Sunday, May 23, 2021
Study: Earth's vegetation is changing faster than it has in 18,000 years
Researchers, pictured collecting core samples in St. Paul, Alaska, compared pollen grains from core and mire samples in order to determine the historical effects of climate change on vegetation. Photo by Jack Williams
May 20 (UPI) -- Climate change is rapidly altering the planet's vegetation. In fact, new research -- published Thursday in the journal Science -- suggests Earth's vegetation is changing faster today than it has in the last 18,000 years.
Over the last few decades, hundreds of studies have looked at the effects of climate change on various ecosystems
Climate scientists, ecologists and others have worked together to gauge the influence of rising temperatures and shifting weather patterns on greening in the Arctic and forest composition in the Amazon.
Few studies, however, have examined the effects of climate change on vegetation with as a broad lens as the new one, according to the researchers.
For the latest study, researchers used ancient pollen grains to quantify the pace at which Earth's global plant communities have changed through the millennia.
"We analyzed a network of over 1,000 fossil pollen records worldwide -- the largest such analysis to date," study co-author Jack Williams, a researcher and professor of geography at the University of Wisconsin, told UPI in an email.
"These fossil pollen records are retrieved from sediment cores taken from lakes and mires, and they provide continual records of vegetation history going back thousands of years," said Williams, a professor at the University of Wisconsin.
Scientists can identify the plant groups from which different fossilized pollen grains originated.
By surveying the distribution of different types of pollen grains across a variety of excavation sites, researchers can quantify changes in plant abundances and distributions over space and time.
"For this paper, we calculated a rate-of-change metric that is calculated for each site individually, then averaged across sites in a region," Williams said. "This metric basically sums up all the changes in abundance for individual taxa, and so is an index of community-level -- or ecosystem-level -- change."
Pollen grains from the uppermost sediment layers of cores sourced from lake beds around the world showed the pace of vegetation change has been accelerating over the last 3,000 years.
The data suggests modern plant communities are changing faster than they were 18,000 years ago at the end of the last ice age, as plants colonized newly thawed territory.
In addition to confirming the disruptive effects of human-caused climate change, the latest research suggests -- as several other studies have shown -- humans have been altering the planet's ecosystems for a few thousand years.
"I was definitely surprised that the acceleration in rates of vegetation change between 3,000 and 4,000 years ago was detectable on all continents, despite very different histories in land use and climate change," Williams said.
"This needs further exploration, but is definitely contributes to an exciting new wave of research looking at how ecosystems were affected by early human societies worldwide," he said.
In followup studies, scientists said they hope to determine whether changes in land-use patterns by early human societies might explain the dramatic shifts that began between 3,000 and 4,000 years ago.
"We are also particularly interested in looking at the climatic and human drivers of vegetation changes in the tropics, given the importance of these ecosystems for storing carbon and protecting biodiversity," Williams said.
Researchers, pictured collecting core samples in St. Paul, Alaska, compared pollen grains from core and mire samples in order to determine the historical effects of climate change on vegetation. Photo by Jack Williams
May 20 (UPI) -- Climate change is rapidly altering the planet's vegetation. In fact, new research -- published Thursday in the journal Science -- suggests Earth's vegetation is changing faster today than it has in the last 18,000 years.
Over the last few decades, hundreds of studies have looked at the effects of climate change on various ecosystems
Climate scientists, ecologists and others have worked together to gauge the influence of rising temperatures and shifting weather patterns on greening in the Arctic and forest composition in the Amazon.
Few studies, however, have examined the effects of climate change on vegetation with as a broad lens as the new one, according to the researchers.
For the latest study, researchers used ancient pollen grains to quantify the pace at which Earth's global plant communities have changed through the millennia.
"We analyzed a network of over 1,000 fossil pollen records worldwide -- the largest such analysis to date," study co-author Jack Williams, a researcher and professor of geography at the University of Wisconsin, told UPI in an email.
"These fossil pollen records are retrieved from sediment cores taken from lakes and mires, and they provide continual records of vegetation history going back thousands of years," said Williams, a professor at the University of Wisconsin.
Scientists can identify the plant groups from which different fossilized pollen grains originated.
By surveying the distribution of different types of pollen grains across a variety of excavation sites, researchers can quantify changes in plant abundances and distributions over space and time.
"For this paper, we calculated a rate-of-change metric that is calculated for each site individually, then averaged across sites in a region," Williams said. "This metric basically sums up all the changes in abundance for individual taxa, and so is an index of community-level -- or ecosystem-level -- change."
Pollen grains from the uppermost sediment layers of cores sourced from lake beds around the world showed the pace of vegetation change has been accelerating over the last 3,000 years.
The data suggests modern plant communities are changing faster than they were 18,000 years ago at the end of the last ice age, as plants colonized newly thawed territory.
In addition to confirming the disruptive effects of human-caused climate change, the latest research suggests -- as several other studies have shown -- humans have been altering the planet's ecosystems for a few thousand years.
"I was definitely surprised that the acceleration in rates of vegetation change between 3,000 and 4,000 years ago was detectable on all continents, despite very different histories in land use and climate change," Williams said.
"This needs further exploration, but is definitely contributes to an exciting new wave of research looking at how ecosystems were affected by early human societies worldwide," he said.
In followup studies, scientists said they hope to determine whether changes in land-use patterns by early human societies might explain the dramatic shifts that began between 3,000 and 4,000 years ago.
"We are also particularly interested in looking at the climatic and human drivers of vegetation changes in the tropics, given the importance of these ecosystems for storing carbon and protecting biodiversity," Williams said.
