Oat milk is popping up at coffee shops and grocery stores alike, quickly becoming one of the trendiest plant-based milks. jacqueline / CC by 2.0
By Kelli McGrane
Oat milk is popping up at coffee shops and grocery stores alike, quickly becoming one of the trendiest plant-based milks.
In its simplest form, it's made by soaking oats, blending them with water, and straining out the oats. Yet, many companies add ingredients like sweeteners, oils, thickeners, and stabilizers to alter the product's taste, texture, and shelf life.
Since many people prefer to avoid these additives, Healthline evaluated the healthiest oat milks based on the following criteria:
- quality of ingredients
- few — if any — added ingredients, such as stabilizers, thickeners, gums, sugars, colors, and flavors
- taste and texture
Here are the 14 best oat milks of 2020.
Pricing Guide
General price ranges are indicated below with dollar signs ($ to $$). One dollar sign means the product is rather affordable, whereas three dollar signs indicate a higher cost.
Generally, prices range from $0.08–$0.56 per ounce (30 mL), or $3.99–$44.99 per package, though this may vary depending on where you shop.
Pricing guide
- $ = under $0.10 per ounce (30 mL)
- $ = $0.10–$0.50 per ounce (30 mL)
- $$ = over $0.50 per ounce (30 mL)
1. Best Overall: Oatly Original Oatmilk
Price: $
The Swedish company Oatly, considered the original oat milk manufacturer, has become increasingly popular in the United States.
Its thick, creamy texture, slight sweetness, and versatility for baking and drinking alike make it the best overall option on the market.
Its Original Oatmilk product owes its rich consistency to non-GMO, expeller-pressed rapeseed oil, also known as canola oil in the United States.
As it's less processed than most seed oils, Oatly's rapeseed oil likely retains more of its beneficial nutrients, including vitamin E and omega-3 and -6 fatty acids.
Just 1 cup (240 mL) of Oatly Original Oatmilk provides:
- Calories: 120
- Fat: 5 grams
- Saturated fat: 0.5 grams
- Carbs: 16 grams
- Fiber: 2 grams
- Sugar: 7 grams
- Protein: 3 grams
- Calcium: 20% of the Daily Value (DV)
- Vitamin B12: 50% of the DV
- Vitamin D: 25% of the DV
The vitamin B12 content is particularly notable, as this essential vitamin is sometimes lacking in vegan and vegetarian diets.
While Oatly doesn't add sugar to its products, oat milk contains small amounts of natural sugars from oat starches that are broken down during the manufacturing process.
This is true for many other oat milk products on this list.
Shop for Oatly Original Oatmilk online.
2. Best Budget Option: Silk Oat Yeah Oatmilk (Plain)
Price: $
Silk's Oat Yeah Oatmilk is one of the cheapest oat milk products that's widely available.
Its balanced flavor isn't overly sweet, and its smooth texture resembles that of soy milk. Thus, it's great for drinking on its own, as well as using in cooking and baking.
Just 1 cup (240 mL) of Silk's plain Oat Yeah Oatmilk offers:
- Calories: 80
- Fat: 3 grams
- Saturated fat: 0 grams
- Carbs: 11 grams
- Fiber: 1 gram
- Sugar: 4 grams
- Protein: 2 grams
- Calcium: 35% of the DV
- Vitamin B12: 100% of the DV
- Vitamin D: 20% of the DV
As you can see, a single serving packs all of your daily vitamin B12 needs. What's more, its ratio of calcium and vitamin D is similar to what's found in fortified dairy milk.
While Silk Oat Yeah Oatmilk harbors more ingredients and additives than many other products on this list, it's still one of the best options for the price.
Shop for plain Silk Oat Yeah Oatmilk online.
3. Best Gluten-Free: Oatly Low Fat Oatmilk
Price: $
While several oat milk companies claim to be gluten-free, Oatly is currently the only major brand in the United States that's been certified gluten-free by the Gluten-Free Certification Organization (GFCO).
What's more, their low fat oatmilk has a relatively short ingredient list that's free of added gums and thickeners. Unlike other Oatly products, it doesn't contain added oils.
One cup (240 mL) provides:
- Calories: 91
- Fat: 1 gram
- Saturated fat: 0 grams
- Carbs: 16 grams
- Fiber: 2 grams
- Sugar: 7 grams
- Protein: 3 grams
- Calcium: 20–25% of the DV
- Phosphorus: 20–25% of the DV
- Vitamin A: 20–25% of the DV
- Vitamin B12: 50% of the DV
- Vitamin D: 20–25% of the DV
Unlike Oatly's Original product, their low fat option is thinner and closer in consistency to low fat dairy milk.
Shop for Oatly Low Fat Oatmilk online.
4–5. Best Organic Oat Milks
While all types of oats are nutritious, whole grain foods, some people are concerned about chemical pesticides and fertilizers used on conventional oat crops.
Levels of chemical residues on oats regularly test below the safety limits set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Still, organic oats are less likely to contain high levels of these residues.
4. Oatsome Oat Milk Original
Price: $
Oatsome Oat Milk Original is not only organic but also free of gums, thickeners, and stabilizers.
Just 1 cup (240 mL) provides:
- Calories: 130
- Fat: 3 grams
- Saturated fat: 0 grams
- Carbs: 21 grams
- Fiber: 0 grams
- Sugar: 13 grams
- Protein: 2 grams
- Calcium: 20% of the DV
- Riboflavin (vitamin B6): 40% of the DV
- Vitamin B12: 40% of the DV
- Vitamin D: 10% of the DV
While lauded for its creamy texture, it's one of the more expensive options on the market.
Shop for Oatsome Oat Milk Original online.
5. Pacific Foods Original Oat Plant-Based Beverage, Reduced Sugar
Price: $
Pacific Foods is a respected food company that uses as many locally sourced and organic ingredients as possible.
Their organic, reduced sugar oat original plant-based beverage is certified organic and non-GMO. Additionally, it has a minimal ingredient list that's free of added sugars.
Just 1 cup (240 mL) provides:
- Calories: 130
- Fat: 2.5 grams
- Saturated fat: 0.5 grams
- Carbs: 23 grams
- Fiber: less than 1 gram
- Sugar: 3 grams
- Protein: 4 grams
This organic oat beverage also has a mild, slightly sweet flavor that's a bit thinner than other oat milk options. As a result, it's best enjoyed on its own as a beverage or used in cooking and baking.
While one of the lowest sugar options, some reviewers find the beverage to have a slightly gritty texture.
Shop for Pacific Foods Original Oat Plant-Based Beverage, Reduced Sugar online.
