The European Commission has adopted its proposal for a Council recommendation on the conversion of Ukrainian hryvnia banknotes into the currency of host Member States by displaced persons fleeing the war in Ukraine. This proposal complements the humanitarian aid provided by the EU to people fleeing Ukraine, in particular when traveling throughout the Union, and is fully in line with the EU asylum acquis and the Union’s external action.
Since the beginning of the Russian military invasion of Ukraine, more than 3.8 million people have fled the war in Ukraine to the European Union. The EU and its Member States have made significant efforts to provide humanitarian assistance and temporary protection to these people, including access to the labor market, housing, medical care and education for children. One of the immediate needs of refugees is to convert Ukrainian hryvnia banknotes into the currency of the host country.
The aim of today’s proposal is to promote a coordinated approach for all Member States in order to provide persons fleeing Ukraine with a level playing field for the conversion of Ukrainian hryvnia banknotes into local currency, regardless of the Member State in which those persons were admitted. This approach was necessary in view of the fact that the National Bank of Ukraine had to stop the exchange of Ukrainian hryvnia banknotes in foreign currency in order to protect Ukraine’s limited foreign exchange reserves. As a result, credit institutions in the EU Member States have shown a reluctance to make exchanges due to the limited convertibility of Ukrainian hryvnia banknotes and currency risk exposure. Some Member States are considering the introduction of national schemes to support the conversion of a limited number of Ukrainian hryvnia per person, and the Commission’s aim is to promote a coherent approach to such schemes. The schemes should provide for a maximum limit of 10,000 Ukrainian hryvnia per person free of charge at the official exchange rate published by the National Bank of Ukraine. The duration of the schemes should be at least three months.
How to explain to children what war is and why it is happening in Ukraine? From their point of view, it seems even more terrifying because they do not have the experience and knowledge to understand what is happening. The child immediately projects the misfortune on himself and his own family. And when the media floods him with stories of war and death and gloomy predictions, and his parents are worried and constantly comment anxiously on events, his orderly, calm and secure world collapses.
The war not only leads to immediate casualties and destruction, but also deeply affects the lives of children, not just those on the line of fire. Children thousands of miles away experience mental, moral, and value shock. Because the world as we teach them to be – is collapsing. And most importantly, their security, faith in goodness and justice has been shaken.
At this point, it is extremely important to talk to the children – calmly, patiently and clearly, and to give them a sense of security. The National Network for Children gathered opinions of psychologists, pedagogues, experts and parents and summarized them in 12 councils based on its main goal and value – protection of children’s rights and welfare.
1. We must have a clear position that war is evil and nothing justifies it –
there are no good wars, because they always lead to casualties and suffering. Approving military action means legitimizing war for children as a means of resolving conflicts and seeking good. Today, people and countries must solve their problems through diplomacy, not aggression.
2. It is also important to tell children that we must not hate nations,
whose rulers have decided to throw into war. We should not rejoice in the “successes” in war when it comes to taking human lives and destruction. There were also people on the downed plane that someone loved and waited for. The victims of the war on both sides are human victims – there are no more valuable or less valuable lives
3. Let’s explain the situation in words he understands
to answer his questions specifically, to state the facts briefly and clearly, so as not to leave room for the child to just finish the story using his imagination. If he asks general questions, such as “Will there be a third world war?”, Let’s try to understand how he specifically imagines this threat in order to give arguments to irrational fears. Do not be too emotional and do not go into too much detail, adjust the story to the age and vocabulary of the child, psychologists advise.
4. Let us listen carefully to the child, without interrupting or reproaching him,
that he does not understand or that he is frightened and without belittling his fears. “We need to create a space where children can share their concerns and needs. Because every child is different, we can comply with his or her desire or refusal to speak. But it is important for children to know that their opinion is valuable and their feelings will be accepted, whether they coincide with ours or those of others, “said Christina Nenova, psychologist and coordinator of” Children’s and Youth Participation “in the Children’s Network.
5. The child should not feel guilty for playing in this dramatic situation,
he sees friends and has fun. The child continues to be a child, no matter what happens in the adult world.
6. Children need perspective and hope –
we can reassure them that there is a war going on right now, but the adults are working to end it as soon as possible. It is not in anyone’s interest for the conflict to escalate. We can assure them that in Bulgaria they are protected – our country is part of a strong international alliance – NATO, which includes many countries and if one of these countries is threatened, the others will <210> help. We are not alone.
