Like written in the ancient Psalm (#104) we truly need to renew the face of the Earth. With all climate crisis projections, from the world’s top meteorological scientists and organizations, the prognosis isn’t good and unless we, i.e., the collective world, take immediate action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions we will suffer more and more disastrous events. Period. The problem, though, is that GHG emissions are not decreasing. Rather we continue to emit huge and ever growing quantities of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxides on a daily basis (about 137 million tons/day or 50 billion tons/year!). We are also now drowning in pledges and laws projecting 30 years into the future, not taking the actions required now. Somehow we need more than what Spring has to offer, we need to renew the face of the Earth, starting yesterday. Another consideration: 50 years ago when the Stockholm Environment Conference kick-started environmental consciousness there were 3.5 billion residents on our spaceship, now there is over 7.9 billion. What to do?
With Spring in ‘southern’ Ontario finally hitting its stride, we’re awash in green and beauty, truly a renewal and a sign of hope. Green, from my childhood education, symbolizes hope and means go. When leaves emerge on trees and plants we feel a sense of hope and observe a renewal, taking us into Summer the season that produces the bounty to sustain us. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you live, you need to eat every day. We are 100% dependent on the stability of Earth’s fragile ecosystem to enable our lives. But, we continue with our best efforts to thwart that, by creating a climate crisis which still isn’t taken seriously enough by too many, who elect to grab the cash and run regardless of the damage they inflict on our common heritage. Hiding places for these criminals are becoming fewer.
I used to think that Canada was a safe place from negative climate events, especially with our huge amounts of fresh water, agriculture, forests and pretty well everything, but I was proven wrong, Consider that our northern regions are the most rapidly warming areas on Earth disrupting whole ways of life; and we’re now remembering, one year later, the mass deaths from the most serious climate event yet to strike Canada, that of an extreme heat dome, and consequent destructive fires and drought. In British Columbia last June, over 600 were killed by excessive heat, which was subsequently followed by an unprecedented atmospheric river flooding the outskirts of Vancouver. We, who thought we weren’t vulnerable, now know otherwise. We are all vulnerable, including everywhere in Canada, where Spring has already brought disaster. Many Canadians and others all over the world now live in fear of what Summer and the changing of seasons has in store for them. Our smugness and complacency have been replaced with fear and a new normal.
In today’s Planetary Health Weekly (#23 of 2022)
there’s lots of interesting reading about the climate crisis, global health (which still dominates our newsfeeds) and their intersection, including:
CLIMATE CRISIS & BIODIVERSITY UPDATES:
Carbon dioxide levels are highest in human history,
Ukraine’s giant seed bank: what are the dangers if we lose this vital ‘life insurance for mankind’?
U.S. Vice-president Harris unveils White House plan to tackle water scarcity as a national security priority,
The climate threat hidden in your hamburger,
(Canadian) Maurice Strong helped rally the world on environmentalism in 1972 – 50 years later we’re still trying to act,
The science of climate change explained: facts, evidence and proof (this article is included though it’s a year old…and to note that the scientific consensus of our human made climate crisis is now over 99%),
CORONAVIRUS UPDATES:
Alberta government memos on school masking ‘damning,’ union leader says,
Mask rules are back in California as Covid hits danger zone,
Risk of incident diabetes post-Covid-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis,
China and Western Australia hailed as pandemic refuges despite lacking geographic advantage,
Shanghai enters post-lockdown life, but China’s Covid-zero policy will haunt the younger generation, THEN
Milner of Biodiversity, Blog #3: "According True Value to Nature"
The Pacific Institute's "Water Conflict Chronology" updated,
50% of world’s population expected to be myopic by 2050,
Why did this beached whale wash up in the UK – and is it really dead?
