We begin with the political from MintPress News:
Election Day Could Make Or Break GMO Labeling Initiatives
The health impacts of GMOs are debatable, but the economic stakes are enormous. With mandatory GMO labeling referenda on the ballots in two states on Tuesday, voters will decide who sets the terms on their right to know what’s in their food: processors or themselves.
With a series of state-level victories and losses under their belts, supporters of labeling requirements for certain foods made with genetically modified ingredients are looking at Tuesday’s election as a potential tipping point.
State referenda on the issue are on this year’s ballots in two states, Oregon and Colorado. Passage in either state could lead to the first such legislation in the western United States, and would also mark the first time that citizens in this country have successfully forced through labeling requirements.
On one hand, polls have for years found that support for labeling requirements cuts across nearly all demographic and partisan lines, with more than nine in ten Americans supporting the mandatory marking of certain genetically modified foods. On the other hand, each of the previous state-level referenda on this issue, in California and Washington, have been voted down, albeit both by tiny margins.
“This election is particularly important because we’ve had extremely narrow losses in California and Washington over the past two years,” Katherine Paul, the associate director of the Organic Consumers Association, an advocacy group, told MintPress News. “So we need another big win, and a major milestone would be to get a citizen initiative passed.”
From Thomson Reuters Foundation, climate meets disease:
Climate-driven migration increasing disease burden in Ethiopia
When increasingly erratic weather ruined his crops of maize, wheat and barley in highland Maksegni, the middle-aged farmer migrated to Metemma, in northwest Ethiopia, to look for work in the lowland area’s commercial sesame and cotton plantations.
There he picked up more than work. Today the 39-year-old is infected with visceral leishmaniasis – a disease commonly called kalaazar – and with HIV.
The father of two, who is being treated at the University of Gondar, is among an estimated 300,000 Ethiopians who migrate to the plantations near the Sudan border every year, looking for new sources of income as their farms struggle.
Ills and forests from Science:
Deforestation releases deadly malaria parasite
A monkey-borne parasite has become the dominant cause of malaria in Malaysia, and deforestation may be to blame, according to a study presented today at the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene annual meeting in New Orleans. Once rare in humans, Plasmodium knowlesi is now responsible for more than two-thirds of hospitalized malaria patients in Malaysian Borneo.
Researchers suggest that over the past decade, massive loss of native forests to logging and palm oil production has significantly increased interaction between villagers and macaque monkeys, enabling the parasite to jump from animal to human hosts. If cases continue to rise, the researchers warn, mosquitoes could potentially transmit the parasite between humans, spreading the disease across Southeast Asia.
Qualified hope from the Verge:
We may have a dengue vaccine by 2015, trial suggests
The vaccine reduces the overall risk of dengue infection by 60 percent
An experimental dengue fever vaccine appears to be closer than ever to gaining approval for human use. According to the results of a large clinical trial — the third such trial the vaccine has undergone — receiving three doses of the vaccine reduces the overall risk of becoming infected with the tropical mosquito-borne disease by 60 percent. Moreover, the drug appears to be 95.5 percent protective against the most severe form of the disease, dengue hemorrhagic fever, which means that a widely-adopted vaccine could one day make a big dent in the number of dengue-related hospitalizations worldwide.
“There’s no vaccine for dengue currently, nor is there any specific treatment for managing illness in people who contract symptomatic dengue disease,” says Alain Bernal, a spokesperson for Sanofi Pasteur, the drug’s manufacturer and the trial’s sponsor. “These results show that our candidate vaccine has the potential to have a major public health impact.”
From MIT Technology Review, another take on that climate report:
Climate Panel Issues Dire Report as Renewables Make Little Impact
Latest synthesis report from U.N. panel says we’ve already emitted half the permissible greenhouse gases if we wish to avoid the worst
The latest comprehensive global scientific assessment of climate change, released on Sunday, sounds the direst warning yet about the need to drastically reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. But despite years of such reports, fossil-fuel use and human-caused emissions continue to rise, and renewable energy technologies have so far failed to make a significant difference.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a U.N.-convened panel of the world’s scientific community, estimates that in order to have a 66 percent chance of limiting total average warming to less than 2 °C relative to preindustrial levels—a goal widely seen as a threshold beyond which severe changes are far more likely—the world’s human population can emit no more than one trillion tons of carbon, and that we’ve already emitted more than half that much.
