Is Your Global Warming?

Carbon dioxide, the greenhouse gas linked to global warming, is accumulating in the Earth?s atmosphere at an increasing rate, according to a new study released by the US government?s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The research has renewed concern that the ability of the environment to absorb the gas may be waning. The NOAA study said the average atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide in 2005 reached 381 parts per million, up from 2.6 ppm since 2004. The annual rate of increase, which has been recorded since the 1950s, now exceeds 2 ppm for three of the past four years. This is an unprecedented increase; 50 years ago, the annual increase was less than 1 ppm.

The extra CO2 is produced by the burning of fossil fuels, currently emitting approximately 7 billion tons of carbon per year, and roughly half is absorbed by vegetation and the oceans. Researchers believe the yearly fluctuations in CO2 build-up are caused largely by nature's variable ability to absorb the emissions. The atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide is now higher than experienced on Earth for at least the last 400,000 years, and the rise is expected to continue. Over the past two decades, only half of the CO2 released by human activities such as fossil fuel burning, the so-called ?anthropogenic CO2,? is still in the atmosphere; about 30% has been taken up by the ocean, and 20% by the terrestrial biosphere.

This new finding follows reports that 2005 was probably the warmest year on record, with temperatures slightly higher than the previous peak in 1998. Also, scientists at the US National Snow and Ice Data Center, in Boulder, Colorado, reported that Arctic sea ice did not reform fully in the winter of 2005 after record rates of melting during the summer.

Until recently the largest increases in concentrations of CO2 always occurred during El Ni?o years, when tropical vegetation grows more slowly due to lack of rain and fires occur in dried-out rainforests. The greatest recorded increase of 2.7 ppm occurred in the El Ni?o year of 1998. However, scientists are alarmed by the fact that none of the past three years of near-record increases have coincided with an El Ni?o event.

According to Peter Cox, a scientist at the Center for Ecology and Hydrology in Dorset, UK, who studies the interaction between plants and the atmosphere, the recent surge in CO2 levels ?may be the first evidence of a feedback from the carbon cycle, in which plants under heat stress from global warming start to absorb less carbon dioxide?.

Not only are plants slowing their rate of CO2 absorption, but coastal carbon sinks are shrinking as well. Mangrove forests, which play a large role in sequestering carbon from the atmosphere and dissolving it into the ocean, are disappearing rapidly. A research team led by Thorsten Dittmar of Florida State University in Tallahassee studied how much mangroves contribute to the organic carbon dissolved in ocean waters off the coast of Brazil. They came to the conclusion that even though intertidal mangrove forests cover only 0.1% of the earth's surface, they contribute up to 10 per cent worldwide of the ocean's dissolved organic carbon. This is approximately equal to the amount reaching the ocean from the Amazon river, the largest single source of dissolved organic carbon.

Intertidal forests of mangroves surround many tropical coastlines. Mangroves, like all plants, fix carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through photosynthesis and return organic material to the soil when they decompose. Their tangled root systems also collect fallen leaf litter. However, mangrove roots and soil are washed over by tides, and much of this organic carbon leaches into the ocean. Unlike CO2 absorbed directly from the atmosphere, much of the carbon produced by mangrove trees is bound up in large molecules which are highly resistant to decomposition, and is therefor likely to be held in the ocean for decades instead of being returned to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.

Mangrove forests have declined by nearly fifty percent during the past century due to increasing coastal development and habitat damage, such as the draining of swamps for agriculture. As the habitat has changed, fewer mangrove trees and their derived detritus are available to bind and export dissolved organic matter into the ocean. The research team concluded that the rapid decline in mangrove forests threatens to shut off this important link in the carbon cycle, with potentially damaging consequences for atmospheric composition and climate.

Direct absorption of CO2 by the ocean surface also occurs, but it has unfortunate consequences not produced by complex carbon molecules fixed by plants. As dissolved CO2 rises, the pH of the ocean water decreases, becoming more acidic. This low pH causes the calcium carbonate shells of sea creatures to dissolve or form poorly, threatening coral reefs.

A pH reduction of approximately 0.1 unit in surface waters has occurred already due to oceanic uptake of anthropogenic CO2. Scientists estimate that the total drop in surface seawater acidity (pH) will be approximately 0.4 pH units by the end of this century, with an almost 50% increase in the concentration of dissolved carbonate ion concentration. The surface ocean pH drop would be lower than it has been for more than twenty million years.
J Schipper is interested in Global Warming Stem Cells 911 faqs Life Extension

The Perks of Global Warming

Marya Mannes once wrote, "The earth we abuse and the living things we kill will, in the end, take their revenge; for in exploiting their presence we are diminishing our future." Obviously Ms. Mannes preferred the status quo - health, sanity, logic, blah, blah, blah. Why? Green House Roulette is so much more intriguing.

