Moving Planet - September 24th, 2011: A Day to Move Beyond Fossil Fuels

MOVE to SAVE; Join Red Tape Movement at http://www.moving-planet.org/events/in/etawah/428 on 24th Sept. 2011.

Save The Trees

Appreciation from British Embassies

British Embassies of Guatemala City and Ukraine appreciated our work on Earth Hour on 24th March 2011. We are thankful to British Embassies of Guatemala City and Ukraine and their respective respected Ambassadors for the appreciation and also thankful to our savings agents and peoples of Ekdil town area. My special thanks to respected Mr. Vijyendra Pandian, I.A.S., Dr. Rajeev Chauhan, Environmentalist and Mr. Sanjay Saxena, Press Reporter for active participation.

World’s poorest billion to gain from managing own forests- IUCN

The lives of a billion of the world’s poorest people could be improved though investing in community forest management, according to a recent IUCN study. As the world celebrates World Forest Day, IUCN urges decision-makers to recognize the various benefits of forests for forest-dependent communities.

Earth Hour News: A message from our Global Ambassador Miranda Kerr

Earth Hour News: A message from our Global Ambassador Miranda Kerr: "I am pleased to have been asked to be the global ambassador for Earth Hour 2011. Each of us has a responsibility for the sustainability of..."

पेड़ बचाने को बांधे लाल फीता

Mar 02, 01:01 am

इटावा, कार्यालय प्रतिनिधि : स्वामी विवेकानंद सेवा संस्थान द्वारा ग्राम चितभवन में वृक्षों में लाल फीते बांधकर वृक्ष बचाने का आह्वान किया गया। खास बात यह रही कि अभियान में बड़ी संख्या में ग्रामीणों ने वृक्षों में लाल फीते बांधकर वृक्ष बचाने का संकल्प लिया। यह लाल फीता अभियान सहायक निदेशक बचत प्रभात मिश्रा की प्रेरणा से चलाया जा रहा है।
इस मौके पर संस्थान के अध्यक्ष संजय सक्सेना ने कहा कि धरती पर प्राणियों का जीवन बचाना है तो वृक्षों को बचाना होगा। वृक्ष न केवल पर्यावरण को प्रदूषण मुक्त रखते हैं बल्कि प्राणियों का जीवन बचाने में भी महत्वपूर्ण भूमिका का निर्वहन करते हैं।
उपाध्यक्ष ओमरतन कश्यप, सचिव विवेकरंजन गुप्ता ने कहा कि आदिकाल से वृक्षों का महत्व बताया जा रहा है, लेकिन वृक्षों को काटा जाता रहा। नतीजतन पर्यावरण और प्राणियों के जीवन पर संकट के बादल छाने लगे हैं। अब वृक्ष लगाना व बचाना बेहद जरूरी हो गया है। उन्होंने कहा कि वृक्षों में बंधा लालफीता यह संदेश देता है कि इन्हें काटना खतरनाक होगा।
लालफीता अभियान के दौरान ग्रामीण प्रेमकांत दुबे, विश्वनाथ, सुभान अली, कल्लू खान, उदयवीर, रामचरन शाक्य, रामशंकर, रामदीन शंखवार, सुशील शुक्ला, रमेश बाथम, सुखराम जितेंद्र, करन सिंह व सीताराम आदि ने वृक्षों में लाल फीते बांधे और वृक्ष बचाने का संकल्प लिया।

The IUCN Forest Conservation Programme Newsletter Issue 42 2010

Read arborvitae newsletter to know that How sexy are forests? Read here.

IUCN - Watch

IUCN - Watch

IUCN - Did you know?

Read the good and the bad news on forest conservation, learn why we need forests to survive and find out some suprising facts and figures from the world of forests.

Brits to David Cameron: Save Our Forests!

Brits to David Cameron: Save Our Forests! Read my comment here.

Comment on article- The importance of Article 6

Read my comment on the article The importance of Article 6 by : Kirsty Schneeberger of DECC.

