The Human Cost of Fossil Fuel Extraction

            Hydraulic fracturing (fracking) in California has already run up against serious opposition because of its harmful effects on people and the environment. It is relatively well-known that contamination to groundwater from fracking can lead to cancer and birth defects, as well as other ecological contamination. Fracking causes destruction of the land and harm to animal species. However, for indigenous people living on reservations that are being fracked for natural resources, there are even more pressing and dangerous effects. I spoke with Kahea Pacheco of Women’s Earth Alliance (http://www.womensearthalliance.org/section.php?id=149 ), an organization which “invests in grassroots women's leadership to drive solutions to our most pressing ecological concerns – water, food, land, and climate,” about the negative impact resource extraction has on indigenous women.

            According to Pacheco, one of the most important but least known consequences of fracking on indigenous peoples is the increased risk of sexual assault for native women. When an oil or natural gas company begins work, men from across the country are brought to the area, creating a huge spike in population. Man camps –temporary housing for the workers-- are set up near the drill site or pipeline, and these camps are where the worst atrocities against native women are carried out. Women living on reservations, mostly between the ages of sixteen and twenty-one, are often forcibly taken to the man-camps and report being gang-raped or sexually assaulted. There are also increasing rates of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, as well as drug use and suicide, on reservations which are now being exploited for natural resources. As well as destroying the health, land, and ecology of the area, oil and natural gas companies have taken it on themselves to destroy the mental health and happiness of the people living near the drill sites.

            However, indigenous people are beginning to fight back against this many-sided threat. Native groups in Idaho, Oregon and Montana have banded together and started to blockade the roads used by megaload trucks –the trucks that carry supplies to the drill sites and piplines— to make it more difficult for the trucks to come through on reservation land. Indian People’s Action, a protest group in Montana, sets up midnight blockades for these trucks and refuses to let the trucks through when they want to pass. Because of these efforts, megaload trucks must re-direct their course and spend more money to take the supplies farther, along more roundabout routes. These groups would like to make it as difficult and expensive as possible for trucks to move supplies, so that, eventually, drilling or building the pipeline in that area isn’t economically viable.

            Resource extraction, fracking, and the use of oil and natural gas are more costly than most people realize. This source of energy is responsible for countless ecological, environmental, and social problems. The next time you turn on the ignition in your car, think, if only for a second, about the real human cost of the fuel in your vehicle.

By Kate Iida

Dr. Christian Frankenberg

By Ricardo Hinostroza

          Dr. Christian Frankenberg, a scientist with NASA, is working on a project to measure the chlorophyll fluorescence on Earth and CO2 levels. Chlorophyll fluorescence is a different kind of wavelength emitted during photosynthesis, which can be used to measure the photosynthetic rate worldwide.

          NASA is using a satellite to test for fluorescence and CO2. The OCO-2 is now in orbit after successfully launching on July 2 from Vandenberg Air Force Station, California.

          The Earthscope team asked Dr. Frankenberg, “Why is it important to measure photosynthetic activity?”, and he explains that photosynthesis is important because it is mainly plants that provide life with oxygen. He then explains that photosynthesis takes CO2 from the atmosphere, releasing O2 to make sugar for the plants.

          He then explains that measuring chlorophyll fluorescence helps us understand this process and many others.

          Dr. Frankenberg highlighted the environmental benefits of the satellite research. For example, he says that through this work, he hopes to be able to measure the water stress that plants may be experiencing. Dr. Frankenberg explains that “if you look at your garden, and you often forget to water it, after a while it will start wilting, but there’s a period before that there are noticeable visible changes where the plants experience mild-water stress.”

          It seems that these experiments done by NASA can benefit how scientists see and study our environment and plant life.

          Scientists want to know how the carbon cycle reacts to heart, droughts, changes in rain, etc. It’s the beginning for further study and a better way to study our world. Dr. Frankenberg believes that climate changes are occurring and that the rise of temperatures and the rise of seal levels will have an impact on cities, especially those in coastal areas.

          It is important that scientists like Dr. Frankenberg are trying to study and keep our environment safe. Our world seems to by losing oxygen and CO2 levels are rising.

          There have been ways people are switching to greener ways, but right now scientists want to measure and study gas exchange, which will hopefully lead to a new way of reducing CO2 and getting more oxygen. Technology has advanced and it amazes us that we can look from space and see at a molecular level what is happening on the earth and in the process of photosynthesis.

