www.sciencenews.org/article/global-virome-project-unknown-virus-outbreakThe Global Virome Project, aiming to discover many of the unknown viruses that could infect humans, is said to launch in 2018. The 263 known viruses make up less than 0.1% of the viruses that are suspected to potentially infect us, and scientists are hoping to play good defense against the next viral pandemic with this project. The plan is to survey viruses harbored in birds and mammals to determine which ones could possibly jump to humans. The project is striving to identify 70% of the potential threats within the next ten years in order to make the data public to scientists as soon as possible. This way, the scientists can help to prepare for the next virus outbreaks or squash the threats before they emerge.
Although this seems ambitious, the project is much more cost effective than dealing with the aftermath of an outbreak. It seems like a great use of the technology that becomes available for scientific purposes every day; and as the environment and world around us continues to change, the project is something that more people should be considering for the events of the future.
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www.sfchronicle.com/science/article/California-AG-launches-environmental-justice-unit-12646555.phpCalifornia Attorney General Xavier Becerra has appointed a team of lawyers to the new Bureau of Environmental Justice intending to help fight the growing federal deregulation, as well as the health disparities between wealthier and poorer communities. One of their main focuses will be on low-income families and people of color who are disproportionately affected by environmental pollution and public health hazards. They hope to help them by taking on legal cases, of which the office has already had seven rulings in their favor, and getting businesses and agencies to clean contaminated drinking water, reduce exposure to harmful toxins, and prevent waste discharges. Becerra has already filed 30 lawsuits against the federal government, and there are likely more to follow as President Trump, EPA administrator Scott Pruitt, and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke continue to deregulate and affect the environment in negative ways. He will start working next week while the remaining three attorneys will join him soon.
Far too many families are suffering from both poverty and pollution as they usually go hand in hand. This simply cannot go on if we ever want to help the poorer communities rise out of their hardship. We cannot sit by and watch the destruction of our communities and planet if we want a better future for the next generations of children. We must protect our children and their children, and the new bureau seems like a great way to do that. newrepublic.com/article/146996/arrogance-republicans-favorite-attack-climate-scientistsThere are thousands of pier-reviewed articles published by scientists that confirm global warming and the projected effects that it will have on our planet if it continues. Sea levels will rise, stronger and more devastating natural disasters will occur, and the people of our world will begin to perish. However, scientists have proven that if we are able to prevent the average surface temperature of the Earth from rising more than two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, then we can save the planet and it's people. Scott Pruitt, head of the environmental protection agency, seems to disagree with all of the scientific evidence though as he told a Nevada TV station recently that "I think it's pretty arrogant for people in 2018 to say, 'You know what, we know what the ideal surface temperature should be in the year 2100.'" And he is not the only Republican to take this "arrogant" stance. Michael Griffin, George W. Bush's NASA administrator, and James Inhofe, Oklahoma Senator, were some others who used arrogance to support their climate denial, and it definitely does not stop with them. Republicans think this helps establish the characterization of liberals as "self-important, know-it-all elitists", but it only reveals the "anti-intellectualism of the Republican Party." What is truly arrogant is for a politician or lawyer to think they know better than thousands of educated scientists who are knowledgeable in the field.
This is important because Republicans are in control of several aspects of our US government at the moment, and many of them do not have the beliefs to do good for the world. We need to be aware of these people so we can better understand what we must fight for. This goes for every action they take, but especially in regards to the environment and the bettering of our planet. news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/02/salmon-insect-feed-fish-meal-netherlands/Most of the salmon that we consume are grown in aquaculture environments, such as those shown in the picture above, and are fed a specific diet made up of fish meal. This is a nutrient-rich mix of fish caught solely for the purpose of feeding them to salmon and other fish, but it has drawn criticism from environmentalists who feel that it is an inefficient method. Because of their fear that the process contributes to overfishing and the bycatch of sensitive marine animals, the Netherland based company Protix has developed a more sustainable fish meal based on black soldier flies. After research that began in 2014, teams at Protix discovered that a large amount of protein resides in the insects larvae. Some of the aquaculture industry may be reluctant to switch, but Protix tested the insect-based meal for four years, 1.5 years past salmon maturity, and used blind salmon taste tests to determine that their meal has no impact on flavor. Now the only obstacle left is the scaling up of the Protix company in order to meet the growing demand of salmon in a timely fashion while selling insect-meal at a decent price.
