Yale E360

Time 2020-07-26 04:05:11

Web Name: Yale E360

WebSite: http://e360.yale.edu

ID:34954

Keywords:

Yale,

Description:

The Indigenous people of the Peruvian Amazon have long fought against the oil companies that seek to exploit their lands. But now these and other Amazon communities are facing new dangers, as outsiders bring coronavirus to poor and vulnerable areas that lack health care. By Fred Pearce Marine biologist Ayana Elizabeth Johnson sees her work on ocean conservation as linked to issues of social justice and climate. In an e360 interview, she talks about the need to diversify climate science and activism and bring in the perspectives and energy of people of color and women. The demise or delay of several major oil and gas pipelines in recent weeks, including the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, demonstrate how the Trump administration’s zeal for fossil fuel projects and flaunting of environmental laws has backfired and handed key victories to environmentalists. While the world’s forests can play an important role in absorbing carbon dioxide and slowing climate change, new research indicates that elevated CO2 concentrations do not necessarily boost forests and that higher temperatures could cause changes in trees that reduce their ability grow. As more people push into once-remote areas, truly quiet spots — devoid of the noise of traffic or crowds of tourists — have become increasingly scarce. Now, a coalition of activists, scientists, and park officials are trying to preserve the last quiet places on the planet. Beluga whales have complex social networks similar to human societies, with close relationships outside of their immediate kin, according to new research published in the journal Scientific Reports. The study alters scientists’ understanding of the whales’ social dynamics, which they attribute largely to the beluga’s highly developed vocalizations. More about Sophisticated Social Networks Exist Among Beluga Whales, Study Finds→ Scientists at the University of Washington have developed a tiny, wireless camera small enough to be worn by insects. The device weighs 250 milligrams — one-tenth the weight of a playing card — and streams high-resolution video to a smartphone at up to 5 frames per second, allowing scientists for the first time to record video of what insects see in real time. More about Scientists Develop Tiny Camera Backpack for Insects→ As much as 22 percent of soy and 60 percent of beef exported from Brazil to the European Union is linked to illegal deforestation, according to a new study published in the journal Science. The research examined supply chains for Brazil’s major agricultural exports, tracing products back to illegal tree felling and fires in the Amazon and Cerrado regions. More about Major Portion of Brazil’s Exports to Europe Linked to Illegal Deforestation, Study Finds→ Never miss an article! Subscribe to the E360 Newsletter for weekly updates delivered to your inbox. Sign Up. Oil and gas giants, mining interests, and coal-fired power plants have all received financial and regulatory relief as governments around the world enact pandemic recovery plans. These moves threaten to create a dirty, high-carbon legacy that long outlasts the current crisis. With rising temperatures, the world’s food supplies are at risk, with deceasing yields in key staple crops. Researchers and innovators are looking at more resilient crops and farm animals — from heat-resistant wheat, to drought-resistant rice, to Naked Neck chickens that stay cooler. When Guatemala created a major reserve 30 years ago, environmentalists complained that too much land was entrusted to local people and not converted to parks. Now, the parks have been overrun by ranches linked to drug traffickers, while the community-run lands are well preserved. The international commission responsible for managing Atlantic bluefin — prized for high-quality sushi — is failing to protect this magnificent fish. The regulators’ focus on fishing industry profits points up the need to change the way we view, and value, the lives of wild creatures.

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