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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Starfish might appear simple creatures, but the way these animals' distinctive biology evolved was, until recently, unknown. FangXiaNuo / Getty Images
By Aaron W Hunter
A chance discovery of a beautifully preserved fossil in the desert landscape of Morocco has solved one of the great mysteries of biology and paleontology: how starfish evolved their arms.
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<p>Starfish are one of the most recognizable animals on our planet. Most people probably associate them with trips to the beach, walking in rock pools or swimming in the sea. They might appear simple creatures, but the way these animals' distinctive biology evolved was, until recently, unknown.</p><p><a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsbl.2020.0809" target="_blank">Our new study</a>, published in the journal Biology Letters, sheds light on how the starfish developed its distinctive shape.</p><h2>The Mystery of Starfish</h2><p>Starfish, and their close relatives the brittle stars, belong to a group called the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2014.0479" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">echinoderms</a>. These are animals with spiny skins, including sea urchins, sea lilies and sea cucumbers, with bizarre biological traits. They have no head or a brain, and have a unique circulatory system called a water vascular system, which uses seawater instead of blood. They even possess the power to regenerate over 75% of their body mass if it is lost.</p><p>Starfish have almost always had the same five-armed body shape. This has not changed for almost 480 million years, throughout the five great <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-greatest-mass-extinction-ever-may-have-been-kicked-off-by-microbes-25061" target="_blank">mass extinctions</a> they survived.</p><p>Other echinoderms use their arms to filter feed or catch food from the water and, unlike starfish, face upwards with their arms spreading outward to feed. But starfish do not, and their distinctive body shape appeared in the fossil record fully formed. So for years scientists have been perplexed by how it evolved and how starfish are related to their close relatives, the brittle stars.</p>
<h2>The Pompeii of Paleontology</h2><p>The Fezouata formations are sedimentary rock deposits in Morocco dating back to the early Ordovician period, <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nature09038" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a critical stage in the evolution of life</a>, which ended around 460 million years ago. Paleontologists think life <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/let.12259" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">rapidly diversified during this time</a>, in an episode call the great Ordovician biodiversification event, when animals we might recognize today first appeared.</p><p>The Fezouata formations are a bit like the Pompeii of paleontology. The conditions on the seabed meant even soft tissue, which <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gr.2015.03.009" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">would normally be destroyed over time</a>, could be preserved. Because of this, the formations provide a window into what happened at a key moment in the history of life on Earth.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTUxMTc2OS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2Nzc2NjU4NX0.TlhJ3Afacw2rrYbL0BNtsuwr85ulUivm3pvkE64xhc4/img.jpg?width=980" id="6e925" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="44d850359181b3c5aac81d0bf9705fb9" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1200" data-height="798" />
The Pompeii of palaeontology. Aaron Hunter, Author provided
<h2></h2><p>Although starfish might appear very robust animals, they are typically made up of lots of hard parts attached by ligaments and soft tissue which, upon death, quickly degrade. This means we rely on places like the Fezouata formations to provide snapshots of their evolution.</p><p>The starfish fossil record is patchy, especially at the critical time when many of these animal groups first appeared. Sorting out how each of the various types of ancient starfish relate to each other is like putting a puzzle together when many of the parts are missing.</p><h2>The Oldest Starfish</h2><p><em><a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/216101v1.full.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Cantabrigiaster</a></em> is the most primitive starfish-like animal to be discovered in the fossil record. It was discovered in 2003, but it has taken over 17 years to work out its true significance.</p><p>What makes <em>Cantabrigiaster</em> unique is that it lacks almost all the characteristics we find in brittle stars and starfish.</p><p>Starfish and brittle stars belong to the family Asterozoa. Their ancestors, the Somasteroids were especially fragile - before <em>Cantabrigiaster</em> we only had a handful of specimens. The celebrated Moroccan paleontologist Mohamed <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2016.06.041" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ben Moula</a> and his local team was instrumental in discovering <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0031018216302334?via%3Dihub" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">these amazing fossils</a> near the town of Zagora, in Morocco.</p><h2>The Breakthrough</h2><p>Our breakthrough moment came when I compared the arms of <em>Cantabrigiaster</em> with those of modern sea lilles, filter feeders with long feathery arms that tend to be attached to the sea floor by a stem or stalk.</p><p>The striking similarity between these modern filter feeders and the ancient starfish led our team from the University of Cambridge and Harvard University to create a new analysis. We applied a biological model to the features of all the current early Asterozoa fossils in existence, along with a sample of their closest relatives.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTUxMTc2Ny9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2MTg3MzQ0N30.6-aipySK8z8wqCr2zZWUCRAga4I0InHXnCI9yRaQXhA/img.jpg?width=980" id="48c69" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3db466babd81a70a84c720d980653516" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1200" data-height="800" />
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<em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/aaron-w-hunter-271771" target="_blank">Aaron W Hunter</a> is a </em><em>Science Guide & Tutor, Dept. of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge.</em>
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<em>Disclosure statement: </em><em>Aaron W Hunter 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>
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<em></em><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://theconversation.com/starfish-rare-fossil-helps-answer-the-mystery-of-how-they-evolved-arms-153481" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.</em>
</p><iframe height="1" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/153481/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" width="1"></iframe>Cantabrigiaster is the most primitive starfish-like animal to be discovered in the fossil record. Aaron Hunter, Author provided
<p>Our results demonstrate <em>Cantabrigiaster</em> is the most primitive of all the Asterozoa, and most likely evolved from ancient animals called crinoids that lived 250 million years before dinosaurs. The five arms of starfish are a relic left over from these ancestors. In the case of <em>Cantabrigiaster</em>, and its starfish descendants, it evolved by flipping upside-down so its arms are face down on the sediment to feed.</p><p>Although we sampled a relatively small numbers of those ancestors, one of the unexpected outcomes was it provided an idea of how they could be related to each other. Paleontologists studying echinoderms are often lost in detail as all the different groups are so radically different from each other, so it is hard to tell which evolved first.</p>
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Like many other plant-based foods and products, CBD oil is one dietary supplement where "organic" labels are very important to consumers. However, there are little to no regulations within the hemp industry when it comes to deeming a product as organic, which makes it increasingly difficult for shoppers to find the best CBD oil products available on the market.
<p>Here you can learn about the importance of organic hemp oil, why it's better for the environment, and which CBD companies actually make trustworthy products with sustainable farming processes. origins which weigh heavily on many consumers who want to buy a product that's produced in the best way possible for not only themselves to ingest, but for the environment as well through sustainable farming methods. </p><h2>What Is CBD Oil?</h2><p>First things first, CBD stands for cannabidiol, and it's a cannabinoid found within cannabis sativa plants. This plant compound is believed to have many potential benefits, and it is primarily derived from hemp plants via a CO2 extraction process. </p><p>Since CBD is extracted from industrial hemp, which contains only trace amounts of THC (the psychoactive component in cannabis plants), this means that CBD won't make you feel high like marijuana, which has much higher levels of THC that causes psychoactive effects. Instead, the effects of CBD are much more subtle and promote a general sense of calm and relaxation in most users.</p><h2>What Makes a CBD Oil Organic?</h2><p>In terms of organic labels, perhaps the most important (and prominent) certification comes from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). This government organization has been labeling foods as "organic" for many years, but what exactly does this certification entail? Essentially, a label indicating that a product is "USDA Organic" or "Certified Organic" means that at least 95% of the ingredients are obtained from organic sources.</p><p>For a crop to be considered organic by the USDA, it must be grown without the use of industrial solvents, irradiation, genetic engineering (GMOs), synthetic pesticides, or chemical fertilizer. Instead, farmers rely on natural substances and <a href="https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2012/03/22/organic-101-what-usda-organic-label-means" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">mechanical, physical, or biologically based farming</a> techniques to cultivate healthy and organic crops.</p><p>Before the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, no hemp-derived products could be dubbed as "certified organic" since the hemp plant and its extracts were still categorized as a Schedule I Controlled Substance. However, it's still difficult for CBD companies to obtain a USDA certified organic label for their products due to the legal grey area that still surrounds CBD extracts. </p><p>Because of these challenges, and due to the fact that industrial hemp has only recently become an agricultural crop, very few CBD oils are USDA certified organic. Rather, many CBD products contain hemp extracts from plants that were grown in organic conditions but may not be federally certified.</p><h2>What are the Best Organic CBD Oil Brands?</h2><p><em>Each product featured here has been independently selected by the writer. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.</em></p><em><br></em>
<h2>Why Organic Hemp Oil Matters</h2><p>Hemp is a unique plant, not only for its rich cannabinoid content, but also for its ability to absorb a wide variety of components in soil. But this trait poses great risks when it comes to the creation of CBD products derived from hemp.</p><p>Because hemp has a high capacity for compound uptake, this means that the plants can retain <a href="https://www.remedyreview.com/industry/lab-test-results/" target="_blank">harmful chemicals like pesticides</a>, heavy metals, and other residual solvents. This is especially true when it comes to synthetic chemicals that are more toxic to humans, and difficult to remove once they have been absorbed by the hemp plant.</p><p>Organic farming practices help reduce the risk of hemp crops absorbing harsh chemicals that may later end up in CBD oil after extraction. When you're taking CBD as a wellness supplement to help alleviate your symptoms or improve your overall well-being, the last thing you want is to ingest compounds that might negatively outweigh the benefits of CBD. This is an important reason to look for third party lab test results when shopping for CBD products since these certificates of analysis can show the full cannabinoid and terpene profile of a hemp extract, as well as test results that search for the presence of any residual solvents.</p><p>In addition to creating a better end product, organic farming practices are also better for the environment. Sustainable and organic farming methods may <a href="https://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-eating/organic-foods.htm" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">reduce pollution, conserve water, reduce soil erosion, increase soil fertility, and use less energy</a>. The use of natural pest deterrents as opposed to chemical pesticides is also better for nearby animal populations and ecosystems.</p><h3>Organic vs. Natural</h3><p>While there are only a select few companies offering certified organic ingredients in their products, almost every brand in the CBD market creates "natural" products. The term "all-natural" or "plant-based" does not mean that a product is organic, and since hemp oil is a natural derivative of hemp plants, these products are often referred to as all-natural. However, there are some synthetic CBD oils that should be avoided because they are chemically constructed and may produce unwanted side effects that are not caused by naturally derived CBD extracts.</p><h2>What are the Benefits of Organic CBD Oil?</h2><p>There's a long list of potential CBD oil health benefits, and some of the most common wellness advantages include:</p><ul class="ee-ul"><li><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2503660/" target="_blank">Chronic pain relief</a></li><li><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4604171/" target="_blank">Anti-anxiety effects</a></li><li>Better sleep</li><li><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/inner-source/201901/cbd-oil-mental-health-should-you-take-it-too" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Improvements in mood</a></li><li>Internal balance and regulation</li></ul><p>When dealing with pain, inflammation, sleep issues, and mental health struggles, it can be hard to find sufficient treatment options. The use of certain prescriptions can cause unwanted side effects, yet they are often the only solution for patients with these medical conditions. In search of other therapies, people have started to flock towards CBD oil as an alternative remedy for a variety of conditions. However, it should be noted that CBD products are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and you should seek your doctor's advice before using CBD if you have a serious medical condition.</p><h2>Look at the Labels Before You Buy CBD Oil</h2><p>When you go online to buy CBD oil, you'll quickly realize there is an overwhelming number of brands that are saturating the market. It can be difficult to determine which products are truly as good as they make themselves out to be. Always look for up-to-date third-party lab tests so you know you are getting a great product, and don't hesitate to contact the brand if you have any additional questions. And if you're intent on purchasing 100% organic CBD oil, it's best to look for certified products or brands that are held to strict regulatory standards.</p><p><strong>Melena Gurganus </strong>is the Reviews Editor at EcoWatch. She is passionate health and wellness and her writing aims to help others find products they can trust. Her work has been featured in publications such as Health, Shape, Huffington Post, Cannabis Business Times, and Bustle.<br></p>
