TOTALLY NEW ECOSYSTEM IS FOUND BELOW THE SEAFLOOR

 

REPRODUCED FROM:

https://canaltech.com.br/meio-ambiente/ecossistema-totalmente-novo-e-encontrado-abaixo-do-solo-marinho-259074/

ACCESS TO VIDEO:

https://youtu.be/lLo09UflWaQ

During an underwater exploration, scientists at the Schmidt Ocean Institute used a remotely piloted vehicle (ROV) to pull a layer of volcanic crust from the seafloor — and found an entirely new marine ecosystem beneath it. At the site, subsurface fluid veins filled with never-before-recorded life forms were seen.

What's below the hydrothermal fissures?

Beneath the volcanic crust, an ecosystem of worms, sea slugs and chemosynthetic bacteria has been found, that is, that take advantage of minerals to take their energy instead of sunlight. Two dynamic habitats have been identified in the fissures—the animals above and below the layer live in unison, depending on the subsurface fluid from the bottom and oxygen from the ocean water above.

CERRADO SEVERELY PUNISHED: GROWING UP IN AGRIBUSINESS WITHOUT CONTROL IS STUPIDITY

 …and speaking of stupidity…

REPRODUCED (and translated) FROM

https://oeco.org.br/salada-verde/municipios-no-matopiba-somam-75-do-desmate-do-cerrado-no-primeiro-semestre/

HIGHLIGHTS

1) The municipalities of Matopiba, between the states of Maranhão, Tocantins, Piauí and Bahia, continue to push the elimination of the Cerrado in the country. The biome has already lost about half of its natural vegetation to agribusiness. What remains is fragmented and concentrated in the region.

In those states, 367,000 ha (74.7%) of the 491,000 ha lost in the first half of this year were deforested. Large rural properties totaled 193 thousand ha (48%). Medium properties account for 133 thousand ha (33%) and small for 76 thousand ha (19%).

2) The combined rates reveal 28% more losses in the biome compared to the same period in 2022. Municipalities such as São Desidério and Correntina, in Bahia, Mirador and Balsas, in Maranhão, lead the devastation of the "Brazilian savanna". The situation is expected to worsen with the arrival of the drought.

(Graph above)  Area deforested in the Cerrado in the first half of 2023.

…AND WE THINK OUR FRAGILE EARTH IS SAFE!

 REPRODUCED FROM  https://www.livescience.com/space/asteroids/a-skyscraper-size-asteroid-flew-closer-to-earth-than-the-moon-and-scientists-didnt-notice-until-2-days-later

An asteroid as large as a 20-story building sailed uncomfortably close to Earth last week, zooming by our planet at roughly a quarter of the distance between Earth and the moon — and astronomers didn't notice it until two days later.

Now dubbed 2023 NT1, the roughly 200-foot-wide (60 meters) space rock sailed past our planet on July 13, traveling at an estimated 53,000 mph (86,000 km/h), according to NASA. However, because the rock flew toward Earth from the direction of the sun, our star's glare blinded telescopes to the asteroid's approach until long after it had passed.

Astronomers didn't catch wind of the building-size rock until July 15, when a telescope in South Africa — part of the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS), an array of telescopes designed to spot asteroids several days to weeks before any potential impact — caught the rock making its exit from our neighborhood. More than a dozen other telescopes also spotted the rock shortly afterward, according to the International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center.

Despite this surprise approach, asteroid 2023 NT1 isn't large enough to be considered a potentially hazardous object; after calculating the asteroid's trajectory for the next decade, astronomers say there's no imminent risk of an impact. In fact, recent research suggests that Earth is safe from asteroids — at least from large, extinction-inducing ones — for the next 1,000 years.

ANTHROPOCENE. NEW ERA ALREADY BEGUN?!

 REPRODUCED FROM https://www.ecycle.com.br/antropoceno/

We are living on the threshold of a new Age. Human action has drastically altered the functioning and natural flows of the planet by promoting intense global changes. Several experts claim that we have entered a new geological epoch, the Anthropocene.

