Many people, including me, did not know that Monday, March 21st was the International Day of Forests. How precious forests are and yet, we don’t often realize their importance. “When we drink a glass of water, write in a notebook, take medicine for a fever or build a house, we do not always make the connection with forests. And yet, these and many other aspects of our lives are linked to forests in one way or another”. Sadly, we lose a football field size of forest every second, and yet planting trees and preserving biodiversity are one of the best ways to solve climate change. Many non-profit organizations and companies such as Terraformation are working to reforest the planet, please join me and them, before time runs out. Thank you.
Renewable energy generation hit an all-time high in 2021. The world added 290 gigawatts of renewable power production capacity, according to a recent report from the International Energy Agency.
A marine-protected area around the Galapagos will be expanded by 60,000sq km (37,282 sq miles).
A hole in the ozone layer is healing. The ozone layer protects the Earth from harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun.
There is some recovery happening in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef which has been suffering from coral bleaching and storms. Scientists are using in vitro fertilization (IVF) to regenerate the reefs.
The 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP26 and as the Glasgow Conference, has begun. It is being held in Glasgow, Scotland from October 31st through November 12th. World leaders have their work cut out for them because individual countries and their citizens have not been cutting greenhouse emissions enough to avoid climate catastrophe. Clearly said, the world needs a 55% reduction in emissions to keep the global temperature increase below 1.5°C, the limit defined by scientists as the less risky scenery for our planet and humanity’s future.
As world representatives meet at COP26 gather, it is important be aware of some of the dirty dozen climate villains as noted in a 10/27/2021 article in The Guardian newspaper. They have worked to keep emissions high. The list includes Jamie Dimon, CEO of Chase Bank and Senator Mitch McConnell. Check it out. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/oct/27/climate-crisis-villains-americas-dirty-dozen
A warming climate is causing animals to ‘shapeshift’. Climate change is a human problem and an animal one. Animals have to adapt to it too. Some warm-blooded animals are changing in shape and getting larger ears, beaks, and legs to better regulate their body temperatures as the planet gets hotter. Bird researcher Sara Ryding of Deakin University in Australia describes these changes in a review published on September 7th in the journal Trends in Ecology and Evolution. Strong shapeshifting has particularly been reported in birds such as the North American dark-eyed junco and Australian parrot. “Shapeshifting does not mean that animals are coping with climate change and that all is ‘fine,’ says Ryding. “It just means they are evolving to survive it — but we’re not sure what the other ecological consequences of these changes are, or indeed that all species are capable of changing and surviving.” I wonder what will happen to this great blue heron.
As you know, California, Oregon, Washington, and Nevada have been experiencing some of its worst fires this year, and the fire season has only begun. For a very long time, I have thought that we, on the east coast, could send those states water, via pipelines. Many people have told me that was not feasible. I don’t believe them and was overjoyed to read that someone else has been thinking along the same lines as me. Joseph Schulman, John Schaefer, and Henry Miller wrote an article about it entitled, “An “interstate water system” could fix the West’s water woes”. https://bigthink.com/technology-innovation/an-interstate-water-system-could-fix-the-wests-water-woes They propose an interstate water system so that no part of the United States would experience water shortages and to help mitigate the wildfires racing across those lands. The pipelines would create jobs and facilitate growth. Let me know what you think.
While the east coast of the United States is experiencing record hot temperatures, so is the west coast and Canada. Climate change is a root cause but so is humankind. We cannot keep treating the Earth like it is a garbage dump. Whole Foods is now packaging customer orders in shiny, silver, plastic freezer bags. What happens to those bags once the customer gets his/her delivery of groceries? They end up in the trash. And where does that trash go? It either gets burned in a toxic incinerator or winds up in the ocean. Usually, customer orders contain plastic water bottles and groceries wrapped in plastic containers. So, plastic is packaged in more plastic. You could say that plastic containers get recycled. Sadly, this is untrue. We must end our love affair with plastic and waste. The planet is already at its tipping point. I would be happy to hear your tips on how you have reduced your waste. Thank you.
