My Science School

 The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration that runs till 2030 calls for urgent action through a global mission. Here's an outline of the agenda and how students can get involved in fostering the recovery of ecosystems.

The Decade

As we know, our planet is plagued by several issues, most of them triggered or worsened by human activity. And how do we resolve these issues? Since the problem is not linear, neither is the solution. But one aspect that's crucial to restoring the health of our planet is its varied ecosystems. And that's exactly what the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021- 2030) focusses on. This decade is contiguous with the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity from 2011 -2020, which aimed at bringing down biodiversity loss. The ongoing decade hopes to bring countries together “to prevent halt and reverse the degradation of ecosystems on every continent and in every ocean.”

Triple environmental emergency

When the restoration decade was launched virtually last year, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres cautioned us that by destroying our ecosystems, we "are reaching the point of no return for the planet.” But there's still hope if we act now. And to improve the dismal situation it is imperative to at once begin addressing the triple environmental emergency - biodiversity loss, climate disruption, and escalating pollution. UN. agencies have said. "An area of land roughly the size of China needs restoring if the planet's biodiversity and the communities who rely on it are to be protected." So, what type of ecosystems are to be restored? All types! From farmlands, forests, freshwater, grasslands, and shrublands to savannahs, mountains, oceans, coasts, peatlands, and urban areas, all are focus areas. And when ecosystems are restored, they "can help to end combat climate change and prevent a mass extinction" For that to happen, each of us has a role to play.

How can the goal be realised?

The key to realising the goals is working together as a community at the global level. Looking at the type of local ecosystems, identifying, understanding, and adopting specific principles suitable for the restoration of each kind of ecosystem, and implementing them are crucial steps. Equally important is to have the insight that any impact one ecosystem can have a bearing on another, and to plan and execute initiatives accordingly. For instance, the restoration effort for forest and trees could involve planting of saplings while for rivers and lakes, it could be cleaning up the trash and adopting sustainable fishing practices. In towns and cities, the focus could be on starting off with small areas and steps such as setting up parks, adopting a tree, conducting awareness campaigns, etc. However, the most significant action will be an individual's to make Earth-friendly choices in how we live. Does "Eat Right Live Light sound about right?

What can students do?

The United Nations suggests three important ways in which anyone can work towards the goal of ecosystem restoration. And these are something students can adopt too since it's for their future.

Actions: Start your own on-the-ground initiative, join an existing restoration or conservation effort. or help build an alliance to give a bigger boost to nature's comeback.

Choices: Change your behaviour and spending to shrink your local and global environmental footprint... Encourage others around you to do the same. Voices: Make your voice and ideas count in debates how to manage your local environment, and about how we can make our societies... fairer and more sustainable.

Picture Credit : Google 

Just like other insects and invertebrates, ants are a crucial part of nature. The large role played by these tiny creatures in keeping an ecosystem going is the kind of stuff wonders are made of.

A recent research published conservatively estimates that our planet harbours about 20 quadrillion ants - that's 20 thousand million millions, or in numerical form, 20,000,000,000,000,000 (20 with 15 zeroes!). It is further estimated that the world's ants collectively constitute about 12 million tonnes of dry carbon. This exceeds the mass of all the world's wild birds and wild mammals combined. It's also equal to about one-fifth of the total weight of humans.

Counting the world's ants

The astounding ubiquity of ants has prompted many naturalists to contemplate their exact number on Earth. But these were basically educated guesses. Systematic, evidence-based estimates have been lacking.

The latest research involved an analysis of 489 studies of ant populations conducted by ant scientists from around the world. This included non-English literature, in languages such as Spanish, French. German, Russian, Mandarin, and Portuguese.

The research spanned all continents and major habitats, including forests, deserts, grasslands, and cities. They used standardised methods for collecting and counting ants such as pitfall traps and leaf litter samples. As you can imagine, this is often tedious work.

The previous figures employed a top-down" approach by assuming ants comprise about 1 % of the world's estimated insect population. In contrast, the "bottom-up" estimate in the recent research is said to be more reliable because it uses data on ants observed directly in the field and makes fewer assumptions.

The next step was to work out how much all these ants weigh. The mass of organisms is typically measured in terms of their carbon makeup. It was estimated that 20 quadrillion average-sized ants corresponds to a dry weight or "biomass" of approximately 12 million tonnes of carbon. This is more than the combined biomass of wild birds and mammals - and about 20% of total human biomass. Carbon makes up about half the dry weight of an ant. If the weight of other bodily elements was included, the total mass of the world's ants would be higher still.

A few caveats, but...

The findings come with a few caveats. For example, the sampling locations in the dataset are unevenly distributed across geographic regions. And the vast majority of samples were collected from the ground layer, meaning they have very little information about ant numbers in trees or underground. So, the findings are somewhat incomplete.

But what is clear is while global insect numbers are declining due to threats such as habitat destruction and fragmentation, chemical use, invasive species and climate change, data on insect biodiversity is alarmingly scarce. It is hoped that the recent study provides a baseline for further research to help fill this gap because it is in humanity's interest to monitor ant populations. Counting ants is not difficult, and citizen scientists from all over the world could help investigate how these important animals are faring at a time of great environmental change.