G7 countries plan to stop fossil fuel development overseas,
Wildlife Conservation Society builds massive database of Amazonian wildlife,
Forget microplastics: we may have a much smaller problem,
“Shocking!” EU fruit with traces of most toxic pesticides up 53% in nine years,
Inside Ontario’s child welfare system where kids are ‘commodities,’ & Deaths, deformities and destruction: the truth about child welfare in northern Ontario,
Quote by Robert F. Kennedy on measuring the value of life,
Inuit documentary in production wins top award at Cannes Film Festival,
‘I felt like I was going to die’: ticks that cause red-meat allergy are in Canada,
Ayn Rand, objectivists and Covid,
FAO promotes healthy soil as a top priority in the Caribbean,
New book: “COVID-19 and Ethics in Canada” by Jon Parsons,
Ecosystem Restoration 2022 (new free massive open online course), and lastly
The world has seen several refugee crises over the last decade, from conflicts in the Americas, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. However, over the last few months, another migrant crisis has emerged, and once again Europe has been the focus.
On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a full-scale military invasion of Ukraine. Since then, some seven million Ukrainians have fled their homes in search of refuge, with a majority heading through neighbouring countries like Poland, Romania and Russia.
This map by Elbie Bentley uses immigration data from the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) as of May 24th, 2022 to visualize current migration crisis that’s happening across Europe. It shows where Ukrainian refugees crossed borders as they fled the conflict. Read and see more at Visual Capitalist
The Mauna Loa Atmospheric Baseline Observatory in Hawaii began measuring the amount of carbon in the atmosphere in 1958. Credit: Susan Cobb/NOAA
The amount of planet-warming carbon dioxide in the atmosphere broke a record in May, continuing its relentless climb, scientists said Friday. It is now 50% higher than the preindustrial average, before humans began the widespread burning of oil, gas and coal in the late 19th century.
There is more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere now than at any time in at least 4 million years, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration officials said.
The concentration of the gas reached nearly 421 parts per million in May, the peak for the year, as power plants, vehicles, farms and other sources around the world continued to pump huge amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Emissions totaled 36.3 billion tons in 2021, the highest level in history. Read more at NY Times
In underground vaults near Ukraine's battlefields, the genetic code for nearly 2,000 crops is in danger of being permanently destroyed. The risk came into sharp focus earlier this month when a research facility near Ukraine's national seed bank was damaged, according to Crop Trust, a non-profit organization set up by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. The facility and Ukraine's seed bank are both based in Kharkiv, northeastern Ukraine, which has come under intense bombing from Russia forces.
The plan pledges U.S. leadership in the efforts to ensure there is enough water to support food supplies and healthcare systems. Under the initiative, the U.S. government will also spearhead ways to defuse potential disputes over access to water, Harris said. Conflicts over water are becoming more common across the globe as supplies come under increasing pressure from climate change, urbanization and population growth. Research has shown that global warming is intensifying the water cycle, leading to more severe droughts and floods. “Water insecurity makes our world less stable,” Harris said at the White House, noting water scarcity makes it more difficult for communities to produce food, protect public health and drive economic growth. “Many of our most fundamental national security interests depend on water security.” According to the United Nations, about 2 billion people live in countries where water supplies are under high stress.
That hamburger you just ate may be more carbon-intensive than you think. Researchers have for the first time quantified rising greenhouse gas emissions embodied in the international trade of specific agricultural products like beef that results in deforestation. Such “land-use emissions” account for about 25% of global greenhouse gas emissions and mostly occur in poorer countries that export food to the United States, Europe, China and other industrialized regions, according to a peer-reviewed paper published May 6 in the journal Science. “These land-use emissions are substantial enough to threaten international climate goals even if fossil fuel emissions are drastically reduced,” the paper stated.
Fifty years ago, the Stockholm Conference turned environmentalism into a new kind of international movement, under the leadership of Maurice Strong, a Canadian. Of course, there were already activists and organizations all over the world engaged in hundreds of courageous — often lonely, even desperate or dangerous — campaigns. There were remarkable figures like Rachel Carson, who galvanized people with her book “Silent Spring.” And the economist Barbara Ward, who in mid-career shifted to focus fully on environmentalism. There was energy and effervescence, but there was no co-ordinated force; competing ideas but no united front. Environmentalism was not yet accepted as the voice of an inescapable truth about the future of the planet.
The Stockholm Conference, officially the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, converted this energy into the beginnings of a power which could not be ignored.
