Portugal just took a huge step forward in the renewable energy arena. The country ran on solar, wind and hydropower energy for 107-hours straight from 6:45 a.m. May 7 to 5:45 p.m. May 11, The Guardian reported.
A large photovoltaic power project, the Serpa solar power plant, in Portugal, one of Europe's sunniest areas. Photo credit: Wikipedia
This was a landmark event for Europe and renewable energy. In that four-day period, the European country didn't have to turn to coal or fossil fuels for its electricity needs.
Francisco Ferreira, president of Portuguese sustainability NGO Zero, told The Independent:
Portugal has been investing considerably in renewables, particularly in electricity, since this will be the main final energy within the next decades with the transition from fossil fuels in road transportation to electric vehicles. Since key decisions in the beginning of the century to greatly expand on-shore wind, with the renew of the equipment in certain dams and the improvement of their storage capacity to handle wind production variability, the electricity system can now achieve 100% of renewable electricity being produced and even export.
However, this was the first time that it happened for such a long period, due to particular meteorological conditions and the great management performance of the electricity network.
Portugal has been moving away from fossil fuels in recent years. In 2013, 70 percent of the country's energy came from renewable resources and 24.6 percent of that was from wind power. Only Denmark produced more energy from wind power than Portugal.
“This is a significant achievement for a European country, but what seems extraordinary today will be commonplace in Europe in just a few years," James Watson, the CEO of SolarPower Europe, told The Guardian. "The energy transition process is gathering momentum and records such as this will continue to be set and broken across Europe."
The push toward renewable energy sources is an European Union-wide effort. The union set a goal to produce 20 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2020, the Christian Science Monitor reported.
Portugal shows that it is possible. 107 hours powered 100% renewable energy #futureisclean https://t.co/mj0IwHRYEX https://t.co/DQ6ZkfbMbh— Bertrand PICCARD (@Bertrand PICCARD)1463586324.0
Other countries have made recent strides—although not as substantial. On May 15, Germany produced 45.5 gigawatts of its 45.8 gigawatt demand, Bloomberg reported. The UK also had several instances of zero-reliance on coal energy last week, The Guardian reported. For more than half of the day, on May 12, there was no electricity from coal.
“We are seeing trends like this spread across Europe—last year with Denmark and now in Portugal," Oliver Joy, a spokesman for the Wind Europe, told The Guardian. "The Iberian peninsula is a great resource for renewables and wind energy, not just for the region but for the whole of Europe."
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Marsh Creek in north-central California is the site of restoration project that will increase residents' access to their river. Amy Merrill
By Katy Neusteter
The Biden-Harris transition team identified COVID-19, economic recovery, racial equity and climate change as its top priorities. Rivers are the through-line linking all of them. The fact is, healthy rivers can no longer be separated into the "nice-to-have" column of environmental progress. Rivers and streams provide more than 60 percent of our drinking water — and a clear path toward public health, a strong economy, a more just society and greater resilience to the impacts of the climate crisis.
