• Animals

Public Opinion in Asian Nations Overwhelmingly Favors Closing Unregulated “Wet Markets”

• #30x30
• Convention on Biological Diversity
• COVID-19
• illegal wildlife trafficking
• infectious diseases
• Lyme disease
• pandemic
• unregulated wildlife market

The World Wildlife Fund – U.S. (WWF- US) commissioned a public opinion survey in Hong Kong SAR, Japan, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam in early March and they found that 93% of respondents in the four countries with active illegal wildlife markets support efforts by their governments and health ministries to close all illegal and unregulated markets selling wild animals – Japan was the lone exception.  

Why This Matters:  As Dr. Fauci says if we do not have enough evidence of the global toll unsustainable practices like this are having on our world, then what will it take?  

• Animals

Vietnam Joins China in Taking Steps To End Wildlife Trade to Help Prevent Future Pandemics

• biodiversity
• China
• COVID-19
• habitat
• pandemic
• SARs
• Vietnam
• wildlife trade

China has taken “concrete steps” to close its “wet” or wildlife markets and now Vietnam is following suit, according to Sierra, the magazine of the environmental group The Sierra Club. 

Why This Matters:  The world has faced many major pandemics, such as SARS and now COVID-19, that are believed to have been spread from human contact with wild animals.

• Air
• Politics

Happiness in the Age of COVID-19

• coronavirus
• COVID-19
• happiness
• IFAW
• International Day of Happiness
• International Fund for Animal Welfare
• pandemic
• wildlife

By Beth Allgood,  U.S. Country Director, IFAW In 2013, the United Nations (UN) marked March 20th as the International Day of Happiness to recognize the importance of happiness and well-being in the lives of people around the world. Last year, I attended the launch of the annual UN World Happiness Report in New York. This […]

• Climate Change

In Puerto Rico, Battling Coronavirus and Climate Change

• climate crisis
• COVID-19
• hurricane
• Hurricane Maria
• pandemic
• Puerto Rico
• severe weather

There are five confirmed cases of coronavirus in Puerto Rico so far, but the residents of the island are taking big steps to try to prevent the further spread of the disease, such as a strictly-enforced curfew from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. and the closure of ‘non-essential’ businesses like shopping malls or recreation centers.

Why This Matters: Puerto Rico is now home to 3.5 million Americans and it is “one of the world’s most storm-vulnerable regions,” according to the Associated Press.