The 13th North Atlantic right whale calf with their mother off Wassaw Island, Georgia on Jan. 19, 2010. @GeorgiaWild, under NOAA permit #20556
North Atlantic right whales are in serious trouble, but there is hope. A total of 14 new calves of the extremely endangered species have been spotted this winter between Florida and North Carolina.
<p>The 14th and latest calf of the season was spotted Thursday off of Florida's Amelia Island, <a href="https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/2021/01/22/welcoming-no-14-another-right-whale-calf-sighted-this-season/" target="_blank">News4JAX reported</a>.</p><p>"What a way to start the weekend - a new right whale!" the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries Southeast announced on <a href="https://twitter.com/NOAAFish_SERO/status/1352619914146807809" target="_blank">Twitter</a>.</p>
<div id="9c57f" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="060d50122a2b9c0df8561b1b31b1ed2a"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1352619914146807809" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">What a way to start the weekend - a new right whale! Known mom "Champagne" and her calf were sighted off Amelia Isl… https://t.co/xNSbur6V3k</div> — NOAA Fish Southeast (@NOAA Fish Southeast)<a href="https://twitter.com/NOAAFish_SERO/statuses/1352619914146807809">1611324692.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>Calf number 14 was born to a 12-year-old <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/whale" target="_self">whale</a> named Champagne and is her first known calf, the agency said.</p><p>The news came just two days after the 13th calf of the season was spotted off of Wassaw Island, Georgia, News4JAX reported. This baby was also born to a first-time mom who was 14 years old.</p>
<div id="8e78f" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="16ed99074326abb76728f8aa46b8d501"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1352052054479482884" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">13 is lucky today! We have a new right whale calf - our 13th for the season! Mom and calf were sighted off Wassaw I… https://t.co/VjNacz4sxD</div> — NOAA Fish Southeast (@NOAA Fish Southeast)<a href="https://twitter.com/NOAAFish_SERO/statuses/1352052054479482884">1611189304.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>All of this is good news for the species, which ended 2020 on a low note. A NOAA <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/endangered-right-whale-population-2648532928.html" target="_self">report found</a> that there were no more than 366 of the animals left alive. Then, the first known calf of the season <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/north-atlantic-right-whale-calf-dead-2649042642.html" target="_self">washed up dead</a> off the North Carolina coast in November.</p><p>However, things have begun to turn around. The species has so far had its best calving season in years, <a href="https://defenders.org/newsroom/thirteenth-critically-endangered-right-whale-calf-of-season-spotted-near-georgia" target="_blank">Defenders of Wildlife noted</a> in a statement. Only 22 calves were reported between all of 2017 to 2020. The number of new calves this season is now more than half that total, and there are two months left during which scientists expect more babies will be born.</p>
<p>Despite the baby boom, conservationists noted that the species is not out of the woods. The whales have been undergoing an Unusual Mortality Event since 2017, with 32 whales dying in Canadian and U.S. waters and 14 sustaining non-survivable injuries. The leading causes of these casualties were vessel strikes and entanglements in fishing lines. In January, a right whale was seen entangled in fishing gear off the Georgia coast.</p><p>"While these births are an encouraging sign, the continued threats underscore that we still have to redouble our efforts to protect these vulnerable babies and their mothers," Defenders of Wildlife senior attorney <a href="https://defenders.org/people/jane-p-davenport" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jane Davenport</a> said in the statement.</p><p>The same week as the 13th and 14th births were announced, NOAA released a <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/endangered-species-conservation/reducing-vessel-strikes-north-atlantic-right-whales" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">report</a> finding that vessels were ignoring both suggestions and requirements to slow down in areas where right whales might be present. This has prompted conservation groups to call for more protections.</p>
<p>"NOAA agrees that more needs to be done to protect North Atlantic right whales from vessel strikes," Oceana campaign director Whitney Webber said in a statement emailed to EcoWatch. "Now it's time for the federal government to act. Voluntary speed restriction zones must be made mandatory, and the current mandatory speed restriction zones must be expanded and enforced. Oceana calls on NOAA to update the shipping regulations to protect these rare whales before it's too late."</p><p>Defenders of Wildlife also acted by joining with other conservation groups Jan. 13 to <a href="https://defenders.org/sites/default/files/2021-01/1_Complaint%201%2013%2021.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">sue</a> NOAA over its failure to expand slow-down zones for the whales.</p><p>"Right whales face a daily gauntlet of fishing ropes and speeding vessels, which together have caused the deaths of more than 200 right whales in the last decade alone," Davenport said in the Defenders of Wildlife statement. "We're killing right whales far faster than they can reproduce. Unless we move quickly to abate these threats, we're running out of time to save the species from extinction."</p>
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A protester demonstrates against the Dakota Access Pipeline on March 10, 2017 in Washington, DC. Justin Sullivan / Getty Images
A federal appeals court has struck another blow against the contested Dakota Access Pipeline.
