Jair Bolsonaro almost achieved a clear majority in the first round of Presidential elections in Brazil. Why am I talking about Brazilian politics? Because this person has made clear that in many ways he is the Brazilian Trump. He raves against the Elite, attacks basic science and supports the brutal Brazilian dictatorship from a few decades ago and the methods they used, including torture.
Ceasing to use plastic straws would be helpful but there are bigger problems
Unfortunately, while plastic straws are a problem, there is something that causes more issues. I am talking of fishing equipment. People have counted, and found that 46% of the Pacific garbage patch is made of discarded fishing equipment such as nets.
Fishing is an important source of protein for much of the human race, but if it’s to remain sustainable we need to remove the equipment left behind. Having said that, drinking straws should quickly be able to become a historical part of the problem if biodegradable straws are taken up quickly.
Continue reading “Ceasing to use plastic straws would be helpful but there are bigger problems”
Start of the grizzly hunt in the US has been suspended, and now permanently halted
Trump’s determination to ignore all Science on all things to do with the environment continues. In recent times, his administration has decided many species should lose their protection. The conservationists must now prove that a proposed development, for example, will harm wildlife, instead of the developer having to prove that it won’t. Continue reading “Start of the grizzly hunt in the US has been suspended, and now permanently halted”
Reintroducing man-eating tigers to the wild
Photo by Sander Wehkamp
Historically, once a big cat has taken to man-eating they will not stop. As such this means once cats have started eating humans they have had to be hunted down and removed, to either spend the rest of its life in captivity, or to be killed. This is a reasonable reaction to the problem, however it is increasingly not possible without large effects. Continue reading “Reintroducing man-eating tigers to the wild”
Surprising buried comment in report from Trump administration
– on its current course the world will warm by 7 degrees by the end of the century.
Giving Trump’s determined assessment regularly spouted that climate change is a con thought up by the Chinese or various other groups, it seems odd the Trump’s administration published a report last month which, buried within its 500 pages, assumed there would be a 7 degrees Fahrenheit (about 4°C) rise in temperatures by the end of the century. Continue reading “Surprising buried comment in report from Trump administration”
News in Brief – Beluga whale spotted in the Thames, Japanese knotweed invasion and Praying Mantises
Beluga whale spotted in the Thames
A Beluga whale, a species usually found in the arctic region, has been spotted in the Thames estuary a few miles from London. As the Thames is a river it is fresh water not salt and therefore not normally the place to find whales or dolphins. Furthermore until recently it was so dirty that none of these animals will come close. However in 2006 the northern bottlenose whale was sighted in the Thames unfortunately the animal died eventually. Continue reading “News in Brief – Beluga whale spotted in the Thames, Japanese knotweed invasion and Praying Mantises”
India coordinating a hunt for a man eating tiger
Over the last two years a tiger in India has eaten 13 people. It is highly unlikely for a tiger to take to eating humans, but generally if one starts it needs to be removed from the wild. Due to the pressures on wildlife territories, and loss of surrounding lands, tigers are coming into contact with humans more often. This makes man eating far more likely. Continue reading “India coordinating a hunt for a man eating tiger”