Public Health
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTUyNDY3MC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2MDkxMTkwNn0.pyP14Bg1WvcUvF_xUGgYVu8PS7Lu49Huzc3PXGvATi4/img.jpg?width=980" id="8e577" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="1efb3445f5c445e47d5937a72343c012" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="3000" data-height="2302" />Wild and Scenic Merced River, California. Bob Wick / BLM
<p>Let's begin with COVID-19. More than <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/coronavirus-us-cases.html?name=styln-coronavirus&region=TOP_BANNER&block=storyline_menu_recirc&action=click&pgtype=LegacyCollection&impression_id=2f508610-2a87-11eb-8622-4f6c038cbd1d&variant=1_Show" target="_blank">16 million Americans</a> have contracted the coronavirus and, tragically,<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/coronavirus-us-cases.html?name=styln-coronavirus&region=TOP_BANNER&block=storyline_menu_recirc&action=click&pgtype=LegacyCollection&impression_id=2f508610-2a87-11eb-8622-4f6c038cbd1d&variant=1_Show" target="_blank"> more than</a> <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/coronavirus-us-cases.html?name=styln-coronavirus&region=TOP_BANNER&block=storyline_menu_recirc&action=click&pgtype=LegacyCollection&impression_id=2f508610-2a87-11eb-8622-4f6c038cbd1d&variant=1_Show" target="_blank">300,000 have died</a> due to the pandemic. While health officials encourage hand-washing to contain the pandemic, at least <a href="https://closethewatergap.org/" target="_blank">2 million Americans</a> are currently living without running water, indoor plumbing or wastewater treatment. Meanwhile, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jun/23/millions-of-americans-cant-afford-water-bills-rise" target="_blank">aging water infrastructure is growing increasingly costly for utilities to maintain</a>. That cost is passed along to consumers. The upshot? <a href="https://research.msu.edu/affordable-water-in-us-reaching-a-crisis/" target="_blank">More than 13 million</a> U.S. households regularly face unaffordable water bills — and, thus, the threat of water shutoffs. Without basic access to clean water, families and entire communities are at a higher risk of <a href="https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/green/news/2020/08/05/488705/bridging-water-access-gap-covid-19-relief/" target="_blank">contracting</a> and spreading COVID-19.</p><p>We have a moral duty to ensure that everyone has access to clean water to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Last spring, <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/03/coronavirus-stimulus-bill-explained-bailouts-unemployment-benefits.html" target="_blank">Congress appropriated more than $4 trillion</a> to jumpstart the economy and bring millions of unemployed Americans back to work. Additional federal assistance — desperately needed — will present a historic opportunity to improve our crumbling infrastructure, which has been <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jun/23/millions-of-americans-cant-afford-water-bills-rise" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">grossly underfunded for decades</a>.</p><p>A report by my organization, American Rivers, suggests that <a href="https://s3.amazonaws.com/american-rivers-website/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/09223525/ECONOMIC-ENGINES-Report-2020.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Congress must invest at least $50 billion</a> "to address the urgent water infrastructure needs associated with COVID-19," including the rising cost of water. This initial boost would allow for the replacement and maintenance of sewers, stormwater infrastructure and water supply facilities.</p>Economic Recovery
<p>Investing in water infrastructure and healthy rivers also creates jobs. Consider, for example, that <a href="https://tinyurl.com/y9p6sgnk" target="_blank">every $1 million spent on water infrastructure in the United States generates more than 15 jobs</a> throughout the economy, according to a report by the Value of Water Campaign. Similarly, <a href="https://tinyurl.com/yyvd2ksp" target="_blank">every "$1 million invested in forest and watershed restoration contracting will generate between 15.7 and 23.8 jobs,</a> depending on the work type," states a working paper released by the Ecosystem Workforce Program, University of Oregon. Healthy rivers also spur tourism and recreation, which many communities rely on for their livelihoods. According to the findings by the Outdoor Industry Association, which have been shared in our report, "Americans participating in watersports and fishing spend over <a href="https://s3.amazonaws.com/american-rivers-website/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/30222425/Exec-summary-ECONOMIC-ENGINES-Report-June-30-2020.pdf" target="_blank">$174 billion</a> on gear and trip related expenses. And, the outdoor watersports and fishing economy supports over <a href="https://s3.amazonaws.com/american-rivers-website/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/30222425/Exec-summary-ECONOMIC-ENGINES-Report-June-30-2020.pdf" target="_blank">1.5 million jobs nationwide</a>."