What are animatronic animals? For young children and new families, a walk through the zoo represents a common tradition across much of the globe. A zoo is a place where children explore the natural world behind the comfort of thick glass, with evidence suggesting such places can even boost future scientific and conservation endeavours inContinue reading “If the future of zoos were animatronic, would you be interested?”
Tag Archives: Environment
Antibiotic resistance: our dated food industry at the heart of a global emergency.
What is antibiotic resistance? The WHO (World Health Organisation) classifies antibiotic resistance as “one of the biggest threats to global health, food security, and development today.” Antibiotics are antimicrobial drugs provided to humans and animals to fight off infections and prevent harmful bacteria from multiplying. Examples include penicillin, amoxicillin, and doxycycline. Antibiotic resistance, conversely, isContinue reading “Antibiotic resistance: our dated food industry at the heart of a global emergency.”
Debunking the frequent fallacies of veganism.
Veganism: To be vegan is to be asked (daily) what on earth? Just why? And where do you get your protein from? Vegans throughout their life can expect nothing less than an onslaught of questions and/or ill-founded comments. It is very important, however, that such habitual questions and myths regarding vegan lifestyles are addressed asContinue reading “Debunking the frequent fallacies of veganism.”
PFAS: the scientific acronym with mainstream consequences.
What is PFAS? PFAS also referred to as per- or polyfluoroalkyl substances, is a large group of chemicals that are necessary ingredients in many everyday appliances and products that people use. According to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), over 9,000 PFAS have been identified. Among the most common are PFOA and PFOS, manyContinue reading “PFAS: the scientific acronym with mainstream consequences.”
Solar geoengineering: the techno-fix to climate change, but for the better?
What is solar geoengineering? Solar geoengineering is an umbrella term for numerous approaches dedicated to cooling or simply suppressing the increase in atmospheric and land temperature, by reflecting solar radiation (electromagnetic radiation from the sun) from the earth back into space. Reflecting radiation from the sun would lower the earth’s global temperature, enough to permitContinue reading “Solar geoengineering: the techno-fix to climate change, but for the better?”
Factory farm operations in low socio-economic, indigenous, and black communities.
We all know factory farming is cruel, produces cheap meat (for good reason), and is the supporting foundation of many large fast food chains and supermarkets. What many of us fail to realise is that this very industry – the one that’s supposed to provide food for our society – is also a major social injustice culprit affecting thousands of poor, indigenous, and black communities around the globe. Read more to find out how…
Noise pollution – where did the tranquillity go and how can we regain it?
What is noise pollution? Noise pollution, also commonly known as sound pollution and/or environmental noise is the spread of harmful levels of noise affecting both human and animal life. Noise pollution, according to National Geographic, affects millions of people globally. According to a 2005 study in the United States alone, 30 million people are subjectedContinue reading “Noise pollution – where did the tranquillity go and how can we regain it?”
Climate injustice: how unfair is climate change and who is responsible?
What is climate injustice? Climate injustice refers to how certain areas of the world or even communities within the same country, will experience different effects and severities of climate change. The injustice in this, however, is that countries of the lowest socio-economic and political status – those that have done nothing to ignite climate changeContinue reading “Climate injustice: how unfair is climate change and who is responsible?”
The consequences of capitalism and a new approach forward.
What is capitalism? Capitalism is the political and economic system that is controlled by private ownership – dictating shipping, manufacturing and distribution – to gain profits and divorce control from the state. The main principles of capitalism include capital accumulation, private control of operations, competition, voluntary exchange, wage labour and property rights recognition. The raceContinue reading “The consequences of capitalism and a new approach forward.”
The ecological, societal and economic ramifications of climate change.
Climate change vs. global warming: The USGS (United States Geological Survey) explains that climate change is the long-term effects on the climate including precipitation levels, wind patterns and temperature. The UN (United Nations) mentions that climate change can also be caused by environmental activity – disassociated with humans – and in fact, there is evidenceContinue reading “The ecological, societal and economic ramifications of climate change.”
