Do we need animals?

What will our world be like when 1/3 of all of the other species on our planet are extinct? Does anyone worry about the web of life and the interdependency of all species? In 5th grade, students learn about food webs and the delicate balance between species and natural resources. And yet, we adults, lack the political will to create policies that allow us to live harmoniously on this planet and balance our needs with the needs of mother nature. Here is the article that discusses the impact this biological disaster in the making.

Jeffrey Sachs - Love him or hate him - part 2

I posted in May about Jeffrey Sachs’ new book, "Common Wealth." Sachs is quite methodical and comprehensive in his explanation and presentation of how to solve the world’s slow growing environmental crisis. It has been very thought provoking.

In the beginning, it sounded like every other environmental book that I have read, but in greater detail along with statistics that make one shutter. At first, I was disappointed and thought, "This is Al Gore part 2." But after he reiterated all the problems that everyone else has, he begins to offer solid solution after solution that is new, unique and doeable. For me that is the key. We've talked enough, it's time for action! He calls for a "Demographic Transition" in dealing with climate issues, biodiversity issues, water issues, natural resources issues, the population explosion, etc. I had never heard of this before nor had I really considered his arguments. But each idea and argument is thoughtfully laid out and makes a very strong case for his each of proposals. The only question that I have after reading his book is whether or not mankind will be able to make the adjustments in our thinking, in time to deal with this slow moving train wreck he so skillfully describes at great length.

It really is an excellent book. I plan to read it again. There was so much information on a variety of topics. I find myself referring to it over and over again. I really get the poverty question now after reading this book. His book made me rethink my thoughts about Sachs and what he stands for too.

Peter, Paul and Mary rewrite: Where have all the forests gone?

Where have all the flowers (forests) gone
Long time passing
Where have all the forests gone
Long time ago...

Now someone is trying to find out how many forests there actually are left in this world and help people see with their eyes how much we have cut down. Seems like a lot to me. Couldn't be good for the overall health of the planet, especially when we need the trees for a carbon sink. Here is one Google Earth user's effort to help people see with their eyes how much forest is actually gone.

Using Art for Environmental Activism

Robert Bateman's blog, "Groundswell" uses art to show what very likely could happen if a proposed oil pipeline is built from Alberta’s tarsands to the B.C. coast. I've been there. It's such a beautiful place; a real ecological jewel. We have considered moving there because of the natural beauty of this area. And now they want to risk it by opening it up to oil transporation. I can not imagine people sitting back and letting this happen.

I feel like we are living in the movie, "The Lord of the Rings." The dark forces that are trying to destroy our earth keep getting stronger and stronger. A small band of warriors are trying to stop them. Show this to children. They will understand. They will speak to the hearts of their parents make them see what is at stake. How can we look at our children and allow this to keep happening over and over again? It is their future that is at risk.

Life: This is so beautiful

Click here to see video

What an amazing video/animation about the cells that create life. I was watching Jim Kramer's Mad Money tonight and the CEO of an natural gas company was being interviewed. Jim the the CEO were making fun of "treehuggers" that worry more about the habitat of animals than in saving the economy by exploring natural gas. Now I like Jim and have read several of his book, but I find it amazing at the anthropogenic conceit of the human race at times.

Running the Numbers by Chris Jordan. Eco-Art that will blow you away!

There is no way you can see this exhibit and not be moved by it. Chris Jordan of Seattle took statistics of the United States' current rate of consumption and disposal in our "Throw Away Society" and made art pieces that help to explain the numbers visually so that anyone can understand those numbers in a new way. His work is showing at Von Lintel Gallery in New York from June 14th to the end of July. The show is called: "Running the Numbers." / To see an online version click here. I promise you will be blown away...

Missing Bumble Bees

I wish I were kidding when I write that Nationwide 25% of the domestic bees are missing.

"Managed honey bee colonies have collapsed at alarming rates, 25 percent nationwide, and scientists still have not fully discovered why. But the latest declines are part of a larger trend, with honey bee colonies down 50 percent in the past 50 years."

Two bills are making their way through our Federal Government to study the cause...

Hundreds of dead seabirds...

July 04, 2007 — By Bruce Smith, Associated PressCHARLESTON, S.C.

Hundreds of dead seabirds that washed up along the Southeast coast in recent weeks apparently starved to death, but experts don't know why.

The deaths of the birds -- similar to gulls and called greater shearwaters -- have wildlife officials worried about possible changes in the ocean that could have affected the fish that the birds usually eat.

Where have all the mountains gone?

I have flown into Charleston, West Virginia's airport. It sits on top of a mountain. When you fly over West Virginia, you can see huge areas land where the mountain tops that have been removed. It's not quite as big as the Grand Canyon, but it's bigger than anything you can see from the sky except for that. I stumbled upon this slide show today that talks about what is happening in West Virginia. I wonder why coal miners have such a sway over that state. People are so afraid of the coal companies. West Virginia has a sad history of mining abuses. I can see from this that they have not changed their ways.

The Myth of the Golden Toad

Photo: National Geographic

The golden toad was a legendary creature and many of the Indigenous native people considered it to be sacred. It was believed to bring great luck and wealth to anyone who spotted one. They came out once a year to mate, the rest of the time they stayed hidden underground. Climate change associated with an El Niño/Southern Oscillation-related drought in 1986/7 is thought to be a cause of amphibian losses in the Monteverdi Cloud Forest Reserve in Costa Rica. It is now believed to be extinct due to climate change and global warming.

Chinese Tiger Farms

Photo by: National Geographic

Chinese have "Tiger Farms" where they raise tigers to be harvested for their parts. They are trying to lift a 13 year ban that prohibits them from selling "Tiger Parts" internationally. The tigers are kept in deplorable conditions. Think puppy mills and "Tiger Farms" as being about the same thing. In puppy mills, dogs are kept in tiny cages stacked ten or more high. They are not walked, and the puppies are matted with feces and urine that has fallen down on them from the cages above. The smell of ammonia burns your eyes. These pupies are then sold to pet stores for a handsome profit. The tigers are treated as badly. The tigers are rasied so that the bones, organs, claws, fat, and blood from the "farm-raised" tigers used in traditional Chinese medicine can be sold. Tigers are endangered and slowly going extinct.

We are changing the rich tapestry of life on this planet...

This is right off their webiste and summarizes what was in the first half of Tim Flannery's book, "Weather Makers." There are all kinds of interesting reports that cover topics like How to Sustain Life on this Planet and the Web of Life.

Convention on Biological Diversity

We Are Changing Life on Earth

"The rich tapestry of life on our planet is the outcome of over 3.5 billion years of evolutionary history. It has been shaped by forces such as changes in the planet's crust, ice ages, fire, and interaction among species. Now, it is increasingly being altered by humans. From the dawn of agriculture, some 10,000 years ago, through the Industrial Revolution of the past three centuries, we have reshaped our landscapes on an ever-larger and lasting scale. We have moved from hacking down trees with stone tools to literally moving mountains to mine the Earth's resources. Old ways of harvesting are being replaced by more intensive technologies, often without controls to prevent over-harvesting. For example, fisheries that have fed communities for centuries have been depleted in a few years by huge, sonar-guided ships using nets big enough to swallow a dozen jumbo jets at a time. By consuming ever more of nature's resources, we have gained more abundant food and better shelter, sanitation, and health care, but these gains are often accompanied by increasing environmental degradation that may be followed by declines in local economies and the societies they supported."