Delicacy or disgust: consuming insects for a healthier body and environment

It may be of great surprise to many that the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation is advocating a rise in the consumption of insects, targeting the “cultural bias” of the Western world. With obesity levels doubling to 500 million people since the 1980s, health concerns alone are a motivational force to implement these nutritious dishes. Comparable to the protein levels of minced beef per 100g (27.4g), caterpillar and grasshopper provide similar values (28.2g and 20.6g respectively), yet the time taken to convert insect food to protein can be up to 12 times faster than that of livestock. Additionally, insects consist of essential minerals such as iron, and healthy fats otherwise lacking in the typical western diet.
 

Insects also prove to be significantly less harmful to the environment than livestock such as pigs, due to the lower ammonia levels produced. Ammonia contributes to the long life greenhouse gas level of methane; once emitted it remains in the atmosphere for decades to centuries. Typically insects reproduce rapidly with a minimal carbon footprint – a far cry from the longevity involved in rearing cattle and the miles of land required to feed and transport them.
 

Image from www.bbc.co.uk

Two billion people globally eat insects on a daily basis for their nutritious and convenience value. While this consumption occurs within the developing regions of Africa and Asia, the Western world seemingly turns a stiff upper lip to the possibility of incorporating these meals in their diets. If the UN is successful in promoting the health and environmental well-being associated with insects to the public, this may open agriculture and export opportunities to businesses in these developing regions.(BBC 2013 and Thomson Reuters 2013)

By Action 21 volunteer Ellen Kane

Climate change poses threat of extinction to Australian possums

The mountain pygmy possum has journeyed across Australia for over 25 million years. Today, the survival of the species is threatened by climate change. Only 2000-2600 possums remain in Australia. Their extinction could be determined by a relatively small increase in temperature; from only a rise of 1C, the continent could see its first climate change-induced extinction within the decade.
 

Figure 1: the Mountain pygmy possums vulnerable to extinction (The Guardian 2013)

With their natural environment being the Snowy Mountains (situated between New South Wales and Victoria States), mountain pygmy possums rely upon the insulation properties of the snow throughout their six month hibernation pattern. The projected 1C and 3C rise by 2020 and 2030 respectively will increase snow melt, thus reducing the possums’ insulation for survival.   

Like most species, the possums’ hibernation patterns are synced with predation patterns; moths and mountain plums become available to feed upon after the six month hibernation is over. Disruptions to hibernation patterns result in gradual starvation and death of the possums as both moths and mountain plums are unavailable until the usual possum hibernation period is over. Mountain pygmy possums die directly or indirectly due to lack of insulation from the lack of snow as the climate warms.
 
Upon realising the severity of the crisis posed to possums, researchers are currently attempting to acclimatise the species to warmer climates in the lowland rainforests; a promising indicator of success is based upon their ancestors thriving within these warmer climates. However, if ascertaining this breeding colony fails, the consensus among many zoologists, palaeontologists and naturalists is that it is “guaranteed we’re going to lose this possum to climate change” (Michael Archer, researcher at University of New South Wales, Australia). 
(The Guardian 2013)   

By Action 21 volunteer Ellen Kane

Fish Fingerprinting

In line with the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act, wild salmon caught out at sea must be returned to waters unharmed; this ensures the salmon population remains at a sustainable number. However, the illegal selling of wild salmon has proved hard to trace due to a lack of quantitative information differentiating between wild and farmed salmon. 

To cease the depletion of wild salmon stocks, those fish found in UK and European waters have been examined using DNA technology. Most wild salmon brought to UK waters will be from regions surrounding Norway; this enables DNA tracing to identify between legal farmed fishing and illegal selling of wild ‘by-catch’ (Environment Agency 2012).  

By Ellen Kane, Action 21 volunteer

A bill worth sustaining?

