Month: November 2020

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All of California’s national parks are open. Kind of. We can explain.

As of June 25: All of California’s national parks are open. Kind of. We can explain. (2020, June 16). Retrieved November 16, 2020, from https://www.latimes.com/travel/story/2020-06-16/all-california-national-parks-are-open-in-different-ways

Regarding covid and how open the national parks are there are now limitations on how the parks work and hours, they are open to prevent the spread of covid 19. Although a few of the California national parks are closed, a majority are open with certain public areas like the visitor centers closed. For an example of one of the national parks, Pinnacles National State Park, is partially open with limited parking and the east side still open.

 

I can speak from personal experience as to what these trails and campsites look like as for the fact that I was at Pinnacles National Park during one of the weekends of November this week. The public areas like the restrooms are mask mandatory places but in places like your campsite, you can have a mask off. In regards to hikes, most people distance and bring along their masks and try to distance themselves from the other hiking groups. I think that it is important for the national parks to maintain some profit to keep the preservation and systems open. There are also very high fire risks around various parks which are something to look out for regarding ecotourism in California specifically.

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Restored Corals Observed Spawning For First Time In Waters Off Miami.

This article sheds some light on the restoration of Floridian coral reefs. What started as an attempt to slow down the decline of coral reefs soon helped restore many coral reefs. Scientists are doing everything they can to help push the reefs in order to help them replenish themselves. This article also mentioned how scientists are collecting eggs from coral reef colonies to help fertilize them. Scientists hope to restore 125 acres of degraded coral reefs which would help grow more than 150,000 coral colonies from five different coral species—three of these species are currently listed as threatened.

Reading this article gave me a lot of hope. I’m very excited that the efforts being made to preserve the coral reefs are actually working. I think that it is amazing that scientists are aiming to restore 125 acres of degraded coral reefs because it would help restore coral species that are on the verge of extinction. I also learned that coral reefs are essential for the well being of people because they help protect people and property from the effects of hurricanes. This is new information to me and I find it very interesting.

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Stepping Up To Preserve The “Secret” Coral Reefs In The Florida Keys

In the span of 40 years, the coral reefs found in the Florida Keys have declined by almost 90%. Emergency action is being taken to help preserve the coral reefs found in the oceans surrounding Florida. The NOAA—the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration—announced a proposal to expand a sanctuary in the Gulf of Mexico. This expansion would help protect 14 additional reefs. The article also mentioned coral cover, which is how the portion of reef surface covered by coral is measured. A healthy coral cover is considered to be 25%, whereas the coral cover in the Florida Keys has drastically declined to just 2%.

I really enjoyed reading this article.I didn’t know about the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary and it was very interesting to learn more about it. I think that the proposal made by the NOAA would be incredibly helpful not only for the coral reefs but for the species that live in these areas. I was devastated to read that the coral cover of the Florida Keys is 2% when a healthy coral cover is 25%. I think that it is very important to protect the coral in order to restore it and keep it alive.

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Ecotourism for Conservation?

(PDF) Ecotourism for Conservation? (2020). Retrieved November 16, 2020, from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/334314447_Ecotourism_for_Conservation

The trends in relation to the research of ecotourism tend to focus on a conflation of recreation and other conventional forms of tourism and a focus on ecological or social impact. In the analysis given of ecotourism and its effect, they look further into a large time period and various other indicators to have a more intense study on the effects that ecotourism has. The study focuses on why some forms of ecotourism fail because we categorize sets of normal tourism into said ecotourism or the design is flawed in the first place so it cannot truly benefit wildlife and ecosystems as it was mainly intended to. In that sense, it is a bit better than normal tourism but there can be certain adjustments to make it more sustainable and actually beneficial.

 

I think a lot of places coin the term ecotourism as an effort to generate a larger crowd of tourists who want to be better with the environment when they come and visit. I think if we really do more further research into what is actually happening and what we can do to truly create good ecotourism then we can have a specific label for ecotourism which would allow for a certainty that all those who use the term are actually following it. It is very easy to get convinced that something might be good or bad if there is not a lot of research out there to convince you otherwise.

