Drought in Sicily: Oranges Wither, Cattle Starve

Sicily is facing an unprecedented environmental challenge as it grapples with severe drought conditions that have also afflicted the Western Mediterranean. The region, alongside northern Africa, parts of Spain, and Sardinia, is experiencing the harsh realities of climate change, which amplifies the severity and occurrence of extreme weather phenomena like heatwaves, droughts, and even sporadic heavy rainfall.

In Sicily, the situation has turned dire. The island, which recorded a scorching European high of 48.8°C (119.8°F) in 2021, has seen eight months of nearly complete dryness. This prolonged period of drought, described by the ANBI Observatory on Water Resources as “almost total aridity,” has significantly impacted agriculture and livestock, with the second half of 2023 being the driest in more than a century. Even recent sporadic rainfalls have done little to mitigate the situation.

The drought has had a profound effect on local farms. For instance, Barreca, a 47-year-old farmer and veterinarian, and her sister, who co-manages a dairy farm, are facing steep challenges. They’re now spending an additional 3,000 euros a month on fodder to sustain their 150 cows, whose milk production has drastically dropped due to the poor quality of available hay. The situation is dire enough that some cows on the island have suffered from poisoning due to mouldy fodder, leading to a range of issues from infertility to death.

The agricultural sector is reeling under the impact. Wheat fields, citrus orchards, olive groves, and vineyards are all suffering, with water rationing imposed in numerous towns to manage the scarce resource. The dry conditions have not only reduced the quantity and quality of produce but have also increased the costs of maintaining livestock and crops, pushing farmers like Barreca to consider expensive imports of quality fodder, a solution that remains financially daunting.

As Sicily and its Mediterranean neighbours confront these challenges, the urgent need for solutions and adaptations to combat the effects of climate change has never been clearer. The drought underscores a broader crisis affecting the region’s food security, economy, and the very fabric of rural life. Read More

Credit: phys.org

Saving Risotto: Italy Battles to Preserve Iconic Dish Amid Rice Crisis

In the serene landscapes of Mortara, nestled within the expansive Po valley, Luigi Ferraris, a seasoned 58-year-old rice farmer, faced an unprecedented challenge in 2022. The region, known for its fertile floodplains crucial to Italy’s rice production, encountered a severe drought that drastically reduced rainfall by 40% in the first half of the year. The Alps, typically reliable for their snowmelt feeding the Po River, contributed to an alarming 88% decrease in water flow, leading to historically low levels in the river and its canals.

Despite these dire conditions, Ferraris remained optimistic, hoping for a swift return to normalcy. He, like many in the Pianura Padana, was accustomed to battling excess water, not scarcity. This area, once a marshland rife with malaria, was transformed over centuries through meticulous drainage and land levelling. Local farmers, including Ferraris, had historically worked to repel water, making the sudden lack of it a new and daunting obstacle.

Alberto Lasagna, director of Confagricoltura Pavia, reflects on this irony. For generations, the struggle in the Po Valley was to manage and mitigate the abundant water to make the land suitable for agriculture. Now, the community finds itself in an unfamiliar predicament, grappling with the urgent need for water to sustain their crops and continue their way of life.

This shift marks a significant turning point for the region’s agricultural practices. It poses a poignant question about the future of farming in areas once defined by their battle against water. Read More

News Credit: The Guardian

Picture Credit: Marco Massa and Haakon Sand

Great Barrier Reef Faces Bleaching Crisis: Aerial Surveys Initiated

The Great Barrier Reef, the planet’s largest coral reef system, is under scrutiny as the management authority gears up for comprehensive aerial surveys. The decision is followed by helicopter observations that have revealed widespread coral bleaching, particularly in the reef’s southern regions. Reports from The Guardian highlight bleaching occurrences stretching over 1,100 kilometres, from Lizard Island in the north to the Keppel Islands in the south, stoking fears of a potential seventh mass bleaching event.

