Source: BC Local News

The provincial government in British Columbia has chosen to suspend the logging of an old-growth forest at the Fairy Creek watershed, in response to months of civil protesting and outcries from local Indigenous communities.

The protests to defend Fairy Creek started earlier in the summer when protesters in Port Renfrew started blockading natural areas set to be destroyed by the B.C. Timer Sales (BCTS) logging group. The group received approval from the provincial government, even though their plans did not meet the standards/regulations of environmental laws in the area. This development also encroached on the territories owned by Indigenous groups, such as the Pacheedaht First Nation community.

Many people have been arrested after peacefully protesting and this has further fueled the movement to protect this rare rainforest. The government has responded by stopping all activities in the area for two years and conceding to Indigenous communities who have requested that the forest (and its defenders) be saved.

Premier John Horgan made the decision this week and called it a “transformational moment” for the government as it allowed aboriginal groups to influence forestry activities in the province. During the next two years, the three indigenous groups in the area are asked to develop resource plans for the forest, after which a decision on logging will be made.

Although this does not remediate the damage done by the RCMP to protestors and the indigenous communities in the area, it is certainly a step in the right direction. 

An Ounce of Prevention is Worth $5 Trillion Cures 

Source: Columbia Climate School

The cost of inaction on climate change will cost the G7 countries twice as much as was lost to GDP due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

A new study conducted by Oxfam and the Swiss Re Institute projects that the costs of climate change inaction by the G7 countries will cost them $5Trillion by 2050.

According to the study, the G7 countries experienced a 4.2% contraction in GDP due to the pandemic’s impacts on economies and economic models, resulting in staggering job losses and devastation to small businesses. And the study notes that while there will be an ability to ‘bounce back from the pandemic’s lingering (yet one-off) effects, thanks in no small part to government stimulus, the failure to address the obvious and growing impacts of climate change today will cause devastating impacts in the near-term future AND we will not have the economic bandwidth to throw more stimulus dollars at a rolling and escalating series of crisis.

As the study’s title – The economics of climate change: no action not an option – suggests, the costs of doing nothing will greatly outweigh the cost of meaningful yet expensive mitigation and adaptation. 

“The world stands to lose close to 10% of total economic value by mid-century if climate change stays on the currently-anticipated trajectory, and the Paris Agreement and 2050 net-zero emissions targets are not met.”

And remember, Swiss Re is one the world’s largest reinsurance companies, a foundational pillar of our global economy by underwriting the policies of the largest insurers. If Swiss Re is telling us that we need to move from words to IMMEDIATE ACTION, we should be listening and acting.

The UN’s New Report Published, More Action is Needed to Stop Climate Change

Source: Yahoo News

A new report published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPPC) and the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IBES), both groups that are founded by the United Nations (UN), suggests that internationally there has been a lack of effort to battle climate change.

The research group suggested that “narrowly-focused actions” adopted by governmental institutions globally, might not actually combat climate change. In fact, such policies might directly or indirectly harm nature (or allow nature to cause undue harm) in the process. However, certain tasks and measures (if adopted by nations worldwide) can have an extremely positive effect on nature and ecosystems in any area. Some of which include:

• Halting activities that cause the loss of carbon storages and biodiverse land or ocean ecosystems: This mentions that reducing deforestation and forest degradation can aid in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This is incumbent on the fact these forested ecosystems are carbon stores. Moreover, deep water ecosystems that are affected by marine activities, such as fishing and oil spills, also are carbon-rich habitats. Thus these activities should be reduced
• Restoring carbon depots and ecosystems
•  Increasing sustainable agriculture and forestry practices: This includes adopting crop diversification, agroforestry, and agroecology.
• Planting trees in various locations: This includes areas that have not been forests before and especially abandoned monoculture sites.

 Lack of Calcium in The Water is Killing Our Coral Reefs

Source: MSN

An article published this week suggests that global coral reef ecosystems are decreasing in productivity due to chemical changes in marine ecosystems. It is important to note, that the chemical quality this study looked at specifically about reef productivity, was the amount of calcium in the water. The issue then became declining calcification in reefs—the accumulation of calcium in an organism.