The demand for salmon worldwide is soaring which consequently means the demand of fish meal is on the rise as well. With the growing evidence of the unsustainability of continued fish meal production, including the potential chemical runoff from soil and plastic that eventually ends up in the fish that salmon consume, Protix's black soldier flies seem like a step in the right direction. We must take care of our planet, and that means providing the best nutrition for every being, whether it's a human being or a pen of salmon. This is a noteworthy milestone, and hopefully Protix will keep their word and attempt to work on feeds for other aquaculture animals in the future. thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/362613-house-votes-to-overturn-obama-mining-ban-in-minnesotaThe House has overturned the temporary mining ban for the northern Minnesota's Superior National Forest. The Obama administration set the ban in place the day before President Obama's last term ended, and it stated that mining would be blocked for two years in the forest near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. This attempt to protect the waters from mine waste output was put to a stop, however, once the MINER Act was passed Thursday 216-204. The new bill would require the Forest Service to renew mining leases for sulfide ore in the forest as well. Supporters of this, such as Representative Tom Emmer, believe that the ban was a "lame-duck action", that this overturn would bring about "billions of dollars in revenue for Minnesota's economy" and that it would protect Minnesota's right to explore. Those that oppose the overturn and MINER Act, mostly Democrats, believe that this will be an environmental disaster, that the bill "undermines environmental and public land management laws", and that the wilderness area provides thousands of jobs and money without the mining that would be jeopardized with its introduction.
Our current administration continues to make decisions that will have terrible effects on the environment, including this one. We must assume that this is one of the first of many attempts the Republicans will make to promote the mining and coal industry, and we must try our hardest to fight back. The good news is that if the mining leases were renewed, proposals to start mining would still have to go through state and federal approval processes. Therefore, a great idea would be to contact officials and try to put a stop to the happenings in Minnesota before they start to spread to other states throughout the United States. www.latimes.com/world/africa/la-fg-south-africa-water-crisis-20180119-story.html"Day Zero", the day that South Africa's Cape Town will run out of water, has now been estimated to be April 12th. The city is having it's worst drought of the century, and it will be the first major city in a developed country to run out of water if "Day Zero" actually happens. The problem can be traced to a sharp population growth and a failure by the government to plan alternative water sources, or to even recognize the situation as a threat in time. There were warnings dating as far back as 2004, but now people are left without any real plan for survival because of the government's reliance solely on water conservation and water demand management. At the moment, it seems that the government would rather quarrel with politicians and attempt to assign blame rather than come up with a solution. Sure, there are new water projects being proposed, but all but one of these efforts are behind schedule leaving a fear of no real impact by "Day Zero". All that is to be understood is that people will begin to line up outside with buckets at 200 water stations while officials control the crowd and insure that they take 6.6 gallons per person. The buckets are the only things people can rely on throughout the city to recycle their water as best they can. And if they aren't able to conserve and potentially exceed their water ration, they could have a water restriction device installed in their pipes. It is very stressful for everyone involved with Cape Town at the moment.
Water is crucial for the lives of every species, especially humans. That is why this issue is so serious. If the town runs out of water, it is only a matter of time before people become sick and their population growth slows. Not only that, but it could affect businesses which could ultimately affect Cape Town's economy. It might end up being an awfully sad lesson for other regions to learn about the importance of substantial planning. It could also be a first glance at events yet to come. Climate change plays a role in any major drought these days, and this could be one of our first looks at the devastation it could bring. Hopefully we will learn from this, and hopefully people will recognize the necessity of working towards lessening climate change. news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/03/how-trump-is-changing-science-environment/The most recent addition to the "Running List of How Trump Is Changing the Environment" is the resigning of 9 out of 12 National Parks Advisory Board members in protest of Ryan Zinke, Interior Secretary, who refused to meet with them. This unpaid group made up of academic experts and experienced park managers has been around since 1935 to advise the National Park System/Service as well as the Interior Secretary. This year, however, Ryan Zinke ignored their requests to meet, and they took action in return. In a joint letter, they expressed their feelings saying that it seems their matters aren't a part of the Administration's agenda, that they still support the National Parks but feel that their importance and advancement has been put to the back burner.