Humans significantly altered biodiversity on islands, study shows
A research team on Tenerife takes sediment cores containing pollen, which revealed the effects of more recent human colonization of the island. Photo by José María Fernández Palacios/University of Bayreuth
April 30 (UPI) -- An international team of researchers found that humans have significantly altered biodiversity on colonized islands in the past 1,500 years, according to a study published Friday in the journal Science.
By analyzing 27 fossil pollen sequences encompassing 5,000 years from islands across the world, scientists quantified the rates of change in vegetation composition before and after human arrival.
According to the analysis, there were faster rates of turnover on islands colonized in the past 1,500 years than for those colonized earlier.
Professor Dr. Manuel Steinbauer of the University of Bayreuth and Dr. Sandra Naogue of the University of Southampton extracted, dated and identified pollen from wind-pollinated plants deposited in the sediment of lakes and bogs.
The islands chosen for the study were never connected to the mainland, researchers said.
"For each of the 27 islands, our study shows how vegetation composition has changed over the last 5,000 years. Humans' colonization of the previously undisturbed islands falls within this period. We can therefore trace how natural systems change as a result of human arrival," said study co-author Steinbauer.
"This transformation from a natural to a human-dominated system can only be observed on islands. On continents, humans have been extensively changing ecological systems for a very long time. What a natural ecosystem would look like here, we can often no longer tell," Steinbauer said.
On 24 of the 27 islands studied, the arrival of humans marked a significant change in vegetation, especially on islands colonized in the past 1,500 years.
For those colonized earlier, the turnover was less pronounced.
The researchers attribute this difference with an increase in agricultural technology and its associated effects on biodiversity.
"The results of the study highlight the extensive changes we humans are causing in ecological systems. The change in pollen composition in our study mainly reflects human land use over millennia," Steinbauer said.
"With the beginning of the industrial age, human-induced transformation of ecological systems has accelerated even further. Adding to this, ecological systems are now additionally affected by human-induced climate change," he said.
A research team on Tenerife takes sediment cores containing pollen, which revealed the effects of more recent human colonization of the island. Photo by José María Fernández Palacios/University of Bayreuth
April 30 (UPI) -- An international team of researchers found that humans have significantly altered biodiversity on colonized islands in the past 1,500 years, according to a study published Friday in the journal Science.
By analyzing 27 fossil pollen sequences encompassing 5,000 years from islands across the world, scientists quantified the rates of change in vegetation composition before and after human arrival.
According to the analysis, there were faster rates of turnover on islands colonized in the past 1,500 years than for those colonized earlier.
Professor Dr. Manuel Steinbauer of the University of Bayreuth and Dr. Sandra Naogue of the University of Southampton extracted, dated and identified pollen from wind-pollinated plants deposited in the sediment of lakes and bogs.
The islands chosen for the study were never connected to the mainland, researchers said.
"For each of the 27 islands, our study shows how vegetation composition has changed over the last 5,000 years. Humans' colonization of the previously undisturbed islands falls within this period. We can therefore trace how natural systems change as a result of human arrival," said study co-author Steinbauer.
"This transformation from a natural to a human-dominated system can only be observed on islands. On continents, humans have been extensively changing ecological systems for a very long time. What a natural ecosystem would look like here, we can often no longer tell," Steinbauer said.
On 24 of the 27 islands studied, the arrival of humans marked a significant change in vegetation, especially on islands colonized in the past 1,500 years.
For those colonized earlier, the turnover was less pronounced.
The researchers attribute this difference with an increase in agricultural technology and its associated effects on biodiversity.
"The results of the study highlight the extensive changes we humans are causing in ecological systems. The change in pollen composition in our study mainly reflects human land use over millennia," Steinbauer said.
"With the beginning of the industrial age, human-induced transformation of ecological systems has accelerated even further. Adding to this, ecological systems are now additionally affected by human-induced climate change," he said.
Wildlife biodiversity is a boon
RELATED Land use changes could increase risk of disease outbreaks
These types of animals tend do well -- or at least better than others -- in degraded ecosystems, which may explain why researchers found animals credited with the spread of zoonotic diseases were less likely to be species of conservation concern.
"When we erode biodiversity, we favor species that are more likely to be zoonotic hosts, increasing our risk of spillover events," Ostfeld said. "Managing this risk will require a better understanding of how things like habitat conversion, climate change and over-harvesting affect zoonotic hosts -- and how restoring biodiversity to degraded areas might reduce their abundance."
Researchers suggest efforts to prevent -- as well as to predict and prepare for -- the next spillover event should focus less on particular species and more on groups of animals and the habitats where they are mostly likely to congregate.
"Restoration of biodiversity is an important frontier in the management of zoonotic disease risk. Those pathogens that do spill over to infect humans -- zoonotic pathogens -- often proliferate as a result of human impacts," Keesing said. "As we rebuild our communities after COVID-19, we need to have firmly in mind that one of our best strategies to prevent future pandemics is to protect, preserve, and restore biodiversity."
In a separate study, published Monday in the journal PNAS, researchers at Yale University looked at the effects of biodiversity on seafood nutrition.
The Yale analysis showed seafood sourced from biodiverse ecosystems features higher levels of nutrients -- including vitamins, minerals and fatty acids -- than seafood from areas of the ocean that have been degraded by overfishing, pollution and climate change.
"What we found is that biodiversity is crucial to human health," co-author Joey Bernhardt, an ecologist and postdoctoral fellow at Yale, said in a press release.
Though there is much scientists still don't understand about COVID-19, a mounting body of research suggests diet is intimately linked with the body's immune system.
The latest research suggests even calories from the same types of food aren't always equal, and the findings could have significant implications for coastal communities that consume lots of seafood.
