Duhok villagers turn volunteer rangers to protect fragile forest
People in the village of Banki, near Duhok, have formed a council for the protection of the environment and men from the village guard their fragile forest day and night.
The mission is to stop logging, fires and other harm to the surrounding nature.
“We’re on duty here to protect the environment, the beauty of the country and Kurdistan's trees,” Emran Fatah, a village guard told Rudaw. “It is not acceptable to cut down trees.”
Fatah said that the villagers use the forest for firewood “but not the green ones.”
“We take trees that are dry and dead which are fine to burn to make a fire,” he explained. “If you cut down a big tree it may not grow back to what it was for another ten years.”
The people of this tiny Duhok village have formed a council for the protection of the environment.
“The loss of the environment is the loss of life,” said Saeed Safar Banki, the village tribal chief. “It is not only the duty of Bamarne forestry police to protect the environment, but my duty too. As an individual in this country, as a youth from Banka village, I must take care of my village.”
The mountains of Duhok are rich in trees, especially oak and kazan. Winter is when illegal loggers begin cutting down trees for firewood and to sell in the market.
“Sometime ago some people tried to cut down these trees and we knew about that, so we set up guards,” village head Nafaa Banki told Rudaw. “We prevent not only the cutting down of trees, but hunting too. We take care of the beautiful nature of our village. We ask other villagers to emulate and do what we are doing.”
Of Banki’s 1,000 population more than 143 men have signed up to guard the forest day and night.
http://www.rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/100120193
Facebook
Search
Welcome To Roj Bash Kurdistan
Updates: polution; hunting; animal slaughter; climate change
Re: PLASTIC causes more problems to planet than wars
Author: Anthea » Sat Jan 12, 2019 4:00 pm
Good Thoughts Good Words Good Deeds
-
Anthea - Shaswar
- Donator
- Posts: 28447
- Images: 1155
- Joined: Thu Oct 18, 2012 2:13 pm
- Location: Sitting in front of computer
- Highscores: 3
- Arcade winning challenges: 6
- Has thanked: 6019 times
- Been thanked: 729 times
- Nationality: Kurd by heart
Re: Kurds say: The loss of the environment is the loss of li
Author: Anthea » Mon Jan 14, 2019 2:46 am
'Bold new goal' to tackle dirty air
Wood burning stoves, open fires and farms all face new restrictions as the government sets out what it calls a "world leading" plan to tackle air pollution
In their Clean Air Strategy, published today, the government promises to set a "bold new goal" to reduce particulates across much of the country by 2030.
But green groups say the scheme is vague and severely lacking in detail. They believe the plan proposes nothing new to tackle roadside dirty air.
The new strategy, which is focussed on tackling air pollution in England, has been launched just days after the family of a nine-year-old girl who died from asthma were given permission to apply for a fresh inquest into her death.
The government's chief lawyer heard new evidence her death could be linked to unlawful levels of air pollution.
The human cost of air pollution
Catherine Bazell is a retired London librarian who suffers from asthma and a condition called bronchiectasis.
It's a long-term illness where the airways of the lungs become abnormally widened, leading to a build-up of excess mucus that can make the lungs more vulnerable to infection.
"People can't always see dirty air but it's there," she told BBC News.
"I find it really frustrating, it means that I feel really tired, I can get tightness in my chest, I find it hard to breathe, it just stops you from doing all things you'd like to do.
"You see the alerts, that say it's a very polluted day today and you are obliged to stay in to keep away from the pollution, and that makes me quite angry because why should we have to stay in?
"We need to do something about the air pollution so that people can live normal lives."
What's the key aim of this new clean air strategy?
While overall levels of air pollution have been declining in recent decades, there has also been a growing scientific awareness of the scale of problems that it causes.
NHS England says that almost 30% of preventable deaths in England are due to non-communicable diseases specifically attributed to air pollution.
A pollutant called Particulate Matter (PM) is a particular concern with the World Health Organization (WHO) identifying it as the most damaging for people.
Fine particulates, known as PM2.5, are around 200 times smaller than a grain of sand. They are a major health worry as they can penetrate deep into your lungs, pass into your bloodstream and get embedded in your bodily organs and your brain.
The WHO's models indicate that around 92% of the world's population live in places where air quality levels exceed their guidelines.
In the UK, more than 40 cities and towns were at, or have exceeded, the WHO limit.
The government has previously said it will reduce by half the number of people living in areas breaching the WHO limits by 2025.
But they now say they will go beyond this and set a "world leading" goal on exposure to PM2.5.
Without giving many details, or a timeline, the government says that by 2030, fine particulate concentrations will be reduced below the WHO safe level "across much of the country".
The government says it will publish evidence early in 2019 on what actions will be needed to meet this new target.
Ministers argue that Brexit will allow the UK to go much further on this issue than the EU and become the first major economy to adopt air quality goals based on WHO recommendations.
How will the UK reach this 'bold new goal'?
The most important activity that contributes to particulate pollution is the burning of fuels such as wood and coal in open fires and domestic stoves.
Farming is also a major problem, as emissions of ammonia have increased in recent years. This gas reacts in the atmosphere with other chemicals to produce particulate matter that can be carried on the wind to major population centres.
To deal with domestic burning, the government will ban the sale of the most polluting fuels and ensure that only the cleanest stoves are available for sale by 2022.
They are also consulting on phasing out the sale of traditional house coal and on limiting the sale of wet wood, the type found on garage forecourts. The government's plan for these fuels is expected within months.
For farmers, the government says it will introduce regulations to require them to use low emission farming techniques. There will be advice, training and support to help them invest in the technology to limit ammonia.
What has been the reaction to this part of the strategy?
The move on particulate matter has been welcomed by the WHO as an "example for the rest of the world to follow".
Green campaigners also recognise the value of adopting the WHO guidelines but are worried about the lack of legally binding limits.
"The government has made a welcome commitment to set an ambitious new target for cleaning up the most dangerous fine particle air pollution, based on WHO standards," said Jenny Bates from Friends of the Earth.
"But while the WHO says standards should be reached by 2030, there is no date set in the government's strategy and the plan is severely lacking in detail on how such a target could be met."
Scientists also say the government initiative is laudable but may not work for everyone across the UK.
"The full evidence on reductions needed to attain the tougher WHO guidelines for PM2.5 is to be published later," said Prof Alastair Lewis from them National Centre for Atmospheric Science at the University of York.
"One would anticipate that there are likely to be some urban areas of the UK where this could be close to impossible to achieve."
How will this new strategy impact me?
Just a few years ago, garages across the UK reeked of oil and petrol. The smells usually came from the evaporation of fuel vapour, which released volatile organic compounds into the air.
However, regulations to limit the emissions of these powerful air pollutants changed the odour of the UK's forecourts.
These new government plans may have a similar impact on some current air pollution smells.
If the proposed restrictions on solid fuels go ahead, the smoky whiff of winter over many cities and towns might also disappear.
The government says it will also provide a "personal air quality messaging system" to inform vulnerable members of the public with clear information about the forecast and accessible health advice.
As well as new information, the new plan envisages that everyone will be financially better off if the plan succeeds.
Air pollution is now the fourth biggest public health threat behind cancer, obesity and heart disease.
According to the government, the steps outlined in this plan will cut the costs of dirty air to the UK by £1.7bn every year from 2020, rising to £5.3bn every year from 2030.
What about air pollution near roads?
UK levels of pollution from nitrogen oxides, produced in the main by diesel cars, have regularly exceeded European targets. So much so that the government has been successfully sued in the courts by campaign group Client Earth, to force them to come up with a plan.
In July 2017, the government introduced their detailed scheme for roads, which essentially puts the responsibility in the hands of local authorities. The cities with the worst pollution are supposed to develop plans for clean air zones that will charge drivers to enter.
However, campaigners believe the government has its head in the sand on pollution from transport. As well as clean air zones, they should be taking steps to cut the number of vehicles on the roads.
"They are hoping it will all go away but the reality is an awful lot more needs to be done," Jenny Bates from Friends of the Earth told BBC News.
"I think they are afraid of the motoring lobby and they shouldn't be."
Other forms of transport are dealt with in the new plan including rail and shipping. The government says it wants to see the removal of all diesel-only trains by 2040.
What other air pollution issues will the new strategy deal with?
As well as trying to deal with the major sources of particulate matter, the government's plan also deals with pollution that arises from ammonia, sulphur dioxide and non-methane volatile organic compounds.
Ammonia from farms is a major focus as outlined above, for the role it plays in the development of PM. However, it also poses major threats to sensitive natural habitats.
"Ammonia in the air over our farmlands dissolves into our wetlands and waterways and wreaks havoc on delicate aquatic ecosystems," said Hannah Freeman from the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust.
"The proposed measures are a step forward, but what we really want is government policy that supports farmers to be true stewards, holistically managing our air, soil and water together."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-46823440
Wood burning stoves, open fires and farms all face new restrictions as the government sets out what it calls a "world leading" plan to tackle air pollution
In their Clean Air Strategy, published today, the government promises to set a "bold new goal" to reduce particulates across much of the country by 2030.
But green groups say the scheme is vague and severely lacking in detail. They believe the plan proposes nothing new to tackle roadside dirty air.
The new strategy, which is focussed on tackling air pollution in England, has been launched just days after the family of a nine-year-old girl who died from asthma were given permission to apply for a fresh inquest into her death.
The government's chief lawyer heard new evidence her death could be linked to unlawful levels of air pollution.
The human cost of air pollution
Catherine Bazell is a retired London librarian who suffers from asthma and a condition called bronchiectasis.
It's a long-term illness where the airways of the lungs become abnormally widened, leading to a build-up of excess mucus that can make the lungs more vulnerable to infection.
"People can't always see dirty air but it's there," she told BBC News.
"I find it really frustrating, it means that I feel really tired, I can get tightness in my chest, I find it hard to breathe, it just stops you from doing all things you'd like to do.
"You see the alerts, that say it's a very polluted day today and you are obliged to stay in to keep away from the pollution, and that makes me quite angry because why should we have to stay in?
"We need to do something about the air pollution so that people can live normal lives."
What's the key aim of this new clean air strategy?
While overall levels of air pollution have been declining in recent decades, there has also been a growing scientific awareness of the scale of problems that it causes.
NHS England says that almost 30% of preventable deaths in England are due to non-communicable diseases specifically attributed to air pollution.
A pollutant called Particulate Matter (PM) is a particular concern with the World Health Organization (WHO) identifying it as the most damaging for people.
Fine particulates, known as PM2.5, are around 200 times smaller than a grain of sand. They are a major health worry as they can penetrate deep into your lungs, pass into your bloodstream and get embedded in your bodily organs and your brain.
The WHO's models indicate that around 92% of the world's population live in places where air quality levels exceed their guidelines.
In the UK, more than 40 cities and towns were at, or have exceeded, the WHO limit.
The government has previously said it will reduce by half the number of people living in areas breaching the WHO limits by 2025.
But they now say they will go beyond this and set a "world leading" goal on exposure to PM2.5.
Without giving many details, or a timeline, the government says that by 2030, fine particulate concentrations will be reduced below the WHO safe level "across much of the country".
The government says it will publish evidence early in 2019 on what actions will be needed to meet this new target.
Ministers argue that Brexit will allow the UK to go much further on this issue than the EU and become the first major economy to adopt air quality goals based on WHO recommendations.
How will the UK reach this 'bold new goal'?
The most important activity that contributes to particulate pollution is the burning of fuels such as wood and coal in open fires and domestic stoves.
Farming is also a major problem, as emissions of ammonia have increased in recent years. This gas reacts in the atmosphere with other chemicals to produce particulate matter that can be carried on the wind to major population centres.
To deal with domestic burning, the government will ban the sale of the most polluting fuels and ensure that only the cleanest stoves are available for sale by 2022.
They are also consulting on phasing out the sale of traditional house coal and on limiting the sale of wet wood, the type found on garage forecourts. The government's plan for these fuels is expected within months.
