Climate Change, Reproductive Justice, And Existential Politics: Examining Histories And Implications Of Neo-Malthusianism In The U.s. Environmental Movement

Climate change is the greatest public health threat of our time. The impacts of climate change exacerbates inequities not only among nations but also within societies. Climate action may be seen as an existential threat by political leaders and elites whose power and wealth is derived from fossil fuel-related economic activity and may push them to seek ‘solutions’ to climate change that do not require a shift away from fossil fuels, such as population control measures. The U.S. environmental movement and international NGO apparatus have a dark history of advocating for neo-Malthusian or adjacent approaches to population growth, including coercive population control measures. These approaches resulted in policies that violated reproductive justice and disproportionately affected marginalized populations. Recently, far-right online communities have incorporated neo-Malthusian thinking into a philosophy called eco-fascism, which justifies fascistic policies and violence targeting marginalized populations by claiming that they are disproportionately responsible for environmental issues. Elements of this philosophy are evident in mainstream conservative rhetoric. Population growth is often assumed to be a cause of climate change, and population control a solution, despite the connection between population growth and climate change being disputed by political ecologists. Without interrogating these assumptions, histories, and ideological connections, those who include reproductive health services in narratives of climate crises and imminent existential threats – including governments, NGOs, and advocates – set the stage for reproductive justice to be attacked by political actors. These attacks may be motivated either by an unwillingness to change economic policies or by fascistic ideologies. In order to prevent climate change from being used to justify such attacks, these actors must decouple discussions of reproductive health services from discussion of solutions to climate change

Prenatal Drug and Alcohol Exposure: Science Refutes Media Hype and Enduring Myths

Based on the extraordinary misinformation that appears frequently in the popular press, many people believe that a pregnant individual who uses any amount of a criminalized drug or alcohol will inevitably harm or even kill the fetus. But media hype is not the same as science, and popular news reports have misrepresented the scientific facts about prenatal exposure to drugs. Research tells us that there is no scientific evidence of unique, certain, or irreparable harm for fetuses exposed to cocaine, methamphetamine, opioids, or cannabis in utero. Additionally, no criminalized substances have been found to be abortifacients. Misinformation related to substance use is frequently used to prosecute pregnant people, and in this post-Dobbs reality, these prosecutions will likely occur on a larger scale

In-street wind direction variability in the vicinity of a busy intersection in central London

We present results from fast-response wind measurements within and above a busy intersection between two street canyons (Marylebone Road and Gloucester Place) in Westminster, London taken as part of the DAPPLE (Dispersion of Air Pollution and Penetration into the Local Environment; www.dapple.org.uk) 2007 field campaign. The data reported here were collected using ultrasonic anemometers on the roof-top of a building adjacent to the intersection and at two heights on a pair of lamp-posts on opposite sides of the intersection. Site characteristics, data analysis and the variation of intersection flow with the above-roof wind direction (θref) are discussed. Evidence of both flow channelling and recirculation was identified within the canyon, only a few metres from the intersection for along-street and across-street roof-top winds respectively. Results also indicate that for oblique rooftop flows, the intersection flow is a complex combination of bifurcated channelled flows, recirculation and corner vortices. Asymmetries in local building geometry around the intersection and small changes in the background wind direction (changes in 15-min mean θref of 5–10 degrees) were also observed to have profound influences on the behaviour of intersection flow patterns. Consequently, short time-scale variability in the background flow direction can lead to highly scattered in-street mean flow angles masking the true multi-modal features of the flow and thus further complicating modelling challenges

The extracellular matrix and insulin resistance

The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a highly dynamic compartment that undergoes remodeling as a result of injury and repair. Over the past decade, mounting evidence in humans and rodents suggest that ECM remodeling is associated with diet-induced insulin resistance in several metabolic tissues. Additionally, integrin receptors for the ECM have also been implicated in the regulation of insulin action. This review will address what is currently known about the ECM, integrins and insulin action in the muscle, liver and adipose tissue. Understanding how ECM remodeling and integrin signaling regulates insulin action may aid in the development of new therapeutic targets for the treatment of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes