Just in time for Halloween

RIDGWAY, Pa. - It's furry and walks on all fours. Beyond that, about the only thing certain about the critter photographed by a hunter's camera is that some people have gotten the notion it could be a Sasquatch, or bigfoot. Others say it's just a bear with a bad skin infection. Click: Pa. hunter's images stir Bigfoot debate

Happy Halloween!

One more...

Sorry Earth

Ok, so I have a fondness for youtube...

PeacePrimary.org

Twelve groups promoting peace. One will win $100,000 to amplify their message in the 2008 election. You decide. The Peace Primary is your chance to ensure that the peace issues you care about are a priority in 2008.

These are the twelve groups, the voting ends Oct. 31st

American Friends Service Committee

Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation

Citizens For Global Solutions

Faithful Security

Genocide Intervention Network

Global Green USA

National Religious Campaign Against Torture

Peace Action & Peace Action Westtarget

Refugees International

TrueMajority

Union of Concerned Scientists

Women's Action For New Directions

There are three that deal specifically with environmental issues - Click: Organizations focused on: climate change. I know this is a late posting, it is very close to the deadline. Vote now, $100,000 is a nice sum for one of these orgs!

Pollution & Birth Defects in China

BEIJING (Reuters) - Birth defects in Chinese infants have soared nearly 40 percent since 2001, a government report said, and officials linked the rise to China's worsening environmental degradation.

... China's coal-rich northern province of Shanxi, a centre of noxious emissions from large-scale coke and chemical industries, had the highest rate of defects, Xinhua news agency said in a report carried by Monday's Beijing News.

"The incidence of birth defects is related to environmental pollution," the newspaper quoted An Huanxiao, director of Shanxi's provincial family planning agency, as saying. Click: China birth defects soar due to pollution: report



Those are alarming statistics in the article, a 40% jump in birth defects in 6 years. What I find just as alarming is the rather generous amount of air pollution they are sharing, as demonstrated after the click in this NASA Earth Observatory picture - Click: Pollution over China Blows out to Sea

small follow-up on 2008 Olympics post

Children kept indoors as Beijing fog turns to smog - BEIJING (Reuters) - Beijing's weather office warned children and the elderly to stay indoors on Friday as heavy fog blanketed the host city of the 2008 Olympics, exacerbating its chronic air pollution, Chinese state media reported.

You should check out the picture accompanying this article. Click: *cough* *gasp* ugh...

Primates in danger of extinction

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) -- Almost a third of all apes, monkeys and other primates are in danger of extinction because of rampant habitat destruction, the commercial sale of their meat and the trade in illegal wildlife, a report released Friday said.

...Habitat loss due to the clearing of tropical forests for agriculture, logging and fuel wood continues to be the major factor in the declining number of primates, according to the report.

In addition, climate change is altering the habitats of many species, leaving those with small habitat ranges even more vulnerable to extinction, it says. Click: Report: Primates in danger of extinct


To read about the plight of the Mountain Gorillas click here: Gorilla Protection to view the blog from Virunga National Park, ICCN Rangers reporting on their daily fight to protect the imperiled Mountain Gorillas. They have a vital need for our monetary support also. 100% of donations, minus bank transfer fees, go directly to the field. There are very few donation opportunities where you can make such a direct impact as this one. You can donate by simply following the Gorilla Protection link and filling out the form on the right.

2008 Olympic Games & Questionable Air Quality

BEIJING (Reuters) - Beijing's air pollution remains a concern for the 2008 Olympics, even though the city is well on its way to fulfilling the environmental pledges made when it bid to host the Games, a United Nations report said on Thursday.

... "While it cannot be denied that Beijing ... has made, and continues to make, strenuous efforts to improve air quality ... air pollution is still the largest environmental and public health issue facing the city," said the report, Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, An Environmental Review

... Of particular concern were the high levels of small particulate matter (PM10), which are sometimes more than 200 percent above recommended safe levels. Click: Beijing meeting pledges but pollution a concern: U.N.


Odd time we live in, eh?

California to sue EPA

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - California will sue the Environmental Protection Agency next week in the state's bid to crack down on greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles, a spokesman for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said on Saturday. California will file a lawsuit against the EPA demanding the right to set its own limits on vehicle emissions that are stricter than national standards, spokesman Aaron McLear said. Click: California to sue EPA next week on emissions waiver

California has waited almost two years for a waiver that will allow the implementation of a law passed in 2005 that would require new vehicles to meet more stringent standards for greenhouse gas emissions. It is very sad when you have to SUE the federal government in order to enact your own, state inclusive and more ecologically responsible, requirements for emission standards. Surely this has nothing to do with the undue influence of vehicle manufacturers...