Spruce
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjI3OC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyOTM2NzgzOX0.axY0HjeqRctJsR_KmDLctzDpUBLBN-oNIdqaXDb4caQ/img.jpg?width=980" id="774be" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8379f35b1ca8a86d0e61b7d4bfc8b46e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="spruce organic cbd oil" data-width="710" data-height="959" /><p>As one of the best brands in the business, Spruce CBD is well-known for its potent CBD oils that feature many additional beneficial phytocannabinoids. This brand works with two family-owned, sustainably focused farms in the USA (one located in Kentucky and one in North Carolina) to create its organic, small product batches. The max potency Spruce CBD oil contains 2400mg of full-spectrum CBD extract, but the brand also offers a lower strength tincture with 750mg of CBD in total.</p>
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CBDistillery
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDcwMjkzNC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyMTU4OTM4Nn0.ypRdeDSBcE87slYrFfVrRwtJ2qGIK6FD5jBB4pndTMo/img.jpg?width=980" id="b473b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9930b53c9d58cb49774640a61c3e3e75" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="cbdistillery cbd oil" data-width="1244" data-height="1244" /><p>All of the products from CBDistillery are <a href="https://ushempauthority.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">U.S. Hemp Authority Certified</a>, and for good reason. The company only uses non-GMO and pesticide-free industrial hemp that's grown organically on Colorado farms. Its hemp oils are some of the most affordable CBD products on the market, yet they still maintain a high standard of quality. CBDistillery has a wide variety of CBD potencies across its product line (ranging from 500mg to 5000mg per bottle) and offers both full-spectrum and broad-spectrum CBD oils to give customers a completely thc-free option.</p>
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FAB CBD
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjIyNS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2NDIwOTEyMn0.MlTjz096FJ0ev_-soK7_Z-FeQeJczWoeh9Qi9SSkHsY/img.jpg?width=980" id="04b26" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="76aa4862f44603242e318982acea6646" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="fab cbd oil" data-width="800" data-height="800" /><p>For an organic CBD oil that has it all, FAB CBD offers plenty of variety for any type of consumer. All of its products are made with zero pesticides and extracted from organically grown Colorado industrial hemp. FAB CBD oil comes in five all-natural flavors (mint, vanilla, berry, citrus, and natural) and is also available in four strengths (300, 600, 1200, and 2400mg per bottle).</p>
$39
NuLeaf Naturals
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjIxOS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1NzExNTgyMX0.D6qMGYllKTsVhEkQ-L_GzpDHVu60a-tJKcio7M1Ssmc/img.jpg?width=980" id="94e4a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3609a52479675730893a45a82a03c71d" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="nuleaf naturals organic cbd oil" data-width="600" data-height="600" /><p>As an industry-leading brand, it comes as no surprise that NuLeaf Naturals sources its CBD extract from organic hemp plants grown on licensed farms in Colorado. The comany's CBD oils only contain two ingredients: USDA certified organic hemp seed oil and full spectrum hemp extract.</p><p>NuLeaf Naturals uses one proprietary CBD oil formula for all of its products, so you will get the same CBD potency in each tincture (60mg per mL), but can purchase different bottle sizes depending on how much you intend to use.</p>
$38.50
Charlotte's Web
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDcwMjk3NS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0MzQ0NjM4N30.SaQ85SK10-MWjN3PwHo2RqpiUBdjhD0IRnHKTqKaU7Q/img.jpg?width=980" id="84700" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a2174067dcc0c4094be25b3472ce08c8" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="charlottes web cbd oil" data-width="1244" data-height="1244" /><p>Perhaps one of the most well-known brands in the CBD landscape, Charlotte's Web has been growing sustainable hemp plants for several years. The company is currently in the process of achieving official USDA Organic Certification, but it already practices organic and sustainable cultivation techniques to enhance the overall health of the soil and the hemp plants themselves, which creates some of the highest quality CBD extracts. Charlotte's Web offers CBD oils in a range of different concentration options, and some even come in a few flavor options such as chocolate mint, orange blossom, and lemon twist.</p>
$60
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Ask a Scientist: What Should the Biden Administration and Congress Do to Address the Climate Crisis?
18 January
Climate
A damaged home and flooding are seen in Creole, Louisiana, following Hurricane Laura's landfall on August 27, 2020. Joe Raedle / Getty Images
By Elliott Negin
What a difference an election makes. Thanks to the Biden-Harris victory in November, the next administration is poised to make a 180-degree turn to again address the climate crisis.
<p>President Trump famously called climate change a "hoax," appointed <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/01/14/climate/fossil-fuel-industry-environmental-policy.html" target="_blank">fossil fuel industry lobbyists</a> to key positions in his administration, rolled back the Obama-era rule that would have curbed power plant carbon emissions, and weakened Obama-era limits on vehicle carbon emissions. Just a day after last fall's election, he pulled the United States out of the international Paris climate agreement.</p><p>By contrast, President-elect Biden has endorsed a $2 trillion climate plan, and pledged to issue at least <a href="https://s2.washingtonpost.com/2da6eed/5fdb55659d2fda0efb8b5293/596c46649bbc0f208657f096/11/67/5fdb55659d2fda0efb8b5293" target="_blank">10 executive orders</a> to protect the climate and rejoin the <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeBiden/status/1340427943051284480" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Paris climate accord</a> on Day One of his administration. He also has appointed an impressive and diverse climate change team to take key administration positions, including New Mexico Rep. Deb Haaland, who co-sponsored the Green New Deal, to run the Interior Department; North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality head Michael Regan to lead the Environmental Protection Agency; former Environmental Protection Agency chief Gina McCarthy as national climate advisor; and former Secretary of State John Kerry, who helped negotiate the Paris climate agreement, to serve as his international climate envoy.</p><p>That's a welcome relief, because the world is running out of time. In 2020 alone, wildfires burned millions of acres in Australia and California to a crisp; heat waves scorched Europe, Asia and the Arctic; floods inundated the U.S. Midwest as well as nations in Africa and Asia; and a record-breaking Atlantic hurricane season battered the coasts of Central America, Caribbean islands and the United States.</p><p>But for all the promises President-elect Biden has made, some nagging questions remain: Given the constraints of a closely divided Congress, how much will the Biden administration truly be able to accomplish? And even with the United States rejoining the Paris accord, will countries live up to its promise to keep the Earth's temperature in check?</p><p>For some answers, I turned to <a href="https://www.ucsusa.org/about/people/rachel-cleetus" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Climate and Energy Program Policy Director Rachel Cleetus</a>, who I last <a href="https://blog.ucsusa.org/elliott-negin/what-do-you-see-as-the-most-important-elements-of-a-post-pandemic-economy" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">interviewed in May</a> about what a post-pandemic economy should look like. The questions I posed to her this time around are a logical extension of the conversation we had then.</p>
<p><strong>EN: Before we dig into what we can expect from the incoming Biden administration, let's talk about what Congress included in the pandemic relief package it passed just before Christmas. I don't know about you, but I was pleasantly surprised to learn that it included some good climate-related provisions. Does this suggest that the next Congress will take climate change seriously?</strong></p><p>RC: The omnibus pandemic relief bill Congress just passed was long overdue and desperately needed, given the fact that millions of people are in increasingly dire economic straits. It also included a provision to dramatically reduce the use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), extremely potent heat-trapping gases used in air conditioners and refrigerators; an extension of renewable electricity production and investment tax credits, which will help boost clean energy and create jobs; support for energy storage technology research and development; and increased funding for ARPA-E, the Department of Energy's technology innovation program. The bill also included a one-year extension of the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund, a welcome but inadequate provision as black lung disease hits record levels in coal country.</p><p>The <a href="https://blog.ucsusa.org/shana-udvardy/congress-continues-to-affirm-that-climate-security-is-national-security" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">National Defense Authorization Act</a>, which Congress just passed with an overwhelming bipartisan override of President Trump's veto, also includes provisions recognizing the impact of climate change on the military and the need to invest in resilience measures.</p><p>These provisions demonstrate that Congress can act in a bipartisan manner on clean energy and climate change issues. But much more will be needed in the months and years ahead to make steep cuts in global warming emissions and achieve comprehensive, bold and just climate policies that benefit everyone. Congress has yet to demonstrate the will to act commensurately with the scale of the challenges we face, which is why we will need to continue to pressure policymakers to do the right thing after the new Congress and administration take office.</p>