For farmers, the government says it will introduce regulations to require them to use low emission farming techniques. There will be advice, training and support to help them invest in the technology to limit ammonia.
What has been the reaction to this part of the strategy?
The move on particulate matter has been welcomed by the WHO as an "example for the rest of the world to follow".
Green campaigners also recognise the value of adopting the WHO guidelines but are worried about the lack of legally binding limits.
"The government has made a welcome commitment to set an ambitious new target for cleaning up the most dangerous fine particle air pollution, based on WHO standards," said Jenny Bates from Friends of the Earth.
"But while the WHO says standards should be reached by 2030, there is no date set in the government's strategy and the plan is severely lacking in detail on how such a target could be met."
Scientists also say the government initiative is laudable but may not work for everyone across the UK.
"The full evidence on reductions needed to attain the tougher WHO guidelines for PM2.5 is to be published later," said Prof Alastair Lewis from them National Centre for Atmospheric Science at the University of York.
"One would anticipate that there are likely to be some urban areas of the UK where this could be close to impossible to achieve."
How will this new strategy impact me?
Just a few years ago, garages across the UK reeked of oil and petrol. The smells usually came from the evaporation of fuel vapour, which released volatile organic compounds into the air.
However, regulations to limit the emissions of these powerful air pollutants changed the odour of the UK's forecourts.
These new government plans may have a similar impact on some current air pollution smells.
If the proposed restrictions on solid fuels go ahead, the smoky whiff of winter over many cities and towns might also disappear.
The government says it will also provide a "personal air quality messaging system" to inform vulnerable members of the public with clear information about the forecast and accessible health advice.
As well as new information, the new plan envisages that everyone will be financially better off if the plan succeeds.
Air pollution is now the fourth biggest public health threat behind cancer, obesity and heart disease.
According to the government, the steps outlined in this plan will cut the costs of dirty air to the UK by £1.7bn every year from 2020, rising to £5.3bn every year from 2030.
What about air pollution near roads?
UK levels of pollution from nitrogen oxides, produced in the main by diesel cars, have regularly exceeded European targets. So much so that the government has been successfully sued in the courts by campaign group Client Earth, to force them to come up with a plan.
In July 2017, the government introduced their detailed scheme for roads, which essentially puts the responsibility in the hands of local authorities. The cities with the worst pollution are supposed to develop plans for clean air zones that will charge drivers to enter.
However, campaigners believe the government has its head in the sand on pollution from transport. As well as clean air zones, they should be taking steps to cut the number of vehicles on the roads.
"They are hoping it will all go away but the reality is an awful lot more needs to be done," Jenny Bates from Friends of the Earth told BBC News.
"I think they are afraid of the motoring lobby and they shouldn't be."
Other forms of transport are dealt with in the new plan including rail and shipping. The government says it wants to see the removal of all diesel-only trains by 2040.
What other air pollution issues will the new strategy deal with?
As well as trying to deal with the major sources of particulate matter, the government's plan also deals with pollution that arises from ammonia, sulphur dioxide and non-methane volatile organic compounds.
Ammonia from farms is a major focus as outlined above, for the role it plays in the development of PM. However, it also poses major threats to sensitive natural habitats.
"Ammonia in the air over our farmlands dissolves into our wetlands and waterways and wreaks havoc on delicate aquatic ecosystems," said Hannah Freeman from the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust.
"The proposed measures are a step forward, but what we really want is government policy that supports farmers to be true stewards, holistically managing our air, soil and water together."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-46823440
Good Thoughts Good Words Good Deeds
-
Anthea - Shaswar
- Donator
- Posts: 28447
- Images: 1155
- Joined: Thu Oct 18, 2012 2:13 pm
- Location: Sitting in front of computer
- Highscores: 3
- Arcade winning challenges: 6
- Has thanked: 6019 times
- Been thanked: 729 times
- Nationality: Kurd by heart
Re: Kurds say: The loss of the environment is the loss of li
Author: Anthea » Fri Jan 18, 2019 2:31 pm
No point in going to school if the world is dying
Around 3,000 students marched in Brussels on Thursday to demonstrate against climate change.
The demonstration was a follow-up to the "Claim the Climate" in December, which brought together some 70,000 people in Brussels for the opening of the COP24 Climate Summit in Katowice.
"I'm proud of you," German MEP Arne Lietz told protesters via a bullhorn. "We need more of you around Europe."
One of the demonstration's leaders told the protesters to organise more actions in schools, and said that the protesters would be back in bigger numbers.
Link to video:
https://youtu.be/n1fyMQ4_mQM
Around 3,000 students marched in Brussels on Thursday to demonstrate against climate change.
The demonstration was a follow-up to the "Claim the Climate" in December, which brought together some 70,000 people in Brussels for the opening of the COP24 Climate Summit in Katowice.
"I'm proud of you," German MEP Arne Lietz told protesters via a bullhorn. "We need more of you around Europe."
One of the demonstration's leaders told the protesters to organise more actions in schools, and said that the protesters would be back in bigger numbers.
Link to video:
https://youtu.be/n1fyMQ4_mQM
Good Thoughts Good Words Good Deeds
-
Anthea - Shaswar
- Donator
- Posts: 28447
- Images: 1155
- Joined: Thu Oct 18, 2012 2:13 pm
- Location: Sitting in front of computer
- Highscores: 3
- Arcade winning challenges: 6
- Has thanked: 6019 times
- Been thanked: 729 times
- Nationality: Kurd by heart
Re: Belgium: No point going to school as the world is dying
Author: Anthea » Tue Jan 22, 2019 5:07 pm
We could wreck natural world
David Attenborough tells Prince William
Sir David Attenborough has told Prince William that people have never been more "out of touch" with the natural world than they are today
In an interview with the prince at the World Economic Forum, the naturalist warned: "We can wreck it with ease, we can wreck it without even noticing."
Sir David said people must care, respect and revere the natural world.
Heeding his words, the prince said: "Work to save the planet is probably going to largely happen on our watch".
Sir David, 92, said: "When I started 60 years ago in the mid-50s, to be truthful, I don't think there was anybody who thought that there was a danger that we might annihilate part of the natural world."
In his early career, he said, simply showing people a new animal on television would astound them.
Even then, he added: "Television in Britain in the 50s was only seen by a few million people in southern England."
Speaking in Davos, Switzerland, the Blue Planet and Dynasties narrator said: "We can go everywhere, we can go into the bottom of the sea, we can go into space, we can use drones, we can use helicopters, we can use macroworlds, we can speed things up, we can slow things down, we can film in the darkness - and so the natural world has never been exposed to this degree before."
His new series, Our Planet, due to air on Netflix, could reach 150 million people immediately, he said, "and go on being seen - by word of mouth".
Despite this, he said, with more people than ever living in towns, "the paradox (is) that there has never been a time when more people are out of touch with the natural world than there's now".
He warned: "It's not just a question of beauty or interest or wonder, it's the essential ingredient, essential part of human life is a healthy palate.
"We are in the danger of wrecking that".
He said that for a very long time people have viewed the natural world in opposition to the urban world.
"It is not, we are all one world," he said, adding that global leaders are beginning to see that everything we do has implications.
He said: "That fundamental, beautiful fact is now being recognised."
In his interview with the Duke of Cambridge, Sir David said it was "difficult to overstate" the climate change crisis.
He added: "We are now so numerous, so powerful, so all pervasive, the mechanisms we have for destruction are so wholesale and so frightening that we can exterminate whole ecosystems without even noticing it.
"We have now to be really aware of the dangers that we are doing.
"And we already know that of course the plastics problem in the seas is wreaking appalling damage on marine life - the extent of which we don't yet fully know."
Last year, Sir David said he was "astonished" by the response to Blue Planet II, which raised the issue of single-use plastics and the damage they were doing to the world's oceans.
'Great optimism'
Sir David was given a Crystal Award at the forum on Monday for his leadership in environmental stewardship.
Accepting the award, the veteran broadcaster urged leaders to come up with "practical solutions".
He told the prince: "The point is that we have this option ahead of us - we have to take the option to protect the natural world… that's where the future lies.
"There's a source of great optimism there, we have the knowledge, we have the power, to live in harmony with that natural world".
Prince William has previously described Sir David as having "the single most important impact in my conservation thinking".
Introducing Sir David, he said it was a "personal treat" to interview the broadcaster.
In a BBC tribute programme marking Sir David's 90th birthday in 2016, the duke called him a "national treasure".
He added: "I used to love, and I still do, but when I was a young boy, used to love turning on the television and watching David's programmes and really feeling like I was back out in Africa or I was learning about something magical and almost out of this planet."
The duke said: "There is something very reassuring about seeing David Attenborough on BBC One doing his documentaries. It is part of the national psyche now."
Sir David turned 90 in the same year as the Queen, and paid his own tribute at her official birthday celebrations at St Paul's Cathedral.
They also took part in an ITV documentary last year which looked at the Queen's Commonwealth Canopy project.
Sir David and the Queen, who were born just weeks apart, chuckled over a forlorn-looking tree in the Buckingham Palace grounds which the Queen suggested had been "sat on" at a garden party.
When Sir David suggested climate change might lead to "all kinds of different trees growing here in another 50 years", the Queen quipped: "It might easily be, yes. I won't be here though."
Prince William, who is patron of the Tusk conservation charity, has in the past warned over the impact of the ivory trade and wildlife trafficking.
In 2016, he urged the UK government to push ahead with a total ban on the ivory trade in a bid to protect elephants.
He also voiced concerns that the African elephant may have disappeared from the wild by the time his daughter Princess Charlotte is 25.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-46957085
David Attenborough tells Prince William
Sir David Attenborough has told Prince William that people have never been more "out of touch" with the natural world than they are today
In an interview with the prince at the World Economic Forum, the naturalist warned: "We can wreck it with ease, we can wreck it without even noticing."
Sir David said people must care, respect and revere the natural world.
Heeding his words, the prince said: "Work to save the planet is probably going to largely happen on our watch".
Sir David, 92, said: "When I started 60 years ago in the mid-50s, to be truthful, I don't think there was anybody who thought that there was a danger that we might annihilate part of the natural world."
In his early career, he said, simply showing people a new animal on television would astound them.
Even then, he added: "Television in Britain in the 50s was only seen by a few million people in southern England."
Speaking in Davos, Switzerland, the Blue Planet and Dynasties narrator said: "We can go everywhere, we can go into the bottom of the sea, we can go into space, we can use drones, we can use helicopters, we can use macroworlds, we can speed things up, we can slow things down, we can film in the darkness - and so the natural world has never been exposed to this degree before."
His new series, Our Planet, due to air on Netflix, could reach 150 million people immediately, he said, "and go on being seen - by word of mouth".
Despite this, he said, with more people than ever living in towns, "the paradox (is) that there has never been a time when more people are out of touch with the natural world than there's now".
He warned: "It's not just a question of beauty or interest or wonder, it's the essential ingredient, essential part of human life is a healthy palate.
"We are in the danger of wrecking that".
He said that for a very long time people have viewed the natural world in opposition to the urban world.
"It is not, we are all one world," he said, adding that global leaders are beginning to see that everything we do has implications.
He said: "That fundamental, beautiful fact is now being recognised."
In his interview with the Duke of Cambridge, Sir David said it was "difficult to overstate" the climate change crisis.
He added: "We are now so numerous, so powerful, so all pervasive, the mechanisms we have for destruction are so wholesale and so frightening that we can exterminate whole ecosystems without even noticing it.
"We have now to be really aware of the dangers that we are doing.
"And we already know that of course the plastics problem in the seas is wreaking appalling damage on marine life - the extent of which we don't yet fully know."
Last year, Sir David said he was "astonished" by the response to Blue Planet II, which raised the issue of single-use plastics and the damage they were doing to the world's oceans.
'Great optimism'
Sir David was given a Crystal Award at the forum on Monday for his leadership in environmental stewardship.