Avoiding going over one trillion tons would mean reducing greenhouse-gas emissions 40 to 70 percent by 2050 and slashing them to almost zero by 2100, the report estimates.
Designs on their genes from CBC News:
U.S. gene patents: Patient care stymied in Canada, hospital claims
‘Genes are not inventions,’ medical geneticist says
An Ottawa hospital is challenging the legality of gene patents that hamper the ability of doctors to freely screen for potentially deadly genetic diseases without fear of being sued for patent violations.
On Monday, the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) started a legal process in Federal Court that could decide if human genes can be patented in Canada.
“The core position really is that no one should be able to patent human DNA,” said Alex Munter, president and CEO of the Ottawa-based CHEO. “It would be like patenting water or air.”
“It’s about whether Canadian hospitals can provide genetic testing to Canadian patients and really give them the top quality of care,” said Richard Gold, a lawyer and intellectual property expert at McGill University in Montreal, who is advising the hospital pro bono.
And the video report from CBC’s The National:
Ottawa Hospital challenges genetic patents law
Program notes:
Patenting genes is already illegal in the U.S, but American companies can still hold patents in Canada – preventing hospitals from doing their own genetic testing.
An avian alert from the Guardian:
Common bird species such as sparrow and skylark facing decline in Europe
Some rarer birds have grown in number over last 30 years due to conservation efforts while some well known species have fallen
Bird populations across Europe have decreased by over 420 million in the past 30 years, according to a study that brings together the results of scientific surveys in 25 countries While some rarer species have seen an increase in numbers due to concerted conservation efforts, more common species across Europe are facing a steep decline.
Some of the birds that have suffered the most alarming declines are the most well known species including the house sparrow which has fallen in number by 147m or 62%, the starling (53%) and skylark (46%).
The study looked at 144 species across Europe between 1980 and 2009. Dividing the species up into four groups, from extremely rare to most common, analysts found that a small number of common species declined by over 350 million –over 80% of the total population decline of birds in that time period overall. Rarer birds, in contrast, increased by over 21,000 in the same time period.
And from Agence France-Presse, a graphic look at the decline:
More avian news from Science:
Birds found using human musical scales for the first time
The flutelike songs of the male hermit thrush (Catharus guttatus) are some of the most beautiful in the animal kingdom. Now, researchers have found that these melodies employ the same mathematical principles that underlie many Western and non-Western musical scales—the first time this has been seen in any animal outside humans. The scientists analyzed the spectrograms (barcodelike representations of the frequencies in a sound) of 71 songs containing 10 or more notes made by 14 of the birds; the songs were collected across North America over more than 50 years by various individuals.
Their statistical models showed that 57 of these songs closely resembled what musicians term a harmonic series—that is, the pitches of the notes follow a mathematical distribution known as integer multiples. Human musical scales are governed by these same mathematical constraints. It’s doubtful that the similarity is due to the physics of the birds’ vocal tract, the team reports online today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Rather, it seems male hermit thrushes choose to sing notes from these harmonic series. It may be that such notes are easier for the males to remember, or provide a ready yardstick for their chief critics—female hermit thrushes. The study adds to other research indicating that human music is not solely governed by cultural practices, but is also at least partially determined by biology.
From Public Radio International, ah, that mountain air!:
Dust from mountaintop mining promotes the growth of cancer cells, a new study says
A new study published in the Environmental Science and Technology Journal is the first to link conditions created by a particular kind of mining with biological changes in human lung cells of people living near those active mines.
“We found that dust collected from residential communities close to mountaintop removal mining sites caused changes in human lung cells indicative of cancer development and progression,” says Dr. Michael Hendryx, professor of applied science at Indiana University.
Cells exposed to dust collected from communities farther away from mining did not show the same changes. “This is an important new development in the research line,” Hendryx says.
