Better Living Through Well Being
Our economy is running a Bernie Maddoff-style Ponzi scheme with the planet. We use future resources to run the present, using more than Earth can replenish. But, like any such Ponzi scheme, this works for a limited time, followed by a crash. Avoiding ecological backruptcy requires rigorous resource accounting, which is a challenging task but is doable with the right tools. So say the authors of “Ecological Footprint,” a new book that describes a metric for accounting the overall impact of human demand on nature compared to what our planet can renew - its biocapacity - and distills this into a number to represent how many Earths we use in a year.
Global Footprint Network, an international sustainability organization that pioneered the Ecological Footprint in the 1990s, uses Ecological Footprint accounting to provide action steps and assess solutions towards one-planet prosperity by placing biological resource managment at the core of decision-making processes. Earth Overshoot Day is the date used since 1971 to show the date each year when humanity’s demand on nature exceeds what Earth’s ecosystems can regenerate in that same year. Now in 2019, humanity uses nature’s resources 1.75 times faster than our planet’s ecosystem can regenerate; we are now using the equivalent of 1.75 Earths.
The public is invited to explore “Steps to #MoveTheDate,” a campaign of the global movement towards one-planet compatibility, connected to energy, food, cities, population, and planet. The assertion is that if we move the date of Earth Overshoot Day back 5 days annually, humanity can reach one-planet compatibility before 2050. The Global Footprint Network highlights opportunities for action along with an assessment of their impact on the date of Earth Overshoot Day. An example would be to replace 50 percent of meat consumption with vegetarian food. This would move the date back 15 days (10 days for the reduction of methane emissions from livestock alone). Another example, reducing the carbon component of the global Ecological Footprint by 50 percent, would move the date back 93 days.
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Threats such as pollution and over-exploitation from a rapidly increasing human footprint are severely impairing the integrity of marine ecosystems. Climate change exacerbates nearly all of these threats and reaches parts of the ocean still relatively untouched by anthropogenic effects. Conventional conservation measures like minimizing and eliminating pollution, limiting fishing pressure, and establishing marine protected areas are indispensable strategies to protect ecosystems. However, the pace and scale of threats to the ocean demand immediate innovation. Spanning a continuum from insight to intervention, genomic and biotech tools can provide profound new insights to augment conventional conservation strategies (fisheries management or disrupting illegal wildlife trade) and enable more complex genomic intervention, such as controlling invasive species or creating resilient coral. So far, conservation has been slow to adopt these new tools.
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* The Recycle More Bags Coalition proposes a progressive timeline to increase the use of post-consumer recycled content in garbage bags and grocery bags to 20 percent for a considerable carbon emissions savings.
* PG&E weighs a new strategy to unplug in a crisis if dangerous conditions are right for it.
* Forward-thinking businesses increase the amount of energy they self-generate to ensure energy security and balance environmental and economic considerations.
* The Government of Canada is taking action to fight climate change and invest in clean economic growth.
* Nut consumption may help improve erectile function.
* First of its kind research links ultra-processed food consumption to ill health.
* Congress introduces bipartisan Protecting People from Surprise Medical Bills Act.
* Organization reports progress on multiple fronts in the PTSD arena, including policy, research, advancing therapeutics and personalized medicine.
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Earth Overshoot Day 2019 is July 29, the earliest ever
Oakland, California
On July 29, humanity will have used nature's resource budget for the entire year, according to Global Footprint Network, an international sustainability organization that has pioneered the Ecological Footprint. The Ecological Footprint adds up all of people's competing demands for biologically productive areas – food, timber, fibers, carbon sequestration, and accommodation of infrastructure. Currently, carbon emissions from burning fossil fuel comprise 60% of humanity's Ecological Footprint.
Earth Overshoot Day marks the date when humanity's annual demand on nature exceeds what Earth's ecosystems can regenerate in that year. Over the past 20 years, it has moved up three months to July 29, the earliest ever. This means that humanity is currently using nature 1.75 times faster than our planet's ecosystems can regenerate, equivalent to 1.75 Earths. Humanity first saw ecological deficit in the early 1970s. Overshoot is possible because we are depleting our natural capital, compromising the planet's future regenerative capacity.
Ecological overspending costs are becoming increasingly evident: deforestation, soil erosion, biodiversity loss, and the buildup of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere leading to climate change and more frequent extreme weather events.
"Ultimately, human activity will be brought in balance with Earth's ecological resources. The question is whether we choose to get there by disaster or by design – one-planet misery or one-planet prosperity," said Mathis Wackernagel, co-inventor of Ecological Footprint accounting and founder of Global Footprint Network.
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A New Toolkit To Accelerate Ocean Conservation: Ocean Genomics Horizon Scan
Sausalito, California
The world's oceans are in great peril. To help conservation and to reverse the trends of oceanic degradation, we must innovate and employ every available tool. More help is on the way. Revive & Restore, a California-based non-profit conservation organization, has announced the release of an "Ocean Genomics Horizon Scan." This report provides a first-of-its-kind assessment of genomic and biotech innovations to complement, enhance, and accelerate today's marine conservation strategies.
