Will The Same Protestors Dare To Protest No Plastic Bags Day Now?

When the Penang and Selangor state governments implemented the No Plastic Day beginning on a Saturday, we can various forms of protest from many parties. These 'protestors' protested for the sake of protesting just to create a ruckus or made some noise to Pakatan Rakyat's ideas even though it may benefit the earth or the environment.

The Malaysian Plastic Manufacturers Association ("MPMA") northern branch even gave the reason that as many as 1,600 workers may lose their jobs if Penang was to further extend the No Plastic Days to other days besides Saturdays and effect the no more FOC plastic bags from today onwards.

MPMA northern branch is running a campaign, purposely going against the Penang state government, by giving out free plastic bags on the first three Sundays in January 2011.

Parti Gerakan Penang branch has even blasted the Penang state government for this no plastic bag policy.

Then we have web portals, such as this, writing about the negative effect it will have on the Selangor state government if the No Plastic Bag Day is to be carried out on the Saturdays. It mentioned that voters will be against such environmental policy.

Suddenly, the federal government has now decided to follow both the Penang and Selangor state governments to impose the 'No Free Plastic Bags on Saturdays' beginning next Saturday itself.

In launching this new ruling yesterday, the Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Ministry staff gave out reusable cloth bags to shoppers at the Alamanda shopping centre. May I know who paid for those cloth bags? Taxpayers' monies?

I can't wait to see MPMA northern branch, people that walked away from payment counters and Parti Gerakan Penang to protest even louder now since it's being implemented nationwide. The federal government is doing this quickly before Kedah and Kelantan (under Pakatan Rakyat ruling) decide to impose it. No face lah. I supposed MPMA as a whole and Parti Gerakan as a whole will be protesting too?

For those of you in Penang, bear in mind that when you shop at hypermarkets, supermarkets, departmental stores, pharmacies, fast food restaurants, nasi kandar outlets, convenience stores, chain stores, petrol kiosks or mini markets, bring along your own fabric bags / biodegradable bags / reusable bags to store your stuff.

I was caught off guard on Saturdays at times when I shop at Giant or Tesco. Forced to pay the RM0.20 for each plastic bag. Even IKEA imposes the RM0.20 ruling. Subsequently, I have bought those bags of my own to overcome this situation and stationed those bags in my car boot. Just have to remember to bring it along haha.

But have I seen customers protesting at the payment counters and walked away as what was written in the web portals? Nope, I didn't see that personally. Can't imagine people walking away after having selected their goods with care over a period of time just because of RM0.20.

Be prepared for those nationwide campaign against the federal government's decision. No?
Tags: Fabric Bags, Biodegradable Bags, Reusable Bags, No Free Plastic Bags, No Plastic Bags

Earth Hour 2009 in Malaysia

The Earth Hour 2009-Malaysia was quite successful although not everyone participated. Kudos to those business entities who made it a wonderful event.

A friend of mine staying up high managed to capture the moment just before 8.30pm.

The moment it hit 8.30pm. Proud of you Malaysians.

For those of you who thought that this would not be followed by fellow Malaysians, we look forward to you joining in the next Earth Hour.

It was not a wasted one hour but imagine the amount of electricity saved throughout the world just for that one hour.

I'm also proud of a wedding couple who had their wedding dinner function which co-incide with the Earth Hour 2009. The hotel, Sheraton Subang Hotel and Towers, approached the couple and told them that the hotel was participating in Earth Hour 2009 and suggested an idea to the wedding couple.

The couple agreed and their dinner was held with candles being lighted up all over the ballroom. Wow, what an unforgettable wedding dinner where all the guests will now know what Earth Hour is all about.

Reading: Couple hold candlelight wedding banquet - Star

Related post - Do Remember Earth Hour 2009!
Tags: Earth Hour 2009, Sheraton Subang Hotel and Towers, Global Warming, Environment

Do Remember Earth Hour 2009!

World Wildlife Fund-Malaysia has initiated the Earth Hour 2009 in Malaysia to join 999 other cities in sixty two other countries to switch off your lights (better still your electricity).

