-how-to-stop-the-inflammation-that-speeds-up-aging" target="_blank">inflammatory</a> cytokines and promotes healthy immune response against threatening <a href="https://vitalplan.com/blog/the-immortal-life-of-your-microbiome" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">microbes</a>.</p><p><strong>Rhodiola:</strong> Another adaptogen, <a href="https://vitalplan.com/ingredients/rhodiola" target="_blank">rhodiola</a> improves stress tolerance by reducing fatigue, supporting energy levels, and improving tissue oxygenation.</p><p><span></span><strong><a href="https://vitalplan.com/ingredients/turmeric" target="_blank">Turmeric</a>:</strong> This popular spice is well loved for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.</p><p><strong>Shilajit:</strong> An herbo-mineral adaptogen, <a href="https://vitalplan.com/ingredients/shilajit" target="_blank">shilajit</a> has a long history of use in traditional Indian medicine for longevity and strength. It's also an immunomodulator with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral properties.</p><p><strong>Gotu Kola:</strong> Best known for improving memory and mood, <a href="https://vitalplan.com/ingredients/gotu-kola" target="_blank">gotu kola</a> is also great for promoting a normal response to inflammation, balancing stress hormones, and supporting circulation.</p>Shop Vital Plan Pure Chlorella
<a href="https://vitalplan.sjv.io/rA4MB" ><img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTQ1NDQ2OS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY3MTAwNTEwMX0.yI_i-pZySmK6Dq6VlwfJuBa60zHTY1va2FwBu1p2zak/img.jpg?width=1200&coordinates=0%2C0%2C0%2C0&height=1200" id="949ac" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="e235a717283ef3ed8db9d8ce65a9bbbb" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1200" data-height="1200" /></a><p><em><em>Vital Plan is a certified B Corporation — one of only eight supplement companies recognized for achieving the highest standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. If you make a purchase using the link above, EcoWatch may earn a commission.</em></em></p>3. Filter Your Water
<p>Much of America's tap water has been shown to contain pollutants, so filtering what comes out of your kitchen sink is smart. To be sure you're using a filter that does the trick, keep these guidelines in mind:</p><ul><li>Look for a filter certified by NSF International or the Water Quality Association.</li><li>Choose one that removes the contaminants in your water (check your local drinking water quality report to see what's present).</li><li>Change your water filters on time.</li></ul>4. Choose Safe and Effective Cleaning Supplies
<p>When buying household cleaning products, don't bring home chemicals that could harm your health more than some of the microbes you're trying to get rid of. Fortunately, there are a number of products on the market that work safely; here are some ways to shop wisely:</p><ul><li>Look for the Green Seal, Ecologo, or Safer Choice (EPA) seals.</li><li>Opt for fragrance-free options.</li><li>Avoid triclosan and quaternary ammonium compounds or "quats." (One tactic is to choose products that don't advertise as "antibacterial.")</li><li>Consult the EWG's list of <a href="https://www.ewg.org/news-and-analysis/2020/03/16-effective-and-safe-products-guard-against-coronavirus" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">safe and effective products</a> for guarding against coronavirus.</li></ul>5. Opt for Non-Toxic Beauty and Personal Care Products
<p>There are a lot of claims made on beauty and self-care products these days, but words alone, like "natural," "organic," "non-toxic," "clean," "green," and "eco-friendly," don't mean a thing — they aren't backed by any sort of regulatory or certification processes. Instead, to find non-toxic products you trust, you have to do a little research.</p><p>Start by checking reputable ratings databases like <a href="https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Skin Deep</a> (EWG) and <a href="https://www.thinkdirtyapp.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Think Dirty</a>. Another good bet: Look for reliable third-party certifications on products labels, including:</p><ul><li>USDA Organic</li><li>EWG Verified</li><li>Made Safe</li><li>NSF/ANSI 305</li><li>Natural Products Association Certified</li><li>Whole Foods Market Premium Body Care</li></ul>6. Get Outside
<p>One more reason to <a href="https://vitalplan.com/blog/how-to-feel-great-and-boost-longevity-in-just-17-minutes-a-day" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="">get outdoors</a> beyond combatting cabin fever: The air in natural environments is generally much cleaner than indoor air. For one, outdoor air contains ⅔ less carbon dioxide, high levels of which negatively affect our productivity, <a href="https://vitalplan.com/blog/natural-sleep-aids" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="">sleep</a>, and more.</p><p>Forest air in particular contains phytoncides, organic compounds emitted by trees and plants that have been shown to boost our immune system function, plus plants in general help neutralize toxic substances in the air. Forests, open spaces, and open water are also rich in negative ions, which reduce inflammation.</p><p>So take your pick of natural environs, and get out there as often as possible — while still maintaining at least 6 feet of distance between yourself and others, of course.</p>7. Bring Nature Indoors
