Among other vital roles in ecosystem functioning, blue carbon ecosystems are named as they are because they serve an important function in sequestering and storing carbon from both the atmosphere and oceans. As atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations continue to increase, and anthropogenic climate change descends upon the planet, more focus is being made on the carbon sequestration capacities of ecosystems. Blue carbon ecosystems “sequester and store more carbon per unit area than terrestrial forests and are now being recognized for their role in mitigating climate change.”¹ An example of this increased attention is the 2021 UNESCO World Heritage assessment of the blue carbon assets across their sites. The UNESCO World Heritage List includes sites recognized as reflective of humans’ common heritage, “a legacy to pass on to future generations”.²

Included in the UNESCO World Heritage list are 50 marine sites found across 37 nations. UNESCO’s Marine World Heritage report, Guardians of the globe’s blue carbon assets (2021), shares that while only representing 0.57% of global ocean area, World Heritage marine sites and their immediate surrounding area account for at least 21% of the global area of blue carbon ecosystems, and the carbon stores here are equivalent to about 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions in 2018.

Of the 50 sites, 21 have been recognized for their blue carbon ecosystems. Examples of World Heritage Sites that received this distinction include the world’s largest unbroken area of mangroves in Everglades National Park (USA); Seagrass beds in Ibiza, Biodiversity and Culture (Spain), added in part for the presence of Posidonia oceanica, the oldest and largest known living organism on the planet; and the Wadden Sea, spanning Denmark, Germany, and Netherlands, which includes the world’s largest tidal flats composed of seagrass and tidal marshes.

Mangroves in Everglades National Park, USA. Photograph by Phil Degginger. Source: https://fineartamerica.com

Blue carbon ecosystems have stored carbon for millennia and, if functional, are expected to increase their capacity as carbon sinks. Protecting these ecosystems is not simple, however, even for UNESCO World Heritage sites. Local pressures from competing land-use priorities and pollution, in tandem with non-localized degradation from climate change impacts and plastic litter circulating in the world’s oceans, make protection of these areas a ceaseless challenge. And just as they store carbon when functional, they release carbon when degraded or destroyed, making the protection even more critical in the response to mitigating anthropogenic climate change.

One aspect of UNESCO’s approach to protecting blue carbon World Heritage sites is to fund conservation through emerging opportunities in blue carbon markets. This could include the sites qualifying for carbon financing through the United Nations carbon offset program (https://offset.climateneutralnow.org). UNESCO’s recent report quantifying current and potential carbon stocks of World Heritage blue carbon ecosystems is an early step in this approach. Success in protecting these sites not only will support the World Heritage aim of recognizing the common heritage of humankind at specific sites: Protecting these ecosystems and restoring them so that they naturally continue to sequester carbon, will contribute to offsetting global carbon emissions, and can support meeting international goals in carbon emission reductions.

1. Herr, D. and E. Landis (2016). Coastal blue carbon ecosystems: Opportunities for Nationally Determined Contributions. Policy Brief. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN and Washington, DC, USA: TNC.
2. UNESCO. 2020. UNESCO Marine World Heritage: Custodians of the globe’s blue carbon assets. Paris, France.

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In 2017, MSc GCE students felt an absence of a centralized hub through which the GCE family could stay connected. This inspired students to propose beginning an alumni association. Through the support of GCE coordination, students, and many others, Friends of GCE, or FroG, was established. The primary motivation of FroG is to serve as a centralized networking platform through which the GCE family can stay connected, especially considering the international nature of current students, alumni, associates of the study program and the program itself!

According to two current FroG representatives, formally certifying FroG was an unexpectedly long process involving paperwork and legal guidance. The statues of the organization had to be outlined in advance as well as a clear statement of the requirements and roles of FroG. In 2018, the effort paid off and FroG was officially certified as an organization. Immediately outreach initiatives were planned as was drafting membership options for the GCE family’s involvement.

