NEITHER BEZO'S NOR BONO, GATES NOR GELDOF

Elite philanthropy does little to solve problems caused by rising social inequalities

Research shows giving by the super-wealthy in the United States and United Kingdom increases the sway of donors in society, education and politics

UNIVERSITY OF BATH

Research News

Giving at scale by the super-wealthy has done little to redistribute wealth from rich to poor, helping perpetuate social inequalities rather than remedying them, while paying considerable dividends to donors in the form of privilege and influence in society and politics, new research shows.

In the research paper 'Elite philanthropy in the United States and the United Kingdom in the new age of inequalities' researchers at the University of Bath School of Management and Newcastle University Business School also conclude that giving by the super-wealthy has failed significantly to benefit poor countries in the developing world, contrary to popular belief.

"This is a difficult area for many to come to terms with - it can be argued that any philanthropy is a good thing and that holds true if it is genuinely altruistic. But what we have identified is that elite philanthropy may actually be perpetuating inequality by favouring elite causes, by increasing the influence and power of the super-rich, and by increasing tolerance of inequalities by ordinary people," said Professor Mairi Maclean of the University of Bath School of Management.

Maclean said the research shows how elite philanthropy conspicuously increases the social standing of the super-wealthy, with donors receiving honours, distinctions and favourable media coverage. She said much elite philanthropy supports elite causes and institutions, a source of prestige for donors but a factor in sustaining or even increasing social inequality.

Maclean acknowledged that some very wealthy people have given away sizeable parts of their fortunes but said the research shows that most of their peers do not, with combined donations amounting to only a small percentage of the total wealth of the super-rich. "The fact is most super-wealthy people give very little relative to their means."

Her co-researcher at Newcastle University Business School, Professor Charles Harvey, said, "The greater part of funding stays at home in developed countries. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is one of a handful of foundations to embrace international development, but even in this case much of the spend is on research and development in developed countries. Development funding by philanthropic foundations is in fact dwarfed by taxpayer funded spending on overseas development assistance."

The research shows that funding frequently comes with strings attached, with the super-rich able to pursue personal and political agendas through major charitable foundations. Some, by dint of their financial clout, are able to influence governments and the prestigious educational institutions that attract a major part of high-end donations.

"Universities like Harvard and Yale in the United States, and Oxford and Cambridge in the UK gobble up the lion's share of philanthropic funding, conferring on them a significant competitive advantage and arguably sustaining social inequality," Maclean added.

Maclean said the research team identified several incentives for elite philanthropists, including the amassing of 'social and cultural capital', such as receiving honours like as knighthoods in the United Kingdom for their services to charity. Viewed in this light, donors can effectively buy their way into circles of influence and networks. Tax advantages also play a part.

"In both the US and UK, philanthropists have their giving power boosted by being able to offset their donations against their tax bills. This looks, on the face of it, like a good thing to encourage giving. But it means those funds can be diverted into areas in which they have an interest or wish to exert influence or gain prestige. They, rather than governments, are effectively deciding how and where their taxes should be spent," Harvey said.

Maclean said attempts to reform this tax issue - most notably an initiative by former British Chancellor George Osborne to put a cap on tax relief on donations - had failed in the recent past. Philanthropists had almost universally opposed any changes to a system that many critics believe is an unjustifiable form of state conferred elite privilege.

"It is easy to be cynical about this. We do accept that many elite philanthropists act sincerely to improve the lives of others and that there are many generous and outstanding philanthropists, but we suggest that altruism alone does not explain their actions. It is far more likely that philanthropy yields substantive rewards beyond the emotional satisfactions of beneficence - and our research bears this out," Maclean said.

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The study by Mairi Maclean, Charles Harvey and Ruomei Yang of the Centre for Research on Entrepreneurship, Wealth and Philanthropy (REWP) at Newcastle University, and Frank Mueller of Durham University Business School, can be accessed at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/ijmr.12247

Notes to editors

For further information please contact Tony Roddam at the University of Bath press office on +44 7971 500460 or press@bath.ac.uk or Dawn Tudge at the Newcastle University press office on +44 7971 115495 or dawn.tudge@newcastle.ac.uk

University of Bath

The University of Bath is one of the UK's leading universities both in terms of research and our reputation for excellence in teaching, learning and graduate prospects.

The University is rated Gold in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF), the Government's assessment of teaching quality in universities, meaning its teaching is of the highest quality in the UK.

In the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2014 research assessment 87 per cent of our research was defined as 'world-leading' or 'internationally excellent'. From developing fuel efficient cars of the future, to identifying infectious diseases more quickly, or working to improve the lives of female farmers in West Africa, research from Bath is making a difference around the world. Find out more: http://www.bath.ac.uk/research/

Well established as a nurturing environment for enterprising minds, Bath is ranked highly in all national league tables. We are ranked 6th in the UK by The Guardian University Guide 2021, and 9th in both The Times & Sunday Times Good University Guide 2021 and the Complete University Guide 2021. Our sports offering was rated as being in the world's top 10 in the QS World University Rankings by Subject in 2021.

