tagged w/ Human behavior
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Harp seal pups are taking a hit due to global warming, according to the first study of its kind.
Ice-busting storms and warmer waters fueled by rising temperatures are diminishing the ice cover that harp seals need to survive during their first vulnerable weeks of life.
Without thick, solid ice expanses, seal babies drown or are crushed by broken-up chunks of ice.
For the harp seals, "good ice is about 30 to 70 centimeters [12 to 28 inches] thick and covers 60 to 90 percent of the water," said marine biologist Garry Stenson, who works for Canada's Federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans and helps to monitor and assess harp seal populations.
But ice cover in the sub-Arctic and North Atlantic Ocean has declined about 6 percent per decade since the 1970s. (Read "The Big Thaw" in National Geographic magazine.)
And as climate change continues to degrade the amount of good ice, the average pup survival rate is likely to drop over the years, experts say.
"Some years, when there's poor ice in a given pupping ground, essentially all of the pups don't make it," said study leader David Johnston, a marine biologist at Duke University.
In 2007, for example, more than 75 percent of pups in Canada perished because of poor ice conditions—in 2010, almost none survived, Johnston said.
snip
Understanding Harp Seal Decline
To understand how climate variations are affecting sea ice—and how ice loss is affecting harp seal pups—Johnston and his team conducted three major studies, the first in 2005.
(See pictures of how climate change is changing the Arctic.)
The initial two studies examined the effects in Canada of the North Atlantic Oscillation—the difference between subtropical and polar atmospheric pressure, which pushes storms in the Northern Hemisphere to move from west to east.
The oscillation "basically governs the strength and track of storms, and sea ice formation and persistence across the entire North Atlantic," Johnston said. "We needed to understand shorter-term climate variation before looking at the long-term effects." (Take a water-and-climate change quiz.)
The third and most recent paper tied together variations in the North Atlantic Oscillation, long-term climate change, sea ice, and seal-pup death rates for the first time.
"It's really difficult to study this. There's a huge void of quantitative information about seal pup mortality," Johnston said. "So, we turned to the stranding record."
For the past few decades, groups of New England volunteers have walked their local beaches and reported dead, stranded seals. This gave Johnston and colleagues a measure of seal-pup deaths to compare with oscillation-affected sea ice.
Their results revealed that seal-pup deaths rose and fell with sea ice loss driven by fluctuations in the North Atlantic Oscillation, which are in turn caused by climate change.
"This is something we knew about awhile ago, but it's complicated," said the Canadian fisheries department's Stenson, who wasn't involved in Johnston's research.
Stenson added that Johnston and colleagues' analysis is "deeper than anyone has done in the past."
"We know that bad ice affects pup mortality, and that sea ice has been declining," Stenson said. "You have to account for that or you can't understand the population dynamics."
(Also see "Longest Polar Bear Swim Recorded-426 Miles Straight.")
Avoiding a Conservation "Train Wreck"
Though harp seals are not rare, Johnston and other researchers are concerned for the animal's future.
The new study adds to evidence that climate change, since the 1970s, has reduced the only birthing grounds that harp seal populations have ever known.
The harp seal's ability to weather long-term climatic changes in unknown, but it's not too late to avoid a "conservation train wreck," Johnston said.
"We should control what we can control. We can't control the reproductive biology of seals, or where and how ice forms in their breeding habitats from year to year," he said.
"What we can control is human behavior."
More at the linkHarp seal pups are taking a hit due to global warming, according to the first study of... more
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John Broder had this remarkable sentence in his Sunday New York Times dispatch from Durban:
Effectively addressing climate change will require over the coming decades a fundamental remaking of energy production, transportation and agriculture around the world — the sinews of modern life.
This is uncharacteristically blunt for the Times. It reflects a worldview that is generally not reflected in their overall coverage, as I discussed in “The New York Times Abandons the Story of the Century and Joins the Energy and Climate Ignorati.”
Broder’s point is that the UN process is simply not up to the task of addressing the climate problem:
It is simply too big a job for those who have gathered for these talks under the 1992 United Nations treaty that began this grinding process.
“There is a fundamental disconnect in having environment ministers negotiating geopolitics and macroeconomics,” said Nick Robins, an energy and climate change analyst at HSBC, the London-based global bank.
Unfortunately, most economics ministers are pretty clueless about the subject. That said, I’ve never been a big fan of the current process, which requires near-unanimous consent by nearly 200 countries.
