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Posts Tagged 'Environment'
Please Nominate Your Candidates for the 2017 Environmental Hall of Fame/Shame Awards
Last year, 2017, saw some real heroes and villains with respect to the environment. It is important that we recognize those who most affected the environment, for good or ill, by their words or actions.
Each year, this site takes a poll to find those most deserving to be in the Environmental Hall of Fame or the Environmental Hall of Shame. Please send your nominations for each category by e-mail through the "Contact the Author" link, send it to moorejc2646@gmail.com, or put it in the comment section. If you would like, please include a short reason that your nominee should be chosen and suggest a suitable gift if they win.
Nominations will be taken until May 15, 2018. The nominees will then be listed and this site will conduct a poll to determine the winner in each category. You may suggest a suitable prize for your nominee. Please be imaginative, as particularly thoughtful or humorous nominations will be recognized and published on this site.
Tags: air pollution, Climate Change, Environment, global Warming
Posted in Environmental Hall of Shame | 1 Comment »
Environmental Security and Renewable Energy
Below are two letters published in the Wichita Eagle recently. They remind us that there are many reasons for taking action on climate change. They are reprinted with the authors' permissions.
Grow economy with wind energy
As a 30-year-old living in the middle of Wichita, I am constantly thinking about job growth and how to keep my friends from moving away to states with job opportunities more in line with their needs. I am in love with this state because of its natural beauty – prairie grasses, limestone and sunsets that I can enjoy nearly every day.
The more I learn about renewable energy, the more excited I become for what it could do for our state. At a legislative roundtable in 2013 discussing the benefits of Kansas wind energy, they said that more than 13,000 jobs could be created from construction and operation of wind turbines. The American Wind Energy Association reports as of late 2016 that Kansas has 4.4 gigawatts of wind capacity.
What if we utilized our energy capabilities right here instead of purchasing coal from other states? Let's grow our economy and start thinking of alternatives that would withstand our extreme realities of droughts and floods, employ citizens, and allow Kansas to become more energy independent.
Alisha Gridley, Wichita
Environmental security matters
Let's talk about security – the state of being absent of danger or fear. The types of security are many: home, health, food, financial, cyber, national, etc.What may not come so readily to mind is environmental security — which is to live in an environment that provides clean air and water and a predictable and livable climate.
Inaction on climate change poses a threat to our environmental security. Climate scientists are convinced, based upon a vast body of evidence, that human-caused climate change is happening. Unabated, climate change will result in an increase of extreme weather-related disasters and coastal flooding that will consume an escalating percentage of our gross domestic product, putting our economic and national security at risk.
The U.S. House's Bipartisan Climate Caucus recognizes this risk. This group, split evenly with Democrats and Republicans, promotes legislation that would collect a fee on fossil fuel production and distribute all the collections equally among the American citizenry as a dividend. This offers a market-based approach to deal with climate change and achieve environmental security.
RICHARD COWLISHAW, WINFIELD
Note: Both authors are members of the Citizens' Climate Education and the Citizens' Climate Lobby groups in Wichita. They are both strong advocates for a carbon fee and dividend system to ensure clean air, pure water, and a healthy future for our children.
Tags: Climate Change, Environment, Environmental security, wind-energy
Westar Energy's Proposal to Increase Rates on Solar Customers
Westar Energy is proposing a rate increase for customers who install solar panels or other distributive energy sources. Those Net Energy Metering (NEM) customers would have to choose between an additional $50 a month energy charge, or a $15 fixed fee plus a per-kilowatt rate demand charge based on the previous month's maximum usage. If approved, Westar's rate proposal will increase the payback time for installing solar panels from 12 years to more than 20 years, greatly discouraging solar installations.
As a Westar stockholder, I am opposed to additional fees or higher charges on Net Energy Metering customers. The NEM customers should be seen as a resource rather than a liability and should be encouraged. They should be treated just as any other customer when they draw energy from the grid, and just as any other supplier for the net energy they produce. Does it really matter if Westar buys energy from NEM customers or from the Southwest power pool?
Westar's website says it will "support public policies and initiatives to accelerate the development and use of environmentally beneficial and cost effective strategies for energy efficiency programs for both customers and Westar's own operations, zero – or low – emissions generation technologies, and renewable energy resources." That is a good policy, but this proposal is inconsistent with it.
One of the biggest future costs to Westar would be to build additional power plants, so Westar encourages energy conservation. If I cut my electricity usage by 50% by installing more insulation and storm windows, I am applauded for following Westar's conservation guidelines. If I cut my electricity usage by 50% by installing solar panels, I would be charged a higher electric rate. That is irrational, as NEM customers would help reduce the need for new power plants just as energy conservation does.
Westar should not be concerned about losing revenue from solar customers. Residential customers pay a customer fee, an electricity fee, a fuel charge, a distribution fee, an environmental fee, an energy efficiency charge, and even Westar's property taxes. Last June, our bill was $24.95 for electricity, but our total bill came out to be $53.27 after the fees were added. NEM customers will pay less for energy charges, but will still pay the other fees. If Westar makes it too expensive, then potential NEM customers may install extra battery capacity such as a Powerwall, and withdraw from the grid entirely.
Distributive generation should be seen as a resource. Westar has been proactive in developing wind and solar energy and now gets 51% of its energy from noncarbon sources. In the future, Westar will need to replace some of its coal power plants and may need to reduce its use of natural gas to cut its greenhouse gas emissions. Distributed generation would help replace the energy they produce without requiring capital investment from Westar.
NEM customers will help reduce pollution and environmental degradation. Westar has three coal-fired power plants which operate without scrubbers. Those plants should be phased out immediately and Westar should begin phasing out its other coal-fired power plants to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. Though natural gas is cheap now, that may not be true in the future. There is a link between fracking and earthquakes, and fracking activities are being curtailed. This will lead to higher gas prices. Though natural gas produces 2 ½ times as much energy per mole of carbon dioxide produced, it has a global warming potential 82 times that of carbon dioxide. If even 4% of the natural gas used for energy is leaked during production and transportation, then any advantage of using it for fuel will be lost
Coal-fired power plants release mercury, chromium, lead, cadmium, arsenic, sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, carbon dioxide, particulates, and radioactive isotopes. Burning coal releases millions of tons of pollutants into the air and leaves several hundred million tons behind in the coal ash. Some pollutants stay in the air and others eventually find their way into the water, the food chain, and into us. The heavy metals are carcinogenic and accumulate in tissue. Even exposure below the allowed levels increases the chance of cancer over time. The sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, and carbon dioxide released by coal combustion harm plants, produce acid rain, and increase the greenhouse gas concentrations. Switching to renewable energy would greatly reduce these pollutants and help preserve the environment for future generations.
Encouraging NEM will benefit Westar and its customers. A study by Crossborder Energy in 2014 found NEM allows utilities to avoid costs of generation and fuel, maintenance and upgrade of transmission and distribution infrastructure, transmission losses (which account for 7% of losses), capacity purchases, and compliance with renewable energy standards. The study concluded," The cost which utilities avoid when they accept NEM power exported to their grid shows that NEM does not produce a cost to nonparticipating ratepayers; instead it creates a small net benefit on average across the residential markets." While it does cause power companies to have to adjust their loads accordingly, NEM reduces peak loads, transmission losses, and the need for new power plants. In California, the study found NEM "delivers more than $92 million in annual benefits to non-solar customers".
Similar research studies in Vermont, New York, California, Texas, and Nevada also concluded that net metering provided a net positive benefit for utility companies and their customers. A 2015 study done in Missouri is relevant to Kansas. A cost-benefit study of net metering in Missouri arrived at the same conclusion as the other studies, " Net metering provides a net benefit. " Missouri has 6000 net metering customers while Westar now has approximately 300. Westar certainly should encourage more.
This proposal to impose a fee or higher rates on NEM customers is the result of short-term thinking. It will harm Westar and its stakeholders in the long run. Investing in clean energy protects the environment, reduces deaths and disease from air pollution, and creates good, local jobs. Westar must develop policies to encourage the development of renewable energy investments and energy conservation. Our energy needs will best be served by a mixture of traditional and alternate energy sources, but we must be proactive in developing our renewable energy resources as quickly as possible.
(c) 2017 – J.C Moore
Tags: air pollution, carbon emissions, Environment, fossil-fuels, Greenhouse Effect, Heavy metals, particulates, rate increase, renewable energy, Westar energy
Green Energy Is Not a Frivolous "Add on"
Dr. Pirotte's clinic with solar panels
This is a reprint of a letter to the Wichita Eagle from Dr. Patrick Pirotte, which explains why renewable energy is important for our future.
