The Concerning Implications of Texas’s Claim to Standing in United States v. Texas

In a sign of the case’s importance, oral arguments stretched over two hours when the Supreme Court heard United States v. Texas on November 29, 2022. United States v. Texas concerns “the Biden administration’s authority to set immigration policy.” Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas enacted the policy at issue: prioritizing groups of noncitizens to be detained and deported. This prioritization is rooted in the fact that DHS does not have the resources to detain and deport the “over 11 million noncitizens currently in the United States who could be subject to deportation.” Texas sued the federal government, arguing that it “does not have the authority to prioritize some unauthorized immigrants for deportation while downplaying others.” This post was originally published on the Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights and Social Justice website on February 6, 2023. The original post can be accessed via the Archived Link button above

Preservation or Innovation: The Impacts of Colonialism and the Economy on Traditional Moroccan Crafts

Artisans of traditional crafts in Morocco face extreme exploitation from middlemen/resellers and are unable to make a living by producing their crafts. As a result, these strongholds of Moroccan and Amazigh (Berber) culture face extinction as artisans are forced to leave the craft fields to pursue other job opportunities. While the economic structure of the traditional craft sector plays a large role in perpetuating this exploitation, these structures stem from French colonial policies. Previous research addresses the direct impacts of French colonialism on Moroccan traditional crafts but fails to address the legacy and continuing impacts, or coloniality, of colonial policies on today’s artisans. I employed document research, and informal and semi-structured interviews, conversations, and participant observation with female artisan weavers at the Anou Cooperative in Fes, Morocco, and Fatima Oulad Thami, a Moroccan-Dutch henna artist, to illuminate the connection between the French colonial recategorization of Morocco’s traditional crafts and the exploitation of artisans and stagnation of craft development in Morocco today. My argument is threefold. First, the French colonial recategorization of the Moroccan craft sector led to the disempowerment and marginalization of artisans as creative forces. Second, a transfer of power within the “coloniality of being” hierarchy facilitated the exploitation artisans face at the hands of middlemen/resellers. Third, artisan-run initiatives, such as the Anou Cooperative, act as decolonial forces that grapple with ideas of preservation and innovation while creating a sustainable future for the Moroccan craft sector

Does microplastic induce oxidative stress in marine invertebrates?

In the last decades the production of plastic increased continuously. Simultaneously, environmental pollution by plastic became a rising issue. Marine litter can have adverse effects on animals. Some species may get trapped in lost fishing nets or they may starve to death upon ingestion of plastic which may clog their digestive tracts. Degradation of plastic items generates a continuously increasing number of smaller-sized particles. Microplastic, finally ranging in the µm-size classes can have adverse effects on marine invertebrates upon ingestion. Most of these effects can be attributed to the cellular level. How can particles in the microscale harm organisms? In this study the ingestion of microplastic by marine invertebrates and, moreover, the possible transfer into cells of the digestive tract will be examined. As model species we chose the Atlantic ditch shrimp (Palaemon varians). This species inhabits coastal regions, estuaries, and brackish water systems which are most affected by anthropogenic pollution. Effects will be determined in the cells of the midgut gland of P. varians. Measuring the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is a suitable method to detect cellular stress. Quantification of ROS-formation will be done by confocal laser scanning microscopy and the aid of the fluorogenic substrates Dihydroethidium (DHE) and 2’, 7’ - Dichlorodihydrofluorescin diacetate (DCFDA). The results will help to identify cellular reactions after exposure to microparticles and indicate the toxicological impact on cells and whole organisms

Data on benthic species assemblages and seafloor sediment characteristics in an offshore windfarm in the southeastern North Sea

