The Air We Breathe?

97% of UK homes are currently affected by air pollution (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/apr/28/dirty-air-affects-97-of-uk-homes-data-shows). Air pollution (carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and particulates) seems to get everywhere. It also damges the health of human populations and reduces longevity. The places in the UK with the worst levels of air pollution (well above WHO limits), are Slough, London and Leeds. Reducing air pollution, not only saves thr planet, it saves people as well. Transport policies need to change.

My Favourite Pictures of UK Caterpillars

My Favourite Pictures From Skomer Island

A New Planetary Permian Period?

A paper in the journal Science suggests that global heating risks triggering another cataclysmic extinction of marine life. This could be comparable to the mass extinction in the Permian era (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/apr/28/global-warming-risks-cataclysmic-mass-extinction-marine-life). The Permian era was some 250 million years ago. Its mass extinction event involved 95% of marine and 70% of terrestrial animal species. At that time, marine organisms appeared driven to extinction by increased global temperatures. As seawater heats up, its oxygen content rapidly declines (especially in salty water). This made it very difficult for many aquatic animals to get enough oxygen for respiration. Today's global heating would produce similar problems for many marine animal species. Acidification of the seas (carbon dioxide dissolves in water to make carbonic acid), would compound the effect by making it impossible/difficult for some species (especially molluscs) to form shells. We could be heading for a new mass extinction of marine animals. That would obviously challenge the viability of marine ecosystems and the planet.

Chickens Roast ,then the Staff are Toast

A major egg producer in Rembrandt, Iowa experienced an outbreak of avian 'flu. The management of Rembrandt Enterprises consequently decided to cull their entire stock of more than 5 million chickens, by over-heating them to death (https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/apr/28/egg-factory-avian-flu-chickens-culled-workers-fired-iowa). The workers, employed by Rembrandt Enterprises, then had to spend days moving the carcasses to nearby land for disposal in pits. Once disposal was completed, most of the workers were fired, with binding agreements not talk about this horrific event. It seems that chickens and staff were both treated, as if they were completely disposable. This avian 'flu outbreak has led to a total of more than 22 million domestic birds being killed, in this area of the US. Hopefully, most fowl were culled, using more humane methods, than those employed by Rembrandt Enterprises!

My Favourite Sikkim Caterpillars