Recent helicopter surveys covering both inshore and offshore reefs off Queensland’s coast have shown bleaching to be both extensive and uniformly distributed across the 48 reefs examined. According to Dr Mark Read, the authority’s director for reef health, the majority of corals are exhibiting signs of heat stress, manifesting as either a whitening or a fluorescent response, a defence mechanism against temperature increases. Bleaching, a result of corals enduring prolonged exposure to hot waters, poses significant risks to coral health, including increased susceptibility to disease and impaired reproductive abilities. However, recovery is possible under milder conditions and with a subsequent drop in water temperatures.

The surveys, focusing on areas like the Keppel Islands, Gladstone, and the Capricorn Bunkers, have already noted limited bleaching in regions north of Mackay and the Whitsunday Islands as well. Dr Neal Cantin, a senior research scientist from the Australian Institute of Marine Science, reported clear visibility of bleached corals from the air, even at depth. As the southern section shows the most significant impact, reports from other reef areas confirm that no region is immune, underscoring the urgent need for action to protect this marine biodiversity hotspot from escalating climate challenges. Read More

News Credit: inkl.com

Picture Credit: Devin Rowell

Climate Refugees to Voice Experiences in Historic US Hearing

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) will hear from people on the frontline of the climate emergency in Mexico, Honduras, the Bahamas and Colombia as part of a special hearing sought by human rights groups in Latin America, the US and the Caribbean.

Communities under imminent threat from rising sea levels, floods and other extreme weather will testify in Washington as the region’s foremost human rights body holds a first-of-its-kind hearing on how climate catastrophe is driving forced migration across the Americas. Read More

News Credit: The Guardian

Picture Credit: John Moore/Getty Images

Warm Winter Woes: Climate Change Disrupts Life in US Midwest

Joseph Kuzma’s childhood memories of ice fishing and driving across the frozen Lake Erie starkly contrast with today’s reality in Port Clinton, Ohio, where the sound of waves replaces the once familiar crunch of ice. The dramatic decrease in ice cover on Lake Erie and across the Great Lakes reflects a broader trend of warming winters attributed to climate change. With ice levels hitting historic lows—this year’s ice cover was around 4% compared to the historical average of 40%—and cities like Grand Forks, Milwaukee, and Minneapolis-St Paul experiencing their warmest winters on record, the effects of human-made climate change are becoming increasingly evident. The decline in ice not only disrupts traditional winter activities but also signals significant environmental shifts that are expected to persist and intensify. Read More

News Credit: The Guardian

Picture Credit: Stephen Starr

Amidst the Plastic Tide: One Man’s Quest for Salvage

In a world awash with the debris of consumerism, the image before us serves as a stark reminder of the environmental crisis we face. A solitary figure stands knee-deep in an ocean of discarded plastic bottles, his back to us, as he sifts through the rubbish with a sack in hand. The sheer scale of waste engulfs the individual, illustrating the overwhelming nature of our plastic problem.

This man’s search through the synthetic sea is a poignant representation of the global challenge of waste management and the resilience of those who navigate these landscapes daily. Each bottle, once a vessel of fleeting convenience, now contributes to a monumental issue with long-term ecological consequences.

As the viewer, we’re confronted with the uncomfortable truth of our disposable lifestyles and the enduring impact of our choices. This image is a call to action — a plea to rethink our reliance on single-use plastics and to consider the human and environmental toll of our consumption. It’s a visual testament to the necessity of sustainable practices and a circular economy where nothing is wasted and everything has value.

In sharing this photograph on our blog, let’s pledge to be part of the solution, encouraging a shift towards mindfulness in consumption and supporting initiatives that aim to clean our precious Earth. Each one of us, and the man in the picture, deserves a world where nature’s beauty isn’t buried under humanity’s waste.

Image Source: Unknown, due credits.

Air Pollution Linked to Rising Dementia Risk, Study Finds

A recent study conducted by Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, has revealed a significant link between traffic-related air pollution and severe forms of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, even among individuals without genetic predispositions.

