We are fascinated by plastic, its look and usefulness, and have totally ignored the damage it causes to our health and in the environment. Plastic is a poison. Toxic plastic waste cannot ever be effectively managed. The extent of its contamination of our life supporting Earth is catastrophic and this has finally reached global public awareness.
Steller’s Sea Cow – Extinct in 1768
Steller’s sea cow was first seen by Europeans in 18th century around the Commander Islands in the Bering Sea between Alaska and Russia. Fossil records show that its range was more extensive during the Pleistocene epoch (from 2.6 million to 11.7 thousand years ago) and its population numbers had been much …
Japanese Sea Lion – Extinct 1974
The Japanese sea lion was an aquatic mammal that became extinct in the 1970s and was to be found in the Japanese Archipelago and the Korean Peninsula. They inhabited the Sea of Japan along the northwest Pacific coastline, more specifically in Japan, Korea, southern Kamchatka Peninsula, Kuril Islands and …
Pyrenean Ibex Extinct in 2000 – EU Conservation Failure
Ibex are wild goats that live in the mountainous regions of Europe, north central Asia and northern Africa. There are five species of ibex. They have long, curved horns and cloven hooves. Males have long beards. Ibex are related to antelopes, buffalo, bison, cattle, goats and sheep.The Pyrenean ibex was …
Radiofrequency Radiation, here’s the thing
At one end of the radiation spectrum there is the non-ionising radiofrequency, electromagnetic radiation (RF). These longwave and microwave frequencies are used for radio, TV, smartphones, smart meters, base stations, Wi-Fi and other wireless telecommunications. RF radiation lies in the …
Western Black Rhinoceros – Extinct 2003
An estimated one million black rhinoceroses from four different subspecies roamed the savannas of Africa in 1900. By 2001 that number had dropped to about 2,300 black rhinos and just three subspecies. This is the story of how we exterminated one of those subspecies, the western black rhinoceros. There have been some …
Caribbean Monk Seal – Extinct 1952
The Caribbean Monk Seal was also known as the West Indian Monk Seal or Sea Wolf. The first Europeans to see them in August 1494 were Christopher Columbus and his crew when their ship laid anchor off the island of Alta Velo. Their population size, prior to exploitation by Europeans and overfishing, as at the early 17th Century has been estimated at something over a quarter of a million distributed over 13 breeding colonies each 300km apart.
Malta – Pollution and Dead Zones, But Who Gives a Damn
By far the most fundamental division within humanity is between people who give a damn and people who do not. In Malta, for example, the few give a damn and the many do not. We are following the pied piper’s tune of unrestrained economic growth, wild consumerism, high-rise buildings, anything goes …
Megafauna Extinctions and the Human Insanity Gene
Megafauna are big animals. Elephants and rhinoceros are megafauna, as are giraffes, whales, cows, deer, tigers, and even humans. The mass extinction of megafauna took place in bursts and started forty thousand years ago in Australia. The second burst was about fifteen thousand years ago in North and South America.
The Moa Lived in Aotearoa and Became Extinct in 1445
For millions of years, nine species of large, flightless birds known as Moas thrived on the islands today known as New Zealand (Aotearoa). The evolutionary lineage of these Moas dates back sixty million years. The Moa fed on twigs and plants. The Moas had one main predator and that was the …