Newcastle University

Newcastle University, UK, is a thriving international community of more than 29,000 students from over 130 countries worldwide. A member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities in the UK, Newcastle has a world-class reputation for research excellence in the fields of medicine, science and engineering, social sciences and the humanities. Our academics are sharply focused on responding to the major challenges facing society today. Our research and teaching are world-leading in areas as diverse as health, culture, technology and the environment. The Research Excellence Framework 2014 (REF) placed Newcastle University 16th in the UK for Research Power and the vast majority of our research (78%) was assessed to be world-leading or internationally excellent. Newcastle University is committed to providing our students with excellent, research-led teaching delivered by dedicated and passionate teachers. This is reaffirmed by achieving the best possible outcome - a Gold Award - in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) and is placed in the top 10 in Europe for teaching excellence in the Times Higher Education Europe Teaching Rankings. See http://www.ncl.ac.uk/press/about/keyfacts/ for more.

CANADA

Access to Cancer Surgery in a Universal Health Care System During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Antoine Eskander, MD, ScM^1,2,3; Qing Li, MMath¹; Julie Hallet, MD, MSc^1,2,4; et alNatalie Coburn, MD, MSc^1,2,4; Timothy P. Hanna, MD, PhD^1,5,6; Jonathan Irish, MD, MSc³; Rinku Sutradhar, PhD^1,2

Author Affiliations Article Information

JAMA Netw Open. 2021;4(3):e211104. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.1104

March 11, 2021

Introduction

For many cancers, surgery is central to diagnosis and treatment and is the only curative modality. Treatment delay can result in a missed opportunity for cure and can worsen outcomes.^1-3 Postponing cancer surgery may cost more lives than can be saved by diverting surgical resources and services to managing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection.^1,2 Delays in surgical care and a backlog of new cancer diagnoses will place unprecedented pressures on health care systems, particularly those with a limited ability to increase throughput.⁴ Data are lacking on the effect of pandemic deferral policies on cancer surgery case volumes and whether specific subgroups have been disproportionately affected. These data are required to inform surgical policies during future waves of the COVID-19 pandemic, ensuring optimal outcomes and equitable care.⁴ Although sociodemographic factors (such as belonging to a minority racial or ethnic group, having low income, and having a nonrural residence) have been associated with increased COVID-19 infection rates and less access to treatment,^5,6 little is known about whether these factors were also associated with access to cancer surgery during the pandemic. Therefore, we sought to quantify the cancer surgical backlog and determine whether there were differences in sociodemographic and hospital characteristics among patients undergoing cancer surgery in the pre– and peri–COVID-19 periods.

Methods

This was a population-based retrospective cohort study in Ontario, Canada, that was approved by the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre research ethics board. This study followed the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) reporting guideline. Informed consent was waived because this was a population-based retrospective study. The weekly volume of a comprehensive and well-defined list of cancer-directed hospital-based surgical procedures was determined using Canadian Institute for Health Information procedure codes between January 7, 2018, and June 27, 2020. Only institutions that provided complete data during this period were included in the study.

Segmented regression models were constructed to quantify (1) the surgical volume trend pre–COVID-19 (January 7, 2018, to March 14, 2020; preperiod slope), (2) the immediate decrease in surgical volume at the start of the pandemic (March 15, 2020; change in intercept), and (3) the surgical volume trend during the peri–COVID-19 period (periperiod slope, March 15 to June 27, 2020). In comparing patient characteristics from the pre–COVID-19 period with the peri–COVID-19 period, a standardized difference of greater than 0.1 was used to indicate a meaningful difference between groups. Statistical analysis was performed using SAS Enterprise Guide 7.15 (SAS Institute).

Results

We included 543 751 patients (mean [SD] age, 56.9 [16.9] years; 332 156 [61.1%] women) from 112 of 120 hospitals (93.3%) eligible for analysis. There was an immediate 60% decrease in the mean surgical volume on March 15, 2020, compared with the mean surgical volume in the pre–COVID-19 period. This decrease was followed by a 6% increase in mean surgical volume each subsequent week. Surgical volumes did not return to pre–COVID-19 numbers by June 27, 2020 (Figure), resulting in 35 671 fewer completed surgical procedures in the peri–COVID-19 period than the pre–COVID-19 period.

There were few sociodemographic differences between the patients who received surgery in the pre– or peri–COVID-19 period (Table). Measures, such as material deprivation, rurality, immigration, and region, did not differ between patients treated in the pre– or peri–COVID-19 period. However, compared with the pre-COVID-19 period, cancer surgery in the peri–COVID-19 period was more often considered urgent (78 263 [15.4%] vs 9365 [27.6%]; standardized difference, 0.30) and performed more frequently at teaching hospitals (360 807 [29.2%] vs 11 628 [34.2%]; standardized difference, 0.11) and in inpatient settings (233 522 [45.8] vs 20 700 [60.9]; standardized difference, 0.31).