</p><p>After the 2008 financial crisis, Congress invested in infrastructure to put Americans back to work. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act <a href="https://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/economy-a-budget/25941-clean-water-green-infrastructure-get-major-boost" target="_blank">of 2009 (ARRA) allocated $6 billion</a> for clean water and drinking water infrastructure to decrease unemployment and boost the economy. More specifically, <a href="https://www.conservationnw.org/news-updates/us-reps-push-for-millions-of-restoration-and-resilience-jobs/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">an analysis of ARRA</a> "showed conservation investments generated 15 to 33 jobs per million dollars," and more than doubled the rate of return, according to a letter written in May 2020 by 79 members of Congress, seeking greater funding for restoration and resilience jobs.</p><p>Today, when considering how to create work for the <a href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/empsit.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">10.7 million</a> people who are currently unemployed, Congress should review previous stimulus investments and build on their successes by embracing major investments in water infrastructure and watershed restoration.</p>Racial Justice
<p>American Rivers also recommends that Congress dedicate <a href="https://s3.amazonaws.com/american-rivers-website/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/09223525/ECONOMIC-ENGINES-Report-2020.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">$500 billion for rivers and clean water over the next 10 years</a> — not just for the benefit of our environment and economy, but also to begin to address the United States' history of deeply entrenched racial injustice.</p><p>The <a href="https://www.epa.gov/npdes/sanitary-sewer-overflows-ssos" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">23,000-75,000 sewer overflows</a> that occur each year release up to <a href="https://www.americanrivers.org/2020/05/fighting-for-rivers-means-fighting-for-justice/#:~:text=There%20are%20also%2023%2C000%20to%2075%2C000%20sanitary%20sewer,to%20do%20with%20the%20mission%20of%20American%20Rivers." target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">10 billion gallons of toxic sewage</a> <em>every day</em> into rivers and streams. This disproportionately impacts communities of color, because, for generations, Black, Indigenous, Latinx and other people of color have been <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/flooding-disproportionately-harms-black-neighborhoods/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">relegated</a> to live in flood-prone areas and in neighborhoods that have been intentionally burdened with a lack of development that degrades people's health and quality of life. In some communities of color, incessant flooding due to stormwater surges or <a href="https://www.ajc.com/opinion/opinion-partnering-to-better-manage-our-water/7WQ6SEAQP5E4LGQCEYY5DO334Y/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">combined sewer overflows</a> has gone unmitigated for decades.</p><p>We have historically treated people as separate from rivers and water. We can't do that anymore. Every voice — particularly those of people most directly impacted — must have a loudspeaker and be included in decision-making at the highest levels.</p><p>Accordingly, the new administration must diligently invest in projects at the community level that will improve lives in our country's most marginalized communities. We also must go further to ensure that local leaders have a seat at the decision-making table. To this end, the Biden-Harris administration should restore <a href="https://www.epa.gov/cwa-401#:~:text=Section%20401%20Certification%20The%20Clean%20Water%20Act%20%28CWA%29,the%20United%20States.%20Learn%20more%20about%20401%20certification." target="_blank">Section 401 of the Clean Water Act</a>, which was undermined by the <a href="https://earthjustice.org/news/press/2020/tribes-and-environmental-groups-sue-trump-administration-to-preserve-clean-water-protections#:~:text=Under%20Section%20401%20of%20the%20Clean%20Water%20Act%2C,seeks%20to%20undermine%20that%20authority%20in%20several%20ways%3A" target="_blank">Trump administration's 2020 regulatory changes</a>. This provision gives states and tribes the authority to decide whether major development projects, such as hydropower and oil and gas projects, move forward.</p>Climate Resilience