The science of climate change is more solid and widely agreed upon than you might think. But the scope of the topic, as well as rampant disinformation, can make it hard to separate fact from fiction. Here, we’ve done our best to present you with not only the most accurate scientific information, but also an explanation of how we know it. (Note: this article is about one year old, but still so valid; though it is now over 99% of climate scientists that agree on our human-made climate crisis.)
Globally, nationally and locally, the pandemic still continues in many countries, with cases continuing to decline and deaths reaching low numbers. But, the Covid-19 pandemic is still with us, despite the widespread relaxation of public health mandates.
Vaccination still remains the best way to be safe from serious consequences, including long Covid, in yourself and others; ensure to get all the shots you can.
Over the last week there is about 3 million new cases (down 25% though testing is sorely insufficient and many mild cases go unreported), ~8,000 deaths (a decrease of ~40%) and about 77 million people received a Covid-19 vaccine (down ~50%).
See below for a few global stats and current hotspots.
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney and Dr. Deena Hinshaw, the province's chief medical officer of health. Credit: CBC
Internal documents, ordered released through the courts, are raising new questions about the Kenney government's February decision to lift the mask mandate in schools and block school boards from bringing in their own.
The new evidence is part of an ongoing case involving the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL) and the parents of five immunocompromised children who are fighting the decision announced near the peak of the BA.1-driven fifth wave.
Lawyers are challenging the change through a judicial review and argue Albertans have the right to know what the province's chief medical officer of health, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, recommended to cabinet prior to the decision to lift the mandate.
The province was required by a Court of Queen's Bench justice to hand over evidence this week about what went on behind closed doors prior to the change. And while it submitted 183 pages, it refused to provide key documents — Dr. Hinshaw's PowerPoint presentation to cabinet on Feb. 8 and the cabinet minutes from that day — citing cabinet confidentiality. Read more at CBC
A swathe of destruction through Cubbington Wood, central England. Credit: via Edward Milner with permission
A recent news item in the UK publicized the claim that the construction of 120,000 new homes was delayed because of a ruling by Natural England (the Government’s biodiversity agency) because pollution to local wetlands would result unless major changes were made to the builders’ plans. For a moment I was quietly astonished; environmental protection is rarely as assertive as this. In the UK protection of biodiversity, especially in aquatic environments – rivers, lakes, marshland – is a low priority; in many other countries it is virtually non-existent. And as for old-growth forests or ancient woodlands it’s just as bleak.
Conflicts over damage to nature associated with construction of HS2, a high-speed rail line from London to Birmingham (and beyond), are typical. Campaign groups of local residents have pointed out the environmental costs - to the fury of many politicians and railway enthusiasts using familiar anti-biodiversity arguments. ‘The alternative to HS2 is so very much more damaging…’ ranted Railway News, as if any rail development must be good for the environment. At Cubbington in Warwickshire a great swathe of destruction for the line has removed half a wonderful ancient woods (see photo above).
Protecting nature needs rather more sophisticated thinking than that favoured by politicians, headline writers – and rail enthusiasts. The route of the HS2 project seems gratuitously perverse, until you understand why this particular route was chosen. Existing road and rail pathways were ignored; a virgin path had to be cut. To save money the route was deliberately chosen to do as much damage to nature as possible – parts of around thirty sites of ancient woodland were destroyed - because the alternative was claimed to be ‘more damaging’. Costing (by accountants) ignored the value of ancient woodland as ‘insignificant’. In a few places tunnelling to reduce damage was accepted, but only after major campaigns by members of parliament whose constituencies were affected. Unfortunately, while people can be relocated, houses and roads rebuilt, ancient woodland cannot be recreated – not in any human timescale. The developers of HS2 have offered what is called ‘mitigation’ – derisory plantings of saplings on open land nearby.
To return to the delayed homes, there is apparently political pressure – due to ‘Government priorities’ – for politicians to overrule Natural England’s stance. It is claimed to be perverse; clearly new homes are needed urgently so planning constraints – what ex-prime minister David Cameron once referred to as ‘green crap’ – should be ‘relaxed’. That is precisely what was done to agree the route for HS2.