<p>A three-judge panel on the U.S. District Court of Appeals from the D.C. Circuit <a href="https://earthjustice.org/sites/default/files/files/dc_cir_dapl_opinion.pdf" target="_blank">agreed</a> Tuesday with a lower court ruling that the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/pipelines" target="_self">pipeline</a>'s crossing at the Missouri River near the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation is illegal and requires an in-depth environmental review, the <a href="https://www.grandforksherald.com/business/energy-and-mining/6858516-Federal-court-delivers-blow-to-Dakota-Access-as-Biden-presidency-leaves-pipelines-fate-in-question" target="_blank">Grand Forks Herald reported</a>.</p><p>"We are pleased that the D.C. Circuit affirmed the necessity of a full environmental review, and we look forward to showing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers why this pipeline is too dangerous to operate," Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Chairman Mike Faith said in an <a href="https://earthjustice.org/news/press/2021/appeals-court-rules-for-standing-rock-sioux-tribe-in-pipeline-fight" target="_blank">Earthjustice press release</a>.</p><p>The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe has long opposed the pipeline's crossing under Lake Oahe, a <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/drinking-water" target="_self">drinking water</a> source for the tribe that is located just off of their reservation, the Grand Forks Herald explained. It became the subject of massive <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/indigenous" target="_self">Indigenous</a>-led <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/dakota-access-pipeline-protest-photos-2068408834.html" target="_self">protests</a> in 2016 and 2017, leading the Obama administration to <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/army-corps-permit-dakota-access-pipeline-2128363393.html" target="_self">withhold</a> a key permit for the project.</p><p> However, the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/trump-administration" target="_self">Trump administration</a> approved the pipeline without a full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) of the Missouri River crossing, a coalition of Sioux tribes <a href="https://earthjustice.org/sites/default/files/files/tribes_letter_to_presidential.elect_biden_re_dapl.011921.final_.pdf" target="_blank">explained in a letter</a> to President <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/joe-biden" target="_self">Joe Biden</a>. The Army Corps of Engineers began an EIS of the crossing in September based on the lower court ruling, the Grand Forks Herald reported. This is expected to take up to 13 months, but the tribes and their allies are calling on the Biden administration to shut the pipeline down entirely.</p>
<p>Biden has promised to focus on the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/" target="_self">climate crisis</a> in office, and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/joe-biden-day-one-climate-actions-2650056267.html" target="_self">canceled</a> the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/keystone-xl" target="_self">Keystone XL</a> pipeline on day one of his administration, leading Indigenous and environmental activists to call for a shutdown of all contested fossil fuel pipelines.</p><p><span></span>"Especially after the Keystone XL decision, the pressure is increasing for the Biden administration to take action here," Jan Hasselman, an Earthjustice attorney who represents the Standing Rock Sioux, told <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/usa-pipeline-dakota-access-idUSL1N2K11VP" target="_blank">Reuters</a>.</p><p>Meanwhile, pipeline proponents considered Tuesday's court decision a win because the court did not order the pipeline to shut down while the EIS is completed. A lower court had originally <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/dakota-access-pipeline-shut-down-2646355663.html" target="_self">ordered</a> the pipeline to shut down in July, but that has been <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/dakota-access-pipeline-shutdown-2646906562.html" target="_self">reversed</a>.</p><p>"I think the big point is that the court did not rule that DAPL is not safe," Ron Ness, president of the North Dakota Petroleum Council, told the Grand Forks Herald.</p><p>The Dakota Access pipeline is the main pipeline delivering oil from North Dakota's Bakken field, which is the second-largest shale development in the U.S., according to Reuters. It currently has the capacity to carry 570,000 barrels of oil a day, but both state regulators and pipeline operators want to double that in coming years, the Grand Forks Herald reported. It is owned by Energy Transfer Partners.</p>
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For decades, Burt's Bees has been one of the leading names in cosmetic and skincare products developed with sustainability in mind. Not only do they create high-quality products from natural ingredients, but they're attentive to the ways in which their production, packaging, and distribution methods impact the world around them. For those who value environmental stewardship and wise corporate citizenship, Burt's Bees is iconic.
Perhaps it was only a matter of time before the company expanded its all-natural skincare and cosmetic line to include products that harness the potent, holistic effects of CBD. In this post, we'll offer a quick guide to the products included in the new Burt's Bees CBD line, as well as some further comments about the company as a whole.
<h2>Why CBD?</h2><p>First, it may be worth asking why all of this matters. What's the big deal about CBD, anyway?</p><p>CBD is short for cannabidiol, one of the most prevalent, active ingredients in the cannabis plant (marijuana). CBD has been linked with a <a data-linked-post="2648638251" href="https://www.ecowatch.com/organic-cbd-oil-2648638251.html" target="_blank">number of positive, holistic health effects</a>; in fact, it's been FDA-approved as a treatment for <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5767492/" target="_blank">epilepsy and seizures</a>, while much anecdotal evidence positions it as an <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2828614/" target="_blank">anti-inflammatory agent</a>.</p><p>Crucially, legally-available CBD products have little or no <em>THC</em>, which is the psychoactive ingredient in the marijuana plant; in other words, you can enjoy the therapeutic benefits of CBD without any risk of getting high.</p><h2>The Burt's Bees Story</h2><p>With that said, let's get back to Burt's Bees.</p><p>The company was founded in the early 1980s by Burt Shavitz and Roxanne Quimby, veterans of the art community who sought refuge and contemplation in the prairies of Maine. Eventually, their interests led them to beekeeping, and into developing lip and skincare products developed from homegrown beeswax.</p><p>From the very beginning, their mission was to develop products that drew from the power of nature, while also taking seriously their responsibility to preserve, protect, and respect nature.</p><p><br/></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-proxy-image">
<a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0e/Burt%27s_Bees_Products%2C_Sep_2012.JPG" target="_blank"><img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vbWVkaWEucmJsLm1zL2ltYWdlP3U9JTJGd2lraXBlZGlhJTJGY29tbW9ucyUyRjAlMkYwZSUyRkJ1cnQlMjUyN3NfQmVlc19Qcm9kdWN0cyUyQ19TZXBfMjAxMi5KUEcmaG89aHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZ1cGxvYWQud2lraW1lZGlhLm9yZyZzPTYzNCZoPWM1ZTJmZTNjZWU3YTQzYmQwN2JiMzA5NTQzODJmZDE5ZTI4NTVmODFjZWExY2IwZjEwNTMyM2VmZmI3NzVhMTQmc2l6ZT05ODB4JmM9MjMzMjg4MjMwMCIsImV4cGlyZXNfYXQiOjE2MzQ2MDIzNTB9.-xDHPO21EBocR2q-qehbyHJl9kdn7xtuoQ4yGq9AWig/img.jpg" id="5f2e7" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="656954a7f6b3ca9326350734a85dea76" /></a>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">File:Burt's Bees Products, Sep 2012.JPG - Wikipedia</small>