Accepting the award, the veteran broadcaster urged leaders to come up with "practical solutions".
He told the prince: "The point is that we have this option ahead of us - we have to take the option to protect the natural world… that's where the future lies.
"There's a source of great optimism there, we have the knowledge, we have the power, to live in harmony with that natural world".
Prince William has previously described Sir David as having "the single most important impact in my conservation thinking".
Introducing Sir David, he said it was a "personal treat" to interview the broadcaster.
In a BBC tribute programme marking Sir David's 90th birthday in 2016, the duke called him a "national treasure".
He added: "I used to love, and I still do, but when I was a young boy, used to love turning on the television and watching David's programmes and really feeling like I was back out in Africa or I was learning about something magical and almost out of this planet."
The duke said: "There is something very reassuring about seeing David Attenborough on BBC One doing his documentaries. It is part of the national psyche now."
Sir David turned 90 in the same year as the Queen, and paid his own tribute at her official birthday celebrations at St Paul's Cathedral.
They also took part in an ITV documentary last year which looked at the Queen's Commonwealth Canopy project.
Sir David and the Queen, who were born just weeks apart, chuckled over a forlorn-looking tree in the Buckingham Palace grounds which the Queen suggested had been "sat on" at a garden party.
When Sir David suggested climate change might lead to "all kinds of different trees growing here in another 50 years", the Queen quipped: "It might easily be, yes. I won't be here though."
Prince William, who is patron of the Tusk conservation charity, has in the past warned over the impact of the ivory trade and wildlife trafficking.
In 2016, he urged the UK government to push ahead with a total ban on the ivory trade in a bid to protect elephants.
He also voiced concerns that the African elephant may have disappeared from the wild by the time his daughter Princess Charlotte is 25.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-46957085
Good Thoughts Good Words Good Deeds
-
Anthea - Shaswar
- Donator
- Posts: 28447
- Images: 1155
- Joined: Thu Oct 18, 2012 2:13 pm
- Location: Sitting in front of computer
- Highscores: 3
- Arcade winning challenges: 6
- Has thanked: 6019 times
- Been thanked: 729 times
- Nationality: Kurd by heart
Re: We will wreck natural world David Attenborough tells Pri
Author: Anthea » Sat Feb 02, 2019 10:42 pm
The Devastating Effects of Wildlife Poaching
Wildlife poaching has negative side-effects that affect local communities, wildlife populations, and the environment. It is a crime fueled by a lucrative black market trade of animal parts. The animal parts are sold as novelty items and are sold for their “medicinal” properties
Environmental groups, animal rights groups, government agencies, and even the Duke of Cambridge are calling for an end to wildlife poaching. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), The World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF), and The International Anti-Poaching Foundation (IAPF) are leading international efforts to end wildlife poaching.
Poachers kill for profit. For example, bear gall bladders and big horned sheep antlers are worth top dollar for their so-called medicinal properties. This past November, at the National Wildlife Property Repository in Colorado, the wildlife service destroyed six tons of ivory confiscated at U.S. borders. Elephants are killed for their tusks because, while it is possible to remove the tusks without killing the elephant, they are too dangerous to remove when they are alive.
The international community is responding. China recently increased its prosecutions of ivory smugglers, sentencing eight citizens to jail for bringing in over 3 tons of ivory between 2010 and 2012.
Effects on Local Communities
The United States is second to China in its desire for illegal wildlife parts. According to an On Earth article, poachers killed over 30,000 elephants last year. Experts believe that elephants will go extinct within the next decade if the killing continues at this rate.
The extinction of a species can have a negative economic effect on a local community’s tourism industry. A community that relies on its wildlife to attract tourists is at great risk for economic hardship if the prevalence of poaching is high. Furthermore, a tourist boycott due to local poaching is a real threat. A boycott could have a detrimental effect on a community’s economy since restaurants, hotels, rentals, and other attractions would suffer.
Effects on Animals
Extinction is the greatest threat to animals that are victims of wildlife poaching. In 2011, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUNC) declared the Western Black Rhinoceros extinct. This subspecies of the critically endangered Black Rhino was poached due to the belief in the healing properties of its horn.
The Sumatran Tiger is a critically endangered species right now. It is poached and sold for its parts (skin, teeth, bones, and claws) which sell for up to $5,000. Poaching is more lucrative than other jobs that are available in the region; a harsh reality faced by many individuals and communities.
Effects on the Environment
Poaching is also dangerous to the environment. When the North American Gray Wolf was on the brink of extinction, due to trophy hunting and poaching, the elk populations in Yellowstone National Park soared. With no natural predator, the elk nearly ate the aspen tree to extinction. Now, because of the increasing populations of gray wolves in the park, elk populations are balancing out and the aspen tree is recovering.
Our ecosystems are sensitive and must be preserved. The economic challenges of a community can lead to poaching, which in turn can lead to endangerment (and in the worst cases, extinction) of different species. We need various species of flora and fauna in our environmental ecosystems so that it can maintain healthy and balanced. The survival of our own species depends on it.
Get Involved
If you suspect poaching, use this list to contact the proper authorities. If you are a witness to poaching, dial 911 and report it. Wildlife poaching is a crime and should be treated as such.
Also, arm yourself with additional information, like from the sources below, and share it wide and far!
http://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsan ... -poaching/
Wildlife poaching has negative side-effects that affect local communities, wildlife populations, and the environment. It is a crime fueled by a lucrative black market trade of animal parts. The animal parts are sold as novelty items and are sold for their “medicinal” properties
Environmental groups, animal rights groups, government agencies, and even the Duke of Cambridge are calling for an end to wildlife poaching. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), The World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF), and The International Anti-Poaching Foundation (IAPF) are leading international efforts to end wildlife poaching.
Poachers kill for profit. For example, bear gall bladders and big horned sheep antlers are worth top dollar for their so-called medicinal properties. This past November, at the National Wildlife Property Repository in Colorado, the wildlife service destroyed six tons of ivory confiscated at U.S. borders. Elephants are killed for their tusks because, while it is possible to remove the tusks without killing the elephant, they are too dangerous to remove when they are alive.
The international community is responding. China recently increased its prosecutions of ivory smugglers, sentencing eight citizens to jail for bringing in over 3 tons of ivory between 2010 and 2012.
Effects on Local Communities
The United States is second to China in its desire for illegal wildlife parts. According to an On Earth article, poachers killed over 30,000 elephants last year. Experts believe that elephants will go extinct within the next decade if the killing continues at this rate.
The extinction of a species can have a negative economic effect on a local community’s tourism industry. A community that relies on its wildlife to attract tourists is at great risk for economic hardship if the prevalence of poaching is high. Furthermore, a tourist boycott due to local poaching is a real threat. A boycott could have a detrimental effect on a community’s economy since restaurants, hotels, rentals, and other attractions would suffer.
Effects on Animals
Extinction is the greatest threat to animals that are victims of wildlife poaching. In 2011, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUNC) declared the Western Black Rhinoceros extinct. This subspecies of the critically endangered Black Rhino was poached due to the belief in the healing properties of its horn.
The Sumatran Tiger is a critically endangered species right now. It is poached and sold for its parts (skin, teeth, bones, and claws) which sell for up to $5,000. Poaching is more lucrative than other jobs that are available in the region; a harsh reality faced by many individuals and communities.
Effects on the Environment
Poaching is also dangerous to the environment. When the North American Gray Wolf was on the brink of extinction, due to trophy hunting and poaching, the elk populations in Yellowstone National Park soared. With no natural predator, the elk nearly ate the aspen tree to extinction. Now, because of the increasing populations of gray wolves in the park, elk populations are balancing out and the aspen tree is recovering.
Our ecosystems are sensitive and must be preserved. The economic challenges of a community can lead to poaching, which in turn can lead to endangerment (and in the worst cases, extinction) of different species. We need various species of flora and fauna in our environmental ecosystems so that it can maintain healthy and balanced. The survival of our own species depends on it.
Get Involved
If you suspect poaching, use this list to contact the proper authorities. If you are a witness to poaching, dial 911 and report it. Wildlife poaching is a crime and should be treated as such.
Also, arm yourself with additional information, like from the sources below, and share it wide and far!
- Critically Endangered Animals Conservation Fund
Anti-Poaching Rewards Program
International Anti-Poaching Foundation
Illegal Wildlife Trade information
http://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsan ... -poaching/
Good Thoughts Good Words Good Deeds
-
Anthea - Shaswar
- Donator
- Posts: 28447
- Images: 1155
- Joined: Thu Oct 18, 2012 2:13 pm
- Location: Sitting in front of computer
- Highscores: 3
- Arcade winning challenges: 6
- Has thanked: 6019 times
- Been thanked: 729 times
- Nationality: Kurd by heart
Re: We will wreck natural world David Attenborough tells Pri
Author: Anthea » Sun Feb 03, 2019 12:30 am
Fighting 'all you can eat' waste
One third of the world's food is wasted each year at great economic and environmental cost, according to the United Nations.
The organisation has set a goal of halving this amount by 2030.
Meanwhile, there are growing concerns about obesity around the world.
Link to BBC Video:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/science-e ... -eat-waste
This means that one third of the animals were slaughtered for NOTHING
One third of the world's food is wasted each year at great economic and environmental cost, according to the United Nations.
The organisation has set a goal of halving this amount by 2030.
Meanwhile, there are growing concerns about obesity around the world.
Link to BBC Video:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/science-e ... -eat-waste
This means that one third of the animals were slaughtered for NOTHING
Good Thoughts Good Words Good Deeds
-
Anthea - Shaswar
- Donator
- Posts: 28447
- Images: 1155
- Joined: Thu Oct 18, 2012 2:13 pm
- Location: Sitting in front of computer
- Highscores: 3
- Arcade winning challenges: 6
- Has thanked: 6019 times
- Been thanked: 729 times
- Nationality: Kurd by heart
Re: We will wreck natural world David Attenborough tells Pri
Author: Anthea » Wed Feb 06, 2019 2:04 pm
A third of Himalayan ice cap doomed
Even radical climate change action won’t save glaciers, endangering 2 billion people
At least a third of the huge ice fields in Asia’s towering mountain chain are doomed to melt due to climate change, according to a landmark report, with serious consequences for almost 2 billion people.
Even if carbon emissions are dramatically and rapidly cut and succeed in limiting global warming to 1.5C, 36% of the glaciers along in the Hindu Kush and Himalaya range will have gone by 2100. If emissions are not cut, the loss soars to two-thirds, the report found.
The glaciers are a critical water store for the 250 million people who live in the Hindu Kush-Himalaya (HKH) region, and 1.65 billion people rely on the great rivers that flow from the peaks into India, Pakistan, China and other nations.
“This is the climate crisis you haven’t heard of,” said Philippus Wester of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (Icimod), who led the report. “In the best of possible worlds, if we get really ambitious [in tackling climate change], even then we will lose one-third of the glaciers and be in trouble. That for us was the shocking finding.”
Wester said that, despite being far more populous, the HKH region had received less attention than other places, such as low-lying island states and the Arctic, that are also highly vulnerable to global warming.
Prof Jemma Wadham, at the University of Bristol, said: “This is a landmark piece of work focused on a region that is a hotspot for climate change impacts.”
The new report, requested by the eight nations the mountains span, is intended to change that. More than 200 scientists worked on the report over five years, with another 125 experts peer reviewing their work. Until recently the impact of climate change on the ice in the HKH region was uncertain, said Wester. “But we really do know enough now to take action, and action is urgently needed,” he added.
The HKH region runs from Afghanistan to Myanmar and is the planet’s “third pole”, harbouring more ice than anywhere outside Arctic and Antarctica. Limiting the global temperature rise to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels requires cutting emissions to zero by 2050. This is felt to be extremely optimistic by many but still sees a third of the ice lost, according to the report. If the global rise is 2C, half of the glaciers are projected to melt away by 2100.
