The Mediterranean region is warming 20% faster than the global average, a climate change hotspot where many vulnerabilities are increasing. Here you can see the summer anomalies for the sea surface temperature since 1982.
For years, my oldest son and his girl friend said that they would never get married; she was against it. Then, five years ago, she relented and they got married. They are now in their mid-30s and, by all accounts, seem happily married. They are financially secure: they both have steady, well-paying jobs, neither has student debt on their advanced degrees, they own a rental property outright, they have a manageable mortgage on their home in a safe neighborhood, and they drive late-model cars. In short, as Friar Lawrence would say, “a pack of blessings light upon thy back.”
Indeed, my son and his wife have worked hard over the years, but my wife and I (and my daughter-in-law’s parents), have also made much of their current “success” and happiness possible though our ongoing support. But there is a rub: our daughter-in-law steadfastly refuses to consider having children – and our son stands by her decision.
They like children – she is a pediatric physical therapist and he has a teaching degree. So, an aversion children is not part of the decision. Her reason — or the reason that they are standing behind — is climate change. In her opinion, it would be the height of cruelty to bring a child into a world that faces such an apocalyptic and nihilistic future.
I will grant you that climate change does pose challenges. And I will further grant you that our country faces other major problems that will be difficult to solve. But there is an existential question here – what have my and my wife’s life amounted to, if we have not inculcated a basic will to survive to the next generation?
To make matters more complicated, they channel all of their time and energy into biking, hiking, rock-climbing, kayaking, etc. We have two younger children (late 20s) who are not married. We despair that they will make the same life-style choices – especially under the influence of their older sibling.
To many observers, it would seem that our kids have been spoiled by their parents. And on some level, that is true. But the urge to face an uncertain future and procreate in the face of adversity is supposed to be part of the human condition.
Every generation faces some dire threat. My father’s generation was handed a M 1 and told to go shoot Hitler. My generation learned to “duck and cover”; under our school desks to avoid nuclear annilation. How can climate change be justified as being so much worse and insurmountable than that? Any advice?
Dear Any Advice?,
You make a number of excellent points in your letter, but none is as compelling as your closing rationale.
Your father’s generation was handed an M1 and told to go shoot Hitler, therefore your your son and his wife are obligated to use their time, money, and bodies to provide a grandchild for you or else your life and everything you’ve ever said or done is utterly meaningless.
That makes perfect sense! Sounds like you can take this right back to your wonderful son and his asshole wife and they’ll happily accommodate your eminently reasonable demands with no objections whatsoever. Thanks for writing in with an easy one! All best!
Belgian mussels have developed stronger shells over the last hundred years. More calcareous shells protect them better from crabs’ claws and seagulls’ beaks. These predators have increased significantly in number during the last fifty years. ‘Belgian mussels adapt surprisingly well to new environmental conditions’, says biologist Thierry Backeljau (RBINS). ‘They might be more resilient to climate change than we think.’
An international team of biologists analyzed the calcareous structure of mussel shells that were collected along the Belgian coast this last century. You would expect the shells to become thinner because more acidic seawater - due to the increase in CO2 in the atmosphere - breaks down calcareous matter. But the team observed a marked increase in the calcification of mussel shells.
The main causes of the more calcareous mussel shells are changes in predators. The dog whelk (Nucella Lapillus) disappeared at the end of the seventies, after which the number of crabs and seagulls increased during the 1980s and 1990s respectively. This led to a pressure on mussels to develop thicker shells, protecting better against the crabs’ claws and the seagulls’ pecking beaks. According to the scientists, this might mean that our Belgian mussel populations can better cope with future climate changes than previously thought.
A special collection
The researchers evaluated a total of 268 mussels that were collected between 1904 and 2016 on the breakwaters between Nieuwpoort and Ostend. The specimens collected between 1904 and 1987 are part of the collections of the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural sciences (RBINS). This unique collection of one single species is composed of ‘wet’ specimens (shells and body tissue, preserved in ethanol), and ‘dry’ specimens (shells only). They were collected during monitoring programs over the past century. ‘This mussel collection is unique,’ says biologist Thierry Backeljau (RBINS), co-author of the study. ‘It may sound paradoxical, but to have such an extended collection of an animal that is so ubiquitous is rare. Researchers usually focus on exceptional species.’
Dog Whelks and acidification
The dog whelk is an important predator of mussels in the North Sea. Dog whelks make a small hole in the mussel shell, through which they suck the mussel empty. To do this, they must drill through the dark, organic outer layer of the mussel: the periostracum. Mussels with a thicker periostracum are better protected against this type of predator. This created a selective pressure on mussels, favoring a thicker periostracum. The acidification of the North Sea - which breaks down calcareous matter - led to additional pressure in favor of more periostracum, offering better protection to the underlying calcareous layer.
But as of the late 1970s, things changed. The dog whelk population suddenly declined sharply and even died out locally due to the use of tin based paint on ship hulls, particularly tributyltin hydride (TBT). The selection pressure on mussel populations in favor of more periostracum decreased.