Discussion

An immediate 60% decrease in cancer-directed surgery was associated with measures aimed at creating capacity for COVID-19 admissions. This decrease led to major disruptions in cancer care with a large deficit of completed cases in the peri–COVID-19 period compared with the pre–COVID-19 period. Importantly, in a universal publicly funded health care environment, sociodemographic factors were not associated with receipt of surgery in the early peri–COVID-19 period. This suggests equally equitable access to surgical care for patients treated in the early peri–COVID-19 period compared with the pre–COVID-19 period. This study is limited by the lack of timely access to the provincial cancer registry data, which decreased cancer specificity (due to data lag). However, these cancer-directed procedures, whether specifically performed for cancer or not, provide insight to cancer surgical services. Further work is needed to ensure patients experiencing material deprivation are not disadvantaged as cancer diagnostic services increase. The Canadian universal health care context is uniquely positioned to answer cancer outcome questions with an equity lens during the COVID-19 pandemic.

READ ON

Access to Cancer Surgery in a Universal Health Care System During the COVID-19 Pandemic | Oncology | JAMA Network Open | JAMA Network

Nova Scotia judge grants injunction against protesters blockading logging road

A Nova Scotia Supreme Court judge has issued a permanent injunction against a blockade of logging roads in southwestern Nova Scotia

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© Provided by The Canadian Press

Justice Kevin Coady says in a written decision issued Thursday that Westfor Management Inc. established a strong case against Extinction Rebellion, and that the forestry group would suffer irreparable harm if the blockades were permitted to resume.

The protesters set up camps on logging roads near the Caribou River on Oct. 21, saying they were protecting the habitat of endangered mainland moose.

On Dec. 10, an interim injunction was granted ordering them to stop the blockades, and five days after that, the RCMP arrested nine people and the two roads were reopened.

In granting the permanent injunction, Coady noted Extinction Rebellion never sought a judicial review of the minister's original decisions permitting the logging to proceed.

HE CAN'T ITS APPROVED PRACTICE UNDER ARBITRATED LABOUR LAW SECONDARY PICKETING 
However, the judge refused to grant a wider, more sweeping injunction that would have prohibited the protesters from blockading other forestry operations run by Westfor.

Coady also declined to order the advocacy group to cover legal costs of the forestry company, noting, "this organization, and similar public interest groups, are well-intentioned and play a role in our modern-day democracy."

Marcus Zwicker, general manager of Westfor, said in a release that the company was pleased, as "the judge found that laws must be followed."

"The families that depend on forestry have a right to earn a living and the protesters illegal blockades were stopping people from going to work,” Zwicker said.

However, Extinction Rebellion member Nina Newington said her group was delighted by the decision, because Coady refused the wider injunction.

"Given how heavily the case law around injunctions favours resource extraction companies, this was quite a win for us," she said in a news release.

"Now if the government will do its job as promised, protecting the habitat of endangered species and reforming barbaric forestry practices, Nova Scotians won’t have to put themselves at risk again."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 11, 2021.

The Canadian Press

SEPARATIST IDEA, DANGEROUS AND LESS VALUE THAN CPP
Next step on Alberta pension plan in spring, but no change without referendum: Kenney
STEALING OUR PENSION MONEY TO GIVE TO BIG OIL

EDMONTON — Premier Jason Kenney says his government will make a decision this spring on whether to pursue pulling Alberta out of the Canada Pension Plan

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BANDIT KENNEY LEADER OF THE UCP GANG

MORE REFORM PARTY FIREALL ALBERTA BULLSHIT

 FROM THE NINTIES RETURNS 

© Provided by The Canadian Press

But Kenney says even if the United Conservative government proceeds, Albertans will have the final say through a referendum on whether to create an Alberta Pension Plan.

Treasury Department officials are currently studying the feasibility of Alberta going it alone on a provincial plan.

The move follows a report released last summer from the province’s Fair Deal Panel.

The panel reported that given Alberta’s young population a separate pension plan could be a multibillion-dollar net benefit.

However, the panel noted that it heard a lot of reaction both for and against a separate plan and that Albertans want assurance that the money will be there when they retire.

Kenney made the comment Wednesday when asked by Opposition NDP Leader Rachel Notley about the pension plan project during committee discussions on the 2021 Alberta budget.

“We are awaiting results of a technical study being led by Treasury Board and Finance in co-operation with external experts to look at the costs, the benefits, and the potential structure of an Alberta Pension Plan, similar to the Quebec Pension Plan,” said Kenney.

“If the conclusion is that it would be a net benefit to Alberta and our economy while strengthening our province, then we may proceed with that referendum.

“Final decisions on that will be made later this spring.”

Alberta is already proceeding with a referendum in October on whether it should try to seek a more beneficial deal on equalization payments.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 10, 2021.

The Canadian Press

Geothermal project moves forth with new drilling partner

Alberta No. 1, located south of Grande Prairie and set to become the first commercial-scale geothermal facility in the province, has a new drilling provider.

The No. 1 Geothermal Limited Partnership entered into an agreement with the Calgary-based Akita Drilling for the exploration well of the geothermal project, according to Alberta No. 1.

“We have always stewarded Alberta No. 1 as a geothermal project ‘built in Alberta by Albertans,’” said Catherine Hickson, Alberta No. 1 CEO.