Long-term coral reef resilience often depends on their capability to maintain positive calcification rates. However, an analysis of global marine ecosystems shows that calcium is decreasing in oceans, thus inhibiting this in crucial coral reef areas. Moreover, current and future degradation of coral reef covers will likely intensify this problem.

Specifically, coral reefs are crucial in maintaining healthy carbon levels in the water and the current decline of these reefs is causing an increase in carbonate in the ocean. Subsequently, the remaining reefs will have to increase the amount of their calcification to accommodate for this additional carbon, however, this will not be possible as calcium is running in short supply.

This metabolic shift in coral reefs speaks volumes on how human activities, such as agricultural runoff and oil spills, have negatively affected natural systems and likely will cause permanent damage if not reduced immediately. 

Green but Bland?

Source: Teen Vogue

Perhaps the key to engaging with youthful citizens outside the current ‘big green tent’ is to stop selling the ‘kale’ and start selling the sizzle.

A recent op-ed in Teen Vogue starts with an interesting headline: 

“The Mainstream Climate Change Movement Needs To Get More Creative”

This op-ed argues that the broader climate movement needs to catch up with Gen Z’s creativity.

The author, a young woman who grew up in the Philippines with typhoons at her doorsteps, states the obvious to anyone who has watched the explosion of social media platforms and impacts:

“We as young people are using our voices in creative ways to talk about climate change and demand action. We know that creativity and culture can get us closer to the truth about what our future might look like and help bring the world along with us.”

The first rule in Communications is to ‘know thy audience’ and ‘speak thy language’ if you want to get your message across. Not only do we want as much engagement as possible from young people at as early an age as possible – but we also know that the harshest costs of the climate emergency will play out during the lifespans of that generation. Thus this pertinent message:

Imagine if we shared the latest science through comic books, short stories, or virtual games instead of PDFs and newspaper-long reads. The vast majority of the world doesn’t speak English as a first language, and most of what’s written about the climate crisis right now is written in academic, fancy English. Making climate activism accessible is about making sure that everyone can understand it, no matter their level of education or English proficiency.

A world of problems requires a world of creative solutions. Thinking our way out of the problems – be it overcoming the inertia or ideating the innovation – is the key to our optimal experience navigating the climate crisis. And the author is 100% correct that new approaches by new generations will provide us with the best chance of success.

The post The WTF: The Week This Friday Vol. 52 appeared first on A\J.

What is the main reason for this decline and rapid movement towards the extinction of the Right Whale? The answer is simple, fishing lines. However, a solution is not as straightforward, as it is shrouded in the interests of many different people who must collectively determine the fate of these animals–whether it be extinction or restoration. 

This is explored in the new documentary Entangled directed by David Abel, a reporter at the Boston Globe and a previous Pulitzer-prize winner. The movie will “dive deep” into the history and current status of the North Atlantic right whale, a species on the brink of extinction. It will also explore the collision between fisheries (particularly the North American lobster industry), environmental activists, and American and Canadian governmental institutions in the save the whales movement. 

We were able to speak with David Abel about the upcoming film and its purpose.

“I think the film has already raised awareness about the threat to North Atlantic Right Whales and the impact we, as human beings are having on them. Particularly, the threat of entanglements.” He stated. 

Abel added that this film is already the motivating factor for many conservation efforts, such as the release of a biological opinion on the status of right whales by the U.S. federal government. Additionally, Abel thought it important that this film, in pressing for the protection of this whale species, also gave everyone (regardless of their position in the save the whales movement) a chance to speak on the issue.

“My goal was to present, in as much nuance as possible, the different points of view on each side of the debate. There are just so many different perspectives.”

This debate, Abel added was complex as it divided the central groups amongst themselves; there are pro-whale and anti-whale fishers, conservations who want to ban all fishing lines and those who believe that some should remain for the fishing industry, and politicians who land on either side of the movement to save the right whales. 

