APES Current Events

It's no lie that if you've ever been to New York City, you see plastic bags everywhere you look.  Some of them are stuck in trees or pretending to be tumble weeds.  However, as the start of March 1, these plastic bags will be banned from New York state.  This change is not to be expected overnight.  The law will be lenient at first in order for the people to adjust with this modification.  I believe this is a great idea since it makes me sad seeing all those bags cluttering the city streets and on the sides of the roads.  My only concern is, will this be effective?  About 20 million people live in New York state which makes me think, how will everyone follow this law?  It's a great idea, I just hope it's successful.  Link

The Corona virus is spreading and now we are seeing more and more cases in the U.S.  There are now 62 confirmed cases of corona virus in the US, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One  Solano County patient, who is being treated at UC Davis Medical Center, could be the first instance of "community spread" of the virus, the CDC said Wednesday. "That suggests that the virus is out there in the community, and that means pretty much that everybody's at risk," Dr. Dean Blumberg, an infectious disease specialist at the center, told CNN. "We don't know who might be carrying it. We don't know who we can get it from." This is scary knowing that the disease has now been introduced to the people of the united states and is spreading, although the scientist and doctors are working hard to prevent the spread and find a vaccine, time is ticking and for now the best way to prevent it is to just make sure you wash your hands, keep

New research suggests that the use of fossil fuels may produce somewhere between 25 and 40 percent more methane then originally thought. The total amount of methane released from geologic sources is upwards of 170 teragrams. Studies of ice cores suggest that natural seeps were accountable for a very small sum of methane in the atmosphere, meaning the modern human activities are responsible for the methane. The only good thing is that from this scientists may be able to pinpoint what areas produce the greatest amount of methane, and methane stays in the atmosphere far shorter than carbon dioxide and more warming than CO2, meaning that if we were to lessen methane produced, we would see more immediate effects. While it is scary to see the large sum of methane present in the atmosphere, it is at least somewhat encouraging to know that it could be more helpful in the short term. If when scientists locate the places where the methane is primarily being produced, and whoever is producing i

Can India Save the Warming Planet                Power   decisions  that India makes  within the   following few  years  should  profoundly  have an effect on  how  warm  the planet  becomes  this century.  India's  populace  and  living   requirements   have been   rising   fast . If its  current   energy   blend   continues ,  by  2040 carbon emissions  could   prevent   earth  from  limiting   global  warming to  desired   ranges .  To  cut  emissions, India has to  build  a  reliable   electric  grid  which could   manage   widespread   solar  and wind  energy  and  that may   transfer  from coal to  natural   gas   power   plants .  The  united states   also   needs  to reform the bankrupt  power   zone ,  pass   more extreme   energy - performance   rules  and  put money into   efficient and clean  transportation. Technical and  financial   aid  from  overseas   can be   critical . linkyyyy This is a great advancement that I hope can become true by 2040. If large countri

As many people know Greta Thunberg has been spreading awareness through her school strike for climate change movement. Some support her because she's a young activist who doesn't beat around the bush when it comes to the future of the planet. Others think she over exaggerates to create fear driven activism. One of Greta's nay says comes from her own generation. 19 year old Naomi Seibt is apart of The Heartland Institute. Heartland is an organization that is focused on Climate change. In seeing the impact that Greta has had on the far left it makes sense that a more right leaning opponent would eventually come up. Naomi does not completely dismiss climate change and acknowledges how climate change impacts the world. However she believes that Greta and scientists alike have greatly exaggerated the impacts of carbon emissions and that the immediate fate of the world is not as grim as the left says. Naomi and The Heartland Institute believe things like solar energy are contribu

Studies at Radboud University in the Netherlands has found that online shopping is more harmful for the environment than going to the store and purchasing the item yourself.  Due to the fact that you get multiple smaller packages instead of one large package with smaller things.  Also there is the fast delivery that may use more gas and transportation to make it to the destination as quickly as possible.  Results showed that  gas emissions were higher for online shopping 81% of the time.   This relates to what we are learning in APES because we are discussing how what we do as humans pollutes the Earth and affects the planet.   source