In 2019 Terrapin and Municipal District of Greenview council announced the intention to develop a geothermal energy facility in the Gold Creek area.

The Edmonton-based company Terrapin Geothermics developed Alberta No. 1, which is partly funded by Natural Resources Canada’s emerging renewable power program.

The project is budgeted at $90 million and is projected for completion in the first quarter of 2024, according to Hickson.

Alberta No. 1 is expected to produce at least five megawatts electric (MWe) net of electricity and 300 terajoules of thermal energy per year for local industry, Hickson said.

This energy is expected to benefit the forestry, manufacturing and agriculture industries.

Alberta No. 1 is further expected to create more than 300 direct and indirect jobs, according to Hickson.

Brad Quarin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Town & Country News

As climate fight shifts to oil, Biden faces a formidable foe

CASPER, Wyo. — President Joe Biden’s bid to tackle climate change is running straight through the heart of the U.S. oil and gas industry -- a much bigger, more influential foe than Democrats faced when they took on the coal industry during the Obama years.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

Coal dominated U.S. power generation for decades, with the bulk of that fuel coming from the massive strip mines of Wyoming’s Powder River Basin — a market that collapsed in recent years as utilities switched to natural gas.

Fast forward to 2021 — and oil and gas have eclipsed coal to become the biggest source of greenhouse emissions from public lands and waters, federal production data indicates. That’s made government fuel sales an irresistible target for Democrats as they try to rein in climate change.

Biden’s election has put big oil companies on the defensive after largely having their way in Washington under President Donald Trump. But in taking on petroleum companies with a moratorium on oil and gas lease sales, Biden picked a foe that spent lavishly over decades to secure allegiance from Republican lawmakers.

The industry is also deeply enmeshed in local economies -- from Alaska and the Gulf Coast to the Rocky Mountain drilling hub of Casper, Wyoming -- posing a challenge to the Democrat as he tries to navigate between strong action on the climate and recovering from the pandemic's financial devastation.

“You’re not hurting the big guys that are doing all the development. You’re hurting these little guys that are dreaming up where no one else thought there was any oil and gas,” said Steve Degenfelder, land manager for family-owned Kirkwood Oil & Gas in Casper, a community of about 60,000 known as The Oil City.

Trump’s final months in office saw a huge spike in new drilling permits after his administration sped up approvals. As a result, some companies with the biggest presence on public lands have announced that they are ready to weather changes under Biden.

An executive from Devon Energy told investors last month that the company was “ready to roll with the punches” and has about 500 drilling permits in hand. That will last the company for years in Wyoming and New Mexico.

“They expected this....They prepared for it,” said University of Oklahoma Associate Professor Robert Lifset, who teaches history of the U.S. energy industry. “But the difference now is going to be stark. (Oil and gas companies) don’t get to run energy and environmental policy in the way they once did.”

Gone from power in Washington are former industry lobbyists including Trump’s Interior Department secretary, David Bernhardt, who oversaw a loosening of rules for drilling. They’ve been replaced in many instances with environmentalists and industry critics. Biden’s nominee for Interior secretary, New Mexico Rep. Deb Haaland, has a history of anti-oil activism.

Just a week after his inauguration, Biden announced the sales moratorium while officials review potential climate impacts and whether energy companies are paying enough. He's following a familiar template -- a 2016 Obama-era moratorium on federal coal sales that Trump and other Republicans seized on as evidence of a “war on coal” by Democrats.

That last “war” was against a retreating army: Coal production in Wyoming peaked in 2008 — and by the time of the moratorium, most major coal companies had gone bankrupt and scuttled plans for major expansions.

The oil industry stumbled last year during the coronavirus pandemic and a price war, but now companies such as Devon, EOG Resources and Occidental Petroleum are poised to expand their presence on public lands, including in the Powder River Basin.

Less insulated against the policy changes are smaller companies such as Kirkwood Oil & Gas, operating in downtown Casper since it was founded by William Kirkwood in 1965. It's now run by his sons with about 40 employees and drilling in several western states.

A company like Kirkwood can spend years piecing together federal leases like a jigsaw puzzle and assessing the profitability of oil and gas deposits as market conditions and oilfield technologies evolve, said land manager Degenfelder.

But after last year's price drop and now the leasing moratorium, its plans to further develop areas such as western Wyoming’s Upper Green River Basin — home to two of the most productive U.S. onshore gas fields — are on hold.

While some countries move away from fossil fuels, brothers Steve and Bob Kirkwood are on the lookout for places that aren't, such as Colombia, They're also considering private lands in west Texas and exploring other options such as mining metals used in electric car batteries.

Oil from federal and tribal lands makes up about about a quarter of U.S. production.

Oil and gas companies and their supporters gave about $136 million in the last election cycle, mainly to Republicans, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Kirkwood's owners and their wives donated more than $15,000 to Trump’s re-election campaign and other GOP causes, records show.

Trump supported the U.S. oil business, Steve Kirkwood said. “Biden will support it in Saudi Arabia, Iran — everywhere else.”

