Category: General News
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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-45113932
Animal poaching: British soldiers’ Malawi mission to stop poachers
The Majete Wildlife Reserve sits in a large basin in the south of Malawi, and the roads that lead there are busy at 6am.
Not with vehicles, but with endless cyclists as Malawians make the most of the low light and cooler air to start their days.
The appearance of two British Army 4x4s turns heads as they leave the sights and smells of the villages, and head into the bush.
Lance Corporal Chad Spalding is one of those on board.
The 23-year-old is about to spend the next few days with local rangers Boston Phiri, who’s pretty new to the job, and Retief Chomali, with ten years’ experience.
“You don’t really have time to think,” explains Chad. “Most of the time you’re concentrating on the environment itself.
“You’re constantly looking, watching dangerous game, anything that might sneak up on you.”
Chad, who’s originally from Zimbabwe, is one of 14 British soldiers in Malawi trying to help stop poaching. Ministers announced the British Army’s involvement after a successful pilot last year.
Chad says the wildlife and the environment are important to him and he feels a sense of responsibility to make sure that others get to experience them.
“If we start chopping down trees and killing animals what will be left for future generations? Just a bunch of pictures in a book,” he reflects.
Chad remembers working with lions when he was growing up on a project in Gonarezhou, Zimbabwe.
“After I’d seen the wildlife and what it’s actually like out in the bush, I just really really bit into it. As soon as this came across the table, I took it straight away.
The illegal wildlife trade is a big business, thought to be worth £17bn a year worldwide. A rhino horn is more expensive than cocaine, heroin or gold.
In the last 50 years global black rhino numbers have dropped from 70,000 to 5,500, African Parks says. The organisation runs the Majete Reserve and two others in Malawi.
“Most jobs out here don’t pay well, whereas if they get a rhino horn it’s a pretty big pay day,” Chad says.
“I know in Zimbabwe, South Africa, Mozambique, Tanzania there’s quite a lot of heavy poaching.
“Most of the poaching that goes on is organised by higher syndicates which are funding these Chad knows what he would say to a poacher if he met one though.
“I would ask his reasons for doing it, and what he thinks the consequences will be if he does get caught.
“It’s not a matter of if he gets caught it’s a matter of when he gets caught. If he does carry on he is going to get caught, and he will go to jail.”
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“Which is making it a lot hard for the rangers to keep up with the funding they’ve got. For now the rangers seem to be winning, let’s hope it stays that way.”
The military-style approach, along with tougher sentences, seems to be working for now though.
No elephants or rhinos have been poached in Majete for 15 years.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-monsanto-cancer-lawsuit-bayer/roundup-cancer-verdict-sends-bayer-shares-sliding-idUSKBN1KY0M5
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Bayer (BAYGn.DE) shares plunged as much as 14 percent on Monday, losing about $14 billion in value, after newly acquired Monsanto was ordered to pay $289 million in damages in the first of possibly thousands of U.S. lawsuits over alleged links between a weedkiller and cancer.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-08-13/bayer-drops-after-monsanto-loses-verdict-in-roundup-cancer-trial
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/13/bayer-shares-down-after-monsanto-ordered-to-pay-damages.html
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/bayer-shares-slump-after-289m-monsanto-roundup-verdict/
Marriott to Ditch Plastic Straws in All of Its Hotels
Last year, major hospitality company Marriott International pledged to commit to more environmentally friendly practices, with the ultimate goal of reducing landfill waste by 45 percent and responsibly sourcing its top 10 product purchase categories by 2025. Based on their decision last month to ditch plastic straws in all of its hotels by June of 2019, it seems like Marriott is well on its way to meeting that goal.
Marriott Joins Growing Number of Companies to Ban Straws
With more than 6,500 properties across 30 brands around the world, disposable plastic straws and stirrers easily add up. Marriott estimates that they currently go through about 1 billion plastic straws and a quarter billion stirrers each year.
“We are proud to be among the first large U.S. companies to announce that we’re eliminating plastic straws in our properties worldwide,” said Arne Sorenson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Marriott International.
In addition to Marriott International, Starbucks, Disney, Hyatt, American Airlines, and Royal Caribbean are among the few major companies to do away with plastic straws.
“Removing plastic straws is one of the simplest ways our guests can contribute to plastic reduction when staying with us – something they are increasingly concerned about and are already doing in their own homes,” Sorenson added. “We are committed to operating responsibly and – with over one million guests staying with us every night – we think this is a powerful step forward to reducing our reliance on plastics.”
Single-use Plastic Items Are Unnecessary and Harm Animals
The decision comes as people grow more aware of the problem that disposable plastic, including straws and stirrers, cause in the environment. On average, people only use a plastic straw for about 20 seconds before throwing it away. Although normally plastic can be recycled, unfortunately straws cannot. Small and thin, they fall through the conveyor belts at recycling plants. In the end, all straws end up in the garbage, going into the ground or slipping into waterways.
