World
Alaska Gold, Copper Mine Blocked Over Environmental Worries
Juneau, Alaska — Because of worries about how it would affect the environment of a rich aquatic ecosystem in Alaska that supports the world’s largest sockeye salmon fishery, the US Environmental Protection Agency took an unusually strong step on Tuesday and blocked a proposed mine that supporters called the world’s most important undeveloped copper and gold resource.
The decision, which was supported by Alaska Native tribes and environmentalists but criticized by some state officials and mining interests, kills the Pebble Mine plan for good. The planned location is in southwest Alaska’s remote Bristol Bay region, about 200 miles (322 kilometers) southwest of Anchorage.
In a permit application to the US Army Corps of Engineers, the developer Pebble Limited Partnership said that the only way to get there in the winter is by helicopter or snowmobile. It proposed a mining rate of up to 73 million tons per year.
The Pebble partnership’s appeal of a separate rejection of a key federal permit still needs to be solved.
John Shively, the CEO of Pebble Limited Partnership, said in a statement that the EPA’s action was “illegal” and “political,” and he expected a lawsuit. Shively has said that the project is important to the Biden administration’s efforts to reach its green energy goals and lessen the US’s dependence on other countries for minerals.
Potential Impact On Alaska Fish
Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd., based in Canada, owns the Pebble Limited Partnership.
The Pebble deposit is located near the headwaters of the Bristol Bay watershed, which is home to a bounty of salmon “unrivaled anywhere in North America,” according to the EPA.
Only 14 times in the roughly 50-year history of the federal Clean Water Act has the EPA used its authority to prohibit or restrict activities based on their potential impact on waters, including fisheries. The use of the EPA’s so-called veto power in this case, according to EPA Administrator Michael Regan, “underscores the true irreplaceable and invaluable natural wonder that is Bristol Bay.”
According to Joel Reynolds, western director and senior attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council, the veto is a victory for the environment, economy, and tribes of Alaska’s Bristol Bay region, who have fought the proposal for over a decade.
According to Reynolds, the mine would have jeopardized the region’s salmon fishery, which employs 15,000 people and supplies roughly half of the world’s sockeye salmon. Last year, state officials reported more than 60 million fish harvested for 2022.
Science Over Politics
“It’s a victory for science over politics. For the sake of biodiversity over extinction. “I prefer democracy to corporate power,” Reynolds stated.
The EPA says that the discharge of dredged or filled material used to build and run the proposed mine site would cause about 100 miles (160 km) of stream habitat and wetlands to be destroyed.
According to the Pebble partnership, the project can coexist with salmon. According to the partnership’s website, the deposit is located at the headwaters of three “very small tributaries,” and the partnership is confident that any impacts on the fishery “in the unlikely event of an incident” would be “minimal.”
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy, a Republican, said the EPA’s veto set a dangerous precedent that could affect future development in the state, while state Attorney General Treg Taylor called the agency’s action “legally indefensible.”
“Alarmingly, it lays the groundwork to halt any mining or non-mining development project in any area of Alaska with wetlands and fish-bearing streams,” Dunleavy said.
Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski opposed the mine but said the EPA’s veto shouldn’t jeopardize future mining operations in the state.
“This determination must not be used as a precedent to target any other project in our state,” Murkowski said.
Dangerous Abuse Of Power
The EPA’s action, according to Washington Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell, is “the final nail in the coffin for the Pebble Mine” and the culmination of a long battle.
“For generations to come, we will have a thriving Bristol Bay salmon run,” she said.
Bristol Bay tribes petitioned the EPA in 2010 to protect the area under the federal Clean Water Act. The announcement from the EPA, according to Alannah Hurley, executive director of the United Tribes of Bristol Bay, is “welcome news.”
SalmonState executive director Tim Bristol praised the EPA’s decision, saying it “may be the most popular thing the federal government has ever done for Alaska.”
The EPA’s decision is the most recent in a years-long dispute over the project that has spanned administrations.
The decision was described as a “dangerous abuse of power and federal overreach” by Leila Kimbrell, executive director of the Resource Development Council for Alaska Inc. Domestic mining has “never been more important,” according to the National Mining Association, citing high demand for minerals and fragile global supply chains. It stated that the EPA’s decision “stands in stark contrast to national and global realities.”
