Tag Archives: Pesticides

World Animal Day Was October 4 | Here are Six Ways to Keep Supporting Animals

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#Animals, #Extinction

Wishing to increase awareness of endangered species, concerned ecologists declared World Animal Day in 1931.  A catastrophic world-wide extinction has taken place since then.

Please help stop the immoral and irresponsible destruction of nature.  Here are a few links to things you can do for animals this Sunday.

  1. Sign some petitions.
  2. Retweet a few animal tweets
  3. Tell someone that 52% Earth’s wildlife has died since 1970.  (We learned this near the end of 2014 when we saw the report from a survey of more than 10,000 populations of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish.)
  4. Promote elimination of pesticides and restoration of damaged natural habitats.  If you have a yard, you can act directly:
    1. Stop using herbicides and insecticides.
    2. Plant animal-friendly native plants (fall is the best time for shrubs and trees)
  5. Switch to clean nonpolluting energy.
  6. Advocate for reducing the human population.

Banned pesticides pose a greater risk to bees than thought, EU experts warn

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“Three pesticides banned in Europe for their potential to damage bee populations could pose an even greater threat than was thought, according to a new assessment by the European Food Safety Authority (Efsa).

“Already proscribed for seed treatments and soil applications, the Efsa analysis says that clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam also pose a ‘high risk’ to bees when sprayed on leaves.

“The UK is currently facing a legal challenge to an emergency exemption it granted, allowing use of two of the substances, after protests by the National Farmers Union.

“But far from supporting the British case, the advisory expert assessment will add to pressure for an extension of the ban to apply to fruit orchards after blooming, and crops gown in greenhouses, Greenpeace says.

“The commission should expand the EU-wide ban to cover all uses of neonicotinoids on all crops, and end the self-service approach to derogations. Viable non-chemical alternatives exist and the EU should encourage farmers to use them,” said the group’s agriculture policy director, Marco Contiero.”  Sourced through Scoop.it from: www.theguardian.com

GR:  The rest of the world needs to pay attention here and see the need to escape from the chemistry industry’s death grip.

Environment: Study finds neonicotinoid pesticides widespread in streams across the U.S.

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Will fish and water bugs be decimated by systemic pesticides?

FRISCO — Neonicotinoid pesticides are spreading throughout the environment with as-yet unknown effects on human health, according to a new study by the U.S. Geological Survey.

The agency found the systemic pesticides in more than half the streams sampled across the country and in Puerto Rico during a survey between 2011 and 2014. This study is the first to take a nationwide look at the prevalence of neonicotinoid insecticides in agricultural and urban settings.

The research spanned 24 states and Puerto Rico and was completed as part of ongoing USGS investigations of pesticide and other contaminant levels in streams.  Sourced through Scoop.it from: summitcountyvoice.com.

GR:  The levels are low, but here’s the thing:  They are not alone.  Several other classes of chemical wastes are in the water.  We know that insects such as dragonflies are responding to something in the water, so it would be prudent to asses the combined impact of neonicotinoids and other chemicals on wildlife.

Progress toward the perfect pea

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A group at the John Innes Centre has developed peas that will help animals absorb more protein from their diet. The study is published in PLOS ONE today.

Pea and other legume seeds contain several proteins that stop nutrients being absorbed fully in the intestines. One such class of molecule is the protease inhibitors. These slow down the rate at which humans, poultry or livestock digest proteins by incapacitating the enzymes that break them down. Previous nutritional studies with broiler chickens have shown that peas with proteins which disrupt digestion can reduce protein availability by up to 10%.  Sourced through Scoop.it from: phys.org

GR:  The purpose of the genetic manipulation described here is improving nutrition.  This is far better than changing a. appearance, b. shelf-life, c. transport tolerance, or D. RESISTANCE TO PESTICIDES.  GMOs with improved nutrition are welcome.  GMOs with improved nutrition and a., b, and c. changes are okay.  GMOs with D. changes are never welcome and should be totally banned.  Pesticides must be totally banned.

Extinction Resources: Information, Opinion, Ideas, & Questions

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Extinction Information Resources

PassengerPigeon

Passenger Pigeon

Stopping human-caused extinction of Earth’s plant and animal species is the greatest challenge of our time. This post provides access to the latest articles on extinction. The first item (Ceballos et al. 2015) is the latest detailed report on what we know and how we acquired the information.

 Ceballos, Gerardo, Paul R. Ehrlich, Anthony D. Barnosky, Andrés García, Robert M. Pringle, and Todd M. Palmer. 19 June 2015. Accelerated modern human–induced species losses: Entering the sixth mass extinction. Science Advances Vol. 1, no. 5 (e1400253, DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1400253). Corresponding author. E-mail: gceballo@ecologia.unam.mx.

