Dear readers: the dismantling of the United States scientific research institutions continues. By nature.com, published on May 8:
“The budget proposed by American president Donald Trump for the 2026 fiscal year provides unprecedented reductions for scientific agencies and targets work in fields such as climate change, clean energy and social, behavior and economics. A quarter of its funding.
During his spouse in March in March, Trump said: “Our country will no longer be awake.” Many see this as a declaration of war against reason, empathy, social justice, environmental concerns and responsibility.
Seventeen states have now taken legal action contesting Trump’s attempt to stop the development of wind energy. Trump pushes more coal and burning extraction to manage data centers for AI and cryptocurrency, bypassing environmental protection laws and threatening threatening species and critical habitats. We need responsible management of AI, but cryptocurrency is quite ethically questionable. Its transactions consume energy megawatts and are harmful to the environment.
“A recent study believes that a single conventional visa transaction uses 1.5 wattheurs and a single Bitcoin transaction uses 703,250 Watthers”, writes the columnist Bruce Saller, citing Statita.com data. Concerns are expressed on conflicts of interest in the promotion of Trump’s cyberclinance and the deregulation of his surveillance while opening his own global financial cryptocurrency company, as well as the American Bitcoin and the meme piece of $ Trump, during this period of extreme climate change – of references to which he deleted documents and websites of federal documents and websites.
The dissolution of the EPA EPA Energy Star efficacy system for household appliances is incomprehensible. Some may see this government dismantling for the enrichment of companies as a sign of executive dementia or to submit to acquired interests. It should be noted that the rich contribute the main contributors to climate change. (See the study “High income groups contribute disproportionately to climatic extremes in the world” by Sarah Schongart et al., Published in Nature Climate Change in May.)
According to another recent study, “52% of people born in 2020 will be faced with unprecedented exposure to life with heat waves” – even under a conservative projection for the way in which climate change will take place over the next 75 years. In a more pessimistic forecast, this figure increases to 92%, against only 16% of people born in 1960. The study is among the first to determine the number of people who will experience an “unprecedented life” in terms of extreme heat. (See the study “Global emergence of an unprecedented exhibition for life at climatic extremes” by Luke Grant et al., Published in Nature in May.)
I prefer more pessimistic forecast because climate change will also lead to shortages of food and fresh water in many regions, aggravated by the precipitous decline of bees and other beneficial insects and wild.
Dear Dr. Fox: Thank you for your recent test on Pope Francis. I found that it was comforting, even if the subject of environmental destruction is very painful.
I noticed that in my article, your chronicle is above an ad for our local human society, which promotes the adoption of animals. I decided to contact their offices and help pay their advertising costs when associated with your column.
I have often felt that I should be more involved in local shelters, but I am the guy who would like to bring back each abandoned dog with me, so I avoided their offices. Maybe helping you with their advertising invoices is a good way for me to contribute.
Again, thank you for your tests, because they are really reflected and stimulating. – BV, Mount Vernon, Washington
Dear BV: I appreciate your sensitivity and your initiative. We can all do something to help our neighbors, and this includes pets and wild in our communities. Many are at risk of extreme climatic events. I put water for wildlife around my property, because Minnesota faces an unprecedented heat wave and drought.
Pets are threatened by the rise in care costs and rental housing restrictions, which causes shelter or abandonment. Many shelters across the United States are full.
A current answer is to choose to live in denial because empathy hurts. It is a defense mechanism, but which is ultimately self-limiting. Doing nothing, think that others will deal with such problems can feed the guilt of those who feel for others.
Civil society has many difficult tasks at that time: fighting racism, house the homeless, helping immigrants and protecting the rights and well-being of indigenous peoples and indigenous species (including protection Trump administration, under the law on endangered species, eliminates). But we can all do something within our communities to help, in particular by supporting local shelters and fauna rehabilitation centers. We can also act on our own properties. For example: my lawn has disappeared, replaced by an assortment rewarded and friendly of Aboriginal plants!
(Send all letters to animaldocfox@gmail.com or to Dr Michael Fox to the care of the Andrews McMeel, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106. The volume of mail received prohibits personal responses, but questions and comments of general interest will be discussed in future columns.
Visit Dr Fox website on Drfoxonehealth.com.)