For the study, researchers analyzed 7,245 nutrient samples from 801 marine and freshwater fin fish and invertebrates. While protein content was similar among different seafood sources, scientists found significant variation in the concentrations of calcium, iron and fatty acids.
Fish and invertebrates from biodiverse ecosystems featured a more robust supply of micronutrients.
"While we have known that biodiversity on land is important for benefits such as forest production, this study provides new evidence that the benefits of biodiversity in oceans and freshwaters are as great as on land," Bernhardt said.
"Ecological concepts of biodiversity can deepen our understanding of nature's benefits to people and unite sustainability goals for biodiversity and human well-being," Bernhardt said.
to human health, seafood nutrition
New research shows that when land is more developed and fragmented, as well as less biodiverse, species that are more efficient at spreading disease tend to proliferate. Photo by Cary Institute Photo Archive
April 5 (UPI) -- Biodiversity provides human health benefits on the land and in the water, according to a pair of newly published studies.
Previous studies have highlighted many of the ways biodiversity offers indirect benefits to human health -- by encouraging pollination, for example. But new research suggests biodiversity also provides direct health benefits by keeping humans from getting sick.
New research shows that when land is more developed and fragmented, as well as less biodiverse, species that are more efficient at spreading disease tend to proliferate. Photo by Cary Institute Photo Archive
April 5 (UPI) -- Biodiversity provides human health benefits on the land and in the water, according to a pair of newly published studies.
Previous studies have highlighted many of the ways biodiversity offers indirect benefits to human health -- by encouraging pollination, for example. But new research suggests biodiversity also provides direct health benefits by keeping humans from getting sick.
According to one new study, published Monday in the journal PNAS, biodiversity helps minimize the risk of zoonotic disease outbreaks.
"There's a persistent myth that wild areas with high levels of biodiversity are hotspots for disease," lead study author Felicia Keesing said in a press release.
"More animal diversity must equal more dangerous pathogens. But this turns out to be wrong. Biodiversity isn't a threat to us, it's actually protecting us from the species most likely to make us sick," said Keesing, a professor at Bard College and visiting scientist at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies.
Diseases like COVID-19, SARS and Ebola all emerged in animal populations before making the jump to humans. But they are just a few of millions of viruses circulating among animal populations, most of which will never infect a single human.
To better understand the origins of zoonotic diseases, scientists surveyed scientific literature and found certain species and ecosystems are more likely to produce and pass along zoonotic diseases to humans.
"There's a persistent myth that wild areas with high levels of biodiversity are hotspots for disease," lead study author Felicia Keesing said in a press release.
"More animal diversity must equal more dangerous pathogens. But this turns out to be wrong. Biodiversity isn't a threat to us, it's actually protecting us from the species most likely to make us sick," said Keesing, a professor at Bard College and visiting scientist at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies.
Diseases like COVID-19, SARS and Ebola all emerged in animal populations before making the jump to humans. But they are just a few of millions of viruses circulating among animal populations, most of which will never infect a single human.
To better understand the origins of zoonotic diseases, scientists surveyed scientific literature and found certain species and ecosystems are more likely to produce and pass along zoonotic diseases to humans.
RELATED Peatland conservation may prevent new diseases from jumping to humans
"Research is mounting that species that thrive in developed and degraded landscapes are often much more efficient at harboring pathogens and transmitting them to people," said co-author Rick Ostfeld, disease ecologist at the Cary Institute.
"In less-disturbed landscapes with more animal diversity, these risky reservoirs are less abundant and biodiversity has a protective effect," Ostfeld said.
The research showed animals that live fast and die young -- investing lots of evolutionary capital into reproduction, but so much into adaptive immune systems -- are more likely to pass novel diseases along to humans and other animals.
"Research is mounting that species that thrive in developed and degraded landscapes are often much more efficient at harboring pathogens and transmitting them to people," said co-author Rick Ostfeld, disease ecologist at the Cary Institute.
"In less-disturbed landscapes with more animal diversity, these risky reservoirs are less abundant and biodiversity has a protective effect," Ostfeld said.
The research showed animals that live fast and die young -- investing lots of evolutionary capital into reproduction, but so much into adaptive immune systems -- are more likely to pass novel diseases along to humans and other animals.
RELATED Land use changes could increase risk of disease outbreaks
These types of animals tend do well -- or at least better than others -- in degraded ecosystems, which may explain why researchers found animals credited with the spread of zoonotic diseases were less likely to be species of conservation concern.
"When we erode biodiversity, we favor species that are more likely to be zoonotic hosts, increasing our risk of spillover events," Ostfeld said. "Managing this risk will require a better understanding of how things like habitat conversion, climate change and over-harvesting affect zoonotic hosts -- and how restoring biodiversity to degraded areas might reduce their abundance."
Researchers suggest efforts to prevent -- as well as to predict and prepare for -- the next spillover event should focus less on particular species and more on groups of animals and the habitats where they are mostly likely to congregate.
"Restoration of biodiversity is an important frontier in the management of zoonotic disease risk. Those pathogens that do spill over to infect humans -- zoonotic pathogens -- often proliferate as a result of human impacts," Keesing said. "As we rebuild our communities after COVID-19, we need to have firmly in mind that one of our best strategies to prevent future pandemics is to protect, preserve, and restore biodiversity."
In a separate study, published Monday in the journal PNAS, researchers at Yale University looked at the effects of biodiversity on seafood nutrition.
The Yale analysis showed seafood sourced from biodiverse ecosystems features higher levels of nutrients -- including vitamins, minerals and fatty acids -- than seafood from areas of the ocean that have been degraded by overfishing, pollution and climate change.
"What we found is that biodiversity is crucial to human health," co-author Joey Bernhardt, an ecologist and postdoctoral fellow at Yale, said in a press release.
