Near Disappearance of the Angelshark Squatina Squatina Over Half A Century of Observations

Marine extinctions are particularly difficult to detect and almost all have been discovered after the fact. Retrospective analyses are essential to avoid concluding no-extinction when one has occurred. We reconstruct the Angelshark population trajectory in a former hotspot (Wales), using interviews and opportunistic records. After correcting for observation effort and recall bias, we estimate a 70% (1.5% yr-1) decline in abundance over 46 years. While formerly widespread, Angelshark distribution contracted to a central core of Cardigan Bay. Angelshark declined almost unnoticed in one of the best-monitored and most intensively managed seas in the world. Bycatch may be minimised by limiting netting on shingle reefs in Cardigan Bay. We provide the first quantitative time series to reveal the timing and trajectory of decline of Angelshark in the coastal waters of Wales and uncover historical centres of abundance and remnant populations that provide the first opportunity for the focus of conservation.&nbsp

Predictors of low birth weight and preterm birth in rural Uganda: findings from a birth cohort study

BACKGROUND: Approximately 20.5 million infants were born weighing <2500 g (defined as low birthweight or LBW) in 2015, primarily in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Infants born LBW, including those born preterm (<37 weeks gestation), are at increased risk for numerous consequences, including neonatal mortality and morbidity as well as suboptimal health and nutritional status later in life. The objective of this study was to identify predictors of LBW and preterm birth among infants in rural Uganda. METHODS: Data were derived from a prospective birth cohort study conducted from 2014–2016 in 12 districts across northern and southwestern Uganda. Birth weights were measured in triplicate to the nearest 0.1 kg by trained enumerators within 72 hours of delivery. Gestational age was calculated from the first day of last menstrual period (LMP). Associations between household, maternal, and infant characteristics and birth outcomes (LBW and preterm birth) were assessed using bivariate and multivariable logistic regression with stepwise, backward selection analyses. RESULTS: Among infants in the study, 4.3% were born LBW (143/3,337), and 19.4% were born preterm (744/3,841). In multivariable analysis, mothers who were taller (>150 cm) (adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR) = 0.42 (95% CI = 0.24, 0.72)), multigravida (aOR = 0.62 (95% CI = 0.39, 0.97)), or with adequate birth spacing (>24 months) (aOR = 0.60 (95% CI = 0.39, 0.92)) had lower odds of delivering a LBW infant Mothers with severe household food insecurity (aOR = 1.84 (95% CI = 1.22, 2.79)) or who tested positive for malaria during pregnancy (aOR = 2.06 (95% CI = 1.10, 3.85)) had higher odds of delivering a LBW infant. In addition, in multivariable analysis, mothers who resided in the Southwest (aOR = 0.64 (95% CI = 0.54, 0.76)), were ≥20 years old (aOR = 0.76 (95% CI = 0.61, 0.94)), with adequate birth spacing (aOR = 0.76 (95% CI = 0.63, 0.93)), or attended ≥4 antenatal care (ANC) visits (aOR = 0.56 (95% CI = 0.47, 0.67)) had lower odds of delivering a preterm infant; mothers who were neither married nor cohabitating (aOR = 1.42 (95% CI = 1.00, 2.00)) or delivered at home (aOR = 1.25 (95% CI = 1.04, 1.51)) had higher odds. CONCLUSIONS: In rural Uganda, severe household food insecurity, adolescent pregnancy, inadequate birth spacing, malaria infection, suboptimal ANC attendance, and home delivery represent modifiable risk factors associated with higher rates of LBW and/or preterm birth. Future studies on interventions to address these risk factors may be warranted.Published versio

Charting a new climate

Three years on from the publication of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) recommendations, the financial sector’s attention is firmly focused on climate-related risks and opportunities. The TCFD recommendations aimed to promote forward-looking scenario-based assessments of climate change by financial institutions and corporates, and for the findings to be incorporated into their strategic decisions. Since then, the Network for Greening the Financial System (NGFS), a grouping of central banks and supervisors, has been established and its membership has grown at a fast pace. The NGFS aims to contribute to the development of environment and climate risk management in the financial sector, and to mobilize mainstream finance to support the transition toward a sustainable economy. Its members have collectively pledged support for the TCFD recommendations. In another major development, the Principles for Responsible Banking (PRB) were established by UNEP FI and member banks in 2019. Signatory banks to the PRB (more than 180 by August 2020), have committed to align their strategy and practice with the vision that society has set out for its future in the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Climate Agreement. UNEP FI has run pilot projects on implementing the TCFD recommendations for over 90 banks, investors, and insurers. Many other processes and organizations aim to tackle climate risk and opportunity in the financial sector. This new focus on climate-related risks and opportunities sits within a context of intensifying climate change impacts. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report on global warming of 1.5°C estimates that human activities have already caused about 1°C of global warming above pre-industrial levels.1 If global GHG emissions continue to increase at the current rate, warming is likely to reach 1.5°C by around 2040 and up to 4°C by the end of the century. Yet the world will face severe climate impacts even with 1.5°C of warming. Physical risks – which result from climate variability, extreme events and longer-term shifts in climate patterns – are already being experienced and are set to intensify in the future. This report describes the outputs of the UN Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) Phase II banking pilot which lays out state-of-the-art tools and data for assessment of physical climate-related risks and opportunities by banks. The Phase II pilot, involving 39 UNEP FI member banks from six continents, focused on addressing key methodological challenges highlighted in its predecessor Phase I report, ‘Navigating a New Climate’.2 As the climate policy context evolves, banks are more focused on meeting the emerging expectations of financial industry regulators. While the emphasis at present is on assessing risks, banks have a key role to play – and an enormous business opportunity to realize – in providing finance for governments, businesses and consumers to invest in adaptation measures. This Phase II report provides rich technical guidance and information on the resources available to support forward-looking scenario-based assessments of physical risks and opportunities. The tools and data to support banks’ physical risk and opportunity assessments must be grounded in robust scientific evidence, be usable within the context of banks’ other data, tools and systems, and facilitate comparability between banks. While these needs are not yet fully met, significant advances have been made