February Post by: Caleb Crist At the current growth of greenhouse gas emissions, national security has started to urge countries to decrease their emissions. There is an ever growing fear that at our current rate, the emissions we make could lead to rapidly growing temperature changes as well as international catastrophe. Unless something is done to rapidly decrease our current emissions, chaos could ensue. Temperatures will grow so much that certain parts of Africa, Asia, and more would have to be abandoned due to negative global effects such as low water supply. In my opinion, it would nearly be impossible to slow our greenhouse emissions to a halt. If we did, our entire ways of life and economy would change so drastically it could be harmful. Although, if we do not try to decrease emissions at all, chaos will indefinitely ensue. Click This for Website

Summary:   Trump held a news briefing to focus on the concerns of the American people, but the people asking were investors and they were concerned over the Corona virus. Majority of the time was spent talking about how Trump should be reelected. And the speakers seemed less interested in Corona and more concerned with trying to make Trump sound better. Trump did talk about the prevention's America has been taking like closing airports and cancelling flights. Donald Trump has also stated that Mike Pence will be leading the prevention of Corona. Pence also commented that we are very safe in America under the leadership and guidance of Trump. Alex Azar, the Health and Human Services Secretary, also greatly praised Trump's efforts more than address what is going on with Corona. Trump said the vaccine should be coming soon while Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, said it will take some time to come up with a vaccine or that I'll take a lit

Within the past two decades ocean currents have been speeding up at a fast rate because of climate change. It was predicted that ocean currents would speed up, but not this quickly. Since this was not expected, people are worried that climate change could have many other effects that we are not prepared for. Global ocean circulation has accelerated by 36 percent since the early 1990's. Our oceans have a huge impact on the planet and the different effects of climate change will change our planet for the worse. It is scary that scientists have underestimated the effects of climate change and it shows how little time we have to work on this issue. Everybody needs to understand that we are facing a huge problem and if we don't all start to act on it then there is not much hope for a good future. I hope that the future planned research goes well and scientists can learn more about the unknowns. link

Researchers have found that through comparing greenhouse gas emissions with a regular shopping trip and ordering groceries online and having them delivered to your home. They have found in most cases that delivery from a local grocery store reduces our carbon footprint, but results can vary. Researchers are also looking into reducing greenhouse gas emissions even further when delivering groceries; they calculate how exactly to separate purchased items into different categories depending on their demand for greenhouse gasses, especially for transportation. All in all, the same amount of gas emissions are created until the "last mile" in your groceries' journey to your home; the number of items purchased, the distance of that "last mile" journey, and the mode of transportation all contribute to the calculation of greenhouse gas emissions. If you wish to reduce your carbon footprint, have your groceries delivered in fewer packages, use a low emission vehicle when p

Ocean currents are undersea conveyed belts that help regulate Earth's climate and influences weather systems around the world have been speeding up. Climate models had predicted that ocean circulation would speed up with climate change but was expected to occur much later in the century. A scientist says that if their primary tool for seeing how greenhouse gases will impact these climate systems in the future isn't something they can rely on it raises serious concerns about how to prepare for the future. Changes in the process of ocean currents could threaten the planet's life support system due to the increase of surface winds. Major effects that this can cause are impacts on fisheries because fish are migrating to places where they can survive due to the ocean warming and this will lower the productivity of fisheries that will have cascading effects up and down the food chain. It will also cause warmer water which will cause hurricanes and extreme weather that will have d

Summary: As the coronoavirus has been on the rise, this article addresses the issue of this disease affecting so many people in such a short amount of time, and more specifically talks about how many individuals are working together to find the animal(s) that this disease may have stemmed from in the first place. While it seems as if bats have been the animal to blame for the outbreak, it has been discovered that there is yet another creature that has contributed to the spreading of the disease; the pangolin. Not only is this mammal being linked to this disease in this article, but also wet markets in Chinese culture and how easily viruses move from one species to another, including among pangolins and other wild species, including bats. Coronavirus: The race to find the source in wildlife Response: Overall, with all of the horrid effects that have come with this outbreak, it is relieving that people are determined in finding the source of the problem. This not only will result in

