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Cosmetics: A Full Ban on Animal Testing in the European Union Encourages Research on Alternative Methods
By The Editors On March 11, 2013, a full ban of animal testing for cosmetics entered into force in the European Union. In addition, as of March 11, 2013, cosmetics tested on animals cannot be marketed in the European Union. The day of the announcement, the European Commissioner in charge of Health & Consumer Policy, Tonio Borg, stated: “Today’s entry into force of the full marketing ban gives an important signal on the value that Europe attaches to animal welfare. The Commission is committed to continue supporting the development of alternative methods and to engage with third countries to follow our European approach. This is a great opportunity for Europe to set an example of responsible…
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Global Threats: The Spread of Crop Pests
By Roberta Attanasio One of the major global threats to food security is the current spread of crop pests, unintentionally moved by human activity across world regions at unprecedented rates. Crop pests include viroids, viruses, bacteria, oomycetes, fungi, nematodes, and insects. In the past, this spread was limited by physical barriers such as mountains, seas and deserts. However, such natural limits are now bypassed because of the rapid increase in international and intercontinental agricultural trade. To date, more than 12,000 alien species have been documented in Europe by DAISIE (Delivering Alien Invasive Species Inventory for Europe), a unique three-year research project involving more than 100 European scientists and funded by…
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Large Animal Extinctions and Soil Fertility
By The Editors During the final millennia of the Pleistocene Epoch, roughly 100 genera of megafauna became extinct worldwide. In other words, between 50,000 and 10,000 years ago, the large majority of animals weighing more than 100 pounds died out Examples of these extinct animals are mammoths, the saber-toothed tigers, Diprotodon (an Australian marsupial the size of a hippopotamus) and Coelodonta (a woolly rhinoceros found in Europe). Hotly debated theories have been proposed to explain why megafauna died out. These are the overill (died because of diseases), overchill (died because of colder temperature caused by climate change), and overkill (died because of human hunting) theories. Now, results from a new…
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2013 World Day to Combat Desertification: Today, June 17
By The Editors The theme of the 2013 World Day to Combat Desertification is drought and water scarcity. Freshwater is valuable. Of all the water on Earth, only 2.5 per cent is freshwater. And of all this freshwater, the total usable supply for ecosystems and humans is less than 1 per cent. When demand for water exceeds available supply, it results in water scarcity. This is why the World Economic Forum, in their Global Risk Report 2013, suggests that decreasing water supply is among the top five risks, both by likelihood and impact, that humanity faces over the next ten years. Increasing water scarcity and drought, in part as a result of climate change, will…
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The Great Acceleration
By The Editors Global changes characteristic of both Space Age and Information Age are defined by exponential increases in a variety of dimensions related to the human relationship with the natural world. Examples of these dimensions are human population growth, resource use, and economic activity. The scale and speed of these increases, clearly recognizable since the 1950’s, can be best approximated with exponential curves. The process that encompasses the global changes occurring in the Space and Information Ages is called “The Great Acceleration“. Below is a slideshow containing a series of graphs depicting the sharp acceleration in human activity since the 1950s and the impact of this acceleration on the Earth system. Great acceleration from International Geosphere-Biosphere…
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The Information Age
By The Editors The Information Age is the era shaped by information and communication technologies—and therefore by information-based industries. It started in the mid-1970s in association with the Digital Revolution, and partially overlaps with the Space Age, which started in the late 1950s with the launch of the world’s first artificial satellite. The Information age has been characterized by widespread optimism about the ability of technology to solve most of the world’s challenges—for example food security, environmental degradation, economic growth and social inclusion. However, we now know that technology, by itself, cannot provide solutions to these challenges. One of the recognized fathers of the Information Age is the scientist Norbert Wiener,…
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The Space Age
By The Editors On October 4, 1957, the 184-pound Sputnik 1 was successfully launched by the Soviet Union and entered Earth’s orbit. Sputnik 1 was the world’s first artificial satellite, only 56 centimeters (22 inches) in diameter, orbiting the Earth in 96 minutes. Its launch ushered in what is now called the “Space Age“, a new era characterized by a variety of political, scientific and technological achievements accompanied by very rapid changes with profound societal implications. During the 1960s, the Space Age led to an environmental revolution. Indeed, the Space Age has been pivotal in shaping how we perceive our planet. Marina Benjamin, author of “Rocket Dreams: How the Space Age Shaped Our Vision of…