Dr. Patrick Pirotte, O.D., is a board certified Fellow in the College of Optometrists in Vision Development and treats children with vision and learning-related vision problems. He lectures nationwide on the diagnosis and treatment of vision problems in children and on the impact of vision problems on learning and classroom performance. He is a member of the Citizens Climate Lobby and is an advocate for their carbon fee and dividend system to ensure a healthy future for our children.
The letter below is reprinted with his permission:
"I read with interest recent statements by Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., about renewable energy in Kansas (Oct. 1 Eagle). To imply that the only thing that green energy is doing in Kansas or elsewhere is a frivolous "add on" is incorrect.
Currently installed wind and solar are eliminating hundreds of millions of tons of carbon dioxide while providing reliable energy at competitive prices. The idea that fossil fuel plants must be constantly kept running to back up intermittent sources such as solar or wind is not true.
When President Obama's Clean Power Plan is allowed to go into effect, there will be a dramatic reduction in respiratory and cardiovascular diseases nationally and internationally. Proponents of burning fossil fuels should recognize these benefits and champion clean energy, saving lives and lowering health care costs.
Furthermore, the price of fossil fuels is not the just cost of fossil fuels, but also the external costs to the environment and people's health. Because of that, there is a constant error in the way carbon pricing is discussed.
Senator Moran and his colleagues should consider a practical and well-studied proposal to charge a fee on carbon and give a dividend to each household, protecting those who would be harmed by the increased cost of their energy beyond their ability to pay. It is not a tax. Most importantly, it uses the market to send price signals to consumers to move their purchases away from fossil fuels, which will reduce climate change harm from burning them."
PAT PIROTTE, WICHITA
Note: Dr. Pirotte is not only an advocate for renewable energy, but serves as an example of what can be done. He has installed 40 kW of solar panels on his 9000 square foot clinic as pictured above . They have a battery storage system and supply 90% of the energy needed to run the clinic. It is connected by a net metering system to the grid and on sunny days, particularly if the clinic is closed, his installation sends a considerable amount of electricity back onto the grid. He estimates the solar panels save him $6200 per year on his electricity costs and have a payback time of 14 years at current rates. His clinic serves as an example of how businesses can save money and energy by installing solar panels.
Tags: carbon fee and dividend, Citizens climate lobby, Clean power plan, Climate Change, dr-patrick-pirotte, Environment, fossil-fuels, Sen. Jerry Moran, solar panels
Winners of the 2016 Hall Of Fame and Hall of Shame Awards
Wed ,01/03/2017
Thanks to those of you who submitted nominations and who voted. The four top candidates in each category were selected from the nominees and the poll was conducted on three internet sites and Facebook. This year's winners won by landslides.
Here are the winners:
1. Dr. Katharine Hayhoe ( 91% of the vote) – an atmospheric scientist at Texas Tech University, she is director of the Climate Science Center. She is an evangelical Christian who believes that science and religion do not have to conflict with one another. She has been a persuasive spokesperson for action on global warming and supports a Carbon Fee and Dividend proposal to address the issue.
Award: An appreciation of climate science by conservatives.
2. The Standing Rock Sioux (5%) – for opposing the Dakota Access Pipeline to protect their water quality after it was routed through their reservation due to concerns of other communities for the same reason. Facing militarized police forces and North Dakota's most severe blizzards and sub zero winds they prevailed in efforts on the reservation and in the media capturing the support of much of the nation.
Suggested Award: A proper, nonpolitical environmental review before any more construction.
3. President Barack Obama (2%) – for coordinating and implementing a global climate pact signed by 195 countries, including the US, even in the face of a Congress that would stop at nothing to prevent it. President Obama managed to tie the US Paris agreement to a previous treaty to avoid a possible defeat in Congress.
Prize : Clean air and water for our grandchildren as his legacy.
4. China (2%) –for announcing an investment of $361 billion in renewable energy by 2020 (and probably taking the global lead in green tech – a sad, missed opportunity for the US, but a great achievement for our shared future). China has also just cancelled the construction of 100 coal fired power plants to be replaced with wind and solar energy.
Award : Being able to go outdoors in the cities without a mask.
1. The Palm Oil industry (91% of the vote.) – Palm Oil is found in roughly half the packaged products sold in US grocery stores, creating a skyrocketing demand for the oil. This demand has led to the burning of millions of acres of tropical rain forests and jungles, caused the loss of wildlife and eco-system, contributed to climate change, and spread corruption to local and national governments. It is also responsible for human rights violations as corporations often forcefully remove Indigenous Peoples from their lands and its production has led to child labor violations and modern day slavery.
Suggested Award : A boycott of all conflict palm oil products.
2. Trump voters (5%) – for electing a President more than willing to undo even the modest progress the Paris Agreement would/could have accomplished – and most certainly will work to enable completion of the Keystone Pipeline, and push the Dakota Access pipeline in which he seems to have a financial interest. He has promised to remove/rollback decades of regulations designed to improve the quality of our air, water, and soil.
Suggested Award: May you drink water approved by Scott Pruitt's EPA.
3. Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin (2%) – for appointing a real estate lady to head the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR), scattering the DNR programs among five agencies making conservation more costly and less effective, halting enforcement of environmental regulations, and scrubbing anything involving Climate Change from DNR computers.
Wished for Award: A resounding defeat in the next election.
4. Utah Congressman Rob Bishop (2%) – chairman of the powerful House Committee on Natural Resources, with sway over issues ranging from energy production to mining, fisheries, and wildlife across one-fifth of the nation's landmass. He wants to overturn Obama's Bear's Ears monument, taking the land away from a coalition of native American tribes so it can be broken up and sold to mining and lumber interests. He introduced a Constitutional amendment that would take away the right of the President to designate national monuments, and has fought to weaken environmental laws and neuter federal agencies like the Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service, and the Forest Service.
Award: Perhaps having the federal agencies return the favor.
It looks like 2017 will have some epic battles between conservationists and corporate polluters. Please keep in mind those who affect the environment the most for good or ill for your 2017 nominations.
Tags: china, Congressman Rob Bishop, Environment, global Warming, Governor Scott Walker, Katharine Hayhoe, President Obama, The Palm Oil Industry, The Standing Rock Sioux, Trump voters
The picture at the right reminds us of how beautiful, small, and finite the Earth is – and how important it is that we protect it. This contest was designed to identify those who work to protect the Earth and those who would damage it through their actions. The 2015 Environmental Hall of Fame and Hall of Shame contests were carried out on four websites and the votes were combined to determine those who have most affected the environment.
The 2015 Environmental Hall of Fame Winners are:
1. (37% of vote) Bill Nye the science guy, and Neil deGrasse Tyson for their efforts at educating the public. Hearing them together on Tyson's Star Talk radio show makes me think that they should have a prime time TV show. They are a riot together and certainly help people understand the science of global warming. Prize : A prime time TV show together.
2. (25%) President Barack Obama, both for managing to thread the needle in Paris and for postponing the decision on Keystone XL until it was uneconomical and too late for anybody in Congress to want to do anything in a presidential election year. Pres. Obama managed to tie the US Paris agreement to a previous treaty to avoid a possible defeat in Congress if it needed their approval. Prize : An political chess set.
3. (19%) Representative Chris Gibson (R-NY) for introducing H. Res. 424, a Republican Climate Resolution to address mitigating global warming. He, along with 12 Republican cosponsors, support H. Res. 424 which states, "It is a conservative principle to protect, conserve, and be good stewards of our environment." This is a very hopeful sign of progress along the road to bipartisan climate action. Prize: Enough political support to ward off Americans for Prosperity and other climate change deniers.
4. (19%) California Governor Jerry Brown for his tireless efforts to make policies and laws to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to protect the residents of CA and the surrounding states from the worst impacts of global warming. He has signed pacts to combat the planet's warming with leaders from 13 countries including Mexico, China, North America, Japan, Israel and Peru. Reward: More support from the U.S. Congress.
Honorable Mention. The "little old guy" from the retirement center seen several times a week leaning on his cane to pick up stuff other people believe they couldn't be bothered with. (And does it while walking a dog). Award: Our thanks for being such a good example to us all.
Hall of Shame Recipients are:
1. ( 45%) The dishonorable Governor Rick Snyder of Michigan and his sycophants for not only allowing the poisoning of Flint Michigan children but also insisting that the healthcare professionals who brought this to their attention be dismissed and demeaned by Michigan Environmental officials. To save money, the state switched Flint's water supply to that of the corrosive water of Flint River, which leached lead out of the city's water pipes, affecting the resident's health and causing lead poisoning in thousands of Flint's children.
Award: A lead pipe connection for their office water supply from the Flint River.
2. ( 35% ) The 114th Congress of the United States for their repeated acts, statements, and actions against climate science, scientist, and new clean energy technologies – and for being out of step with the American public who by a majority in both parties support efforts to reduce CO2. An example would be Lamar Smith (R -TX) for trying to influence the science findings at NOAA. Award: A huge dearth of votes in the next election for those who oppose climate science.