FIRST PHASE. This new geological period began around 1800, with the arrival of the industrial society, characterized by the massive use of hydrocarbons (mainly oil for energy production and as a source of raw materials). Since then, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, caused by the combustion of these products, has not stopped growing. The large concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide, contributes as a strong aggravating factor to global warming. Thus, it is considered that the first phase of the Anthropocene goes from 1800 to 1945 or 1950 and corresponds, therefore, to the formation of the industrial age.

A major turnaround would have occurred when Scottish inventor James Watt made improvements to the steam engine. This occurred at the end of the eighteenth century, allowing greater efficiency in the process of power generation. This fact contributed to the beginning of the Industrial Revolution.

EFFECTS. The intense burning of fossil fuels has led to a consequent increase in the levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The intensification of agricultural practices has led to an increase in the levels of methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) in the atmosphere. The intensification of fuel use and agricultural activities has also led to the production of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrous oxides (NOx). And once in the atmosphere, these compounds convert to sulfate (SO4) and nitrates (NO3) and cause acidification of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

SECOND PHASE. The second phase runs from 1950 to 2000 or 2015 and has been called "The Great Acceleration." Between 1950 and 2000, the human population doubled from three billion to six billion people. And the number of automobiles went from 40 million to 800 million. In the second phase of the Anthropocene Era (1945-2015), there was a considerable acceleration of human activities on nature. "The great acceleration is in a critical state," Crutzen said, because more than half of the services provided by terrestrial ecosystems are already facing degradation.

CLIMATE CHANGE AND GLOBAL CONFLICTS. We see today an explosive combination between the global dilemmas of the ecological crisis and inequality. A group of two billion people has a high consumption pattern and appropriates the consequent material benefits. While five billion live in poverty and one billion in absolute misery. In this context, conflicts and disasters become imminent.

“CULTURE” OF WASTE: FROM FIELD TO TABLE

PHOTO ABOVE - The images taken with a drone are impressive: a golden mountain rises next to a set of gigantic silos for grain storage. Next to the pile, a bulk truck looks like a toy truck and a man in a helmet becomes an almost imperceptible speck.

The mountain of corn in the open, recorded at Cooavil (Cooperativa Agropecuária Terra Viva) in Sorriso, Mato Grosso, is one of many that accumulate in the interior of Brazil, amid the harvest of the largest grain harvest in the history of the country.

According to Conab (National Supply Company), in data released on Thursday (13/7), Brazil should produce 128 million tons of corn, adding the three harvests of the 2022/2023 cycle – a growth of 13% compared to the previous cycle, which had already been a record.

The giant harvest has helped reduce inflation in the country by cheapening animal feed and the cost of meat production, which already accumulate a price drop of almost 6% in the year, according to IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics).

REPRODUCED AND TRANSLATED FROM: https://www.supervarejo.com.br/consumo/brasil-e-o-10o-pais-que-mais-desperdica-alimentos-no-mundo/

Brazil is one of the world's leading food producers, but unfortunately it is also one of the countries with the highest rate of food waste. According to IBGE data, about 30% of the food produced in the country ends up being thrown away, equivalent to about 46 million tons of food per year. This represents a significant loss both in economic terms, since food waste in Brazil is estimated at R$ 61.3 billion per year, as well as environmental and social, thus placing Brazil in the 10th position in the ranking of countries that waste the most food, according to UN data.

This waste occurs at various stages of the food chain, from production to consumption. In production, food is lost due to issues such as poor planning, lack of adequate infrastructure and climate problems. In distribution and marketing, food is discarded due to exacting standards of appearance and aesthetics, as well as logistical problems. Already in consumption, food is wasted due to excessive purchases, lack of meal planning and carelessness with the preservation of food. Each year, waste in the country reaches 27 million tons of food, 60% of which comes from the daily consumption of families.

"It is important to highlight that food waste has significant impacts on society and the environment. In addition to representing an economic loss, food waste contributes to the degradation of the environment and to hunger and poverty in several regions of the country," says Luciano Kleiman, CEO of b4waste, a Brazilian foodtech that connects retailers with food and other products close to expiration to the final consumer interested in buying products for half the price.