Taxes on energy production and infrastructure in Wyoming help bankroll schools, roads and public services. In the Powder River Basin, petroleum operations now provide most of the property tax base in some counties.

Last year, the government sent $457 million to Wyoming from lease sales and energy production on U.S. lands in the state — second only to New Mexico.

Even with Trump gone, the oil and gas industry still has formidable allies in Congress, who say the moratorium would cost tens of thousands of jobs. Republican Sens. Steve Daines of Montana and Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming blocked immediate consideration of Haaland’s nomination on Thursday, citing her past statements against the oil industry. A final vote is expected Monday.

Benefits to the climate from a ban on new oil and gas leases could take years to realize, according to economic analysts.

Like Kirkwood Oil & Gas, companies could respond by shifting some of their activities onto private lands in the U.S., and more oil would likely come in from overseas, said economist Brian Prest, who examined effects of a long-term leasing ban for the research group Resources for the Future.

As a result, almost three-quarters of the greenhouse gas emission reductions from a ban could be offset by oil and gas from other sources, said Prest. The net reduction would be about 100 millions tons (91 million metric tons) of carbon dioxide annually.

Pressures on the oil and gas industry are growing along with concern over climate change, said Lifset, the Oklahoma history professor. Foremost are recent plans by major vehicle makers including Volvo and GM to transition to electric vehicles from gasoline, which takes up almost half the U.S. crude oil on the market.

“The real threat is not the government limiting production,'' Lifset said. “It’s the economy and the culture moving away from consuming oil and shrinking the market.”

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Brown reported from Billings, Mont.

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On Twitter follow Mead Gruver: @meadgruver and Matthew Brown: @MatthewBrownAP
Mead Gruver And Matthew Brown, The Associated Press

State-Protected Dark Skies Could Change Astrotourism Forever

Julia Eskins 

© Getty


The Milky Way has inspired humans for centuries. But with light pollution making it more difficult to figure out where to go stargazing, more states are taking action to protect the future of their night skies.

Last month, Nevada’s Senate passed a bill recognizing the state’s “dark sky places,” where views of the galaxies draw thousands of visitors per year. If made law, Bill 52 will create a program to help locations navigate the process of earning a new state-level “dark sky” designation and in turn, support environmental conservation and the local economy.

The proposed program follows the footsteps of the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA), an Arizona-based organization that works to designate and protect dark skies around the world. The IDA’s mission is a considerable feat, considering light pollution is now increasing by over 2 percent each year—double the rate of population growth—but experts say the pandemic could be making the rest of us more invested in protecting our view of the stars, too.

“In some places, it's just dawning on people that if they go outside and look at the night sky, the stars are missing,” says John Barentine, director of public policy at IDA. “They're discovering the phenomenon of light pollution, maybe for the first time.”

© Elizabeth M. Ruggiero The dark skies of Nevada's Great Basin National Park

According to satellite data, 80 percent of North Americans can no longer see the Milky Way from where they live, which makes traveling to an internationally recognized dark sky place even more appealing. There are already two in Nevada: Great Basin National Park and the Massacre Rim Wilderness Study Area—both of which saw a spike in visitors after earning their IDA certifications. Meanwhile, seats on Nevada Northern Railway’s Star Train, which follows a nighttime route through Great Basin before stopping to allow passengers to view the planets through telescopes, are regularly sold out. The proposed legislation aims to expand on these options for travelers in Nevada.

Leveraging stars to support sustainable travel

Other states are considering how multi-location dark sky zones could distribute tourism traffic more evenly and encourage travelers to stay longer. In Utah, there is a growing push to create the largest International Dark Sky Reserve recognized by the IDA. If all goes to plan, the Southeastern Utah Night Sky Reserve will span over 20,200 square miles, bridging the skies between nine national parks and monuments, 16 towns and cities, eight state parks, and a large portion of the Navajo Nation.

The focus makes sense. Night-sky tourism, which typically necessitates one or more overnight stays, can increase travel spending. Dark sky advocates are just hopeful that new hospitality developments don’t further contribute to light pollution, says Barentine.

© Getty

The Rise of Astrotourism Could Potentially Be Its Downfall

As more and more travelers turn their eyes to the stars, are we doing enough to keep them visible?

Utah hotels like Amangiri, which caters to astronomy lovers with its open-ceiling sky terraces and private stargazing sessions, could be a template for dark sky lodging done right. The remote luxury property has made an effort to keep outdoor lighting to a minimum—even arming guests with flashlights upon check-in.

In Colorado last year, the state’s tourism board launched Colorado Stargazing: Experience the Night, a self-guided tour that connects seven locations famous for their night skies. One is the IDA-recognized dark sky community of Westcliffe where, as of 2021, you can rent out the Smokey Jack Observatory for a private star party or go on a nighttime Amish wagon ride in Wet Mountain Valley while marveling at constellations.

Battling blue light

While being a certified dark sky place can attract more travelers, meeting the rigorous criteria necessary to achieve IDA designation isn’t easy. In order to qualify with the IDA, lighting best practices must be adopted, which range from placing street lamps on timers to using warm-colored bulbs.