3. (10%) Exxon/Mobil for their continued climate denial and for sowing doubt about CO2's role in global warming even though their own scientists knew in 1980 that CO2 from fossil fuels was the cause. Though their lying to the public is apparently not against the law, lying to their stockholders is , and several states are moving to sue them for damages. Award: Judgments against Exxon/Mobil like those against tobacco companies.
4. ( 10%) North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory and the NC lawmakers who tacked on a 61-page "business-friendly" measure to a 1-page technical bill – then rammed through the law without public input. It:
Gave polluters immunity from certain fines & penalties
Allows polluters to avoid full cleanup of soil and groundwater contamination
Permits polluters to self-report without enforcement or fines
Rolls back clean water and air protections
Rejects science on sea level rise
Award: Nickname North Carolina the "Polluters Paradise" in their honor.
Note: Senator James Inhofe, the chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, was nominated so many times that he was awarded a Lifetime Membership in the Environmental Hall of Shame to give others a chance. He claims "climate change is the biggest hoax in history" and wrote a book about it (reviewed here). He is famous for comparing the EPA to a Gestapo bureaucracy, appearing at climate conferences as if he spoke for the US, and bringing snowballs onto the senate floor as if they proved climate change is a hoax. The person who nominated him for a Lifetime Award thought he should be barraged with snowballs for as long as it snows in Washington D.C..
Tags: Bill Nye, Climate Change, Environment, exxon-mobil, global Warming, Gov. Jerry Brown, Gov. Rick Snyder, Hall of Fame, Hall of Shame, James Inhofe, NC Gov. Pat McCrory and lawmakers, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Pres. Barack Obama, Representative Chris Gibson, The 114th Congress
Posted in Environmental Hall of Shame, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Poll: Vote for the 2015 Hall Of Fame and Hall of Shame Candidates
Thanks to those of you who submitted nominations. The four top candidates in each category have been selected from those you nominated. Please help select the winners by voting for the nominee who you think has most affected the environment for good or ill. If you will, please post a reason for your vote and a suggestion for suitable gifts for your favorite candidate. The most interesting and humorous gift suggestions will be acknowledged.
Voting will close and the winners announced on March 30, 2016. Please put your choice in each category as a comment below or you may vote in a poll at this site.
Hall of Fame Nominees
1. Bill Nye, the science guy, and Neil deGrasse Tyson for their efforts at educating the public. Hearing them together on Tyson's Star Talk radio show makes me think that they should have a prime time TV show. They are a riot together and certainly help people understand global warming.
Prize : A prime time TV show together.
2. Representative Chris Gibson (R-NY) for introducing H. Res. 424, a Republican Climate Resolution to address mitigating global warming. He, along with 12 Republican cosponsors, support H. Res. 424 which states, "It is a conservative principle to protect, conserve, and be good stewards of our environment." This is a very hopeful sign of progress along the road to bipartisan climate action.
Suggested Prize: Enough support to ward off Americans for Prosperity and other climate change deniers.
3. President Barack Obama, both for managing to thread the needle in Paris and for postponing the decision on Keystone XL until it was uneconomical and too late for anybody in Congress to want to do anything in a presidential election year. Pres. Obama managed to tie the US Paris agreement to a previous treaty to avoid a possible defeat in Congress if it needed their approval.
Prize : An political chess set.
4. California Governor Jerry Brown for his tireless efforts and laws to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to protect the residents of CA and the surrounding states from the worst impacts of global warming. He has signed pacts to combat the planet's warming with leaders from 13 countries including Mexico, China, North America, Japan, Israel and Peru.
Hoped for Reward: More support from the U.S. Congress.
Hall of Shame Nominees
1. The dishonorable Governor Rick Snyder of Michigan and his sycophants for not only allowing the poisoning of Flint Michigan children but also insisting that the healthcare professionals who brought this to their attention be dismissed and demeaned by Michigan Environmental officials. To save money, the state switched Flint's water supply to that of the corrosive water of Flint River, which leached lead out of the city's water pipes, affecting the resident's health and causing lead poisoning in thousands of Flint's children.
Award: Please suggest a suitable nonviolent award.
2. The 114th Congress of the United States. Reason: For their repeated acts and statements and actions against climate science, scientist, and new clean energy technologies, and for being out of step with the American public who by a majority in both parties support efforts to reduce CO2. An example would be Lamar Smith (R -TX) for trying to dictate the science findings at NOAA.
Suggested Award: A huge dearth of votes in the next election for them all.
3. Exxon/Mobil for their continued climate denial and for sowing doubt about CO2's role in global warming even though their own scientists knew in 1980 that CO2 from fossil fuels was the cause. Though their lying to the public is apparently not against the law, lying to their stockholders is , and several states are moving to sue them for damages.
Prize: Judgments against Exxon/Mobil like those against tobacco companies.
4. North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory and the NC lawmakers who tacked on a 61-page "business-friendly" measure to a 1-page technical bill – then rammed through the law without public input. It:
Suggested Award: Nickname North Carolina the "Polluters Paradise".
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This poll was conducted on four internet sites. The poll will close on March 30, 2015.
Please put your choice in each category as a comment below or you may vote in a poll at this site.
Note: Senator James Inhofe, the chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, has been nominated so many times that he is now being awarded a Lifetime Membership in the Environmental Hall of Shame to give others a chance. He claims "climate change is the biggest hoax in history" and wrote a book about it (reviewed here). He is famous for comparing the EPA to a Gestapo bureaucracy, appearing at climate conferences as if he spoke for the US, and bringing snowballs onto the senate floor as if they proved climate change is a hoax. The person who nominated him for a Lifetime Award thought he should be barraged with snowballs for as long as it snows in Washington D.C..
Tags: Bill Nye, Environment, exxon-mobil, Gov. Jerry Brown, Gov. Rick Snyder, James Inhofe, NC Gov. Pat McCrory and lawmakers, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Pres. Barack Obama, Representative Chris Gibson, The 114th Congress
Posted in Environmental Hall of Shame, Uncategorized | 3 Comments »
James Taylor: EDF's Top 10 Global Warming Lies – Or Not
James Taylor has published an opinion piece in Forbes about the Top 10 Global Warming Lies put forward by "climate alarmists". The climate alarmists are the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) as they recently sent out a mailer, "10 Global Warming Effects That May Shock You,". The EDF's positions sound very much like the things you read in reputable news sources and peer-reviewed science articles, so it is hard to see them as lies. According to a search of Google Scholar, James M. Taylor has not published any research in peer-reviewed journals, but he has published numerous articles with the Heartland Institute. As one Forbes reader commented, "If you take the time to check Taylor's linked references, you'll find they are to his own articles, debunked papers, or to papers that don't even support his conclusion or statement. It's all smoke and mirrors!"
Smoke certainly. James Taylor once wrote articles for the Heartland Institute claiming that smoking and secondhand smoke were harmless. He has now turned his talents to writing articles that deny the effects of global warming. His work earned Forbes third place in the 2011 Environmental Hall of Shame contest. The award went to: "Forbes Magazine (James Taylor) for a ridiculously misleading article, New NASA data Blow Gaping Hole In Global Warming Alarmism, that described climate scientists as "alarmist" 15 times. Award: A copy of the book Ethics And Journalism and a complete ban on ever using the words 'alarmist' again."
Apparently neither he nor the Forbes' editors paid much attention to the book on ethics, or the ban on using the word "alarmist" . This article uses the word "alarmist" more times than you would care to count. Forbes does now require that Mr. Taylor put a disclaimer on his articles saying that they are his own opinion. James Taylor is a lawyer and his client is the Heartland Institute and the fossil fuel companies they represent. His job is not to enlighten you, but to cause doubt about whether his client is guilty. Scientists publish their work in peer-reviewed journals along with the data that backs up their conclusions. If Mr. Taylor thinks they make mistakes, it is up to him to provide evidence that refutes their work. However, he does not do that as he has little evidence. Links in his article take you to other articles he has written which sometimes have a few references to blog sites or occasionally an article in a magazine which has not been peer-reviewed for its accuracy. As one Forbes reader commented, "This paid propaganda brought to you by the donors to the Heartburn Institute. Enjoy it with a pack of cigarettes."
To avoid confusion, I have listed what Mr. Taylor calls EDF's Alarmist Assertions. This is followed by Mr. Taylor's attempt to discount the EDF's assertion, which is labeled Mr. Taylor's Rebuttal . This is then followed by – Or Not which compares Mr. Taylor's rebuttals to reliable sources and peer-reviewed literature. It may take two packs for you to get through all this – or, you may just jump to the topics that interest you.
