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Animal Populations Fell by 68% in 50 Years and It’s Getting Worse

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Re: Animal Populations Fell by 68% in 50 Years and It’s Getting Worse

#191

Post by throwaway5752 »

macspoofing wrote: post #97
jamil7 wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Modern solar panels and their batteries do not require any "rare" metals. A lot of wind turbines use neodymium however it accounts for a very small amount of total usage. Edit: clarified.

>Modern solar panels and their batteries do not require any really "rare" metals. The salient point was that manufacturing millions (billions?) of panels and turbines has a huge toll on the ecosystem - regardless if rare metals are used - and they are used in components of solar panels and wind turbines.

How does it compare to the ecosystem cost of coal strip mining? How much platinum and palladium is out there to reduce toxic partial combustion pollution? How much lead is out there in car batteries?

Re: Animal Populations Fell by 68% in 50 Years and It’s Getting Worse

#192

Post by throwanem »

raxxorrax wrote: post #54
alangibson wrote: post #41

Does anyone else > 40 years old remember there just being lots more animals around when you were a kid? I don't know if it's just age blinders or paranoia, but in particular I remember there being way more birds pretty much everywhere.

I am not that old, but aside from the shitty insects like wasps and mosquitoes, they seem to have almost vanished. Birds still seem ok, but they can pick up food left behind by humans and many feed them in winter. Also snow... we had cross-country skis and used them almost every winter (northern Germany) 15 years ago. Today they are basically useless and you would certainly stand out if you used them here. Some birds…

Mosquitoes, I'll grant you, even though they're a significant prey source for dragonflies. But wasps? You should be thanking them for the fact you still have trees, with the way they keep bagworms and tent caterpillars down. Flowers, too, for quite a lot of which they're the major or even the only pollinators.

Re: Animal Populations Fell by 68% in 50 Years and It’s Getting Worse

#193

Post by jbay808 »

mymythisisthis wrote: post #133
alangibson wrote: post #41

Does anyone else > 40 years old remember there just being lots more animals around when you were a kid? I don't know if it's just age blinders or paranoia, but in particular I remember there being way more birds pretty much everywhere.

I remember when the city had a real limit, you could leave it. Now the suburbs seem endless. Towns 300km away, were once distinct towns, now just part of one large metropolis - pretending that they are still distinct. If you want to know the real size of a metro, map out the delivery areas for furniture stores and restaurant suppliers.

Out of curiosity, how do you map out the delivery areas for furniture stores and restaurant suppliers?

Re: Animal Populations Fell by 68% in 50 Years and It’s Getting Worse

#196

Post by drzaiusapelord »

baron_harkonnen wrote: post #150
alangibson wrote: post #41

Does anyone else > 40 years old remember there just being lots more animals around when you were a kid? I don't know if it's just age blinders or paranoia, but in particular I remember there being way more birds pretty much everywhere.

Remember fireflies? I myself almost don't believe that there were insects that would light dark fields in summer, and that children would fill jars with the these creatures because they were so plentiful you could grab a handful of glowing insects! I honestly feel that if I were to have grandchildren they would not believe me describing them or at the very least thing that I was greatly exaggerating. I know they stil…

I live in the middle of Chicago, in the city itself and in a very dense and urban part of it, and we had fireflies all summer. I'm guessing as an adult you're not out much during the hours they're out, or at least not in backyards and alleys where they tend to congregate.

They do seem fewer to me, but who knows, I'm comparing my memories to a kid's from decades ago. I wonder if anyone keeps track of this stuff. I did notice less bumblebees this year, in fact I don't think I saw a single one, but that's my own experiences and not anything scientific of course. Miss those chonky little guys.

Re: Animal Populations Fell by 68% in 50 Years and It’s Getting Worse

#197

Post by arethuza »

Andrew_nenakhov wrote: post #144
otachack wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree and am ecstatic for Villeneuve's Dune!

As a die-hard Dune (1984) and book fan, I'm not really ecstatic yet. Old movie had some unique qualities, and would be a great movie if it was 7 hours long. Also, why on earth they changed jihad to crusade in new movie?!

Aren't they describing the attack by Harkonnen and Imperial forces on the Atreides rather than the later jihad by the Fremen - the latter presumably being in the next movie?

Re: Animal Populations Fell by 68% in 50 Years and It’s Getting Worse

#198

Post by Funes- »

Petrova wrote: post #187
yesenadam wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A kind of similar xkcd diagram of Earth's Land Mammals by Weight https://xkcd.com/1338/ - there's hardly any wild animals, comparatively.

I've always wondered why horses are not used as livestock since they can also produce milk and have commercial use as well such plowing fields or transportation.

Mare milk is consumed and commercialized [0].

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumis.

Re: Animal Populations Fell by 68% in 50 Years and It’s Getting Worse

#199

Post by tarsinge »

badestrand wrote: post #157
christiansakai wrote: post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was surprised that ESGV (Vanguard Index for responsible environmental friendly investing) does not include nuclear power there. I wonder what's the stigma bout nuclear?

> I wonder what's the stigma bout nuclear? I am sure you know the answer but because you ask for it: Radioactivity is nasty. Example Germany: When I grew up my parents couldn't pick mushrooms and I couldn't play in a sandbox because a few thousand kilometers away there was a reactor incident and the wind blew it over. Today people living near a power plant receive free jodium tablets in case there will be an accident…

These issues seem insignificant compared to the problems we face.

Re: Animal Populations Fell by 68% in 50 Years and It’s Getting Worse

#200

Post by lonelyasacloud »

Petrova wrote: post #187
yesenadam wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A kind of similar xkcd diagram of Earth's Land Mammals by Weight https://xkcd.com/1338/ - there's hardly any wild animals, comparatively.

I've always wondered why horses are not used as livestock since they can also produce milk and have commercial use as well such plowing fields or transportation.

Eating horse meat has a long history and is still part of the culture in many places e.g. Mongolia, France. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horse_mea
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