Citizens Who Care

By: Or Desai Have you ever heard of the Pangolin? I hadn't until recently. Pangolins look sort of like an anteater, but aren´t anywhere related to them. They have a hard shell made from keratin scales, what your fingernails are made out of. Where do they live? Pangolins live throughout Africa and Asia. There are 8 different species of them, all of which are at least vulnerable. Many of them are critically endangered. What do they eat? A pangolin eats insects like ants, but they also eat worms as well. Scientists estimate that a pangolin can at as many as 70 MILLION insects every year. Pangolins also have special muscles in their mouths which protect against attacking insects. Threats Pangolins are in severe danger, for one is poached every 5 minutes. Even though international trade is prohibited, pangolin skin is prized in many countries around the world. That is why they are the most poached mammal. A pangolin skin hung at a market alongside other endangered...

By: Samuel Desai Next Post - Previous Post The population on earth is growing, at about 7.5 billion and still growing , we need more natural resources every day. And we can't take these resources forever.There are many different resources we need to save. Oil Oil is one of those resources which we will lose very soon. If we continued to consume it at our current rate, our oil supply would run dry in 45 years , but our consumption rates of oil should continue to increase, lasting us about 25 more years. Consequences: Possible transition to renewable energy :) Shrinks economies like Russia's (built on oil) less transport to places Water Water is one of the most fought over resources in the modern  world. Climate Change is causing severe worldwide droughts. Only 2.5% of the worlds water is fresh. Of that 2.5%, 70% of it is locked up in glaciers. Of that amount (.75%), 10% is used for drinking. THAT ONLY LEAVES .075% of the worlds water to drink, w...

Climate Change Previous Post                                                                                                              Next Post By: Samuel Desai The world is getting worse, I can't deny it. Humans are polluting the air, water, night sky, and our ears. It will only get worse. As humans pollute the air with more and more carbon dioxide, greenhouse gasses force the solar radiation in, heating up the earth more, and more. The Greenhouse Effect The greenhouse effect is a pretty simple effect which helps keep our planet warm. I once read somewhere that without the greenhouse effect, the average temperature on Earth would be about 0 degrees (the average temperature is about 61 degr...

                        ExxonMobil's scandals You might know ExxonMobil as one of the world's largest oil and gas companies, but did you know they knew their products were harmful to people, and they tried to hide it. When journalists found that out, they reported it to the media. ExxonMobil's cover-up was, "media and  environmental activists’ allegations about the company’s climate research are inaccurate and deliberately misleading." Although, I think that's wrong. In fact, ExxonMobil even knows its company is melting polar ice caps and endangering animals.  I used a segment from NPR

Starry Breck Lichen Starry Breck Lichen    If you like cookies and cream flavored ice cream, this lichen is perfect for you. (Don't try eating it, though.... it doesn't taste like cookies at all.) The Starry Breck Lichen is a type of lichen that is now thought to only be found near Germany or Norway. Scientifically, it's name is Buellia asterella. It is a critically endangered species, thanks to agricultural and urban development. The lichen looks like white moss, with black dots scattered on it. It isn't really noticed, since it doesn't have much of a use and is extremely rare.  This lichen's threats are quite common for most plants- it's extremely sensitive to habitat loss and destruction from agricultural and urban development. Along with this, grasslands where the lichen lives in are usually filled with tourists, which comes with the added risk of people picking it up. Even IUCN says that "collecting of this species and all other members o...

In December, 195 countries met in Paris to discuss climate reform. At the end of the 14 day period of talks, people agreed on an emissions target. The target The earth has warmed 1 degree Celsius (about 1.7 degrees Fahrenheit) since the industrial revolution started in 1750. The countries met and decided to try to keep it below 2 degrees Celsius.  A chart of the worlds warming in Celsius since 1880 http://400.350.org/ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/GlobalWarming/page2.php

The earth is warming, That is why we made this blog. It IS time to change! 20% of our world's population uses 80% of the world's resources. Oil prices are really low, $37 per barrel. People are using this money to get new cars. My family bought a new car, but I have mixed feeling about this. I know that it took a lot of oil to make the new car, and the old one will eventually end up in a landfill. However, since the car is larger I can carpool with my friends. According to the EPA, the average gas mileage of cars on the road is 24.1 MPG. This figure is one year old. This figure will probably decrease. This is because fewer mileage cars are "less" money than they used to be because gas prices are lower. That hurts the electric car market . It is less cost effective now because fuel for your Gasoline SUV is more cots effective than it used to be. Anyway... You can view the video  here Please note... I don't know this person By Samuel On behalf of ...