In the country, weather affects everything. For five years western South Dakota has been gripped by drought. Water and hay are vanishing. Farms and ranches are blowing away. While the government bails out victims from hurricanes and says, 'South Dawho?' our cattle are pissing dust mites. Fortunately, things are looking up.

There is some good news. Those pesky glaciers are finally melting off! Last year an eight-nation report estimated an area of Arctic icepack the size of Texas and Kansas is gone. For those who are geographically impaired, that is an area bigger than a breadbox.

At first, news of devastating global climate change might seem a bit of a bummer. Then I read an LA Times article and had a change of heart. The article began with the usual gloom. Greenland's ice cap is melting. Our coasts will flood from rising seawater. Inuit hunters are falling through thinning ice. Melting glaciers are changing ocean temperature and salinity contorting the jet stream, resulting in altered weather patterns worldwide. Multitudes of species are dying off . . . It was disheartening to read.

Then I got to the article's final paragraph. Bam! My faith was restored. Here the Times pointed out the perks of global warming. Seriously, the article actually ended saying: "The report is not all gloomy. A warmer Arctic could increase the number of some species, such as Arctic char, a fish. It could extend the growing season for wheat in Canada and open up now-treacherous sea routes, such as the Northwest Passage and the Northern Sea Route, which parallels Russia, for shipping and resource exploration."

Three cheers for the LA Times! It's true! All is not gloomy. With that glorious bit of sunshine pumped straight up my ski bibs, I was able to see things in a whole new light. I started thinking of other advantages to global warming. Soon you will agree that people from all walks of life will benefit.

For starters, Inuit Hunters will benefit! Once Inuit have nothing left to hunt there will be no need for them to risk falling through thin ice. Plus, by needing food they will be ripe for a floating (pontoons, not ice) Arctic Super Wal-Mart. "Go get 'em, Sam."

Boat owners will benefit! Not only will there be smooth sailing through the formerly bothersome ice of the Northwest Passage, but each summer, cruise ships will be able to run tourists straight up Bourbon Street in New Orleans.

Scuba Divers will benefit! There will be no more burning coral cuts. In fact there will be no more coral. Once all the reefs are gone, divers can pack away first aid kits and dive straight in. A little silt never cut anyone.

Canadian Wheat Farmers will benefit! You see, there is a 10% decrease in yield of corn from Midwest crops for every degree of global warming. No worries though, now wheat can take the place of corn. Think about all those scrumptious Wheat Dogs at the ball game. How about popped wheat with butter at the movies or steaming wheat on the cob? All scream 'yummy' to me.

While it is a bit ironic that ethanol is made from the corn crops global warming devastates, I am sure some aspiring chemist will rise to the challenge of developing 'Wheatanol.' Imagine Canuck Wheat Farmers having more influence than the Saudi Royal Family.

Dune-Buggy enthusiasts will benefit! The Dakotas will soon reopen for your 4-wheelin' pleasure. Join the Mount Rushmore Nose Climb on July 4th! It will be a bugger of a challenge!

Eco-Tourism Operators will benefit! Companies could offer new "Emaciation Tour Packages." Tourists get closer photos of polar bears and whales when they are too lethargic from starvation to meander away. In addition, long treks to Inuit villages can be avoided once they are forced to beg on the streets of Nome (or cashiering at Wal-Mart).

Finally, the next generation of Bush family politicians will benefit! Once again they can avoid addressing campaign issues, this time by distracting dehydrated voters with witty campaign phrases like; "No Kyoto Pact-No Ice Pack," or "Dead Seals Never Flip-Flop," even promising "No Char Left Behind." Not to mention offering new SPF 800 tax credits.

Well, by golly, I do feel better! Shall we spin the Rolette wheel some more?

Satirist Nola L. Kelsey is the author of Bitch Unleashed: The Harsh Realities of Goin' Country & coauthor of the wicked political/self-help, satire Keeping the Masses Down. Both are available everywhere fun books are sold. More of Nola's work may be read at: http://www.NolaKelsey.com.

Global Warming

Earth's average temperature is increasing continuously to a dangerous extent. Temperature has risen by 0.5 ? 0.2C. Glaciers are melting across the globe and the gravity of the situation can be harnessed from the fact that some glaciers have even disappeared from some parts of the world. In Polar Regions ice is melting at an alarming speed. Such melting of ice caps is in turn affecting the sea level. This may give a push to natural disasters like floods, droughts, hurricanes etc. Human activities have attributed greatly towards these adverse conditions.