Alarmist Assertion #1 "Bats Drop from the Sky – In 2014, a scorching summer heat wave caused more than 100,000 bats to literally drop dead and fall from the sky in Queensland, Australia."
Mr. Taylor's Rebuttal: Objective science proves extreme weather events such as hurricanes, tornadoes, heat waves, and droughts have become less frequent and less severe as a result of the Earth's recent modest warming. … Global warming alarmists' preferred electricity source – wind power – kills nearly 1 million bats every year (to say nothing of the more than 500,000 birds killed every year) in the United States alone.
– Or Not: Bat experts have noted that bats are very sensitive to high temperatures and Australia had its hottest summer on record in 2014. Research published in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society shows that global warming was responsible for making 14 natural disasters more extreme, including the Australian heat wave. His claim that that wind turbines kills more than 1 million bats every year is irrelevant and not supported by reliable research. His reference leads to a previous article he has written which referenced a self-published magazine article whose author came up with that number by using estimates from unpublished sources. Try following his references and see where they lead.
Alarmist Assertion #2 "Lyme Disease Spreads" – Warmer temperatures are contributing to the range expansion and severity of tick-borne Lyme disease."
Mr. Taylor's Rebuttal: Lyme Disease is much more common in northern, cooler regions of the United States than in southern, warmer regions…. Any attempts to claim global warming will cause a few more Lyme Disease deaths must be weighed against the 36,000 Americans who are killed by the flu each year. The U.S. National Institutes of Health have documented how influenza is aided and abetted by cold climate.
– Or Not: This Scientific American article describes how the vectors for Lyme disease are growing in the northern regions of North America and declining in the South – more evidence for climate change. The flu comment is just a red herring as flu is a communicable illness spread from person-to-person when cold weather brings more people in contact.
Alarmist Assertion #3 "National Security Threatened – The impacts of climate change are expected to act as a 'threat multiplier' in many of the world's most unstable regions, exacerbating droughts and other natural disasters as well as leading to food, water and other resource shortages that may spur mass migrations."
Mr. Taylor's Rebuttal: The alarmists' asserted national security threat depends on assertions that (1) global warming is causing a reduction in food and water supplies and (2) migrations of people to places with more food and water will increase risks of military conflict.
– Or Not: The Department of Defense's Climate Change Adaptation Roadmap explains how our military leaders plan to address the reality of global warming. CIA Director John Brennan offered a candid assessment of the security issues:
Last year was the warmest on record, and this year is on track to be even warmer. Extreme weather, along with public policies affecting food and water supplies, can worsen or create humanitarian crises. Of the most immediate concern, sharply reduced crop yields in multiple places simultaneously could trigger a shock in food prices with devastating effect, especially in already fragile regions such as Africa, the Middle East and South Asia.
A recent New York Times article explains that the drought caused by global warming was a major factor in triggering the Syrian civil war.
Alarmist Assertion #4 "Sea Levels Rising – Warmer temperatures are causing glaciers and polar ice sheets to melt, increasing the amount of water in the world's seas and oceans."
Mr. Taylor's Rebuttal: The pace of sea level rise remained relatively constant throughout the 20th century, even as global temperatures gradually rose. Also, the alarmist assertion that polar ice sheets are melting is simply false. Although alarmists frequently point to a modest recent shrinkage in the Arctic ice sheet, that decline has been completely offset by ice sheet expansion in the Antarctic. Cumulatively, polar ice sheets have not declined at all since NASA satellite instruments began precisely measuring them 35 years ago.
– Or Not: Studies have confirmed that more than 90% of the world's glaciers are retreating and that Glacier National Park may become ice free in this century. Also, note that Mr. Taylor does not claim that the sea levels have not risen, but that it is the pace of the sea level rise has remained constant,( i.e, the sea levels are most surely rising). The only reasonable explanations for this sea level rise are that the oceans are getting warmer and expanding – and that glaciers are melting and adding more water to the oceans.
Both the Antarctic and the Arctic are losing substantial amounts of ice. (See #10 for an explanation about the Antarctic ice. ) As shown in the satellite pictures below, the Arctic ice extent has declined about 35% in the last 30 years. You might wonder why Mr. Taylor would distort data which can be so easily checked . Apparently Forbes editors do not check such things.
Alarmist Assertion #5 "Allergies Worsen – Allergy sufferers beware: Climate change could cause pollen counts to double in the next 30 years. The warming temperatures cause advancing weed growth, a bane for allergy sufferers."
Mr. Taylor's Rebuttal: Pollen is a product and mechanism of plant reproduction and growth. Indeed, NASA satellite instruments have documented a spectacular greening of the Earth, with foliage gains most prevalent in previously arid, semi-desert regions.
– Or Not: Pollen producing weeds such as ragweed are experiencing longer growing seasons and extending their ranges further northward. This is further evidence of climate change. Keep your antihistamines handy.
Alarmist Assertion #6 "Beetles Destroy Iconic Western Forests – Climate change has sent tree-killing beetles called mountain pine beetles into overdrive. Under normal conditions those beetles reproduce just once annually, but the warming climate has allowed them to churn out an extra generation of new bugs each year."
Mr. Taylor's Rebuttal: Alarmists claim warmer winters are causing an increase in pine beetle populations. This assertion is thoroughly debunked by objective, real-world data.
– Or Not: The extra generation of bark beetles each season has caused an exponential increase in their population causing a plague of bark beetles that in the last quarter-century has killed more than 30 billion pine and spruce trees from Alaska to New Mexico. Perhaps Mr. Taylor can explain why the plague of beetles started about the time winter temperatures began increasing in their range.
Alarmist Assertion #7 "Canada: The New America – 'Lusher' vegetation growth typically associated with the United States is now becoming more common in Canada, scientists reported in a 2012 Nature Climate Change study."
Mr. Taylor's Rebuttal: Only global warming alarmists would claim that lusher vegetation and more abundant plant life is a bad thing.
– Or Not: Climate scientists point to this as further evidence that Canada's climate is changing in response to global warming. It may be a bad thing for Canada, as much of the growth may be from invasive species.
Alarmist Assertion #8 "Economic Consequences – The costs associated with climate change rise along with the temperatures. Severe storms and floods combined with agricultural losses cause billions of dollars in damages, and money is needed to treat and control the spread of disease"
Mr. Taylor's Rebuttal: Severe storms, floods and agricultural losses may cost a great deal of money, but such extreme weather events – and their resulting costs – are dramatically declining as the Earth modestly warms.
– Or Not: Mr. Taylor needs to check with the large secondary insurance company Munich Re, which has a department which studies insurance losses from natural catastrophes. Their graph below shows that while losses from geophysical natural catastrophes ( in red ) have remained relatively constant over the past 35 years – the climate related catastrophes have increased about 2 1/2 times. Coincidence?
Permission Courtesy of Munich Re.
Alarmist Assertion #9 "Infectious Diseases Thrive – The World Health Organization reports that outbreaks of new or resurgent diseases are on the rise and in more disparate countries than ever before, including tropical illnesses in once cold climates."
Mr. Taylor's Rebuttal: For example, DDT had all but eliminated malaria in the United States and on the global stage during the mid-20th century. However, environmental activists championed false environmental accusations against DDT and dramatically reduced use of the life-saving mosquito killer throughout much of the world.
– Or Not: The World Health Organization reports that, "though global warming may bring some localized benefits, such as fewer winter deaths in temperate climates and increased food production in certain areas, the overall health effects of a changing climate are likely to be overwhelmingly negative. " Who should you believe, the World Health Organization or Mr. Taylor? He claims that the real problem is that we are not using DDT anymore, but he is apparently not aware that insects built up a tolerance to it. Since he was quite concerned in #1 about wind turbines killing bats and birds, should he not be concerned that DDT almost wiped out many species of birds, including Eagles in North America?
Alarmist Assertion #10 "Shrinking Glaciers – In 2013, an iceberg larger than the city of Chicago broke off the Pine Island Glacier, the most important glacier of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. And at Montana's Glacier National Park glaciers have gone from 150 to just 35 over the past century."
Mr. Taylor's Rebuttal: Calling attention to anecdotal incidents of icebergs breaking off the Antarctic ice sheet, while deliberately ignoring the overall growth of the Antarctic ice sheet, is a misleading and favorite tactic of global warming alarmists.
– Or Not: There are two processes occurring in Antarctica. The warmer oceans around Antarctica are causing more snow to fall on the mountains in East Antarctica, so the glaciers there are growing. The warmer oceans are also eroding the ice sheets in West
Antarctic ice mass from GRACE satellite data.
Antarctica, causing ice loss and huge icebergs to break off. The GRACE satellite data at the right shows that overall the mass of ice in Antarctica is declining.The extent (or area) of the Antarctic ice is irrelevant as the area of thin ice sheets grow and shrink with the seasons and the weather.
