Andrey Nikitin / iStock / Getty Images Plus
By Adrienne Santos-Longhurst
Plants are awesome. They brighten up your space and give you a living thing you can talk to when there are no humans in sight.
Turns out, having enough of the right plants can also add moisture (aka humidify) indoor air, which can have a ton of health benefits.
<p>Yep, the right amount of humidity in the air can:</p><ul class="ee-ul"><li>relieve <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/dry-skin" target="_blank">dry skin</a> and <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/skin/home-remedies-for-chapped-lips" target="_blank">lips</a></li><li>prevent <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/dry-throat" target="_blank">dry throat</a></li><li>soothe <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/dry-sinuses" target="_blank">dry sinuses</a> and nasal irritation</li><li>prevent <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/nosebleed" target="_blank">nosebleeds</a></li><li>reduce the likelihood of <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/infections" target="_blank">infections</a> and <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/allergies" target="_blank">allergies</a></li></ul><p>Plants increase humidity in the air through a process called evapotranspiration.</p><p>Water from the soil makes its way up through the roots of the plant, through the stems, and up to the leaves (transpiration), where it's evaporated into the air through pores on the leaves, called stomata.</p><p>Ready to work on your green thumb? We'll cover which plants to get and which ones to avoid, and even throw in a few pro tips to help you make the most of your plants.</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from </em><a href="https://www.healthline.com/" target="_blank"><em>Healthline</em></a><em>. For detailed source information, please view the original article on </em><em><a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/humidifying-plants" target="_blank">Healthline</a></em><em>.</em></p>
Spider Plant
<p>Spider plants are one of the best plants you can buy for increasing indoor humidity, according to <a href="https://krex.k-state.edu/dspace/bitstream/handle/2097/35195/803.full.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y" target="_blank">research</a> from 2015.</p><p>Even NASA agrees. It did a <a href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19930073077.pdf" target="_blank">study</a> in the '80s that found spider plants are able to remove toxins like carbon monoxide and formaldehyde from indoor air.</p><p>Perhaps the coolest part of all? They're super easy to grow.</p><p>Their stems grow long. A hanging container is best so the plant has room to cascade.</p><p>Spider plants grow best in bright, indirect sunlight, so try to keep them near a window that gets a lot of natural light. Aim to keep the soil moist, but not soggy.</p>Jade Plant
<p><a href="https://krex.k-state.edu/dspace/bitstream/handle/2097/35195/803.full.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y" target="_blank">Research</a> shows that a jade plant can increase the relative humidity in a room. Most of its evapotranspiration happens in the dark, making it a good option for increasing humidity during darker months of the year.</p><p>To help keep a jade plant thriving, keep it in a bright spot, like near a south-facing window. As for watering, how much you give it depends on the time of the year.</p><p>The spring and summer is its active growing time, so you'll want to water it deeply, and wait till the soil is almost dry to water it again.</p><p>In the fall and winter, growing slows or stops, so you can let the soil dry completely before watering again.</p>Areca Palm
<p>Palms tend to be great for adding humidity, and the areca palm — also called the butterfly or yellow palm — is no exception.</p><p>They're relatively low maintenance, but they do require lots of sun and moist soil. Keep them near a window that gets a lot of sunlight. Water them enough to keep their soil moist, especially in the spring and summer.</p><p>They can grow up to 6 or 7 feet tall and don't like crowded roots, so you'll need to repot it every couple of years as it grows.<span></span></p>English Ivy
<p>English ivy (<em>Hedera helix</em>) is easy to care for and gives you a lot of bang for your buck because it grows like crazy.</p><p>It's also been <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11869-018-0618-9" target="_blank">shown</a> to have one of the highest transpiration rates. This makes it a good option for increasing relative humidity AND removing carbon monoxide from indoor air.</p><p>A hanging basket is best for this small-leafed ivy. It'll grow as long and lush as you let it. To keep it controlled, just prune to the size you want.</p><p>English ivy likes bright light and soil that's slightly dry. Check the soil to make sure it's almost dry before watering again.</p>Lady Palm
<p>The lady palm is a dense plant that's low maintenance when it comes to sunlight and water needs.</p><p>It does best in bright light, but is adaptable enough to grow in low-light spots, too, though at a slightly slower pace.</p><p>Lady palms like to be watered thoroughly once the surface is dry to the touch, so always check the soil before watering.</p>Rubber Plant
<p>The rubber plant isn't as finicky as other indoor tropical plants, making it really easy to care for. Rubber plants also have a high transpiration rate and are great for helping clean indoor air.</p><p>Rubber plants like partial sun to partial shade. They can handle cooler temps and drier soil (perfect for people who tend to kill every plant they bring into the home).</p><p>Let the soil dry before watering again. In the fall and winter months, you'll be able to cut watering in half.</p>Boston Fern
<p>The Boston fern has air-purifying properties that add moisture and remove toxins from indoor air. Did we mention they're lush and gorgeous, too?</p><p>To keep a Boston fern healthy and happy, water it often enough so the soil is always moist, and make sure it gets a lot of indirect sunlight by placing it in a bright part of the room.</p><p>Occasionally misting the fern's leaves with a spray bottle of water can help keep it perky when you have the heat blasting or fireplace going.</p>Peace Lily
<p>Peace lilies are tropical evergreens that produce a white flower in the summer. They usually grow up to around 16 inches tall, but can grow longer in the right conditions.</p><p>A peace lily feels most at home in a room that's warm and gets a lot of sunlight. It takes its soil moist.</p><p>No need to stress if you forget to water it on occasion. It'll handle that better than being overwatered.</p><p>If you have cats, you'll want to keep this plant out of reach or avoid it. Lilies are <a href="https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants/lily" target="_blank">toxic</a> to our feline friends.</p>Golden Pothos
<p>Golden pothos is also called devil's ivy and devil's vine because it's pretty much impossible to kill. You can forget to water it and even forget to give it light for long periods, and it'll still be green whenever you finally remember.</p><p>That said, it thrives in brighter spaces and does like some water. Let it dry out between watering.</p><p>Its trailing stems grow as long as you want it to, so it's perfect for hanging planters or setting on a higher shelf.</p><p>The higher the better if you have pets, though, since some of its compounds are toxic to dogs and cats… and horses, if you happen to live in a big apartment with really relaxed pet rules.</p>Dwarf Date Palm
<p>Dwarf date palms are also called pygmy date palms. They're perfect as far as plants go. They're basically mini versions of the palm trees you see on tropical postcards.</p><p>They can help keep a room's air clean and increase humidity, and are super easy to maintain.</p><p>They can grow to be anywhere from 6 to 12 feet tall with bright, indirect sunlight and moist — not soaking wet — soil.</p><p>They also prefer a slightly toasty environment, so avoid placing them near a drafty window or source of cold.</p>Corn Plant
<p>The corn plant won't give you an endless supply of corn — just leaves that look like corn leaves and the occasional bloom if you treat it nice. It also helps humidify indoor air and remove toxic vapors.</p><p>Maintenance is easy. Let the top inch or so of soil dry before watering, and keep in a well-lit room where it can get a good amount of indirect sunlight.</p>Parlor Palm
<p>This is another high-transpiration palm that doesn't take any real skill to grow. You're welcome.</p><p>Parlor palms like partial sun, but can manage in full shade, too, as long as you keep the soil consistently moist with a couple of waterings per week.</p><p>To help it grow, make sure it's got enough space in the pot by sizing up every year or two, or whenever it starts to look crowded.</p>Plants to Avoid
<p>Plants are generally good for your environment, but some do have the opposite effect when it comes to humidity.</p><p>These plants tend to draw moisture <em>in</em> instead of letting it out. This doesn't happen instantly, and a couple of plants won't have enough of an effect to really zap the moisture out of your home.</p><p>Still, if you're looking for maximum moisture, you may want to limit these.</p><p>Plants that fall into this category are those that require very little water to survive. Think plants that you find in dry climates, like the desert.</p><p>These include plants like:</p><ul><li>cactuses</li><li>succulents</li><li>aloe vera</li><li>euphorbia, also called "spurge"</li></ul>Pro Tips
<p>If you really want to take advantage of all the moisture and purification these plants offer, here are some tips to consider:</p><ul><li><strong>Size matters.</strong> Plants with bigger leaves typically have a higher transpiration rate, so go bigger to humidify and purify a room.</li><li><strong>The more the merrier.</strong> Have at least two good-sized plants per 100 square feet of space — more is even better.</li><li><strong>Keep 'em close.</strong> Group your plants closer together to increase the humidity in the air and help your plants thrive, too.</li><li><strong>Add pebbles.</strong> If you're dealing with dry indoor air, put your plants on a pebble tray with water to create more humidity for your plants <em>and</em> your room.</li></ul>The Bottom Line
<p>If you're looking to combat dry air in your home and have some space, consider stocking up on some houseplants. Just keep in mind that this is one area where less definitely isn't more.</p><p>For a noticeable impact on the air in your home, try to have at least several plants in each room. If you only have room for a few plants, try to go for larger ones with big leaves.</p>From Your Site Articles
- 5 Common Houseplants That Clean the Air for a Healthier Home ... ›
- 20 Plants That Improve Air Quality in Your Home - EcoWatch ›
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Since prehistoric times, purslane has been grown by humans around the world, from Australia to the Middle East to Asia. Nik West / Getty Images
By Jared Kaufman
This Friday, May 22, marks the International Day for Biological Diversity. Every year, the United Nations uses this day as an opportunity both to celebrate the Earth's stunning biodiversity and to recognize our task to protect it.