Board Elections

In November 2020, FroG hosted its annual members meeting during which new board members were elected. All positions were open for re-election including chair, vice-chair, secretary, and treasurer. In 2021, this new leadership team, among other things, aims to host online “fireside” networking events to connect alumni and students, work with the coordination to further advance email and LinkedIn pages for GCE alumni, continue to support the Klimawald Bayreuth initiative, and, depending on the situation with Corona, host an excellent conference at the Summer Fete.

Other long term  goals of FroG include serving as a liaison between the GCE Student Board and alumni in order to connect current and past students. This would support another of FroG’s long-term goals, which is to include mentorship programs within the GCE family, host a FroG conference for members to present their work and exchange ideas, and to build financial support for hosting additional programs.

If you are interested in learning more or getting involved with FroG, please check out their website here (http://www.bayceer.uni-bayreuth.de/friends-of-gce/) or contact them at friends-of-gce@uni-bayreuth.de.

Thank you to FroG representative Kiely Doherty for their support in writing this article!

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Klimawald Bayreuth won the award in the category for research and educational institutions!

Klimawald Bayreuth is a project that was initiated by students from the MSc Global Change Ecology program at the University of Bayreuth. In April 2019, three founding students with the help of roughly 250 volunteers planted over 4,500 trees in a forested area in Bayreuth which had been damaged by storms and drought. Fundamental concepts of the initiative include that planting these trees strengthens forest resilience to climate change, increases carbon sequestration, and promotes biodiversity.

In 2020, a new generation of MSc Global Change Ecology students joined the existing Klimawald leadership team to organize follow-up events including watering the planted trees and an educational excursion, “Wir entdecken den Klimawald,” which happened during Wandelwoche in October 2020. The Klimawald Bayreuth forest project is now used by a network of various interest groups including researchers, forest practitioners, and the local population. Excitedly, the project has inspired implementation of similar projects, for example, in the Höxter Climate Forest and Arisu Climate Forest Project South Korea. 

Reports on the planting campaign in the media:

• Bayern-Online.de Forest-for-Future (April 23, 2019)
• BR24, regional news Franconia (April 24, 2019 – minutes 4:30 to 7:12)
• BR24, 5,000 trees in three days: Bayreuth gets a climate forest (April 26, 2019)
• TV Upper Franconia: Planting 4,719 trees for less CO2 (April 25, 2019)
• Nordbayerischer Kurier: Bayreuth’s Climate Forest – More than 4,700 trees for climate protection (April 26, 2019)
• Bayreuther Tagblatt: 270 helpers in the climate forest: Bayreuth planting campaign starts (April 25, 2019)
• Frankenpost:  Solidarity for the climate forest (April 30, 2019)
• Radio Galaxy: Almost 5,000 trees for climate forests (April 26, 2019)
• Heinrichtsblatt, Diocese of Bamberg: Inspired by papal encyclical (May 2019)
• Deutsche Welle: Climate forest in the report Studying in Germany / Eco India (7 June 2019)
• Review on the GCE blog: Klimawald Bayreuth: About planting trees and seeing change (June 11, 2019)
• 2nd casting campaign August / Nordbayerischer Kurier: Climate change – The search for the tree of the future (3.8.2019)

Project website: www.KlimwawaldBayreuth.de

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Covid-19 & the Forum

The prestigious conference was originally scheduled for July, but due to Covid-19, it was rescheduled for September. Despite the postponement, the effects of the pandemic were still tangible, and it was clear a lot of effort had gone into ensuring safety. In order to enter the Trieste Convention Center, body temperature was checked at an automated kiosk which also dispensed hand sanitizer, and friendly staff ensured everyone had their masks on. As the event was hybridized to be both online and onsite, many participants and presenters attended virtually. While this put a damper on my networking efforts, it was nice to feel assured there would be no trouble getting a seat at the keynote talks!

