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☆ Cane toads: This warty, toxic pest threatens entire ecosystems. These scientists have a secret weapon
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Hilary Whiteman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

For the most part, the battle against cane toads has been mounted by local ecological warriors wearing rubber gloves who scan the streets for adult toads. But the Australians have a secret weapon not yet available worldwide – a lure that attracts cane toad tadpoles so thousands can be killed in one hit. To prove the theory, and try to mimic it, they’d first need a heap of dead cane toads. “In Florida, cane toads are mainly a socio-economic issue. Northern quolls – small carnivorous marsupials – get a cane toad sausage, goannas are fed tiny live toads and freshwater crocodiles receive cane toad legs with a dose of lithium chloride.

Persons: Australia CNN —, Gary King, “ Who’s, ”, King, Australia’s, Cane, Luke, Austin Rogers, “, “ There’s, we’re, Rob Capon, Rick Shine, Capon, ” Capon, they’d, it’s, you’ve, Jacob LaFond, Steve Johnson, that’s, ” LaFond, That’s, Nikki Tomsett, ” Tomsett, they’re, Sara McAllister, Connor, John Holmes, Hilary Whiteman, Connor Holmes, John, ” John, ” Connor Organizations: Australia CNN, University of Queensland, Macquarie University . Shine, Macquarie University, University of Tampa, University of Florida, Western Australia Department of Biodiversity, CNN Locations: Brisbane, Australia, South, Central America, Queensland, United States, Japan, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Pacific, Caribbean, United Kingdom, koalas, North Queensland, Florida, Miami, “, South Florida, Australian, Hawaii, Derby, Western Australia, Northern

☆ 29 million-year-old grasshopper nest found intact with eggs, study says
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( Mindy Weisberger | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The eggs and overall nest construction closely resemble the eggs and pods of modern grasshopper species. Insect eggs are extremely rare in the fossil record, and intact egg cases are even rarer. This wasn’t just a cluster of eggs — it was a type of subterranean egg pod called an ootheca, with the eggs cradled by a protective layer that had mineralized into a stony rind. So Lee consulted a global insect egg database, containing more than 6,700 living species, to identify the eggs in the fossil pod. The virtually pristine specimen also speaks to the level of preservation in the national park site’s fossil beds, Famoso added.

Persons: ”, Jaemin Lee, Nick Famoso, Famoso, Ricardo Pérez, la Fuente, Christopher Schierup, Schierup, “, Lee, Angela Lin, ” Famoso, ” Lee, ” Mindy Weisberger Organizations: CNN, Parks Stewardship, University of California, National Parks Service, University of Oxford’s, University of Oregon’s, Imaging, Scientific Locations: Oregon, Berkeley, Mitchell , Oregon, United Kingdom, Eugene

☆ The Monumental Task of Clearing Debris From the Lahaina Fire
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-14 | by ( Jim Carlton | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

LAHAINA, Hawaii—Nearly six months after a wildfire incinerated Lahaina, cleanup crews this week are scheduled to begin clearing the charred rubble to make way for a near-total rebuild—a task that will be extraordinarily complicated due to the sensitive ecology and deep history of this former Hawaiian royal capital. Fire cleanups are often tricky, but prepping Lahaina for its next phase presents some extra challenges. It’s on a remote island with only one access highway. A temporary landfill had to be built to hold the debris. Everything from water and dump trucks to bins and dumpsters has had to be brought in from elsewhere.

Persons: It’s, dumpsters Locations: LAHAINA, Hawaii, Lahaina

☆ ‘Bad case of déjà vu’: Oil industry veteran to lead next round of UN climate talks in Azerbaijan
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-08 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Azerbaijan's Minister for ecology and natural resources and formerly an executive at state oil company SOCAR Mukhtar Babayev (C) visits at the Norm cement plant in Baku, on February 23, 2023. Azerbaijan named on January 5, 2024, Mukhtar Babayev minister to preside over the November 2024 COP29 meeting, in Baku, on January 6, 2024. A former executive of Azerbaijan's state-owned oil and gas firm SOCAR has been picked to lead U.N. climate talks in Baku later this year, prompting critics to decry a "bad case of déjà vu." It means that a minister with vast experience in oil and gas will lead negotiations at the U.N.'s biggest and most important annual climate conference for the second consecutive year. Campaign group Global Witness said Babayev's appointment as the person to lead COP29 discussions was a "bad case of déjà vu."

