I send out a sort of "newsletter" to members of my climate change advocacy group (CCL) and other folks I have met up with over the last few years. This is an example of the kind of thing this may include (taken from most recent one):
In the 10/2023 issue of the journal Biological Conservation is a massive study of wildlife rehabilitation efforts (674,320 records, spanning 1975-2019) that demonstrated how human activities are impacting animals in the wild, as the interface with humans increases due to habitat encroachment and other factors.
Climate change is another way that human activity is threatening wildlife. Specifically in relation to climate change, the article points out that extreme weather events, to which climate change is contributing, were followed by increased numbers of animals arriving at rehab centers over the subsequent week.
This varied by location and type of event. Hurricanes and floods in southern Florida were particularly problematic. This effect was greater in more recent years, which the authors considered as possibly due to the increasing intensity and frequency of extreme weather events over time (NAS, 2016; Ummenhofer and Meehl, 2017). Per other studies, multiple other extreme events adversely affect wildlife health, mortality, and reproduction. These include cyclones, droughts, high rainfall, floods, cold waves, heat waves, and marine heat waves (Cohen et al., 2020; Maxwell et al., 2019; Piatt et al., 2020; Pruvot et al., 2019). Heat, as one example, may have immediate effect on one species (e.g., mass die-off of bats, or marine birds), but affect other species in more gradual fashion. The authors recommend that disaster management plans take the effects on wildlife into account, particularly for rare and endangered species, and increased funding for wildlife rehab centers following such events.
TAKEAWAY: This represents yet another complication and cost, both financial and in animal suffering and population declines, of extreme weather events, which are already recognized as greatly taxing governmental and private resources.
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One of the other sections of that newsletter provided an explicit comparison of the weapons available to and used by Hamas fighters versus those of the Israeli Defense Forces, and how this quite phenomenal power imbalance is reflected in the tactics utilized by these opponents (guerrilla attacks versus massive bombing). So, you can see my net is a wide one.
If this is the kind of thing you might find of interest, send me an email at bertrandbartok@gmail.com, and I will include you. If you find you deleting it without reading it at all, just ask to be removed - no worries. Just a thought. Gary
An eloquent and intelligent appraisal; thanks for taking the time to write this, and to break it into digestible pieces.
Such a nice compliment, thanks, Janice.
I send out a sort of "newsletter" to members of my climate change advocacy group (CCL) and other folks I have met up with over the last few years. This is an example of the kind of thing this may include (taken from most recent one):
In the 10/2023 issue of the journal Biological Conservation is a massive study of wildlife rehabilitation efforts (674,320 records, spanning 1975-2019) that demonstrated how human activities are impacting animals in the wild, as the interface with humans increases due to habitat encroachment and other factors.
Climate change is another way that human activity is threatening wildlife. Specifically in relation to climate change, the article points out that extreme weather events, to which climate change is contributing, were followed by increased numbers of animals arriving at rehab centers over the subsequent week.
This varied by location and type of event. Hurricanes and floods in southern Florida were particularly problematic. This effect was greater in more recent years, which the authors considered as possibly due to the increasing intensity and frequency of extreme weather events over time (NAS, 2016; Ummenhofer and Meehl, 2017). Per other studies, multiple other extreme events adversely affect wildlife health, mortality, and reproduction. These include cyclones, droughts, high rainfall, floods, cold waves, heat waves, and marine heat waves (Cohen et al., 2020; Maxwell et al., 2019; Piatt et al., 2020; Pruvot et al., 2019). Heat, as one example, may have immediate effect on one species (e.g., mass die-off of bats, or marine birds), but affect other species in more gradual fashion. The authors recommend that disaster management plans take the effects on wildlife into account, particularly for rare and endangered species, and increased funding for wildlife rehab centers following such events.
TAKEAWAY: This represents yet another complication and cost, both financial and in animal suffering and population declines, of extreme weather events, which are already recognized as greatly taxing governmental and private resources.
************
One of the other sections of that newsletter provided an explicit comparison of the weapons available to and used by Hamas fighters versus those of the Israeli Defense Forces, and how this quite phenomenal power imbalance is reflected in the tactics utilized by these opponents (guerrilla attacks versus massive bombing). So, you can see my net is a wide one.
If this is the kind of thing you might find of interest, send me an email at bertrandbartok@gmail.com, and I will include you. If you find you deleting it without reading it at all, just ask to be removed - no worries. Just a thought. Gary