The pandemic not only influenced the logistics at ESOF, but it also the content themes. In many of the sessions I attended, the discussion was related back to Covid-19, such as Covid-19 and sustainability. Or Covid-19 and science communication, e.g. fake news and the publics’ trust in scientific research. A repeated emphasis was made on the need for communicators to bridge the gap between researchers, politicians and the public. Interestingly, I heard more people in Germany were reported to have an increase trust in science following the pandemic, while in the United States there was notable increase in skepticism of science. The conversations were multifaceted, with data scientists, politicians, journalists, academics, researchers, citizens, and others contributing their unique angles to the dialogue.

View of the smaller conference hall with the Gulf of Trieste visible through the window.

Decoding & Manipulating Genomes

I was particularly struck by the recurring themes of genetic engineering, genome editing, and CRISPR-cas9 technology. I worked previously for North America’s first third-party non-GMO verification program so I was glad I could follow the more technical presentations on the subject. There is much to discuss and seemingly limitless and promising applications, and many private and federal entities are making lofty investments. But what I find especially of interest is that there is no coherent ethical or regulatory framework in place to mitigate unintended or harmful consequences. The Convention on Biological Diversity is still discussing how to define organisms which are directly or indirectly the product of these technologies. There’s explicit acknowledgment of the rapidity in advancement, which makes it difficult to categorize or define, (let alone agree on and implement), ethical boundaries for testing and application—or containment and liability. What I gathered from the presenters and panelists is that we are not close to a comprehensible global framework for how to safely move forward in this domain. Still, that is not deterring the effort to explore this admittedly thrilling frontier of decoding and manipulating genetic information.

Slide from one of the several pandemic/genome related panel discussions. This one was titled “Going viral? Intentional dispersion of genetically modified viruses outside of contained facilities: are technological advances alone a sufficient explanation?”

Science in the City

While my days were spent at the convention center, my nights were spent exploring the Science in the City program, also organized by EuroScience. A highlight from the program was a traveling photographic exhibition of CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research ) about the European large-scale particle collector. The exhibit included illuminated and colorful visuals with what I suspected were informative captions. I had never been so disappointed in myself for not being able to read Italian. Even though I could not understand the captions, the imagery was abstract, bright, and just fantastic.

What I also found remarkable about this exhibit was the way it pulled pedestrians away from whatever they were doing in order to engage with science. The exhibit was a terrific example of how science can be captivating; presented in such a way that stimulates intrigue and curiosity. It also helped that it was in the very lovely Unity of Italy Square, just across the street from sea’s edge.

View of the CERN exhibit in the Unity of Italy Square

Quantum Information & Leiden 2022

At the closing ceremony, cyber security technology and quantum computing was the highlight. Quantum bits cannot be replicated which creates a challenge for amplification. But because they are not replicable, they are ideal for secure communication transmissions. I got a hefty download on the ins and out of quantum communication, but was also told that scientists from different nations are not necessarily sharing their progress in this field for national security reasons. Despite this, Italy’s Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte participated in the country’s first public demonstration of using encrypted quantum communication to make a video call. This was a big deal for Italy which I learned is a leading country developing this technology for Europe.

You cannot tell but I have a big smile under my mask!

ESOF was a highly valuable experience and with such a broad scope of topics, I could recommend this forum to anyone interested in life on planet Earth. I am not sure if it was the influence of Italian culture or the general culture of ESOF, but I experienced a heartfelt, passionate level of engagement from the speakers. They continually reminded the audience that scientists are dreamers and optimists, that it really is extraordinary what human collaboration and ingenuity can accomplish; and there is the real possibility for a peaceful, healthy future with, among other things, the support of science. Exposure to this level of sustained passion from senior scientists and leaders inspired me. As someone who is still determining what my next move will be following completion of the MSc Global Change Ecology program, ESOF was an insightful look into the multifaceted EU science scene. I am grateful to the Elite Network of Bavaria for the opportunity to attend this event as well as to the organizers of ESOF and the city of Trieste. Their efforts to host an excellent, hybrid science forum was exceptional, especially considering the circumstances.