Across the world much of the environmental damage to pristine environments – from the building of roads through ‘protected areas’, wanton destruction of old-growth forests, uncontrolled logging or the draining of uncontaminated wetlands - is actually/often in breach of national environmental law, forest protocols or planning regulations. But when these are not enforced or are allowed to be overridden by political or commercial pressure, the damage continues. Of course, new homes must be built and railway lines upgraded, but in the long run wanton destruction of nature may be more damaging. Far from relaxing rules, I suggest that responsible political leadership should be working to strengthen environmental protections not weakening them, looking for more sophisticated solutions to projects like new railway lines or housing developments that accord a true value to nature.
Credit: Dr. Peter H. Gleick Pacific Institute Senior Fellow & Co-Founder
Violence over water resources continues to worsen.
In the past few years, severe droughts in India and Iran have led to a big increase in conflicts over access to irrigation and domestic water and to demonstrations against water diversions from one community to another. The violence and war between Russia and Ukraine that worsened in 2014 and expanded again with the Russian invasion some weeks ago have included attacks on civilian water systems and the use of water as a weapon. Growing population pressures combined with worsening ethnic and religious conflict in sub-Saharan Africa continue to lead to hundreds of deaths a year from violence between pastoralists and farmers over scarce water resources. And computerized water systems are experiencing growing cyberattacks that threaten water safety, quality and reliability.
These are just some of the findings of the newly released update of the Water Conflict Chronology, the most comprehensive open-source database on water-related violence, from the Pacific Institute. The Pacific Institute has been compiling and maintaining data on water conflicts since the late 1980s, and the latest update, released in mid-March 2022, brings the number of events to over 1,300, going as far back as the earliest known water war, in ancient Mesopotamia, 4,500 years ago.
The Water Conflict Chronology outlines how violence over water takes three forms.
Trigger: Access to and control of water can be a “trigger” for violence, such as the demonstrations and riots in Iran in 2019, 2020, and 2021 over the diversion of water away from the Zayanderud river in the city of Isfahan, and growing numbers of killings over access to irrigation water in India and Pakistan during severe droughts.
Weapon: Water and water systems can be “weapons” of violence, such as when armed groups in Libya cut off water to Tripoli by attacking water pumping stations, or when Israeli settlers flooded Palestinian olive groves with sewage in 2019, or when the FBI in the United States arrested neo-Nazis for plotting to poison water supplies in an effort to ignite violence in 2020.
Casualty: Water and water systems can be “casualties” of violence when they are attacked during conflicts that may start for other reasons. Yemen’s civilian water infrastructure has been repeatedly attacked during the war there. Israeli settlers and military have reportedly destroyed a wide range of Palestinian agricultural irrigation systems, water tanks and water sources over the past three years. Egyptian hackers launched a cyber-attack on Ethiopian water systems in June 2020 in opposition to the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, and that same year Israel reported several cyber-attacks on Israeli water infrastructure. Water tanks, dams and water utility equipment have all been attacked in recent incidents around the world.
Myopia, or near-sightedness, is a condition in which people have difficulty seeing objects far away, but their close range vision remains sharp.
It is a major public health concern, and it is predicted that 50% of the global population will be myopic by 2050 (up from 30% today).
Depending on the age of the person, the severity of myopia and the geographical setting, the disease has socioeconomic consequences for the person. Read more at Economic Times
Coral reefs are essential to ocean ecosystems, providing food and homes to all sorts of organisms. Learning as much as possible about these living creatures is important to protect all the life in the vast seas.
A team from the University of Exeter is doing just that, creating an algorithm to track the health of coral reefs by understanding their “song.” The complex collective soundscapes of coral reefs come from the numerous fish and other creatures that surround them. However, it has been previously difficult to capture due to the painstaking analysis of sound records it requires.
Using multiple recordings from the Mars Coral Reef Restoration Project – which restores heavily damaged coral reefs in Indonesia – the innovative artificial intelligence (AI) program was trained to recognize the difference between healthy and degraded reefs.
“Coral reefs are facing multiple threats including climate change, so monitoring their health and the success of conservation projects is vital,” said lead author Ben Williams. “One major difficulty is that visual and acoustic surveys of reefs usually rely on labor-intensive methods.” Read more at Optimist Daily
Residents of a UK coastal town were shocked recently to find a beached whale washed up on shore when they were strolling along the seafront.
