#environmental blog

[ecoamerica]

Watch the 2024 American Climate Leadership Awards for High School Students now: https://youtu.be/5C-bb9PoRLc

The recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by student climate leaders! Join Aishah-Nyeta Brown & Jerome Foster II and be inspired by student climate leaders as we recognize the High School Student finalists. Watch now to find out which student received the $25,000 grand prize and top recognition!

[66664]

The Essentiality of Environmental Rights: Safeguarding Our Planet and Our Future

In the light of rising ecological calamities and the unavoidable depletion of our planet's resources, the call for environmental rights has never been more urgent. Environmental rights cover the essential privileges and obligations that maintain the integrity of our natural world, ensuring its preservation for present and future generations. In this blog, we'll look at the functions, benefits, and serious implications of ignoring environmental rights.

Functions of Environmental Rights:

Legal Protection: Environmental rights establish a legal framework for protecting ecosystems, wildlife, and natural resources. They empower individuals and communities to hold governments and companies accountable for environmental damage.

Public Participation: These rights allow residents to engage in environmental decision-making processes, ensuring that their voices are heard on issues that directly affect their communities. This participation encourages transparency, accountability, and democratic governance.

Access to Information: Environmental rights provide access to information on environmental policy, initiatives, and potential hazards. This transparency encourages educated decision-making and gives communities the ability to advocate for environmentally sustainable practices.

Environmental justice seeks to overcome differences in environmental protection and pollutant exposure. They want to make sure that everyone, regardless of color, ethnicity, or socioeconomic level, has equal access to a clean, healthy environment.

Benefits of Environmental Rights for People:

1. Environmental rights protect human health by limiting exposure to pollutants and toxins. Clean air, water, and soil promote physical and mental well-being by reducing the number of respiratory diseases, waterborne illnesses, and other health risks.

2. Economic Prosperity: Long-term economic growth requires a healthy environment. Environmental rights encourage the conservation of natural resources, the preservation of biodiversity, and the development of eco-friendly companies that generate jobs and support economic growth.

3. Cultural Preservation: Indigenous and underprivileged populations frequently have strong cultural ties to their land and environment. Environmental rights contribute to the preservation of traditional knowledge, cultural legacy, and sacred sites, hence promoting diversity and resilience.

4. Climate resistance: Environmental rights play an important role in reducing climate change and raising awareness of its effects. These rights help to create a more resilient and sustainable future for everyone by encouraging clean energy, sustainable agriculture, and climate adaptation strategies.

Damage Caused by Neglecting Environmental Rights:

1. Ecological Degradation: Failure to protect environmental rights causes widespread ecological degradation, such as deforestation, habitat loss, species extinction, and ecosystem collapse. This degradation disturbs nature's delicate balance, harming biodiversity and risking the planet's ability to support life.

2. Public Health Concerns: Environmental neglect causes air and water pollution, chemical contamination, and the spread of infectious diseases. These environmental health concerns disproportionately affect those with limited resources, compounding health inequities and endangering human welfare.

3. Resource Scarcity: Ignoring environmental rights depletes scarce resources like clean water, agricultural land, and fossil fuels, resulting in scarcity, competitiveness, and conflict. Resource depletion worsens poverty, food shortages, and social unrest, endangering global peace and security.

4. Climate Catastrophes: Disregard for environmental rights promotes climate change, resulting in harsh weather, rising sea levels, and ecological disruptions. These climatic calamities have a severe impact on vulnerable areas, displacing people, worsening poverty, and increasing humanitarian crises.

At last, environmental rights are essential for safeguarding the health, well-being, and prosperity of current and future generations. By defending these rights, we can conserve our planet's ecosystems, promote social fairness, and lessen the terrible effects of environmental destruction.

For the benefit of our world and all its inhabitants, governments, corporations, and individuals must continue to honor their duties to respect, defend, and fulfill environmental rights.