</p><h3>Sustainability at Burt's Bees<br/></h3><p>There are a number of ways in which Burt's Bees continues to live out its commitment to sustainability to this day.</p><h3>All Ingredients Come from Nature</h3><p>The company strives for 100 percent natural ingredients in all of their products, and generally comes pretty close. (Their skincare products are all 95 percent natural, at a bare minimum.) Everything they make is absent <a data-linked-post="2628289611" href="https://www.ecowatch.com/chemicals-in-cosmetics-damage-childrens-health-2628289611.html" target="_blank">parabens</a> and other concerning, artificial chemicals.</p><h3>No Products are Tested on Animals</h3><p>Burt's Bees products are all "<a data-linked-post="1881939362" href="https://www.ecowatch.com/13-eco-labels-to-look-for-when-shopping-1881939362.html" target="_blank">Leaping Bunny Certified</a>." What this means is that they never test their products on animals, or ask any third parties to conduct animal testing on their behalf.</p><h3>Eco-Friendly Sourcing</h3><p>The company also demonstrates a responsible approach to sourcing, visiting all their ingredient harvesting sites to ensure a commitment to stewardship and sustainability.</p><h3>Environmentally Friendly Packaging</h3><p>All Burt's Bees products are completely recyclable. They avoid over-packaging, and their plastics are made up largely of recycled materials. </p><p>The bottom line: Burt's Bees is a company with serious eco-credentials… and that makes them a logical choice for expansion into the world of natural, sustainably sourced CBD.</p><h2>About Burt's Bees CBD Products</h2><p>Currently, Burt's Bees offers five products that are made with <a data-linked-post="2649092883" href="https://www.ecowatch.com/full-spectrum-cbd-oil-2649092883.html" target="_blank">full spectrum CBD</a>. What this means is that their CBD includes trace elements of all parts of the plant, including other <a data-linked-post="2649030477" href="https://www.ecowatch.com/cannabis-terpenes-2649030477.html" target="_blank">cannabinoids and terpenes</a>. According to many CBD experts, this provides a more potent and effective product overall. </p><p>All of the company's CBD ingredients are sourced from hemp that's grown and harvested in Colorado, using the most sustainable, organic agricultural practices. </p><p>Another important note about Burt's Bees CBD products: All of them are rigorously third-party tested. Independent lab results are key whenever you buy CBD, because it allows you to get a good sense of the purity, quality, and potency of what you're buying. You can get batch-specific test results for any Burt's Bees product simply by visiting their website.</p><h2>So, what about the specific products in the Burt's Bees CBD line?</h2>
<h2>Sustainably Sourced CBD Products</h2><p>It's important to emphasize that <em>all </em>of these products are made with transparently sourced CBD ingredients, as well as the company's usual high standards of eco-friendly packaging. In other words, this is a great opportunity to enjoy some of the benefits of CBD skincare, with all the sustainability and sound environmental stewardship that Burt's Bees is known for.</p><p>We're happy to recommend these products as good entry points into CBD skincare. Always remember, when shopping for CBD products, look for third party test results and transparency about sourcing information, all of which Burt's Bees makes readily available.</p><p><em><strong>Josh Hurst</strong> </em><em>is a journalist, critic, and essayist. He lives in Knoxville, TN, with his wife and three sons. His writing on natural health, nutrition, and supplements has appeared in Health, Shape, and Remedy Review.</em></p>
CBD Hand and Foot Cream
<a href="https://cbdburtsbees.pxf.io/vo9nv" ><img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTU0MzM0OC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY3NDQwMzIwMX0.yut4GH7F5tlKS3t1NdEhuUEaqvr2XMWFGV0mdb4Lzds/img.jpg?width=980" id="cfaa6" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="2d6798afd5e1082f405a7c2d34d3ef6e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="400" data-height="400" /></a><p>Meanwhile, Burt's Bees also offers a cream that's perfectly soothing for your calloused feet or hard-working hands. It's made not only with 200mg of CBD, but also with a host of other natural ingredients designed to moisturize and replenish. You can get the CBD hand and foot cream for just $20. We especially recommend this product for anyone who has been thinking about trying CBD for psoriasis. </p>
$20
CBD Facial Oil
<a href="https://cbdburtsbees.pxf.io/NnvKV" ><img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTU0MzM0Ny9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzNjg3NjAxNn0.5A-FpEfSoN7ltOiR8GeHZH_pHF2X3QiWJOCCVqrwlO8/img.jpg?width=980" id="70913" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="471a3ec6fee14af68b0960b05c79d581" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="400" data-height="400" /></a><p>Looking for a natural, soothing way to revitalize your skin? Burt's Bees' facial oil combines the replenishing powers of CBD with other proven ingredients from the natural world, including jojoba, rosehip, and evening primrose oils. This face oil is made with 100mg of CBD.</p>
$35
CBD Lip Oil
<a href="https://cbdburtsbees.pxf.io/O6vRW" ><img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTU0MzM0OS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyNTkxNTExOH0.8Z07egVJkChyX3IOJL4Oljf28JZbt9E__uxizfFMHdQ/img.jpg?width=980" id="b5e05" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="d5ab7e24b0357917309d942794235f7a" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="400" data-height="400" /></a><p>Burt's Bees is famous for their lip balms, so it's no surprise that they offer a CBD-infused variant. Made with 10mg of CBD, this balm has a wonderfully cooling effect on the lips. The addition of shea butter helps increase its moisturizing effect. </p>
$10
CBD Lip Treatment
<a href="https://cbdburtsbees.pxf.io/n9Z1A" ><img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTU0MzM1MC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyNjI3NzYyNn0.v5b0PL5yDE_TmcZgkCe4O5Bia3hm3e7kysu6tIxQqGI/img.jpg?width=980" id="f8767" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="2cb9ac0fb9572ce3d54dffeda4f31a64" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="400" data-height="400" /></a><p>An additional option for those seeking CBD-powered lip care. This one is meant to be used while you sleep, allowing it plenty of time to revitalize and restore badly chapped lips. Made with 15mg CBD, you can get the Burt's Bees lip treatment online now.</p>
$14
CBD Body Cream
<a href="https://cbdburtsbees.pxf.io/KoveN" ><img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTU0MzM1MS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxNTI2NTQyOX0.Q7UG8UhBwqPk45uu4iZP5HzSDVVDuMm0g2DY9UBRSKE/img.jpg?width=980" id="e2a7c" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="b9b0b1c5600a13e48cca46646edd195e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="400" data-height="400" /></a><p>Last but not least, check out the <a href="https://cbd.burtsbees.com/products/cbd-body-cream" target="_blank">Burt's Bees CBD Body Cream</a>, made with 250mg CBD plus rich, botanical scents. It's designed to leave your skin soft and fully moisturized for a full 24 hours, and you can get it for just $30.</p>
$30
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A deadly tornado touched down near the city of Fultondale, Alabama on Jan. 25, 2021. Justin1569 / Wikipedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0
A tornado tore through a city north of Birmingham, Alabama, Monday night, killing one person and injuring at least 30.
<p>The Birmingham National Weather Service (NWS) confirmed that a twister touched down in Jefferson County, Alabama, near the city of Fultondale, around 10:30 p.m. Monday night, <a href="https://www.wvtm13.com/article/tornado-damage-in-jefferson-county/35314441" target="_blank">WVTM 13 reported</a>. The storm caused significant damage, knocking down trees and power lines and destroying homes and businesses.</p><p>"It looks like a bomb went off," Sam Moerbe, an 18-year-old who accompanied his father to their former Fultondale neighborhood, <a href="https://www.al.com/news/2021/01/storm-damage-reported-in-fultondale-as-jefferson-county-tornado-watch-continues.html" target="_blank">told AL.com</a>.</p><p>His father, Dave, said all 45 homes in his former community had some damage.</p><p>The tornado left behind a quarter-mile swath of extensive damage, Fultondale Mayor Larry Holcomb told AL.com. It touched down near Interstate 65 and moved northeast toward Fultondale High School, causing significant damage to the school and destroying structures, including the Hampton Inn.</p>
<p>It also claimed at least one life. A teenage boy died when a tree fell on his home, causing it to collapse as he and his family were hiding in the basement, <a href="https://www.wvtm13.com/article/1-dead-over-a-dozen-injured-after-devastating-tornado-in-fultondale-monday-night/35318002" target="_blank">WVTM 13</a> reported.</p><p>Jefferson County Schools Superintendent Dr. Walter Gonsoulin confirmed that a 14-year-old Fultondale High School student had been killed, but his identity has not yet been released, according to WVTM 13.</p><p>Fultondale Police Chief D.P. Smith said the victim and the rest of his family had been trapped in the basement after the collapse. Other family members were critically injured, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/alabama-weather-birmingham-9111aa9ec1c629c58e5e86f8f7c36e1d" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Associated Press</a> reported.</p><p>Fultondale Fire Chief Justin McKenzie said that 18 people have been taken to the hospital with injuries, while six more were rescued from their homes, <a href="https://www.al.com/news/2021/01/storm-damage-reported-in-fultondale-as-jefferson-county-tornado-watch-continues.html" target="_blank">AL.com</a> reported.</p>
<div id="8d576" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="ac2d28db83efc91555432779a700a167"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1354046401043456005" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">NEW VIDEO—
(FULTONDALE, Ala.)