Since the 1970s, about 15% of the ice in the HKH region has disappeared as temperatures have risen. But the HKH range is 3,500km long and the impact of warming is variable. Some glaciers in Afghanistan and Pakistan are stable and a few are even gaining ice, most probably due to increased cloud cover that shields the sun and changed winds that bring more snow. But even these will start melting with future warming, Wester said.
The melting glaciers will increase river flows through to 2050 to 2060, he said, pushing up the risk of high-altitude lakes bursting their banks and engulfing communities. But from the 2060s, river flows will go into decline. The Indus and central Asian rivers will be most affected. “Those areas will be hard hit,” said Wester.
Lower flows will cut the power from the hydrodams that generate much of the region’s electricity. But the most serious impact will be on farmers in the foothills and downstream. They rely on predictable water supplies to grow the crops that feed the nations in the mountains’ shadows.
But the changes to spring melting already appear to be causing the pre-monsoon river flow to fall just when farmers are planting their crops. Worse, said Wester, the monsoon is also becoming more erratic and prone to extreme downpours. “One-in-100 year floods are starting to happen every 50 years,” he said.
The new report highlights how vulnerable many mountain people are, with one-third living on less than $1.90 a day and far away from help if climate disaster strikes.
Political tensions between neighbouring nations such as India and Pakistan could add to the difficulties. “There are rocky times ahead for the region. Because many of the disasters and sudden changes will play out across country borders, conflict among the region’s countries could easily flare up,” said Eklabya Sharma, the deputy director general of Icimod.
Hamish Pritchard, a glaciologist at the British Antarctic Survey and not part of the report, said it is “a substantial piece of work” that takes due note of the uncertainties resulting from the limited snowfall and ice measurements in the high mountains.
He said glaciers currently provide an essential buffering role as their meltwater flows into the rivers during the summer, which is when water is in greatest demand downstream and periodic droughts have the deadliest impacts on populations. “Take the ice away and those people are exposed to serious water stress and the consequences of that are local, regional and potentially global, in terms of conflict and migration,” he said.
Link to Article - Images:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... ing-report
Even radical climate change action won’t save glaciers, endangering 2 billion people
At least a third of the huge ice fields in Asia’s towering mountain chain are doomed to melt due to climate change, according to a landmark report, with serious consequences for almost 2 billion people.
Even if carbon emissions are dramatically and rapidly cut and succeed in limiting global warming to 1.5C, 36% of the glaciers along in the Hindu Kush and Himalaya range will have gone by 2100. If emissions are not cut, the loss soars to two-thirds, the report found.
The glaciers are a critical water store for the 250 million people who live in the Hindu Kush-Himalaya (HKH) region, and 1.65 billion people rely on the great rivers that flow from the peaks into India, Pakistan, China and other nations.
“This is the climate crisis you haven’t heard of,” said Philippus Wester of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (Icimod), who led the report. “In the best of possible worlds, if we get really ambitious [in tackling climate change], even then we will lose one-third of the glaciers and be in trouble. That for us was the shocking finding.”
Wester said that, despite being far more populous, the HKH region had received less attention than other places, such as low-lying island states and the Arctic, that are also highly vulnerable to global warming.
Prof Jemma Wadham, at the University of Bristol, said: “This is a landmark piece of work focused on a region that is a hotspot for climate change impacts.”
The new report, requested by the eight nations the mountains span, is intended to change that. More than 200 scientists worked on the report over five years, with another 125 experts peer reviewing their work. Until recently the impact of climate change on the ice in the HKH region was uncertain, said Wester. “But we really do know enough now to take action, and action is urgently needed,” he added.
The HKH region runs from Afghanistan to Myanmar and is the planet’s “third pole”, harbouring more ice than anywhere outside Arctic and Antarctica. Limiting the global temperature rise to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels requires cutting emissions to zero by 2050. This is felt to be extremely optimistic by many but still sees a third of the ice lost, according to the report. If the global rise is 2C, half of the glaciers are projected to melt away by 2100.
Since the 1970s, about 15% of the ice in the HKH region has disappeared as temperatures have risen. But the HKH range is 3,500km long and the impact of warming is variable. Some glaciers in Afghanistan and Pakistan are stable and a few are even gaining ice, most probably due to increased cloud cover that shields the sun and changed winds that bring more snow. But even these will start melting with future warming, Wester said.
The melting glaciers will increase river flows through to 2050 to 2060, he said, pushing up the risk of high-altitude lakes bursting their banks and engulfing communities. But from the 2060s, river flows will go into decline. The Indus and central Asian rivers will be most affected. “Those areas will be hard hit,” said Wester.
Lower flows will cut the power from the hydrodams that generate much of the region’s electricity. But the most serious impact will be on farmers in the foothills and downstream. They rely on predictable water supplies to grow the crops that feed the nations in the mountains’ shadows.
But the changes to spring melting already appear to be causing the pre-monsoon river flow to fall just when farmers are planting their crops. Worse, said Wester, the monsoon is also becoming more erratic and prone to extreme downpours. “One-in-100 year floods are starting to happen every 50 years,” he said.
The new report highlights how vulnerable many mountain people are, with one-third living on less than $1.90 a day and far away from help if climate disaster strikes.
Political tensions between neighbouring nations such as India and Pakistan could add to the difficulties. “There are rocky times ahead for the region. Because many of the disasters and sudden changes will play out across country borders, conflict among the region’s countries could easily flare up,” said Eklabya Sharma, the deputy director general of Icimod.
Hamish Pritchard, a glaciologist at the British Antarctic Survey and not part of the report, said it is “a substantial piece of work” that takes due note of the uncertainties resulting from the limited snowfall and ice measurements in the high mountains.
He said glaciers currently provide an essential buffering role as their meltwater flows into the rivers during the summer, which is when water is in greatest demand downstream and periodic droughts have the deadliest impacts on populations. “Take the ice away and those people are exposed to serious water stress and the consequences of that are local, regional and potentially global, in terms of conflict and migration,” he said.
Link to Article - Images:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... ing-report
Good Thoughts Good Words Good Deeds
-
Anthea - Shaswar
- Donator
- Posts: 28447
- Images: 1155
- Joined: Thu Oct 18, 2012 2:13 pm
- Location: Sitting in front of computer
- Highscores: 3
- Arcade winning challenges: 6
- Has thanked: 6019 times
- Been thanked: 729 times
- Nationality: Kurd by heart
Re: Third of Himalayan ice cap doomed 2 billion people at ri
Author: Anthea » Thu Feb 07, 2019 4:57 pm
Earth Had Its 4th Warmest Year on Record in 2018
Click image to enlarge:
Above: Departure from the 20th-century average of the global annual average surface temperature for the years 1880 - 2018. Last year saw the fourth warmest temperatures on record. Image credit: NOAA/National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI).
In its annual climate summary released on Wednesday, delayed several weeks because of the government shutdown, NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) reported that Earth experienced its fourth warmest surface temperature in records going back to 1880. NASA and the Japan Meteorological Agency also found 2018 to be the fourth warmest year on record. The five warmest years on record are the now past five years—2016, 2015, 2017, 2018, and 2014, in that order.
From 1880 to 1980, a new temperature record in the NOAA database was set on average every 13 years; however, for the period 1981–2018, the frequency of a new record increased to once every three years. The yearly global land and ocean temperature increased at an average rate of 0.07°C (0.13°F) per decade from 1880 - 2018; however, the average rate of increase since 1981 (0.17°C / 0.31°F) has been more than twice as rapid. This acceleration in global warming is an expected result of the ever-increasing amounts of human-emitted greenhouse gases going into the atmosphere.
The 2018 temperatures were slightly cooler than the previous three years, since the year began with La Niña conditions. During a La Niña, the large amount of cooler-than-average water in the tropical Pacific tends to decrease global temperatures. In addition, 2018 fell near the minimum of the 11-year solar sunspot cycle, which exerted a slight cooling influence.
Click image to enlarge:
Figure 1. Departure of surface temperature from average for the globe during 2018. Record warm temperatures were measured across much of Europe and the Mediterranean Sea, the Middle East, New Zealand and surrounding ocean, and across parts of Asia, the Atlantic Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean. No regions experienced record cold conditions. The Caribbean region had its coolest year since 2012, while the Atlantic Main Development Region had its coolest year since 2001. For Europe as a whole, 2018 surpassed 2014 as the warmest year on record. Image credit: NOAA.
NOAA calculated that the average global temperature for 2018 was 1.75°F (0.97°C) above the 1880–1900 average, which is a period commonly used to represent pre-industrial conditions. The years 2015 – 2018 were all slightly more than 1°C above this pre-industrial baseline. The Paris Agreement on climate change seeks to keep global temperatures at no more than 2°C above the pre-industrial threshold, and preferably no more than 1.5°C.
Last year was the sixth warmest on record for satellite-based estimates of temperature through the lowest five miles of the atmosphere, as calculated by the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) and RSS. Because these satellite calculations are indirect large-scale estimates of temperature well above ground level, they differ from direct ground-based measurements of surface temperature. In particular, satellite-based estimates are much more strongly affected by El Niño events.
Notable global heat and cold marks in 2018
Hottest temperature in the Northern Hemisphere: 53.0°C (127.4°F) at Ahvaz, Iran, 2 July
Coldest temperature in the Northern Hemisphere: -61.5°C (-78.7°F) at Geo Summit, Greenland, 6 January
Hottest temperature in the Southern Hemisphere: 49.3°C (120.7°F) at Marble Bar, Australia, 27 December
Coldest temperature in the Southern Hemisphere: -82.4°C (-116.3°F) at Vostok, Antarctica, 27 August
A remarkable 431 major weather stations with a long period of record (POR exceeding 40 years) broke (not tied) their all-time heat record in 2018. In contrast, only 40 major weather stations with a long period of record (POR exceeding 40 years) broke (not tied) their all-time cold record in 2018.
(Courtesy of Maximiliano Herrera.)
Six all-time national heat records tied or broken in 2018
In 2018, six nations broke or tied an all-time record for hottest temperature in recorded history:
Palau: 95°F (35°C) at Koror on March 22
Algeria: 124.3°F (51.3°C) at Ouargla on July 5
Taiwan: 104.5°F (40.3°C) at Tianxiang on July 10
Japan: 106.0°F (41.1°C) at Kumagaya on July 23
South Korea: 105.8°F (41.0°C) at Hongcheon on August 1
Kiribati: 35.6°C (96.0°F), Kanton Island on November 20 (ties previous record)
No nations set an all-time cold temperature record in 2018.
Most nations do not maintain official databases of extreme temperature records, so the national temperature records reported here are in many cases not official. I use as my source for international weather records researcher Maximiliano Herrera, one of the world's top climatologists, who maintains a comprehensive list of extreme temperature records for every nation in the world on his website. If you reproduce this list of extremes, please cite Maximiliano Herrera as the primary source of the weather records.
Sixty-seven monthly national/territorial heat records were set in 2018
January: Marshall Islands
February: Marshall Islands, Falkland Islands, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Palau, Ethiopia, Angola
March: Marshall Islands, Qatar, Armenia, Madagascar, Pakistan, Iraq, UAE, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Saba
April: Albania, Montenegro
May: Hong Kong, Norway, Tonga
June: Oman, Marshall Islands, Cocos Islands, Tonga, Isle of Man
July: Iran, Namibia, Indonesia, El Salvador, Jordan, Netherlands, South Korea, Comoros, Bangladesh
August: Japan, Fiji, Falkland Islands, Liberia
September: Iraq, Comoros, Myanmar, Sao Tome and Principe
October: Japan, Finland, Thailand, Switzerland, Guam, Angola
November: Hungary, Albania, Slovakia, Poland, Guam, Seychelles, Myanmar
December: Marshall Islands, Japan, Taiwan, Cabo Verde, Angola, Thailand, India
(Courtesy of Maximiliano Herrera.)