Though there is much scientists still don't understand about COVID-19, a mounting body of research suggests diet is intimately linked with the body's immune system.
The latest research suggests even calories from the same types of food aren't always equal, and the findings could have significant implications for coastal communities that consume lots of seafood.
For the study, researchers analyzed 7,245 nutrient samples from 801 marine and freshwater fin fish and invertebrates. While protein content was similar among different seafood sources, scientists found significant variation in the concentrations of calcium, iron and fatty acids.
Fish and invertebrates from biodiverse ecosystems featured a more robust supply of micronutrients.
"While we have known that biodiversity on land is important for benefits such as forest production, this study provides new evidence that the benefits of biodiversity in oceans and freshwaters are as great as on land," Bernhardt said.
"Ecological concepts of biodiversity can deepen our understanding of nature's benefits to people and unite sustainability goals for biodiversity and human well-being," Bernhardt said.
Study: Recovery from human-caused biodiversity declines to take millions of years
It took at least 12 million years for biodiversity levels to recover in the wake of the asteroid impact that killed off the dinosaurs -- and researchers say recovering from losses caused by humanity could take even longer. Photo by Pixabay/CC
May 21 (UPI) -- Imperiled by climate change, deforestation, hunting, pollution and other human-caused disruptions, Earth's biodiversity continues to decline across the globe.
To estimate how long it might take for the planet's biota to recover, scientists analyzed the pace of speciation in the wake of the extinction event that killed off the dinosaurs 66 million years ago.
The analysis, published Friday in the journal Communications Earth and Environment, suggests that even if humans disappeared tomorrow, it will take several million years for the planet's biodiversity to recover.
Though dinosaurs were the only major animal group to be wiped out completely, the asteroid impact responsible for the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event also put a dent in the diversity of mammals, reptiles, insects and more.
In total, scientists estimate the event extinguished more than three-fourths of all species on Earth.
To quantify the losses precipitated by the extinction event, as well as the rate of recovery in its aftermath, researchers focused on freshwater biota.
More specifically, scientists analyzed 3,387 fossil and living snail species living in Europe over past 200 million years.
RELATED Wildlife biodiversity is a boon to human health, seafood nutrition
The dataset allowed researchers to estimate the rates at which species disappear and new species emerge.
Though the analysis showed freshwater biota losses during the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event were greater than previously estimated, the rate of biodiversity decline is dwarfed by today's losses.
Using modern data on extinctions among freshwater species, scientists estimated that by 2120, nearly a third of all freshwater species will have disappeared.
RELATED Climate change, biodiversity loss the top concerns in UNESCO survey
"Losing species entails changes in species communities and, in the long run, this affects entire ecosystems," lead study author Thomas Neubauer said in a press release.
"We rely on functioning freshwater environments to sustain human health, nutrition and fresh water supply," said Neubauer, a postdoctoral researcher at the Naturalis Biodiversity Center in the Netherlands.
The asteroid impact that killed the dinosaurs lasted a matter of seconds, but the climatic and ecological impacts were long lasting.
The latest fossil analysis suggests extinction rates remained elevated for nearly 5 million years. It was 12 million years before biodiversity levels recovered and ecological balance was restored.
The destructive activities of humans remain ongoing, the researchers point out.
"Even if our impact on the world's biota stops today, the extinction rate will likely stay high for an extended period of time," Neubauer said.
"Considering that the current biodiversity crisis advances much faster than the mass extinction event 66 million years ago, the recovery period may be even longer. Despite our short existence on Earth, we have assured that the effects of our actions will outlast us by millions of years," Neubauer said.
It took at least 12 million years for biodiversity levels to recover in the wake of the asteroid impact that killed off the dinosaurs -- and researchers say recovering from losses caused by humanity could take even longer. Photo by Pixabay/CC
May 21 (UPI) -- Imperiled by climate change, deforestation, hunting, pollution and other human-caused disruptions, Earth's biodiversity continues to decline across the globe.
To estimate how long it might take for the planet's biota to recover, scientists analyzed the pace of speciation in the wake of the extinction event that killed off the dinosaurs 66 million years ago.
The analysis, published Friday in the journal Communications Earth and Environment, suggests that even if humans disappeared tomorrow, it will take several million years for the planet's biodiversity to recover.
Though dinosaurs were the only major animal group to be wiped out completely, the asteroid impact responsible for the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event also put a dent in the diversity of mammals, reptiles, insects and more.
In total, scientists estimate the event extinguished more than three-fourths of all species on Earth.
To quantify the losses precipitated by the extinction event, as well as the rate of recovery in its aftermath, researchers focused on freshwater biota.
More specifically, scientists analyzed 3,387 fossil and living snail species living in Europe over past 200 million years.
RELATED Wildlife biodiversity is a boon to human health, seafood nutrition
The dataset allowed researchers to estimate the rates at which species disappear and new species emerge.
Though the analysis showed freshwater biota losses during the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event were greater than previously estimated, the rate of biodiversity decline is dwarfed by today's losses.
Using modern data on extinctions among freshwater species, scientists estimated that by 2120, nearly a third of all freshwater species will have disappeared.
RELATED Climate change, biodiversity loss the top concerns in UNESCO survey
"Losing species entails changes in species communities and, in the long run, this affects entire ecosystems," lead study author Thomas Neubauer said in a press release.
"We rely on functioning freshwater environments to sustain human health, nutrition and fresh water supply," said Neubauer, a postdoctoral researcher at the Naturalis Biodiversity Center in the Netherlands.
The asteroid impact that killed the dinosaurs lasted a matter of seconds, but the climatic and ecological impacts were long lasting.
