One Health and climate change workshop AVA 2016
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This document discusses the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health, from early concepts of "one medicine" to modern approaches recognizing the complex interrelationships between all living things and their environment. It warns of the threats posed by climate change, including increasing temperatures, extreme weather events, sea level rise, and environmental degradation affecting wildlife, livestock, and humans. The document calls for urgent mitigation efforts through transitions to renewable energy and away from fossil fuels, as well as adaptation strategies incorporating ecosystem-based approaches to promote health and sustainability.
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One Health and climate change workshop AVA 2016
- 1. CRICOS #00212K Human and animal health: From Virchow and Osler to the threat of a four degree world Prof Colin D Butler Australian Veterinarians in Public Health Workshop 2016 Adelaide May 27, 2016 http://www.theplaidzebra.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/mongolian_04.jpg
- 2. CRICOS #00212K Overview One Health and Ecohealth: broad and narrow Complexity – emergence – ecosystem distress disorder Climate change – birds, bats, marine life (seagrass, corals, fish, oysters, mangroves…) Three warnings What can we do? 2
- 3. CRICOS #00212K From "one medicine" to "one health" and systemic approaches to health and well-being. Zinsstag J, Schelling E, Waltner-Toews D, Tanner M. Prev Vet Med. 2011 “Faced with complex patterns of global change, the inextricable interconnection of humans, pet animals, livestock and wildlife and their social and ecological environment is evident and requires integrated approaches” 3
- 4. CRICOS #00212K 1821–1902) 1821-1902 Sir William Osler: 1849-1919
- 7. CRICOS #00212K Towards a 4 degree world
- 10. CRICOS #00212K
- 13. CRICOS #00212K May 17, 2016 June 27, 1982
- 14. CRICOS #00212K
- 15. CRICOS #00212K
- 16. CRICOS #00212K
- 17. CRICOS #00212K Credits: Dave/Flickr Creative Commons/CC BY 2.0 http://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/new-nasa-web-portal-shines-beacon-on-rising-seas/# Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Florida
- 18. CRICOS #00212K Kevin Arrow, a volunteer with the Miami High Water Line project, explains sea level rise to onlookers in Miami Beach, Fla. (Courtesy Jayme Gershen/High Water Line) https://weather.com/science/environment/news/miami-flooding-increase-over-past-decade
- 19. CRICOS #00212K http://www.aegic.org.au/media/news/2016/02/ne w-australian-climate-developing.aspx
- 20. CRICOS #00212K http://www.aegic.org.au/media/news/2016/02/new-australian- climate-developing.aspx
- 21. CRICOS #00212K Ecosystem distress disorder
- 22. CRICOS #00212K Inbreeding? Pesticides? Coincidence? Multiple interacting factors? McGlashan N, Obendorf D, Harington J. Aspects of the fatal malignant disease among the Tasmanian devil population (Sarcophilus laniarius). European Journal of Oncology. 2006;11(2):95-102.
- 25. CRICOS #00212K Body shrinkage due to Arctic warming reduces red knot fitness in tropical wintering range Van Gils et al, May 2016
- 26. CRICOS #00212K Van Gils et al, 2016
- 27. CRICOS #00212K Earlier snowmelt less mass shorter bills Van Gils et al, 2016
- 28. CRICOS #00212K Out of reach Van Gils et al, 2016
- 29. CRICOS #00212K
- 30. CRICOS #00212K “Birds, unable to bear the heat, have (in) great numbers, dropped from the trees and expired” (Richard Johnson, 1791)
- 31. CRICOS #00212K 2009 2010 Feeling the heat: Australian landbirds and climate change McKechnie et al 1932
- 32. CRICOS #00212K The impact of high temperatures on foraging behaviour and body condition in the Western Australian Magpie Cracticus tibicen dorsalis Edwards et al, 2015 Too much heat: bad for magpies
- 33. CRICOS #00212K Welbergen et al: Climate change and the effects of temperature extremes on Australian flying-foxes. Proc Royal Soc London B: Biological Sciences. 2008 Too much heat: bad for flying foxes .. sheep .. people .. old cats and dogs?
- 34. CRICOS #00212K “Marine heatwaves threaten the future of underwater forests” Wernberg and Smales, 2015
- 35. CRICOS #00212K https://theconversation.com/marine-heatwaves-threaten-the- future-of-underwater-forests-37154 > 2°C above normal for ten weeks (La Niña)
- 38. CRICOS #00212K Two victims of the 2011 marine heat wave (photos: Thomas Wernberg (a) and Belinda Cannell(b) https://theconversation.com/marine-heatwaves-threaten-the-future-of-underwater-forests-37154 Blue swimmer crabs little penguins
- 39. CRICOS #00212K Clown fish vivid against bleached coral, Great Barrier reef. Photograph: CoralWatch principal causes of decline: “catchment pollutant runoff associated with agricultural and urban land uses, climate change impacts and the effects of fishing” (“Ecosystem health of the Great Barrier Reef: Time for effective management action based on evidence” Brodie and Pearson, in press)
- 41. CRICOS #00212K ‘Heart wrenching’: India’s coral reefs experiencing widespread bleaching, scientist says 11th May 2016 / Shreya Dasgupta Rohan Arthur .. heads reef program at Nature Conservation Foundation, based in Mysore, India. Arthur’s team has been surveying coral reefs in the Lakshadweep Archipelago and documenting the corals’ bleaching and recovery. https://news.mongabay.com/2016/05/indias-coral-reefs-experiencing-catastrophic- bleaching-heart-wrenching-scientist-says/
- 42. CRICOS #00212KM13A9226-Limmen Bight R L2.jpg “Mangrove heart attacks”
- 43. CRICOS #00212K
- 44. CRICOS #00212K April 22, 2016 4.5 deg rise Oysters, salmon, abalone and kelp stress sea urchins, moving down coast... eating kelp, leaving rocky urchin barrens that rock lobsters & other organisms avoid .. larvae survive at 12 deg, as winter temps reach that 12 threshold, more survive.
- 45. CRICOS #00212Khttp://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/inpictures/2016/04/drought-suicide-india-water-train-160413110837251.html Maharashtra, India 2016: cattle fodder camp (1 of 327) 300,000 cattle being fed this way
- 46. CRICOS #00212K “bee overload” – another example of ecosystem distress disorder?
- 47. CRICOS #00212K “we are losing colonies in summer too, when bees should be doing so well,” said Dennis van Engelsdorp, a University of Maryland bee scientist and survey leader. “This suggests there is something more going on – bees may be the canary in the coalmine of bigger environmental problems”
- 48. CRICOS #00212K Four warnings U Thant (UN Sec General), Pope Paul VI *2, the governor of the Bank of England Alberta, Canada, May 2016
- 49. CRICOS #00212K I do not wish to seem overdramatic, but I can only conclude from the information that is available to me as Secretary General, that the Members of the United Nations have perhaps ten years left in which to subordinate their ancient quarrels and launch a global partnership to curb the arms race, to improve the human environment, to defuse the population explosion, and to supply the required momentum to development efforts. If such a global partnership is not forged within the next decade, then I very much fear that the problems I have mentioned will have reached such staggering proportions that they will be beyond our capacity to control. U THANT, 1969 UN Secretary General
- 50. CRICOS #00212K ENCYCLICAL LETTER LAUDATO SI’ OF THE HOLY FATHER FRANCIS ON CARE FOR OUR COMMON HOME (24/5/2015)
- 52. CRICOS #00212K Laudato Si In 1971, .. Blessed Pope Paul VI referred to the ecological concern as “a tragic consequence” of unchecked human activity: “Due to an ill-considered exploitation of nature, humanity runs the risk of destroying it and becoming in turn a victim of this degradation”.