Revive & Restore is raising $15 million to fund ten "Big Ideas" that demonstrate the power of these technologies and address a significant conservation challenge. Each of these Big Ideas is led by a team of passionate scientists and identifies a clear technology development path with achievable milestones on a two- to three-year timeline.
Oceans face a myriad of threats, including overharvesting, pollution, habitat degradation, and climate change. Conventional marine conservation measures are critically important, but the pace of change in the oceans requires the consideration of transformative innovations.
Biotechnology has great potential to help solve pressing conservation challenges by identifying potential vulnerability or resilience to climate change and by driving innovation (e.g., synthetic replacement of wildlife products) to directly remove threats to both wildlife and ecosystems.
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Collaboration Crucial to Solve Global Food and Environmental Challenges
St. Louis, Missouri
The U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) is igniting efforts to connect the agriculture and food industries to solve one of humankind's greatest challenges: How to nourish an unprecedented population while protecting and enhancing the world in which we all live.
"There is no 'or' in this equation. We must grow and raise healthy foods to feed billions of people and we must do so in a way that positively contributes to the environment," said Erin Fitzgerald, CEO, USFRA. "There is no other sector that can provide nourishment for our communities while drawing down carbon into our soils and enhancing ecosystem services like the food and agriculture sector."
According to American Farmland Trust, agricultural land in the United States disappears at a rate of 175 acres per hour due to business and residential expansion. That loss of land, combined with climatic changes and a growing global population, is forcing farmers and ranchers to protect and optimize the environment while increasing the amount of food they produce per acre.
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Industry-Led Coalition Calls for Recycled Content Minimum in Plastic Bags
Ottawa, Canada
Twenty-seven organizations call for urgent government action to help deal with the global plastic problem. The industry-led Recycle More Bags coalition proposes using legislative action and procurement policy to drive demand for a minimum of 20% post-consumer recycled content in some types of plastic bags by 2025.
The United States and Canada have been largely dependent on foreign markets for recycling plastic bags and similar plastic grades, like plastic wrap. Foreign demand for these products has decreased markedly in recent years, primarily as a result of China's "National Sword Policy," which banned the import of many recyclables. The North American recycling industry is now more dependent than ever on the health of domestic plastic film recycling end-markets. However, these domestic markets have long been impeded by the continued expansion of domestic oil and gas activity and the low-cost virgin plastic resins that are produced as co-products.
According to More Recycling, a company that tracks plastic recycling year over year in the United States and Canada, the amount of bags and wrap collected through at-store recycling programs has grown, but that growth is expected to slow or reverse if the dynamics in the marketplace continue. There is a need to recognize the value of using recycled resin in new products to mitigate plastic pollution and to encourage the expansion of the North American circular economy.
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Maryland Smith Expert Weighs PG&E Strategy to 'Unplug in a Crisis' and a 'Corporate Decision it got Right'
College Park, Maryland
California utility giant PG&E is putting to work a new strategy to keep its power lines from sparking the kinds of wildfires that have killed dozens across the state and leveled home after home. When fire risks are high, PG&E officials will simply pull the plug, cutting the power altogether until the danger subsides. But should they? "It's a pretty amazing solution, but for a lot of people it probably sounds crazy," says Charles E. Olson, visiting associate professor of logistics, business and public policy, and director of the Honors Program at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business.
The new strategy follows a tough stretch for the San Francisco-based utility. PG&E says its equipment was likely to blame for last November's massive Camp Fire, which created a wide swath of destruction and scorched the entire town of Paradise, killing 85 people.
"It is sensible, though mostly unprecedented," Olson says. "Things have never gotten so extreme that any utility would consider routine shutdowns of a service that has been considered to be essential to our lives and to the economy for close to 100 years."
Olson is a nationally recognized expert on public utility regulation, energy economics, and the cost of capital to public utilities. He has testified in hundreds of utility cases. Before coming to Maryland Smith, he was president of Zinder Companies, a public utility consulting firm. He has shared his expertise with more than 100 utilities, as well as industrial companies, state agencies, trade associations and environmental groups.
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U.S. Business: Our Workplace Can Be 'Power Plants of the Future'
Iselin, New Jersey
According to new research released today, U.S. businesses are ready to shoulder the responsibility for a changing energy landscape, with four out of five businesses (79%) planning to increase the amount of power they self-generate over the next five years.
The research report from Centrica Business Solutions, Distributed Energy Future Trends: The insights behind sustainable business growth, points to the growing importance of balancing environmental and economic considerations for U.S. businesses. While economic drivers are more pronounced for U.S. businesses, the research also points to the need for environmental action, with 85% of businesses viewing an organization's action on the environment as influential in deciding whether to use or work with a brand.
In a survey of nearly 750 U.S. companies, eight traits are identified that truly sustainable businesses demonstrate, including continuous innovation and action on the environment. However, only one in eight businesses are defined as a 'sustainable business' - one that balances economic and environmental performance.
