Sustainable Agriculture
The environmental costs incurred through modern, chemical- intensive farming are no longer acceptable. Rampant pesticide use, soil depletion and genetic homogenization of crops threaten the air we breathe, the water we drink and the land we and other depend on for food and habitat. Organic, sustainable agriculture is a realistic and necessary alternative to those practices.Soil Erosion
Soil erosion is an urgent problem because new soil forms very slowly; 2.5 centimeters (1 inch) of topsoil may take anywhere from 20 to 1200 years to form. Soil erosion also has a number of serious environmental impacts. For instance, soil particles attach to pesticides. Transported to nearby waterways, these pesticide-laden particles may contaminate fish and other aquatic organisms, which, in turn, may be passed to birds and human consumers in the food chain. Sediment deposited in waterways also increases flooding, destroys breeding grounds of fish and other wildlife, and increases the need for dredging harbors and rivers. The World Resources Institute estimates the offsite damage from soil erosion in the United States is over $10 billion a year.
Since 1880 one third of the top soil in the United States has been lost to erosion, according to the U.S. Soil Conservation Service. Unfortunately, soil erosion continues today. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates about 1 billion metric tons of topsoil were lost from U.S. farmland in 2000. Although, that is less than the 1.45 billion metric tons lost in 1985, the current rate of erosion remains too high. The average rate of erosion on U.S. farmland is approximately seven times greater than soil formation, a situation that is clearly unsustainable. Should erosion continue, the U.S. agricultural system could experience substantial declines in productivity.
Unfortunately, little information is available on soil erosion rates throughout the world. Scientists currently estimate that approximately one-third of the world's cropland topsoil is being eroded faster than it is being regenerated.
Soil erosion is especially rapid in many developing nations. In China, for example, the Yellow River annually transports 1.6 billion metric tons of soil from badly eroded farmland to the sea. In India, the Ganges carries two times that amount. Overall, the Worldwatch Institute estimates that 24 billion metric tons of topsoil are eroded from the world's cropland each year. At this rate, the world loses about 7% of its cropland topsoil every ten years.
Livestock
In many countries, cattle and other livestock are raised in confined quarters for at least a part of their life cycle. Although this does not affect grasslands directly, it does have a tremendous environmental impact. For example, pen-raised cattle produce incredible amounts of manure in limited spaces and at one time, farmers applied the
mountains of manure their animals produced to nearby cropland. Today, however, many livestock operations are specialized, that is, not combined with crop production. Thus, their manure creates a huge waste disposal problem. Often after rainstorms the waste washes into nearby streams and rivers causing serious environmental problems. Ironically, farmers who now supply grain to feed cattle use artificial fertilizer on their land. This linear system disrupts one of nature's vital loops - nutrient cycles - and is clearly unsustainable
Another problem with livestock raised in enclosures is that they require enormous quantities of grain, mostly corn and sorghum. In developing nations, meat primarily feeds the wealthy class. Because livestock are fed grains or are sometimes produced on land that could grow food crops, meat production reduces overall
supplies and makes food more costly for the poor. In Egypt, for example, corn to feed animals is now grown on cropland previously used to grow staple grains, such as wheat and rice. The percentage of that nation's grain fed to livestock has increased from 5% in 1960 to 36% over the past quarter century. In Mexico, the share of grain fed to livestock has increased from 5% in 1960 to 30% today, despite the fact that 22% of the nation's people are malnourished.
Livestock production on rangeland and in confined spaces can be sustainable, but it must be scaled back, according to the Worldwatch Institute. To downsize this activity, rich countries have to reduce their meat consumption. A sustainable system also requires a reintegration of livestock and crop production. Rangelands need to be managed with an ecosystem approach, one that adjusts herd size to the carrying capacity of the land. Efforts are also needed to restore damaged grasslands.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
The Environmental Quality Incentives Program Organic Initiative
General InformationUSDA is allocating $50 million of funds through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) to be set aside for a new Organics Initiative to assist organic farmers and those transitioning to organic. Current organic producers and those transitioning to organic will be eligible to receive contracts for implementing conservation practices and conservation planning under the program, but they’ll have to act fast. Applications will be accepted beginning Monday, May 11, 2009.To ensure consideration for assistance from this pool of funds, producers must file an EQIP Organic Initiative application no later than May 29.
The Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) is administering the EQIP Organic Initiative. To apply, producers should visit their local NRCS Service Center. Use the NRCS Service Center locator to find the one closest to you - offices.sc.egov.usda.gov/locator/app?agency=nrcs.
Update: NRCS has required each state office to appoint an organic point person. To find out your state's organic point person and his/her contact info, download the NRCS Organic State Contact list (PDF).
The NRCS has created a webpage with information about the Organic Initiative. The site explains the eligibility requirements and provides guidance on how to participate and resources on organic production - www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/eqip/organic/
According to the NRCS, the states in the chart below have extended the deadline to apply for the EQIP Organic Initiative past May 29th. States not listed in this chart will still continue to accept applications, but may not be able to fund them in 2009. This chart is continually being updated, so please check back.