- 53. CRICOS #00212K “the most amazing technical abilities, the most astonishing economic growth, unless they are accompanied by authentic social and moral progress, will definitively turn against man” Pope Paul VI, 1970 Address to FAO on the 25th Anniversary of its Institution (16 November 1970),
- 54. CRICOS #00212K The far-sighted amongst you are anticipating broader global impacts on property, migration and political stability, as well as food and water security. … Past is not prologue … the catastrophic norms of the future can be seen in the tail risks of today. Mark Carney, 2015 (Governor of the Bank of England) Carney M. Breaking the tragedy of the horizon – climate change and financial stability. http://wwwbankofenglandcouk/publications/Pages/speeches/2015/844aspx
- 55. CRICOS #00212K solar power costs have dropped from $US100 a watt to US45¢ a watt since 1970, a period when other forms of energy have surged in price 16-fold. That means solar's relative cost per unit of energy production has reduced by 1300 times relative to coal, to 3000 times relative to natural gas and nuclear, he says.
- 58. CRICOS #00212K What are the best ways in which to successfully communicate with livestock producers about climate change, and what are the most important messages that we need to convey? Water, heat warnings, shade? How can we contribute to conveying the messages surrounding climate change to the general public? Show our sincere concern How can we best convey information to those who are climate change sceptics? Deep and respectful listening unless they are zealots in which case ignore them!
- 59. CRICOS #00212K If livestock producers were choosing what changes to implement, what small or incremental changes could result in the biggest impacts? Farmers are conservative and most have been slow to accept reality of climate change – in turn this has slowed our national response. What do you think the responsibilities of veterinarians and other health professionals are in regards to contributing to climate change mitigation and adaptation? Leadership in partnership.
- 60. CRICOS #00212K What steps can we as health professionals take to get involved in climate change mitigation? Groups such as DEA What steps can we as health professionals take to get involved in climate change adaptation? Ok as long as not at cost of mitigation – heat, other? In what ways can we best collaborate to generate beneficial one health outcomes within climate change science? Mutual respect, grant applications, joint publications
- 61. CRICOS #00212K What is the best way for veterinarians to stay up to date on the latest in climate change science? SIGs, Facebook, twitter What resources are available for livestock producers to learn about climate change and to deal with the consequences (i.e. to make changes – new technology, etc.)? Social media? We have focussed on impacts upon livestock, but do you think there will be significant impacts on companion animals and or zoo animals? Yes, especially where under-resourced How are climate change impacts on wild animals likely to impact domestic animals and/or human health – e.g. emerging diseases, change in animal ranges, etc.? Plausible, including bat-borne
- 62. CRICOS #00212K Where should the focus for research be in terms of climate change and animal health and/or one health implications? Sounding the alarm to drive mitigation, finding alternatives (adaptation – eg marine), reducing identifiable co-factors What is the single most pressing issue in terms of animal and/or human health in regards to the impacts of climate change – i.e. what is going to have the greatest impact in the short term? Heat warnings and mitigation Can making small management changes benefit individual farmers (e.g. in productivity, profit, etc.), or is change required on a large scale to make any impact (i.e. change is for the collective good)? Both?
Editor's Notes
- http://www.theplaidzebra.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/mongolian_04.jpg Australian Veterinarians in Public Health (AVPH) - One health and the impacts of climate changeFriday 27 May 2016, 9.00am-4.30pmCity Room 1, Adelaide Convention Centre One health and the impacts of climate change. This one day workshop will explore the impact of climatic changes on animal health and agriculture, as well the relationship between climate, the environment and disease in the One Health paradigm. AVA member: $250SIG member: $200AVA student member/new graduate member: $150Non AVA Member: $500 Jane How is this? Note the extra sentence in my bio (highlighted). Cheers Colin Human and animal health: From Virchow and Osler to the threat of a four degree world One Health can be traced to the 19th century pioneers Virchow and Osler, each of whom were extremely famous (medical) doctors, and each of whom recognized and was intensively involved with identifying links between animal and human health. Virchow is credited with coining the word “zoonosis”, Osler with “one medicine”. In 1976 the veterinarian Schwabe coined the term “one health”, initiating a revival of interest into connections between infectious diseases, nutrition, and livelihoods involving animals and the human animal. Interest in this work, published at a time when infectious diseases in humans were thought to be in decline (at least in high income settings), was bolstered by the emergence of HIV/AIDS and the recognition and emergence of numerous other infections, albeit of less importance to human health (than HIV/AIDS). In the last decade, as knowledge of and the extent of the environmental crisis has deepened, attempts have been made to broaden the scope of One Health to include dimensions of environmental change and even social medicine (an aspect for which Virchow was also a pioneer). Is such a scope too broad for most One Health practitioners? This year has seen catastrophic fires in Canada, the strongest ever storm in the Southern Hemisphere (cyclone Winston in Fiji), and marine heatwaves leading to die-offs of mangroves in the Gulf of Carpentaria, corals in the Great Barrier Reef and farmed salmon in Tasmania. These events are all related to climate change. The world now appears committed to at least two degrees of warming. In fact, our current trajectory of adverse global environmental and social change looks so bleak that it could create a milieu for a catastrophic breakdown in global public health. One Health practitioners can strengthen their role in the gathering social and scientific movements needed to decarbonise and create a new economy. Selected references Butler C.D. Infectious disease emergence and global change: thinking systemically in a shrinking world. Infectious Diseases of Poverty. 2012;1:5 Cardiff R.D, Ward J.M.,Barthold S.W. ‘One medicine—one pathology’: are veterinary and human pathology prepared? Laboratory Investigation.2008;88:18-26. Saunders L.Z. Virchow’s contributions to veterinary medicine: celebrated then, forgotten now. Veterinary Pathology. 2000;37:199–207. Zinsstag J, Schelling E, Waltner-Toews D, Tanner M. From "one medicine" to "onehealth" and systemic approaches to health and well-being. Preventive Veterinary Medicine. 2011;101:148-56. As for a short bio: Colin Butler is professor of public health at the University of Canberra (since 2012) and is also a Visiting Fellow at the National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health at the Australian National University. He graduated in medicine in 1987, from the University of Newcastle (NSW), and for several years worked as a rural general practitioner, in Tasmania. However, his main interest has long been health in “developing” countries, and he has slowly been able to contribute to efforts to improve global health. He is editor of Climate Change and Global Health (CABI, 2014, 2016), and senior editor of Health of People, Places and Planet. Reflections based on Tony McMichael’s four decades of contribution to epidemiological understanding (ANU Press, 2015). Colin also edited a WHO Technical Report, relevant to One Health, called Research Priorities for the Environment, Agriculture and Infectious Diseases of Poverty (2013). In 1989 Colin also co-founded two health and development promoting NGOs, called BODHI and BODHI Australia. In 2009 the French Environmental Health Association named him as one of “a hundred doctors for the planet”. Colin was also an ARC Future Fellow from 2011-2015. In 2014 he became the first Australian IPCC contributor to be arrested for civil disobedience concerning climate change, protesting Australia’s aggressive support of coal exports. 9:00 am Welcome and introduction 9:15 am The impacts of climate change on agriculture Professor Mark Howden Climate Change Institute Australian National University 10:00 am Dr Peter Hayman South Australian Research and Development Institute 10:45 am Morning tea break 11:15 am Climate change, disease and One Health Vector-borne disease Assoc. Professor Craig Williams University of South Australia 12:00 pm Human and animal health Professor Colin Butler Centre for Research and Action in Public Health, University of Canberra 12:45 pm Lunch break 1:30 pm Panel discussion The role of vets and other health professionals in climate change adaptation, mitigation, and communication 2:15 pm Coffee break 2:30 pm Interactive workshop session Climate change adaptation Dr Melissa Nursey-Bray University of Adelaide