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Canada announces new support for international climate action and coal phase-out
Brussels, Belgium
Climate change is the greatest challenge of our time. Canadians want to do their share to reduce pollution at home and support solutions abroad. That is why the Government of Canada is taking action to fight climate change and invest in clean economic growth.
While at the Ministerial on Climate Action, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Catherine McKenna, announced new funding from the Government of Canada for international climate action and progress on global efforts to phase out coal power.
Developing countries are disproportionately affected by climate change, with women and girls often most impacted. Minister McKenna, on behalf of the Minister of International Development and Minister for Women and Gender Equality, Maryam Monsef, announced that Canada will contribute $223.5 million to the Canadian Climate Fund for the Private Sector in the Americas (C2F) project. In partnership with the Inter-American Development Bank and IDB Invest, this initiative is the second phase of the C2F project and will help countries in the Americas and the Caribbean region adapt to and mitigate the effects of climate change.
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New Study Shows that Nut Consumption May Help Improve Erectile Function
Reus, Spain
A recent study, partially supported by the INC and published in the journal Nutrients, observed a significant increase in erectile function after the consumption of 60 g/day of nuts. Lifestyle risk factors such as smoking or stress may influence erectile dysfunction through the vascular and nervous system. This study explored the effects of nut supplementation on erectile function.
Forty-three healthy males, aged 18-35, were assigned to a "nut group" and consumed the usual Western-style diet supplemented with 60 g/day of raw mixed nuts (30 g of walnuts, 15 g of almonds, and 15 g of hazelnuts); and forty participants were assigned to a "control group" and they followed the usual Western-style diet but avoided nut consumption during the 14-week follow-up. Levels of nitric oxide and E-selectin (two biomarkers of erectile endothelial function) were measured. Participants also completed the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) questionnaire, which evaluated the influence of nuts on erectile function through 15 questions.
The results of the questionnaire observed a significant increase in some of the erectile function parameters in the nut-supplemented group. The study, conducted by Dr. Albert Salas-Huetos and led by Dr. Mňnica Bulló from Rovira i Virgili University in Spain, concluded that a Western-style diet supplemented with mixed nuts may help to improve erectile function.
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Keep it real: Simpler is better when it comes to healthy eating
Ottawa, Canada
A recent study, partially supported by the INC and published in the journal Nutrients1, observed a significant increase in erectile function after the consumption of 60 g/day of nuts. Lifestyle risk factors such as smoking or stress may influence erectile dysfunction through the vascular and nervous system. This study explored the effects of nut supplementation on erectile function.
Forty-three healthy males, aged 18-35, were assigned to a "nut group" and consumed the usual Western-style diet supplemented with 60 g/day of raw mixed nuts (30 g of walnuts, 15 g of almonds, and 15 g of hazelnuts); and forty participants were assigned to a "control group" and they followed the usual Western-style diet but avoided nut consumption during the 14-week follow-up. Levels of nitric oxide and E-selectin (two biomarkers of erectile endothelial function) were measured. Participants also completed the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) questionnaire, which evaluated the influence of nuts on erectile function through 15 questions.
The results of the questionnaire observed a significant increase in some of the erectile function parameters in the nut-supplemented group. The study, conducted by Dr. Albert Salas-Huetos and led by Dr. Mňnica Bulló from Rovira i Virgili University in Spain, concluded that a Western-style diet supplemented with mixed nuts may help to improve erectile function.
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Physicians Strongly Support House Effort to Protect Patients from Surprise Bills
Washington, DC
Out of the Middle, a coalition of leading health care providers, applauds the introduction of the bipartisan Protecting People from Surprise Medical Bills Act. This is the only legislative framework before Congress that takes patients out of the middle of medical billing disputes, continues to ensure patients have access to health care services when and where they need them, and provides a level playing field for physicians and insurers.
The Protecting People from Surprise Medical Bills Act directly addresses the root cause of surprise bills - inadequate insurance networks - and includes robust patient protections such as making sure people only pay in-network amounts for care, whether the care provided was in- or out-of-network. The bill also makes it easier for patients to understand the limits of their insurance coverage, protects their choice of doctor and preserves access to planned and emergency care.
Once patients are protected, this bill goes further than other legislative proposals to encourage transparency from insurance companies and ensure fair and efficient dispute resolution between physicians and insurers. This independent process protects patients' access to care, without adding cost, bureaucracy, or delay.
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Cohen Veterans Bioscience Issues National PTSD Awareness Day Progress Report
Boston, Massachusetts
Cohen Veterans Bioscience (CVB), a translational research public charity organization dedicated to fast-tracking personalized diagnostics and therapeutics for brain health, today provides a progress update on critical post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) programs, and issues proceedings from the first State of the Science Summit focused on PTSD.
Since the launch in November 2015 of its Veterans-focused programming, CVB has set an aggressive roadmap to ensure precision diagnosis and targeted therapeutics are a focus of national efforts and milestone-driven research:
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