Sunlight shows depth of damage from possible tornado on New Castle Rd. Rescue crews… https://t.co/tCLxmvyj08</div> — Stoney Sharp (@Stoney Sharp)<a href="https://twitter.com/StoneySharp3340/statuses/1354046401043456005">1611664793.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>Search and rescue efforts continue, James Coker, Jefferson County Emergency Management Agency director, told The Associated Press.</p><p>"Our current goal is always life safety," Coker said. "That is not only for the people who may have been injured but also the first responders who assist them."</p><p>Several people had near misses, including one woman who said she was in bed when the storm struck.</p><p>"The roof left, and the walls,'' Janice Hamilton told AL.com. "It was just in a matter of seconds. It's all gone."</p>
<p>Hamilton, who uses a wheelchair, was taken with her family to a shelter at the Gardendale Civic Center. She said she was grateful to be alive.</p><p>NWS is still working to determine the strength of the tornado, according to The Associated Press.</p><p>There is evidence that <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/lee-county-alabama-tornado-2630610008.html" target="_self">tornado alley</a> is shifting from the Great Plains toward the Midwest and Southeast. That could be a problem since tornadoes in the South tend to have a higher death toll due to more densely populated areas and more mobile homes. Tornadoes in the South are also more likely to strike at night, like Monday's twister. Scientists say it is possible that the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/" target="_self">climate crisis</a> is driving the shift.</p>
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A fallen tree in Yosemite National Park following a Jan. 18 windstorm. Yosemite National Park
California's iconic Yosemite National Park will remain closed until at least Saturday, Jan. 30 after a windstorm caused millions of dollars of damage in the park and toppled two giant sequoias.
<p>The storm that struck Yosemite also battered most of California beginning Monday, Jan. 18, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-news-california-3956a26917aeafea70950fb218c8dff6" target="_blank">The Associated Press reported</a>. It toppled trees and power lines. Around 300,000 homes and businesses lost power from the storm directly, while tens of thousands of people had their power shut off by utilities to prevent <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/wildfires" target="_self">wildfires</a>.</p><p>Yosemite spokesman Scott Gediman told <a href="https://www.sacbee.com/news/california/article248673265.html" target="_blank">The Sacramento Bee</a> that the storm was the biggest he had observed in his 25 years of working for the park, in terms of both wind speed and damage caused.</p><p>Yosemite originally said it would reopen Tuesday, Jan. 26, but <a href="https://twitter.com/YosemiteNPS/status/1353886012594905088" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">announced Monday</a> it would delay its reopening until at least Saturday.</p><p>"Park staff continue to work toward restoring safe conditions after last week's Mono wind event," the park tweeted.</p>
<div id="76dfd" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="19570e684388562e1a7eca24ec4b32d6"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1353886012594905088" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Yosemite will remain closed at least until Saturday, January 30. Park staff continue to work toward restoring safe… https://t.co/1dAPmCwaL9</div> — Yosemite National Park (@Yosemite National Park)<a href="https://twitter.com/YosemiteNPS/statuses/1353886012594905088">1611626554.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>The storm hit Yosemite the night of Jan. 18, The Associated Press reported. The winds knocked over hundreds of <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/trees" target="_self">trees</a> in the park, according to The Sacramento Bee. The fallen trees included two giant sequoias from the lower grove of Yosemite's Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias, Gediman said.</p><p>Fallen trees in the lower grove also crushed a boardwalk and bathroom that had been added during a $40 million restoration completed in 2018. All told, Gediman estimated that damage to vehicles, employee homes and facilities was in the millions of dollars.</p><p>Gediman said the hardest hit area was the Wawona community, which saw wind speeds of up to around 80 miles per hour. It was still without power three days after the storm.</p>
<div id="251bc" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="7cedc91c11805f0a4cf334dc79a3c69e"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1352401931403104259" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Yosemite National Park will remain closed at least until Tuesday, January 26, as a result of damage to park facilit… https://t.co/AOIwF5HIIv</div> — Yosemite National Park (@Yosemite National Park)<a href="https://twitter.com/YosemiteNPS/statuses/1352401931403104259">1611272721.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>Fortunately, no one was injured in the area, and the closure comes during a slow time for Yosemite. The park usually sees fewer visitors in the winter, and this year numbers are even lower because of the coronavirus pandemic. Before the storm, the park was only open for day visitors, and lodges and campgrounds were closed.</p><p>When the park reopens, it will be open for 24 hours a day, the park said on Twitter. However, not every part of the park will open at once. The Yosemite Valley Lodge and the Ahwahnee will open Feb. 5, and the Upper Pines Campground will open on Feb. 8.</p><p>Areas south of Yosemite Valley, including Wawona and Mariposa Grove, will stay closed until further notice, the park said.</p>
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A dugong, also called a sea cow, swims with golden pilot jacks near Marsa Alam, Egypt, Red Sea. Alexis Rosenfeld / Getty Images
In 2010, world leaders agreed to 20 targets to protect Earth's biodiversity over the next decade. By 2020, none of them had been met. Now, the question is whether the world can do any better once new targets are set during the meeting of the UN Convention on Biodiversity in Kunming, China later this year.