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Report sounds an alarm on ongoing decline of US coral reefs

For the first time, a national assessment of coral reefs had been conducted in the United States. The reports from this assessment showed that the health of the coral reefs located around our country is declining rapidly due to the effects of climate change. The oceans surrounding heavily populated areas are incredibly polluted, which is another reason for the decline in health of the coral reefs. This article also shed some light on the economic impacts of the coral reefs. The article concluded by mentioning a federal bill that could help provide funding to restore the coral reefs.

Before reading this article, I wasn’t very aware of the coral reefs that can be found in the oceans surrounding our country. I also wasn’t very aware of the economical impact that coral reefs have. According to the article, the economic impact of coral reefs in the United States is around 3.4 billion dollars annually. I think that it is very important to pass the federal bill so that we can help improve the health of the coral reefs. I also think that it is important to minimize the pollution in the ocean so that the coral reefs aren’t at risk.

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Climate Change Will Give Rise to More Cancers

“Climate Change Will Give Rise to More Cancers.” Climate Change Will Give Rise to More Cancers  | UC San Francisco, 5 Nov. 2020, www.ucsf.edu/news/2020/11/418976/climate-change-will-give-rise-more-cancers. Accessed 23 Nov. 2020.

‌ In this article Elizabeth Fernandez goes off the association between the increase in climate change and the increase in cancer cases alongside many other diseases as well. This article analyzed five dozen published research papers and experiments which all provided a clear-cut synopsis on how global warming affects “major cancers, from environmental toxins to ultraviolet radiation, air pollution, infectious agents and disruptions in the food and water supply”. With the temperatures rising and humidity only increasing we see a growth in respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. When looking at other climates, the changing rainfall patterns and temperatures also cause the risk of vector-borne disease, “such as malaria and dengue” to rise. Fernandez associates the increase in cancers with “air pollution, exposure to ultraviolet radiation and industrial toxins, and disruptions in food and water supply”. With all these attributes to the rapidly changing climate, one can only wonder why we haven’t made much progress in correcting ourselves.

When first reading this article it made me think about the greater and wider-scope effects that global warming and climate change will have on the human and all organism populations on earth. Because of many of the economical and safety problems of going out and getting a cancer screening during the COVID-19 outbreak, we may see a larger spike in cancer cases in the coming years than years prior. This also relates to the cause of more intense storms and hurricanes which are brought on by climate change as well. With deadlier and more destructive storms, they end up destroying and damaging many of the cancer treating facilities and/or hospitals which push back cancer screenings and treatment even more. Secondly, with the huge economic impact that COVID-19 has made we have seen a rising economic divide in poverty. With more people in poverty, which also accounts for most of the minority communities, we see less access to obtaining cancer screening and/or treatment at all because of their low financial status. Without being screened will eventually see these minority communities with higher cancer mortality rates. Overall after reading this article, it has shown me many of the indirect effects that climate change has on our society and world as a whole and certifies the need for us to revert it.

 

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Blazes Scorch Habitats for Endangered Species

Times, The New York. “Blazes Scorch Habitats for Endangered Species.” Dailypress.com, 17 Sept. 2020, www.dailypress.com/life/pets/sns-nyt-wildfires-scorch-endangered-species-habitats-20200917-7dxp3gbl6neulmzukezwz4hnvu-story.html. 

This article focuses on the threat the wildfires posed to native species in their long-term survival in California and the west coast. The fires destroyed critical breeding grounds, and it’s estimated that 30% – 70% of birds were killed, and now the rest don’t have a safe place to hide and raise their young. Another issue this causes is that this land is going to take years to be able to recover, and with lackluster laws that don’t support the environment and the Federal Government that doesn’t want to send aid, it will be even more difficult. 

