Appalling Earth Day Video Actually Thanks Fracking For Reducing Carbon Emissions
It would have been hard to miss the reports of earthquakes, explosions, lack of clean air, nosebleeds and more attributed to fracking.
These type of stories have been all over every form of media imaginable in recent years.
But according to Energy In Depth (EID), a campaign launched by the Independent Petroleum Association of America, those stories have apparently been drowning out the real story—that fracking is somehow responsible for the drop in carbon dioxide emissions.
Yes, this group actually released a video on Earth Day thanking shale gas and fracking for decreasing emissions. You have to see it—and its out-of-context remarks and data—to believe it:
The Natural Resources Defense Council also found the video to be off-base, tweeting as much Tuesday morning. That led to a back-and-forth between the organizations, in which EID revealed that it didn't understand the concept of fracking sacrificing communities.
This #EarthDay video from @EnergyInDepth is beyond offensive https://t.co/Y5lvBUVMYi
— NRDC Youth (@NRDCYouth) April 22, 2014
Reducing CO2 is offensive? Odd. RT @NRDCYouth: This #EarthDay video from @EnergyInDepth is beyond offensive http://t.co/gGToDj21JV
— Energy In Depth (@EnergyInDepth) April 22, 2014
@EnergyInDepth Didn't say that. Reducing CO2 is key. But connecting #fracking 2 #earthday when communities are being sacrificed is wrong.
— NRDC Youth (@NRDCYouth) April 22, 2014
.@NRDCYouth You claim our video is "offensive," then say communities are being "sacrificed" due to fracking? Fascinating.
— Energy In Depth (@EnergyInDepth) April 22, 2014
The video in question includes commentary and data from the likes of President Barack Obama and the U.S. Energy Information Administration. While both have argued for natural gas, neither has noted fracking as a safe or responsible means of acquiring natural gas, likely because it isn't.
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart recently included pro-fracking arguments in a recent segment, but that was a parody. Sadly, this ill-timed video of gratitude dedicated to fracking was not.
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An oblique (left) and dorsal (right) photo of a female Pharohylaeus lactiferous. J.B. Dorey / Journal of Hymenoptera Research
Australia is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world. It is home to more than 7% of all the world's plant and animal species, many of which are endemic. One such species, the Pharohylaeus lactiferus bee, was recently rediscovered after spending nearly 100 years out of sight from humans.
<p><a href="https://www.jamesdoreyphotography.com.au/James-Dorey-Photography" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">James B. Dorey</a>, a Ph.D. student at Flinders University, was sampling more than 225 general and 20 targeted sites for research on native bee populations when he identified <em>P. lactiferus</em> among the specimens. Dorey took samples from areas around Queensland and New South Wales, two areas that have seen an <a href="https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/11-of-the-world-s-most-threatened-forests" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">increased loss of biodiversity</a> in the past decades. Dorey recently published his findings in the <a href="https://jhr.pensoft.net/article/59365/element/4/418//" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Journal of Hymenoptera Research</a>.</p>
<p>Prior to the study, the last publication on the bee species was recorded in 1923 in Queensland, with very little information on the bee's biology. However, the study in the Journal of Hymenoptera Research indicates that this bee is in need of special attention. Dorey asserts that the species "requires conservation assessment," due to its <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1051/apido/2009018" target="_blank">increasing loss of habitat</a>.</p>
<p>Deforestation seems to be at the top of the list of concerns for <em>P. lactiferus</em> and neighboring species. <a href="https://www.wwf.org.au/ArticleDocuments/355/pub-fact-sheet-tree-clearing-in-australia-23may17.pdf.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">WWF</a> predicts that between 2015 and 2030, a mere 11 deforestation areas will account for more than 80% of global deforestation. Australia, specifically Queensland and New South Wales where <em>P. laciferus</em> resides, is in those top 11 regions. An alarming <a href="https://junctionjournalism.com/2019/09/20/australias-deforestation-rates-at-an-all-time-high/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">80% of deforestation</a> in Australia happens in the Queensland region, which threatens not only the endemic bee species but <a href="https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/csp2.117" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">other iconic Australian species</a> such as the koala. </p>
<p>However, Dorey cited bushfires as an equally dangerous threat to <em>P. laciferus</em> and other native bee species. Their <a href="https://www.rspcaqld.org.au/blog/wildlife-conservation/habitat-loss-and-bushfires" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">dependence on the bushland</a> for shelter and food nectar, coupled with habitat fragmentation from deforestation, has made the increasing intensity of Australian bushfires harder to survive. Dorey stated that "GIS analyses... indicate susceptibility of Queensland rainforests and <em>P. lactiferus</em> populations to bushfires, particularly in the context of a fragmented landscape."</p>
