Environmental – Page 2

Restoring Biodiversity to Safeguard Human Existence

Our planet is on the verge of a sixth mass extinction, according to joint research by Stanford University and the National Autonomous University of Mexico published in June 2015. This is a bold and momentous statement considering that the last mass extinction occurred 65 million years ago and was caused by an asteroid hitting the Earth. This resulted in giant tsunamis, powerful earthquakes and acid rain that obliterated 70% of all species over the following 33,000 years. This time human interference with the world’s ecosystems will be the major catalyst. Unless rapid action is taken to restore habitats, save threatened species and reduce carbon emissions, the resulting loss in biodiversity will significantly impact human life in as little as three generations.…

The Consumer is Always King

The decision taken this year by some of the largest food processing, restaurant and retail companies in the US to phase out meat, eggs and other foods sourced from produce adulterated with antibiotics has been described as a ‘game-changer’ by industry watchers. The reason; shoppers are increasingly interested in the food they are eating and the conditions in which it is produced. They will be quick to show their dissatisfaction or doubts about what they are consuming by withholding their dollars, something that the notoriously low profit margin consumer and retail sector is aware of. In any case these companies will pass off any additional costs involved in supplying unadulterated produce to their suppliers, making it a cost free option.…

California’s Drought Order – A Sign of Times To Come?

Judging by the amount of coverage it received outside the US, the move in California to impose a statewide reduction of 25 percent in drinking water usage throughout urban areas must have been huge. Effective immediately and set to run until February 2016, the state is employing a mix of measures including restrictions on irrigating turf or outside newly built houses and buildings, ‘encouraging’ water suppliers to raise prices and investing in new technologies such as desalination and precision technology.

California is enduring the driest period in over a century. Converting the current level of snow in the Sierra mountain range into water produces a comparable water figure of only five percent of normal levels.…