One national monthly cold record set in 2018
September: Iceland
Continental/hemispheric records in 2018
Highest temperature ever recorded in April in Asia: 50.2°C (122.4°F) at Nawabshah, Pakistan, 30 April
World record of the highest reliably-measured minimum temperature in 24 hours: 42.6°C (108.7°F) at Qurayyat, Oman, 26 June
African record of highest temperature: 51.3°C (124.3°F) at Ouargla, Algeria, 5 July
African record of the highest minimum temperature: 39.5°C (103.1°F) at Salah, Algeria, 29 July
Northern Hemisphere record of the highest minimum temperature ever recorded in November: 30.5°C (86.9°F) at Yelimane, Mali, 9 November
Northern Hemisphere record of the highest minimum temperature ever recorded in December: 29.0°C (84.2°F) at Bangkok, Thailand, 4 December
Click image to enlarge:
Figure 2. The Annual Climate Extremes Index (CEI), updated through 2008, shows that the contiguous U.S. climate has been getting more extreme since the early 1970s. On average since 1910, 20% of the U.S. has seen extreme conditions in a given year (thick black line). In 2018, 33% of the U.S. had extreme conditions (upper 10%). The most extreme year on record was 2012. Image credit: NOAA/NCEI.
Ninth most extreme weather year on record for the contiguous U.S.
In 2018, the U.S. had its 14th warmest and 3rd wettest year on record, said NOAA. See the roundup from weather.com's Brian Donegan for other U.S. highlights. The year was the ninth most extreme weather year for the contiguous U.S. since 1895, according to NOAA’s Climate Extremes Index. Approximately 33% of the nation experienced extremes (top 10%) in temperature, precipitation, or drought, compared to the 1895 – 2018 average of 20%. The Climate Extremes Index (CEI) is based upon three parameters:
1) Monthly maximum and minimum temperature
2) Daily precipitation
3) Monthly Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI)
The temperature data is taken from 1100 stations in the U.S. Historical Climatology Network (USHCN), a network of stations that have a long period of record, with little missing data. The temperature data is corrected for the urban heat island effect, as well as for station and instrument changes. The precipitation data is taken from 1300 National Weather Service Cooperative stations. The Climate Extremes Index defines "much above normal" as the highest 10% of data, "much below normal" as the lowest 10%, and is the average of these five quantities:
1) The sum of (a) percentage of the United States with maximum temperatures much below normal and (b) percentage of the United States with maximum temperatures much above normal.
2) The sum of (a) percentage of the United States with minimum temperatures much below normal and (b) percentage of the United States with minimum temperatures much above normal.
3) The sum of (a) percentage of the United States in severe drought (equivalent to the lowest tenth percentile) based on the Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) and (b) percentage of the United States with severe moisture surplus (equivalent to the highest tenth percentile) based on the PDSI.
4) Twice the value of the percentage of the United States with a much greater than normal proportion of precipitation derived from extreme (equivalent to the highest tenth percentile) 1-day precipitation events.
5) The sum of (a) percentage of the United States with a much greater than normal number of days with precipitation and (b) percentage of the United States with a much greater than normal number of days without precipitation.
Click image to enlarge:
Figure 3. Temperature percentiles for land and ocean areas across Earth in December 2018, as compared to all Decembers from 1880 to 2018. Areas in darkest red had the warmest monthly temperatures of any December on record. Record warm temperatures were present across much of the Southern Hemisphere, specifically across much of Australia, the southwestern Indian Ocean and across parts of the northwestern Indian Ocean, and the south Atlantic, off the eastern coast of Argentina. According to Australia's Bureau of Meteorology, Australia had its warmest December on record with a mean temperature that was 2.13°C (3.83°F) above the 1961–1990 average. Notable cool temperatures were present across much of central Asia and Far East Russia where temperature departures were -3.0°C (-5.4°F) or lower. However, no land or ocean areas had large-scale record cold December temperatures. Image credit: NOAA/NCEI.
December 2018 summary
December 2018 was Earth's second warmest December since record keeping began in 1880, said NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) and NASA. Only 2015 had a warmer December. Global ocean temperatures were the second warmest on record for any December, according to NOAA, and global land temperatures were the eighth warmest on record. Satellite-measured temperatures for the lowest 8 km of the atmosphere were the sixth or fourth warmest in the 40-year record, according to the University of Alabama Huntsville (UAH) and RSS, respectively.
The December report for the contiguous U.S. has not yet been released by NCEI.
Click image to enlarge:
Figure 4. Departure of sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in the benchmark Niño 3.4 region (in the equatorial Pacific). Over the past two months, SSTs have been near the 0.5°C above-average threshold needed for an El Niño event. Image credit: Levi Cowan, tropicaltidbits.com.
Odds of an El Niño event decrease
NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center (CPC) kept an El Niño Watch in place in its January 10 monthly advisory, but reduced its odds of an El Niño event happening this year. Over the past week, sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in the benchmark Niño 3.4 region (in the equatorial Pacific) were about 0.4°C above average. Temperatures of at least 0.5°C above average are needed to be classified as an El Niño event, with the 3-month average temperature staying more than 0.5°C above average for five consecutive months. Oceanic conditions have been near the weak El Niño threshold since late September, but the atmosphere has not responded, leading NOAA to classify the state of the atmosphere as neutral.
In the January 10 advisory, NOAA set the odds for an El Niño event to form at 65% for the coming winter and spring months (February through May), the time of year when El Niño events are typically at their strongest. These odds have decreased from the 90% chance given in NOAA’s December advisory. If an El Niño event does form, it is expected to be a weak one.
Arctic sea ice: fourth lowest December extent on record
Arctic sea ice extent had the fourth lowest average December extent in the 40-year satellite record, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC).
Notable global heat and cold marks set for December 2018
Hottest temperature in the Northern Hemisphere: 40.3°C (104.6°F) at Diourbel, Senegal, 6 December
Coldest temperature in the Northern Hemisphere: -56.6°C (-69.9°F) at Summit, Greenland, 1 December
Hottest temperature in the Southern Hemisphere: 49.3°C (120.7°F) at Marble Bar, Australia, 27 December
Coldest temperature in the Southern Hemisphere: -44.1°C (-47.4°F) at Concordia, Antarctica, 3 December
(Courtesy of Maximiliano Herrera.)
Major weather stations that set (not tied) new all-time heat or cold records in December 2018
Rabbit Flat (Australia) max. 47.1°C (116.8°F), 12 December
Marble Bar (Australia) max. 49.3°C (120.7°F), 27 December
Wittenoom (Australia) max. 47.8°C (118.0°F), 27 December
Skukuza (South Africa) max. 46.3°C (115.3°F), 27 December
Alice Springs (Australia) max. 45.6°C (114.1°F), 29 December
Curtin Springs (Australia) max. 46.9°C (116.4°F), 30 December
Bob Henson contributed to this post.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
Dr. Jeff Masters co-founded Weather Underground in 1995, and flew with the NOAA Hurricane Hunters from 1986-1990.
jeff.masters@weather.com
Click image to enlarge:
Above: Departure from the 20th-century average of the global annual average surface temperature for the years 1880 - 2018. Last year saw the fourth warmest temperatures on record. Image credit: NOAA/National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI).
In its annual climate summary released on Wednesday, delayed several weeks because of the government shutdown, NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) reported that Earth experienced its fourth warmest surface temperature in records going back to 1880. NASA and the Japan Meteorological Agency also found 2018 to be the fourth warmest year on record. The five warmest years on record are the now past five years—2016, 2015, 2017, 2018, and 2014, in that order.
From 1880 to 1980, a new temperature record in the NOAA database was set on average every 13 years; however, for the period 1981–2018, the frequency of a new record increased to once every three years. The yearly global land and ocean temperature increased at an average rate of 0.07°C (0.13°F) per decade from 1880 - 2018; however, the average rate of increase since 1981 (0.17°C / 0.31°F) has been more than twice as rapid. This acceleration in global warming is an expected result of the ever-increasing amounts of human-emitted greenhouse gases going into the atmosphere.
The 2018 temperatures were slightly cooler than the previous three years, since the year began with La Niña conditions. During a La Niña, the large amount of cooler-than-average water in the tropical Pacific tends to decrease global temperatures. In addition, 2018 fell near the minimum of the 11-year solar sunspot cycle, which exerted a slight cooling influence.
Click image to enlarge:
Figure 1. Departure of surface temperature from average for the globe during 2018. Record warm temperatures were measured across much of Europe and the Mediterranean Sea, the Middle East, New Zealand and surrounding ocean, and across parts of Asia, the Atlantic Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean. No regions experienced record cold conditions. The Caribbean region had its coolest year since 2012, while the Atlantic Main Development Region had its coolest year since 2001. For Europe as a whole, 2018 surpassed 2014 as the warmest year on record. Image credit: NOAA.
NOAA calculated that the average global temperature for 2018 was 1.75°F (0.97°C) above the 1880–1900 average, which is a period commonly used to represent pre-industrial conditions. The years 2015 – 2018 were all slightly more than 1°C above this pre-industrial baseline. The Paris Agreement on climate change seeks to keep global temperatures at no more than 2°C above the pre-industrial threshold, and preferably no more than 1.5°C.
Last year was the sixth warmest on record for satellite-based estimates of temperature through the lowest five miles of the atmosphere, as calculated by the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) and RSS. Because these satellite calculations are indirect large-scale estimates of temperature well above ground level, they differ from direct ground-based measurements of surface temperature. In particular, satellite-based estimates are much more strongly affected by El Niño events.
Notable global heat and cold marks in 2018
Hottest temperature in the Northern Hemisphere: 53.0°C (127.4°F) at Ahvaz, Iran, 2 July
Coldest temperature in the Northern Hemisphere: -61.5°C (-78.7°F) at Geo Summit, Greenland, 6 January
Hottest temperature in the Southern Hemisphere: 49.3°C (120.7°F) at Marble Bar, Australia, 27 December
Coldest temperature in the Southern Hemisphere: -82.4°C (-116.3°F) at Vostok, Antarctica, 27 August
A remarkable 431 major weather stations with a long period of record (POR exceeding 40 years) broke (not tied) their all-time heat record in 2018. In contrast, only 40 major weather stations with a long period of record (POR exceeding 40 years) broke (not tied) their all-time cold record in 2018.
(Courtesy of Maximiliano Herrera.)
Six all-time national heat records tied or broken in 2018
In 2018, six nations broke or tied an all-time record for hottest temperature in recorded history:
Palau: 95°F (35°C) at Koror on March 22
Algeria: 124.3°F (51.3°C) at Ouargla on July 5
Taiwan: 104.5°F (40.3°C) at Tianxiang on July 10
Japan: 106.0°F (41.1°C) at Kumagaya on July 23
South Korea: 105.8°F (41.0°C) at Hongcheon on August 1
Kiribati: 35.6°C (96.0°F), Kanton Island on November 20 (ties previous record)
No nations set an all-time cold temperature record in 2018.
Most nations do not maintain official databases of extreme temperature records, so the national temperature records reported here are in many cases not official. I use as my source for international weather records researcher Maximiliano Herrera, one of the world's top climatologists, who maintains a comprehensive list of extreme temperature records for every nation in the world on his website. If you reproduce this list of extremes, please cite Maximiliano Herrera as the primary source of the weather records.
Sixty-seven monthly national/territorial heat records were set in 2018
January: Marshall Islands
February: Marshall Islands, Falkland Islands, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Palau, Ethiopia, Angola
March: Marshall Islands, Qatar, Armenia, Madagascar, Pakistan, Iraq, UAE, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Saba
April: Albania, Montenegro
May: Hong Kong, Norway, Tonga
June: Oman, Marshall Islands, Cocos Islands, Tonga, Isle of Man
July: Iran, Namibia, Indonesia, El Salvador, Jordan, Netherlands, South Korea, Comoros, Bangladesh
August: Japan, Fiji, Falkland Islands, Liberia
September: Iraq, Comoros, Myanmar, Sao Tome and Principe
October: Japan, Finland, Thailand, Switzerland, Guam, Angola
November: Hungary, Albania, Slovakia, Poland, Guam, Seychelles, Myanmar
December: Marshall Islands, Japan, Taiwan, Cabo Verde, Angola, Thailand, India
(Courtesy of Maximiliano Herrera.)