- Zinsstag J, Schelling E, Waltner-Toews D, Tanner M. From "one medicine" to "one health" and systemic approaches to health and well-being. Prev Vet Med. 2011 Sep 1;101(3-4):148-56. Epub 2010 Sep 15. PubMed PMID: 20832879; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3145159. Faced with complex patterns of global change, the inextricable interconnection of humans, pet animals, livestock and wildlife and their social and ecological environment is evident and requires integrated approaches to human and animal health and their respective social and environmental contexts. The history of integrative thinking of human and animal health is briefly reviewed from early historical times, to the foundation of universities in Europe, up to the beginning of comparative medicine at the end of the 19th century. In the 20th century, Calvin Schwabe coined the concept of “one medicine”. It recognises that there is no difference of paradigm between human and veterinary medicine !!!!!!! THIS GOES TOO FAR and both disciplines can contribute to the development of each other. Considering a broader approach to health and well-being of societies, the original concept of “one medicine” was extended to “one health” through practical implementations and careful validations in different settings. Given the global health thinking in recent decades, ecosystem approaches to health have emerged. Based on complex ecological thinking that goes beyond humans and animals, these approaches consider inextricable linkages between ecosystems and health, known as “ecosystem health”. Despite these integrative conceptual and methodological developments, large portions of human and animal health thinking and actions still remain in separate disciplinary silos. Evidence for added value of a coherent application of “one health” compared to separated sectorial thinking is, however, now growing. Integrative thinking is increasingly being considered in academic curricula, clinical practice, ministries of health and livestock/agriculture and international organizations. Challenges remain, focusing around key questions such as how does “one health” evolve and what are the elements of a modern theory of health? The close interdependence of humans and animals in their social and ecological context relates to the concept of “human-environmental systems”, also called “social-ecological systems”. The theory and practice of understanding and managing human activities in the context of social-ecological systems has been well-developed by members of The Resilience Alliance and was used extensively in the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, including its work on human well-being outcomes. This in turn entails systems theory applied to human and animal health. Examples of successful systems approaches to public health show unexpected results. Analogous to “systems biology” which focuses mostly on the interplay of proteins and molecules at a sub-cellular level, a systemic approach to health in social-ecological systems (HSES) is an inter- and transdisciplinary study of complex interactions in all health-related fields. HSES moves beyond “one health” and “eco-health”, expecting to identify emerging properties and determinants of health that may arise from a systemic view ranging across scales from molecules to the ecological and socio-cultural context, as well from the comparison with different disease endemicities and health systems structures. -- This paper was originally presented at The Twelfth Conference of the International Society for Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics (ISVEE), August 2009, Durban, South Africa.
- Zinsstag J, Schelling E, Waltner-Toews D, Tanner M. From "one medicine" to "one health" and systemic approaches to health and well-being. Prev Vet Med. 2011 Sep 1;101(3-4):148-56. Epub 2010 Sep 15. PubMed PMID: 20832879; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3145159. Faced with complex patterns of global change, the inextricable interconnection of humans, pet animals, livestock and wildlife and their social and ecological environment is evident and requires integrated approaches to human and animal health and their respective social and environmental contexts. The history of integrative thinking of human and animal health is briefly reviewed from early historical times, to the foundation of universities in Europe, up to the beginning of comparative medicine at the end of the 19th century. In the 20th century, Calvin Schwabe coined the concept of “one medicine”. It recognises that there is no difference of paradigm between human and veterinary medicine !!!!!!! THIS GOES TOO FAR and both disciplines can contribute to the development of each other. Considering a broader approach to health and well-being of societies, the original concept of “one medicine” was extended to “one health” through practical implementations and careful validations in different settings. Given the global health thinking in recent decades, ecosystem approaches to health have emerged. Based on complex ecological thinking that goes beyond humans and animals, these approaches consider inextricable linkages between ecosystems and health, known as “ecosystem health”. Despite these integrative conceptual and methodological developments, large portions of human and animal health thinking and actions still remain in separate disciplinary silos. Evidence for added value of a coherent application of “one health” compared to separated sectorial thinking is, however, now growing. Integrative thinking is increasingly being considered in academic curricula, clinical practice, ministries of health and livestock/agriculture and international organizations. Challenges remain, focusing around key questions such as how does “one health” evolve and what are the elements of a modern theory of health? The close interdependence of humans and animals in their social and ecological context relates to the concept of “human-environmental systems”, also called “social-ecological systems”. The theory and practice of understanding and managing human activities in the context of social-ecological systems has been well-developed by members of The Resilience Alliance and was used extensively in the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, including its work on human well-being outcomes. This in turn entails systems theory applied to human and animal health. Examples of successful systems approaches to public health show unexpected results. Analogous to “systems biology” which focuses mostly on the interplay of proteins and molecules at a sub-cellular level, a systemic approach to health in social-ecological systems (HSES) is an inter- and transdisciplinary study of complex interactions in all health-related fields. HSES moves beyond “one health” and “eco-health”, expecting to identify emerging properties and determinants of health that may arise from a systemic view ranging across scales from molecules to the ecological and socio-cultural context, as well from the comparison with different disease endemicities and health systems structures. -- This paper was originally presented at The Twelfth Conference of the International Society for Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics (ISVEE), August 2009, Durban, South Africa.