After I completed this article, ESOF published an article on how Covid-19 influenced the program, including insight into some of the most current questions and considerations around the science of pandemics. For their full article, click here. Also, here is a link to download the program so you can see the topics of the sessions and speakers. ESOF2022 will be in Leiden, the Netherlands. Hope you can make it!

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Students of Global Change Ecology have a reputation for being creatively engaged citizens and Steffen Schwardmann is no exception. Having just completed his second semester at the University of Bayreuth, he has also launched a podcast, Stories of Climate Change Hope. I invited Steffen to an interview to better understand where he’s coming from with the podcast and where he hopes to go with it.

When did you first become interested in climate change?

Well, the very first time I heard about climate change was during the geography lessons in high school but did not pay so much attention to it then. When I was pursuing a B.A in Political Science in 2015, I became much more interested. At that time, I attended a seminar on climate policy which was held at a similar time as COP 21 in Paris. However, at the time, it was all too abstract to be honest. It is interesting how one can learn about climate policy without knowing too much about the Earth’s climate system itself. This has changed since I began studying Global Change Ecology at the University of Bayreuth. Here, I spend a lot of time on this issue and related topics. It has already helped me a lot to expand my knowledge and satisfy my curiosity.

What inspired you to become more engaged?

There are the numerous young people who are concerned about our future, who are brave and have inspired me. I am amazed to see these young people who do not mind if others criticize them or maybe they mind but go ahead anyway. And I am like, “Hell yeah, I need to do more!” We shouldn’t underestimate young people. And then a few books influenced me that I’d recommend. The first is Don’t Even Think About It: Why Our Brains Are Wired to Ignore Climate Change by George Marshall, founder of Climate Outreach, a British organization using social science methods to find better ways to communicate climate change. Marshall argues that when communicating climate change, we need to focus on our common values and the social environment. We do not see the world from the same frame, right? One key insight for me is how important it is to approach those circles I am usually not in contact with. This is something general: You learn more from the people you do not understand than those you meet every day. Two other books that inspired me a lot are Active Hope – How to Face the Mess We’re in without Going Crazy by Joanna Macy and Chris Johnstone, and Climate: A New Story by Charles Eisenstein.

Do you consider yourself a climate activist?

This is a very good question. I have asked this myself a couple of times. In the past, I always regarded activists as engaged people who would go out on the streets and voice their concerns by protesting or through mass demonstration. However, I have realized that one can be an activist just by staying indoors and using social media, maintaining a blog or being a podcast host to voice their concern. So, this is especially interesting for the more introverted among us —we can all be activists. I guess with the podcast I have found something dear I like to do. Someone else might find something different. Being out in the open and voicing your opinion can create anxiety. In May, when I published the first episode, I was very nervous and asked myself “Is it good enough? Will people like it?” One must start at some point. As a podcast host I accepted that with every episode I will improve. So, yes, I consider myself an activist.

What were you hoping to add to the many conversations about climate change already in place?

There are a lot of science-based podcasts and podcasts with a topical focus on solutions to our crisis. But what comes short? When the news of a grim future is spread, we need to be aware that this can create anxiety and even depression for some people. So, with my podcast, I do not just want to spread hope, but also aim at getting people engaged with climate change. Engagement can help to get a different perspective and action helps through struggle. And that is essentially why I invite working people, engaged people, concerned people to talk about their personal story of commitment to solving this issue. To me personally, it is of the utmost importance to spread diverse narratives. There are so many different perspectives and reasons to become more engaged. To underline this diversity, I need to invite more people from groups and organizations that can share a new point of view, beyond green and ecological framing. One podcast that inspired me is called Climate Crisis Conversation – Catastrophe or Transformation hosted by Verity Sharp for the Climate Psychology Alliance.

What, if any, is/was the learning curve in recording and publishing your own podcast?