<p>To help turn the tide, a group of 22 research institutions have come together to develop four steps to protect life on Earth, the <a href="https://environmentjournal.online/articles/researchers-outline-four-key-steps-to-mitigate-climate-crisis/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Environment Journal reported</a>.</p>
<p>"The upcoming Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) meeting, and adoption of the new Global Biodiversity Framework, represent an opportunity to transform humanity's relationship with nature," the researchers wrote in <a href="https://www.cell.com/one-earth/fulltext/S2590-3322(20)30657-6?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS2590332220306576%3Fshowall%3Dtrue" target="_blank">One Earth Friday</a>. "Restoring nature while meeting human needs requires a bold vision, including mainstreaming biodiversity <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/conservation" target="_self">conservation</a> in society."</p><p>By mainstreaming biodiversity, the researchers mean that biodiversity should be considered by everyone who makes decisions about the use of natural resources, not just specialized conservation organizations.</p>
<p>To help with this goal, the researchers, led by the University of Oxford's <a href="https://www.iccs.org.uk/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Interdisciplinary Centre for Conservation Science</a>, developed a framework they are calling the "4Rs," according to a University of Oxford <a href="https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2021-01-22-four-steps-earth-holistic-approach-saving-planet" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">press release</a>. The point of the 4Rs is that they can be used by any group or individual, from the national to the local level, that needs to make a decision that will impact species and ecosystems.</p><p>The 4Rs are:</p><ol><li>Refrain: Avoiding negative impacts on nature.</li><li>Reduce: Minimizing the harm caused by any unavoidable impacts.</li><li>Restore: Acting to quickly counteract any harm caused to nature.</li><li>Renew: Working to improve damaged ecosystems.</li></ol>
<p>"This paper represents a real team effort, with authors from academia, business and government," lead author and Oxford professor E.J. Milner-Gulland said of the goals in the press release. "We're excited to launch this idea and hope that it will be useful to many different groups as they work to realise the vision of the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. It's a huge challenge, with many different facets, and we hope that Four Steps for the Earth will provide an intuitive and flexible framework for tying all the threads together."</p>
<p>In the paper, the researchers provided examples of how the framework has been used by groups ranging from the city of London to Indigenous communities. In one example, a fishery in Peru used it to reduce the accidental catching of sea turtles. Goals were set for limiting the number of different species of sea turtle accidentally caught at the local level, and this was connected to regional conservation efforts for the animals.</p><p>The researchers also explained how different institutions could use their framework to guide their actions in the future.</p><p>"This framework will, hopefully, present a turning point in the way institutions such as Oxford think about their biodiversity impact," Oxford project coordinator Henry Grub said in the press release. "Our impacts cannot be overlooked because of the positive research we do – rather we hope the '4Rs' will transform efforts to tackle the environmental impacts of the food we eat in canteens, the paper we put in printers, the land we build on, and much more."</p>
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Melting ice forms a lake on free-floating ice jammed into the Ilulissat Icefjord during unseasonably warm weather on July 30, 2019 near Ilulissat, Greenland. Sean Gallup / Getty Images
A first-of-its-kind study has examined the satellite record to see how the climate crisis is impacting all of the planet's ice.
<p>The answer? Quite a lot. The rate of worldwide ice loss has increased by more than 60 percent in the past three decades, a study published in <a href="https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/15/233/2021/" target="_blank">The Cryosphere</a> on Monday found.</p><p>"The ice sheets are now following the worst-case climate warming scenarios set out by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change," Dr. Thomas Slater, study lead author and research fellow at Leeds' <a href="https://cpom.org.uk/" target="_blank">Center for Polar Observation and Modeling</a>, said in a <a href="http://www.leeds.ac.uk/news/article/4756/global_ice_loss_increases_at_record_rate" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">University of Leeds press release</a>. "<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/sea-level-rise" target="_self">Sea-level rise</a> on this scale will have very serious impacts on coastal communities this century."</p><p>Previous studies have used satellite data to assess ice loss from individual sources, such as polar ice caps, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jan/25/global-ice-loss-accelerating-at-record-rate-study-finds" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Guardian explained</a>. However, this is the first one to consider all sources of ice loss. The study found that the world lost around 31 trillion U.S. tons between 1994 and 2017. During that time, the rate of ice loss also increased 65 percent, from 0.9 trillion U.S. tons a year to 1.4 trillion U.S. tons a year. Ice loss from <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/ice-sheets" target="_self">ice sheets</a> in <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/antarctica" target="_self">Antarctica</a> and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/greenland" target="_self">Greenland</a> largely contributed to that number, the press release stated.</p>
<p>The paper also broke down which sources had lost the most ice in total terms between 1994 and 2017. Amounts are approximate and in U.S. tons:</p><ol><li><a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/arctic" target="_self">Arctic</a> <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/sea-ice" target="_self">sea ice</a>: 8.4 trillion</li><li>Antarctic ice shelves: 7.2 trillion</li><li>Mountain <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/glaciers" target="_self">glaciers</a>: 6.7 trillion</li><li>Greenland ice sheet: 4.2 trillion</li><li>Antarctic ice sheet: 2.8 trillion</li><li>Southern Ocean sea ice: one trillion</li></ol><p>The study also examined the leading cause of ice melt for each source, according to the press release. For Arctic sea ice and mountain glaciers, rising atmospheric temperatures have driven melting. For the Antarctic ice sheet, rising <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/oceans" target="_self">ocean</a> temperatures have been the main cause. And for the Greenland ice sheet and Antarctic ice shelves, melting has been increased by a combination of the two.</p><p>All told, melting from Antarctica, Greenland and mountain glaciers have increased sea levels by around 34.6 millimeters, the study found. While this might not sound like a lot, every centimeter of sea level rise puts around a million people in low-lying areas at risk of being flooded out of their homes, the press release said. Moreover, sea level rise isn't the only threat from melting ice.</p><p>"As well as contributing to global mean sea level rise, mountain glaciers are also critical as a freshwater resource for local communities," Inès Otosaka, report co-author and Leeds PhD researcher, said in the press release. "The retreat of glaciers around the world is therefore of crucial importance at both local and global scales."</p>
<p>Melting Arctic sea ice is also a problem because it reduces the ice cover that reflects solar energy back into space.</p><p>"As the sea ice shrinks, more solar energy is being absorbed by the oceans and atmosphere, causing the Arctic to warm faster than anywhere else on the planet," Dr. Isobel Lawrence, coauthor and Leeds research fellow, explained in the press release. "Not only is this speeding up sea ice melt, it's also exacerbating the melting of glaciers and ice sheets which causes sea levels to rise."</p><p>Climate scientist Gavin Schmidt, who was not involved in the study, <a href="https://twitter.com/ClimateOfGavin/status/1353682889045667840" target="_blank">called it</a> a "thorough accounting of how ice is disappearing from the Arctic, Antarctic and mountain ranges."</p><p>However, he disagreed with the paper's claim that the melting of floating sea ice does not contribute directly to sea level rise. He pointed to a <a href="https://academic.oup.com/gji/article/170/1/145/2019346" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">2007 paper</a> that found that if all currently floating sea ice were to melt, sea levels would rise around four centimeters. Slater <a href="https://twitter.com/_tslater/status/1353716525170098176" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">agreed</a> that the language should be changed to make it clear that melting floating sea ice does slightly contribute to sea level rise.</p>
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A Brood X cicada in 2004. Pmjacoby / CC BY-SA 3.0
Fifteen states are in for an unusually noisy spring.