<p>Unfortunately, due to biodiversity loss from industrialization and unsustainable land use, the planet's health is threatened. Nearly a quarter of wild food species—plant and animal—are decreasing in abundance, <a href="http://www.fao.org/state-of-biodiversity-for-food-agriculture/en/" target="_blank">according to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization</a>. Biodiversity is not only important for the planet—but it's important for human health, too. Eating a range of fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains can help immune systems by providing the full range of nutrients, from vitamins C and D to zinc and iron. And COVID-19 is revealing the urgency of improving immunity—and the power of food to protect us. </p><p>"There's a range of vitamins, of flavanols, of minerals that have been looked at, that we know improve the immune system function. … Several specific nutrients seem to have activity against COVID-19-specific proteins," Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, a cardiologist and the dean of the Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, <a href="https://foodtank.com/news/2020/05/new-on-the-podcast-dr-dariush-mozaffarian-on-creating-healthier-american-diets-and-nutrition-programs/" target="_blank">told me on Food Talk Live this week</a>. "What's really interesting, beyond the general immune-boosting effects and the COVID-specific protein effects, many of these same nutrients or other nutrients blunt or soften this excessive inflammatory response that's really what's causing deaths in COVID."</p><p>These 15 indigenous crops, among countless others, are prized in traditional agriculture systems for their resiliency, diversity, versatility, and most of all, nutritious value.</p>
<p>1. <strong>Amaranth</strong> <em>(Amaranthus)</em></p><p>The more than 75 species of amaranth grow across nearly every continent, from the humid lowlands of Africa to mountainous countries in South America. Amaranth, which grows quickly in hot weather, is cultivated both as a leafy green and a cereal-like grain. It's an excellent source of protein, vitamins, and essential minerals, including calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, and zinc.</p><p>2. <strong>Arracacha</strong> <em>(Arracacia xanthorrhiza)</em></p><p>An important South American root crop, Arracacha is best described as somewhere between a carrot and celery root. It was originally cultivated in the Andes, but because of its versatility and low-input costs, is now an important crop in many lower regions of Brazil, Colombia, and Venezuela. Arracacha is typically prepared similarly to potatoes, but contains four times the calcium as potatoes and significant carotenoid pigments, the precursor to vitamin A.</p><p>3. <strong>Bay of Fundy Dulse</strong> <em>(Palmaria palmata)</em></p><p>Dulse is a red seaweed that's been used for culinary and medicinal purposes across Ireland, Iceland, and Canada's Atlantic coast. Dulse that grows in the Bay of Fundy, between the provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, was once a popular snack food and an important ingredient in traditional chowders and stews for many First Nations communities. Dulse has a high protein content, and contains iodine, iron, and many other trace vitamins and minerals.</p>
<p>4. <strong>Chaya</strong> <em>(Cnidoscolus aconitifolius)</em></p><p>Chaya, an evergreen plant native to the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico, has been a staple of indigenous diets for centuries in Mexico and Central America. Chaya grows very easily and is resistant to insects, heavy rains, and droughts. The leaves must be cooked to be safe to eat, but chaya is rich in protein, vitamins A and C, calcium, iron, phosphorus, and many minerals and enzymes.</p><p>5. <strong>Chayote</strong> <em>(Sechium edule)</em></p><p>The chayote, a green, pear-shaped member of the squash family, has been an important part of diets across mesoamerica since pre-Columbian times. The plant is extremely versatile and can be grown in warm climates from sea level to more than 2000 meters above sea level. Most parts of the plant may be eaten, including the fruit, stems, and leaves, and it's a good source of vitamin C and folate.</p><p>6. <strong>Desert Lime </strong>(Citrus glauca) </p><p><a href="https://anfab.org.au/main.asp?_=Desert%20Lime" target="_blank">Desert lime</a> grows naturally in the semi-arid regions in eastern Australia in a range of soil types. It is tolerant of heat, frost, drought, and salinity, and it can withstand extreme temperature conditions from -12 degrees C to 45 degrees C (10.4 degrees F to 113 degrees F). Desert lime has high levels of vitamin C, folate, calcium, and antioxidants.</p>
<p>7. <strong>Fonio</strong> <em>(Digitaria)</em></p><p>The two species of fonio — white and black — grown across West Africa are versatile and gluten-free varieties of millet. Fonio is fast-growing and suitable for dry conditions, although very labor-intensive to harvest. The grain has been cited as a path toward greater food security in Africa and is high in iron, calcium, and several essential amino acids.</p><p>8. <strong>Kakadu Plum</strong> <em>(Terminalia ferdinandiana)</em></p><p>The Kakadu Plum—also called the Gubinge, Billygoat Plum, or Murunga—grows across northern Australia and has the <a href="http://anfab.org.au/edit/research_publications/14-115_KakaduPlum.pdf" target="_blank">highest recorded natural vitamin C</a> content of any plant in the world. Suited to its natural hot and coastal environment, the kakadu plum can grow in a variety of dry and saline habitats, from dry creek beds to cliff tops and ridges.</p><p>9.<strong> Kumara/Sweet Potato</strong> <em>(Ipomoea batatas)</em></p><p>Sweet potatoes, also known as kumara in many Polynesian languages and in New Zealand's indigenous Māori language, are a staple crop across Africa, Asia, and many cultures within and surrounding the Pacific Ocean. The starchy vegetable is a great source of protein, vitamins A and C, iron, calcium, and dietary fiber.</p>
<p>10. <strong>Målselvnepe Turnip</strong> <em>(Brassica rapa </em>subsp.<em> rapa)</em></p><p>This old Norwegian landrace of turnip has been improved over the years through selective cultivation. It has an excellent, yet strong and distinct, taste compared to other turnip varieties. It can be eaten raw, roasted, baked, and boiled, and is frequently used to enhance the flavor of soups, salads, stir-fries, and side dishes. The Målselvnepe turnip is an excellent source of vitamin C and potassium.</p><p>11. <strong>Mung Bean</strong> <em>(Vigna radiata)</em></p><p>The mung bean is important in Asian diets and valuable for its easily digestible protein. High levels of iron in the vegetable help improve the diets of the most vulnerable women and children, and mung bean production offers an opportunity for increased income for small-scale farmers. The vegetable can also fix nitrogen in the soil, making it valuable for crop rotations.</p><p>12. <strong>Northern Wild Rice</strong> <em>(Zizania palustris)</em></p><p>Northern wild rice (<em>manoomin</em> in Anishinaabe languages), one of four global wild rice species, grows across the Great Lakes region in the U.S. and in aquatic areas of Canada's Boreal Forest. Wild rice has been central to Indigenous foodways in the region, particularly in Minnesota, for millennia. Although it is now domesticated and cultivated largely for commercial sale, much of it is still harvested using traditional methods. Wild rice is rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber, and contains more protein than most other whole grains.</p>
<p>13. <strong>Pawpaw</strong> <em>(Asimina triloba)</em></p><p>The pawpaw fruit is the largest edible fruit indigenous to North America, and has a tropical flavor reminiscent of a mix between mangoes and bananas. It was grown and eaten by Native Americans and early European settlers, although it has proven difficult to commercialize due to its very short shelf life after harvesting. However, the fruit is high in vitamin C, magnesium, and iron, and also contains some vitamin A.</p><p>14. <strong>Purslane</strong> <em>(Portulaca oleracea)</em></p><p>Since prehistoric times, purslane has been grown by humans around the world, from Australia to the Middle East to Asia. It's still common in Mediterranean countries and in aboriginal Australian foodways. Purslane is capable of <a href="https://www.khanacademy.org/science/biology/photosynthesis-in-plants/photorespiration--c3-c4-cam-plants/a/c3-c4-and-cam-plants-agriculture" target="_blank">CAM photosynthesis</a> in extreme conditions, which allows the plant to grow while saving water, making it a very successful plant across many climates. Purslane also contains more essential omega-3 fatty acids than any other leafy green, and the plant is also extraordinarily high in vitamin E.</p><p>15. <strong>Tepary Beans </strong><em>(Phaseolus acutifolius)</em></p><p>Tepary beans have been a staple crop for thousands of years and remain important for Indigenous farmers across North America, including in Tohono O'odham communities in the American southwest. They grow quickly in arid desert conditions and are resistant to alkaline soils, making them one of the most drought- and heat-tolerant crops in the world. Although related to standard beans, tepary beans actually contain more protein, calcium, fiber, iron, and zinc, and have a low glycemic index.</p>
<p class=""><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://foodtank.com/news/2020/05/15-indigenous-crops-to-boost-your-immune-system-and-celebrate-biodiversity/" target="_blank">Food Tank</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
- 12 Antioxidant-Rich Foods to Boost Your Immune System - EcoWatch ›
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- 5 Reasons Why Biodiversity Matters ›
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Climate Explained: Why Higher Carbon Dioxide Levels Aren’t Good News, Even If Plants Grow Faster
20 May
Science
At first sight, it seems more CO₂ can only be beneficial to plants, but things are a lot more complex than that. sarayut Thaneerat / Getty Images
By Sebastian Leuzinger
Climate Explained is a collaboration between The Conversation, Stuff and the New Zealand Science Media Centre to answer your questions about climate change.