In the spring, there is a fish migration of spur, striped bass and many other fish. This fish migrate using the Brandywine Creek in Delaware. Before during the spring season, these fish have had their route blocked by a dam. This year, will be the first year that the fish will be able to migrate using this creek. These dams built in the mid-18th century, were just recently knocked over by the city. Within the next month there will be fisherman sitting at this creek because now all the fish are able to move up stream. I believe the destroying of the dam was a good idea because now the fish are able to move freely and migrate farther then before. These fish won't be trapped in one area like before. The population will be able to grow because of more room for different fish. The population will also remain controlled and stable because the fisherman will be catching fish in the next month. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/25/science/fish-dams-delaware.html

The Nuclear meltdown at Chernobyl impacted not only the people that resided in that area, but all the animals that inhabited that areas as well. Scientists believe that this area has now become a "sanctuary" for all types of animals. This could be very true simply based on the fact that no humans inhabit this area and can prevent them from moving into the area, or preventing them from taking shelter from their surroundings. There are however, some mutations within the aquatic life around that are because of the amounts of radiation that they were subjected to. This has caused the fish to grow to bigger sizes, or even develop other physical mutations. Click here to access a video of a fish captured from the waterways surrounding Chernobyl. What are some ways that we can help clean up the waterways, and maybe even restore the town that is now a ghost town? We may never be able to full clean up this area, but maybe we could try to make it safer for people to visit, or even pos

Technology waste has become a huge environmental and health problem in the Global South's landfill sites. This electronic waste is currently 5% of all global waste and is set to increase more due to our technological advancements we constantly have. Instead of recycling our electronic waste, most of the waste goes to  Agogbloshie in the outskirts of   Ghana’s capital, Accra. It is the biggest e-waste dump in the world, where 10,000 informal workers wade through tons of discarded goods as part of an enormous, informal recycling process. They risk their health for the sake of  searching for the precious metals that are found in our discarded smartphones.  A recent report found Agbogbloshie contained some of the most hazardous chemicals on earth. This is not surprising to us in the sustainable tech world because smartphones contain mercury, lead and even arsenic.  The source of the problem is Europe and North America. The European Union and the United States alone contribute to almost

As the climate of Saudi Arabia continues to change, the social and economic developments of the time could also decrease for the worse.  Climate change has induced water-scarcity and groundwater depletion. 60% of the world’s coffee species are produced in Saudi Arabia, which is one of the biggest economic benefits in the country.  Along with the economic benefits, social changes are occurring because of the importance of coffeehouses, where both women and men interact with each other. This is a big change for this conservative country, but with coffee supply declining, the agriculture and social interactions could collapse within the next 30 years. Climate change has become a big issue in today’s society.  Now that coffee, which is a largely consumed drink throughout the world, more people might be emotionally invested in protecting our environment from the severe threat of climate change.  The social interaction that is occurring within Saudi Arabia from the coffeehouse culture is

NOAA has measured a rise in the oceans acidity in the recent years. If the acidity keeps rising it will drastically impact marine organisms and the economy. This will effect commercial fisherman, tourism, and coral reefs that all create an income to the economy. The rise in acidity will especially hurt species that have shells like crabs and lobsters. The regions that are most in danger is Alaska's wealthy fishing economy and the coral reefs around Florida that provide tourism and protection from floods. This is all caused by the continuous use of fossil fuels. When we burn the fossil fuels the carbon is absorbed by the upper layers of the ocean. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/ocean-acidification-threatens-the-u-s-economy/ I think this is a major issue because not only would our environment be greatly impacted, but our economy would be impacted too. If the fisheries are not saved in Alaska around 50,000 jobs will be lost which is not good. I believe that if we want