[comfymoth]

i’m mad this is my most liked post right now so look at my cat instead lol

[3liza]

the number of afab people replying to the pain poll going "yeah I've broken limbs and had 1st degree burns and given birth but nothing tops my menstrual pain" is so fucked up it is unbelievable. and I was right there with everyone else until I stumbled on a low dose progestin regimen that just made me stop menstruating. which I would recommend to everyone except it just doesn't work for everyone. ask your doc about it though, it won't cause permanent side effects or injury to try it out. i take norethindrone 2.5mg 2x/day. this dose has to be different for each patient to work correctly, that's just what I take. there's some research to suggest synthetic progesterone like norethindrone is carcinogenic so I'm going to look into switching. anyway i just got extremely lucky. there is seriously nothing like it. it was the worst pain I ever felt until the urology incident and frankly I think the menstrual pain was already a factor in the outcome of the urology incident

[lvvnystudies]

09.09

Spent the day with a new friend in the library (spending more time pouring over recent reads and planning a book club, rather than studying!)

[reasonsforhope]

Pairing frogs and toads together might conjure memories of Arnold Lobel’s beloved characters — dressed to the nines in caramel coats and polyester — biking off toward adventure. 

But in the animal world, frogs and toads on nearly every continent are facing a much more harrowing adventure: a decades-long fight against a mysterious fungal virus that has afflicted over 500 amphibian species. 

Since the 1990s, scientists estimate that the chytridiomycosis disease caused by the fungal pathogen Bd (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) has led to the extinction of 90 amphibians. One of the lost species includes the Panamanian golden frog, which hasn’t been spotted in the wild since 2009. 

Fortunately, a new research study has finally pinpointed the virus that has been infecting fungal genomes for decades. 

“Bd is a generalist pathogen and is associated with the decline of over 500 amphibian species…here, we describe the discovery of a novel DNA mycovirus of Bd,” wrote Mark Yacoub — the lead author of the study and a microbiology doctoral student at the University of California, Riverside. 

In an interview with UC Riverside News, Yacoub said that he and microbiology professor Jason Stajich observed the viral genome while studying the broader population genetics of mycovirus (viruses of fungi). 

The discovery will undoubtedly have monumental impacts on future amphibian conservation efforts. This includes the possible launching of new research studies into fungal species strains, the practice of cloning and observing spores, and engineering a solution to the virus. 

But Yacoub cautioned that this is only the beginning. 

“We don’t know how the virus infects the fungus, how it gets into the cells,” Yacoub said. “If we’re going to engineer the virus to help amphibians, we need answers to questions like these.”

Still, as scientists strengthen conservation efforts to save frogs and toads (and salamanders too!) they also appear to be saving themselves. Yacoub pointed out several amphibian species around the world have begun exhibiting resistance to Bd. 

“Like with COVID, there is a slow buildup of immunity,” Yacoub explained. “We are hoping to assist nature in taking its course.”

Pictured: A Golden poison frog — one of the many species endangered by chytridiomycosis — in captivity.

Why are frogs and toads so important?

From the get go, every amphibian species plays an important role in their local ecosystem. Not only are they prey for a slew of animals like lizards, snakes, otters, birds, and more, but in an eat-or-be-eaten world, frogs and toads benefit the food chain by doing both. 

Even freshly hatched tadpoles — no bigger than a button — can reduce contamination in their surrounding pond water by nibbling on algae blooms. 

As they grow bigger (and leggier), amphibians snack on whatever insect comes their way, greatly reducing the population of harmful pests and making a considerable dent in the transmission malaria, dengue, and Zika fever by eating mosquito larvae. 

“Frogs control bad insects, crop pests, and mosquitoes,” Yacoub said. “If their populations all over the world collapse, it could be devastating.” 

Yacoub also pointed out that amphibians are the “canary in the coal mine of climate change,” because they are an indicator species. Frogs and toads have permeable skin, making them sensitive to changes in their environment, and they also rely on freshwater. 

When amphibians vanish from an ecosystem, it’s a symptom of greater environmental issues...

Herpetologist Maureen Donnelly echoed Yacoub’s sentiments in an interview with Phys Org, noting that when it comes to food chains, biodiversity, and environmental impact, the role of frogs and toads should not be overlooked. 

“Conservation must be a global team effort,” Donnelly said. “We are the stewards of the planet and are responsible for all living creatures.”

-via GoodGoodGood, April 22, 2024

[dialovers-lover-xoxo]

[whump-mania]

yo i love your whipped whimper caretaking prompts? could you do some more caretaking prompts for other random types of whump? whatever you’re feeling like, but esp wounds or hyper/hypothermia

Assorted Caretaker Lines

For sure! I’ll make some little sections for as many as I can think of:

Wounds

1. “Hold this down. It’ll stop the bleeding…for now.”

