The biggest climate change policy bill in United State’s history is about to pass this week as the Biden administration makes the final touches to the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. This bill will support initiatives such as solar power infrastructure and boosting the adoption of electric cars.
In the News: Flamingos and Global Warming
Flamingo Fig. 1
The signs of global warming are everywhere.
The connection between climate change and extreme weather events like the cyclone that hit the coast of East Pakistan in 1970 is becoming clearer as science advances in this area, though at the time of the storm it almost certainly wasn’t considered. How do you see climate change fitting into the story you’re telling in this book?
Check out this article highlighting the connection between animal conservation and climate change!
In the News: Chemical Recycling Bills Gain Momentum and Opposition in States
Many State are searching for a way to combat their plastic waste issues. Unfortunately, instead of accepting the truth that in order to combat the issue of plastic waste, we, as a society need to make less plastic waste, many of these states are trying to up their general recycling practices. As we know, only around 6% of the 250+ million tons of plastic waste produced is recycled. These new recycling methods sound like a good shift but the truth is that they may require a huge amount of energy, escalating the over all issue of greenhouse gases. According to an expert quoted by Bloomberg Law:
“Advanced recycling sounds like a good thing, but what we found is advanced recycling is really advanced pollution,” NRDC’s Singla said.
In the News: Aerial Photos Exposed Illegal Mining
Check out this article regarding the contamination of the water supply for several communities by an old, illegal mining operation.
After suffering years of contamination, locals finally sued Pegasus Gold under the Clean Water Act and came away with a $36 million settlement in 1996. However, that doesn’t go far when water has to be treated in perpetuity. The water sources for Fort Belknap are still threatened by acid mine drainage, but currently the tribes’ funding for water treatment lasts only until 2028.
In the News: International News - The Po River Dries Up
The Po river is responsible for supporting Italy’s food and energy resources. The river has been steadily drying up and the impact can already be felt around the country and beyond.
In the News: New Wheat to Survive the Heat
Scientist are racing against time to produce a strain of wheat that will survive the coming drought and substantially more challenging weather climate change is bringing. Wheat is one of the most vital, staple plants we consume around the world. Right now, we are going back to the roots of wheat development to find sturdy strains that were bred out of use because of commercialization.
In the News: Florida Sea Levels Rise Threateningly
Sea levels have been creeping up for a while but this year, the melting of the ice sheets in Greenland have accelerated that rise dramatically. Experts believe that at this rate the sea level will rise another foot over the next decade. This will have irreversible consequences for the wildlife and residents of Florida.
In the News: Coke & Pepsi Try to Set the Bar for Their Reusable Alternatives
In the News: The Real Animal Crossing
It’s no surprise that Southern California is home to a healthy chuck of the US’s unique animal populations. For this reason, it is amazing to see the completion of the world’s largest wildlife crossing overpass. The crossing will span 10 lanes of L.A. highway and will clear the was for hundreds of different species to safely expand their territory.
In the News: Cows and Space
Fig. 1 - Images Taken by GHG Sat. Methane from Cow Farm
For the first time we have actually clocked methane from cows from space. A satellite pinpointed a farm 10 km outside of Bakersfield, CA. This is a big \step up in pinpointing the exact source of cow-originating methane. Check out the full article here!
In the News: Impossible Promises?
New Zealand has held a hard line when it comes to GMO products and foods in the past. They have remained unwilling to even consider allowing GMO brands to take up space in their market place. This week, they highlight potential “greenwashing” by impossible burgers who has sidestepped stating that they are a GMO-soy based producers.
In the News: Huge Gas Pipeline Leak in Texas
BNN Bloomberg featured an article this morning about a major Methane gas leak in Texas. A gas line operated by Energy Transfer LP released emissions equivalent to that of 16,000 cars over the course of a year. An estimated 900 metric tons of methane that will trapped the same amount of heat as 75,600 tons of carbon dioxide over the course of two decades.
In the News: Removing microplastics with Okra
Researchers have discovered that there may be a number of plants that are effective in removing microplastics. The most effective one they’ve found so far is Okra. An extract from Okra might be able to replace the chemicals currently used to bind microplastics together and extract them from waste water.
In the News: Extreme Weather and Climate Change recognition correlate
This week on CNN, Rachel Ramirez and Bill Weir reported on a growing trend where Americans are starting to recognize that global warming and climate change might be the reason we are experiencing an increased amount of extreme weather. This may seem like common sense to some, but this has really been a gradual acceptance as we talk more and more about the effects of climate change. Now, we just need all Americans to understand that WE, as human beings, particularly with the burning of fossil fuels, are causing global warming.
One of the most apparent changes is the water level of many water reservoirs and lakes such as Lake Powell. The article highlights how Powell has dropped 100 feet in the last two years alone. Now, the water level’s ability to bounce back due to snow melt is only supposed to be 10 to 20 feet.
In the News: Insuring Farmers despite poor choices
An overview of the farming insurance arena shows that hundreds of millions of dollars are being spent to insure crops even when no effort to plant using the best available practices was taken. The payouts for flood and drought have risen 3 to 4 times proportionately and Environmental leaders are not sure it’s helping the farming industry. Instead, it is encouraging waste and taking funds away from climate change mitigating programs.
In the News: Burger King joins the group of international restaurants banning PFAS
Bugger King joins Popeyes and Tim Hortons in their move to phase out all PFAS contained in packaging. As more and more legislation trickles down, we expect that Burger King will not be the last major chain to make the shift to safer food packaging before they are required to do so.
In the News: GMO Mosquitoes to be released in Cali and Florida.
A UK company called Oxitec has received approval from the EPA to released 2 -4 billion mosquitos in Florid and California with the proposed benefit of reducing the native mosquito population by breeding with them. The genetically modified material would kill off the female mosquitos which are the one that bite humans and thus spread disease. This sounds almost too good to be true and maybe it is. Apparently, there is a chance that instead of killing off the female population, the GMO mosquitos will create a hybrid mosquito that will be even harder to eradicate. There’s even more evidence to suggest that this experimental approach simply won’t work. Plus, the problem this is being suggested as a solution for is almost nonexistent.
In the News: Gas Company Windfall Prompts Pushback
With the war in Ukraine, major US oil and gas companies are set to make an aditional profit of anywhere from 37 to 126 billion dollars. This is sparking some pushback and Greenpeace is even extending that pushback opportunity to the community.
Resources:
https://priceofoil.org/2022/03/29/us-oil-and-gas-companies-set-to-make-tens-of-billions-more-from-wartime-oil-prices-in-2022/
https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/news/u-s-oil-and-gas-companies-set-to-make-tens-of-billions-more-from-wartime-oil-prices-in-2022/
In the News: Maine, a snapshot of the PFAs crisis
Main is giving the whole country an idea of what the PFAS crisis can look like when it takes an agricultural community by surprise. They are also a good example of how to handle the news that you are dealing with years and years of contaminated homes and crops.
In the News: Drug for Pigs Causes Cancer and is Under Review
Carbadox is a common drug used to treat swine but it’s also thought to be responsible for causing cancer. It was under investigation during the Obama administration but that review stalled out despite the drug being banned in Canada, Austrailia and the EU. That review has been picked up this week and The Counter has the details.