Extensive studies conducted by the scientists have proved that global warming cannot be a result of natural changes only. Emission of gases, which is a major factor in global warming, is a result of human activities. According to a report prepared by a U.S. scientific institute, the increase in surface air temperature and sea temperature is an outcome of accumulation of greenhouse gases, which in turn is attributable to inconsiderate human activities. Figures prove that in the last 1000 years, temperature of surface of the earth has been recorded as the warmest in the 20th century. From last 150 years green house gases are being accumulated in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is increasing in the atmosphere due to deforestation and fuel burning. Along with it, emission of other greenhouse gases like methane, chlorofluorocarbons is also polluting the atmosphere. The contribution of volcanic gas emissions in global warming is also a major one. Statistics show that before the year 1750, volcanoes and solar forces were contributing about 50 percent towards global warming but in the recent years the effect of green house gases on temperature variations has risen up to eight times.

The pattern of global warming is not uniform throughout the whole world. Due to the changes in the atmosphere some cooling effect is also seen in the Atlantic and central North Pacific. Burning of fossil fuels makes the environment polluted by changing the balance or constitution of aerosols and gases in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide has long survival time in the atmosphere. Development of industrial sector is resulting in increase in emission of other gases like methane etc. These greenhouse gases make the surface of the earth warmer by blocking the radiations of the sun and increasing the evaporation rate of the surface moisture. The humidity in the environment is also mounting due to global warming. The threat of floods is lurking large because of rise in frequency of rainfalls and snowfalls. Increase in evaporation also raises the risk of droughts. It may also result in amplifying numerous kinds of viral infections.

Some scientists do not accept human activities as culprit for global warming but there are numerous instances from which human hand in global warming is clearly visible. The process of global warming and its results are very gradual so the outcome would not be visible to a large extent to the present generation. But the consequences of global warming would be very dangerous for the future generations. The long term accumulated adverse effects would start coming in limelight. Extreme weather conditions like heavy rainfalls, humid weather, floods, droughts would be very devastating.

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is an international agreement which was enforced on March 21,1994. Its main goal is to control the emission of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which pose a threat to climate system. Kyoto protocol is an international agreement that has been framed as an amendment to the UNFCC with the same objective. Recent estimates make it clear that if this protocol becomes successful it would greatly help in maintaining the temperature of the earth. Kyoto Protocol was agreed upon in Kyoto on December 1997 and was enforced on February 2005. All the countries, which have signed or ratified UNFCC are allowed to sign or ratify Kyoto Protocol. This agreement has been ratified by 156 countries. The goal of this agreement is to reduce the collective emission of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases like methane, nitrous oxide etc. The limits for controlling emissions are different for different nations like 8% for European Nations, 6% for Japan etc. The developed countries are directed to provide technology for attaining knowledge and completing projects concerning environment, to other countries. Two countries USA and Australia are not in favour of Kyoto Protocol. Some critics treat this agreement as a hindrance to industrial growth of the world and transfer of wealth to not so technologically advanced third world countries.

Except the oppositon put forth by a few countries, collective positive steps towards reducing global warming has now become mandatory for almost whole of the world. As global warming is a gradual process, efforts of present generation would be fruitful for future genertions.

For more articles visit at www.nrilegalservices.com

CO2, Global Warming, and Pollen-Allergies

CO2, Global Warming, and Pollen-Allergies

Thomas Ogren

The benefits of added organic matter to the soil have long been known and are usually attributed to increased nitrogen, greater water-holding capacity and an increase in activity of soil earthworms and microbes. But experiments have shown that the increase in carbon dioxide (CO2) release that accompanies added organic matter is certainly one of the main reasons why adding organic matter to the soil increases plant growth.
Greenhouse owners have long understood that plants consume CO2 and release oxygen. In a greenhouse packed full of plants, through the process of photosynthesis, the plants can quickly use up most of the available CO2 and then their growth slows down or stops. To compensate for this, old time growers used to place boxes or flats of fresh manure underneath their greenhouse benches. As the manure decomposed it released CO2 into the greenhouse air and the plants grew faster as a result.
In todays modern greenhouses, especially those with concrete floors, lack of CO2 is always a concern. Most of the newer greenhouse ranges are now equipped with automatic CO2 regulators that monitor the amount of CO2 in the air inside the greenhouse and then release more as needed.
In these greenhouses with their gas growth CO2 generators the plants dont just grow bigger-- they also mature earlier.

So, what has all this to do with global warming and allergies?

As we become more and more reliant on burning petroleum products and as our global temperatures continue to rise, carbon dioxide levels in our air are rising. Before the last election we in the US had assumed, incorrectly, that no matter which candidate won the election, new controls were going to be placed on CO2 emissions.
We know better now.
The US with its huge consumption of fossil fuels, (the U.S. produces nearly 25 percent of man-made carbon dioxide emissions worldwide). also is experiencing the greatest increase in CO2. Actually, CO2 accounts for 80-85 percent of the heat trapping (greenhouse) gases contributing to global warming.
The idea that is now called the Greening Theory holds that all this extra CO2 is good. It will result in increased plant growth and thus in resulting increases in food supplies. There is some merit to this theory but there are numerous downsides too.