Plastic in the ocean and along beaches is not only an environmental concern, but a big problem for seaside hotels and resorts that thrive on tourism. This motivates both administrators and guests alike to cut out their use.
Plastic Use Pollutes and Threatens Oceans
“Our guests come to stay with us to enjoy Maui’s beautiful environment and incredible marine life, so they’re as eager as we are to reduce harmful pollution,” General Manager of Marriott International’s Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa Tetsuji Yamazaki explained. “By eliminating plastic straws, we have been able to create a substantive dialogue with our guests about the importance of protecting the ocean and endangered animals like the honu (green sea turtle).”
According to a 2014 study, there are 270,000 metric tons of plastic in the ocean, and the number is only growing. Although straws only make up a little over 7 percent of the plastic that ends up in the environment in general, because they are so unnecessary for most people, it’s a potentially easy way to help reduce plastic waste. If we don’t stop these wasteful habits, there will likely be more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050.
Right now, Americans alone toss out 500 million plastic straws each day, which won’t decompose for 450 to 1,000 years. By phasing out plastic straws, companies like Marriott International can make a big difference not just in ending single-plastic use, but also in raising awareness.
Cities and Countries Take Steps to Ban Single-Use Plastic
Even more importantly, many cities and states are taking the initiative to create laws limiting or banning single-plastic use items. Plastic straws only make up a small portion of the plastic that’s contaminating the environment, so targeting other items, like packaging material, fishnets, food containers, and plastic bags is even more important.
Several cities in California have already imposed bans, and the entire state is in the process of developing limitations. Just this year, Taiwan developed a plan to eliminate single-use plastic bags, straws, takeout containers, utensils, and cups by 2030, and Chile passed a law banning the use of plastic bags for businesses.
Every little bit helps toward changing habits and reducing plastic waste. In addition to stopping straw use, Marriott International is eliminating single-use toiletry bottles typical to most hotels by installing shampoo dispensers in the showers. The new toiletry dispensers are expected to be in place at more than 1,500 hotels in North America by the end of this year.
https://youtu.be/4wH878t78bw
UK to Increase Maximum Sentence for Animal Abuse Tenfold
Animal cruelty is an all-too-common crime that is both disturbing and serious. In fact, research shows that animal abusers are more likely to commit a violent crime against humans.
But animal cruelty is often ignored by authorities, with suspects facing little to no jail time for even the worst cases of torture and death.
Up until recently, the harshest punishment an animal abuser could face in the U.K. was 6 months imprisonment; however, with the persistence of animal welfare advocates and Environment Secretary Michael Gove, a new law—the Animal Welfare (Sentencing and Recognition of Sentience) Bill–will increase sentencing to up to 5 years for extreme offenses.
Some may feel the new maximum sentence is not long enough, but it is a starting point. We can hope that this critical move will lead other countries to follow suit—to a brighter future for all.
“These plans will give courts the tools they have requested to deal with the most abhorrent acts. This is one part of our plan to deliver world-leading standards of animal welfare in the years ahead,” Gove stated.
Not only does the law increase jail time, it also entails “unlimited fines,” and animal abusers will be banned from owning animals in the future.
It will also help courts “deal more effectively with ruthless gangs involved in dog fights.”
The bill was drafted and put up for discussion last December by Gove. It instantly gained support from both the public and animal welfare organizations.
The decision makes one thing clear: Britain is no longer willing to tolerate animal cruelty, or tie the hands of the courts with severely inadequate maximum penalties. We hope they will continue to strengthen animal protections, for the good of animals and humans
Big news! Helsinki Fashion Week has pledged to go leather-free.
In a stand against the leather industry’s cruelty to animals and environmental devastation, leather will be prohibited on Helsinki Fashion Week catwalks from July 2019.
The event – held annually in Finland’s capital – is known for promoting sustainable fashion. But there’s nothing sustainable about the leather trade. In fact, each year, the industry – which is one of the world’s biggest polluters – kills over a billion animals.
These intelligent, defenceless individuals are often confined to extremely small enclosures and subjected to mutilations, such as castration, without any pain relief. Some are skinned and dismembered alive – all for the sake of fashion.
Thankfully, we don’t have to harm animals to be able to wear stylish, luxurious clothing and accessories. Vegan leather – including innovative, high-tech options made from sustainable, plant-derived materials – is on the rise.
Will you say “no” to leather by pledging to wear only your own skin and to let animals keep theirs?
| Pledge To Be Leather Free |
Thank you for everything you do to protect animals.
Sincerely,
https://metro.co.uk/2018/08/14/the-heatwave-is-only-beginning-and-the-next-four-years-are-set-to-be-abnormally-hot-scientists-warn-7838730/
The heatwave is just beginning because the next four years are set to be ‘abnormally’ hot, scientists warn
The heatwave which gripped Britain is just a taste of ‘abnormally hot’ conditions predicted to bake the world for the next four years. A high-tech weather forecasting system has predicted that 2018 to 2022 will be much hotter than expected thanks to a quirk of climate change which has seen global warming slow down in recent years. Researchers found that both average ground and sea surface temperatures around the world could be very high between now and 2018. The biggest factor driving the forecast was an increased likelihood of ‘extreme warm events’.