This running list shows substantial evidence for how the Trump Administration is changing the environment, and not in a good way. This Advisory Board compiled of people with genuine desire to aid in the flourishing of National Parks was pushed to the point where they lost that desire in part. If that should not provoke you to grow more knowledgeable in the ways of change and how you can help prevent more detrimental decisions in the future, I don't know what could. www.newsdeeply.com/water/articles/2018/01/08/outlook-2018-the-biggest-water-topics-in-the-west-this-yearThe water discussions for this year will cover a wide range of topics from the water content of the snowpack to wildfires and forest health. The snow accumulation average is about a quarter of what it was at this time last year, but it's still too soon to tell if 2018 will be recorded as dry. Past years have gone from drought to flood fairly quickly, and these dry and wet years per average year is what helps accelerate policy changes. As far as the forest discussions go, they will likely attempt to answer the question of how we scale around funding for forest restoration after wildfires. We have a long ways to go with that one. Water infrastructure in California, keeping conveyance and storage in mind, will be another major topic this year. The plan to build new water conveyance around the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, Waterfix, as well as how to allocate money from the 2014 water bond for water storage projects will likely be at the forefront. Plans for a California dam could be in our future. There will also be key negotiations between the western states and borders such as the renegotiation between the U.S. and Canada of a fifty+ year old treaty over the Columbia River. In California, there will likely be continued focus on funding safe drinking water for low-income communities who are suffering. Other states will be discussing similar topics as well .
Water is extremely crucial to life in every form. As the climate changes and the amount of water that is accumulated through natural occurrences begins to dwindle, the discussion over water needs to increase. How will we adapt to the changes, the absence of substantial snowpack during this time of year? How will we be able to make improvements regarding infrastructure throughout the west in order to better adapt? If these hot topics aren't discussed,, we could be in deep trouble. www.washingtonpost.com/national/energy-environment/trump-takes-rare-step-to-reduce-2-national-monuments-in-utah/2017/12/04/b7a9631a-d959-11e7-a241-0848315642d0_story.html?utm_term=.1dca0f97eeb2Many environmental and conservation groups, along with a consortium of tribal groups, have begun filing lawsuits against Trump's decision to scale back national monuments in Utah. It has been decided that Bears Ears National Monument will be reduced by 85% while Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument will be reduced by nearly half. To many Republicans and supporters, this is a reverse on protections that they felt were federal overreach. Trump believes that this will give voice back to the citizens of Utah, that public lands are for public use, etc. Oh, but this could have nothing to do with the potential for logging or the plateau "that is home to one of the United States largest coal reserves that could be open for mining". The concerns from the Native Americans and Environmentalists continue to grow. To some, this is sacred land that is often used to perform ceremonies and collect herbs for rituals. This is a place home to ancient cliff dwellings and about 100,000 archaeological sites. The plateau that has the potential for mining is also covered with a large number of dinosaur fossils that could now be jeopardy.
This is quite possibly the largest elimination of protected land in American history. Also, there has never been a president who has eliminated a monument, only those who have redrawn lines or reduced them slightly. What Trump is doing is clearly abnormal and definitely not a good thing. Not only would it negatively impact the fight against fossil fuels, but it would be another message to the Native Americans that we are not accepting of their culture and their traditions. Ryan Zinke has suggested other monuments to the president for intense reduction and now is the time to put a stop to this nonsense before it continues. news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/11/wildlife-watch-trophy-hunting-extinctions-evolution/Hunting and poaching is said to be a powerful source of conservation of populations of species that are growing at large rates. However, more often than not, overhunting by those who utilize it as a sport or for money ultimately puts those species at risk of extinction, as we all know. Interestingly enough though, a new study from Queen Mary University in London, England has discovered something that makes hunters an even bigger threat than they already were. Most trophy hunters and poachers seek out the most prized males of a species, those that have the largest, longest, most impressive characteristics right? Well according to the study, these impressive males end up being the most "evolutionarily fit" and tend to father a large portion of the specie's offspring. Therefore, if they are the ones being killed, the population's survival rate as the years pass will diminish because the high quality genes aren't passed down. And when environmental changes occur as climate change evolves, the animals will not be able to adapt as easily. This causes a potential for many extinctions in the future.
There is still time to stop the process that is being set in motion. Restricting the hunting of the older trophy males will help to allow the spread of those high quality genes. Sustainable hunting can be very beneficial to conservation revenue, but we must remember to stop and think about the evolutionary impact from time to time. We must not let any more animals go extinct because of human recklessness. |
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