Pollen-Allergies
There are many negative effects from global warming but lets just consider one here, pollen production and its affect on allergies.
Since 1959 allergies have dramatically increased in the US from 2 to 5 percent of the population affected, to a whopping 38 percent now.
Largely because of the huge horticultural success of the much over-simplified theory of litter-free landscaping we already have vast urban landscapes that are heavily loaded with wind-pollinated dioecious male cultivars (clones) of trees and shrubs. These modern landscape trees result in surrounding air with unnaturally large amounts of allergenic pollen. Because the messy urban female trees are now so rare, almost none of this pollen is now trapped, removed from the air and turned into seed. (Female trees produce no pollen, ever, but they do make seeds, pods, and fruit.)
We have tidy sidewalks but pollen-filled air.
Under normal carbon dioxide levels these male cloned trees will always produce abundant amounts of pollen. Under increased levels of carbon dioxide, they produce considerably more. The increase in temperature itself also results in increased pollen production, and in pollen production that starts earlier in the spring and lasts further into the fall. There is research that shows that under stress conditions male plants are able to take up more water than are females. Under stress conditions, such as drought, male trees are also able to hold onto the water they already have better than are female plants.
Where there are abundant water and soil nutrient sources the increases in carbon dioxide levels in our air will result in larger urban trees, which if theyre allergy trees, will be capable of producing ever more pollen.
Increases in carbon dioxide increase plant growth but only if there is enough available extra water and nitrogen in the soil to support this additional growth. When the supplies of water and nutrients are not adequate to support this added CO2-induced growth interesting physiological things happen in plants. Foremost, it is an added stress on the plants and stress often results in an increase in unusual reproduction factors.

A stressed lemon tree, for example, will often produce a huge crop of tiny, very seedy lemons. This is simply the lemon trees way of preparing for its own imminent demise and also its own legacy of possible seedlings.
Another stress example: In daily pollen collections taken by biology professor Dr. Lee Parker and his students from the top of the Fisher Science Building at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, California, taken during the middle of a severe seven year drought, all-time record oak pollen count levels were recorded.
In the past twenty years in particular there has been a huge increase in this planting of male cloned street trees. These trees can not produce pollen until they mature but with the increases in CO2 levels, we can predict that they will mature earlier than expected.
Shannon L. LaDeau, a researcher at Duke University found that pine trees grown with elevated levels of CO2 produced three times the normal amount of seeds and also matured prematurely.
Lewis H Ziska, Ph.D., a USDA researcher, recently found that increased CO2 resulted in huge increases in the pollen production of ragweed and other weeds.
David Karowe, a researcher at the University of Michigan, found another interesting factor about increased CO2 levels and plants: their leaves contain fewer nutrients than normal.
Nancy Tuchman, biology professor at Loyola University in Chicago, is also researching the feed value of CO2 enhanced leaves on microorganisms and insects. She found that they all grow slower when fed these enhanced leaves. If all the plants are altered on a global level, then its certainly going to affect all the organisms on Earth, she said. No one is going to escape.
Compounding all of this is that excessive burning of fossil fuels and the resulting pollution may well be compromising our very endocrine and immune systems. Theo Colburn explored this well in the very interesting book, Our Stolen Future.
Great increases in the already excessively high rates of urban pollen, combined with further compromised immune systems, may well be the recipe for allergies of true epidemic proportions in the not too distant future.
Dr. Robert C. Stebbins, renowned biologist from UC Berkeley, told me recently in a phone conversation, that the planting of all these cloned male dioecious and compromised monoecious trees, is a classic example of how they just didnt think about the ecology involved.
If we dont start paying closer attention to how we landscape our cities, and we dont start getting serious about alternative clean energy sources, rampant allergies and other pollen-related illnesses may well be the end result.

This article first appeared in New Scientist Magazine, in London.

Thomas Ogren

The benefits of added organic matter to the soil have long been known and are usually attributed to increased nitrogen, greater water-holding capacity and an increase in activity of soil earthworms and microbes. But experiments have shown that the increase in carbon dioxide (CO2) release that accompanies added organic matter is certainly one of the main reasons why adding organic matter to the soil increases plant growth.
Greenhouse owners have long understood that plants consume CO2 and release oxygen. In a greenhouse packed full of plants, through the process of photosynthesis, the plants can quickly use up most of the available CO2 and then their growth slows down or stops. To compensate for this, old time growers used to place boxes or flats of fresh manure underneath their greenhouse benches. As the manure decomposed it released CO2 into the greenhouse air and the plants grew faster as a result.
In todays modern greenhouses, especially those with concrete floors, lack of CO2 is always a concern. Most of the newer greenhouse ranges are now equipped with automatic CO2 regulators that monitor the amount of CO2 in the air inside the greenhouse and then release more as needed.
In these greenhouses with their gas growth CO2 generators the plants dont just grow bigger-- they also mature earlier.