<p>Dorey also noted that the 2019 and 2020 bushfire seasons "burnt a greater area than in any year prior," for the habitats in which<em> P. laciferus</em> resides. However, the devastating <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/environment-and-health/short-term-health-impacts-2019-20-bushfires/contents/summary" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">bushfires of 2019 and 2020</a> are not only affecting the bees in Queensland, but are also potentially fueling the <a href="https://therevelator.org/australia-bushfires-extinction/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">extinction crisis</a> throughout Australia. University of Sydney ecologist, <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/billion-animals-australia-fires_n_5e13be43e4b0843d361778a6" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Chris Dickman, told Huffington Post</a> that an estimated 1 billion species were affected during the wildfires. <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/wildfires-climate-change-and-deforestation-increase-the-global-risk/a-51928388" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Compounding research on climate change</a> indicates that the wildfire crisis is global, and <em>P. laciferus</em> might be next on the list of species affected.</p>However, there is hope for this rare bee and the other species facing real threats from the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/species-extinct-in-2020-2649768697.html?rebelltitem=1#rebelltitem1" target="_self">world's extinction crisis</a>. <a href="https://www.jamesdoreyphotography.com.au/Projects" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Dorey's work</a> in ecology research, as well as wildlife photography, is helping to fuel wildlife preservation in Australia and beyond. To see more of his work with native Australian bees, <a href="https://www.jamesdoreyphotography.com.au/Galleries/Australian-Native-Bees/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">click here</a>
<p><em>Savannah Hasty is an environmental writer with more than six years of experience and has written thousands of articles for clients around the world. Her work focuses on environmental news, lifestyle content, and copywriting for sustainable brands. Savannah lives on the sunny coast of Florida and is inspired by this to play an active role in the preservation of the state's marine life and natural ecosystems.</em><br/></p>From Your Site Articles
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Scientists believe sharks use bioluminescence to camouflage themselves. Jérôme Mallefet
Scientists have newly photographed three species of shark that can glow in the dark, according to a study published in Frontiers in Marine Science last month.
<p>The sharks were found in the waters of Chatham Rise, off of New Zealand. And one of them, the kitefin shark (Dalatias licha), is now the largest known vertebrate capable of producing its own light, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/03/asia/shark-bioluminescence-research-scli-intl-scn/index.html" target="_blank">CNN reported</a>.</p><p>"This first experimental study of three luminous shark species from New Zealand provides an insight into the diversity of shark bioluminescence and highlights the need for more research to help understand these unusual deep-sea inhabitants: the glowing sharks," the study authors wrote.</p>
<p>Bioluminescence is defined as the production of light by living organisms and it is caused by a biochemical reaction. It is common among <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/marine-life" target="_self">marine life</a>, and was first observed in sharks in the nineteenth century. Today, around 57 out of 540 known shark species are thought to be capable of producing bioluminescence, study co-author Jérôme Mallefet, head of the marine biology laboratory at the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium, told CNN.</p>
<p>However, the study marks the first time this property has been observed in a shark as large as the kitefin, which can grow to be nearly six feet. Researchers had previously thought that kitefins might be bioluminescent, because specimens showed that they were capable of producing light. But they have never before been observed doing so because they live so far below the ocean's surface, at 656 to 2,953 feet deep.</p><p>In addition, the researchers from the Catholic University of Louvain and the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) in New Zealand also recorded the phenomenon in two other deepwater sharks: the blackbelly lanternshark (<em>Etmopterus lucifer</em>), and the southern lanternshark (<em>Etmopterus granulosus</em>)<em>.</em></p><p>"The two other Etmopterus sharks were also not documented, so it is the first time," Mallefet told <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/mar/02/giant-luminous-shark-researchers-discover-that-three-deep-sea-sharks-glow-in-the-dark" target="_blank">The Guardian</a>.</p>
<p>The three sharks were collected in January 2020 from a part of the ocean known as the mesopelagic or "twilight" zone, which is between 200 and 1,000 meters (approximately 656 to 3,281 feet) deep. Here, around 90 percent of life is thought to have some form of bioluminescence that it uses for attracting mates, catching prey or camouflage, among other things, according to <a href="https://www.sciencealert.com/three-new-luminous-glowing-sharks-have-been-found-living-in-the-ocean-s-dark-depths" target="_blank">Science Alert</a>.</p><p>In the case of the sharks, scientists think that they use it to camouflage themselves from below. The bioluminescence is concentrated in their bellies and underbellies, and the glow could help them blend in with the light that is visible from the sky. This could protect the smaller two species from predators and help the kitefin shark both illuminate and sneak up on prey, according to The Guardian.</p><p>However, there is one mystery about the kitefin shark that does not fit this hypothesis: Its dorsal fin also lights up.</p><p>"The luminous pattern of the Kitefin shark was unknown and we are still very surprised by the glow on the dorsal fin," Mallefet told The Guardian. "Why? For which purpose?</p>
