Posts From Jessica Goldberg
In case you missed it: 3 big stories from our world, Climate Week edition
Editor’s note: News about conservation and the environment is made every day, but some of it can fly under the radar.
Asia’s glaciers to shrink by a third by 2100, threatening water supply of millions Himalayan glaciers — a crucial source of fresh water for millions of people in South Asia and China — will lose up to a third of their mass, a study found.
The story: The Asian high mountains, the new study said, were already warming more rapidly than the global average, Agence France Presse reported Wednesday in The Guardian.
The bad news: This is a best-case scenario, as it assumes that global average temperature rise can be capped at 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
The big picture: While much of the conservation world’s attention is focused on protecting forests, wetlands and coral reefs, mountains are sometimes taken for granted — yet climate change could crumble their ability to support life as we know it.
Mountains’ contributions to fresh water, energy and biodiversity are at risk in a changing climate.
The story: Much of the food we grow has been growing less nutritious over the years: A 2004 study of fruits and vegetables found that nutrients had declined significantly since 1950.
No one has been able to say exactly why, but now, a handful of scientists are beginning to suspect that the atmosphere itself — i.e. higher concentrations of carbon dioxide in the air — may be changing the food we eat.
Unlike in 2005, when the U.S. was racked by Katrina, Rita and Wilma, scientists are now more willing to link factors like worsened storm surge flooding and hurricane rainfall to climate change, Mooney writes.
Want to read more stories like this?
8 Reminders About Your Body Image, Burning Calories, and True Health.
I’ll hear that lifting and yoga aren’t good enough workouts because they don’t burn enough calories.
The scale dictated my happiness each day.
I turned down events with friends because the food wasn’t “healthy” enough, and spent way too much mental energy thinking about what my body looked like.
8 reminders about your body image, burning calories, and true health: 1.
You are so much more than how your body looks.
Being thinner doesn’t make you healthier, and you can’t change your bone structure by burning more calories.
The goal should not be to eat less, it should be to eat the amount that your body needs to function well and have good energy.
And some days you’ll eat a little more than you need, some times maybe less.
You don’t have to burn off everything you eat.
Cardio is great for heart health, but it isn’t the only exercise worth doing.
California Close To Banning Pet Shop Sales Of Non-Rescue Cats, Dogs And Rabbits
California will become the first state to ban pet stores from selling cats, dogs or rabbits that don’t come from a shelter or rescue group if Gov.
Jerry Brown (D) signs the bill sent to him this week.
The Pet Rescue and Adoption Act, AB 485, passed the California State Senate with a 32-0 vote on Tuesday, NBC San Diego reports.
The governor has until Oct. 15 to sign the bill into law or veto it, the Bee notes.
Under the legislation, pet store owners that still wished to sell cats, dogs or rabbits would have to work with local animal shelters and rescue groups to do so.
First, it would prevent California pet stores from supporting breeding facilities that mass-produce animals, often in deplorable conditions.
Additionally, the legislation would promote the adoption of pets from animal shelters.
Last year, an estimated 1.5 million companion animals were euthanized in shelters in the United States, according to ASPCA data.
Dr. Gary Weitzman, president and CEO of the San Diego Humane Society, pointed out that the measure could also save taxpayer money.
Cambridge’s ordinance bans pet stores from selling any non-rescue animals other than fish — meaning that besides dogs and cats, it also covers everything from birds to snakes to small animals like mice, rats and hamsters.
Understanding Today’s Climate Politics
Understanding Today’s Climate Politics.
More than a decade later, we know that climate change is literally baked into the atmosphere and while we continue the transition to a renewable resource-based economy, we must also address the impact of the global warming that has already taken place.
President Trump and his pals deny the importance of climate change, but they have inadvertently mobilized America’s businesses, states, cities and civil society to engage even more intensely in mitigating climate change and in building a renewable resource based economy.
The impacts of climate change are not immediate and are (still) largely in the future.
It was not a response to a model of damage that is coming, but a response to extreme weather events such as Katrina and Sandy that many experienced.
But understanding that the world is changing does not mean that people believe they should sacrifice their lifestyle to mitigate or adapt to global warming.
