Science shows that children exposed to pesticides either in utero or during other critical periods of development may have lower IQs, birth defects and developmental delays. These children face higher risks of autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, and cancer.

Kids are more vulnerable to health-harming chemicals than adults are, in part due to how they interact with their environments. For example, young children learn extensively through touch, and hand to mouth behavior. They also have speedier metabolic rates, so they take in more water, food, and air, which can expose them to higher amounts of toxic substances, and their bodies are less able to detoxify and expel harmful chemicals.

In short, children are absorbing a higher load of pesticides at a time when their bodies are still developing. Rural children are especially at risk, as they likely face pesticides drifting from nearby agricultural fields into their homes or onto school grounds — or contaminating their drinking water.

Source: Children’s health & pesticides | Pesticide Action Network

Source: Chickpea Veggie Burgers – Oh My Veggies

About 17% of the rainforest has been cut down already for cattle ranches, soy farms, logging, mines and dams. Much of this destruction is illegal. Last year, about 95% of the areas were deforested without a permit, according to the environmental think tank MapBiomas.

Brazil registered a record high deforestation rate for the first nine months of 2022

Just last month, 1,455 square kilometers were cleared — the largest area ever documented for the month of September. Satellite data from the Brazilian space research agency INPE revealed a record high deforestation rate for the first nine months of the year.

Part of the reason is rampant wildfires. Most are started when farmers burn down trees to clear land for crops and the flames get out of control. INPE detected more than 42,000 fires in September, the highest number since 2010.

“We’re very close to a point of no return,” said Fearnside, referring to the Amazon’s ability to mitigate climate change. “This could snowball into a disaster and the Amazon is at the center of it.”

Touted as a weapon in the fight against climate change, the Amazon has actually become part of the problem — because it is being destroyed. The rainforest is now emitting more carbon dioxide than it is removing from the atmosphere, according to a 2021 study published in Nature.

“I’m going to be honest with you. When I saw our early data, I began to question our method,” said Luciana Gatti from INPE who was lead author of the study. “Where was the carbon sink?”

The researchers refined their method and it became clear: Though the Amazon has the ability to absorb billions of tons of carbon dioxide per year, it is now emitting more than that. The southeastern part of the forest, a hotspot for fires and deforestation, is driving this trend.

“They’re destroying the Amazon without realizing they are destroying us all,” Gatti said of agribusinesses clearing the land.

Source: Destruction of the Amazon: What you need to know | Environment | All topics from climate change to conservation | DW | 13.10.2022

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now recommends that all people over the age of 5 get a booster dose of a bivalent Covid-19 vaccine after completing their initial vaccine regimen. These reformulated mRNA vaccines — from Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech — are optimized to target the original version of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, as well as some of the newer omicron subvariants.

Boosters ramp up immune protection and reduce the likelihood of severe Covid-19 cases. The problem is that few people are getting boosted. Almost 80 percent of the US population has had at least one Covid-19 vaccine dose. Yet since regulators gave bivalent boosters the green light last month, less than 4 percent of eligible Americans have received the new shots. Even among people over the age of 65, one of the highest-risk groups for severe Covid-19, less than one-third have gotten the bivalent booster.

If rates remain this low, that could lead to more hospitalizations and deaths this winter. The Commonwealth Fund, a nonprofit health research group, mapped out different scenarios for booster uptake. At current vaccination rates, they estimated the US could see upward of 1,200 deaths from Covid-19 per day by this coming March.

Source: Covid-19 vaccine boosters can quash a surge in deaths this winter – Vox

Source: Endorsement: Karen Bass for Los Angeles mayor – Los Angeles Times

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