So, what has all this to do with global warming and allergies?

As we become more and more reliant on burning petroleum products and as our global temperatures continue to rise, carbon dioxide levels in our air are rising. Before the last election we in the US had assumed, incorrectly, that no matter which candidate won the election, new controls were going to be placed on CO2 emissions.
We know better now.
The US with its huge consumption of fossil fuels, (the U.S. produces nearly 25 percent of man-made carbon dioxide emissions worldwide). also is experiencing the greatest increase in CO2. Actually, CO2 accounts for 80-85 percent of the heat trapping (greenhouse) gases contributing to global warming.
The idea that is now called the Greening Theory holds that all this extra CO2 is good. It will result in increased plant growth and thus in resulting increases in food supplies. There is some merit to this theory but there are numerous downsides too.

Pollen-Allergies
There are many negative effects from global warming but lets just consider one here, pollen production and its affect on allergies.
Since 1959 allergies have dramatically increased in the US from 2 to 5 percent of the population affected, to a whopping 38 percent now.
Largely because of the huge horticultural success of the much over-simplified theory of litter-free landscaping we already have vast urban landscapes that are heavily loaded with wind-pollinated dioecious male cultivars (clones) of trees and shrubs. These modern landscape trees result in surrounding air with unnaturally large amounts of allergenic pollen. Because the messy urban female trees are now so rare, almost none of this pollen is now trapped, removed from the air and turned into seed. (Female trees produce no pollen, ever, but they do make seeds, pods, and fruit.)
We have tidy sidewalks but pollen-filled air.
Under normal carbon dioxide levels these male cloned trees will always produce abundant amounts of pollen. Under increased levels of carbon dioxide, they produce considerably more. The increase in temperature itself also results in increased pollen production, and in pollen production that starts earlier in the spring and lasts further into the fall. There is research that shows that under stress conditions male plants are able to take up more water than are females. Under stress conditions, such as drought, male trees are also able to hold onto the water they already have better than are female plants.
Where there are abundant water and soil nutrient sources the increases in carbon dioxide levels in our air will result in larger urban trees, which if theyre allergy trees, will be capable of producing ever more pollen.
Increases in carbon dioxide increase plant growth but only if there is enough available extra water and nitrogen in the soil to support this additional growth. When the supplies of water and nutrients are not adequate to support this added CO2-induced growth interesting physiological things happen in plants. Foremost, it is an added stress on the plants and stress often results in an increase in unusual reproduction factors.

A stressed lemon tree, for example, will often produce a huge crop of tiny, very seedy lemons. This is simply the lemon trees way of preparing for its own imminent demise and also its own legacy of possible seedlings.
Another stress example: In daily pollen collections taken by biology professor Dr. Lee Parker and his students from the top of the Fisher Science Building at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, California, taken during the middle of a severe seven year drought, all-time record oak pollen count levels were recorded.
In the past twenty years in particular there has been a huge increase in this planting of male cloned street trees. These trees can not produce pollen until they mature but with the increases in CO2 levels, we can predict that they will mature earlier than expected.
Shannon L. LaDeau, a researcher at Duke University found that pine trees grown with elevated levels of CO2 produced three times the normal amount of seeds and also matured prematurely.
Lewis H Ziska, Ph.D., a USDA researcher, recently found that increased CO2 resulted in huge increases in the pollen production of ragweed and other weeds.
David Karowe, a researcher at the University of Michigan, found another interesting factor about increased CO2 levels and plants: their leaves contain fewer nutrients than normal.
Nancy Tuchman, biology professor at Loyola University in Chicago, is also researching the feed value of CO2 enhanced leaves on microorganisms and insects. She found that they all grow slower when fed these enhanced leaves. If all the plants are altered on a global level, then its certainly going to affect all the organisms on Earth, she said. No one is going to escape.
Compounding all of this is that excessive burning of fossil fuels and the resulting pollution may well be compromising our very endocrine and immune systems. Theo Colburn explored this well in the very interesting book, Our Stolen Future.
Great increases in the already excessively high rates of urban pollen, combined with further compromised immune systems, may well be the recipe for allergies of true epidemic proportions in the not too distant future.
Dr. Robert C. Stebbins, renowned biologist from UC Berkeley, told me recently in a phone conversation, that the planting of all these cloned male dioecious and compromised monoecious trees, is a classic example of how they just didnt think about the ecology involved.
If we dont start paying closer attention to how we landscape our cities, and we dont start getting serious about alternative clean energy sources, rampant allergies and other pollen-related illnesses may well be the end result.

