ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES Daily Top News: California Takes a Stand Against Octopus Farming, Cockfighting Ring Busted in Pennsylvania, Chicago Sues Oil Giants, and More! – GWC Mag gwcmagFebruary 23, 2024037 views Every day, One Green Planet brings you today’s top news. For those who don’t have a lot of time to look through the news each day, this will be a great resource and an easy way to catch up! Here you’ll find different categories of news and links to each article published! Enjoy! 1. Video of Man Kissing Baby Alligator Shows Why Handling Wildlife Is a Bad Idea Despite conservationist warnings, recently a disturbing trend has emerged on social media. This trend shows people giving wild animals, such as snakes, smooches. While this is cute in theory, a viral Instagram video of a man kissing a baby alligator shows why handling wildlife is generally a bad idea. Click here to read the full story! 2. Australian Shepherd’s Jealous Reaction to Human Giving the Cat a Kiss A jealous Australian Shepherd is cracking up TikTok with her jealous reaction to her human kissing the household cat. Winnie the Aussie and Suki the brown tabby cat both live with their humans in Toronto, Canada. Although the two animals get along sometimes, they both enjoy their human’s undivided attention and will compete to get it. Click here to read the full story! 3. Hilarious Video Shows Generational Differences Between Dog Pawrents A hilarious Instagram video by @sidney_morss shows the difference between different generations of dog pawrents. The video pokes fun at the wildly different ways that Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z treat their furry friends. Click here to read the full story! 4. California Takes a Stand Against Octopus Farming California Assemblymember Steve Bennett has introduced a groundbreaking piece of legislation, A.B. 3162, known as the California Oppose Cruelty to Octopuses (OCTO) Act. This bill aims to prohibit octopus farming on both land and water while also banning the import of farmed octopus into California. Bennett said, “Octopuses are primarily solitary creatures that are not suited for large-scale breeding… AB 3162 will prevent needless, systemic harm to these captivating animals.” By spearheading this initiative, California is poised to become a humane leader in addressing the ethical and environmental concerns surrounding octopus farming, preempting a potentially controversial and cruel industry before it takes root within the state. Click here to read the full story! 5. Cockfighting Ring Busted in Pennsylvania Saving Dozens of Animals Authorities in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, recently uncovered a disturbing scene, leading to the rescue of numerous animals and the arrest of an individual allegedly involved in organizing a large-scale cockfighting operation. Acting on an anonymous tip, law enforcement and animal welfare workers descended upon a property in Doylestown, where they discovered a clandestine cockfighting ring operating within the confines of a two-car garage. Shockingly, approximately 25 individuals were present, witnessing two roosters pitted against each other in a fight to the death. Click here to read the full story! 6. Supreme Court Case Could End Legal Protections for Animals In early January, the Supreme Court heard arguments in two pivotal cases that could redefine the regulatory landscape in the United States. At the heart of these cases lies the doctrine of Chevron deference, a cornerstone of administrative law for the past four decades. Chevron deference mandates that courts defer to federal agencies’ reasonable interpretations of ambiguous statutes, providing agencies with significant power in regulatory matters. Click here to read the full story! 7. Amazing Sustainable Structure Creates a Habitat for Humans and Wild Animals Terreform ONE, an amazing sustainable architecture nonprofit organization, has unveiled the construction of its latest design. The 1000-square-foot Fab Tree Hab uses the power of architectural design to create a space that provides a habitat for both humans and wild animals. By using living, natural alternatives to ecologically harmful traditional building materials the Fab Tree Hab creates a space that is both usable and environmentally friendly. The nonprofit describes this project as a “terrestrial reef and grafted living tree structure.” Click here to read the full story! 8. City of Chicago Sues Oil Giants for Contributions to Climate change In a landmark move, the city of Chicago has filed a lawsuit against six major oil companies and the leading fossil fuel lobbying group, marking a significant stand in the battle against Climate change. The companies in question, including BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Exxon Mobil, Phillips 66, Shell, and the American Petroleum Institute (API), are accused of orchestrating a long-standing campaign to deny Climate change, misleading the public about the environmental impact of their products. Click here to read the full story! 9. Concerns Over Air Pollution Prompt Americans to Move from Cities Pollution and climate change are already changing human settlements and affecting the quality of life for many. A report recently released by the real estate company Redfin shows that between 2021 and 2022, roughly 1.2 million people moved away from cities that are at high risk of having poor air quality. Cities that are categorized as having a high risk for poor air quality include major metropolitan areas in several Western states. These states include California, Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. Click here to read the full story! 10. Climate-Boosted Hurricanes May Introduce Category 6 Classification Are we on the brink of witnessing the birth of Category 6 hurricanes? With the planet warming and the fury of storms intensifying, scientists are pondering a critical question: Is it time to update our hurricane classification system? A recent study suggests that the answer might be a resounding yes, signaling a potential shift in how we perceive and prepare for these natural disasters. Click here to read the full story! 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