<p>More research will be needed to understand how and why these species use their self-made light. But the study shines its own light on the unique ecosystems of the deep sea, and the need to both understand and preserve them.</p><p>"I fear that we have done a lot of mistakes throwing stuff in the sea," Mallefet told CNN. "I fear what will happen for the next generations."</p>
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A FedEx truck travels along Interstate 10 by the San Gorgonio Pass Wind Farm near Palm Springs, California on Feb. 27, 2019. Robert Alexander / Getty Images
FedEx's entire parcel pickup and delivery fleet will become 100 percent electric by 2040, according to a statement released Wednesday. The ambitious plan includes checkpoints, such as aiming for 50 percent electric vehicles by 2025.
<p>To reach this goal, the delivery company will commit more than $2 billion to vehicle electrification, sustainable energy and carbon sequestration, according to the statement.</p><p>"We have a responsibility to take bold action in addressing climate challenges," Frederick W. Smith, chairman and CEO of FedEx Corp. said in the <a href="https://newsroom.fedex.com/newsroom/sustainability2021/" target="_blank">release</a>. "This goal builds on our longstanding commitment to sustainability throughout our operations, while at the same time investing in long-term, transformational solutions for FedEx and our entire industry."</p><p>FedEx will also continue to invest in sustainable fuels to power its planes -- the biggest contributor to its carbon footprint, <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/90610719/how-fedex-plans-to-become-carbon-neutral-by-2040" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Fast Company reported</a>. But switching to sustainable fuel won't be easy, Mitch Jackson, chief sustainability officer for FedEx Corp, told Fast Company. "The question is, will sustainable aviation fuels be here in sufficient quantities for the aviation industry in the near term?"</p>
<p>The news comes just a week after the United States Postal Service announced a 10-year, $485-million contract for new mail trucks, planning to transform only 10 percent of its fleet into electric vehicles, <a href="https://www.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2021/03/fedex-announces-100-commitment-all-electric-fleet" target="_blank">Sierra Club reported</a>. This plan falls short of President Biden's <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/27/executive-order-on-tackling-the-climate-crisis-at-home-and-abroad/" target="_blank">vow</a> to covert all "Federal, State, local, and Tribal government fleets" to "clean and zero-emission vehicles."</p><p>"From undermining our democracy to delaying climate action, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy continues to fail the United States Postal Service and the American public," Gina Coplon-Newfield, director of Sierra Club's Clean Transportation for All campaign said in a <a href="https://www.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2021/02/usps-must-electrify-mail-truck-fleet" target="_blank">statement</a>. "The lack of commitment from the USPS to electrify its fleet directly contradicts the Biden administration's goals and executive order to clean up pollution from the US government's vehicles."</p>
<p>The United States Postal Service has increasingly struggled to outcompete large corporations like FedEx that use the same networks and markets, the Economic Policy Institute wrote in a <a href="https://www.epi.org/publication/the-war-against-the-postal-service/" target="_blank">report</a>. This is partly because the USPS is limited in entering new markets and pays its workers with middle-class wages and provides benefits, unlike private competitors like FedEx that cut costs by relying on independent, contract workers, The Washington Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2021/business/usps-performance-whats-next-biden/" target="_blank">reported</a>. Yet the drastically different de-carbonization goals between USPS and FedEx highlight the necessary role private companies can play in pioneering efforts towards a clean energy future.</p><p>"While we've made great strides in reducing our environmental impact, we have to do more," Jackson <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/fedex-delivery-fleet-all-electric-carbon-neutral-2040-sustainability-2021-3" target="_blank">said</a>, according to Business Insider. "The long-term health of our industry is directly linked to the health of the planet, but this effort is about more than the bottom line – it's the right thing to do."</p>
<p>Included in FedEx's plan is a $100 million gift to Yale University to establish a Center for Natural Carbon Capture to research and develop natural solutions to reduce and sequester atmospheric carbon safely, <a href="https://news.yale.edu/2021/03/03/yale-new-fedex-supported-center-focus-climate-change-solutions" target="_blank">YaleNews reported</a>.</p><p>"My hope is that others will recognize the scale and importance of this problem and the significance of this center's mission by joining in our efforts to address a global challenge," Smith said, according to YaleNews.</p><p>Environmental groups urge other delivery services to quickly follow suit, committing to more sustainable and efficient operations in the face of a rapidly damaging climate. "This is a critical moment to shift the status quo of the US delivery truck. We urge all delivery companies — including USPS — to not let it pass them by," Coplon-Newfield added in a <a href="https://www.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2021/03/fedex-announces-100-commitment-all-electric-fleet" target="_blank">statement</a>.</p>