<p>Of course, the menacing shadow looming over it all? Climate change. <a href="https://media.ifrc.org/ifrc/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/IFRC_wdr2020/IFRC_WDR_ExecutiveSummary_EN_Web.pdf" target="_blank">More than 100 climate-related catastrophes</a> have pummeled the Earth since the pandemic was declared last spring, including the blitzkrieg of megafires, superstorms and heat waves witnessed during the summer of 2020, directly impacting the lives of more than <a href="https://media.ifrc.org/ifrc/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/IFRC_wdr2020/IFRC_WDR_ExecutiveSummary_EN_Web.pdf" target="_blank">50 million people globally</a>.</p><p>Water and climate scientist Brad Udall often says, "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQhpj5G0dME" target="_blank">Climate change is water change</a>." In other words, the most obvious and dire impacts of climate change are evidenced in profound changes to our rivers and water resources. You've likely seen it where you live: Floods are more damaging and frequent. Droughts are deeper and longer. Uncertainty is destabilizing industry and lives.</p><p>By galvanizing action for healthy rivers and managing our water resources more effectively, we can insure future generations against the consequences of climate change. First, we must safeguard rivers that are still healthy and free-flowing. Second, we must protect land and property against the ravages of flooding. And finally, we must promote policies and practical solutions that take the science of climate disruption into account when planning for increased flooding, water shortage and habitat disruption.</p><p>Imagine all that rivers do for us. Most of our towns and cities have a river running through them or flowing nearby. Rivers provide clean drinking water, irrigate crops that provide our food, power our homes and businesses, provide wildlife habitat, and are the lifeblood of the places where we enjoy and explore nature, and where we play and nourish our spirits. Healthy watersheds help <a href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/03/1059952" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">mitigate</a> climate change, absorbing and reducing the amount of carbon in the atmosphere. Healthy rivers and floodplains help communities adapt and build resilience in the face of climate change by improving flood protection and providing water supply and quality benefits. Rivers are the cornerstones of healthy, strong communities.</p><p>The more than <a href="https://archive.epa.gov/water/archive/web/html/index-17.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">3 million miles</a> of rivers and streams running across our country are a source of great strength and opportunity. When we invest in healthy rivers and clean water, we can improve our lives. When we invest in rivers, we create jobs and strengthen our economy. When we invest in rivers, we invest in our shared future.</p>From Your Site Articles
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EcoWatch Daily Newsletter
A Brood X cicada in 2004. Pmjacoby / CC BY-SA 3.0
Fifteen states are in for an unusually noisy spring.
<p>Brood X, the largest and most widespread colony of cicadas in the U.S., is due to emerge from their 17-year hibernation, <a href="https://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2020/ask-the-expert-how-to-prepare-for-the-2020-cicada-invasion/#:~:text=Brood%20X%20(10)%2C%20the,again%20next%20year%20in%202021." target="_blank">Michigan State University entomologist Gary Parsons explained</a>. The bugs typically emerge as early as mid-May, and the sound of their mating can reach 100 decibels, <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/trillions-brood-10-cicadas-emerge-us-17-years-underground-1562608" target="_blank">Newsweek reported</a>. And there will be lots of them.</p><p>"Densities can be as great as 1.5 million per acre. So, between Georgia and New York there will surely be trillions emerging," emeritus professor of entomology at the University of Maryland and Entomological Society of America fellow Michael J. Raupp told Newsweek.</p>
<p>The cicadas are due to emerge in Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington, DC for the first time since 2004. They will begin to emerge once the ground hits 64 degrees Fahrenheit, usually between mid-May and late June. They will be above ground mating and laying eggs for about five to six weeks, <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/what-is-brood-x-us-cicada-infestation-coming-in-2021/" target="_blank">CBS News reported</a>. Then the nymphs will dig into the ground to suck tree roots for another 17 years, Parsons explained.</p><p>The brood's large numbers and long hibernation period is part of an evolutionary strategy millions of years old.</p>
