An isolation lake in north-west Scotland. Sediment analysed from the bottom of this low-lying lake tells us that it was once connected to the ocean. Credit: Professor Ian Shennan, Department of Geography, Durham University.
A team of scientists, led by researchers from Durham University, used geological records of past sea levels to shed light on the ice sheets responsible for a rapid pulse ofsea-level risein Earth’s recent past.
Geological records tell us that, at the end of the last ice age around 14,600 years ago, sea levels rose at ten times the current…
More than 20 world leaders came together Tuesday to call for a “new international treaty for pandemic preparedness and response” that would help build the cooperation needed to manage inevitable future public health crises, though a number of crucial countries are absent from the list of signatories, including China which has come under global fire for its lack of cooperation throughout this pandemic and the SARS pandemic that preceded it.
World leaders called today for an international treaty on pandemic preparedness. GETTY
KEY FACTS
In a joint article published in newspapers around the world, the leaders including the U.K.’s Boris Johnson, Germany’s Angela Merkel, France’s Emmanuel Macron and Korea’s Moon Jae-in said the Covid-19 pandemic has been the biggest challenge to world order since World War II.
Twenty three countries backed the idea of the international treaty, as well as World Health Organization chief Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and European Council president Charles Michel.
The group said future pandemics and health emergencies are inevitable and proposed a treaty to foster international cooperation akin to the global settlement that emerged from World War II.
The treaty would see international cooperation on data sharing, improved alert systems, and the research, development and distribution of vaccines, protective equipment and other essential medical supplies, as well as underscore the “One Health” approach to public health that recognizes the interconnected nature of human, animal and environmental health.
The leaders, a number of whom are involved in publicspats over vaccine supplies, also highlighted immunization as a “global public good” and underscored the need for equitable access, acknowledging that there “is more we can do to promote global access” than current efforts. Top ArticlesHow To Replace The Battery InA Dell LaptopSKIP AD
KEY BACKGROUND
Far more countries will need to come on board to make such a treaty effective at tackling future pandemics, especially given the potential for problematic diseases to emerge in just a single location and spread globally. History has shown time and again that poor surveillance and inadequate responses in one country imperils the entire world. Disease surveillance from the U.S., India and Russia would all be particularly important given their geographic and demographic size as well as political clout but outbreaks can emerge anywhere. Also conspicuously absent is China, which would be especially important in making an international framework work. China has come under fire for its early handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, especially its lack of transparency regarding early cases of the disease and for obstructing investigations into the origins of the novel coronavirus. China’s apparent failure to learn from the earlier SARS pandemic, which shared many characteristics with Covid-19, including allegations of cover-ups, serves to underscore the need for international cooperation.
SURPRISING FACT
Indonesia, one of the signatories, came under heavy fire in 2007 for refusing to share H5N1 bird flu samples with WHO researchers. The global community decried the move, which broke with decades of open sharing and could have severely hampered the ability of scientists to monitor the dangerous virus, which has pandemic potential should it spillover into humans. At the time, Indonesia said it would not share samples on the basis that they could be used to produce a vaccine that the country may not be able to afford..
BIG NUMBER
23 countries backed the proposal: Fiji, Portugal, Romania, Britain, Rwanda, Kenya, France, Germany, Greece, Korea, Chile, Costa Rica, Albania, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, the Netherlands, Tunisia, Senegal, Spain, Norway, Serbia, Indonesia, and Ukraine.
CRUCIAL QUOTE
“No single government or multilateral agency can address this threat alone,” the leaders wrote, adding: “The question is not if, but when.”
March 31, 2021 at 1:47 pmUpdated March 31, 2021 at 1:53 pm
A wildfire burns through part of the vast Pantanal wetlands in Mato Grosso state, Brazil, on Aug. 29, 2020. Tropical forests around the world were destroyed at an increasing rate in…More
The loss of forests critical to protecting wildlife and slowing climate change accelerated during 2020, despite a worldwide pandemic that otherwise led to a dramatic drop in greenhouse gas emissions, a global survey released Wednesday has found.