State
New Deadline
State
New Deadline
Alabama
6/5/09
Mississippi
6/12/09
Alaska
6/12/09
Montana
6/12/09
Arkansas
6/26/09
Nebraska
6/12/09
California
6/26/09
Nevada
6/12/09
Colorado
6/12/09
New York
6/12/09
Connecticut
6/12/09
North Carolina
6/5/09
Delaware
6/26/09
North Dakota
6/15/09
Florida
6/12/09
Ohio
6/12/09
Georgia
6/5/09
Oklahoma
6/12/09
Hawaii
6/15/09
Oregon
6/12/09
Indiana
continuous
Pacific Basin
6/15/09
Iowa
6/13/09
Pennsylvania
6/12/09
Kentucky
6/12/09
South Carolina
6/5/09
Louisiana
6/12/09
South Dakota
6/12/09
Maine
6/12/09
Utah
6/12/09
Maryland
6/26/09
West Virginia
6/12/09
Massachusetts
6/12/09
Virginia
6/30/09
Minnesota
6/30/09
Wisconsin
6/12/09
The Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) is administering the EQIP Organic Initiative. To apply, producers should visit their local NRCS Service Center. Use the NRCS Service Center locator to find the one closest to you - offices.sc.egov.usda.gov/locator/app?agency=nrcs.
Update: NRCS has required each state office to appoint an organic point person. To find out your state's organic point person and his/her contact info, download the NRCS Organic State Contact list (PDF).
The NRCS has created a webpage with information about the Organic Initiative. The site explains the eligibility requirements and provides guidance on how to participate and resources on organic production - www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/eqip/organic/
According to the NRCS, the states in the chart below have extended the deadline to apply for the EQIP Organic Initiative past May 29th. States not listed in this chart will still continue to accept applications, but may not be able to fund them in 2009. This chart is continually being updated, so please check back.
State
New Deadline
State
New Deadline
Alabama
6/5/09
Mississippi
6/12/09
Alaska
6/12/09
Montana
6/12/09
Arkansas
6/26/09
Nebraska
6/12/09
California
6/26/09
Nevada
6/12/09
Colorado
6/12/09
New York
6/12/09
Connecticut
6/12/09
North Carolina
6/5/09
Delaware
6/26/09
North Dakota
6/15/09
Florida
6/12/09
Ohio
6/12/09
Georgia
6/5/09
Oklahoma
6/12/09
Hawaii
6/15/09
Oregon
6/12/09
Indiana
continuous
Pacific Basin
6/15/09
Iowa
6/13/09
Pennsylvania
6/12/09
Kentucky
6/12/09
South Carolina
6/5/09
Louisiana
6/12/09
South Dakota
6/12/09
Maine
6/12/09
Utah
6/12/09
Maryland
6/26/09
West Virginia
6/12/09
Massachusetts
6/12/09
Virginia
6/30/09
Minnesota
6/30/09
Wisconsin
6/12/09
A strong, stable Congress government may be good for business, but can it contend with the real, looming threat of environmental catastrophe
Business and financial communities reacted with outright euphoria to the recent landslide victory of India’s National Congress Party. Mumbai’s stock exchange soared. Foreign investment poured in. Pundits at what used to be known as investment banks trumpeted the results as nothing less than India finally throwing off the shackles that have held it back from greatness: the limitations of a weak coalition government beholden to Communists. India, we are told, is free at last to embark on a project of wealth creation that the rest of the world will be hard-pressed to imitate. India is expected to recover smartly from the current global recession, hitting an annual economic growth rate of 6.9 percent by next year. Meanwhile, bearish economists are warning that structural weaknesses will delay the recovery of the US economy until well into 2011. The icing on this cake: General Motors is soothing investors rattled by its recent bankruptcy in the United States with the assurance that its India operations will not be affected. Charles Wilson, a former GM CEO, once quipped that “what’s good for General Motors is good for the country.” That quaint, 20th century line now begs only one question: which country? The world’s financial press buzzes that India could be the “new China”; capital (at least some of it) is stampeding from Shenzhen to Bangalore; and the US dollar is in free-fall.After a few terms in the wilderness of coalition dependencies, Congress has, to use a favorite euphemism of recessionary America, “right sized” the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party down to a mere hundred or so seats. It has utterly ham-strung the Left, which held onto a mere 26 seats. Congress need no more worry about the Communists spoiling its new friendship with the United States or its own version of GM’s old dictum: “what’s good for India Inc. is good for India.”Knowing that half the country’s population - and most of tomorrow’s voters - is under the age of 25, Congress has put fresh faces in ministries, including some in their twenties. Thirty-seven-year-old Rahul Gandhi is the heralded heir apparent of the Congress dynasty that stretches back to his great-grandfather, India’s founding prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru. At 63 years of age, the Republic of India is young again. The impending supernovaWhat could possibly hold India back now? Surely Congress’s substantial mandate gives it the power to enact the bold policy measures India requires to overcome the many obstacles in its path to greatness. The list is long: laughably poor infrastructure, desperate farmers committing suicide in droves, peasants and so-called tribals or Adivasis dispossessed of their lands by aggressive resource extraction and industrial expansion (and a related Maoist insurgency), overloaded cities, water shortages, energy deficits, high rates of illiteracy, and a notoriously bad national health care system. Add to these a wealth gap that has widened, not narrowed, in globalization’s wake; the fact that the majority of the world’s malnourished children live in India; the fact that, while 250,000 Indians may qualify as USD millionaires, 800 million live on less than 2 US dollars per day.As staggering as these challenges are, they pale in comparison to the one supernova on track to blow them (along with the rest of us) off the navigable charts of human reckoning: climate change. As every major report on climate change has alarmingly pointed out, the impact of global warming will be most felt by developing countries. In a final injustice of geography and imperial history, the world’s developing countries are by and large also the world’s warmest and most densely populated. Of all the emerging economies whose fortunes