Persons: SOCAR Mukhtar Babayev, Mukhtar, decry, Mukhtar Babayev, Babayev, Jaber, COP28, Alice Harrison, Harrison Organizations: Norm, United, Emirates, Abu, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, Global, United Nations, CNBC Locations: Baku, Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan's, Sultan Al, Dubai, Abu Dhabi

Neri Oxman , a former MIT professor and celebrity within the world of academia, stole sentences and whole paragraphs from Wikipedia, other scholars, and technical documents in her academic writing, Business Insider has found. AdvertisementNeri Oxman directly copied from Wikipedia in her Ph.D. dissertationOn page 81 of her dissertation, "Material-based Design Computation," Oxman published two sentences without attribution that had previously appeared on Wikipedia. Business InsiderThe Wikipedia article for "Weaving" featured virtually identical sentences in April 2010 , when Oxman's dissertation was submitted. Business InsiderOxman's cribbing from the "Weaving" article was one of 15 examples that BI found Oxman plagiarizing from a Wikipedia article in her dissertation. The bulk of the plagiarism BI found was in her dissertation, which runs more than 300 pages.

Persons: Neri Oxman, Oxman, Bill Ackman, Ackman, Claudine Gay, Gay, Claudine Gay's, It's, Rick Norwood, silkworms, Wolfram MathWorld, M.Y . Zhou, Bruno Zevi, Sally Kornbluth Organizations: MIT, Pershing, Capital Management, Washington Free Beacon, Business, Creative, East Tennessee State University, MIT Media, Rhino, BI, Da Capo Press, MIT Corporation, Eastern Tennessee State University Locations: Gaza

KHAVDA, India (AP) — Rising from the bare expanse of the large salt desert that separates India from Pakistan is what will likely be the world's largest renewable energy project when completed three years from now. The solar and wind energy project will be so big that it will be visible from space, according to developers of what is called the Khavda renewable energy park, named after the village nearest to the project site. Shifting to renewable energy is a key issue at the ongoing COP28 climate summit. Once completed, it will supply 30 gigawatts of renewable energy annually, enough to power nearly 18 million Indian homes. Given this, Virmani said there is enough land in Kutch for various renewable energy projects.

Persons: ”, KSRK Verma, Khavda, Verma, “ It’s, Vneet Jaain, Adani, Gautam Adani, Adani Green, ” Ajay Mathur, Mathur, Abi T Vanak, Vanak, Sandip, Virmani, Hirelal Rajde, “ Organizations: Associated Press, Adani Green Energy Limited, Adani, Adani Group, Hindenburg, Group, International Solar Alliance, Ashoka Trust for Research, Twitter, AP Locations: KHAVDA, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Rann, Kutch, India’s Gujarat, China, United States, Bengal, Ahmedabad, Jaain, U.S, Mundra, Gujarat, Europe, Africa, Bengaluru, Denmark, Khavda

☆ Giant guinea pig-sized rats that climb trees and chomp coconuts were photographed for the first time by researchers
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The Vangunu giant rat is a species that exists only on one of the Solomon Islands. They were trying to capture evidence of the Vangunu giant rat, Uromys vika. It's been known to eat green coconuts , but researchers had never seen a live rat. Despite its large size, the giant rat was difficult to spot. The Vangunu giant rat is critically endangered, and logging has destroyed its habitat.