If glaciers are not melting and the oceans are not warming, then Mr. Taylor needs to explain what is causing the sea levels to rise.
Paris: Mr. Taylor uses a word "alarmist" as a pejorative to discount what the scientists are saying, but it is one of the few things he has right. Climate scientists are very alarmed that the world is on a path to end civilization as we know it by 2100, and that he, Forbes, the Wall Street Journal, Investor Business Daily, and our Congress is in denial. Here is what will happen to the world if we do not listen to the scientists and take binding action at the Paris Climate Conference. The graph below charts three paths, no action on carbon emissions, current commitments in red, and the path we need to be on if the world as we know it is to survive. Which path would you choose?
Tags: alarmists, Antarctica, Arctic ice, Climate Change, CO2, Environment, Forbes, Glaciers, global Warming, James Taylor, lies about lies
Posted in Global Warming, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Paris Climate Conference: Pope Francis and CEOs Urge Action
On his world tour, Pope Francis called on world leaders to address climate change in November at the Paris Climate Conference. It is not just religious leaders and climate scientist who are concerned, but business leaders who are aware that climate change will hurt the world's economy. A recent study, published in the journal Nature, found that temperature change due to unmitigated global warming will leave global GDP per capita 23% lower in 2100 than it would be without any warming.
Joining the call for action on climate change are companies such as Nike, Walmart, Goldman Sachs, Johnson & Johnson, Proctor & Gamble, Salesforce, Starbucks, Steelcase, and Voya Financial, all who have adopted a goal of 100 % renewable energy. Food Companies are concerned that climate change is threatening our food supply. CEOs of Kellogg's, Mars, Dannon, Ben & Jerry's, Stonyfield Farms, and Nestlé have signed a letter urging US and global leaders to "meaningfully address the reality of climate change."
By this week, 81 big-name corporations representing 9 million employees and $5 trillion in market capitalization have signed on to the President's "Act on Climate" pledge.
THE AMERICAN BUSINESS "ACT ON CLIMATE PLEDGE"
"We applaud the growing number of countries that have already set ambitious targets for climate action. In this context, we support the conclusion of a climate change agreement in Paris that takes a strong step forward toward a low-carbon, sustainable future.
We recognize that delaying action on climate change will be costly in economic and human terms, while accelerating the transition to a low-carbon economy will produce multiple benefits with regard to sustainable economic growth, public health, resilience to natural disasters, and the health of the global environment."
The list of the corporations taking the pledge and a summary of their pledges are listed in this White House fact sheet. Their pledges set ambitious, company-specific goals such as:
Reducing emissions by as much as 50 percent,
Reducing water usage by as much as 80 percent,
Achieving zero waste-to-landfill,
Purchasing 100 percent renewable energy, and
Pursuing zero net deforestation in supply chains.
Most importantly, these companies set an example to their peers who will be asked to sign onto the pledge before the Paris Conference.
The plan to reduce emissions with broad bipartisan support in the US is the carbon fee and dividend as proposed by the Citizens' Climate Lobby. Their proposal would place a fee on carbon at the source and allow market forces to encourage reduced emissions, energy conservation, and investments in renewable energy. The carbon fee is not a tax as proceeds would be distributed equally to every household as a monthly energy dividend. It would effectively stimulate the economy and add an estimated 2.8 million jobs over the next 20 years. What could be a better plan?
Tags: ACT ON CLIMATE PLEDGE, air pollution, carbon emissions, CEOs, Citizens climate lobby, Climate Change, Environment, fossil-fuels, global Warming, Pope Francis, President Obama
Posted in Climate Change, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »


You have probably heard of "Measure twice, cut once". This timeless phrase is relevant when it comes to selecting the Pros: The more thorough you are in the beginning, the more satisfied and happy you will be at the end of your project.
We want to support you to achieve your home improvement dream. To match with compatible Pros and set your project up for success, please answer a few simple questions about your project and your expectations.
This should take less than 5 minutes of your time.


Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) is a "flavor enhancer" used in many foods and is made of sodium salt of glutamic acid, a 'non-essential' amino acids. It activates the tastebuds to make them more receptive to flavor and make things taste better. It makes processed meats and frozen dinners taste fresher and smell better, salad dressings more tasty, and canned foods less tinny.
MSG does more than enhance flavor though. It is a major health concern because it contains glutamate which is the salt form of "Free Glutamic Acid" a toxin that is associated with many health problems. MSG not only stimulates smell, taste and hunger, it produces a reaction in nerve cells. MSG is an excitotoxin, a substance that overexcites neurons to the point of cell damage and eventually cell death. According to animal studies, MSG also creates a lesion in the hypothalamus that correlates with abnormal development, including obesity, short stature and sexual reproduction problems. Overstimulated, nerve cells can produce an allergic response. In particular, if MSG is eaten on an empty stomach by MSG-sensitive individuals, or foods containing MSG are eaten in high doses it may lead to many reactions by the body ranging from headaches, numbness, dizziness, burning sensations in the neck and chest, tingling nausea, palpitations, elevated blood pressure, difficulty breathing, panic attacks, sleepiness, depression, confusion, cognitive disorder, and food cravings. Plus it dramatically stimulates appetite and causes binging. Researches suggest that monosodium glutamate causes obesity, making unhealthy snacks even unhealthier than you may have suspected. Even the journal Science had published a report on MSG and its role calling it the Chinese restaurant syndrome.
MSG was first commercialized in Japan in 1909 as "Aji-no-moto" and widely abused in Asian foods but now it is now added to almost all processed foods around the world. National and International government agencies including FDA allow many companies to hide it in seemingly benign ingredients without including it on the label. MSG is one of the worst food additives on the market and is used in canned soups, crackers, meats, salad dressings, frozen dinners and much more. It's found in your local supermarket and restaurants, in your child's school cafeteria and, amazingly, even in baby food and infant formula. Unless it expressly says it's MSG-free, assume everything processed or restaurant foods contain it in some form. MSG's hidden names that may be marked on the food lables are ; Gelatin, Calcium Caseinate, Monosodium Glutamate, Hydrolized Vegetable Protein, Textured Protein, Monopotassium Glutamate, Hydrolized Plant Protein, Yeast Extract, Glutamate, Autolyzed Plant Protein, Yeast Food or Nutrient, Glutamic Acid, Sodium Caseinate and Autolyzed Yeast.
Some food laced with MSG are Flavoring Seasonings (Most assume this means salt pepper or spices & herbs which it sometimes is), Sausage products, Ranch dressing, Parmesan items, Gravy / Dipping Sauses, Fries with any kind of seasoning on them, Flavored salty snack chips, Soups, Cornstarch, Seasoning salt, Bouillon cubes, Ceasar salad, Fish Sauce or Extract, Soy Sauce, Cold Cuts, Hot dogs including soy-based, mostly all fast foods and anything that is processed.
1. Go to restaurants that do not use MSG.
3. Natural Supplement L-theanine directly provides neuroprotection against glutamate neurotoxicity through blockade of the N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA), and a-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptors. To know more about health benefits of L-theanine, please click here.


Here on Earth, the Moon's gravity has enough force to have a significant tidal effect on our oceans. The Moon however, is relatively small. Europa has Jupiter to deal with; the tidal forces will be massive. Theoretically, the tidal surge could provide all the energy necessary to keep the water in liquid form without any kind of geothermal activity. So once we make it through the ice, lowering a vessel into the water will be no small task. If the crew attempts this during high tide, the forces and turbulence could be enough to damage or destroy the vehicle completely. During low tide, there may be several kilometers distance between the ice and the water's surface. Once in the water, it may be extremely difficult for the vessel to navigate back to the opening on its own. Worst of all, this is yet another obstacle that could prevent life from existing on Europa. The exact nature of Europa's tidal surge depends on a number of unknown factors, including the tilt of the moon's axis. Even just the existence of liquid water is still theoretical.
This dilemma brings two issues to light. First, there is still very little information known about Europa's interior, and information gathering must take priority before sending a manned mission. Second, whatever vehicle we do eventually send to Europa's ocean must be indestructible.
Perhaps we should test everything at a submerged lake first. It would be less subject to the tidal forces.
The lakes also would be better places to begin the search or life.


This poster has recently been released and the movie stars Kate Bosworth. Not really sure what the movie is really about. The movie's page on IMDB is pretty empty. Its plot outline only says that its the story of a young woman caught between life and death who fights against the funeral director who has a hand in her fate. You can check it out here. But does the poster not look interesting? I thought it did. And creepy too…A spirit arising from its dead body. It kinda reminds me of the Corpse Bride and even Sally from the Nightmare Before Christmas. I mean with the pale skin and tangled hair…a bit like Sally right? Of course Sally has dark hair and is only an animated character…Could this be a good supernatural flick? By the looks of the poster…it could be.


