The summers of New York City are becoming hot with the scorching art pieces displayed at The New Museum of Contemporary Arts. The latter these days, houses a provocative and environmentally charged exhibition-”After Nature” show (named so after W.G. Sebald’s visionary book with the same title).

This exhibition displays the thoughtful and creative work of twenty-six multigenerational artists, filmmakers, writers and outsiders. Many of these workers are showcasing their work for the first time in an American museum. The exhibits are lined-up on the museum’s three floors.

The paintings from these distinguished artists draw their inspiration from heterogeneous sources. They seem to unfold before or eyes like a brilliantly written taut novel and with force capture our attention for their ‘raw’ appeal.

The press release sums it up as “a story of abandonment, regression, and rapture”. The paintings being an “epic of humanity coming apart under the pressure of obscure forces and not-so-distant environmental disasters”.

 This eco-feverish exhibition (organized by Massimiliano Gioni) is a must see for its communion of artists like Werner Herzog, Zoe Leonard, William Christenberry, Roberto Cuoghi, Erik van Lieshout, Diego Perrone, Thomas Schütte, Dana Schutz, Tino Sehgal, August Strindberg, Eugene Von Bruenchenhein, and Nathalie Djurberg to name a few.

Source: newmuseum

A teaching kit on environmental and food for primary schools. E EcoRi Kit, a request by Tetra Pak Italiana and designed by the coop. The Snail on behalf of Consortium Concerto (national network Achabgroup), agency communications environment. The project can be requested by all teachers for free. It will then distribute them in the classroom and to use all pupils, building pathways on environmental sustainability in a game and fun.

What’s inside the EcoRi kit? 25 folding presentation of the project for parents; 25 pamphlets Star Brik, travel in the galaxy Tetra Brik, educational game about recycling cardboard, 1 brochure 100% recyclable on the issue of collection and in particular on the board beverages; 1 brochure Goodness daily on proper nutrition; 12 cards educational paths with educational workshops, games and tests to be carried out together with pupils; 2 poster for the class entitled The life cycle of the carton beverage and “The recycled paperboard beverage 16 sheets in squares. All in recycled paper by Tetra Pak.

Tuatara, the ancient reptile found in New Zealand is under survival threat from none other than global warming. Also, known as a “living fossil” / “living dinosaur”, this reptile has lived on our planet from the past 220 million years! That’s quite a long time. But now, this endangered animal known for its “spiny back” is facing extreme pressure on survival front due to rising global temperatures. The phenomenon of climate change has started showing its true colors in various parts of the world now. In wake of an impending threat to humans due to catastrophic events popping out as a result of both global warming and climate change, one can only imagine what little chance a reptilian species has! Tuatara is one of the oldest and relatively un-evolved species alive today. Commonly mistaken for lizards or mini crocs this animal is very different from the two and has a very primitive bone structure.

Reptiles as such are known for their sensitivity to thermal changes. Mostly being endothermic or cold-blooded creatures, the population of reptiles faces a challenge when their breeding cycles get disturbed owing to fluctuations in temperature. Something similar is happening with this New Zealandian reptile as well. Australian researches predict that with every 3-4 degree rise in air temperature the tuatara will only be able to produce male offspring by 2085. This means complete wipeout of females of the species! The researchers say their finding highlights the need for ways to predict climate change impacts in animals where sex of the offspring is determined by temperature.

A radio interview with Dr. Nicola Mitchell, from the Centre for Evolutionary Biology at the University of Western Australia, on www.radioaustralia.net reveals that by the predicted time frame, the sex change in tuatara newborns will lead to a drastic situation. In a scenario where no biological females would be found, the species will face a big question mark upon its reproductive propagation in natural habitats. Upon being asked by presenter Steve Holland as to what could be the preventive measure to this situation,

Dr. Mitchell informed about the ongoing breeding program that might be the only hope to see the species flourish some 75yrs ahead in future. But, she had her doubts on the profound effects of such artificial intervening measures. We all know that nature has her own mechanisms and one of the most powerful of them being natural selection followed by reproduction of animal species which leads to variation. The latter being very important from the point of view of survival of any species on earth.

