The study suggests conservation
projects targeting critically endangered species have reduced the rate
of bird extinctions by about 40 per cent over the last 28 years.
Tag Archives: environment
214 grey whales washed up dead in 2019. It could happen again in 2020
And then, as now, the animals appeared to be starving, said Calambokidis. Not just the normal skinny that happens as fat stores are used on a long migration, but so emaciated that when they cut into the skin during a necropsy, the blubber felt dry.
“I know it’s kind of hard to imagine, a blubber area without any oil in it.”
Necropsies in B.C. showed the same thing, but experts don’t know why.
Another tragic and destructive year for wildfires — is this the new normal? | CBC Radio
Extreme wildfire was a global story in 2019 as wildfires around the world were dialed up in intensity and impact.
“The
warmer we get, the more fires we see; and the more intense the fire,
the more difficult to impossible it is to put the fire out,” said Mike Flannigan, a professor of wildland fire at the University of Alberta.
One of the hardest hit areas this year was Australia, which has been experiencing record breaking heat.
“They
don’t normally see this much fire or this intense fire. The warmer it
gets, the better the atmosphere gets at sucking the moisture out of the
fuel so it’s easier for the fire to start and spread,” he explained. “It
also means there’s more fuel to burn, which means fire management
activities can’t put that fire out.”
How liquid salt could be the answer to oilsands tailings ponds | CBC News
Hot water is used in oilsands mining operations to extract the
oily bitumen from the sand, with the resulting wastewater ending
up in tailings ponds to settle and later be reused. Alberta has an
estimated 1.3 trillion litres of fluid tailings sitting in tailings
ponds.
oily bitumen from the sand, with the resulting wastewater ending
up in tailings ponds to settle and later be reused. Alberta has an
estimated 1.3 trillion litres of fluid tailings sitting in tailings
ponds.
Paula Berton and Steven Bryant, believe ionic liquids, or liquid salt, offer a possible solution.
By
using ionic liquids instead of water in the extraction process, the
researchers say they can eliminate the production of watery tailings,
while the ionic liquids can be recycled. They anticipate the leftover
sand can be returned to the ground.
The ionic liquids and the resulting sand are not toxic, they say.
Climate crisis linked to at least 15 $1bn-plus disasters in 2019
Climate breakdown played a key role in at least 15 events in 2019
that cost more than $1bn (£760m) in damage, with more than half of those
costing more than $10bn each.
that cost more than $1bn (£760m) in damage, with more than half of those
costing more than $10bn each.
Extreme weather
including floods, storms, droughts and wildfires struck every inhabited
continent in the past year, causing devastation and loss of life.
Christian Aid, which tracked climate-related destruction in 2019, said
the costs in human terms and insured losses were likely to have been
underestimated.