Month: November 2016

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Australia’s environmental laws too weak shown by coal mine judgemnet

Marjanac, S. (2016, July 08). Coal mine judgment shows Australia’s environment laws are flawed | Climate Home – climate change news. Retrieved November 19, 2016, from http://www.climatechangenews.com/2016/09/07/coal-mine-judgment-shows-australias-environment-laws-are-flawed/

In a recent hearing the Australian federal court ruled in favor of mining coal from the Queensland’s Galilee Basin. This ruling shows how weak the environmental regulations in Australia. The proposed mine is estimated to put out 4.7 billion tons of carbon dioxide. This is the same as the entire emissions of France in 2014. The commonwealth environment minister claims that there is no way to have estimated the levels of emission that this mine will output.

The commonwealth environment minister seems rather forum or just stupid for claiming that a coal mine would have low impacts on the environment. In my opinion this give more opportunity to companies to exploit Australia and avoid any environmental regulation. If Australia does not change this than the Great Barrier Reef will continue to bleach and the multi-million dollar tourist industry will continue to decline.

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Sea ice record lows in Arctic and Antarctic

Miller, B. (2016, November 19). Arctic, Antarctic sea ice at record lows. Retrieved November 19, 2016, from http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/18/world/sea-ice-arctic-antarctic-lows/index.html/

The Arctic sea ice has been on a decline for a long time now but the Antarctic has had steady growth until now. October has seen record low sea ice levels and it is not looking to get better. More sunlight was able to heat the sea during the summer when the ice had retreated keeping ice from forming in October and November, which is when the most ice is formed. The Arctic and Antarctic have polar vortexes that keep most of the cold air at the poles. However with the lack of sea ice researchers are looking at one theory which shows the polar vortexes sending out more cold air and winter storms.

This is not good, and is just proof that we have not done enough. The laws and legislation are either too weak or not being enforced. The government needs to review older regulations and improve them as it seems that there are too many loopholes in them. If the poles are to last than the world is in deep trouble. Even rising tides are influenced by the decrease in sea ice, coastal cities are not going to be there if this continues. In my mind this should spark a greater conversation than I have seen as it seems to have been glossed over.

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World Cup stadium breaks air quality limit

A.(2016, November 17). World Cup stadium accused of breaching air quality rules. Retrieved November 18, 2016, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/dcunited/world-cup-stadium-accused-of-breaching-air-quality-rules/2016/11/17/3f78a722-ace4-11e6-8f19-21a1c65d2043_story.html/

The next World Cup will be held in St. Petersburg, Russia and they have begun construction of the 69,000 seat arena to be used in 2018. However this has been putting out formaldehyde and ammonia above the city’s permitted levels. The company responsible for the arena’s construction did not dispute but instead blamed the previous company.

I don’t get sports honestly it is a huge waste of money, time, and resources. On top of this the company in charge does not take responsibility for something that is clearly their doing. This is something that always has made me extremely irritated is the lack of integrity that people have these days. If it hurts the bottom line than we can’t do even if it hurts others.

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Cargo ship pollution creates health risks

Jacewicz, N. (2016, July 19). The Smoggy Seas: Cargo Ships Bring Pollution, Health Risks. Retrieved November 19, 2016, from http://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2016/07/19/486151324/the-smoggy-seas-cargo-ships-bring-pollution-health-risks/

The ports of China are extremely busy, thousands of containers moving throughout daily. This has lead to an increase in pollution in the surrounding areas.  From satellite data scientists have found the levels of pollution beinging imitated and where the levels are the highest. They found that those ships now account for 16 percent of carbon emissions compared to the 4 to 7 percent of 2002-2005. In addition the most carbon dioxide and sulfur being emitted 20 nautical miles from shore.

This surprises me, as I thought much like Dr. Brian Christman that shipping was a much cleaner transportation than trucks and planes. I think it has to do with the lack of giant smoke stacks like the older ships. China has become a huge exporter and importer and this has had a huge impact on China’s environment and not for the better. There is quite clearly a lack of legislation in China to combat this problem. The air in China is getting worse and worse this is not helped by the sulfur and Carbon dioxide being spewed into the air.