The unfortunate creature - a sperm whale - was discovered by locals in Whitehaven, on the northwest coast of Cumbria. It was attended to by scientists who were carrying out experiments on the stinking carcass to determine what had happened.
But the whale is in fact a ‘hyper-real cultural intervention’ designed to provoke a reaction among residents of the port town. The same model had already ‘washed up’ once this week, around 150 miles away on the opposite coast of Redcar, and will be making more stops on its tour of the UK.
"When we got home and my little brother told me it was a fake I was devastated,” Gallagher continues. It follows numerous appearances in other European cities and towns, including Paris, Madrid and London, since the replica was made in 2013. Read more at EuroNews
Environmental and energy ministers from the world’s largest economies agreed to stop funding any overseas fossil fuel development by the end of 2022. This will cut off investment in high carbon pollution programs that threaten the world from meeting its climate targets.
The G7 countries include Japan, the UK, the US, France, Italy, Canada and Germany, this year’s host country.
This agreement would end the countries’ taxpayer money from funding oil, gas and coal projects overseas. Analysts say that this plan could redirect approximately $33 billion from fossil fuels to renewable energy projects.
“We are united in the view that climate and environment security are absolutely synonymous with energy and national security and I cannot overstate that. Solving the global energy crisis and the chronic climate crisis requires the same solution – it’s about reducing our dependence on fossil fuels as part of a managed transition.” Read more at Optimist Daily
The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) scientists have been working on an enormous project: building an extensive database of the wide array of wildlife in the sprawling Amazon Basin.
Between 2001 and 2020, the camera traps have taken over 57,000 snapshots of 289 species from 143 field sites. These species include powerful jaguars and their cubs, a giant anteater, short-eared dogs, tapirs, white-lipped peccaries, harpy eagles, toucans, pumas, Andean bears and many more. For the first time, images from camera traps from different regions of the Amazon have been collected and standardized on a remarkably large scale. Read more at Daily Optimist
The view into a tube of carbon with a diameter of a few nanometers, which can deliver cancer drugs directly into tumour cells. Credit: Greenshoots Communications/Alamy
In 2019, Ikea announced it had developed curtains that it claimed could “break down common indoor air pollutants”. The secret, it said, was the fabric’s special coating. “What if we could use textiles to clean the air?” asked Ikea’s product developer, Mauricio Affonso, in a promotional video for the “Gunrid” curtains.
After explaining that the coating was a photocatalyst (“similar to photosynthesis, found in nature”), Affonso is shown gazing up at the gauzy curtains while uplifting music plays. “It’s amazing to work on something that can give people the opportunity to live a healthier life at home.”
These tiny particles (in the coating), or nanoparticles, are at the forefront of materials science. Nanoparticles come in all shapes – spheres, cubes, fibres or sheets – but the crucial thing is their size: they are smaller than 100 nanometres (a human hair is approximately 80,000 nm, 800 times thicker).
Many nanoparticles exist in nature. Nano-hairs make a gecko’s feet sticky, and nano-proteins make a spider’s silk strong. But they can be manufactured, and because they are so small, they have special properties that make them attractive across a range of endeavours – not just to companies such as Ikea. In medicine, they can transport cancer drugs directly into tumour cells, and nanosilver is used to coat medical breathing tubes and bandages. Nanos could direct pesticides to parts of a plant, or release nutrients from fertilizers in a more controlled manner.
They also have more mundane uses. Synthetic nanos are added to cosmetics and food. Nanosilver is used in textiles, where it is claimed to give antibacterial properties to plasters, gym leggings, yoga mats and period pants.
But scientists such as those at Avicenn are concerned that when these household items get washed, recycled or thrown away, synthetic nanos are released into the environment – making their way into the soil and sea in ways that are still not understood. Some scientists believe nanoparticles could pose an even greater threat than microplastics. Read more at the Guardian
Contamination of fresh fruits by the most hazardous pesticides has dramatically increased in Europe over the past decade, according to a nine-year study of government data.