The research was carried out before the summer heatwaves that sent temperatures in the UK and other parts of the world soaring this year. But the unusually hot weather was correctly predicted by the scientists, who said 2018 had a ‘high probability of having a warm anomaly’ relative to the general effects of global warming.
Their paper, reported in the journal Nature Communications, was received for publication in January. The new technique, called Procast (Probabilistic forecast), seeks to rationalise the inherently chaotic behaviour of systems such as the Earth’s climate. It involves gathering information from previous changes in a system’s state to calculate the probabilistic chances of transitions to future new states.
A retrospective test of the method accurately predicted the global warming pause, or “hiatus”, between 1998 and 2013. The scientists, led by Dr Florian Sevellec, from the University of Brest in France, wrote: “For 2018-2022, the probabilistic forecast indicates a warmer than normal period, with respect to the forced trend (of global warming). ‘This will temporarily reinforce the long-term global warming trend. ‘The coming warm period is associated with an increased likelihood of intense to extreme temperatures.’ Warm events affecting sea surface temperatures could increase the activity of tropical storms, said the scientists.
Woman Fights Off Dog Meat Thief with Broom to Save Beloved Pet
A quick reaction from a woman in China saved her beloved dog from the clutches of dog-snatchers this week – keeping the pooch safe at home and out of the horrific dog meat industry that is rampant in the nation.
Video footage shows the woman sweeping on the roadside, with her dog happily keeping her company. A white van speeds past and a noose is thrown out in an attempt to lasso the dog – but the woman reacts quickly, using her broom to hit the suspect’s arm and keep her dog safe.
The incident happened in the town of Tangkent, Fengshun county, in southern China’s Guangdong Province, where dog theft is common. In February, residents in this area assaulted a suspected dog thief after they caught him stealing their pets.
China is the world’s largest consumer of dog meat – Animals Asia estimate that around 10 million dogs are killed for the dog meat trade throughout the country every year.
Many of these animals are beloved family pets, snatched from the streets by dog thieves. They undergo extreme suffering as they are transported to the dog meat markets, where they then suffer unimaginable horrors before being beaten to death or boiled alive.
Although some dogs are raised on farms, it is more profitable for sellers to grab animals from the streets.
“You can’t make a profit raising a dog for meat because it costs too much to feed,” says Chinese animal activist Han Yingjie. “But if you steal a dog, then you can turn a profit.”
The popularity of dog meat in China is waning, with only around 20 percent of the population still regularly consuming meat – mostly due to a belief that the flesh is a natural health remedy, particularly related to sexual potency and endurance.
With countless dogs poisoned, killed and snatched by thugs from the dog meat industry, it’s nice to know that this pooch is in safe hands with a vigilant guardian.
Study: Americans Are Ready for Slaughter-Free Meat
Results of a recent study by Faunalytics show that about two-thirds of American consumers (66.4 percent) are willing to try slaughter-free or “clean” meat – which is produced in a laboratory using animal cells. Of the study’s 1,185 participants, 45.9 percent stated that they were willing to buy clean meat on a regular basis, and 52.8 percent would be happy to eat it in place of conventional meat.
The study, entitled “Messages to Overcome Naturalness Concerns in Clean Meat Acceptance,” addressed issues raised by prior research conducted three years ago, which reported that the primary concern of consumers in eating clean meat was that it was “unnatural.”
The goal of the study was to find effective ways to describe and market clean meat that would address the concerns about naturalness. Participants were asked to read one of three key messages surrounding the production of clean meat and rate their reactions.
Out of the messages trialed, the study found that the best way to persuade people to give clean meat a chance was to discuss how unnatural the mass farming and production industry is, with its use of hormones and antibiotics. The other messages attempting to describe clean meat as a more natural product or arguing that naturalness was unimportant were far less effective.
The majority of respondents agreed that clean meat is more environmentally friendly than conventionally produced meat, with more benefits to society overall.
Clean meat is, in fact, cleaner than traditionally produced meat in every aspect. The production uses far less land and will not have the same catastrophic effects on the environment. It’s also better for human health – farm animals are pumped full of antibiotics and hormones – not to mention that the production of clean meat does not require the suffering or death of innocent animals.
Worldwide, companies like MosaMeat, JUST and Memphis meats are racing to get the first ever clean meat products to market, which is expected to happen in the next two or three years.
Even conventional meat producing companies Tyson Foods and Cargill recognize that cultured meat is the way of the future, and have invested in Memphis Meats.
With technology rapidly developing, companies are searching for ways to reduce production costs to make clean meat affordable for the mass market. It’s only a matter of time before slaughter-free meat is available, hopefully consigning the inhumane agricultural industry to the history books.
