Shocking Decline In North American Bird Population

Since 1970 the bird populations of North America have suffered a net loss of approximately 2.9 billion individuals. That's a 30% decline in less than 50 years!

These numbers are not wildly different from the decline in worldwide insect biomass measured in a study from earlier in 2019. But lead author Ken Rosenberg of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and American Bird Conservancy found the scope of species and total number of individuals lost unexpected. This, I think, shows that even scientists working in areas affected by climate change aren't fully aware of it's impact. It's also interesting that these kinds of comprehensive studies of wildlife populations are only just happening in the second decade of the 21st century.

Photo by Laitche [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)

This study is the first comprehensive attempt to understand the change in North American bird populations in the decades since 1970. Rosenberg's team compiled data from a number of sources; including USGS and Canadian Wildlife Service bird surveys, citizen-science data, and even weather radar station data collected over a recent 10-year period. The 143 NEXRAD weather radar stations are able to measure the entire biomass of bird migrations in the spring and fall. 

The researchers found broad decreases across both threatened and common species, and across all habitats. Certain categories of birds were hit especially hard; including grassland birds (53% decline), forest birds, and shore birds. If there is a positive side to this story, it's that waterfowl (for example, geese, ducks, swans) have increased over 50% across the period of the study. According to study co-author Michael Parr, president of the American Bird Conservancy, it's that the reason for the increase in waterfowl populations is directly related to the actions of recreational duck hunters. They noticed a decline in duck populations and they called for and supported legislation to help protect the wetlands that supported those birds.   

In current times, we must take similar action; including calling for legislation to ban the use of neonicotinoid pesticides - which will help protect insects as well as birds. 

Action:
The Environmental Protection Agency banned 12 neonicotinoid pesticides earlier in 2019, but that still leaves 47 other pesticides that contain neonicotinoids on the market. There is a bill (H.R. 1337) in the House to "to cancel the registrations of any pesticides containing imidacloprid, clothianidin, thiamethoxam, dinotefuran, acetamiprid, sulfoxaflor, flupyradifurone, or fipronil until the board has made a determination that such insecticide will not cause unreasonable adverse effects on pollinators based on findings that include results of studies of neonicotinoids and the effects of residues, repeated applications, and multiple chemical exposures." Please take a few moments to urge your elected representatives to take action on neonicotinoid pesticides today: https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials/

Sources:
https://science.sciencemag.org/content/365/6459/1228/   
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/silent-skies-billions-of-north-american-birds-have-vanished/
https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/3-billion-birds-across-many-species-have-disappeared-north-america/
https://www.usnews.com/news/top-news/articles/2019-09-19/bird-numbers-plunge-in-us-and-canada-with-people-to-blame/
https://www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/north-american-bird-populations-decline-66454/
http://www.startribune.com/where-have-the-wild-birds-gone-3-billion-fewer-than-1970/
https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/1337/

Climate Change Models Are Wrong!

The truth has been revealed! Climate change scientists have been exposed. Their models are wrong and they openly admit it.

According to the models developed by scientists to measure rising sea levels due to rising temperatures, the Greenland Ice Sheet was previously expected to add up to 35 inches (~89 cm) of sea level rise. A team led  by scientists at the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska Fairbanks has developed a model that predicts global warming could contribute up to 63 inches (~160 cm) of global sea-level rise over the next 200 years. The Greenland Ice Sheet is the second largest ice body after the Antarctic Ice Sheet.

By M. Tedesco/CCNY for NASA ICE - https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasa_ice/7644648892, Public Domain, Link

 The authors of the paper used three scenarios to estimate the potential impact of rising global temperatures on the Greenland Ice Sheets contribution to global sea levels over as much as the next 1,000 years: 1) meeting the goals of the 2015 Paris Climate Accord; 2) a middle path scenario; and 3) a high-emissions scenario. The first scenario estimated limited loss of mass in the Greenland Ice Sheet (8% to 25%). The moderate pathway saw significant loss of mass (26% and 57%) and the high-emissions model estimate almost complete loss of mass (72% to 100%).   

The team was led by scientists at the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.  

Action:
Please take a few moments to urge your elected representatives to take action on Climate Change today: https://citizensclimatelobby.org/write-congress-about-climate-change/

Here's what I wrote: 
The world is at a critical stage in terms of climate change. Climate Change is turning into Climate Crisis. The longer we delay taking action, the deeper and more damaging the results of climate change will be. We are already past the point where we can prevent the effects of Global Warming, so we must have the will to take all necessary actions to more forward with the 2015 Paris Agreement on Climate Change Mitigation. In spite of our the current president's stance on climate change, we must rejoin the the Paris Agreement because the United States leadership on any global issue is critical. You, as my representative, must work to preserve the best possible future for the children, grand-children, and great-grand-children of the citizens you represent. That means the politics of division that have been pursued at least since the 1980's are no longer acceptable. You must work with all the elected representatives to address the greatest threat to life on this planet that has been seen in many thousands of years. So please start now, today, to address this life and livelihood threatening issue. Do something to move the ball forward every day. It is that important! 