A third of apples and half of all blackberries surveyed had residues of the most toxic categories of pesticides, some of which have been linked to illnesses including cancer, heart disease and birth deformities.
Residues on kiwi fruits rose from 4% in 2011 to 32% in 2019, with the contamination of cherries also more than doubling from 22% to 50% over the same time period.
In all, the analysis of nearly 100,000 popular homegrown fruit samples in Europe found a 53% rise in contamination by the most hazardous pesticides, over nine years. The study was conducted by Pesticide Action Network (PAN) Europe. Read more at Fresh Talk Daily
SPOTLIGHT ON INDIGENOUS WELLNESS
Inside Ontario’s Child Welfare System Where Kids Are ‘Commodities’
Credit: Article - APTN News
A joint investigation by Global News and APTN Investigates has found disturbing conditions inside Ontario’s group homes, a network of private and not-for-profit facilities meant to protect some of the province’s most vulnerable children, including many Indigenous.
There is a significantly high number of injuries, extensive use of physical restraints, and missing kids among private service providers, the investigation found.
Former residents and experts in child welfare paint a startling portrait of a system that lacks qualified staff and neglects and even mistreats some children who have experienced trauma or have complex mental health needs.
These revelations are drawn from interviews with more than 65 group home workers, youth, and child welfare experts and exclusive analysis of a database of more than 10,000 serious occurrence reports — obtained through freedom of information requests.
Also called SORs, the reports are submitted to the province by service providers such as children’s aid societies, group-home operators, and foster-care agencies. For example, SORs document when a child dies, is injured, goes missing, or is physically restrained.
Between June 2020 and May 2021, the Global/APTN investigation found there were over 1,000 reports of serious injuries and over 2,000 reports of physical restraints — despite the province’s 2017 pledge to “minimize” their use. Read more at APTN News
“Too much and too long, we seem to have surrendered community excellence and community values in the mere accumulation of material things. Our gross national product ... if we should judge the United States of America by that - counts air pollution and cigarette advertising, and ambulances to clear our highways of carnage. It counts special locks for our doors and the jails for those who break them. It counts the destruction of our redwoods and the loss of our natural wonder in chaotic sprawl. It counts napalm and the cost of a nuclear warhead, and armored cars for police who fight riots in our streets. It counts Whitman's rifle and Speck's knife, and the television programs which glorify violence in order to sell toys to our children.
Yet the gross national product does not allow for the health of our children, the quality of their education, or the joy of their play. It does not include the beauty of our poetry or the strength of our marriages; the intelligence of our public debate or the integrity of our public officials. It measures neither our wit nor our courage; neither our wisdom nor our learning; neither our compassion nor our devotion to our country; it measures everything, in short, except that which makes life worthwhile. And it tells us everything about America except why we are proud that we are Americans.”
Robert F. Kennedy (1925-1968) as quoted by Robert Reich in an email, June 3, 2022
Upcoming Events
International Health Trends and Perspectives (a new journal based at Toronto Metropolitan University, formerly Ryerson University, Toronto) is dedicating a special issue to the topic of Planetary Health to highlight research, theoretical and community based contributions of scientists, scholars and activists globally. It is inviting manuscripts that are solutions and equity-focused. See the call for papers and details here: https://bit.ly/3tDixHT
November 21-23, 2022: Canadian Conference on Global HealthJoin us in Toronto for the 28th Canadian Conference on Global Health (CCGH). This year's hybrid event will explore the theme of: "Inclusive Global Health in Uncertain Times: Research and Practice".
FYI#1 SPOTLIGHT ON MEDIA
Inuit Documentary In Production Wins Top Award At 2022 Cannes Film Festival
A film following Inuk lawyer Aaju Peter as she tries to change European policy to make room for Indigenous voices has won an award at Cannes Film Festival. Credit: David Murphy
A documentary that tells the story of an Inuit lawyer’s search for justice in the wake of the death of her son has won an award for films in production at Cannes Film Festival.
Twice Colonized, directed by Lin Alluna, was showcased during the Cannes Docs — Marché du Film, where it won the Best Docs-In-Progress award on May 25.
It follows the journey of Aaju Peter, who is based in Greenland. After her son suddenly dies by suicide, she embarks on a quest to make sure Indigenous people play a role in forming policy in Europe.
