Newsdesk – August 18

Greta Thunberg: Climate change activist sets sail from Plymouth. Greta Thunberg said her voyage across the Atlantic “is going to be a huge challenge”. Environmental activist Greta Thunberg has set sail from the UK, bound for UN climate summits in New York and Chile.  Fans gathered to wave her off  on her voyage across the Atlantic. The teenager, who refuses to travel by air because of its environmental impact, said of climate skeptics: “There’s always going to be people who don’t understand or accept the united science, and I will just ignore them, as I’m only acting and communicating on the science.”Greta was asked if she could make US President Donald Trump listen, and she answered with a simple “no”, prompting laughter from the crowd.”I’m not that special. I can’t convince everyone,” she said.”I’m just going to do what I want to do and what will have most impact.” Greta said her two-week trip would pose challenges including seasickness, but said many people in the world were suffering a lot more than that. The 18m (60ft) yacht they are using was built to compete in the 2016-17 round-the-world Vendée Globe race. Before boarding the yacht Greta said: “I’ve never done anything like this before, I can’t really say what’s going to be the biggest challenge, I will have to find that out” – BBC News

• The Antarctic ice sheet is melting and, yeah, it’s probably our fault – Real Climate
• Arctic sea ice loaded with microplastics – Phys.org
• A Growing Number of Americans Are Alarmed about Global Warming – Scientific American
• Greenhouse gases reach record levels, report finds – CNN
• Why is Hollywood so Scared of Climate Change – The New York Times
• Fracking may be a bigger climate problem than we thought – Vox
• Earth Stopped Getting Greener 20 Years Ago – Scientific American 

From not having kids to battling anxiety: Climate change is shaping life choices and affecting mental health. For some, ignoring climate change is not an option. It’s real, and preventing global warming from getting worse is a driving force in their lives. As global warming – the gradual increase in temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere –accelerates, people are grappling with the idea that disastrous conditions may appear as soon as 2040. The reality of this potentially existential crisis greatly influences the way some people, especially those who have dedicated their lives to stopping climate change, make life decisions – whether that’s going vegan, living in a certain part of the country or deciding against having children. It even affects their mental health. A Yale survey released in December found nearly 70% of Americans are “worried” about climate change, 29% are “very worried” – up eight percentage points from just six months earlier – and 51% said they felt “helpless.” Susan Clayton, professor of psychology at the College of Wooster, said mental health issues surrounding climate change can stem from both climate change events directly experienced and concern about the changing climate in general. The decision of whether to have children can be tough for activists. Some have given up on having kids altogether. British musician Blythe Pepino, 33, created BirthStrike, a group of people who have decided against having kids because of their concerns about the climate. That was a decision I made when I was 24 that I’m not having kids because the climate can’t take it,” said Mast, who’s from the San Francisco Bay Area. “By not having kids, I can devote that much more of my life toward fixing this crisis” – USA Today

How our diets impact climate change — and what we can do about it. About 1/4 of climate change today is fueled by agriculture and factory farming. The good news? Small changes in our daily lives can have a huge impact.About 25 percent of climate change today is fueled by agriculture and factory farming, according to Johnathan Foley, executive director of Project Drawdown, a coalition of researchers and scientists who are working on climate change solutions.it’s important to understand that food and climate both influence each other. If we make small changes in our daily lives, especially the way we eat, we can alleviate much of the effects of climate change.Factory farms feed cattle grain. Without their natural grass-fed diets, cattle produce the greenhouse gas methane through their manure and gases. Factory farms feed cattle grain. The less animal products we consume, the more sustainable our diet is. Many Americans are eating more animal products than they need, according to Sharon Palmer, a registered dietitian and plant-based nutrition and sustainability expert. If a plant-based diet is well planned, she says “you can meet all your nutrition needs.” But she says you don’t have to eliminate animal products from your diet entirely. The “flexitarian” diet is a semi-vegetarian diet where vegetables, fruits, grains and pulses (like beans, peas and lentils) are the main portion of your meal. “Three-fourths of your plate would be filled with plants, and maybe one-fourth would have your animal food,” Palmer says –  NBC News