SOURCE – (AP)
World
Do Microplastics in the Atmosphere Endanger Your Fertility?
(VOR News) – It is quite possible that the presence of small microplastic particles in the air may be a contributing factor to a wide variety of health problems, including malignancies of the lungs and colon.
This is something that needs additional research to be determined. There is one more item to take into consideration, and that is the potential that this is the exact circumstance.
A recent study found that tires and debris that are decomposing shed minute fragments of plastic that go airborne, so creating a form of air pollution that is not particularly widely known. This type of pollution is caused by the degradation of plastic. An example of this type of pollution is that which is discharged into the atmosphere.
The industry refers to microplastic as “air pollution.”
According to the findings of a researcher named Tracey Woodruff, who is a professor of obstetrics, gynaecology, and reproductive sciences at the University of California, San Francisco, “These microplastics are basically particulate matter from air pollution,” and it is common knowledge that this particular type of air pollution is particularly hazardous.
The researchers who supplied background notes stated that the size of microplastics is less than 5 millimetres, which is smaller than a grain of rice.
This information was provided, according to researchers. These details were supplied by the researchers who conducted the study. These particulars were provided by researchers who were responsible for carrying out the study.
The amount of plastic that is created on a yearly basis by enterprises all over the world is roughly 460 million tonnes, as indicated by the data that were provided by academics all over the world. The forecasts indicate that by the year 2050, this quantity is anticipated to have increased to 1.1 billion tonnes.
Driving is a substantial contributor to the amount of plastic that is floating around in the atmosphere, according to the conclusions of the experts who conducted the study about the phenomenon. When tires are worn down to the point where they scrape against the surface of the road, they allow microplastics to be released into the environment.
As a result of the tires wearing down, this occurs. This impact is brought about as a consequence of the inevitable amount of wear and tear that tires are subjected to.
A study that was published on December 18 in the journal Environmental Science & Technology was the result of researchers conducting an examination of data collected from over 3,000 previous investigations.
The paper was published as a consequence of this procedure. The review was constructed with the help of this analysis that was carried out.
Microplastic used this analysis to put together the review.
A number of diseases, such as cancer, lung problems, and infertility, may be influenced by the presence of microplastics in the air, according to the data, which led to the conclusion that this may be the case.
Despite the fact that the vast majority of the studies that were incorporated into the study were carried out on animals, the researchers claimed that it is very certainly plausible that the findings can also be applied to people. The fact that the majority of investigations were conducted on animals does not change the reality that this is the case.
“We urge regulatory agencies and policy leaders to consider the growing evidence of health harms from microplastics, including colon and lung cancer,” stated Nicholas Chartres, the principal investigator and senior research fellow at the University of Sydney.
The organisation reported this comment. The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) issued a press release on behalf of the organisation that contained this statement. The news release was disseminated to the public. We are convinced that state officials will act quickly to make sure that no leaks of this kind occur, which is of the highest importance.
SOURCE: USN
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World
Russian Oil Ships In The Kerch Strait Are Undergoing Rescue Operations.
(VOR News) – Following Sunday’s powerful storm, a Russian oil tanker carrying hundreds of tonnes of oil products ultimately broke apart, causing an oil spill into the Kerch Strait below. Additionally, Russian officials reported that the damage was causing problems for another vessel.
Sunday, Russian authorities announced an emergency rescue operation.
According to the Russian state news agency TASS, which claimed the Emergency Situations Ministry as its source, the Volgoneft-212 tanker, carrying fuel oil and carrying thirteen crew members, ran aground and suffered damage to its bow. A shipment of fuel oil was being transported by the tanker.
Authorities have told the public that the damage was brought on by the extreme weather conditions that are currently occurring.
A second tanker, the Volgoneft-239, was damaged during the storm and is currently stranded in the same area with 14 crew members on board, according to the Ministry of Emergency Situations. The tanker was discovered abandoned and alone in the same spot.
Additional tankers also suffered damage. The 132-meter-long cruiser, which was constructed in 1973, hangs the Russian flag around its neck.
