• 5 good ideas from COP 27
    Negotiators at last year's UN climate conference managed to come up with some action plans. Now the challenge is to turn them into reality. Things were not looking particularly good already at the beginning of COP27. The word on everyone's lips was trust. Since the last UN climate meeting, many rich countries have failed to meet their emission commitments. Meanwhile, representatives of the "poor nations" who came to COP27 were dissatisfied with previous failures to present their problems, especially plans to make rich polluters pay for the damage caused by climate change.
  • In search of a recipe for the climate crisis
    The National Science Center has announced the results of the OPUS 22 + LAP/ Weave competition, thanks to which Polish researchers will carry out projects in international cooperation, this time together with partners from Germany and Slovenia.
  • How to fix the climate?
    The opinions of scientists are divided. Some say that the Earth can still be saved, and others warn that global warming has accelerated so much that nothing will stop it. Regardless of the truth, we should primarily protect the seas and oceans, as they are a key element in the network of climate connections.
  • "Real" winters will be less frequent
    Climate scientists have devised a different way of determining when winter begins and ends for their own needs. Climate winter is considered to be the period of the year when the average daily air temperature drops below 0 degrees Celsius.
  • Carbon sequestration
    Climate protection requires reducing – and ultimately even abandoning – carbon dioxide emissions. Peatland drainage and deforestation are important (although not major) contributors to these emissions. Stopping drainage and stopping deforestation therefore reduces emissions. But the stock of carbon stored ("sequestered") in forests and peatlands is also important. Its release into the atmosphere on a gigantic scale would deepen the climate catastrophe, but this is not predicted. On the other hand, the opposite processes are considered: increasing the stock of carbon sequestered in natural ecosystems. Appropriate changes in forest management and irrigation of drained peatlands would serve this purpose.
  • In winter, it is worth helping birds, but reasonably
    It is worth helping birds in winter, you just have to do it wisely - emphasizes prof. Jerzy Bańbura from the Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection of the University of Lodz. He added that well-chosen feeding places are important for the survival and good condition of the birds.
  • Birds that migrate at night
    Once the migration of birds begins, it continues for good and it does not matter if the sun is shining or not. Bird wanderers fly whenever they can, when they feel reasonably safe. There are plenty of species that prefer to travel at night. Why do they do that when the sun goes to sleep?
  • Why do moose like nettles?
    Not only delicious fruits, but also appetizing leaves are sometimes "advertising", thanks to which animals are interested in certain species of plants, and thanks to this - they carry their seeds. The old hypothesis "a leaf is like a fruit" was tested for the first time by an international team - by examining... moose droppings. It turned out that a plant evolutionarily adapted to be spread by ruminants is even nettle.
  • The king of the forest - dies at the hands of poachers
    Every year in Western Pomerania in the winter a great bison count takes place. Last year brought sad news. The largest number of European bison have died since 2005, as many as 24. If we do not stop the current trend, the long-term efforts of naturalists to restore the "king of the forest" to nature may be thwarted. European bison, although under protection, still fall victim to poachers or die in traffic accidents.
  • Nature and forest education for adults in the Czech Republic
    The Czech Republic is a country of extraordinary landscapes and natural gems. Rock cities like from a fairy tale, impressive waterfalls, labyrinths of caves and underground grottoes, one could go on like this for a long time. Bohemian Paradise, Moravian Karst and... stories from Narnia In our southern neighbor we will find many amazing corners and natural pearls, which are considered true wonders of nature, as well as places with breathtaking views. Certainly one of the most famous places, and not only among lovers of mountain climbing, is Bohemian Paradise, entered on the list of UNESCO geoparks.
  • The Tatra Mountains are closed to tourists
    This has not yet been seen in the history of Polish mountaineering, the Board of the Tatra National Park decided at the beginning of February to close the entire area of the Tatra Mountains to tourist traffic.
  • What threatens the crowns of forest trees?
    The interaction between forest organisms from the group of producers (including trees that build a stand) and consumers of living biomass of various parts of trees, from the point of view of forest management, causes damage, damage and losses. During these processes, part of the biomass of the assimilation apparatus of trees is food for numerous organisms. Among insects, these are leaf-eating species (foliophages), and among fungi parasites of leaves and needles. An example of determining the health status of stands is the assessment based on the degree of crown thinning. In Europe, monitoring of the health condition of forests is used, and in Poland, large-area stocktaking is used in biological monitoring when determining forest risk zones from industrial immissions using the stand method.
  • Root chicory - a rarely cultivated high-inulin vegetable
    Chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) is a herbaceous plant belonging to the Asteracae family. It has about 10 species, growing in moderately warm zones of Europe, Asia and Africa. In many parts of the world it is a cultivated or wild plant. In Poland, it is little known and rarely cultivated. There are many varieties of this plant known in the world, but in our country mainly lettuce chicory (Cichorium intybus L. var. foliosum Bisch.) and root chicory (Cichorium intybus L. var. sativum Bisch.) are cultivated. This plant is a rich source of polysaccharides, vitamins, acids and mineral salts. It contains large amounts of inulin - a glycoside that has a beneficial effect on the intestinal bacteria Lactobacillus sp. and Bifidobacterium sp. It can be used in the prevention and treatment of diseases of the digestive system and the cardiovascular system as well as diabetes. It has a positive effect on the kidneys, liver and inhibits cancer processes. Dried roots of Cichorium intybus var. sativum is also used in the production of coffee and carbohydrate preparations.
  • A small brush, a big problem
    Last year, more than a billion toothbrushes, mostly plastic, were thrown away in the US alone. Can we change it? The design of the toothbrush has not changed much over the years - a long handle with bristles at the end. The biggest difference is in the materials: toothbrushes are now made of plastic. Years ago, Kahi Pacarro, the founder of Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii, used to collect all sorts of trash from beach cleanups he organized around the state, including soda cans or bottles, paper cups, ice cream wrappers, take-out containers, etc. But one day he noticed something particularly surprising lying on the beach: a toothbrush. Now, in each cleaning, it is not uncommon to collect up to 100 toothbrushes a day.
  • In search of valuable chemicals
    Biosearch is an activity aimed at finding valuable chemical substances that can be used in medicine, agriculture, biotechnology, bioremediation or cosmetics. The search for valuable drugs continues not only in the tropical jungle or on coral reefs, but also in desert, polar and deep sea areas. Unfortunately, the exploration of the farthest corners of the Earth in search of valuable compounds poses a threat to ecosystems. Bioprospecting must be conducted in a manner that respects natural habitats and respects the rights of local communities. Otherwise, they will turn into biopiracy.
  • The phosphorus crisis - what is it and how can we deal with it?
    Depleting resources of readily available phosphorus, increase in feed and phosphate prices, and phosphate contamination of surface waters are symptoms of a broader phenomenon known as the phosphorus crisis. This article briefly explains the importance of phosphorus in agricultural production and animal nutrition, what the current situation is, where we are headed and how we can deal with it.
  • Scientists propose solutions to the global phosphorus crisis
    Phosphorus is an essential but often overlooked resource that is essential to life on Earth and is extracted from phosphate rocks for use in fertilizers, livestock feed and food additives. A new report from scientists warns that global mismanagement of this limited ingredient will cause crises.

 AURA Ochrona Środowiska (AURA Environmental Protection) - the whole list