EcoUniv Weekend Reads # 21
5 July 2020
Species: A new monkey species is found in SE Asia. “Three Southeast Asian leaf monkeys are distinct species, new research shows, which makes two of them some of the rarest, most endangered primates.”
Conservation: Helping Namibia’s wild horses survive.
Human impacts on environment: An article that details Indian railways’ impact on wildlife like tigers and elephants, during the British India period and beyond.
EcoUniv Weekend Reads # 22
12 July 2020
Species: The rare Indus dolphin is rebounding in Pakistan.
Man and nature: Indigenous trackers in the Kalahari desert are teaching scientists about wildlife and conservation. Do watch the slide show of species in this desert and associated information.
Climate Change: There is now a 24% chance that global average temperature could surpass the 1.5 C mark in the next five years.
Guest post: Global warming edges closer to Paris Agreement 1.5C limit
EcoUniv Weekend Reads # 23
18 July 2020
Research – Population Science: A recent and extensive modelling of population in195 countries predicts that the global population will peak in 2064 at 9·73 billion.
Interact with the data visualizations. E.g. India’s population is expected to peak at 1.60 billion between 2043-2055.
Research – Pollution: We know that microplastics pollute soil and water. But they are also a major source of air pollution and they eventually make it to the oceans and terrestrial ecosystems via air. Tyre and break wear particles emitted from the global road traffic are a primary source of this.
A dialog with the authors: https://edition.cnn.com/2020/07/14/world/microplastic-pollution-arctic-air-transport-climate-change-scn/index.html
Sustainable Construction: A civil engineer from Brazil has designed a new type of brick which has 1/10th the energy use and CO2 emissions from regular bricks.
Wildlife: Possible causes for the recent deaths of 280 African elephants in Botswana.
EcoUniv Weekend Reads # 24
26 July 2020
Ecosystems: Vreni Häussermann is a Marine Fellow with Pew Charitable Trust and scientific director of the Huinay Scientific Field Station located in the Comau Fjord in Chilean Patagonia. Read about their work focused on this highly bio-diverse, nearshore marine ecosystem.
Research – Species: Why do mosquitoes specialize in biting humans? There are 3500 species of mosquitoes on Earth, both in man-made surroundings and in the wild. Yet, recent research, focused on Africa, highlights that mosquitoes’ preference for humans is associated with intense dry seasons (probably due to climate change) and rapid urbanization.
A dialog with the authors: https://edition.cnn.com/2020/07/23/health/mosquitoes-attraction-humans-future-wellness-scn/index.html
Pollution: A recent report from Systemiq and Pew Charitable Trusts worries about marine pollution due to plastics. “the annual flow of plastic into the ocean will nearly triple by 2040, to 29 million metric tons per year… equivalent to 50 kg of plastic per metre of coastline worldwide”, unless we all take action today.