Speciose Weekly - January 8th, 2021
In Brief: Insurrection at the Capitol; Pathogens are Evolving; Oil Development in Two Fragile Ecosystems; Pandemic Funds go to New National Park, and much more...
Welcome to the first-ever edition of Speciose Weekly!
If you’re wondering what this is, please see the about page and/or my recent post on the stakes for biodiversity in 2021. If you like what you see, please support the work by subscribing!
Well, what a week this has been.
Earlier this week in the United States, the most-followed news was the special election for two Georgia seats in the U.S. Senate. Democrats won both seats, part of a decade-long effort to flip the state from red to blue.
But on Wednesday, while Congress was confirming electoral college results, the United States Capitol was breached by pro-Trump insurrectionists, spurred on by many months of disinformation from the President and his allies.
This disinformation has produced a deep and bitter rift between Trump supporters and everyone else. But Trump supporters stand to benefit from healthier ecosystems as much as anyone else, and, any criminals who broke into the Capitol aside, they should absolutely be part of the project of halting ecological breakdown.
To make slow ecological breakdown in a lasting way, we need consensus, and the only way to build consensus is to get on the same page about the facts. Clearly, many Americans are not on the same page, and haven’t received the same facts for years.
For solving the biodiversity crisis across the rift in American culture, there’s one category of facts that matters in particular: facts that demonstrate how ecological breakdown and a lack of economic opportunity are not isolated challenges—they are deeply intertwined and share many of the same causes. Critically, solving one may not be possible without solving the other.
In this context, the Georgia election of two Democratic Senators was historically consequential. It means the Biden-Harris administration has a fighting chance to push forward their agenda of environmental restoration in tandem with economic recovery. In this line of thinking, a healthy environment and a healthy economy are two sides of the same coin. A green recovery moves us toward an economic paradigm that heeds, rather than ignores, the biophysical limits of our planet and the other species around us.
While this is good news for efforts to curb climate change and pollution, the Biden-Harris administration has said little about biodiversity or ecosystem services. The one bright spot is Biden’s commitment to “30 by 30”, shorthand for preserving 30 percent of America’s wild lands by 2030. In the American political landscape, this is both ambitious and seldom reported on, which means biodiversity activists must continue to advocate for it. I will circle back to this repeatedly in the coming year.
To accomplish 30 by 30, the Biden-Harris administration must coordinate a broadly inclusive strategy, a goal Deb Haaland will be instrumental for given the ~245 million wild acres she will manage, many of which are already under Indigenous stewardship. People from Black and Brown communities, who too often have the most direct experience with ecological collapse, will have crucial seats at the table as well. And as mentioned above, rural Americans will be essential too. Their exclusion from environmental policymaking would only deepen the urban-rural divide that continues to paralyze necessary change when, in fact, our interests are more aligned than we’d think (More on this in the final segment of this episode of How to Save a Planet, and the first segment of this episode of Living on Earth, two podcasts that I strongly recommend as part of your media diet).
With the U.S. Senate flipping toward the Democrats, necessary change will be significantly less paralyzed. But, as Eric Holthaus in The Phoenix and many others have said, Americans must continue stressing the importance of these issues to their representatives. Complacency is not an option, not this year, not this decade.
It’s our future—and that of millions of other species and ecosystems—that is at stake.
With that, let’s get to what else happened this week.
News
Simple, concrete connections between biodiversity and current events.
1. Evolution in Action in SARS-CoV-2…and also Malaria
Tiny pathogens have a number of cards in their favor when it comes to evolving out of a bind: they reproduce fast, and often in big numbers; many pathogens experience more mutations in their genomes; and human pharmaceuticals apply intense selection pressures. Whether or not it is in a bind, SARS-CoV-2 has been evolving. The latest newsworthy variant, a lineage known as B.1.1.7, has spread unusually rapidly in the United Kingdom compared to previous variants. While the mechanism by which it may spread faster is still unknown, estimates of its increased contagiousness range from 10% to 70%.
In a similar vein, a new drug-resistant lineage of Plasmodium falciparum, the malaria parasite, has evolved in Africa. After sequencing parts P. falciparum genomes from Rwanda, researchers found mutations in the gene K13, which can drive resistance to artemisinin. This is deeply concerning, as artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) are the most common treatment for malaria. Both this case and the case of the SARS-2 variant show that evolution should be our expectation—it is the rule, not the exception, and we should expect it in pathogens as we do in all other species.
[Scientific American, New York Times]
2. Lower Supply Means Higher Demand: Basic Economics Unfolding around Collapsing Colorado River Ecosystem
Frequently, this newsletter will simply be me pointing out news stories where biodiversity wasn’t mentioned…but definitely should have been. Such is the case for this story. As climate change warms up and dries out the western United States, the Colorado river is drying up too. As a result, thousands of species are suffering from soil moisture deficit. New plant communities are taking over where more water-dependent communities existed, providing fuel for wildfires that are exacerbated by drought. To put it mildly, the Colorado River basin is experiencing an ecological transformation.
