The Latest Trending Economic, Environmental and Demographic News Curated for You By The Balmoral Group
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Happy Friday, everyone!
This Sunday, September 23rd, is National Public Lands Day, an annual event sponsored by the National Environmental Education Foundation. Over 70,000 volunteers across the U.S. are expected to join in park cleanup, tree planting, invasive species removal, and many other activities. Events will be held in local, state, and national parks and forests with many parks offering free admission. Look for an event in your area, or simply get out and explore a local park and celebrate the beginning of fall this weekend!
In addition, The Balmoral Group's President, Valerie Seidel; Director of Data Science, Dan Dourte; Research Economist Grant Miller, Senior Consultant Laila Racevskis, and new addition Kristen Larson, M.S., will be attending the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation's Corridor Connect Summit in Orlando, from September 26 to 28! We will be discussing TBG's work for the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation on establishing a payment for ecosystem services program to preserve critical wildlife habitat and ecological linkages in the Corridor that are at risk of development. Stop by and see us at our booth if you are there, and be sure to catch our presentation Wednesday morning at 10 am. Check out the Summit website here!
Today's articles feature information on impacts to agriculture from Hurricane Idalia, deep-sea mining, and more. Enjoy the read and feedback is always appreciated! Please feel free to forward this to anyone you think would be interested. If you'd like to view previous editions please click here, or to subscribe please click here!
Have a great weekend!
Poultry and Crop Damages from Idalia
Chicken houses and peanuts are among the crops affected by Hurricane Idalia. It is estimated that 150 chicken houses were damaged or out of power in Suwannee County and 5 million chickens have died. Farmers will have to rebuild the houses, but as insurance companies don’t offer wind coverage for poultry houses in Florida, this will be a lengthy process. Additionally, self-reported estimated losses of peanuts range from 1,000 to 2,000 pounds per acre. However, this is expected to increase if the stem of the plants was weakened to the point where the peanuts cannot be unearthed. Read more here.
Trolls Take Over the Pacific Northwest
Northwest Troll: Way of the Bird King, a public exhibit of six hand-built trolls located in secret places around the Pacific Northwest, is inspiring big conversations about sustainability. Standing some 18 feet tall, these larger-than-life creations are made from recycled materials and are built on location in effort to amplify communication on conservation and cultural heritage. Each comes with an environmental story that celebrates the human experience. The artist, Thomas Dambo, and his crew have been assisted by local volunteers and tribal members including those from Muckleshoot and Snoqualmie tribes. The PNW creations are six of 100 that are on display across the globe. Locals wanting to find the trolls can use a Troll Map to help guide their journey. Read more here. Image by Allison Tourville|Smithsonian
Deep-Sea Mining Could Help Solve the Global Critical Minerals Shortage, but It's a Lightning Rod for Controversy
At the bottom of the ocean lie billions of tons of important minerals for battery production. Materials like nickel, copper, cobalt, and manganese can be found in concentration around the Clarion-Clipperton Zone in the Pacific. Extraction of these minerals has yet to start due to regulations on deep-sea mining still being defined by the International Seabed Authority (ISA) and concerns of potential ecological issues that could arise. Deep-sea environments remain fragile ecosystems. Despite this, supporters of deep-sea mining say the negative ecological impacts are not as concerning as the problems associated with mining on land. Read more here.
Countries Along the Atlantic Ocean Commit to Environmental and Economic Cooperation
On Monday evening, 30 Atlantic countries adopted the Declaration on Atlantic Cooperation ahead of the annual U.N. General Assembly meeting. These countries committed to coordinating on economic development, environmental protection, and maritime issues, among other topics. This declaration recognized that the Atlantic sustains a large amount of economic activity ($1.5 trillion annually), but is also threatened by climate change and illegal fishing. This declaration is part of efforts to continue to enhance coordination between coastal Atlantic countries across Africa, Europe, North America and South America. Read more here.
Data Visualization of the Week Climate Change Risks Are Making More Properties Uninsurable
A recent study by the First Street Foundation has found that the non-renewals of home insurance policies are increasing at a rapid rate in some areas of the country, primarily due to increasing risks to property associated with climate change, including wildfires and flooding. The study found that some parts of California, for example, are becoming uninsurable, largely due to wildfire risk. Some zip codes in the state have seen insurance non-renewal rates increase as high as 774% from 2015 to 2021. Read more here.