<p>Brood X, the largest and most widespread colony of cicadas in the U.S., is due to emerge from their 17-year hibernation, <a href="https://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2020/ask-the-expert-how-to-prepare-for-the-2020-cicada-invasion/#:~:text=Brood%20X%20(10)%2C%20the,again%20next%20year%20in%202021." target="_blank">Michigan State University entomologist Gary Parsons explained</a>. The bugs typically emerge as early as mid-May, and the sound of their mating can reach 100 decibels, <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/trillions-brood-10-cicadas-emerge-us-17-years-underground-1562608" target="_blank">Newsweek reported</a>. And there will be lots of them.</p><p>"Densities can be as great as 1.5 million per acre. So, between Georgia and New York there will surely be trillions emerging," emeritus professor of entomology at the University of Maryland and Entomological Society of America fellow Michael J. Raupp told Newsweek.</p>
<p>The cicadas are due to emerge in Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington, DC for the first time since 2004. They will begin to emerge once the ground hits 64 degrees Fahrenheit, usually between mid-May and late June. They will be above ground mating and laying eggs for about five to six weeks, <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/what-is-brood-x-us-cicada-infestation-coming-in-2021/" target="_blank">CBS News reported</a>. Then the nymphs will dig into the ground to suck tree roots for another 17 years, Parsons explained.</p><p>The brood's large numbers and long hibernation period is part of an evolutionary strategy millions of years old.</p>
<p>"It is thought that by having the longlife cycles, cicadas have prevented predators from specifically targeting them for food. Then by emerging in the millions all at once, they are too numerous for any predators that do eat them from ever wiping them out. There are so many of them that lots of them will always survive," Parsons said.</p><p>In addition, the long hibernation times helped the cicadas avoid unseasonably cold summers, CBS News explained. In the Pleistocene Epoch, 1.8 million years ago, summers could be much colder in the Eastern U.S. But cicadas can't survive above ground for long if the temperature stays below 68 degrees Fahrenheit. So they evolved to emerge infrequently to reduce their chances of hitting a cold snap.</p>
<p>Brood X isn't the only cicada brood in the country. There are other broods with 13 or 17 year cycles, as well as annual cicadas with three to four year cycles, Parsons said. Many of them have been impacted by recent environmental changes.</p><p>"In the long ago past, it is likely the different broods were more widespread geographically," he said. "It is likely that urbanization, widespread commercial farming and other factors have reduced and limited them over the years. You take away the trees and shrubs in forests and they don't have the roots to feed on. Fortunately, they have adapted well to using street trees, parks and yard trees as their hosts and can still survive in urbanized areas."</p>
<p>This can be a nuisance for some and a dramatic sight for others, but the cicadas are not dangerous. They do not bite, spread disease or eat crops, CBS News pointed out. They also are not poisonous to pets, though sometimes dogs will eat so many of them that they get sick, Parsons said.</p><p>The one thing that they do harm is newly-planted trees.</p><p>"Don't plant next spring, because these trees are going to simply get hammered next year when those cicadas show up," Raupp <a href="https://wtop.com/local/2020/05/dont-bug-out-2021-will-see-emergence-of-trillions-of-cicadas/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">told WTOP News</a> in 2020.</p><p>Raupp said any trees planted in 2020 could also be in danger. If you did plant last year, Raupp said to protect the young tree with netting and not to use pesticides.</p><p>Once the trees are taken care of, Raupp encouraged people to enjoy the spectacle.</p><p>"[T]his is a wonderful opportunity for millions of people to witness and enjoy a remarkable biological phenomenon in their own backyard that happens nowhere else on the planet, truly a teachable moment," he told Newsweek.</p>
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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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Reindeers at their winter location in northern Sweden on Feb. 4, 2020, near Ornskoldsvik. JONATHAN NACKSTRAND / AFP via Getty Images
Sweden's reindeer have a problem. In winter, they feed on lichens buried beneath the snow. But the climate crisis is making this difficult. Warmer temperatures mean moisture sometimes falls as rain instead of snow. When the air refreezes, a layer of ice forms between the reindeer and their meal, forcing them to wander further in search of ideal conditions. And sometimes, this means crossing busy roads.
<p>Luckily, Sweden's transport authorities have a solution. They are planning to build a dozen bridges in northern Sweden so that the reindeer can cross in peace, Swedish public science radio <a href="https://sverigesradio.se/artikel/7649066" target="_blank">Vetenskapsradion reported Monday</a>, according to <a href="https://www.thelocal.se/20210119/sweden-to-build-reindeer-bridges-so-they-can-cross-roads-to-find-food" target="_blank">The Local Sweden</a>.</p><p>"In a changing climate with difficult snow conditions, it will be extra important to be able to find and access alternative pastures," Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences landscape ecologist Per Sandström told the radio, as <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/20/sweden-to-build-bridges-for-reindeer-to-safely-cross-roads-and-railways?CMP=fb_gu&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR2nkVyCQKM6c-SKoghZwJbXw0zrgKjcJhjkh9KqZkd1utAWq1LFzaBTveU#Echobox=1611148969" target="_blank">The Guardian translated</a>.</p><p>The new bridges will be called "renoducts," a combination of the Swedish word for reindeer (ren) and viaduct.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/wildlife" target="_self">Wildlife</a> bridges are an effective solution to the problem of helping animals to travel through a world criss-crossed by highways. The <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/san-antonio-wildlife-bridge-2649485994.html" target="_self">first</a> was constructed in France in the 1950s, and they can significantly reduce collisions between animals and vehicles.</p><p>Work will begin this year on the first of the Swedish renoducts over the E4 motorway north of the city of Umeå, Vetenskapsradion reported. This motorway now has to be shut down entirely every time a herd attempts to cross.</p><p>The renoducts aren't only a boon for Sweden's 250,000 reindeer. They are also a help to the 4,500 Indigenous Sami who have special authorization to herd them, The Guardian explained.</p>
<p>The changing climate has driven up costs and extended the time it takes to herd the reindeer, according to an AFP story published in <a href="https://www.thelocal.se/20200529/how-swedens-sami-reindeer-herders-are-being-forced-to-adapt-to-climate-change" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Local Sweden in May 2020</a>. Sami couple Margret Fjellstrom and Daniel Viklund told AFP that it took them twice as long to move their reindeer from their summer to winter pastures last year than it would have under regular weather conditions.</p><p>"It can rain in January, it can snow in May, there's no logic to it any more," Fjellstrom told AFP.</p><p>Sami herders hope the new renoducts will help.</p><p>"I'm looking forward to us being able to cross undisturbed," reindeer herder Tobias Jonsson told Vetenskapsradion, as The Guardian translated.</p><p>He said that herders had helped with the design of the renoducts so that the reindeer would be more likely to use them. They recommended two meter (approximately seven foot) barriers so that the reindeer would not fall off but insisted that the bridges be open on top so that the reindeer would not be too frightened to cross.</p><p>Sweden's reindeer aren't the only ones in trouble because of climate change. A <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/reindeer-population-climate-change-2623281571.html" target="_self">2018 report</a> found that reindeer and caribou numbers across the Arctic had fallen by 56 percent in the preceding two decades.</p>
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U.S. President Joe Biden sits in the Oval Office as he signs a series of orders at the White House in Washington, D.C. on January 20, 2021. Jim Watson / AFP / Getty Images
President Joe Biden officially took office Wednesday, and immediately set to work reversing some of former President Donald Trump's environmental policies.