What is light pollution and just how detrimental is it?
What is light pollution? According to National Geographic, light pollution is the excessive or poor use of artificial light outdoors. Types of light pollution include glare – excessive brightness that causes visual discomfort; skyglow – brightness over the night sky in populated areas; light trespass – artificial light directed into non-intended or irrelevant spaces; andContinue reading “What is light pollution and just how detrimental is it?”
What is bilge dumping and why has it gone unnoticed?
What is bilge dumping? Bilge dumping is an illegal practice where cargo vessels and tankers release bilge water into the ocean. Bilge water is present in most modern vessels fueled by heavy oil. This toxic liquid is thick, oily sludge and extremely hazardous to marine life. Bilge tanks are located in “the lowest compartments ofContinue reading “What is bilge dumping and why has it gone unnoticed?”
Poaching and llegal wildlife trade – why?
What are illegal wildlife trade and poaching? Illegal wildlife trade is among the most horrific yet discrete industries in the world. The multi-billion-dollar industry distributes animals around the globe – alive or dead – for pet markets, medicine, jewellery etc. The demand for valuable items like Elephant tusks or Rhinoceros horns is the driving forceContinue reading “Poaching and llegal wildlife trade – why?”
The dark side of electric cars – part two.
What are cancer villagers? As the name may suggest, cancer villages are areas where cancer rates exceed national or global averages. This is often because of industrial and/or agricultural contamination of nearby land. In 2013, Chinese NGOs and the media suggested there were over 459 of them spread throughout the country. One of the mainContinue reading “The dark side of electric cars – part two.”
The dark side of electric cars – part one.
The rise of electric cars: Tesla Motors founded back in 2003, was another start-up aiming to rid the world of petroleum-powered vehicles. It released the ‘Roadster’ in 2008 with a range of 394 kilometres (245 miles) and was supposedly the first completely electric vehicle. Many were sceptical that the company would survive, even the CEOContinue reading “The dark side of electric cars – part one.”
Are plant-based diets the key to healthy, sustainable and prolonged lives?
Plant-based options: Consumers can purchase many plant-based foods and/or alternatives, such as plant-based meat and dairy, beans, legumes, oils, nuts, seeds etc. People who have transitioned from regular to vegetarian or vegan diets often purchase meat and dairy substitutes like vegan-friendly beef, pork, bacon, mince, chicken, sausages, cheese, cream and much more. According to dataContinue reading “Are plant-based diets the key to healthy, sustainable and prolonged lives?”
The huge environmental, social and health implications of meat and dairy.
The environmental impacts of meat & dairy: According to the Science Journal, eliminating meat and dairy is the single biggest way to reduce your environmental footprint. If we were to stop consuming meat and dairy, we could save over 75% of farmland globally. For context, that’s a land size equivalent to China, the United States,Continue reading “The huge environmental, social and health implications of meat and dairy.”
The global implication of desertification.
What is desertification? Desertification is a form of land degradation where productive and fertile land becomes arid; incapable of supporting biodiversity. This can occur through natural land “evolution” or human activity increasingly impacting the climate and natural habitats. Farming cattle can often cause deforestation and overgrazing, 2 prominent contributors to desertification. Other practices/operations like largeContinue reading “The global implication of desertification.”
How to be sustainable during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Environmental issues during COVID-19: Whilst the world may seem to have ground to a stop, our impact on the planet has only carried on. Our transport sector has slowed down (all puns intended) yet our use of plastic masks and single-use products has escalated. It seems we’ve replaced one problem but encouraged another in itsContinue reading “How to be sustainable during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.”
The consequences of invasive species.
What are invasive species? Invasive species are any organisms that have been introduced into different habitats around the globe. These are sometimes referred to as non-indigenous, alien, exotic and/or immigrant species. The consequence of introducing invasive organisms into foreign ecosystems has huge environmental, economic and social damage. Today, there are around 17,000 classified invasive speciesContinue reading “The consequences of invasive species.”
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