6–7. Best Oat Milks for Drinking
The best oat milks for drinking are creamy — but not too thick — and aren't overly sweet.
6. Planet Oat Original
Price: $
If you like the consistency of 2% milk, Planet Oat Original is a great choice because it's free of added oils and quite low in natural sugars.
A single cup (240 mL) offers:
- Calories: 90
- Fat: 1.5 grams
- Saturated fat: 0 grams
- Carbs: 19 grams
- Fiber: 2 grams
- Sugar: 4 grams
- Protein: 2 grams
- Calcium: 25% of the DV
- Vitamin D: 20% of the DV
Like Oatly, Planet Oat uses a stabilizer called dipotassium phosphate that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) deems safe.
However, frequent intake of foods containing this additive may harm kidney health, especially in people with pre-existing kidney disease.
While small amounts of dipotassium phosphate shouldn't be concerning, you may want to choose a different oat milk if you have kidney issues.
Shop for Planet Oat original oatmilk online.
7. Califia Farms Unsweetened Oatmilk
Price: $
Califia Farms Unsweetened Oatmilk isn't overly sweet and strikes the right balance between smooth and creamy.
As it tends to separate when added to coffee, it's best consumed on its own or with cereal.
Just 1 cup (240 mL) contains:
- Calories: 130
- Fat: 7 grams
- Saturated fat: 1 gram
- Carbs: 15 grams
- Fiber: 0 grams
- Sugar: 4 grams
- Protein: 2 grams
- Calcium: 20% of the DV
Although this oat milk is free of gums and stabilizers, it's higher in fat than many other products.
This fat comes from sunflower oil, which is high in omega-6 fatty acids.
Research suggests that diets high in omega-6s but low in omega-3s may increase chronic inflammation in your body. Over time, this may raise your risk of chronic ailments like heart disease, arthritis, and diabetes.
If you choose this oat milk, you may want to limit your intake of other vegetable oils high in omega-6s, such as soybean, safflower, cottonseed, and corn oil.
Shop for Califia Farms Unsweetened Oatmilk online.
8–9. Best Oat Milks for Coffee
Many oat milk brands offer barista blends designed to steam and froth for drinks like lattés and cappuccinos.
These products are often creamier than regular oat milks to provide a gourmet, coffee-shop quality.
8. Califia Farms Oat Barista Blend
Price: $
While Califia Farms' unsweetened product isn't the best for coffee, its Barista Blend gets great reviews for its frothing ability and sweet, oaty flavor.
Notably, it's also free of gums and stabilizers.
One cup (240 mL) contains:
- Calories: 130
- Fat: 7 grams
- Saturated fat: 0.5 grams
- Carbs: 14 grams
- Fiber: 2 grams
- Sugar: 3 grams
- Protein: 1 gram
Shop for Califia Farms Oat Barista Blend online.
9. Minor Figures Oat Milk Barista
Price: $
Created by baristas in London, Minor Figures Oat Milk Barista is designed to be great for foaming or steaming.
It works well for your morning latté but can also be used in baking and even poured over cereal, as its texture isn't overly thick.
Additionally, it's free of gums, thickeners, and stabilizers.
Just 1 cup (240 mL) offers:
- Calories: 116
- Fat: 5 grams
- Saturated fat: 0.5 grams
- Carbs: 23 grams
- Fiber: 0 grams
- Sugar: 11 grams
- Protein: 0.5 grams
10–11. Best for Cooking and Baking
While most oat milks can be used for cooking and baking, some are better than others due to their thickness and flavor.
10. Elmhurst Unsweetened Milked Oats
Price: $
Elmhurst Unsweetened Milked Oats is a low sugar, mild oat milk that's made with just filtered water, oats, and salt.
It's not ideal for drinking or adding to coffee since it's thinner than many other oat milks. Keep in mind that some consumers mention a slight gritty texture.
Still, it's one of the best options if you're used to baking or cooking with skim or low fat dairy milk.
Only 1 cup (240 mL) contains:
- Calories: 80
- Fat: 1.5 grams
- Saturated fat: 0 grams
- Carbs: 14 grams
- Fiber: 2 grams
- Sugar: 1 gram
- Protein: 4 grams
Shop for Elmhurst Unsweetened Milked Oats online.
11. Chobani Plain Extra Creamy Oat Milk
Price: $
Unlike Elmhurst's product above, Chobani's Plain Extra Creamy Oat Milk has a consistency much closer to whole milk.
Its slightly sweet taste and thick, creamy texture add a rich mouthfeel and flavor to baked goods. It can also help thicken soups.
While it contains a small number of additives, it uses organic oats and doesn't have artificial flavors or preservatives.
One cup (240 mL) provides:
- Calories: 120
- Fat: 9 grams
- Saturated fat: 0.5 grams
- Carbs: 11 grams
- Fiber: 2 grams
- Sugar: 8 grams
- Protein: 2 grams
Shop for Chobani Plain Extra Creamy Oat Milk online.
12–13. Best Flavored
Flavored varieties like chocolate or vanilla oat milk can make nice treats or desserts, though you should keep in mind that they're often high in sugar.
These flavored options are lower in sugar than many of their competitors.
12. Elmhurst Milked Oats Chocolate
Price: $
Elmhurst Milked Oats Chocolate is your best bet if you're looking for a plant-based chocolate milk.
One serving offers just 4 grams of sugar from natural cane sugar.
Elmhurst's chocolate product doesn't contain any added gums, thickeners, or stabilizers. Instead, it's made from just six basic ingredients — water, oats, cane sugar, cocoa powder, natural flavors, and salt.
Just 1 cup (240 mL) provides:
- Calories: 110
- Fat: 2 grams
- Saturated fat: 0.5 grams
- Carbs: 19 grams
- Fiber: 3 grams
- Sugar: 4 grams
- Protein: 3 grams
Shop for Elmhurst Milked Oats Chocolate online.
13. Planet Oat Vanilla Oatmilk
Price: $
Plant Oats Vanilla Oatmilk has a distinct vanilla flavor without any added sugars — just naturally occurring oat sugar.
One cup (240 mL) contains:
- Calories: 90
- Fat: 1.5 grams
- Saturated fat: 0 grams
- Carbs: 19 grams
- Fiber: 2 grams
- Sugar: 4 grams
- Protein: 2 grams
Keep in mind that this product has a few additives, such as gellan gum and dipotassium phosphate.
14. Best Blended Option: Mooala Organic Coconut Oat Milk
Price: $
Mooala is a Texas-based company with a line of dairy-free milk alternatives, including their Coconut Oat Milk.
Its consistency is similar to 2% milk, and its hint of coconut differentiates it from most products on the market. It's also one of the only sugar-free options available.
