Hi. Grand post, great videos, I love them. Ten Bears and I have already talked about this here. But MPS posted far more than I did on it. How anyone can watch the elephants and not see thinking, loving, communicating, caring, grand beings in what we humans call a herd. Oh how I wonder how they refer to most of us. On one side note. When I posted this, I referred to the man who moved under one of the larger elephants. This is why it is important to read comments on sites, this person seen something I missed. I marveled that the man who is a fragile creature was so comfortable being that surrounded by these huge beings. The comment put a new view of what was happening. Again it is so loving. Hugs. Scottie
w3ski4me says:
Elephants are way cool. They communicate, they have rituals, they protect the herd. So much we puny humans don’t understand. On another note. When the herd trotted up to the rescue truck, there was one youngish guy among the Elephants and in sandals I think. An Elephant raised a leg to shelter the human which I thought was exceptionally gentle.
Study confirms Altria, Philip Morris International, Danone, Nestlé, PepsiCo and Coca-Cola are worst offenders
Plastic pollution on a Welsh beach. Volunteers collected and surveyed plastic waste across 84 countries over five years. Photograph: Paul Quayle/Alamy
Fewer than 60 multinationals are responsible for more than half of the world’s plastic pollution, with six responsible for a quarter of that, based on the findings of a piece of research published on Wednesday.
The researchers concluded that for every percentage increase in plastic produced, there was an equivalent increase in plastic pollution in the environment.
“Production really is pollution,” says one of the study’s authors, Lisa Erdle, director of science at the non-profit The 5 Gyres Institute.
An international team of volunteers collected and surveyed more than 1,870,000 items of plastic waste across 84 countries over five years: the bulk of the rubbish collected was single-use packaging for food, beverage, and tobacco products.
Less than half of that plastic litter had discernible branding that could be traced back to the company that produced the packaging; the rest could not be accounted for or taken responsibility for.
“This shows very, very, very well the need for transparency and traceability,” says a study author, Patricia Villarrubia-Gómez, a plastic pollution researcher at the Stockholm Resilience Centre. “[We need] to know who is producing what, so they can take responsibility, right?”
The branded half of the plastic was the responsibility of just 56 fast-moving consumer goods multinational companies, and a quarter of that was from just six companies.
The two tobacco companies Altria and Philip Morris International combined made up 2% of the branded plastic litter found, both Danone and Nestlé each produced 3% of it, PepsiCo was responsible for 5% of the discarded packaging, and 11% of branded plastic waste could be traced to the Coca-Cola company.
“The industry likes to put the responsibility on the individual,” says the study’s author, Marcus Eriksen, a plastic pollution expert from The 5 Gyres Institute.
“But we’d like to point out that it’s the brands, it’s their choice for the kinds of packaging [they use] and for embracing this throwaway model of delivering their goods. That’s what’s causing the greatest abundance of trash.”
The Guardian approached Altria, Philip Morris International, Danone, Nestlé, PepsiCo and The Coca-Cola Company.
The Coca-Cola Company said: “We care about the impact of every drink we sell and are committed to growing our business in the right way.” It has pledged to make 100% of its packaging recyclable globally by 2025, and to use at least 50% recycled material in packaging by 2030.
Nestlé said it has reduced its virgin plastic usage by 14.9% in the last five years, and supports schemes around the world to develop waste collection and recycling schemes.
“Since launching our voluntary commitments to address plastic waste five years ago, we have significantly outperformed the market at large in reducing virgin plastic and increasing recyclability, according to the most recent report from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation,” it said.
The company also supports the creation of a global legally binding regulation on plastic pollution which is being negotiated this week.
Danone said: “We continue to strive to reduce our own plastic footprint – between 2018-2023 we reduced our plastic use by 8% equivalent to 62 000 tons and increased the recyclability of our packaging (84% of our packaging is recyclable, reusable or compostable). We continue to support and push for improved collection and recycling infrastructures to help consumers recycle.” They also support “an ambitious and binding … UN Global Plastic Treaty which would represent a major opportunity to unlock and accelerate progress on plastics circularity.”
Both PMI and Altria contest the accuracy of the data collected.
Plastic in the Depths: how pollution took over our oceans
Read more
However, while many of these companies have taken voluntary measures to improve their impact on plastic pollution, the experts behind the study argue they are not working. Plastic production has doubled since the beginning of 2000 and studies show only 9% of plastic is being recycled.
When the team collected data on self-reported yearly plastic packaging production for each of these multinational companies and compared it with the data from their 1,500-plus litter surveys, their statistical analysis showed that every 1% increase in plastic production was directly correlated with approximately a 1% increase in plastic pollution.