Persons: —, Tyrone Lavery, It's, Lavery, vika, it's, " Lavery, Vika Organizations: Service, University of Melbourne, Solomon Islands National University, Solomon, Australian Broadcasting Corporation Locations: Solomon Islands, Vangunu, Zaira, Solomon, New Guinea

☆ Giant seamount discovered in Guatemala is nearly twice the height of the world’s tallest building
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Taylor Nicioli | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

At 1,600 meters (5,249 feet) tall, it’s nearly twice the height of Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, according to a news release from Schmidt Ocean Institute, a nonprofit organization that advances oceanographic research. The ship is designed to map the seafloor by using a multibeam echosounder, which sends out sound waves to the ocean floor in a fan-shaped pattern, then measures the time it takes for the sound to reach the ocean floor and return. Schmidt Ocean InstituteThe seamount was discovered 84 nautical miles outside the Guatemalan Exclusive Economic Zone. Watling was not involved with the discovery but was part of a Schmidt Ocean Institute exploration in 2019. The recently discovered seamount may be taller than the world’s tallest building, but some have been found to have a height of 4,000 meters (13,123 feet) or more, Watling said.

Persons: it’s, Tomer, Ketter, ”, Jyotika Virmani, Les Watling, Watling, ” Watling, —, Tony Koslow, Koslow, “, ” Koslow Organizations: CNN, NOAA, Exploration, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, Schmidt Ocean Institute, Israeli National Institute for Oceanography, Ocean Institute, Schmidt Ocean, University of Hawaii, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, Pew Locations: Guatemala, Burj, Guatemalan, Manoa, Mauna Kea, Hawaii, San Diego

☆ 7 weird jobs that are well-paying but nobody knows about, according to a viral Reddit thread
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Aria Yang | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A Reddit user asked what are weird jobs nobody knows about but pay well. AdvertisementA Reddit user asked which jobs were relatively unknown but lucrative and the post went viral. Teeth designerA Reddit user said he makes teeth on a computer using CAD/CAM software for dental laboratories. Artificial flavor makerOne Reddit user wrote, "My dad was a master flavorist. Reddit user solarblack wrote, "My Aunt and her daughter both do seasonal work as hand pollinators and harvesters.

Persons: Redditors, —, IndependenceNo2060, Loreo1964, die_lahn, solarblack Organizations: Service, Business, Heineken

☆ Orcas killed a great white shark for its liver in Australia, scientists confirmed, leaving the sharks one less place to hide
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Sonam Sheth | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Scientists confirmed that it was killed by orcas, who hunted the great white for its liver. AdvertisementIn October, reports of a great white shark's mangled carcass washing ashore in a town in Victoria, Australia sparked suspicion. Hunting great white sharks for their fatty liverA female killer whale and her newborn calf in Grays Harbor near Westport, Washington. One less place great whites can hide from liver-seeking orcasKiller whales hunt great white sharks in waters across the world. While Australia is an entirely different part of the world than South Africa, it's now one less place where great white sharks can hide from liver-seeking orcas.

Persons: orcas, —, Adam Miller, Miller, Candice Emmons, mako, Kenneth C, it's Organizations: Service, Portland, Facebook, Victoria's Deakin University, ABC Radio Melbourne, NOAA Fisheries, Reuters, for Whale Research Locations: Australia, Victoria , Australia, Grays Harbor, Westport , Washington, South Africa, South Africa's, Africa's

☆ Mary Cleave, the first woman to fly on NASA’s space shuttle after Challenger disaster, dies at 76
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Mary Cleave, the NASA astronaut who in 1989 became the first woman to fly on a space shuttle mission after the Challenger disaster, has died at the age of 76, the space agency announced on Wednesday. “For me, space flight was great, but it was gravy on top of getting to fly in great airplanes,” she told NASA. Getting to orbitOn her first mission, flying on NASA’s Space Shuttle Atlantis in 1985, Cleave became the 10th woman to travel into space. Over the course of her two shuttle missions, Cleave spent more than 10 days in orbit. Cleave said she made the difficult decision to move on from the corps and NASA’s astronaut hub in Houston, taking a role at Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland in 1991.