Blue LED light is particularly disruptive to dark skies, wildlife, and humans, and has been linked to everything from sleep disorders to diabetes, according to a report by the American Medical Association. And yet, the world is consuming more LED light than ever due to its energy efficiency.

“If it's done well, LED lighting could save the world. But when it's not, it can make light pollution much worse,” says Barentine, who points to Flagstaff, Arizona, as an example of a city that successfully reduced its street lighting emissions by 20 percent after converting to dimmable LED lights. Now, dark sky advocates are focusing on the proliferation of digital billboards, which—while cheap—emit light sideways and often aren’t regulated according to brightness.

© DenisTangneyJr The Milky Way, as seen in Cape Cod, Massachusetts

A new non-partisan bill being put forward in Massachusetts hopes to address how the state oversees outdoor lighting, and specifically blue light, in public spaces. The proposed changes, which include using fully shielded lighting fixtures for roadways and parking lots, could help reduce skyglow across the state.

“To our knowledge, we would be the first state to limit harmful too-blue lighting,” says Tim Brothers, a site manager at the MIT Wallace Astrophysical Observatory who supports the bill. “It’s not hard to imagine that if we start setting the example at the state-level, others will follow and we could actually restore some of our natural nighttime ambience.”

Brothers says this legislation could create new astrotourism opportunities in destinations like the Berkshires and Cape Cod National Seashore, and restore a view of the Milky Way strewn across an inky black sky.

As states begin to roll out their own policies and the IDA continues its work, there is new enthusiasm for the shared protection of dark skies—and the stargazing opportunities it could create. Natural wonders have always drawn travelers but with the prospect of new road trip routes, moonlit train rides, and midnight hikes, we now have a few more reasons to get outside.

The mystery of this bizarre Mars cloud is beginning to unravel

Scott Sutherland 

WEATHER CHANNEL

 1 day ago

In recent years, images sent back from Mars have revealed a bizarre sight — an immense elongated cloud streaming away from one of the Red Planet's massive, extinct volcanoes. Scientists are now beginning to unravel the mysteries behind this strange weather pattern using The Mars Webcam, on board the ESA's Mars Express spacecraft.

Satellites in orbit around Mars have revealed some amazing details about the planet. However, by design, most confine themselves to a narrow view as they focus their high-resolution cameras at the surface. Studying some features of the planet, however, requires a broader perspective.

One such feature of note is the Arsia Mons Elongated Cloud.

© Provided by The Weather Network

This closeup of the Arsia Mons Elongated Cloud, taken by Mars Express' High Resolution Stereo Camera on September 21, 2018, shows it from a perspective of about 7,000 km above the surface. Credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin/Justin Cowart, CC-by-2.0

The Arsia Mons Elongated Cloud, or AMEC, is an immense water-ice cloud that forms near Arsia Mons, a 20-km tall extinct volcano near Mars' equator. Spotted going back as far as the Viking missions in the mid-1970s, a new study using more recent observations has revealed the cloud's daily patterns and dynamics.

Forming daily over the span of a few months around each Martian winter solstice, the AMEC has been seen to stretch up to 1,800 kilometres long and from 150-250 kilometres wide. Although it may appear to be volcanic, it is actually an orographic cloud formed by warm, humid air flowing up a mountain's slopes.

Mars' atmosphere is extremely thin, and liquid water is virtually nonexistent on its surface. Even so, there is still enough humidity in the air to allow thin clouds to form.

© Provided by The Weather Network

On the left, an image from the Visual Monitoring Camera (VMC) on board Mars Express, taken on October 10, 2018, clearly shows the AMEC streaming away from Arsia Mons. On the right, an annotated version labels the features seen in the image. Credit: ESA/GCP/UPV/EHU Bilbao

Although this feature has been spotted by a few different cameras on board various Mars-orbiting spacecraft, it's difficult for most of them to observe it regularly. Given their camera setups, unless commanded to do otherwise, these spacecraft typically snap their imagery near the middle of the Martian day (Sol) to minimize the effects of shadows.

However, by mid-Sol, the Arsia Mons Elongated Cloud is usually gone.

According to the ESA: "The cloud undergoes a rapid daily cycle that repeats every morning for several months. It begins growing before sunrise on the western slope of Arsia Mons before expanding westwards for two and a half hours, growing remarkably fast – at over 600 km/h – at an altitude of 45 km. It then stops expanding, detaches from its initial location, and is pulled further westwards still by high-altitude winds, before evaporating in the late morning as air temperatures increase with the rising Sun."

© Provided by The Weather Network

This infographic displays all the known details of the Arsia Mons Elongated Cloud's location and daily cycle. Credit: ESA

"Although orographic clouds are commonly observed on Earth, they don't reach such enormous lengths or show such vivid dynamics," study co-author Agustin Sánchez-Lavega, who is the Science Lead for the VMC at the University of the Basque Country, said in an ESA news release. "Understanding this cloud gives us the exciting opportunity to try to replicate the cloud's formation with models – models that will improve our knowledge of climatic systems on both Mars and Earth."

