Elaine Meinel Supkis
I have extensive field and forest here. And normally, we have lots of songbirds. But I have been noticing during springtime, the forest is increasingly silent. Now, scientists have discovered, the woodland bird population is dying from the effects of mercury poisoning which comes from all those coal burning powerplants. The 'Clear Skies Act' the GOP passed simply deals with particulate matter, not nearly invisible gasses and chemicals.
This is another canary in the mine moment.
By ANTHONY DePALMA
Published: July 25, 2006
A biologist studying wild songbirds in New York State has found that all 178 woodland birds he tested last year had unusually high levels of mercury in their blood and feathers, a sign that the toxic chemical has spread farther in the environment than previously thought.*snip*
In May, Gov. George E. Pataki proposed cutting mercury emissions from New York power plants in half by 2010, setting standards that would be substantially more stringent than new federal regulations on mercury. State environmental officials are drawing up regulations, and then will take public comments before adopting them.
Because of prevailing winds, New York gets a lot of the pollutants from the South and Midwest in summer in particular. In winter, we get wind from the polar regions which is relatively clean. But summer means really filthy air that is either trapped up here or is compressed by frontal systems, concentrating the smog. We have extensive ozone alerts even in the distant hilltowns that are far from the cities.
Certainly, the springs here are quieter and quieter as the population of woodland birds decreases. Fewer survive the journey north and when they are here, they are getting weaker. I often wonder about this, for I feed birds and it has been noticable how unhealthy many of them look. Often, it is the poor grooming that is noticable.
Birds preen themselves a lot. This keeps their feathers waterproof and in good order so they can fly and not have gaps between the feathers which have interlacing elements.
Mercury poisoning affects the nervous system and in particular, the young.
As we increase our use of coal for energy, this will get worse and worse. And as we pump CO2 into the atmosphere in summer, it makes it hotter and increases airconditioning use which leads to burning even more coal, a very vicious circle.
California continues to have many fires due to heat and drought.
ALPINE, California (AP) -- Fire officials pleaded for additional manpower to battle a 7,000-acre wildfire near the California-Mexico border as stifling heat baked the state in triple-digit temperatures.Several lightning-sparked wildfires have scorched the state in recent weeks, straining firefighting resources. Crews working to contain the forest wildfire were awaiting relief from firefighters and equipment tied up elsewhere.
"We're really strapped right now," said U.S. Forest Service spokesman Jake Rodriguez. "We're putting in orders for more men and more air support, and we're just waiting for them to be released."
California is a stressed ecosystem. In upstate NY, I was out today, visiting farms here and except for two dairy farms, the hundreds of farms whether they be chicken farms, dairy or beef farms or sheep farms, much less, vegetable farms, are all gone. There are virtually none left. Even hayfields are falling fallow due to high cost of fuel. As population leaves here, they go to the south. To California. To all those places that are now becoming increasingly uninhabitable and which require massive airconditioning to be habitable as the north empties out of former inhabitants.
By RANDAL C. ARCHIBOLD
Published: July 25, 2006
LOS ANGELES, July 24 — Days of heat and humidity have driven demand for electricity to record highs in California and other states. If people cannot take the weather anymore, neither can transformers and other equipment, which have sputtered and shorted out and left tens of thousands of people without power.The authorities in California, which is normally cooler and drier this time of year, warned on Monday that the high demand could lead to rolling blackouts, a dreaded term here that brings reminders of the widespread blackouts during the energy crisis of 2000 and 2001.
Most buildings in the south and west are built with zero interest in making them habitable without massive amounts of energy. This is true of the north, too, in winter. I rarely see any houses with windows oriented to the south, anywhere. The biggest windows always face the street nearly without exception.
This also puzzles me because the street is where the noise and pollution is concentrated! But that is our cultural habit at work. Clinging to this malfunctioning system means destroying our environment. The invisible poisonings and pollutions are most dangerous because they can't be seen like soot. So we go about our business, ignorant. This is why the fraud of the 'Clear Skies Act' was so noxious. All the scientists were overruled and the GOP delibrately made it all about keeping the air looking nice, not clean.
The Amazon has a very dangerous drought as does Australia.
Residents of a drought-stricken Australian town will vote this week on whether they're prepared to drink water recycled from sewage -- the first such scheme in the country and one of only a handful in the world.The controversial proposal has divided the town of Toowoomba in the state of Queensland, which has faced water restrictions for a decade.
Local Mayor Dianne Thorley, who is leading the "Yes" campaign, said that without drought-breaking rains the town's dams could dry up within two years.
She insisted the 73 million dollar (US 55 million dollar) plan to pump purified wastewater back into the main reservoir for drinking was safe.
Of course, getting rid of water-flush toilets would make everything much, much easier but we won't see any sane proposals about that since all desert communities settled by people within the British Empire all act as if this is Merrie England with endless rain only England is suffering from air pollution, drought and super heat, too!
BBC News: Sensors in space have recorded the dramatic increases in land temperatures and air pollution as the UK swelters in record-breaking July heat.The images show major cities like London, Birmingham and Liverpool experiencing the highest levels of the air pollutant nitrogen dioxide (NO2).
It was understandable that people 200 years ago would be kind of cheap and simply throw their waste into the nearest stream. The technology for pouring human waste where it doesn't belong is now set in cement. We will persist in this no matter how bad it gets! The drugs we consume including birth control harmones, go into the water and into nature. And it can't be 'purified' out all that easily which is why wildlife is feeling its dire effects and certainly, humans are, too. Note how many women in 'developed' countries are finding it increasingly hard to bear young.
Five years ago was eating fish (all kinds) for protein content because it agreed with my Crohn's diseased health. It was also turning me into a "Mad Hatter". I called it angry for no reason that led to suicidal thoughts. Went to homeopathic MD and recommenced blood be check for Mercury. Found Mercury 22.6 PPB (< =9 PPB acceptable limit) Blood work done by Great Smokies Diagnostic Laboratory. Today, no more "anger for no reason"
Is "road rage" besides impoliteness being induced by Methyl Mercury and other metal organics causing nerve system destruction?
Posted by: Sarah R | July 27, 2006 at 09:45 AM