<p><strong>EN: Notwithstanding the fact that leading Republicans supported the climate-related elements of the pandemic relief package, how much will the incoming Biden administration have to rely on executive orders to advance initiatives to combat climate change? After all, the oil and gas industry still has a great deal of influence over Congress.</strong></p><p>RC: President Biden should send a clear and strong signal, early on, that he is committed to using his full powers to advance climate action through executive authorities and regulations. Here are some of the <a href="https://blog.ucsusa.org/rachel-cleetus/biden-climate-priorities" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">most important actions on climate</a> that he should take, many of which could be done within the first 100 days and some which should happen via a Day One executive order on climate change:</p><ul><li>Set science-informed climate goals and commit the United States to reaching net-zero carbon emissions economywide no later than 2050, and at least 50 percent below 2005 levels by 2030.</li><li>Direct all federal agencies to incorporate climate science into their actions and develop updated climate action plans.</li><li>Initiate administrative and regulatory actions to sharply curtail heat-trapping emissions economywide and advance climate resilience, prioritizing investments in historically marginalized communities.</li><li>Rejoin the Paris agreement, with an ambitious commitment to cut heat-trapping emissions and provide climate funding for developing countries, in line with the US fair share contribution to global climate goals.</li><li>Reverse the Trump administration's egregious executive orders that have halted, undermined, and reversed climate action.</li><li>Create White House-level offices focused on environmental justice and economic transition to elevate and mainstream these priorities.</li></ul><p>As you note, opposition from the fossil fuel companies is not going away any time soon. They may continue to try to slow down or stop climate action, or at best support incremental policy changes that preserve their profits—even as they <a href="https://ucsusa.org/about/news/exxonmobils-five-year-emissions-reduction-plan-too-lievettle-too-late" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">claim to endorse</a> the Paris agreement's net-zero goal.</p><p>UCS and its coalition partners will continue to engage in sharp and strategic corporate campaigns to expose their disingenuous actions, <a href="https://blog.ucsusa.org/kathy-mulvey/bankrolling-climate-disaster-stop-the-money-pipeline-to-fossil-fuel-companies" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">curtail their Wall Street financing</a>, and prod them to align their business models with what the science demonstrates is necessary. We will continue to push for companies to <a href="https://blog.ucsusa.org/nicole-pinko/climate-risk-disclosure-act-is-good-for-your-investments" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">disclose their climate risks</a>, and for <a href="https://www.ucsusa.org/about/news/trading-commission-report-sends-clear-signal-climate-change-risks-us-economy-0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">financial regulators</a> to require this. And we support the rights of affected parties to seek legal accountability for climate damages caused by fossil fuel companies.</p>
<p><strong>EN: OK. So what can a narrowly divided Congress accomplish?</strong></p><p>RC: Congress also will have to step up to play its part. We are coming off a year of record-breaking climate related disasters—including wildfires, hurricanes, floods, and heatwaves—which intersected cruelly with the coronavirus pandemic and the resulting ongoing economic crisis. People across the country need Congress to do its job. Securing robust, comprehensive, durable climate and clean energy policy will require legislation.</p><p>President Biden should immediately begin working with the new Congress to advance a suite of policies that ramp up clean energy, drive down carbon emissions economywide, and build climate resilience, while also addressing longstanding environmental injustices that have disproportionately affected low-income communities and communities of color and ensuring a fair transition for coal communities. Breaking through the long-standing political logjam won't be easy, but the needs are urgent and the economic, health and climate benefits of a low-carbon climate-resilient economy are clear.</p><p>Many of these policy priorities were highlighted in the <a href="https://joebiden.com/joes-vision/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Biden-Harris campaign platform</a>. The incoming administration must do all it can to prod Congress to pass legislation addressing them. Here's just a partial list of what we need:</p><p><em><strong>Additional pandemic relief and economic recovery packages</strong></em>. More funding for public health priorities and economic relief is desperately needed at the national, state and local level. Congress should include a robust "green" economic recovery package to jumpstart and foster a just and equitable economic recovery, with job creation driven by investments in clean energy and climate resilient infrastructure. Forty percent of these investments should directly benefit historically marginalized communities.</p><p><em><strong>Fair transition for workers and communities</strong></em>. Congress should pass a comprehensive, well-funded transition package for displaced workers and communities hurt by the country's ongoing transition away from coal.</p><p><em><strong>Environmental justice</strong></em>. Congress should strengthen public health safeguards, tighten enforcement, and invest in cleaning up the cumulative toxic burden of pollution in fence-line and frontline communities, which are disproportionately low-income communities and communities of color.</p><p><em><strong>Recognition of climate change's financial and economic risks</strong></em>. Congress should pass legislation to ensure that financial regulators require corporations to disclose their climate risk to ensure they—and the market more broadly—are appropriately accounting for such risks and taking steps to mitigate it.</p><p><em><strong>Guaranteed community access to the courts</strong></em>. As a mounting number of cities, counties and states seek to hold fossil fuel companies accountable for climate damages and fraud, here's one thing Congress should not do: pass laws attempting to limit or eliminate communities' access to the courts to seek redress.</p>
<p><strong>EN: President-elect Biden recently <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeBiden/status/1340427943051284480" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">proclaimed</a> that he will "put America back in the business of leading the world on climate change." What should that mean in concrete terms? As the country responsible for the largest share of cumulative carbon emissions to date, what does the United States have to do regain international respect and provide leadership?</strong></p><p>RC: To be perfectly frank, the Biden administration will have to do a lot more than trot out tired rhetoric about US leadership on climate action.</p><p>What the country and the rest of the world need is for the United States to take its place at the table, alongside and in cooperation with nations large and small, and do its part responsibly, fairly and consistently. The Biden administration and Congress need to enact strong national climate policies and make an ambitious, credible emissions reduction commitment ahead of the next international climate talks. They also must commit to scaled-up climate finance for developing countries. Finally, they have to work together with states, cities, tribal governments, businesses, and local stakeholders, many of whom have contributed to significant climate progress despite the absence of national leadership in the last four years. It's time—well past time, actually—for meaningful federal action.</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from </em><em><a href="https://blog.ucsusa.org/elliott-negin/what-should-the-new-administration-and-congress-do-to-address-the-climate-crisis" target="_blank">Union of Concerned Scientists</a>.</em><a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/r/entryeditor/2650012800#/" target="_self"></a></p>From Your Site Articles
- Biden Reaffirms Commitment to Rejoining Paris Agreement ... ›
- Joe Biden Appoints Climate Crisis Team - EcoWatch ›
- Biden Plans to Fight Climate Change in a New Way - EcoWatch ›
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Scientists Warn Humanity in Denial of Looming 'Collapse of Civilization as We Know It'
13 January
Climate
bennymarty / iStock / Getty Images Plus
By Jessica Corbett
In an example to the rest of the scientific community and an effort to wake up people — particularly policymakers — worldwide, 17 scientists penned a comprehensive assessment of the current state of the planet and what the future could hold due to biodiversity loss, climate disruption, human consumption and population growth.
<p>"Ours is not a call to surrender — we aim to provide leaders with a realistic 'cold shower' of the state of the planet that is essential for planning to avoid a ghastly future," according to the perspective paper, co-authored by experts across Australia, Mexico, and the United States, and <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcosc.2020.615419/abstract" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">published</a> in the journal Frontiers in Conservation Science.</p>
<p>Co-author Paul R. Ehrlich of Stanford University's Center for Conservation Biology — who has raised alarm about overpopulation for <a href="https://climateone.org/audio/population-bomb-50-years-later-conversation-paul-ehrlich" target="_blank">decades</a> — told Common Dreams his colleagues "are all scared" about what's to come.</p><p>"Scientists have to learn to be communicators," said Ehrlich, citing James Hansen's warning about the consequences of "<a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0703220" target="_blank">scientific reticence.</a>" Hansen, a professor at Columbia University's Earth Institute and former director of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/06/23/30th-anniversary-famous-climate-testimony-james-hansen-called-paul-revere-we" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">testified</a> to Congress about the climate crisis in 1988.</p><p>Ehrlich was straightforward about how "extremely dangerous things are" now and the <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/06/04/existential-risk-climate-crisis-could-lead-civilizational-collapse-2050-warns-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">necessity</a> of a "World War II-type mobilization" to prevent predictions detailed in the paper: "a ghastly future of mass extinction, declining health, and climate-disruption upheavals (including looming massive migrations), and resource conflicts."</p><p>"What we are saying might not be popular, and indeed is frightening. But we need to be candid, accurate, and honest if humanity is to understand the enormity of the challenges we face in creating a sustainable future," said co-author Daniel T. Blumstein of the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability at the University of California, Los Angeles, in a statement about the paper.</p><p>"By scientists' telling it like it is, we hope to empower politicians to work to represent their citizen, not corporate, constituents," he said in an email to Common Dreams.</p><p>The paper, Ehrlich and Blumstein pointed out, comes in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic — which, <a href="https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">according to</a> Johns Hopkins University, has killed nearly two million people. Over the past year, the Co-19 crisis has <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/06/03/jane-goodall-warns-humanity-will-be-finished-after-covid-19-without-ending-absolute" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">provoked</a> calls for humanity to end its destruction of the natural world to <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/10/29/seismic-shift-worlds-approach-land-use-wildlife-and-climate-action-needed-avoid-new" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">prevent</a> future public health catastrophes.</p><p>"We're all seeing the shocks to our global systems now from Covid and the rise of authoritarian leaders," Blumstein said. "Because our current ways of life are ecologically unsustainable (we're living in an ecological Ponzi scheme), we fully anticipate more — and more deadly — pandemics in the future. We expect civil unrest, wars, and famines. We are all shaken by the likelihood of the collapse of civilization as we know it."</p>
<div id="25da8" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="bf8a63f9cc8cc4813996d6e1fbd213fa"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1349181889240854540" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">From extreme hurricanes to droughts to wildfires, the climate crisis killed 262 people and cost $95 billion last ye… https://t.co/RwowWVlBZ9</div> — Friends of the Earth (Action) (@Friends of the Earth (Action))<a href="https://twitter.com/foe_us/statuses/1349181889240854540">1610505003.0</a></blockquote></div><p>The new warning from scientists, Blumstein noted, cites over 150 other papers "documenting the diverse and shocking decline in biodiversity and planetary 'health' and their consequences." Among the cited sources is a World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) report that in September <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/09/10/nature-unraveling-new-wwf-report-reveals-alarming-68-plummet-wildlife-populations" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">revealed</a> an "average 68% decrease in population sizes of mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, and fish between 1970 and 2016."</p><p>"In the midst of a global pandemic, it is now more important than ever to take unprecedented and coordinated global action to halt and start to reverse the loss of biodiversity and wildlife populations across the globe by the end of the decade, and protect our future health and livelihoods," WWF International director general Marco Lambertini said at the time.</p><p>The co-authors — including William J. Ripple of Oregon State University, who last year led thousands of scientists in <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/11/05/warning-untold-human-suffering-over-11000-scientists-around-world-declare-climate" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">declaring</a> a climate emergency and earlier this month led a <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/01/07/one-year-after-declaring-climate-emergency-scientists-say-massive-scale-mobilization" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">call</a> for "a massive-scale mobilization to address the climate crisis" — echoed Lambertini's message while also underscoring the importance of increasing awareness about what's actually needed.</p><p>"Humanity is causing a rapid loss of biodiversity and, with it, Earth's ability to support complex life. But the mainstream is having difficulty grasping the magnitude of this loss, despite the steady erosion of the fabric of human civilization," the paper says.</p>
<div id="c7dd4" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="309107b64c42fab5e69a1c0bace9d47b"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1347817383919022080" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Biodiversity is the thread of life on Earth.