A WEBCAM FOR MARS SCIENCE

One remarkable aspect of this new study is that the images used to track the daily pattern of the AMEC were snapped by a camera that was never intended to be used for science.

The Visual Monitoring Camera (VMC) on Mars Express is similar to what an off-the-shelf webcam would have been like when the spacecraft was assembled, roughly 20 years ago.

© Provided by The Weather Network

This artist impression of the Mars Express orbiter shows the location of the Mars Webcam (aka the Visual Monitoring Camera). Credit: ESA/Scott Sutherland

The VMC had one purpose when Mars Express arrived at the Red Planet in 2003. It provided the team back on Earth with direct visual confirmation that the Beagle 2 lander had detached from the orbiter and was on its way to Mars' surface. Although Beagle 2 ultimately did not land intact, VMC performed its job flawlessly and was subsequently shut down.

Four years later, the mission team turned it back on. Unofficially renamed the Mars Webcam, on each orbit of the planet, it took dozens of images which were then uploaded for everyone to see. While not showing off as much detail as its high-resolution science cameras, it was still a fantastic tool for public outreach.

© Provided by The Weather NetworkThe Mars Webcam on Flickr. Image credits: ESA

"However, recently, the VMC was reclassified as a camera for science," Jorge Hernández Bernal of the University of the Basque Country, said in an ESA press release. Hernández Bernal, who studies Mars' climate using the VMC, is the lead author of this new study on the AMEC.

"Although it has a low spatial resolution, it has a wide field of view — essential to see the big picture at different local times of day — and is wonderful for tracking a feature's evolution over both a long period of time and in small time steps. As a result, we could study the whole cloud across numerous life cycles."

A MYSTERY STILL TO SOLVE

Although observations from Mars Express have revealed the Arsia Mons Elongated Cloud's daily patterns, there is still at least one big question left about this weather pattern.

According to the ESA, clouds are seen to form at the tops of all of Mars' volcanoes throughout most of the Martian year. In the months leading up to summer for Mars' southern hemisphere, all of these clouds disappear — except at Arsia Mons. It's at this time that the Arsia Mons Elongated Cloud appears and does so repeatedly, day after day.

"This cloud repeats every Martian year due to a delicate balance of conditions," Justin Cowart, a Ph.D. student at Stony Brook University who was not involved in the study, explains. "First, the south pole is approaching its summer equinox, and as it shrinks back the atmosphere becomes denser and more moisture-laden. Second, the atmosphere in the region of Arsia Mons is still in the process of warming up as Mars approaches the Sun. Third, the warming skies in the southern hemisphere start lofting dust, which provides small particles for water to condense onto."

© Provided by The Weather Network

Mars' south polar ice cap, imaged by Mars Express' High Resolution Stereo Camera on February 25, 2015. Credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin

"The last condition is wind," Cowart, who studies Mars geology using orbital imagery, added. "Shortly after the Sun rises, winds start blowing west across the region. This wind pushes air up the eastern slope of Arsia Mons. The 20 km difference in elevation from base to summit causes the water to condense out as the air ascends and cools."

Although we can see how all of these factors add up to produce the AMEC, there is still one question left unanswered here. Why, with three volcanoes in close proximity to one another — Arsia Mons, Pavonis Mons, and Ascraeus Mons — plus Olympus Mons nearby as well, do we see this cloud formation associated only with Arsia Mons?

"This first study is mainly observational. In a second more theoretical study, we will try to understand in greater detail the formation of the cloud, which is formed by the interaction of the atmosphere with the slopes of the volcano," Hernández-Bernal said in a Tweet on Tuesday.

Study suggests healthy ecosystems are vital in reducing risk of future deadly pandemics

Practices recommended to reduce the risk of future pandemics through 'protected and conserved area management'

CABI

Research News

 

IMAGE: INVASIVE ALIEN PLANTS HAVE REDUCED THE HABITAT QUALITY OF THE MAURITIAN FLYING FOX, RESULTING IN INCREASED FORAGING IN AGRICULTURAL LANDS AND URBAN ENVIRONMENTS. view more 

CREDIT: PIXABAY

CABI scientist Dr Arne Witt has shared his expertise on invasive alien plant species as part of a new paper which argues that healthy ecosystems are vital in reducing the risk of future pandemics - such as coronaviruses (including COVID-19) - that threaten human health.

The paper - 'Land use-induced spillover: priority actions for protected and conserved area managers' - is published as part of a special issue by the journal PARKS entitled 'COVID-19 and Protected Areas: Essential Reading for a World Haunted by a Pandemic.'

Lead author Dr Jamie K. Reaser - along with a team of researchers from institutions including the African Wildlife Foundation, the University of Oklahoma and the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas - recommend practices to reduce the risk of future pandemics through 'protected and conserved area management.'

They rightly state that pandemic prevention 'requires that human health be regarded as an ecological service' and call upon multi-lateral conservation frameworks to recognise that 'protected area managers are in the frontline of public health safety.'

The scientists highlight that land use change 'drives the emergence and spread of micro-organisms (pathogens) that infest wildlife and humans with severe consequences for environmental, animal and human health.'