We are already seeing modifications of lifestyles with the development of the sharing economy.
And the business of ride sharing may take on some new forms.
By the middle of this century it will not be autos we consume, but “rides”.
We adapt our consumption patterns and they have the important impact of reducing environmental damage and mitigating climate change.
This pumpkin spice protein pancake recipe from healthy chef Lily Kunin is a Saturday morning game-changer
This pumpkin spice protein pancake recipe from healthy chef Lily Kunin is a Saturday morning game-changer.
TextColorWhiteBlackRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyOpaqueSemi-TransparentBackgroundColorBlackWhiteRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyOpaqueSemi-TransparentTransparentWindowColorBlackWhiteRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyTransparentSemi-TransparentOpaque Font Size50%75%100%125%150%175%200%300%400%Text Edge StyleNoneRaisedDepressedUniformDropshadowFont FamilyProportional Sans-SerifMonospace Sans-SerifProportional SerifMonospace SerifCasualScriptSmall Caps Reset restore all settings to the default valuesDone Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window.
When I first started cutting out gluten, my mind was hardwired to avoid anything that contained the word “wheat.” But then I discovered buckwheat, which is low on the glycemic scale and helps balance your blood sugar.
Plus, it’s high in protein and fiber, so it supports digestion and keeps you full and energized longer.
Because of its slightly nutty and cinnamon flavor, buckwheat is one of my favorite gluten-free flours for baking—it’s actually a seed, BTW.
I prefer a darker flour—buckwheat flours differ in color from light to dark, and the darker the color the stronger the taste, FYI—which makes the batter more fiber- and protein-rich.
Pumpkin Spice Pancakes Yields 10 servings Ingredients Pancakes 1 cup buckwheat flour 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice 1 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp pink salt or sea salt 2 eggs (can sub with flax eggs to make vegan) 1/2 cup pumpkin puree 1 cup unsweetened almond milk 1 dash of pure vanilla 3 Tbsp coconut oil 1.
Combine the wet mixture with your dry ingredients until incorporated.
Spoon about 1/4 cup of the batter into the pan.
Plant-based cook and health coach Lily Kunin is the founder of Clean Food Dirty City and the author of the cookbook Good Clean Food.
Marine Conservation Institute Takes a Stand to Support the Atlantic Goliath Grouper
They typically remain solitary and live in deeper water[i] but, when spawning, goliath groupers can be seen in large aggregations off the Florida coast.
[iii] Now, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is considering changing its management strategy for the Atlantic goliath grouper.
[iv] Scientific population models analyzed by the Southeast Data, Assessment, and Review (SEDAR) in 2016, suggest that the relative stock abundance has been declining since 2012.
Fishing, even “limited take” fishing, would negatively impact this declining population.
These management changes come from local fishermen’s concern that allowing goliath grouper populations to increase would result in fewer fish and lobsters of commercial and recreational value.
[viii] Thus, re-opening the goliath grouper fishery could jeopardize their recovery and it is crucial that the FWC proceeds with caution.
When you combine continued habitat loss with mortality events and fishing, as suggested by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, we are concerned that goliath grouper populations will suffer and decline.
Maintaining protections for the Atlantic goliath grouper supports the interests of Florida’s people, economy and wildlife.
http://www.divepbc.com/goliath-groupers-spot-8.html [iii] Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (2017).
Protect the critically endangered goliath grouper from killing in Florida.
The Writings on the Sea-Wall: Ocean Art by Bryan Helfand
The Writings on the Sea-Wall: Ocean Art by Bryan Helfand.
As science communicators, we are constantly looking for new and innovative ways to translate the ramblings of the ivory tower into a relatable and accessible public dialogue.
In my experience, our strongest ally in this endeavor lies in the artists, musicians, and storytellers within our communities.
I love kelp.
I love art.
It’s safe to say that ‘kelp art’ brings me to a whole new level of excitement that some could consider “overwhelming” in normal human interactions.
I first came across artist Bryan Helfand’s kelp art a few years back now and I have since been a huge fan.
Helfand is a local San Diego artist who specializes in mixed media paintings, wood carvings, and murals and whose muse stems from his passion for and experience with the sea.