Today we have a special guest: Erin Motz of Bad Yogi. Bad Yogi is all about redefining yoga culture and doing away with the snobbery and pretense that often comes along with yoga culture, so you'll find this class to be pretty down-to-earth, accessible, and authentic. It's focused on stress relief, so you'll leave the class feeling grounded and calm. You can use parts of this flow as a go-to anytime you feel stress come up in your daily life too!
Erin is the Co-Founder of Bad Yogi and a voice of real yogis everywhere. She is also the creator of the Perfect Body Yoga Program, which is centered around the belief that the "perfect" body is simply the healthiest version of the body you already have. In her spare time she's a wine drinker, cheese eater, and not-your-average yoga teacher. She's been teaching yoga for over 12 years, but you won't hear much Sanskrit, she'll totally forgive you if you don't know your asana from your elbow, and she believes that yoga is for everyone, from the kale-loving vegan to the prize-winning deer hunter. She may be a Bad Yogi, but if she's being totally honest, teaching yoga has been one of her greatest pleasures. She practices to feed her teaching, but she teaches to feed her life.


text:
Distribution of Cytomegalovirus Genotypes among Neonates Born to Infected Mothers in Islamabad, Pakistan
Ghulam Mujtaba,
Affiliation Department of Microbiology, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan
Adnan Khurshid,
Affiliation Department of Virology, National Institute of Health, Islamabad, Pakistan
Salmaan Sharif,
Muhammad Masroor Alam,
Uzma Bashir Aamir,
Shahzad Shaukat,
Mehar Angez,
Muhammad Suleman Rana,
Massab Umair,
Aamer Ali Shah,
Syed Sohail Zahoor Zaidi
* E-mail: sohailz@live.com
Aamer Ali Shah
Ghulam Mujtaba Adnan Khurshid ... Syed Sohail Zahoor Zaidi
Congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) infection contributes to considerable long-term sequelae in neonates and children all over the world. The association between viral genotypes and severity of clinical cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is yet to be defined. The objective of this study was to find the impact of active CMV infection during pregnancy and the clinical significance of genotypes in neonates with congenital cytomegalovirus infections in Pakistan.
A total of 409 blood samples from pregnant women seeking health care services at the two antenatal hospitals of Islamabad during January to December 2012 were tested by ELISA and nested-PCR. Pregnant women with active infection (detected as IgM positive, PCR positive or positive on both assays) were followed until delivery, to detect the outcome of overt cCMV infection in neonates. Genetic characterization of CMV strains was performed by sequence analysis of envelope glycoproteins: gB, gN and gH to detect the contributing CMV genotypes.
The seroprevalence of anti-CMV IgG and IgM was 97.5% (399 out of 409) and 12.7% (52 out of 409), respectively, while 20% (82/409) pregnant women were found positive for CMV DNA by PCR. Logistic regression analysis showed a significant association of active infection with parity [OR = 2.56, 95% CI = 1.82–2.62, p = 0.04], febrile illness [OR = 1.84, 95% CI = 1.76–3.65, p = 0.01] and jaundice [OR = 22.5, 95% CI = 4.53–85.02, p = 0.002]. We were able to isolate virus in 41 out of 70 neonates; 36.6% (15 out of 41) of them were symptomatic at birth while 63.4% (26 out of 41) were asymptomatic. The most prominent clinical feature observed in symptomatic neonates was hepatosplenomegaly (26.6%; 4 out of 15). All three genotypes gB, gN and gH were found with the highest frequency of gB1 genotype, found in 75% infants with hepatic damage. Phylogenetic analysis of Pakistani strains showed 96%-100% homology to their prototype strains.
Active CMV infection during pregnancy is a major cause of congenital CMV infection with comparable distribution of all three genotypes: gB, gN and gH in symptomatic and asymptomatic neonates. Our findings emphasize to conduct a comprehensive large scale survey and introduction of country wide routine screening at maternity clinics for early diagnosis of CMV to reduce its associated devastating outcomes.
Citation: Mujtaba G, Khurshid A, Sharif S, Alam MM, Aamir UB, Shaukat S, et al. (2016) Distribution of Cytomegalovirus Genotypes among Neonates Born to Infected Mothers in Islamabad, Pakistan. PLoS ONE 11(7): e0156049. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0156049
Editor: Pierre Roques, CEA, FRANCE
Received: December 8, 2015; Accepted: May 9, 2016; Published: July 1, 2016
Copyright: © 2016 Mujtaba et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Data Availability: All relevant data are within the paper.
Funding: The authors have no support or funding to report.
Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) belongs to the beta herpesvirinae family, and humans are its only natural hosts. HCMV, also called human herpesvirus-5 (HHV-5), is one of the 8 human herpesviruses. HCMV is a common cause of congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) infections in developed as well as developing countries. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection may be acquired prenatally (congenital) through transplacental acquisition of either a primary or a recurrent maternal infection or during the perinatal/postnatal phase—at the time of birth or immediately after, due to exposure to infected cervical secretions, breast milk, or blood products [1]. The severity of congenital infection depends on maternal primary infection or re-activation, with primary infection more likely to result in severe sequelae. In developing countries, mostly congenitally infected neonates born to women with recurrent infections are clinically asymptomatic [2].
HCMV is a large, genetically diverse virus with over 200 open reading frames [3]. Genotyping of HCMV is principally based on variation in surface glycoprotein sequences, which show frequent genetic polymorphism. The HCMV genome encodes numerous glycoproteins; gB, gH and gN are the most abundant and have been studied extensively. Glycoprotein B (gpUL55) is a polymorphic glycoprotein and is a component of envelope complex gB-I with four genotypes (gB1-gB4) [4, 5]. The gH glycoprotein, an 86 kDa protein, is encoded by the UL75 gene and has two major variants—gH1 and gH2, based on the variability in the 37 amino acid N-terminal domain [6]. Another HCMV surface glycoprotein, gpUL73 (gN), encoded by UL73 has four genomic variants termed gN-1, gN-2, gN-3 and gN-4, with gN-3 sub-divided into gN-3a and gN-3b while the gN-4 genotype has three subgroups (gN-4a, gN-4b and gN-4c), respectively[7].
Several studies have been carried out to verify an association between genotype and disease manifestation, but heterogeneous findings from the various reports failed to define clear linkages [8, 9]. Approximately 10% of infants with cCMV exhibit clinical symptoms at birth, including intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR), jaundice, hepatosplenomegaly, retinitis, purpura, seizures and thrombocytopenia [10, 11]. Among the remaining 90% of infants that are asymptomatic at birth, 8% to 15% later develop complications, mainly neuro-developmental defects and deafness [12]. Thus, there is a need for early diagnosis, close monitoring, and timely therapeutic interventions to avoid the development of serious consequences in these asymptomatic children. Furthermore, HCMV infections can be a predisposing factor for bacterial and fungal infections due to reduced immune response and may have a role in graft rejection [13].
The prevalence of congenital CMV infection is usually higher in developing countries with higher maternal seroprevalence and varies within and between countries, with some reports as high as 6–14% [14]. There is currently no published data regarding cCMV infection in Pakistan. The aim of the present study was to identify cCMV infection, determine prevalent genotypes and assess possible relationships between genotypes and clinical features of the neonates born to actively infected mothers.
Pregnant women seeking health services at two major antenatal public sector hospitals of Islamabad, Federal Government Services Hospital and Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, during January to December 2012 were enrolled in this study. Furthermore, pregnant women with active infections were followed up to identify cCMV infection and genetic variability among circulating genotypes in neonates. Inclusion criteria of this study were: (1) Maternal active infection documented by either serum CMV-IgM antibody and/or PCR positive results; (2) Congenital CMV infection demonstrated by virus isolation within 3 weeks of age for neonates.
Demographic and clinical data were collected from the medical reports of newborns and from parents with their permission. The purpose of study was explained, and written consent was obtained from all participants. For minors and children, an informed written consent from the parents, caretakers, and/or guardians was obtained after explaining the study details and outcomes. The laboratory diagnostic and sequencing work was carried out at the Department of Virology, National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad. The study design and concept was approved by the ethical committee of respective Hospitals and of the Internal Review Board of the National Institute of Health (NIH), Pakistan.
Sample Collection and Processing
At the time of enrollment, blood samples were collected from all enrolled pregnant women (n = 409). During the follow-up visits, five cc of blood sample was collected from mothers. From neonates, two types of samples, urine and saliva, were collected within the fifteen days of their birth. Saliva was collected from all enrolled infants (n = 70) and urine was collected from 18 neonates within fifteen days of their birth.
