Let’s get personal, shall we? I’ve been here a while now, and as I’m feeling quite comfortable at Mastodon, I’d like to share a bit more about myself beyond my passion for the climate and the environment.
To begin with, I’m a male, he/him, hetero, strongly supporting LGBTQ rights. I’m a baby boomer, born at 312 PPM 🌏, a United Statesian, although I lived in Europe (mostly Hungary) for several years, and traveled extensively for work before retiring in 2012. I’ve never been good at sustaining long-term romantic relationships, and I’ve finally settled into comfortable singlehood.
I like to say I’m made of contrasts.
For example, I’m rather funny and quite personable, but I don’t enjoy small talk and I hate parties. I currently live in the Bible Belt, but I’m an outspoken atheist. While I can easily fit into most social situations, I don’t feel comfortable around large groups and prefer being alone most of the time. I live near two huge military bases, but I detest the USA’s militaristic, troop-worshiping culture. I’m almost always cheerful, which masks my deeply felt existential nihilism. I’m a neat freak, but also rather lazy, preferring fun over work.
I’ll finish up with some hashtags to add flavor...
When I was younger, I loved to go snorkeling, enjoying the beauty and diversity of Caribbean coral reefs. I'm glad I took the opportunity to see them in the 1980s and 1990s, because they're not going to be around much longer...
"Record Florida ocean temperatures may be ‘death knell’ for coral reefs"
Leading AI researchers are good in AI...not in policy 😀 , their "extinction" statement was not smart, maybe well intended but it distracts from the real and more likely risks with regard to AI such as bias, discrimination, privacy, human rights violations, use by bad actors, weapons, cyber etc etc. There is enough to discuss but let's skip extinction for now... #AI#Risks#Extinction
The remarkable diversity of life on our planet is in grave danger, with research indicating that nearly half of all animal species are currently in decline...
Over the past several decades, it has become clear that global biodiversity has been declining due to human activities including conversion of habitat, use of pesticides and herbicides, and more recently, climate change. It is not known how many species are extinct due to such activities, but scientists have been trying to track species at highest risk of disappearing.
Now a trio of macro-biologists and life scientists has determined that the modern "sixth mass extinction" event is going to be even worse than prior research has shown.
They found that 48% of species have declining populations, and just 3% have rising populations. They also found evidence showing that 33% of species currently classified as non-threatened are actually spiraling toward extinction.
The team concludes that the planet is approaching a mass extinction event far graver than prior research has suggested.
What an idiotic, #Mathusian loser. There are more people on #Earth that at any point in history, yet this clown thinks we're in a #population crisis, and the #human race is on the verge of #extinction. #derp
"On December 8th, the American Chestnut Foundation (TACF) made a shocking announcement that it was withdrawing support for several pending regulatory petitions that authorize the distribution of the controversial transgenic American chestnut tree, called Darling 58, outside permitted research plots due to “significant performance limitations.”
"...TACF cited performance limitations for all Darling progeny, which included lack of blight resistance, unexplained high mortality rates, and poor growth."
Looks like the skeptics of genetics engineering were, once again, mostly correct in their critiques.
Scientists tracked a young #whale's journey before he vanished. What they learned could help save his species.
#Bishop’s story, from birth to presumed death, shows the extreme danger facing right #whales, which could be extinct in 3 decades if they continue to disappear at the present rate. Bishop’s species is not doomed to #extinction …but time is running out.
A #GrayWolf killed in a January #coyote hunt in #Michigan's southern Lower Peninsula; #DNR investigating how it got there.
The harvest was potentially the 1st time a gray wolf has been identified in the Lower Peninsula since the species was wiped out driven to [#extinction] from the state in the early 20th century, MI Dept of #NaturalResources said.
"Entire Branches on Tree of Life Are Dying, Scientists Warn"
Ecologist Gerardo Ceballos from the National Autonomous University of Mexico and Stanford University conservation biologist Paul Ehrlich assessed species extinctions since 1500 CE and compared those of the past 500 million years. They found we've driven 73 genera of back-boned animals to extinction during the last 500 years.