More than a thousand recent articles are linked to my blog (https://garryrogers.com/blog):

Causes of Extinction

My blog covers the things that people do to cause extinctions and reduce biodiversity. These deeds of ours are woven into individual and our collective habits and beliefs. Stopping them will alter our society and our culture. It will be difficult. Our population must be reduced, our food choices must change, and our resource harvest must decline. Nothing less will succeed. Search the blog using the following terms for recent reports:  Burning, Coal, Construction, Deforestation, Desertification, Energy, Farming, Fishing, Fracking, Grazing, Hunting, Invasive Species, Logging, Mining, Oil, Pesticides, Pet Trade, Pollution, Population, Roads, and Soil.

Climate change will become the major cause of extinction.  Here’s its search link on my blog:  Climate Change.

For more reading, my Internet newsletters include a wider variety of articles than my blog.

The looming DARK Act

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“The Monsanto-backed bill to undercut GMO labeling efforts just got worse. Faced with increased push-back at state and local levels, the pesticide/biotech corporation — and its allies in Congress — are attempting to further limit choice in the food and farming system.

“In this latest version of what critics have dubbed the “Denying American’s Right to Know” or DARK Act, industry has snuck in a provision that would limit the authority of local government to create rules on genetically engineered (GE) crops. A House vote is scheduled for Thursday.

“Worried that nearby GE crops might cross-pollinate and contaminate your fields or threaten your organic certification? Tough luck. Want to know what’s being grown nearby? Too bad. Want to protect schoolchildren from pesticides applied on GE crops nearby? Suck it up.”  Sourced through Scoop.it from: www.panna.org

GR:  This keeps happening because there are congressmen waiting in line with their hands out.  Set low limits on campaign spending, eliminate campaign finance by private companies, and dynamite the revolving door.

Bug outbreak may be related to #pesticide use

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By Bob Berwyn

FRISCO — Colorado forest experts are documenting an unprecedented outbreak of pine needle scale on conifer trees in Grand, Summit and Eagle counties that may be linked with the widespread application of pesticides used several years ago to try and kill mountain pine beetles.

The intensive use of those pesticides may have wiped out beneficial insects like predatory wasps and beetles that keep pine needle scale in check, said Granby-based Ron Cousineau, district forester for the Colorado State Forest Service.

Sourced through Scoop.it from: summitcountyvoice.com

GR:  Similar unintended consequences of pesticide use are commonplace. With everything else we’ve learned about the dangers of pesticides, it appears that the people in federal regulatory are either dopes or stooges.

Bees Still Dying

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Imrs phpIt appears that we are powerless against Monsanto and the USDA. Have we no one in government that can defend nature? I guess that’s a foolish question. We can’t even convince Walmart to take its employees off the public welfare system.

Eli Spiritweaver's avatarEarth Report

Honeybees Still Dying

Just last year, it seemed there was something to celebrate despite planet Earth’s ongoing honeybee apocalypse: Bee colony losses were down. Not by enough, but they were down.

“It’s better news than it could have been,” said Dennis vanEngelsdorp, a University of Maryland entomology professor who led a survey of bee populations that reported a loss of 23 percent of bee colonies — less than 30 percent, the average from 2005 to 2013. “It’s not good news.”

Though scientists cited progress in battles against an Asian mite that has killed many an American bee, they had words of caution.

“One year does not make a trend,” Jeff Pettis, a co-author of the survey who heads the federal government’s bee research laboratory in Beltsville, Md., told the New York Times.

Turns out Pettis was right. VanEngelsdorp and other researchers at the Bee Informed Partnership, affiliated with the Department…

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Monsanto Demands World Health Organization Retract Report That Says Roundup Is Linked to Cancer » EcoWatch

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Monsanto is demanding the World Health Organization (WHO) retract the report that says glyphosate, found in the herbicide Roundup, is linked to cancer

Source: ecowatch.com

GR:  From the article:  “One proponent of the “glyphosate is absolutely safe” narrative is former environmentalist/current environmental contrarian/sometime Monsanto consultant Dr. Patrick Moore, who was interviewed by filmmaker Paul Moreira for a French TV documentary. He not only insisted “[Roundup] is not dangerous to humans, he also said “You can drink a whole quart of it and it won’t hurt you.” But when Moreira said, “You want to drink some? We have some here,” Moore responded “I’d be happy to … not really, but I know it wouldn’t hurt me,” and walked off the set when Moreira repeated his offer, calling the him an “idiot.”

See on Scoop.it – GarryRogers NatCon News