The latest fossil analysis suggests extinction rates remained elevated for nearly 5 million years. It was 12 million years before biodiversity levels recovered and ecological balance was restored.
The destructive activities of humans remain ongoing, the researchers point out.
"Even if our impact on the world's biota stops today, the extinction rate will likely stay high for an extended period of time," Neubauer said.
"Considering that the current biodiversity crisis advances much faster than the mass extinction event 66 million years ago, the recovery period may be even longer. Despite our short existence on Earth, we have assured that the effects of our actions will outlast us by millions of years," Neubauer said.
OLD KING COAL
Province in China encourages residents to inform on crypto minersCRIMINAL CRYPTO CAPITALI$M
WITH CHINESE CHARACTERISTICS
ARE NOT TO BLAME FOR EMISSIONS
FROM NEW COAL PLANTS
Chinese authorities have ordered the shutdown of cryptocurrency mines amid concern over emissions. File Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo
May 20 (UPI) -- A Chinese province that has approved new coal-fired power plants is cracking down on cryptocurrency miners as concern rises over emissions.
The Inner Mongolia Development and Reform Commission said that it would create a new hotline for residents to inform on people suspected of crypto mining.
Inner Mongolia in February vowed to shut down cryptocurrency mines to reduce energy consumption, but mining resumes secretly, the Financial Times reported Thursday.
The whistleblower initiative comes at a time when Xi Jinping is seeking to reduce carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieve "carbon neutrality" by 2060, the report said.
Air pollution remains a serious problem in China. According to a study published in scientific journal Nature Communications in April, bitcoin mining would generate 130 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions by 2024.
China outlawed bitcoin exchanges in the country in 2017, but the policy has not deterred miners.
A bitcoin mining map issued by the University of Cambridge in 2020 showed that China accounted for 65% of the world's hash power, or computer power, used to run algorithms to mine bitcoin.
SEE HOW GREEN THESE MINERS ARE MORE SO THAN NEW COAL PLANTS
Inner Mongolia's new measure comes after central government agencies said financial institutions and payment companies are not allowed to transact in cryptocurrency, CNN reported Wednesday.
"Prices of cryptocurrency have skyrocketed and plummeted recently, and speculative trading has bounced back. This seriously harms the safety of people's property and disturbs normal economic and financial orders," regulators under the People's Bank of China and the China Insurance and Banking Commission said Tuesday.
"Prices of cryptocurrency have skyrocketed and plummeted recently, and speculative trading has bounced back. This seriously harms the safety of people's property and disturbs normal economic and financial orders," regulators under the People's Bank of China and the China Insurance and Banking Commission said Tuesday.
China could also be cracking down on bitcoin to strengthen its state-supported digital yuan initiative, according to the report.
BURMA UPDATE
Soldiers leaving Myanmar's air force by the dozens, report says
About 80 Myanmar Air Force officers have defected in protest since the military coup Feb. 1, according to a recent press report. File Photo by Xiao Long/UPI | License Photo
(UPI) -- Dozens of soldiers with Myanmar's Air Force have deserted the military as air strikes continue against civilian populations in the country, according to a recent press report.
Aung Zay Ya, a sergeant who said he left the military to joint the opposition Civil Disobedience Movement in Myanmar, said about 80 air force officers have defected in protest since the military coup Feb. 1, Myanmar Now reported Tuesday.
"They've printed out the names of every soldier who has defected and put them up at the air force commands along with their photos," he said.
Defection among members of the Air Force is being reported as the military continues air strikes against populations in Kachin and Karen states, according to The Irrawaddy on Wednesday.
RELATED Myanmar coup: Military bans satellite dishes in media crackdown
About 30,000 members of ethnic minority groups in the region have been forced to leave their homes. On Monday an air raid hit a Buddhist monastery where displaced people were taking shelter, the report said.
The international community has blamed the junta for the escalating violence. Some defectors who spoke to Myanmar Now said they left because of their treatment in the military.
A former officer with the Mingaladon Air Force Command said his supervisors treated him unfairly.
RELATED U.N.: Nearly half in Myanmar live in poverty due to coup violence, COVID-19
"I couldn't stand it. I'm a graduate of the Government Technical Institute," he said. "In the Air Force, I was made to just sweep floors and collect trash."
Another ex-soldier said the military's involvement in politics bothered him.
"I very much prefer to just do my job. If you're a soldier, do a soldier's job. It's very off-putting to see these soldiers be such know-it-all snobs who think they can improve the country and be part of politics, I never liked them," he said.
RELATED Southeast Asian leaders reach consensus on Myanmar
Soldiers in Myanmar are considered deserters if they do not attend to their duties for 21 days, according to Myanmar Now.
Anti-THAAD protesters confront police in South Korea during fourth delivery
South Korea’s defense ministry said Thursday that construction materials and other essential supplies are being delivered to the U.S. THAAD site in Seongju. File Photo by Yonhap/EPA-EFE
May 20 (UPI) -- South Korean protesters clashed with more than 1,000 members of a local police force Thursday at the base for the U.S. missile defense system Terminal High Altitude Area Defense in Seongju.
The large police presence began assembling at the entrance of the THAAD site at about 5:40 a.m. They confronted anti-THAAD activists as U.S. and South Korean troops delivered essential supplies to the base, News 1 reported Thursday.
Eighteen trucks were able to reach the base. South Korea's defense ministry wants to bring in more trucks, the report said.
30 VS 1000
More than 30 protesters, many of them local residents, had been roped off from coming near the vehicles. Their sit-in early Thursday occurred at a village community hall. The police did not leave the area after the delivery, according to News 1.
