Posted at 12:00 p.m.
Harder to insure your home in Australia
By 2030, one in 25 homes may no longer be insurable due to climate change in Australia. This proportion will rise to 1 in 10 residences in some parts of the country, such as Brisbane and Port Adelaide. These are the conclusions of a recent analysis conducted by the Australian Climate Council, which says it expects an “insurability crisis” which could affect up to 500,000 properties within eight years. The greatest risks are those posed by floods, which are more frequent and more abundant.
Quiz
Is plastic pollution aggravating the consequences of climate change in the Arctic?
Photo EKATERINA ANISIMOVA, archives Agence France-Presse
Answer
It would seem so, according to a study recently published in the journal Nature. As plastic traces are increasingly common in the Arctic, they are helping to absorb even more heat, exacerbating the effects of global warming in the region. Remember that climate change is two to three times faster in the Arctic than in the rest of the world. Melting ice is likely to release even more plastic into the Arctic. This has the capacity in particular to “blacken” the white cover of snow and ice, and to reduce its ability to reflect the sun’s rays accordingly. This leads to a kind of vicious circle where plastic is accelerating warming in this part of the world even more.
Leaded gasoline lowers IQ
PHOTO PIERRE CÔTÉ, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
The sale of leaded gasoline has been banned in Canada since 1990.
Until 1996, gasoline in the United States contained lead. A practice now prohibited due to the well-known dangers of lead exposure. Research by a team of researchers from Duke University in North Carolina found that more than 170 million Americans have a slightly lower intelligence quotient (IQ) due to childhood exposure. fumes from cars fueled with leaded gasoline. According to this study, which was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the results suggest an average decrease of 2.6 IQ points. For people born in the mid-1960s, the drop in IQ would be 5.9 points. When it reaches the brain, lead can actually destroy cells. In Canada, the sale of leaded gasoline has been banned since 1990.
The number
20%
PHOTO ANDREW KELLY, REUTERS
Microbial proteins that mimic meat require 90% less land and water, and produce 80% less greenhouse gases than meat.
Reducing global consumption of beef and lamb by 20% would cut deforestation by half and, at the same time, reduce carbon emissions by 56% by 2050. These are the conclusions of a study that has just been published in Nature. The research, led by scientists at the Potsdam Research Institute for the Effects of Climate Change, proposes replacing 20% of our meat consumption with microbial proteins that mimic meat. These are obtained through a fermentation process. They require 90% less arable land and water, and produce 80% less greenhouse gases than meat.
Air pollution even deadlier in tropical cities
PHOTO MOHAMMAD PONIR HOSSAIN, REUTERS ARCHIVES
Dhaka, capital of Bangladesh, is one of the most air polluted cities in the world.
In 2018, around 470,000 people living in tropical cities died prematurely due to air pollution, according to a study in the journal Science Advances. A team of researchers from University College London analyzed data from 46 cities along the equator, several of which are experiencing strong growth. Between 2005 and 2018, they found a 62% increase in premature deaths from air pollution. In Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, for example, 24,000 more people died between 2005 and 2018 due to poor air quality. The authors of the study worry that many of these cities will have more than 10 million inhabitants by 2100, which could make the current situation even worse.