Tag Archives: pollution

A neonic that’s bad news for birds

Posted on July 25, 2014 by argylesock

Here in Europe, three insect-killing neonicotinoids are under a temporary ban. One of the banned neonics is called imidacloprid. Six months into the neonic ban, here’s new science about imidacloprid and insect-eating birds in the Netherlands. The chemical and biotech … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, ecology, horticulture, knowledge transfer | Tagged apple, arthropod, Bayer, bird, crop, DDT, ecosystem, Europe, European Food Safety Authority, history, imidacloprid, insect, insecticide, insectivore, invertebrate, knowledge, law, pest control, pesticide, plant_dicot, poison, pollution, research, seed, seedling, soil, sugar beet, tomato, vertebrate, water, wildlife | 2 Comments

What is biodiverse food?

Posted on June 13, 2014 by argylesock

Ann Tutwiler of Bioversity International tells us why in the 21st century, we need biodiverse food. And she tells us what that could mean. Ms Tutwiler doesn’t mince her words, saying that a need for dramatically increased food production is … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, food, horticulture, knowledge transfer | Tagged amaranth, banana, barley, biodiversity, biotechnology, cacao, cassava, climate, commodity, corn, crop, development, fertiliser, food, food security, food sovereignty, fossil fuel, foxtail millet, genetic diversity, grain, grass, Green Revolution, grocery, knowledge, maize, neglected crop, oats, pearl millet, plantain, plant_dicot, plant_monocot, politics, pollution, potato, poverty, prosperity, public_private partnership, quinoa, research, rice, rye, small millet, smallholder, soil, sorghum, staple food, supermarket, sustainable, teff, trade, water, wheat, wild rice | 3 Comments

Out of Sight, Out of Mind? A Visualization of Ocean Trash

Posted on May 18, 2014 by argylesock

Originally posted on Ocean News:
Project AWARE’s new interactive map is the first to visualize nearly three years of ongoing reporting by an international network of scuba divers who remove marine debris they find underwater through the Dive Against Debris…

Posted in ecology, knowledge transfer | Tagged Africa, America, Asia, conservation, data, Europe, finfish, fishing, glass, habitat loss, invertebrate, mammal, map, marine mammal, metal, paper, plastic, pollution, rubber, sea, shellfish, textile, vertebrate, waste, wildlife, wood | Leave a comment

Real impact of neonicotinoid seed dressings stays buried

Posted on May 14, 2014 by argylesock

A temporary European ban on three insect-killing chemicals called neonicotinoids has been in force since December 2013. These neonics are called clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam. They’re used as seed dressings and soil treatments, among other things. Just after this ban … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, ecology | Tagged arthropod, barley, clothianidin, crop, Europe, flower, grain, honeybee, hymenopteran, imidacloprid, insect, insecticide, law, millet, neonicotinoid, oats, plant_monocot, pollination, pollution, rice, rye, seed, seed dressing, soil, sorghum, sowing, staple food, thiamethoxam, triticale, waterway, wheat, wild bee | 8 Comments

Rubbish in the oceans

Posted on April 9, 2014 by argylesock

As teams from several countries search for the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, they’re finding a lot of rubbish. Laura Parker at National Geographic tells us how this shines a spotlight on giant ocean garbage patches.

Posted in ecology | Tagged plastic, pollution, sea, waste, wildlife | 1 Comment

Can BIG be beautiful too?

Posted on April 5, 2014 by argylesock

Three leading figures from science and farming consider the role large-scale farming can play in British agriculture.

Posted in agriculture, knowledge transfer | Tagged farmer, food security, knowledge, land use, livestock, pollution, population, scientist, sustainable, veterinary, welfare | 2 Comments

Revealed: the chemical blitz bees face in fields

Posted on January 30, 2014 by argylesock

Dave Goulson at The Conversation tells us about insecticides on British crops. Last year on oilseed rape (rapeseed, canola, Brassica napus) Prof Goulson found the neonicotinoid called thiamethoxam (which, by now, is temporarily banned), the pyrethroids called beta-cyfluthrin and alpha-cypermethrin, … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, ecology, knowledge transfer, money and trade | Tagged alpha-cypermethrin, arthropod, beta-cyfluthrin, brassica, bumblebee, canola, crop, farmer, fungicide, fungus, honeybee, hymenopteran, insect, insecticide, integrated pest management, neonicotinoid, oilseed, pest, pesticide, plant_dicot, plant_monocot, pollination, pollution, prothioconazole, pyrethroid, rapeseed, thiamethoxam, trade, wild bee, wild pollinator | 1 Comment

Using Algae to Control Industrial Emissions

Posted on December 3, 2013 by argylesock

argylesock says… Algae have great potential to bring us to a cleaner world. argylesock says… Algae have great potential to bring us to a cleaner world.View original post

Posted in knowledge transfer, miniculture | Tagged algaculture, algae, biobased industry, bioremediation, development, pollution, research, technology | Leave a comment

More corn grown in U.S. this year than ever before. Thanks, biofuels.

Posted on November 6, 2013 by argylesock

argylesock says… We can hope for more ‘advanced biofuels’ but just now, biofuels in the USA are mostly from corn (maize, Zea mays).

Posted in agriculture, money and trade | Tagged biofuel, conservation, corn, crop, cropland, eutrophic, fertiliser, fuel, grain, herbicide, land use, maize, pesticide, plant_dicot, plant_monocot, politics, pollution, research, soya, sustainable, technology, trade, waterway | 2 Comments

Nature conservation succeeds in parts of Europe

Posted on October 8, 2013 by argylesock

The State of Nature Report was sobering news for us in Britain in May 2013. I told you about it at the time. But a few weeks later, evidence came in Ecology Letters that conservation efforts may be paying off … Continue reading →

Posted in ecology, knowledge transfer, money and trade | Tagged arthropod, beetle, biodiversity, butterfly, coleopteran, conservation, data, dipteran, ecosystem, finance, habitat loss, history, hymenopteran, insect, intensive, knowledge, land use, lepidopteran, moth, pollination, pollution, research, wild pollinator, wildlife | 3 Comments