are rising, India is one of the most vulnerable to climate change.A weapon of mass destructionIndia has one of the world’s longest coastlines. Rising sea levels are already swallowing up the Sunderbans at the mouth of West Bengal’s mighty Hooghly River. Next door in Bangladesh, 15 percent of whose land mass will be under water if sea levels rise as predicted, things are even worse. Little wonder India is building a fence along its border with Bangladesh in anticipation of a wave of climate-change refugees. At 4,000 kilometers in length, the Indo-Bangladeshi Barrier will rival the Great Wall of China. One can only imagine what rising sea levels will do to the millions crammed onto reclaimed land in Mumbai or in India’s new auto manufacturing hub of Chennai, around which one trusts the government of India has no plans to build fences.Climate change is also already causing the glaciers of the Himalayas to melt at an alarming rate, the rivers they feed are receding. Some scientists are predicting that the sacred Ganga, whose waters have nourished the great grain-producing Gangetic plains as well as the souls of untold millions of Hindu faithful through millennia, is in danger of simply drying up. Three billion people - half the world’s current population - depend on the Himalayas for water. The impact of that water dwindling away is terrifying.If temperatures rise in India by even a couple of degrees Celsius, which they are already well on track to do, the very viability of food plants will be threatened. Yields will plummet in plants simply not evolved to thrive in higher temperatures. More immediately, climate change causes predictable weather patterns to become unpredictable. This is not good news for a country where the vast majority of agricultural production depends on the regular arrival, duration, and bounty of the monsoon rains. No wonder William Cline, in his meticulously researched book Global Warming and Agriculture: Impact Estimates by Country (Center for Global Development 2007) projects that agricultural production in India will decline by as much as 38 percent over current levels by 2080 as a direct result of climate change alone. By that year, India will have added 450 million more people to its population.Shifting prioritiesClimate change is a weapon of mass destruction. Mitigating global warming by whatever means necessary should be the new Indian government’s priority number one. The government should make a major push to develop low-cost alternative energy technologies that don’t require finite, toxic fuel sources (which means both fossil and fissile energy sources).It should help India’s small-scale farmers return to the cultivation of traditional hardy (and higher in protein) food plants such as millet and buckwheat, and install low-cost, highly effective micro-irrigation systems to get the biggest plant-growing benefit for every drop of precious water. It should require all new construction across the country to be green construction, naturally cooler with little or no air conditioning, and with roofs that collect and channel rain when during monsoons.It should recognize that the infrastructure India so desperately needs is green infrastructure that encourages public transportation and the use of bicycles, a realization at long last sweeping cities in richer nations. India cannot afford to do as the west did: get dirty to get rich, then start to think about cleaning up the mess. It also cannot expect wealthier countries to push the hardest to deal with climate change, the global menace that will devastate India far more than it will them.A new pathThe new Congress-led government should hitch its strong mandate to India’s emerging economic power to force the west - sorely tempted by the current economic crisis to ratchet down its efforts - to do the right thing and pay for its share of not only reducing current carbon emissions, but accounting for the carbon accumulated over centuries of western industrial expansion. It should provide incentives to investors willing to put capital behind green technology ventures, especially small-scale technologies quickly scalable among India’s still largely poor population, and it should identify and support the untold number of locally-adapted, grass-roots, inexpensive solutions that business is simply never going to be interested in because they cannot be made into profit-making ventures.India has momentum and history on its side. The new government should propose a new bilateral pact focused on climate change to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton when she visits India in July. And it should do so in a spirit very different from that of the nuclear deal where, at least on the US side, billions of dollars in corporate profits and arms sales were major drivers.To grapple with climate change, a different approach is required. The new Congress government needs to bring to this task the real spirit of “young India”, the spirit of Mahatma Gandhi who warned decades ago that the “earth has enough to satisfy man’s need but not every man’s greed.”A climate-change pact between the governments of two of the world’s great democracies should include agreement on bold commitments that would anticipate real progress when the nations of the world gather in Copenhagen later this year to address this rapidly worsening calamity. There is no better way for two nations so key to our collective survival to address the challenge that imperils us all. India must embrace a new path to equity and sustainability, without which democracy will merely be one casualty among many too terrible to imagine
Carbon Capture and Geological Storage (CCS) in emerging developing countries: financing the EU-China Near Zero Emissions Coal Plant project
The European Commission today set out plans to finance the demonstration of carbon capture and geological storage (CCS) in cooperation with China. This comes in the context of a commitment made by the EU and China to develop and demonstrate in China and the EU advanced, near-zero emissions coal technology through carbon capture and storage by 2020. CCS is an important technology in the fight against climate change and has the potential to cut emissions from power generation in fast-developing and coal-dependent emerging economies, such as China.
Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said: “We have taken action to put in place the regulatory framework and the incentives to facilitate CCS demonstration in Europe and now we are making good on our promise to China. Action by developed and developing countries alike is essential to ensure global warming is kept below the danger level of 2ºC. This important cooperation between the EU and China on CCS can act as a model for cooperation under the post-2012 global climate change regime the world must agree in Copenhagen in December."
Commissioner for External Relations Benita Ferrero-Waldner added: "The joint efforts of the EU and China are key to the success of the post-2012 climate change negotiations in Copenhagen and we have an opportunity to show true leadership. The fact that the EU is supporting the construction of a power plant equipped with this innovative technology in China is proof of our common goal to look way beyond Copenhagen and to prepare the ground for cleaner energy production based on coal worldwide."
The need for action by all countries
As set out in the Commission's 'Copenhagen Communication', 1 ( IP/09/141 ), both developed and developing countries need to mitigate their greenhouse gas emissions in order to limit average global warming to less than 2°C compared to pre-industrial levels.
Under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the EU and the other developed countries have agreed to help developing countries tackle climate change through financial and technical cooperation.
EU cooperation with China on CCS
Specifically, the EU agreed in 2005 to cooperate with China on a range of climate change issues, including CCS, in the context of the EU-China Climate Change Partnership. 2
The Communication adopted today sets out the Commission's plans for establishing an investment scheme to co-finance the design and construction of a power plant to demonstrate carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology in China. The Commission has programmed funding of up to €50 million for the construction and operation phase of the project, out of a total of €60 million that has been earmarked for cooperation with emerging economies on cleaner coal technologies and carbon capture and storage.
Depending on the choice of technology used, and assuming China introduces some form of carbon pricing instrument, the additional cost of constructing and operating over 25 years a new power plant equipped with CCS in China is estimated at €300-€550 million. The Commission will work closely with China, Member States, other European Economic Area (EEA) countries and industry to secure the additional financing required. The Commission proposes to combine these funding sources in a public-private partnership, possibly in the form of a a Special Purpose Vehicle.
This investment scheme could serve as a model for other technology cooperation activities between developed countries and emerging/developing countries in the context of a post-2012 climate change agreement.
The importance of CCS
Coal, the fossil fuel with the highest emissions of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, is China's predominant energy source, contributing 70% to the energy mix. It is expected to maintain its important role into the future. Ways therefore need to be found to reduce the impact of coal burning on the climate. CCS technologies could make a significant contribution by mitigating the greenhouse gas emissions produced. CCS would be a bridge technology while alternatives to fossil fuels are further developed and deployed.
European Commission analysis indicates that under an emissions scenario compatible with meeting the 2ºC target, around 18% of global fossil fuel power generation would have to be fitted with CCS technology in 2030.
Action on CCS in the EU
EU leaders have committed to the establishment of a network of up to 12 CCS demonstration plants in the EU by 2015.
The new EU directive on the geological storage of carbon dioxide, 3 agreed as part of the EU climate and energy package ( IP/09/628 ), sets out an enabling legal framework for CCS to enable the safe operation of CCS in Europe. The EU has also agreed to incentivise CCS demonstration through the EU Emissions Trading System (CO 2 safely stored will not count as emitted), by providing funding from the auctioning of EU ETS allowances which can be used to co-finance CCS demonstration plants), and through revised State Aid rules.
The European Economic Recovery Plan has allocated €1050 million to CCS demonstration projects inside the EU. Several EU companies have announced demonstration plants to be completed in the EU over the next 5-10 years.
Next steps
The Commission invites EU Member States, interested EEA States and China to pledge financial and political support for this novel initiative. It also invites the European Parliament to provide its political support.
Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said: “We have taken action to put in place the regulatory framework and the incentives to facilitate CCS demonstration in Europe and now we are making good on our promise to China. Action by developed and developing countries alike is essential to ensure global warming is kept below the danger level of 2ºC. This important cooperation between the EU and China on CCS can act as a model for cooperation under the post-2012 global climate change regime the world must agree in Copenhagen in December."
Commissioner for External Relations Benita Ferrero-Waldner added: "The joint efforts of the EU and China are key to the success of the post-2012 climate change negotiations in Copenhagen and we have an opportunity to show true leadership. The fact that the EU is supporting the construction of a power plant equipped with this innovative technology in China is proof of our common goal to look way beyond Copenhagen and to prepare the ground for cleaner energy production based on coal worldwide."
The need for action by all countries
As set out in the Commission's 'Copenhagen Communication', 1 ( IP/09/141 ), both developed and developing countries need to mitigate their greenhouse gas emissions in order to limit average global warming to less than 2°C compared to pre-industrial levels.
Under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the EU and the other developed countries have agreed to help developing countries tackle climate change through financial and technical cooperation.
EU cooperation with China on CCS
Specifically, the EU agreed in 2005 to cooperate with China on a range of climate change issues, including CCS, in the context of the EU-China Climate Change Partnership. 2
The Communication adopted today sets out the Commission's plans for establishing an investment scheme to co-finance the design and construction of a power plant to demonstrate carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology in China. The Commission has programmed funding of up to €50 million for the construction and operation phase of the project, out of a total of €60 million that has been earmarked for cooperation with emerging economies on cleaner coal technologies and carbon capture and storage.