One national monthly cold record set in 2018
September: Iceland
Continental/hemispheric records in 2018
Highest temperature ever recorded in April in Asia: 50.2°C (122.4°F) at Nawabshah, Pakistan, 30 April
World record of the highest reliably-measured minimum temperature in 24 hours: 42.6°C (108.7°F) at Qurayyat, Oman, 26 June
African record of highest temperature: 51.3°C (124.3°F) at Ouargla, Algeria, 5 July
African record of the highest minimum temperature: 39.5°C (103.1°F) at Salah, Algeria, 29 July
Northern Hemisphere record of the highest minimum temperature ever recorded in November: 30.5°C (86.9°F) at Yelimane, Mali, 9 November
Northern Hemisphere record of the highest minimum temperature ever recorded in December: 29.0°C (84.2°F) at Bangkok, Thailand, 4 December
Click image to enlarge:
Figure 2. The Annual Climate Extremes Index (CEI), updated through 2008, shows that the contiguous U.S. climate has been getting more extreme since the early 1970s. On average since 1910, 20% of the U.S. has seen extreme conditions in a given year (thick black line). In 2018, 33% of the U.S. had extreme conditions (upper 10%). The most extreme year on record was 2012. Image credit: NOAA/NCEI.
Ninth most extreme weather year on record for the contiguous U.S.
In 2018, the U.S. had its 14th warmest and 3rd wettest year on record, said NOAA. See the roundup from weather.com's Brian Donegan for other U.S. highlights. The year was the ninth most extreme weather year for the contiguous U.S. since 1895, according to NOAA’s Climate Extremes Index. Approximately 33% of the nation experienced extremes (top 10%) in temperature, precipitation, or drought, compared to the 1895 – 2018 average of 20%. The Climate Extremes Index (CEI) is based upon three parameters:
1) Monthly maximum and minimum temperature
2) Daily precipitation
3) Monthly Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI)
The temperature data is taken from 1100 stations in the U.S. Historical Climatology Network (USHCN), a network of stations that have a long period of record, with little missing data. The temperature data is corrected for the urban heat island effect, as well as for station and instrument changes. The precipitation data is taken from 1300 National Weather Service Cooperative stations. The Climate Extremes Index defines "much above normal" as the highest 10% of data, "much below normal" as the lowest 10%, and is the average of these five quantities:
1) The sum of (a) percentage of the United States with maximum temperatures much below normal and (b) percentage of the United States with maximum temperatures much above normal.
2) The sum of (a) percentage of the United States with minimum temperatures much below normal and (b) percentage of the United States with minimum temperatures much above normal.
3) The sum of (a) percentage of the United States in severe drought (equivalent to the lowest tenth percentile) based on the Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) and (b) percentage of the United States with severe moisture surplus (equivalent to the highest tenth percentile) based on the PDSI.
4) Twice the value of the percentage of the United States with a much greater than normal proportion of precipitation derived from extreme (equivalent to the highest tenth percentile) 1-day precipitation events.
5) The sum of (a) percentage of the United States with a much greater than normal number of days with precipitation and (b) percentage of the United States with a much greater than normal number of days without precipitation.
Click image to enlarge:
Figure 3. Temperature percentiles for land and ocean areas across Earth in December 2018, as compared to all Decembers from 1880 to 2018. Areas in darkest red had the warmest monthly temperatures of any December on record. Record warm temperatures were present across much of the Southern Hemisphere, specifically across much of Australia, the southwestern Indian Ocean and across parts of the northwestern Indian Ocean, and the south Atlantic, off the eastern coast of Argentina. According to Australia's Bureau of Meteorology, Australia had its warmest December on record with a mean temperature that was 2.13°C (3.83°F) above the 1961–1990 average. Notable cool temperatures were present across much of central Asia and Far East Russia where temperature departures were -3.0°C (-5.4°F) or lower. However, no land or ocean areas had large-scale record cold December temperatures. Image credit: NOAA/NCEI.
December 2018 summary
December 2018 was Earth's second warmest December since record keeping began in 1880, said NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) and NASA. Only 2015 had a warmer December. Global ocean temperatures were the second warmest on record for any December, according to NOAA, and global land temperatures were the eighth warmest on record. Satellite-measured temperatures for the lowest 8 km of the atmosphere were the sixth or fourth warmest in the 40-year record, according to the University of Alabama Huntsville (UAH) and RSS, respectively.
The December report for the contiguous U.S. has not yet been released by NCEI.
Click image to enlarge:
Figure 4. Departure of sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in the benchmark Niño 3.4 region (in the equatorial Pacific). Over the past two months, SSTs have been near the 0.5°C above-average threshold needed for an El Niño event. Image credit: Levi Cowan, tropicaltidbits.com.
Odds of an El Niño event decrease
NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center (CPC) kept an El Niño Watch in place in its January 10 monthly advisory, but reduced its odds of an El Niño event happening this year. Over the past week, sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in the benchmark Niño 3.4 region (in the equatorial Pacific) were about 0.4°C above average. Temperatures of at least 0.5°C above average are needed to be classified as an El Niño event, with the 3-month average temperature staying more than 0.5°C above average for five consecutive months. Oceanic conditions have been near the weak El Niño threshold since late September, but the atmosphere has not responded, leading NOAA to classify the state of the atmosphere as neutral.
In the January 10 advisory, NOAA set the odds for an El Niño event to form at 65% for the coming winter and spring months (February through May), the time of year when El Niño events are typically at their strongest. These odds have decreased from the 90% chance given in NOAA’s December advisory. If an El Niño event does form, it is expected to be a weak one.
Arctic sea ice: fourth lowest December extent on record
Arctic sea ice extent had the fourth lowest average December extent in the 40-year satellite record, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC).
Notable global heat and cold marks set for December 2018
Hottest temperature in the Northern Hemisphere: 40.3°C (104.6°F) at Diourbel, Senegal, 6 December
Coldest temperature in the Northern Hemisphere: -56.6°C (-69.9°F) at Summit, Greenland, 1 December
Hottest temperature in the Southern Hemisphere: 49.3°C (120.7°F) at Marble Bar, Australia, 27 December
Coldest temperature in the Southern Hemisphere: -44.1°C (-47.4°F) at Concordia, Antarctica, 3 December
(Courtesy of Maximiliano Herrera.)
Major weather stations that set (not tied) new all-time heat or cold records in December 2018
Rabbit Flat (Australia) max. 47.1°C (116.8°F), 12 December
Marble Bar (Australia) max. 49.3°C (120.7°F), 27 December
Wittenoom (Australia) max. 47.8°C (118.0°F), 27 December
Skukuza (South Africa) max. 46.3°C (115.3°F), 27 December
Alice Springs (Australia) max. 45.6°C (114.1°F), 29 December
Curtin Springs (Australia) max. 46.9°C (116.4°F), 30 December
Bob Henson contributed to this post.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
Dr. Jeff Masters co-founded Weather Underground in 1995, and flew with the NOAA Hurricane Hunters from 1986-1990.
jeff.masters@weather.com
Good Thoughts Good Words Good Deeds
-
Anthea - Shaswar
- Donator
- Posts: 28447
- Images: 1155
- Joined: Thu Oct 18, 2012 2:13 pm
- Location: Sitting in front of computer
- Highscores: 3
- Arcade winning challenges: 6
- Has thanked: 6019 times
- Been thanked: 729 times
- Nationality: Kurd by heart
Re: Planet Burns as Earth has Its HOTTEST Years on Record
Author: Anthea » Mon Feb 11, 2019 10:27 pm
Global insect decline may see plague of pests
A scientific review of insect numbers suggests that 40% of species are undergoing "dramatic rates of decline" around the world
The study says that bees, ants and beetles are disappearing eight times faster than mammals, birds or reptiles.
But researchers say that some species, such as houseflies and cockroaches, are likely to boom.
The general insect decline is being caused by intensive agriculture, pesticides and climate change.
Insects make up the majority of creatures that live on land, and provide key benefits to many other species, including humans.
They provide food for birds, bats and small mammals; they pollinate around 75% of the crops in the world; they replenish soils and keep pest numbers in check.
Many other studies in recent years have shown that individual species of insects, such as bees, have suffered huge declines, particularly in developed economies.
Published in the journal Biological Conservation, it reviews 73 existing studies from around the world published over the past13 years.
The researchers found that declines in almost all regions may lead to the extinction of 40% of insects over the next few decades. One-third of insect species are classed as Endangered.
"The main factor is the loss of habitat, due to agricultural practices, urbanisation and deforestation," lead author Dr Francisco Sánchez-Bayo, from the University of Sydney, told BBC News.
"Second is the increasing use of fertilisers and pesticides in agriculture worldwide and contamination with chemical pollutants of all kinds. Thirdly, we have biological factors, such as invasive species and pathogens; and fourthly, we have climate change, particularly in tropical areas where it is known to have a big impact."
Some of the highlights of study include the recent, rapid decline of flying insects in Germany, and the massive drop in numbers in tropical forests in Puerto Rico, linked to rising global temperatures.
Other experts say the findings are "gravely sobering".
"It's not just about bees, or even about pollination and feeding ourselves - the declines also include dung beetles that recycle waste and insects like dragonflies that start life in rivers and ponds," said Matt Shardlow from UK campaigners Buglife.
"It is becoming increasingly obvious our planet's ecology is breaking and there is a need for an intense and global effort to halt and reverse these dreadful trends. Allowing the slow eradication of insect life to continue is not a rational option."
Pests on the rise
The authors are concerned about the impact of insect decline up along the food chain. With many species of birds, reptiles and fish depending on insects as their main food source, it's likely that these species may also be wiped out as a result.
While some of our most important insect species are in retreat, the review also finds that a small number of species are likely to be able to adapt to changing conditions and do well.
"Fast-breeding pest insects will probably thrive because of the warmer conditions, because many of their natural enemies, which breed more slowly, will disappear, " said Prof Dave Goulson from the University of Sussex who was not involved in the review.
"It's quite plausible that we might end up with plagues of small numbers of pest insects, but we will lose all the wonderful ones that we want, like bees and hoverflies and butterflies and dung beetles that do a great job of disposing of animal waste."
Prof Goulson said that some tough, adaptable, generalist species - like houseflies and cockroaches - seem to be able to live comfortably in a human-made environment and have evolved resistance to pesticides.
He added that while the overall message was alarming, there were things that people could do, such as making their gardens more insect friendly, not using pesticides and buying organic food.
More research is also badly needed as 99% of the evidence for insect decline comes from Europe and North America with almost nothing from Africa or South America.
Ultimately, if huge numbers of insects disappear, they will be replaced but it will take a long, long time.
"If you look at what happened in the major extinctions of the past, they spawned massive adaptive radiations where the few species that made it through adapted and occupied all the available niches and evolved into new species," Prof Goulson told BBC News.
"So give it a million years and I've no doubt there will be a whole diversity of new creatures that will have popped up to replace the ones wiped out in the 20th and 21st centuries.
Not much consolation for our children, I'm afraid
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-47198576
A scientific review of insect numbers suggests that 40% of species are undergoing "dramatic rates of decline" around the world
The study says that bees, ants and beetles are disappearing eight times faster than mammals, birds or reptiles.
But researchers say that some species, such as houseflies and cockroaches, are likely to boom.
The general insect decline is being caused by intensive agriculture, pesticides and climate change.
Insects make up the majority of creatures that live on land, and provide key benefits to many other species, including humans.
They provide food for birds, bats and small mammals; they pollinate around 75% of the crops in the world; they replenish soils and keep pest numbers in check.
Many other studies in recent years have shown that individual species of insects, such as bees, have suffered huge declines, particularly in developed economies.