<p><br>As he did on his campaign and transition website, Biden emphasized the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/" target="_self">climate crisis</a> as one of the major challenges facing his administration, along with the coronavirus pandemic and systemic racism.</p><p>"A cry for survival comes from the planet itself," Biden said in his <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2021/01/20/inaugural-address-by-president-joseph-r-biden-jr/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">inaugural address</a>. "A cry that can't be any more desperate or any more clear."</p><p>Hours after his inauguration, Biden signed a total of 17 executive orders, memorandums and proclamations, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/20/us/biden-executive-orders.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The New York Times reported</a>. Some of these orders had important implications for the climate and environment.</p>
<h3><br>1. Rejoining the Paris Agreement</h3><p>Biden honored a <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/paris-climate-agreement-biden-2648649350.html" target="_self">campaign promise</a> by <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/01/20/paris-climate-agreement/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">rejoining</a> the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/paris-agreement" target="_self">Paris Agreement</a> on his first day in office.</p><p>The agreement recommits the U.S. to reducing greenhouse gas emissions enough to limit global warming to well below two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Under Trump, the U.S. officially exited in <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/paris-agreement-us-withdrawal-2648618695.html">November 2020</a>.</p><p>Biden's reversal means the U.S. will now rejoin the agreement 30 days from Jan. 20.</p><h3>2. Cancelling the Keystone XL Pipeline</h3><p>Biden also signed a massive order titled "<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/20/executive-order-protecting-public-health-and-environment-and-restoring-science-to-tackle-climate-crisis/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Protecting Public Health and the Environment and Restoring Science to Tackle the Climate Crisis</a>." This order included revoking Trump's 2019 permit for the controversial <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/keystone-xl" target="_self">Keystone XL</a> pipeline.</p><p>The 1,700-mile pipeline would have carried around 800,000 barrels of oil a day from Alberta, Canada to the Texas Gulf Coast, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-alberta-2fbcce48372f5c29c3ae6f6f93907a6d" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Associated Press reported</a>. The Obama administration <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/breaking-president-obama-rejects-keystone-xl-pipeline-1882117930.html" target="_self">revoked the permit in 2015</a>, but the Trump administration <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/trump-dakota-access-pipeline-2211697835.html" target="_self">reversed course</a>.</p><p>Construction on the controversial project halted Wednesday in light of Biden's action, The Associated Press reported.</p>
<h3><br>3. Reversing Trump's Rollbacks</h3><p>The same executive order also empowered agencies to review Trump's many environmental rollbacks. It established commitments to listen to science, protect public health and the environment and conserve sites of national interest. Additionally, the order asked federal agencies to review any Trump regulations that violated these commitments.</p><p>The order specifically highlighted four rollbacks to be halted, altered or revoked: <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/epa-methane-emissions-regulations-2646947182.html" target="_self">methane emissions</a> in the oil and gas sector, <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/trump-fuel-efficiency-proposal-2592345279.html" target="_self">fuel efficiency standards</a> for cars and light trucks, energy efficiency standards for appliances and buildings, and air pollution controls, including the decision to limit <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/epa-secret-science-rule-health-2649767248.html" target="_self">certain scientific studies</a> for setting public health policies.</p><p>Further, Biden called for a review of the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/shrinking-bears-ears-grand-staircase-escalante-2645172719.html" target="_self">shrinking</a> of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante National Monuments and the opening the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument to <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/trump-commercial-fishing-2646161692.html" target="_blank">commercial fishing.</a> Biden also paused <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/anwr-oil-lease-fail-2649791991.html" target="_self">oil and gas leasing</a> in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.</p>
<h3>4. Stopping Border Wall Construction</h3><p>Biden also signed an <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/20/proclamation-termination-of-emergency-with-respect-to-southern-border-of-united-states-and-redirection-of-funds-diverted-to-border-wall-construction/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">executive order</a> stopping construction of the wall along the U.S. border with Mexico.</p><p>While the order did not mention the environment, several conservation groups have <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/trump-border-wall-endangered-species-2410320620.html" target="_self">opposed the wall</a> for its <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/border-wall-bulldozer-arizona-organ-pipe-2640888439.html" target="_blank">impacts</a> on wildlife and ecosystems. One <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/border-wall-endangered-species-2642927676.html" target="_self">study</a> found that wall construction could threaten eight species with extinction. It also imperils the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/border-wall-national-butterfly-center-2638893129.html" target="_self">National Butterfly Center in Texas</a>, home to important pollinators.</p><p>Biden's initial actions prompted excitement from world leaders and environmental groups.</p><p>"Welcome back to the Paris Agreement!" French President Emmanuel Macron <a href="https://twitter.com/EmmanuelMacron/status/1351955511814615042" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">tweeted</a>.</p><p>However, everyone, including Biden, acknowledged that more work remained.</p>
<p>"They are just executive actions. They are important but we're going to need legislation for a lot of the things we're going to do," Biden said according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/20/climate/biden-paris-climate-agreement.html" target="_blank">The New York Times</a>.</p><p>Biden's climate plan calls for a zero-emissions electricity sector by 2035, and zero emissions across the board by 2050. The plan will likely require approval from Congress, and some Republicans are already fighting Biden's actions. Montana Senator Steve Daines said he would introduce legislation requiring the president to get Senate approval for rejoining the Paris agreement. Daines also plans to introduce legislation that would approve the Keystone XL pipeline.</p><p>Meanwhile, Indigenous groups praised Biden's action on Keystone XL but called for him to revoke the permits of other pipelines.</p><p>"It is imperative that we keep the pressure on President Biden to put an end to ALL fossil fuel infrastructure and projects, making the ones that are near or on Indigenous territories of top priority," Tasina Sapa Win Smith, co-founder of Cheyenne River Grassroots Collective, said in a <a href="https://www.mynewsletterbuilder.com/email/newsletter/1414959334" target="_blank">statement</a> from the Indigenous Environmental Network.</p>
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A replica of a titanosaur. AIZAR RALDES / AFP via Getty Images
New fossils uncovered in Argentina may belong to one of the largest animals to have walked on Earth.