<p>Plants are natural air purifiers, so bringing some plants indoors can help clear the air in your home. Here's a list of the top 10 air-purifying plants to consider:</p><ul><li>Areca palm</li><li>Lady palm</li><li>Bamboo palm</li><li>Rubber plant</li><li>Dracaena</li><li>English ivy</li><li>Dwarf date palm</li><li>Ficus</li><li>Boston fern</li><li>Peace lily</li></ul>8. Drive Less, Move More
<p>Staying off the roads decreases air pollution, and the fact that many of us are driving less these days is noticeably improving air quality. If your commute is on hold, try to translate some of your usual travel time into getting more physical activity, or sneak in more movement between other normal routines.</p><p>Exercise improves circulation, oxygenates your tissues, and enhances the work of the lymphatic system through muscle contractions — all of which make it easier to move toxins out of your body.</p>9. Practice Forgiveness
<p>Through the practice of gratitude, we stay centered and in the present moment. This allows us to move through situations from our heart. Take time to forgive someone or yourself for things in the past. When we forgive, we expand and open up to endless possibilities.</p>10. Quit a Bad Habit
<p>Are you a smoker? Pack rat? Chronically sleep-deprived? In a bad relationship? Toxins come into our lives in many forms. Consider if you're participating in any unhealthy patterns or holding onto anything that no longer serves you, and then find a way to limit those things in your life.</p>From Your Site Articles
- 15 Supplements to Boost Your Immune System Right Now - EcoWatch ›
- The Immune System's Fight Against the Coronavirus - EcoWatch ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
EcoWatch Daily Newsletter
Major carbon sinks, such as the Taiga in Russia, could start absorbing less carbon within a few decades. LightFieldStudios / Getty Images
Up until now, humans have had an invaluable ally in the climate crisis battle: Earth's plants.
<p>These steadfast photosynthesizers have absorbed about a third of human-released greenhouse gas emissions, but that could change. A study published in <a href="https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/7/3/eaay1052" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Science Advances</a> on Wednesday warned that if emissions continue at current rates, then we are decades away from a tipping point where plants would become less effective at absorbing carbon.</p><p>"To date the world's ecosystems have been taking up some of the CO2 that goes into the atmosphere from <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuels" target="_self">fossil fuels</a>, and that's been buying us some time," Louis Schipper, study coauthor and University of Waikato professor, told the <a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/earth-may-reach-temperature-tipping-point-within-decades/H57FIR3XNV2RK4JIFI2HWX6ULY/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">New Zealand Herald</a>. "The data that we've got from this paper suggests that the amount that ecosystems are going to do that service for us is going to decrease. That buying of time is going to go away, and quite quickly."</p><p>Plants have been referred to as Earth's lungs for their ability to take in carbon dioxide and combine it with sunlight and water to make food for themselves and oxygen for us, <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/climate-news/123931638/earths-lungs-could-start-deteriorating-in-as-little-as-two-decades" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Stuff explained</a>. So far, as carbon dioxide levels have increased, so has plants' ability to absorb it. But scientists wondered if plants would continue their absorption rates as the planet warms.</p><p>"The Earth has a steadily growing fever, and much like the human body, we know every biological process has a range of temperatures at which it performs optimally, and ones above which function deteriorates," Katharyn Duffy, lead study author and Northern Arizona University (NAU) postdoctoral researcher, said in an <a href="http://news.nau.edu/duffy-tipping-point/#.YABdBuhKhPa" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">NAU press release</a>. "So, we wanted to ask, how much can plants withstand?"</p>