Comment on article- Reducing Government emissions … not just about the numbers

Read my comment on the article Reducing Government emissions … not just about the numbers by Kate Hughes of DECC.

Energy: Why Biofuels Help Push Up Food Prices

Energy: Why Biofuels Help Push Up Food Prices. Read my comments on this article.

Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Released in Malaysian Forest

Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Released in Malaysian Forest;Read my comments on this article.

Bangladesh Climate Migration Happening — Now

Bangladesh Climate Migration Happening — Now; Read my comments on this article.

A New Project to Track Animal Diseases Before They Infect Humans

A New Project to Track Animal Diseases Before They Infect Humans; Read my comments on this article.

The Top 10 Most Endangered Forests

The Top 10 Most Endangered Forests; Read my comments on this article.

Forests Vs. Food?

Forests Vs. Food? Read my comments on this article.

Politics: It's Not Just Republicans Who Anger Greens. Obama Can Do It Too

Politics: Not Just Republicans Who Anger Greens. Obama Can Do It Too; Read my comments on this article.

Climate: A New Study Finds That Global Warming Could Dry Out the Southwest

Climate: A New Study Finds That Global Warming Could Dry Out the Southwest; Read my Comment on Time.com article.

How Google Earth Can Save the Earth's Forests

Read my Comment on Time.com article.

IUCN - News

The 9th UN Forum on Forests (UNFF9) is drawing to a close. With just over 24 hours left, negotiators are entering lockdown to get a meaningful declaration in place for Friday's finish.
Stewart Maginnis is IUCN's head of delegation and IUCN's Director for Environment and Development. He explains just where the negotiations are at present.

http://support.edf.org/site/MessageViewer?em_id=10570.0

Dear Prabhat,

I'm Lisa Moore, an EDF scientist.



We're in a race against time to mitigate the worst of global warming's impacts by dramatically cutting our emissions.

With your support, we can keep the pressure on the United States to act now to reduce global warming-causing pollution.

I've spent most of my professional career reviewing volumes of scientific studies on the climate crisis and its impact on our natural world. And I can tell you that global warming is without a doubt the biggest environmental threat facing our planet today.

It's not too late to change our course, but we will need to act fast. I hope you'll consider supporting EDF's efforts to reduce the pollution that causes global warming.

Over the past few decades, a warming climate has already led to some very dramatic planetary impacts, including the massive loss of polar and glacial ice around the world.

We could soon reach other critical tipping points including the total disappearance of summer sea ice in the Arctic Ocean, widespread extinctions of the earth's plants and animals, and dramatic changes in entire ecosystems.

The consequences are dire. But there is hope. Right now, we have a historic opportunity to change our course.

Will you make a gift to support EDF's urgent climate work today? Your generous support will help us keep the pressure on the U.S. to act swiftly and reduce global warming-causing pollution.

EDF's goals here are threefold:

Reduce the pollution that causes global warming
Help businesses make low-carbon innovations
Secure an international climate agreement in order to avoid catastrophic climate change.
We're working simultaneously on a number of fronts to achieve these goals.

First and foremost, we're keeping the pressure on U.S. leadership to act quickly and pass comprehensive climate legislation that will curb our global warming pollution and unleash a clean energy economy.

We've also helped launch an unprecedented coalition of business partnerships -- including top US corporations like DuPont and General Electric -- that has jointly called for a reduction in global warming-causing pollution.

EDF's international partnerships extend to countries like China where we are developing pathways to clean growth, and India where we are working with local groups on innovative ideas for clean, sustainable development.

EDF will continue to be a leader in the fight against global warming. I hope you'll consider supporting our urgent climate work at this critical moment.

Sincerely,

Lisa Moore
EDF Scientist

Clip 16 - Marie Michoux (2nd year, IPAC design school, Geneva)

Clip 22 - Melody Pepin (3rd year, IPAC design school, Geneva)

World carbon dioxide emissions data

World carbon dioxide emissions are one way of measuring a country's economic growth too.