The research focused on the impact of exposure to delicate particulate matter (PM2.5), which is prevalent in urban areas and originates primarily from vehicle emissions. PM2.5 particles, being extremely small, can penetrate deep tissues and cross the blood-brain barrier, potentially leading to the accumulation of amyloid plaques associated with Alzheimer’s.

The study examined brain tissues from 224 individuals, most diagnosed with dementia, who had lived in areas with high levels of traffic-related PM2.5. It found a clear correlation between higher exposure to this pollution and increased Alzheimer’s disease neuropathology. This adds to the growing body of evidence that air pollution from traffic not only contributes to respiratory diseases and climate change but may also be a critical factor in the development of dementia. The findings underscore the urgent need for measures to reduce traffic pollution, particularly in densely populated urban environments. Read More

News Credit: Guardian Environment

Picture Credit: Antonio Olmos/The Observer

Adrift Amidst the Plastic Sea: The Silent Cry of Our Waters

In the grayscale stillness of the photograph before us lies a narrative far more colourful and chaotic than what meets the eye. A lone boat drifts through a vast expanse of water, not upon waves of blue but on the undulating tides of plastic waste. It’s a scene that captures the stark reality of our waterways transformed into conduits of pollution.

The image, while devoid of colour, paints the current plight of our environment in stark shades of grey. Each piece of plastic, a fragment of our own making, represents the collective neglect that has led to such a harrowing sight. The waters that once teemed with life now struggle under the weight of human waste, and the fisherman, a symbol of the human connection to nature, is rendered powerless amidst the man-made debris.

The photograph is not just a commentary on pollution but an urgent plea for reflection and change. It serves as a reminder that the actions of today cast long shadows over the waters of tomorrow. While the plastic tide seems impossible, it is not indomitable. There lies within us the potential for transformation, for innovation, for the kind of change that can reclaim the purity of these waters.

Let this image be a catalyst for conversation, education, and action. We must weave sustainability into the fabric of our daily lives and take a stand against the disposable culture that has led to such environmental travesties. It’s time to rethink, reduce, reuse, and recycle with a vigour that matches the urgency of this visual message.

As we share this image, let’s not do so in silence. Let’s use it to spark dialogue, inspire stewardship, and ignite a movement towards a future where scenes like this are found only in history’s archive, not in the living waters of our world.

Image Source: Unknown (due credits to the creators)

Ice Solitude: The Polar Sentinel

In an era marked by the significant impact of climate change, a recent study has found startling revelations about the survival strategies of polar bears in the Arctic as they grapple with melting sea ice. The study deployed collar cameras on polar bears to closely monitor their behaviour as they are increasingly forced to rely on the land for sustenance.

The research tracked the diet, behaviour, movement, daily energy expenditure, and body mass changes in 20 polar bears from western Hudson Bay in Manitoba, Canada. This monitoring was carried out during a three-week ice-free period from 2019 to 2022. The results shed light on the adaptive mechanisms polar bears are resorting to in order to survive.

The polar bears were found to have adopted various strategies to reduce energy loss during these ice-free periods. These included fasting, reducing movement, and altering their diets to consume berries and birds. A testament to the resilience of these magnificent creatures, these survival strategies are a direct response to the rapid loss of sea ice.

Despite these adaptations, the study found that the bears derived minimal benefit from foraging on land in terms of delaying starvation. In a significant revelation, 19 out of 20 bears were found to lose weight during the study period. This points to the worrying impact of climate change on polar bears, who, despite resorting to a land-based diet during summer, are still losing weight due to the energy expenditure in foraging. Read More

Fire’s Embrace: The Forest’s Test

The only gods who ever mattered and who actually exist even to this day are being crucified as we speak. Human civilisation began by worshipping the right gods: the weather systems, the ecosystem, and Gaia.

These were real, as opposed to the fake gods, which were subsequently engineered for the sole purpose of control, profit, and servicing of the emergent necrocapitalist #psychonomy. Human civilisation very quickly became a death-worshipping cult, relying on fear, conflict, destruction and colonialism for its continuation.”