Moreover, the product doesn't need any added oils to make it rich and smooth because it contains coconut cream.
Organic oats, organic cinnamon, sea salt, calcium carbonate, and gellan gum are also on the ingredient list.
One cup (240 mL) provides:
- Calories: 50
- Fat: 3.5 grams
- Saturated fat: 3 grams
- Carbs: 5 grams
- Fiber: 3 grams
- Sugar: 0 grams
- Protein: 1 gram
- Calcium: 30% of the DV
Shop for Mooala organic coconut oat milk online.
A Note on Availability
As of this article's publication, the product above is sold out. If you're interested in this oat milk, continue to check the link above for the latest availability information from the retailer.
How to Choose a Healthy Oat Milk Product
When looking for a healthy oat milk product, it's important to take a look at the ingredient list.
Ideally, opt for a product with a short ingredient list that's low in both added sugar and additives like thickeners, stabilizers, gums, and artificial flavorings and colors.
Keep in mind that many oat milks contain natural sugars because oats' starches are broken down by enzymes during the manufacturing process.
Finally, if you have a gluten allergy or intolerance, only choose products that are certified gluten-free. While oats are naturally gluten-free, there's still a risk of cross-contamination with other grains.
The Bottom Line
Oat milk is a popular plant-based beverage that's enjoyed for its slightly sweet, oaty flavor and creamy consistency.
While numerous options abound, the healthiest ones tend to be low in sugar and additives.
It's also surprisingly easy and inexpensive to make oat milk at home.
Reposted with permission from Healthline. For detailed source information, please view the original article on Healthline.
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Coronavirus Shines Light on Zoos as Danger Zones for Deadly Disease Transmission Between Humans and Animals
12h
Insights + Opinion
An elephant at Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence, Rhode Island. In Defense of Animals
By Marilyn Kroplick
The term "zoonotic disease" wasn't a hot topic of conversation before the novel coronavirus started spreading across the globe and upending lives. Now, people are discovering how devastating viruses that transfer from animals to humans can be. But the threat can go both ways — animals can also get sick from humans. There is no better time to reconsider the repercussions of keeping animals captive at zoos, for the sake of everyone's health.
<p>COVID-19, the illness that's caused by the novel coronavirus, is the result of human contact with animals, though the exact source remains a subject of debate. The risk of such zoonotic disease transmission drastically increases in any setting <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/apr/08/human-impact-on-wildlife-to-blame-for-spread-of-viruses-says-study-aoe" target="_blank">where wild animals are confined</a><a href="http://theguardian.com/environment/2020/apr/08/human-impact-on-wildlife-to-blame-for-spread-of-viruses-says-study-aoe" target="_blank"> in close proximity to humans</a>, including public display facilities like zoos. Unfortunately, the risks posed by zoonotic transmission go beyond COVID-19. A recent <a href="https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-04/uoc-asa041320.php" target="_blank">study</a> found that more than 40 percent of zoo animals in Spain were infected with a parasite that can be passed to humans and causes a disease known as <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/toxoplasmosis/gen_info/faqs.html" target="_blank">toxoplasmosis</a>, which can lead to damage to the brain, eyes and other organs in human beings. Across the U.S., another dangerous zoonotic disease has long been lurking in our midst at zoos: <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/tb/topic/basics/default.htm" target="_blank">tuberculosis</a> (TB).</p>
<p>TB is a deadly, highly infectious disease that has long existed in captive populations of African and Asian <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/elephants">elephants</a> in zoos and circuses across the U.S. According to the World Health Organization, TB is one of the <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/tuberculosis" target="_blank">top ten </a>causes of death worldwide, killing millions of people each year. Although TB rates have been on the decline for decades in the U.S., captive elephants represent a persistent <a href="https://slate.com/technology/2015/03/elephant-tuberculosis-epidemic-zoo-and-circus-animals-passing-tb-to-humans-and-one-another.html" target="_blank">reservoir</a> of the virus. Incredibly, "licensees and registrants who own elephants" are <a href="https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/newsroom/stakeholder-info/sa_by_date/sa_2015/sa_10/ct_elephant_tb_policy" target="_blank">not required</a> to test elephants for the virus. Even if they were, these tests, known as "trunk washes," are difficult to conduct and can be unreliable. This means that zoos may be bringing the unsuspecting public into contact with infected elephants. Because TB is no longer common in the U.S., children are not vaccinated against it, making them particularly susceptible.</p>
<p>The risk of elephants transmitting TB to humans is generally greater among those who work closely with elephants, though it is thought that TB can spread from elephants to humans <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3166032/" target="_blank">through air</a> also. The risk of wider contagion, especially to zoo guests, is therefore a possibility. Many zoo exhibits bring people through indoor barns where elephants spend much of their time, separated only by bars and a few feet of space. Even more intimate encounters, such as rides or feedings that enable people to come into direct physical contact with elephants, are particularly concerning given their amplified transmission opportunities.</p><p>TB has long been known as a <a href="https://www.salon.com/2017/02/19/dont-think-about-contagious-elephants-whose-job-is-it-to-combat-and-contain-tuberculosis/" target="_blank">potentially serious issue in U.S. zoos</a>. Many people have been infected over the years, including, as recently as 2019. In 2013, seven staff members were <a href="https://www.oregonlive.com/health/2016/01/officials_identify_tuberculosi.html" target="_blank">infected</a> at the Oregon Zoo in Portland, following an outbreak among three bull elephants. Elephant infections persisted there into <a href="https://www.wweek.com/news/2019/07/10/pregnant-asian-elephant-at-oregon-zoo-may-have-tuberculosis/#:~:text=The%20Oregon%20Zoo%20announced%20today,Chendra%20as%20potentially%20having%20TB." target="_blank">2019</a>. Also, last year, some staff members <a href="https://www.pdza.org/connect/newsroom/press-releases/staff-test-positive-for-latent-tuberculosis/" target="_blank">tested positive</a> for latent TB at the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium in Tacoma, Washington. Both the Bronx Zoo in New York City and the Saint Louis Zoo in Missouri also have had elephants test positive in recent years.</p>
<p>The threat of deadly disease transmission, however, does not only affect humans. In a process called <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3938448/" target="_blank">reverse zoonosis</a>, diseases such as influenza A virus, herpes simplex 1, measles and methicillin-resistant <em>Staphylococcus aureus</em> (MRSA) have been documented as passing from humans to animals. Regarding TB, <a href="https://tinyurl.com/y9ztj4ls" target="_blank">studies have shown</a> that the causative agent that leads to human infection of TB is also present in elephants, suggesting a reverse zoonosis of the disease from humans to elephants. This opens the possibility that humans could actually be the <a href="https://tinyurl.com/y9ztj4ls" target="_blank">cause</a> of TB infections in captive elephants.</p><p>Another incident of reverse zoonosis occurred at the Bronx Zoo recently. In April 2020 the zoo announced that one of its tigers <a href="https://newsroom.wcs.org/News-Releases/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/14010/A-Tiger-at-Bronx-Zoo-Tests-Positive-for-COVID-19-The-Tiger-and-the-Zoos-Other-Cats-Are-Doing-Well-at-This-Time.aspx" target="_blank">tested positive</a> for COVID-19. While no other cats were tested, the tiger's sister, along with two other tigers and three African lions, developed symptoms including a dry cough, suggesting they might have also been infected.</p>