7. In such moments the child needs physical closeness
calm him down, hug him and tell him he is safe
8. Watch for signs of anxiety –
loss of appetite, sleep, refusal of daily activities. We must keep in mind that anxiety disorders are exacerbated during crises, so if you notice that things are escalating in the child, seek psychological help.
9. It is good to limit the viewing of news programs
and on social media posts. Do not watch or discuss the news in the presence of the child – the smaller it is, the more it must be protected from any crisis news. Children can be horrified by the human disasters and violence they see. In addition – some media are purposefully looking for strong emotional reactions and sensations. Children cannot judge how dangerous they are and immediately imagine a similar situation in their own lives.
10. Keep calm
Even a young child feels the shock and grief of his parents. When a parent is able to give the child a sense of security, he calms down. If you yourself do not feel at ease, postpone the conversation or consider someone else talking to him
11. The situation is once again an occasion to remind of the false news
and misinformation. Give an example with news that has already become clear that it is false, and encourage the child to make a fact check of the information.
12. It is also good in moments like today to show the child by personal example
solidarity and empathy and to get involved with helping the refugees from Ukraine as much as we can.
The role of the teacher is especially important
“When we are in a precarious situation, we all look to the reactions of others and look for answers to questions such as ‘is it dangerous’ and ‘should we be afraid’? This is especially true for children, “said Maria Brestnichka, a psychologist and director of Network Development at the National Children’s Network. “Apart from parents, what they hear from adults at school is very important. If you are a teacher, you have a significant role to play in how the topic is discussed – because it will certainly be discussed, and if left unaddressed by an adult, it can distort and reinforce children’s fears. You can discuss the topic in class, hear what the children think and fear. Your role is extremely important if there is tension in the classroom – special attention is needed if there are children of Ukrainian, Russian or Belarusian origin.
Find out the key facts and statistics about climate change in Europe: regional impact, top emitters, the reduction of greenhouse gases and more.
Climate change is a global issue, but how is it affecting Europe? Discover facts and figures highlighting different aspects of this issue: causes, consequences and evolution.
The EU’s biggest greenhouse gases emitters: countries and sectors
The EU is the world’s third-largest greenhouse gases emitter after China and the United States and followed by India, Russia and Japan (2015).
Within the EU, the top five emitters in 2019 were Germany, France, Italy, Poland and Spain. The energy sector was responsible for 77.01% of greenhouse gases emissions in the EU in 2019, followed by agriculture (10.55%), industry (9.10%) and the waste sector (3.32%).
Evolution of the EU’s greenhouses gases emissions since 1990
In 2008 the EU set a target to cut greenhouse gas emissions emissions by 20% by 2020 compared to 1990 levels. Much progress has been made: in 2015 there was already a decrease of 22% compared with 1990 levels.
In 2014, the EU set a new objective of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. According to the European Environmental Agency, the projected reductions based on the state of play of EU measures in 2017 will fall short of the target. It estimates there will be a decrease of about 30% in 2030.
Climate change is already affecting Europe in various forms, depending on the region. It can for example lead to biodiversity loss, forest fires, decreasing crop yields and higher temperatures. It can also affect people’s health. For instance, people people can die as a result of heatwaves.
Transport is the only sector in which emissions are still higher than they were in 1990.
Transport is responsible for nearly 30% of the EU’s total CO2 emissions, of which 72% comes from road transport.
CO2 emission from cars
Cars and vans produce about 15% of the EU’s CO2 emissions. With an average of 1.7 people per car in Europe, other modes of transport, such as buses, are currently a cleaner alternative. However, modern cars could be among the cleanest modes of transport if shared rather than being used for just one person.
International aviation and shipping each account for less than 3.5% of the EU’s total greenhouse gas emissions, but have been the fastest growing source of emissions. Emissions from planes are projected to be up to 10 times higher in 2050 compared to 1990 while emissions from ships could increase by up to 50%.
The EU is a key player in UN climate change talks and has signed the Paris agreement. All EU countries are also signatories, but they coordinate their positions and set common emission reduction goals at the EU level.
On this World Health Day, WHO/Europe calls on everyone to come together and recognize the importance of our planet, for the sake of our health and that of the generations to come.
