Scientific news in small doses

A few milligrams of all the scientific news of the week.

Hundreds of Species Exposed to Chemical Compounds

Traces of chemical compounds, PFAS, have been found in the blood of hundreds of animal species. A peer-reviewed analysis by non-profit organization Environmental Working Group (EWG) shows that more than 330 animal species worldwide are affected. Traces of PFAS have been found in scorpions, pandas, turtles, Siberian tigers and even sea lions. PFAS include 12,000 chemical compounds used in the manufacture of many products to make them more resistant to water or heat, in particular. The study did not look at the effects of PFAS in animals, but it reports that other research has established that these chemicals can make several species sick.

Quiz

In what proportion do the richest people emit more GHGs than the less well-off populations?

According to a recent analysis published by the International Energy Agency (IEA), in 2021, the 1% of the population that emitted the most greenhouse gases produced 1000 times more than the 1% with the lowest emissions. Another figure to better understand the gap between North and South: the average North American produced 11 times more GHGs than the average African in 2021. Note that the analysis concerns only GHGs related to production of energy.

The number

42%

Between 1976 and 2019, butterflies in the UK lost, on average, 42% of their range, according to the most recent report from Butterfly Conservation, a British NGO. Their population declined by 6% during the same period.

More and more cities vulnerable to rising sea levels

Since 2000, hundreds of cities around the world have added 2500 km^⁠2 on their surface. The problem is that these cities are all located at the edge of the oceans and are therefore likely to be threatened by a rise in sea level. This is the finding of a team of researchers from the University of Southampton, UK, after analyzing data from 135 coastal cities around the world. A majority of these new constructions were carried out in Asia and the Middle East. According to the researchers, 70% of these constructions will be vulnerable to flooding caused by rising sea levels by the end of the century. The study was published in the journal Earth’s Future.

Methane emissions higher in Saskatchewan

According to a new study conducted with state-of-the-art technology, methane emissions in Saskatchewan are actually 3.9 times higher than the figures provided by industry to public authorities. The research, published in the scientific journal Environmental Science and Technology, presents new methods for measuring methane emissions that challenge current industry practices, explained its author, Matthew Johnson, who is a professor of engineering at Carleton University in Ottawa. “A lot of the reports are based on estimates,” Johnson told The Canadian Press. Methane is a greenhouse gas with a warming potential up to 28 times greater than that of carbon dioxide (CO₂).