<p>To answer that question, Duffy teamed up with researchers at New Zealand's University of Waikato and the Woodwell Climate Research Center. The researchers examined data from measurement towers in every major biome. These towers, collectively known as FLUXNET, measure the carbon exchange of ecosystems, <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/2264787-tropical-rainforests-may-begin-pumping-out-carbon-dioxide-by-2050/" target="_blank">New Scientist reported</a>.</p><p>The researchers then analyzed that data using the MacroMolecular Rate Theory recently developed by Waikato professor Vic Arcus. This theory, based on thermodynamics, allowed researchers to determine how temperature change would impact photosynthesis in every major biome.</p><p>What the researchers found was alarming. After temperatures pass 64.4 degrees Fahrenheit, plants in most ecosystems photosynthesize less. For ones known as C4 plants (such as maize and sugarcane), the tipping point is higher, at 82.4 degrees Fahrenheit, NAU explained. In both cases, the process of respiration, by which plants release carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere, was not suppressed when the temperature threshold was reached. This means that many biomes could shift from being carbon sinks to carbon emitters.</p><p>Currently, less than 10 percent of Earth's biomes regularly experience temperatures past the photosynthesis tipping point, but if emissions continue at current rates, as many as half of them could hit that threshold by mid-century. This includes important carbon sinks like the<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/amazon-rainforest" target="_self"> Amazon rainforest</a> and the Taiga in Russia and Canada.</p>
<p>"All the plants on Earth are picking up about 30 percent of all the carbon that we emit and so if that no longer happens, that can create kind of a runaway climate change rate," Duffy explained to New Scientist. "It's this feedback loop where the plants are taking up less carbon, there's more carbon in the atmosphere, there's more warming, and so on, and so forth."</p><p>The results had a profound personal effect on some of the researchers.</p><p>Schipper told the New Zealand Herald that he remembered the moment when he saw Duffy's data and understood the implications.</p><p>"I just stared at the graph for, I don't know, 10 minutes, and just expletives run through your head," Schipper told the New Zealand Herald. "You hope that you're right, because you want to get your science right, but in some ways you hope that you're wrong."</p><p>For Arcus, the results were a call to action. He sold his car and bought an electric bike instead.</p><p>"We need to curb global warming to remain at or below the levels established in the Paris Climate Accord," Arcus told the New Zealand Herald.</p>
From Your Site Articles
- Planting Non-Native Trees Accelerates Carbon Release Back Into ... ›
- 8 Ways to Sequester Carbon to Avoid Climate Catastrophe - EcoWatch ›
- Why Higher Carbon Dioxide Levels Aren't Good News for Plants ... ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
Trending
Youth Climate Movement Demands Immediate Action After 'Empty Promises,' Announces Next Global Strike
1h
Climate
A participates in a Fridays for Future climate strike on Oct. 9, 2020 in Turin, Italy. Stefano Guidi / Getty Images
By Jon Queally
Fridays for Future, the youth-led global group inspired by Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg, announced Wednesday that its next international day of climate strikes will occur on March 19 of this year with a demand for "immediate, concrete, and ambitious action" directed at world leaders who have in recent years talked seriously about the urgent need to address the planetary emergency but stalled dangerously by failing to make those words a reality.
<p>"No more empty promises," said the group in its <a href="https://fridaysforfuture.org/march19/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">announcement</a> for global strikes that will take place on every continent, led by students and their allies who believe that the rapidly heating world is an existential threat to life as humanity has come to know it and the insufficient and voluntary emission reduction targets like the ones at the center of the Paris agreement — which nations are not even on track to meet — are worthless unless here-and-now policies are put into action immediately to bring carbon and other greenhouse gas pollution under control.</p><p>"If we don't act now, we won't even have the chance to deliver on those 2030, 2050 targets that world leaders keep on talking about," said Mitzi Jonelle Tan from the Philippines, one of the group's organizers. "What we need now are not empty promises, but annual binding carbon targets and immediate cuts in emissions in all sectors of our economy."</p>
<div id="9d143" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="e21eff594da0e231773abd4706d8d944"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1348921010859470848" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">In 2010 our leaders signed "ambitious goals to protect wildlife and ecosystems”. By 2021 they'd failed on every sin… https://t.co/yaxJYELfib</div> — Greta Thunberg (@Greta Thunberg)<a href="https://twitter.com/GretaThunberg/statuses/1348921010859470848">1610442805.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>As part of the organizing effort, the group has posted a <a href="https://fridaysforfuture.org/action-map/map/" target="_blank">worldwide map of planned actions</a> and a <a href="https://fridaysforfuture.org/action-map/register-report-strikes/" target="_blank">sign-up form</a> for those wishing to register or create an event.</p>
<div id="2ac11" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="0fe5ea2986d40834d0acd1e7b0ac16b9"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1349310129716383746" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">📣📣New year starts with a new strike!