Depending on the choice of technology used, and assuming China introduces some form of carbon pricing instrument, the additional cost of constructing and operating over 25 years a new power plant equipped with CCS in China is estimated at €300-€550 million. The Commission will work closely with China, Member States, other European Economic Area (EEA) countries and industry to secure the additional financing required. The Commission proposes to combine these funding sources in a public-private partnership, possibly in the form of a a Special Purpose Vehicle.
This investment scheme could serve as a model for other technology cooperation activities between developed countries and emerging/developing countries in the context of a post-2012 climate change agreement.
The importance of CCS
Coal, the fossil fuel with the highest emissions of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, is China's predominant energy source, contributing 70% to the energy mix. It is expected to maintain its important role into the future. Ways therefore need to be found to reduce the impact of coal burning on the climate. CCS technologies could make a significant contribution by mitigating the greenhouse gas emissions produced. CCS would be a bridge technology while alternatives to fossil fuels are further developed and deployed.
European Commission analysis indicates that under an emissions scenario compatible with meeting the 2ºC target, around 18% of global fossil fuel power generation would have to be fitted with CCS technology in 2030.
Action on CCS in the EU
EU leaders have committed to the establishment of a network of up to 12 CCS demonstration plants in the EU by 2015.
The new EU directive on the geological storage of carbon dioxide, 3 agreed as part of the EU climate and energy package ( IP/09/628 ), sets out an enabling legal framework for CCS to enable the safe operation of CCS in Europe. The EU has also agreed to incentivise CCS demonstration through the EU Emissions Trading System (CO 2 safely stored will not count as emitted), by providing funding from the auctioning of EU ETS allowances which can be used to co-finance CCS demonstration plants), and through revised State Aid rules.
The European Economic Recovery Plan has allocated €1050 million to CCS demonstration projects inside the EU. Several EU companies have announced demonstration plants to be completed in the EU over the next 5-10 years.
Next steps
The Commission invites EU Member States, interested EEA States and China to pledge financial and political support for this novel initiative. It also invites the European Parliament to provide its political support.
Welcome to the Green Week Conference 2009
The biggest annual conference on European environment policy turns the spotlight this year on the multi-faceted challenges of climate change.
What are the prospects for reaching a new global deal to control climate change at the crucial Copenhagen conference in December?
How can we best 'climate-proof' our economies against the impacts of present and future climate change?
How can we create a carbon-free society by 2050?
How can we ensure action to address climate change best serves conservation of the ecosystems that support life on Earth?
These are some of the many questions Green Week 2009 will be examining in three days of discussion and debate between high-level speakers from Europe and beyond.
Green Week is a unique opportunity for exchanges of experience and good practice.
Some 3,500 participants are expected from EU institutions, business and industry, non-governmental organisations, public authorities, the scientific community and academia.
What are the prospects for reaching a new global deal to control climate change at the crucial Copenhagen conference in December?
How can we best 'climate-proof' our economies against the impacts of present and future climate change?
How can we create a carbon-free society by 2050?
How can we ensure action to address climate change best serves conservation of the ecosystems that support life on Earth?
These are some of the many questions Green Week 2009 will be examining in three days of discussion and debate between high-level speakers from Europe and beyond.
Green Week is a unique opportunity for exchanges of experience and good practice.
Some 3,500 participants are expected from EU institutions, business and industry, non-governmental organisations, public authorities, the scientific community and academia.
Climate Change: U.N. Launches 'Seal the Deal' Campaign
Growing U.S. support for U.N. initiatives is raising hopes among those who want to see the world community take immediate and concrete action to tackle climate change, although their optimism is also tinged with scepticism.
'So far, the response by the world’s governments has been less than sufficient,' said U.N. Secretary General-Ban Ki-moon at a news conference held outside the world body’s headquarters in an open space filled with leafy trees.
In pushing the U.N. agenda on climate change, Ban has invited world leaders to discuss this issue for one day on Sep. 22 before they participate in the General Assembly’s annual debate.
The goal of the September summit is to mobilise the 'political momentum needed to seal the deal' in Copenhagen, Denmark, 'on a fair, effective and scientifically ambitious new climate framework,' Ban said.
'We have a lot of work to do, and not a lot of time,' he said. 'This is the time to act. All nations, and all leaders, have a stake in a successful outcome in Copenhagen. Climate change involves everyone.'
Ban was joined by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who endorsed the 'Seal the Deal' campaign and said his administration would organise a series of events in the city when the world leaders come here in September.
The liberal Republican mayor of one of the world’s most populous cities said he hopes that the summit on climate change will help spotlight 'the urgent need for action, both to slow the pace of climate change, and also to adapt to the environmental effects of global warming.'
'We have to do what is right for the world and what is right for America,' said Bloomberg. 'The action is needed on a global level, [but] we need to shrink our climate footprint.'
His remarks allude to the fact that for years the United States has refused to take a substantive role in addressing the issue of global warming. The U.S. is responsible for 35 percent of carbon emissions, although its share in the world population is just 5 percent.