This article first appeared in New Scientist Magazine, in London.

Thomas Ogren is the author of Allergy-Free Gardening, Ten Speed Press. Tom does consulting work on landscape and allergies for the USDA, county asthma coalitions, and the Canadian and American Lung Associations. He has appeared on HGTV and The Discovery Channel. His book, Safe Sex in the Garden, was published in 2003. In 2004 Time Warner Books published his latest book: What the Experts May NOT Tell You About: Growing the Perfect Lawn. His website: www.allergyfree-gardening.com

Global Warming....

Ellen Gaver

Today I made a decision. There are so many issues confronting us today, from political issues, to health issues, to economic issues, to environmental issues.its easy to become overwhelmed and do nothing. Sometimes I feel that there are so many problems in this world, and they are so huge, that my little voice will never be heard, much less have any measurable impact on any of these issues. I know that I am not alone in this feeling.

Today I made a decision. There are so many issues confronting us today, from political issues, to health issues, to economic issues, to environmental issues.its easy to become overwhelmed and do nothing. Sometimes I feel that there are so many problems in this world, and they are so huge, that my little voice will never be heard, much less have any measurable impact on any of these issues. I know that I am not alone in this feeling.

For many years, I have talked about toxins and chemicals and their impact on our health, and I have shared this information with others in the hopes of making a difference. I believe that we must, for the sake of our children, open our eyes to whats happening to our planet. Our government and our media would have us believe that all is well, that our rivers and streams are healthy, and that our planet is thriving. Does this feel right to you? We must care enough to look beyond what is fed to us. I believe that by working together, we can and we will put this earth back on a positive path. It is not necessary that we do a lot, it is just necessary that we do something.

Today, I made a decision. It is no longer enough for me to talk and share. Today, I am asking for you to take a stand and make a difference. Today I joined the March on Washington to Stop Global Warming, and I am asking you to do the same. We must not only care, we must say that we care and we must make our voices heard. Please join me today.

Ellen Gaver, from the central coast of California, is a Work at Home Mom of one teenage son. Owner of Slo County Moms, she educates families about the dangers of household toxins and helps them to create safe and healthy homes. Learn more about Ellen and Slo County Moms at http://www.slocountymoms.com.

 

WILL GLOBAL WARMING CAUSE ANOTHER NOAHS FLOOD?

Author: Arthur Zulu
Contact Author: mailto: controversialwriter@yahoo.com
Copyright: Copyright Arthur Zulu 2002
Word Count: 632
Web Address: http://www.1stbooks.com/bookview/10975

Publishing Guidelines: Permission is granted to publish this article electronically or in print as long as the bylines are included. A courtesy copy of your publication would be appreciated.

WILL GLOBAL WARMING CAUSE ANOTHER
NOAHS FLOOD?

By Arthur Zulu

Man is a very clever animal. For example, he is the only one who knows that the world will end someday, and worries about it. And he is the only creature that can create anything out of a useless thing like ice.

Now, lets imagine ourselves in a man-made ice theater-- floor, roof, and all. We are sitting on chairs made of ice; drinking beer from glasses (made of ice of course), and we are about to watch a play.

What is the play about? The actor, (of course flesh and blood) is going to enter into a mighty cooking pot made of ice. Then he will be covered; and the giant ice cooking pot, suspended by equally giant tripods (made of ice too), is to be
heated by a gigantic fire.

As we the spectators watch to see what happens to the actor, we observe that first, the iced floor begins to crack
as a result of the fire. Then the pot begins to melt, and before we know it, the ice-made glasses on our hands, also begin to melt as a result of the heat.

Suddenly, the roof of the heated ice theater begins to give way and collapse on our heads, and before long, we find ourselves swimming in an ocean of water. So, we the spectators become actors; and birds and all sorts of flying things, become the spectators!

But wait. This is not a play. It is real, and very soon where once used to be our houses, might well become an ocean,
and we all will be swimming for our lives! And if you live in
a coastal city, say New York, London, or Cape Town; you had better start making your ark for another Noahs flood. But how, you may ask, will this come about?

Over the decades, man has turned up the global thermostat through the emission of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide. This has caused climatic upheavals (heavy rain, drought, superkiller winds), and health hazard
(skin cancer).

It has even been speculated that the warming trend could bring about the opposite -- global freeze. It happened before in Europe at the end of the Ice Age when a natural warming initiated a phenomenon that shut up the Gulf Stream. Suppose it happens again, and throws us into a deep freeze for say, 2000 years (the previous one in Europe lasted 1,300 years).