Join us in the fight for climate justice this March 19. Coming back more uni… https://t.co/kCrOjWEAd8</div> — Fridays For Future (@Fridays For Future)<a href="https://twitter.com/Fridays4future/statuses/1349310129716383746">1610535578.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>As part of the organizing effort, the group has posted a <a href="https://fridaysforfuture.org/action-map/map/" target="_blank">worldwide map of planned actions</a> and a <a href="https://fridaysforfuture.org/action-map/register-report-strikes/" target="_blank">sign-up form</a> for those wishing to register or create an event.</p><p>João Duccini, an organizer from Brazil, said that the climate crisis — with <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/01/08/climate-emergency-persists-2020-ties-earths-hottest-year-record" target="_blank">2020 tying the record for the hottest year on record</a> — "is not a far-off catastrophe" but something people in his country and around the world are already experiencing. "Heat waves, droughts, floods, hurricanes, landslides, deforestation, fires, loss of housing and spread of diseases," he said, "this is what the most affected people and areas are dealing with more and more frequency today. Our lives depend on immediate action."</p><p>According to the group's announcement for the strike:</p><blockquote>Those in power continue to only deliver vague and empty promises for far off dates that are much too late. What we need are not meaningless goals for 2050 or net-zero targets full of loopholes, but concrete and immediate action in-line with science. Our carbon budget is running out. The climate crisis is already here and will only get worse, so if we are to avoid the worst case scenarios, annual, short-term climate binding targets that factor in justice and equity have to be prioritized by the people in charge.</blockquote><p>"When your house is on fire," said Thunberg on Wednesday, "you don't wait for 10, 20 years before you call the fire department; you act as soon and as much as you possibly can."</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from </em><em><a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/01/13/demanding-immediate-action-over-empty-promises-youth-climate-movement-announces-next">Common Dreams</a>.</em><a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/01/13/demanding-immediate-action-over-empty-promises-youth-climate-movement-announces-next"></a><br/></p>From Your Site Articles
- Portuguese Youth Activists Sue 33 Countries Over Climate Crisis ... ›
- Stories From the Youth Climate Movement in the Global South ... ›
- How Ossoff and Warnock's Georgia Senate Wins Impact the Climate ... ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
United Airlines Boeing 737 takes off from Los Angeles international Airport on November 11, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. AaronP / Bauer-Griffin / GC Images
United Airlines is seeking to reduce its net greenhouse gas pollution by investing in carbon capture and sequestration instead of merely buying carbon offsets.
