Polar bears walking on thin ice
Here’s your weekly Science Matters column by David Suzuki with Faisal Moola. Polar bears walking on thin ice Last week, … Continue reading Polar bears walking on thin ice
Tag: Science Matters
Little bug, big problem
Here’s your weekly Science Matters column by David Suzuki with Faisal Moola.
Little bug, big problem
Human beings are obsessed with size. We want bigger cars and bigger
houses, and, of course, men want bigger you-know-whats. But big isn’t
everything. A tiny insect about the size of a grain of rice, the
mountain pine beetle, has devastated British Columbia’s interior pine
forests, threatening enormous social, economic, and ecological
upheaval. The infestation, which is expected to kill close to 80 per
cent of B.C.’s mature pine forests, was caused in large part by global
warming and is now seen as a contributor to the problem that caused its
outbreak in the first place.
How can something so seemingly insignificant cause so much
damage? The mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) is a
naturally occurring insect that starts its attack when a female uses
its senses to find a pine tree (usually lodgepole) that is at least 80
years old. On finding a mature tree, she bores into it while releasing
a pheromone that attracts male beetles. When the sex-crazed males
arrive, they in turn secrete pheromones that attract more females. The
tree mounts a response by secreting a toxic resin that beats back a few
beetles. But the beetles have another trick up their sleeves – or in
their mouths. They carry spores of a blue-stained fungus, which are
released as they bore into the tree. The fungus puts a stop to the
spread of resin and allows the beetles to keep tunnelling.
Bearing down on grizzlies
Here’s your weekly Science Matters column by David Suzuki with Faisal Moola.
Bearing down on grizzlies
Years ago, I was surprised to learn that a grizzly bear is protected in
the United States, but if it walks across the border into British
Columbia, it can be killed for sport. So we did a program on them for
The Nature of Things. I was amazed to see pictures from the 1800s of
immense piles of skulls from grizzlies that were slaughtered to make
room for early settlers on the prairies. Grizzlies were not just
mountain animals; they flourished on bison all the way across Canada to
Manitoba and south to Texas and California (where the only place you’ll
find one now is on the state flag)! Grizzlies need space – tagged
animals have been known to travel over hundreds of kilometres in a
season. But the cumulative impacts of habitat loss and fragmentation
from logging, mining, road building, urbanization, and other land-use
pressures have forced them into isolated patches of territory.
Fishing for salmon answers
Here’s your weekly Science Matters column by David Suzuki with Faisal Moola.
Fishing for salmon answers
Most of our food, whether plant or animal, comes from farms. A notable
exception is fish and seafood, much of which is caught from wild ocean
stocks. That’s starting to change, though, as aquaculture plays an
increasingly important role in the global food supply.
In many respects, that’s good news, especially when wild
fisheries are being harvested at or beyond a sustainable limit, and
pollution and global warming, among other threats, are decimating wild
fish stocks. When the aquaculture practices themselves start harming
the wild fish, though, we must question whether or not the costs of the
way we are farming outweigh the benefits.
Many aquaculture operations are environmentally sound, especially
those that separate farmed fish from wild fish, such as the contained
tanks and pond systems used to farm species such as tilapia and turbot.
As well, many types of shellfish are farmed in ways that do not harm
the environment.
Yes, you heard me right: some types of aquaculture are okay. And yes, I eat some farmed seafood.
Small actions can make a world of difference
Here’s your weekly Science Matters column by David Suzuki with Faisal Moola.
Small actions can make a world of difference
As you no doubt know, last week’s Earth Hour took place in several cities around the world, including many in Canada.
The project was spearheaded by the World Wildlife Fund, which
successfully tested the idea in Sydney, Australia, last year. The idea
is simple: ask everyone to flick off lights and non-essential
appliances for an hour.
Earth Hour was a fascinating experiment. It’s a bold idea. As
Marshall McLuhan famously observed, we live in a global village. And
Earth Hour is an expression of cooperation and support between the
other villagers on our little blue planet.
It’s easy to downplay this idea.
Many people did. Last week, it seemed as if all of Canada’s
contrarians got space in newspapers and radio to complain: “Turn off
the lights?! Says who? I paid for them, and I’ll leave them on as long
as I darn well please!”
Fine.
We live in a free society and we are free to do as we please. But
these naysayers have a myopic view of the world, and the important
social networks of which we are all a part.
When individuals do something beneficial for the
environment–turning off the lights for an hour to show support for a
good idea, or using energy-efficient appliances, or purchasing
fuel-efficient cars–they aren’t just taking a simple action. They are
expressing a bold statement about their values.
Continue reading “Small actions can make a world of difference”
The ugly truth about cosmetic pesticides
Here’s your weekly Science Matters column by David Suzuki with Faisal Moola.
The ugly truth about cosmetic pesticides
A real estate agent once visited me at home and offered to sell my
house. I was tempted for about a nanosecond before turning him down
cold.
The house where I’ve lived for decades in Vancouver is not just
a property to me. My home – especially the backyard – means so much
more.
The backyard isn’t just my own private place of refuge in the summer. It’s a sacred place for my family as well.
It’s where my kids played tag as children and where they now socialize
with their friends as adults. It’s where my wife and I hold family
barbecues and dinners in the summer. And it’s where my father-in-law
gets down on his hands and knees to pull weeds and tend to the St.