What if the former wins out and the polar ice begins a Great meltdown. It has been melting for decades, and several bodies of water have been forming at the Arctic and the Antarctica. And so what?

If you live in Alaska, you will now understand why memorial crosses are collapsing on the tombs in your local cemeteries while the tombs themselves are yawning and displaying their bowels. And you will know why your house is sinking or slanting at a terrible angle, and why your country roads are cracking up.

Even the animals are perplexed as they roam into unexpected lakes (where once used to be ice), and grasslands (where forests once stood). So the marooned polar bear gazing helplessly at the equally marooned countryman knows that the ground on which they are standing is playing games.

Just in case you are skeptical of the global warming trend, you could do one of two things: Find out why ivory gulls are now soaring in the Arctic, the land of polar bears. Or look
up down under and say what caused the gaping holes in Australia.

Yes, there are difficulties in predicting the Greenhouse effect. This is as a result of the roles of some elements --melting ice and snow, clouds, the oceans, volcanoes and solar cycles -- in the heating and cooling process of the earth.

But that does not mean that we should take the warming trend as natural, or for granted, because a major climatic change may soon come. Why wouldnt it come when we continue to burn gasoline and coal without check. Dump the Rio Summit! Forget the Kyoto Protocol! Who cares if a global flood is coming. Let Holland sink. And let Bangladesh go under water. We will all swim!

But not to worry; it may not happen now. It may be the lot of your great great grandchildren, perhaps when the earth had hit 15 or 20 billion. And the little children may find it funny after all.

Imagine 15 or 20 billion dancing boats, with their occupants waving multi - colored farewell flags on a global ocean. Like
a carnival. What a way to exit the planet -- the boats become floating coffins; and the ocean their watery graves!

Copyright 2002, all rights reserved

 

ARTHUR ZULU, The Most Controversial Writer in the World, is the author of the best - selling book,
HOW TO WRITE A BEST-SELLER. Download your copy and FREE excerpt at :
http://www.1stbooks.com/bookview/10975
For FREE writing helps, mailto : controversialwriter@yahoo.com

ARTHUR ZULU, The Most Controversial Writer in the World, is the author of the best - selling book,
HOW TO WRITE A BEST-SELLER.

PENURY AMID PLENTYOSORO P. J. NYAWANGAH

Who owns our natural resources? Why the people are so poor and desperate in rich Lake Victoria Basin

Lake Victoria (Nyanza as called by local people) is the second biggest Lake in the world and the father to Egyptian riches, 40 years ago it had over 320 old fish species; now it possesses only eight species1 Its basin is potentially the riches region in East Africa and occupied by so poor people, its environment in such deep criss1 Why?

The Lakes resource wealth is further increased by the fact that its soils are among the most fertile in East Africa. The varied and rich cultures of its peoples, its breath taking scenery and abundant wildlife and the thorough vastness of the Lake make it potentially a prime tourism destination.

Factor in regions capacity for agricultural variety output, industry, hydro- electricity, the gold and other mineral deposit in such places as Tarime, Serengeti, Musoma, Geita and Kahama in Tanzania, and Macalder in Kenya. And again, you are looking at the richest region in East Africa.
Yet,
The people of this great Lake; the Luo, sukuma, Haya, Baganda etc. are among the poorest in the world. Official statistics put poverty level at an average of 49% of East African population. Malnutrition is wider spread, high child mortality, protein deficiency in this protein rich Zone. Add to this, the economy, social and environmental cost of the deadly HIV/AIDS, whose incidence in the Lake world and a stern picture begins to look very sad.

There are many activities taking place daily in and around the lake: agriculture, Fishing, Irrigation, Mining etc. But all in vain! The people remain poor amid all riches; they are yet to enjoy the fruits of being granted with this golden prize. Most are blaming their governments for not implementing effective strategies towards the basin development.

Waste in the Lake Victoria basin is a two-way highway.
*Flowing down into the Lake is the waste and high population generated upstream and taken through by twenty big feeder rivers (10 in Kenya, 6 in Tanzania and 4 in Uganda). All these and other smaller ones drain their contents into the Lake, taking with them the same severe disease.
Untreated sewage from municipalities, rural towns and village, toxic effluent from industries and sediments (which is carried in huge tonnage daily)

All East African countries are the major contributor to the lake pollution but are doing the least about it. Because of lack of sewer, treatment works; largely unregulated agro industries dump untreated effluent into the rivers or direct into the Lake. Pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers find their way into the Lake without forgetting the entire weight of villages waste, which also rolls down into the rivers ending their journey into our precious Lake. And to crown it all, the water from the lakes is used directly for-domestic consumption.

