Wrapping up the week with a smorgasbord of bite sized chunks of good news
Food for Thought
Here's what an analysis by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, which for the first time attempted to predict the potential impact of market-ready meat substitutes or, simply cutting out meat from our diets, concludes: “We found that if we substituted 20 percent of ruminant meat per capita by 2050, annual deforestation and CO2 emissions from land-use change would be halved compared to a business-as-usual scenario,” said Florian Humpenöder, lead author of the study.
Condors Soar Again
The endangered California condor returned to the skies over the state's far northern coast redwood forests this week for the first time in more than a century. Two captive-bred birds were released from a pen in Redwood National Park under a project aimed at restoring the giant vultures to their historic habitat in the Pacific Northwest. Condors were last spotted in the park area around 1892, authorities said. The California condor is the largest native North American bird, with a wingspan of nearly 10 feet (3m).
Mother Nature
The Madras High Court in India has ruled that “Mother Nature” has the same legal status as a human being, which includes “all corresponding rights, duties and liabilities of a living person.” The court also said that the natural environment is part of the human right to life, and that humans have an environmental duty to future generations. The case is the latest in a series of so-called “rights of nature” laws and court rulings that aim to give ecosystems, animals and elements of the natural world legal rights similar to those of humans. Countries including Ecuador, Bolivia, Panama and New Zealand have also enacted variations of rights of nature laws. Typically, legal rights, such as the right to exist and to regenerate, afford nature a higher degree of protection compared to conventional environmental laws.
Acts of Kindness
A homeless gentleman walked in to a restaurant with .50 cents and asked if there was anything on the menu he could buy. The waiter asked him what he would order if he could and the man said anything would help his hunger pains. So Matthew, the waiter, rang him up for a hearty meal and then used his own debit card to pay for the man's meal. He handed him the receipt and told him to relax and take a seat. The story could end there and it would be a happy ending, but a woman who observed this random act of kindness gave Matthew a $100 tip and also wrote to the company to let them know about the caring employee they had working for them.
Oyster Success Story
Virginia: Biologists working to restore the Chesapeake Bay oyster populations are claiming the biggest success in human history, as whole reefs of oysters return to more than 400 acres of estuarine ecosystem. Nowhere is this success more highlighted than along the Piankatank River, where conservationists have taken the first steps to restoring what used to be 7,000 acres of oyster reefs. “Water quality and fish is really what it boils down to,” said Director Andy Lacatell. “Oysters improve water quality, and they provide habitat for fish and crabs and other critters that are both recreationally and commercially important.”
US Batteries
We at OGN Daily are electric vehicle fans, and we’re not the only ones. Demand for electric vehicles has risen so sharply around the world that manufacturers and supply chains are struggling to keep up. To help things along, state and federal governments are stepping up to offer funding to increase production. So, it's good news that the Biden Administration has announced that it's making $3.16 billion available to stimulate the production of batteries for electric vehicles in the United States.
Quote of the Day
"Life is like a trumpet - if you don't put anything into it, you don't get anything out of it."
William Christopher Handy
On this Day
6 May 1954: Roger Bannister of Britain became the first athlete to run a mile in less than four minutes.
Dive in Deeper
Billed as the ‘most innovative and modular light vehicle in the world’ the XBUS may just be the perfect EV option for nomads. Ooh yes, we want one of these. Read on...
Noctilucent Neowise
Filming Comet Neowise in conjunction with intense Noctilucent Clouds is a stunning achievement. Enjoy!