The event is scheduled for Saturday, 28 March 2009 from 8:30 pm to 9.30 pm only (Malaysian time, GMT +8) which is to convey the support for action on climate change.
Be part of the marvellous event which, where according to WWF-Malaysia, aims to highlight the voice of the people of the world and represent a visual mandate for meaningful policy on climate change.
Malaysia's chapter of Earth Hour 2009-Malaysia depends on you to effect this wonderful event.

Some people may say that it's a waste of time or what could be done to save the climate within one hour only. Well, it's better than not doing anything at all. It doesn't cost you at all and it actually saves you one hour of non-usage of electricity.

This is where you can play a part for the world where the future generations to come depend on YOU!

Yeah, it's YOU!

(Pictures sourced from Earth Hour-Malaysia)
Tags: Earth Hour 2009, WWF, World Wildlife Fund, WWF-Malaysia, Climate Change, Environment

Which Plastic Is Safer?

We have heard / read that the plastic product is not good if used too frequently or certain plastic products could withstand longer usage. How are we to differentiate?

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) can leach phthalates, known male reproductive toxicants. It can be identified by code 3. One way to avoid it in the kitchen is by choosing plastic wrap made from polyethylene rather than PVC. If a box is not labeled, find a brand that is or call the manufacturer.

Polystyrene is used in Styrofoam products. It may leach styrene (a neurotoxin) when it comes into contact with hot, acidic, or fatty foods. It's marked with recycling code 6.


Polycarbonate can leach bisphenol-A (BPA), an endocrine disruptor associated with a long list of health concerns. Baby bottles, "sippy" cups, 5-gallon water jugs, and reusable beverage bottles are typically made out of this plastic. Products may be marked with recycling code 7 and/or the letters "PC." It’s important to note that some containers that aren’t made from polycarbonate may also be marked with a code 7 because the category also includes any plastic that doesn’t fit into the 1 to 6 recycling code categories.

The following plastics are considered safest for food storage but still not encouraged (glass and stainless steel are better options):-

Polyethylene terephthalate ethylene (PETE), code 1.



High-density polyethylene (HDPE), code 2.



Low-density polyethylene (LDPE), code 4.



Polypropylene (PP), code 5.



Here are some tips for using all plastics safely:-
* Don't microwave food in plastic containers. Chemicals are more likely to leach out when plastic is heated. "Microwaveable plastic" doesn't guarantee that chemicals won't leach. Cover foods in the microwave with wax paper or a plate. If you do use plastic wrap, then make sure it doesn't touch the food.

* Avoid putting hot foods in plastic containers. Let leftovers cool off before storing them in plastic.

* Take good care of plastics by not washing them with harsh chemicals, and dispose of scratched and worn containers. Research has shown that older, scratched items will leach more. Don't put them in the dishwasher if you want to be completely risk-averse.

Reading: Institute for Agricultural and Trade Policy
(The above posting has been extracted from Yahoo Green)
Tags: Plastic, Polyethylene, Plastic Container, Polycarbonate, Polystyrene

Maldives To Move Their Country

The country of Maldives is located on the bottom left corner of the map .... just a small dot.

I'm sure you have heard of political refugees or even economic refugees but have you ever heard of envinronmetal refugees.

You may see such people coming from Maldives in time to come. Not any doing of the present government but the culprits are many other countries in this world who are causing serious environmental defects.

Maldives' 1,200 islands / coral atolls are sinking fast. Average height of their land from sea level is roughly around 1.5 metres. By year 2100, the sea water surrounding Maldives is expected to rise by about 59 centimetres.

In order to solve this rising sea water, the government of Maldives has decided on a unprecedented move, to buy lands in another country and to request that country to recognise those lands as Maldives.

Brilliant move, isn't it? Imagine Malaysia's government decided one day to move to USA in order to be near their largest trading partner as that will save many costs indeed.

In Maldives' case, the government has thought of three countries i.e. India, Sri Lanka and Australia. The country has a population of 300,000 and strategically placing them properly shouldn't be a problem so India and Australia would be top choice. The country has set up an emergency account where a portion of the government's revenue will be channeled into it.