- Integrated medical thinking was conveyed to North America by William Osler, a student of Virchow. He is credited for having coined the term “one medicine” ( William Osler, Father of Veterinary Pathology William Osler, MD, was a Canadian physician who is considered the father of veterinary pathology in North America. Dr. Osler had a deep interest in the linkages between human and veterinary medicine. He trained with many well-known physicians and veterinarians, including Dr. Virchow. One of his first publications was titled, "The Relation of Animals to Man." While serving on the medical faculty of McGill University, Dr. Osler lectured to medical students and veterinary students from nearby Montreal Veterinary College. Following his time at McGill, Dr. Osler became the Chair of Clinical Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. In 1889, he became the first Physician-in-Chief of Johns Hopkins Hospital and played an instrumental role in establishing the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Christian Heroes III – Dr. William Osler written by earlblacklock 1 Vote Dr. William Osler [by Earl Blacklock] Dr. William Osler was a Canadian doctor who profoundly influenced the practice of medicine. To be a doctor was not, however, his first career choice. William intended to follow his father into the ministry, even entering seminary with that intent. After a year, however, William decided to study at McGill Medical School. After graduating, Osler continued his studies in Europe. In London, he became the first to identify the clumps that form in blood after it is drawn from the body. He correctly concluded that the clumps, now known as blood platelets, had a role to play in clotting. The acclaim that accompanied his discovery prompted McGill to call its former student home as a professor of physiology. At 24, Osler became known as the “baby professor”, but with his youth he brought a determination to improve the health of ordinary people. At the time, trichinosis, a parasitic infection, was considered a rare disease. Osler suspected otherwise. From his studies in Europe, he knew that undercooked pork was linked to trichinosis and, with student veterinarian A.W. Clement, he examined slaughtered pigs in Montreal’s slaughterhouses, finding a large number infected. His research prompted meat inspection standards and public health education on the importance of thorough cooking. Desiring the opportunity to study diseases more intensely, Osler volunteered to take charge of the smallpox ward at McGill hospital. He ordered the gloomy wards repainted, and introduced flowers to bring some cheer into the surroundings. He administered medicine with a healthy dose of optimism, and patients responded by recovering in large numbers. He noted “The miracles at Lourdes and Ste. Anne de Beaupré are often genuine. We physicians use the same power every day…. The healing power of belief has great power when carefully applied in suitable cases.” Osler’s acclaim grew, and the University of Pennsylvania offered him a professorship. It was there he introduced one of the greatest innovations in modern medicine. To that point, medical students would learn from books. Osler’s method of bedside teaching became the norm for medical training to this day. Osler’s students had the privilege of witnessing a master diagnostician. He once passed the bed of a patient he had never seen before, grasped the man’s toes for an instant, and then hurried on, informing his incredulous students that the man had a leaky heart valve. He had observed in passing a distinctive jerky pulse in the man’s big toe that was characteristic of that condition. When Johns Hopkins School of Medicine was established, Osler became its first Chief of Internal Medicine. He was knighted for his accomplishments, and after his death, acclaimed as the world’s best doctor. Throughout his life, Osler maintained a strong Christian belief and witness, and he likened his own impending death to finally reaching the Harbor after a splendid voyage. He lived the life described in James 3:13: “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.” The course of William Osler's life took him from a parsonage in the Canadian wilderness, the youngest of a clergyman's children, to a prestigious post at Oxford University, a baronetcy, and the reputation of being the world's greatest living physician. A scientist, doctor and teacher, Osler never made any major medical discoveries. But he wrote a landmark medical textbook, reformed medical education, and changed the lives of multitudes. Though Osler always maintained a private medical practice, throughout his career he was primarily a teacher, a researcher and a pathologist, and he did not often separate the three. At all three institutions where he taught — McGill University, University of Pennsylvania, and Johns Hopkins — Osler emphasized the importance of practical instruction, teaching in the laboratory, at the bedside and in the morgue. A deep understanding of his subject combined with a quick wit made him a favourite among students and patients. A scientist and a humanist, Osler published frequently and was often called upon to speak at medical conferences. His talent as a writer soon led to a request for Osler to write a medical textbook; this he did, and The Principles and Practice of Medicine became a landmark textbook, going through eight editions in Osler's lifetime and sixteen in total. Osler's life was not only characterized by his professional achievements. He was generous with friends, acquaintances, even near strangers; the Osler homes in both Baltimore and Oxford were known for their hospitality. He had a sense of humour that leaned toward the mischievous, and liked to play pranks on his friends and coworkers. Children adored him, and the feeling was mutual; it was often said that he preferred their company to that of adults. Osler never retired, but a position as Regius Professor of Medicine at Oxford University, accepted in 1905, allowed him a slower pace and the chance to pursue other interests, such as his passion for book collecting. His wife, Grace Revere Osler, and son Edward Revere Osler, called Revere, were strong considerations in his decision to move. The family would soon be disrupted by the advent of World War I; Revere became a soldier and was killed in 1917. Osler lived two years more and died in December of 1919 at the age of seventy. Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford overflowed with mourners.Select Bibliography of Works about Sir William Osler. Bliss, Michael. William Osler: A Life in Medicine. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1999. Cushing, Harvey. The Life of Sir William Osler. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1925. Golden, Richard L and Charles G. Roland, eds. Sir William Osler: An Annotated Bibliography with Illustrations (1 volume plus addenda). San Francisco: Norman Pub., 1988. Nation, Earl F., Charles G. Roland and John P. McGovern. An Annotated Checklist of Osleriana (Volumes 1 and 2). Montreal: Osler Library, McGill University, 2000. Osler, Sir Williamin the Dictionary of Canadian Biography - online Sir William Osler Memorial NumberCanadian Medical Association Journal (volume 10, Special Issue, July 1920). A collection of reminiscences and other articles related to Sir William Osler, including a bibliography of his works. Wilkinson, Anne. Lions in the Way: A Discursive History of the Oslers. Toronto: MacMillan Company of Canada, 1956.
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- http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/service/global/map-percentile-mntp/201604.gif
- https://weather.com/science/environment/news/miami-flooding-increase-over-past-decade
- New Australian climate developing Wednesday 24 February 2016 Seasonal rainfall zones shift across Australia since 2000 A new climate is emerging in Australia, according to new maps released by the Australian Export Grains Innovation Centre (AEGIC). AEGIC analysed data from more than 8000 Bureau of Meteorology stations around the country and discovered that traditional rainfall zones have changed significantly since 2000. The findings will be presented as part of a talk entitled “South-west Western Australia is losing its Mediterranean Climate” by AEGIC agro-meteorologist Dr David Stephens at the 2016 GRDC Perth Grains Research Update (Perth Convention Centre, 29 February-1 March 2016). Dr Stephens said the new analysis revealed striking changes to the Australian climate over the past 16 years. “Since 2000, there has been a general increase in summer rainfall across Australia, and a corresponding decrease in winter rainfall, leading to shifts in rainfall zones extending for hundreds of kilometres,” Dr Stephens said. “Rainfall between May to October over much of the heavily populated regions of southern Australia has decreased 10-30%, while summer rain has increased up to 40% in some areas. “This change in climate has major implications for farming and pastoral systems as the profitability of different crop types changes, disease risk changes, and the composition of rangeland grasses changes with stocking rates.” The analysis revealed significant shifts in rainfall zones since 2000, which can be seen in the maps above. Summary: For regions with a Mediterranean climate, winter (and winter dominant) rainfall zones are contracting in a south-westerly direction. In northern and eastern areas, summer (and summer dominant) rainfall zones are expanding southward. Between these regions, there is a uniform rainfall zone where summer and winter rainfall are similar. The southern boundary of this zone has shifted from southern/central New South Wales down into central Victoria and the Mallee region of south-east South Australia. In the south-west of Western Australia, a uniform rainfall zone has appeared along the eastern edge of the wheat-belt from Beacon to Southern Cross to Grass Patch. Most rainfall zone boundaries have typically shifted 100-400km over the last 16 years. The only expansion of the winter rainfall zone has occurred in southeast Tasmania where winter rainfall has become more reliable. Dr Stephens said the analysis highlighted that the shift to earlier sowing of winter crops measured recently by AEGIC should continue because early sown crops take advantage of any additional summer soil moisture. “They also experience a lower evaporative demand through the growing season, and are less affected by declining rain in October and rising spring temperatures,” he said. “In pastoral regions in much of Western Australia, increasing summer rain with a reduction in rainfall variability has assisted perennial C4 (tropical) plants at the expense of C3 (temperate) grasses (especially in southern areas), while in central and northern Queensland, an increase in rainfall variability has been detrimental on pasture production and stocking rates”. “Australia is going to need some of the most water-efficient farming systems in the world to mitigate the effects of a drier and warmer climate in Southern Australia. Research in this area is vital because Australian crop yields have been among the most affected by climate change compared to other grain exporting nations.” MORE INFORMATION These changes appear to be related to changes in barometric pressure, sea surface temperatures and upper level westerly winds. In the mid-1970s, there was a weakening of the Indian Ocean Trough to the west of Perth which appears to be related to a decline in winter rainfall since then. In the 2000s, this trough has weakened further in conjunction with strengthening high pressures over Australia. In addition, sea surface temperatures have warmed in all seasons, which is beneficial for summer rainfall. However, a more marked warming in oceans west of Perth in winter has an inverse relationship to rainfall and has contributed to weaker cloud-band activity in recent years. At a Hemispheric scale, one of the drivers of weather is the temperature gradient between the equator and the South Pole. This gradient dropped at the beginning of the 2000s as westerly winds in May-July weakened over Australia.” The variability in annual rainfall across Australia has changed since 2000. Reduced variability in some regions is due to the loss of wet years, as in south-west Australia, or more consistent average to above average rain, as in the north-western parts of the country and southern South Australia.” In contrast variability in annual rainfall has increased in inland Victoria, southern New South Wales and much of central Queensland. Media contactKeir Tunbridge0438 632 463[email_address]
- McGlashan N, Obendorf D, Harington J. Aspects of the fatal malignant disease among the Tasmanian devil population (Sarcophilus laniarius). European Journal of Oncology. 2006;11(2):95-102.