In the beginning, I only had some knowledge of using a microphone from my high school days in a rock band. Besides that, I did not have much experience. This is what makes podcasting so great. It is very easy to start and get into it. You find all kinds of tutorials, reviews, and manuals online. In comparison to three months ago, I feel much more confident now.

Who would you like to host on your show and why?

Oh, there are a few potential guests I’d like to invite, e.g. a concerned mom, a concerned dad, a business owner, a start-up owner, someone working in public administration, an electrician, a mechanic, an economist, a farmer…. I’d love to invite more people whose voices aren’t heard in the public so strongly. If you know someone who’d like to talk about climate change, hope, anxiety, or something related, they can get in touch.

What is your goal in having the podcast? What do you wish to accomplish?

I feel the podcast needs more followers to have a bigger impact. My goal is to spread a little bit of hope every other week, making people more resilient, underlining that everyone can become more engaged. You do not need to call yourself an activist to be engaged; even talking to your friends and family about climate change is something worthwhile. My personal goal is to get more familiar with podcasting, find like-minded people, work on my own anxiety by having all those inspiring guests, and create something beautiful, something I can be proud of.

What is your long-term vision for the podcast?

My long term vision? Hm…. Until December I’m figuring this whole podcasting thing out. Then, next year, I want to try to have let’s say a more structural approach. What do I mean by that? One would be to broaden the scope, not just cover the topic of talking about climate change, but include biodiversity, land cover change among others. Second, have one topical focus every quarter, e.g. drought and farming or climate justice. Third, let the podcast be more interactive, e.g. letting listeners join the show, hosting live shows, making the podcast more exciting by adding other elements like sound effects or more music.

What is one insight, point, or consideration, about climate change communication that you would shout from the rooftops so everyone could hear?

Okay, so imagine me shouting from the rooftops: Listen! Create a dialogue! You do not have to understand everything, every opinion, every point of view! Decrease polarization! Overall, stay respectful!

You can find Steffen’s podcast Stories of Climate Change Hope HERE as well as on Podbean, Spotify and Apple Podcasts. If you would like to contact Steffen, he welcomes you to do so via email at stories.climatehope[at]gmail.com.

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In a 3 June 2020 press release, written by NASA staff writer Elizabeth Goldbaum, the new initiatives were outlined. Goldbaum writes that NASA’s Advanced Information Systems Technology program’s aim in launching these virtual portals is to improve access to information on terrestrial ecosystems. She writes that “these projects provide critical information to conservationists and policymakers to protect our planet.” The following overviews these recently funded projects as presented in the press release:

Map of Life

The Map of Life is an interactive database that tracks mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, as well as some fish, insect and plant species around the world. It draws data from several sources including species range maps, species occurrence points, ecoregions, and protected areas from providers like IUCN, WWF, GBIF, and others. So, if you come across a Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus), you can use the Map of Life to learn more including the species’ general characteristics and habitat range. It also includes access to the source data for the different parameters aggregated in the Map of Life interface. For some species, the interface includes projections of species distribution amidst climate change. Just as interestingly, users can also explore patterns of various parameters in the categories of species, phylogeny, and functionality all on both local and global scales. 

The Map of Life was also made into a user-friendly app accessible on personal cell phones. I simply entered location as “Bayreuth, Germany,” and was very happy to discover over 1,000 plant species, 122 butterflies, nearly 200 bird species, and many others. Each category of flora and fauna is then further divided into smaller groups which can make identifying what you’re looking for easier. Once you’ve selected a specific species, similarly to the web version, you can see a range map, description, and photographs which help with species identification (if, like me, you’re not so familiar with Bayern flora and fauna).