More than 13 million deaths around the world, including 1.4 million in Europe each year, are caused by avoidable environmental factors, WHO estimates. This figure takes into account the accelerating climate crisis, which is the single biggest health threat facing humanity, but also includes air pollution, inadequate sanitation and clean water, exposure to chemicals and radiation, and unsafe urban environments.
Our planet, our health
Our environment provides the fundamental requirements for life: clean air and water, safe food, and shelter. Nature is both the origin of infectious and vector-borne diseases and the source of medicines, including many antibiotics. Human impact on the environment is increasing the risk of emerging infectious diseases in humans, over 60% of which originate from animals, mainly from wildlife. Reducing biodiversity may also increase disease transmission.
Human activities such as deforestation, trade and consumption of wildlife, and international travel are thought to have led to the emergence of COVID-19 and facilitated its global spread. Plans for post-COVID-19 recovery, and specifically plans to reduce the risk of future epidemics, therefore need to go further upstream than early detection and control of disease outbreaks. They also need to lessen our impact on the environment to reduce the risk at its source. The concept of One Health recognizes this interconnectedness between all people, animals, plants and their shared environment on planet Earth.
Healthier environments support healthier people
“Improving our natural and built environments, where we live, work, learn and play, can bring both immediate and long-term benefits for our health and well-being. This World Health Day is an opportunity to think how we can create healthier cities and communities, with more green and blue spaces that support active recreation, offer the chance to relax and promote mental health,” said Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe.
“We also need to reduce car dependency, improve public transport, and increase safe walking and cycling,” he added. In many places, reduced economic and transport activities brought about by measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19 resulted in the short term in cleaner air, reduced carbon emissions, less noise and greater safety for cyclists and pedestrians. This is proof that the power is in our hands to improve our environment, and that we can build back better as we recover from the pandemic. Air pollution is the single most important environmental risk factor to human health. WHO estimates that around 7 million premature deaths every year are due to the effects of air pollution, and more than 500 000 of those deaths occur in the WHO European Region.
This makes air pollution, along with tobacco use, harmful alcohol consumption, unhealthy diets and insufficient physical activity, a leading risk factor for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such as cardiovascular diseases, cancers, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes. NCDs cause 90% of all deaths in the European Region, but their risk factors can be prevented or controlled with a number of highly effective and low-cost policies and interventions.
Some air pollutants are short-lived climate pollutants, which are linked with both negative health effects and near-term warming of the planet. Thus, almost all efforts to improve air quality will also enhance climate action, and almost all climate change mitigation efforts will in turn improve air quality, with immediate health benefits that greatly amplify the return on investments.
Tobacco use has broad environmental consequences beyond the devastation of tobacco-caused diseases. Tobacco growing destroys trees and damages soil, and tobacco manufacturing produces toxic waste. Its use pollutes the air and the surfaces inside our homes. Cigarette butts and other tobacco waste poison marine life, contaminate beaches and waterways, and foul our urban living spaces.
Policies and actions that are local and international
We can do so much to improve our environments and our health by taking action close to where we live and emphasizing the role of local levels of government. For more than 30 years, the WHO European Healthy Cities Network and the Regions for Health Network have been pioneering drivers of change, creating healthier urban settings that support the well-being of the people and communities that use them.
Within a complex world of multiple tiers of government, numerous sectors working towards similar goals, and many stakeholders involved in the pursuit of health and well-being, cities and regions are uniquely placed to provide leadership. They are showing that global problems can be addressed at a local level.
The Pan-European Commission on Health and Sustainable Development recently recommended the adoption of a One Health policy recognizing the interconnectedness of human, animal and environmental health. The Commission’s report calls on policy-makers to draw inspiration from those working to tackle environmental issues in order to set societies on the right track for future generations.
So, let’s not only imagine a #HealthierTomorrow – on World Health Day, let’s make it happen.
An estimated 6.3 million children under five, in six countries in Africa’s Sahel region, will suffer from malnutrition this year, UN agencies and their partners warned in a publication issued on Wednesday.
The West and Central Africa Nutrition working group fears at least 900,000 young lives could be at risk across Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Senegal.
They said the number of under fives in the region expected to suffer from global acute malnutrition has never been so high, with a 27 per cent increase expected this year compared to 2021, marking the fifth consecutive year of record highs.
The working group brings together UN agencies such as the UN Children’s Fund, (UNICEF), the World Food Programme (WFP), and the World Health Organization (WHO), and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) which include Action Against Hunger (ACF), Concern, and Save the Children.