                Snow! By Kaden Chien Snow is an important resource. Snow helps us and the environment. In the winter, how much do you play in the snow? More importantly, is how the snow helps the environment. Snow cover helps to regulate the temperature. Once that snow melts, the water fills rivers and reservoirs. Snow also helps farmers. Farmers need the snow to blanket their fields so that when it melts in the Spring, the fields will already be irrigated. There are many different colors of snow such as black, gray, purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, red, and rainbow colored snow. Snow is endangered because of global warming. Despite the efforts to help global warming slow, it is still happening rapidly. It was even 64 degrees in December! Snow is a very important resource and we have to keep it.  RAINBOW SNOW!!!

The Rafflesia Flower The Rafflesia Flower, or rafflesia arnoldii, is the largest discovered flower on the planet, with a whopping bloom of 106.7 centimeters diameter and a weight of about 11 kilograms. It's commonly red, but there are many types of it. It's almost on the brink of extinction, and it's relatively hard to locate. Unlike most plants, it actually has genders, meaning that it's even harder to reproduce. The ratio of male flowers to females is disproportionate, making it harder to continue to multiply. It seems like everything is against this flower. It relies on parasitising only one sort of vine, and without it, it's dead. Deforestation also impacts it's chance for survival, since then the vines will be removed and it won't be able to live. It has to absorb nutrients, since it has no stem or roots, doesn't have chlorophyll, and depends on small threads that absorb nutrients. Almost no one has ever bothered to try and grow this plant. T...

Hello. As I  don't usually post. Therefore you probably don't who I am. Well I am Kevin Baer!!! Things you expect in the Earthday assembly. an Animoto video- Made by Samuel and Tej awesome presentations and other things including prizes!  

Weekly Endangered Species Report Yellow-eared Parrot By Matthew Gu The yellow-eared parrot, scientifically named the Ognorhynchus icterotis, is a somewhat big parrot(typically 42 inches long and about 285 grams) with green overalls that can be found in Tropical America. It eats bark, buds, and other plants. As usual, it's most common threats are deforestation, habitat loss, disease, and illegal pet trade. They're relatively social, often traveling in flocks of about 20 and sleeping in pairs. If a parrot is not in a pair, however, it'll most likely just sleep in different places around 2 to 5 palm trees. Thankfully, it's currently being preserved by informing local communities and protecting habitats. Although it was originally thought to be extinct, in 2014 it had about 1,103 individuals-not much, but a huge increase from before. The project might be considered a success, but overall we still need to be careful. Here's a picture of the yellow-eared parrot-...

Hawksbill Sea Turtles By Matthew Gu The hawksbill sea turtle, or eretmochelys imbricata, is a critically endangered species found in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. Commonly used for both religious and decorative purposes, their brown-and-yellow shells are sought out by countless illegal hunters. The thing is, they prefer higher waters, leaving them easily exposed to things like pollution, coastal development, and of course the loss of feeding and nesting habitats. Along with this, their eggs are still a common food around the world, disabling their ability to reproduce more. Hawksbill sea turtles usually feed on sponges, which is part of the reason they're close to the surface. Their head ends in a sharp point. They're also omnivorous like humans, eating crustaceans, jellyfish, fish, sea urchins, and marine algae. Compared to other turtles, they're quite small-they only grow up to about 45 inches in shell length and 150 pounds. Because of their eating h...