     In Japan, during the winter on the northern coastline the sea ice freezes, this is called The La Pérouse Strait, a 26-mile wide-body dividing Japan's northern islands of Hokkaido and Russias Sakhalin peninsula. This straight is no longer icebound during this year's winter causing the spotted seals to flood into the straight from the Sea of Okhotsk and abandon their traditional feeding habits. The straight no longer icebound admits rich fishing grounds of the Sea of Japan along Hokkaido's western coast. They feast on salmon and octopus in the fixed nets that are placed along the coast. This causes the seals to come earlier and leave later each year. Many of the seals can be observed in droves in a region that they weren't found there before. Many of the seals need the ice to give birth with the ice melting and global warming continuing to get more detrimental the seals might face a huge crisis. In my opinion, this is very bad news since many of the seals are get

Scientists are stumped about why these abnormally large horns on Treehopper's heads keep evolving and growing over time. Some measure to double or triple the size of the bug itself. Scientists have determined natural selection must play a role in this theory of adaptation. While the appearance of the bug and the size of the horn still cannot be specifically explained, it is believed that it is just a rare evolutionary event in nature. https://www.popsci.com/natural-selection-doesnt-tell-whole-story/ I find it very interesting that there is an unidentified adaptation on this bug. With the new technological advances in science that we have today I find it very impressive that there is an inexplicable evolutionary pattern that this species follows. I hope the science community is able to determine the origin of this adaptation and continues to make more interesting discoveries in nature today.

February 9, 2020 According to Jonathan Bridle and Alexandra van Rensburg of the University of Bristol, the population of bumblebees worldwide is declining at an alarming rate and is worse than previously thought because of climate change. Researchers have looked at more than half a million records analyzing 66 different species of bumblebees from 1901-1974 and from 2000-2014. What they discovered is that the populations started rapidly declining between 2001 and 2014 and that the probability of a bumblebee occupying any given area has decreased by an average of 30%. Both Spain and Mexico have been among the areas affected the most because of their more frequent extreme warm years. As a result of climate change, bumblebees have begun to move farther north into cooler areas, but it is still not enough to reverse the damage. Bumblebees are responsible for pollinating many fruits and vegetables, so many crops will begin to fail because of their declining population. Interested in more?

At the sea port of Yokohama, Japan, there is a cruise ship quarantined through and through because of a confirmation of the coronavirus. The Diamond Princess was in possession of a man who was confirmed of the virus, and of the 3700 crew and passengers on board, 61 confirmed cases have emerged. The ship is currently in a cycle of briefly docking to remove few passengers at a time and get more supplies, then returning out to sea to be quarantined.  I believe the Japanese Government is doing the best that they can with the situation, and I am hopeful that the virus can be detained before it spreads even more. The Japanese are doing a great job of preventing the virus from hitting the mainland, and that in itself is worthy of applaud. 

There was a mass quarantine ordered in Wuhan at the center of the outbreak. More than 70 deaths and 3,100 new cases have emerged in China since last Friday. This brings the total number of deaths in China to an astonishing 636 deaths. There are also more than 200 deaths caused by the corona virus outside of China. Local officials in Wuhan have called upon health care workers to speed up the process of making a vaccine for the virus. The hospitals and laboratories are under severe pressure to test for the virus.  The US centers for disease control and prevention said that has been working on a new vaccine and will distribute it to international laboratories to try and diagnose the corona virus. This is important because without doctors working to find a vaccine for this virus hundred of more people will get infected and die. This disease is very contagious and spreads very easily so it's important that a solution is found soon so that others are not infected. It is important that we

Our current, yet already broken environment, has been vigorously under attack since the Trump administration took office. Bills have been continuously passed rolling away environmental protection. They have been silencing scientists who go against their beliefs and policies. It's crazy that something like this could be hidden! https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2020/02/03/trump-climate-change-environment-policy