          Dr. Frankenberg stated that people who do not believe in global warming need to “let the data speak.” In other words, no matter what people say about our environment, scientific data shows what is happening to our earth and human denial does not change that reality.

The Detrimental Consequences of Resource Extraction

By: Chloe Cheng

Resource extraction has an extremely negative impact on indigenous communities, and in particular, on indigenous women.

Kahea Pacheco, the Operations Manager and North America Advocacy Network Coordinator for the Women’s Earth Alliance, said, “We should start by looking at the term ‘environmental violence’. It’s a new term that’s been coming up that a lot of indigenous-led movements are using, and it’s the deliberate release of toxins or the deliberate practice of other harmful, environmentally degrading industries on our lands and territories despite evidence that they cause a range of serious health and social impacts, which disproportionately affect indigenous communities.” 

The Women’s Earth Alliance works to provide women - particularly, indigenous women - with the tools and resources needed to better their communities and confront ecological, health, and social concerns.

According to study submitted to the United Nations Forum on Indigenous Issues entitled “Indigenous Women and Environmental Violence”, resource extraction releases a multitude of toxins, including pesticides, that adversely affect individuals’ health and ultimately, the health of overall communities.

In relation to this, Pacheco added, “Some examples of these environmentally degrading practices include pesticide exploitation and in particular, resource extraction, so Native American women are 2.5 times more likely to be raped than any other woman in the US. And in 86% of these cases, the perpetrator is reported to be non-native.” Indigenous Native American women are more likely to be raped or assaulted because oftentimes, in order to extract resources, desolate temporary camps of non-native workers are set up near the extraction site, which is often near indigenous communities.

Pacheco expanded, “There’s a part of eastern Montana where there are 3 camps that have caused victims, many of which are young, native women (indigenous youth) between the ages of 16 and 21. They report being given drugs or alcohol as a form of coercion and then being taken to these remote camps where they are raped. ”

Pacheco discussed other consequences, saying, “There are other social stressors caused by environmental violence, including high rates of HIV and sexually transmitted infections, increasing rates of youth suicide, and land and water contamination, which has led to rises in cancer, which can affect women’s reproductive health and the future generations of these communities.”

It is imperative that a change be made to protect the rights of indigenous women and their communities because as Pacheco said, “When women thrive, communities thrive. Women are often the center of communities - the center of the home - and they are often the people who do work with the resources around them. So these are the women who just need a few more resources to take what they are already doing to the next level.”

Pacheco and the Women’s Earth Alliance believe that the first step toward bettering the situation is to realize that environmental violence is a real, tangible, hard-hitting issue. The second step is to determine what resources and tools communities need to escape their predicaments, combat their problems, and accomplish their goals.

Independent and Commercial Farms Can Call a Truce

By Sean McGovern

Mention monoculture, synthetic fertilizers, or pesticide spraying in your local grocery store, and every listener with an eco-conscience- anyone between the most uninspired shopping cart environmentalist and Captain Planet himself, would gasp- or at least prepare to defend their views on this controversial topic. It is commonly known that large, commercial farms are less eco-friendly than organic, independent farms, and for this reason, 58 percent of Americans prefer organic crops, according to a 2011 Thomson Reuters poll. This predominant reaction is justified, as commercial farms often compromise the health of our land for a profit.

Such unsustainable practices have been proven by countless studies to degrade not just the soil underneath these crops, but to harm environment far the farms. For example, fertilizers used in extreme quantities by massive commercial farms are eventually washed into streams and ponds, causing water to become choked by more nitrogen than it can naturally cycle, oxygen contents to become depleted, and fish populations to die off in horrendous quantities. And these harmful practices are supported by even the most recent farm bill, passed early in 2014, which rewards 99 percent of its agricultural subsidies to traditional farms and tosses the leftovers to organic farmers. According to Sibella Kraus, the most recent Farm Bill’s “subsidy payments are out of whack across the board, rewarding the wrong behaviors in terms of sustainability”. Kraus has been a long-time environmental activist, founding the San Francisco Ferry Plaza’s renowned farmers’ market as well as the greatly influential organization SAGE. Since its creation, SAGE has been a role model for individuals and new organizations hoping to make a difference in our environmental crisis, proving how to successfully provide agricultural education and training, protect agricultural land, and demonstrate sustainable practices to significantly reduce a community’s ecological footprint.

