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Turn Down The Heat - Seven Cities Threatened By Climate Change

The World Bank has recently published a report entitled "Turn Down the Heat: Climate Extremes, Regional Impacts, and the Case for Resilience."

Rising sea levels, heat extremes, aridity, impacts on ecosystems... Unsurprisingly, the news is not so good on the climate front, and the experts are raising the alarm. In the first Turn Down the Heat report published last year, the World Bank concluded that the planet would gain 4°C by the end of the century if no action is taken. But in the next 20 to 30 years, the latest report notes that the world already could heat up by 2°C.

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Bangkok 2011 floods - photo: Cpl. Robert J. Maurer

The effects on agriculture, rural habitats and small towns are vast and diverse. But as we've seen in recent years from Bangkok to New York and New Orleans, big cities are under threat as well. Here's a rapid ride across seven urban risks of global warming...

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A Naturalist's Defense Of The Modern Zoo

Zoos are often associated with animal cruelty, or at the very least a general animal unhappiness. But on everything from research to education to biodiversity, there is a case to be made for the modern zoo.

Photograph of a brown monkey holding onto a wired fence

A brown monkey hangs off of mesh wire

Marina Chocobar/Pexels
Fran Sánchez Becerril

-OpEd-

MADRID — Zoos — or at least something resembling the traditional idea of a zoo — date back to ancient Mesopotamia. It was around 3,500 BC when Babylonian kings housed wild animals such as lions and birds of prey in beautiful structures known as the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

Ancient China also played a significant role in the history of zoos when the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) created several parks which hosted an assortment of animals.

In Europe, it wouldn't be until 1664 when Louis XIV inaugurated the royal menagerie at Versailles. All these spaces shared the mission of showcasing the wealth and power of the ruler, or simply served as decorations. Furthermore, none of them were open to the general public; only a few fortunate individuals, usually the upper classes, had access.

The first modern zoo, conceived for educational purposes in Vienna, opened in 1765. Over time, the educational mission has become more prominent, as the exhibition of exotic animals has been complemented with scientific studies, conservation and the protection of threatened species.

For decades, zoos have been places of leisure, wonder, and discovery for both the young and the old. Despite their past success, in recent years, society's view of zoos has been changing due to increased awareness of animal welfare, shifting sensibilities and the possibility of learning about wild animals through screens. So, many people wonder: What is the purpose of a zoo in the 21st century?

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