<p>"Traditional carbon offsets do almost nothing to tackle the emissions from flying. And, more importantly, they simply don't meet the scale of this global challenge," United CEO Scott Kirby <a href="https://newsletter.climatenexus.org/e2t/tc/VVwX-F15lXC6W5S51M24xf-vDW2F3lfm4lQvmpN44_D9w5nxGrV3Zsc37CgXMBN73z2pGSXvxjN8kfft4QjbMPW1ZvRvv7Fkdv9VRkkt36hRtQ9W3lrZQp3mF4GmVsxHX234ZRP-W5ffGJ25PQXd6W2NB3-c6wZplZW3cZxkB6KDP6mV51H3M45vG6lW7l6SfH8SPVMTW7vR4G32Nf9rhW2s1Bqv7X6G2_W2zTx-j97QzPxW20zcC066r0qTW5n50tb371xQNN93zdsRQhjlMW5SSg-P33j9gmN6RVlg2SwWr3N1GRjqdCh4_8W7clJBC7qxXxxW8nHnhZ84qdMmW5QfcCq4-kc0qW1dsPRv7CN951N7mj0G0TKv2XN37VKH_VryySW74_Vqc49vqRqW8jvGQf79SlRyVx1flY48S5JWW2-LC9J6kcxFNW3HTlQ24K0jHsVSCXYZ85rpzSW4_0zQ718J38xN79fp3q9gJ1x34my1" target="_blank">wrote</a>. </p><p>United will partner with 1PointFive, a carbon capture firm founded last year by a subsidiary of Occidental Petroleum and Rusheen Capital Management. </p><p>The carbon capture plants, each about 100 acres, will use direct air carbon capture to pull 1 million tons of carbon from the atmosphere, equivalent to the amount of carbon captured by more than 40 million trees. </p><p>Aviation is among the hardest sectors to decarbonize: Battery- and solar-powered aviation technology is nowhere near ready to make a dent in the market, and lower-impact biofuels are limited both by production constraints and plane's fuel mixture requirements.</p>
<p><strong>For a deeper dive:</strong></p><p>United: <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2021/01/12/climate-solutions-united-airlines/?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=106540840&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_C3fEH0oBFPE7XajUw1QeHAsXQdB1mrZPUhbtRQ0DlWagy1OWm5gFpplf7AhgxkezKmlFevSDbbwE-pV5lI0ZPji8plp-s9HKDp0wMYXdJLHk1Dus&utm_content=106540840&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Washington Post</a>; Direct air carbon capture: <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/direct-air-capture-climate-change-technology_n_5fffa043c5b691806c4f1c02?ncid=NEWSSTAND0005&utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=106540840&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9zS-0aJocfEZrQY3hjGhttvxj23ee-e5VckGV-An-F8REOWXaLqzmNHamxb2pVY3mnpwQj82TYA0zO9xAy0TzNn_63EHT8YjL2ju2aVOV-7PDY2Y0&utm_content=106540840&utm_source=hs_email&guccounter=1" target="_blank">Huff Post</a><br/></p><p><em>For more </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/climate-change-news/" target="_blank"><em>climate change</em></a><em> and </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/business/renewables/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>clean energy</em></a><em> news, you can follow Climate Nexus on </em><a href="https://twitter.com/ClimateNexus" target="_blank"><em>Twitter</em></a><em> and </em><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ClimateNexus/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Facebook</em></a><em>, sign up for daily </em><a href="https://www.linktrack.live/hot-news-sign-up" target="_blank"><em>Hot News</em></a><em>, and visit their news site, </em><a href="https://nexusmedianews.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Nexus Media News</em></a><em>. </em></p>From Your Site Articles
- Which Airlines Are the Best and Worst for Climate Change ... ›
- Trump Administration Bails Out Airline Industry - EcoWatch ›
- Customers Call Out United Airlines Over Climate Greenwashing ... ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
Singapore is cited as one of the many cities facing light pollution issues. leungchopan / Getty Images
By Tim Schauenberg
When the Earth shook the Los Angeles region on the night of January 17, 1994, many houses, bridges and power lines were toppled. At that moment, the brightly illuminated metropole was plunged into darkness.