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Empty freeways, such as this one in LA, were a common sight during COVID-19 lockdowns in spring 2020. vlvart / Getty Images
Lockdown measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus pandemic had the added benefit of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by around seven percent, or 2.6 billion metric tons, in 2020.
<p>This is the largest emissions reduction that has ever been recorded. But to reach the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/paris-agreement" target="_self">Paris agreement</a> goal of limiting global warming to well below two degrees celsius above pre-industrial levels, the world needs to reduce emissions by one to two billion metric tons every year for the next decade and beyond, according to a new analysis published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-021-01001-0" target="_blank">Nature Climate Change</a>.</p><p>"We need a cut in emissions of about the size of the fall [from the lockdowns] every two years, but by <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/nov/17/what-could-a-good-green-recovery-plan-actually-look-like" target="_blank">completely different methods</a>," Corinne Le Quéré, lead study author from the Tyndall Center for Climate Change Research at the University of East Anglia in England, told <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/mar/03/global-lockdown-every-two-years-needed-to-meet-paris-co2-goals-study" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Guardian</a>.</p><p>Before the pandemic, emissions were already declining in some countries due to policy changes, the report found. In 64 countries, emissions declined by 160 million metric tons a year between 2016 to 2019 compared to 2011 to 2015. However, that reduction is only a tenth of what is needed worldwide to meet the Paris agreement goals. In 150 countries, emissions continued to increase by 370 million metric tons a year during the four years before the lockdown.</p><p>The concern now is whether countries can build on the reductions caused by the pandemic, or if emissions will increase again as economies reopen. So far, the evidence points toward the latter. The International Energy Agency said this week that emissions had already rebounded to pre-pandemic levels, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2021/03/03/report-world-needs-equivalent-of-pandemic-lockdown-every-two-years-to-meet-paris-carbon-emission-goals/?sh=2af111536dee" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Forbes reported</a>. Last month, the UN said that countries' existing commitments under the Paris agreement would only reduce emissions by less than one percent by 2030, even though experts say a 45 percent drop is required.</p>
<p>"Emissions were lower in 2020 as <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuels" target="_self">fossil fuel</a> infrastructure was used less, not because infrastructure was closed down," Glen Peters, study co-author from the Cicero center for climate research in Norway, told The Guardian. "When fossil fuel infrastructure is put into use again, there is a risk of a big rebound in emissions in 2021, as was seen in the wake of the global financial crisis in 2009."</p><p>The report authors noted that policy makers could refer to the lockdowns for guidance on reducing emissions. Most of the reductions were driven by <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/transportation" target="_self">transportation</a> decreases, the authors found. They suggested shifting toward <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/electric-vehicles" target="_self">electric vehicles</a> and bike-and-pedestrian-friendly cities, as well as continuing and improving remote business options and encouraging a safe return to public transportation. </p><p>The authors also called for greater investments in <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/renewable-energy" target="_self">renewable energy</a> as part of the recovery process. They added that while recovery plans in the European Union, Denmark, France, UK, Germany and Switzerland included minimal fossil fuel investments, investments in most other countries, including the U.S. and China, were still fossil-fuel heavy.</p><p>"Experience from several previous crises show that the underlying drivers of emissions reappear, if not immediately, then within a few years," the authors wrote. "Therefore to change the trajectory in global CO2 emissions in the long term, the underlying drivers also need to change."</p>
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'Damning' Docs Reveal Meatpacking Industry Fought Minimal COVID-19 Safeguards Under Trump
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Health + Wellness
The meatpacking industry pushed back against COVID-19 safety restrictions in spring 2020. Ben Hasty / MediaNews Group / Reading Eagle / Getty Images
By Brett Wilkins
Documents obtained from the United States Department of Agriculture by the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen and published Wednesday reveal how leading players in the meatpacking industry—one of the hardest-hit by the coronavirus pandemic—fought the minimal efforts imposed by the Trump administration to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in meat processing plants last spring.
