APES Current Events

Summary: In this article, the author attempts to bring attention to how we, as consumers of Christmas trees, can go about purchasing Christmas trees and decorating them in a more eco-friendly manner. For instance, an example of a substantially eco-friendly tree is brought up at the beginning of the article, where the author references the Christmas tree at the Rockefeller Center (specifically in 2007, when this article was written). The author of this article references this tree, as it was decorated with LEDs opposed to usual incandescent bulbs, which ultimately save more energy by emitting more light per watt compared to ordinary bulbs. In the end, the author concluded the article by including the fact that even though there is evidence to back up why moving towards more eco-friendly ways of decorating are trees and also purchasing real trees as opposed to fake ones, many people do not know of this information and are continuing to purchase fake trees simply because of convenience. E

       As NASA wanted to follow the water on mars they have and have found places for humans to land. With the data that they have they have been able to find one landing spot on the plant that promises water just a inch under the surface. With this we are able to soon send a research team up there. With this spot it would be ideal to land due to it being temperate, mid latitude region with plenty of sunlight. With this map NASA will be able to find more landing for research teams on the planet . With this easy discover by 2030 NASA is looking at sending a research team up, but with the water ice caps there is plenty of water but it would not be good for a long mission because its too cold and dark for a part of the year.              https://www.livescience.com/mars-water-ice-map.html Reflection :  I think this is great news due that we might be able to explore mars in 2030 and learn if we could actually inhabit this planet and if this works out we could be inhabiting two planets a

5 Global Trends Shaping Our Climate Future. By creating new products that are useful and environment friendly it will help people see the true effects of what harm we have done to the earth today. Recently scientists have launched more wind turbines, solar panels, and electric cars to help stop the production of products that will continue to harm the environment. All three of these products are booming and continue to spread not only throughout the USA but also other countries around the world. These products will help create a healthier environment.  I believe if more and more people continue to buy and use these environmental friendly products, we can prevent how fast the earth is changing. When people see these products in there neighborhoods, it can encourage more people to buy them. By having a surplus of healthier products for the environment, we can and will make a change to how the earth is evolving. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/12/climate/energy-trends-clima

December 9, 2019 Aiden Sherman Kenya is currently dealing with an invasive species of cactus known as 'Devil Cactus'.  Elephants consume the cactus, but the plant's flesh damages the elephant's digestive system, as well as facilitating further spread of the cactus.  The plant has proven difficult to extricate, because if any flower or fruit is left behind, it can regrow in that location.  It is now becoming an economic problem for the country, with cactus taking over land used for grazing livestock and agriculture.  Despite the problems created by this invasive species, it is being harvested for use in bio fuel.  Currently it is being used as gas for cooking, but environmentalists warn about giving the plant value as it will motivate local people to keep it around.  The other strategy being used to keep the cactus at bay is releasing insects which will eat it and reduce the spread. Obviously, I think that this turn of events is a huge problem for Kenya, but it can

In Australia, there is a town by the name of Euchareena in the Southeast region, only a few miles outside of Sydney. This town, like many others in Australia, have little to no clean drinking water. The crippling droughts that Australia is experiencing right now are due to the dramatic effects of Climate Change on the rural Australian Outback. Entire rivers and water reserves are drying up, leaving locals with little to no water left for use or consumption. Experts believe that within the next 10 years, some parts of Australia will become completely uninhabitable.  I believe the impact of Climate Change is all ready too much for politicians to ignore and put at the bottom of their agendas. The effects are already making life in some areas of the globe impossible, and with a growing human population, Climate Change may end the species faster than anyone is willing to realize. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/08/world/australia/water-drought-climate.html

An article published by the Elk Network showed just how much hunters spend towards conservation each year. forever hunters have been deamed to be completely against conservation but in reality hunters donate close to 1 billion dollars annually towards conservation efforts. i think this is great because the common misconception is that hunters hate the environment however why would a group of people whos hobby and life revolves around the outdoors. https://elknetwork.com/hunting-conservation-paid-hunters/

Since early November, bush fires having been raging. Sending smoke not just to neighborhoods, but all the way up to the coastal suburbs which are more than 50 miles away. Thick, gray smoke covers the sky of Sydney, Australia. At the edge of the city, dried-out forests have been burning for weeks. Asthmatics have been showing up to the emergency room in extreme numbers. Even schools have been cancelling recess and sports. Citizens have been taping their windows shut and it is said that fire alarms have been going off in buildings even though the smoke is miles away. Australia's conservative government ignores to address the threat of climate change because they are favoring the country's fossil fuel industry over the largest city. Large fires have already destroyed a considerable amount of homes. Just in November it was reported that there were 15 days of bad air quality. Who knows how many days of bad air quality there will be in December. This is just terrible. I actually ca