- Platypus Fungal Disease - Mucormycosis On this page About Platypus Fungal Disease History of platypus fungal disease How is the Disease Spread? What Effect is the Disease Having on Platypus Populations? References About Platypus Fungal Disease The platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) is the last surviving species of a number of platypus-like ancestors that existed on the super continent of Gondwanaland over 100 million years ago, when dinosaurs roamed the earth1. Some scientists feel that platypus are now so specialised, and so far out on the evolutionary tree, that they are vulnerable to environmental change. Certainly they are dependent on aquatic habitats for their survival, and may be susceptible to a range of environmental changes arising from human activities2.Platypuses generally suffer from few diseases in the wild3, however there is widespread public concern in Tasmania about the potential impacts of a disease caused by the fungus Mucor amphibiorum. This platypus fungal disease (termed Mucormycosis) only affects Tasmanian platypuses, and has not been observed in over 2000 platypuses captured in mainland Australia4. Affected platypuses can develop ugly skin lesions or ulcers on various parts of the body including their backs, tails and legs.Dorsal ulcer on platypusPhoto: Josh GriffithsPlatypus with ulcer on hind legPhoto: Nick GustClose up of ulcer on forelegPhoto: Nick Gust These photos were taken in north central Tasmania and show platypuses with ulcerated lesions caused by Mucormycosis. This fungal disease can kill platypuses5, with death arising from secondary infection and by affecting the animals' ability to maintain body temperature and forage efficiency. It is an unfortunate coincidence that one of Tasmania's other iconic mammals, the Tasmanian Devil, is also suffering from a disease. Platypus Mucormycosis and Devil Facial Tumour Disease both cause ugly deformities and can kill the infected animals. However these diseases are caused by different pathogens. Devil Facial Tumor Disease is taking a heavy toll on Tasmanian devil populations, but we do not yet know what impact Mucormycosis is having on platypus populations. History of platypus fungal disease Mucormycosis disease was first observed in platypuses in 1982 in the Elizabeth River near Campbell Town in the north of Tasmania6. However it wasn't until 1993 that the causative agent Mucor amphibiorum was positively identified5. Mucor amphibiorum is a native Australian fungus previously restricted to mainland Australia (in particular northern New South Wales and Queensland). On the mainland it is known to infect and kill frogs and toads7. Recent research indicates the positive mating strain of this fungus present in Tasmanian platypuses is particularly virulent8. It seems likely that the fungus was introduced to Tasmania via infected frogs transported from mainland Australia. Further speculation exists that the fungus arrived via green tree frogs amongst banana shipments from Queensland. However it could also have arrived via the illegal introduction of frogs as pets into the State. We will never know for sure. Since 1982, the disease seems to have spread in Tasmanian platypus populations. It is now known to infect platypuses in a variety of locations through the north central part of the state including the Supply, Meander, Liffey, South Esk and Elizabeth rivers, and Brumby's creek.3,4,5,6 Additional anecdotal reports of diseased platypus in southern and north-western river systems have fuelled fears the disease may be spreading, and may impact platypus populations in other parts of Tasmania including the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. Known historical distribution of diseased platypus in Tasmania from 1982 to 2007Blue points indicate locations where apparently healthy platypuses have been recorded, red points indicate confirmed cases of Mucormycosis, orange indicates ulcerated platypuses likely to be caused by Mucormycosis, and yellow indicates sightings of possibly diseased platypuses.Click on the image for a larger view. How is the Disease Spread? We don't know yet. An unusual feature of this disease is that it affects platypuses only in Tasmania and not on the Australian mainland where the same pathogen infects frogs and toads. Although amphibians are susceptible to this fungus, and are likely to be the vector for originally transporting the pathogen to Tasmania, there are no records of Tasmanian frogs infected with the fungus. We do not know yet how the disease is spread amongst platypuses. A number of potential vectors exist that could possibly be transmitting the disease in Tasmania. Determining how the disease is spread, and what the vectors are is an area of renewed research involving collaboration between a number of Tasmanian ecologists, vets, and disease researchers. What Effect is the Disease Having on Platypus Populations? Platypuses are currently considered common and widespread in Tasmania, although they are potentially vulnerable to a number of human-mediated changes to their environment9. Mucormycosis may represent one of the most significant threats both to the health of individuals, and persistence of platypuses in the 100 years since they were first protected in Tasmania in 1907. However, we currently lack fundamental information on the epidemiology of the disease to interpret the magnitude of threat. For instance although the disease has previously been confirmed from a series of rivers in north and central Tasmania, limited sampling means it is currently unclear how far Mucormycosis has already spread, or how fast it is spreading around Tasmania. It is a major concern for the conservation of this unique species that so little is known about the impact and significance of Mucormycosis fungal disease.At the moment we are not sure how Mucormycosis disease affects the abundance or distribution of platypuses in Tasmania. Determining the impact of the disease is an important focus of this research program and involves collaboration amongst a series of researchers across two Tasmanian government departments and two Australian universities. We are currently collecting baseline information on the spatial extent of the disease, proportion of platypuses infected within the range of the fungus, the fate of diseased individuals and their survival prospects once infected. We require fundamental information on how the disease adversely impacts platypus numbers, or whether there are detectable effects on population densities or demographics. Indeed the broad impacts at a population level are yet to be quantified, with the result that platypus numbers may well have declined in parts of Tasmania where the disease occurs. Acknowledgements References 1. Grant T, Fanning D. 2007. Platypus. Fourth edition. CSIRO publishing: Australian Natural History Series. 157 pages. (available from www.publishing.csiro.au)2. Long J, Archer M, Flannery T, Hand S. 2002. Prehistoric mammals of Australia and New Guinea: one hundred million years of evolution. Sydney: University of NSW Press.3. Munday BL, Whittington RJ, Stewart NJ. 1998. Disease conditions and subclinical infections in the platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus). Transactions of the Royal Society of London Series B 353:1093-1099.4. Connolly JH, Obendorf DL, Whittington RJ, Muir DB. 1997. Causes of morbidity and mortality in platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) from Tasmania, with particular reference to Mucor amphibiorum infection. Australian Mammalogy 20:177-187.5. Obendorf DL, Peel BF, Munday BL. 1993. Mucor amphibiorum infection in platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) from Tasmania. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 29(3): 485-487.6. Munday BL, Peel BF. 1983. Severe ulcerative dermatitis in platypus (Ornithoryhchus anatinus). Journal of Wildlife Diseases 19(4): 363-365.7. Speare R, Thomas A, O'Shea P, Shipton W. 1994. Mucor amphibiorum in the toad (Bufo marinus) in Australia. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 30: 399-407.8. Stewart, N. J. and B. L. Munday (2005). 'Possible differences in pathogenicity between cane toad-, frog- and platypus-derived isolates of Mucor amphibiorum, and a platypus-derived isolate of Mucor circinelloides.' Medical Mycology 43(2): 127-132.9. Grant TR, Temple-Smith PD. 2003. Conservation of the Platypus, Ornithorhynchus anatinus: Threats and Challenges. Aquatic Ecosystem Health & Management 6(1): 5-18. Contact Natural Values Conservation Branch134 Macquarie StreetHOBART TAS 7000Phone: 03 6165 4319Fax: 03 6233 3477Email: [email_address]
- Reductions in body size are increasingly being identified as a response to climate warming. Here we present evidence for a case of such body shrinkage, potentially due to malnutrition in early life. We show that an avian long-distance migrant (red knot, Calidris canutus canutus), which is experiencing globally unrivaled warming rates at its high-Arctic breeding grounds, produces smaller offspring with shorter bills during summers with early snowmelt. This has consequences half a world away at their tropical wintering grounds, where shorter-billed individuals have reduced survival rates. This is associated with these molluscivores eating fewer deeply buried bivalve prey and more shallowly buried seagrass rhizomes. We suggest that seasonal migrants can experience reduced fitness at one end of their range as a result of a changing climate at the other end. Body shrinkage due to Arctic warming reduces red knot fitness in tropical wintering range Jan A. van Gils, et al (May 12, 2016) Science 352 (6287), 819-821. [doi: 10.1126/science.aad6351]