South Korea’s defense ministry said Thursday that construction materials and other essential supplies are being delivered to the U.S. THAAD site in Seongju. File Photo by Yonhap/EPA-EFE
May 20 (UPI) -- South Korean protesters clashed with more than 1,000 members of a local police force Thursday at the base for the U.S. missile defense system Terminal High Altitude Area Defense in Seongju.
The large police presence began assembling at the entrance of the THAAD site at about 5:40 a.m. They confronted anti-THAAD activists as U.S. and South Korean troops delivered essential supplies to the base, News 1 reported Thursday.
Eighteen trucks were able to reach the base. South Korea's defense ministry wants to bring in more trucks, the report said.
30 VS 1000
More than 30 protesters, many of them local residents, had been roped off from coming near the vehicles. Their sit-in early Thursday occurred at a village community hall. The police did not leave the area after the delivery, according to News 1.
Protesters clashed with police, but local reports could not confirm whether injuries occurred on either side.
South Korean authorities said the trucks were carrying construction materials, water and other daily necessities for the soldiers. Last month, activists claimed soldiers were bringing in "THAAD battery upgrades" that "threaten peace on the Korean Peninsula."
Seoul defense ministry spokesman Boo Seung-chan said Thursday that the deliveries were not for weapons upgrades, Newsis reported.
The goods are part of a "plan for construction."
"If you look at the living accommodations there, it is quite substandard for South Korean soldiers, as well as for U.S. soldiers," Boo said.
"To say the deliveries were made because of the [upcoming] U.S.-South Korea summit is inappropriate," he said.
South Korean authorities said the trucks were carrying construction materials, water and other daily necessities for the soldiers. Last month, activists claimed soldiers were bringing in "THAAD battery upgrades" that "threaten peace on the Korean Peninsula."
Seoul defense ministry spokesman Boo Seung-chan said Thursday that the deliveries were not for weapons upgrades, Newsis reported.
The goods are part of a "plan for construction."
"If you look at the living accommodations there, it is quite substandard for South Korean soldiers, as well as for U.S. soldiers," Boo said.
"To say the deliveries were made because of the [upcoming] U.S.-South Korea summit is inappropriate," he said.
Earlier in the week, Soseong-ri All-Source Situation Room, an anti-THAAD group, said the government was "gifting" the rural area to the United States ahead of the first meeting between President Joe Biden and President Moon Jae-in.
The group said Thursday that protesters were being subjected to "state violence" and being jailed, according to Newsis. Deliveries have taken place April 28, May 14 and Tuesday.
THAAD is designed to intercept intermediate-range ballistic missiles.
upi.com/7097536
The group said Thursday that protesters were being subjected to "state violence" and being jailed, according to Newsis. Deliveries have taken place April 28, May 14 and Tuesday.
THAAD is designed to intercept intermediate-range ballistic missiles.
upi.com/7097536
G29
Study: COVID-19 caused nearly 1M extra deaths in 29 wealthy countries
By Health Day News
Israeli medical staff wear full protective suits while treating a patient in the intensive care unit of the COVID-19 ward in the Shaare Tzedek Medical Center in Jerusalem in October 2020. File Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI | License Photo
COVID-19 caused nearly 1 million excess deaths in 29 wealthy nations in 2020, with the United States claiming the highest number, researchers report.
Excess deaths refer to the number of deaths above what's expected during a given time period.
Overall, there were an estimated 979,000 excess deaths in the 29 countries last year.
The five countries with the highest number of excess deaths were the United States, at 458,000, Britain, at 94,400, Italy, at 89,100, Spain, at 84,100, and Poland, at 60,100.
Only New Zealand, Norway, and Denmark had no excess deaths.
The study was published this week in the BMJ.It "adds important insights on the direct and indirect effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on total mortality," wrote Nazrul Islam, of the department of population health at the University of Oxford in Britain, and colleagues.
"Reliable and timely monitoring of excess deaths would help to inform public health policy in investigating the sources of excess (deaths)," they explained. Such monitoring would also help to detect important social inequalities in the impact of the pandemic, they said.
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Excess deaths in the 29 countries were largely concentrated among people 75 and older, followed by people aged 65-74. Deaths among children younger than 15 were similar to expected levels in most of the countries and lower than expected in some countries.
In most countries, the estimated number of excess deaths was higher than the number of reported deaths from COVID-19. For example, in both the United States and Britain, estimated excess deaths were more than 30% higher than the number of reported COVID-19 deaths.
But other countries, including Israel and France, had a higher number of reported COVID-19 deaths than estimated excess deaths.
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The reasons for these discrepancies are unclear, but access to testing and differences in how countries define and record COVID-19 deaths may be factors, Islam's team said.
In most of the countries, excess death rates were higher in men than in women, and this gap tended to increase with age. But in the United States, the excess death rate was higher among women than men in those 85 and older.
Further research is needed to learn how national COVID-19 vaccination programs affect death rates in 2021, the researchers concluded.
The study confirms the high COVID-19 death toll in wealthy nations in 2020, Jonathan Clarke and colleagues wrote in an accompanying editorial. Clarke is in the mathematics department at Imperial College London in Britain.
But they added that the full impact of the pandemic may not be known for many years, particularly in lower income countries where problems such as poverty, lack of vaccines, weak health systems, and high population density put people at increased risk from COVID-19.
They also noted that while death data is useful, using it alone overlooks what may become a huge burden of long-term health problems caused by COVID-19.
There is an urgent need, they concluded, to measure this excess illness, support those with long-term COVID-19 complications and fund health systems globally "to address the backlog of work resulting from the pandemic."More information
The World Health Organization has more on COVID-19.