This article is about how platypus population are dwindling in Australia due to drought from the wild fires and from dams being built on Australia rivers the dams disrupt the population because they slow down the water flow which in turn dis erupts the population of shrimp and insects that feed the platypuses. Also doesn't allow the platypuses to find susceptible homes because the river levels are extremely low not allowing them to make burrows. This problem should gain the attention of the public because it would be terrible if the platypus would go extinct because it is one of the most interesting animals because it is the only mammal that lays eggs. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/04/science/platypus-australia-wildfires.html I feel that its important to bring light to the situation in Australia with their wildfires causing extreme drought which disturbs the habitat of the platypuses. The platypus  is a very interesting creature and it would be a shame if this creature went

Recently, Germany announced its plans to spend $44.5 billion to quit using coal by 2038. The money is meant to be used for compensating the workers, the companies, and the coal producing states. Right now, Germany is one of the largest emitters of greenhouse gases, and has been taking steps towards leaving the fossil fuel industry, working to reduce its carbon footprint. Renewable energy resources have started becoming cheaper and more people have become aware of the impact of the pollution due to power plants that use coal for fuel. Click  Here  for here This plane made by Germany has sparked criticism from environmental organizations feeling that the plan is too slow and not using renewable energy resources quickly enough. However, there are still some parts of the world, like Poland and the Czech Republic, that heavily rely on and continue to use coal. This is due to factors like it having been used for so long and employing millions globally. It is even growing in some places.

A week before January 30, 2020, Wuhan, China went under official lock down. The day of January 30, many unbelievable events happened. Two doctors in Wuhan were assaulted, one was threatened and his protective gown was torn off. Although medical supplies are being delivered in bulk from around the world, they are still running low in China. In Russia, they prepared for a partial closure of the 2,600 mile border with China. The Prime Minister ordered for 16 out of 25 of the crossing points to be closed. The Foreign Ministry urged Russians to postpone travel to China. They also suspended electronic visas for Chinese citizens. So far, there has been no confirmed cases of the Coronavirus in Russia. In the United States, American Airlines pilots' union were planning to sue in attempt to stop all services between the United States and China. Starting February 9, all flights from Los Angeles to Beijing and Shanghai will be suspended. The United Airlines announced that there would be fl

This article describes how the recent fires in Australia are effecting the water supply. These fires caused many water treatment  plants too shut down due to the loss of electricity, and on top of that the fires caused a lot of ash to sit on the ground. Recently there has been heavy rainfall in Australia which has done a good job at suppressing the fires, but this has caused waterways to flood and become contaminated with silt, ash, ect. This combined with the treatment plants being down have caused many people to run out of water. As you can see weather can heavily effect environments and the people around them. Weather is one thing that humans are unable to control and it can be extremely destructive to people and ecosystems. Luckily though we have the technology to predict weather and prepare for it. https://www.circleofblue.org/2020/world/rain-alleviates-bushfires-in-australia-but-threatens-waterways/

John Fetterman, a lieutenant governor in Pennsylvania, thinks that extracting and taxing natural gas is essential for the economy of Pennsylvania.  He says there would be hundred of thousands of jobs on the line if fracking is banned. Fetterman says that putting a ban on fracking could hurt the candidates who are running for president, as fracking could become a new controversial issue in the election. Only 39% of Pennsylvania "swing" voters believe the ban on fracking would be a good idea. Link This article directly relates to the fracking debate we had in class.  It was interesting to see a persons view of the issues and be able to read how he believes the argument will effect the general elections. 

California can hit its goal of going carbon neutral by 2045 if it pulls emissions out of the air and slashes greenhouse gases from farming, landfills and other sources.  The state has adopted numerous policies to cut its emissions. Pollution sources that are tougher to reach will have to be addressed more aggressively. State leaders will also have to race into the frontier of climate action: removing carbon  dioxide from the air. I feel that it is a good thing that California is trying to get rid of its man made carbon footprint, and that the rest of the country and the world should be working on making their carbon footprint smaller as well. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/california-can-be-carbon-neutral-in-25-years-with-drastic-action/