John’s Wort and tulips. Our pet dog, Huckleberry, was even buried in
the backyard when he died.
I wouldn’t trade any of my memories that have taken place on
that small stretch of grass for anything in the world. I know I’m not
alone in my passion. Our yards and gardens are a symbolic zone, a
private sanctuary. Our public parks are also treasured spaces: they’re
the public commons where we can throw Frisbees, play volleyball, read a
book, or (my favorite) take a nap.
There’s been a tremendous amount of interest in green spaces
recently. And with good reason. Many of the private yards and public
parks that we enjoy are coated with toxic chemical pesticides to kill weeds. The problem is that they work too well, and exposure to them can damage our health.
Selective Information Overload
Here’s your weekly Science Matters column by David Suzuki with Faisal Moola.
Selective Information Overload
The most powerful force shaping our lives is science, especially when
it’s applied by medicine, the military and corporations. All too often,
new technologies become part of our lives without much forethought as
to their full impacts on our society, let alone that of the non-human
environment. Just think of nuclear power, genetic engineering, and the
development of new toxic chemicals to keep our lawns greener or
vegetables blemish-free, for example.
When I began my television career in 1962, I thought that all
the public needed was more information about science and technology so
it could make better decisions based on facts. Well, people are getting
far more information today than they ever did 45 years ago. Although
there are more facts, there are also more opinions. And we still make
ill-informed decisions.
I now believe we are experiencing a major problem in the early-21st
century: selective information overload. And by this I mean that we can
sift through mountains of information to find anything to confirm
whatever misconceptions, prejudices or superstitions we already
believe. In other words, we don’t have to change our minds. All we have
to do is find something to confirm our opinions, no matter how
misguided or wrong they may be.
Whenever I give a talk on global warming, someone in the audience
often tells me that the Earth is going into a period of global cooling
and should be burning more fossil fuels. When I ask for evidence, they
typically answer, “a website”. Well, yes, there are lots of websites
saying that global warming is some kind of left-wing plot, junk
science, baloney, etc.
There are also dozens of websites, books and videos about
intelligent design or creationism, pyramid power, UFOs, the Bermuda
triangle, crop circles, Atlantis, alien abductions, and so on. And this
brings us back to our big challenge: sifting through information
overload.
It’s all about the biosphere
Here’s your weekly Science Matters column by David Suzuki with Faisal Moola.
It’s all about the biosphere
All life exists is the biosphere, the zone of air, water and land that
envelops the planet. We often think of the atmosphere as extending to
the heavens when in fact, it is only about ten kilometers thick. The
biosphere, astronomer Carl Sagan used to say, is as thick as a layer of
varnish painted on a basketball. That is where all life flourishes.
Beyond it, there is only space.
Humanity
has become so numerous and powerful that we are now altering the
biological, physical and chemical makeup of the biosphere. Everything
we do has repercussions throughout it because everything is
interconnected. If, for example, we pour toxins into air, water or
soil, it’s clear that these same toxins will end up in us. This is
exactly what we learned from Rachel Carson when she wrote her
influential 1962 book Silent Spring, about the effects of the pesticide
DDT in the biosphere. Carson explained how DDT, sprayed onto farmers’
fields, killed insects as it was supposed to. But the pesticide also
had unintended effects, such as ending up in fish, birds and
mammals–including humans.
Fixing the world’s broken thermostat
Here’s your weekly Science Matters column by David Suzuki with Faisal Moola.
Fixing the world’s broken thermostat
There has been a lot of talk in Canada lately about the need to develop
technological innovations that address global warming. After all, since
humans cause global warming by burning too much fossil fuels such as
coal, oil and gas, as well as destroying natural ecosystems that absorb
and store carbon, it’s up to us to fix it.
Of
course, replacing traditional sources of energy that we’ve come to rely
on so heavily Is no easy feat. It requires big effort.
But
here’s the good part: most of the technologies needed to usher in a
clean and sustainable future are already available. Even better, many
of these technologies are being developed right here in Canada.
By
supporting innovative solutions, we can phase out the older polluting
forms of generating energy that contribute to global warming and thus
create a cleaner world. These innovations will create new jobs and
boost our economy.
For too long the environment and economy have
been treated as two separate solitudes. But they aren’t. We can protect
and conserve the environment and have a vibrant economy.
But first, bear with me for a little climate change 101.
Kilroy was here
Here’s your weekly Science Matters column by David Suzuki with Faisal Moola.
Well, it seems we’ve finally done it. Humanity has finally made its mark – our own little place in history.
Fill ‘er up with switchgrass
Here’s your weekly Science Matters column by David Suzuki with Faisal Moola.
Not long ago, the question at the pump was always, “regular or
unleaded?” Today, leaded gasoline isn’t even an option in most
developed countries. And with the need to drastically reduce our
consumption of fossil fuels, the question of the future just might be
“switchgrass or algae?”
Where do our leaders stand on science?
Here’s your weekly Science Matters column by David Suzuki with Faisal Moola.
From all the election hoopla in the United States, Canadians would be
forgiven for thinking that our American friends were about to head to
the polls tomorrow, not in November. But while the American process
might seem tad drawn out to some, it does give voters a chance to get
to know their candidates – something that Canadians would do well to
follow, as we too may be facing an election in 2008.