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Milkweed Research Paper

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In 1992, an amendment was made to the Clean Air Act in the US, aimed at reducing the release of carbon monoxide into the atmosphere to reduce air pollution. Part of the law mandated that the gasoline in automobiles must have a minimum amount of oxygenate additive, a chemical compound that helps fuel burn more completely and thus limits the soot and carbon monoxide released into the air when it’s burned. From 1992 to 2005, the most popular oxygenate for gasoline was Methyl Tert Butyl Ether, or MTBE. But in in the early 2000s a number of cases of MTBE contaminating groundwater raised concerns about its health effects, spurring a number of high-profile lawsuits. In 2004, both New York and California banned the chemical from the state, a big blow …show more content…

So in addition to clearing pristine lands in the Great Plains where milkweed thrives, farmers have increasingly adopted genetically modified crops, which are resistant to herbicides like RoundUp. In other words, they can have all of the crops and none of the weeds. Naturally this poses a serious danger to the population of the Monarch butterfly, which has fallen a mind-blowing 90% since its peak in 1996. The losses of milkweed are only part of the reason why the Monarch population is crashing. Illegal deforestation of their winter home in Mexico and a couple years of bad weather have hurt the ability for monarch to make their long journeys south and north again — but even when the conditions are right, Monarchs now have to fly farther and longer to find places to lay their eggs. Often they die before doing so. No one is talking about the extinction of the Monarch just yet, but a 56% loss of Monarch population in one year (2013) is nothing to sneeze at. Both America and Mexico have pledged to do what’s necessary to save the Monarch. If you’re interested in helping, you can research how to build butterfly sanctuaries in your backyard. To me, this is an amazing story. Legislation passed by US years ago to fight pollution

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