Told you it was unprecedented!
Tags: Environment, Maldives, Sea Level, Coral Atoll, Envinronmetal Refugees

Whale Shark Freed from Dubai Hotel

* Latest
I did mention that The Atlantis would be holding an opening ceremony that may cost up to US$35 million. So, I decided to get a friend of mine to sneak near to the area and she managed to climb on board a yacht and took this pictures.

----------------

The largest hotel built on the Palm Jumeirah artificial island development is called The Atlantis. This hotel was built at a cost of US$1.5 billion.

The large hotel has 1,539 rooms that will come with a designer shopping centre of about 27,000 square feet.

The most expensive suite with three-bedroom, three-bathroom suite complete with gold-leaf and 18-seat dining table is about US$25,000 per night stay.

It comes with a water park, Aquaventure. One could slide into (via a tube) or take the water ride in a shark-infested lagoon.

It has an open tank aquarium that houses 65,000 fish, stingrays and a large whale shark that goes by the name of Sammy.

Besides that, it has a dolphinarium, a bay around the size of 11 acre, became a home to more than two dozen bottlenose dolphins that were bought from the Solomon Islands.

It is here that has drawn the irk of environmentalists who have criticised the use of an aquarium in keeping a large whale shark and the torturing aspect of flying in the dolphins via a 30 hours flight. The large whale shark was 'captured' by the hotel and kept in the aquarium for rehabilitation purpose, as claimed. Environmentalists believed that the hotel was using it as a drawing card instead.

To the extent that Facebook (Set The Whale Shark Free From The Atlantis Aquarium Dubai group with 15,000 members to date) was used to gather people to pressure the hotel in releasing Sammy. Pressures from various groups has forced the hotel to release Sammy now due to official orders from the government of the United Arab Emirates at end October 2008. One never knows how strong is such Facebook group.

On the other side of the world, the sister resort located in Bahamas, called The Atlantis Resort ............. is facing bleak time. It has to retrench 800 staff from their payroll in order to surive due to the downturn of USA's economy. Will Dubai's heavy travel traffic help stave off the recession?

Just when they are retrenching 800 staff from the other resort of the same group, The Atlantis at Dubai will be launching an extravaganza official opening ceremony on 20 Nov 2008 that may cost up to US$35 million in total. The opening ceremony will see fireworks that will cost up to US$6.5 million and guests will get to see Kylie Minogue, invited at a rate of US$4.4 million, singing a few songs.

Before it even opens officially (soft opening somewhere around end Sept 2008), the hotel has to go through so many complicated situations ............. bad omen?

Reading: Dubai hotel urged to free shark - BBC News/Science & Environment
Tags: United Arab Emirates, The Atlantis, The Atlantis Resort, Palm Jumeirah, Dubai, Sammy The Whale Shark, Bottlenose Dolphins, Dolphinarium, Aquaventure, Kylie Minogue, Solomon Islands, Environmentalists

Your Dung Could Be Commercialised

Do you know that your dung / shit / human waste/ biosolids (look at that number of names) could be commercialised? Yeah, the shit that you poo-poo for the umpteenth years could make you rich.

The city of San Antonio in USA has found out that their residents could produce 140,000 tonnes of dung / shit / human waste/ biosolids a year.

After some research, the city's water system’s board of trustees found out that such useless thingy could actually generate income more than what you could have thought of. Such useless thingy could actually produce a by-product called methane gas.

From that 140,000 tonnes a year, it could generate 1.5 million cubic feet of methane gas per day. It doesn't stop there, this gas could be used to fuel furnaces, power plants and other combustion-based generators. My ... my .. what a discovery.

So, the city appointed Ameresco Inc to design, engineer, permit, construct, own, operate, manage and maintain the gas conditioning and distribution facility and the pipelines necessary to transfer and sell the gas to commercial natural gas pipelines. This is what I call innovation and creativity. Create something out of nothing that would have been flushed away down the sewerage system way out to the sea ............................. oops!

