Weekly Reaction 8: Butterfly numbers fall by 84% in Netherlands over 130 years – study
One of the things I find very interesting and I guess kind of ironic is that farming is the thing that has become detrimental to the environment. In my head, farming is cultivating more plants but it’s actually something that actually takes away from the habitat that once resided there and since it’s industrial it often doesn’t even allow the animals or insects to come near it. I remember hearing about the bees going extinct a while back so this article reminded me of that but of course I felt more upset about this since I actually really like butterflies. Bees I didn’t care as much since they stung me so many times but I know how important they are to the environment and even for us nutritionally. It’s also interesting that this is happening in Netherlands since I also have this misconception in my head that they are very conscious about these issues.
Weekly Reaction 9: Let nature heal climate and biodiversity crises, say campaigners
At first, when I read the title I was kind of taken aback because I thought it was trying imply that we should just not make a effort and just let nature handle our faith. However, after I actually read the article I understand that it is more nuanced than that. It’s a matter of reducing CO2 that is already existing in our atmosphere. Even if we stopped doing all the bad things we do to the environment, we’d still need to figure out a way to do that and that’s when nature pitches in. I think this makes total sense and is a great example of why we shouldn’t tamper with nature and the ecosystems of so many animals as they have such a large impact on our environment.
Weekly Reaction 10: Buildings are killing up to 1bn birds a year in US, scientists estimate
I already knew that these skyscrapers weren’t good for our environment but I never thought that it actually directly harmed animals. This is really interesting because what can one do in this situation? How can we solve this problem? These skyscrapers can’t be torn down. Like the article mentions turning off the lights might help but with the reflective nature of these buildings, how good would that do during the day? It’s a tricky situation.
Weekly Reaction 11: Trump administration sabotages major conservation effort, defying Congress
Leave it to Trump to make such a huge cut on something that is actually helpful for the environment and the people living around it. It’s crazy that he even bypassed the Congress’s decision to not make the cuts and went on with it without the permission. By doing this, he might be putting the already existing projects in jeopardy and prohibiting these organizations from actually doing some good.
Weekly Reaction 12: Alarm as study shows how microplastics are blown across the world
This is crazy! Even the most remote and protected places have micro plastics in them! They’re already in our waters from our clothing and the washing machine but now with the wind they are reaching mountains and inaccessible parts of the world that would’ve been otherwise considered protected. This made me feel kind of discouraged thinking how we’re going to clean this mess and do something about it. I really don’t know how we could solve this but we have to limit our usage of plastics for sure.
Weekly Reaction 13: Washington set to become 1st state to allow ‘human composting’
When I first saw the words human composting, I was taken aback but it honestly makes so much sense. When we die, we get buried anyways and we become one with the earth as our body decomposes. This would be the same but the process will be quickened and the body will decompose faster so it can be used as soil planting and fertilizing. In a way, it’s also somewhat poetic. You die and vanish from this existence but through your body life is brought upon earth. It’s almost like a reawakening.
Weekly Reaction 14: Hello, Little Microbe. Doesn’t This Jacket Look Yummy?
This article was not what I was expecting at all. I always mix up microbes with bacteria so I assumed it was going to be an article about hygiene. However, I was proven wrong instantly which intrigued me even more. I hadn’t realized that the word consumption comes from such a place, I never knew the history behind it but it all makes sense. I was shocked and excited to learn that there is a way to get rid of the polyester and that things don’t have to be as complex as we make them to be. Though I do believe that the complexity comes from the fact that we aren’t that well informed and are kind of mislead that there isn’t much we can’t do besides the very hazardous and drastic routes.