- Body shrinkage due to Arctic warming reduces red knot fitness in tropical wintering range Jan A. van Gils, et al (May 12, 2016) Science 352 (6287), 819-821. [doi: 10.1126/science.aad6351]
- Fig. 2. Changes in Arctic climate and red knot body size over the past three decades. (A) Snow at the red knots’ breeding ground at Taimyr Peninsula has been melting progressively earlier at an average rate of 0.5 days/year. (B) Juvenile red knots, captured during brief stopovers in Poland on their first southward migration from the Arctic, had lower body masses after breeding seasons in which snow had disappeared early (each circle denotes the annual mean, with number inside the circle giving the year). (C) They also had shorter bills after breeding seasons in which the Arctic snow melted earlier [circles denote annual means as in (B)], especially in years when breeding-ground NDVI [as a proxy for total primary biomass production (12)] was low [NDVI is indicated by the color range of the circles (green, high; pink, low)]. Body shrinkage due to Arctic warming reduces red knot fitness in tropical wintering range Jan A. van Gils, et al (May 12, 2016) Science 352 (6287), 819-821. [doi: 10.1126/science.aad6351]
- Fig. 3. Prey choice and prey availability at the Mauritanian wintering grounds. (A) Analysis of stable isotopes of blood samples shows that juvenile red knots (n = 676 birds) largely ignored the most abundant but mildly toxic prey, Loripes. However, with an increase in age, adult red knots (n = 1664) added substantial amounts of Loripes to their diet, but only if they had long bills. Plotted are means ± SE. (B) This bill length–dependent diet shift may be explained by the depth distribution of Loripes. The majority of these bivalves live between 30 and 40 mm below the seafloor, which is precisely the range of the bill lengths. The other two food sources, Dosinia bivalves and Zostera rhizomes, are found at shallower depths and are accessible to all red knots. Bars indicate medians, boxes indicate 25th to 75th percentiles, and whiskers indicate ranges.
- http://birdlife.org.au/australian-birdlife/detail/the-heat-is-on
- In January 2009, a severe heatwave caused the deaths of thousands of Budgerigars and other birds at the Overlander Roadhouse between Geraldton and Carnarvon in Western Australia. Photographs documenting the event show thousands of budgies avoiding the sun by cramming into patches of shade in and around buildings as the temperature soared. Thousands, however, never made it, and pictures from later in the day show scenes of complete devastation, with the dead and dying birds carpeting the ground. The Overlander event was echoed a year later in January 2010, when just one intensely hot day caused widespread mortality among birds in and around Hopetoun on the south coast. This event was of significant concern to conservationists because it involved the deaths of at least 208 Endangered Carnaby’s Black-Cockatoos. One of the worst-hit sites was the Hopetoun golf course, where more than 100 cockatoos died. In both the 2009 and 2010 events, initial suspicions that birds may have been poisoned were dispelled when subsequent investigations confirmed heat stress as the cause of death.
- Feeling the heat: Australian landbirds and climate change Andrew E. McKechnieA,D, Philip A. R. HockeyB and Blair O. Wolf Avian mortality during heatwaves Deaths of birds during extremely hot weather are not a new occurrence in Australia; as early as 1791 the Reverend Richard Johnson, a chaplain at Port Jackson (Sydney), New South Wales (NSW), referred in a letter to temperatures so high that ‘Birds, unable to bear the heat, have great Numbers, dropped from the trees & expired’ (available at http://acms.sl.nsw.gov.au/_ transcript/2010/D01866/a1769.pdf, accessed 20 December 2011). By far the most catastrophic event recorded took place in January 1932, when a severe heatwave struck a large portion of southern central Australia (Fig. 1). The April 1932 issue of the South Australian Ornithologist contained several accounts of widespread mortality, which collectively portray the deaths of many millions of birds. Finlayson (1932), for instance, provided a vivid account of thousands of dead and dying Budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus), Zebra Finches (Taenopygia guttata) and other birds in and around Rumbalara Siding on a day when the air temperature reached ~49C. He noted that ‘The condition of the birds was undoubtedly a true temperature effect, and not due to thirst, as the railway people had put out several pans of water, and only a small proportion were attempting to drink’. Another observer documented the deaths of tens of thousands of birds (mainly parrots) in water troughs near Tarcoola, South Australia (SA) (McGilp 1932).
- Blue swimmer crabs a) and little penguins b) were heavily impacted by the 2011 marine heat wave Thomas Wernberg a) and Belinda Cannell https://theconversation.com/marine-heatwaves-threaten-the-future-of-underwater-forests-37154
- Brodie J, Pearson RG. Ecosystem health of the Great Barrier Reef: Time for effective management action based on evidence. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science. http://www.theguardian.com/environment/planet-oz/2016/apr/21/mourning-loomis-reef-the-heart-of-the-great-barrier-reefs-cor Mourning Loomis Reef - the heart of the Great Barrier Reef's coral bleaching disaster Graham Readfearn Corals on Loomis Reef are dying as one veteran scientist lets the “veil” of academia drop to reveal anger and frustration Clown fish in a bleached sea anemone at Lizard Island, Great Barrier reef. Photograph: CoralWatch @readfearn Thursday 21 April 2016 15.53 AEST Last modified on Friday 22 April 2016 11.20 AEST Share on Pinterest Share on LinkedIn Share on Google+ Shares 45,386 Comments 135 Save for later Stretching for half a kilometre or so, Loomis Reef is the place where the alarm bells started going off. Prof Justin Marshall has been diving this reef, about 270km north of Cairns, for 30 years. Right now he is, to say the least, angry. “My veil is down,” he says, no longer bothering with the kind of polite niceties common among academics. “I have cried. I have broken down in front of cameras. This is the most devastating, gut-wrenching fuck up,” says Marshall, of the University of Queensland. Back in November, researchers and staff on the Australian Museum’s Lizard Island Research Station started to see the early signs of coral bleaching – faded colours, odd fluorescent hues and chunks of white. The Great Barrier Reef, of which Loomis is just one of 3,000 reefs, is in the death throes of its worst ever coral bleaching event – part of the third global mass bleaching since 1998. Latest figures show that 93% of the reef has been impacted by bleaching. The worst affected areas are in the reef’s north. “Loomis Reef was an amazingly diverse, beautiful little reef about 500 metres long – covered in lots of different coral. Now it’s going to be a big ball of slime,” Marshall says. The past tense, it seems, is deliberate. “It’s in an area that tourists use – you can pretty much snorkel there right from the shore. You don’t need a boat. “At the closer end on Loomis there is a nice Porites coral – they can be thousands of years old. The one on Loomis would be maybe hundreds.” Facebook Twitter Pinterest University of Queensland researcher photographs a bleached Porites coral at Loomis Reef, Lizard Island, during the 2016 coral bleaching event. Photograph: CoralWatch “You get a lot of large fish coming through – there’s a big nurse shark about eight foot long that lives there – beautiful, totally harmless.” Loomis Reef has a history almost as colourful as the corals that have attracted tourists and scientists for decades. The reef is named after the late American Henry Loomis and his family, who stumped up $110,000 in the early 1970s to help establish the Australian Museum’s Lizard Island research station. Henry, who had a background in physics, was a former director of the US government’s Voice of America. His dad, Alfred, was a former Wall Street tycoon and science patron who built his own laboratory so grand it attracted the likes of Albert Einstein. Images from Loomis and its neighbouring reefs have been featured around the globe. In particular, there was a spectacular but haunting photograph of a bright orange “Nemo” fish nestling among a bleached sea anemone. “Any of these animals trying to hide themselves in the coral now stand out against the reef like dogs’ balls,” Marshall says. A large part of Marshall’s area of expertise is in understanding how ocean animals see underwater – research known as visual ecology (he is best known for studying the amazing vision of the mantis shrimp and its oversupply of photoreceptors). “But it’s not just the corals but the animals and the fish that live on them,” he says. “I have six students on Lizard