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We are in an unprecedented fire season in 2023. Warming temperatures and drier conditions caused by climate change are a major reason. But wildfires themselves also contribute to climate change creating a reinforcing feedback loop. And, new research indicates that this might be worse than previously thought. It has been well established that black carbon … Continue reading
I love strawberries, but I’m not much of a gardener. This means that most of my strawberries come from industrial-level agriculture via my local grocery store. I do try to only buy them in season, but some new research indicates potentially negative impacts on the local ecosystem. Tiwari presented their research at a recent conference … Continue reading
Did you know that 70% of fresh water extraction is for irrigation, mostly for agriculture? Or that this accounts for 90% of global water usage? This covers a large amount of land, higher in certain areas than others. Obviously, there are consequences of this practice. McDermid and colleagues (2023) examined the impacts of irrigation, both … Continue reading
Plastics are everywhere. For decades they’ve been cheap and disposable. But plastics are made mostly from crude oil. So between the impacts of the oil and the impacts of the waste plastics, particularly incinerating these wastes, release huge amounts of carbon dioxide. This makes plastic a huge issue for climate change. But, you might ask, … Continue reading
Sugar substitutes like Stevia are generally promoted as a health choice. They are low or no calorie and are often significantly sweeter allowing people to use less. But while the health effects are continually the subject of research, the environmental impacts have been less well studied. Suckling and colleagues (2023) have attempted to address this … Continue reading
In the US, approximately 30-40% of all food is wasted according to the USDA. Generally, on this topic the discussion focuses on how to reduce this number with strategies for every stage of the chain from farm and manufacturing to the consumer. But Saba and colleagues (2023) have taken a different approach. Focusing specifically on … Continue reading
I think many people have been left with the feeling that not only is recycling enough but it’s also the responsibility of the end user to do the recycling. But corporations have a huge responsibility to reduce plastic waste in all areas of the supply chain. And a large number of companies globally indicate that … Continue reading
Okay, I get that a lot of people have a yuck factor for bacteria but we already rely on all sorts of bacteria living inside of us and used in food, yoghurt anyone? So the yuck factor is really based more in how we’re socialized to accept certain things and not others and we can … Continue reading
I know that nature provides great water filtration. I’ve read studies and reports about how restoring wetlands improves water quality and can cost less than building a water filtration plant to produce the same results. I haven’t considered how much filtration forests do before. It makes perfect sense though. Any time you have water moving … Continue reading
I don’t deal well with general anaesthetic. And unfortunately, I’ve had enough opportunity to experience it that I know what alternatives work best for me. It turns out, at least in the hospitals where I’ve had surgery, that they put you to sleep with intravenous anaesthesia but then switch you onto gas. I know this … Continue reading
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