Copyright © 2021 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
People displaced by war, weather, disasters reached record 55 million in 2020
A call for help is placed on the roof of a home in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria in 2017. Wednesday's report says natural disasters caused three times more displacements than conflict and violence in 2020. File Photo by Kris Grogan/U.S. Customs and Border Protection/UPI | License Photo
May 20 (UPI) -- According to a new analysis Thursday, people displaced in their homelands due to war, other violence and natural disasters reached a 10-year high in 2020, even with travel restrictions related to COVID-19.
The Global Report on Internal Displacement, published by the Norwegian Refugee Council Internal Displacement Monitoring Center, says there were about 41 million new displacements last year -- the greatest single-year figure of the past decade.
It also says the number of people living in internal displacement also reached an all-time record, 55 million, in 2020 -- and that measures to curb COVID-19 "significantly impeded" humanitarian efforts worldwide. The pandemic, it says, also heightened internally displaced people's needs and vulnerabilities, while delaying the search for "durable solutions."
The report says natural disasters, a product mostly of climate change, caused three times more displacements than conflict and violence in 2020.
Weather-related events, it says, caused 98% of all disaster displacement in 2020. Intense cyclones, monsoon rains and floods heavily affected densely populated areas in South and East Asia and the Pacific region. Those areas were often unprepared for the impact of such disasters, the GRID analysis says.
A young girl hugs her dog in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on October 3, 2017, after Hurricane Maria devastated the island. Wednesday's report says natural disasters caused three times more displacements than conflict and violence in 2020. File Photo by Master Sgt. Joshua DeMotts/U.S. Air Force/UPI | License Photo
China, the Philippines and Bangladesh were areas with the most displacement. The data noted that the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season was the most active on record and rainy seasons were prolonged across the Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa, forcing many to flee their homes.
"The convergence of conflict and disasters led to many people being displaced for a second or even third time, increasing and prolonging their vulnerability," the report states.
"Many of those who fled flooding in Yemen had already been uprooted at least once by conflict. Drought in Somalia drove people to flee from rural to urban areas where they are now at greater risk of eviction and attacks by armed groups."
The global cost of displacement last year reached nearly $21 billion. The costs were associated with housing, education, health and security needs and loss of income.
The GRID study notes the rising effect of climate change on the issue.
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"Major climate-related disasters have almost doubled in the last twenty years as greenhouse gas emissions continue to climb," it states.
"The COVID pandemic has been a wake-up call and this report is another reminder: Today, sound evidence and global partnership are more important than ever. Millions of people on the move in a changing climate need us to act in solidarity.
"Addressing internal displacement in a changing climate is a developmental endeavour that requires increased political will, more strategic financing and better collaboration between stakeholders working on disaster risk reduction, peacebuilding, sustainable development and climate action."
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A call for help is placed on the roof of a home in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria in 2017. Wednesday's report says natural disasters caused three times more displacements than conflict and violence in 2020. File Photo by Kris Grogan/U.S. Customs and Border Protection/UPI | License Photo
May 20 (UPI) -- According to a new analysis Thursday, people displaced in their homelands due to war, other violence and natural disasters reached a 10-year high in 2020, even with travel restrictions related to COVID-19.
The Global Report on Internal Displacement, published by the Norwegian Refugee Council Internal Displacement Monitoring Center, says there were about 41 million new displacements last year -- the greatest single-year figure of the past decade.
It also says the number of people living in internal displacement also reached an all-time record, 55 million, in 2020 -- and that measures to curb COVID-19 "significantly impeded" humanitarian efforts worldwide. The pandemic, it says, also heightened internally displaced people's needs and vulnerabilities, while delaying the search for "durable solutions."
The report says natural disasters, a product mostly of climate change, caused three times more displacements than conflict and violence in 2020.
Weather-related events, it says, caused 98% of all disaster displacement in 2020. Intense cyclones, monsoon rains and floods heavily affected densely populated areas in South and East Asia and the Pacific region. Those areas were often unprepared for the impact of such disasters, the GRID analysis says.
A young girl hugs her dog in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on October 3, 2017, after Hurricane Maria devastated the island. Wednesday's report says natural disasters caused three times more displacements than conflict and violence in 2020. File Photo by Master Sgt. Joshua DeMotts/U.S. Air Force/UPI | License Photo
China, the Philippines and Bangladesh were areas with the most displacement. The data noted that the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season was the most active on record and rainy seasons were prolonged across the Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa, forcing many to flee their homes.
"The convergence of conflict and disasters led to many people being displaced for a second or even third time, increasing and prolonging their vulnerability," the report states.
"Many of those who fled flooding in Yemen had already been uprooted at least once by conflict. Drought in Somalia drove people to flee from rural to urban areas where they are now at greater risk of eviction and attacks by armed groups."
The global cost of displacement last year reached nearly $21 billion. The costs were associated with housing, education, health and security needs and loss of income.
The GRID study notes the rising effect of climate change on the issue.
RELATED Colombia gives nearly 1 million Venezuelan migrants legal status, right to work
"Major climate-related disasters have almost doubled in the last twenty years as greenhouse gas emissions continue to climb," it states.
"The COVID pandemic has been a wake-up call and this report is another reminder: Today, sound evidence and global partnership are more important than ever. Millions of people on the move in a changing climate need us to act in solidarity.
"Addressing internal displacement in a changing climate is a developmental endeavour that requires increased political will, more strategic financing and better collaboration between stakeholders working on disaster risk reduction, peacebuilding, sustainable development and climate action."
(0) Leave a comment
upi.com/7097507
Foreign aid arrives amid Israel-Hamas ceasefire
Palestinian security officers loyal to the Palestinian Authority check drivers' documents at gate of Kerem Shalom crossing, a main passage point for goods entering Gaza, in the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah. File Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI | License Photo
May 22 (UPI) -- Humanitarian aid began to arrive in Gaza on Saturday, the day after a cease-fire began in the 11-day conflict between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas.