<p>"It is thought that by having the longlife cycles, cicadas have prevented predators from specifically targeting them for food. Then by emerging in the millions all at once, they are too numerous for any predators that do eat them from ever wiping them out. There are so many of them that lots of them will always survive," Parsons said.</p><p>In addition, the long hibernation times helped the cicadas avoid unseasonably cold summers, CBS News explained. In the Pleistocene Epoch, 1.8 million years ago, summers could be much colder in the Eastern U.S. But cicadas can't survive above ground for long if the temperature stays below 68 degrees Fahrenheit. So they evolved to emerge infrequently to reduce their chances of hitting a cold snap.</p>
<p>Brood X isn't the only cicada brood in the country. There are other broods with 13 or 17 year cycles, as well as annual cicadas with three to four year cycles, Parsons said. Many of them have been impacted by recent environmental changes.</p><p>"In the long ago past, it is likely the different broods were more widespread geographically," he said. "It is likely that urbanization, widespread commercial farming and other factors have reduced and limited them over the years. You take away the trees and shrubs in forests and they don't have the roots to feed on. Fortunately, they have adapted well to using street trees, parks and yard trees as their hosts and can still survive in urbanized areas."</p>
<p>This can be a nuisance for some and a dramatic sight for others, but the cicadas are not dangerous. They do not bite, spread disease or eat crops, CBS News pointed out. They also are not poisonous to pets, though sometimes dogs will eat so many of them that they get sick, Parsons said.</p><p>The one thing that they do harm is newly-planted trees.</p><p>"Don't plant next spring, because these trees are going to simply get hammered next year when those cicadas show up," Raupp <a href="https://wtop.com/local/2020/05/dont-bug-out-2021-will-see-emergence-of-trillions-of-cicadas/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">told WTOP News</a> in 2020.</p><p>Raupp said any trees planted in 2020 could also be in danger. If you did plant last year, Raupp said to protect the young tree with netting and not to use pesticides.</p><p>Once the trees are taken care of, Raupp encouraged people to enjoy the spectacle.</p><p>"[T]his is a wonderful opportunity for millions of people to witness and enjoy a remarkable biological phenomenon in their own backyard that happens nowhere else on the planet, truly a teachable moment," he told Newsweek.</p>
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Trending
A creative depiction of bigfoot in a forest. Nisian Hughes / Stone / Getty Images
Deep in the woods, a hairy, ape-like man is said to be living a quiet and secluded life. While some deny the creature's existence, others spend their lives trying to prove it.
<p>A recent Oklahoma bill may require those hoping to prove it to buy a permit first.</p><p>On Wednesday, one Oklahoma State Representative filed a bill to create a Bigfoot hunting season, <a href="https://www.koco.com/article/bigfoot-hunting-season-legislative-stunt-or-tourism-promotion/35283756" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">KOCO News reported</a>. If passed, State Rep. Justin Humphrey's <a href="http://webserver1.lsb.state.ok.us/cf_pdf/2021-22%20INT/hB/HB1648%20INT.PDF" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">bill</a> will go into effect on Nov. 1., calling for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation to set rules for the season, annual dates and hunting license and fees, according to <a href="https://www.koco.com/article/lawmaker-files-bill-that-would-establish-bigfoot-hunting-season-in-oklahoma/35277627" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">KOCO News</a>.</p>
<p>The legend has been around for decades. Best seen after sunset, Bigfoot benefits from the solitude of rural living, according to the <a href="https://www.bfro.net/REF/aboutbfr.asp" target="_blank">Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization</a>. But don't let his large stature fool you – bigfoot's impact on the land is known to be so subtle only a trained eye can spot its tracks.</p><p>Bigfoot endures generations of folklore in Humphrey's part of Oklahoma, too, <a href="https://stateimpact.npr.org/oklahoma/2015/12/10/bigfoot-is-scaring-up-stories-and-tourism-dollars-in-southeastern-oklahoma/" target="_blank">StateImpact Oklahoma</a> noted. While some, like D.W. Lee of the Mid-America Bigfoot Research Center dedicate decades to studying and hunting the creature, <a href="https://www.koco.com/article/bigfoot-hunting-season-legislative-stunt-or-tourism-promotion/35283756" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">KOCO News</a> reported, others resist the rumors.</p><p>"We use science-driven research, and we don't recognize Bigfoot in the state of Oklahoma," Micah Holmes of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation told <a href="https://www.koco.com/article/bigfoot-hunting-season-legislative-stunt-or-tourism-promotion/35283756" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">KOCO News</a>.</p>