Now, as demand for water increases elsewhere, private investors are looking to use “water transfers” to supply demand in urban areas far away from the Colorado River, claiming that, “water is the new oil.” The result could be that communities along Colorado must buy back their water—after ecological breakdown due to water loss has already occurred. Leaders in the Southwestern states are reportedly meeting this month to decide how to proceed.
3. Delicate Arctic Biodiversity May Be Near the End of Its Assault by Oil Developers
In the summer, the high Arctic brims with biodiversity, a rich community of species in the hurried act of producing the next generation (and sequestering carbon in the process) before summer ends. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology captures it beautifully in this video. However, in a baffling effort over the past three years, the Trump administration has worked to sell oil drilling leases in the challenging terrain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
So far, interest has been predictably lackluster, with no apparent competition for the leases. But now, the state of Alaska itself has stepped up. Pending approval in Federal District Court, the state will buy the 10-year leases in the hope that companies will bid on them in the future. If this comes to pass, the lease may net the Alaskan government as little $15 million per year. And in a market that is increasingly averse to fossil fuel development, the upside of this move is dubious at best.
4. Pandemic Spurs New Trends in Grocery Industry Affects Species around the World
We often forget that most of the food we eat was once a living organism. That organism either grew with nutrients from the soil somewhere, or was fed organisms grown elsewhere in the same way. When we’re talking about food, we’re talking about living things, and about the ecological link to them we call consumption.
In a statement to the Washington Post, food analyst Phil Lempert says, “For food companies, the number one priority right now is not innovation, it’s production efficiency.” From a biodiversity perspective, this could mean lower impacts on species worldwide. More efficient food production could mean less land area put toward farming, allowing more species to exist in land that was once cleared for agriculture. It could also mean better distributed food supply chains, helping disadvantaged communities where food autonomy is not an option. All trends to keep an eye on.
Also identified in in this article is the increase in plant-based meats—yet another trend that would leave more land for non-human and non-agricultural species. It also, of course, means vastly lower carbon emissions, water use, deforestation, and energy waste.
5. COVID Stimulus Package Preserves United States’ 63rd National Park: New River Gorge in West Virginia
The new COVID stimulus package will preserve a 7,021-acre park along West Virginia’s New River. With some of the highest plant diversity in the Central and Southern Appalachians and a rich ecology, the new National Park is a triumph for species previously threatened by coal development. Indeed, the designation of this 63rd U.S. National Park represents the shifting crosswinds of the West Virginia economy, where outdoor recreation like climbing and rafting are filling economic gaps left by the waning coal extraction industry.
[Outside]
6. “Line 3” Oil Pipeline Under Construction Pits Rural Workers Against Water Activists
In a recent New York Times op-ed, poet and member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Louise Erdrich writes,
“This is not just another pipeline. It is a tar sands climate bomb; if completed, it will facilitate the production of crude oil for decades to come. Tar sands are among the most carbon-intensive fuels on the planet.”
Erdrich adds that, “If the pipeline is built, Minnesotans could turn off everything in the state, stop traveling and still not come close to meeting the state’s emission reduction goals.”
Oil sand extraction is among the most ecologically destructive ways to harvest oil. Going back to Erdrich,
Mining the sands often requires scraping off the life-giving boreal forest growing over Alberta’s oil fields. Photographs of Alberta’s oil sands sites show a vast moonscape impossible to reclaim. The water used in processing is left in toxic holding ponds that cumulatively could fill 500,000 Olympic swimming pools, as one National Geographic article puts it.
Nonetheless, construction of Line 3 has started. In its completion, it will pass through—and risk spilling in—land of cultural significance to Ojibwe tribes in the area, which has inspired years of legal challenges from environmental and tribal groups.
And while the case for not building the pipeline is beyond compelling, it has its proponents. In a time when unemployment is high, pipeline advocates point out that more than 4,000 employees will find work in constructing it. One wonders, all said, what these employees will do when construction is finished—and how long slow-growing boreal ecosystems will take to bounce back.
[MPR News]
7. Green Energy Swept up in Investor “Euphoria”—and trend that may spare landscapes of events like #6
Late last year, Tesla joined the S&P 500, which prompted an explosion of investment in that and other renewable energy companies. At some point, this bubble will pop. But for the time being, this “euphoria” is infusing the economy was cash that can be put toward prevent scenarios like Line 3.
A similar explosion of investment to jumpstart the carbon capture industry has come from a different source: the second COVID stimulus bill, which provided $2 billion for six carbon capture projects. If we can get carbon capture of the ground, it will be a compelling addition to the third of emissions we can reduce by investing in nature.
[Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg Green]
8. During the Pandemic, Schools Think Outside the Box—of Walled-in Classrooms, that is
What would school be like if it were predominantly outside, in the midst of other species? The pandemic pushed some schools to experiment with this idea. The article linked below documents how four schools—one in Massachusetts, one in New York City, one in Arkansas, and one in Wisconsin—are have advantage of the open air (unsurprising spoiler: it works)
9. Food for Thought: If Government Payed to Build Highways, Can It Pay to Tear Them Down for the Sake of Urban Greening?
Nobody wants to live immediately below an elevated highway. So as highways like this have been built as part of “urban renewal”, nearby neighborhoods have been razed, their businesses have gone under, and trees have died or been removed. Of course, these “urban renewal” projects have predominantly taken place in Black and brown neighborhoods.
Now, many are advocating for federal policy to help transform cities again—this time without unnecessary highways and with affordable housing, small businesses, and, I might add, plenty of green space and biodiversity. This initiative is already on the plate of soon-to-be transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg, and may receive bipartisan support in Congress too.
10. New Species Alert! Check Out The Following 15 Species Never Encountered Before 2020
Congrats on making it this far! Now for some simple, fun news. Museum scientists described 503 new species this past year. In the link below, you’ll find fifteen of the coolest, including a 150-foot-long siphonophore, an adorable mouse lemur, an iridescent snake, and a Twizzler-looking salamander from South Carolina.
[Mongabay]
Science
Your finger on the pulse of research from ecology, evolutionary biology, conservation, economics, and other fields where biodiversity counts.
This week on the Speciose blog: Stay tuned! I have a piece in the works about how the activities of many species can translate into stability at the ecosystem level.
Sample of psyllium plant genomes shows big potential for climate adaptation - Thoroughly established in the Mojave desert, blond psyllium (Plantago ovata) faces a century of increasing heat and decreasing rainfall. After looking into the genomes of 760 plants, researchers found 184 regions that are correlated with upcoming climatic changes. This makes it likely that populations of blond psyllium will expand substantially by midcentury, when climate change has expanded their preferred habitat by fivefold. Needless to say, this is one species that appears to be well prepared for climate change. (Molecular Ecology)
Forest structure and species diversity bolster multiple aspects of ecosystem health - In this study, researchers sought to disentangle how the number of tree species versus the complexity of forest structure (branches, understory, etc.) affect ecosystem health, including their biomass, productivity, and stability. In their ten study sites in a tropical forest in Southwestern China, the researchers found that more structured forests had higher biomass and productivity (and thus more carbon storage). The most stable forests, with a consistent production of new biomass each year, were those with the most species. This is yet another case study in the importance of biodiversity for keeping environments stable in the face of climate change. (Forest Ecology & Management)
Microplastics are ubiquitous in seafood - Here we learn that the mollusks, crustaceans, fish, and echinoderms humans eat all show prevalent microplastic contamination. Mollusks collected off the coasts of Asia were the most contaminated. The maximum reported annual human uptake of microplastics from seafood is 55,000 particles. (Environmental Health Perspectives)
Species diversity—especially birds—is as good for your health as making more income - Looking at life-satisfaction surveys 26,000 European citizens, this study’s authors found that having lots of species around is positively associated with feelings of wellbeing. Most prominent were the effects of bird diversity; having birds around was as beneficial for people’s wellbeing as making more income was. This suggests that landscapes built to maximize bird diversity have properties that also benefit human wellbeing. (Ecological Economics)
About half of the earth’s habitable species is farmed. Here’s how we can make it better for humans and other species - Balancing increasing human food demands with biodiversity is a big challenge. Here, one scientist argues that our best option is to use soil interventions and other measures to maximize the efficiency of existing farmlands. This will reduce pressure on less-productive “traditional” farmland, and will leave undeveloped habitats undisturbed. (One Earth)
Shout-outs
I can’t believe it took me this long to discover the work of Marina Alberti and the Urban Eco-Evo Network, but I’m glad I know about them now. Alberti’s work focuses on how urbanization influences ongoing evolution, and then explores how that evolution feeds back and affects urban ecosystems.
Recently, I learned about a seldom-appreciated means of protecting the environment: through Bill of Rights-style constitutional amendments—something Pennsylvania and Montana already have. This idea, called “environmental constitutionalism”, was the subject of an episode of Kamea Chayne’s Green Dreamer Podcast. Needless to say, I LOVE this idea. Her guest in that episode, Maya Van Rossum, has been advancing legal protection for the environment for years, and I really admire her work. Learn more and support her work on her organization’s website.
One of my favorite scientists/science communicators this year has been Vincent Racaniello, a Columbia University virology professor. His podcast TWiV (This Week in Virology) has been a continual source of nuance, context, and healthy skepticism throughout the pandemic. Coincidentally, he also has a podcast about evolution called TWiEVO. Their episode on army ants was a trip.
Every now and again, you read a book that’s like medicine. Last month, that book for me was One Wild Bird at a Time. The book compiles seventeen of Bernd Heinrich’s essays, aimed to, as Heinrich says, “reveal details of birds’ everyday lives as seen by direct observation.”
Feedback
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With gratitude,
—Nick