‘Business unusual’ approach
Their joint note advocates for a paradigm shift to both urgently respond to immediate needs and address the root causes of malnutrition.
“As conflicts, insecurity, socio-economic crisis and recurrent extreme climatic events in the region continue to deteriorate and further aggravate the nutrition of children, we need to shift to ‘business unusual’ to address their needs in a sustainable way,” said Marie-Pierre Poirier, UNICEF Regional Director for West and Central Africa.
“While treatment remains an imperative to save the lives of children most severely affected, we must shift the paradigm and focus on scaling interventions to prevent malnutrition, especially in the most affected locations. The time has come to address the root causes of malnutrition of children in the region with determination and urgency.”
Address underlying factors
The partners are calling for a multi-sectoral approach to address multiple underlying factors which include widespread food insecurity; inadequate dietary and care practices for infants and young children; poor maternal nutrition, high incidence of childhood illnesses; inadequate access to water, sanitation and health services; as well as gender and other social norms.
A particular focus on adolescent girls is key to break the inter-generational cycle of malnutrition, they added.
The working group said a total of $93.4 million is required to prevent wasting among children, and pregnant and lactating mothers, based on data from nine countries.
However, there is a $56.2 million funding gap, including $26.3 million to cover needs during the lean season which runs from June to September.
For treatment of wasting, the funding shortfall is $77.5 million, of which $42 million is needed to treat severe wasting, the most life-threatening form of malnutrition.
Ukraine war impact
At the same time, longer-term and flexible investments for nutrition are required to sustainably address financing issues, including on the part of Governments.
“And now the Ukraine crisis is leading to an inflation of the food prices, increasing the pressure on the populations already heavily impacted by the crises: a severe food and nutrition insecurity is near if we do not act now in all the hot spots,” said Mamadou Diop, Regional Representative for ACF.
Currently, only 21 per cent of young children, from 6 to 23 months, receive the minimum number of food groups to grow well.
As there will likely be an increase in supply needs, and in the cost of food and nutrition supplies, the partners have called for identifying local solutions, such as partnerships with women’s cooperatives, youth engagement for better community involvement, and public-private initiatives.
The focus must be on young children, adolescent girls and pregnant and breastfeeding women, they said.
The war in Ukraine has increased the risk of a “massive malnutrition crisis” for millions of children in other emergencies because of its already huge impact on global food prices, the UN said on Thursday.
Six weeks since Russia invaded its neighbour, the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, said that imports have been disrupted to the Middle East and North Africa – where more than 90 per cent of food comes from abroad.
Prices have also risen for essentials, including wheat, cooking oil and fuel and if this situation continues, “it will severely impact children, especially in Egypt, Lebanon, Libya, Sudan, Syria and Yemen”, UNICEF said.
Too poor to pay
Adele Khodr, who’s UNICEF’s Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, warned of “unprecedented hikes in food prices” which families were unable to pay because of “ongoing conflicts, political instability, the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine”.
Because of these multiple problems, “the number of malnourished children is likely to drastically increase,” Ms. Khodr said, in a call to aid partners “to consolidate efforts to urgently deliver and scale up prevention, early detection and treatment of malnutrition to address the needs of millions of children and women, especially in countries most impacted by crises. This is critical to prevent a massive malnutrition crisis for children in the region.”
Prevention efforts
UNICEF works with partners to deliver and scale-up life-saving treatment services for children with severe wasting, in conjunction with early detection of wasting in children under five years old. Together with partners, UNICEF also delivers preventive nutrition services, including micronutrient supplements and growth monitoring, along with counselling and support on breastfeeding and age-appropriate complementary feeding.
“We stand ready to facilitate the revamping of the nutrition response in the region to further strengthen links with agriculture, social protection, education and water and sanitation sectors to reach more children in need,” said Ms. Khodr
Always hungry
According to UNICEF, less than four in 10 young children in Middle East and North Africa, get the diets they need for grow and develop properly.
The region is already home to high rates of undernutrition and micronutrient deficiencies, meaning that nearly one in five children is stunted, and around the same number suffer from wasting – or rapid weight loss – linked to lack of food.
Alarming as this data is, the situation is even worse in countries in the Middle East and North Africa that have been most impacted by the Ukraine war.
Stunting, anaemia
In Yemen, 45 per cent of children are stunted and over 86 per cent have anaemia, whose most common causes include nutritional deficiencies, particularly in iron, although a lack of folate, vitamins B12 and A, are also important causes.