“My hope is by portraying the conflicts in as human terms as possible, with as many facts as possible, with empathy for all the different sides, that there will be a recognition that we need to balance these important interests to reach an actual resolution on saving the whales,” Abel stated.

Abel explained that the North Atlantic right whale has seen its population collapse by over 25% in a decade, because of human activity, and something must be done to stop this. He wanted the film to allow everyone (including the industry) to understand that this is not a “fictitious threat”. However, Abel also wanted to detail how important the lobster fishery business was to many people and to the economy. And how this was being impacted by climate change, such that fishing was chasing lobsters deeper into cooler parts of the ocean and colliding with the whale populations. 

Of course, the film’s focus was also to showcase the brutality of the right whale’s extinction and, as Abel stated, “did not sanitize” the vicious way in which these animals died. Tied up in fishing lines that cut deep, drowning from them, and finally washed up on the shore. There was no way to ignore the fact that these deaths were happening and the documentary wanted audiences to be incumbent of that information. And hopefully, these audiences might take the emotions felt by watching these mortalities to act in saving these magnificent animals. Abel added,

“The UN actually estimated that by the end of this century, we are likely to lose as many as a million species. I was blown away by that statistic…how do you even begin to convey something like that? I thought if you could tell the story of one species in this large that people could empathize with, that would be the story of the right whale.” 

Abel concluded the conversation with one of his favorite lines from the documentary,

“If you can’t save a great whale from extinction, what can you save?” 

———-

The film Entangled will be released in select Canadian markets on June 18, 2021, and will expand nationally on July 2, 2021, in collaboration with the Sherry Media Group. This film will be launched as the premiere of the second season in the IMPACT SERIES–an original film and speaker series focused on educating and connecting consumers to take action in solving social and environmental issues.

Keep a lookout on the below social media platforms so that you can be the first to watch Entangled and the other incredible films in the Impact series! 

Connect to The Impact Series:

Facebook: The Impact Series 

Twitter: @iACTseries 

Instagram: @TheImpactSeries

The post The Battle for Right Whales – Watch Entangled in Season 2 of The Impact Series appeared first on A\J.

Source: The Independent

A ship currently sinking off the coast of Sri Lanka, containing a couple of hundred tonnes of oil, is expected to cause massive amounts of environmental damage. The vessel, named MV X-Press Pearl, had already been burning for 12 days (due to a nitric acid leak) when it suddenly starting sinking on Wednesday close to Sri Lanka’s main shipping port.

There have been efforts to remove the ship and bring it into deeper waters, however, this quickly failed as the vessel became lodged into the seabed. The fear for the environmental consequences from this ship sinking is extreme and, as other media and experts have stated, might possibly be “the country’s (Sri Lanka) worst-ever man-made environmental disaster”.

This entire situation might have been avoided, had the crew of the ship and the management chose to not set sail when they first became aware of the leak in the vessel, prior to the actual burn event.

The greatest threat this ship poses is not the chemical cargo it was carrying as this was burned away during the fire, but rather a massive oil leak into marine ecosystems. Additionally, the ship’s deterioration has already released debris (including tons of deadly plastic pellets) into the ocean, which will likely cause immense damage permanently to surrounding marine life.

Currently, the Sri Lankan government is monitoring the ship for any signs of oil pollution and is supported in the endeavor to remove the spill by India, which has sent three ships of their own for assistance. Although, the government is still not sure about the true environmental damage of such an event, which now could be an international matter. 

Two Species of Pygmy Monkey (Smallest Monkey in the World) Discovered

Source: Dino Animals

A recent study found that Pygmy Marmosets, the smallest monkeys in the world, are actually divided into two different species. These primates weigh only 100 grams and are typically difficult to research morphologically. They reside in either northwest South America (Ecuador) or the southern Amazon Basin (Peru), respectively. The study later found that the two populations of monkeys were actually different species that had adapted to their specific location.  