🦠️🦩🐜🍄🌱🦧🌽🍂🥦🐦🌺🐇🐝🌴🦒🌿🐋🌏
Learn more about what #biodiversity is and why… https://t.co/I5kht3RYnj</div> — UN Biodiversity (@UN Biodiversity)<a href="https://twitter.com/UNBiodiversity/statuses/1347817383919022080">1610179680.0</a></blockquote></div><p>"In fact, the scale of the threats to the biosphere and all its lifeforms is so great that it is difficult to grasp for even well-informed experts," said lead author Corey Bradshaw of Australia's Flinders University in a statement. "The problem is compounded by ignorance and short-term self-interest, with the pursuit of wealth and political interests stymieing the action that is crucial for survival."</p><p>The paper explains that "while suggested solutions abound, the current scale of their implementation does not match the relentless progression of biodiversity loss and other existential threats tied to the continuous expansion of the human enterprise." According to its authors, "That we are already on the path of a sixth major extinction is now scientifically undeniable."</p><p>"With such a rapid, catastrophic loss of biodiversity, the ecosystem services it provides have also declined," the paper explains. Consequences include "reduced carbon sequestration, reduced pollination, soil degradation, poorer water and air quality, more frequent and intense flooding and fires, and compromised human health."</p><p>Highlighting estimates that the human population will near 10 billion by 2050, the scientists lay out how "large population size and continued growth are implicated in many societal problems," from food insecurity, soil degradation, biodiversity loss, and an increased chance of pandemics, to crowding, joblessness, deteriorating infrastructure, and bad governance.</p><p>The paper also details the planetary impacts of dirty energy and carbon-intensive food production, and says that "while climate change demands a full exit from fossil fuel use well before 2050, pressures on the biosphere are likely to mount prior to decarbonization as humanity brings energy alternatives online."</p><p>A section on failed international goals declares that "stopping biodiversity loss is nowhere close to the top of any country's priorities, trailing far behind other concerns such as employment, healthcare, economic growth, or currency stability."</p><p>"The dangerous effects of climate change are much more evident to people than those of biodiversity loss, but society is still finding it difficult to deal with them effectively," the scientists note, while decrying "utterly inadequate" efforts by governments to even try to meet the targets of the landmark Paris climate agreement.</p><p>They further decry the recent rise of right-wing, anti-environment agendas in countries including Australia, Brazil, and the United States — which recently denied President Donald Trump a second term. Ehrlich expressed hope that President-elect Joe Biden will work to <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/01/08/no-more-excuses-senate-majority-reclaimed-progressives-demand-bold-agenda-biden" target="_blank">deliver</a> on the climate promises he made as a candidate.</p><p>Biden's vow to rejoin the Paris agreement "is positive news," but "it is a minuscule gesture given the scale of the challenge," Ehrlich said in a statement.</p><p>The president-elect "is moving in the right direction," Ehrlich told Common Dreams, pointing to the <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/11/23/alarming-red-flag-something-we-can-work-campaigners-respond-kerry-biden-climate" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="">selection</a> of former Secretary of State John Kerry as his climate envoy. However, "the Paris goals are increasingly looking inadequate," and "Biden's political opportunities to do anything major may be greatly constrained," he added.</p>
<div id="0ea0e" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="eb14cb1c288cecbbf85ec2be96b17c28"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1349123864245239811" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">What can Joe Biden do on climate change once he takes office?
@DashaBurns looks into what he can accomplish with e… https://t.co/wBn29Ms1UX</div> — NBC News NOW (@NBC News NOW)<a href="https://twitter.com/NBCNewsNow/statuses/1349123864245239811">1610491169.0</a></blockquote></div><p>Blumstein stressed that "recycling, using less plastic, eating less meat, taking public transportation, and flying less, while all important, will simply not create the rapid change we need now to save much of the Earth's biodiversity and our lives."</p><p>According to Blumstein, "We need rapid political change."</p><p>He urged voters to elect leaders who will end fossil fuel use as well as "eliminate perpetual economic growth and properly price externalities so that the environmental costs are built into the price of a product." He also emphasized the importance of access to education and reproductive control, and the need to rein in corporate lobbying and enact campaign finance reform so politicians serve citizens' needs.</p><p>"Ultimately," Blumstein added, "we must focus on making equity and well-being society's goals — not the constant accumulation of more junk."</p><p>In their paper, the UCLA scientist and his 16 co-authors "contend that only a realistic appreciation of the colossal challenges facing the international community might allow it to chart a less-ravaged future."</p><p>It is "incumbent on experts in any discipline that deals with the future of the biosphere and human well-being to eschew reticence, avoid sugar-coating the overwhelming challenges, ahead and 'tell it like it is,'" they conclude. "Anything else is misleading at best, or negligent and potentially lethal for the human enterprise at worst."</p><p><span></span><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/01/13/dire-assessment-scientists-warn-humanity-denial-looming-collapse-civilization-we" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>. </em></p>
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Six climate scientists have launched Science Moms, a $10 million campaign to educate moms about climate change. Kyryl Gorlov / Getty Images
Six climate scientists who are also mothers have launched Science Moms, a $10 million campaign to educate moms about climate change and help them take action.
<p><br>Working with Potential Energy, a nonprofit marketing firm, the scientists have created a series of ads for national TV and online audiences, with campaigns targeting North Carolina, Arizona, Wisconsin and other states to come. </p><p>The new push takes a page from initiatives, like Mothers Against Drunk Driving, that capitalize on mothers' moral authority and political power. </p><p>"What we want to do is empower other moms to become messengers in the most-trusted category, which is friends and family," Katharine Hayhoe—an atmospheric scientist, evangelical Christian and mother involved in the project—told the Washington Post. </p><p>"I really believe that using our voices is the way we can make a difference."</p>
<p><strong>For a deeper dive:</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2021/01/12/climate-science-moms/?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=106392231&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--v1nhl_t7Mwk7P0JwYCXUpiXo2kTo5_08WP5SNanNmxnXfBOSTwa92zxsUVeTb-HPlaEHudfPGM5fwPLdLr6hihcqyu6V3ywtFELFczdEjqjCVUNU&utm_content=106392231&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Washington Post</a>, <a href="https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2021-01-12/mothers-are-increasingly-worried-about-climate-change-a-new-ad-campaign-has-female-scientists-speaking-directly-to-them?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=106392231&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-88aBLrtYwJOkD3iAsZGbv_tlkb_TniLZnfW9t1YjmeT9x2UehbSUyXPprk1JFpi_T9kyxhx2XPQjV_ZEQyOUh81CpU9MvUcPD-13GOLyz2HOYzvpM&utm_content=106392231&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Los Angeles Times</a>, <a href="https://mashable.com/article/science-moms-climate-change/?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=106392231&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9kmGRaT6Tb9EJRP-Ja0sH7BZitZgvoIc0FxuptYU-LlcrwPMDzG4K19GsqATmdYomjRt0pPqrgeYt-NJ2RP2SnmiMzE1PmHAdJlKJm9syy0Z-Rn1Q&utm_content=106392231&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Mashable</a><br/></p><p><em>For more </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/climate-change-news/" target="_blank"><em>climate change</em></a><em> and </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/business/renewables/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>clean energy</em></a><em> news, you can follow Climate Nexus on </em><a href="https://twitter.com/ClimateNexus" target="_blank"><em>Twitter</em></a><em> and </em><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ClimateNexus/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Facebook</em></a><em>, sign up for daily </em><a href="https://www.linktrack.live/hot-news-sign-up" target="_blank"><em>Hot News</em></a><em>, and visit their news site, </em><a href="https://nexusmedianews.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Nexus Media News</em></a><em>.</em></p>
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Many insect populations are dropping about one to two percent a year. Raung Binaia / Getty Images
By Jessica Corbett
A collection of new scientific papers authored by 56 experts from around the world reiterates rising concerns about bug declines and urges people and governments to take urgent action to address a biodiversity crisis dubbed the "insect apocalypse."