"To tackle this problem, joint action from different sectors is needed, including government, business and society. Measures such as the implementation of public policies, the promotion of good practices in food production and distribution, and the awareness of society about the problem of food waste are fundamental to reduce the problem in Brazil", concludes Luciano.

SAVE THE CERRADO! FOR NOW, IN THE INTENTIONS AND DISCUSSIONS. IT'S ALREADY A STEP FORWARD...

Deforestation control plan begins to get off the ground.

HIGHLIGHTS 

 # 1 -  The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change held, throughout this Tuesday (11/07/2023), the 1st Technical-Scientific Seminar on the analysis of deforestation and fires in the Cerrado. In total, 12 lectures were presented with experts in the conservation of the biome. The information will support the formulation of the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation and Burning in the Biome (PPCerrado).

# 2 - In total, 12 lectures were presented with experts in the conservation of the biome. The information will support the formulation of the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation and Burning in the Biome (PPCerrado).

# 3 - Deforestation in the Cerrado has been growing over the last few years, reaching 10,700 km² in 2022. In the first half of 2023 alone, alerts were generated for 4,407 km², 21% more than the same period of the previous year and almost twice as much as that recorded for the Amazon (2,649 km²).

# 4 - During Tuesday's event, the experts presented the latest data on the dynamics of deforestation and fires in the biome and existing initiatives to combat such problems. Proposals for action were also presented, such as the improvement of the Plant Suppression Authorization (ASV) systems and an increase to 35% in the total area of rural properties that needs to be preserved. Currently, that percentage is 20 percent.

# 5 - In addition to the technical-scientific seminar, the MMA organizes for September a public hearing to discuss the problem with society.

The final formatting of the new PPCerrado is expected to be released next October.

FERAL CATS IN AUSTRALIA WILL BE EXTERMINAT

 ACCESS FOR COMPLETE REPORT

https://www.dcceew.gov.au/environment/invasive-species/feral-animals-australia/feral-cats

Feral cats

Feral cats threaten the survival of over 100 native species in Australia. They have caused the extinction of some ground-dwelling birds and small to medium-sized mammals. They are a major cause of decline for many land-based endangered animals such as the bilby, bandicoot, bettong and numbat. Many native animals are struggling to survive so reducing the number killed by this introduced predator will allow their populations to grow.

Feral cats can carry infectious diseases which can be transmitted to native animals, domestic livestock and humans.

Feral cats are the same species as domestic cats, however they live and reproduce in the wild and survive by hunting or scavenging. They are found all over Australia in all habitats, including forests, woodlands, grasslands, wetlands and arid areas. The map illustrates the estimated abundance of feral cats across the country.

Feral cats are predominantly solitary and nocturnal, spending most of the day in the safety of a shelter such as a rabbit burrow, log or rock pile. They are carnivores, generally eating small mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish and insects depending on their availability.

Key threatening process under the EPBC Act

The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) provides for the identification and listing of key threatening processes. A key threatening process threatens or may threaten the survival, abundance or evolutionary development of a native species or ecological community. Predation by feral cats is listed as a key threatening process.

Once a key threatening process is listed under the EPBC Act a threat abatement plan can be put into place if it is shown to be 'a feasible, effective and efficient way' to abate the threatening process. A feral cat threat abatement plan has been made to address this key threatening process.

Threat Abatement Plan

The threat abatement plan for predation by feral cats (2015) sets out a national framework to guide and coordinate Australia’s response to the impacts of feral cats on biodiversity. It identifies the research, management and other actions needed to ensure the long-term survival of native species and ecological communities affected by predation by feral cats.

National declaration: feral cats as pests

At the Meeting of Environment Ministers (Melbourne, 15 July 2015), Ministers endorsed the National declaration of feral cats as pests. As part of this declaration, Ministers agreed to review arrangements within their respective jurisdictions and, where necessary, to remove unnecessary barriers to effective and humane control of feral cats. Ministers also agreed to consider feral cat management as a priority in threatened species recovery programs, and to pursue the development of a national best practice approach to the keeping of domestic cats.