Hydropower Versus Fish

By: Jessica Robertson

With the challenge of answering the biggest environmental problems of our age comes the responsibility to simultaneously bring balance to all aspects of the planet. Unfortunately, harmony does not always exist between the various strategies for environmental improvement, but it is our responsibility to establish and preserve healthy relationships between all aspects of the environment.

One not-so-harmonious relationship is represented in the current battle between the fish population and the high-pressure dams powering the hydropower industry. Hydropower is an essential component of the new environment-focused energy industry. Renewable, clean energy is produced and stored by capturing the potential of flowing water, often with dams and turbines in rivers. However, these mechanisms are detrimental to fish in their locale.

Fast, coursing water churns powerfully around the dam area, creating a pressure change that is so dramatic that it can cause serious internal injury or death to fish. The forces can burst a fish’s swim bladder, an organ responsible for maintaining buoyancy at a particular depth; it is designed to inflate and deflate as needed, but the pressure changes in this phenomenon, known as barotrauma, simply cause too much change too fast for the swim bladder to withstand. Besides these serious internal injuries, fish can also become disoriented in the raging waters around the machinery, and they are at risk of being thrashed about by blades of the turbine.

Even with the great success and promise of hydropower, the industry is aware of the dangers to local fish populations. Hydropower is too crucial to the development of a sustainable planet to be forgotten, but, at the same time, it is intolerable that our ecosystem suffer at the hands of “clean” energy. Is hydropower truly “clean” or “sustainable” if whole populations of water-dwelling animals are lost?

The dilemma is being quickly addressed across the globe in laboratories and in real-life application. Strategies are being implemented for preventing the dangerous pressure change around the dam, making rivers again safe for their inhabitants, and making clean energy truly clean.

Suffocating among the dead.

By: Daniela Silva
To an inspector's dismay over 1600 animals were found tightly packed in crates in a south african airport earlier today. The smell had caught the inspectors attention and he immediately opened it to discover hundreds upon hundreds of reptiles and amphibians crammed into small containers with other species. One third of the animals were found dead and decomposing, crates and boxes included  vulnerable, endangered, critically endangered species. Many are in critical state but are slowly but surely stabilizing, some may not recover.

It is believed that the animals are supplied from Madagascar; a country that is well known for its diverse multitude of wildlife and was destined to arrive at the united states. It is believed that the animals were predestined to be sold in exotic pet markets. It is being determined whether or not this it animal cruelty, however it should not difficult to conclude.

Animal cruelty is an appalling reality in our world. We have a duty to protect innocent beings, and this should not be limited to our people. Many animals could not turn around  in these containers, nor were they given food or water for their journey. These animals were left for five days in conditions that had taken the lives of many due to cannibalism, organ failure, dehydration and skin infections from the decomposing animals beneath them.

Extinct... and stolen?

By: Daniela Silva

It has been a dreadfully long week for the smallest and critically  fragile species of water lily, which has been stolen from the royal botanic gardens in London. This lily is widely believed to be extinct in the wild  due to a laundry that had opened up and acquired the water source the lily flourished in, since then only 50 in the world are carefully preserved  within facilities.

With the obliteration of this species Mr. Fischer had kept careful precautions, and keeping the flowers in fair condition had given him time to figure out how the species procreated and flourished. It was a dreadfully timely process that was sure to eradicate the rare and elusive water lily; suddenly  Carlos Magdalena had resurrected the dying species.

Carlos Magdalena had helped the procreation of the 50 in captivity today; and back in africa it seems as though the tiny water lily had braced through the toughest of times and made a comeback. Hopefully the naturally germinated seeds will flourish in the mud a few hundred  feet away from its native home.

Police unfortunately have no insight as to where the previously captive flower would have been taken and further report that there is likely no chance of recovering the lily; dubbed as a priceless and crucial part of the conservation of the species.

Come into existence

 The time has come to take charge. 

Are we just going to sit here and let life pass us by?

We must raise our voices and express ourselves, shed light into our essential vitality for all to see.

 We follow society, looking to fit the social norm. When will we truly come to acceptance of whom we are; who we all are? Whatever race you are, whatever style you wear, religion and sexual preference you have, you still have a voice.

Our prevalent goal in life is to be happy, to make a difference. Yet we have lost sight, and forgotten to take care of our earth, our people.

Speak up, we can make a difference. 

You can be history.