Persons: Mary Cleave, “, ”, Bob Cabana, “ Mary, ” Cleave —, —, Cleave, ” Cleave, Judith Resnick, Sally Ride, Sally, Cleave “ Organizations: CNN, NASA, Challenger, Science, Colorado State University, Utah State University, Atlantis, CapCom, Ride, Goddard Space Flight, Maryland Locations: Neck , New York, Utah, Houston, Maryland, Washington , DC

☆ Rare Giant Rat Is Photographed Alive for First Time
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Rebecca Carballo | More About Rebecca Carballo | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For years, the Indigenous people on Vangunu, one of the Solomon Islands, had insisted a critically endangered giant rat that could chew through coconuts still lived among the trees of the forest, though its numbers had dwindled as loggers destroyed its habitat. But it turned out the people of the village of Zaira were right. Researchers from the University of Melbourne and Solomon Islands National University, with help from the local community, recently captured photos of the Vangunu giant rat, or Uromys vika. It is one of the world’s rarest rodents and Vangunu is the only island it is known to inhabit. The rat, called Vika by the people of Vangunu, is at least twice the size of a common rat, at about 18 inches, half of which accounts for the tail, researchers said.

Organizations: University of Melbourne, Solomon Islands National University Locations: Solomon, Zaira, Vangunu

☆ Elephant herd tramples car after baby struck along Malaysian highway
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Heather Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —A herd of wild elephants in Malaysia trampled on a car traveling along a major highway after it struck a baby in their group, local authorities said Monday. It had been drizzling and foggy at that time, Gerik Police added, and the car was “negotiating a left bend on the highway” when it hit the baby elephant. Authorities did not provide further updates about the condition of the elephant baby. In 2017, a baby elephant was discovered dead on the side of a highway, apparently killed by a car believed to have been speeding, elephant conservation group Management and Ecology of Malaysian Elephants (MEME) said at the time. In 2020, a distressed adult elephant trampled on a car that had been traveling on the same highway as the latest incident.

Persons: ”, Zulkifli Mahmood, “, ” Mahmood, Sylvain CORDIER Organizations: CNN, Gerik Police, Police, Management, Malaysian Locations: Malaysia, Gerik, Malay, Penang, Terengganu, Borneo

☆ Climate change, overharvesting exacerbating Texas oyster decline
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Evan Garcia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

GALVESTON, Texas, Nov 28 (Reuters) - For the second year in a row, Texas has closed the majority of its public oyster reefs for harvesting due to declining populations. DECLINING POPULATIONSScientists estimate at least 85% of the world's oyster reefs have been lost, largely to overharvesting and disease. To harvest oysters, boats drag an underwater dredge across oyster reefs, collecting reef material that is dumped onto the boat. But dredging destroys the oyster reefs, which are also a habitat for fish and crabs, says the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association. "And so, especially in the past decade, we've seen impacts from both harvest and heavy rainfall, heavy drought impacting those oyster populations."

Persons: Joel Gutierrez, Oysterman Romeo Bilcic, we've, Zach Olsen, TPWD, Olsen, we're, Jennifer Pollack, it's, Evan Garcia, Christina Anagnostopoulos, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, state's Department of Health, Human Services, Oceanic, Atmospheric Association, Reuters, Texas, M University, Corpus Christi, Thomson Locations: GALVESTON , Texas, Texas, Galveston, Galveston , Texas, Galveston Bay

☆ An island vacation with no mosquito bites – and no chemicals, either
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Regan Stephens | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Soneva Fushi, a resort on the private Kunfunadhoo Island in the Maldives, has spent years working to eradicate these pests. Soneva has partnered with the Germany-based company Biogents, which has developed mosquito traps that rely on environmentally friendly attractants. A Biogents-created mosquito trap at Soneva Fushi Courtesy Soneva FushiWhat’s more, these techniques are typically only useful for eliminating adult mosquitoes. An overwater bungalow at Soneva Fushi Sandro Bruecklmeier/Courtesy Soneva FushiThe pest-combatting program has been a success, according to Soneva. The resort chain has gifted mosquito traps to Parliament in Malé, the country’s capital, and trained staffers on how to use them.