U.N. experts on population and environment say big cities like New York are responsible for at least 75 percent of the resources, including a huge quantity of fossil fuels, consumed by the global population.
According to the U.N., with more than three billion people residing in the cities, for the first time the world's urban population now exceeds the number of those living in rural areas.
The U.N.'s Millennium Ecosystem Assessment report in 2007 shows that before the industrial era, nearly half of Earth's land surface was covered with forests. Today, that proportion has dwindled to 10 percent.
During the news conference, Bloomberg seemed convinced that the current economic crisis in the United States and the world required a deeper understanding of the issue of environmental disasters and their impact on the lives of millions of working people.
'Going green is the formula for economic recovery,' he stressed.
Steve Howard of the Climate Group, an independent organisation trying to bring government and business leaders together to address the issue of climate change, agrees with Bloomberg.
'Influential U.S. partnerships and smarter choices will be critical to tackling global warming and setting the world on a pathway to a prosperous low carbon future,' he said.
But the low carbon future based on the concept of treating the climate change issue from the business point of view is not acceptable to who look at the environmental issues from the perspective of human rights.
On Tuesday, while Ban and Bloomberg spoke at the news conference in New York, a number of environmental activists, including the top climate scientist James Hansen and the actress Daryl Hannah, were arrested in Coal River Valley, West Virginia.
They were protesting against the destruction of mountains by the coal mining industry. Despite its supportive statements on environmental issues, the Barack Obama administration said it would take different measures but not abolish the strip mining practice.
Tuesday’s protest is happening just days before a Congressional hearing titled, 'The Impacts of Mountaintop Removal Mining on Water Quality in Appalachia.'
'I am not a politician; I am a scientist and a citizen,' said Hansen in a statement. 'Politicians may have to advocate for halfway measures if they choose. But it is our responsibility to make sure our representatives feel the full force of citizens who speak for what is right, not what is politically expedient.'
'Mountaintop removal, providing only a small fraction of our energy, should be abolished,' he added.
Two weeks ago, the Obama administration announced steps to end the fast tracking of certain mountaintop removal coal mine permits and to add tougher enforcement in Appalachia.
However, it remains unclear what, if any, improvements this will have on-the-ground in that region, activists say. Without a significant change in policy, mining companies will continue to destroy historic mountain ranges and bury communities' drinking water in toxic waste, they say.
'Every day, mountaintop removal mines use more explosive power than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima,' said Bo Webb, who organised the protest. 'This is not our traditional way of life, and we do not support the destruction of our land or our communities.'
A recent study by the University of Massachusetts found that investment in clean energy projects like wind power and mass transit creates more than three times more jobs than the same amount of spending on the coal industry.
The wind power sector has grown to employ more U.S. workers than coal mining as demand for clean energy has jumped over the past decade.
In New York, without naming the United States and other industrialised nations, the U.N. chief tried to make it clear that the rich nations must take responsibility to reach an agreement in Copenhagen on issues related to global warming.
'We have less than 10 years to halt the rise of greenhouse gas emissions if we are to avoid catastrophic consequences for people and planet,' he said. 'Now is the time for action
'So far, the response by the world’s governments has been less than sufficient,' said U.N. Secretary General-Ban Ki-moon at a news conference held outside the world body’s headquarters in an open space filled with leafy trees.
In pushing the U.N. agenda on climate change, Ban has invited world leaders to discuss this issue for one day on Sep. 22 before they participate in the General Assembly’s annual debate.
The goal of the September summit is to mobilise the 'political momentum needed to seal the deal' in Copenhagen, Denmark, 'on a fair, effective and scientifically ambitious new climate framework,' Ban said.
'We have a lot of work to do, and not a lot of time,' he said. 'This is the time to act. All nations, and all leaders, have a stake in a successful outcome in Copenhagen. Climate change involves everyone.'
Ban was joined by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who endorsed the 'Seal the Deal' campaign and said his administration would organise a series of events in the city when the world leaders come here in September.
The liberal Republican mayor of one of the world’s most populous cities said he hopes that the summit on climate change will help spotlight 'the urgent need for action, both to slow the pace of climate change, and also to adapt to the environmental effects of global warming.'
'We have to do what is right for the world and what is right for America,' said Bloomberg. 'The action is needed on a global level, [but] we need to shrink our climate footprint.'
His remarks allude to the fact that for years the United States has refused to take a substantive role in addressing the issue of global warming. The U.S. is responsible for 35 percent of carbon emissions, although its share in the world population is just 5 percent.
U.N. experts on population and environment say big cities like New York are responsible for at least 75 percent of the resources, including a huge quantity of fossil fuels, consumed by the global population.
According to the U.N., with more than three billion people residing in the cities, for the first time the world's urban population now exceeds the number of those living in rural areas.
The U.N.'s Millennium Ecosystem Assessment report in 2007 shows that before the industrial era, nearly half of Earth's land surface was covered with forests. Today, that proportion has dwindled to 10 percent.
During the news conference, Bloomberg seemed convinced that the current economic crisis in the United States and the world required a deeper understanding of the issue of environmental disasters and their impact on the lives of millions of working people.
'Going green is the formula for economic recovery,' he stressed.
