Sunday, June 12, 2022

The transformation of a low diversity sterile backyard (first picture) to a backyard rich in insects, wildlife and birds and a productive permaculture garden

The transformation of a low diversity sterile backyard (first picture) to a backyard rich in insects, wildlife and birds and a productive permaculture garden took about 6 years as it was done in several easy and manageable steps:

  1. Establishments of the raised garden beds
  2. Building of the 3-bin compost and establishment of rain barrels
  3. Prairie restorations on the slopes, driveway and side yard
  4. Planting of native transplants into un-mowed islands
  5. Changing mowing patterns to keep native plants that outseed into lawn and also keep non-native flowers frequented by pollinators
  6. Excavating the pond and planting of native water plants



















Monday, February 28, 2022

IPCC adaptation report ‘a damning indictment of failed global leadership on climate’

UN scientists on Monday delivered a stark warning about the impact of climate change on people and the planet, saying that ecosystem collapse, species extinction, deadly heatwaves and floods are among the "unavoidable multiple climate hazards” the world will face over the next two decades 
IPCC adaptation report ‘a damning indictment of failed global leadership on climate’

Tuesday, February 22, 2022

Ten facts about land systems for sustainability | PNAS

Land use is central to addressing sustainability issues, including biodiversity conservation, climate change, food security, poverty alleviation, and sustainable energy. In this paper, we synthesize knowledge accumulated in land system science, the integrated study of terrestrial social-ecological systems, into 10 hard truths that have strong, general, empirical support. These facts help to explain the challenges of achieving sustainability in land use and thus also point toward solutions. The 10 facts are as follows: 1) Meanings and values of land are socially constructed and contested; 2) land systems exhibit complex behaviors with abrupt, hard-to-predict changes; 3) irreversible changes and path dependence are common features of land systems; 4) some land uses have a small footprint but very large impacts; 5) drivers and impacts of land-use change are globally interconnected and spill over to distant locations; 6) humanity lives on a used planet where all land provides benefits to societies; 7) land-use change usually entails trade-offs between different benefits—"win–wins" are thus rare; 8) land tenure and land-use claims are often unclear, overlapping, and contested; 9) the benefits and burdens from land are unequally distributed; and 10) land users have multiple, sometimes conflicting, ideas of what social and environmental justice entails. The facts have implications for governance, but do not provide fixed answers. Instead they constitute a set of core principles which can guide scientists, policy makers, and practitioners toward meeting sustainability challenges in land use.



Continue reading at: Ten facts about land systems for sustainability | PNAS

Tuesday, February 15, 2022

Tracking Gun Violence Losses Under Biden

As gun deaths and injuries reach crisis levels across the country and congressional Republicans continue to block lifesaving legislation, President Joe Biden must lead by doing everything and anything he can to prioritize gun violence reduction.




Tracking Gun Violence Losses Under Biden

Tuesday, December 7, 2021

Omicron variant made $10 billion in a week for top Moderna and Pfizer shareholders - Global Justice Now Global Justice Now

Moderna CEO personally made more than $800 million in week after variant announcement
Companies “have made more than enough money from the pandemic”, campaigners say
Big pharma executives and shareholders saw their wealth skyrocket in the week after the Omicron variant was discovered, with just 8 top Pfizer and Moderna shareholders adding a combined $10.31 billion to their fortunes.


Campaigners have accused pharma executives of “making a killing from a crisis they helped to create”, blaming “grotesque” levels of vaccine inequality for creating the conditions for the Omicron variant to emerge.

Read full story at: Omicron variant made $10 billion in a week for top Moderna and Pfizer shareholders - Global Justice Now Global Justice Now