Now I have to start collecting my stuff ............ daily. Want to contribute? Joint-venture at the very least? It's a good venture as the price could be as high as US$9.00 per cubic feet.

After collecting it, need to find a safe place to keep it as smelling too much of your dung / shit / human waste/ biosolids could actually kill you besides making you rich - reading: Two kids among five killed by methane gas - MSNBC.

Reading: Ameresco Executes Historic Renewable Energy Contract
Tags: Dung, Shit, Human Waste, Biosolids, San Antonio, USA, Ameresco Inc, Methane Gas, Renewable Energy, Environment, Natural Gas, Biogas, Cubic Feet

Earth Hour

About Earth Hour
On March 31 2007, for one hour, Sydney made a powerful statement about the greatest contributor to global warming – coal-fired electricity – by turning off its lights. Over 2.2 million Sydney residents and over 2,100 businesses switched off, leading to a 10.2% energy reduction across the city. What began as one city taking a stand against global warming caught the attention of the world.

In 2008, 24 global cities will participate in Earth Hour at 8pm on March 29. Earth Hour is the highlight of a major campaign to encourage businesses, communities and individuals to take the simple steps needed to cut their emissions on an ongoing basis. It is about simple changes that will collectively make a difference – from businesses turning off their lights when their offices are empty, to households turning off appliances rather than leaving them on standby.

It started with a question: How can we inspire people to take action on climate change?
The answer: Ask the people of Sydney to turn off their lights for one hour.

On 31 March 2007, 2.2 million people and 2100 Sydney businesses turned off their lights for one hour - Earth Hour. If the greenhouse reduction achieved in the Sydney CBD during Earth Hour was sustained for a year, it would be equivalent to taking 48,616 cars off the road for a year.

With Sydney icons like the Harbour Bridge and Opera House turning their lights off, and unique events such as weddings by candlelight, the world took notice. Inspired by the collective effort of millions of Sydneysiders, many major global cities are joining Earth Hour in 2008, turning a symbolic event into a global movement.

I'm in!

Reading: Asian cities prepare to kick off Earth Hour -AFP
Reading: Hour of darkness shines a light on our precious reefs - WWF
Tags: Earth Hour, Earth, Global Warming, Environment, Cut Emissions, Climate Change, Greenhouse Reduction, Energy Reduction, Global Movement, WWF

World Will Be Silent for 4 Hours

The Bali Non-Government Organisation (NGO) Collaboration for Climate Change is appealing to communities all over the world to switch off electronic appliances for four hours on March 21 to tackle global warming.

When I opened up the World Silent Day's website, I saw the following screen. They really practise what they say. Never heard of this day before, only today, after reading that the Malaysian Qualifications Agency would be participating as well albeit for two and half hours.
My office will be joining this event right after office hours ;)
Tags: World Silent Day, Bali Non-Government Organisation (NGO) Collaboration for Climate Change, NGO, Environment, Global Warming, Malaysian Qualifications Agency

Car Free Day

A number of countries throughout the world held a Car Free Day in order to cut down carbon emission. I knew from the newspapers that China and Indonesia did participate.

Can you imagine that the picture on the left is one of the major roads in Jakarta. I have been to Jakarta and their roads are packed to the brim and to be able to hold such a Day there, it was a good effort.

Malaysia is already planning to do something in future looking at the fact that 2 million enters Kuala Lumpur daily thus congesting and polluting the capital city. If you were to read the article KL eyes fee to ease traffic, you'll find that the City Hall Council may implement a payment system on cars coming into the city during peak hours, a system that has been implemented in Singapore (ages ago), London and Stockholm.

So, KL city folks, be prepared to pay for additional cost for driving your car into the city and the petrol price will increase after the general election too.

Reading: History of Car Free Day - World Carfree Network
Tags: Car Free Day, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Traffic, World Carfree Network

Climate Is Too Hot Lately

How hot was it 10 years ago? I found it really warm at times but of course, uncomparable back at Sudan. Only if it rains in Kuala Lumpur now, I found the room's temperature cools down faster even with the air-cond switched on.