What’s most blocking action, from my perspective, isn’t the process so much as the failure of the media and policymakers here and around the globe to realize that failing to address climate change will lead to an even bigger remaking of what’s left of modern life in a world of 10°F warming (see An Illustrated Guide to the Science of Global Warming Impacts: How We Know Inaction Is the Gravest Threat Humanity Faces“).
Inaction will create the almost impossible task of feeding 9+ billion in “the face of a rapidly worsening climate.” And avoiding mass starvation and general chaos will certainly require a fundamental remaking of the world. The NYT‘s science reporter Justin Gillis gets this, as you see in articles like “Food Supply Under Strain on a Warming Planet” and “Global Warming Hinders Crop Yields, Study Finds.”
We cannot escape fundamentally remaking the sinews of modern life over the coming decades — in a sustainable way if we act on climate and in a catastrophic way if we don’t. Now is the time for major media outlets like the New York Times to remake their coverage to inform the public of this far more clearly and unambiguously.
More at the linkJohn Broder had this remarkable sentence in his Sunday New York Times dispatch from... more
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As a social innovator who specializes in human system design, I have spent many years gathering useful knowledge across disciplines. And now I am setting out on a path to integrate two vast domains into a rigorous framework for strategic action — earth systems research and cognitive science.As a social innovator who specializes in human system design, I have spent many years... more
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Cabal
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added this
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9 months ago
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"The Damage Done by Capitalism", is definitely worth a look at.
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Will-Capitalism-Leave-Last-by-Dr-Stuart-Jeanne-B-110707-359.html
"In view of the extensive research evidence, mainstream human behavior experts (psychologists, sociologists, criminologists, social workers, etc) are slowly coming around to the view that the ravages of capitalist society, rather than "human nature" itself are responsible for the wanton cruelty and "inhumanity" that characterize industrialized society. Yet most them continue to argue that socialism and participatory democracy are impossible, claiming that it will take generations to undo the damage capitalism has inflicted on the human species.
From their perspective, 21st century men and women commit theft, murder, rape, domestic violence, child abuse and wanton terrorism on the battlefield are due to faulty childrearing. Maltreatment of their children leads them to acquire similar character defects, which they, in turn, pass on to their grandchildren. Thus even if capitalism were to end tomorrow, we would be left with a society of defective human beings, prevented by major emotional and behavior problems, from governing themselves."
Does this argument have merit?"The Damage Done by Capitalism", is definitely worth a look at.... more
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Even his harshest critics will acknowledge that Al Gore has considerable insight and wide interests.
During his keynote address at the 2011 Insurance and Accounting Systems Association conference in Nashville, a reliably wonkish but engaging Gore touched on everything from Moore’s Law to Minnie Pearl while pondering the impact of technology on the insurance industry.
Illustrating the speed at which technology advances, Gore noted that today’s iPad2 packs as much computational horsepower as the world’s most powerful supercomputer, the Cray 2, did a quarter century ago.
The former vice president of the United States and 2000 Democratic nominee for president noted that Moore’s Law has held steady for decades and has catalysed the dissemination of knowledge as much as any invention since the advent of the printing press.
This is the rule, posited in 1965 by Intel co-founder Gordon Moore, that the number of transistors incorporated into a semiconductor would double every 18-24 months,
“There are now a billion transistors for every man, woman and child on the planet,” Gore said.
Gore also brought to light a lesser known theory, Metcalfe’s Law, which holds that the value of a communications network increases proportionally to the square of the number of people connected to and using the system.
This is important, Gore said, because both capitalism and democracy are reliant on the free exchange of information. “The systems that define our world are based on the democratization of knowledge.”
cont.Even his harshest critics will acknowledge that Al Gore has considerable insight and... more
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- Do Cell Phones Unleash Our Inner Rudeness? is the provocative question posed by the hed to this piece on the CNN blog today. Like the blessedly deceased Ronnie Raygun’s last underpants, it dependz.- Do Cell Phones Unleash Our Inner Rudeness? is the provocative question posed by the... more
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Breaking News Updates Facebook has expanded its Relationship Status bar to include civil unions and domestic partnerships, in response to user requests. For many on Facebook, relationship status is a key feature. So it was frustrating to many that their own status wasn't even an option — gays and lesbians who live in states where same-sex marriage is not legal.