A recent study found that almost 600,000 hermit crabs died in the Cocos Islands in the Indian Ocean. Researcher say the beaches of these Islands are "literally drowning in plastic" and they have an estimate of about 414 million pieces of trash. While the research team was cleaning up the trash they realized there were hermit crabs trapped inside many of the bottles and containers. Scientists say this is another negative effect of man made pollution, similar to the plastic straw and turtle issue. https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2019/12/05/what-happens-when-hermit-crabs-confuse-plastic-trash-shells-an-avalanche-death/ Reflection: I think this article brings up a very important issue which is pollution and especially pollution in the ocean. It has affected many different ocean-dwelling species and is slowly deteriorating our environment. I think scientists should come up with a solution to construct more products from biodegradable materials.

The environment is under attack by industrialization. The Urban Ecosystem project's goal is to bring nature and modernization together. A magazine was launched to bring light to the project and give it more headway.

It is the monsoon season in India, but climate change is making these seasonal rains more intense and more unpredictable. Recent government policies have left millions of Indian people defenseless against climate change, especially the poor. The rains in India are so erratic that they never know when they will come and how long they will stay, so often the Indian people are unprepared for the floods. This year 1,600 people were killed in India because of the extreme monsoons and flooding. This is a big problem because the people in India are paying for the effects of climate change. These strange weather patterns create short periods of extreme rain and long periods of drought. This is what creates poverty, because every thing is destroyed in the flooding and then in the drought the people cannot make any prophet because they cannot grow or produce anything. India is already a very poor country and after the damage caused by these storms, many people are left with nothing. This is impo

December 8, 2019 A recent study published by the International Union for Conservation of Nature has revealed that the world's oceans have lost 2% of their oxygen between 1960 and 2010. The study was carried out by 67 scientists from 17 different countries around the world. Dan Laffoley, the principal adviser of the union's marine and polar program, has stated that some parts of the ocean have experienced a 40-50% reduction in oxygen. The scientists discovered that climate change is the main cause of this issue, but other human activities, such as nutrient runoff from fertilizers, have also added to this issue. Laffoley has also stated that the loss of oxygen in the ocean can negatively affect the planetary cycles of nitrogen and phosphorus, which are both essential for life. Overall, I believe that this is just more proof that climate change is a very serious issue and that we have to work to come up with a solution for it immediately. Interested in reading more? Click  h

Hurricanes are becoming powerful enough to hit the seafloor creating an earthquake.  These storms can reach a magnitude of 3.5 that can cause minor damage.  It has already been known that waves create seismic waves however, they have never been something extremely strong.  In order to have these stormquakes, the seismic waves have to meat a certain level.  Because of this, not all big storms cause stromquakes.  For example, Hurricane Sandy did not but Hurricane Bill did.  This honestly concerns me since it could possibly create major damage.  Also, these stormquakes are relatively new which means that scientists do not know exactly how to measure them.  These storms could be approaching and we wouldn't know exactly what to do about it.  However, some people find them fascinating and want to learn more. https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/powerful-storms-may-be-causing-stormquakes-offshore  

"Climate Change is Accelerating Bringing world 'Dangerously Close' to Irreversible Change" Climate Change is continuing to become greater. In Greenland there was a heat wave, in Europe and Africa there was flooding, and even more fires in the California and droughts continue in the southwest. Dr. Taalas believes that reducing green house gases will require extremely drastic measures to ensure that we do not destroy earth. He believes that the only way to do this is by completely getting rid of fossil fuels in every place including transportation, industries and even power production. The world has seen a drastic change in sea levels. The seas are warming and rising so drastically that researchers believe that by 2030's we could have the possibility of some regions seeing ice free summers. I believe this is an extremely alarming thing to worry about since we are only gonna be in our thirties when global warming could hit the peak. The amount of dangerous things