And the latest figures - published by the respected Energy Information Administration - show CO2 emissions from energy consumption - the vast majority of Carbon Dioxide produced............ Read the complete story HERE.
[Source: guardian]

WORLD WETLANDS DAY- 2nd Feb 2011

2 February each year is World Wetlands Day. It marks the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on 2 February 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the shores of the Caspian Sea. Each year since 1997, government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and groups of citizens at all levels of the community have taken advantage of the opportunity to undertake actions aimed at raising public awareness of wetland values and benefits in general and the Ramsar Convention in particular.
Wetlands are among the most productive ecosystems in the world, comparable to rain forests and coral reefs; they are found on every continent except Antarctica and from the tundra to the tropics. Due to typical functions like- wildlife habitat and food chain support, groundwater recharge, water purification, nutrient retention and flood control- wetlands are considered as "biological supermarkets", "nurseries of life" and "the kidneys of the landscape" (Barbier et al. 1997; Mitsch and Gosselink 1993). These are facing threats for existence; major threats are- anthropogenic activities, agriculture activities, deforestation, pesticides pollution, pollution, introduced species threats due to Eichhornia etc. Migrating birds use wetlands to rest and feed during their cross-continental journeys and as nesting sites when they are at home. As a result, wetland loss has a serious impact on these species.
The theme for World Wetlands Day 2011 is Wetlands and Forests and slogan is– Forests for water and wetlands. 2011 is a special year for Ramsar as we are celebrating our 40th anniversary. Best Wishes. Read the Message of Mr Anada Tiéga, Secretary General, Ramsar Convention, by clicking here and for Ramsar Sites in Google Earth click here.
[Source: Ramsar and Red Tape Movement]

Long-distance migration may help reduce infectious disease risks for many animal species

It's a common assumption that animal migration, like human travel across the globe, can transport pathogens long distances, in some cases increasing disease risks to humans. West Nile Virus, for example, spread rapidly along the East coast of the U.S., most likely due to the movements of migratory birds. But in a paper just published in the journal Science, researchers in the University of Georgia Odum School of Ecology report that in some cases, animal migrations could actually help reduce the spread and prevalence of disease and may even promote the evolution of less-virulent disease strains. Read detailed report here.
[Source: eurekalert]

Expanding Sustainable Timber in Tanzania

There are many negative environmental impacts of globalization — increased pollution, depleted natural resources and an overtaxed food system, to name a few.
The East African blackwood tree (Dalbergia melanoxylon) — known as mpingo in Swahili — may sound exotic to people outside Africa, but chances are you’ve seen it. Its wood is prized for use in musical instruments like clarinets and bagpipes, as well as the traditional sculptures seen in African villages and on Western city streets. However, unregulated logging has seriously depleted much of the tree’s native habitat, posing a threat to the local economy as well as the species that dwell in these forests.
[Source: Conservation International Blog]

The Plant List: a working list of all known plant species

The Plant List is a working list of all known plant species. Version 1, released in December 2010, aims to be comprehensive for species of Vascular plant (flowering plants, conifers, ferns and their allies) and of Bryophytes (mosses and liverworts). It does not include algae or fungi. Version 1 contains 1,244,871 million scientific plant names of which 298,900 are accepted species names. It includes no vernacular or common plant names.
[Source: The Plant List]

Species loss tied to ecosystem collapse and recovery

Species loss tied to ecosystem collapse and recovery; Conservation biologists regularly note the precipitous decline of key species, such as cod, bluefin tuna, swordfish and sharks. Lose enough of these top-line predators (among other species), and the fear is that the oceanic web of life may collapse.
[Source: Brown University]

Roman rise and fall 'recorded in trees'

Archaeologists have developed oak ring width chronologies from Central Europe that cover nearly the entire Holocene and have used them for the purpose of dating artefacts, historical buildings, antique artwork and furniture. [Source of news and photo: BBC]

India releases list of Critically Endangered species

The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests has released a list of species that are Critically Endangered. Mentioned in the list are seven species of birds, one mammal and four amphibians/reptiles. There is also a sub-list of 22 species which are not endemic to India, but are Critically Endangered .