Published in the journal Biological Conservation, it reviews 73 existing studies from around the world published over the past13 years.
The researchers found that declines in almost all regions may lead to the extinction of 40% of insects over the next few decades. One-third of insect species are classed as Endangered.
"The main factor is the loss of habitat, due to agricultural practices, urbanisation and deforestation," lead author Dr Francisco Sánchez-Bayo, from the University of Sydney, told BBC News.
"Second is the increasing use of fertilisers and pesticides in agriculture worldwide and contamination with chemical pollutants of all kinds. Thirdly, we have biological factors, such as invasive species and pathogens; and fourthly, we have climate change, particularly in tropical areas where it is known to have a big impact."
Some of the highlights of study include the recent, rapid decline of flying insects in Germany, and the massive drop in numbers in tropical forests in Puerto Rico, linked to rising global temperatures.
Other experts say the findings are "gravely sobering".
"It's not just about bees, or even about pollination and feeding ourselves - the declines also include dung beetles that recycle waste and insects like dragonflies that start life in rivers and ponds," said Matt Shardlow from UK campaigners Buglife.
"It is becoming increasingly obvious our planet's ecology is breaking and there is a need for an intense and global effort to halt and reverse these dreadful trends. Allowing the slow eradication of insect life to continue is not a rational option."
Pests on the rise
The authors are concerned about the impact of insect decline up along the food chain. With many species of birds, reptiles and fish depending on insects as their main food source, it's likely that these species may also be wiped out as a result.
While some of our most important insect species are in retreat, the review also finds that a small number of species are likely to be able to adapt to changing conditions and do well.
"Fast-breeding pest insects will probably thrive because of the warmer conditions, because many of their natural enemies, which breed more slowly, will disappear, " said Prof Dave Goulson from the University of Sussex who was not involved in the review.
"It's quite plausible that we might end up with plagues of small numbers of pest insects, but we will lose all the wonderful ones that we want, like bees and hoverflies and butterflies and dung beetles that do a great job of disposing of animal waste."
Prof Goulson said that some tough, adaptable, generalist species - like houseflies and cockroaches - seem to be able to live comfortably in a human-made environment and have evolved resistance to pesticides.
He added that while the overall message was alarming, there were things that people could do, such as making their gardens more insect friendly, not using pesticides and buying organic food.
More research is also badly needed as 99% of the evidence for insect decline comes from Europe and North America with almost nothing from Africa or South America.
Ultimately, if huge numbers of insects disappear, they will be replaced but it will take a long, long time.
"If you look at what happened in the major extinctions of the past, they spawned massive adaptive radiations where the few species that made it through adapted and occupied all the available niches and evolved into new species," Prof Goulson told BBC News.
"So give it a million years and I've no doubt there will be a whole diversity of new creatures that will have popped up to replace the ones wiped out in the 20th and 21st centuries.
Not much consolation for our children, I'm afraid
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-47198576
Good Thoughts Good Words Good Deeds
-
Anthea - Shaswar
- Donator
- Posts: 28447
- Images: 1155
- Joined: Thu Oct 18, 2012 2:13 pm
- Location: Sitting in front of computer
- Highscores: 3
- Arcade winning challenges: 6
- Has thanked: 6019 times
- Been thanked: 729 times
- Nationality: Kurd by heart
Re: Global insect decline may see plague of pests
Author: Anthea » Wed Feb 13, 2019 5:08 pm
Wealthy trophy hunter was allowed to
pay $110,000 to kill beautiful rare animal
Click to enlarge:
Yet another image of a wealthy trophy hunter smiling next to his majestic kill has swept across the internet in recent days. The response was pretty much the same as it was when the story of Cecile the lion became a viral
sensation
This time the hunter was identified as Bryan Kinsel Harlan, founding partner of Benchmark Mortgage. He reportedly paid a record $110,000 to shoot an Astor markhor, a rare species of goat in Pakistan, as part of a conservation program.
At at an apparent news conference last week, Harlan promoted tourism in the area, claiming that “Mexico is more dangerous than Pakistan.” He also talked about how the costly hunting permits help preserve the species.
Harlan said this is “prime example of what happens when a hunter and a village come together with a common understanding of conservation. And as that happens, it reduces the poaching and — something that’s often overlooked — the amount of wages that are brought to that hunt, the amount of food, and the amount of foreign investment.”
While the image went viral
commentators expressed their disgust
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/there ... ARKETWATCH
pay $110,000 to kill beautiful rare animal
Click to enlarge:
Yet another image of a wealthy trophy hunter smiling next to his majestic kill has swept across the internet in recent days. The response was pretty much the same as it was when the story of Cecile the lion became a viral
sensationThis time the hunter was identified as Bryan Kinsel Harlan, founding partner of Benchmark Mortgage. He reportedly paid a record $110,000 to shoot an Astor markhor, a rare species of goat in Pakistan, as part of a conservation program.
At at an apparent news conference last week, Harlan promoted tourism in the area, claiming that “Mexico is more dangerous than Pakistan.” He also talked about how the costly hunting permits help preserve the species.
Harlan said this is “prime example of what happens when a hunter and a village come together with a common understanding of conservation. And as that happens, it reduces the poaching and — something that’s often overlooked — the amount of wages that are brought to that hunt, the amount of food, and the amount of foreign investment.”
While the image went viral
commentators expressed their disgust
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/there ... ARKETWATCH
Good Thoughts Good Words Good Deeds
-
Anthea - Shaswar
- Donator
- Posts: 28447
- Images: 1155
- Joined: Thu Oct 18, 2012 2:13 pm
- Location: Sitting in front of computer
- Highscores: 3
- Arcade winning challenges: 6
- Has thanked: 6019 times
- Been thanked: 729 times
- Nationality: Kurd by heart
Re: Man pays 110,000 US dollar for permit to kill rare goat
Author: Anthea » Wed Feb 13, 2019 5:23 pm
Another US citizen hunts markhor
Click to enlarge:
Such a beautiful animal I wish someone
would shoot Bryan Kinsel Harlan
A third American citizen on Monday hunted the highest-priced markhor during the current hunting season in Sassi village of Gilgit.
According to the Gilgit-Baltistan wildlife department, Bryan Kinsel Harlan successfully hunted a flared-horned markhor from Sassi-Harmosh community conservation area.
The hunter had paid a record 110,000 US dollar as permit fee for hunting of the rare wildlife species in the region.
This is the highest permit fee ever offered in the country.
The foreign hunter managed to hunt a 41-inch markhor trophy, which is considered a good-sized trophy.
“It was an easy and close shot and I am pleased to take this trophy,” said the US hunter.
On Jan 21, another US citizen Dianda Christopher Anthony had hunted the highest-rated Astore Markhor after paying 105,000 US dollars.
On Jan 16, yet another American, John Amistoso, had hunted the Astore Markhor in the community-controlled Bunji area of Gilgit, paying the 100,000 US dollars permit fee.
So far, about 50 wildlife animals have been hunted by foreigners and national hunters in GB under trophy hunting season 2018-19.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1461958/anoth ... ts-markhor
Click to enlarge:
Such a beautiful animal I wish someone
would shoot Bryan Kinsel Harlan
A third American citizen on Monday hunted the highest-priced markhor during the current hunting season in Sassi village of Gilgit.
According to the Gilgit-Baltistan wildlife department, Bryan Kinsel Harlan successfully hunted a flared-horned markhor from Sassi-Harmosh community conservation area.
The hunter had paid a record 110,000 US dollar as permit fee for hunting of the rare wildlife species in the region.
This is the highest permit fee ever offered in the country.
The foreign hunter managed to hunt a 41-inch markhor trophy, which is considered a good-sized trophy.
“It was an easy and close shot and I am pleased to take this trophy,” said the US hunter.
On Jan 21, another US citizen Dianda Christopher Anthony had hunted the highest-rated Astore Markhor after paying 105,000 US dollars.
On Jan 16, yet another American, John Amistoso, had hunted the Astore Markhor in the community-controlled Bunji area of Gilgit, paying the 100,000 US dollars permit fee.
So far, about 50 wildlife animals have been hunted by foreigners and national hunters in GB under trophy hunting season 2018-19.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1461958/anoth ... ts-markhor
Good Thoughts Good Words Good Deeds
-
Anthea - Shaswar
- Donator
- Posts: 28447
- Images: 1155
- Joined: Thu Oct 18, 2012 2:13 pm
- Location: Sitting in front of computer
- Highscores: 3
- Arcade winning challenges: 6
- Has thanked: 6019 times
- Been thanked: 729 times
- Nationality: Kurd by heart
Re: Man pays 110,000 US dollar for permit to kill rare goat
Author: Piling » Wed Feb 13, 2019 6:59 pm
Rich people are genuine bastards.
-
Piling - Shaswar
- Donator
- Posts: 8375
- Images: 80
- Joined: Sat Apr 09, 2005 11:57 am
- Location: France
- Highscores: 2
- Arcade winning challenges: 3
- Has thanked: 280 times
- Been thanked: 3047 times
- Nationality: European
Re: Man pays 110,000 US dollar for permit to kill rare goat
Author: Anthea » Thu Feb 14, 2019 6:03 pm
I skip school to demand climate change action
A planned protest on Friday will see schoolchildren across the UK walk out of their lessons to demand action over climate change. We have been to meet some of the teenagers looking to take control of their futures
Every Friday morning, 13-year-old Holly Gillibrand, from Fort William, skips school for an hour.
She says the "sacrifice", as she describes it, is "a small price to pay for standing up for our planet".
"If you get a detention, that's nothing to how we will suffer in future if nothing is done," she tells the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme.
"I want to get Scottish leaders to take climate change seriously and [know] that they're destroying my future."
Holly is part of a much wider global movement, known as Schools 4 Climate Action.
It began with 15-year-old Swede Greta Thunberg skipping class to sit outside government buildings in September, accusing her country of not following the Paris Climate Agreement.
Since then, tens of thousands of children across Belgium, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland and Australia have been inspired to hold their own demonstrations.
And now for the first time a coordinated protest is happening across the UK, with pupils taking to the streets in more than 30 cities and towns.
For Holly, it is just an extension of her weekly protest - which began six weeks ago.
She and a small group of supporters, including other local pupils, carry placards with slogans such as "School strike for the climate," "End the ignorance," and "There is no planet B," outside her secondary school, at the foot of Ben Nevis.
The government says it is for individual schools to decide what to do about pupils walking out on Friday but stresses that term-time leave should be given in exceptional circumstances only.
Lessons are compulsory, but Holly insists skipping class is a necessary step.
"The very point about missing school is that it makes people realise it's important and we're willing to sacrifice an hour of education a week," she says.
Her mother, Kate Willis, denies any suggestion the campaign could be promoting truancy.
"What they're doing at the moment shows they are educated and aware," she says.
"It's going to get to the stage [with the repercussions of climate change] where education doesn't matter."
Repeated warnings
Scientists have issued repeated warnings that rising global temperatures risk significant and dangerous changes to our world and that urgent, large-scale action from governments is required.
A special report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) last year said the target of keeping the global temperature rise under 1.5C was now completely off track, and heading instead towards 3C - but that the window of opportunity remained open.
In Lancaster, Rosie Mills successfully campaigned to get her local council to declare a "climate emergency", after gathering more than 1,000 signatures for her petition - all while studying for her A-levels.
It means under-18s will now be part of the decision-making process in dealing with climate change, looking at ways for the city to eventually produce no carbon at all.
"This is our future we're talking about," she says. "We can all do something, because small things do add up."
Local environmental concerns are a priority, Rosie says, following severe flooding in the region in recent years.
"I'm worried about many things, especially in my local area, because Lancaster is a coastal area," she says.
"Three years ago, we had an awful storm, Storm Desmond, which absolutely devastated the area.
"There was mass flooding all around and it was repeated again two years later, in 2017."
Rosie tries to live a sustainable lifestyle and wants to encourage others to do the same.