If you have a question you'd like an expert to answer, please send it to climate.change@stuff.co.nz
If carbon dioxide levels were to double, how much increase in plant growth would this cause? How much of the world's deserts would disappear due to plants' increased drought tolerance in a high carbon dioxide environment?
Compared to pre-industrial levels, the concentration of carbon dioxide (CO₂) in the atmosphere will have doubled in about 20 to 30 years, depending on how much CO₂ we emit over the coming years. More CO₂ generally leads to higher rates of photosynthesis and less water consumption in plants.
At first sight, it seems more CO₂ can only be beneficial to plants, but things are a lot more complex than that.
<p>Let's look at the first part of the question.</p><p>Some plants do grow faster under elevated levels of atmospheric CO₂, but this happens mostly in <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0098847215300253" target="_blank">crops</a> and young trees, and generally not in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2128-9?proof=trueHere" target="_blank">mature forests</a>.</p><p>Even if plants grew twice as fast under doubled CO₂ levels, it would not mean they strip twice as much CO₂ from the atmosphere. Plants take carbon from the atmosphere as they grow, but that carbon is going straight back via natural decomposition when plants die or when they are harvested and consumed.</p><p>At best, you might be <a href="https://theconversation.com/climate-explained-why-your-backyard-lawn-doesnt-help-reduce-carbon-dioxide-in-the-atmosphere-122312" target="_blank">mowing your lawn twice as often</a> or harvesting your plantation forests earlier.</p><p>The most important aspect is how long the carbon stays locked away from the atmosphere - and this is where we have to make a clear distinction between increased carbon flux (faster growth) or an increasing carbon pool (<a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/355/6321/130.summary" target="_blank">actual carbon sequestration</a>). Your bank account is a useful analogy to illustrate this difference: fluxes are transfers, pools are balances.</p>
The Global Carbon Budget
<p>Of the almost 10 billion tonnes (gigatonnes, or Gt) of carbon we emit every year through the burning of fossil fuels, only about half accumulates in the atmosphere. Around a quarter ends up in the ocean (about 2.4 Gt), and the remainder (about 3 Gt) is thought to be <a href="https://www.earth-syst-sci-data.net/10/2141/2018/" target="_blank">taken up by terrestrial plants</a>.</p><p>While the ocean and the atmospheric sinks are relatively easy to quantify, the terrestrial sink isn't. In fact, the 3 Gt can be thought of more as an unaccounted residual. Ultimately, the emitted carbon needs to go somewhere, and if it isn't the ocean or the atmosphere, it must be the land.</p><p>So yes, the terrestrial system takes up a substantial proportion of the carbon we emit, but the attribution of this sink to elevated levels of CO₂ is difficult. This is because many other factors may contribute to the land carbon sink: rising temperature, increased use of fertilisers and atmospheric nitrogen deposition, changed land management (including land abandonment), and changes in species composition.</p><p><a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-03818-2" target="_blank">Current estimates</a> assign about a quarter of this land sink to elevated levels of CO₂, but estimates are very uncertain.</p><p>In summary, rising CO₂ leads to faster plant growth - sometimes. And this increased growth only partly contributes to sequestering carbon from the atmosphere. The important questions are how long this carbon is locked away from the atmosphere, and how much longer the <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-017-0274-8" target="_blank">currently observed land sink will continue</a>.</p><p>The second part of the question refers to a side-effect of rising levels of CO₂ in the air: the fact that it enables plants to save water.</p><p>Plants regulate the exchange of carbon dioxide and water vapour by opening or closing small pores, called stomata, on the surface of their leaves. Under higher concentrations of CO₂, they can reduce the opening of these pores, and that in turn means they <a href="https://theconversation.com/rising-carbon-dioxide-is-making-the-worlds-plants-more-water-wise-79427" target="_blank">lose less water</a>.</p><p>This alleviates drought stress in already dry areas. But again, the issue is more complex because CO₂ is not the only parameter that changes. Dry areas also get warmer, which means that more water evaporates and this often compensates for the water-saving effect.</p><p>Overall, rising CO₂ has contributed to some degree to the <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nclimate3004" target="_blank">greening of Earth</a>, but it is likely that this trend will not continue under the much more complex combination of global change drivers, particularly in <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0098847217301168" target="_blank">arid regions</a>.</p>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/sebastian-leuzinger-797584" target="_blank">Sebastian Leuzinger</a> is a Professor at Auckland University of Technology.</em></p><p><em>Disclosure statement: Sebastian Leuzinger receives funding from the Royal Society.</em></p><p><em>Reposted with permission from </em><a href="https://theconversation.com/climate-explained-why-higher-carbon-dioxide-levels-arent-good-news-even-if-some-plants-grow-faster-137235" target="_blank"><em>The Conversation.</em></a></p>From Your Site Articles
- Plant More Trees—Young Forests Use Carbon Most Effectively ... ›
- New Research Finds Plants Will Feast on Increased CO2, But Only ... ›
- 8 Ways to Sequester Carbon to Avoid Climate Catastrophe - EcoWatch ›
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Plants growing inside of a greenhouse nursery. pixinoo / Getty Images
Indoor farms can grow vegetables close to cities, where there are lots of people to feed.
<iframe style="border: none" src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/13968131/height/45/theme/standard/thumbnail/yes/direction/backward/" height="45" width="100%" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen></iframe>
<p>Farming indoors can also extend the growing season in cold climates and protect crops from damage during extreme weather.</p><p>But growing food indoors is energy intensive, so it can produce a lot of carbon pollution.</p><p>"Lighting is a big factor," says Erico Mattos of the <a target="_blank" href="https://glase.org/">Greenhouse Lighting and Systems Engineering Consortium</a>. "You have the heating and cooling systems, ventilation systems, all the systems that you have to control. So it's really important for us to reduce this energy demand."</p>
<p>Mattos's group is working to reduce the energy used in indoor farms and greenhouses.</p><p>"The challenge is, how can we still provide all these inputs that the plants require, the crops require to grow, but using energy with the most efficient way as possible?" he says.</p><p>Researchers are tackling the problem from multiple angles. For example, they're designing high-efficiency LED lights and they're experimenting with ways to optimize specific crops' growth with customized lighting, ventilation, and humidity controls.</p><p>Mattos says these technologies and systems will help make greenhouses and indoor farms more cost-effective and better for the climate.</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from </em><a href="https://www.yaleclimateconnections.org/2020/05/researchers-aim-to-cut-the-energy-footprint-of-indoor-farms/" target="_blank"><em>Yale Climate Connections.</em></a></p>From Your Site Articles
- World's Largest 'Vegetable Factory' Revolutionizes Indoor Farming ... ›
- 5 Ways Vertical Farms Are Changing the Way We Grow Food ... ›
- 'World's First' Solar-Powered Indoor Farm Coming to Philadelphia ... ›
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A woman gardens in an urban vegetable garden on April 17, 2020 in Annecy, France. Richard Bord / Getty Images
By Jennifer Atkinson
The coronavirus pandemic has set off a global gardening boom.