(Image source: https://mol.org/)

Generalized Joint Attribution Model (PDGJAM)

The second exciting project is the Predicting Biodiversity with a Generalized Joint Attribution Model, or PDGJAM. This is another online portal, but this one allows users to explore how biodiverse communities respond to climate change, on both an individual species scale as well as for entire ecosystems. The project was led by Duke University professors Jennifer Swenson and Jim Clark as a product of their interest in determining how one species could impact others as it relocates. In relocating, these species could possibly compete with others for alternative habitats amidst climate change, and this can be insightful information to consider. The platform merges information from the National Ecological Observatory Network, NASA’s remotely sensed Earth data, climate data and other sources to better understand which species may go where amidst varying potential climate scenarios.

The PBGJAM was described by Adam Wilson, a professor at the University of Buffalo in the U.S., as “lowering the barrier for entry for decision makers, scientists and any interested individual to get involved. They only need to choose an ecosystem and then see how it’s shifted.”

Advanced Phenological Information System (APIS)

The third project focuses on phenology. Phenology explores the relationships between climate and periodic biological phenomena such as bird migration or plant flowering. In contrast to the PBGJAM, which takes a more general look at climate change impacts, the Advanced Phenological Information System (APIS) zooms in to explore how climate change can affect the phenology of different species. This could include leafing, flowering, reproduction or migration of different species. 

APIS is informed by what is called constellation software which uses millions of field-based observations, satellite data and cameras near the Earth’s surface. Combined, this data allows for the analysis of phenological observations in varying spatial and temporal scales. 

Kathy Gerst is a scientist from the USA-NPN who worked with others in creating APIS. She described APIS as “a technology that makes data more accessible and easier to integrate the data from other observational sources…APIS allowed people to bring data together seamlessly.”

APIS is currently supporting efforts at two of the U.S. Geological Survey centers where they examine phenological ties to drought, as well as other work with the U.S. National Park Service, zoos, and nature reserves. And Gerst, mentioned above, used APIS in her and others’ publication which links spring indices to field data on phenological activity in 19 different species of trees and shrubs. This aggregation of data into an open-source platform is surely creating new opportunities not just for scientists, but also other entities with interest in the effects of climate change influences on phenological behaviors.

EcoSIS

Phil Townsend is a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He led a team in developing the EcoSIS database. The EcoSIS database includes spectral data which helps to support the plant data in the afore-mentioned virtual platforms. Spectral data of vegetation can be an indicator of vegetation health, and changes in vegetation. There is already a lot of this data available from satellite imagery, but it is not always so easy to interface with. In addition to supporting Map of Life, PBGJAM and APIS, Townsend and his team are using EcoSIS to build the Geospatial Spectroscopy Processing Environment (GeoSpec). GeoSpec will be a cloud-based data-system which will allow users to access and interact with the spectral data without having to download it and manipulate it on their local drives. This is helpful because these datasets can be cumbersome and require a lot of computing power. GeoSpec is being designed to provide interested users the opportunity not to just access the data, but also to work with it in an easier way.

Going Forward

Each of these virtual platforms are continuing to evolve. An overarching goal is to make the data and analysis tools provided via these platforms more accessible to users with mixed skills sets and to develop and share new information products. NASA continues to meaningfully contribute to the collective effort of monitoring and understanding planet Earth. 

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Yet education as a primary solution seems to come up a lot in university classrooms when discussing sustainability challenges. If people only knew what microplastics did in the ocean, they would choose reusable packaging and natural fibers; If people only knew the implications of buying conventional, non-organic produce, they would choose local and organic; If people only knew the unethical and environmentally degrading effects of the meat, eggs and cheese they love, they would change! 

It’s not so simple. What changes behavior is much deeper than knowledge. Behavior change can be a complex equation of esteem, culture, support, prioritization and, particularly, access: choice is a prerequisite to change, and a lot of people don’t have access to an equivalent alternative, or REAL choice, in their lives (e.g. where they shop, what they eat, the clothes they wear, how they heat their homes). 