right now and they have been asking me where all the fish are. Well, they have either moved on, died … I don’t know. But you lose the small fish, then the bigger ones … then it all collapses.” Facebook Twitter Pinterest Professor Justin Marshall features in this short film shot on Lizard Island as coral bleaching broke out The mass coral bleaching event started in Hawaii last year before sweeping quickly and mercilessly across reefs around the world. What is happening on Loomis, is mirrored across the northern parts of the Great Barrier Reef and in coral ecosystems around the globe. This is Australia’s biggest ever environmental disaster Justin Marshall Corals get their colour and their nutrients from the zooxanthellae algae they live with. When corals sit for too long in unusually warm temperature, the algae and the coral skeleton separates leaving a “bleached” animal behind. The link between fossil fuel burning, coral bleaching and a long-term trend in rising ocean temperatures is clear, scientists say. Water temperatures over the Great Barrier Reef’s corals in February and March were the hottest on a record going back to 1900, according to figures cited by the government’s Great Barrier Reef Marine Authority. Marshall, the chief investigator for citizen science project CoralWatch, expects that “well over 50%” of the corals that have bleached on Loomis are dying or are already dead. Recent photographs show corals covered in algae. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Corals bleaching at Loomis Reef, Lizard Island, during mass coral bleaching of 2016 Photograph: CoralWatch While the global mass bleaching event means Australia loses corals, Marshall points out that for other communities around the world bleaching means “that they can’t feed their kids”. Advertisement There are hundreds of millions of people who depend on healthy coral reefs to sustain the populations of fish that make up their diets. As news of the bleaching spread around the globe, the Australian government granted more approvals for what could be Australia’s largest ever coalmine in Queensland’s Galilee basin. To Marshall, the timing of the announcement was galling. “This is not just about little Australia. This is a global event. When we mine coal and sell it, that is killing all reefs – not just ours,” he says. Marshall remembers the 2014 speech that the US president, Barack Obama, made at the University of Queensland. Obama told the crowd, much to the annoyance of several Australian government ministers, that the reef was in danger and that he wanted it to be there for his children and grandchildren to visit in the future. “But now we can see it’s not about our grandchildren – it’s our kids. It’s us,” Marshall says. “It’s happening right now – not in some future where we’re dead. Kids are saying ‘grown ups, what are you doing? You are stealing our future, our livelihood, our wonderment’. “I have taken my kids to Loomis for the last 15 years. I would not take them there now. This is Australia’s biggest ever environmental disaster.” al-bleaching-disaster
- Australia scrubbed from UN climate change report after government intervention Exclusive: All mentions of Australia were removed from the final version of a Unesco report on climate change and world heritage sites after the Australian government objected on the grounds it could impact on tourism The Great Barrier Reef is in the midst of its worst crisis in recorded history. Unusually warm water has caused 93% of the reefs along the 2,300km site to experience bleaching. Photograph: XL Catlin Seaview Survey/AFP/Getty Images Michael Slezak @MikeySlezak email Friday 27 May 2016 06.07 AEST Last modified on Friday 27 May 2016 07.50 AEST Share on Pinterest Share on LinkedIn Share on Google+ Shares 849 Comments 134 Save for later Every reference to Australia was scrubbed from the final version of a major UN report on climate change after the Australian government intervened, objecting that the information could harm tourism. Guardian Australia can reveal the report “World Heritage and Tourism in a Changing Climate”, which Unesco jointly published with the United Nations environment program and the Union of Concerned Scientists on Friday, initially had a key chapter on the Great Barrier Reef, as well as small sections on Kakadu and the Tasmanian forests. But when the Australian Department of Environment saw a draft of the report, it objected, and every mention of Australia was removed by Unesco. Will Steffen, one of the scientific reviewers of the axed section on the reef, said Australia’s move was reminiscent of “the old Soviet Union”. No sections about any other country were removed from the report. The removals left Australia as the only inhabited continent on the planet with no mentions. Explaining the decision to object to the report, a spokesperson for the environment department told Guardian Australia: “Recent experience in Australia had shown that negative commentary about the status of world heritage properties impacted on tourism.” As a result of climate change combined with weather phenomena, the Great Barrier Reef is in the midst of the worst crisis in recorded history. Unusually warm water has caused 93% of the reefs along the 2,300km site to experience bleaching. In the northern most pristine part, scientists think half the coral might have died. The omission was “frankly astounding,” Steffen said. Coalition's Queensland dam bonanza 'threatens Great Barrier Reef' Read more Steffen is an emeritus professor at the Australian National University and head of Australia’s Climate Council. He was previously executive director of the International Geosphere Biosphere Programme, where he worked with 50 countries on global change science. “I’ve spent a lot of my career working internationally,” Steffen said. “And it’s very rare that I would see something like this happening. Perhaps in the old Soviet Union you would see this sort of thing happening, where governments would quash information because they didn’t like it. But not in western democracies. I haven’t seen it happen before.” The news comes less than a year after the Australian government successfully lobbied Unesco to not list the Great Barrier Reef in its list of “World Heritage Sites in Danger”. Advertisement The removals occurred in early 2016, during a period when there was significant pressure on the Australian government in relation to both climate change and world heritage sites. At the time, news of the government’s science research agency CSIRO sacking 100 climate scientists due to government budget cuts had just emerged; parts of the Tasmanian world heritage forests were on fire for the first time in recorded history; and a global coral bleaching event was beginning to hit the Great Barrier Reef – another event driven by global warming. The environment department spokesperson told Guardian Australia: “The department was concerned that the framing of the report confused two issues – the world heritage status of the sites and risks arising from climate change and tourism.” The report said the case studies were chosen partly because of their geographic representation, their importance for tourism and the robustness of evidence around the impact of climate change on them. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Burnt alpine vegetation at the Lake Mackenzie fire in Tasmania. Photograph: Rob Blakers for the Guardian A recent study found the conditions that cause the current bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef was made at least 175 times more likely by climate change and, on the current trajectory, would become the average conditions within 20 years. Great Barrier Reef: advisers call for cap on farm pollution Read more Without mentioning the Great Barrier Reef, the report notes: “Research suggests that preserving more than 10% of the world’s corals would require limiting warming to 1.5C or less, and protecting 50% would mean halting warming at 1.2C (Frieler et al. 2012).” The full statement from the environment department said: The World Heritage Centre initiated contact with the Department of the Environment in early 2016 for our views on aspects of this report. The department expressed concern that giving the report the title ‘Destinations at risk’ had the potential to cause considerable confusion. In particular, the world heritage committee had only six months earlier decided not to include the Great Barrier Reef on the in-danger list and commended Australia for the Reef 2050 Plan. The department was concerned that the framing of the report confused two issues – the world heritage status of the sites and risks arising from climate change and tourism. It is the world heritage committee, not its secretariat (the World Heritage Centre), which is properly charged with examining the status of world heritage sites. Recent experience in Australia had shown that negative commentary about the status of world heritage properties impacted on tourism. The department indicated it did not support any of Australia’s world heritage properties being included in such a publication for the reasons outlined above. The Department of the Environment conveyed these concerns through Australia’s ambassador to UNESCO. The department did not brief the minister on this issue.”