While briefly mentioned, I thought it was important to note that millions of people across California were also affected by electrical poles being burned and there were reported cases of the wires falling on people and houses. These fires need to be responded with harsh and intense laws, critical to serving environmental justice, if we have a chance of recovery, Gavin Newsom has reported that this was in the works, but nothing substantial has been produced, as it was highlighted that the Federal Government was unwilling to corporate and sending the message that everything will sort itself out. However, that will prove to be wrong, as some of these native species don’t have long till they could be extinct as a repercussion of the fires. Our native species and animals also deserve justice.

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Fire, Floods, Famine: When Will We Act on Climate?

Trent, Steve. “Fire, Floods, Famine: When Will We Act on Climate?” Environmental Justice Foundation, 22 Sept. 2020, ejfoundation.org/news-media/fire-floods-famine-when-will-we-act-on-climate. 

In this article, the Environmental Justice Foundation states that the wildfires that happened in California were a product from years of mismanagement and thinking that we have years left before we are in real danger. But that is clearly not the case. Four million acres were burned in California alone, 35 people died in them, entire towns were burnt to ash and six fires this year have set new records for the worst fires in our history. They also point out that these fires are now a real threat to cities and not only endanger the poor but also the rich.

Usually when environmental justice is being talked about, there is a focus on how to help disadvantaged communities, but these fires showed that everyone is in danger and no one is safe. This season showed that the blazes were incredibly difficult to put out, but another danger revealed itself, displaying that smoke from the fires affects not just the state of California but those surrounding it, and has the potential to cause health problems to some people for years to come. This year is also especially difficult because of the added difficulty of the virus, making the lives of those who had lost their homes to be even more tragic.

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U.S. Government to Demolish Buildings at Contaminated California Nuclear Test Site

“U.S. Government to Demolish Buildings at Contaminated California Nuclear Test Site.” Edited by Grant McCool, U.S. News & World Report, U.S. News & World Report, 20 May 2020, www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2020-05-20/us-government-to-demolish-buildings-at-contaminated-california-nuclear-test-site. 

After decades of nuclear, rocket fuel and liquid metal testing, the Trump Administration said that they are planning on the removal of ten radioactive buildings at the U.S. government’s former Santa Susana Field Laboratory located in the northwest corner of Los Angeles which opened in the late 1940’s. This decision from the Trump Administration is part of an environmental legacy left over from nuclear and government research from the cold war, as well as concerns for the upcoming fire season (this article was from late May) that could pose a threat “on and off the Santa Susana site”. Gavin Newsom says that the surrounding communities are excited for this “cleanup”.

This is a somewhat shocking but good plan of action from the Trump Administration. In the 60’s an experimental sodium-cooled unit experienced a core meltdown, making the surrounding area to become very dangerous, and resulted in many lawsuits. The radioactivity from this site has a good chance at damaging the health, and possibly the cells, of humans, animals and marine life as LA is obviously near the ocean. While much of the damage is done, this is a great step forward in environmental justice for the surrounding community, as well as great strides towards other building that pose threats in other areas of the state and country.

 

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Bayview Hunters Point Says: WE CAN’T BREATHE! Protest

Greenaction Team. “Bayview Hunters Point Says: WE CAN’T BREATHE! Protest.” Greenaction for Health and Environmental Justice, 10 Aug. 2020, greenaction.org/2020/08/10/bayview-hunters-point-says-we-cant-breathe-protest/. 

This is a flyer from a group based in San Francisco called “Greenaction”, they are a group that mobilizes community power to change corporate and government policies that help promote environmental, social and economic justice and to help protect the health of marginalized communities. This is an organized socially distant protest at Bayview Hunters Point on August 25 to “stop environmental racism”, specifically pollution and displacement, cleaning up toxic and radioactive waste at the Shipyard in Hunters point and other contaminated areas in the Bay Area, and lastly to stop upscale developments that would directly impact people of color.

 

I think that we live in an entitled bubble where we think that a lot of this stuff we hear on the news could never affect us, like radioactive waste being dumped in San Francisco. That is something that I never thought of, I thought that “we were better” than that, and that is why I think this group of activists is so important. They are bringing awareness to the injustices that are happening to the environment where we have grown up in, and showing the government that the people are serious and will force better laws to be made to help the future.