I often find myself perusing his Facebook page for his next beautiful masterpiece- the man is a wizard with a jigsaw.
Enjoy a few of his imaginings here and then go take a look at his website for some inspiration.
Footage of Greek Oil Spill Shows Massive Scale of Damage
Footage of Greek Oil Spill Shows Massive Scale of Damage.
The sinking of a tanker carrying 2,200 tons of fuel oil and 370 tons of marine gas oil has coated some of Greece’s most popular beaches in thick, black sludge, leading to health authorities to ban swimming along shorelines in Athens.
The Agia Zoni II tanker sank Sunday off the coast of Salamina island and left behind “a huge environmental and financial disaster,” Salamina mayor Isidora Papathanasiou told local news, adding that the “smell is intense and our eyes are stinging.”
The mayors of Salamina, Piraeus and Glyfada warned they might take legal action over the pollution “against whoever is responsible.”
Greece’s government has been criticized for not doing enough to prevent the oil slick from spreading to the Saronic Gulf in Athens, a region home to a wide variety of marine life including dolphins, turtles, fish and sea birds.
Oil kills!
The huge #OilSpill polluting the coast of Athens & Saronikos Bay is an environmental crime.… https://t.co/Eih0nP4Ruw — Demetres Karavellas (@D_Karavellas) 1505371113.0 “If a small relative leak causes such a disaster next to the country’s largest port and the operational center of the Ministry of Mercantile Marine, what exactly is the country’s ability to cope with spills and accidents from large-scale oil activities in the Ionian Sea and the Cretan Sea?”
said Takis Gregoriou, the head of the campaign for climate change and energy at Greenpeace Greece, in a statement.
World Wildlife Federation Greece also called the spill an “environmental crime.”
After touring affected areas, shipping minister Panagiotis Kouroumblis insisted that the situation is improving.
Meet the People Who’ve Dedicated Their Lives to Protect the Last Ecosystem Where Rhinos, Orangutans, and Tigers Live
Meet the People Who’ve Dedicated Their Lives to Protect the Last Ecosystem Where Rhinos, Orangutans, and Tigers Live.
Palm oil companies often destroy extensive areas of rainforest by igniting fires that kill and displace countless wild animals and cause serious health problems for local people.
The Leuser Ecosystem’s gradual transformation from lush, vibrant rainforest to sterile palm plantations has serious implications for the ecosystem’s indigenous animal species.
There is still much that needs to be done to restore the Leuser Ecosystem to its full glory, but dedicated Sumatran groups such as The Rangers of Tangkahan are determined to see it through.
The Rangers of Tangkahan are a group of forest rangers who regularly patrol the rainforest around the community of Tangkahan in North Sumatra.
Their tasks involve removing snares to ensure that wild animals cannot become caught in them, helping to reduce human-wildlife conflict, and working alongside forest edge communities to help them create alternative livelihood schemes.
They are the only patrol unit that specifically strives to protect the Leuser buffer zone of North Sumatra.
Two of the rangers can be seen removing a snare in this photograph.
You can support these amazing people by contributing to their vitally important Snare Removal in North Sumatra campaign on GoFundMe.
Alternatively, you can make a direct donation on the Rangers of Tangkahan website.
5 Minutes Of Eye Gazing With A Stranger Changed My Life. Here’s What Happened
5 Minutes Of Eye Gazing With A Stranger Changed My Life.
Here’s What Happened.
Most people remained seated, but I lay down for the first time in meditation all weekend, grateful to be surrounded by natural desert elements—warmth, beautiful birds chirping, and mountain-fresh air.
Biet asked us all to point at our left eyes, the eyes into which we’d be gazing, and it began.
She directed us to divide our attention, which is an unusual cue from a meditation teacher.
Don’t break it, hear the birds, relax your gaze, blink if you need to, I encouraged myself.
I do love figure drawing, so I wondered if this was a natural instinct breaking a body down into simple shapes.
When it was over, we hugged, and my partner asked what my experience was like.
He shared that he does these often and has developed an ability to hear people’s bodies and asked me if I’d like to know what he heard from mine.
He said that he heard my heart, loud and clear.