Climate change growing threat to peace

A few interesting political dynamics in the climate change crisis:


BERLIN (Reuters) - Climate change is a growing threat to world peace and has led to rival territorial claims in the Arctic that could turn into a Cold War, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said on Tuesday. Click: Steinmeier: climate change growing threat to peace.


The New York Sun - America is on a collision course with its close ally and northern neighbor, Canada, over who has access to the Northwest Passage, which has become open to sea traffic...

...Canada claims the passage as its own; America, backed by the Europeans and others, says it is open sea and therefore a freely navigable international waterway. Click: Strife Looms Between America, Canada Over Route.


THIRD WORLD TRAVELER - It's official: the era of resource wars is upon us. In a major London address, British Defense Secretary John Reid warned that global climate change and dwindling natural resources are combining to increase the likelihood of violent conflict over land, water and energy. Click: The Coming Resource Wars By Michael Klare


Foreign Policy - Corrupt, tyrannical governments—not changes in the Earth’s climate—will be to blame for the coming resource wars...

...Yes, climate change is a serious problem that must be addressed, and unchecked environmental degradation may lead to intensified competition over scarce resources in certain regions. The good news is that the future is not written in stone. How governments respond to the challenge is at least as important as climate change itself, if not more so...

...If the grimmest scenarios come to pass and environmental change contributes to war, human rights abuse, and even genocide, it will be reckless political leaders who deserve much of the blame. Click: The New Myth About Climate Change By Idean Salehyan

back

Sorry for the sporadic updates in the past few weeks, I will get back to updating more regularly now. :~)

Winners of the Friends of the Earth best One-minute green film award

Official Jury First Place Winner: The Plastic Battle



Peoples Choice First Place Winner: Change


Click here: Friends of the Earth to see the runners up and the shortlisted videos the winners were chosen from.

Invasive Species - Blog Action Day

Currently, more than 1,000 nonnative plant species have become established in Florida and constitute at least 25% of the total flora of the state. In some cases, nonnative plants do not pose a problem at this time, they are merely weeds and flora that are kept in check. In other cases, invasive plants such as melaleuca, Brazilian pepper, water hyacinth and various vines crowd out native plants and animals, reduce biodiversity and destroy ecosystems.

In the top picture is water hyacinth overtaking a pond in my area wetlands. They create something called a mono-culture, if left unchecked they will continue to grow until they are the only plant left and the pond can no longer sustain new life. These plants reproduce at an alarming rate. In the picture you can see the dead water hyacinth that has been sprayed, the small patches of green dotted around the brown patches is new growth. They uptake oxygen from the water, leaving little for the fish to survive. When the fish are gone, the birds will leave the area in search of new food sources; this will no longer be a sustainable ecosystem. It will be an ecosystem destroyed.

The bottom picture is Brazilian pepper in my area hammocks. These peppers have already taken over this area. They, like the water hyacinth, create a mono-culture. There should be native oaks, sabal palms, wild coffee and other natives vital to the balance of our ecosystem. The Brazilian pepper offer very little to our existing habitat; they produce red berries that are toxic and they do not provide the shelter our various fauna need. And they are taking over everywhere. Where is our native flora and fauna to go?

We are introducing new species to our specialized ecosystem consistently. What will be the next massively destructive invasive? We must regulate what is coming into our state better, and think more clearly about what we do allow in. We do not have the winters that keep many introduced plants in check in their natural native areas and we also do not have the proper predators to keep their numbers down. What you loved back home may not be healthy for where you are now. We have an amazingly unique environment with distinct needs and diversity; every environment is unique, please help keep it that way.

Blog Action Day

Bloggers Unite - Oct. 15th, 2007

"What would happen if every blog published posts discussing the same issue, on the same day? One issue. One day. Thousands of voices." - from Blog Action Day

This year the chosen topic is the environment. They ended up with 15,861 blogs signed up with a total rss reach of 12,697,713. There is a large variety in the types of blogs signed up, with a mixture of languages as well. These are the officially supported charities for Blog Action Day - Greenpeace International; The Nature Conservancy; National Wildlife Federation; The Sierra Club; The Conservation Fund


Today is the day, get blogging! I will post again later.

