Thursday, May 13, 2021

Lifesaving tips on reopening the US (Opinion) - CNN

(CNN) Widespread vaccine coverage in the US is rapidly reducing new infections, illnesses and deaths from Covid-19. States and cities are quickly removing restrictions on business and leisure activities. Yet, while the public enjoys the return to normalcy, governments behind the scenes should be ramping up public health systems to guard against another possible wave and to build more competency for the inevitable next epidemic, whenever it may arise.

First, a note of warning. Newly confirmed cases in the US are now below 40,000 per day. This is down from the peak in January, when new cases reached over 300,000 per day. And daily cases continue to decline, even more rapidly. Yet, just before India's recent surge to over 400,000 cases per day, that country had reported just over 10,000 cases per day as recently as early March. It's a reminder that the Covid-19 epidemic can spread from very few cases to a devastating surge at a terrifying rate, in just a few weeks.

Full article: Lifesaving tips on reopening the US (Opinion) - CNN

Wednesday, May 12, 2021

Air pollution from animal-based food production is linked to 12,700 deaths each year, study says

(CNN)Air pollution from food production in the United States is linked to an estimated 15,900 premature deaths each year, according to a new study published Monday in the Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

Tuesday, May 4, 2021

Tomorrow's Film at the Environmental Documentary Series: Kiss the Ground

Tomorrow, 5-May, The 11th Environmental Documentary Series will show the documentary Kiss the Ground: https://kissthegroundmovie.com/ with a running time of about 80 minutes.

About the film: Narrated and featuring Woody Harrelson, Kiss the Ground is an inspiring and groundbreaking film that reveals the first viable solution to our climate crisis. Kiss the Ground reveals that, by regenerating the world’s soils, we can completely and rapidly stabilize Earth’s climate, restore lost ecosystems and create abundant food supplies. Using compelling graphics and visuals, along with striking NASA and NOAA footage, the film artfully illustrates how, by drawing down atmospheric carbon, soil is the missing piece of the climate puzzle. This movie is positioned to catalyze a movement to accomplish the impossible – to solve humanity’s greatest challenge, to balance the climate and secure our species future.

We will connect at 6:30 PM via Zoom (https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83391076365?pwd=djZQa3hvQklncDlTdTdjbnBPdDcxdz09) and everybody will start the films soon after. After the films we will hold a discussion on Zoom.

Entire Schedule: Environmental Documentaries - SHU Sustainability

Friday, April 30, 2021

Speed at which world’s glaciers are melting has doubled in 20 years | Glaciers | The Guardian

Hope we get our acts together soon!

Glacier melt contributing more to sea-level rise than loss of Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, say experts

Portage glacier in Chugach National Forest in Alaska.
Portage glacier in Chugach National Forest in Alaska. The US state accounted for 25% of global glacier loss Photograph: Yereth Rosen/Reuters

The melting of the world’s glaciers has nearly doubled in speed over the past 20 years and contributes more to sea-level rise than either the Greenland or Antarctic ice sheets, according to the most comprehensive global study of ice rivers ever undertaken.

Scientists say human-driven global heating is behind the accelerating loss of high-altitude and high-latitude glaciers, which will affect coastal regions across the planet and create boom-and-bust flows of meltwater for the hundreds of millions of people who live downstream of these “natural water towers”.

Between 2000 and 2019, glaciers lost 267 gigatonnes (Gt) of ice per year, equivalent to 21% of sea-level rise, reveals a paper published in Nature. The authors said the mass loss was equivalent to submerging the surface of England under 2 metres of water every year.

This was 47% higher than the contribution of the melting ice sheet in Greenland and more than twice that from the ice sheet in Antarctica. As a cause of sea-level rise, glacier loss was second only to thermal expansion, which is prompted by higher ocean temperatures.

Tuesday, April 27, 2021

Tomorrow: Jeffrey Sachs, Director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University to speak on Sustainable Development at Siena Heights University

This is a brief reminder that the Sustainable College Committee of Siena Heights University is delighted to present Jeffrey Sachs, Director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University as our Winter 2021 William Issa Endowment Speaker on the Environment. Dr. Sachs’ talk is scheduled for April 28, 7:00 PM Eastern Daylight-Saving Time as a ZOOM meeting and is titled "Universities and the Sustainable Development Goals: Lessons from the Pandemic”. Dr. Sachs’ talk is free for the public. Please click the following link to join the webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81278864571

The above poster can be downloaded in full resolution using the below link:

http://wassmer.org/SHU/Sachs_Design2_opt.pdf

Please feel free to forward this announcement to anybody who might be interested. Thank you in advance – and I hope to meet you virtually at Siena Heights University!


Full announcement: Jeffrey Sachs - SHU Sustainability

Tuesday, April 20, 2021

Tomorrow's Films - Environmental Documentary Series - Free Exclusive Screening & Filmmaker from India will attend

Tomorrow, 21-Apr, The 11th Environmental Documentary Series will show the free documentary Ever Slow Green: https://www.brainfever.in/ever-slow-green/ whose filmmaker will join us life from India for Q&A and 3 short Youtube videos on The Green New Deal: https://berniesanders.com/issues/green-new-deal/ accessible through a playlist together all 4 videos last about 80 minutes.

About the films:

  • EVER SLOW GREEN: 50 years ago, a unique afforestation project took root on an eroded desert plateau in Tamil Nadu, South India, when people from diverse countries came together to establish the international experimental township of Auroville. Initially driven by the necessity to make the harsh conditions more liveable, the idealism of some early residents lead them to develop expertise in cultivating the Tropical Dry Evergreen Forest, a rare forest type native to the coastal belt of Tamil Nadu. Today, the lush Auroville forest is an outstanding example of eco-restoration that recreates and preserves a type of tropical forest that is on the verge of extinction. The filmmaker granted us exclusive free access through https://vimeo.com/407553297 , password will be provided via Zoom before the session
  • The Green New Deal: Transform our energy system to 100 percent renewable energy and create 20 million jobs needed to solve the climate crisis. Ensure a just transition for communities and workers, including fossil fuel workers. Ensure justice for frontline communities, especially under-resourced groups, communities of color, Native Americans, people with disabilities, children and the elderly. Save American families money with investments in weatherization, public transportation, modern infrastructure and high-speed broadband. Commit to reducing emissions throughout the world, including providing $200 billion to the Green Climate Fund, rejoining the Paris Agreement, and reasserting the United States’ leadership in the global fight against climate change. Invest in conservation and public lands to heal our soils, forests, and prairie lands. End the greed of the fossil fuel industry and hold them accountable. Playlist on Youtube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcSYAU1r19GS-2lK7di-NWlYjtDiNcL-r

We will connect at 6:30 PM via Zoom (https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83391076365?pwd=djZQa3hvQklncDlTdTdjbnBPdDcxdz09) and everybody will start the films soon after. After the films we will hold a discussion with the filmmaker on Zoom.


Full Program: Environmental Documentaries - SHU Sustainability