Iqaluit filmmakers Alethea Arnaquq-Baril and Stacey Aglok MacDonald co-produced the film alongside Emile Hertling Péronard, who is from Greenland. They worked with fellow producers Bob Moore and Daniel Cross, who are based in Montreal. Twice Colonized is scheduled to be released next year.
Ayn Rand and the pandemic. Like many young people, I was a fan of Ayn Rand and her philosophy of Objectivism. I even attend several Objectivist conferences in college. Though I ended any formal association with her movement decades ago, and I’ve come to
disagreewith her about many
things, I still consider her influence a net positive on my thinking. First and foremost, I credit her with introducing me to the ideal of independent, critical thinking. Rand posits that there is an objective reality we can learn about through science and reason. She was a staunch
atheistwho rejected all forms of mysticism and groupthink. As she
put it, A is A. Facts are facts, independent of any consciousness. No amount of passionate wishing, desperate longing or hopeful pleading can alter the facts. Nor will ignoring or evading the facts erase them: the facts remain, immutable. I agree, and this ethos clearly influenced my previous defense of
skepticism. Things aren’t true just because we want them to be true, and I’ve written previously about the dangers of
hopiumand
confirmation bias. Most of our pandemic woes are due to deniers who refuse to accept that A is A about an unthinking virus. The dangerous belief that its harms can be wished away has been a core theme of my
writing here.
FAO Promotes Healthy Soil As A Top Priority In The Caribbean
Soil remediation in Suriname. Credit: FAO
According to The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)’s State of Knowledge of Soil Biodiversity Report (2020), 95% of the world’s food production relies on the ecosystem services provided by soil. Healthy soil is vital for food safety and security. In the Caribbean, protecting soil-quality through reducing pollution and contamination is vital to sustaining access to safe, healthy and affordable food in the region. Threats from soil pollution and contamination can have major effects on crop yields and quality.
Annually, World Soil Day is celebrated on December 5 to highlight the importance of soils and call for increased awareness and actions to safeguard soil health and protect the prospects of a healthy future. The FAO Sub-Regional Office for the Caribbean has been working to address soil contamination through its Caribbean Pesticide Management Project. Commencing in 2016, a main component of the project is to build capacities of national authorities personnel to identify and remediate pesticide-contaminated sites.
COVID-19 and Ethics in Canada maps the trajectory of the first two years of the pandemic through the lens of applied ethics. Whereas the public discussion of the pandemic often centres on data, the essays and articles that make up the chapters of this book approach COVID-19 as an issue of morality and values.
A key argument running through the text is that Canada’s response to the pandemic has been a failure of ethical action. The impacts of this failure can be seen in the disintegration of social relations and the fragmentation of Canadian identity. This book offers an unflinching look at how Canada failed the test of common decency and where the country goes from here.
In this Massive Open Online Course, you will learn to develop a step-by-step ecosystem restoration plan and apply effective restoration solutions in your national and subnational context.
Ecosystem restoration is essential to achieve the 2050 Vision and reverse the trend of biodiversity decline. Are you interested in joining this global movement to restore our natural world? Do you want to become more skilled at preventing, halting and reversing the degradation of ecosystems? Are you looking to create a step-by-step action plan for ecosystem restoration in your country?
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) are offering a FREE two-part Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on Ecosystem Restoration. This course is available thanks to the generous support of the European Union and the Korea Forest Service of the Government of the Republic of Korea through the Forest Ecosystem Restoration Initiative (FERI). This course compiles research from leading institutions engaged in ecosystem restoration and experts in the field to raise awareness and build ecosystem restoration capacity.
Publisher and Editor: Dr. David Zakus Production: Julia Chalmers & Aisha Saleem Social Media: Mahdia Abidi, Shalini Kainth and Ishneer Mankoo Website, Index and Advisory: Eunice Anteh, Gaël Chetaille, Evans Oppong, Jonathan Zakus, Dr. Aimée-Angélique Bouka & Elisabeth Huang Bloggers: Edward Milner, Dr. Stephen Bezruchka, Aisha Saleem and Dr. Jay Kravitz