<p>As Public Citizen put it, "these docs are utterly damning."</p><p>Responding to Public Citizen's Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, the USDA handed over <a href="https://mkus3lurbh3lbztg254fzode-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2020-OSEC-04055-F_3rd-interim_Redacted.pdf" target="_blank">documents</a> showing that:</p><ul><li>In April 2020, officials in the North American Meat Institute protested USDA's decision not to send Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) inspectors who were exposed to Covid-19 into other plants. On April 15, 2020, one NAMI official stated that "we can't start sidelining individuals at FSIS or in the industry because they may have been exposed. We all may have been exposed at this point"; </li><li>Later in April 2020, officials at the National Chicken Council complained to USDA that FSIS was asking too many questions about Covid-19 testing at poultry processing facilities, stating the "questions seem to be unnecessary."</li><li>In May 2020, officials at animal processing giant Tyson Foods complained to USDA that the company had to "spend significant resources... each day when reporting positive team members."</li><li>In March 2020, the Food and Beverage Issue Alliance developed guidance for industry members stating that, unless state or local governments required it, "physical (social) distancing should be a tool but not a requirement."</li><li>Industry officials reported FSIS employees who warned their friends and families about plants with cases of Covid-19, specifically forwarding a personal Facebook post and asking USDA to take disciplinary action against the inspectors.</li></ul><p>Adam Pulver, an attorney at the Public Citizen Litigation Group, said in a statement that "it is heartbreaking to see the callousness of the meatpacking industry, pushing back against basic safety measures that could have saved hundreds of lives and helped contain the Covid-19 pandemic."</p>
<div id="38879" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="fa8fb1444e4ed26d200a49e324e3f9da"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1367195319922872325" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">BREAKING: New docs we uncovered show the meatpacking industry vehemently fought COVID safety measures, arguing that… https://t.co/HTeX4A9anG</div> — Public Citizen (@Public Citizen)<a href="https://twitter.com/Public_Citizen/statuses/1367195319922872325">1614799740.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>"While we knew that meatpacking companies did not take adequate measures to protect their workers and the communities they lived in from the threat of Covid-19, these documents show that the industry actively pushed back against the few steps the Trump administration took to try to ensure the safety of meatpacking workers and federal inspectors," Pulver added.</p><p>As Public Citizen notes, at least 45,000 coronavirus cases and 240 Covid-19 deaths have been linked to U.S. meatpacking facilities.</p><p>In September 2020, Public Citizen and American Oversight <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/09/15/usda-and-meatpacking-industry-collaborated-undermine-covid-19-response-documents" target="_blank">published documents </a>also obtained via FOIA requests that showed how the USDA and the meatpacking industry worked together to downplay and disregard risks to worker health during the pandemic. The documents revealed that a leading meat industry lobby group drafted a proposed executive order that was strikingly similar to a directive issued a week later by then-President Donald Trump to keep meatpacking plants open against the orders of local health officials. </p><p>Last September's revelations were followed by a November scandal involving supervisors at a Tyson Foods plant in Waterloo, Iowa who <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/11/19/depraved-tyson-food-managers-accused-betting-how-many-their-workers-would-get-covid" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">placed cash bets</a> on how many workers at the facility would contract the coronavirus. More than 1,000 employees—over a third of the plant's workforce—were infected. </p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/03/03/utterly-damning-docs-reveal-meatpacking-industry-fought-feeble-covid-19-safeguards" target="_blank">Common Dreams.</a></em></p>From Your Site Articles
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