UNICEF also warned that in Sudan, 13.6 per cent of children suffer from wasting, 36.4 per cent are stunted and nearly half have anaemia.
In Lebanon, 94 per cent of young children do not receive the diets they need, while over 40 per cent of women and children under the age of five have anaemia;
In Syria – where the price of the average food basket nearly doubled in 2021 – only one in four young children gets a sufficiently healthy diet.
Dr Mike Swan, Senior Advisor with the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT), has had his remarkable dedication to conservation and game management recognized with a double award at the recent Great British Shooting Awards 2022.
Mike, who celebrates 40 years with the GWCT this year, was selected as recipient of the Outstanding Contribution to Conservation and the Lifetime Achievement Awards. In typically modest fashion, he said:
“Maybe it’s just a case of sticking it for long enough.”
Mike went on to comment: “My career with the GWCT has been fascinating and I like to think I have helped at least a few people achieve both better shooting, and better conservation from their shoot management.
“In accepting these two awards, I pay tribute to my many GWCT colleagues past and present. My achievements are very much a result of their dedication to the cause of conservation through wise use.”
Mike has been part of the GWCT Advisory Service team since January 1982. As Senior Advisor he provides game management and conservation advice to gamekeepers, shoot managers, farmers and conservation organisations, mainly in the south of England. For many years Mike led the GWCT education programme, with a particular emphasis on providing an insight into the work of GWCT for tertiary level students.
He writes widely for the sporting press and has been a contributing author to many of the Trust’s publications. Before his appointment with GWCT Mike studied insects and pollination for his PhD at University College Swansea.
Mike lives in Dorset, where he runs a rough shoot on a 1000 acre mainly arable farm, carrying out a range of conservation measures through Countryside Stewardship and other schemes. With wild pheasants and partridges as the main focus of the shoot, a comprehensive predation control programme is also a key aspect. He also enjoys coastal wildfowling, angling and woodland deer stalking.
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
The Game & Wildlife Conservation Trustwww.gwct.org.uk is an independent wildlife conservation charity which carries out scientific research into Britain’s game and wildlife. We advise farmers and landowners on improving wildlife habitats. We employ 23 post-doctoral scientists and 50 other research staff with expertise in areas such as birds, insects, mammals, farming, fish and statistics. We undertake our own research as well as projects funded by contract and grant-aid from Government and private bodies.
Press release distributed by Pressat on behalf of Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust, on Thursday 7 April, 2022. For more information subscribe and follow https://pressat.co.uk/
The country is applying not for the coffee itself, but for its drinking culture in Italy
Italian coffee has long gained legendary status, and the culture of Italian espresso drinking may soon become a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The country’s Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Gian Marco Centinho, announced that the application had already been submitted for approval by the UNESCO National Commission in Italy, from where it should be submitted to UNESCO headquarters by March 31.
The ritual of drinking coffee in Italy
“In Italy, coffee is much more than just a drink – it is an authentic ritual, it is an integral part of our national identity and an expression of our social ties that distinguish us around the world,” Centinaio told Italian media. “For all Italians, the espresso cup is a social and cultural ritual that is reflected in literature and that fascinates the whole country – from Naples to Venice and Trieste through Rome and Milan.”
Two years earlier, Ilaria Danesi from the consortium told the details of the ritual to Euronews: “When they are not at home, Italians drink coffee in bars. This is a quick ritual. You order at the bar and swallow it for a few seconds. Stay at the bar. While drinking coffee is something that Italians would never give up. For them it is a break from everyday life and it is often an excuse to meet to discuss business or see a friend. And most of all – it’s cheap, so wherever you come from, it’s accessible and everyone can enjoy it. “
Coffee is the most consumed beverage in the world after water. After the invention of the first espresso machine in Italy in the late 19th century, it made it even more popular.
Second attempt
This is not Italy’s first attempt to secure World Heritage status for its espresso culture. The previous initiative failed, as applications were submitted by two different organizations – the Consortium for the Preservation of Traditional Italian Espresso in Treviso (representing all of Italy) and a similar organization from Naples (representing the Campania region). The two organizations got into public disputes, exchanging accusations of trying to declare war. The UNESCO committee disqualified both organizations, inviting them to reunite.