Reflecting upon the grave issue, I’m just left wondering when are we actually going to start respecting other organisms as living beings, esply. Those, who have been sharing Earth for millions of years with us!

The picture is taken from nationalgeographic.com

Via RadioAustralia

Nestled in the Aravali Hills, Sariska National Park (Rajasthan, India) today, welcomed a male tiger flown in from Ranthambore National Park. This is the first time a big cat has been relocated from one forest to another. Sariska has been an abode for tigers in India and was one of the seats of Project Tiger in India. But in 2004, the tiger population was wiped out completely from this national park by Sansarchand and other poachers.

After this episode of national shame, the Wildlife Institute of India in Dehradun and National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) had been thinking about relocating tigers in this area. The proposal to relocate tigers from another national park with relatively large number of tigers (Ranthambore) was cleared by the PM himself sensing the seriousness of the matter. So, the king of the jungle was given a royal treatment and was flown into the park’s Nayapani area in a tranquilized state.

The Indian Air Force was only too happy to join in and provided a MI-17 helicopter to carry the beast. This 3.5yr old male weighing 220 kg is the first among others to be relocated. The WII and NTCA have plans to relocate a tigress in coming week. Other tigers will be brought in Sariska in a period of few months to effectively initiate tiger breeding programs at the national park.

To prevent the sad events of 2004, this time all the relocated tigers will be tightly monitored using GPS collars. These collars help in keeping a close eye over the movements of animals using satellite-based tracking systems. Besides WII officials alongwith Sariska officials will strictly monitor the new king in the region which awaits a name as yet. Also, watchtowers have been set up near Nayapani to observe the settling-down process of the park’s latest inmate.

The event is indeed promising. Here’s wishing good luck to the big cat!

Via TOI

All is not well for the Japanese firefly. So far, it was considered that only big bats, great apes, whales and other big animals were being hunted and poached by humans. Now, even insects are not safe. The news from Japan confirms this. Fireflies in Japan are being facing an extinction threat posed not by predatory birds, pesticides and insecticides but by human poachers.

In Japan, the insect is regarded more than just a tiny creature. It’s a source of inspiration for Haiku (traditional poem of Japan). The firefly is kept as a pet by children and the ancients believe it to be the souls of dead Kamikaze pilots. In a country known for its artistically sensitive people, fireflies are known to be a cultural symbol.

These insects produce flickering red, yellow or green light. Because of this visual brilliance these insects steal everybody’s attention via firefly displays. The tradition of firefly watching was first established in the Heian Period (9th century) of Japanese History. Since then, the insect has been the object of fascination among kids, adults, poets, artists and have been weaved into the numerous folktales of the country. Unfortunately now, in the rapidly commercializing world of ours, these insects are being poached for summer firefly displays at hotels, restaurants and private farm houses.

Increasing pollution and destruction of habitat are other factors that have so far contributed in declining the number of these small creatures. But the decline in population brought about by poaching is fairly visible as, officials at Fussa Firefly Park confirm the disappearance of nearly 80% of firefly population in just one night alone during this summer season. Fussa, in west of Tokyo is a favorite destination among locals who swarm here in summer, to see the firefly display in natural settings.

All over Japan, some thirty species of fireflies are found. Among these, the one which is very popular for its fire display is Luciola cruciata commonly known as the Genji Firefly. Following the incident at Fussa Park, the local policemen are on the lookout for the poachers. As per the police, criminal charges may be slapped on those found guilty, to discourage poaching .Japanese Fireflies are on sale on the internet aswell. The customers being locals to tourists who want to pet these fire flickering insects.

The mechanism of light emission in fireflies is a product of chemical reaction between luciferin and oxygen brought about by the enzyme luciferase. The exothermic reaction leads to the dissipation of energy in form of light often pale red, yellow or greenish in color from the hind legs and tails of these organisms.
Fireflies are just one of the numerous marvels of nature that are now disappearing rapidly due to human activities. It’s high time that their poaching must be curbed else, the coming generations in Japan will learn about these brilliant insects only through paintings and Haiku.

