Saturday the Guardian published a call to action by the author of the new book, We are the Weather: Saving the Planet Begins at Breakfast: [W]e cannot save the planet unless we significantly reduce our consumption of animal products. This is not my opinion, or anyone’s opinion. It is the inconvenient science. Animal agriculture produces more greenhouse gas emissions than the…
Tag: Agriculture
When did humans start altering Earth?
The ArchaeoGlobe Project assessed knowledge on human land use over the past 10,000 years, through the contributions of more than 200 archaeologists. It concluded that, by 3,000 years ago, most of Earth was already transformed by hunter-gatherers, farmers and pastoralists. Source: https://earthsky.org/human-world/when-humans-start-altering-planet-earth-anthropocene…
EPA To Roll Back Regulations On Methane, a Potent Greenhouse Gas
An anonymous reader quotes a report from The New York Times: The Trump administration laid out on Thursday a far-reaching plan to cut back on the regulation of methane emissions, a major contributor to climate change. The Environmental Protection Agency ,in its proposed rule, aims to eliminate federal requirements that oil and gas companies install technology to detect and fix methane…
Why the Amazon is burning: 4 reasons
Nearly 40,000 fires are incinerating Brazil’s Amazon rainforest. Apocalyptic as this sounds, science suggests it’s not too late to save the Amazon. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/amazon-rainforest-fires-burning-4-reasons-why…
Insect ‘Apocalypse’ in US Driven by 50x Increase in Toxic Pesticides
America’s agricultural landscape is now 48 times more toxic to honeybees, and likely other insects, than it was 25 years ago, almost entirely due to widespread use of so-called neonicotinoid pesticides, according to a new study published this month in the journal PLOS One. From a report: This enormous rise in toxicity matches the sharp declines in bees, butterflies, and other…
The Banana Is One Step Closer To Disappearing
An anonymous reader quotes a report from National Geographic: A fungus that has wreaked havoc on banana plantations in the Eastern Hemisphere has, despite years of preventative efforts, arrived in the Americas. ICA, the Colombian agriculture and livestock authority, confirmed on Thursday that laboratory tests have positively identified the presence of so-called Panama disease Tropical Race 4 on banana farms in…
Himalayan glaciers melting double fast since 2000
A new study, which used declassified images from spy satellites, shows that glaciers in the Himalayas melted twice as fast from 2000 to 2016 as they did from 1975 to 2000. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/himalayan-glaciers-melting-double-fast-since-2000…
India is Staring at a Water Apocalypse
A combination of climate change, bad policies and political apathy is steadily pushing India into a catastrophic water crisis that threatens stability in South Asia. From a report: Recent studies document that glaciers feeding the Indian subcontinent’s rivers will recede rapidly, while rapid ground water depletion poses an existential challenge to agriculture. The southwest monsoons remain the biggest source of water…
US Beekeepers Lost 40 Percent of Honeybee Colonies Over Past Year, Survey Finds
Beekeepers across the U.S. lost four in 10 of their honeybee colonies over the past year, as the worst winter on record for tracked bee populations raised fresh concerns over the plight of the crucial pollinators. The Guardian reports: Over the past winter, 37% of honeybee colonies were lost to beekeepers, the worst winter decline recorded in the 13-year history of…
Turning CO2 into animal feed could make it greener for us to eat meat
A start-up is converting carbon dioxide into high-protein animal food, with the hope of eventually denting the environmental impact of agriculture Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2203968-turning-co2-into-animal-feed-could-make-it-greener-for-us-to-eat-meat/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…