Steve Howard of the Climate Group, an independent organisation trying to bring government and business leaders together to address the issue of climate change, agrees with Bloomberg.
'Influential U.S. partnerships and smarter choices will be critical to tackling global warming and setting the world on a pathway to a prosperous low carbon future,' he said.
But the low carbon future based on the concept of treating the climate change issue from the business point of view is not acceptable to who look at the environmental issues from the perspective of human rights.
On Tuesday, while Ban and Bloomberg spoke at the news conference in New York, a number of environmental activists, including the top climate scientist James Hansen and the actress Daryl Hannah, were arrested in Coal River Valley, West Virginia.
They were protesting against the destruction of mountains by the coal mining industry. Despite its supportive statements on environmental issues, the Barack Obama administration said it would take different measures but not abolish the strip mining practice.
Tuesday’s protest is happening just days before a Congressional hearing titled, 'The Impacts of Mountaintop Removal Mining on Water Quality in Appalachia.'
'I am not a politician; I am a scientist and a citizen,' said Hansen in a statement. 'Politicians may have to advocate for halfway measures if they choose. But it is our responsibility to make sure our representatives feel the full force of citizens who speak for what is right, not what is politically expedient.'
'Mountaintop removal, providing only a small fraction of our energy, should be abolished,' he added.
Two weeks ago, the Obama administration announced steps to end the fast tracking of certain mountaintop removal coal mine permits and to add tougher enforcement in Appalachia.
However, it remains unclear what, if any, improvements this will have on-the-ground in that region, activists say. Without a significant change in policy, mining companies will continue to destroy historic mountain ranges and bury communities' drinking water in toxic waste, they say.
'Every day, mountaintop removal mines use more explosive power than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima,' said Bo Webb, who organised the protest. 'This is not our traditional way of life, and we do not support the destruction of our land or our communities.'
A recent study by the University of Massachusetts found that investment in clean energy projects like wind power and mass transit creates more than three times more jobs than the same amount of spending on the coal industry.
The wind power sector has grown to employ more U.S. workers than coal mining as demand for clean energy has jumped over the past decade.
In New York, without naming the United States and other industrialised nations, the U.N. chief tried to make it clear that the rich nations must take responsibility to reach an agreement in Copenhagen on issues related to global warming.
'We have less than 10 years to halt the rise of greenhouse gas emissions if we are to avoid catastrophic consequences for people and planet,' he said. 'Now is the time for action
Biodiversity
The variety of life on Earth, its biological diversity is commonly referred to as biodiversity. The number of species of plants, animals, and microorganisms, the enormous diversity of genes in these species, the different ecosystems on the planet, such as deserts, rainforests and coral reefs are all part of a biologically diverse Earth. Appropriate conservation and sustainable development strategies attempt to recognize this as being integral to any approach. Almost all cultures have in some way or form recognized the importance that nature, and its biological diversity has had upon them and the need to maintain it. Yet, power, greed and politics have affected the precarious balance.
as taken from anup shah
Why Is Biodiversity Important? Who Cares?
Why is Biodiversity important? Does it really matter if there aren’t so many species?
Biodiversity boosts ecosystem productivity where each species, no matter how small, all have an important role to play.
For example, a larger number of plant species means a greater variety of crops; greater species diversity ensures natural sustainability for all life forms; and healthy ecosystems can better withstand and recover from a variety of disasters.
And so, while we dominate this planet, we still need to preserve the diversity in wildlife.
Read “Why Is Biodiversity Important? Who Cares?” to learn more.
Loss of Biodiversity and Extinctions
It is feared that human activity is causing massive extinctions. From various animal species, forests and the ecosystems that forests support, marine life. The costs associated with deteriorating or vanishing ecosystems will be high. However, sustainable development and consumption would help avert ecological problems.
Read “Loss of Biodiversity and Extinctions” to learn more.
Nature and Animal Conservation
Preserving species and their habitats is important for ecosystems to self-sustain themselves. Yet, the pressures to destroy habitat for logging, illegal hunting, and other facts are making conservation a struggle.
Read “Nature and Animal Conservation” to learn more.
Climate Change Affects Biodiversity
The World Resources Institute reports that there is a link between biodiversity and climate change. Rapid global warming can affect an ecosystems chances to adapt naturally. What have governments around the world been trying to do about it?
Read “Climate Change Affects Biodiversity” to learn more.
Coral Reefs
.
One type of ecosystem that perhaps is neglected more than any other is perhaps also the richest in biodiversity—the coral reefs.
Coral reefs are useful to the environment and to people in a number of ways. However, all around the world, much of the world’s marine biodiversity face threats from human and activities as well as natural. It is feared that very soon, many reefs could die off.
Read “Coral Reefs” to learn more.
Biosafety Protocol 1999
The February 1999 Biodiversity Protocol meeting in Colombia broke down because USA, not even a signatory to the Convention on Biological Diversity, to which the protocol is meant to be part of, and five other countries of the "Miami Group" felt that their business interests were threatened. The safety concerns were unfortunately overridden by trade concerns. Some technological advances, especially in genetically engineered food, have been very fast paced and products are being pushed into the market place without having been proven safe. All over the world, concerned citizens and governments have been trying to take precautionary measures. However, 1999 was not a successful year in that respect.