Persons: Soneva, “, ”, Arnfinn Oines, Oines, Fushi Sandro Bruecklmeier, Fushi, Sonu, Eva Shivdasani, Soneva Jani Organizations: CNN Locations: Maldives, Germany, GAT, Kunfunadhoo, Malé, Medhufaru, Noonu

People who claimed the power to control nature and the energy resources around them saw the environment as a tool to be used for progress, historians say. Over hundreds of years, that impulse has remade the planet's climate, too — and brought its inhabitants to the brink of catastrophe. Tapping nature for its resources drove progress and productivity for some, but it's also been a major driver of emissions and environmental degradation. By the mid-19th century, steam power was adopted in manufacturing, cotton mills, steam ships and locomotives around the world, turning coal into a global trade. Centuries later, the United Kingdom has nearly weaned itself off coal, with weeks or months at a stretch where the national grid gets no coal power.

Persons: ”, Luis Zambrano, it's, Anya Zilberstein, ” Zilberstein, Vera S, Candiani, Jan Golinski, “, ” Golinski, Deborah Coen, Andreas Malm, Barak, it’s, J.R, McNeill, ” McNeill, Victor Seow, Elizabeth Chatterjee, “ Indira Gandhi, Chatterjee, Joshua Howe, Howe, Yale's Coen, —, ” Howe, Fredrik Albritton Jonsson, Jonsson Organizations: National University Autónoma, Concordia University, Mexico City —, America, Princeton, University of New, Yale, Lund University, Tel Aviv University, Laboratory, Global, Project, Energy, Georgetown University, Communist, University of Chicago, Reed College, . Environmental Protection Agency, U.S, AP Locations: Nations, Mexico, Lake Texcoco, Montreal, Spanish, University of New Hampshire, Maui, Britain, Sweden, ”, India, Egypt, Nigeria, Ottoman Empire, United Kingdom, Cumbria, England, Wales, Scotland, China, Japan, U.S, Europe, United States, British, Portland , Oregon

☆ When people move out, wildlife moves in: 10 abandoned places reclaimed by nature
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Arya Jyothi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

The temple and surrounding forested areas were abandoned three centuries later, when the king moved the capital of the empire away from Angkor. People started moving out in the 1990s and by 2002, the village was completely abandoned. People started moving out in the 1990s and by 2002, the village was completely abandoned. The Whanganui River holds 18 fish species including eels, freshwater crayfish and black flounders. Graham Harries/ShutterstockLocated off the Pembrokeshire coast in west Wales, stands a time capsule in the form of a long-abandoned island fort.

Persons: Prohm, King Jayavarman, Alexander Arndt, Angelina Jolie’s, “ Lara Croft, pileated gibbons, silvered, Johannes Eisele, Leo Francini, Marcio Martins, University of São Paulo, Martins, “, Al Madam, Giuseppe Cacace, Yasuyoshi Chiba, James Beasley, allan wright, Kilda, Graham Harries, Shutterstock, Nicholas Mueller, ”, Mueller Organizations: CNN, Wildlife Alliance, ., Steam, SS, Titanic, Cyclone, University of São, Google Arts & Culture, National Institute of Ecology, Al, Getty, United Arab, Japan Earthquake, University of Georgia, TED, UNESCO Locations: CNN —, Europe, Ta Prohm, Cambodia, Angkor Thom, Khmer, Angkor, Shengshan Island, China, AFP, Houtouwan, Shengshan, Zhoushan, Mangapurua, , New Zealand, Nowhere, Mangapurua Valley, New, Whanganui, North, Australia, Grande, Brazil, Sao Paulo, Marcio, Korea, South Korea, Al Madam Village, UAE, Al, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sharjah, Fukushima, Japan, St Kilda, Scotland, Scotland’s, Kilda, Atlantic, Soay, Boreray, Fort, Wales, Pembrokeshire