The study had estimated that there might be a variation in species with this monkey, due to the ecosystem properties in each location. In which, it might be advantageous for the monkeys to have different eating methods/physiological components as their available resources were different. Additionally, through further analysis of their skull structure and genetic identifiers, it was concluded that two species of the Pygmy exist with scientific certainty.

This information might be useful to better create species distribution maps for the current IUCN Red List of Threatened Species used for the conservation of sensitive species in South America. These maps are especially important, as they govern sustainable development and the protection of endangered animals in the highly biodiverse Amazon. Moreover, the discovery of two new species also requires ecologists (primatologists in this case) to evaluate both the resilience of said species’ and different strategies of conservation for each group. 

Using Oysters to Rebuild the Ocean

Source: The Nature Conservancy

Oysters, which have been mass-produced during the pandemic and are in desperate need of disposal, are being considered by conservation authorities as a new environmental solution to degraded marine ecosystems! Millions of oysters, collected from restaurants (which could not serve them due to the lockdown), to rebuild reefs in the ocean.

These shelled creatures have many ecological benefits. Firstly, they can be used to filter water in ecosystems, to remove pollutants and other alien chemicals found in the ocean. It is suspected that one oyster can filter about 50 gallons of water a day. Moreover, these oysters can be used to create “a living sea wall”, similar to that of a coral reef, and will replenish the currently declining numbers of reef ecosystems.

The program that will be funding the oyster reef building initiative, is named the Supporting Oyster Aquaculture and Restoration (SOAR). This plan includes spending over 2 million dollars on millions of oysters, which will be used to restore more than 20 acres of shellfish reefs. This plan will work with local restaurants, shellfish suppliers, and fishermen to maintain oyster supply, in the case that the current supply leftover from 2020 is completely depleted.

Climate change might be destroying our marine life, but oysters might just be the way to save them! 

The U.S. Suspends Oil Drilling Activities in the Arctic

Source: Earth Justice

This week the Biden administration suspended leases on oil drilling in the Arctic, to maintain the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. This was in direct opposition to lease contracts taken out by the Trump administration in 2017—it was determined that the U.S government would hold at least two lease sales for oil drilling in the Arctic by 2024, regardless of whether it was fueled by Republicans.

However, the Biden administration has remained determined to follow through on their campaign promises to reduce fossil fuel pollution which directly or indirectly links to American activities. This was included in Biden’s plan for clean energy and environmental justice. Though, such a plan might not be able to hold off future drilling expeditions in the Arctic, as currently, the administration has only been able to temporarily suspend these activities.

It is crucial to stop these projects from occurring, as fossil fuels are key contributors to the ever-increasing global temperatures and other climate-related disasters. Moreover, there are sensitive species, ecosystems, and biological features in the arctic that would most definitely face eradication if oil expeditions were to continue.

The wildlife in the Arctic are rare and beautiful, the last thing that they need are big drills coming to shatter their home.

Heat Deaths and Climate Change 

Source: Wilx

A recent study conducted by researchers to begin to ascertain the connection between ‘climate change’ and warm-season heat-related deaths has found an alarming correlation. Researchers had examined ‘heat deaths’ in 732 cities across the planet from 1991 to 2018 and calculated that 37 percent of those deaths were caused by higher temperatures from human-caused warming (a.k.a. ‘anthropogenic climate change’)

The study, the first of its kind in examining this connection, is comprehensive and data-driven. And for the broader community concerned about climate change (which should be all of us….just sayin’), this study begins to give us some empirical evidence to directly demonstrate the urgency of the work that needs to be done to mitigate the worst of the upcoming impacts. It also begins to tangibly connect our actions and inactions to real people and real deaths.

According to the study of the 732 cities (list of cities included in the study), the heat-deaths amount to about 9,700 people a year from those 732 cities alone, but it is certain to be more worldwide, the study’s lead author said.

“These are deaths related to heat that actually can be prevented. It is something we directly cause,“ said Ana Vicedo-Cabrera, an epidemiologist at the Institute of Social and Preventative Medicine at the University of Bern in Switzerland.

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