WE ALL NEED ANTS

• Ants provide vital "ecosystem services" for humans. For instance, a recent study found ants can be more effective than pesticides at helping farmers produce food.
• Ants have also developed tight interactions with other organisms - and some species cannot survive without them. For example, some birds rely on ants to flush out their prey. And thousands of plant species either feed or house ants in exchange for protection, or dispersal of their seeds.
• Many ants are predators, helping to keep populations of other insects in check.

DID YOU KNOW?

• Eminent biologist Edward O Wilson once said insects and other invertebrates are the little things that run the world- and he was right Ants, in particular, are a crucial part of nature.
• Among other roles, ants aerate the soil, disperse seeds, break down organic material, create habitat for other animals, and form an important part of the food chain.
• Estimating ant numbers and mass provides an important baseline from which to monitor ant populations amid worrying environmental changes.
• There are more than 15,700 named species and subspecies of ants, and many others not yet named by science. Ants high degree of social organisation has enabled them to colonise nearly all ecosystems and regions around the globe.
• Ants are distributed unevenly on Earth's surface. They vary sixfold between habitats and generally peak in the tropics. This underscores the importance of tropical regions in maintaining healthy ant populations.
• Ants are also particularly abundant in forests, and surprisingly, in arid regions. But they become less common in human-made habitats.

Picture Credit : Google 

If you want to be a part of the solution to climate change, you need to check your carbon footprint.

A carbon footprint is defined as the amount of carbon dioxide, methane and other gases generated by our actions that are harmful to the planet. It is expressed in tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.

The average carbon footprint for a person in India is 2.7 tonnes. But this average masks the wide differences between urban and rural residents, and between rich and poor households. So if you want to be a part of the climate solution, you need to check your carbon footprint.

There are many carbon calculators on the Internet, but few are fine-tuned for the Indian consumer. Some of the local calculators are from Tata Power and ICICI Bank. The calculations cover your energy, gas, paper, and other uses whose manufacture generate carbon emissions.

Once your footprint is known, various options are available to offset your emissions. These include planting trees, helping to set up solar or bio gas installations in villages, etc.

Voluntary carbon offsets

Many airlines provide voluntary carbon offsets for domestic or international flights as part of ticketing. For example, if you fly from Mumbai to London on British Airways (BA), your round trip will generate 1.1 tCO2e in emissions. BA will charge you separately to offset the emission, which will be used to protect forests in Cambodia or Peru or supply smokeless cook stoves in Sudan.

So what is the benefit to you? There is no direct benefit, except for some satisfaction that you have done your bit for the environment, that you have been a good global citizen, and that instead of just talking about climate change, you are taking action to address the climate crisis.

Planting trees

I will give you a personal example. My carbon footprint for 2020 was 7.1 tCO2e, which is above the Indian average on account of two flights. I decided to offset this emission by contributing towards planting trees in the village of Pekhri in Himachal Pradesh. I was helping not only to create a 'global good' but also local villagers who had no work on account of the pandemic. The money will help Pekhri village to plant a thousand fruit, fodder and timber trees on degraded slopes. The trees will be selected by the local people. In a small way, the plantation will also help store carbon in the soil, a global benefit.

But critics of carbon offsets say this is a Band-Aid solution, that it enables the well-off people to continue to pollute the Earth and just write a cheque to offset their bad behaviour. What is needed, they argue, is a complete change in lifestyle, a behavioural change that recognises the damaging impact of consumerism on the planet.

Getting out of our comfort zone

This is a valid argument, but changing human behaviour is not easy. Try convincing a car owner in Mumbai or Delhi to give up his precious car, motorcycle or scooter! Or a middle class housewife in Chennai or Hyderabad not to run the home air conditioner in the summer. Comfort and convenience are the hallmarks of a modern lifestyle. To convince the urban middle class to move out of its comfort zone is very hard, but one must try through raising awareness.

Calculating one's carbon footprint is the start of this awareness. As my high schoolteacher said, "To be a part of the solution, you must recognise you are part of the problem." You can't solve the climate crisis without recognising your role in it.

Picture Credit : Google 

Recently, Lake Merrit in Oakland, California, the U.S... turned reddish brown, causing fear among the residents. They were advised to not use the water and to keep their pets away from the water body. Scientists suspected a possible case of Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB), and the samples have been sent for investigation. This is not the first time that HAB has been experienced in the lakes in the US. In the last few months, there has been a sporadic rise in the detection of algal bloom in the lakes. Lakes such as Hopatcong, Anna, Erie, and so on have been witnessing the highest concentration of HAB, triggering concerns.

Algal bloom is an overgrowth of algae or algae-like bacteria in fresh, salt, or brackish waters. They can occur in a variety of colours, namely red, blue-green, brown, and pink. Depending on the algae, they can lead to the formation of scum, foam, froth, or a slick. Not all algal blooms are toxic. A HAB, though, is, and can endanger humans and many organisms.

What causes HAB?

Most are caused by cyanobacteria. Though they are bacteria, they perform photosynthesis just like algae, and are often called blue-green algae. Some produce dangerous cyanotoxins. The most reported cyanobacteria is microcystis. HAB Occurs naturally as well as due to human activities. In fact, human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels, land development, and deforestation have all led to an increase in the amount of carbon dioxide. The cyanobacteria feed on the carbon dioxide, which fuels their growth.

Most harmful algal blooms are caused by cyanobacteria. Though they are bacteria, they perform photosynthesis just like algae, and are often called blue-green algae.

Picture Credit : Google