"It's killing us": how fossil fuel consumption is wrecking our health

October 20, 2022 The Lancet

Synopsis: "The climate crisis is killing us," said António Guterres, secretary general of the United Nations, following the publication of the study The Lance Countdown, which asserts that the world's continued dependence on fossil fuels increases the risk of food insecurity, infectious diseases and heat-related illnesses and emphasized that global leaders must modify their actions according to the size of the problem.

According to the study, heat-related deaths increased by two-thirds in the last two decades.

Oceans may shift from being carbon sinks to becoming carbon sinks, accelerating climate change

April 27, 2021 UN

Synopsis: A little-known role of the oceans is their regulation of the Earth's climate by absorbing carbon dioxide (CO2), explains a UNESCO study, which also warns that, if they lose this function, the oceans would contribute to global warming, accelerating the advance of climate change.

Since the Industrial Revolution, the oceans have been a reservoir for the carbon generated by human activity.

Without them, along with terrestrial ones, CO2 levels in the atmosphere would be 50% higher than those recorded in 2019, which were already well above the limit to contain global warming AT TWO DEGREES CENTIGRED ABOVE PRE-INDUSTRIAL ERA!!!!

Recycling increases toxicity of plastics and threatens human health, warns Greenpeace

May 25, 2023, RT

Synopsis: The environmental organization claims that recycling increases the toxicity of plastics and puts people's health at risk, according to a report published Wednesday on its website, which cites various scientific research, indicating that, according to the United Nations Environment Program, plastics contain more than 13,000 chemicals, of which more than 3,200 are known to be hazardous to human health.

They also point out that recycled plastics often have higher levels of chemicals that can poison people such as toxic flame retardants, benzene and other carcinogens, environmental pollutants such as brominated and chlorinated dioxins, and numerous endocrine disruptors that can cause changes in the body's natural hormone levels.

"The plastics industry, including fossil fuel, petrochemical and consumer goods companies, continues to present plastic recycling as the solution to the plastic pollution crisis. But this report shows that plastic toxicity actually increases with recycling," said Graham Forbes, global plastics campaign leader for the U.S.-based NGO.

Heat wave in Mexico: how extreme temperatures impact our bodies

June 16, 2023 BBC World

Synopsis: In Mexico, 100 deaths related to the heat wave were reported in June, which represented a record in the country.

Why does our body react this way?.

Our bodies strive to maintain an internal temperature of about 37.5°C.

As the weather gets warmer, the body has to work harder to keep its internal temperature down by dilating the blood vessels closest to the skin to expel that heat and sweating begins, leading to loss of fluids and salt and, crucially, changing the balance between them in the human body with the danger of dehydration, causing us to have lower blood pressure and the heart to work harder to push blood throughout the body.

This can cause dizziness, nausea, fainting, mental confusion, muscle cramps, headache, heavy sweating, tiredness. If blood pressure drops too fast, it increases the risk of heart attacks.

They study the potential of ultra-processed foods to cause dementia, heart disease, cancer and strokes.

June 9, 2023 The Lancet

Synopsis: The medical journal The Lancet published in January one of the most comprehensive studies on ultra-processed foods conducted by the Imperial College School of Public Health.

The study of 200,000 U.K. adults found that higher consumption of ultra-processed foods may be linked to an increased risk of developing cancer in general and, specifically, ovarian and brain cancer, adding to accumulating evidence showing that they are detrimental to health in unthinkable ways. As our consumption of them increases, so do the rates of diabetes and cancer. Some academics believe the relationship is not coincidental.

Trying to save the Panama Canal, in the face of the severe drought.

June 18, 2023 BBC World

Synopsis: The Panama Canal Authority has announced on its website the water saving measures it is taking in view of the drought currently affecting this Central American country and which could "worsen soon due to the arrival of the El Niño phenomenon, which brings with it the early start of the 2024 dry season". At the same time, it has warned of the inevitable consequences of the economic impact. According to Canal statistics, this May has been the driest since 1950.

It is indicated that should current weather conditions worsen, the Canal could implement extreme measures, including limiting the number of vessels transiting the Canal on a daily basis.

A study warns that our generation could face environmental collapse.

June 25, 2023 The Guardian

Synopsis: British researchers have found that ecological collapse could be ahead of schedule, according to a new study, published in the journal Nature Sustainability, focusing on patterns of how tipping points in nature reinforce and accelerate each other, They warn that more than one-fifth of the planet's ecosystems, are at risk of catastrophic destruction, so we are likely to witness this natural disaster.

So far most research has focused on a single driver of destruction, such as climate change or deforestation. However, when combined with other threats, such as water stress and river pollution from mining, the collapse comes much sooner.

Climate change and coral reef health.

June 10, 2023 IBERDROLA

Synopsis: "Coral reefs are boiling alive," said Gabriel Grimsditch of the marine ecosystems division of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and his outlook is not very encouraging: scientists estimate that almost 90% of these super ecosystems could be extinct by 2050.

According to the UN, they are essential for the survival of hundreds of millions of people and account for 25% of the world's marine wildlife. As for the future of reefs, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimates that between 70% and 90% of corals will be extinct by 2050, even if we manage to maintain the earth's temperature at 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.