<p><a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/scientists" target="_self">Scientists</a> attribute the fossils, which so far consist of 24 tail vertebrae and parts of the pelvic and pectoral girdle, to a titanosaur, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/19/americas/dinosaur-largest-titanosaur-intl-scli-scn/index.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">CNN reported</a>. Titanosaurs are a kind of sauropod <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/dinosaurs" target="_self">dinosaur</a> that stood on four legs, had long necks and were large in size.</p><p>"It is a huge dinosaur, but we expect to find much more of the skeleton in future field trips, so we'll have the possibility to address with confidence how really big it was," Alejandro Otero, study corresponding author and a paleontologist with Argentina's Museo de La Plata, told CNN via email.</p>
<p>The research was conducted by the Museo de La Plata, along with the Museo Egidio Feruglio and the universities of Río Negro and Zaragoza. It was published in <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S019566712100001X#" target="_blank">Cretaceous Research Jan. 12</a>.</p><p>The research further expands the scientific understanding of sauropods. When their fossils were first uncovered in the nineteenth century, scientists thought that sauropods lived under the water because of their large size, <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/biggest-dinosaur-titanosaur-argentina-sauropod-b1788890.html" target="_blank">The Independent explained</a>. However, later research revealed that air sacs and hollow bones helped the creatures to stand on land.</p>
<p>Titanosaurs are the largest of the sauropods. They have been found on every continent except Antarctica, according to CNN, but the largest specimens — weighing more than 40 tons — have largely been discovered in Argentina's Patagonia.</p><p>This includes the Patagotitan, which lived 100 million to 95 million years ago, measured as long as122 feet long and weighed up to 77 tons. (For comparison, an African elephant weighs as much as 9 tons.)</p><p>"Given the size of these bones, which surpass any of the previously known giant animals, the new dinosaur is the largest animal known that walked on Earth," researchers said when the Patagotitan was first announced in 2014, as The Independent reported.</p><p>However, scientists now think the new dinosaur may be even larger.</p><p>"[It] is here considered one of the largest sauropods ever found, probably exceeding <em>Patagotitan</em> in size," they wrote.</p>
<p>The new dinosaur lived 98 million years ago during the Cretaceous period and was found in an area of thick sediment in Patagonia known as the Candeleros Formation, according to CNN.</p><p>Researchers do not believe the specimen is a new species, but they are not yet sure which species it belongs to. Its closest relative so far is the Andesaurus, which could grow to be 18 meters (approximately 59 feet) long, according to The Independent.</p><p>In addition to its size, the new fossil discovery is important for what it can tell scientists about how sauropods interacted.</p><p>"The specimen here reported strongly suggests the co-existence of the largest and middle-sized titanosaurs with small-sized rebbachisaurids at the beginning of the Late Cretaceous in Neuquén Province, indicating putative niche partitioning," the researchers wrote.</p>
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Trump's Affordable Clean Energy rule eliminated a provision mandating that utilities move away from coal. VisionsofAmerica /Joe Sohm / Getty Images
A federal court on Tuesday struck down the Trump administration's rollback of the Obama-era Clean Power Plan regulating greenhouse gas emissions from power plants.
<p>Trump's Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) rule, which was <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/clean-power-plan-trump-epa-2638927020.html" target="_self">finalized</a> by the Environmental Protection Agency (<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/epa" target="_self">EPA)</a> in 2019, moved away from imposing national limits on greenhouse gas emissions, instead allowing states to set their own. It also did away with a provision mandating that utilities move away from <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/coal" target="_self">coal</a>. The new rule would have reduced electricity emissions by less than half of what would be necessary to limit global warming to two degrees Celsius and, according to the EPA's initial estimate, would have led to between 470 and 1,400 additional <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/air-pollution" target="_self">air pollution</a> deaths a year by 2030.</p><p>"Despite [EPA Administrator] Andrew Wheeler's frequent protests, the EPA's role is to protect the American people from dangerous pollution and act on the greatest threat to our country: the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/" target="_self">climate crisis</a>," Sierra Club Chief Climate Council Joanne Spalding said in a <a href="https://www.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2021/01/court-vacates-dirty-power-plan-bookending-trump-administration-s-wide-ranging" target="_blank">statement</a>. "The Dirty Power Plan didn't do either of these things and the court rightly vacated it."</p><p>At stake in Tuesday's decision was the meaning of the Clean Air Act. The Trump EPA argued that the law only allows the agency to limit pollution from individual sources, not across an entire sector, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-climate-powerplants/us-court-deals-final-blow-to-trump-epas-clean-power-rule-replacement-idUSKBN29O2BO" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Reuters reported</a>. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit disagreed.</p>
<p>"Because the ACE Rule rests squarely on the erroneous legal premise that the statutory text expressly foreclosed consideration of measures other than those that apply at and to the individual source, we conclude that the EPA fundamentally 'has misconceived the law,' such that its conclusion 'may not stand,'" the three-judge panel <a href="http://blogs.edf.org/climate411/files/2021/01/2021.01.19-ACE-Opinion.pdf" target="_blank">ruled</a>.</p><p>Some environmental groups hailed the ruling as a boon to the incoming Biden administration, since they will now have an easier time replacing it, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2021/01/19/federal-circuit-court-scraps-trump-administration-power-plant-rules/" target="_blank">The Washington Post reported</a>.</p><p>"Today's decision is the perfect Inauguration Day present for America," Environmental Defense Fund Senior Attorney Ben Levitan said in a <a href="https://www.edf.org/media/dc-circuit-strikes-down-trump-administration-repeal-and-replacement-clean-power-plan" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">statement</a>. "It confirms that the Trump administration's dubious attempt to get rid of commonsense limits on climate pollution from power plants was illegal, it reaffirms that the Clean Air Act and the Endangerment Finding are the law of the land, and it restores the vibrancy of the rule of law. Now we can turn to the critically important work of protecting Americans from climate change and creating new clean energy jobs."</p>
<p>However, the Washington Post reported that the Clean Power Plan also ran into legal challenges. When the Trump administration took office, the plan had been put on hold by the Supreme Court while the court battle continued. In a dissent from part of the ruling Tuesday, Judge Justin Walker, a Trump appointee, said the EPA never had the authority to implement the Clean Power Plan either.</p><p>Columbia Law School Professor Michael Gerrard noted that Walker was a former clerk for Supreme Court Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh.</p><p>"[The dissent could be a bad sign for how the Supreme Court might rule if these issues ever go there," he told The Washington Post.</p>
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