“Actually seeing this one-to-one increase, I was like, wow,” says a study author, Kathy Willis, a marine socio-ecologist from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation in Australia.
“Time and time again from our science we see that we really need to be capping how much plastic we are producing.”
However, Kartik Chandran, an environmental engineer at Columbia University, who was not involved in the research, said that while this new data was striking, the observation that 1% plastic production was equal to 1% plastic pollution was “a bit unrealistic” and “simplistic”.
He said the data did not consider plastic pollution in China, Korea and Japan, nor take into consideration recycling or clean-up initiatives under way.
A better analysis could be based on the net plastic flows into plastic production – also accounting for credits from the reuse of plastic materials – and the net plastic load ascribed as plastic pollution.
The team behind the study, some of whom are participating in the talks being held in Ottawa this week to discuss a UN Treaty for Plastic Pollution, said their findings emphasised the urgent need for a globally binding treaty focusing on production measures.
The talks will run to Monday, and Luis Vayas Valdivieso, the Ecuadorian ambassador to the UK, told the Guardian earlier this week he was hopeful that countries would come together to secure an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution.
“It is very important we are negotiating this treaty now. The world is in a triple crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. But while there are agreements in place for the first two, we have no legislation, no global agreement on plastic pollution.”
Thank you, Annie, for posting this. Anyone who think other animals don’t have feelings, needs, and intelligence have never watched or been with animals. Each to their species and their way, but I watched a video recently where they showed bees can count and recognize shapes including solving complex tasks required to get the food. Hugs. Scottie
Well said Ten Bears, well said. I grew up around farms. We often had to deal with animals for the good, the bad, and the ugly. No one bragged about it, no one liked to do it, and people cared for the animals so we worked to find the best ways to move forward without destroying an animal. We did not just kill them because it was easiest. Every pet I have had no matter how it hurt I was there for them at their end of life, holding them as a vet did what was needed. Even as a young child, I held my dog because my damn abusive parents couldn’t be bothered to, as a vet cleaned, cut, stitched deep wounds from her getting hit by a car. But as cruel as the right has become they might just adore her for her cruelty, lack of empathy, and good gun play. Hugs. Scottie
This is my second attempt to post this, as after I started to post it I realized I might be able to use WordPress’s system of block editor against them. I did not mean for the first one to post but in trying to save it for this one it posted. Sorry. Hugs. Scottie
For those that don’t follow or subscribe to the comments on the blog here, you miss out on the grand comments but the wonderful links a few people like Ali leave knowing they help lift my spirits when I am feeling down or when things crash over me. This was one Ali left a few days ago that because I took one of the few very rare days that I stayed in bed rather than be dragged out by pain or nightmares to stay in bed until 8 am this morning. Even was Ron was shocked when he opened his eyes and seen me there. His first response was “Was I OK” as I rarely if ever stay in bed past 5 am. I honestly can not remember the last time I did. He got really worried until I assured him I was fine, but after not sleeping more than a few hours for the last few nights I managed to do so, and even had good dreams. I know most folks don’t remember their dreams, I wish a lot of times I did not, but most of the time I remember mine, sadly the abusive ones are the most vivid and stay with me long after waking up. Anyway here is the wonderful environmental news that Ali sent me. Hugs. Scottie
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Divers with gloved hands gently nestled the first self-bred corals from the World Coral Conservatory project amongst their cousins in Europe’s largest coral reef at the Burgers’ Zoo in Arnhem, eastern Netherlands, Monday, April 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)Read More
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A fish swims in a coral reef as divers with gloved hands gently nestled the first self-bred corals from the World Coral Conservatory project amongst their cousins in Europe’s largest coral reef at the Burgers’ Zoo in Arnhem, eastern Netherlands, Monday, April 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)Read More
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Divers with gloved hands gently nestled the first self-bred corals from the World Coral Conservatory project amongst their cousins in Europe’s largest coral reef at the Burgers’ Zoo in Arnhem, eastern Netherlands, Monday, April 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)Read More
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Divers with gloved hands gently nestled the first self-bred corals from the World Coral Conservatory project amongst their cousins in Europe’s largest coral reef at the Burgers’ Zoo in Arnhem, eastern Netherlands, Monday, April 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)Read More
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Divers with gloved hands gently nestled the first self-bred corals from the World Coral Conservatory project amongst their cousins in Europe’s largest coral reef at the Burgers’ Zoo in Arnhem, eastern Netherlands, Monday, April 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)Read More
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Divers with gloved hands gently nestled the first self-bred corals from the World Coral Conservatory project amongst their cousins in Europe’s largest coral reef at the Burgers’ Zoo in Arnhem, eastern Netherlands, Monday, April 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)Read More
BY MOLLY QUELL
Updated 3:53 AM EDT, April 26, 2024
ARNHEM, Netherlands (AP) — Just like the animals on Noah’s Ark, the corals arrived in a pair.
