Earth Overshoot Day this year was on Saturday, August 22, more than three weeks later than in 2019, according to Global Footprint Network. The date reflects the 9.3% reduction of humanity’s Ecological Footprint from January 1st to Earth Overshoot Day, compared to the same period last year. This is a direct consequence of the coronavirus-induced lockdowns around the world. Decreases in wood harvest and emissions from fossil fuel combustion are the major drivers behind the historic shift in the long-term growth of humanity’s Ecological Footprint. This the first reduction since 2009 and the biggest since the early 1908s. §§§§.
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Teach the Future is fed up with the lack of serious response from government to its ideas and proposals, and is considering new directions. After talking with various MPs and organisations, they have concluded that the government will not implement the significant change to the education system being called for without wider public pressure. Teach the Future is now calling for the support of tens of thousands of members of the public, especially teachers and students.
It is planning to hold an open call to gain people’s thoughts and expert ideas on public engagement work and the future route of its campaign. If you’d like to contribute, please complete this poll (press “Add Availability”, and highlight the times you are available and set your name as your full name and organisation). NAEE urges readers to do this. §§§§
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The Teach the Future blog has a plea for more interdisciplinary learning in schools. It begins:
“Environmental and social justice are inextricably linked; it is as simple and complex as that. Therefore, it only follows suit that at school we should learn about these complex issues such as the climate emergency and systemic racism, in a way that mirrors the very nature of these problems – an interdisciplinary way. It is so important for people to be able to view problems from multiple perspectives to understand the complete picture of these issues. Blurring the boundaries of academic fields such as sociology, history, engineering, and economics allows for maximised innovation. When facing transversal questions and multifaceted problems, to rely solely on the narrow expertise in certain ‘relevant’ fields cannot truly harness the full creativity of our solutions. …” §§§§
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A quarter of Britain’s native mammal species, including hedgehogs, red squirrels and water voles, are officially at risk of extinction. The new Red List produced by the Mammal Society shows that 11 of our 47 native mammals are at risk of disappearing. They are endangered because of historical persecution, the use of chemicals, loss of habitat, and the introduction of non-native species. The Scottish wildcat is the most severely affected. Hedgehogs and hazel dormice are classed as vulnerable to extinction, and five species, including mountain hares and harvest mice, are nearing threatened status. A report from 2018 found that the hedgehog population fell by almost 70% in 20 years. Fiona Mathews, chair of the Mammal Society, said that the Red List showed the need for changes to the planning system, where sustained monitoring of habitats and funding for habitat creation were needed. §§§§
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The Atlantic contains more than ten times as much plastic waste as previously thought, scientists at the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton have concluded. The amount of waste entering the ocean globally would seem to be much greater than the eight million tonnes a year suggested by a 2015 study. Samples were collected at depths of 10m, 30m and 200m at 12 locations in a line from the UK to the Falklands islands. They found that the average cubic metre of seawater contained about 1,000 particles of polyethylene, polypropylene and polystyrene. These are the three most common plastics. They constitute more than half of global plastic waste. Richard Lampitt, co-author of the study, said that ~ 200 million tonnes of plastic was likely to be in the Atlantic. §§§§
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ENN reports that analysis of almost 30 years of data on the melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet predicts global sea level rise of at least 10 centimetres by the end of the 21st Century if global warming trends continue. The estimates, which scientists describe as “conservative” are broadly consistent with recent predictions reported by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Edward Hanna of the University of Lincoln led an international team involving Belgian, Danish, Swiss and American glaciologists and climatologists in the new study that quantifies the response of the Greenland Ice Sheet to climate change. Their findings are published in the International Journal of Climatology. The Greenland Ice Sheet is a giant reservoir of ice that contains enough water (if it all were to melt) to raise global sea-level by seven metres. You can read more at here. §§§§
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A new study, published this week in the journal Nature Climate Change, supports predictions that the Arctic could be free of sea ice by 2035. The UK Met Office’s Hadley Centre climate model has enabled researchers to compare Arctic sea ice conditions during the last interglacial with the present day. During spring and early summer, shallow pools of water form on the surface of Arctic sea-ice. These ‘melt ponds’ are important for how much sunlight is absorbed by the ice and how much is reflected back into space. The new Hadley Centre model is a tool for climate research and incorporates sea-ice and melt ponds. Using the model to look at Arctic sea ice during the last interglacial, the team concludes that the impact of intense springtime sunshine created many melt ponds, which played a crucial role in sea-ice melt. Joint lead author Dr Maria Vittoria Guarino, Earth System Modeller at British Antarctic Survey (BAS), says:
“High temperatures in the Arctic have puzzled scientists for decades. Unravelling this mystery was technically and scientifically challenging. For the first time, we can begin to see how the Arctic became sea ice-free during the last interglacial. The advances made in climate modelling means that we can create a more accurate simulation of the Earth’s past climate, which, in turn gives us greater confidence in model predictions for the future.” §§§§
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“Humans live pursuant to deontological and utilitarian ethics. Economists use only utilitarianism to build models, inform policy, and make decisions. So do Machiavellian psychopaths and narcissists. Literally.” So writes Brian Snyder in the Steady State Herald. He goes on: “While economists are not psychopaths, the ethical system they employ leaves room for improvement.” He says we need to integrate deontological ethics with our economic decision making. §§§§
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The latest State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report produced by the UN estimates that almost 690 million people went hungry in 2019 – an increase of 10 million on 2018, and of nearly 60 million in five years. Asia has the largest number (381 million) and Africa (250 million). Latin America and the Caribbean (48 million). However, Africa remains the hardest hit region with 19% of its population going hungry compared to 8% in Asia. The overall percentage of hungry people has not changed much in recent years, with 8.9 per cent of the global population going hungry this year: “After decades of long decline, the number of people suffering from hunger has been slowly increasing since 2014.”
Furthermore, according to Care International, the number of people in the world who live with severe hunger could almost double to 270 million by the end of 2020, while an additional 132 million could become undernourished. §§§§
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Don’t forget that it’s only a month to September 27th – World Rivers Day. Lots of resources and data here. §§§§