Humans have to adjust their dressing styles to fit in with the warm weather of late. And when you want to open up a business to cash in on the warm weather, an ice-cream stall may just be the answer.

The viability of the ice-cream business really depends on where you locate the business also.

Tags: Global Warming, Environment, Ice-Cream

World Environment Day 2007

5 June 2007 - designated as the World Environment Day 2007 ("WED") by United Nations Environment Programme. The WED will be launched in Norway.

In conjunction with WED, Malaysia has organised 2 events:-

Sandakan
To commemorate World Environment Day 2007, the Rainforest Discovery Centre of Sabah Forestry Department will organise a 4 days student camp from the 2 - 5 June. There will be 36 students aged 16 - 18 and 6 teachers participating in the camp. The theme of the camp was World Environment Day Student Camp on Climate Change. The locations will be at a rain forest, mangrove forest and The Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre in Sepilok. The main focus of the camp will be on ways in which human beings contribute towards climate change and what can be done to reduce this environmental crisis.

Village of Sukau
Kinabatangan Orang-Utan Conservation Project, Hutan, will mark World Environment Day 2007 celebration with the local communities of the Kinabatangan Floodplain, Sabah, Malaysia. The Kinabatangan floodplain in northern Borneo harbours a rich natural heritage including one of the largest orang-utan populations in Sabah. Over the past decades however, habitat degradation and escalating human-wildlife conflicts have increasingly threatened many rare species and is now also affecting the traditional way of life of the local community.

The Kinabatagan Orang-Utan Conservation Project (KOCP) is an initiative by the Kinabatangan community, the French NGO Hutan and the Sabah Wildlife Department. Over the past ten years, we have been working to involve the local people in the conservation-oriented management of the Kinabatangan wetlands.

For the first time, the KOCP will celebrate World Environment Day on 5 and 6 June with all the villages of the region. Villagers will visit exhibitions on the local natural heritage, its current conservation status and threats. Children will participate in games and competitions and see puppet shows and films. Visitors will be taken along educational jungles trails and will participate in the forest restoration effort by planting of native tree seedlings in degraded forest areas. The “Fishermen for Conservation” programme and community-based ecotourism initiatives will also be presented. The celebrations will be concluded by a competition of decorated river boats on the theme of “Kinabatangan wildlife and forest”.

In Malaysia, a home grown non-governmental organisation, Malaysia Nature Society, has been educating the public with various programmes and has earned international reputation for their efforts.
Tags: World Environment Day 2007, Environment, Nature, Malaysia Nature Society, Climate Change, Conservation, Sandakan, Village of Sukau, Sabah, French NGO Hutan, Kinabatangan, Natural Heritage, Forest Restoration, Wildlife

Main Polluter of Rivers

1st take: In Malaysia, the government was trying to educate its citizens to love their rivers.
2nd take: The government has accorded the national sewerage management system to a single company called Indah Water Konsortium Sdn Bhd ("IWK"). Initially, it was privatised and when things didn't go right, the government 'un-privatised' IWK.

SURPRISINGLY, the Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid has now claimed that IWK is the main river polluter. Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo had also identified IWK as a river polluter as well. How can that be? I remembered that IWK has sent many pamphlets telling us how good is their system in maintaining proper sewerage treatment. And when I was late in making pamynet a few times, I received their invoices in red colour, signifying late payment and warning to you before they proceed with legal suit. IWK won't hesistate in suing people who avoided paying for the sewerage maintenance fees as in the case of IWK vs. Yong Kon Fatt.

In order to avoid such complicated issues, prompt payment was made but now IWK has been identified as the main polluter of rivers in Malaysia. Does that mean that I/we have paid for services that have not been executed properly? Breach of contract? In the case of payment failure by us, can they sue us since services have not been provided accordingly?

Yesterday, the same Natural Resources and Environment Minister said that the government should catch those culprits that pollute the rivers. No need to wait anymore. IWK has been identified already. So, please go ahead and enforce the penalties and so forth!!!!! Or the government won't or unable to do it????????????
Tags: Indah Water Konsortium Sdn Bhd, IWK, Sewerage Management, Sewerage, River Polluter, River, Environment, Pollution, Malaysia

Climate Change Week

A conference entitled "Cut Carbon, Grow Profits - Business Strategies for Managing Climate Change and Sustainability" will be held at the Ritz Carlton Conference Centre on 8 March 2007 in conjuction with the Climate Change Week being organised by YTL Group.