<p>One of the main reasons that zoos can be hotbeds for deadly disease transmission — which threatens elephants, tigers and other captive animals as well as human beings — is that captive animals can suffer from compromised immune systems due to the confines of captivity, rendering them more susceptible to illness. In many facilities, tigers and elephants are often held in cramped enclosures that bear little resemblance to their natural wild habitats. They can be forced to perform or interact with the public on a daily basis or endure living in solitary confinement. The Bronx Zoo, for example, has forced an elephant named Happy to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/03/nyregion/bronx-zoo-elephant-lawsuit-happy.html" target="_blank">live alone</a> since 2006, a crushing sentence for a highly social species. These types of living conditions can cause a range of physical and psychological ailments, which have been <a href="https://www.idausa.org/campaign/elephants/10-worst-zoos/" target="_blank">well documented</a>. Captive elephants tend to live shortened lifespans in contrast to those in the wild and suffer from diseases and conditions virtually unseen in the wild. The cumulative effect of these factors renders elephants prone to the TB contagion.</p>
<p>The fact that TB has continued to infect captive elephant populations in the U.S. for decades reveals the extent to which zoos are incapable of providing adequate living conditions to prevent the spread of this disease, despite their best efforts. While zoos and their supporters continue to argue that keeping animals captive is necessary to raise awareness and get people to care about them, seeing animals trapped in unnatural environments that prevent them from thriving doesn't do anything to teach us about how they live or how they should be recognized, respected and protected in the wild.</p><p>We can hope that the world will soon return to some semblance of normalcy, but if this pandemic has taught us anything, it's that we can't continue with business as usual when it comes to our relationship with wildlife and the environment — at least not if we want to survive. In the meantime, we can protect captive animals and ourselves by avoiding zoos.</p>
<p><em>Marilyn Kroplick is the president of <a href="https://www.idausa.org/" target="_blank">In Defense of Animals</a></em><em>.</em><br/></p>From Your Site Articles
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Isiais now approaches the Carolinas, and is expected to strengthen into a hurricane again before reaching them Monday night. NOAA
Florida was spared the worst of Isaias, the earliest "I" storm on record of the Atlantic hurricane season and the second hurricane of the 2020 season.
<p>The storm's projected path had prompted fears that Floridians would have to evacuate in large numbers as the state struggles to contain the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/coronavirus" target="_self">coronavirus</a> pandemic. But Isaias weakened to a tropical storm Saturday afternoon, <a href="https://abc11.com/isaias-track-storm-tropical-where-is-now/6350016/" target="_blank">ABC 11 reported</a>. It also remained offshore, drenching parts of the Florida coast with rain but largely sparing the state, according to <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/08/02/tropical-storm-isaias-nears-east-coast-florida-aims-carolinas-next/5566396002/" target="_blank">USA TODAY</a>.</p><p>"Florida dodged a bullet for sure!" BAM Weather meteorologist Ryan Maue tweeted. </p>
<div id="14b13" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3dabcc399c214226e768937f555a5ebc"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1289943962405318657" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Tropical Storm #Isaias no longer expected to restrengthen into a hurricane. 🌀 The vertical wind shear shredder has… https://t.co/kqBsJOS3Tj</div> — Ryan Maue (@Ryan Maue)<a href="https://twitter.com/RyanMaue/statuses/1289943962405318657">1596381581.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>However, Isiais isn't done with the U.S. yet. It now approaches the Carolinas, and is expected to strengthen into a hurricane again before reaching them Monday night, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/03/weather/tropical-storm-isaias-carolinas-monday/index.html" target="_blank">CNN reported</a>.</p><p>A storm surge warning is in effect from Edisto Beach in South Carolina to Cape Fear in North Carolina, along with parts of the Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds and the North Carolina Outer Banks from Oregon Inlet to the North Carolina and Virginia borders. It could raise water levels by three to five feet from South Santee River, South Carolina to Cape Fear, North Carolina, according to an 11 a.m. EDT update from the <a href="https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/" target="_blank">National Hurricane Center</a> (NHC).</p><p>"A Storm Surge Warning means there is a danger of life-threatening inundation, from rising water moving inland from the coastline, during the next 36 hours in the indicated locations," NHC explained.</p>
<div id="dea35" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="132c2812ba753aaaf415ad33fb7ff2c0"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1290213982947737600" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Here are the 5 am EDT Monday, August 3 Key Messages for Tropical Storm #Isaias. For the full advisory on #Isaias, v… https://t.co/5MbSBJmEhI</div> — National Hurricane Center (@National Hurricane Center)<a href="https://twitter.com/NHC_Atlantic/statuses/1290213982947737600">1596445959.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>The North Carolina coastal communities of Ocracoke Island and Hatteras Island were evacuated Friday ahead of the storm, CNN reported.</p><p>President Donald Trump approved a disaster declaration for parts of North Carolina, and Gov. Roy Cooper reminded residents Sunday to have their emergency kits ready, ABC 11 reported.</p><p>South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, meanwhile, said Friday he would not issue any evacuations.</p><p>"Right now we're hoping this storm will not hit us hard if it hits at all," McMaster said in the CNN story. "At this time we have no intention at all of declaring any sort of evacuation."</p><p>Isaias is expected to slowly weaken after making landfall and then travel north. It will bring strong winds to Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and New York, impacting the Mid Atlantic states on Tuesday and New Hampshire and Maine on Wednesday.</p><p>Along the way, storm surges and winds aren't the only threat. </p><p>"Heavy rainfall from Isaias will result in flash and urban <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/flooding" target="_self">flooding</a>, some of which may be significant in the eastern Carolinas and the mid-Atlantic, through Tuesday night near the path of Isaias up the East Coast of the United States," NHC wrote.<span></span></p>
<div id="80487" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="dcd38a3bef604d3ff7ef47552482cbe4"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1290216672976986113" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">There is a moderate risk of flash flooding across portions of the eastern Carolinas and Mid-Atlantic states from… https://t.co/C5Ys46ZetX</div> — National Hurricane Center (@National Hurricane Center)<a href="https://twitter.com/NHC_Atlantic/statuses/1290216672976986113">1596446600.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>Tornadoes could touch down in coastal South Carolina Monday and eastern North Carolina into Tuesday. Twisters are also possible from eastern Virginia to southern New England on Tuesday.</p><p>Before Isaias reached the U.S., it knocked down trees and tore off roof shingles in the Bahamas, <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/08/hurricane-isaias-batters-bahamas-florida-coast-200801143455063.html" target="_blank">Al Jazeera reported</a>. Some residents of Abaco and Grand Bahama Islands, who were still living in temporary shelters following last year's devastating <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/hurricane-dorian" target="_self">Hurricane Dorian</a>, had to be evacuated ahead of the storm.</p><p>"With everything not quite shored up, property not secured, homes not prepared, even a category one will be enough to set them back," Bahamas Mercy Corps Director Paula Miller told The Associated Press, Al Jazeera reported.</p>
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A campaign targeting SUV advertising is a project between the New Weather Institute and climate charity Possible. New Weather Institute
To meet its climate targets, the UK should ban advertisements for gas-guzzling SUVs, according to a report from a British think tank that wants to make SUVs the new smoking, as the BBC reported.