Last winter about 38% of beekeepers in the U.S. had their colony die. This was one of the worst die-offs of bees ever. Beekeepers will be able to rebuild their hive over the year back to the equivalent that it was over the winter. Every winter there is an average 29% die-off of bee colonies which raises a problem. The problem with this is that bees pollinate our crops and other plants which provide us with food. If they do not pollinate the crops we starve. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/us-honeybees-had-worst-winter-die-more-decade I think this is a major issue because bees provide us with plenty of resources which help with our economy. If we keep on track with this decline in bee population than we will not have any food because bees are a major part in pollinating plants for us to eat and we also would not be able to have honey. This would also effect other animals that use plants as food because they will not be able to eat which would also decrease another food source whi

During the holidays, a lot of shopping is done online. This is more convenient for most people because they can do all of their shopping from home instead of having to go out and buy gifts. Although this may be more convenient to the consumer, this isn't helping the environment. Shopping earlier, before the rush of Christmas, can limit the need for expedited shipping. This method of shipping creates more trips that are less efficient, which harms the environment a lot more than just regularly getting items shipped. Buying before the season would also make people think more into the gifts, which would mean less returns and help the environment. Another holiday tradition that harms the environment is wrapping paper. Americans spend 12.7 million dollars on wrapping paper every year and most of it can't be recycled. I think that people should try to be mindful of their impact on the environment during the holiday season, but I don't think most people would make a big differenc

A recent study by NASA showed that the corn belt produced more oxygen than the Amazon by over 40% in its peak growing season! corn plants are also very good at reducing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. this makes the corn belt the most productive area in the world when it comes to the generation of oxygen and reduction of c02  from the atmosphere. which asks the question, " should we be focusing on developing more land for corn production?" and i think we should focus on corn development around the world since it will do two things, 1. it will generate food and 2. it will increase oxygen production and reduce carbon in the atmosphere. https://www.nasa.gov/press/goddard/2014/march/satellite-shows-high-productivity-from-us-corn-belt/

As earths population increases, the demand for food grows. This causes many issues for the planet and for the animals. So to solve this issue, people  might one day grow meat in factories instead of having to harvest it from farmed animals. So far, lab-grown meat haven’t matched the texture of the animal muscles eaten as meat.   One new way scientist are trying to mimic this is by using a technique kinda like spinning cotton candy. It grows meat with more structure. Growing meat in a lab could also mean we wont have to kill lots of animals and it will also lower the environmental costs that come with raising livestock. It takes a lot of land and water to grow animals.   So cutting that out will help our environment too. https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/new-spin-lab-grown-meat I was blown away by this article, it amazes me what people can come up with, and I believe that this could be a valid way for us to be able to enjoy meant while also helping the environment at th

Coal use in the United States and in the European Union have decreased in 2019, but global fossil fuel carbon dioxide emissions have hit a record high. The rate has decreased in the past two years but is still rising, and experts warn that the rate could continue to increase unless drastic changes are made. One factor currently restricting decreases in emissions is disproportionate distribution of emissions through class. Wealthy populations are much more reluctant to reduce their carbon footprint, but make up about 90% of all worldwide emissions. Many experts are calling for national policies restricting emissions, but many countries contributing the largest carbon footprints and use the most natural resources are reluctant to join any agreements, such as the U.S., the Soviet Union, and Saudi Arabia. https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-12/su-gce112019.php

If we do not try to decrease the influx of trash into the oceans, there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean. The trash that is in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is mostly small things of plastic that are broken down by the sun.  When the sun breaks down the plastic, it's not biodegrading but actually entering animals bodies which kills them or enters the marine food chain. Although the majority of the trash in the ocean can't be seen, there is a large amount of micro-plastics that have been found in California.  There is a senator's bill that will encourage the Trump administration to prioritize ocean pollution.  Link Reflection:  I think this article brings up many issues that I was not aware of before.  I knew the issue with trash being dispersed around the ocean was an issue, but I never knew what happens with that trash once it begins to be broken down by the sun. The fact that the plastic is killing fish and possibly entering the marine food chain is alarm

With the upcoming 2020 elections, the idea of climate change and reducing carbon emission is a popular topic of the lips of the democratic candidates. Scientists say that revolutionary changes could reverse climate change effects and most candidates are looking at net-zero carbon emissions by a soon upcoming date. Specifically, Bernie Sander and Elizabeth Warren are on track for zero emissions in about a decade or so. About 63% of energy last year came from coal and natural gas while 19% of energy came from nuclear power and 17% from hydro power. My opinion on all of this is bleak at best. Not in the way that I think the world is gonna end if we don't fix our carbon problem, but the fact that these candidates think this is gonna work. Renewable energy isn't reliable and can't be used efficiently. A great alternative would be nuclear power but none of these candidates are willing to support it. Natural gas fracking is a great alternative even though it isn't perfect. i