Following websites have useful tips and information for climate protection:-
* Green guides and daily tips
* Count savings from devices like solar hearters
* Renewable energy systems in the home
* Online auction on solar panels and wind turbines
* Offset carbon emissions
* Low carbon technologies
* Plant trees to neutralise emissions
* Invest in renewable energy
* Green suppliers, appliances and eco-friendly lifestyle options
* Carbon calculator and tips to cut down on energy use

Or you can be part of this solution by following this 10 simple steps and see how much of carbon dioxide you can save.
Tags: YTL, Climate Change Week, Carbon Dioxide, Carbon Emissions, Carbon Technologies, Energy, Environment

'Doomsday' Vault Design Unveiled

What Doomsday? Something's happening that I have not heard of?

Norway has designed a vault to house seeds from all known varieties of food crops. I like this country as they do really plan so far ahead. This vault is built in anticipation of future catastrophes, such as nuclear war, asteroid strikes and climate change.

Construction for this vault shall begin in March and the first seeds shall be in by year 2008.

The vault's location has been examined and climate forecast has been made up to 200 years ahead. The Norway government has begun its contribution of US$7.9m with Germany (US$9.5m) and Ireland (US$3.8m) following their footsteps. The collection and maintenance of this vault shall be done by The Global Crop Diversity Trust, a foundation for food security.

More info on the Svalbard Global Seed Vault.

Reading: Food crops in a changing climate - The Royal Society

Reading: What is a genebank and how does it work? - The Global Crop Diversity Trust

Tags: Food Crops, Doomsday, Vault, Norway, Svalbard International Seed Vault, The Global Crop Diversity Trust, Climate, Environment, Seeds

Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun

Looks like the world may see the world's biggest pyramid ever built. This time it's not in Egypt anymore but found in Visoko, Bosnia. Further studies / exploration / research will be conducted to determine its built-up. Passsageways, ground composition, tunnels and ancient artefacts will be main targets. Indications via satellite have shown that there could be 4 pyramids there. Wow!!!

This pyramid is at least one-third taller than the Great Pyramid of Giza, Egypt (this could spell real history for Egpyt's pyramids when Bosnia's pyramids have been fully established).

International fund are coming in from World Heritage Sites, UNESCO, the European Commission for Culture and others (governmental/private). Meantime, the Bosnian authorities has put in place a 5 Yrs Plan of Reseach 2006 to 2010. More details are found in the website dedicated to this Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun.

If you are the adventurous type and keen to find out on your own fast, travel arrangements could be made with Sol Azur Travel, Sarajevo. Truly, Bosnia is a nice/beautiful country.
Tags: Bosnia Pyramid of the Sun, Bosnia, Visoki, Visoko, Great Pyramid of Giza, Egypt, UNESCO, European Commission for Culture, Sol Azur, Sarajevo

World Heritage List-UNESCO

Malaysia has 2 unique places listed under UNESCO's World Heritage list:-
Gunung Mulu National Park
Important both for its high biodiversity and for its karst features, Gunung Mulu National Park, on the island of Borneo in the State of Sarawak, is the most studied tropical karst area in the world. The 52,864-ha park contains seventeen vegetation zones, exhibiting some 3,500 species of vascular plants. Its palm species are exceptionally rich, with 109 species in twenty genera noted. The park is dominated by Gunung Mulu, a 2,377 m-high sandstone pinnacle. At least 295 km of explored caves provide a spectacular sight and are home to millions of cave swiftlets and bats. The Sarawak Chamber, 600 m by 415 m and 80 m high, is the largest known cave chamber in the world.
United Nations Environment Programme has listed the national park as part of its environment programme.
Kinabalu Park
Kinabalu Park, in the State of Sabah on the northern end of the island of Borneo, is dominated by Mount Kinabalu (4,095 m), the highest mountain between the Himalayas and New Guinea. It has a very wide range of habitats, from rich tropical lowland and hill rainforest to tropical mountain forest, sub-alpine forest and scrub on the higher elevations. It has been designated as a Centre of Plant Diversity for Southeast Asia and is exceptionally rich in species with examples of flora from the Himalayas, China, Australia, Malaysia, as well as pan-tropical flora.
Tags: UNESCO, UNEP, World Heritage, Environment, Gunung Mulu, Kinabalu, Sarawak, Sabah