<p>
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<p class="">
<em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jennifer-atkinson-456724" target="_blank">Jennifer Atkinson</a> is a Senior Lecturer in Environmental Studies at University of Washington.</em>
</p><p>
<em>Disclosure statement:</em><strong> </strong><em>Jennifer Atkinson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</em>
</p><p>
<em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-impulse-to-garden-in-hard-times-has-deep-roots-137223" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.</em>
</p>
<p>In the early days of lockdown, seed suppliers <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/culture/article/A-comeback-for-victory-gardens-amid-Bay-Area-15177272.php" target="_blank">were depleted</a> of inventory and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/08/coronavirus-gardening-boom-overwhelms-seed-suppliers-in-new-zealand-and-australia" target="_blank">reported</a> "unprecedented" demand. Within the U.S., the trend <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/25/dining/victory-gardens-coronavirus.html" target="_blank">has been</a> <a href="https://crosscut.com/2020/03/wwii-era-victory-gardens-make-comeback-amid-coronavirus?fbclid=IwAR3ZAISo4LLibQcwlnYwjX2sKEdAIwCeU4maVah0DR8164AW7u76kLlZIMw" target="_blank">compared</a> to World War II <a href="https://library.si.edu/exhibition/cultivating-americas-gardens/gardening-for-the-common-good" target="_blank">victory gardening</a>, when Americans grew food at home to support the war effort and feed their families.</p><p>The analogy is surely convenient. But it reveals only one piece in a much bigger story about why people garden in hard times. Americans have long turned to the soil in moments of upheaval to manage anxieties and imagine alternatives. <a href="https://ugapress.org/book/9780820353197/gardenland" target="_blank">My research</a> has even led me to see gardening as a hidden landscape of desire for belonging and connection; for contact with nature; and for creative expression and improved health.</p><p>These motives have varied across time as growers respond to different historical circumstances. Today, what drives people to garden may not be the fear of hunger so much as hunger for physical contact, hope for nature's resilience and a longing to engage in work that is real.</p>
Why Americans Garden
<p>Prior to industrialization, most Americans were <a href="https://www.nass.usda.gov/AgCensus/" target="_blank">farmers</a> and would have considered it odd to grow food as a leisure activity. But as they moved into cities and suburbs to take factory and office jobs, coming home to putter around in one's potato beds took on a kind of novelty. Gardening also appealed to nostalgia for the passing of traditional farm life.</p><p>For black Americans denied the opportunity to abandon subsistence work, Jim Crow-era gardening reflected a different set of desires.</p><p>In her essay "<a href="https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnxhbWVyaWNhbmxpdDE0MTV8Z3g6NWRlMGUyYzc5NDJjMTRmNA" target="_blank">In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens</a>," Alice Walker recalls her mother tending an extravagant flower garden late at night after finishing brutal days of field labor. As a child, she wondered why anyone would voluntarily add one more task to such a difficult life. Later, Walker understood that gardening wasn't just another form of labor; it was an act of artistic expression.</p><p>Particularly for black women relegated to society's least desirable jobs, gardening offered the chance to reshape a small piece of the world in, as Walker put it, one's "personal image of Beauty."</p><p>This isn't to say that food is always a secondary factor in gardening passions. Convenience cuisine in the 1950s spawned its <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7591/j.ctt5hh1rm" target="_blank">own generation</a> of home-growers and <a href="https://uwpress.wisc.edu/books/4372.htm" target="_blank">back-to-the-land</a> movements rebelling against a <a href="https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520250352/meals-to-come" target="_blank">mid-century diet</a> now infamous for Jell-O mold salads, canned-food casseroles, TV dinner and Tang.</p><p><span></span>For millennial-era growers, gardens have responded to longings for <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/329483674_The_Earth_Knows_My_Name_Food_Culture_and_Sustainability_in_the_Gardens_of_Ethnic_Americans" target="_blank">community and inclusion</a>, especially among <a href="https://www.themarshallproject.org/2015/06/09/doing-whatever-it-takes-to-create-a-prison-garden" target="_blank">marginalized groups</a>. Immigrants and inner-city residents lacking access to green space and fresh produce have taken up "<a href="https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520277779/paradise-transplanted" target="_blank">guerrilla gardening</a>" in vacant lots to revitalize their communities.</p>Gardening in the Age of Screens
<p>In 2011, Ron Finley – a resident of South Central L.A. and self-identified "<a href="https://www.latimes.com/food/dailydish/la-fo-ron-finley-project-20170503-story.html" target="_blank">gangsta gardener</a>" – was even threatened with arrest for installing vegetable plots along sidewalks.</p><p>Such appropriations of public space for community use are often seen as threats to existing power structures. Moreover, many people can't wrap their heads around the idea that someone would spend time cultivating a garden but not reap all of the rewards.</p><p>When reporters asked Finley if he were concerned that people would steal the food, <a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/ron_finley_a_guerrilla_gardener_in_south_central_la" target="_blank">he replied</a>, "Hell no I ain't afraid they're gonna steal it, that's why it's on the street!"</p><p>Since the lockdown began, I've watched my sister Amanda Fritzsche transform her neglected backyard in Cayucos, California, into a blooming sanctuary. She has also gotten into Zoom workouts, binged on Netflix and joined online happy hours. But as the weeks stretch into months, she seems to have less energy for those virtual encounters.</p><p>Gardening, on the other hand, has overtaken her life. Plantings that started out back have expanded around the side of the house, and gardening sessions have stretched later into the evening, when she sometimes works by headlamp.</p><p>When I asked about her new obsession, Amanda kept returning to her unease with screen time. She told me that virtual sessions gave a momentary boost, but "there's always something missing … an empty feeling when you log off."</p><p>Many can probably sense what's missing. It's the physical presence of others, and the opportunity to use our bodies in ways that matter. It's the same longing for community that fills coffee shops with fellow gig workers and yoga studios with the heat of other bodies. It's the electricity of the crowd at a concert, the students whispering behind you in class.</p>
<p>And so if the novel coronavirus underscores an age of distancing, gardening arises as an antidote, extending the promise of contact with something real. My sister talked about this, too: how gardening appealed to the whole body, naming sensory pleasures like "hearing song birds and insects, tasting herbs, the smell of dirt and flowers, the warm sun and satisfying ache." While the virtual world may have its own ability to absorb attention, it is not immersive in the way gardening can be.</p><p>But this season, gardening is about more than physical activity for the sake of activity. Robin Wallace, owner of a photo production business in Camarillo, California, noted how the lockdown made her professional identity "suddenly irrelevant" as a "non-essential" worker. She went on to point out a key benefit of her garden: "The gardener is never without a purpose, a schedule, a mission."</p><p>As automation and better algorithms make more forms of work obsolete, that longing for purpose gains special urgency. Gardens are a reminder that there are limits to what can be done without physical presence. As with handshakes and hugs, one cannot garden through a screen.</p><p>You might pick up skills from YouTube, but, as gardening icon Russell Page <a href="https://www.nyrb.com/products/the-education-of-a-gardener?variant=1094931829" target="_blank">once wrote</a>, real expertise comes from directly handling plants, "getting to know their likes and dislikes by smell and touch. 'Book learning' gave me information," he explained, "but only physical contact can give any real … understanding of a live organism."</p>
Filling the Void
<p>Page's observation suggests a final reason why the coronavirus pandemic has ignited such a flurry of gardening. Our era is one of profound <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2017.01.010" target="_blank">loneliness</a>, and the proliferation of <a href="https://www.upmc.com/media/news/012219-primack-sidani-posneg" target="_blank">digital devices</a> is only one of the causes. That emptiness also proceeds from the staggering <a href="https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/blog/2019/05/nature-decline-unprecedented-report/" target="_blank">retreat of nature</a>, a process underway well before screen addiction. The people coming of age during the COVID-19 pandemic have already witnessed oceans die and glaciers disappear, watched Australia and the Amazon burn and mourned the astonishing <a href="https://www.worldwildlife.org/press-releases/wwf-report-reveals-staggering-extent-of-human-impact-on-planet" target="_blank">loss of global wildlife</a>.</p><p>Perhaps this explains why <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/15/magazine/quarantine-animal-videos-coronavirus.html" target="_blank">stories of nature's "comeback"</a> are continually <a href="https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2020-04-21/wildlife-thrives-amid-coronavirus-lockdown" target="_blank">popping up</a> alongside those gardening headlines. We cheer at images of animals <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/01/science/coronavirus-animals-wildlife-goats.html" target="_blank">reclaiming</a> abandoned spaces and birds filling skies cleared of pollution. Some of these accounts are credible, others <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2020/03/coronavirus-pandemic-fake-animal-viral-social-media-posts/" target="_blank">dubious</a>. What matters, I think, is that they offer a glimpse of the world as we wish it could be: In a time of immense suffering and climate breakdown, we are desperate for signs of life's resilience.</p><p>My final conversation with Wallace offered a clue as to how this desire is also fueling today's gardening craze. She marveled at how life in the garden continues to "spring forth in our absence, or even because of our absence." Then she closed with an insight at once "liberating" and "humiliating" that touches on hopes reaching far beyond the nation's backyards: "No matter what we do, or how the conference call goes, the garden will carry on, with or without us."</p>From Your Site Articles
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Woman building a diy insect hotel outdoor. Guido Mieth / DigitalVision / Getty Images
By Courtney Lindwall
If you're one of those people cooped up safely at home, with creative energy and free time to spare—count yourself lucky. Here, we've rounded up a list of two dozen environmental projects that can make your time indoors, or right outside, a little brighter. Whether you're ready to start rescuing more of your kitchen scraps, sewing your own cloth napkins, or documenting those backyard butterflies, we hope these simple green ideas will provide a calming means of coping during these unprecedented times. Have fun and stay safe.
