Edition 87: ice cream for dogs? We got the inside scoop

(This newsletter was sent to email subscribers on January 15, 2021.)

Happy Friday, Below the Folders. It may not come as a surprise, but humor can help when consuming the news. A study from the University of Pennsylvania and Ohio State University found people were more likely to share and remember news presented in a comedic way — think The Daily Show, Last Week Tonight, etc. A helping of levity seems like a good news wellness practice to us. Here’s today’s menu.

ANIMALS

Does your dog deserve some ice cream?

Fri Jan 8

Ben & Jerry’s thinks so! The ice cream company announced it is venturing into the pet food market with a line of frozen doggie desserts. Soon, dogs could be eating their own version of dairy-free ice cream. The company is starting with two flavors, pumpkin with cookies and peanut butter with pretzels, that use the same ingredients as its non-dairy human desserts with a sunflower butter base.

Why doggie treats?

Simply put, the pet food industry is growing. There’s also a demand for ‘human-grade’ ingredients — although this doesn’t necessarily mean it’s edible for humans. Nearly 85 million households have pets, which is up 6.5% from 2015 to 2020. Spending on pets has also increased, up 44% to $5.5 billion.

And Ben & Jerry’s isn’t the first human food company investing in pets.

• General Mills, which makes Haagen-Dazs ice cream, bought the pet food brand Blue Buffalo in 2018
• J.M. Smucker Co. bought Big Heart Pet Brands, which makes Meow Mix and Milk Bone in 2015, followed by Ainsworth Pet Nutrition in 2018
• Nestle bought the British natural pet food brand Lily’s Kitchen in 2020 and has owned Purina since 2001

Want more dog news? We recently started reading Weekly Whine, a weekly newsletter of all the dog and wine content you need to start off the week on the right paw, err, foot!

SOURCES / READ MORE: AP News, Detroit Free Press, CBS News, Business Wire, Pet Food Industry

ENVIRONMENT

Pacific Northwest fails to meet carbon emission promises

Tue Jan 12

A decade ago, Washington, Oregon, and Canada’s British Columbia set some of North America’s first mandates to reduce greenhouse gas emissions — but they failed, big time. Instead of seeing emissions reduce, they saw them rise by ~ 6% in the five years between 2013 to 2018.

Politics are largely to blame for the failure, according to experts and activists. Some of the issues in delivering on climate goals and solutions included:

• Fear of job losses
• Disagreements on equity for already polluted and marginalized communities
• Misinformation clouding well-documented solutions

Meanwhile, buildings, industry, and transportation generated over two-thirds of the region’s carbon emissions. Solutions aimed at reducing these emissions aren’t as simple as just redesigning buildings or replacing gas furnaces, and the policies in place aren’t strong enough to drive meaningful change.

But they did have some wins.

• British Columbia quickly scrapped plans for a new gas-fired power plant and two coal generators, instead investing in renewable energy projects such as wind farms and small-scale hydropower stations
• Washington and Oregon passed laws requiring privately-owned utilities to add wind, solar, and other renewable energies, on top of heavy previous investment into hydropower — which could help consumers save money

SOURCES / READ MORE: Oregon Public Broadcasting, Portland Business Journal, Investigate West

HUMAN RIGHTS

The separatist battle over Papua and West Papua

Tue Jan 12

The Free Papua Movement has been in motion for decades. A turning point was in 1961 when Papua and West Papua — the western half of the island of New Guinea — were forced into an exchange of control from the Netherlands to Indonesia. While some Papuans saw this as independence from the Netherlands, it was never formally recognized internationally, leading to continued separatist movements pushing for independence.

Why do Papuans want independence?

• Many Papuans see Indonesian control as illegitimate and the result of an illegal annexation.
• The region is rich in natural resources, but remains one of the poorest in Indonesia.
• In 2018, a measles and malnutrition crisis killed 72 people, which included a lot of children.
• The Papuan people are of the Melanasian origin, with many identifying as Black, and have faced years of discrimination including racist remarks and slurs.
• In an attempt to stop protests and separatist movements, the Indonesian military and government has been accused of torture, extrajudicial killings, politically motivated arrests, and internet shutdowns.
• Papua and West Papua are some of the most militarized provinces in Indonesia.

More recently, conversation moved to social media over the hashtag #PapuanLivesMatter. And last month, the hashtag was used to spread awareness through webinars and websites about the human rights issues facing the region.

SOURCES / READ MORE: Rest of World, Time, Reuters, The Jakarta Post, BBC News, The Guardian

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That’s all for today. Have a magical weekend.✨