2. “Shit, I…I’ve never treated a would like this before, I-I don’t really know what I’m doing…”

3. “It’s infected. Someone get me a bottle of alcohol before this spreads to their immune system.”

4. “Don’t worry. We’re gonna close this thing right back up. You’re gonna be okay.”

5. “What do you mean, it already bled through? …Oh…shit.”

Hypothermia

1. “Jesus—is their skin supposed to feel like ice?”

2. “Whumpee…how long did they leave you outside…?”

3. “I don’t care if you’re cold, Whumpee’s gonna fucking die if they’re not warmed up! Give me your blanket!”

4. “They’re shaking like a leaf…I-I don’t know if they’re gonna be okay.”

5. “I told you not to go out in this weather, Whumpee. Don’t go risking your life for me.”

Hyperthermia

1. “I told you we needed to stop for water! Look at them now!”

2. “Whumper, please, just let them take a break. They’re gonna overheat like this. Let me go out there, I can handle it.”

3. “I know, I know. We’re gonna get you somewhere cool. Just hang in there.”

4. “Absolutely not. Your skin is hot to the touch right now, there’s no way you’re taking that punishment for me.”

5. “There’s no ice left, I’m sorry…it all melted. You’re just gonna have to sweat it out.”

Psychological

1. “Don’t listen to them. None of that was true, they’re just trying to get in your head.”

2. “Hey…Whumpee, you still with me? Hello?”

3. “Look at me. Breathe. You feel my hand? You’re here. You’re with me now, you’re okay.”

4. “They don’t have any physical scars. Whumper’s more inclined to leave…um…mental ones.”

5. “It scares me when you do that. When you…go somewhere else. In your head.”

[ecoamerica]

Watch the American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 now: https://youtu.be/bWiW4Rp8vF0?feature=shared

The American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 broadcast recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by active climate leaders. Watch to find out which finalist received the $50,000 grand prize! Hosted by Vanessa Hauc and featuring Bill McKibben and Katharine Hayhoe!

[lizardsaredinosaurs]

Year-end Wrap-up Part 3: New Protections in Australia

I'm still learning my way around some of the endangered species laws in different countries - some aren't so straightforward and some I'll never understand due to language barriers. Some vary in what protections they are meant to give, and other countries go by the Red List. But I'm picking a few places, mostly so I can show you some cool pictures of animals and make you want to protect them (I know you do). 😇

I found the following animals, 29 in total, and 31 plant species added to Australia's national list of threatened species in 2024. Look at these adorable babies! :D

Protected as Critically Endangered:

McCulloch's Anemonefish

Mary River Turtle

Buff-breasted Button Quail

Supporters read the full post here

...For photos of (almost) the full list, which includes 11 shore birds, 3 geckos, one spiney crayfish, and more.

[whumpy-wyrms]

The Last Lab Rat CYOA #2

tllr au masterlist | tllr masterlist

content: second person pov, you being chased, environmental whump, sprained ankle, creepy whumper

You chose: run in a different direction, try to lose him so he doesn’t follow you home.

— 

The stranger’s stare lingers on you, the two of you standing awkwardly under the streetlight. His gaze flickers to the side for a fraction of a moment, and you decide it's time to make a run for it.

You dart off of the road and into the darkness, feet pounding roughly through the grass.

“Hey!” You hear the stranger call out behind you, caught off guard. “Wait, come back!”

You keep running, getting confirmation that the man definitely doesn’t plan for you to get away. You look over your shoulder and see he’s now running after you. Fuck!

It’s okay. You expected this. You run into the trees, hoping you’ll lose him in the darkness.

You find a large tree to hide behind and gather your breath. You press your back against the bark and try to stay as still as possible, hoping that the stranger would run past without seeing you and give you a chance to run back home without being followed.

The sounds of footsteps snapping twigs and crunching leaves fills your ears, and you try to keep your breathing steady and quiet. Please just walk away.

“Why’d you run?” The stranger asks, calling out into the darkness. “I really just wanted to talk, you know.”

Your heart pounds through your chest as the footsteps make their way closer to you, and you realize you can’t hide here any longer.

You dart from the tree and continue running, hearing a chuckle from behind you that makes your stomach turn. The chase begins once more.

