The Global Fool

environment, science & stories

  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Editorial Policy and Guidelines
  • Earth Song by Michael Jackson
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Editorial Policy and Guidelines
  • Earth Song by Michael Jackson

Emaho Strategies — Science Communication and Content Strategy Consulting

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Dive in!

Subscribe to The Global Fool newsletter!

We promise we’ll never spam! Take a look at our Privacy Policy for more info.

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

  • Salmon Farming: The Chilean Massive Die-Off

    May 21, 2016 /

    By Roberta Attanasio Salmon farming—the fastest growing food production system in the world—is going through hard times in Chile, the world’s second-largest salmon producer after Norway. Last year, Chile exported $4.5 billion of farmed salmon, but now a deadly algal bloom is killing millions of farmed fish. A few months ago, an estimated 40,000 tons of salmon died in the Los Lagos region, which is known as the Switzerland of the Southern Hemisphere’s—the snow-capped peaks of the Andes Mountains tower over deep mountain lakes and green farming valleys, creating a fairy-tale landscape. Unlike Switzerland, the fairy-tale landscape extends down to the coast and its beaches, which became covered with dead…

    Read More

    You May Also Like

    Do Sunscreen Products Harm the Coastal Marine Ecosystem?

    August 30, 2013

    Reduction of Livestock Gas Emissions May Be Within Reach

    October 2, 2013

    Central Asia Large Mammals: Victims of (Cashmere) Fashion

    August 16, 2013
  • Quality Water, Quality Life: Aquatic Health and Contaminants in the Midcoast Oregon Salmon Watersheds

    June 8, 2015 /

    A guest post by Ray Kinney From ridge tops to reefs, environmental degradation has caused many salmon populations to decline to one to ten percent of former numbers. Young salmon survival in freshwater is only 2 to 5% from egg to smolt phase just before entering the ocean phase of their life cycle. Many causative effects for this decline are known, but many remain to be clarified. Politics often prevents adequate investigation of contaminant effects for water quality. Chronic low dose accumulative effects of toxic contaminants take a toll that is generally unrecognized by fisheries managers. Our benevolent rainfall flows down out of the Coast Range to become, once again, part…

    Read More

    You May Also Like

    Global Threats: Soil and Topsoil Erosion and Degradation

    August 9, 2014

    As coal mining declines, community mental health problems linger

    August 2, 2016

    Global Threats: Water Scarcity and Uncertainty in the Estimates of Groundwater Availability

    June 28, 2015
  • The European Seafloor: More Litter Than We Thought

    May 1, 2014 /

    By Roberta Attanasio We’re all familiar with the global threat of ocean pollution — and the widespread presence of plastic on beaches and in the great garbage patches. However, until very recently, we did not know that marine litter is present in large amounts on the seafloor, in the deepest areas and at very remote locations. Marine litter is defined by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) as ‘‘any persistent, manufactured or processed solid material discarded, disposed of or abandoned in the marine and coastal environment”. Results of a survey published in the scientific journal PLoS ONE on April 30, 2014, reveal the magnitude of the problem. Researchers gathered data from surveys…

    Read More

    You May Also Like

    Salmon Farming: The Chilean Massive Die-Off

    May 21, 2016

    Electronic Waste: A Global, Interactive Map

    December 17, 2013

    Farmed Salmon Develop Ear Deformities All Around the World

    May 31, 2016
  • Do Sunscreen Products Harm the Coastal Marine Ecosystem?

    August 30, 2013 /

    By The Editors When new products based on mixtures of several chemicals become widely used, and the use of these products increases exponentially, it is reasonable to expect some sort of environmental impact, at least on specific ecosystems. Therefore, the recent finding that sunscreen products may cause deleterious effects in the coastal ecosystem is not surprising. Sunscreen products contain organic and/or inorganic UV chemical filters, as well as a variety of other ingredients, as for example preservatives, coloring agents and fragrances. What is surprising, however, is that this potential environmental problem has not been given the attention it deserves – until this year. Findings on the effects of sunscreen products…

    Read More

    You May Also Like

    Neonicotinoid Pesticides: Bad for Bees, Bad for Many Other Species

    May 6, 2015

    Global Threats: Water Scarcity and Uncertainty in the Estimates of Groundwater Availability

    June 28, 2015

    The Great Global Die-Off: Frogs and Lymphocytes

    October 28, 2013
  • Do Sea Turtles Eat Plastic Marine Debris? Yes!

    August 10, 2013 /

    By The Editors Floating marine debris accumulates in five main oceanic gyres. These debris accumulations consist mostly of plastics and are called great garbage patches. In recognition of the global threat posed by the great garbage patches, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has recently granted them a symbolic State status, and officially recognized the Garbage Patch State. Marine debris gathers in drift lines and convergence zones, which are also important feeding areas for many oceanic species, including sea turtles. Now, results from an analysis of global research data from the past 25 years show that green and leatherback turtles are eating more plastic than ever before. The analysis…

    Read More

    You May Also Like

    It’s time to stop our war on nature

    February 18, 2021

    Flame Retardants in Honey?