Experiment in the Kitchen
<p><strong>Spice up mealtime with recipes from </strong><a href="https://savethefood.com/recipes/" target="_blank">Save the Food</a> that will also help prevent your food from going to waste. Make a fromage fort to spread on your crackers, or "scraps falafel" to use up wrinkly onions and wilted herbs. And for dessert, how about some <a href="https://savethefood.com/recipes/leftover-mashed-potato-apple-cider-donuts" target="_blank">leftover mashed potato apple cider donuts</a>? </p><p><strong>Rescue wilting herbs.</strong> Make <a href="https://savethefood.com/storage" target="_blank">herb oil ice cubes</a><a href="https://savethefood.com/storage" target="_blank"> by </a>packing diced herbs into an ice cube tray, covering with olive oil, and freezing. Thaw for ready-made flavor in your next dish. You can also transform less-than-fresh herbs into sauces, like chimichurri or pesto, or roast them and mix with salt to create longer-lasting seasonings. </p><p><strong>Start a windowsill herb garden. </strong>You'll need some seeds or a small plant, an upcycled container like a coffee canister that leaves room for growth and drainage, and a sunny ledge. (The Herb Society of America can help you determine <a href="https://www.herbsociety.org/hsa-learn/intro-to-herbs/hsa-gardening-for-kids/light-indoor-gardens.html" target="_blank">the right dose of light and water for each species</a>.) In a few weeks' time, you'll be ready to add a sprig of fresh basil to your bowl of pasta or diced cilantro to your batch of guac.</p><p><strong>Arrange a plant-based recipe swap</strong> with friends and family, which will reduce your diet's climate impacts while creating some virtual community. (Remember: If <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/experts/sujatha-bergen/saving-planet-starts-our-plates" target="_blank">every American cut just one hamburger</a> or about a quarter pound of beef out of their diet each week, we could reduce emissions by as much as taking about 10 million cars off the road each year.)</p><p><strong><br>Simmer your veggie scraps into a </strong><a href="https://savethefood.com/recipes/basic-vegetable-stock" target="_blank"><strong>flavorful stock</strong></a>, the foundation of your next meal. To get started, keep a clean, half-gallon carton in the freezer, and add trimmings as you prep meals. When you have enough, put the veggies in a pot, cover with water, and crank up the heat.</p><p><strong>Plan a dough swap</strong> by freezing half of the dough from your latest baked good and suggesting friends, family, and coworkers do the same. When you're reunited, you can organize a trade and enjoy someone else's baking for a change.</p><p><strong>Start an indoor compost bin.</strong> It shouldn't smell when you follow this <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/stories/composting-way-easier-you-think" target="_blank">list of what is and isn't compost-friendly</a>. To build your worm bin, find two plastic tubs and <a href="https://nrdc.tumblr.com/post/118984184239/how-to-build-a-worm-bin" target="_blank">drill holes in one of them</a> to provide proper aeration. Layer in moist bedding—made of things like shredded newspaper, leaves, or coconut husk—and then add some red wigglers, which you can order online. Kept well fed with scraps, your worms will soon be producing "black gold" compost to use in your garden and helping you curb greenhouse gases.</p>
Enjoy a Dose of Nature
<p><strong></strong><strong>Make your own basic bird feeder</strong> using pine cones, twine, nut butter, and birdseed. <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B-rxsVfAvaa/" target="_blank">This video from the Feminist Bird Club shows you one way to do it.</a> Hang it on a nearby tree you can spot through your window, then grab a pair of binoculars and do some armchair birding!</p><p><a href="https://www.nrdc.org/stories/how-and-why-be-seed-savior" target="_blank"><strong>Create an herbarium</strong></a>—a scrapbook of pressed, dried flowers or other plants. To prepare your samples, press the plant matter in a large book or between sheets of newspaper and place a weight on top. When the leaves are dry, mount them on acid-free paper to preserve them, and label each specimen on the page. You can also include illustrations, photographs, seed packets, and notes.</p><p><strong>Sharpen your naturalist ID skills.</strong> Try to identify every species of plant in your backyard or on a neighborhood walk. You can do the same for wildlife—and share your findings through <a href="https://www.projectnoah.org/" target="_blank">Project Noah</a>, a citizen science platform to discover, share, and identify wildlife.</p><p><strong>Grow new indoor plants</strong> with the use of stems and leaves, rather than seeds. Though it <a href="https://www.bbg.org/gardening/article/how_to_propagate_houseplants" target="_blank">depends on your individual plant</a> species, propagating houseplants is often as easy as cutting off a stem or leaf from an existing plant and sticking it in soil or fresh water. If it takes, a new root system should form within a few weeks—leaving you with a hearty second plant within a few more months. (Pro tip: This works for green onions too! Nearly submerge their sliced-off roots, end down, into a glass of water that you change every few days. Voilà: a nearly endless supply of scallions.)</p><p><strong>Observe monarch butterflies</strong> in your backyard and share your findings with Monarch Watch, an organization devoted to their <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/stories/monarch-butterflies-get-head-start-schoolyard" target="_blank">conservation</a>. Each year, monarchs make a remarkable 3,000-mile trek from as far north as the southern parts of Canada to the mountains of Mexico and back—but these pollinators are <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/experts/sylvia-fallon/monarch-butterfly-numbers-fall-again" target="_blank">in danger</a>. Register as one of Monarch Watch's citizen scientists to <a href="https://monarchwatch.org/calendar/?fbclid=IwAR1bawlAoraeMokwdiZa_GVONQqtDnqQxc_EM_UwzbO0zhq733PT6CQIgLc" target="_blank">help track the population's health</a>.</p><p><strong><a href="https://www.nrdc.org/stories/how-turn-your-patch-earth-barren-bountiful" target="_blank">Boost your backyard biodiversity</a>. </strong>Plant some milkweed—the main food source for monarch caterpillars and egg-laying habitat for the butterflies. Hang a bee nesting box somewhere it can get sunlight and warmth. Add a barn owl box or attach a simple roosting perch to a pole. For reptile enthusiasts, set up a small wood pile, using brush or old logs as shelter for lizards and snakes (plus fungi).</p>Do Some Handiwork and Art Projects
<p><strong>Make face masks </strong>for your friends, family, and workers on the frontlines. This <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/DIY-cloth-face-covering-instructions.pdf" target="_blank">Center for Disease Control guide</a> breaks down different techniques. If you're comfortable sewing, you'll just need two 10-by-6-inch rectangles of fabric, two pieces of elastic, and a needle and thread for each mask. The no-sew option only requires a T-shirt and scissors. Remember: Cloth masks should be cleaned regularly (the CDC says a washing machine is sufficient) in order to remain effective.<strong></strong></p><p><strong>Get your crayons out </strong>and do some therapeutic coloring. In honor of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day and as part of a collaboration with NRDC, Studio Number One and its creative director, artist Shepard Fairey, have converted some of its archival activist artwork into <a href="http://www.studionumberone.com/free-downloads" target="_blank">black-and-white printouts for at-home coloring.</a></p><p><strong>Tackle your plastic bag stash</strong>, especially if your city or town is among those that recently banned the bag. Since current conditions may eliminate collection and recycling programs for plastic bags in your area, consider upcycling them instead. There are plenty of online tutorials for how to make outdoor pillow cushions stuffed with plastic bags, weave bags into <a href="https://www.instructables.com/id/Make-a-basket-out-of-plastic-bags/" target="_blank">sturdy baskets</a>, or wind them into jump ropes.</p><p><a href="https://www.nrdc.org/stories/purging-your-closets-dont-stuff-all-your-old-duds-trash-bag" target="_blank"><strong>Cut down on textile waste</strong></a>, which exacts a <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/stories/are-my-denim-jeans-bad-environment" target="_blank">heavy toll on the environment and public health</a>, by giving old clothes a second life. Alter out-of-style garments by embroidering, reshaping, or using nontoxic dye to give them a new look. Take inspiration from fashion designers like <a href="http://zerowastedaniel.com/about" target="_blank">Daniel Silverstein</a>, who makes colorful, collaged clothing out of fabric scraps, or turn old fabric into a work of art, like weaver <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/onearth/weaving-beauty-borderlands" target="_blank">Consuelo Jimenez Underwoo</a>d.</p><p><strong>Turn old beach towels or T-shirts into </strong><a href="https://www.papernstitchblog.com/how-to-make-reusable-paper-towels/" target="_blank"><strong>a set of cloth napkins</strong></a>, a perfect beginner-level sewing project. By ditching single-use paper towels and napkins, you'll be helping to protect our forests, like the boreal of Canada that is the source of the virgin wood pulp used for much of the tissue paper products sold in the United States. Instead, switch to more sustainable, washable rags or cloths for cleaning up around the house and at the dining table.</p><p><strong>Get crafty with your recycling efforts</strong> to encourage kids <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/stories/how-raise-environmentalist" target="_blank">to be more aware of our disposable culture</a>. For example, you could transform empty jars into vases, penholders, and votive candle holders. Or make a fresh notebook from scrap paper with the help of a hole punch and scissors, some ribbon, and an old cereal box (for making sturdy covers).</p>
Build Your Community
<p><strong></strong><strong>Start an environmental movie club.</strong> Various apps let you host movie nights with friends online, so you can chat while you watch. You can find our recs for standout environmental films on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B-QNBxqJAUR/" target="_blank">Instagram</a>—including <em>Poisoning Paradise</em>, <em>Virunga</em>, and <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/stories/how-turn-your-patch-earth-barren-bountiful" target="_blank"><em>The Biggest Little Farm</em></a>—with short summaries and tips on where you can find them online.</p><p>Document the environmental changes in your community<strong>, as they relate to climate change, through the </strong><a href="https://earthchallenge2020.earthday.org/" target="_blank"><strong>Earth Challenge </strong>2020's online portal</a>. The project will collect billions of observations in air quality, plastic pollution, and insect populations, and your insights will help promote policy change to address our warming world.</p><p><strong>Tune in to a new podcast</strong>. We recommend <a href="https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/range/hot-take-4#/" target="_blank"><em>Hot Take</em></a>, featuring NRDC's own Mary Heglar and her cohost Amy Westervelt, which takes a critical but constructive, intersectional look at how climates issues are being covered in the media. And despite the weighty content of the podcast, laughter is one of its defining sounds.</p><p><strong>Connect with climate justice activists</strong> by following along with <a href="http://thisiszerohour.org/our-actions/#actions" target="_blank">Zero Hour's Getting to the Roots digital series</a>. Each week, it focuses on a different theme that is a root cause of the climate crisis as well as ways to solve it—through digital leadership training, webinars, virtual open mics on Instagram and Twitter, art competitions, and podcast releases.</p><p><strong>Write a </strong><a href="https://www.nrdc.org/stories/how-write-successful-letter-editor" target="_blank"><strong>letter to the editor</strong></a> that tackles one of the environmental issues facing your community that's close to your heart. The letter can be written in response to a piece that's already been published by a given media outlet, or it can be a proactive statement of support for or opposition against a particular issue that affects fellow readers. It's the perfect way to reach thousands of individuals and still remain publicly engaged without having to leave the comfort of your home.</p>Related Articles Around the Web
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Mushrooms have a remarkable ability to absorb carbon amongst their many other industrial, nutritional and pharmaceutical benefits. Katy Ayers / Facebook
Mushrooms have a remarkable ability to absorb carbon amongst their many other industrial, nutritional and pharmaceutical benefits.