Safest And Most Dangerous Cities

A list of the safest and most dangerous cities overall, as compiled by Morgan Quitno Press, which bases the rankings on FBI figures released in June. The list starts with the safest cities and ends with the most dangerous.

As per the list, St. Louis and Detroit have been listed as the most dangerous cities in USA. I could have forgiven these 2 cities' folks as it could been their baseball fans who had became a bit rowdy throughout the season as they celebrated their teams' advancements all the way to "world series" as per my earlier blog. Maybe some celebrations got out of hand and so happened, the people conducting the surveys were there ...... hehehe. Anyway, I still don't agree with the words "world series".
Tags: Morgan Quitno, FBI, St. Louis, Detroit, City, Safest, Dangerous

Living Far Beyond Planet's Means

Humans are stripping nature at an unprecedented rate and will need two planets' worth of natural resources every year by 2050 on current trends — if those resources have not run out by then. "We are in serious ecological overshoot, consuming resources faster than the Earth can replace them," WWF International’s Director General James Leape said. “The consequences of this are predictable and dire." (source: 24 Oct, Reuters)

The Living Planet Index (report can be downloaded here), measures biodiversity, based on trends in more than 3,600 populations of 1,300 vertebrate species around the world. In all, data for 695 terrestrial, 344 freshwater and 274 marine species were analyzed. Terrestrial species declined by 31 per cent, freshwater species by 28 per cent, and marine species by 27 per cent.

- Climate change threatens Latin America and the Caribbean (source: WWF International)
- Climate change, fungal disease threaten frogs (source: Reuters)
- There's more to global warming than heat (source: Science Daily)
- Amazon river 'switched direction' (source: BBC News)
- Scientists raise alarm as man-made deserts spread (source: RadioFreeEurope / RadioLiberty)
- Ozone hole is 'biggest on record' (source: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration)

Kenya will host the second meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (COP/MOP 2), in conjunction with the twelfth session of the Conference of the Parties to the Climate Change Convention (COP 12), in Nairobi from 6 to 17 November 2006 (source: United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change )
Tags: WWF, WWF International, Weather, Climate, Environment, Global Warming, Ozone, Kyoto Protocol, UNFCCC, Planet, Natural Resources, Climate Change

Tiny Island States Seek International Help

As the rising Pacific Ocean laps at their doorsteps, tiny Tuvalu (left pic) (a speck of nine islands with 10,000 inhabitants) and Kiribati (a nation of 33 coral atolls straddling the Equator and of 105,00 people) fear becoming environmental refugees. It will be a new type of refugees in the Asia-Pacific region as sea level could rise up to 50 cm (19.7 inches) by 2070.

Kiribati, Tuvalu, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands and parts of Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu are considered at greatest risk. A a sea level rise of 30-50 cm would affect hundreds of millions of people across the Asia-Pacific region, slashing economic output, inundating large areas of Bangladesh, India and Vietnam and reducing Kiribati, Fiji and the Maldives to a small fraction of their current land area. A climate change report by Australia's leading scientific research body released two weeks ago found that Micronesia had experienced an annual sea level rise of 21.4 mm since 2001.

Calls have been made to Australia, which is not a signatory to the Kyoto Protocol to cut greenhouse gases, to do more to combat climate change and to be more open to environmental refugees.

Tags: Environmental, Sea Level, Greenhouse, Climate, Kyoto Protocol, Micronesia, Tuvalu, Kiribati, Pacific Ocean, Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Fiji, Maldives, Asia Pacific, Bangladesh, India, Vietnam, Australia