    December 19, 2013

    Electronic Waste: A Global, Interactive Map

    December 17, 2013
  • Plastic Debris and Great Garbage Patches: Ca’ Foscari University Raises Awareness of Ocean Pollution

    July 16, 2013 /

    By Roberta Attanasio When we think of the Great Garbage Patches — of which 5 exist — we usually think of ocean pollution. Now, when thinking of garbage patches and ways to raise awareness of them, we may think of Venice and Ca’ Foscari University. Venice, the Italian city that seems to float on water, bears no resemblance to the vast concentrations of floating marine debris that makes up the garbage patches.  However, you can find an artistic representation of the garbage patches right in the heart of the city and, more precisely, right in the courtyard of the world’s oldest existing building granted LEED certification. Let’s go one step…

    Read More

    You May Also Like

    It’s Not Warming, It’s Dying: A New Campaign to Raise Awareness of Climate Change

    August 14, 2014

    J.M.W. Turner’s Sunsets: A Guide to Air Pollution

    March 27, 2014

    Gourmet Grasshoppers and Designer Breeders

    June 30, 2013
  • A New Home for Marine Debris: The Deep Seafloor

    June 15, 2013 /

    By The Editors Plastic bags are everywhere, and when they get somewhere (we’re talking sea), they’re there to stay. As we mentioned in a previous post, plastic pollution is a major global threat. Plastics are durable, degrade very slowly and may persist in the environment for hundreds or even thousands of years, resulting in the increasing accumulation of plastic debris in our seas.  The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is perhaps the most striking example of sea pollution caused by plastics and other debris. The United Nations Environment Programme defines marine debris as “any persistent manufactured or processed solid material discarded, disposed of or abandoned in the marine environment” (UNEP, 2009), We’re…

    Read More

    You May Also Like

    Do Sea Turtles Eat Plastic Marine Debris? Yes!

    August 10, 2013

    The Plastic Footprint

    May 9, 2013

    Toxic Hot Spots: A Global Health Threat

    May 11, 2013
  • World Oceans Day: Today, June 8

    June 8, 2013 /

    By The Editors June 8th is World Oceans Day, the United Nations-designated day for the global community to celebrate and take action for our shared ocean. In previous posts, we have seen how plastic pollution harms our ocean by discussing the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and the Plastic Footprint. Although plastic pollution represents a major challenge for our ocean, it’s not the only one. The majority of waste we produce on land eventually reaches the ocean, either through deliberate dumping or from run-off through drains and rivers.  World Oceans Day is a celebration and an opportunity to conserve our ocean. This year, the World Oceans Day theme is “Together we have the power to protect the ocean”. The…

    Read More

    You May Also Like

    The European Seafloor: More Litter Than We Thought

    May 1, 2014

    Arctic Pollution

    May 15, 2013

    Quality Water, Quality Life: Aquatic Health and Contaminants in the Midcoast Oregon Salmon Watersheds

    June 8, 2015
  • Arctic Pollution

    May 15, 2013 /

    By The Editors The Great White North is not in good shape.  It’s one of the most vulnerable and fragile ecosystems of our planet and is contaminated with about everything:  furans, cadmium, dioxins, chlordane, selenium, polychlorinated biphenyls, mercury, radioactive fallout. There are 8 countries that possess territories extending beyond the 66th Parallel: Canada, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, the United States (Alaska), Denmark (Greenland) and Iceland. It is estimated that about 4 million people live north of the Arctic Circle, Industrial development in the Arctic is leading to waste accumulation, especially in the vicinity of indigenous villages.  However, this is not all.  It’s a global problem, a problem of global pollution.  Indeed, a…

    Read More

    You May Also Like

    J.M.W. Turner’s Sunsets: A Guide to Air Pollution

    March 27, 2014

    750 Miles of Smog

    December 14, 2013

    Children exposed to air pollution are more likely to develop disease later in life

    March 1, 2021
  • Toxic Hot Spots: A Global Health Threat

    May 11, 2013 /

    By The Editors Toxic Hot Spots are areas where the concentration of toxic substances, which may be present in water, soil or air, is significantly higher than background levels. In these areas, the risk of adverse health effects is elevated. Toxic hot spots are often located in the vicinity of landfills, car battery recycling sites, sewage treatment plants, refineries, tanneries, mines, and numerous other operations.  Living nearby these sites may cause serious adverse affects, as for example cancer and retardation in children.. We usually think of infectious diseases as the major global health problem.  However, a new study by Kevin Chatham-Stephens and collaborators, published this month in Environmental Health Perspectives, shows that living near a toxic hot spot may…

    Read More

    You May Also Like

    Childhood Asthma and Traffic-Related Air Pollution

    October 15, 2019

    750 Miles of Smog

    December 14, 2013

    Carbon Dioxide Fertilization Effect and Greening of Deserts

    July 13, 2013
12

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Dive in!

Subscribe to The Global Fool newsletter!

We promise we’ll never spam! Take a look at our Privacy Policy for more info.

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

RECENT POSTS

  • What is nature?
    March 3, 2021
  • Children exposed to air pollution are more likely to develop disease later in life
    March 1, 2021
  • Is women’s menstrual cycle linked to that of the Moon? A new study may provide answers
    February 27, 2021
  • Wildfires and fireworks may pollute the air inside your home
    February 24, 2021
  • Did you hear about Science Moms?
    February 22, 2021
  • It’s time to stop our war on nature
    February 18, 2021
  • A Brighter World in 2021: It Begins Within
    January 29, 2021
  • To help the environment, turn your camera off during virtual meetings
    January 18, 2021

Do you like The Global Fool? Like us on Facebook!

A blog by Emaho Strategies 225 Parkway 575 # 1291 Woodstock, Georgia 30188-9998
The Global Fool 2013 - 2021 ©