Al Gore and the U.N. climate panel

Al Gore and the U.N. climate panel won the Nobel Peace Prize today for their work in raising international awareness to global warming and calling for strong action "before climate change moves beyond man's control".

This is a fantastic step in the right direction for all of us, increasing the validity of the cause tremendously. Hopefully it will raise pressure for all nations to step up efforts and implement mandatory measures to reduce their carbon footprint.

Click: Reuters Article

Ashton Hayes

Their aim: The Cheshire village of Ashton Hayes (pop. 1000 approx.) is aiming to become the first small community in England to achieve carbon neutral status. We want our children and future generations to know that we tried to do our bit to stem global warming and encourage other communities to follow suit. - from: GoingCarbonNeutral.com - Ashton Hayes Going Carbon Neutral Project

This is a 16 minute video on their journey so far. I know it is a bit long for an internet vid, it's worth the watch though.

Gorilla Warfare

A little history and more elaboration on the post below:

“According to local human-rights workers and renowned paleontologist Richard Leakey, among others, a corrupt mafia of charcoal merchants has recently begun harvesting Virunga’s forests to fuel a $30 million-a-year industry. “These are their oil wells,” Leakey says of Virunga’s trees. If unchecked, the loggers’ activities could decimate the gorilla habitat in a few years….” click: Newsweek article


Click and scroll down just a bit to July 14th for an explanation on charcoal burning: Charcoal Burning


National Geographic video: Gorillas Executed in Congo Park


WildlifeDirect: Congo Rangers fight to ensure the survival of the last remaining Mountain Gorillas in Virunga National Park, this is their blog. The country is in the midst of a civil war, the park is one of its hostages at the moment. This blog is updated at least daily, please follow this link: Gorilla Protection



This is a heart wrenching story that really needs attention.

Congo rebels seize gorillas habitat

KINSHASA, Congo - Rebels have seized an area in eastern Congo that serves as a wildlife habitat for endangered mountain gorillas, threatening one of the last known populations of the animals, conservationists said Sunday.

Shelling and heavy gunfire could be heard from the headquarters of the Virunga National Park ... Only 700 mountain gorillas exist in the world, of which more than half live in the Virunga conservation area, a huge swath of territory at the intersection of Congo, Rwanda and Uganda.

Click here for the entire story: Congo rebels seize gorillas habitat

Melting ice pack displaces Alaska walrus

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) -- Thousands of walrus have appeared on Alaska's northwest coast in what conservationists are calling a dramatic consequence of global warming melting the Arctic sea ice.

..."It looks to me like animals are shifting their distribution to find prey," said Tim Ragen, executive director of the federal Marine Mammal Commission...

..."The primary problem of maintaining ice habitat, that's something way, way, way beyond us," he said. "To reverse things will require an effort on virtually everyone's part."

Click here to read the entire article: Melting ice pack displaces Alaska walrus

Skeptics

I have been trying to get a happy post out of me, so not feeling it though. Not that I am miserable today, just a little bloggers block. Here's a link to a Grist article: How to Talk to a Climate Skeptic. It is a well done comprehensive list of talking points and scientific information.

Are we crazy?

I just resigned from the environmental committee of my neighborhood. My committee members are fantastic people, it's the Governing Board members we go against that are incomprehensibly stupid. Yes, that dumb, no exaggeration. Why is it so hard to get people to see beyond their own arse?? These people did not want a thing actually done, they just want it to look like they want something done. It seems it is politically incorrect to be indifferent to choking the life out of the habitat you promised to preserve and protect, but also politically incorrect to care too much about said habitat. So they fake it. They fake caring and nod knowingly in a what can you do fashion.

I am extremely irritated, frustrated and saddened. What I am no longer is naive enough to be a part of a completely contrived show to the public while a constant undermining of actual efforts for environmental improvement is taking place! They want their name in the paper for being forward thinking trailblazers for the environment, and they get it, all while they are actually squashing efforts. You know, your wheels are spinning, you're trying to get traction, then you see the very people you are working for holding the grease can. I am rambling a bit, just typing a stream of consciousness while disturbed and so saddened I can not stand it. We try to help, because we really do care, walking cliches and all. Why is it if you truly want to right environmental wrongs, your IQ drops in the minds of others?