The authors underscore the fact that "The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, demonstrates society's inability to respond it a timely manner to novel pathogens. The result is mass human suffering and mortality, bringing substantial moral, ethical and economic dilemmas."

"A protected and conserved areas are the most widely used approaches to securing species and ecological integrity, they have a crucial role to play in safeguarding public health."

"From our perspective, a 'healthy' ecosystem is one in which wildlife-pathogen interactions are in balance, wildlife are not overly stressed or concentrated together by land use-induced changes."

The scientists say that the strategic removal of invasive alien plants, that support populations of zoonotic pathogens, vectors or hosts, can function as an ecological countermeasure.

Dr Witt said, "In Mauritius, for example, invasive alien plants have reduced the habitat quality of the Mauritian flying fox (Pteropus niger), resulting in increased foraging in agricultural lands and urban environments."

"Krivek et al. (2020) showed that non-native plant invasions reduced native fruit production and that weeded forests provide a better habitat for flying foxes. They conclude that their study lends support to invasive alien plant control as a management strategy in mitigating human-wildlife conflicts."

Dr Reaser and the team of researchers put forward a series of proposals that reinforce existing conservation strategies while 'elevating biodiversity conservation as a priority health measure.'

The proposals include conducting surveillance about the occurrence of pathogens, or their clinical diseases, in animal or human populations as well as fostering 'landscape immunity' in conserved and protected areas. The latter of which can be achieved, the scientists suggest, by measures including not disturbing landscapes and 'retaining a full complement of native species and their inter-relationships.'

Dr Reaser and her colleagues conclude by arguing that, "Nations can no longer treat conservation as a second order priority. COVID-19 shows that we should now recognise that protected areas are at the frontline of public health infrastructure and that their managers are vital to disease prevention."

"Looking ahead, we have to conserve nature as if our lives depended on it."

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Full paper reference

Reaser, J. K., G. M. Tabor, D. J. Becker, P. Muruthi, A. Witt, S. J. Woodley, M. Ruiz-Aravena, J. A. Patz, V. Hickey, P. J. Hudson, H. Locke, and R. K. Plowright. 'Land use-induced spillover: priority actions for protected and conserved area managers', 11 March 2021, PARKS, 27, Special Issue, 161-178. DOI: 10.2305/IUCN.CH.2021.PARKS-27-SUKR.en

The paper can be read as part of the special issue of the journal PARKS - 'COVID-19 and Protected Areas: Essential Reading for a World Haunted by a Pandemic' here: https://parksjournal.com/

CAPTION

The authors state that human activities that destroy and degrade ecological systems can trigger land use-induced spillover--the infect-shed-spill-spread cascade. Wildlife stressed by the environmental conditions associated with land use change can decline in immune function, thus becoming more susceptible to zoonotic pathogen infection. Stress can also increase the likelihood that wildlife will release (shed) pathogens in ways and locations that lead to the infection of other animals of the same or different species, including humans (spillover). When land use change increases interaction between infected animals and people, it is more likely that zoonotic pathogens will be transmitted into human populations. The rate and scale of pathogen spread in human populations is largely driven by patterns of human contact (social behaviour) and pathogen biology.

CREDIT

PARKS

Rare earths outside China: FAU researchers identify new deposits

UNIVERSITY OF ERLANGEN-NUREMBERG

Research News

 

Rare earth elements are the gold of the 21st century: rare and highly prized all over the world. Most known and economically viable sources of rare earths are located in China, where more than 80 percent of them are refined. This has resulted in a near monopoly situation, with China dominating international trade, particularly in heavy rare earths. Geologists and materials scientists at FAU have now discovered a new way of finding new and previously unknown deposits of rare earths, or rare earth metals, worldwide. They have published the findings of their study in the journal Geology.

Rare earth metals are irreplaceable for manufacturing advanced high-tech industrial products due to their luminescent and catalytic properties. They are used to make permanent magnets that are a vital part of modern electronics in televisions, smartphones, notebooks, jet engines, and rocket guidance systems as well as in solar and wind power plants, electric motors and in medical engineering.

Contrary to what their name might suggest, sources of rare earth elements or rare earth metals are distributed fairly equally all over the world. However, there are only very few sources that are economically viable. FAU geologists Dr. Sönke Brandt, Prof. Dr. Reiner Klemd, Marc Fassbender and Prof. Dr. Karsten Haase have now discovered an indicator that can identify such deposits.

They inspected rock samples from the Vergenoeg fluorite mine in South Africa and discovered that fayalite crystals in the sediment of granite-like magma can contain large amounts of heavy rare earth elements. The mineral, which is reddish brown to black in colour, is mainly mined for use as a gemstone and is also used for sand blasting. Fayalite can be found worldwide in igneous rock and abyssal rocks.

'Since heavy rare earth elements are becoming increasingly scarce on the world market, the discovery of fayalite as a new potential source for locating new deposits of rare earths is extremely important for the economy,' says Prof. Dr. Reiner Klemd from Geozentrum Nordbayern at FAU, who led the study.

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