<p>But what's State Rep. Humphrey's take?</p><p>"I have been in the woods all my life and I have not ever seen any sign of Bigfoot," he told <a href="https://oklahoman.com/article/5680759/oklahoma-lawmaker-files-bill-to-establish-bigfoot-hunting-season-heres-why" target="_blank">The Oklahoman</a>. Humphrey's intent is to encourage tourism in the state, according to The Oklahoman. Establishing an actual hunting season, where enthusiasts can purchase a physical license, could draw more people into "our already beautiful part of the state," he noted in a release, according to <a href="https://www.koco.com/article/bigfoot-hunting-season-legislative-stunt-or-tourism-promotion/35283756" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">KOCO News</a>.</p><p>While a hunting license for an Oklahoman resident is $101 for a bear and $20 for an antlered deer, <a href="https://www.wildlifedepartment.com/licensing/license-options1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">according to ODWC</a>, Humphrey's bill does not state how much a bigfoot license would cost.</p><p>"This actually could possibly be a clever move, a way to provide more funding for the Wildlife department," one commenter wrote, according to <a href="https://abc13.com/bigfoot-hunting-sasquatch-season-outdoors/9875983/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">ABC 13</a>.</p>
<p>The majority of Oklahoma's Wildlife Conservation Department's income comes from licenses and fees, according to the <a href="https://www.wildlifedepartment.com/about-the-odwc/about#:~:text=The%20Department%20has%20an%20annual,annual%20hunting%20and%20fishing%20licenses" target="_blank">ODWC</a>. Yet, over the past 50 years, the popularity of hunting and fishing in the United States has rapidly declined, decreasing by 50 percent, a survey by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service found, according to <a href="https://www.npr.org/2018/03/20/593001800/decline-in-hunters-threatens-how-u-s-pays-for-conservation" target="_blank">NPR</a>. Today, only about 5 percent of Americans, 16 years old and older, actually hunt. This number is expected to keep dropping, potentially causing a serious decline in funding for state wildlife agencies, NPR reported.</p><p>In the southeastern town of Hochatown, Bigfoot merchandise is easily found and a Bigfoot festival is held every year nearby in Honobia each October, according to The Oklahoman.</p><p>Humphrey says the bill is meant as a complement to southeastern Oklahoma's tourism.</p>
<p>"They want to buy a license because they want to frame it on the wall," Humphrey told The Oklahoman. "Anything that could be a revenue creator is something we ought to look at and definitely entertain."</p><p>But Humphrey's bill faces criticism.</p><p>"I've had 26 encounters that I can say was actually a Bigfoot," D.W. Lee told <a href="https://www.koco.com/article/bigfoot-hunting-season-legislative-stunt-or-tourism-promotion/35283756" target="_blank">KOCO News</a> when he heard of Humphrey's bill. "The efforts of the people out there actually being serious about this – it really hampers us."</p><p>Objection to the bill may also stem from the <a href="https://www.bfro.net/REF/aboutbfr.asp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization's</a> intention to never harm the creature physically, but only study it.</p><p>Others reject the basis for the bill entirely.</p><p>"I had one lady just scream at me that she is going to make sure I will get beat because of this and told me I've lost my mind," Humphrey told The Oklahoman. "I don't think they (critics) understand what we are trying to do to promote our area."</p>
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Climate Leaders Celebrate as European Investment Bank Chief Declares 'Gas Is Over'
22 January
Business
President of the European Investment Bank Werner Hoyer holds a press conference in Brussels, Belgium on Jan. 30, 2020. Dursun Aydemir / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
By Jon Queally
Noted author and 350.org co-founder Bill McKibben was among the first to celebrate word that the president of the European Investment Bank on Wednesday openly declared, "To put it mildly, gas is over" — an admission that squares with what climate experts and economists have been saying for years if not decades.