<p>"The Global Decline of Insects in the Anthropocene Special Feature," which includes an introduction and 11 papers, was <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/118/2" target="_blank">published</a> Monday in <em>Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences </em>alongside a related <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/118/2/e2018499117?cct=1971&utm_source=hootsuite&utm_medium=twitter&utm_term=&utm_content=d49b5d78-dfea-425d-8d99-f95f495689b0&utm_campaign=General" target="_blank">news article</a>. "Nature is under siege," the scientists warn. "Insects are suffering from 'death by a thousand cuts.'"</p><p>The set of studies—resulting from a symposium in St. Louis—comes as the body of <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/10/31/scientists-demand-paradigm-shift-after-study-shows-frightening-decline-insects-and" target="_blank">research</a> on insect declines has grown in recent years, leading to major assessments published in <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/02/11/scientists-warn-crashing-insect-population-puts-planets-ecosystems-and-survival" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">February 2019</a> and <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/04/24/silent-spring-already-here-global-study-shows-nearly-25-drop-insect-population-over" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">April 2020</a>, as well as a roadmap released last January by 73 scientists detailing how to battle the "<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/10/16/one-most-disturbing-articles-i-have-ever-read-scientist-says-study-detailing-climate" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">bugpocalypse</a>."</p><p>As the new package and below graphic explain, human stressors that experts have tied to bug declines include agricultural practices; chemical, light, and sound pollution; invasive species; land-use changes; nitrification; pesticides; and urbanization.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTQ0Nzg4MC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY3MjU4Mzc1M30.SfW19m8NIPrOnLJMrfeow-Dc0Gg5HCtOJomKNKQTcus/img.jpg?width=980" id="9d15c" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="79a38f28357675d0e52174af52405a53" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1024" data-height="1200" />
<p>Emphasizing the consequences of such declines, University of Connecticut entomologist David Wagner, the package's lead author, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/climate-climate-change-insects-light-pollution-invasive-species-99f9dc72a8d805b971ec6d8119b61191" target="_blank">told</a> the<em> Associated Press</em> that insects "are absolutely the fabric by which Mother Nature and the tree of life are built."</p><p>According to Wagner, many insect populations are dropping about 1-2% per year. As he <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jan/11/insect-populations-suffering-death-1000-cuts-scientists" target="_blank">put it</a> to <em>The Guardian</em>: "You're losing 10-20% of your animals over a single decade and that is just absolutely frightening. You're tearing apart the tapestry of life."</p><p>While most causes of declines are well known, "there's one really big unknown and that's climate change—that's the one that really scares me the most," he said, warning the crisis could be causing "extinctions at a rate that we haven't seen before."</p>
<div id="67670" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="2add96a1182c6b83fbefa0277f400e7a"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1348728501617242113" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Insect populations suffering death by 1,000 cuts, say scientists
- ‘Frightening’ global decline is ‘tearing apar… https://t.co/iyKLoyUz4i</div> — Damian Carrington (@Damian Carrington)<a href="https://twitter.com/dpcarrington/statuses/1348728501617242113">1610396907.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>Roel van Klink of the German Center for Integrative Biodiversity Research told <em>The Guardian</em> that "the most important thing we learn [from these new studies] is the complexity behind insect declines. No single quick fix is going to solve this problem."</p><p>"There are certainly places where insect abundances are dropping strongly, but not everywhere," he said. "This is a reason for hope, because it can help us understand what we can do to help them. They can bounce back really fast when the conditions improve."</p><p>The package's introduction points out that while much recent research and resulting news coverage focused on drops in bug populations, "four papers in this special issue note instances of insect lineages that have not changed or have increased in abundance."</p><p>"Many moth species in Great Britain have demonstrably expanded in range or population size," the paper notes. "Numerous temperate insects, presumably limited by winter temperatures, have increased in abundance and range, in response to warmer global temperatures."</p><p>Pollinators such as the western honey bee in North America, "may well thrive due to their associations with humans," the introduction adds. "Increasing abundances of freshwater insects have been attributed to clean water legislation, in both Europe and North America."</p>
<div id="ae8c1" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="bd3851a49d82d28477ad5b58cb639d29"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1348963720907681792" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">As @dharnanoor points out in this article, too many bugs (thanks to #climatechange) can be a problem too--natural s… https://t.co/5ZNDwWhX80</div> — erin sikorsky (@erin sikorsky)<a href="https://twitter.com/ErinSikorsky/statuses/1348963720907681792">1610452988.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>In addition to the introduction, titled "<a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/118/2/e2023989118#sec-1" target="_blank">Insect decline in the Anthropocene: Death by a thousand cuts</a>," the package includes seven perspectives:</p><ul><li>"<a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/118/2/e2002548117" target="_blank">Agricultural intensification and climate change are rapidly decreasing insect biodiversity</a>"</li><li>"<a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/118/2/e2002546117" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">To us insectometers, it is clear that insect decline in our Costa Rican tropics is real, so let's be kind to the survivors</a>"</li><li>"<a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/118/2/e2002543117" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Insects and recent climate change</a>"</li><li>"<a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/118/2/e2002551117" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The decline of butterflies in Europe: Problems, significance, and possible solutions</a>"</li><li>"<a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/118/2/e2002549117" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">A window to the world of global insect declines: Moth biodiversity trends are complex and heterogeneous</a>"</li><li>"<a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/118/2/e2002545117" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Deep learning and computer vision will transform entomology</a>"</li><li>"<a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/118/2/e2002552117" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">No buzz for bees: Media coverage of pollinator decline</a>"</li></ul><p>The body of work also includes three separate research articles:</p><ul><li>"<a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/118/2/e2002556117" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Arthropods are not declining but are responsive to disturbance in the Luquillo Experimental Forest, Puerto Rico</a>"</li><li>"<a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/118/2/e2002554117" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Insect biomass decline scaled to species diversity: General patterns derived from a hoverfly community</a>"</li><li>"<a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/118/2/e2002557117" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nonlinear trends in abundance and diversity and complex responses to climate change in Arctic arthropods</a>"</li></ul>
<p>The final piece is an opinion laying out "<a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/118/2/e2002547117" target="_blank">eight simple actions that individuals can take to save insects from global declines</a>," which features five actions to create "more and better insect-friendly habitats, the loss of which is likely a leading cause of insect declines," and three that aim to adjust public attitudes.</p><p>As Dharna Noor <a href="https://earther.gizmodo.com/12-new-studies-show-how-close-insects-are-to-extinction-1846035863" target="_blank">wrote</a> in her coverage for <em>Earther</em>: "I do not like bugs. Creepy, many-legged things make my skin crawl. But as unpleasant as they are, insects are absolutely crucial for our world's ecosystems to function, and sadly, new research shows that the creatures populations are on the verge of collapse."</p><p>To boost awareness and appreciation of insects, the scientists suggest countering negative perceptions, pushing for conservation efforts, and getting involved in local political advocacy. On the habitat improvement front, they recommend converting lawns into diverse natural habitats, growing native plants, cutting pesticide use, limiting light pollution, and lessening soap runoff from washing vehicles and building exteriors as well as the use of driveway sealants and de-icing salts.</p><p>"Avoiding some behaviors or adopting others will contribute both directly and indirectly to insect conservation," the scientists note. "Further, taking actions that address issues such as climate change can synergistically promote insect diversity. Climate change is increasingly recognized as a primary factor driving local and regional plant and animal extinctions."</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/01/12/nature-under-siege-scientists-sound-alarm-about-insect-apocalypse" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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An illustration depicts a megalodon shark swimming after a pod of striped dolphins. Corey Ford / Stocktrek Images
The megalodon, or megatooth shark, was such a fearsome prehistoric predator that it continues to inspire horror films roughly 3.6 million years after its extinction.
<p>Adult megalodons (<em>Otodus megalodon) </em>could grow to be about 50 feet in length. Now, new research published in <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08912963.2020.1861608" target="_blank">Historical Biology</a> on Monday shows that the sharks were fear-inducing from the moment they were born, as baby megalodons could be more than six-and-a-half-feet long.</p><p>"It is quite possible that they represent the largest babies in the shark world," Kenshu Shimada, a vertebrate paleontologist at DePaul University in Chicago and lead study author, told <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/10/science/megalodons-baby-shark.html" target="_blank">The New York Times</a>.</p><p>Megalodons dominated prehistoric seas, where they lived between 15 and 3.6 million years ago, according to <a href="https://newsroom.taylorandfrancisgroup.com/megalodon-shark-gave-live-birth-to-large-newborns-that-likely-grew-by-eating-unhatched-eggs-in-womb/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Taylor & Francis</a>. In addition to their length, they also weighed as much as 110,000 pounds, The New York Times reported.</p><p>"They could pretty much do whatever they wanted, swim wherever they wanted, eat whatever they wanted," Jack Cooper, a Swansea University shark researcher who was not involved with the study, told The New York Times.</p>
<p>Despite their dominance of the prehistoric <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/ocean" target="_self">ocean</a> and contemporary imaginations, megalodons are less prominent in the fossil record. That's because megalodons, like all sharks, have skeletons made of cartilage, which is less likely to last than bone, <a href="https://www.livescience.com/megalodon-babies-human-size.html" target="_blank">Live Science explained</a>. So megalodons are mostly known to us from their teeth.</p><p>One exception to this is a collection of 150 megalodon vertebrae whose cartilage had mineralized. The specimen was discovered in Belgium in the 1860s, The New York Times reported, and is now housed at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences in Brussels, according to the study. The authors wrote that it was the "only reasonably preserved vertebral column of the species in the entire world."</p><p>The researchers then took advantage of the fact that megalodon vertebrae have growth rings that function similarly to tree rings, Taylor & Francis explained. Researchers were able to use CT scans of the vertebrae to determine that the specimen was 46 years old and around 30 feet long when it died. By calculating what its body length would have been when each ring was formed, the researchers were able to pinpoint its birth size at around 6.6 feet.</p><p>"My students and I examine spiny dogfish shark anatomy in class and to think that a baby megalodon was nearly twice as long as the largest adult sharks we examine is mind-boggling," study co-author Matthew Bonnan of Stockton University told Taylor & Francis.</p>
<p>The baby megalodon's large size led the scientists to conclude that it had likely feasted on its siblings in the womb. That's because such a large baby would need to be born live, requiring a lot of energy from the mother.</p><p>"Oophagy — egg-eating — is a way for a mother to nourish its embryos for an extended period of time," Shimada told Live Science. "The consequence is that, while only a few embryos per mother will survive and develop, each embryo can become quite large at its birth."</p><p>The baby that survived would then be ready to ward off many ocean predators, The New York Times reported. A healthy appetite might have also contributed to the shark's growth.</p><p>The researchers also shed light on the megalodon's later growth, and calculated that it grew an average of 6.3 inches a year, according to the study. Researchers also compared the specimen's growth rate with the largest known megalodon sizes in order to calculate that megalodons had a potential life expectancy of 88 to 100 years, Live Science reported.</p><p>Shimada told Live Science that the life-expectancy calculations were still theoretical and required more research. Even so, the findings help scientists learn more about megalodons and the prehistoric ocean.</p><p>"As one of the largest carnivores that ever existed on Earth, deciphering such growth parameters of <em>O. megalodon</em> is critical to understand the role large carnivores play in the context of the evolution of marine ecosystems," Shimada told Taylor & Francis.</p>
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The Earth has started to speed up in 2020. Trifonov_Evgeniy / Getty Images
It's a common truism that there are only 24 hours in a day, but, according to precise measurements, that isn't exactly true.