As you go deeper into the woods, it’s getting increasingly harder to see where you’re going. You let out a sudden yelp as you trip on a large root, falling face first into the dirt. You groan in pain, elbows scraping against the ground beneath you as you pick yourself back up. A sudden sharp pain in your ankle jolts through your body, and you hiss back a cry.

“Woah, are you okay?” He asks, sounding not as far away as you thought he was. You don’t answer him.

Your ankle aches as you stand, sending jolts of pain through your body as you run. But you keep going anyway, fueled on adrenaline.

“You’re just tiring yourself out,” he says, and he sounds closer. “You’re making this much harder than it needs to be. Just come here.”

Despite you weaving through the trees and everything being almost impossible to see in the darkness, he’s still so very close behind. You don’t know how you haven’t lost him yet.

Fuck this. You break out of the tree line and run back to the road. You make sharp turns behind buildings, through yards, and down more dark streets. But you can still hear the pounding of his footsteps behind you, still so close. You’re running out of breath. You wish it weren’t the middle of the night, then there’d be people around and awake and able to help you. He’s too close behind for you to knock on someone’s door long enough to wake them up and ask for help.

Another jolt of pain sears through your body and you almost trip over your feet. You can’t keep running anymore, you need to hide.

You dart into an alleyway and leap behind a large dumpster. Your shaky hands move up to cover your mouth to stop you from crying out from the pain and revealing your location.

The footsteps wander around the corner, distinct sounds against the wet pavement. He’s getting closer.

“I know you’re here somewhere,” the man says, and from his shadow on the wall, you can see he’s holding something in his hand. Something sharp. “I’m sorry for scaring you, but you have to come out. I promise I won’t hurt you.”

You squeeze your eyes shut, and curl up closer against the dumpster, trying to make yourself smaller. He’s too close. He’s going to find you if you stay here and do who knows what to you.

You still know where you are though, and you know that your house is not far from here at all— only the next street over. You could still make it. It doesn’t matter if he knows where you live or not, you won’t be able to lose him. If you get inside and lock the doors, you’d be safe where he can't catch you. Maybe then, he’d leave you alone.

You could keep running aimlessly through the streets, but your ankle is hurt, bad. You don’t think you’d get much farther than a few blocks, and from what it’s been like so far, it seems he’ll just keep chasing you until your ankle inevitably gives out on you.

Right. The thought of running again and putting pressure on your ankle already makes you wince in pain. Curling up in a ball and staying hidden behind this dumpster seems a lot more appealing at the moment. Maybe he’ll walk past without realizing you’re there.

Or… maybe you should just come out like he says. He’s obviously got the upper hand, so maybe it’s smart to get on his good side and do what he wants. Maybe you could gain his trust, and figure out a plan later… if you’re still alive, that is. You still have no idea what he wants from you.

But it seems you’ll find out quickly though, if you don’t make a decision fast. He’s coming closer. You choke back a sob.

next

—

sorry this is a day late! i got distracted by a gay cannibalistic vampire mortician. as i do

taglist: @creppersfunpalooza @whumpsday @watermelons-dont-grow-on-trees @inkwell-and-dagger @silly-scroimblo-skrunkl

@vidawhump

let me know if you want to be removed or added to the taglist!

[plantingatree]

completed my final environmental science exam. it’s a bit bittersweet really because even though it’s been hard and there was so much to learn, it’s taught me a lot of things and i feel like i know a lot about the world now! 🌱🌎

so here’s my final stats for studying environmental science!

total hours for 2023 and 2024: 354 hours!

total flashcards: 2114

total reviews: 20,175

days spent studying in 2024:

largest review count in one day: 428

longest streak: 10 days

card status counts:

mock grades:

June: A* | Jan: A* | March A*

highest mark: 96/120

lowest mark: 95/120

favourite topics: aquatic food resources | soil | the atmosphere

least favourite topics: energy resources | sustainability

what would i rate this a level?

6.5/10!

🌷🪴🌲🌳🍀

[lvvnystudies]

16.08

Spent this intra-semester break catching up on lectures and readings, learning to navigate rstudio for an upcoming assessment, and enjoying good food and even better company with @pefkaes!

[menrstinkyy]

me when my AP teacher doesn't teach

[wouldyoulikeafourleafclover]

Got my environmental Science test back, an A!

[cpericardium]

thinking about the time someone was in my replies saying "god can we finally cancel wildbow" and had a list of grievances but I could clearly see they were red on shinigami eyes