Geoscientists at the University of South Florida have developed a high tech buoy that recognizes changes in the seafloor that could potentially lead to earthquakes and tsunamis. The goal is for the buoy to be able to detect changes in the stress and strain of the Earth's outermost layer, the crust. Having this knowledge of small changes in the seafloor and stress or strain on the Earth's crust can lead to sooner evacuations from tsunamis and earthquakes and could prevent more casualties from these events. I believe this invention is very important as gaining more information on natural disasters can help save the lives of thousands and can allow for precautions to be taken before tragedy strikes.

The EPA has proposed forty-six different actions among five types of stakeholders across America in order to solve the issue of not reusing enough wastewater. In fact, they say that there is no such thing as wastewater, only water wasted. The reuse of water is inexpensive and an easy solution because even in periods of drought, there is always an abundance of wastewater readily at hand. According to research done by Bluefield, the current reuse of water is supposed to increase thirty-seven percent by the year 2027. I think that this is a great idea and should have been done a long time ago because our resources here on Earth may replenish themselves over time, but if we keep using them up without recycling what we already have, those resources will continue to diminish and leave us looking for a new earth to call home sooner than we think. Click for Link

This article is on the over pumping of ground water for uses like farming which is destroying the underground water table. When we pump to much ground water out at one time the source of water that takes from this on the surface begins to dry out. This is called the tipping point and can dry out the streams and rivers, destroying the ecosystems within them. The problem is if we continue to do what we are doing now, 50 percent of the pumped watersheds will have reached this tipping point by 2050. Overall, research shows that we will destroy surface water ecosystems if we continue to pump the groundwater at the rate we do now. https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/groundwater-pumping-draining-rivers-and-streams-worldwide This article shocked me because I did not know we were using that much groundwater. I do not understand why we are wasting so much groundwater for farming in areas that are dry. It would make more sense if you used the better climates for growing and did not

The Arctic is melting twice as fast as previous years and more sea ice is melting each year.  This is effecting animals like seals who need the ice to travel and reproduce.  This also effects the seals because the fish that they eat may be moving deeper to reach colder waters causing the seals have to travel deeper to get food.  It also effects the people who may live in the Arctic and animals such as bears and other land mammals. These people rely on these animals for feed and warmth . We must take actual effective action to ensure that we can make a difference and a better living scenario for all living creatures everywhere.   Link

Sea levels continue to heat and rise as humans produce more and more greenhouse gases. Well, how do we stop this? The answer is simple, we work together and come up with more environmental friendly alternatives. In 2018, our oceans hit a record for heating. This is just crazy! Imagine just how much this affects the ocean life, and the production of food sources within the ocean. If we do not work together to stop this, what will happen to the marine life, what will happen to the human race, and what will happen to our civilization? Click here

Summary: Packages from online product returns accounted for 5 billion pounds of landfill waste in the United States last year and the processes through which products were returned caused 15 million tons of carbon to be emitted into the atmosphere. These negative environmental effects of, accompanied by an increased rate of online shopping returns (studies have found that more lenient return policies lead to increased sale rates), could fuel the global climate catastrophe even more. Proposed solutions to this include bans on free returns, carbon-emissions labeling, and possibilities of refunds without returns. https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2019-11-13/those-amazon-returns-they-re-killing-the-environment Response: This article brings into perspective how relatively minuscule aspects of a much larger and more environmentally concerning system (our current commercialized production system) can have far-reaching effects themselves. This article irritates me a bit, however.

A viral disease that was killing thousands of European harbor seals has spread to sea lions in the pacific. Initially scientists were puzzled about how the disease had traveled so far. Phocine distemper virus is highly contagious for the animals it effects but will not effect humans. The director at University of California Davis examined 15 years of measurements of arctic ice data and information from animals that had been tagged. The conclusion that was reached stated that the warming climate changed environmental factors that made it possible for the virus to move to a new ecosystem full of sea life. An example of this is how the ice melt off of Russia increased exposure to both oceans because of new waterways opening and the already infected animals came into contact with new species which were more susceptible to contracting it. But like how warmer water is creating large toxic algae blooms this is just another way our changing climate has effect marine wildlife. This is an inte