☆ 5 things to do when you’re depressed
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Andrea Kane | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

How to get help • Help is available if you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or mental health matters. “Really try to do the sort of things that you would do for your physical health,” Raison said. “If you have caring, smaller, supportive relationships with other people, it’s a big protective factor against getting depressed. It’s also a factor that can really help you get over depression.”Don’t give upBe persistent in seeking help. We hope these five tips help you better care for a depressed brain.

Persons: Sanjay Gupta, —, Charles Raison, “, what’s, ”, “ Will, we’ve, you’ve, It’s, Don’t, don’t Organizations: CNN, Gallup, International Association for Suicide Prevention, Befrienders, US Centers for Disease Control, University of Wisconsin, Vail Health Behavioral Health Innovation Center, CNN Health Locations: United States, Madison, Vail, thankfulness

☆ ‘T-breaks’ for marijuana use have pros and cons. Expert helps to weigh them
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Madeline Holcombe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —When your tolerance for marijuana goes up, often usage does, too. Ohio recently became the 24th state to approve legal recreational marijuana use, joining Minnesota, Delaware and Colorado, among others. But T-breaks come with certain risks, especially when it comes to withdrawal symptoms, he said. Page spoke to CNN about tolerance breaks and whether or not they are a sound strategy. They’re providers, they’re there to help.

Persons: Robert Page, Page, there’s Organizations: CNN, University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Health Services Locations: Ohio, Minnesota, Delaware, Colorado, Aurora

☆ US and China pledge to resume climate working group, ramp up renewables ahead of Biden-Xi summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Nectar Gan | Ella Nilsen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The two sides decided to “operationalize” a suspended bilateral working group to “engage in dialogue and cooperation to accept concrete climate actions” in this decade, according to the statement. That working group was first proposed by Kerry and Xie in 2021 at the United Nations climate summit in Glasgow, but has been on hold since August last year. Both countries agreed to economy-wide reductions of all greenhouse gases in their international climate commitments for 2035, including carbon dioxide, methane, and hydrofluorocarbons. Li Shuo, the director of China Climate Hub at the Asia Society Policy Institute, said China’s pledge to set release targets for all greenhouse gas emissions was arguably the most notable point in the statement. Non-carbon dioxide gases such as methane still account for a considerable share of China’s greenhouse gas emissions,” he said.

Persons: Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, John Kerry, Xie Zhenhua, Kerry, Xie, ”, Li Shuo, China’s, you’re, Li Organizations: CNN, Economic Cooperation, US State Department, China’s Ministry of Ecology, United, “, Asia Society Policy Institute, UN, Asia Society Locations: United States, China, San Francisco, Asia, Beijing, Washington, Taiwan, California, United Nations, Glasgow, Dubai, COP28, UAE

☆ How Much Can Trees Fight Climate Change? Massively, but Not Alone, Study Finds.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Catrin Einhorn | More About Catrin Einhorn | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

As the climate crisis intensifies, that ability has made them controversial: How much can we rely on trees to get us out of this mess? Dr. Crowther was the senior author of a polarizing study on forest carbon in 2019 that drew scientific backlash but also inspired an effort by the World Economic Forum to grow and conserve one trillion trees. In 2019, he acknowledged, careless language led to trees being wrongly painted as a silver bullet for climate change. “We are all terrified that this potential of nature gets misused,” Dr. Crowther said. “Nature has such spectacular potential to help us tackle global threats, but it will be devastating if major organizations use nature as an excuse to do more harm to our planet.”