Image from indigoswan.co.uk

The highly anticipated Energy Bill has been announced, to the relief of environmental bodies and the anguish of the taxpayer. To achieve the 2020 Climate Change Act targets, energy companies are to invest £7.6bn in low-carbon power, the knock-on effect being an additional £110 to the average household bill by 2020. The Bill has won the praise of The Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and energy companies such as EDF; they appreciate this step as a shift towards a low-carbon gas economy. However, the UK government have rejected the idea of compiling 2030 targets on the likely basis that gas prices may escalate from their present cheapness – reducing the public’s and manufacturers’ confidence in their ‘green’ commitment plans. Even with an influx of cheap shale gas, it is expected that gas prices will rise 40% by 2020, and the bill will be at our doorsteps.  (BBC News 2012) 

By Ellen Kane, Action 21 volunteer
 

The Largest Climate Rally Ever

Obama is considering giving the ‘go ahead’ to the Keystone XL pipeline, despite huge contest. Just under a fortnight ago, environmental groups built a wall against the approval– morally and literally. In what is described as the ‘largest climate rally ever’, environmentalist groups unified in their thousands at the National Mall – a rare occurrence due to the conflicting views between those within the field of research. This action has seen more people sent to jail and out protesting on the streets than any other environmental issue in recent history. All demonstration groups agree on one thing: the greenhouse gas emissions emitted from the 800,000 barrels per day of crude oil will unravel all the progress made towards a renewable energy economy in the US. As previously suggested, Obama would sacrifice his environmental pledges for those of the economy; the American Petroleum Institute summarises his decision as an “important job-creating project [which is] one step closer to reality".  

Thousands Protest Keystone Pipeline in Washington March - www.bloomburg.com 

It seems the turning point for Obama to favour such a controversial move could have been the approval of the pipeline lying along more robust regions from the tar sands of Northern Alberta to the US Gulf coast, avoiding fragile areas such as the Sand Hills, home to the Ogallala aquifer; environmental, economic and social costs of an oil spill in such regions are weighed up. Although it is recognised that the President has considered the hazards involved, the decision remains outrageous to many – including activists, the general public and politicians – and, according to former Whitehouse adviser Van Jones, “his legacy could be the worst oil disaster in American farmland history”.

The newly recruited head of the Environment Panel Agency (EPA), Gina McCarthy, is renowned for demanding tougher environmental standards. Obama may struggle to contend with her targets, according to the predicted greenhouse gas emissions from the Keystone XL pipeline. Although the decision is expected to be finalised formally in spring, there are great suspicions that Obama has given the green light already – suggesting the EPA may be too late to turn the tables. 

(HuffingtonPost 2013, and The Guardian 2013)

By Ellen Kane, Action 21 volunteer

Divisive oil: Keystone XL oil pipeline route

US President Barack Obama faces an unenviable ultimatum: actively encourage the contemporary ideologies surrounding climate change, or preserve and expand the oil industry and US employment opportunities. The expansion of the oil industry results in further dependency on a non-renewable and fossil intensive energy source – catalysing the greenhouse effect. The topical issue of climate and energy is pressing for politicians and their agendas; the development of the 1,700 mile Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada to Texas Gulf Coast could redefine Obama’s green agenda. The project is estimated to cost $7 billion if permitted to materialise, and as a trans-national project much of the funding would be foreign investment. However, the cost is not limited to monetary means – sustainability measures must be acknowledged. 

(CBC Radio Canada News 2013: the southern leg of XL pipeline, Texas)

Although Obama has famously actively supported the reduction of emissions of cars and power plants, his decision on the XL pipeline will serve to outline the prioritising of the climate change agenda whilst President. Although fossil fuels are reliable for high energy output, their life span is finite - an unreliable source in sustainability terms. Eighteen well respected scientists have offered their opinion on the expansion to the President: do not accept. Obama’s inaugural explicitly accepted the challenges posed by global warming by recognising the need to expand solar and wind power; however, he denied sole reliability upon these, suggesting further expansion of coal, natural gas and oil industries. The heat-intensive oils and extraction uses more heat than traditional oil sources. 

The Calgary-based TransCanada pipeline was first proposed in 2008. It has been delayed for 5 years, with applications blocked twice. However, with over half the US senate approving the pipeline, which would travel though Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma, it seems inevitable that the President will favour the security of American jobs over his environmental pledge. If disapproved, the oil will be transported and used by China, the world’s largest carbon emission country.  (CBC Radio Canada News 2013 and BBC News 2013)
 

Obama’s decision is pending - to be continued...