How will you know the “real” Italian espresso
For real espresso, however, there are specific requirements set by the consortium. To be considered a “real espresso”, the coffee must have a foam that is “uniform and stable for at least 120 seconds from the time of pouring the coffee without stirring”. It must also be “dark hazelnut in color and light in stripes”.
The coffee must be freshly ground and run from the machine for between 20 and 27 seconds. It should be prepared by a trained barista with a professional coffee machine. The temperature of the coffee in the cup should be between 90 and 96 degrees, and the dose of ground coffee for one cup – between 13 and 26 grams. There are special rules even for the type of cup used – porcelain with a narrow bottom.
The 24-year record for nuclear fusion has collapsed, “Hi-tech” reports. JET scientists announced that they have succeeded in generating the highest sustainable energy in history by fusion of atoms, more than doubling their own record in experiments conducted in 1997.
“These landmark results have taken us a giant step closer to solving one of the biggest challenges in science and engineering,” said Ian Chapman, head of the Culham Fusion Energy Center (CCFE), where JET is based.
JET is part of the UK Atomic Energy Authority, but its scientific activities are managed by the European cooperation EUROfusion.
Thanks to the generation of nuclear fusion, scientists have a chance to find an almost limitless source of clean energy. So far, no experiment has produced more energy than it put in. So far, the JET results haven’t been able to turn the tide either, but scientists say the study offers hope that the next fusion reactor project (the ambitious $22 billion ITER, which is scheduled to start fusion experiments in 2025) using the same technology and the same the same fuel mixture – will ultimately help them achieve this goal.
“JET has indeed achieved what was predicted. Simulations like this suggest that ITER will work,” said fusion physicist Josephine Proll from the Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands.
“Our experiments are the culmination of almost two decades of work. They are important in helping scientists predict how ITER will behave and how its operating settings will be determined,” explained Ann White, a plasma physicist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge.
JET uses magnetic fields to confine plasma, a superheated gas of hydrogen isotopes, in a tokamak. Under the action of heat and pressure, hydrogen isotopes fuse into helium, releasing energy in the form of neutrons.
To break the energy record, JET used a tritium fuel mixture – the same one that will be used for ITER, now under construction in the south of France. Tritium was last used in a tokamak fusion experiment when JET set the previous fusion energy record in 1997.
In an experiment conducted on December 21, 2021, the JET tokamak produced 59 megajoules of energy in a five-second fusion “pulse”, more than double the 21.7 megajoules released in 1997.
“While the 1997 experiment still holds the ‘peak power’ record, it lasted a fraction of a second, and its average power was less than half of today’s,” said Fernanda Rimini, a CCFE plasma scientist who led the latest experiment.
According to her, it took more than 20 years to improve and modernize the equipment.
Rimini noted that generating energy within seconds is necessary to understand the heating, cooling, and motion that occurs within the plasma, which will be critical to launching ITER.
Ice losses occur in 2 ways: direct melting and tearing off icebergs
The Greenland ice sheet has lost more ice in the summer than it has accumulated during the winter season for the 25th consecutive year, according to the Washington Post.
The net total loss was 166 gigatons of ice from September 2020 to August 2021.
The material continues: “This year, scientists have estimated that about 500 gigatons have been lost due to icebergs and melting – the highest in 35 years of satellite observations.
Scientists say they are worried about the future of the ice sheet. NASA’s Josh Willis said: “With each decade warmer than the last, breaking records is the new norm.
New Scientist, meanwhile, published a new study, citing Nature Communications, which found that trees “lower the temperature of the earth’s surface by up to 12C.” Researchers have used satellite data from nearly 300 European cities to measure earth’s surface temperature, the article explains. According to the material, “the cooling provided by green areas without trees is insignificant.”
As extreme heat becomes more prevalent in cities, Jihua Wang of Arizona State University told New Scientist that “[this study] provides important guidance for urban gardeners to implement urban trees as an effective strategy to reduce urban heat.” .
Albatrosses “divorce” more often because of the heat
Apart from that, higher water temperatures as a result of climate change are stressing albatrosses, the Guardian reports.
The authors of a study by the Royal Society have found that in years with unusually warm water temperatures, the divorce rate of albatrosses increases from the usual 1-3% to up to 8%.
One of the authors, Francesco Ventura, told the newspaper that one of the reasons for this was the “hypothesis of blaming partners”: female albatrosses blame their partners for the higher levels of stress caused by the harsher environment.
