Sharon Lavigne, one of the six winners of the 2021 Goldman Environmental Prize, is fighting to protect her community from plastics corporations.
Pollution
5 things you should know about fireflies
Le lucciole sono parte del patrimonio naturalistico italiano, stanno però gradualmente scomparendo a causa dei pesticidi e della cementificazione.
The incandescent light bulb was invented at the end of the 9th century by Sir Joseph Wilson Swan who patented it in 1878. Fireflies, instead, have always emitted light effortlessly, lighting up forests, lands, and our hearts during summer nights, leaving us mesmerised.
Here are some facts about these incredible animals, similar to tiny shooting stars, which are gradually disappearing due to pesticides and human-related activities.
1. Fireflies are coleoptera
Everybody knows fireflies, but some people don’t know they’re coleoptera and belong to the Lampyridae family. Globally, about 2,000 species of firefly have been classified.
2. Why do fireflies light up?
Fireflies’ characteristic glare is a phenomenon defined as bioluminescence and is aimed to mating. The light, in fact, allows males and females to see each other. Female fireflies are able to emit light for over 2 hours, whilst males just for a few instants.
3. Fireflies are alchemists
Alchemists have studied the way to figure out the secrets of the transmutation of substances and metals for centuries. Fireflies hold this secret instead. These insects aren’t able to transform iron into gold, but they can generate light. Fireflies absorb oxygen and, within specific cells, they combine it with a substance called luciferin, generating a chemical reaction able to produce light in absence of heat.
4. The light they emit is the most efficient
The light fireflies produce is probably the most efficient. An incandescent light bulb, for example, converts only 10 per cent of the energy into light, whilst the remaining 90 per cent is dispersed in the form of heat. Fireflies are instead able to use nearly 100 per cent of the energy generated by the chemical reaction to produce light.
5. Fireflies are disappearing
Firefly populations, which are indicators of the state of health of the environment, are declining in several areas of the world, especially in Italy. These animals’ relentless decline is told in Rachel Carson’s bestseller “Silent Spring” and by Pier Paolo Pasolini in a famous article in 1975. This phenomenon is mainly caused by the use of pesticides, overconstruction, and light pollution. Pesticides kill the larvae, which could instead be perfect supporters of famers as they eat snails and other insects harmful for cultivations.
Siamo anche su WhatsApp. Segui il canale ufficiale LifeGate per restare aggiornata, aggiornato sulle ultime notizie e sulle nostre attività.
Quest'opera è distribuita con Licenza Creative Commons Attribuzione - Non commerciale - Non opere derivate 4.0 Internazionale.
Plastic pollution is airborne too. Microplastics are being carried across continents by the wind, as a recent study reveals.
Levels of particulates in New Delhi in 2020 were once again far above safety thresholds, with extremely serious health consequences for its citizens.
A major oil spill in the Ecuadorian Amazon in April has left the Coca River polluted. The indigenous Kichwa are suing the companies whose pipelines broke.
Molecules that eat up plastic waste, including PET bottles, may soon become widely used as scientists leap ahead in developing new super enzymes.
In Italy’s Land of Fires between Naples and Caserta, activists like Carmen Medaglia are fighting to promote new ways of managing waste.
Toxic substances in Kamchatka’s waters have killed 95% of marine fauna and caused health problems for surfers. The causes, however, are still unknown.
A Magellanic penguin was found lifeless on a Brazilian beach: in its stomach, an N95 face mask. Researchers believe the animal died from ingesting it.
The drop in air pollution during worldwide lockdowns helped prevent thousands of premature deaths. But the situation is returning to pre-crisis levels.