<p>The Earth typically takes 86,400 seconds, or 24 hours, to spin on its axis, <a href="https://www.timeanddate.com/time/earth-faster-rotation.html" target="_blank">TimeandDate.com explained</a>. But the invention of precise atomic clocks in the 1960s showed that the length of the Earth's daily rotation could actually vary by a matter of milliseconds. Until recently, the Earth's rotation was slightly longer than 24 hours. But in 2020, the Earth started speeding up.</p><p>"It is certainly correct that the Earth is spinning faster now than at any time in the last 50 years," Peter Whibberley, National Physical Laboratory time and frequency group senior research <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/scientists" target="_self">scientist</a>, told <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/01/04/earth-spinning-faster-now-time-past-half-century/" target="_blank">The Telegraph</a> on Monday.</p><p>Before 2020, the record for the shortest day was set on July 5, 2005, which clocked in at 1.0516 milliseconds less than 86,400 seconds, <a href="https://weather.com/en-IN/india/science/news/2021-01-08-sci-simplified-is-earth-rotating-faster" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Weather Channel reported</a>. In 2020, that record was broken a total of 28 times. The fastest day since record keeping began happened on July 19, 2019, and clocked in 1.4602 milliseconds shorter than average. Scientists predict that days in 2021 will be even faster. They estimate that days are now 0.05 milliseconds shorter on average, which will leave 2021 running 19 milliseconds behind.</p><p>But why does a difference of milliseconds matter? At stake is the syncing of solar time with Earth's atomic clocks, because satellites and other communication devices are usually based on the position of the sun and stars.</p>
<p>The responsibility for keeping track of both sets of time falls to the French International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service (IERS).</p><p>TimeandDate.com explained how the difference is calculated:</p><blockquote>To determine the true length of a day, IERS scientists determine the exact speed of the Earth's rotation by measuring the precise moments a fixed star passes a certain location in the sky each day. This measurement is expressed as <a href="https://www.timeanddate.com/time/universal-time.html" target="_blank">Universal Time (UT1)</a>, a type of <a href="https://www.timeanddate.com/time/local-mean-time.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">solar time</a>.<br><br>UT1 is then compared to <a href="https://www.timeanddate.com/time/international-atomic-time.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">International Atomic Time (TAI)</a>, a highly precise time scale that combines the output of some 200 <a href="https://www.timeanddate.com/time/how-do-atomic-clocks-work.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">atomic clocks</a> maintained in laboratories around the world.<br><br>The true length of a day is expressed by the deviation of UT1 from TAI over 24 hours.</blockquote>
<p>When UTI and TAI differ by more than 0.9 seconds, the IERS can add or subtract a "leap second" from the world's clocks to keep them in sync, National Physical Laboratory Director Dr. DK Aswal told The Weather Channel.</p><p>So far, the IERS has only added leap seconds: 27 since 1972, to be exact. The last one was added on Dec. 31, 2016. But this could soon change.</p><p>"IERS has decided that no 'leap second' would be added to the world's official timekeeping in December 2020, indicating that Earth is rotating faster than it has in 50 years. If the Earth's rotation keeps accelerating, the world's first negative leap second can be announced by IERS in the future," Aswal told The Weather Channel.</p><p>But while adding or subtracting leap seconds is important for satellites, it can have a negative impact on other forms of communication. When a leap second was added in 2012, websites including Reddit, Yelp and LinkedIn crashed, according to The Telegraph.</p>
<p>Because of issues like this, some countries and computer scientists call for shifting to atomic time and to stop syncing with solar time, according to The Telegraph and Phys.org.</p><p>Interestingly enough, scientists are not overly worried about why the Earth's rotation is speeding up, <a href="https://phys.org/news/2021-01-earth-faster.html" target="_blank">Phys.org noted</a>. They say it can happen for a variety of reasons, including the pull of the moon, snowfall and erosion.</p><p>The <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/" target="_self">climate crisis</a> could also be a factor, as the warming planet contributes to mass redistribution events, such as melting glaciers.</p><p>"The mass redistribution of the Earth is one of the causes for its faster rotation," Aswal told The Weather Channel.</p>
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One Year After Declaring Climate Emergency, Scientists Push for 'Massive-Scale Mobilization'
08 January
Climate
A man stands in front of what is left of his home following Hurricane Iota in Honduras on November 20, 2020. Wendell Escoto / AFP / Getty Images
By Jessica Corbett
One year after over 11,000 scientists from 153 countries came together to declare a climate emergency and urge ambitious action, the Oregon State University researchers who launched that effort said on Wednesday that an urgent massive-scale mobilization is necessary to address the human-caused global crisis.
<p>Scientists' renewed call for bold climate policies came just days after a new <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-020-00955-x" target="_blank">study </a>in the journal <em>Nature Climate Change</em> <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/climate-targets-1.5861537" target="_blank">warned</a> existing carbon pollution will cause global temperatures to rise about 2.3 degrees Celsius or 4.1 degrees Fahrenheit above pre-industrial levels—with <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/10/08/un-experts-warn-climate-catastrophe-2040-without-rapid-and-unprecedented-global" target="_blank">devastating</a> consequences worldwide.</p><p>As <em>Common Dreams</em> <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/11/05/warning-untold-human-suffering-over-11000-scientists-around-world-declare-climate" target="_blank">reported</a> last year, William Ripple, distinguished professor of ecology in OSU's College of Forestry, and postdoctoral scholar Christopher Wolf co-authored a<a href="https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article/70/1/8/5610806" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> paper</a> in <em>BioScience</em>. Backed by thousands of scientists, they wrote that greenhouse gas missions "are still rapidly rising, with increasingly damaging effects on the Earth's climate" and "an immense increase of scale in endeavors to conserve our biosphere is needed to avoid untold suffering due to the climate crisis."</p><p>Ripple and Wolf—along with William R. Moomaw of Tufts University, Thomas M. Newsome of the University of Sydney, and Phoebe Barnard of the University of Cape Town—reiterated those messages in <em>The Climate Emergency: 2020 in Review</em>, <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-climate-emergency-2020-in-review/?utm_source=media&utm_medium=email%20social&utm_campaign=SA" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">published</a> Wednesday in <em>Scientific American</em>. As they put it:</p><blockquote>The climate emergency has arrived and is accelerating more rapidly than most scientists anticipated, and many of them are deeply concerned. The adverse effects of climate change are much more severe than expected, and now threaten both the biosphere and humanity. There is mounting evidence <a href="https://www.carbonbrief.org/mapped-how-climate-change-affects-extreme-weather-around-the-world" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">linking increases </a>in extreme weather frequency and intensity to climate change...<br><br>Every effort must be made to reduce emissions and increase removals of atmospheric carbon in order to restore the melting Arctic and end the deadly cycle of damage that the current climate is delivering.<a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/115/33/8252" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> Scientists now find </a>that catastrophic climate change could render a significant portion of the Earth uninhabitable consequent to continued high emissions, self-reinforcing climate feedback loops and looming tipping points.<br></blockquote>
<p>"As we move into 2021 and beyond, we need a massive-scale mobilization to address the climate crisis, including much more progress on the six steps of climate change mitigation," the five experts argued, detailing various priorities for energy, short-lived pollutants, nature, food, economy, and population.</p><p>Echoing messages from the new review, Ripple said in a statement Wednesday that "young people in more than 3,500 locations around the world have organized to push for urgent action... And the Black Lives Matter movement has elevated social injustice and equality to the top of our consciousness."</p><p>"Rapid progress in each of the climate action steps we outline is possible if framed from the outset in the context of climate justice—climate change is a deeply moral issue," added Ripple, director of the <a href="https://scientistswarning.forestry.oregonstate.edu/" target="_blank">Alliance of World Scientists</a>. "We desperately need those who face the most severe climate risks to help shape the response."</p><p>Alongside the written review, the scientists put out a video about their "six steps":</p>
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="869fb1205574785b304487e6f5ba40b5"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sEHot7F_dnI?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span>
<p>Ripple noted that "the year 2020, one of the<a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/2020-will-rival-2016-for-hottest-year-on-record/" target="_blank"> hottest years on record</a>, also saw extraordinary fire activity in<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_Western_United_States_wildfire_season" target="_blank"> the western United States</a> and<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019%E2%80%9320_Australian_bushfire_season" target="_blank"> Australia</a>, a <a href="https://www.worldweatherattribution.org/siberian-heatwave-of-2020-almost-impossible-without-climate-change/" target="_blank">Siberian heatwave</a> with record high temperatures exceeding 100 degrees within the Arctic circle, an Atlantic hurricane season resulting in<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_Atlantic_hurricane_season" target="_blank"> more than $46 billion in damages</a>, and<a href="https://www.oxfam.org/en/5-natural-disasters-beg-climate-action" target="_blank"> deadly floods and landslides in South Asia</a> that displaced more than 12 million people."</p><p>Last year also featured the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, which as of Thursday morning has <a href="https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html" target="_blank">killed</a> nearly 1.9 million people worldwide. As the pandemic has raged on, experts around the globe have <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/06/17/top-global-experts-say-humanity-must-heal-our-broken-relationship-nature-prevent" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">warned</a> that humanity must heal its broken relationship with nature to prevent similar public health crises in the future.</p><p>"Lockdowns associated with the pandemic resulted in a <a href="https://essd.copernicus.org/articles/12/3269/2020/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">decrease in CO2 emissions of 7%</a> in 2020 but this reduction is probably not going to be long-lived because there has been no major concurrent shift in the way we produce energy," Ripple pointed out. "This drop in emissions is a tiny blip compared to the overall buildup of greenhouse gases, which has resulted in <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)32290-X/fulltext" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">all five of the hottest years on record</a> occurring since 2015."</p>
<div id="d0ed9" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3f716997474031590190896bcd081bcd"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1346866292096167937" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Group of scientists in 2020: "We are in a climate emergency." Same scientists in 2021: "We are concerned that no ma… https://t.co/LN63a2wH92</div> — Andrew Freedman (@Andrew Freedman)<a href="https://twitter.com/afreedma/statuses/1346866292096167937">1609952922.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>Faced with concurrent crises, <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/09/30/front-lines-californias-fires-yolo-county-joins-1750-communities-declaring-climate" target="_blank">communities and governments of various sizes </a>around the world have made climate emergency declarations—often as a first step to start taking whatever action they can to limit future emissions and deal with the pollution that's already driving up temperatures.</p><p>"People are frightened—an illustration of that is the more than 1,800 climate emergency declarations issued around the world, by jurisdictions encompassing more than 820 million people," said Wolf. "We're at the point of needing a massive-scale mobilization to address the climate crisis."</p><p>"A year ago, we were worried about poor progress on mitigating climate change. Now we are alarmed by the failure of sufficient progress in 2020," he added. "But aggressive, transformative change, framed against the backdrop of social justice, can ignite an enormous deployment that will let us avert the worst of the climate emergency."</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/01/07/one-year-after-declaring-climate-emergency-scientists-say-massive-scale-mobilization" target="_blank">Common Dreams.</a></em></p>From Your Site Articles
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EPA’s ‘Secret Science’ Rule Will Make It Harder for the Agency to Protect Public Health
06 January
Science
Children's health in particular will be negatively impacted by this new rule. Rawpixel / Getty Images
By Gabriel Filippelli
The Trump administration has worked to weaken U.S. environmental regulations in many areas, from water and air pollution to energy development and land conservation. One of its most controversial actions is known as the "secret science" rule because it would require scientists to disclose all of their raw data, including confidential medical records, for their findings to be considered in shaping regulations. This measure has just been finalized.