The Israel Security Cabinet agreed to the Egyptian-brokered deal on Thursday, which took effect Friday, with both sides of the conflict claiming victory.
Since the truce, Israel has reopened the Kerem Shalom crossing, which allowed various aid agency trucks Saturday to deliver medicine, food and fuel in to Gaza, hard hit by the conflict, BBC News reported.
Palestinian officials told the BBC the impoverished enclave -- also struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic -- will need tens of millions dollars to rebuild.
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The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees added that it was seeking $38 million in aid to help with its focus on identifying and helping tens of thousands of displaced people.
The Israeli bombing on Al-Wahda Street on May 16 killed more than 40 Palestinians, and leveled or damaged every third building, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Across the Gaza Strip, bombings damaged thousands of buildings throughout the 11-day conflict.
RELATED Hundreds gather at Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., to protest Gaza airstrikes
"The damage inflicted in less than two weeks will take years, if not decades to rebuild," Middle East Director for the International Committee of the Red Cross Fabrizio Carboni tweeted Friday. "Root causes must be addressed."
The fighting began May 10 as Hamas began firing rockets at Israel over intention to forcibly displace Palestinian families from their East Jerusalem homes. The Israel bombing campaign in response killed more than 230 people, and at least 12 people in Israel were killed by retaliatory Hamas rocket fire.
The United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, urging a "humanitarian pause" prior to the cease-fire, said fighting displaced some 75,000 people, including 47,000 seeking shelter in U.N. schools across Gaza and 28,700 staying with foster families.
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Scenes from fighting in Israel, Gaza
Palestinians chant as they carry bodies of members of the Ezz-Al Din Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, during their funeral in Khan Younis in Gaza on Friday. Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI | License Photo
Palestinian security officers loyal to the Palestinian Authority check drivers' documents at gate of Kerem Shalom crossing, a main passage point for goods entering Gaza, in the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah. File Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI | License Photo
May 22 (UPI) -- Humanitarian aid began to arrive in Gaza on Saturday, the day after a cease-fire began in the 11-day conflict between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas.
The Israel Security Cabinet agreed to the Egyptian-brokered deal on Thursday, which took effect Friday, with both sides of the conflict claiming victory.
Since the truce, Israel has reopened the Kerem Shalom crossing, which allowed various aid agency trucks Saturday to deliver medicine, food and fuel in to Gaza, hard hit by the conflict, BBC News reported.
Palestinian officials told the BBC the impoverished enclave -- also struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic -- will need tens of millions dollars to rebuild.
RELATED Progressive Dems introduce legislation to halt Israeli arms deal
The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees added that it was seeking $38 million in aid to help with its focus on identifying and helping tens of thousands of displaced people.
The Israeli bombing on Al-Wahda Street on May 16 killed more than 40 Palestinians, and leveled or damaged every third building, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Across the Gaza Strip, bombings damaged thousands of buildings throughout the 11-day conflict.
RELATED Hundreds gather at Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., to protest Gaza airstrikes
"The damage inflicted in less than two weeks will take years, if not decades to rebuild," Middle East Director for the International Committee of the Red Cross Fabrizio Carboni tweeted Friday. "Root causes must be addressed."
The fighting began May 10 as Hamas began firing rockets at Israel over intention to forcibly displace Palestinian families from their East Jerusalem homes. The Israel bombing campaign in response killed more than 230 people, and at least 12 people in Israel were killed by retaliatory Hamas rocket fire.
The United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, urging a "humanitarian pause" prior to the cease-fire, said fighting displaced some 75,000 people, including 47,000 seeking shelter in U.N. schools across Gaza and 28,700 staying with foster families.
RELATED U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan is up to 20% complete amid Gaza violence
Scenes from fighting in Israel, Gaza
Palestinians chant as they carry bodies of members of the Ezz-Al Din Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, during their funeral in Khan Younis in Gaza on Friday. Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI | License Photo
Turkey to ban plastic waste imported from Britain, Germany
A mound of recyclables in China. That country banned the importation of plastics in 2018, diverting much plastics waste to Turkey. UPI/Stephen Shaver | License Photo
May 19 (UPI) -- The Turkish government has banned the importation of most types of plastic waste.
The ban comes after a Greenpeace investigation revealed improper dumping of recyclables from Britain and Germany.
Turkey has been a popular destination for plastics after China banned importation in 2018. In its investigation, Greenpeace found plastic shopping bags from the United Kingdom in dumps and burned on beaches across the southern city of Adana.
Following the findings the Turkish Minister of Trade removed several polymers from the waste products that were allowed in the country.
Despite a recycling rate of only 12 percent, Turkey has been importing more plastic waste than any other country, 209,642 tons alone in 2020, including 30% of the total plastic waste exports from the United Kingdom. About 241 trucks of plastic waste come to Turkey every day from all over Europe, 20 times more than was imported in 2016.
Investigators found plastic packaging from Tesco, Asda, Co-op, Aldi, Sainsbury's, Lidl and Marks & Spencer discarded, left in bags or burned as well as plastics from retailers such as B&Q, Debenhams, Poundland and Spar.
Greenpeace called the images it obtained "shocking."
German plastics uncovered in the dump included bags from Rossmann, Snack Wurfel, Ja! and peach water packaging.
On the Mediterranean coast, researchers found scattered British plastic, including toilet paper wrappers.
"People have been appalled to see images of U.K. household waste dumped and burned in Turkey. The U.K. government must put a stop to our plastic waste impacting other countries," Sam Chetan-Welsh, the political campaigner at Greenpeace U.K. said.
In 2020, the U.K. exported nearly 198,000 tons of plastics.
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