<p>People torn from their beds emerged to the reality of having been hit by an earthquake. They also, according to local observatories and police stations who reportedly received phone calls to this effect at the time, emerged to alleged sightings of a "giant silvery cloud" in the sky. What they were seeing was actually <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/milky-way-gobbled-up-smaller-galaxy-in-cosmic-crash-astronomers-find/a-49706252" target="_blank">the Milky Way</a> and stars which until then, had remained obscured behind the dazzling city lights.</p><h2>From a Revolution to a Pollutant</h2><p>The 19th-century invention of electric light was a genuine revolution, and over a century later, it is hard to imagine a life without it. Yet today, more than 80% of the world's population live under light-polluted skies. In Singapore, for example, nights have become so bright that people's eyes now struggle to adapt to real darkness. </p><p>Christopher Kyber, a scientist at the Potsdam-based German Research Center for Geosciences, describes the introduction of artificial light as "one of the most dramatic changes we've made to the biosphere."</p><p>He says throughout evolution, there was a constant signal coming from the environment. "This is daytime, this is nighttime, this is the lunar month. In areas that experience strong light pollution, that signal has been dramatically changed."</p><p>Scientists estimate our planet is becoming 2% brighter every year, with the consequences of that increase growing ever more visible. </p>
<h2>Is Light Making Us Sick?</h2><p>People living in big cities are likely to be most affected by too much artificial light. </p><p>"It's just horrible. You can see the orange glow across the whole of Mumbai," said Nilesh Desai, an IT worker and light pollution activist in India's second-largest city. </p><p>"Lights used to be on until 12am or sometimes until 3:00am," he said, in reference to illuminated billboards, floodlights and streetlamps. "I used to get disturbed by those lights, you know, bright lights coming into my room, my bedroom, and it definitely impacted me because I could not sleep."</p><p>When he lodged a complaint with the authorities in 2018, they ignored him.</p><p>Science shows links between artificial light and eye injury, <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/technology-that-helps-us-fall-asleep/a-44540273" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">sleeplessness</a>, <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/study-obesity-cuts-life-expectancy-by-up-to-10-years/a-19398951" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">obesity</a> and in some cases, even <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/53-million-germans-suffer-from-depression-each-year/a-46506088" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">depression</a>. A US study on shift workers from 2007 even makes a connection with breast cancer. It is all related to melatonin, a hormone that is released when it gets dark.</p><p>"When we don't get that hormone, when we don't produce that hormone because we're exposed to so much light in our apartment, or as a shift worker, then the whole working of this biological clock system becomes problematic," Kyber said.</p>
<h2>Lighter Nights Affect Biodiversity </h2><p>It's not only humans that need a natural day-night rhythm. Wildlife also struggles to adapt to the use of artificial light at night. Corals, for example, don't reproduce as usual, migratory birds can lose their sense of orientation, and, rather than walking towards the sea, newly hatched turtles have been found walking inland, where they die. </p><p>"There is a tremendous change because the increase of brightness at nighttime is new to evolution," said Sibylle Schroer, a scientist at the Leibniz Institute for Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries in Berlin. </p><p>Insects are also affected. One study suggested that an estimated 100 billion nocturnal insects die in Germany each summer as a result of artificial light. Usually reliant on the moon for orientation, the critters become so distracted by bright streetlamps for example, that they fly around them all night. They then die from exhaustion, are too weak to reproduce or become easy prey for predators.</p><p>Another report published in 2016 showed that plants growing near streetlights are pollinated significantly less often at night and produce less fruit than their unlit counterparts. Even trees feel the impact of light at night, budding earlier and with later leaf fall than others.</p>
<h2>The Climate Impact </h2><p>With fossil fuels still the main source of global electricity production, the unnecessary use of light at night also <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/delhi-is-choking-on-its-smog/a-41309472" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">contributes to air pollution</a> and climate change. According to Pavan Kumar, a scientist at the Rani Lakshmi Bai Central Agricultural University in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, "More than 12 million tons of carbon dioxide are released into the atmosphere each year due to extreme nighttime light." </p><p>With better light management and urban planning, those emissions could be significantly reduced, and resources and money could be saved, he continued.</p><p>So far, movement on such measures has been slow. France and Croatia have taken the lead, introducing legal limits on excessive nighttime illumination by imposing bans on lights in eco-sensitive areas. In some places, like in parts of France, there are set times when lights in public spaces have to be dimmed or switched off.</p><p>Back in Mumbai, after protests from citizens like Nilesh Desai, city representatives have indicated they are willing to reduce light pollution. In a victory for Desai, a stadium close to his home has been told to remove its floodlights. As there is very little legislation around the regulation of light pollution, Mumbai politicians have also called on the Indian environment ministry to implement laws. </p><p>Desai hopes it won't take a blackout to see the Milky Way over his city one night.</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from </em><em><a href="https://www.dw.com/en/light-pollution-the-dangers-of-bright-skies-at-night/a-56209536" target="_blank">Deutsche Welle</a>.</em><a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/r/entryeditor/2649940234#/" target="_self"></a></p>From Your Site Articles
- A Stargazer's Guide to Protected Dark Skies - EcoWatch ›
- Big Cities, Bright Lights: Ranking the Worst Light Pollution on Earth ... ›
- Fireflies Face Extinction From Habitat Loss, Light Pollution and ... ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less