The Earth saw nearly 100,000 square miles of lost tree cover last year — an area roughly the size of Colorado — according to the satellite-based survey by Global Forest Watch. The change represents nearly 7% more trees lost than in 2019.
The vital, humid primary forests of the tropics, which store immense amounts…
A federal judge has blocked a project in Nevada that would expand livestock grazing across 400 square miles of some of the highest priority sage-grouse habitat in the West.
US Judge Blocks Nevada Grazing; Sage Grouse Totals DwindlingMore
FILE – In this April 20, 2013, file photo, male greater sage grouse perform mating rituals for a female grouse, not pictured, on a lake outside Walden, Colo. A federal judge has blocked a Nevada project that would expand livestock grazing across 400 squares miles (1,036 square kilometers), of some of the highest priority sage-grouse habitat in the West and accused the government of deliberately misleading the public by underestimating damage the cattle could do to the land. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Gas stovetops have become a proxy battleground for the future of the planet. Some cities are trying to cut down their greenhouse gas emissions by getting rid of gas hookups in new construction. But the natural gas industry isn’t going down without a fight.
Pro-gasmarketing campaignshave most successfully waged its war in the kitchen, promoting gas stoves as superior to electric ranges. That’s made it more difficult for cities like Seattle to pass mandates that would limit the use of gas in homes and buildings. What’s at stake in this fight is cities’ ability to cut down their greenhouse gas emissions.
Further complicating things, the gas industry has, for decades…
Updated 10:51 AM ET, Thu April 1, 2021Most of the X-ray activity was likely caused by the sun but the cause of some remains unexplained.
(CNN)Uranus is emitting X-rays, and scientists want to take a closer look.That’s the mysterious conclusion of a new study, which analyzed two visuals of the planet and discovered X-ray activity for the first time.Astronomers looked at snapshots of the planet taken by NASA’s Chandra Observatory in 2002 and 2017, noticing a clear detection of X-rays in the first observation and a possible flare in the second.The most likely cause for most of those X-rays is the sun; it is already known that both Jupiter and Saturn scatter X-ray light given off by the sun, and the research suggests Uranus does the same.But not all of the activity can be explained, and NASA has called for scientists to look…
Published April 01, 2021 2:25PMhttps://platform.twitter.com/widgets/tweet_button.0edc1ef9f8b82d9b79c6115bda79f63f.en.html#dnt=false&id=twitter-widget-1&lang=en&original_referer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gisborneherald.co.nz%2Flocal-news%2F20210401%2Fcall-for-hunters-to-put-safety-first-this-easter%2F&size=m&text=Call%20for%20hunters%20to%20put%20safety%20first%20this%20Easter%20%E2%80%93%20The%20Gisborne%20Herald&time=1617305725188&type=share&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gisborneherald.co.nz%2Flocal-news%2F20210401%2Fcall-for-hunters-to-put-safety-first-this-easter%2Fhttps://www.facebook.com/plugins/share_button.php?app_id=&channel=https%3A%2F%2Fstaticxx.facebook.com%2Fx%2Fconnect%2Fxd_arbiter%2F%3Fversion%3D46%23cb%3Df221b29270835d%26domain%3Dwww.gisborneherald.co.nz%26origin%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.gisborneherald.co.nz%252Ff9560ffe5caaac%26relation%3Dparent.parent&container_width=0&href=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gisborneherald.co.nz%2Flocal-news%2F20210401%2Fcall-for-hunters-to-put-safety-first-this-easter%2F&layout=button_count&locale=en_US&sdk=joey
Deer hunters are being urged to take care during the peak of the roar this Easter weekend, when the spike in hunting activity leads to an increase in injuries.
