Happy #Caturday! Are all your family and friends registered to vote? #CatsOfMastodon

#caturday #CatsOfMastodon #CatTails

Extreme heat could put 40% of land vertebrates in peril by end of century. Study shows ‘disastrous consequences for wildlife’ if human-caused emissions push global temperatures up 4.4C #ClimateCrisis https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/18/extreme-heat-could-put-40-percent-land-vertebrates-peril-end-of-century-aoe

Honduran environmental defenders shot dead in broad daylight.

Two environmental defenders have been shot dead in broad daylight in Honduras, triggering fresh calls for an independent investigation into the persecution and violence against a rural community battling to stop an illegally sanctioned mine.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jan/11/honduras-environmental-defenders-shot-dead-guapinol-mine

World’s large dams could lose quarter of capacity by 2050, says UN...

... by mid-century, dams and reservoirs will lose about 1.65 Trillion cubic metres of water storage capacity to sediment.

The figure is close to the combined annual water use of India, China, Indonesia, France and Canada.

That is important, the researchers say, because these big dams are a key source of hydroelectricity, flood control, irrigation and drinking water throughout the world.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/11/worlds-large-dams-could-lose-quarter-of-capacity-by-2050-says-un?CMP=share_btn_tw

1) Every cat should have a home.
2) I worry about someone adopting solely to get the bonus, and then dumping the kitten.

-- If you adopt a cat from a Vegas shelter, you can fly free on Frontier. Three kittens recently rescued by a Las Vegas shelter offer an extra special perk: free Frontier Airlines flights. https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2023/01/10/frontier-kittens-rescue-voucher/

Myth Buster: It is widely believed that EVs only reduce total emissions when powered by Green Electricity, but the fact is that even when powered by 100% coal electricity, EVs still reduce total emissions. And of course the balance swings far toward EVs as our electricity sources become greener.

-- Yes, electric vehicles are greener than gas cars — even when they use dirty power https://www.businessinsider.com/electric-cars-environment-emissions-gas-battery-coal-power-2022-12

Read ... Cries for help pour into 988 mental health, suicide line...

more than 200 call centers around country tasked with answering an uptick in calls day and night from people considering suicide or experiencing a mental health emergency.

With bipartisan congressional support and $1 billion in federal funds, the 988 mental health helpline has quickly expanded its reach in the six months since it launched — with over 2 million calls, texts & chat messages pouring in.

https://apnews.com/article/health-mental-washington-suicide-313c20b2098469f04ccadcccdfd46b1b

Scary... #BiodiversityCrisis #EcologicalCrisis
-- Global pollinator losses causing 500,000 early human deaths a year – study. Insect declines mean reduced yields of healthy foods like fruit and vegetables and increased disease in people. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/09/global-pollinator-losses-causing-500000-early-deaths-a-year-study

REALLY bad, if accurate...
--Almost 90% of people in China’s third most populous province have now been infected with Covid-19, a top local official has said, as the country battles an unprecedented surge in cases.
Director of the health commission for central Henan province, told a press conference that “as of January 6, 2023, the province’s Covid infection rate is 89%”.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jan/09/life-is-moving-forward-china-enters-new-phase-in-covid-fight-as-borders-open

An important bit of good news if true...
-- Earth’s ozone layer on course to be healed within decades, UN report finds
Most of atmospheric layer that protects planet from ultraviolet radiation likely to be fully recovered for most of world by 2040
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/09/ozone-layer-healed-within-decades-un-report

Read... Farmers and ranchers are pumping more water out of the aquifer that underlies western Kansas and the surrounding states than nature is putting back. The aquifer will go dry in several decades unless the water use is cut drastically. The Kansas Legislature gets to decide whether to reduce usage now, or to completely run out of water later.

This is made a bit worse by Climate Change, but farmers & ranchers have been greatly overdrawing the aquifer for decades.
https://apnews.com/article/politics-kansas-business-climate-and-environment-51bd4d855972c192e2c3d0187abb5f1e

🤬🤬 A West Virginia journalist was fired last month after she reported about alleged abuse of people with disabilities within the state agency that runs West Virginia's foster care and psychiatric facilities. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/reporter-departure-west-virginia_n_63b9cbcfe4b0d6f0b9fb6d64

End of an era.

The operator is going off the hook for millions of customers.

Starting in January, AT&T customers with digital landlines won’t be able to dial 411 or 0 to reach an operator or get directory assistance.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/07/business/telephone-operators-411-att-ctpr

Wheats, a vital element of the diets of 4.5 billion people which provide 20% of the calories consumed by humans every day, are being devastated by global warming. Now research has found a key to create a heat-resistant variety
‘Holy grail’ wheat gene discovery could feed our overheated world https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/07/holy-grail-wheat-gene-discovery-could-feed-our-overheated-world

Utah's Great Salt Lake is drying up, and may be gone in as little as 5 years. The worst of the many problems this will cause is that toxic dust that is now trapped in the lake bottom will become airborne and endanger human health over a wide area. #ClimateCrisis
https://pws.byu.edu/great-salt-lake/

A HURRICANE by any other name...
Video and lots of photos... Powerful California "Atmospheric River" Storm Kills 2, Thousands Without Power
https://weather.com/news/news/2023-01-05-california-storm-impacts-bomb-cylone-atmospheric-river

Read... Environmental review of 2022: another mile on the ‘highway to climate hell.’ Deadly floods in Pakistan and record heat in the UK were just two symptoms this year of the global crisis
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/dec/30/environmental-review-of-2022-another-mile-on-the-highway-to-climate-hell?CMP=share_btn_tw

#Introduction #intro I am a #liberal who was born in #Chicago and now resides in #Utah. My passion is #DogTraining and #DogSports I have #Kromfohrlanders and #DanishSwedishFarmdogs My favorite #DogSport is #DogAgility. We also play in #NoseWork and #BarnHunt I love trying all the sports and seeing what my #Dogs love best. I train with #PositiveReinforcement and I love to figure out how to get my dogs to do what I want in a way they will have #fun. I #code in #JavaScript using #QuasarFramework

Some more hashtags that describe me even though I've already done an #introduction #intro #introductions

#Fantasy #SciFi #Reading #Sleep #Sleeping #Programming #Coding #Knitting #startrek #introvert #anxiety #starwars #shy #dog #dogs #SaltLakeCity #outdoor #mountains #snow #desert

I usually love to #travel but sometimes it seems like too much work. My Mom is #German and my dad is #Danish.

I love #action movies, #SuperHeroes and #Marvel. I hate boring #drama.

I try to avoid #Conflict