Via TimesOnline

In what could be called as the first ever move to bring “non-human” hominids and humans on the same platform, Spain is about to pass a law that grants ‘human rights’ to these creatures. According to the members of parliament’s environmental committee in the country, “Great apes should be given the human rights to life and freedom”. This view is in compliance with the objectives of the Great Apes Project (GAP) founded by Peter Singer and Paola Cavalieri in 1993. This international organization now consists of primatologists, psychologists, ethicists, and other experts who all work in the direction of providing basic legal rights to great apes: chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, and orangutans, as conferred upon their human descendents. These scientists and ethicists believe in treating our intelligent ancestors at par with us in terms of legal rights & protection because they also have varied social, emotional and cognitive skills. Now, Spain’s MPs have also joined hands with philosophers at GAP. Spain is known for bull fighting. The latter being a gory display of animals being used for human entertainment has been highly criticized by animal rights activists and campaigners.

This recent move however, illustrates the more humanitarian side of the country. Spanish MPs alongwith cross-party support, now hope that the law regarding this issue will soon see the light of the day! According to Pedro Pozas, Spanish director of the Great Apes Project, “This is a historic day in the struggle for animal rights and in defence of our evolutionary comrades, which will doubtless go down in the history of humanity”.

Under this new law, the filming of T.V. commercials or keeping great apes in circuses for entertainment purposes and conducting scientific experiments on these animals will become a criminal offense. This is one of the most promising news about animal protection in recent times. Here’s hoping the law get enacted soon and Spain leads an example for the rest of the world in respecting our smart ancestors.

Source

In the post earlier you spoke location termovalorizzatore to Agnano in Via Scarfoglio, a few kilometers from the reserve of Astroni which is also threatened by recent events. RDS and WWF have launched a campaign for a fundraiser that allows the creation of a great school environment to educate more young people to defend the nature every day of their lives and to transmit this very important value.

Of course not talking about a traditional school, but rather a natural laboratory, outdoors, to learn about nell’Oasi nature. To contribute just send an SMS to the number 48584 at a cost of 1 euro and 2 euro phone fixed (VAT incl.).

If you are a tourist planning to head for the Mediterranean basin for your summer vacations, you should better stay away from swimming on beaches. For the swelling number of jellyfish and their increasing number of attacks on humans has raised an alarm among environmentalists. Many species are believed to be eco-indicators, those that warn us humans about the side effects of our never-ending plundering. Certain insects, toads and jellyfishes are known to be excellent indicators. Scientists explain that such phenomenal growth in the number of these creatures and their swarming in the Mediterranean coastline every summer is a sure sign of nature out of sync.

According to Jacqueline Goy, of the Oceanographic Institute of Paris, “Jellyfish are an excellent bellwether for the environment,” and that “The more jellyfish, the stronger the signal that something has changed.” The scenario out there is somewhat like a science-fiction, where jellyfish sea monsters take revenge from humans. It is important to understand why this phenomenon is happening so often now a days? The rampant exploitation of oceanic resources by man is major concern regarding this.

Indiscriminate killing of ocean’s fauna has created vacuums within seas which are now being filled by the rapidly proliferation of these medusae. As per marine biologists when vertebrate species like fishes disappear from oceans, this gives invertebrates like jellyfishes a golden chance to reproduce and flourish. Reduced competition for food and absence of predators also help. Besides, over-fishing, rising global temperature (thanks to global warming) is also cited as a reason.

In the Mediterranean basin, their numbers are exploding. This has become a major threat to the native marine species existing there. Not only this, species like Pelagia noctiluca– whose tentacles can paralyse prey and cause burning rashes in humans are expected to make the waters unsafe for human recreational activities. All these are signs enough to get alarmed .We must learn to respect nature and draw certain limits…cause when nature hits back upon us its always in a violent manner!!

Via TimesOfIndia