<p>Just recently, a student in Nebraska built a fully functional canoe out of mycelium, the dense, fibrous roots of the mushroom that typically live beneath the soil. Katy Ayers, who built the canoe, is part of a growing movement of people who are raising awareness that mushrooms and their many complex parts may hold some of the solutions to the world's most intractable environmental problems, as <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/fungus-answer-climate-change-student-who-grew-mushroom-canoe-says-n1185401" target="_blank">NBC News</a> reported.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzE0NzE4Ni9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxNjcyNjQ5Nn0.CA-dBgorPGI8FpWZ4wISBlSChp9ndV1hrcQ6_gbH_NA/img.jpg?width=980" id="4fc2c" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="da90d62f5485978a3c8620c729d1c628" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
Katy Ayers, a student in Nebraska, built a fully functional canoe out of mycelium, the dense, fibrous roots of the mushroom that typically live beneath the soil.
Katy Ayers / Facebook
<p>"Mushrooms are here to help us — they're a gift," Ayers said to <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/fungus-answer-climate-change-student-who-grew-mushroom-canoe-says-n1185401" target="_blank">NBC News</a>. "There's so much we can do with them beyond just food; it's so limitless. They're our biggest ally for helping the environment."</p><p>She noted that mushrooms can break down harmful pollutants and chemicals and "be used for everything from household insulation to furniture to packaging, replacing plastics, Styrofoam and other materials that are hard to recycle and harmful to the environment," as <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/fungus-answer-climate-change-student-who-grew-mushroom-canoe-says-n1185401" target="_blank">NBC News</a> reported.</p>
<p>There's a growing body of evidence of how mushrooms can help the environment. In a <a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/paul_stamets_6_ways_mushrooms_can_save_the_world" target="_blank">2008 TED talk</a>, Paul Stamets discussed six ways the mycelium fungus can help save the planet, including cleaning polluted soil, making insecticides, treating smallpox and even flu viruses. In the talk, Stamets discusses an experiment where mycelium spores were put on diesel and petroleum waste spill. The spores absorbed the pollution and sprouted oyster mushrooms, which attracted insects, which brought birds that dropped seeds, and "our pile became an oasis of life," Stamets said. "These are gateway species, vanguard species that open the door for other biological communities."</p>
<p>Mycelium, as Ayers proved with her canoe, make great building materials. Using mycelium in construction could be a necessary tool to fight the climate crisis. As <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/90459486/climate-change-is-the-greatest-design-problem-of-our-time-mushrooms-to-the-rescue" target="_blank">Fast Company</a> reported, buildings and construction contribute 39 percent of the world's carbon footprint. Energy used to heat, cool and light buildings accounts for 28 percent of these emissions. Cement alone accounts for 8 percent of global CO2 emissions.</p><p>Mycelium materials, on the other hand, "grow by digesting nutrients from agricultural waste while bonding to the surface of the waste material, acting as a natural self-assembling glue. The entire process uses biological growth rather than expensive, energy intensive manufacturing processes," as <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/90459486/climate-change-is-the-greatest-design-problem-of-our-time-mushrooms-to-the-rescue" target="_blank">Fast Company</a> reported.</p><p>Some mushrooms will even consume plastic, which can help mitigate the waste crisis. According to the <a href="https://stateoftheworldsfungi.org/2018/reports/SOTWFungi_2018_Full_Report.pdf" target="_blank">State of the World's Fungi 2018 report</a>, the mushroom <em>Aspergillus tubingensis</em> has the ability to grow directly on the surface of plastic and has properties that deteriorate the material.</p>
<p>Researchers also found that a naturally occurring bacterium that occurs from harvesting mushrooms can actually be turned into a biofuel, which can reduce emissions from biofuels, according to a study in the journal <em><a href="https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/4/3/e1701475" target="_blank">Science Advances</a></em>.</p><p>Mushrooms are even a solution for packaging. The New York-based biotech company <a href="https://ecovativedesign.com/" target="_blank">Ecovative Design</a>, for instance, has made packaging material which has been used by companies such as Ikea and Dell, according to <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/fungus-answer-climate-change-student-who-grew-mushroom-canoe-says-n1185401" target="_blank">NBC News</a>.</p><p>As for Ayers' canoe, it is still alive and sprouts more mushrooms every time she takes it out on the water. It has inspired her and her building partner to experiment with making chairs, landscaping bricks and other items, as <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/fungus-answer-climate-change-student-who-grew-mushroom-canoe-says-n1185401" target="_blank">NBC News</a> reported.</p>
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Several flower species, including the orchid, can recover quickly from severe injury, scientists have found. interestedbystandr / CC BY 2.0
Calling someone a delicate flower may not sting like it used to, according to new research. Scientists have found that many delicate flowers are actually remarkably hearty and able to bounce back from severe injury.
<p>Some flowers that had been trampled on or knocked down by fallen branches are able to bend and twist themselves back into position, not only to survive but to thrive in the best possible position for successful reproduction. The recovery period was quick too, only taking 10- 48 hours, as the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-52204434" target="_blank">BBC</a> reported.</p><p>The researchers found that several species, including the orchid and the sweet pea, were capable of recovering from injury to ensure reproduction. However, other species like the buttercup did not have the same resilience, according to the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-52204434" target="_blank">BBC</a>.</p>
<p>Successful reproduction for a flower often depends on the perfect alignment of its sexual organs with its nectar tube, so realigning itself is necessary to welcome pollinators.</p><p>"Mechanical accidents happen to plants fairly often and can, in some cases, stop the plant from being able to attract pollinating insects and so, make seeds," said Scott Armbruster, professor of ecology and evolution at the University of Portsmouth in the UK and the study's coauthor, in a <a href="https://phys.org/news/2020-04-injury.html" target="_blank">university statement</a>. "Making seeds and propagating is a flower's main purpose, so injuries which threaten that pose a huge problem."</p><p>The findings were published in <em><a href="https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.16482" target="_blank">New Phytologist</a></em>.</p>
<p>To perform the study, the ecologists looked at a random sample of 23 native and cultivated flowers species in Australia, South America, North America and the UK, according to <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-8195395/Delicate-flowers-twist-bend-original-position-injury.html" target="_blank">The Daily Mail</a>. They then injured the flowers in the wild in various ways, meaning they bent the stem out of shape but didn't kill the flower. Some of the injuries set the stem off by 45 degrees while others were as severe as making them perpendicular. The scientists then returned at various times to see how the flowers were recovering.</p><p>Sure enough, plants after injury were observed bending and twisting to ensure their leaves were again facing the sun for photosynthesis, which means they were not only straightening up for reproduction, but also to produce food. The authors of the work say this phenomenon has been overlooked by scientists, according to the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-52204434" target="_blank">BBC</a>.</p>
<p>"The common spotted orchid does it largely by just bending the main stem," said Armbruster to the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-52204434" target="_blank">BBC</a>. "It's pretty quick, within a day or two, it's reoriented its main stem so that now all the flowers are in the right position. The slightly more interesting ones were where each individual flower re-orients on its own, by the sub stem, that's what's called the pedicel connecting the flower to the main stem, and that is bending or twisting. And that's what you see with aconitum."</p><p>Aconitum is a genus of nearly 250 flower species.</p>
<p>The researchers noted that the shape of the flower was a determinant in its recovery. Symmetrical flowers like the orchid were better at recovering than star-shaped flowers like the buttercup, as <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-8195395/Delicate-flowers-twist-bend-original-position-injury.html" target="_blank">The Daily Mail</a> reported.</p><p>In fact, according to a University of Portsmouth <a href="https://phys.org/news/2020-04-injury.html" target="_blank">statement</a>, 95 percent of injured symmetrical flowers moved to recover while only four percent of radially symmetrical plants moved after injury.</p><p>"This little-known aspect of plant evolution is fascinating and tells us much more than we previously knew about how plants behaviorally adapt to changes in their environment," said Armbruster in a <a href="https://phys.org/news/2020-04-injury.html" target="_blank">statement</a>. "This ability is, I'd argue, an under-appreciated behavior worthy of closer scrutiny."</p>
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<p>As a result, a larger selection of plant-based options have become noticeable at grocery stores, restaurants, public events, and fast food chains.</p><p>Some people choose to label themselves as "plant-based," while others use the term "vegan" to describe their lifestyle. As such, you may wonder what the differences between these two terms are.</p><p>This article examines the differences between the terms "plant-based" and "vegan" when it comes to diet and lifestyle.</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from </em><a href="https://www.healthline.com/" target="_blank"><em>Healthline</em></a><em>. For detailed source information, please view the original article on </em><em><a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/plant-based-diet-vs-vegan" target="_blank">Healthline</a></em><em>.</em></p>
History of the Plant-Based Movement
<p>The term "vegan" was created in 1944 by Donald Watson — an English animal rights advocate and founder of The Vegan Society — to describe a person who avoids using animals for ethical reasons. <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/what-is-a-vegan" target="_blank">Veganism</a> refers to the practice of being vegan.<span></span></p><p>Veganism expanded to include a diet that excluded animal-derived foods, such as eggs, meat, fish, poultry, cheese, and other dairy products. Instead, a vegan diet includes plant foods like fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes.</p><p>Over time, veganism grew into a movement based not only on ethics and animal welfare but also environmental and health concerns, which have been validated by research.<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4991921/" target="_blank"><span></span></a></p><p>People have become more aware of the negative effects of modern animal agriculture on the planet, as well as the potential negative health effects of eating a diet high in <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/why-processed-meat-is-bad" target="_blank">processed meat</a> and choosing saturated over unsaturated fats.</p><p>In the 1980s, Dr. T. Colin Campbell introduced the world of nutrition science to the term "plant-based diet" to define a low fat, high fiber, vegetable-based diet that focused on health and not ethics.</p><p>Today, surveys indicate that approximately 2% of Americans consider themselves vegan, the majority of whom fall into the Millennial generation.<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6470702/" target="_blank"><span></span></a></p><p>What's more, many people don't label themselves as being plant-based or vegan but are interested in reducing their animal consumption and trying foods that are popular on a plant-based or vegan diet.</p><p><strong>Summary</strong></p><p><strong></strong>The plant-based movement began with veganism, a way of living that aims to avoid animal harm for ethical reasons. It has expanded to include people who make dietary and lifestyle choices to minimize harm to the environment and their health.</p>Plant-Based vs. Vegan