Read “Biosafety Protocol 1999” to learn more.
Biosafety Protocol 2000
A Biosafety Protocol meeting was hosted in Montreal, Canada January 24 to January 28. Compared to the fiasco of the previous year, this time, there had been a somewhat successful treaty to regulate the international transport and release of genetically modified organisms to protect natural biological diversity. However, there were a number of important and serious weaknesses too.
Read “Biosafety Protocol 2000” to learn more.
Biodiversity Links for more Information
Read “Biodiversity Links for more Information” to learn more.
Climate Change and Global Warming
The climate is changing. The earth is warming up, and there is now overwhelming scientific consensus that it is happening, and human-induced. With global warming on the increase and species and their habitats on the decrease, chances for ecosystems to adapt naturally are diminishing. Many are agreed that climate change may be one of the greatest threats facing the planet. Recent years show increasing temperatures in various regions, and/or increasing extremities in weather patterns.
This section explores some of the effects of climate change. It also attempts to provide insights into what governments, companies, international institutions, and other organizations are attempting to do about this issue, as well as the challenges they face. Some of the major conferences in recent years are also discussed.
Read “Climate Change and Global Warming” to learn more.
Environmental Issues
Environmental issues are also a major global issue. Humans depend on a sustainable and healthy environment, and yet we have damaged the environment in numerous ways. This section introduces other issues including biodiversity, climate change, animal and nature conservation, population, genetically modified food, sustainable development, and more.
as taken from anup shah
Why Is Biodiversity Important? Who Cares?
Why is Biodiversity important? Does it really matter if there aren’t so many species?
Biodiversity boosts ecosystem productivity where each species, no matter how small, all have an important role to play.
For example, a larger number of plant species means a greater variety of crops; greater species diversity ensures natural sustainability for all life forms; and healthy ecosystems can better withstand and recover from a variety of disasters.
And so, while we dominate this planet, we still need to preserve the diversity in wildlife.
Read “Why Is Biodiversity Important? Who Cares?” to learn more.
Loss of Biodiversity and Extinctions
It is feared that human activity is causing massive extinctions. From various animal species, forests and the ecosystems that forests support, marine life. The costs associated with deteriorating or vanishing ecosystems will be high. However, sustainable development and consumption would help avert ecological problems.
Read “Loss of Biodiversity and Extinctions” to learn more.
Nature and Animal Conservation
Preserving species and their habitats is important for ecosystems to self-sustain themselves. Yet, the pressures to destroy habitat for logging, illegal hunting, and other facts are making conservation a struggle.
Read “Nature and Animal Conservation” to learn more.
Climate Change Affects Biodiversity
The World Resources Institute reports that there is a link between biodiversity and climate change. Rapid global warming can affect an ecosystems chances to adapt naturally. What have governments around the world been trying to do about it?
Read “Climate Change Affects Biodiversity” to learn more.
Coral Reefs
.
One type of ecosystem that perhaps is neglected more than any other is perhaps also the richest in biodiversity—the coral reefs.
Coral reefs are useful to the environment and to people in a number of ways. However, all around the world, much of the world’s marine biodiversity face threats from human and activities as well as natural. It is feared that very soon, many reefs could die off.
Read “Coral Reefs” to learn more.
Biosafety Protocol 1999
The February 1999 Biodiversity Protocol meeting in Colombia broke down because USA, not even a signatory to the Convention on Biological Diversity, to which the protocol is meant to be part of, and five other countries of the "Miami Group" felt that their business interests were threatened. The safety concerns were unfortunately overridden by trade concerns. Some technological advances, especially in genetically engineered food, have been very fast paced and products are being pushed into the market place without having been proven safe. All over the world, concerned citizens and governments have been trying to take precautionary measures. However, 1999 was not a successful year in that respect.
Read “Biosafety Protocol 1999” to learn more.
Biosafety Protocol 2000
A Biosafety Protocol meeting was hosted in Montreal, Canada January 24 to January 28. Compared to the fiasco of the previous year, this time, there had been a somewhat successful treaty to regulate the international transport and release of genetically modified organisms to protect natural biological diversity. However, there were a number of important and serious weaknesses too.
Read “Biosafety Protocol 2000” to learn more.
Biodiversity Links for more Information
Read “Biodiversity Links for more Information” to learn more.
Climate Change and Global Warming
The climate is changing. The earth is warming up, and there is now overwhelming scientific consensus that it is happening, and human-induced. With global warming on the increase and species and their habitats on the decrease, chances for ecosystems to adapt naturally are diminishing. Many are agreed that climate change may be one of the greatest threats facing the planet. Recent years show increasing temperatures in various regions, and/or increasing extremities in weather patterns.
This section explores some of the effects of climate change. It also attempts to provide insights into what governments, companies, international institutions, and other organizations are attempting to do about this issue, as well as the challenges they face. Some of the major conferences in recent years are also discussed.
Read “Climate Change and Global Warming” to learn more.
Environmental Issues
Environmental issues are also a major global issue. Humans depend on a sustainable and healthy environment, and yet we have damaged the environment in numerous ways. This section introduces other issues including biodiversity, climate change, animal and nature conservation, population, genetically modified food, sustainable development, and more.
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