By Ellen Kane, Action 21 volunteer

The Green Capital

Dominating Scotland’s tackle with climate change is their investment in wind farms – controversial by nature. Wind farms are both visibly and audibly noticeable, with business magnate Donald Trump claiming their presence across Scotland’s landscape is ‘financial suicide’ for the tourism industry. Scotland’s geomorphology and climate arguably provide optimal conditions for wind energy, and so far they are on target to meet their ambitious 2020 renewable electricity aim of 100%. The Trump Organisation's allegation of a drop in tourism due to wind farm investment is yet to provide evidence beyond the anecdotal quote: “I am the evidence [and] considered a world-class expert in tourism”. However, Scotland has shed light on troubles within their path to reach Europe’s ‘Green capital’ as they are lacking in renewable energy skills; though if this is amended through educational approaches it is likely Scotland could reach ‘capital’ status by 2020. 
(BBC News 2012)

By Ellen Kane, Action 21 volunteer

A positive control on fish and politics?

Bluefin tuna

Last year, there was a great difference between the tuna catch declared and the amount of Mediterranean tuna actually entering Tokyo’s market (the disparity stood at a shocking 140%). The controversy engulfing the Mediterranean bluefin tuna catchment process stems from the fact that the fish are regularly caught, caged, fattened and sold to Tokyo despite being widely considered an endangered species. 
 
The preceding measures to control catchment numbers and ensure the sustainability of bluefin tuna proved inadequate; the paper-based recording system was susceptible to exploitation, as retrieving accurate quantitative data was taxing. Skippers thrived as they continued to catch Tuna illegally and unregulated. A meeting in Turkey has addressed this issue with the implementation of an electronic system. 
 
The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) also delegated a minimum legal size catchment of swordfish; a formalised recovery plan is due later in 2013. Furthermore, the ICCAT governments acknowledged the dangers that tuna and sharks face in the Atlantic Ocean, off the West coast of Africa. It was highlighted that the use of fish aggregating devices (FADs) often attract tuna, juveniles and unwanted species, thus restrictions on their use were voted in.  
 
The Head of Fisheries for WWF in the Mediterranean region has praised these movements as “important and positive leaps forward”. Noticeable however was the lack of mention regarding the illicit fishing of bluefin tuna during Libya’s political uprising in 2012. In addition, the classified ‘vulnerable to extinct’ species of the Porbeagle shark – as recognised on the Red List - had any associated proposals rejected. 

Porbeagle shark

Whilst bodies recognising endangered species is crucial to try to maintain healthy population numbers, this should be applicable to all species – an argument many conservation parties have put forward. Arguably these movements, and lack of them, suggest motions are wrongly influenced by political stability and the global market – rather than species’ sustainability.

By Ellen Kane, Action 21 volunteer

Dams: a double-edged sword?

Are dams enhancing or crippling our financial and environmental balance?

Dams have long been relied upon as defences against flooding, supplying renewable and low-carbon energy (hydroelectricity) and water storage, but recently, questions have been raised over their sustainability. The high pricing of the  structures has been widely acknowledged and accepted; previously, benefit-cost analysis resulted in worldwide dam systems being readily installed. With climate change and rising sea levels at the forefront of many government agendas, dams proved a sustainable approach to mitigate the existing global warming impacts of excessive flooding. For example, the controversial £1.85 billion dam in Patagonia, Chile was built despite the landmark’s potential threat to wild deer species and Laguna San Rafael National Park.

Puclaro reservoir, northern Chile

However, researchers in Chile have questioned how effective dams are in defending against floods, as they are known to increase rainfall intensity – a phenomenon known as the “lake effect”. Large water storage bodies increase rainfall in their surroundings by a significant amount. More water is available for evaporation, and ultimately precipitation; one study highlighted a 4% increase in rainfall each year since dam construction. The proposed lake effect holds the potential to breach existing flood defences downstream as sea levels rise in concentrated areas. Engineers are often criticised for their designs as flooding continues following dam emplacement, although this could be beyond our control, as nature dictates the hydrological processes occurring in these reservoirs.
The extent of these detrimental environmental impacts proves an inconvenient truth for many due to the high expenditure of redesigning such structures; despite hesitations about dam-induced flooding, Professor Richard Harding from the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) declares “The physics [of dams] says that it will happen”. (Source: BBC)

By Ellen Kane, Action 21 volunteer