The German Bight (North Sea) is a centre of development of offshore wind energy. In the near future, windfarms will cover a significant part (about 25%) of the German Exclusive Economic Zone. In order to understand and assess potential effects of the construction and early operational phase of offshore wind turbines on the marine environment, an extensive research programme was carried out at Germany's first offshore windfarm alpha ventus. Here, data are presented on macroinfauna and local sediment characteristics collected as part of this programme. Grab samples were taken annually in autumn in 2008 (baseline), 2009 (construction phase) and 2010 and 2011 (early operational phase). Sampling stations were located along transects between adjacent turbines inside the windfarm and in two reference areas with similar environmental conditions in terms of sediment characteristics and water depth. A total of 336 samples were taken inside the windfarm and 192 samples in the reference areas. Sediment characteristics were described in terms of grain size distribution and organic content. The infauna was taxonomically analysed and quantified in terms of abundance and biomass. One-hundred three infauna taxa were identified, mainly belonging to the polychaetes, crustaceans and bivalves, living in fine to medium sandy soft bottom in water depths ranging from -27 m to -30 m. The data can be useful in meta-analyses of renewable energies impacts. Additionally, the data can support species distribution modelling to gain a better understanding of species' requirements and habitats as a basis for spatial planning scenarios and the evaluation of the ecological status of the marine environment. Moreover, the data can serve as baseline data for future monitoring and management of nearby protected areas where environmental conditions are comparable to those of the present study area

Lipolytic enzymes in the gastric fluids of Cancer pagurus are capable of hydrolyzing biodegradable plastic

The pollution of the environment by plastics is a perpetual problem that poses a great challenge to mankind. A promising strategy to counteract the increasing pollution is the innovation and development of biodegradable materials. However, biodegradable plastics reach into the marine environment in the same way as conventional plastics and can also be ingested by marine organisms. There is a wide variety of different polymers that are used in biodegradable materials, such as polylactic acid (PLA), polybutylene succinate (PBS) or polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs). Those compounds are known to be enzymatically degradable by several enzymes under certain conditions. Once ingested by marine organisms such as crustaceans, the highly active mixture of enzymes in their digestive tracts may break down compounds and facilitate degradation. In this study, the hydrolytic activity of gastric fluids from Cancer pagurus on different biodegradable and conventional plastics was evaluated with pH Stat titration. The enzymes capable of hydrolyzing biodegradable plastics were isolated from the gastric fluid and characterized using several analytical methods. Separated protein fractions with a high amount of lipolytic enzymes showed the highest potential on hydrolyzing biodegradable plastics

Marine Debris Floating in Arctic and Temperate Northeast Atlantic Waters

Floating marine debris is ubiquitous in marine environments but knowledge about quantities in remote regions is still limited. Here, we present the results of an extensive survey of floating marine debris by experts, trained scientists from fields other than pollution or non-professional citizen scientists. A total of 276 visual ship-based surveys were conducted between 2015 and 2020 in the Northeast (NE) Atlantic from waters off the Iberian Peninsula to the Central Arctic, however, with a focus on Arctic waters. Spatiotemporal variations among regional seas (Central Arctic, Barents Sea, Greenland Sea, Norwegian Sea, North Sea) and oceanic regions (Arctic waters and the temperate NE Atlantic) were explored. The overall median debris concentration was 11 items km-2, with considerable variability. The median concentration was highest in the North Sea with 19 items km-2. The Nordic seas, except the Central Arctic showed median concentrations ranging from 9 to 13 items km-2. Plastic accounted for 91% of all floating items. Miscellaneous fragments, films, ropes and nets, packaging materials, expanded polystyrene and straps were the most frequently observed plastic types. Although the median debris concentration in the Central Arctic was zero, this region was not entirely free of floating debris. The variations between regional seas and oceanic regions were statistically not significant indicating a continuous supply by a northward transportation of floating debris. The data show a slight annual decrease and clear seasonal differences in debris concentrations with higher levels observed during summer. A correlation between debris concentrations and environmental and spatial variables was found, explaining partly the variability in the observations. Pollution levels were 500 times lower than those recorded on the seafloor indicating the seafloor as a sink for marine debris. The Arctic was characterised by similar pollution levels as regions in temperate latitudes highlighting that Arctic ecosystems face threats from plastic pollution, which add to the effects of rapid climate change