This rate is 35 times higher than previous genus-level extinctions.
Without human influence, it would have taken 18,000 years for the same number of genera to have met their end. Other studies have also found similarly high extinction rates for plant, fungi, and invertebrate life as well.
"This mass extinction is causing rapid mutilation of the tree of life, where entire branches and the functions they perform are being lost," explain the researchers.
The most vulnerable species are usually the most unique, yet overlooked on the planet. Along with them we'll lose millions of years of evolutionary history, which can never be repeated, as well as the loss of critical functions they performed that helped keep all the surrounding biological cycles chugging on like a well-oiled machine.
Climate change alone is creating a massive destabilization across these systems, scattering critical timing of ecosystem services like pollination, reducing the types of species and allowing new ones to invade more easily.
"Immediate political, economic, and social efforts of an unprecedented scale are essential if we are to prevent these extinctions and their societal impacts," say Ceballos and Ehrlich. "What happens in the next two decades will very likely define the future of biodiversity and homo sapiens."
Scientists sound the alarm over dramatic loss of 3 billion #birds in #NorthAmerica: ‘We’re watching … #extinction happen’
Story by Brittany Davies, July 14, 2023
"Since the 1970s, bird enthusiasts have watched the skies empty and heard the #birdsongs go silent as nearly 3 billion birds vanished in North America. Disturbed by the findings of an expansive body of research, scientists across the globe are sounding the alarm as half of the world’s bird populations are in decline.
"Found in every corner of the world from the snowy tundra of the #Arctic to the lush rainforests of the #Amazon, birds play a critical role in maintaining the delicate balance of their #ecosystems. Robust and diverse bird populations advance #pollination, help transport #seeds, and fertilize the #soil with their droppings.
"Observing and cataloging these fascinating creatures has long been a popular hobby and an important source of data for researchers and conservationists. Thanks in part to #CitizenScience reporting sites such as eBird, researchers have collected a wealth of information documenting the troubling decline of bird populations on nearly every continent.
"Peter Marra, a conservation biologist and dean of Georgetown University’s #EarthCommons Institute, and his colleagues studied multiple bird-monitoring datasets and found a disturbing trend. Using different methods to estimate population changes, Marra told Knowable Magazine, 'they all told us the same thing, which was that we’re watching the process of extinction happen.'"
However, the article goes on to say:
"Although the situation may seem dire, the news is not all bad. The tireless work of conservationists has restored numerous bird species from the edge of extinction, and populations of wetland species are increasing due in part to political action to protect their habitats. These stories of hope show that it is not impossible to reverse the decline.
"In addition to supporting wide-scale change and devoting resources to protecting #CriticalHabitats, restoring the bird population can begin in your local community and even your own #backyard. Take action at home by creating a #BirdSanctuary by growing #NativePlants and providing safe spaces for birds to eat, rest, and reproduce. Join a birding organization and participate in bird data collection.
"The knowledge shared across important crowd-sourced databases provides essential information to researchers on the state of birds."
Earth teemed with life about 530 million years ago in the aftermath of the Cambrian explosion. But something caused a mass extinction of sea life about 20 years later. Was it a lack of oxygen, as past research has suggested? Live Science explores what may have supercharged this “wave of death.” https://flip.it/YrLeW3#Science#Earth#Oceans#Extinction
Photo is a bettong that has been caught by researchers. The good news is their population has maybe tripled over the last few years in Australia's largest nature preserve that is free of introduced predators - it has 45km (28mi) of 1.8m (just under 6') tall fencing to keep it that way. Just 3 years ago they were reintroduced to...
A bettong bewildered by bagging
Photo is a bettong that has been caught by researchers. The good news is their population has maybe tripled over the last few years in Australia's largest nature preserve that is free of introduced predators - it has 45km (28mi) of 1.8m (just under 6') tall fencing to keep it that way. Just 3 years ago they were reintroduced to...