<p>The UK has set the ambitious target of net zero emissions by 2050, but that will be difficult to achieve if the public's appetite for large, private cars does not subside.</p><p>The <a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ebd0080238e863d04911b51/t/5f1fe08099156872c6ca1e59/1595924618033/Smoking+Out+The+Climate+FINAL.pdf" target="_blank">report</a>, called <em>Upselling Smoke</em>, from New Weather Institute and climate charity Possible, says that SUV advertising should be compared to tobacco advertising, blaming the vehicles for creating a "more dangerous and toxic urban environment."</p><p>It says that if the UK is to meet its goal of being carbon neutral by 2050, drivers must be discouraged from buying large, heavily polluting vehicles, as the <a href="https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/lifestyle/cars/calls-ban-suv-advertising-meet-climate-targets-2931326" target="_blank">Edinburgh News</a> reported.</p>
<p>The New Weather Institute's <a href="https://tinyurl.com/y5dm3pwc" target="_blank">report</a> notes that the size, weight and drag of SUVs means they have a larger carbon footprint than your average car. Despite their enormous carbon footprint, car manufacturers spend millions to increase their share of the UK market. The marketing campaigns are working, too. Just last year, more than 150,000 new cars solved were over 4.8 meters long, which is too large to fit in a standard parking space, according to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/aug/03/ban-suv-adverts-to-meet-uk-climate-goals-report-urges" target="_blank">The Guardian</a>. That's a stark contrast to fully <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/electric-vehicles">electric vehicles</a>, which were only 2 percent of new cars sold. Globally, SUVs account for 60 percent of the increase in the global car fleet since 2010, according to the report.</p><p>The New Weather Institute used the 4.8 meters length as its benchmark, arguing that a smoking-style ban should be in place for any vehicle longer than that, since those vehicles emit more than 160g/km of CO2, as the Edinburgh News reported.</p>
<p>"The UK Government's plan for reaching net zero emissions relies on British drivers quickly switching away from buying traditional petrol and diesel cars to cleaner electric vehicles instead," the report reads, according to the Edinburgh News.</p><p>"That is now starting to happen, but there's a problem: we've been switching to buying SUVs even faster, and as a result the average carbon emissions of a new car sold in the UK have been going up instead of down for the past four years."</p><p>Andrew Simms, co-director of the New Weather Institute, said, according to the BBC: "We ended tobacco advertising when we understood the threat from smoking to public health.</p><p>"Now that we know the human health and climate damage done by car pollution, it's time to stop adverts making the problem worse. In a pandemic-prone world, people need clean air and more space on town and city streets."</p><p>He added that advertisements that promote the biggest and worst emitting SUVs were in effect "upselling pollution."</p>
<p>The report noted that the car industry advertises SUVs as being safer because of their size, but in the long run their pollution creates a far more toxic and dangerous environment for both drivers and pedestrians that will harm public health.</p><p>Robbie Gillett, a campaigner at Possible, said, as The Guardian reported: "Whilst millions of us are trying to reduce our carbon footprints to tackle the climate crisis, we have a multibillion-pound car and advertising industry aggressively marketing highly polluting vehicles – many of which are literally too big for UK streets.</p><p>"Their misleading ads promise us freedom and escape – but the reality of urban road conditions is grinding traffic jams, toxic <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/air-pollution">air pollution</a> and spiraling carbon emissions from road transport that will trash our climate goals. Let's create space to breathe and space to think – free from the advertising pressures of big polluters."</p>
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A company from Ghana is making bikes out of bamboo.
By Kate Whiting
Bernice Dapaah calls bamboo "a miracle plant," because it grows so fast and absorbs carbon. But it can also work wonders for children's education and women's employment – as she's discovered.