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Post-Brexit link between UK and EU through environmental policy

Neslen, A. (2016, July 05). UN calls for post-Brexit UK to link with EU on environment policy. Retrieved November 18, 2016, from https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/jul/06/un-calls-for-post-brexit-uk-to-link-with-eu-on-environment-policy/

In the aftermath of the Brexit vote the UK is calling for a reevaluation of the country’s environmental legislation. This has lead some to a similar system to that of Norway or Switzerland. Both countries are not a part of the EU, but continue to subscribe to their environmental legislation. The EU has the most inclusive set of environmental regulations and the UK still wishes to benefit from them in particular pollution based.

I was never a big fan of the whole Brexit mess. I have a friend in the UK and all I have heard was that it was a political mess. The fact that they are now looking to the EU for environmental regulation is, quite frankly, pathetic. The fact that a nation got riled up and voted irresponsible is lame and they should have thought before doing something that has them in shambles. It is good that they are continuing to keep the high level of environmental responsibility that the EU put them at, but asking for the EU’s legislation, just shows where their government is at right now.

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The Palm Weevil is Evil

Murphy, S. (2016, October 26). Invasive Insect Threatens San Diego County’s Palm Trees. Retrieved November 20, 2016, from http:// www.kpbs.org/news/2016/oct/26/invasive-insect-threatens-san-diego- countys-palm-t/

The South American palm weevil has been terrorizing palm trees throughout San Diego, killing several hundred native palm trees since 2015. The palm weevil is originates in Central America, but has spread to North America, appearing frequently in Southern California. The weevil kills palm trees by burying their larvae in the fronds of the tree, and when the larvae hatch they eat the

fronds until the tree is dead. These insects have been destroying Southern California’s palm trees, and scientists have recently realized that they have little to no grasp on containing the situation, because the weevils have the potential to fly tens of miles each day. The weevils are beginning to threaten the $70 million ornamental palm industry in California, and while little can be done to prevent the spread of these insects, traps have been set up in Southern California and across the country to track their migration and scarcity.

This article shows another negative impact that invasive species have on the environment in general, specifically California’s environment. Palm trees are both native and a distinguishing part of California’s native coastal culture, and these insects are destroying hundreds of these trees at a time. What’s worse is that it takes months for the larvae to completely destroy the tree, so it is hard to tell if there are weevils in any one tree. This article relates to environmental science because it shows how difficult it is to maintain a healthy environment with the presence of an invasive species such as the palm weevil.

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Check your boats for mussels!

Unknown. (2016, August 31). Boaters Can Help Combat Spread of Invasive Mussels Over Labor Day Weekend. Retrieved November 20, 2016, from https://cdfgnews.wordpress.com/

2016/08/31/boaters-can-help-combat-spread-of-invasive-mussels-over-labor-day-weekend/

This article summarizes the negative effects of the Quagga and Zebra Mussels in warm California waters, and precautions boaters about the measures that they can take to prevent these mussels from spreading and potentially wrecking the interior of their vessels. The author explains how the mussels destroy the infrastructure of a boat because of their ability to multiply so quickly and clog the interior of vessels. Native to Eurasia, the zebra and quagga mussels have the ability to multiply rapidly and stick onto practically any surface with their strength. The hard part about catching the mussels before they spread profusely is that, at a young age they are undetectable to the naked eye. In order to protect California’s waters from becoming more polluted with zebra and quagga mussels, boaters are advised to undergo thorough inspection of their vessels before sailing.

This article relates to environmental science because it shows the effects that invasive species have on not only the aquatic environment, but also effect humans. By advising boaters to take such precautionary measures before going out into open water, it shows the truly big result that such microscopic organisms can have outside of their native habitats. I thought it was shocking how these Eurasian mussels could destroy such a large vessel by just existing and following its instincts to reproduce and hold onto things. It puts things into perspective to me, because usually when I think of an invasive or predator species I think of a large organism, but in this instance it is the exact opposite, yet does more damage than many larger species.

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There is an upside to invasive species?