On Monday, divers with gloved hands gently nestled the self-bred corals from the World Coral Conservatory project among their cousins in Europe’s largest coral reef at the Burgers’ Zoo in the Netherlands.
“This is the first project where we started to keep these corals with a known origin. As we know exactly where they’re coming from, they have the potential to be placed back into the wild. … So it is very important to keep these corals, as it’s going not very well in the wild,” Nienke Klerks, a biologist at the Royal Burgers’ Zoo in Arnhem, told The Associated Press.
It’s among several projects worldwide seeking to address the decline of coral reef populations, which are suffering from bleaching caused by rising sea temperatures. Corals are central to marine ecosystems, and while these projects won’t stem the tide of damage from human-caused climate change, they are seen as part of broader solutions.
The World Coral Conservatory hopes to create a bank of corals in aquariums across Europe that could be used to repopulate wild coral reefs if they succumb to the stress of climate change or pollution.
Along with two zoos in France and the originator of the project — the Monaco Scientific Center — the zoo in the east of the Netherlands took in more than a dozen coral fragments from off the coast of Seychelles in east Africa.
The Dutch zoo has been propagating the corals since 2022, allowing them to grow in a highly regulated environment before they were large enough to join the rest of the reef.
“We test it behind the scenes … what works for these corals. In that way, we know where to place them and how to keep them,” zookeeper Pascal Kik said.
Each diver held up a coral — one that resembled a large mushroom, the other a decorative cookie — to be photographed by reporters before placing them on a ledge near the center of the 8-million-liter (2.1-million-gallon) tank.
Few of the other corals at the zoo come from the wild. They are either shared by other zoos or turned over by Dutch customs officers after being confiscated. Coral poaching is a major threat to coral reefs in parts of Asia.
That would make it difficult to return the corals to the wild. But the team knows exactly where their 14 corals came from, making it more likely they could be successfully reintroduced if needed.
Corals area keystone marine species, according to Mark Eakin, executive secretary for the International Coral Reef Society. Eakin, retired coral monitoring chief at the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, says that around 25% of marine animals spend some part of their lives dependent on coral reefs.
That makes projects such as the one in Arnhem all the more important to pursue, he said.
“We are in a situation where we really need to be taking any possible action we can,” Eakin told AP.
Earlier in April, scientists from the NOAA and International Coral Reef Initiative said that coral reefs around the world are experiencing global bleaching for the fourth time.
Bleaching occurs when coral under stress expels the algae that gives them their vibrant colors. The algae is also a coral’s food source, and if the bleaching lasts for too long or is too severe, the coral could die.
Terry Hughes of Australia’s James Cook University, an expert on the Great Barrier Reef, argues that the world needs faster, bolder efforts to stop the damage from climate change, instead of small-scale restoration projects like this one.
“You can’t replace a magnificent ecosystem with an aquarium,” he said.
Others say every little bit helps.
“Coral reefs would be one of the first systems to totally collapse due to climate change,’’ said Ronald Osinga, a marine biologist who specializes in corals at Wageningen University in the Netherlands.
“It’s sad that it has to be like this,” said Osinga, who is not involved in the Dutch zoo initiative. But projects like this are a “good backup plan.”
Where I lived as a kid in Vermont, the same issue was going on. The hydro dam was important and had been there a long time but, … it was blocking all the spawning fish. So they built this huge large grand viewing gallery alongside the dam so the fish could swim up past the dam and also it was built in stages for all to see. But then … in the late 1970s or so. Hugs. Scottie
Tiny marine flatworms called acoels hunt for prey in coral reefs. They’re referred to as “plant-animals” because they’ve got a partnership with photosynthetic algae that live inside of them. But this acoel’s real superpower is its ability to regenerate any part of its body!
Researchers are studying a species of tiny marine flatworm called an acoel that has some surprisingly amazing abilities, despite being smaller than a grain of rice.
“They have two very obvious superpowers,” says Dania Nanes Sarfati, a researcher at Stanford University who studies acoels.
“They are able to regenerate any part of their body. And they also have a very intimate relationship with algae that they keep inside their bodies that they exchange energy and other nutrients with.
When you look at them, they just look like a little worm, but if you look inside you can see there’s this green photosynthetic algae that are living between the acoel cells.”
In addition to catching prey to eat, acoels will flatten themselves out in sunny spots so that their photosynthetic internal algae can absorb sunshine.