<p>Dr. Werner Hoyer, president of the EIB — the investment bank publicly owned by the European Union's member states — made the comments while presenting a review of the institution's 2020 operations at a press conference in Luxembourg.</p><p>Calling a future break with fracked gas "a serious departure from the past," Hoer added that "without the end to the use of unabated fossil fuels, we will not be able to reach the climate targets" to which the EU states — and therefore the bank — have committed.</p><p>McKibben and others responded to the comments as the most recent promising signal that the financial world is catching up with the climate science that demands a rapid and profound shift away from fossil fuels.</p>
<div id="3e832" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="4fe43fadc02a3bc19b3bb0387627f5a0"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1352242766621904896" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Head of the European Investment Bank: "Gas is over."
I'd say the message is starting to sink in.
https://t.co/BYKCJO0EVS</div> — Bill McKibben (@Bill McKibben)<a href="https://twitter.com/billmckibben/statuses/1352242766621904896">1611234773.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>"President of the EIB, Werner Hoyer, clearly knows what's up," <a href="https://twitter.com/PriceofOil/status/1352226504432885760" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">tweeted</a> Oil Change International. "We agree. Time to #StopFundingFossils."</p><p>Greenpeace EU also heralded the news and stated: "There's nothing clean about gas — it's not a 'transition fuel' or a 'bridge fuel,' it's a dirty fossil fuel just like coal and oil. It's time to stop bankrolling the #ClimateEmergency and stop public money back gas projects."</p>
<div id="9a0df" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="794b3b0f2b24a61966878250dd90138a"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1351871509334253574" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">European Investment Bank says GAS IS OVER! 🥂👋
Now we need to make sure it doesn't fund gas before its 2022 deadlin… https://t.co/I5G8zvPOUE</div> — Gastivists Network (@Gastivists Network)<a href="https://twitter.com/gastivists/statuses/1351871509334253574">1611146259.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p><a href="https://www.euractiv.com/section/energy-environment/news/gas-is-over-eu-bank-chief-says/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">According</a> to EurActiv:</p><blockquote>The EU aims to reach net zero emissions by 2050 and is expected to adopt a new carbon reduction target of -55% for 2030. However, gas has remained a grey area, with the European Commission <a href="https://www.euractiv.com/section/energy-environment/news/natural-gas-is-a-caveat-in-energy-transition-eu-admits/" target="_blank">saying it will still be needed to help coal-reliant EU member states transition away from fossil fuels</a>.<br>Under their <a href="https://www.eib.org/attachments/thematic/eib_group_climate_bank_roadmap_en.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">climate bank roadmap published in 2020</a>, the EIB plans to use 50% of its activity to support climate and environmental sustainability, unlocking €1 trillion for green funding by 2030. It will also ensure that all activity is aligned with the Paris Agreement.</blockquote><p>Others emphasized what a historic shift the comment represents from even just a few years ago:</p>
<div id="c61d5" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="1023ac797ce2060c2237eb53aebdf9e2"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1352166077980143618" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">June 2011, IEA: "Are We Entering A Golden Age of gas"
Jan 2021, EIB: "Gas is over"
https://t.co/DXdDBOhiLG</div> — Michael Liebreich (@Michael Liebreich)<a href="https://twitter.com/MLiebreich/statuses/1352166077980143618">1611216489.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>While many European climate groups and financial watchdogs have criticized the EU member states and the EIB itself for not moving forward fast enough with proposed reforms to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Hoyer said Wednesday that the shift away from fossil fuels is paramount and that even the Covid-19 pandemic wreaking havoc across the continent must not act as a roadblock.</p><p>"We have achieved unprecedented impact on climate, preparing the ground for much more," Hoyer said in his remarks. "But the risk of a recovery that neglects climate and the environment remains."</p><p>"The fight against climate change cannot wait until the pandemic is over," he added. "The [Covid-19] crisis is not a reason to stop tackling the climate and environmental challenges facing humanity."</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/01/21/reality-starting-sink-says-mckibben-after-european-investment-bank-chief-admits-gas" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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A dwarf giraffe is seen in Uganda, Africa. Dr. Michael Brown, GCF
Nine feet tall is gigantic by human standards, but when researcher and conservationist Michael Brown spotted a giraffe in Uganda's Murchison Falls National Park that measured nine feet, four inches, he was shocked.
