Current Events

Question 1

Why is the arctic acidifying?

Answer 1

• the ocean, which absorbs a third of all the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has grown more acidic because of fossil fuels
• rapid loss of sea ice in the arctic region over the past three decades has accelerated the rate of long-term acidification
• less sea-ice => more seawater exposure to atmosphere => higher intake of carbon dioxide resulting in more acidity
• ice melt dilutes or lowers the alkalinity of seawater which dilutes the buffering capacity (it’s ability to resist acidification)
• acidification is a threat to sea life and specifically coral reefs. Acidification reduces the carbonate ions needed to build coral skeletons.
• the reduced pH, or acidity of seawater could affect many systems and could make some metals more toxic

Question 2

How are senior Black people and hispanic people disproportionately affected by pollution exposure?

Answer 2

• among those over 65 in particular, black people experience a death rate of 670 per 100,000 from exposure to fine particulate matter. In contrast, white people over 65 experience a pollution-related death rate or 210 deaths per 100,000 and Latinos in the same group see a rate of 260 per 100,000
• people that live in poverty are 49% more likely to live in areas that exceed the national pollution threshold.
• black and latino communities in the US have been systematically exposed to higher levels of air pollution largely as a result of redlining
• lowering the NAAQ standard to 10 or 8 micrograms per cubic meter from the current 12 would alleviate many of the disproportionate health burdens felt by communities of color

Question 3

How are US cruise ships taking advantage of lax Canadian regulations?

Answer 3

• more than 31billion liters (8.5billion US gallons) a year of pollution is estimated to be discharged off the west coast of Canada by cruise ships on their way to and from Alaska
• cruise ships are the largest polluters in the area despite making up only 2% of the marine traffic analyzed in the study
• cruise ship pollution includes large volumes of toxic sewage from toilets, greywater from sinks, showers and laundries and bilge water (bilge water is the oily liquid that collects at the lowest part of a ship
• by fare the largest source of pollution identified in the WWF report is from scrubbers: devices installed to remove exhaust gases such as sulphur oxide and nitrogen oxide as well as particulates from the heavy bunker oil used as marine fuel. The scrubbers create acidic wastewater pollution. waste from scrubbers is dumped as generated.
• about 10% of the scrubber washwater discharged from ships off British Columbia occurred within critical habitats of orcas

Question 4

What’s going on with a lack of oxygen in the oceans?

Answer 4

• By 2080, around 70% of the worlds oceans could be suffocation from a lack of oxygen as a result of climate change, which would impact marine ecosystems worldwide.
• mid-ocean depths that support many fisheries worldwide area already losing oxygen at unnatural rates, in 2021 a critical threshold of oxygen loss was passed
• as water warms, it can hold less oxygen so as a result of global warming, the oceans have less oxygen. this also prevents circulation between the oceans layers so oxygenation occurring at the top layer doesn’t reach the layer below
• deoxygenation will begin to affect all zones of the ocean by 2080.
• the mesopelagic zone (between 200 and 1000meters deep) will be the first zones to lose significant amounts of oxygen due to climate change
• the mesopelagic zone is home to many of the worlds commercially fished species making the new finding a harbinger of economic hardship, seafood shortages, and environmental disruption

Question 5

East Palestine train derailment fallout

Answer 5

• toxic gases connected to the Ohio train derailment cause concern
• 50 car derailment, 10 of which were carrying toxic chemicals
• vinyl chloride (aka chloroethene was released)
• vinyl chloride is associated with an increased risk of liver cancer and other cancers
• officials warned that the controlled burn would send phosgene and hydrogen chloride into the air. phosgene is a highly toxic, colorless gas with a strong odor that can cause vomiting and breath trouble. phosgene was used as a weapon in WWI
  hydrogen chloride is a colorless to yellowish gas with a strong odor and it primarily effects humans skin, eye, nose and throat by causing irritation

Question 6

What’s going on with PFA’s (forever chemicals) in wastewater treatment?

Answer 6

• PFA’s bioaccumulate, they are carcinogenic, they weaken immune systems, reduce fertility, and impact children development
• Study found avg. concentration in treated domestic wastewater of 88 ng/L (88 ppt)
• Treated effluent may be used for crop irrigation, so PFAs may end up in crops.

Question 7

What is the green revolution?

Answer 7

• From 1950 into the 1960’s, agrochemicals both chemical fertilizers and pesticides dramatically increased harvest (yields)