I needed to vent... I'll do a happy post tomorrow to make it up.

Friends of the Earth Contest

This is my favorite Friends of the Earth contest entry so far. It's clever and quite cute.

History Repeats Itself?

When tobacco companies first set to work marketing and selling their wares, they were not aware that they were selling a potentially dangerous product. A few decades later, the medical community was facing mounting evidence of cigarettes true harm. A decade later the general public was becoming widely aware of the issue. It was around this time that the tobacco companies first launched the denial campaigns that lasted decades. Their marketing strategies were excellent, they appealed to our egos and to a *more sophisticated* mentality. Doctors touting death by cigarettes were made out as quacks and alarmists. A short time after this, the first government report came out about the health hazards of cigarettes. At no time did the tobacco companies waver in pushing forward in their ad campaigns for more customers, more money. Millions died throughout the 50 year reign of big tobacco.

Now, in the preceding paragraph, please replace these words: tobacco companies and big tobacco with oil companies and big oil; medical community and doctors with scientific community and scientists; cigarettes with global warming. I do not want this to be our story. The video below is a television spot that was aired in May of 2006. I know it's been around for a bit, but it's worth viewing again. The idiocy of this spot astounds me. The Competitive Enterprise Institute produced this video. They receive large portions of funding from big oil companies, and, coincidently, big tobacco as well. Do we really want to play "whoever has the most money wins", again?

Above is an actual commercial from the 1950s, just around the time the tobacco companies were labeling the mounting medical evidence against them as unfounded and alarmist. There were many more advertisements just like this one, both in print and on television. If we do not learn from history, we are doomed to repeat it.

Beach Closed

My local beach is closed due to elevated levels of bacteria from fecal matter. Ugh. That's all I can say. And maybe ewww. And please pick up after your pets. I wonder how they let the marine life know to stay away. Ok, I had a little more to say, but to reiterate, ugh.

All Things Considered - Midway atoll

I listened to a piece today on All Things Considered (NPR) about the Midway atoll. This is it in article form: Remote Waters Offer No Refuge from Plastic Trash , it was an interesting bit.

According to the U. S. government, an astonishing 50 tons of plastic arrive in Midways waters every year. If you can visualize this, the atoll is over 1,000 miles from the nearest city, has no infrastructure, and only a few dozen people living there. It is also a National Wildlife Refuge. And 50 tons of plastic is directed its way each year. Most of this plastic, approximately four-fifths, comes from the lands all around the Pacific Ocean. This is our trash from our streets, washed into our storm drains, washed into our watersheds and out into the ocean. And that's just the waste we can physically see, imagine if we could see the pesticides, fertilizers, pet waste and all of the other toxins that get washed into our watershed as well. The rest of the waste comes from cargo containers spilling out in stormy seas and from synthetic floats and other gear that is jettisoned illegally to avoid the cost of proper disposal in port. Midways' most copious resident, the Laysan albatross, pays a high price for this human ignorance. Of the 500,000 albatross chicks born there each year, approximately 40% die, mostly from dehydration or starvation. A two-year study funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency showed that chicks that died from those causes had twice as much plastic in their stomachs as those that died for other reasons. The picture above is the stomach contents of ONE dead Laysan albatross chick. Anyone who says we can't make a difference in the pollution problems of this world should think again. We DO make a difference, evidenced by 50 tons of trash rushing toward a small atoll in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Let's make it a positive difference instead, though.

Superfund365

What is Superfund? The EPA states that: "The Superfund is the federal program that investigates and cleans up the most complex uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites in the country." As of September 2007 there are 1,315 final and proposed sites on the National Priorities List (NPL), but thousands more wait for approval. Here is the wiki on Superfund for further explanation: Wikipedia - Superfund

What is Superfund365? Superfund365 is an online data visualization application with an accompanying RSS-feed and email alert system. Each day for a year, starting on September 1, 2007, Superfund365 will visit one toxic site currently active in the Superfund program run by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). - description from Superfund365 website.

One of the goals for Superfund365 is to raise awareness of the expiration of this: Polluter Pays Fees. With the expiration of this fee, innocent Americans are picking up the bill instead of the polluters who need to be held accountable. Go here: Safe From Toxics and find out how to contact your U. S. Representative to encourage them to support H.R. 3584, a bill that would restore polluter funding for toxic waste cleanups by reinstating Superfund’s polluter fees.