The fish species have disappeared due to the quality of water in the Lake and around the shoreline, where most of the
Fish would breed in the littoral zone. The water hyacinth, which was first noticed in the late 1980s, has also been a big threat. And the other reason is the introduction of the Nile Perch (the vocacious carnivore).

*Leaving the basin, flows the regions wealth; for all of its problems, however, the lake basin also contains immerse natural wealth. It sustains the largest fresh water fisheries in the world. Its waters are rich fishing grounds, so rich in fact that the agents of various foreign owned fish processing companies riding daily in fleets with truckloads of the lakes wealth. Landing points are always overcrowded with incoming trucks, leaving contented. On each departure, their trucks are taken with the lakes harvest, belching smokes and fumes of dead fish. Of the huge tonnage from the points around, the local residents are left with the dried skeletons of processed fish for their meals; eating fish by the lake is luxury! There is a lot of money going out leaving the fishermen poor; they sell their catch at throwaway prices because they cannot store it. (Their prices go as down as USD 0.25 per Kg which fetches USD 6 in Nairobi/Mwanza markets after being processed into fillet and at least fetches twice on the international markets).

The regions challenges are enormous; waste and poverty make awful bed fellows and have spawned and evil child; debilitating culture of dependency. Such altitudes indicate the extent to which many feel that they have lost out a stake in managing their own resource. Poor Lake Victoria you are no longer the PEAR OF AFRICA.

HOW TO ACHIEVE TRUE HAPPINESS:

Persons life is full of wealth; gold and all types of minerals are found in MAN. Unless you dig for them, you cannot possess true happiness.

Happy are the pure in heart; they will see God So goes the gospel (Mathew 5:8). Have you ever stopped to think of who decides on your happiness life in the world? Is happiness God made or chance? Can a person create his happiness life? You and you alone are in control of your life direction you can drive your self to true happiness or to rags! But in order to be happy, one needs to concentrate on happy thoughts.
People always ignore the compliments paid to them by others, yet dwelling on unkind words for weeks. They tend to remember compliments for only few minutes or so, but do not forget insult for years. By so doing, you become garbage collector who carries around trash thrown long years ago. You will have to suffer the consequences if you ever allow your mind to be occupied by bad experience.

Remember, you being in control of your own mind (heart), you should make happiness and joy the center of your world. These are always within you; all you have to do is to be sure you are connected with this place inside you. Then build your life around joy.
When you are triumphant, you can be creative because you become open to new Ideas.

For those who were thinking that they could not create their happiness and had given up stresses, I console them and tell them that all is not lost; they still have time to have renovate happiness and be successful if they comply with the following gateways.

*RELAXATION: This is very important for joy and peak performance. As you relax, your metabolism comes into balance. You say yes for the defeat and start afresh, and by so doing you become laid back and happy.
*CRITICISM: This is a useless act, accomplishes not any positive results. Do not do it to yourself or others. Thinking negatively about your self-challenger or other people is the greatest cause of limitations in our lives. Never moan, groan and grouch to any one who will only listen, but do to a person who can do something. Complaining to irrelevant person will only add to your stress.
*NEGATIVE THOUGHTS: This kill, like HIV/AIDS, negative thinking is a killer; it affects the mind, body and emotions. Your thoughts create your physical reality. If you dont get rid of negative thoughts, expect negative results such as withholding, dislike, poverty, poor image, unhappiness and misery.
*EDUCATION: This like the ocean, it has no end. Educate yourself and be armed with knowledge. Learning is lifelong experience; get it from older people or those who have succeeded and ahead in the game of life.
Read books, newspapers, watch TV, the Internet etc. You still have time for this since its the key to good life.
*CARING ONESELF: Love yourself and take care of your body; you live once and for good! Make sure you care for your self if you want to live a long and fulfilling life. It is your own task; no one else can do it for you mind your diet, hygiene and exercise for your physical and mental fitness. Feel and look good by working on your body. Laugh so as to make all kinds of wonderful things happen to benefit your body and mind. Get yourself at ease and be relaxed; the more relaxed the less pain you feel.
*CREATIVITY: Life itself is creation, so this is the best time for you to create whatever creative nature you instead for. Work hard and be contented with your work. Build your family by working hard. Choose a paying and legal carrier, enjoy your work and make sure you are not enslaving your self for working for the sake of money.
*COMPLIMENTS: Pay full attention to the people with huge egos. They always have strong desire for recognition; yet have little concern for those around. They do not give compliments but thrive for!
You should realize that its healthy to acknowledge a work well alone. Have a self-respect and integrity and keep your word. Cure all kinds of disease affecting your happiness and harvest best results such as love, caring, good health and success in you life. This relies on your self-ACT NOW.

FREELANCE JOURNALIST DISTRICT POLITICAL PARTY SECRETARY AND AFRICAN CULTURAL ADVOCATE