After the jump, veterans fight for toxic ailments benefits, parsing the sea level rise, an El Salvadorean corporate water commons capture, Beijing’s Potemkin Village pollution posing, billions in tar sands opportunity loss costs, Japan launches disaster aps for tourists, on to Fukushimapocalypse Now!, first with survivor self help efforts, Another reactor complex wins a restart endorsement, and experts urge a rewrite for a reactor volcanic danger report. . .
A benefits fight from the National Journal:
Victims of Toxic Chemicals Fight for Benefits From VA
Veterans who were exposed to toxic contaminants during their service are increasingly becoming casualties in a war with the government—particularly the Veterans Affairs Department—which they say has a record of delaying and denying benefits promised to them by acts of Congress.
The list of victims is growing, especially among former Marines who spent time at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina when the drinking water was tainted with carcinogens for decades from hazardous-waste dumping at one of the largest military bases in the country.
At least two men who were assigned to Camp Lejeune when the water was contaminated died in the past year from breast cancer, which is extremely rare in males; another is dying of lung cancer his doctor says was caused by the base’s poisoned water; and another says he cannot afford treatment for liver cancer he believes stems from chemical exposure at Camp Lejeune.
Parsing the sea level rise with the Guardian:
New research reveals what’s causing sea level to rise
Sea level rise is half due to melting ice and half due to ocean warming, including 13% from the deepest oceans, a new paper has found
There have been a number of studies recently on ocean warming and sea-level rise. Collectively, they are helping scientists unite around an emerging understanding of climate change and its impact on the Earth.
Most recently, a study by scientists Sarah Purkey, Gregory Johnson, and Don Chambers was published. This team was responsible for a 2010 paper that was groundbreaking in that it quantified very deep (abyssal) sea warming. This latest paper is, in some respects, a continuation of that work.
The researchers recognised that changes to sea levels are mainly caused by thermal expansion of ocean waters as they heat, changes to the saltiness of water, and an increase in ocean waters as ice melts and flows into the sea. The total annual sea level rise is about 3mm per year – the question is, how much of that is from expansion and how much is from melting?
An El Salvadorean corporate water commons capture, via the Guardian:
Water everywhere for profit in Nejapa, but few drops for local people to drink
While big companies make millions from El Salvador’s water-rich Nejapa municipality, locals have little or no access to water
Ana Luisa Najarro’s neighbours include some of the world’s largest corporations. Down the street from her house, giant drinks manufacturers have set up a series of factories and warehouses, bottling water and fizzy drinks for distribution across the country and export across central America.
Coca-Cola is here, bottled by a subsidiary of SABMiller, the world’s second-largest brewer. A Mexican juice multinational has also moved in, as has a large bottled water company.
Millions of dollars are made by major beverage businesses in Nejapa, an expanding industrial area in El Salvador near where Najarro lives. But despite living down the road, and on top of one of the country’s largest aquifers, she says she struggles every day to find enough clean water to drink.
“Nejapa is a gold mine for water. It’s rich in water, and the communities have no access,” says Najarro, sitting in her garden. Her family has lived on this plot for three generations and she remembers a time when water was plentiful. “There were beautiful rivers you could go to and wash or swim. Now we can’t use the water for anything,” she says. “The water in the river is dirty; it’s dead water.”
Beijing’s Potemkin Village pollution posing from South China Morning Post:
Beijing’s short-term fixes fail to address real causes of pollution
Temporarily shutting factories and other short-term measures not the answer, experts say
The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum is China’s highest profile event since the 2008 Olympics. Authorities had hoped the setting at Yanqi Lake and the new facilities could help refashion the image of the capital overseas, where it usually only makes headlines for its pollution or traffic congestion.
While hundreds of factories will stand idle in Beijing and surrounding Hebei province, whether the smog returns to the capital during the summit depends largely on the weather. Beijing’s environmental and meteorological authorities held a third joint meeting on October 24 to fine-tune weather and pollution forecasts ahead of the summit. Beijing Mayor Wang Anshun has urged officials in both departments to ensure forecasts are accurate.
Mainland authorities have developed successful tactics to reduce air pollution for large-scale events beginning with the Olympics. Weeks ahead of the event, factories in six provinces around the capital were ordered to suspend production, and half the city’s cars were taken off the capital’s roads. Similar measures were employed for Guangzhou’s 2010 Asian Games and this year’s Youth Games in Nanjing .