Consider Maslow’s hierarchy: in order to self-actualize, a person’s basic needs for food, water, shelter, security and healthy social relationships need to first be satisfied. Then consider that a third of the global population doesn’t have access to a basic necessity: safe drinking water. And it’s estimated every 6th or 7th person on Earth has a mental or substance abuse disorder. That can make just getting through a day a challenge, let alone choosing to up your game in a collective effort to save the world as we know it. Truth is, a lot of people are struggling to meet their basic and mental needs, and unless reducing their ecological footprint is going to immediately provide relief, it may be unrealistic to expect them to change their ways even should they ‘know better.’

Beyond statistics and surveys, most of the people I know do have their basic needs met and are of relatively healthy mind. Yet, they are also too busy hustling at their jobs and/or raising their kids and/or managing their health to allocate even a little bandwidth to minimizing their ecological footprint or responding at all to what’s being called a global ecological collapse. If asked, (and I do ask), of course they care. Of course they would want to help…if it weren’t for their sick in-laws or unexpected car repair or low self-esteem remedied only by the short bursts of endorphins triggered when buying material things they know they don’t actually need—but which feel so good to buy. 

People’s lives are inflated by a myriad of both externally and internally imposed demands that are seemingly more immediate than reducing their ecological footprint, despite their level of education. I value education and agree that education can be the first step in making positive changes, individually and as a community. I am also aware it is a privilege to have the opportunity to reflect on the ecological significance of my personal existence, and it is naive to believe that everyone else would too if only they knew.

I do not mean to dismiss the meaningfulness of education altogether. There is one approach to education that studies show to be an essential component to building a sustainable future: the education of women, especially young girls. While being powerful agents of change, women around the world are oppressed by gender inequality, wage discrimination, sexual suppression, gender roles and gender violence. In 2012, there were 65 million girls denied education globally and today two-thirds of the 792 million illiterate adults in the world are women.[i] There are 32 million fewer girls are in primary school than boys.[ii] But evidence shows that women with increased access to education improve their personal health and well-being, that of their families and, by extension, their communities—well-being beyond physiological health, but also mental, social and environmental.

To break it down briefly, (because really this could be an entirely separate article), educated women have increased earning potential. According to the World Bank, for every extra year of primary education a girl receives, her wage increases an average of 10-20%. Women reinvest an average of 90% of their income directly back into their families, supporting their families’ health and well-being and, by extension, that of their local community.[iii] Educated women are more than twice as likely to send their children to school,[iv] and these educated children of educated mothers become educated citizens who are more inclined to show greater concern about the well-being of the environment, use water more efficiently, build and maintain renewable energy infrastructure, and recycle. More educated communities are more likely to make their neighborhoods safer, more sustainable, and more resilient. [v]

It can be helpful to understand things from a systems-thinking perspective, how different components of a system interact with each other. In doing so, we can identify leverage points within the system to maximize the impact of our effort (system inputs). So, as I wrote, people’s lives are inflated by a myriad of both externally and internally imposed demands that are seemingly more immediate than reducing their ecological footprint…However, when we focus on educating girls and women as an input to a complex global system, we leverage the investment of education by focusing on a group of people that, when educated, can directly ease many of these imposed demands, thus supporting enormous strides toward a sustainable future on multiple levels, including health, social justice and equality, economic, environmental, and the list goes on.

[i] EFA Global Monitoring Report

[ii] Education First: An Initiative of the United Nations Secretary General, 2012

[iii] United Nations Sustainable Development Report

[iv] UNICEF, 2010

[v] United Nations Sustainable Development Report

The post Knowing vs. Changing appeared first on Global Change Ecology.

The global pandemic caused by a new coronavirus has changed daily life for many people around the world. Restrictions in travel and commerce have forced people to stay home, businesses to close, and travel to cease. But what about non-human life and human perception of it? Turns out the human response to Covid-19 has had a measurable effect on the environment and presents novel opportunities for research. But what about reporting that is not research backed? And will affects such as reduced pollution last? Here is a brief overview of recent updates.