Urine samples were collected in sterile urine bags attached to the perineum and transported on ice to the laboratory. Saliva samples were collected by swabbing the inside of neonates mouth using sterile polyester fiber tipped applicator and transported on ice to the laboratory. The saliva samples, when received, were incubated at 55°C for 1 hour with lysis buffer containing proteinase K, followed by denaturation of the enzyme at 95°C for 10 minutes.
To determine the immune status (IgG and IgM) of each participant and to calculate the anti-HCMV IgG avidity index, a commercial diagnostic ELISA kit (HUMAN Gesellschaft für Biochemica und Diagnostica mbH, Germany) was used. Blood samples were processed according to the manufacturer's protocol, and results were interpreted accordingly.
Detection of HCMV by PCR
DNA was extracted from plasma, saliva and urine using a Nucleospin® Blood kit (MACHEREY-NAGEL GmbH & Co. KG, Germany) according to the manufacturer's protocol and stored at -20°C until further use. Nested PCR was carried out for screening in a 50 μl volume of 10X PCR buffer, 2.5 mM MgCl2, 200μM of each dNTPs, 5 units of Taq DNA polymerase and 10pmol of 2 primer sets specific for the 1st and 2nd round of amplification as described previously [15]. The cycling conditions for both rounds were as follows: 35 cycles at 94°C for 30 seconds, 58°C for 40 seconds and 72°C for 50 seconds and terminal extension at 72°C for 3 minutes. The amplified products were electrophoresed on a 2% agarose gel containing ethidium bromide and visualized under UV trans-illuminator.
Characterization of CMV gB, gN and gH genotypes
The samples positive for CMV were further subjected to nested PCR to amplify the UL55 (gB), UL73 (gN) and UL75 (gH) genes for genotyping [6, 16, 17]. All samples were tested for the detection of all three genotypes (gB, gH or gN). The primers and thermal conditions used for amplification are given in Table 1.
Table 1. Oligonucleotide primers and thermal conditions used for PCR and sequencing of cytomegalovirus.
The amplicons of UL55, UL73 and UL75 were purified using a QIAquick PCR Purification kit (Qiagen) and sequenced in both directions using a BigDye Terminator v3.1 Cycle Sequencing kit (Perkin Elmer-Applied Biosystems, Inc., Foster City, CA, USA). The sequences were analyzed on an ABI Prism Genetic Analyzer (3130xl, Applied Bio systems) and edited by Sequencher v.4.1 (Gene Codes Inc., Ann Arbor, MI, USA). Phylogenetic analysis of the UL55, UL73 and UL75 genes were performed using strains of different genotypes and of different geographical regions as retrieved from GenBank. Evolutionary tree and distances were generated by the neighbor-joining method using MEGA 5.0 [18].
The analysis was carried out using SPSS v.18.0. The mean (± Standard Deviation) values were calculated for age, and frequencies and percentages were calculated for HCMV positive and negative subjects. Various parameters were compared between HCMV positive and negative cases. Student's t test was used for comparison of continuous variables, and the Pearson chi-square test was used for comparison of dichotomous variables. Logistic regression analysis along with calculation of odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were performed to determine the association between the characteristics of subjects and HCMV seropositivity or active infection. Level of statistical significance was p < 0.05 (two-sided).
A total of 409 pregnant women were enrolled in this study with over half (67.2%) of them residing in rural areas of Islamabad. The majority (96.82%) of pregnant women enrolled in this study were housewives while 3.18% were working women. The mean age (±SD) was 26.8 (±3.8) years with a range of 16–40 years.
Socio-demographic, obstetrical and clinical features of pregnant women
One hundred and eighteen (28.8%) women had a past abortion and thirty-four (8.31%) reported a history of jaundice. At the time of enrollment, 45 (11%) women were in the first trimester, 160 (39.1%) were in their second trimester, while 204 (49.87%) women were in their third trimester. One hundred and forty-eight (36%) of the women were pregnant for the first time (primigravida) while two hundred and sixty-one (64%) were multiparous. Logistic regression analysis of the various factors showed that high parity (>3 deliveries) [OR = 2.56, 95% CI = 1.82–2.62, p = 0.04] had a significant association with active CMV infection in these women. However, other parameters such as maternal age, area of residence, education level, trimester of pregnancy, and history of previous miscarriages were found without a significant effect (Table 2).
Table 2. Logistic regression analysis of demographic and clinical features of mothers infected with active CMV infection.
Detection of IgM, IgG and HCMV DNA
Among the 409 pregnant women enrolled in the study, 399 (97.55%) were positive for IgG antibodies while IgM antibodies were detected in 52 (12.71%) women. Using molecular testing, HCMV DNA was detected in only 82/409 (20%) of the women. Eighty two (n = 82; 20) women were found with active infection (either positive on IgM ELISA and/or PCR) as given in Table 3.
Table 3. Results of IgM, IgG and PCR testing for diagnosis of CMV infection in pregnant women.
Patients with active infection were defined as "those with either IgM Positive only, or PCR positive only or both IgM and PCR positive" as demarcated by CDC, USA (http://www.cdc.gov/cmv/clinical/lab-tests.html). For the clinical characteristics, (fever) [OR = 1.84, 95% CI = 1.76–3.65, p = 0.01] and history of jaundice [OR = 22.5, 95% CI = 4.53–85.02, p = 0.002] had significant associations with active CMV infection in pregnant women. Other clinical features such as lymphadenopathy, sore throat and flu showed no significant association with active CMV infection. No seasonal trend of CMV infection was observed; however, it was more frequent in March and September of the study year (Fig 1). The pregnant women who were seronegative (2.4%) were unprotected and fall within the group in which infection is likely to occur.
Fig 1. The distribution of HCMV positive cases in study population during 2012.
The months are given on X-axis. The data labels on Y-axis indicate the number of total and positive cases across the year. The solid black line indicates total number of cases while the number of positive cases for each assay indicated with different bar-style.
IgG avidity assay was performed on 52 IgM positive samples and found that six samples showed low HCMV IgG avidity (<50%), two samples fell in grey zone (54% index) and 42 samples presented with high avidity (>60%). These findings confirmed that six women showed primo-infection and 44 (84.6%) had secondary infection.
Outcomes of congenital CMV infection
Eighty-two (n = 82) pregnant women showing active infections were followed up to study congenital infection in neonates. Out of these, five (n = 5) pregnancies were aborted or intrauterine fetal deaths occurred, while seven cases were missed as we were unable to follow up or refused to participate further. Seventy (n = 70) pregnancies were followed up successfully until deliveries for the congenital CMV infection study. Out of these cases, the virus was isolated from forty-one (n = 41) neonates within three weeks of age. Fifteen (n = 15) neonates were symptomatic while twenty-six (n = 26) were asymptomatic at birth. There were 6/10 (60%) symptomatic neonates born to mothers with first trimester infections compared with 9/60 (15%) born to mothers with infections in the second and third trimester, indicating significant association between the stage of mothers exposure and the clinical infections in newborns (Table 4). The proportion of clinically infected newborns whose mothers got infected during the first trimester was higher than those whose mothers were found CMV positive during second and third trimester thus indicating a strong association of the gestational age of mothers's infection with the appearance of clinical disease in the newborns.
Table 4. Association of clinical infection in newborns compared to the mother's gestational stage of CMV exposure.
When clinical manifestations of symptomatic newborns were compiled, it was found that hepatosplenomegaly (4/15; 26.6%) was the most common feature followed by neonatal jaundice (3/15; 20%) and premature delivery (Table 5). No significant differences were found between asymptomatic and symptomatic infants with respect to maternal clinical and demographic parameters. Among the clinical samples collected and tested for CMV infection in neonates, high frequency of CMV infections were detected through saliva samples compared to urine. Out of 18 urine samples, 5 (27.7%) were positive while 100% of saliva samples were positive for CMV.
Table 5. Clinical Abnormalities found in Newborns with Symptomatic Congenital CMV Infection.
Distribution of HCMV genotypes and phylogenetic analysis
A total of 41 PCR positive newborns were further analyzed for genotype determination. The three major genotypes were detected in 36 cases while PCR analysis for HCMV genotype was negative in five cases. Sequence data on representative strains of the various genogroups were retrieved from GenBank and included in the sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis. All four gB genotypes (1–4), six gN sub-genotypes (1, 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 4c) out of 7 and both gH genotypes (1 and 2) were detected in the study population, with variable proportions as described in Table 6. Majority of the isolates were identified as the gN (15; 41.6%) genotype while 11 were identified as gH (30.5%) and 10 as gB (27.7%).
Table 6. Genotype distribution of CMV in neonates born with congenital infection.