However, experts say the repeated use of such measures to lift smog for political reasons may do more harm than good to the mainland’s pledge to clean up its air pollution in the long run.
Billions in tar sands opportunity loss costs from the Guardian:
Public opposition has cost tar sands industry $17bn, says report
Protests helped stymie three major tar sands projects this year, as industry is beset with transportation problems
Anti-tar sands campaigns have cost the industry a staggering $17bn (£11bn) in lost revenues, and helped to push it onto the backfoot, according to a study by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), and Oil Change International.
Another $13.8bn has been lost to transportation bottlenecks and the flood of cheap crude coming from shale oil fields, says the Material Risks report, which presents the first quantification of the impact that environmental campaigners have had on the unconventional energy business.
“Industry officials never anticipated the level and intensity of public opposition to their massive build-out plans,” said Steve Kretzmann, Oil Change International’s executive director. “Legal and other challenges are raising new issues related to environmental protection, indigenous rights and the disruptive impact of new pipeline proposals. Business as usual for Big Oil – particularly in the tar sands – is over.”
Japan launches disaster aps for tourists, via NHK WORLD:
Tourism Agency develops disaster warning apps
Japan’s Tourism Agency has developed a smartphone application to help foreign travelers in the event of natural disasters.
Many tourists were not given evacuation guidance when a massive earthquake and tsunami hit northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011.
The new application will enable foreign travelers to receive emergency warnings in English and to ask for help in 4 languages. They can download the software at airports and other locations.
The agency has also compiled earthquake and tsunami guidelines in 4 languages to help foreign visitors. The agency recommends that hotel guests do not rush outside if an earthquake hits. It also urges them to move to higher ground if a tsunami is expected.
On to Fukushimapocalypse Now!, first with survivor self help efforts from the Mainichi:
Fukushima town evacuees work to connect fellow displaced citizens
On Oct. 18, reconstruction assistant Makie Tomikawa, 55, finished visiting 103 households spread across Japan, from the Kinki region to Hokuriku on the Sea of Japan. All these families were once part of the same community — the town of Namie, Fukushima Prefecture — before they were forced to flee by the Fukushima nuclear disaster. Tomikawa’s goal: to help reconnect the dispersed residents.
The entire town of Namie — some 20,000 people — was evacuated following the March 2011 disaster, with some 6,000 leaving Fukushima Prefecture altogether.
Several of the areas hit by the disaster went on to hire reconstruction assistants to provide support to residents and help revitalize local communities. The town of Namie hired 30 such assistants, who have been entrusted with making personal visits to displaced Namie residents around the country.
Another reactor complex wins a restart endorsement, with the Japan Times:
Kagoshima governor positive after METI briefing on reactor restart
Kagoshima Gov. Yuichiro Ito has accepted the explanation offered by Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Yoichi Miyazawa about the government’s plan to restart the Sendai nuclear plant.
Miyazawa “clearly explained the need for the restart,” Ito told reporters after the pair met Monday in the prefectural government building.
The governor will likely grant his approval for reactivating the plant if the Kagoshima Prefectural Assembly, as expected, votes in favor of the move this Friday.
And a rewrite is called for, via NHK WORLD:
Volcano experts call for guideline review
The requirements set by the Nuclear Regulation Authority, or NRA, urge nuclear power plant operators to take disaster control measures if signs are detected of major eruptions that would pose a threat to nuclear power plants.
Under the regulations, the NRA approved safety measures in September for the Sendai nuclear power plant in Kagoshima Prefecture in southwestern Japan. The plant is operated by the Kyushu Electric Power Company.
The utility says it will remove nuclear fuel from the plant if there are any signs of an impending major volcanic eruption. But a committee organized by the Volcanological Society of Japan is proposing a review of the NRA’s policy.
Kyoto University Professor Kazuhiro Ishihara, who chairs the committee, said academic society must clearly inform the public about the limitations to predicting volcanic eruptions. He called for broad discussions by researchers and government officials on safety measures related to such eruptions.
