News

The hybrid ‘super pigs’ have been deemed “ecological train wrecks” and threaten the survival of agriculture and livestock

From The Independent

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/super-pigs-canada-invade-us-b2455804.html

The climate crisis, invasive species, overexploitation of resources and pollution could break down crucial ecosystems. We asked experts to lay out the risks and offer some solutions.

From The Guardian

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/nov/29/a-biodiversity-catastrophe-how-the-world-could-look-in-2050-unless-we-act-now-aoe

Many people are familiar with the haunting images of wildlife — including sea turtles, dolphins and seals — tangled in abandoned fishing nets.

The main issue behind Nylon-6, the plastic inside these nets, carpet and clothing, is that it’s too strong and durable to break down on its own. So, once it’s in the environment, it lingers for thousands of years, littering waterways, breaking corals and strangling birds and sea life.

Now, Northwestern University chemists have developed a new catalyst that quickly, cleanly and completely breaks down Nylon-6 in a matter of minutes — without generating harmful byproducts. […]

A Duke Health analysis of breast cancer in North Carolina has shown that the state’s urban counties had higher overall incidences of disease than rural counties, especially at early stages upon diagnosis.

From Medical Xpress

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-11-urban-environmental-exposures-breast-cancer.html

Negotiations over a global plastics treaty ended in Kenya with little progress toward reining in plastic waste, as environmental groups criticized oil and gas producers for blocking a final decision on how to advance the deliberations.

From NPR:

https://www.npr.org/2023/11/20/1214141053/un-plastic-waste-pollution-negotiations-treaty-kenya-fossil-fuel-climate-change

Nov 14 (Reuters) – Heat-related illnesses and deaths are rising as the world warms, an international team of health experts said on Tuesday, forecasting a 370% surge in yearly heat deaths by mid-century if the world warms by 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels.

Already, at roughly 1.1C (2F) of warming, people experienced about 86 days of health-threatening high temperatures on average in 2022, the report from the Lancet medical journal found.

New research on insects – without which the planet would not survive – shows a higher proportion are at risk of disappearing.

From The Guardian

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/nov/08/species-at-risk-extinction-doubles-to-2-million-aoe

Ecologist and “Queen of the Forest Canopy” will serve as an ambassador for the global nonprofit organization.

From National Geographic

https://blog.nationalgeographic.org/2023/10/18/national-geographic-society-names-nalini-nadkarni-explorer-at-large/

Without rapid carbon dioxide emission reductions, the world has a 50% chance of locking in 1.5°C of warming before 2030, according to a study led by Imperial College London researchers.

From Science Daily

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/10/231030141245.htm