The overall distribution of individual sub-genotypes in this study cohort was as follows: gH1 (7/11; 63.7%), gH2 (4/11; 36.3%), gB1 (4/10; 40%), gB2 (2/10; 20%), gB3 (3/10; 30%), gB4 (1/10; 10%); gN1, gN3-(a, b, c) and gN-4a (3/15; 20%), respectively; gN-4b (2/15; 13.3%) and gN-4c (1/15; 6.7%) as in Table 6.
The distribution of HCMV genotypes between symptomatic and asymptomatic children was analyzed to assess the possible association of genotypes with clinical signs and symptoms. Our findings revealed that compared to other, only gB1 genotype was significantly associated with hepatic damage when compared between symptomatic and asymptomatic neonates.
The phylogenetic analysis showed that gB genotypes have 98.5 to 100% similarity with reference strains, gN genotypes showed 94.2 to 99.4% similarity and gH 95.3 to 99.7%, as shown in Fig 2.
Fig 2. Phylogenetic analysis of gB, gN and gH genotypes of HCMV.
The reference strains and isolates detected through BLAST are given for genetic comparison. The phylogenetic tree with 1000 bootstrap replicates was reconstructed using neighbor joining method and Kimura two-parameter distances model incorporated in MEGA v5.0. The number at the nodes indicates bootstrap values shown above 50. Fig 2A, 2B and 2C represent genetic relationships of gB, gH and gN genotypes of CMV respectively. The strains detected in this study are represented by sample identification with codes mentioned as PAK: Pakistan, NIH: National Institute of Health Islamabad.
HCMV is a frequent cause of congenital infection, the most common being sensorineural hearing loss, mental retardation, motor deficits, seizures, and chorioretinitis [19, 20]. The reason why only some children develop SNHL or other sequelae after congenital CMV infection is not well understood but could be related to both host and viral factors. At birth, it is essential to test for congenital CMV infection. Although congenital CMV infection occurs in 0.2 to 1% of live births worldwide, there has been no population-based HCMV clinical or epidemiological study in Pakistan. Majority of the Pakistani population lives below poverty level, and because health care facilities are not available, women are likely to be exposed to CMV infections. The main objectives of the present study were to investigate HCMV seroprevalence among expectant women, to explore the correlation of active infection to congenital infection in newborns and to determine the prevalent HCMV genotypes.
The seroprevalence of HCMV IgG in pregnant women in this study (97.55%) was comparable to a regional study carried out in the KPK province of Pakistan [21] as well as other countries such as Qatar [22], Egypt [23], Tunisia [24], Iraq [25], Iran [26], Brazil [27] and Turkey [28]. All these studies have reported higher seroprevalence rates than developed countries such as the United Kingdom [24] and Germany [29].
The testing of ELISA and PCR for CMV IgM antibodies and DNA revealed the positivity rates of 12.71% (n = 52/409) and 20% (n = 82/409) respectively. This may attribute to the selection of specific high risk group i.e. pregnant women. In addition, CMV positivity rate is inevitably high in the areas with high population density and low-resource settings like Pakistan [30]. It is likely that in developed countries, pregnant women are generally better informed of good hygienic practices such as hand washing and sanitation, thus accounting for a reduced risk of acquiring CMV infection. In the present study, only four (0.9%) of 409 women interviewed had heard about CMV infection previously. A lack of awareness about CMV infection among the public is a major barrier to controlling the disease. The high prevalence rate in our settings indicates the endemicity of infection and can be linked with socio-economic and climatic factors. In addition, the high frequency of women positive for HCMV DNA by PCR compared to ELISA reflects the higher sensitivity of nested PCR as reported previously [31].
In the current study, we observed that fever; jaundice and high parity were associated with active CMV infection. However, given the numerous causes of fever and jaundice, these represent non-specific indicators of maternal CMV infection. High parity increased the susceptibility to acquisition of maternal CMV infection, perhaps through direct contact with contagious secretions from their own children or poor hygiene practices [32, 33]. We did not demonstrate that active infection leads to congenital CMV infection, either symptomatic or asymptomatic, and did not clearly identify a relationship between the severity of disease and genotypes in neonates.
It is not entirely clear whether, over the course of the pregnancy, vertical transmission to the fetus after maternal viremia occurs either as a single event or through multiple transplacental transfer events. In this study, it was observed that CMV active infection during pregnancy led to intrauterine transmission and occurrence of congenital CMV infection as documented and reported by Boppana et al [34]. The majority of symptomatic cCMV infections were due to first trimester maternal infection, and the rate of sequelae in infected offspring is lower with maternal infection later in pregnancy. Daiminger et al [35] reported an association between earlier gestation maternal or fetal infection and poor outcomes for the fetus. Nevertheless, second and even third trimester maternal infections are also capable of causing hearing defects. However, the relationship between HCMV genotypes and the consequences of infection in terms of pathogenesis and long term outcomes in children with congenital HCMV infection are not yet clearly understood.
Classification of genotypes was performed by sequence comparison of glycoprotein gene from Pakistani strains using online BLAST (Basic Local Alignment Search Tool) analysis. Genotype gB1 was recently found to be associated with severe manifestations of CMV disease in infants with congenital CMV infection [36]. Other studies suggest that the gB, gN and gH genotypes of CMV may result in neurological dysfunction or hearing loss in congenitally infected infants [37, 38]. Our findings also support these studies and further demonstrate that gN and gH genotypes may be associated with congenital infection [39, 40]. Pignatelli et al [17] described the distribution of gN (UL73) variants gN-1, gN-3 and gN-4 and their subtypes in four geographical regions; Europe, China, Australia and North America with different frequencies of gN-2 (rarest genotype), which was found in North America and Europe but was not identified in Asian countries and Australia. Likewise, we did not find any gN-2 genotype in study confirming the previous findings from this region.
Urine and saliva specimens have been suggested for the detection of congenital HCMV infection as sample collection from neonates is simpler as compared to blood; higher volumes can be easily obtained and the procedure can be repeated easily if needed as parent compliance is higher. Out of the total urine samples collected from 18 neonates, 5 were negative although saliva from all of these neonates was positive. Thus our study confirms previous findings that testing saliva is more sensitive than urine for CMV testing [41].
The prevalence of different genotypes in symptomatic and asymptomatic infants was not significantly different, and none of the genotypes were associated with virulence. Although no significant genotype specific-association with specific clinical features could be established, all the infants with hepatosplenomegaly carried the gB1 genotype, which has been reported globally by other groups [36, 42]. However, our study contradicts other publications which reported that only gB genotypes were associated with virulence [36, 42, 43]. This may be due to differences in geographical location, population selection or other factors such as culture-propagated viral isolates which could select for a single virus strain and thus decrease the chances of identifying multiple viral strains or genotypes [17, 44]. Many other studies have also described HCMV infection with multiple viral strains in different populations, including children attending day care centers, HIV-infected individuals, allograft recipients, and infants with congenital HCMV infection [44–47]. Together, these findings suggest that infections with multiple CMV strains occur frequently.
Our study thus represents the first report of CMV infection and its circulating genotypes in Pakistani population focusing the primary risk group i.e. pregnant women. This may underestimate the true burden of HCMV in indigenous Pakistani population. Likewise, we were able to target only two major hospitals in Islamabad that may not represent the true disease burden and outcomes in terms of congenital infections for the entire Pakistani population. Due to limited number of samples within a given population, the comprehensive epidemiology of HCMV genotypes and their clinical impact cannot be truly established. Thus the study findings emphasize continuing large scale epidemiological surveys in the other areas of the country. Public awareness programs must been introduced and scaled-up targeting the population at risk and those in the regions with high population density and low hygiene and socio-economic status.
Active CMV infection during pregnancy was a major cause of cCMV infection, and distribution of gB, gN and gH genotypes were similar in symptomatic and asymptomatic neonates. Currently, no therapeutics or vaccines are available for CMV; therefore, minimizing the number of cases of CMV by informing women about their CMV serostatus before and during pregnancy and educating them about preventive hygienic measures to avoid exposure to CMV is crucial. It is difficult to estimate the true epidemiological profile of CMV infections and prevalent genotypes in our population due to absence of routine screening and surveillance studies. Indeed, there is a dire need for early diagnosis of CMV to reduce congenital CMV infections and to determine the true burden of the disease. The availability of current information on CMV prevalence and implementation of disease control measures will ultimately enable us limit exposure to the virus and reduce childhood mortality as envisaged for the Millennium Development Goals.
The study was supported by the indigenous scholarship award to Ghulam Mujtaba for his Ph.D research work.
Conceived and designed the experiments: UBA MMA SSZZ AAS. Performed the experiments: GM MSR AK MA MU. Analyzed the data: S. Sharif S. Shaukat GM. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: SSZZ AAS. Wrote the paper: UBA MMA GM.
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