A study by Yale University had determined that there are 3 trillion trees on this earth For every 5B trees planted each year 15B are cut down This makes a 10B net tree loss  each year I found an animated map by business insider This is where I found this animated map on climate change CHECK OUT THIS NEW ANIMATED MAP

BONOBOS Bonobos are a species of monkey that are related to chimpanzees.they both share about 89% of their DNA with humans. They are being killed off by poaching and deforestation. Their population has been declining for 30 years. Scientists think that this will keep happening for the next 45 to 50 years. Luckily, this species is not critically endangered, but only endangered.Humans only hunt Bonobos for the meat, to trade them as bush meat, and for use in traditional medicine. This is a picture of a Bonobos:

White Tigers Are Critically Endangered!!! White tigers are critically endangered. There are only about 200 more White tigers left! The cause for this is because of habitat loss, poaching, and expansion of human population. Genetic inbreeding is an important reason why the white tigers are endangered. Inbreeding is breeding of closely related animals.Due to their short numbers, this species has resorted to inbreeding. This has caused high morality rates and severe disabilities. They also suffer from depression and unpredictable behavior. Still, they use inbreeding. Selective breeding is risky, and there is no guarantee of of birth of a cub every time. This is the scientific classification of a White tiger: Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Felidae Genus: Panthera Scientific Name: Panthera tigris tigris Common Name: White Tiger Other Name(s): White Bengal Tiger This is a picture of a White Tiger:

Oh No! Frogs are endangered because of habitat loss! By: Kaden Chien The Ghat's wart frog otherwise known as Zakerana murthii is becoming endangered because of rapid use of trees that these frogs live in! Their natural habitat is India. The population is currently decreasing. They usually live in moist, tropical forests. To protect these frogs, you need to protect land and water.Another big threat is that there are many plantation near where the frogs live. This is a picture of the Ghat's Wart Frog: This is the scientific classification of the Ghat's Wart Frog: Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Amphibia Order: Anura Family: Dicroglossidae Genus: Zakerana Species: Z. murthii The Ghat's Wart frog is critically endangered.This is a very rare species. It is very important to preserve the wildlife and ecosystems.

Vaquitas are on the edge of extinction because of illegal fishing. Made by: Kaden Chien Vaquitas are the worlds most rare marine fish! Sadly, they are often caught in gill nets that are used in illegal fishing operation that are in marine protected areas. The Vaquita has a large dark ring around its eyes and a dark patches on it's lips that form  thin line from the mouth to the pectoral fins. It's dorsal fin is dark gray, sides pale gray and ventral surface white with long, light gray markings. Newborn Vaquita have darker coloration and a wide gray fringe of color that runs from the head to the dorsal flukes, passing through the dorsal and pectoral fins. Down here you will see a picture of a Vaquita: This here is the Scientific classification of the Vaquita: Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Cetacea Suborder: Odontoceti Family: Phocoenidae Genus: Phocoena Species: P . sinus The Vaquita is the most  endangered cetacean in the wo...

Sturgeons are endangered because  of  Human  Fishing! Made by Kaden Chien (Green Wildlife) Pallid sturgeons are a endangered type of ray-finned fish. They are native to the waters of Missouri and the Mississippi river. The pallid sturgeon is closely related to the shovelnose sturgeon but it is much larger, averaging about 30-60 inches.The pallid sturgeon is the largest freshwater species in North America. The pallid Sturgeon is from the Cretaceous period and has remained virtually unchanged for over 70 million years. Pallid sturgeon have a long lifespan, usually 50 to maybe 100 years! Down here you will see a picture of the Pallid Sturgeon. This is the scientific classification of the Pallid Sturgeon. Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Actinopterygii Order: Acipenseriformes Family: Acipenseridae Subfamily: Scaphirhynchinae Genus: Scaphirhynchus He...

On No! Bees Are Endangered Because of Habitat Alteration ! By: Kaden Chien The IUCN has recently discovered a new Species of Bees called Bombus Fraternus. The Bombus Fraternus is a North American bee that is Endangered because of Habitat Alteration. This may be due to human activity such as Cutting down Trees or pollution. This species may go extinct in 80-90 years if this activity keeps up. Efforts to help with this species is going up. But what is strange is that where there are larger efforts, the population in those states are decreasing more than other states! The studies show that the c urrent range size relative to historic range: 71.38% and the  Persistence in current range relative to historic occupancy: 43.33% also, the c urrent relative abundance relative to historic values: 14.40% and lastly, the a verage decline: 56.96%.  If you want an image of a Bombus Fraternus you will see one down there: Now you will find the scientific classification of the Bo...