But for Holly, it should never have reached the point where children have to consider missing part of their education to take a stand.
"Thousands of students around the world shouldn't have to strike off school to make our voices heard," she says.
"Our world shouldn't have to have conservation, because our planet should be being respected and preserved."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-47224827
A planned protest on Friday will see schoolchildren across the UK walk out of their lessons to demand action over climate change. We have been to meet some of the teenagers looking to take control of their futures
Every Friday morning, 13-year-old Holly Gillibrand, from Fort William, skips school for an hour.
She says the "sacrifice", as she describes it, is "a small price to pay for standing up for our planet".
"If you get a detention, that's nothing to how we will suffer in future if nothing is done," she tells the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme.
"I want to get Scottish leaders to take climate change seriously and [know] that they're destroying my future."
Holly is part of a much wider global movement, known as Schools 4 Climate Action.
It began with 15-year-old Swede Greta Thunberg skipping class to sit outside government buildings in September, accusing her country of not following the Paris Climate Agreement.
Since then, tens of thousands of children across Belgium, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland and Australia have been inspired to hold their own demonstrations.
And now for the first time a coordinated protest is happening across the UK, with pupils taking to the streets in more than 30 cities and towns.
For Holly, it is just an extension of her weekly protest - which began six weeks ago.
She and a small group of supporters, including other local pupils, carry placards with slogans such as "School strike for the climate," "End the ignorance," and "There is no planet B," outside her secondary school, at the foot of Ben Nevis.
The government says it is for individual schools to decide what to do about pupils walking out on Friday but stresses that term-time leave should be given in exceptional circumstances only.
Lessons are compulsory, but Holly insists skipping class is a necessary step.
"The very point about missing school is that it makes people realise it's important and we're willing to sacrifice an hour of education a week," she says.
Her mother, Kate Willis, denies any suggestion the campaign could be promoting truancy.
"What they're doing at the moment shows they are educated and aware," she says.
"It's going to get to the stage [with the repercussions of climate change] where education doesn't matter."
Repeated warnings
Scientists have issued repeated warnings that rising global temperatures risk significant and dangerous changes to our world and that urgent, large-scale action from governments is required.
A special report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) last year said the target of keeping the global temperature rise under 1.5C was now completely off track, and heading instead towards 3C - but that the window of opportunity remained open.
In Lancaster, Rosie Mills successfully campaigned to get her local council to declare a "climate emergency", after gathering more than 1,000 signatures for her petition - all while studying for her A-levels.
It means under-18s will now be part of the decision-making process in dealing with climate change, looking at ways for the city to eventually produce no carbon at all.
"This is our future we're talking about," she says. "We can all do something, because small things do add up."
Local environmental concerns are a priority, Rosie says, following severe flooding in the region in recent years.
"I'm worried about many things, especially in my local area, because Lancaster is a coastal area," she says.
"Three years ago, we had an awful storm, Storm Desmond, which absolutely devastated the area.
"There was mass flooding all around and it was repeated again two years later, in 2017."
Rosie tries to live a sustainable lifestyle and wants to encourage others to do the same.
But for Holly, it should never have reached the point where children have to consider missing part of their education to take a stand.
"Thousands of students around the world shouldn't have to strike off school to make our voices heard," she says.
"Our world shouldn't have to have conservation, because our planet should be being respected and preserved."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-47224827
Good Thoughts Good Words Good Deeds
-
Anthea - Shaswar
- Donator
- Posts: 28447
- Images: 1155
- Joined: Thu Oct 18, 2012 2:13 pm
- Location: Sitting in front of computer
- Highscores: 3
- Arcade winning challenges: 6
- Has thanked: 6019 times
- Been thanked: 729 times
- Nationality: Kurd by heart
Re: Children act over climate change - Hunter killed rare go
Author: Anthea » Thu Feb 14, 2019 10:26 pm
Paying tribute to the nation's forests
Britons are being urged to pay tribute to the nation's forests by writing a poem, letter or story
The poet laureate, Carol Ann Duffy, is leading the way with a newly commissioned poem, which explores relationships between trees and humanity.
Forests have inspired generations of British writers, including Shakespeare, who used woodland settings in many of his plays.
More than 10% of the UK is wooded - not much compared to amount concentrated over
The poem, Forest, was commissioned by the Forestry Commission, which is marking its centenary this year.
In it, Duffy, who steps down this year, looks at the theme of time.
"The forest keeps different time; slow hours as long as your life, so you feel human," she writes. "So you feel more human; persuaded what you are by wordless breath of wood, reason in resin."
PK Khaira-Creswell, director of the centenary programme, said the poem was a celebration of trees and forests everywhere, recognising their vitality and worth.
"I hope, having read the poem, people will be inspired to get outside and explore their local forest and share those magical experiences with us in writing," she said.
The Forestry Commission manages more than 1,500 forests and woodlands across England for recreation, wildlife and timber.
The commission hopes to gather a diverse collection of letters, poems, stories and memories, which will be exhibited online and shared at special tree-planting events across the country.
Link to Article - Photo - Video:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-47229008
Britons are being urged to pay tribute to the nation's forests by writing a poem, letter or story
The poet laureate, Carol Ann Duffy, is leading the way with a newly commissioned poem, which explores relationships between trees and humanity.
Forests have inspired generations of British writers, including Shakespeare, who used woodland settings in many of his plays.
More than 10% of the UK is wooded - not much compared to amount concentrated over
The poem, Forest, was commissioned by the Forestry Commission, which is marking its centenary this year.
In it, Duffy, who steps down this year, looks at the theme of time.
"The forest keeps different time; slow hours as long as your life, so you feel human," she writes. "So you feel more human; persuaded what you are by wordless breath of wood, reason in resin."
PK Khaira-Creswell, director of the centenary programme, said the poem was a celebration of trees and forests everywhere, recognising their vitality and worth.
"I hope, having read the poem, people will be inspired to get outside and explore their local forest and share those magical experiences with us in writing," she said.
The Forestry Commission manages more than 1,500 forests and woodlands across England for recreation, wildlife and timber.
The commission hopes to gather a diverse collection of letters, poems, stories and memories, which will be exhibited online and shared at special tree-planting events across the country.
Link to Article - Photo - Video:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-47229008
Good Thoughts Good Words Good Deeds
-
Anthea - Shaswar
- Donator
- Posts: 28447
- Images: 1155
- Joined: Thu Oct 18, 2012 2:13 pm
- Location: Sitting in front of computer
- Highscores: 3
- Arcade winning challenges: 6
- Has thanked: 6019 times
- Been thanked: 729 times
- Nationality: Kurd by heart
Re: Children act over climate change - Hunter killed rare go
Author: Anthea » Fri Feb 15, 2019 10:29 pm
Thousands of school students skipped classes today to demand governments take action on climate change
Strikes took place in 60 towns and cities across the country from Cornwall to the Scottish Highlands, in the face of "an alarming lack of Government leadership" on climate change.
In London, hundreds of eco-aware children, many in uniform, descended on Parliament Square for the unprecedented walk-out, which has caused a headache for teachers keen to support the cause but unable to condone authorised absenteeism.
While it would usually incur a £60 fine, parents at some schools indicated teachers will turn a blind eye.
The movement was inspired by Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg, who protests every Friday outside her country’s parliament to urge leaders to tackle climate change.
Today’s action was organised by the Youth Strike 4 Climate group, aimed at drawing attention to “an alarming lack of government leadership” on climate change.
Hannah-Jane Kenton, 11, from Hitchin Girls’ School in Hertfordshire, was among the first to arrive outside Parliament this morning.
She said: “We need to do this. The leaders are all wasting time arguing over Brexit when they could be discussing important things … our world is dying, they are not listening.”
Cyrus Jarvis, 15, from London Academy said: “We want the next generation to have a future. We’re coming down here to get that change now.
“We want the politicians to actually listen to the scientists and young people. Climate change isn’t reversible so we need to act now.”
At Streatham and Clapham High School, a member of the Girls’ Day School Trust, the children wrote to local MP Dr Rosena Allin-Khan calling for action.
Amelia Semple, 12, said: “We are the generation who has to make the change.”
Lottie Gill, 17, added: “I think a lot of people are quite naive about it. It’s important to keep the issue going. It shouldn’t just be one day in school. It should be every day.”
Deputy head teacher Gill Cross, said if it was up to her they would all be protesting, but added: “Clearly educating is incredibly important, and the more educated they are, the more able they are to change things like this.”
Outside Cambridgeshire County Council’s offices in Cambridge students carried banners bearing slogans including “there is no planet B,” “global warming isn’t a prediction - it’s happening” and “when did children become the adults?”.
One protester stood on the steps of the council's building with a megaphone and led chants of 'whose future? Our future' and 'hey, ho, fossil fuels have got to go'.
Jasper Giles, a six-year-old pupil at University of Cambridge Primary School, was at the protest with his mother Alissia Roberts.
His mother said: "I think it's worth taking a day off school to show support for this movement. I think it's really important and it will gather momentum."
Maria Boznikoba, 40, attended with her eight-year-old daughter Gwen who is home-schooled.
Link to Full Article - Videos - Lots of Photos:
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/thou ... 67971.html
Strikes took place in 60 towns and cities across the country from Cornwall to the Scottish Highlands, in the face of "an alarming lack of Government leadership" on climate change.
In London, hundreds of eco-aware children, many in uniform, descended on Parliament Square for the unprecedented walk-out, which has caused a headache for teachers keen to support the cause but unable to condone authorised absenteeism.
While it would usually incur a £60 fine, parents at some schools indicated teachers will turn a blind eye.
The movement was inspired by Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg, who protests every Friday outside her country’s parliament to urge leaders to tackle climate change.
Today’s action was organised by the Youth Strike 4 Climate group, aimed at drawing attention to “an alarming lack of government leadership” on climate change.
Hannah-Jane Kenton, 11, from Hitchin Girls’ School in Hertfordshire, was among the first to arrive outside Parliament this morning.
She said: “We need to do this. The leaders are all wasting time arguing over Brexit when they could be discussing important things … our world is dying, they are not listening.”
Cyrus Jarvis, 15, from London Academy said: “We want the next generation to have a future. We’re coming down here to get that change now.
“We want the politicians to actually listen to the scientists and young people. Climate change isn’t reversible so we need to act now.”
At Streatham and Clapham High School, a member of the Girls’ Day School Trust, the children wrote to local MP Dr Rosena Allin-Khan calling for action.
Amelia Semple, 12, said: “We are the generation who has to make the change.”
Lottie Gill, 17, added: “I think a lot of people are quite naive about it. It’s important to keep the issue going. It shouldn’t just be one day in school. It should be every day.”
Deputy head teacher Gill Cross, said if it was up to her they would all be protesting, but added: “Clearly educating is incredibly important, and the more educated they are, the more able they are to change things like this.”
Outside Cambridgeshire County Council’s offices in Cambridge students carried banners bearing slogans including “there is no planet B,” “global warming isn’t a prediction - it’s happening” and “when did children become the adults?”.
One protester stood on the steps of the council's building with a megaphone and led chants of 'whose future? Our future' and 'hey, ho, fossil fuels have got to go'.
Jasper Giles, a six-year-old pupil at University of Cambridge Primary School, was at the protest with his mother Alissia Roberts.
His mother said: "I think it's worth taking a day off school to show support for this movement. I think it's really important and it will gather momentum."
Maria Boznikoba, 40, attended with her eight-year-old daughter Gwen who is home-schooled.
Link to Full Article - Videos - Lots of Photos:
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/thou ... 67971.html
Good Thoughts Good Words Good Deeds
-
Anthea - Shaswar
- Donator
- Posts: 28447
- Images: 1155
- Joined: Thu Oct 18, 2012 2:13 pm
- Location: Sitting in front of computer
- Highscores: 3
- Arcade winning challenges: 6
- Has thanked: 6019 times
- Been thanked: 729 times
- Nationality: Kurd by heart
Who is online
Registered users: No registered users