Ecology

• NASHVILLE, Tenn., March 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Bridgestone Americas (Bridgestone) today announced its Firestone Liberia natural rubber growing and processing facility earned the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) PLUS recognition.
• The Firestone Liberia facility is the world's first natural rubber farm to achieve the ISCC PLUS certification.
• The Firestone Liberia facility is the largest contiguous natural rubber operation in the world, covering approximately 118,000 acres or 185 square miles.
• The ISCC PLUS certification of the Firestone Liberia natural rubber growing and processing facility aligns with the "Ecology" values of the Bridgestone E8 Commitment .

• DALLAS and STUTTGART, Germany, March 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Trinity Consultants , a leading global environmental consulting firm providing services and solutions in the EHS regulatory compliance, built environment, life sciences, and water and ecology markets, and Makersite , a company pioneering a new approach to automated lifecycle analysis and supply chain management, today announced a strategic partnership in which Trinity will support customers in their use and implementation of Makersite.
• "Makersite shares our ambition and ability to help clients meet today's demands while paving the way for a more sustainable future," said Meghan Foley, principal consultant at Trinity Consultants, EHS Digital Solutions.
• Given these findings, our partnership with Makersite will have tremendous value in helping clients prioritize and reach their sustainability potential."
• "Our partnership with Trinity Consultants will provide joint customers guidance and expert advice as they progress through the lifecycle assessment process and start on a path toward supply chain decarbonization and optimization," said Makersite CEO Neil D'Souza.

• On Feb. 14, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced that the whale was #5120 in a catalog that tracks individual right whales.
• Further, the agency said, rope that had been deeply embedded in the whale’s tail had likely come from lobster fishing gear in Maine.
• Entanglement in fishing gear is a deadly threat to these critically endangered animals.
• Scientists estimate that before commercial whaling scaled up in the 18th and 19th centuries, there may have been as many as 10,000 North Atlantic right whales.
• When whales become entangled in fishing gear, they use extra energy dragging it as they swim.

Smaller females are having fewer young

• By 2018 there were only about 73 breeding females left, representing roughly half of all females and a sixth of the entire species.
• Other research has shown that poor health and physical condition are making it harder for these females to even start breeding.
• Smaller whales have fewer calves.

• Many organizations are involved in tracking North Atlantic right whales, including government agencies, aquariums and conservation groups.
• Even females who have previously reproduced are less likely to breed again following an entanglement event.
• By identifying and photographing whales repeatedly over time, scientists can estimate different stages of their life, such as when females give birth.

Weakness of current regulations

• If they are larger and enter the blubber, they are classified as moderate.
• Our research makes it clear that such value-laden terms are potentially misleading because even minor entanglements can threaten whales’ successful reproduction.
• In our view, these measures do not give enough weight to preventing all types of entanglements, regardless of severity.
• And the plan closes trap fishing areas seasonally when whales are known to be present in those zones.

Coming back from the brink

• While these estimates seem promising, females need to start and continue producing calves to increase whales’ numbers.
• From our work, it is very clear that both lethal and sublethal impacts of entanglements are of grave concern for these whales.

• She also is a member of the International Whaling Commission Scientific Committee.
• Peter Corkeron consults for Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility on right whale conservation issues.
• Rob Harcourt receives funding from the Australian Federal Government Department of Climate Change, Environment, Energy and Water for research on right whales.

• There will be eight shows of the modern musical Dongpo: Life in Poems, a joint effort between the China Oriental Performing Arts Group Co., Ltd. and the MeiShan Song and Dance Theatre in this round of debut in the U.S.
• The creative core of Dongpo: Life in Poems revolves around the story of venerated luminary Su Shi (1037-1101).
• This round of Dongpo: Life in Poems shows in the U.S. will be undertaken in cooperation with the American Dance Festival, and present to the American audience a modern musical masterpiece featuring Chinese aesthetics.
• It has been known that Dongpo: Life in Poems will also tour in France and the Hong Kong and Macao regions in 2024.