Environmental News

I often mention The human enterprise here and will offer my definition. Human activities seem a different and larger concept, being all of them. Human enterprise is the subset of activities directed at least in part towards an increase in welfare, or enrichment, of one or more persons.

When we think of any enterprise, that is its purpose - agreed?

 

Urban greening and reduction of heat-related deaths:

In two decades increasing urban vegetation could have saved over 1.1 million lives | EurekAlert!

The DOI provided seems wrong, and it is probably to this:

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(25)00053-1/fulltext

 

Coffee, China, and sleepy Yunnan Province.

A bit of coffee is grown in Yunnan:

https://www.terradaily.com/reports/Chinese_tea_hub_branches_into_coffee_as_tastes_change_.99.html

There are things to consider. Coffee (arabica) has the highest sensitivity to atmospheric dryness of any woody plant yet measured. Tea (Camellia sinensis) appears not to have been examined in this regard. I have nagged other researchers about that

With climate change, optimal growing places for Arabica coffee will move to higher elevations. There is remarkably little concern for this.

Tea and coffee generate largest global revenues of any 'woody' crops. Not apples or similar. Not bananas; they are not 'woody', Cannabis may have a shot but it is mired in legal issues. Also it would lead to more navel contemplation and not necessarily advance The Human Enterprise.

As I shall soon report to whatever high journal accepts article, 'woody' crops are much more sensitive to atmospheric dryness than annual crops. Considering revenue$ involved, this aspect of climate change gets remarkably little attention.

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I grind beans and have one pour-over cup of coffee each morning. I get beans from Shanghai that probably come from Vietnam.

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There are about 6500 Starbucks in China vs, about 17000 in US. In both, this retail upselling activity is doing pretty well. It persists as inexpensive source supplies persist.

 

Snake venoms are a substantial health burden. Anti venoms have been made by 'exposing' horses and extracting the good stuff from their blood. Here is a new way:

https://www.npr.org/sections/goats-and-soda/2025/05/02/nx-s1-5381017/snake-bite-venom-antivenom-tim-friede-universal

I cannot imagine being him. Not at all. But somehow this has led to anti venom highly effective against multiple snake species. Also the fella still has all his extremities.

 

Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) looking down from earth orbit is pretty nifty. One of its applications is to detect land subsidence in cities. Have a look:

All 28 of the U.S.'s Largest Cities Are Sinking, Study Finds

With rates correlated with groundwater withdrawal rates.

One could examine this wherever groundwater withdrawal is known with sufficient accuracy, because orbital SAR sees all. Anyway these Sentinel birds do, being in sun-synch orbits. So they can observe polar ice one would suppose.

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Euro Space Agency launched 'Biomass' in 2025 April. Much anticipated by forest researchers because it will profile global forest canopies very well.

 

Weather-related disasters, 2024, USA:

2024: An active year of U.S. billion-dollar weather and climate disasters | NOAA Climate.gov
Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters | National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI)

Last such analysis by US govt agencies, according to media reports of defunding this work. Has been a nice thing to have.

 

I suppose that means 2025 and later disasters will not be enumerated? Ain't necessarily so. The re-insurance industry is all over this. Reports from many sources (other corporate and NGOs if not governmental) will continue to be prepared. Accumulated data will exist but possibly as a thing one must pay to know.

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Takes me back to weather and climate records themselves. Regional and global compilations have been accused of 'cooking the books' and making temperature increases look worse than they really are. Howsoever, weather records have always been available for legal proceedings, with assured provenance and 'chain of custody'. For a price.

Back when we usta argue about hoaxiness of global warming (even here), I suggested that skeptics could simply buy the truth. To the best of my knowledge, none ever did. Anywhere.

 

What I do in public (on the larger question) is visible in part to PC readers. Other parts are visible to those with (internet) researching skills. What I do in private, well, find some sand and pound it.

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What is the larger question? I proceed as if asked. Humans have done very well with science and technology (including medicine) and including vast energy production from burning fossil fuel. People should understand as much about that as possible. Many teach on that, and I do a little also.

Humans could to better, and may need to, in ways that differ from Industrial Revolution 1.0. There are obvious lessons from environmental research. Many teach on that, and I do a little also. This is not really a country-based thing. Accumulating money and power 'the old way' still works really well, and resists (funds resistance) to Industrial Revolution 2.0.

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Personal-level resistance to Industrial Revolution 2.0 takes many forms, some of which are on display at PriusChat.

 

You found nothing? How could I disagree?