Sources:

https://www.gi.alaska.edu/

https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/5/6/eaav9396

https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2019/study-predicts-more-long-term-sea-level-rise-from-greenland-ice

Insects Threatened With Extinction

This is the reason I started this blog. And it‘s not because I love insects. I want mosquitoes to visit my neighbors, not me. But when I read that over 40% of all insects were threatened with extinction, it seemed pretty clear to me that the worldwide impacts of global climate change are just around the corner. I have to admit it’s a pretty selfish response. But, unfortunately, it takes a crisis to enable real change - and we can’t waste the crisis when it arrives. We have to be prepared, or it will be hijacked by those who have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo. Enough of my diatribe. Here are the facts as I understand them.

WHAT IS IT?: Scientists in Australia and Viet Nam (Francisco Sánchez-Bayo and Kris Wyckhuys) have published a survey of research on insect populations, concluding that 41% of insect species are in decline and 33% of species in the countries studied are facing extinction. The factors include habitat change, pollution (mainly synthetic fertilizers and pesticides), and various biological factors, such as pathogens and introduced species. Less than 7% of the studies pointed to climate change. But habitat change, like climate change and pollution, is mainly the result of human activities. What we do and the decisions we make change the planet. The Green Revolution, for instance, created a huge increase in crop production in developing countries, but it did that by using fertilizers, pesticides, and high-yield crop varieties. So, while more food was produced for humans, damage was being done to the environment which, in turn, led to a sharp decline in insect biodiversity. It also resulted in the overall decline in insect biomass.

Insect biomass decline: extrapolated from 2019 - 2119, showing the difference between a linear and exponential rate
Structured Data by FeydHuxtable licensed under the Creative Commons BY-SA 4.0  license.

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?: The reason this is important is because humans are at the top of a complex pyramid of life forms. From water-borne creatures, to soil, to plants, to insects, to fish, to birds, to amphibians, to mammals, to humans - we are all interdependent. What affects one component of the food web affects the other components. On top of that, insects provide important micro-services to its environment, including food source, pollination, natural pest control, and nutirent recycling and decomposition services. Ultimately, reducing biodiversity make the ecosystem more brittle, the same way that removing the leg of a chair makes it less sturdy.   

Insects on Geranium pratense flowers

Photo by Alexandr frolov licensed under the the Creative Commons BY-SA 4.0 license 

 WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT?: For one, neonicotinoid-based pesticides shouldn't be used. These pesticides ad fipronil, in particular, impair the immune system of bees, cause other effects that reduce the foraging ability of worker bees, and impair the reproductive ability of queens and drones. Bayer and Ortho sell a number of these products and I have pasted a link to a table of such products below. You can all allow your lawn to "grow wild". Some US states even encourage this through local cooperative extension services. "Think Globally, Act Locally", by plant native species when buying plants and avoiding double flowering plants. The flowers of these plants can't be pollinated by bees.  

Sources:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320718313636
 https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2019/02/why-insect-populations-are-plummeting-and-why-it-matters/
https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2019/03/21/the-insect-apocalypse-is-not-here-but-there-are-reasons-for-concern
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/02/insect-apocalypse-really-upon-us/583018/
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/feb/10/plummeting-insect-numbers-threaten-collapse-of-nature
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/oct/18/warning-of-ecological-armageddon-after-dramatic-plunge-in-insect-numbers
https://earther.gizmodo.com/bug-scientists-push-back-against-insect-apocalypse-pape-1833492456
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/gcb.14608
https://xerces.org/wings-archive/neonicotinoids-in-your-garden/ (Neonicotinoid-based Pesticides)
https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/13/opinions/protect-insects-five-things-intl/index.html

Welcome to Environmental News And Action

Hello and Welcome!

I have created this blog to keep track of the latest news about the environment and to share this information with others who are interested in the future of our planet. Needless to say, that should include every living being on Earth. But I recognize that we don’t all have the same concerns at the same time. So I will be here when other people have the same concerns I do. Just as millions of people are out there now waiting to education me.

My goal is to highlight issues of current significance, provide background on why it’s important, and suggest potential actions to address the issue. I won‘t go into great detail, as others have already done that better than I could. But I will provide links to relevant resources and present an overview of the issue as I understand it. I also hope to present ways to influence the direction of the issue in a positive way.

Please let me know if I’m getting something wrong or if you know of other ways to positively impact the issue.

Yours in creating a Greener future,

David