Clarke, C. (2016, August 21). The Up And Downsides of Invasive Species | KCET. Retrieved November 20, 2016, from https://www.kcet.org/redefine/the-up-and-downsides-of- invasive-species

This article talks about the ups and downs of invasive species, focusing specifically on the ones in California. Invasive species threaten 1/4 of endangered species, around 3,000 species. However, not every single type of invasive species is necessarily harmful. For example, the earth worm, while native to California, can thrive in most climates and is now found in South America, and pose little to no threat on native species. Each year, around 6 new invasive species are introduced to California, but even with that amount the damage is not severe. Even if an invasive species consumes a native species that no one species consumed in the first place, it can still take a toll on the environment. In the case of the red brome, an invasive plant species in the California Desert, even though no species consumes it, during the wet season the plant takes the major amounts of water that would otherwise go to native species, which directly effects the native species negatively.

The article relates to environmental science because, while most focus on the negatives of invasive species, this article discusses the potential upside and benefits that invasive species could have to the environment. It was interesting to read about the mutualistic and sometimes

positive effects that invasive species can have on the environment, like in the case of the earth worm; it is rare to ever hear a positive thing about invasive species. I especially thought it was interesting how an invasive plant that no other species consumed could still do harm to an ecosystem just by living there and not coming into contacts with other parts of an ecosystem.

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Crazy Cheatgrass

Ridler, K. (2016, November 13). Scientists try bacteria to halt invasive cheatgrass overwhelming the West. Retrieved November 20, 2016, from http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/ la-na-invasive-cheatgrass-20161110-story.html

In the west, including California, there has arisen a large problem with a type of grass called cheatgrass, an invasive species which is destroying native grass species and taking over their territory. To try and eliminate this grass, scientists have been using bacteria to stop the spread of the grass, which is a mixture of bacteria and herbicide. The bacteria is meant to not kill, but weaken the cheatgrass so that native plant species can eliminate them themselves and grow back stronger. One drawback of this process is an endangered species, the sage grass bird, inhabits sage grass, a type of grass that the cheatgrass has been destroying. Scientists are having a hard time finding a way to eliminate all or the majority of the cheatgrass without destroying the 500,000 mile path of sage grass that has been taken over by cheatgrass that the sage grouse needs to continue to repopulate.

This article relates to environmental science because it shows how invasive species can also effect endangered species, along with native species. In this instance, the invasive species are providing a perfect environment for the sage grouse, so scientists cannot eliminate the grass if the sage grouse is inhabiting it under the Endangered Species Act. I tink it is cool how everything ties together, as in invasive, endangered, and native species and habitats, to form one big picture. Environmental scientists are faced with a difficult task, trying to save the environment from these invasive grass species while still preserving the sage grouse.

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Zika Virus in San Diego?

Nero, M. (2016, November 15). County to Spray Spring Valley Neighborhood for Zika Virus. Retrieved November 20, 2016, from http://patch.com/california/lemongrove/

county-spray-spring-valley-neighborhood-zika-virus

In East San Diego, an entire neighborhood was sprayed with insecticide in an attempt to eliminate the invasive Aedes mosquitoes which were feared by citizens would spread the South American Zika virus. The Aedas mosquitos have been harmful to the community because of their ability to breed in such small bodies of water, some as small as a thimble full of water, or even inside of homes. Originally from tropical regions, citizens have concerns that the mosquitoes could potentially transmit foreign diseases if biting an infected person; the concern comes from the fact that they can reproduce so easily which would enable them to bite people and spread diseases. A 13 block region in San Diego is being hand sprayed with insecticide to try and eliminate or contain the Aedes mosquitoes in the area. The people are worried for the unknown effects it will have on their air quality and law enforcement is telling all those effected to take precautions against the mosquitos.

This article relates to the environmental science because, as a result of invasive species, the air in East San Diego will be filled with insecticide, which has an unknown effect on air quality or on the environment. Had invasive species not been present in this time and situation, there would be no need for these chemicals being sprayed into the air. The insecticide could contaminate water, harm wildlife, or even the people, and with unknown effectiveness it seems more sensible to me to just try and find another solution to the problem. This article shows the effect on the environment invasive species can have other than physically hurting an environment or its native species, in this case they are causing humans to have to take action and potentially hurt the environment as a result of their presence.