The footage posted by state media showed the 136-meter Volgoneft-212 tanker, which was cut in two with its bow underwater, and waves crashing over its deck. At least one person lost his life as a result of this tragedy. This led to the opening of two distinct criminal investigations by the Russian authorities to look into potential violations of certain safety regulations.
Having flown the Russian flag since 1969, the yacht was finished.
Rosmorrechflot, the Russian government agency in charge of water transportation, reported a petroleum product spill.
It is believed that the cargo capacity of each tanker is around 4,200 tonnes of oil products.
The magnitude of the leak and the cause of the substantial damage one of the tankers received were not specified in the official remarks. This is in accordance with the official remarks.
Several news sites cited Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov as saying that President Vladimir Putin directed the formation of a working committee to handle the rescue effort and lessen the effects of the oil disaster.
Peskov recommended that the government appoint the working committee’s members. This comment was made public right after Putin met with the ministries responsible for ecology and disaster management.
The Russian government has said that it will be sending more than fifty individuals and pieces of equipment to the area in response to the current crisis. Mi-8 helicopters and rescue tugboats are examples of these people and tools.
The news that experts are presently investigating the damage at the event site was announced by Svetlana Radionova, who is in charge of Rosprirodnadzor, Russia’s natural resources regulating entity.
Kommersant reports that Volgoneft-212 used 4,300 tonnes of fuel oil.
The footage, which showed a partially submerged ship and murky water on rough seas, was posted to Telegram without the owner’s consent.
The warships were located in the Kerch Strait, which separates Crimea from the Russian mainland, when the distress signals were sent out.
The Kerch Strait is a crucial international marine passage that connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Azov, allowing for easier traffic between the two bodies of water. It also acts as a border between Russia and the Crimean Peninsula, which is under Russian occupation. The Kerch Strait is located in the centre of the two nations.
The peninsula has remained a major source of contention between the two national governments ever since Russia annexed it from Ukraine in 2014. Russia was the one who seized the peninsula. Ukraine brought legal action against Russia before the Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016.
Specifically, the lawsuit claimed that Russia intended to illegally take over a location. The argument was supported by evidence pertaining to Russia’s conduct in the region. In 2021, the Russian Federation closed the strait for several consecutive months
SOURCE: VN
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World
Japan List Cannabis as Narcotic Criminalizes Recreational Use
TOKYO – Japan updated its cannabis and narcotics control legislation on Thursday, criminalizing cannabis (Marijuana) use and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), imposing a maximum seven-year prison sentence.
While the possession, transmission, and cultivation of cannabis and THC were already prohibited in Japan, the new rules will classify them as narcotics and criminalize their use as well, with a prison sentence of up to seven years for violations.
The amended regulations also legalize medical items containing cannabis-derived compounds that are beneficial and safe.
In 2019, 1.8 percent of the Japanese population had used cannabis at least once, making it the country’s second most popular illicit substance behind methamphetamine.
In 2023, a record 6,703 people were probed in cannabis-related criminal cases in Japan, topping methamphetamine cases for the first time, according to the Health, Labour, and Welfare Ministry. Seventy percent of instances involved people under the age of thirty.
A nationwide poll performed the same year by the ministry’s research group estimated that approximately 200,000 people had consumed marijuana within the previous year.
Japan previously did not penalize cannabis usage, apparently taking into account farmers who may have accidentally ingested the drug while producing cannabis plants for use in hemp products.
The amendments will also lift a restriction on cannabis-derived medicines, putting them under a licensing system similar to other drugs used for pain relief and other purposes.
Drugs derived from cannabis plants were only allowed in clinical studies in Japan, but patient groups have been advocating for access to cannabis-derived cannabidiol treatments already licensed in Europe and the United States for illnesses like severe epilepsy.
Cannabis cultivation dates back to the Jōmon period of Japanese prehistory, roughly six to ten thousand years ago (source: Wikipedia).
Cannabis hemp, as one of Japan’s first cultivated plants, provided an essential supply of plant fibre for clothing, cordage, and Shinto ritual goods, among other uses.
For much of Japanese history, hemp was common for fabric and food before cotton emerged as the country’s dominant fibre crop during industrialization during the Meiji period.
Following the end of World War II and the occupation of Japan, the Cannabis Control Law prohibited cannabis possession and manufacturing.
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