Category Archives: planetkillers

Dumping plan for Australia’s Great Barrier Reef gets green light | News | DW.DE | 31.01.2014

 and like too many other profit before planet dummies – they will just say “Oops” when something really bad happens and they kill the reef and northern Australia’s coast.

“We are devastated. I think any Australian or anyone around the world who cares about the future of the reef is also devastated by this decision,\” said Richard Leck, reef campaign leader for the international conservation group World Wildlife Fund. \”Exactly the wrong thing that you want to do when an ecosystem is suffering … is introduce another major threat to it – and that\’s what the marine park authority has allowed to happen today.\”

But the Marine Park Authority has defended the decision, pointing to strict conditions that include a water quality monitoring plan that is to stay in place five years after the dumping is complete.

via Dumping plan for Australia’s Great Barrier Reef gets green light | News | DW.DE | 31.01.2014.

Defending people’s milk in India — New Internationalist

‘We take care of the cow and the cow takes care of us,’ says Marayal, a farmer in Thalavady, Tamil Nadu. Her two cows produce 6 to 10 litres of milk a day, which she sells for 30-40 cents per litre.

Across India, there are millions of backyard dairy farmers like Marayal. Each owning just one or two cows, these farmers supply millions more families and hundreds of thousands of informal milk parlours and tea stalls across India. These small unregistered operations prefer to buy milk directly from backyard dairy farmers, who supply fresh milk at the lowest price.

via Defending people’s milk in India — New Internationalist.

H5N8 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in poultry and wild birds in Republic of Korea | IUCN Wildlife Health Specialist Group

4. There is currently no evidence that wild birds are the source of this virus and they should be considered victims not vectors.

via H5N8 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in poultry and wild birds in Republic of Korea | IUCN Wildlife Health Specialist Group.

Current H7N9 wave rivals last spring’s case total | CIDRAP

China\’s steady rise in H7N9 avian flu cases continued over the past 3 days, with 14 new cases from five provinces, as the latest test results in poultry showed a conflicting picture of the virus on farms, including positive samples found today in birds sent to Hong Kong.

The fresh round of infections—coming at a pace matching last year\’s peak—could soon eclipse last spring\’s outbreak totals and come as poultry trade and consumption are high in the lead-up to Lunar New Year celebrations later this week.

via Current H7N9 wave rivals last spring’s case total | CIDRAP.

VDU’s blog: Zhejiang: more live bird market closures…

These regions have already suspended trading…

Hangzhou city (which I noted here)

Xiaoshan District

Yuhang District

Jinhua

Shaoxing City

This new report notes closure of the following markets in the \”main city of Ningbo\” from 26-Jan..

Haishu District

Jiangdong District

Jiangbei District

Yinzhou District

Exotic bird imports and pigeon flying has been banned.

via VDU’s blog: Zhejiang: more live bird market closures….

David Cameron pledges to rip up green regulations | Politics | The Guardian

 

David Cameron pledges to rip up green regulations | Politics | The Guardian.

Never, never, never underestimate Cameron’s capacity to pimp to business that have no care for the future and pretend he is doing the right thing – when it is actually incredibly stupid and damaging.

Breadcrumbs in Dark Times: Any minute now, everything will change. | Rebelle Society

When the Going Gets Tough…

These days, the rough patch we’re navigating has turned into a very long haul. I believe we’ll weather the changes. I believe we’re strong enough to do so. Still, it’s easy to fall into despair and wish that our journey wasn’t so rife with trouble.

Right now, we’re in a thick soup of changes that rival any changes we’ve weathered in human history. The shit’s hitting the fan — environmentally, economically, emotionally — and everywhere we look, people are losing it. Shooting up the joint. Setting themselves on fire. Totaling their cars. Blowing up their personal lives.

via Breadcrumbs in Dark Times: Any minute now, everything will change. | Rebelle Society.

Avian Flu Diary: China’s CDC: H7N9 infections will grow further

While it may seem like a statement of the obvious, Feng Zijian, deputy director of China’s CDC has taken to the Chinese airwaves to warn that they expect the number of H7N9 cases to increase in the coming weeks, and that the elderly and the chronically ill should limit their exposure to live poultry.

 

Despite continued warnings over the dangers of exposure to live poultry, live markets remain open in many regions, and when markets are closed, they tend to remain closed only long enough for disinfection of the seller’s stalls.

 

Last October, in The Lancet: Poultry Market Closure Effect On H7N9 Transmission, the consensus was the closure of live markets  – while costly, and not particularly popular among many in China – was largely responsible for the rapid decline in human cases during the first outbreak.

via Avian Flu Diary: China’s CDC: H7N9 infections will grow further.

News VietNamNet

The provincial People’s Committee announced the deadly A/H5N1 virulent strain was found on thousands of ducks raised by local farmers in Yen Phong and Tien Du districts, Tu Son Town and Bac Ninh City.

Local veterinarians quarantined and disinfected the affected farms and vaccinated all poultry.

Check points have been established in high-risk areas to prevent the slaughtering, transport and trading of sick poultry.

So far, more than 4,000 infected chickens and ducks in Bac Ninh have been culled.

Experts warned of a high risk of a bird flu recurrence in Vietnam as there is an increasing consumer demand for poultry and its related products during the upcoming Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday. Cold weather also enables the deadly flu virus to spread far and wide.

via News VietNamNet.

Backs up what I have been saying for about 5 years now into my research of avian influenza from a large systems point of view.