<p>Although a number of definitions are circulating, most people agree upon some specific differences between the terms "plant-based" and "vegan."</p><br><img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMjg3NjY5My9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYwNjI3MTk3OH0.Zl-CT8AFFGFw9BQb3jomo7lAtoDqnf_Yx6Fy5wqYeMY/img.png?width=980" id="52c8c" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="c20bda16d08c7f8162cabc082b7585f4" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" /><p><strong>What It Means to Be Plant-Based</strong></p><p>Being plant-based typically refers specifically to one's diet alone.</p><p>Many people use the term "plant-based" to indicate that they eat a diet that either entirely or mostly comprises plant foods. However, some people may call themselves plant-based and still eat certain animal-derived products.</p><p>Others use the term "<a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/plant-based-diet-guide" target="_blank">whole foods, plant-based</a>" to describe their diet as being made up of mostly whole plant foods that are raw or minimally processed.<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5646698/" target="_blank"><span></span></a></p><p>Someone on a whole foods, plant-based diet will also avoid oils and processed grains, whereas these foods may be consumed on a vegan or otherwise plant-based diet.</p><p>The "whole foods" part is an important distinction, as so many processed vegan foods exist. For instance, certain varieties of boxed mac and cheese, hot dogs, cheese slices, bacon, and even "chicken" nuggets are vegan, but they would not fit on a whole foods, plant-based diet.</p><p><strong>What It Means to Be Vegan</strong></p><p>Being vegan reaches beyond diet and also describes the lifestyle that one chooses to lead on a daily basis.</p><p>Veganism is generally defined as living in a way that avoids consuming, using, or exploiting animals as much as realistically possible. While this leaves room for individual preferences and barriers, the overall intent is that minimal harm is done to animals through life choices.</p><p>In addition to excluding animal products from their diets, people who label themselves as vegan typically avoid purchasing items that were made from or tested on animals.</p><p>This often includes clothing, personal care products, shoes, accessories, and household goods. For some vegans, this may also mean avoiding medications or <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/vaccinations/immunization-complications" target="_blank">immunizations</a> that use animal byproducts or have been tested on animals.</p><p><strong>Summary</strong></p><p><strong></strong>"Plant-based" refers to a diet that solely or primarily consists of plant foods. A whole foods, plant-based diet also excludes oils and processed packaged foods. "Vegan" indicates that animals are excluded from the diet, products, and lifestyle decisions.</p>
You Can Be Both Plant-Based and Vegan
<p>It's possible to be both plant-based and vegan, as these terms are not meant to divide people based on the lifestyle they choose.</p><p>Many people may start out as vegan, avoiding animal products in their diet primarily for ethical or <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-to-reduce-carbon-footprint" target="_blank">environmental reasons</a>, but then adopt a whole foods, plant-based diet to achieve their health goals.</p><p>On the other hand, some people may start out eating a whole foods, plant-based diet and then decide to expand into veganism by aligning the rest of their lifestyle, avoiding animal products in other non-food areas as well.</p><p><strong>Summary</strong></p><p><strong></strong>Being plant-based and vegan can go hand-in-hand. Some people may start out as one and adopt the intentions or ideas of the other approach, applying ethical, health, and environmental considerations to their lifestyle as a whole.</p>The Bottom Line
<p>Many people are choosing to reduce or eliminate the number of animal products they consume. While some people choose not to label their dietary choices, others consider themselves plant-based or vegan.</p><p>"Plant-based" typically refers to one who eats a diet based primarily on plant foods, with limited to no animal-derived products. A whole foods, plant-based diet means that <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/are-vegetable-and-seed-oils-bad" target="_blank">oils</a> and processed packaged foods are likewise excluded.</p><p>The term "vegan" extends to one's lifestyle choices beyond diet alone. A vegan lifestyle aims to avoid causing harm to animals in any way, including through products used or purchased.</p><p>Someone who is vegan also tends to take into account the potential negative environmental effects of animal products.</p><p>While these two terms are fundamentally different, they share similarities. Additionally, both are increasing in popularity and can be healthy ways of eating when planned properly.</p>From Your Site Articles
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Lioness displays teeth during light rainstorm in Kruger National Park, South Africa. johan63 / iStock / Getty Images
Ahead of government negotiations scheduled for next week on a global plan to address the biodiversity crisis, 23 former foreign ministers from various countries released a statement on Tuesday urging world leaders to act "boldly" to protect nature.
<p>"It is clear to us... that climate change, ecosystem degradation, and the excessive exploitation of natural resources are now threatening millions of species with extinction and jeopardizing the health of our planet," says the statement. "The loss and degradation of nature jeopardizes human health, livelihoods, safety, and prosperity. It disproportionately harms our poorest communities while undermining our ability to meet a broad range of targets set by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals."</p><p>"The world has a moral imperative to collaborate on strong actions to mitigate and adapt to the current climate change and biodiversity crisis. Ambitious targets for conservation of land and ocean ecosystems are vital components of the solution," the statement continues. "Humanity sits on the precipice of irreversible loss of biodiversity and a climate crisis that imperils the future for our grandchildren and generations to come. The world must act boldly, and it must act now."</p>
<iframe width="100%" height="150" scrolling="no" class="rm-shortcode twitter-embed-1229719456793784322" id="twitter-embed-1229719456793784322" lazy-loadable="true" src="/res/community/twitter_embed/?iframe_id=twitter-embed-1229719456793784322&created_ts=1582022940.0&screen_name=foeeurope&text=%22Humanity+sits+on+the+precipice+of+irreversible+loss+of+%23biodiversity.+The+world+must+act+boldly%2C+and+it+must+act+n%E2%80%A6+https%3A%2F%2Ft.co%2FyNIHPhhjI2&id=1229719456793784322&name=Friends+of+the+Earth" frameborder="0" data-rm-shortcode-id="4ZM3VT1582133041"></iframe><p>A U.N. report released in May 2019 by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) warned that, as Common Dreams <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/05/06/ominous-un-report-warns-human-activity-has-pushed-one-million-plant-and-animal" target="_blank">reported</a> at the time, "human exploitation of the natural world has pushed a million plant and animal species to the brink of extinction—with potentially devastating implications for the future of civilization."</p><p>That report and a growing body of <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/02/14/climate-crisis-could-cause-third-plant-and-animal-species-disappear-within-50-years" target="_blank">scientific research</a> on rapidly declining biodiversity has led scientists and policymakers alike to raise the alarm about the consequences of not acting ambitiously enough to address what experts have called the "<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/07/11/earths-sixth-mass-extinction-underway-scientists-implore-action" target="_blank">sixth mass extinction</a>." U.N. biodiversity chief Elizabeth Maruma Mrema <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/01/21/we-risk-living-empty-world-if-assault-nature-not-stopped-warns-un-biodiversity-chief" target="_blank">told</a> the <em>Guardian</em> last month that humanity risks being left to contend with an "empty world."</p><p>The new statement from diplomats came before the Feb. 24–29 <a href="https://sdg.iisd.org/events/second-meeting-of-the-open-ended-working-group-on-the-post-2020-global-biodiversity-framework/" target="_blank">meeting</a> of the Working Group on the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, which was recently <a href="https://www.cbd.int/notifications/2020-014" target="_blank">moved</a> from Kunming, China to Rome, Italy due to the ongoing coronavirus disease (COVID-19) <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/02/13/who-forum-ends-updated-figures-china-reveal-new-virus-has-infected-over-60000" target="_blank">outbreak</a>. The event will build on an August 2019 meeting in Nairobi, Kenya. A third meeting in Cali, Colombia is planned for July.</p><p>Those three events will culminate in the adoption of a "<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/feb/18/world-leaders-urged-to-step-back-from-precipice-of-ecological-ruin-aoe" target="_blank">Paris-style U.N. agreement</a>" to protect nature at the 15th <a href="https://seea.un.org/fr/events/fifteenth-meeting-conference-parties-convention-biological-diversity" target="_blank">meeting</a> of the Conference of the Parties (COP 15) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), which is still set to be held in Kunming in October. A 20-point draft plan to stop and reverse biodiversity loss worldwide, which will be a focus of the Rome talks, was <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jan/13/un-draft-plan-sets-2030-target-to-avert-earths-sixth-mass-extinction-aoe" target="_blank">unveiled</a> last month.</p>
<iframe width="100%" height="150" scrolling="no" class="rm-shortcode twitter-embed-1229804633775837184" id="twitter-embed-1229804633775837184" lazy-loadable="true" src="/res/community/twitter_embed/?iframe_id=twitter-embed-1229804633775837184&created_ts=1582043248.0&screen_name=climatemorgan&text=%22The+%23Kunming+talks+should+focus+on+solving+the+deeper+problems+that+have+hampered+the+effectiveness+of+the+Convent%E2%80%A6+https%3A%2F%2Ft.co%2FXlQARU8PeG&id=1229804633775837184&name=Jennifer+Morgan" frameborder="0" data-rm-shortcode-id="DMF4V41582133041"></iframe><p>The foreign ministers' statement specifically expresses support for "setting a global target of strongly protecting at least 30 percent of the land and 30 percent of the ocean by 2030." The 30 percent conservation target, as the statement notes, is backed by "a broad coalition—including youth, the business community, and representatives from the developing world."</p><p>"We also support the finalization of a new international legally binding treaty in 2020 for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in the high seas currently being negotiated under the U.N . Convention on Law of the Sea," the statement says, noting that nearly two-thirds of the ocean is beyond the legal jurisdiction of any one nation.</p><p>The statement was released through the international nonprofit think tank the Aspen Institute by members of the <a href="https://www.aspeninstitute.org/programs/aspen-strategy-group/the-aspen-ministers-forum-2/" target="_blank">Aspen Ministers Forum</a>, which was founded in 2003 by former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.</p><p>Along with Albright, the statement was signed by Lloyd Axworthy (Canada), Mohamed Benaissa (Morocco), Maria Eugenia Brizuela de Avila (El Salvador), Erik Derycke (Belgium), Lamberto Dini (Italy), Alexander Downer (Australia), Jan Eliasson (Sweden), Joschka Fischer (Germany), Jaime Gama (Portugal), Ibrahim Gambari (Nigeria), Marina Kaljurand (Estonia), Tzipi Livni (Israel), Susana Malcorra (Argentina), Donald McKinnon (New Zealand), Daniel Mitov (Bulgaria), Amre Moussa (Egypt), Marwan Muasher (Jordan), George Papandreou (Greece), Malcolm Rifkind (United Kingdom), Claudia Ruiz Massieu (Mexico), Javier Solana (Spain), and Knut Vollebæk (Norway).</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/02/18/world-must-act-boldly-23-former-diplomats-urge-global-leaders-adopt-paris-style?cd-origin=rss">Common Dreams</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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Climate Crisis Could Cause a Third of Plant and Animal Species to Disappear Within 50 Years: Study
15 February
Climate
The common giant tree frog from Madagascar is one of many species impacted by recent climate change. John J. Wiens / EurekAlert!