<p>Giraffes have an average height of around 16 feet. Their necks alone can measure six feet. So why was this giraffe so much shorter?</p><p>"The initial reaction was disbelief," Brown, who is a <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/conservation" target="_self">conservation</a> science fellow with the Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF) and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, told <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/06/science/dwarf-giraffes.html" target="_blank">The New York Times</a>.</p><p>Scientists first spotted the Nubian giraffe, named Gimli, in 2015. Three years later, researchers found another short giraffe living on a private farm in central Namibia. That one, named Nigel, is an Angolan giraffe measuring eight-and-a-half-feet tall.</p><p>The researchers compared the two giraffes to each other, along with those of average height, <a href="https://thehill.com/changing-america/sustainability/environment/534873-new-discovery-of-dwarf-giraffes-is-baffling" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Hill explained</a>. The comparisons revealed that the two giraffes had shorter legs than their similarly aged peers, caused by skeletal dysplasia, or dwarfism.</p>
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="54af350ee3a2950e0e5e69d926a55d83"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yf4NRKzzTFk?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span>
<p>This is the first time that dwarfism has been documented in wild giraffe populations, Brown and his GCF colleague Emma Wells wrote in a paper published in <a href="https://link.springer.com/epdf/10.1186/s13104-020-05403-9?sharing_token=ntjvG3fP1wY_nrBV0eDdO2_BpE1tBhCbnbw3BuzI2RO_hp-8Guw6xV7ywaIirtjhYCijpdOVcpcsRSq7HBvvCbScuMwHpvQOGkFiUA-k4_ttaOODkzWhYBOHXQo5ujaizGjqTke6RMmuFIZAkUUXjslcFxiMDL3g07YUIA8JPsA%3D" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">BMC Research Notes</a> last month. They noted how dwarfism has been observed in domestic <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/animals/" target="_self">animals</a>, but rarely in the wild. Other incidents include a red deer in Scotland and an Asian elephant in Sri Lanka.</p><p>"Instances of wild animals with these types of skeletal dysplasias are extraordinarily rare," Brown said in a <a href="https://giraffeconservation.org/2021/01/09/dwarf-giraffe-spotted-in-namibia-and-uganda/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">statement to GCF</a>. "It's another interesting wrinkle in the unique story of giraffe in these diverse ecosystems."</p><p>The researchers are unsure what caused dwarfism in the two giraffes. In domestic animals, it is usually associated with inbreeding or a lack of genetic diversity, The New York Times explained. Researchers don't know if this is the case for the giraffes, but GCF noted that the giraffes in Uganda suffered significant population decline in the 1980s due to unrest and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/poaching" target="_self">poaching</a>.</p><p>While the giraffe population in Uganda is recovering, the overall population is in trouble across Africa. Their numbers have fallen 40 percent in the last 30 years, according to The Hill. GCF estimates that there are about 111,000 left in the wild in Africa.</p>
<p>"Giraffe are undergoing a silent extinction in Africa. The fact that this is the first description of dwarf giraffe is just another example of how little we know about these charismatic animals," GCF Director and Co-Founder Dr. Julian Fennessy said in a statement.</p><p>As for Nigel and Gimli's individual chances, Brown told The New York Times it was a good sign that both had survived to adulthood, since more than half of giraffes die beforehand. However, Brown thought they might have problems later in life because of their size.</p><p>"It's easy to imagine how this might make them more susceptible to predation since they lack the ability to effectively run and kick, which are two of the giraffe's most effective anti-predator tactics," Brown told The New York Times. "Additionally, given the mechanics of giraffe mating, I'd speculate that for both of these giraffes, mating would be physically challenging."</p><p>Nigel was last seen during a July 2020 survey but Gimli has not been seen since 2017. Researchers hope he will appear again soon.</p>
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