*Editor's note: For all you in the UK you can change your relationship status to "In a Civil Partnership".Breaking News Updates Facebook has expanded its Relationship Status bar to include... more
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Latest News Updates Today Incidentally, the humble but oh-so-tasty chicken wing reaches its peak during the Super Bowl, too. Get the latest updates from inside the Wells Fargo Center as eaters and Wingettes compete in SportsRadio 610 WIP’s Wing Bowl 19 Friday morning.Latest News Updates Today Incidentally, the humble but oh-so-tasty chicken wing... more
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Recently Complete News Updates The caduceus has some interesting and often conflicting historical meanings. These writings will address an expanded spirituality, grounded in one's personal ...Recently Complete News Updates The caduceus has some interesting and often conflicting... more
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kamoo
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added this
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1 year ago
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Latest News Updates An American woman, Ms Connie Hamzy who was born January 9, 1953, is most famous as groupie and claims of having sexed with a number of rock musicians.Latest News Updates An American woman, Ms Connie Hamzy who was born January 9, 1953,... more
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Latest News Updates Pat Manocchia, owner of La Palestra in New York City, which costs about $8000 per year and caps its membership at about 200 people. “Anatomy of Strength Training,” by Pat Manocchia.....Latest News Updates Pat Manocchia, owner of La Palestra in New York City, which costs... more
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Philadelphia Premium Outlets has announced its annual "After-Thanksgiving Weekend Sale featuring Midnight Madness," to be held Nov.They are ready at the Philadelphia Premium Outlets. Black Friday is the biggest shopping day of the year and all premium outlets are ready for the big ...Philadelphia Premium Outlets has announced its annual "After-Thanksgiving Weekend... more
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Butterball Turkey Hotline Shares Roasting A Turkey Click shouldtoday.com – to watch Happy Thanksgiving 2010:The Good Food Channel tells you how to make the most of your roasting time by cooking your turkey upside down. Serious Eats shares the Roasted Brined Turkey ...Butterball Turkey Hotline Shares Roasting A Turkey Click shouldtoday.com – to... more
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happy thanksgiving quotes. Thanksgiving Quotes, Sayings and Messages, Facts and History – Thanksgiving Day , thanksgiving cards.is showing widespread searching for phrases like "thanksgiving quotes," ... nevertheless, set aside a day of thanksgiving.happy thanksgiving quotes. Thanksgiving Quotes, Sayings and Messages, Facts and... more
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EECA Chief Executive, Mike Underhill, explains the New Zealand context and why EECA is interested in motivating change. He provides a range of examples of the types of interventions and campaigns that EECA is currently doing and how they support change of two different types of behaviour. Mike believes that behaviour change is the key to unlocking a lot of wasted energy potential and that with behaviour change alone, we can achieve at least a 20% improvement in energy use in New Zealand. However, he also realises that human behaviour is the hardest thing to change and challenged all the participants to collaborate, engage and think outside the box on how we can access this potential.EECA Chief Executive, Mike Underhill, explains the New Zealand context and why EECA is... more
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To me, using human behaviour to motivate change is about using what is already there. It’s about using human nature – people’s existing decision processes and influences – but to our advantage.
The ‘Motivating Change’ workshop was initiated in response to the need for a more strategic approach to designing policies and interventions. During this workshop ITo me, using human behaviour to motivate change is about using what is already there.... more
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There is no doubt in my mind that the challenges we face, the big issues such as climate change, food security, population growth and movement, environmental degradation and, of course, energy security, are highly complex issues and require radically new, innovative and integrated solutions. Simply doing what we’ve always done is unlikely to solve the problem. This requires us to do things differently. The virtuous circle of ‘motivating change’ in behaviour is aThere is no doubt in my mind that the challenges we face, the big issues such as... more
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FREAKONOMICS is the highly anticipated film version of the phenomenally bestselling book about incentives-based thinking by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner. Like the book, the film examines human behavior with provocative and sometimes hilarious case studies, bringing together a dream team of filmmakers responsible for some of the most acclaimed and entertaining documentaries in recent years: Academy Award® winner Alex Gibney (Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, Casino Jack and the United States of Money), Academy Award® nominees Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing (Jesus Camp), Academy Award® nominee Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me), Eugene Jarecki (Why We Fight) and Seth Gordon (The King of Kong). For ticket information, visit http://www.magpictures.com/freakonomics/FREAKONOMICS is the highly anticipated film version of the phenomenally bestselling... more
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