A flood of locusts have made their way and invaded the districts of Rajasthan and Gujarat during this winter, making it one of the worst attacks since 1993. The locusts are mainly effecting farmers by destroying all of their crops.  Locusts are known as one of the most dangerous pests known because they have a fairly quick reproduction rate, and can eat more than their weight, making it easy for a swarm to destroy a field full of crops.  To help reduce the pests, the government has instated 54 teams to monitor swarms in attempt to stop the spreading.  They are also giving farmers a free supply of insecticides since the government can not reach all of the areas affected right away.  Locusts have affected over 60 countries and 40% of crops have been destroyed in Pakistan.  Farmers are seeking help from the federal government to do more on this problem. I believe that the government should take more action in preventing these infestations.  If these pests keep destroying fields, we are no

Fireflies are among many other insects currently struggling with the increased threat of habitat loss due to pesticides and pollution. However, light pollution is becoming a problem as it it causing Fireflies troubles while trying to mate. In order to breed, male fireflies use their glowing ability to signal females. Females also use their glowing ability to signal back to the males. However, billboards, streetlights, and houses are beginning to prevent fireflies form pairing up. Fireflies could eventually face global extinction because of light pollution, habitat loss, and habitat degradation. I feel that the extinction of fireflies could cause a large problem in many ecosystems. Insects tend to be crucial to their ecosystems and could even cause havoc in the food webs. At the moment, I am not use of a solution to fix this, but one is needed to prevent chaos in ecosystems all around the world. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/03/climate/fireflies-mating-light-pollution.html

Summary: 24 individuals have been charged with starting fires in the Australian bushes. While this is being used as a means of denying the significance of climate change in the wildfires, the amount of arson is normal in Australia for this time. It is instead the extended fire season (due to global warming) allowing fires started by lightning to grow and spread. The misinformation surrounding the cause, however, is creating a lot of confusion. Even the political leaders of Australia have attributed the cause of the fires to arson. https://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/australia-s-wildfire-crisis-faces-new-foe-misinformation-n1112736 Response: The politicization of climate change has had many negative effects (particularly the polarization of individuals based on political lines), and misinformation certainly seems to be a key one. It could be seen decades ago with the news cycle and now with social media: false information spreads very easily due to the attention it gets. Unf

Fast fashion is the act of rapidly and inexpensively producing clothing in order to keep up with the latest fashion trends. Some fast fashion stores consist of Zara or H&M. Although it may not seem like your clothing has an effect on the environment, it does. In fact, fast fashion is the second largest pollutant in our environment. A man by the name of Hasan Minhaj said that in 2015 the amount of greenhouse gasses being produced from textiles had more emissions than than flights and maritime shipping. Textiles have such a huge impact that it was also proven that if everybody bought one used clothing item, instead of new, every year, it would be equivalent to removing 500,000 cars from the roads. https://fashionmagazine.com/fashion/hasan-minhaj-fast-fashion-patriot-act/

President Trump has repealed laws protecting wetlands from pollution. These waterways lead into areas that provide drinking water, posing a threat not only to our environment, but to health and disease as well. Drawbacks on environmental protections are too much of a risk to implement. Estuaries and waterways are connected to the rest of the environment and these drawbacks will inevitably affect us in more ways than one. https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/25/opinions/groffman-environmental-science-trump/index.html

Scientists believe that marine animals in Australia will soon be the unknown victims of the fires. Australia is in a drought right now. They are destined to get flood causing rain in the near future. When the floods come it will cause the ash from the fires to rush into nearby creeks that will lead is to lakes, estuaries, and nearby rivers. When there the ash will rush into fishes gills and also block sunlight needed for aquatic plants photosynthesis. This will basically suffocate the fish underwater. There is no solution to this problem, there is no possible way to clean up all the ash laying on the ground. The only way to stop it would be to set up silt catching bags around the water to block the ash from getting in. Yet, these are very ineffective and also cost a lot of money and time to set up. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/australias-marine-animals-will-be-bushfires-unseen-victims/ I believe this is a very scary article. We have already heard about the billions o