<p>Bamboo is abundant in her native Ghana, where she <a href="http://ghanabamboobikes.org/video/" target="_blank">runs a social enterprise</a> that employs women to transform it into bicycles which are exported all over the world.</p><p><span></span>Cycling is well known as being a low-carbon form of transport – but Dapaah is making it even more sustainable.</p><p>For every bamboo plant that is cut down to make a bike, Ghana Bamboo Bikes Initiative plants 10 more. <a href="https://interestingengineering.com/bamboo-as-a-replacement-to-steel#:~:text=Yes%2C%20bamboo%20is%20stronger%20than,noticeable%20lead%20at%2028%2C000%20pounds." target="_blank">Bamboo is stronger than steel</a> in terms of tensile strength and is a cheaper, more sustainable material. It also takes less electricity to make a bamboo bike than a metal one. And the frame is completely recyclable.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzUzMDU2OC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0MTk1MDcwOX0.6CswX_fjuMOGfmmf7-ZNaPial_yXaDIMr4Be5sponxo/img.jpg?width=980" id="2a3fe" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="08b2a7c53915a40a7f0c7c7cf5735489" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
These are the world's most bicycle-friendly cities. Statista
<p>"The reason we use bamboo to manufacture bicycles is because it's found abundantly in Ghana and this is not a material we're going to import," says Dapaah, one of the World Economic Forum's Young Global Leaders.</p><p>"It's a new innovation. There were no existing bamboo bike builders in our country, so we were the first people trying to see how best we could utilize the abundant bamboo in Ghana."</p><span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a335b5dffdd806bd6bb4debea90c2045"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dxsb9c4HMn0?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span>
Supporting Students
<p>Besides encouraging Ghanaians to swap vehicles for affordable bikes, Ghana Bamboo Bikes Initiative is helping students save time on walking to school so they have more time to learn.</p><p>Each time they sell a bike, they donate a bike to a schoolchild in a rural community, who might otherwise have to walk for hours to get to school.</p><p>Dapaah knows how transformative a shorter journey to school can be to academic performance. She grew up living with her <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sb3joGYmx9A&feature=emb_logo" target="_blank">grandpa, a forester in a rural part of the country</a>.</p><p>"We had to walk three and a half hours every day before I could go to school. He later bought me a bike, so I finished senior high and wanted to go to university."</p><p>The experience inspired her to launch Ghana Bamboo Bikes Initiative with two other students at college.</p><p>"When we started this initiative, I looked back and said, when I was young, I had to walk miles before I could get to school, and sometimes if I was late, I was punished.</p><p>"Why don't we donate bikes for students to encourage them to study and so they can have enough time to be on books."</p><p>To date, they have sold more than 3,000 road, mountain and children's bikes – and Dapaah says they plan to donate <a href="https://www.entrepreneur.com/video/350343" target="_blank">10,000 bikes to schoolchildren over five years</a>.</p>Empowering Women
<p>The enterprise is also providing local jobs. It teaches young people to build bikes, particularly women and those in rural communities, where jobs can be scarce. More than 50% of people they have trained are women.</p><p>Dapaah says they want to boost the number of people they employ to 250 over the next five years and they are looking to partner with NGOs to build a childcare facility so mothers can continue to work.</p>Reducing Emissions
<p>By promoting a cycling culture in Ghana, Dapaah says they're also committed to reducing emissions in the transport sector and contributing to the UN's Sustainable Development Goals.</p><p>"I love the idea of reusing bamboo to promote sustainable cycling. People want to go green, low-carbon, lean-energy efficient," she says.</p>From Your Site Articles
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Scientists say it will take a massive amount of collective action to reverse deforestation and save society from collapse. Big Cheese Photo / Getty Images Plus
Deforestation coupled with the rampant destruction of natural resources will soon have devastating effects on the future of society as we know it, according to two theoretical physicists who study complex systems and have concluded that greed has put us on a path to irreversible collapse within the next two to four decades, as VICE reported.
<p>The research by the two physicists, one from Chile and the other from the UK, was published last week in<em> <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-63657-6" target="_blank">Nature Scientific Reports</a></em>. The researchers used advance statistical modeling to look at how a growing human population can cope with the loss of resources, mainly due to deforestation. After crunching the numbers, the scientists came up with a fairly bleak assessment of society's chance of surviving the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-crisis" target="_self">climate crisis</a>.</p><p>"Based on the current resource consumption rates and best estimate of technological rate growth our study shows that we have very low probability, less than 10 percent in most optimistic estimate, to survive without facing a catastrophic collapse," the authors write in the <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-63657-6" target="_blank">study</a> abstract.</p>
<p>From all the issues that the climate crisis raises like rising sea levels, increases in extreme weather, drought, flooding, and crop failures, scientists zeroed in on deforestation since it is more measurable right now. They argue that forest density, or its current scarcity, is considered the cataclysmic canary in the coal mine, according to the report, as <a href="https://nypost.com/2020/07/29/humanity-likely-faces-rapid-catastrophic-collapse-study-warns/" target="_blank">The New York Post</a> reported.</p><p>"Many factors due to human activity are considered as possibly responsible for the observed changes: among these water and air contamination (mostly greenhouse effect) and deforestation are the most cited. While the extent of human contribution to the greenhouse effect and temperature changes is still a matter of discussion, the deforestation is an undeniable fact," the authors write.</p>
<p>The authors note that the current rate of deforestation would mean that all <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/forests">forests</a> would disappear within 100-200 years.</p><p>"Clearly it is unrealistic to imagine that the human society would start to be affected by the deforestation only when the last tree would be cut down," the authors write, as the <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8571787/Human-civilization-stands-90-chance-collapse-decades-physicists-claim.html" target="_blank">Daily Mail</a> reported.</p><p>The trajectory of such rapid resource use to supply a rapidly growing human population would result in the loss of planetary life-support systems necessary for human survival, including carbon storage, oxygen production, soil conservation and water cycle regulation, according to the Daily Mail.</p><p>In the absence of these critical services, "it is highly unlikely to imagine the survival of many species, including ours, on Earth without [forests]" the study points out. "The progressive degradation of the environment due to deforestation would heavily affect human society and consequently the human collapse would start much earlier," they write, as VICE reported.</p>
<p>The numbers the researchers look at highlight the extent of human greed. Prior to human civilizations, the earth was covered by 60 million square kilometers of forest. As deforestation has ramped up, the new paper points out that there are now less than 40 million square kilometers of forest remaining.</p><p>"Calculations show that, maintaining the actual rate of population growth and resource consumption, in particular forest consumption, we have a few decades left before an irreversible collapse of our civilization," the paper concludes, as VICE reported.</p>
<p>The model developed by the physicists depicts human population growth reaching a maximum level that is undermined by the shrinking of forests, which will not have enough resources left to sustain people. After this point, "a rapid disastrous collapse in population occurs before eventually reaching a low population steady state or total extinction … We call this point in time the 'no-return point' because if the deforestation rate is not changed before this time the human population will not be able to sustain itself and a disastrous collapse or even extinction will occur," the authors write, according to VICE.</p><p>Of course, as with every theoretical paper, there are limitations. The paper assumes that some measurements (such as population growth and deforestation rate) will remain constant, which is certainly not guaranteed. Forest is also taken as a proxy for all resources, which could be seen as too simplistic, as <a href="https://www.iflscience.com/environment/chances-of-societal-collapse-in-next-few-decades-is-sky-high-modelling-suggests/" target="_blank">IFLScience</a> noted.</p><p>The authors point out that it will take a massive amount of collective action to reverse direction and save our society from collapse.</p>
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Researchers have turned to hydrophones, instruments that use underwater microphones to gather data beyond the reach of any camera or satellite. Pxfuel
By Kristen Pope
Melting and crumbling glaciers are largely responsible for rising sea levels, so learning more about how glaciers shrink is vital to those who hope to save coastal cities and preserve wildlife.