The human-caused climate crisis could cause the extinction of 30 percent of the world's plant and animal species by 2070, even accounting for species' abilities to disperse and shift their niches to tolerate hotter temperatures, according to a study published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
<p>University of Arizona researchers Cristian Román-Palacios and John J. Wiens analyzed data on 538 plant and animal species and 581 sites worldwide, focusing on species surveyed at the same locations over time, at least a decade apart. They found that 44 percent of the species had local extinctions at one or more sites.</p><p>"The study identified maximum annual temperatures — the hottest daily highs in summer — as the key variable that best explains whether a population will go extinct," <a href="https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-02/uoa-soo021220.php" target="_blank">said</a> a statement from the university. "Surprisingly, the researchers found that average yearly temperatures showed smaller changes at sites with local extinction, even though average temperatures are widely used as a proxy for overall climate change."</p><p>As Wiens explained, "This means that using changes in mean annual temperatures to predict extinction from climate change might be positively misleading."</p><p>Lead author Román-Palacios laid out their key findings in a series of tweets Thursday:</p>
<iframe width="100%" height="150" scrolling="no" class="rm-shortcode twitter-embed-1228106206281003008" id="twitter-embed-1228106206281003008" lazy-loadable="true" src="/res/community/twitter_embed/?iframe_id=twitter-embed-1228106206281003008&created_ts=1581638311.0&screen_name=cromanpa&text=My+latest+is+finally+out+in+%40PNASNews%21+We+examined+how+populations+of+538+species+have+responded+contemporaneous+cl%E2%80%A6+https%3A%2F%2Ft.co%2Fcb7Lim1Xt3&id=1228106206281003008&name=Cristian+Rom%C3%A1n-Palacios" frameborder="0" data-rm-shortcode-id="IRGOP61581801617"></iframe><p>"By analyzing the change in 19 climatic variables at each site, we could determine which variables drive local extinctions and how much change a population can tolerate without going extinct," Román-Palacios said in the statement. "We also estimated how quickly populations can move to try and escape rising temperatures. When we put all of these pieces of information together for each species, we can come up with detailed estimates of global extinction rates for hundreds of plant and animal species."</p>
<iframe width="100%" height="150" scrolling="no" class="rm-shortcode twitter-embed-1228121047334940677" id="twitter-embed-1228121047334940677" lazy-loadable="true" src="/res/community/twitter_embed/?iframe_id=twitter-embed-1228121047334940677&created_ts=1581641849.0&screen_name=cromanpa&text=%283%2Fn%29+Based+on+species%E2%80%99+past+responses+to+contemporaneous+climate+change+and+projected+temperatures+by+2070%2C+we+est%E2%80%A6+https%3A%2F%2Ft.co%2FQpBhRFaYbi&id=1228121047334940677&name=Cristian+Rom%C3%A1n-Palacios" frameborder="0" data-rm-shortcode-id="MBXQNL1581801617"></iframe><p>The university statement noted that "previous studies have focused on dispersal — or migration to cooler habitats — as a means for species to 'escape' from warming climates. However, the authors of the current study found that most species will not be able to disperse quickly enough to avoid extinction, based on their past rates of movement."</p><p>The researchers found that species were able to tolerate hotter conditions at their original locations to a point, but the local extinction rates increased as maximum temperatures did. About half of the species they studied experienced extinctions if the maximum temperature rose over 0.5°C; that figure jumped to 95 percent of species when maximum temperature rose by over 2.9°C.</p><p>"Given dispersal alone, many of these species (∼57–70%) may face extinction. However, niche shifts can potentially reduce this to only 30% or less," according to the study. Considering both dispersal and niche shifts, the researchers projected that 16–30% of the 538 studied species could disappear within the next 50 years.</p><p>While the researchers' new projections are similar for plant and animal species, they found that extinctions could be up to four times more common in the tropics compared with more temperate regions. Román-Palacios said that "this is a big problem, because the majority of plant and animal species occur in the tropics."</p>
<iframe width="100%" height="150" scrolling="no" class="rm-shortcode twitter-embed-1228121054196813824" id="twitter-embed-1228121054196813824" lazy-loadable="true" src="/res/community/twitter_embed/?iframe_id=twitter-embed-1228121054196813824&created_ts=1581641851.0&screen_name=cromanpa&text=%285%2F5%29+There%27s+a+ton+of+work+behind+this+paper%2C+some+frustration%2C+but+also+lots+of+excitement%21+Thanks+to+everyone+wh%E2%80%A6+https%3A%2F%2Ft.co%2FHzMBfBIkDy&id=1228121054196813824&name=Cristian+Rom%C3%A1n-Palacios" frameborder="0" data-rm-shortcode-id="OAYOX91581801617"></iframe><p>"In a way, it's a 'choose your own adventure,'" said Wiens. "If we stick to the Paris agreement to combat climate change, we may lose fewer than two out of every 10 plant and animal species on Earth by 2070. But if humans cause larger temperature increases, we could lose more than a third or even half of all animal and plant species, based on our results."</p><p>Some scientists and climate advocacy groups have long criticized the landmark 2015 Paris accord as too weak to adequately address the planetary emergency — and, as Common Dreams <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/12/14/final-hours-cop-25-denounced-utter-failure-deal-stripped-ambition-and-us-refuses" target="_blank">reported</a> in December 2019, the latest global negotiations about implementing the agreement were denounced as an "utter failure." At the time, nearly 100 civil society groups called out polluting industries and wealthy countries for "throwing gasoline on the fire of the climate crisis."</p><p>Ahead of the COP 25, U.S. President Donald Trump <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/11/04/delivering-catastrophic-message-moment-great-urgency-trump-formally-begins-ditching" target="_blank">delivered</a> on his promise to ditch the Paris agreement by beginning the one-year withdrawal process in November 2019. Climate experts and activists condemned the move as "irresponsible and shortsighted" but also looked ahead to the November 2020 election and emphasized that the next president could recommit the U.S. to the accord and fight for even more ambitious action on a global scale.</p><p>The new study comes as young people <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/01/24/we-have-so-much-more-do-youth-climate-activists-declare-global-elite-close-out-davos" target="_blank">take to the streets</a> worldwide to demand bolder climate policies, experts warn that the climate crisis is an "<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/01/23/most-dangerous-situation-humanity-has-ever-faced-doomsday-clock-now-100-seconds" target="_blank">existential danger,</a>" and scientists contribute to the growing body of research showing how global heating is expected to affect species and the environment. One of those studies, published last week, <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/02/07/consistent-mass-extinction-new-study-warns-climate-chaos-driving-rapid-decline" target="_blank">found</a> that the rate at which bumblebees are declining due to extreme heat is "consistent with a mass extinction."</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/02/14/climate-crisis-could-cause-third-plant-and-animal-species-disappear-within-50-years" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>.</em><em></em></p>From Your Site Articles
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