Due to the horrific consequences of traditional farming practices, many of those concerned with the industry’s environmental impacts understandably believe that the solution must be to replace these commercial farms with independent, local, organic farms. And while this solution would be ideal, it is at this point that environmentalism must meet economics, and simply, reality. Kraus states that "we need diversity across the board. I don’t think the answer is all small farms, or all big farms, or all medium-scale farms". The fact of the matter is, it costs more to grow organic, clean crops in today's quite imperfect society, and not everyone can afford to pay extra for their food. Commercial farms will remain an essential part of our lives until the day that a price tag is no longer the most significant difference between the two rivaling piles of broccoli in the supermarket. While this is surely not a long-term solution, it is the current solution as we wait for the agricultural industry to plow its way into the modern age.

Undoubtedly, those of us concerned with the fate of our planet can be confidently optimistic. There are indeed gradually increasing “subsidies for organic, there’s help for small farmers, and there’s an increasing amount of funding for organic research,” says Kraus. In the meantime, we can fight for our interests every time we shop. As the public continues to prove the significance of organic food, our government will be forced to recognize the need to increase its subsidies for organic farmers, and commercial farms will evolve to meet our demands. And, just as a laboring farmer perseveres under the scorching heat of the sun, our long, exhausting battle will surely harvest a worthy reward.

Local News Anchor Making Headlines

By Danielle Chemtob

ABC Channel 7 News anchor Cheryl Jennings was rejected from 19 of the 20 radio internships she applied for while in college.

But that didn't stop her from becoming one of the most prominent women news anchors on television.

This week, Earthscope reporters had the opportunity to visit Jennings and observe a typical morning in the ABC Channel 7 studio in San Francisco.

The 5 p.m. newscaster begins her day by reading and watching as much news as she can before she arrives at the studio, so that she is informed for the 11 a.m. show she also hosts.

Shortly before 11 a.m., Jennings and her co-anchor prepare for the morning broadcast by reading over the script from behind the news desk.

As soon as the show begins, Jennings switches between reading from a teleprompter while her image is being shown, and reading from the script while it is not. However, she said that often breaking news will occur during the live newscast, and the script will have to change at a moment’s notice.

Jennings was inspired to become a journalist when she interviewed two prominent female television journalists for a project for her women’s studies course at San Francisco City College. Shortly after, she applied for the 20 internships, and ended up being offered one at an NBC radio station for which she worked 50 hours a week.  

Jennings began her work at ABC 7/KGO TV in 1979, and 2013 marked her 25th year as the host of the 5 o’clock news.

Rather than the adopt the view of many journalists that social media is putting the news out of business, Jennings described the variety of new jobs created within the news station that dealt solely with social media. She was optimistic about the role of technology in the delivery of news, and graciously took selfies with our group to be tweeted to her followers.

The Inconvenient (and Misleading) Truth of GMOs

By Sean McGovern

The Inconvenient (and Misleading) Truth of GMOs
July 2014
                       
According to Al Baylacq, the co-owner of the independent Bay Area grocery store, Good Earth, it is nearly impossible to grow genetically modified organisms, “GMOs”, without having a serious impact on the environment. However, GMOs are increasingly touted as a viable solution to the world’s growing food needs.
                       
The World Health Organization is one of many organizations supporting these crops, stating that “No effects on human health have been shown as a result of the consumption of ‘GMOs’”. However, There are a growing number of credible scientific studies that clearly demonstrate that GMOs are harmful to our health. (The results of many of these studies can be found at http://www.collective-evolution.com/2014/04/08/10-scientific-studies-proving-gmos-can-be-harmful-to-human-health/) GMOs are also claimed by the biotech industry to create larger yields than organic crops, which makes them appear to be an increasingly attractive solution for our exponentially growing population. However,a recent US Department of Agriculture study at the University of Wisconsin essentially negated the "more food" argument as well. 


                   

To further evaluate the worth of these crops and weigh their benefits against their consequences, we must consider that each year, more pesticides, herbicides, and other chemicals are required to keep weeds and bugs from wreaking havoc on the GMO crops. Hypothetically, if you needed 100 units per acre of these chemicals the first year just to keep your GMO monocrop alive, then you will need a 50% increase or 150 units per acre of chemicals on the same plot of land the following year, and so on. This is because the unwanted weeds and bugs evolve each season to survive in spite of the chemical barrage (unfortunately there is mounting evidence that plants and insects we find beneficial, like butterflies and bees, are not so hardy, and their populations are plummeting possibly because of GMOs). These resistant bugs and weeds- become “superbugs” and “superweeds”. Such organisms are immune to pesticides, much like many harmful viruses that are immune to antibiotics due to our overuse.
                       