<p>But it is hard to get good pictures and measurements because glaciers typically are in remote, difficult-to-reach, and even dangerous locations. Satellites are often used to measure glacial retreat, but these images are far from complete, especially when it's cloudy, foggy, raining, or snowing.</p><p>So researchers have turned to hydrophones, instruments that use underwater microphones to gather data beyond the reach of any camera or satellite. Hydrophones can record underwater in all conditions. Originally used by the military to detect submarines, hydrophones are now one more tool scientists have to learn about climate change. The devices collect data continuously and they are relatively inexpensive and easy to deploy and maintain in many different areas of the world to monitor sea ice, underwater earthquakes, ship noise, and even wildlife patterns.</p>
Groans, Creaks, Icebergs’ Calving Splashes
<p>Oskar Glowacki already knew that melting glacial ice sounds like frying bacon. As ice bubbles burst, anyone nearby can hear crackling and popping, said Glowacki, a postdoctoral scholar at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Using hydrophones, he and other scientists now can make more nuanced measurements of how a changing climate sounds underwater, from the groans, creaks and splashes of a calving iceberg to the changes in whale songs as the ocean warms.</p><p>Glowacki recently used a pair of hydrophones to study the underwater world of glaciers, publishing his findings in <a href="https://www.the-cryosphere.net/14/1025/2020/" target="_blank">The Cryosphere</a>. He and co-author Grant B. Deane measured glacier retreat by <a href="https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2020/07/melting-glaciers-sound-like-frying-bacon/" target="_blank">recording the sounds of ice</a> – from small chunks to enormous slabs – falling off the glacier and splashing into the water.</p><p>During the summer of 2016, Glowacki's team placed two hydrophones near Hansbreen Glacier in Hornsund Fjord, Svalbard. For a month and a half, they recorded sounds, also using three time-lapse cameras to collect images – including the "drop height" (how far the ice fell into the water) – so they could compare photos to the recordings. The team created a formula to represent the relationship between the size of a piece of ice falling from a glacier and the sound it makes underwater, also accounting for the pieces of ice falling from varying heights. (Hear an example of the sound an iceberg makes while calving <a href="https://soundcloud.com/user-248456662/iceberg-calving-hansbreen-glacier" target="_blank">here</a>.)</p><p>"Iceberg calving, defined as mechanical loss of ice from the edges of glaciers and ice shelves, is thought to be one of the most important components of the total ice loss," they note in their paper. They mention also that 32-40% of the Greenland ice sheet's mass loss is from solid ice discharge. However, Glowacki says it isn't just one process leading to glaciers losing mass: Surface melt, calving, and under-sea melting are all contributing factors.</p><p>Satellites are often used to measure glacial retreat, but the images they provide don't present a complete picture, and Glowacki and other scientists say they hope hydrophones can help provide more answers. Given that glaciers are typically remote and difficult to reach, collecting data remotely is key. Hydrophones, on the other hand, can record underwater in all these conditions.</p><p>Hydrophones also collect acoustic data and smaller events hard to find from a satellite image. "In a single day, [you] can have 100 or 200 icebergs breaking off from a single glacier," Glowacki says.</p><p>Glowacki says he and his team plan to further study iceberg calving, including studying additional glaciers, and collecting data for longer periods of time.</p>
Unlocking Information About Antarctic Ice Shelf
<p>Other researchers also are using hydrophones to learn more about crumbling glaciers. Bob Dziak, research oceanographer with the NOAA/Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory <a href="https://www.pmel.noaa.gov/acoustics" target="_blank">acoustics research group</a>, captured a massive calving event of the Nansen Ice Shelf in Antarctica with a hydrophone. He published the results with colleagues in <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2019.00183/full" target="_blank">Frontiers in Earth Science</a></p><p>On April 7, 2016, satellite images showed a massive calving event had occurred on the ice shelf. The paper described it as the "first large scale calving event in >30 years."</p><p>However, once Dziak and colleagues delved into the data from three hydrophones deployed 60 kilometers east of the ice shelf, they uncovered a series of "icequakes" from January to early March 2016. He and other researchers believe that much of the ice actually broke free in mid-January to February, but it remained in the same location until an April storm – which their paper described as the "largest low-pressure storm recorded in the previous seven months" – broke the ice free.</p><p>"We suspected that the icebergs broke apart but remained in place – kind of pinned in place – until a major storm with high winds passed through the area and, finally, it was that last push that pushed the icebergs out to sea," Dziak says.</p><p>He and his co-authors wrote that "fortuitous timing and proximity of the hydrophone deployment presented a rare opportunity to study cryogenic signals and ocean ambient sounds of a large-scale ice shelf calving and iceberg formation event."</p>Listening to Songs of Humpback Whales
<p><a href="https://www.mbari.org/" target="_blank">Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute</a> studies the ocean, including its acoustics. One of the institute's projects involves examining the soundscape of California's Monterey Bay, including sounds from animals, humans, weather, and geologic processes like earthquakes. The researchers once even recorded an under-sea landslide. They also focus on recording and analyzing the <a href="http://www.mbari.org/humpback-song/" target="_blank">songs of humpback whales</a>. Male humpback whales' songs can be over 15 minutes in length, and they can be repeated for long periods of time – even hours. Listening to these songs and analyzing them can provide unique insights into the lives of these complex animals.</p><p>"Any time we want to study marine mammals, sound gives us a window into their lives because they use sound for all of their essential life activities, really," says institute biological oceanographer John Ryan. "Communication, foraging, reproduction, navigation – depending on the species, of course."</p><p>Previously, scientists had thought singing occurred only during courtship and mating, but now they think whales may also use song while migrating and hunting. They know song has a crucial role in the whales' lives.</p><p>"There's a whole other dimension to humpback whale song," Ryan says. "It is a mode of cultural transmission in this species. They learn songs from each other. They share songs as a population, and when populations mix and mingle, they learn new ideas, they explore with their song, improvise, and it's a real essential part of their culture."</p><p>In 2015, institute researchers placed a hydrophone 3,000 feet deep, recording and analyzing humpback whale songs. Between 2015 and 2018, they collected over 26,000 hours of audio, which they used computer software to analyze. The researchers determined "peak singing season" in November through January, and they found most singing occurred at night. During peak season, songs were heard around 70% of the night.</p><p>However, from September 2015 to May 2016, they detected whales singing only about 11% of the time. Those months correlated with a period when the water temperature was especially high, depleting stocks of vital food sources like anchovies and krill, and correlating also with a toxic algal bloom. Scientists think the whales may have had to devote more time and energy to finding food, leaving less for singing. As researchers continue to study the worlds' oceans, they will undoubtedly learn more about underwater mysteries.</p><p>Listen to MBARI's live stream from beneath the bay <a href="https://www.mbari.org/soundscape-listening-room/" target="_blank">here</a>.</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from </em><em><a href="https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2020/07/hearing-the-under-sea-whispers-of-a-warming-climate/" target="_blank">Yale Climate Connections</a>.</em></p>
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The fact is, cats play different predatory roles in different natural and humanized landscapes. PIXNIO / CCO
By William S. Lynn, Arian Wallach and Francisco J. Santiago-Ávila
A number of conservationists claim cats are a zombie apocalypse for biodiversity that need to be removed from the outdoors by "any means necessary" – coded language for shooting, trapping and poisoning. Various media outlets have portrayed cats as murderous superpredators. Australia has even declared an official "war" against cats.
