The Environmental Journal of Southern Appalachia

Displaying items by tag: hunger

Saturday, 15 October 2022 23:35

Food myths hurt Mother Earth

 Save money and our planet with tips from  Cheddar News

The average American family of four annually spends more than $2,000 on food they never eat!

Nearly one in nine people suffer from hunger worldwide.

Agriculture contributes to global greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation and soil degradation.

Climate change increases crop losses.

One third of all food produced in the world is lost or wasted.

It’s not just the food that’s wasted.

Consider the energy wasted to grow, process and transport it.

That all contributes to climate change, food shortages and to the rising costs of food, energy and health care.

Food waste stresses our environment, humanity and the economy.

— EarthSolidarity™

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Saturday, 23 July 2022 12:39

Thinking Globally: Many places suffer even worse inflation!

The Economist The global food crisis explained
The global food crisis, explained. a 12-minute video by The Economist raises awareness of how global crises combine with intricate national and international issues to precipitate local predicament.
(It is unclear why this video has become age-restricted by YouTube — after being available unrestricted for quit a while. Some facts and brief clips of destitute people or riots seem little more disturbing — not just to young minds — than what’s often seen on daily TV news. Parental guidance is recommended.  — Ed.)
 

MOTHER EARTH — Scarcity of food, lack of safety nets and paucity of solidarity lead to famine. This explainer by The Economist elucidates much of the detrimental interdependencies of the global economy which resulted in bottlenecks that can not withstand unanticipated shifts in supply and demand.

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Wednesday, 24 March 2021 16:26

Smokies bear vs. hog viral video: Yep. That’s about right.

Smokies biologist: Bear vs. hog video highlights nature taking its course

This video, reportedly in or near the Smokies, made its rounds on the internet this week.
While its true location is unknown, the chief Smokies biologist said the incident would come as no surprise if it was indeed recorded in the Smokies. It’s just another wildlife showdown that generally occurs in the backcountry and goes unnoticed.
He also said its a good reminder that bears have emerged from hibernation, and are hungry and determined to find the calories they can. Even in the form of swine flesh.
Multiple people have forwarded him the video, Great Smoky Mountains National Park Supervisory Wildilife Biologist Bill Stiver said in a phone interview the afternoon of March 24. 
“As a biologist I see classic opportunistic predatory behavior,” from a black bear, Stiver said, though he said he has no true idea of the video’s provenance. “It’s just not stuff people see all the time.”
Wild hogs are considered a nuisance, invasive species who destroy native Smokies habitats and are the subject of a long-running project to reduce their numbers in the park.
Stiver surmised the hog may have recently been struck by a vehicle, and the bear took advantage of the feral swine in its weakened state. “Bears are coming out of hibernation, and they are very hungry,” he said.
Smoky Mountain black bears routinely take down elk calves and sick elk, as well as injured deer or fawns. In the spring, Stiver said, many of those Cades Cove black bears tourists flock to see are just wandering around fields looking for deer fawns.
He could only cite five instances, however, including one fatality, in which a human was injured by a bear during his 30 years stationed at the park.
Spring is the time of year that “it’s time to start thinking about bears,” he said, as they emerge from hibernation and seek sustenance. Human-bear interactions are more likely this time of year, and Smokies visitors -- and those outside the park -- need to secure their food and garbage and maintain a safe distance from the animals.
BearwiseFlyers
Guidelines and suggestions to limit human-bear interactions and protect the iconic Smokies animals can be found at bearwise.org.
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