Crabs and seagulls
In the meantime, average spring and summer temperatures of North Sea surface waters continued to rise, in line with global ocean trends. The input of minerals and nutrients from the land also increased steadily over the past sixty years due to the discharge of fertilizers and wastewater into rivers (eutrophication). The result: an increase in the amount of algae and thus a greater food supply for all kinds of organisms, including the larvae of decapods such as crabs and lobsters. As a result - helped by overfishing of cod, which feeds on those larvae - the number of crabs and lobsters skyrocketed from the 1980s.
Just like the dog whelk, crabs and lobsters are fond of mussels, which they crush with their claws. Protection by a periostracum makes little difference against this, but a stronger, more calcareous shell does. Moreover, depositing calcium requires less energy than producing a periostracum. Thus, a new selection pressure arose, in favor of more calcareous shells.
This selective pressure was reinforced by the exponential population growth of seagulls in the 1990s, due to the increased number of decapods. The breeding season of seagulls (May and June) coincides with the peak of decapods, which are an important food source for the chicks. But seagulls also eat mussels and increased the selection pressure in favor of a calcareous, solid shell.
Hope for the future?
This study shows that the global effects of climate change, such as ocean acidification, do not simply apply on a local scale. Complex, local changes in ecological conditions can lead to biological outcomes that appear to conflict with predictions on a global scale.
‘The Belgian mussel populations seem able to adapt their shell formation to a wide range of local selection pressures and perturbations’, says Backeljau. ‘This gives hope for the future: mussels may be better armed against climate change than we thought.’ This research also illustrates the importance of natural science collections, such as those of the RBINS, in the study of, and fight against, climate change. ‘Collections and archival specimens help us investigate long-term effects of changes in the environment, which is difficult with experimental studies. It is a powerful research method that, as shown here, can yield surprising results and help us get a clearer picture of historical ecological changes’, concludes Backeljau.
Wow! 175 Parties signed the#ParisAgreement on Climate Change last Friday. But we – and our leaders – are not off the hook. We must take climate action individually and keep pressuring our leaders and institutions to think sustainably.
Who are the biggest polluters in the world? This question is often shrouded in mystery, but @guardian has written an exceptional series on the 20 biggest polluters on the planet, their impacts, and who owns them. Needless to say, the biggest polluters are primarily oil and gas companies. According to Guardian’s 9 October article, these 20 companies have knowingly produced about 35% of all greenhouse gas emissions from 1965 to 2017. The Guardian uses the year 1965 because that is when the oil companies became aware that burning fossil fuels was directly correlated to climate change. There is a paper trail indicating they knew the climate would start to destabilize around the year 2000. Another Guardian article examines how just 100 companies are responsible for 71% of all global emissions. Digging deeper, these same powerful companies have successfully diverted blame to the consumers (us) for the problem, without taking any responsibility for the part they play. It’s true that our individual choices matter. A recent study found that 72% of global greenhouse gas emissions comes from household decisions, such as personal vehicles, meat-based diets, housing, and heating and cooling. This doesn’t exonerate the biggest polluters in the world, many of which are investor-owned (some are owned by governments). These global conglomerates have known for decades the disaster that awaits us. Yet the oil executives continue to disseminate false information and promote climate change denialism, while they reap record profits, and the planet smothers and drowns. Our political systems have failed to stop it. So what can we do to stop it? Listed are 13 things we can do as individuals to help. The number one thing we can do is VOTE. Did you know that environmentalists don’t typically vote? Given the crisis we face, it’s all hands on deck at this point. If you are an environmentalist and if you live in a democracy, please vote and donate to politicians who will fight climate change and pollution. See the other 12 things we can do to help stop the oncoming crisis.
Artist in Residence Commission / Fort Worth, Texas (2019 - 2022)
From November 2019 onwards I shall begin an interdisciplinary residency with The Art Galleries at TCU in Fort Worth, Texas, working in conjunction with the Institute for Environmental Studies:
‘It’s main purpose is facilitating faculty collaboration on interdisciplinary projects outside home departments. Simply put, the Institute, which was founded in 2003, defines and solves environmentally related problems through education and research. And they do this by partnering with environmental nonprofits, law firms, government agencies and businesses, bringing current issues into the classroom’ Professor Becky Johnson says ‘… that the Institute breaks down the silo-effect allowing faculty to work outside their departments.’
The residency will explore concepts related to ‘Eco Grief’ & ‘Climate Anxiety’ within an extraction-rich geographical environment.
The project will run from 2019 to 2022 and will culminate in an exhibition.
Curator: Sara-Jayne Parsons // Director, The Art Galleries at TCU Art, Fort Worth Contemporary Arts
Witchs, pagans, and people of all religions have a responsibility to protect our planet! Please sign to show that people of faith demand meanful climate action!
“… “I’m taking action because I feel desperate,” said U.S. climate scientist Peter Kalmus, who along with several others locked himself to the front door of a JPMorgan Chase building in Los Angeles. A recent report found that the financial giant is the biggest private funder of oil and gas initiatives in the world.
“It’s the 11th hour in terms of Earth breakdown, and I feel terrified for my kids, and terrified for humanity,” Kalmus continued. “World leaders are still expanding the fossil fuel industry as fast as they can, but this is insane. The science clearly indicates that everything we hold dear is at risk, including even civilization itself and the wonderful, beautiful, cosmically precious life on this planet. I actually don’t get how any scientist who understands this could possibly stay on the sidelines at this point.” …”
A short departure from our programming for something important!