<p>Moral panics emerge when people perceive an existential threat to themselves, society or the environment. When in the grip of a <a href="https://www.thoughtco.com/moral-panic-3026420" target="_blank">moral panic</a>, the ability to think clearly and act responsibly is compromised. While the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.13346" target="_blank">moral panic over cats</a> arises from valid concerns over threats to native species, it obscures the real driver: humanity's exploitative treatment of the natural world. Crucially, errors of scientific reasoning also underwrite this false crisis.</p><h2>The (Shaky) Case Against Cats</h2><p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/fee.1633" target="_blank">Conservationists</a> and the <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2019/09/essay-to-save-birds-should-we-kill-off-cats/" target="_blank">media</a> often claim that cats are a main contributor to a <a href="https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250062185" target="_blank">mass extinction</a>, a catastrophic loss of species due to human activities, like habitat degradation and the killing of wildlife.</p><p>As an interdisciplinary team of scientists and ethicists studying animals in conservation, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.13346" target="_blank">we examined this claim</a> and found it wanting. It is true that like any other predator, cats can suppress the populations of their prey. Yet the extent of this effect is ecologically complex.</p><p>The potential impact of cats differs between <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2016.11.032" target="_blank">urban environments, small islands and remote deserts</a>. When <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0025970" target="_blank">humans denude regions of vegetation</a>, small animals are particularly at risk from cats because they have no shelter in which to hide.</p>
<p>Small animals are similarly vulnerable when humans kill apex predators that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyv100" target="_blank">normally would suppress cat densities and activity</a>. For instance, in the U.S., cats are a <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/urban-coyotes-eat-lot-garbageand-cats-180974461/" target="_blank">favorite meal for urban coyotes</a>, who <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0075718" target="_blank">moderate feline impact</a>; and in Australia, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2664.2012.02207.x" target="_blank">dingoes hunt wild cats</a>, which relieves pressure on native small animals.</p><p>Add in contrary evidence and the case against cats gets even shakier. For instance, in some ecological contexts, <a href="https://www.livescience.com/2102-birds-glad-cats-eat-rats.html" target="_blank">cats contribute to the conservation of endangered birds</a>, by preying on <a href="https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2656.1999.00285.x" target="_blank">rats and mice</a>. There are also <a href="https://doi.org/10.1071/WR19181" target="_blank">documented cases of coexistence</a> between cats and native prey species.</p><p>The fact is, cats play <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.12103" target="_blank">different predatory roles</a> in <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2013/08/australian-cats-and-foxes-may-not-deserve-their-bad-rep" target="_blank">different natural and humanized landscapes</a>. Scientists cannot assume that because cats are a problem for some wildlife in some places, they are a problem in every place.</p>
Faulty Scientific Reasoning
<p>In our <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.13527" target="_blank">most recent publication</a> in the journal Conservation Biology, we examine an error of reasoning that props up the moral panic over cats.</p><p>Scientists do not simply collect data and analyze the results. They also establish a logical argument to explain what they observe. Thus, the reasoning behind a factual claim is equally important to the observations used to make that claim. And it is this reasoning about cats where claims about their threat to global biodiversity founder. In our analysis, we found it happens because many scientists take specific, local studies and overgeneralize those findings to the world at large.</p><p>Even when specific studies are good overall, projecting the combined "results" onto the world at large can cause unscientific overgeneralizations, particularly when <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2015.01.003" target="_blank">ecological context is ignored</a>. It is akin to pulling a quote out of context and then assuming you understand its meaning.</p>Ways Forward
<p>So how might citizens and scientists chart a way forward to a more nuanced understanding of cat ecology and conservation?</p><p>First, those examining this issue on all sides can acknowledge that both the well-being of cats and the survival of threatened species are legitimate concerns.</p><p>Second, cats, like any other predator, affect their ecological communities. Whether that impact is good or bad is a complex value judgment, not a scientific fact.</p><p>Third, there is a need for a more rigorous approach to the study of cats. Such an approach must be mindful of the importance of ecological context and avoid the pitfalls of faulty reasoning. It also means resisting <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.13126" target="_blank">the siren call of a silver (lethal) bullet</a>.</p><p>There is no one-size-fits-all solution. Yet there are many options to consider. Protecting apex predators and their habitat is fundamental to enabling <a href="https://theconversation.com/lets-give-feral-cats-their-citizenship-45165" target="_blank">threatened species to coexist with cats</a>. In some cases, people may choose to segregate domestic cats from vulnerable wildlife: for instance, with <a href="http://www.feralcats.com/catio/" target="_blank">catios</a> where cats can enjoy the outdoors while being kept apart from wildlife. In other cases, unhomed cats may be managed with <a href="https://www.animallaw.info/article/community-cats-changing-legal-paradigm-management-so-called-%22pests%22" target="_blank">trap-neuter-return programs</a> and <a href="https://www.lanaicatsanctuary.org/" target="_blank">sanctuaries</a>.</p><p>Finally, contrary to the framing of some scientists and journalists, the dispute over cats is not primarily about the science. Rather, it evokes an <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.13494" target="_blank">ongoing debate</a> over the ethics that ought to guide humanity's relationship with other animals and nature.</p><p>This is the root of the moral panic over cats: the struggle to move beyond treating other beings with domination and control, toward fostering a relationship rooted in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2020.108648" target="_blank">compassion and justice</a>.</p>
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<em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/william-s-lynn-182185" target="_blank">William S. Lynn</a> is a Research Scientist at Clark University.</em>
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<em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/arian-wallach-120709" target="_blank">Arian Wallach</a> is a Lecturer at Centre for Compassionate Conservation, University of Technology Sydney.</em>
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<em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/francisco-j-santiago-avila-598733" target="_blank">Francisco J. Santiago-Ávila </a>is a Postdoctoral Researcher at University of Wisconsin-Madison.<br/>
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Disclosure statement: Arian Wallach receives funding from the Australian Research Council for research on cats, and from Alley Cat Allies for a workshop on cats in 2017. Francisco J. Santiago-Ávila and William S. Lynn do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</em>
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<em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://theconversation.com/dont-blame-cats-for-destroying-wildlife-shaky-logic-is-leading-to-moral-panic-138710" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.</em>
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