That Environmental Blog

  I’m not posting this video to preach about vegetarianism or veganism, so spare me the grief (I still enjoy a good steak from time to time, even if it’s not often) but this little boy philosophizing about his octopus dinner is damned adorable. Redditor Phormicidae sums up this sweet video quite nicley: His philosophy is based solely on an emotional desire. What’s so touching is such deep compassion forming so early. And on that note: “If you don’t eat your octopus, you can’t have any pudding, how can you have any pudding if you don’t eat your octopus!”  …

This is just the most touching thing!

Some food companies are jumping ahead of the labeling debate and going non-GMO now—but finding the right ingredients can be a challenge.

At the Australian Museum we have created a virtual volunteering site and are trying to reach like-minded people who are interested in science, nature and biodiversity. 

If you feel that any of your members would be interested in taking part in transcribing specimen labels, field notes and journals from the comfort of their own home, we would love if you could forward this onto your members. 


Crowdsourcing Museum collections … 

The Australian Museum in partnership with the Atlas of Living Australia (www.ala.org.au) has created a crowdsourcing website that allows volunteers to assist the museum in transcribing its collections, anywhere anytime. 

• The Biodiversity Volunteer Portal (http://volunteer.ala.org.au/) is where volunteers can transcribe specimen labels, field notes, and expedition diaries. 

• Volunteers on the site say they feel that it is a rewarding experience knowing that the information they capture becomes accessible to scientists, conservation agencies and government departments across the country who can then work together to better understand, manage and conserve our precious biodiversity. 

We are seeking… 
… dedicated detail oriented people who are willing to join the community of volunteers who are helping with the daunting task of digitising the Museum’s large natural history collections. 

Get involved … 

… go to http://volunteer.ala.org.au and start transcribing historical labels and field notes now. 

Please forward this message to friends, colleagues, students and others who this opportunity may interest. 

For more information about contributing, please contact: 
Paul Flemons 
Australian Museum, Sydney 
Paul.Flemons@austmus.gov.au 
+61 2 9320 6343

holygoddamnshitballs:

Standing before a poster of the earth with the words “TIME TO WAKE UP” in bold lettering, SenatorSheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) delivered a speech yesterday that he must have known would get under conservatives’ skins. Shortly after the devastating tornado first touched down in Oklahoma, and before the first images of the destruction began to emerge, the senator spent 15 minutes on the Senate floor tearing into Republicans for their rejection of climate science. When a tornado like this one hits Oklahoma, Whitehouse explained, it doesn’t just affect the people who live there–it affects all of us.

“We are stuck in this together,” he said. “When cyclones tear up Oklahoma and hurricanes swamp Alabama and wildfires scorch Texas, you come to us, the rest of the country, for billions of dollars to recover. And the damage that your polluters and deniers are doing doesn’t just hit Oklahoma and Alabama and Texas. It hits Rhode Island with floods and storms. It hits Oregon with acidified seas, it hits Montana with dying forests. So, like it or not, we’re in this together.”

Whitehouse said he longed for a “Republican Party that has returned to its senses and is strong and a worthy adversary in a strong America that has done right by its people and the world.” He added, “I don’t want a Republican Party disgraced, that let its extremists run off the cliff, and an America suffering from grave economic and environmental and diplomatic damage because we failed, because we didn’t wake up and do our duty to our people, and because we didn’t lead the world. I do not want that future. But that’s where we’re headed. So I will keep reaching out and calling out, ever hopeful that you will wake up before it is too late.”

When a town turns to a perpetual disaster area, it might be time to move it.

robertseshelman:

Andrew Freedman at Climate Central writes about what, if any, connection there might be between human-caused climate change and more frequent, severe tornadoes of the type that devastated Moore, Oklahoma. 

You can find his clearly written survey of current scientific understanding here.

The New York Times offers an account of the atmospheric conditions that caused the tornado and explores the potential links to climate change. 

The short answer, says Freedman, is:

Tornado data does not reveal any clear trends in tornado occurrence or deaths that would suggest a clear tie to global warming, at least not yet. 

Atmospheric instability and wind shear are key conditions for the formation of tornadoes. A warming climate is expected to increase instability in the atmosphere and is projected to decrease wind shear.

Freedman says: 

A fact sheet from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on tornadoes and climate change describes the counteracting trends of decreasing shear and increasing instability in a warming world as a “tug of war.”

… which provides abundant research opportunity. So expect more published science on this topic soon. 

Advocacy group PCRM allows only vegan food in its workplace. Here’s a look at why they’re doing it and what employees think about it.