- https://news.mongabay.com/2016/05/indias-coral-reefs-experiencing-catastrophic-bleaching-heart-wrenching-scientist-says/
- Mangroves in the Guild of Carpentaria M13A9226-Limmen Bight R L2.jpg Large-scale mangrove dieback "unprecedented" A James Cook University professor has warned that scientists are witnessing a large-scale dieback of mangroves in northern Australia. JCU's Professor Norm Duke, spokesman for the Australian Mangrove and Saltmarsh Network, said the scale and magnitude of the loss appears "unprecedented and deeply concerning". The extent of the damage came to light during an international wetland conference in Darwin. A detailed scientific survey is yet to be done, but Professor Duke said photographs were produced of hundreds of hectares of mangroves dying in two locations on the coast of the Gulf of Carpentaria - at Limmin Bight, in the Northern Territory and Karumba in Queensland. "Shoreline stability and fisheries values, amongst other benefits of mangrove vegetation, are under threat," he said. Professor Duke said the phenomenon was especially alarming in light of the large-scale coral bleaching of the Great Barrier Reef, as it also appeared to correlate with this year's extreme warming and climate events in the region. Preliminary observations were presented at this week's Australian Mangrove and Saltmarsh Network Conference in Darwin, hosted by Charles Darwin University Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods (RIEL). Professor Duke said understanding of the scale of the mangrove loss is currently hampered by the critical lack of detailed shoreline monitoring, particularly in the remote areas of northern Australia. Professor Duke and conference delegates called for mangrove monitoring efforts to be scaled-up as a matter of priority, so scientists could establish baseline conditions of national shorelines, and quickly isolate and manage dieback events such as those seen in the gulf. He said the next step in the investigation into the Gulf of Carpentaria dieback would be to start field investigations to determine the cause and begin appropriate management measures. *Mangroves and coastal wetlands take in 50 times more carbon than tropical forests by area. *Australia is home to seven per cent of the world's mangroves. Contact:Professor Norm Duke, James Cook University TropWATER Centre, Spokesman, Australian Mangrove and Saltmarsh NetworkM: 0419 673 366E: norman.duke@jcu.edu.au(Dr Duke is currently on the Gold Coast). Link to picture: http://bit.ly/1QWLFep(Please note, photo is for one time use only with this media release. It is not available for archiving or re-use).
- http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/apr/22/tasmania-marine-heatwave-salmon-global-warming-climate-change Tasmania marine heatwave hits seafood industry and puts some species at risk While the visual impact is not as dramatic as the coral bleaching of the Great Barrier Reef, the rise in ocean temperature has been far higher Ocean temperatures off the coast of Tasmania have increased by 2C in the past 100 years, three times the global average ocean temperature rise, and the island sits within a recognised global warming hot spot. Photograph: Andrew Drummond/AAP Calla Wahlquist @callapilla Friday 22 April 2016 15.59 AEST Last modified on Monday 9 May 2016 08.40 AEST Share on Pinterest Share on LinkedIn Ocean temperatures off the coast of Tasmania have risen to 4.5C above average – twice the temperature rise that led to the mass coral bleaching of the Great Barrier Reef – in a marine heatwave that has lasted more than 130 days. The above-average temperatures were first recorded in December and have continued into April, affecting the oyster, salmon and abalone industries, as well as stressing already declining kelp forests. Dr Alistair Hobday, a senior principal research scientist with the CSIRO in Tasmania, said the heatwave could be attributed to El Niño, which extends the southern tip of the East Australian Current down to Tasmania, bringing warmer waters with it, and the effects of climate change. “Part of the warming we just can’t explain as being down to something other than global warming,” Hobday told Guardian Australia. “In about four months – we are doing that work now – we will be able to say that 60% of it is due to climate change and 40% is due to El Niño.” Coral bleaching spreads from Great Barrier Reef to Western Australia While the heatwave’s visual impacts were “not as dramatic as the bleaching of the coral reef”, Hobday said it had contributed to the mass death of oysters from Pacific Oyster mortality syndrome (Poms), which had never been reported in the state before devastating Tasmanian oyster farms this summer. The higher temperatures were also linked to abalone deaths and a decline in the salmon harvest. The effect of the heatwave on local marine species is still being studied, but Hobday said some species, such as the giant kelp forests on the east coast, which have declined by more than 90% in the past 40 years, were already suffering the effects of longer-term warming. Other species have been slowly shifting south. “It’s the same as when Tasmanian people go to Queensland for a holiday: they can’t stand the heat and humidity, yet Queenslanders who have lived there for some time cope with it fine,” Hobday said. Ocean temperatures off Tasmania have increased by 2C in the past 100 years, three times the global average ocean temperature rise, and the island sits within a recognised global warming hot spot. Hobday said the heatwave provided scientists and aquaculture businesses with “a glimpse of the future”. “People who are involved in ocean businesses are going to have to say, ‘look, if this is what it’s going to be like, we should learn about how to adapt’,” he said. “You just should not ignore a look in the crystal ball.” Tasmania's bushfires: a human-made calamity on par with the razing of Palmyra's temples Karl Mathiesen Data collected through public reports on RedMap.org.au, a project led by the University of Tasmania’s Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS), have shown an increase in species such as snapper and yellowtail kingfish, which were previously seen in very low numbers in Tasmanian waters. The yellow-bellied sea snake, from the south coast of New South Wales, and jimble jellyfish, usually found only on the north coast of Australia, from Western Australia to Southern Queensland, have also been sighted. “We are seeing species move – the problem is that different species can do that at different rates,” the University of Tasmania’s associate professor Gretta Pecl, who helps run the project, told Guardian Australia. “It’s causing these large differences in our ecosystems. The clearest example of that in Tasmania is the long-spined sea urchin, which is moving down the east coast... eating all the kelp forests and leaving behind these rocky urchin barrens that rock lobsters and other organisms don’t like to live in,” she said. “The larvae can survive at 12 degrees, so as our winter temperatures hit that 12 degree threshold now, it’s allowing more and more of them to survive.” Professor Philip Boyd, with IMAS, said species that preferred cooler waters were at risk of extinction if they could not migrate or adapt in time, or, as the higher temperatures extended south, were left with nowhere to go. “As you get to the southern extremity of Tasmania, you can’t just keep having these kelp forests, because you run out of coastline and end up in deeper water,” Boyd said. “It’s already undermining the whole ecosystem that’s there.”
- http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/inpictures/2016/04/drought-suicide-india-water-train-160413110837251.html
- http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/may/11/bee-colony-deaths-environmental-problems?utm_source=esp&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Green+Light+2016&utm_term=172076&subid=7792814&CMP=EMCENVEML1631
- I do not wish to seem overdramatic, but I can only conclude from the information that is available to e as Secretary-General, hat the Members of the UN
- Carney M. Breaking the tragedy of the horizon – climate change and financial stability. http://wwwbankofenglandcouk/publications/Pages/speeches/2015/844aspx accessed 21 March, 2016. 2015.
- http://www.timepass69.com/start0-s1266/incredible-korean-painting-artworks