Eco Report – September 01, 2023

And now for your environmental reports:

Electrocution isn’t the main thing killing birds along power lines, according to the New York Times. A survey of power lines in four Western states found bullet fragments and shotgun pellets in most of the dead birds that were collected. Birds get electrocuted on power lines. But people shooting at birds perched on power poles may be even more of a problem. In a survey of five sites in the western United States, two-thirds of birds found dead beneath power lines had been shot.

Avians found dead along power lines are often assumed to have died from electrocution, especially if their bodies show burns or singeing, said Eve Thomason, a wildlife biologist at Boise State University in Idaho. But the animal may have been injured or killed before getting zapped. In the new study, published  in the journal Science, Ms. Thomason and her colleagues walked along 122 miles of power lines in Idaho, Oregon, Utah and Wyoming, collecting 410 bird carcasses. Back in the lab, the researchers X-rayed the birds, looking for evidence of gunshot wounds or other trauma.

—Norm Holy

The news is full of language saying hottest month ever.  It’s true if the reference is to recorded temperatures,  which date back to 1880.  But before there were Homo Sapiens, there were millions of years on earth with temperatures 10 – 20 degrees F warmer than today.  The atmospheric carbon dioxide was several times higher than today – all coming from volcanic eruptions.  During most of earth’s existence, there was no ice at all on earth. 

One of the easiest ways to mitigate heat is to provide more shade in areas that need it, often by planting more trees. That idea is beginning to take root throughout the Phoenix metro area.  Thus far, the golf courses are still using copious amounts of water, and 80 percent of the water from the Colorado River goes to agriculture.  Leafy greens, cabbage, dates, melons, lemons, oranges, apples, potatoes and tomatoes are just some foods harvested from Arizona’s nourishing soil. The state also boasts a growing nut and date crop industry. High quality cotton, which requires a lot of water, is also a major crop.  

What is difficult to understand is the construction of a microchip plant that will employ about 30,000 people.  That would add at least 200,000 people to the population.  Arizona’s people are going to be exposed to even higher temperatures in the future.  Temperatures over 120 F are life-threatening.

—Norm Holy

Still, Paris is referred to as the City of Light and the City of Love, and, until 1923, it was also a city of swimming. That year, swimming was banned in the Seine due to excess sewage being drained into the river following heavy rainfall, rendering the iconic river unsafe. An exception to the ban was the swimming competition, Traversée de Paris à la Nage, which continued into the 1940s, according to Paris Unlocked. Paris is gearing up for the Summer Olympic Games next year and is in the final phase of a decade-long, $1.6 billion project to restore the Seine and make it swimmable once again, reported BBC News and France 24.

—Norm Holy

Spain, the largest olive oil producer in Europe, has had its annual supply decline by half because of the heat and drought. Last year, heat waves caused the country’s olive oil production to decline from 1.48 million metric tons in 2021 to 2022 to just 660,000 metric tons from 2022 to 2023. Experts are predicting olive oil supply to reach 850,000 metric tons this year, still far below average, but continuing heat waves could impact the harvest.

In Spain we already know it is going to be another bad year, but no one knows what’s currently happening. The record temperatures are not going to help the situation, according to Walter Zanre, the chief executive of the largest olive oil producer globally. (quote)I can’t share how much anxiety this is causing us. Last year, Spain came into crop with a bit of carry-over [from the year before], which negated the shortfall somewhat. This year the barrels are dry. Even if Spain produces the predicted 850,000 tonnes, the price situation is worse. (end quote)

Spain isn’t alone. Other major olive oil-producing countries, such as Italy and Portugal, have experienced smaller yields because of the harsh conditions. Since June 2022, olive oil prices have surged in response to the poor olive harvests, as the crop has been affected by the extreme heat. Olive oil prices have hit over $6,000 per metric ton, the highest price this product has been since 1997, Weather.com reported.

As The Guardian reported, consumers may expect to see shortages of olive oil in the fall, as last year’s supply is expected to run out in September, and the new supply for 2023 isn’t expected to be ready until November. Many crops are facing shortages amid the climate crisis. The current heat waves in Europe are also threatening vineyards, even putting types of grapes that have long been known to survive in extreme conditions at risk. Maturing tomatoes in Italy are at risk from blistering in the extreme temperatures, and these crops were already impacted by severe floods earlier this year.

—Norm Holy

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Courtesy of One World Enterprises

And now for some upcoming events:

Happening right now, the Artist for Environmental Restoration are having an opening reception of their visual arts exhibition, Sea Change, a Collective Exhibition about our natural world at Backspace Gallery on 6th Street from 5 to 8 pm, today!