Why Leaving the Paris Agreement May Not Be a Bad Thing

Without any evidence, the new chief executive declared that there was a "national energy emergency" based upon an inadequate and intermittent energy supply and an increasingly unreliable grid. He halted permitting for new offshore wind projects and moved to expedite fossil fuel development in Alaska. He also set in motion the elimination of subsidies for electric vehicles. He paused the release of any money that had been allocated but not yet spent for EV charging.

Trump froze a plan by the Biden administration to set limits on the discharge of PFAS chemicals into waterways by manufacturers. The compounds, also called “forever chemicals,” are linked to a wide range of health issues including among others, cancer, liver and kidney damage, and developmental problems in babies. PFAS compounds have been used in many products like nonstick cookware, soaps, and clothing.

The EPA had issued a draft rule and sent it to the White House for review that the Environmental Working Group reports would reduce the amount of PFAS allowed to be discharged by manufacturers and industrial facilities into rivers and streams. The proposed rule was called “precedent setting.” If implemented, the regulation would have applied to companies like 3M and Chemours that make PFAS and products that use it. However, the new president issued an order freezing all rules until after they had been reviewed by his pick to run EPA. According to EWG, a spokesperson for the EPA said it was common during a presidential transition to hold new and pending regulations.

Although Trump's actions seem dramatic and decisive, Dan Farber, a law professor at University of California, Berkeley, wrote on his blog that few executive orders have immediate impact. He described them as “just a memo on fancy letterhead.” Rolling back existing rules means that various federal agencies will have to repeal them, which takes time and many will be challenged in courts.

While the U.S. is the second largest emitter of greenhouse gases next to China, it may be better for the country to be out of the agreement while Trump is president, says Rebekkah Markey-Towler of the University of Melbourne. She writes in The Conversation that while the climate talks continue, the rest of the world can keep working on climate goals without Trump’s corrosive and destabilizing influence. She points out that if he had stayed in, the U.S. could try to weaken any agreements struck at future COP meetings as did Saudi Arabia at the last conference in Baku. She added that other nations like China and the EU will continue to lead on climate action.

Meanwhile, Michael Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York City, said that his foundation will contribute the money owed by the U.S. to the UN for its financial obligations under the Paris Agreement. According to The Hill, the U.S. pays about 20 percent of the UN’s climate budget, which was about $7.5 million last year.

According to a Scripps press release, on January 8—the day after the Palisades fire started—the crew could see large plumes of smoke in the distance and some of the ash was falling on the ship as it neared Catalina Island about 22 miles from the coast. Even as they made their way west to a sampling location past San Nicolas Island, some 100 miles offshore, the ashfall and burnt debris were still visible. Recognizing the opportunity to track effects of the fire on the marine ecosystem, the vessel changed course and headed toward shore, where the crew began collecting samples of the debris on the ship’s deck and in surrounding waters.

While ash from forest fires frequently deposits in the ocean, and some research has shown it can act as a fertilizer for a group of marine algae called diatoms, the L.A. fires were consuming not only vegetation but also massive amounts of urban infrastructure, potentially filled with toxic materials such as heavy metals like lead and arsenic, as well as asbestos fibers, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and microplastics.

According to project leader Julie Dinasquet of Scripps Oceanography, the team found that some pieces of charred material were up to five centimeters (two inches) long. To fully understand the impact, the team sampled both surface water as well as deeper layers down to 330 feet to see how far the particles were sinking.

Long after the fires are extinguished, testing will look for traces of toxic materials in the tissue of organisms from plankton to larger fishes, including anchovy eggs abundant in waters downwind of the fires. They have collected samples both before and after the eggs were exposed to ash and other debris, to look for any change in their number and distribution or any effects on their early development.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health issued an advisory urging residents to avoid swimming, surfing, and playing at certain L.A. beaches until further notice due to toxic ash from surface runoff and smoke. While rain is expected in the area and could help in firefighting efforts, it could also send more debris offshore.

Turns out that oysters may offer pearls of wisdom. According to new research by Southern Cross University, proteins in the hemolymph (the equivalent of blood) of Sydney rock oysters (Saccostrea glomerata) can kill certain bacteria responsible for a range of infections.

Oysters, which are filter feeders, have evolved strong defense mechanisms against bacteria in their marine environments, and one such weapon is a protein in their blood that can prevent and disrupt biofilms—sticky substances created by bacterial cells to evade a host’s immune system and any antibiotics they may be taking. The researchers found that not only can the protein disarm biofilms, it can also significantly improve the effectiveness of antibiotics to which bacteria have become resistant, such as ampicillin and gentamicin.

While a new antibiotic drug derived from oyster blood is still some time off, the discovery brings hope for natural alternatives to treat infections. Until then, the researchers say don’t slurp oysters in place of using antibiotics but do go ahead and enjoy them. They contain zinc, fatty acids, and vitamins that can keep you healthy.

The study was published in the journal Plos One.