The by-product of these harmful agricultural practices not only these super pests - but also “dead” soil onsite, while wind and water transport the poisonous chemicals to other ecosystems offsite. This all leads to a decline of biodiversity.

“In a true organic farm, you have biodiversity, you have variety, and you have a great amount of beneficial insects. In an organic farm, nature helps take care of things a farmer does not want, and you can’t get that with GMO monocropping- there is no diversity left, and there is no way to make it good for the planet,” according to Baylacq.
                       
Good Earth has worked for years to rid its shelves of any GMO foods, and has fought for California to pass laws like the most recent Prop 37, requiring the labeling of genetically altered crops. Yet even though over 93% of americans favor GMO labeling, according to a 2013 New York Times poll, Prop 37 was defeated in California.
                       
“It’s really easy for the political side of things to make the science work for whatever side you’re on. Politics can easily become mixed up with science on many different fronts,” says Baylacq. For example, “in the last three weeks leading up to passage of the bill, over $30 million dollars came in from industries that support GMOs - from Monsanto, from Dupont, and from the Grocers’ Association”. This statement is certainly supported by the contradictory claims of the benefits of GMOs by the biotech industry and the “scientific reports” that they back.
                       
These large companies often manipulate scientific findings to promote their interests and protect their revenue stream. It is hard to believe that these companies hide or downplay the serious impacts of GMO crops on the planet and our health. There is a plethora of proof that GMO’s are harmful in many ways. But even if there was simply unanswered questions about their potential harm, wouldn’t it be safer to hold back from releasing GMO crops and food into our society?

Unfortunately, GMO’s have been released without the proper review of their safety in the United States. While many countries and provinces have banned GMOs. (To see a full listof countries and provinces that have baned GMOs go to http://www.organicconsumers.org/gefood/countrieswithbans.cfm)

 Nature’s survival, and ours, rests upon our ability to feed ourselves with crops free of chemicals, and by supporting biodiversity. So to those convinced that genetically modified organisms arethe answer, it may be time to accept the inconvenient truth that GMOs have a negative impact on our health and our planet.
                       
By Sean McGovern, EarthScope Reporter

"Protecting Marin Since 1934"

By Charlotte Smith

            Have you ever wondered who protects and preserves the natural assets of Marin County? For decades, the Marin Conservation League “MCL” has worked on a number of projects including saving the Angel Island Foundation. Angel Island was declared surplus by the federal government and could have been turned into private development, but MCL formed the Angel Island Foundation to save it rather than let it go on the auction block. MCL also and contributed $25,000 to establish the Tomales Bay State Park. Nona Dennis, vice president of the Marin Conservation League, worked for years to preserve our open spaces and provide continued access to some of Marin County’s natural wonders. According to Dennis, “Now about half of Marin County is protected, it’s open space for the public to enjoy. And then since that time, the direction of Marin Conservation League has been more to be a watchdog, because things don’t stand still and there are small projects that are constantly coming up that have environmental impacts and MCL is involved in reviewing them and trying to make them better projects.” Thus, the purpose of the Marin Conservation League today is to monitor these projects and determine their environmental impacts. MCL also continues to save threatened land that has important habitats.

            Almost ninety years ago, four women in the 1930s founded MCL and it is an organization that continues to preserve the nature and wildlife of Marin to this day. Nona says collaboration with other environmental groups is a key to MCL’s future. “I think we have been the leader in many environmental battles for the good of Marin, but we also have worked closely in collaboration with the Sierra Club, with Marin Audubon, with citizens, with local groups… and so forth. So I would say, I know it’s cliché, but it takes a village.”

Between 1934 and 1981, MCL helped to acquire and preserve many of Marin’s land. The total area of these lands is more than 11,000 acres. Many of these places were set aside for the public, such as places that became state parks. The Marin Conservation League was also the leader for establishing at a county level an open space district, which now has accumulated properties. This was all the work of the Marin Conservation League leading thousands of volunteers.

Nona has a strong belief that we should leave the land as it is for future generations of not only people, but also wildlife. She commits a great deal of her time and her effort to the Marin Conservation League because of her belief in its mission. According to Nona, we need to coexist with the wildlife. Part of that is for our own self-interest. “We, as humans, are part of a larger community. We need to be a part of this community, rather than ‘conquerers’ of it.”