<p>This proposal drastically limits what kinds of scientific and medical research the Environmental Protection Agency can draw on as it makes policy. According to press reports, an EPA advisory panel with <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/11/04/pruitts-new-science-advisers-add-more-industry-experts-conservatives-to-the-mix/" target="_blank">many members appointed by President Trump</a> <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/31/climate/epa-science-panel-trump.html" target="_blank">criticized the proposal</a>, saying it would do little to increase transparency and could limit what kinds of research get done.</p><p>As director of a <a href="http://www.urbanhealth.iupui.edu/" target="_blank">center on urban health</a>, I study issues including <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=MEp4948AAAAJ&hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">human exposure to toxic substances</a> such as lead and mercury. Confidential patient information is a key resource for my work, and I believe that children's health will suffer as a direct result of this rule.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTI2MDQzMy9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyNzY1NzI4Nn0.lAHt3SCNKPOECkAp4PnSb4Rq4xxztBDa43lLRyQDCJI/img.jpg?width=980" id="62873" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="d197090b9b00a5ed2deab9aec9a71df5" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1200" data-height="904" />
Despite steps such as phasing out leaded gasoline, lead poisoning is still a serious public health problem across the U.S. AZDHS
Using Child Health Records to Map Lead Exposure
<p>My work is made possible because researchers can obtain confidential patient records, under strict regulations and oversight to ensure their confidentiality throughout analysis. These controls are mandated under <a href="https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-individuals/guidance-materials-for-consumers/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">federal regulations</a> that were rightly instituted to protect people's identities and health data pursuant to the 1996 Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA.</p><p>I started researching lead exposure hot spots in U.S. cities almost 15 years ago, well before thousands of kids were poisoned by lead in Flint. Pediatric exposure to lead results in permanent neurological effects – namely, reduced IQ and deficits in attention, learning and memory compared with nonintoxicated peers. These impacts <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/lead-poisoning-and-health" target="_blank">are permanent</a>, so it is critical to identify and eliminate lead exposure sources before children are poisoned.</p><p>Because I did not have the resources to obtain and analyze millions of samples of soil, dust and water for lead, I turned to medical records. Children around the country have routine blood tests, and many of them include an assay for blood lead levels. I realized that if I could obtain those records, as well as each child's age, test date and home address, I could map out the distribution of lead poisoning.</p><p>In an ideal world public health experts wouldn't use maps based on kids who have already been permanently poisoned to find exposure sources. Nevertheless, 16,000 medical records later, I was able to produce a detailed block-by-block map of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-012-9474-y" target="_blank">blood levels in children</a> in Indianapolis.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTI2MDQ0Ni9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0NTkxMDc5OH0.zxcJv5s3Lvr2TziQ4bX0hD-BQ3PpzyGASxEvfLzVqss/img.jpg?width=980" id="28c4f" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="f1fc8c49bfef2a4f9350d34525f40777" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1200" data-height="824" />
Blood lead levels of children in Indianapolis, Indiana, for the period February 2002 to December 2008 (n = 12,431) for children between ages 0 and 5.99 years (area = 1,044 km2). Filippelli et al, 2012., CC BY
Pinpointing Exposure Sources and Timing
<p>This approach led me and my colleagues to two major discoveries that have improved communities and shaped policy at the local and national levels. Neither of these insights could be used to implement solutions under the proposed secret science rule.</p><p>First, we found that the pediatric lead poisoning distribution patterns we identified from medical records <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-012-9474-y" target="_blank">matched a rudimentary map</a> of patterns of legacy lead contamination – lead emitted over decades by sources such as leaded gasoline, lead-based paint and industrial emissions – that we constructed from separate research work on <a href="https://www.mapmyenvironment.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">urban soil and dust</a>. This indicated that at least in Indianapolis, soil and contaminated dust generated from it was likely the major exposure mechanism for lead in children.</p><p>We were able to leverage that finding in some particularly contaminated neighborhoods where the EPA had previously carried out cleanups. Indeed, our work spurred the agency to reanalyze one of these poorly mitigated neighborhoods and reopen the cleanup over a <a href="https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-completes-cleanup-100-properties-american-lead-site-indianapolis-soil-sampling" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">much broader target area</a>.</p><span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a37a039636226eb137004af7c191fdbc"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ATNvg9RXzFE?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span>
<p>Second, we were able to verify the source of seasonal variations in children's blood lead levels. Through some basic atmospheric modeling, we identified seasonal dust generation as the main driver of this pattern. For example, when soil becomes drier for an extended period of time, it generates more dust that can be tracked into homes or blown into the air. If that soil happens to be contaminated with lead, the dust is also contaminated and becomes a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.7759" target="_blank">regional exposure source</a>.</p><p>After expanding this analysis to 10 different U.S. cities, we were confident enough to begin recommending to clinical networks that they take blood test dates into account. An August blood lead value could be double the level from a February test, so we believed it was important to consider timing in evaluating whether a child might be at risk of unsafe exposure. This led to the first such screening policy to be implemented around the timing of lead test results.</p><h2>Putting Blinders on Regulators</h2><p>Neither of these findings would have been possible without access to original, confidential patient medical records. For each patient we needed a specific home address and exact individual results from blood lead tests. These both are protected classes of personal information that must be kept confidential under federal regulations.</p>
<div id="bda5a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="deb1d11bb13f686c873a5bf1747f433e"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1201607312244387840" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Researchers must unite against US environment agency’s attack on scientific evidence; @NatureNews editorial… https://t.co/vIrJacdJ45</div> — ASA Science Policy (@ASA Science Policy)<a href="https://twitter.com/ASA_SciPol/statuses/1201607312244387840">1575320482.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>I participated in 2011 in the EPA's <a href="https://yosemite.epa.gov/sab/sabproduct.nsf/264cb1227d55e02c85257402007446a4/B1B17FB48ACEFE8D8525776D006C55CE/%24File/ISA_FOR_LEAD.PDF" target="_blank">Integrated Science Assessment for Lead</a> review process, in which the agency reviewed papers and consulted experts to determine whether provisions in the Clean Air Act regulating airborne lead exposure were adequately protecting Americans. Regulators were particularly interested in the small-scale links between blood lead levels and known sources of lead from dust that our research was finding. Eventually, the agency <a href="https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-and-hud-announce-new-lead-dust-standards-protect-childrens-health" target="_blank">lowered acceptable standards for lead in dust</a> in 2019.</p><p>Childhood lead exposure is still a <a href="https://www.reuters.com/investigates/graphics/lead-water/en/" target="_blank">public health hazard of epidemic proportions</a> in some parts of the U.S., particularly cities. The potential sources are relatively well known: soil, dust and water. The challenge is that researchers don't have adequate environmental measurements for these sources. Until we do, fine-scaled results revealed by human health data remain our best way to identify sources, and thus inform policies to protect children.</p><p>Now, under the secret science rule, EPA officials will have to pretend that this kind of research doesn't exist, since the patient records that it draws on can't be made public. There are ways to reverse this measure: Congress could repeal it under the <a href="https://www.eenews.net/stories/1063712743" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Congressional Review Act</a>, or the Biden administration could refuse to defend it in the face of legal challenges. The slowest path would be conducting a new rule-making to rewrite it.</p><p>Until one of these things happens, I believe the Trump administration's action will leave hundreds of thousands of children across the U.S. at risk of a lifetime of avoidable harm from lead poisoning and other types of pollution that researchers analyze using private medical data.</p>
<p>
<em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/gabriel-filippelli-314915" target="_blank">Gabriel Filippelli</a> is a </em><em>Professor of Earth Sciences and Director of the Center for Urban Health, IUPUI.</em>
</p><p>
<em>Disclosure statement: </em><em><em>Gabriel Filippelli receives funding from the Environmental Protection Agency (Environmental Justice Small Grants Program) and from the Indianapolis Foundation.</em></em>
</p><p>
<em><em></em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://theconversation.com/epas-secret-science-rule-will-make-it-harder-for-the-agency-to-protect-public-health-128769" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.</em>
</p><p>
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Researchers have discovered at least 12 new deep-sea species in the Atlantic Ocean. cosmin4000 / Getty Images
At least twelve deep-sea species were recently discovered in the Atlantic, BBC News reported. After five years of research, scientists of the ATLAS Project, a transatlantic assessment and deep-water management plan for Europe, discovered new species of sea mosses, molluscs and corals.