Last year’s roar hunt was cancelled due to the Covid-19 Level 4 lockdown, and it’s predicted more hunters than ever will head to the hills this autumn chasing stags.
Department of Conservation (DoC) visitor safety manager Andy Roberts says each year during the roar there is a spike in hunting accidents, such as slips, trips, falls or firearm injuries.
Accident Compensation Corporation data show there were 435 hunting-related injury claims during the last roar in 2019 (March and April), up 31 percent on the same period in 2018.
“Because hunters haven’t been able to enjoy the roar for two years, we’re expecting to see a large number of people hunting on public conservation land over…
A flock of flamingos at a zoo in Cumbria have had their first taste of freedom after being kept inside for four months.
The 37 ‘Greater Flamingos’ at the Lake District Wildlife Park near Bassenthwaite were released after being cooped up since November, because of the threat of bird flu.
Since December last year, poultry keepers have been asked to keep their birds indoors to protect them against the virus, after a cases emerged across the UK.
The flamingos were allowed out of their indoor enclosure on Thursday morning, with one excited bird paving the way for others to join him in the park’s pond for the first bath in months.
Head keeper Richard Robinson said: “It’s fantastic. As part of my job I have the daily care of the flamingos.
“Having them shut in since mid-November, it was time they came out so thankfully, with the easing of the restrictions for the avian influenza, we were able to let them out today and it’s fantastic seeing them enjoy a bit of blue sky.”
The park is now gearing up to re-open to visitors later this month.
by: Molly Jirasek, Nexstar Media WirePosted: Apr 1, 2021 / 06:42 AM EDT / Updated: Apr 1, 2021 / 06:42 AM EDT
Photo provided by: U.S. Customs and Border Protection
NEW YORK (NewsNation Now) — A man from Guyana did not make it past John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport Sunday after 29 live finches were found in his baggage. The birds were hidden inside some colorful hair rollers.
Photo provided by: U.S. Customs and Border Protection
The 26-year-old was traveling from Georgetown, Guyana to New Jersey when U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) discovered the finches during a secondary baggage examination. In a news release, CBP said he was not criminally charged, but will have to pay a $300 civil penalty. He was put on a plane back to Guyana, Monday.
The finches were quarantined and put in the care of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Veterinary Services.
Photo provided by: U.S. Customs and Border Protection
The reason federal agencies take swift action in situations like this is because of the risk of introducing the bird flu into the U.S. poultry industry.
The industry was dealt a big blow during a 2015 outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI). According to the United States Department of Agriculture, more than 50 million chickens and turkeys in the U.S. died or were intentionally killed to stop the spread of the disease. They said that is about 12% of the country’s egg-laying population and 8% of the estimated turkeys raised for meat. As for the economic impact, losses were estimated at more than $1 billion.
CBP said during a regular day in 2020, they seized 3,091 prohibited plant, meat, animal byproducts, and soil, and intercepted 250 insect pests at U.S. ports of entry nationwide.
NewsNation reached out to CBP to ask why the man attempted to sneak the birds into the U.S. CBP could not say why the birds were being brought into the country, but previous news reports indicate finches have been smuggled and sold for bird singing competitions.
Photo provided by: U.S. Customs and Border Protection
On Monday, a federal judge in the District of Columbia ruled that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service can no longer withhold critical data on U.S. imports of hunting trophies and other wildlife parts and products from the public.Photo by Bill Gozansky/Alamy1.3KSHARES
Animals are on a winning streak. Over just the last two days, we’ve had four terrific victories in U.S. federal courts that pave the way for progress for millions of animals. These include wildlife in the United States and overseas most often targeted by trophy hunters, animals in the fur industry, and farm animals confined in cruel cages on factory farms.
These wins are important. Many of them confront policies made by federal and state agencies that are harmful to animals and the environment and force these agencies to act with greater transparency toward…
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Most of the X-ray activity was likely caused by the sun but the cause of some remains unexplained.