“It’s like they’re on vacation every day,” says Nanes Sarfati. — What are acoels? Acoels are a group of small, simple, soft-bodied flatworms that mostly live in marine environments.
Acoels lack a permanent but they do have a mouth that they use to eat prey. — What do acoels eat? Acoels eat tiny prey like planktonic plants and animals that float in the water. An acoel will expand its head like a net to engulf its prey and then jam its meal into its mouth. —
How do you pronounce acoel? Acoel is pronounced “a seal.”
Some background for those new here. We take care of three cats, two also mooch / are fed by the neighbors also. One is our house cat Odie, then there is Tupac who is an inside / outside cat, and then there is Smokey an outside feral female who hangs out with Tupac and she will come into the family room to eat but won’t stay. Even though Tupac eats most of his food at our home, spends most of his day inside with us, if it is a nice night a lot of nights he likes to spend outside some or all of the night. If it is cold or raining he stays inside. Even though others feed them, it always seems to fall to Ron and me who takes Tupac to the vet and pay the bills, even though it seems the others have a lot more money. Maybe that is why. When Ron told the neighbor woman today who we see feeding them the costs, well she did not offer to help.
We have been noticing Tupac was getting thinner and thinner and thinner. Last year when we took him in for his shots and deworming he was also thin, but then once dewormed started to gain weight. But like I said, we noticed that he was losing weight fast. The last week or longer, he has spent more and more time inside. Then last Wednesday morning he threw up a lot of green bile looking liquid. Well sometimes he catches local rabbits or squirrels, other small game and eats it. So we worry he will get something. Or he will eat something that will make him sick that someone left out or an anti-cat person who wanted to poison the cats. His stomach made sounds all the night before and that day. But Thursday morning I found clear liquid throw up in the kitchen. Friday morning I found the same thing in the hallway. He had been staying in all week, which was not normal, as I already said. Again he was not eating or even drinking. Ron talked to one of the other people feeding them and she said Tupac quit eating last week also. I got him to drink a little water.
When Ron got up Friday morning I told him we should call the vet’s office. We had been talking about it, and knowing it was Friday I did not want to pay the costs of an emergency weekend visit, and Tupac was getting more thin and not eating or drinking. But as we had no appointment the vet’s office said we could bring him in, drop him off and they would see him when they could. That cost us $110.00 alone. But the worst was to come. Turned out our worst fears were not the problem, which meant Tupac was not going to die of feline leukemia or need surgery we couldn’t afford. But … it turns out he had an infection in his ear, maybe from a fight where he got scratched. The vet cleaned all that and gave him something for it. But … It seems his thyroid is seriously jacked up, running really too high. The test reads normal at 4 and Tupac was 12. He will need daily medication. The vet gave us two weeks of pills and we need to contact an online animal pharmacy for a medicated cream to rub on his ear which takes the place of the pills. We have never been able to get a cat to take a pill. This morning Ron tried to get Tupac to eat and take the pill. He refused both.
But then the hammer dropped. The total vet bill came to $530.00 and that was before we order the cream she gave us a prescription for. That is going to be more expensive than the pills the vet warned us. We had only $270.00 in both bank accounts until Ron gets his monthly Social Security late in the month. I transferred money from savings. So with Ron’s medication in January needing to be fully paid, something in February that needed to be paid, and the cat’s vet bill I had taken out of savings so far this year a total of $1,140.00 with no clue how to put it back if medicine and medical bills don’t slow down. I guess my new glasses will have to wait until fall, if not until next year.
What had made the day even worse for me and upset me was that I had spent all week catching up with comments and others blogs. Seriously when I went to bed Thursday evening I had everything caught up. Friday morning due to Ron having made a large roast, potatoes, corn, and gravy supper meal there were a lot of dishes and kitchen mess. So while we waited to hear from the vet, I helped Ron clean up and do dishes. Then in the morning while doing dishes Ron asked me to make a tomato red sauce. I had to use tomato puree instead of sauce as Ron got the wrong stuff. It made a nice sweet basil sauce. Ron made his wonderful meatballs. But by the time I got the sauce done, the bread ready to bake, the plates, strainers, and serving things set up I was wiped out. I had the water ready for the spaghetti but I couldn’t stay standing up even with all the break through medications. I was done, so Ron took over.
What this did blog wise was make me basically miss an entire day and by the time I opened up the bell notifications just before going to bed, I had lost some of the older comments and posts. Well there is another day. As always if you leave a comment and I have not responded to it in a few days send me another. I am not sure how much I can do today because I am already suffering badly sitting in my chair. I suffered through making eggs for breakfast because Ron loves how I make eggs over medium, cooked whites, runny yellow yoke. So now you’re caught up. Hugs. Scottie
Scottie's Playtime 