<p>Although much of the deep sea remains unexplored, researchers warn that the impacts of climate change, like ocean acidification, could threaten deep-sea species and their habitats.</p>
<p>"We can still say we have better maps of the surface of the Moon and Mars than of the sea floor," Professor George Wolff, an ocean chemist from the University of Liverpool, told BBC News. "So whenever you go to the deep ocean, you find something new — not just individual species but entire ecosystems."</p>
<p>Professor Murray Roberts from the University of Edinburgh described the importance of deep-sea communities, such as those created by corals and sponges.</p>
<p>"If those cities are damaged by destructive human uses, those fish have nowhere to spawn and the function of those whole ecosystems is lost for future generations," Roberts told BBC News. "It's like understanding that the rainforest is an important place for biodiversity on the land; the same is true of the deep sea — there are important places that need to be protected and, crucially, they are all connected."</p>
<p>Protecting these places, however, could become increasingly difficult. The ATLAS researchers also found that ocean acidification, caused by an increase in carbon dioxide, reduces deep-sea habitats, BBC News reported. </p>
<p>Over the past two centuries, the ocean has absorbed nearly one-third of all emissions, according to <a href="https://oceanfdn.org/ocean-acidification/" target="_blank">research by The Ocean Foundation</a>. This has led the ocean's surface to acidify at an increasing rate.</p><p>"The ocean plays a fundamental role in mitigating climate change by serving as a major heat and carbon sink," <a href="https://oceanfdn.org/ocean-and-climate-change/#:~:text=The%20ocean%20plays%20a%20fundamental,major%20heat%20and%20carbon%20sink.&text=Ocean%20waters%2C%20ocean%20animals%2C%20and,dioxide%20emissions%20from%20human%20activities." target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Ocean Foundation wrote on its site</a>. "The ocean also bears the brunt of climate change, as evidenced by changes in temperature, currents and sea level rise, all of which affect the health of marine species, nearshore and deep ocean ecosystems."</p><p>In their research, the ATLAS team found nearly 50 percent of the cold-water coral habitats were at risk of ocean acidification, the <a href="https://www.ibtimes.com/12-new-species-found-deep-atlantic-climate-change-threatens-their-existence-3111189" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">International Business Times reported</a>. They also found that ocean acidification and fisheries threaten nearly 19 percent of deep-sea ecosystems. </p><p>Deep-sea corals are among those threatened, as they are growing more brittle as the ocean becomes more acidic, a<a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2020.00668/full" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> recent study published by Frontiers in Marine Science</a> found. </p>
<p>The Marine Science study sampled live corals and compared them to weakened human skeletons that suffered from osteoporosis. The results found that crumbling corals weakened similarly to human bones, according to <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/09/200917105321.htm" target="_blank">Science Daily</a>.</p><p>"By being able to adapt strategies to coral reefs that are used routinely to monitor osteoporosis and assess bone fracture risk, we may have powerful non-invasive tools at our disposal to monitor these fragile ecosystems," Dr. Uwe Wolfram of Heriot-Watt University told Science Daily. </p><p>The push to understand deep-sea ecosystems coincides with the beginning of the <a href="https://www.oceandecade.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development</a>, set to begin in 2021. </p><p>In 2017, the United Nations announced an upcoming framework to ensure the protection and sustainable use of the ocean. Running until 2030, the program aims to mobilize communities to deepen their scientific understanding of the ocean and form science-based policies and mitigation strategies. </p><p>"The deep ocean can be so out of sight and out of mind that we're not really aware of what we're doing to its environments and the consequences of what we do," Professor Claire Armstrong, a natural resource economist from the University of Tromsø, told BBC News. "The value of all this knowledge is that it enables us to understand what we might risk losing." </p>
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Flames and heavy smoke are seen from the Apple Fire on August 1, 2020 in Cherry Valley, California. David McNew / Getty Images
By Brett B. Palm
The year 2020 will be remembered for many reasons, including its record-breaking wildfires that turned San Francisco's skies an apocalyptic shade of red and blanketed large parts of the West in smoke for weeks on end.
<p>California experienced <a href="https://www.fire.ca.gov/media/11416/top20_acres.pdf" target="_blank">five of its six largest fires</a> on record in 2020, including the first modern "<a href="https://www.vox.com/2020/10/5/21502397/august-complex-gigafire-wildfire-california-record" target="_blank">gigafire</a>," a wildfire that burned over 1 million acres. Colorado saw its <a href="https://coloradosun.com/2020/10/20/colorado-largest-wildfire-history/" target="_blank">three largest fires</a> on record.</p><p>While the smoke can make for beautiful sunsets, it can also have dire consequences for human health.</p><p>I am an <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=LnQkoXcAAAAJ&hl=en" target="_blank">atmospheric chemist</a>, and the atmosphere is my laboratory. When I look at the sky, I see a mixture of many <a href="https://theconversation.com/whats-in-wildfire-smoke-and-why-is-it-so-bad-for-your-lungs-144790" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">thousands of different chemical compounds</a> interacting with each other and with sunlight.</p><p>The reactions and transformations in the atmosphere cause wildfire smoke to change dramatically as it travels downwind, and studies have shown that it can grow <a href="https://phys.org/news/2020-07-toxic-wildfire-ages.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">more toxic as it ages</a>. In order to accurately forecast the effects of wildfire emissions on downwind populations and issue more-targeted air quality warnings as wildfire seasons worsen, we have to understand which chemicals are being emitted and how smoke changes with time.</p><p>To figure that out, my colleagues and I flew airplanes into the smoke plumes of some of the West's large wildfires.</p>
How We Study Wildfires
<p>Large wildfires and the way wind carries their smoke cannot be easily replicated in a laboratory. This makes them difficult to study. One of the best ways to learn about real wildfire smoke chemistry is to sample it directly in the atmosphere.</p><p>In <a href="https://www.eol.ucar.edu/field_projects/we-can" target="_blank">2018</a> and <a href="https://csl.noaa.gov/projects/firex-aq/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">2019</a>, my colleagues and I crisscrossed the sky over active wildfires in specialized airplanes loaded with scientific instruments. Each instrument is designed to sample a different part of the smoke, often by literally sticking a tube out the window.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDk5MDM2OS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1NzQyMTM2NX0.xXKzsLFESpI3r2UCV6-ed68eJDWnTXd2hf3RU5ZKvq0/img.jpg?width=980" id="d3ce7" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="74d48586c021de775ef9b28da632b825" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1200" data-height="872" />
To sample smoke as it moves downwind, scientists flew back and forth across smoke plumes. The gray lines are the flights from 2018. They turn red where the path crossed a smoke plume. Brett Palm/University of Washington, CC BY-ND
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDk5MDM3MS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0MjczNTQzOH0.rgNlb3xHx8CRA1w0ZDVVwoeOwDlHnP59VDMgQz0mqpM/img.jpg?width=980" id="b3f0e" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="6280bfc35e09f14ff524a43304a72e1f" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1200" data-height="676" />
Scientific aircraft used for these experiments are filled with instruments that measure wildfire smoke in different ways. Brett Palm/University of Washington, CC BY-ND
<p>Wildfire smoke is far more complex and dynamic than meets the eye. It contains thousands of different compounds, most of which are molecules containing various amounts of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen atoms. There are gases (individual molecules) as well as particles (millions of molecules coagulated together).</p><p>No single instrument can measure all of these molecules at once. In fact, some specific compounds are a challenge to measure at all. Many scientists, including myself, dedicate their careers to designing and building new instruments to improve our measurements and continue to advance our understanding of the atmosphere and how it affects us.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDk5MDM3NC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY3NDIxMjk1OH0.3UW9HWcePw-0595YdXrXhGfXh9FfHPLWAqQjbMaDtdE/img.jpg?width=980" id="8fcf3" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="e9df69ba9785d1ddd063319e440f2ec7" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1200" data-height="1652" />
Smoke plumes from western wildfires reached across the U.S. in mid-September 2020. Joshua Stevens/NASA Earth Observatory
<p>In newly published research from the 2018 wildfires, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2012218117" target="_blank">my colleagues and I showed</a> how the smoke particles changed rapidly as they were carried downwind.</p><p>Some of the particles were evaporating into gases, similar to a rain puddle evaporating into water vapor when the Sun comes out. At the same time, some of the gases in smoke were going through reactions to form new particles, similar to water vapor condensing to form a cloud or dew droplets. Meanwhile, chemical reactions were occurring, changing the molecules themselves.</p><p>As these molecules reacted with sunlight and other gases in the atmosphere, the smoke was fundamentally transformed. This is what we mean when scientists talk about smoke "aging" or getting "stale" over time. Other recent research has started to show how wildfire smoke can become <a href="https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.9b01034" target="_blank">more toxic as it ages</a>.</p>
<h3>What Do All These Changes Mean for Health?</h3><p>The health damage from smoke is largely a result of how much PM2.5 it contains. These are tiny particles, a fraction of the width of a human hair, that can be breathed deep into the lungs where they can irritate the respiratory tract. Even short-term exposure can <a href="https://theconversation.com/whats-in-wildfire-smoke-and-why-is-it-so-bad-for-your-lungs-144790" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">aggravate heart and lung problems</a>.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDk5MDM4MC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0ODk0MjYxMn0.h9ggquQXrZcOxG0aNP0sIhXYxMBvZMc1OiiBMfYWS48/img.jpg?width=980" id="d4a15" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a50759db9e2bc60eb8002c6b3d4bdda9" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1200" data-height="838" />
PM2.5 particles are tiny at less than 2.5 microns across. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
<p>Chemical reactions control how much PM2.5 is in wildfire smoke as it is transported away from the fires and into population centers. Using our aircraft measurements to understand these processes, we chemists can better predict how much PM2.5 will be present in aged smoke.</p><p>Combined with meteorology forecasting that predicts where the smoke will go, this could lead to improved air quality models that can tell people downwind whether they will be exposed to unhealthy air.</p><h3>Better Air Quality Forecasting</h3><p>With wildfires increasingly in the news, more people have become aware of their own air quality. Resources such as <a href="https://gispub.epa.gov/airnow/" target="_blank">AirNow</a> from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency provide current and forecasted air quality data, along with explanations of the health hazards. Local information is often available from state or regional agencies as well.</p><p>Air quality measurements and forecasts can help people <a href="https://www.airnow.gov/sites/default/files/2018-04/air-quality-guide_pm_2015_0.pdf" target="_blank">avoid unhealthy situations</a>, especially sensitive groups such as people with asthma. During predicted periods of unhealthy air quality, local or state governments can use forecasts to reduce other pollution sources, such as discouraging residential wood burning or high-emitting industrial activities.</p><p>Looking to the future, wildfire smoke is likely to be widespread across the West each year for several reasons. <a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/313/5789/940.abstract" target="_blank">Rising temperatures</a> are leaving the landscape drier and more flammable. At the same time, more people are building homes in the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1718850115" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">wildland-urban interface</a>, creating more opportunities for fires to start.</p><p>A large community of scientists including me are working to better understand wildfire emissions and how they change as they blow into downwind communities. That knowledge will improve forecasts for air quality and health impacts of wildfire smoke, so people can learn to adapt and avoid the worst health consequences.</p>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/brett-b-palm-1185672" target="_blank">Brett B. Palm</a> is a </em><em>Postdoctoral Researcher in Atmospheric Chemistry, University of Washington.</em></p><p><em>Disclosure statement: </em><em><em>Brett Palm receives funding from the National Science Foundation and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.</em></em></p><p><em><em></em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://theconversation.com/wildfire-smoke-changes-dramatically-as-it-ages-and-that-matters-for-downwind-air-quality-heres-what-we-learned-flying-through-smoke-plumes-151671" target="_blank">The Conversation.</a></em></p>From Your Site Articles
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