Decrease in Vibration in the Earth’s Crust

There is a global network of seismometers that measure vibrations in earth’s surface. Traffic, machinery and other human activity all create vibrations which, when combined, can be significant in seismometer measurements. These anthropogenic vibrations influence how easily detectable other phenomena are including earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Following the massive shutdowns and travel restrictions across the globe in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, anthropogenic vibrations have decreased, especially in places with higher population densities.

Thomas Leroq, a geologist at the Royal Observatory of Belgium, shared that Brussels has quieted down 30-50%, a reduction generally only observed for a few days of the year around Christmas. This extended decrease in the baseline level of noise could allow for better monitoring and measuring of earth’s surface activity. Following a Tweet Leroq made about the relative quiet in Brussels, other seismologists around the world have been connected. They are actively sharing data and exploring the possibilities of what can be seismologically researched in this quiter world of the Covid-19 pandemic. [i]

Reduction in Air Pollution

NASA Earth Observatory published tropospheric monitoring results from the Sentinel-5 satellite which show significant declines in atmospheric nitrogen dioxide (NO2) over China. This drop has been attributed to the slowing down of human activity due to the coronavirus. Also in China, the use of coal at coal-powered power plants declined to the lowest level in four years causing notable decreases in air pollution.

This reduction in atmospheric pollution is not confined to China. In fact, Jenny Stavrakou, an atmospheric scientist at the Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy in Brussels, alongside her colleagues, estimated the change in nitrogen dioxide pollution in major cities using satellite measurements of air quality. While the highest decline was measured in China, with an average decrease of 40% in major cities, nitrogen dioxide pollution decreased by 20 to 38% over Western Europe and the United States when compared with this same time of year in 2019.

In Los Angeles, one of the most densely populated United States’ cities with notorious traffic and poor air quality, commuter traffic is reported to have decreased by 80% since the lockdown went into effect. The Environmental Protection Agency reported that Los Angeles has recently had the longest stretch of “good” air quality rating it has since 1995.[ii]

A Cleaner Ganges

The Ganges river is worshipped by many Indians who pray, bathe and cremate their dead in it. The BBC reported that an estimated 10% of industrial effluent is discharged into Ganges river. Following the Indian government’s mandated shut down to curb the spread of the coronavirus, the river is reportedly visibly clearer and even considered drinkable in some areas.[iii]

Fake News

Maybe you’ve read about the swans and dolphins returning to the now-clean Venetian canals? Fake news. Or the elephants, unbounded in the absence of humans, getting drunk on corn wine in a Chinese village and passing out in the tea garden? Adorable, but also not true.

It is understood that in stressful times, people seek and perpetuate social media posts that are emotionally evocative, wanting to feel for themselves and to share with others joyful, happy content. Remarkably, this behavior on social media has been found to correspond with the spread of infectious diseases, according to research reported on by National Geographic. Think about that: As the pandemic spreads across the globe, so too do viral social media posts, truthful or not.[iv]

Will it Last?

Back in the realm of credible news updates, one major environmental question being asked is whether the declines in pollution and other responses from the Covid-19 pandemic will last. Regarding fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gasses, some researchers speculate that once the restrictions are lifted, people and industries will work overtime to make up for their lost time. For example, will people who have been self-isolating come out of quarantine and book commercial flights to make up for the trips they missed? Many agree that whether environmental responses to Covid-19 will last or turn out statistically relevant will depend on how long the pandemic lasts. And as with so many other things right now, that remains uncertain.[v]

[i] https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00965-x

https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/blogs/earthmatters/2020/03/05/how-the-coronavirus-is-and-is-not-affecting-the-environment/

[ii]  https://globalnews.ca/news/6793100/los-angeles-air-quality-coronavirus/

[iii]  (https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-asia-india-52290522/india-coronavirus-lockdown-cleans-up-ganges-river)

[iv]  https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2020/03/coronavirus-pandemic-fake-animal-viral-social-media-posts/

[v]  https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200326-covid-19-the-impact-of-coronavirus-on-the-environment

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