Persons: Thomas Crowther, Crowther, Dr Organizations: ETH Zurich, World Locations: Switzerland

☆ One-fifth of Europe’s Red List species face risk of extinction, new analysis finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Manav Tanneeru | Taylor Nicioli | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Of all 14,669 varieties of plants and animals found in Europe that were registered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species by the end of 2020, one-fifth of them face the risk of extinction, a new analysis has found. The thousands of species found in Europe that appear on the Red List account for nearly 10% of the continent’s total biodiversity, according to the paper. IPBES originally estimated that 1 million plant and animal species across the world were at risk of extinction, including about half a million insect varieties, based on inferences from Red List data. The data on invertebrates provided by the new analysis suggests the number of species threatened with extinction globally is actually closer to 2 million, Hochkirch said. Hochkirch said he hopes the analysis will spur further conservation action for insects and other threatened species in Europe.

Persons: ”, Axel Hochkirch, Hochkirch, Gerardo Ceballos, Ceballos, ” Ceballos, David Williams, ” Williams, Williams Organizations: CNN, International Union for Conservation, National Museum of, IUCN, of Ecology, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Intergovernmental, Services, IPBES, University of Leeds, Agriculture Locations: Europe, Luxembourg

The fishermen and women's proximity to the coastal waters has made them front-line witnesses of how climate change is altering the ecosystem of the North Sea. Oceans have absorbed 90% of the global warming that humans have caused in the last few decades, according to NASA. In the North Sea, surface temperatures have increased by around 0.3 degrees Celsius per decade since 1991. While shrimp populations fluctuate during short-term changes like heatwaves, fishermen and scientists report increases in lesser weever fish and squid, traditionally found further south but which have moved north into Belgium's warming waters. North Sea cod populations have plummeted since the 1980s, which scientists attribute to rising sea temperatures and overfishing.

Persons: Gunther Vanbleu, Martha, anorak, Vanbleu, Eddy D'Hulster, Ilias Semmouri, Hans Polet, ILVO, Polet, I'm, Kate Abnett, Bart Biesemans, Bernadette Baum Organizations: UNESCO, Reuters, NASA, Ghent University, Thomson Locations: Belgian, Oostduinkerke, BRUSSELS, Flanders

☆ Extreme Weather May Be Displacing Animals, Too, a New Study Suggests
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Asher Elbein | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A new analysis published this week suggests that extreme weather linked to climate change might be much harder on native species than on nonnative ones. As the planet warms, extreme weather events — heat waves, cold snaps, droughts and floods — are becoming more common and destructive. The new paper, published on Monday in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution by a team from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, suggests that these sudden, violent changes in conditions could be helping to fundamentally reshape ecosystems. In a statement, the team said that research on the impacts of extreme weather on ecosystems, while still in its early stages, was “critically important” to our ability to understand the effects of global warming on biodiversity. The researchers, led by Xuan Liu, an ecologist at the Academy of Sciences, analyzed 443 studies that examined the responses of 1,852 native and 187 nonnative species — from land, freshwater and marine habitats — to extreme weather.

Persons: Xuan Liu Organizations: Chinese Academy of Sciences, Academy of Sciences

☆ Is your hotel sustainable? Not if these two things are in your room, says Soneva’s founder
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Monica Pitrelli | Harriet Akinyi | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

A quick-and-easy test is to look for two items, said Sonu Shivdasani, founder of Soneva and Six Senses hotel brands. First, sustainable hotels should not have branded water of any sort, he told CNBC Travel. "Governments can create the context, but businesses need to make the change," Shivdasani told CNBC Travel. Source: SonevaShivdasani said he decided to institute a guest environmental levy after the company measured its "scope 3" emissions. Shivdasani said that after Soneva determined that 85% of its carbon emissions were "scope 3" emissions, the company introduced the 2% carbon levy.

Persons: Sonu Shivdasani, Soneva, Shivdasani, that's, It's, it's, Eva, Soneva Shivdasani, Kelvin Law Organizations: CNBC Travel, Nanyang Technological University, CNA, Soneva, World Health Organization Locations: Maldives, Thailand, British, India, Myanmar, Darfur, Sudan

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