Since elections are just around the corner, thought this would be the perfect time to post this article.
The Sunderbans tiger is falling prey to poaching. Thousands of families in the tidal region are losing their homes and livelihoods due to rising sea level and tidal currents. Unscientific construction and illegal felling is denuding the Himalayan foothills of its forest cover and triggering landslides. The Bhagirathi is gobbling up land as it changes course in Malda. But does anybody care? No, since these are not poll issues in Bengal.
Politicians are insensitive to environmental issues, their counterparts in districts are no better. Any talk of environment that has come up in the last few months is merely an offshoot of some other issue from which direct political gains can be expected. Environmental issues have finally entered the arena of electoral politics, though not directly as it happens in the US or Europe. Here, environmental concerns have emerged out of resistance against land acquisition for industrial development. In Nandigram, for instance, environmental concerns came as an off-shoot of the save farmland' movement. Though environment has emerged as a leading issue in elections worldwide including Barack Obama's US Presidential campaign, politicians here continue to shy away from it. The leaders here fail to address environmental issues that will hurt the poor. Politicians need to talk about sustainable development. Environment must figure in the development agenda. The demand should be for environment management systems to combat pollution during construction and actual operations, Ashden Award (Green Oscar) winner S P Gon Choudhury, a serving technocrat, also believes it is time for environment to figure as a key issue in elections. "If cities, towns and villages become healthy to live in, it will be politically beneficial. The new generation is more environment-conscious. If parties are to woo this section of the electorate, they have to address their concerns," he suggests.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Havoc on the Environment @ Plastic Bags
Plastic bags are not only dangerous to the environment but also to your health. It takes literally an estimated 400-1000 years for 1 plastic bag to breakdown in the environment. Meaning we really have no idea what the long term effect will be on ecosystems and the humans, plants and animals that make them up. Right now there is a movement that will hopefully catch on to ban plastic bags worldwide. The only problem is the damage has been done. What will the after effects be like? Will future generations pay the price for our carelessness? It's time to step up to the plate and take the fate of the world into our own hands.
Plastic bags became popular in the mid 1980's. It was seen as a cheaper alternative than paper. Which is correct. Unfortunately worldwide use of plastic bags has grown to 500 billion to a trillion pieces a year. With only less than 1% of these bags being recycled that figure is astounding.
The bags are clogging up landfills, waterways and killing animals. Not to mention the cancer causing effects these bags are having in our everyday environments. Plastic bags contain a host of chemicals that over time break down into petro polymers which contaminate our soil and water. It is sad to realize that is simply cheaper to produce more bags than to recycle them.
Breast cancer is being studied as a major effect of the plastic bag epidemic. Due to the environmental estrogen's BPA & BBP that are introduced into our surroundings from to the breakdown of these plastics. It is actually affecting our health as humans! Not to mention all that is yet unknown about what else it is doing to us physically. It is simply alarming.
Plastic bags are made from chemicals derived from oil production. Namely polyethylene thermoplastic. This not only wreaks havoc on our health but also our dependency on foreign oil supplies. It takes over 100 million barrels a year to produce the world's current plastic bag supply and demand.
Plastic bags became popular in the mid 1980's. It was seen as a cheaper alternative than paper. Which is correct. Unfortunately worldwide use of plastic bags has grown to 500 billion to a trillion pieces a year. With only less than 1% of these bags being recycled that figure is astounding.
The bags are clogging up landfills, waterways and killing animals. Not to mention the cancer causing effects these bags are having in our everyday environments. Plastic bags contain a host of chemicals that over time break down into petro polymers which contaminate our soil and water. It is sad to realize that is simply cheaper to produce more bags than to recycle them.
Breast cancer is being studied as a major effect of the plastic bag epidemic. Due to the environmental estrogen's BPA & BBP that are introduced into our surroundings from to the breakdown of these plastics. It is actually affecting our health as humans! Not to mention all that is yet unknown about what else it is doing to us physically. It is simply alarming.
Plastic bags are made from chemicals derived from oil production. Namely polyethylene thermoplastic. This not only wreaks havoc on our health but also our dependency on foreign oil supplies. It takes over 100 million barrels a year to produce the world's current plastic bag supply and demand.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Simple things with Amazing results @ If done differently
We all moan and groan about the loss of the quality of life through the destruction of our ecology, and yet each one of us, in our own little comfortable ways, contributes daily to that destruction. It's time now to awaken in each one of us the respect and attention our beloved mother deserves.
Few things we should be aware of :
Stop Junk Mail -- The junk mail Americans receive in just one day is not only a nuisance, but could produce enough energy to heat a quarter of a million homes! If you saved up all the unwanted junk mail for one year, you would have the equivalent to one and a half trees, which would add up to 100 million trees every year in just the United States. To help stop junk mail, write to: Mail Preference Service, Direct Marketing Association, 11 West 42nd St., PO Box 3861, New York, NY 10163-3861. By writing to them, you can reduce junk mail by up to 75%. You can recycle the rest of the junk mail you receive.
Be aware of your paint you use -- Use latex paint instead of oil-based paint. Oil-based paint is highly toxic, and its manufacturing produces nasty pollutants. Dispose of paint as hazardous waste, or with latex paint you can let it evaporate outside for one year. Then, you can dispose of it with the rest of your trash. Don't clean your paintbrushes outside, because this can contaminate groundwater; clean them in a sink. Instead of trashing excess paint, you can donate it to a school or to someone else who needs to use it.
Tires -- Every 2 weeks, Americans wear out nearly 50 million pounds of rubber off their tires. This is enough rubber to manufacture 3 and a quarter million new tires from scratch! To help prevent this, you can inflate your tires well. This preserves the life of the tires and saves gas, which ultimately saves money.
Shopping Bags -- Plastic bags are not biodegradable even if they say they are they do not decompose fully. Also the ink is made up of cadmium, and is highly toxic when it is released. Whereas paper bags are reusable and biodegradable. However supermarkets use paper that has never been recycled before and they always say "recyclable" not "recycled". Here is what you can do: if your purchase is small don't take any bag, this alone could save hundreds of millions of bags. Bring a cloth bag when you shop, or use string bags.
Home Appliances -- Did you know that America's refrigerators consume 7% of the nation's electricity, which is the equivalent to more than 50% of the power generated by nuclear plants. To allow your fridge to run more efficiently, you should clean the condenser coils annually. By raising the temperature in your refrigerator by 10 degrees, you can save 25% of your energy. With air conditioners, you should clean or replace filters each month. This will save electricity and money.
Few things we should be aware of :
Stop Junk Mail -- The junk mail Americans receive in just one day is not only a nuisance, but could produce enough energy to heat a quarter of a million homes! If you saved up all the unwanted junk mail for one year, you would have the equivalent to one and a half trees, which would add up to 100 million trees every year in just the United States. To help stop junk mail, write to: Mail Preference Service, Direct Marketing Association, 11 West 42nd St., PO Box 3861, New York, NY 10163-3861. By writing to them, you can reduce junk mail by up to 75%. You can recycle the rest of the junk mail you receive.
Be aware of your paint you use -- Use latex paint instead of oil-based paint. Oil-based paint is highly toxic, and its manufacturing produces nasty pollutants. Dispose of paint as hazardous waste, or with latex paint you can let it evaporate outside for one year. Then, you can dispose of it with the rest of your trash. Don't clean your paintbrushes outside, because this can contaminate groundwater; clean them in a sink. Instead of trashing excess paint, you can donate it to a school or to someone else who needs to use it.
Tires -- Every 2 weeks, Americans wear out nearly 50 million pounds of rubber off their tires. This is enough rubber to manufacture 3 and a quarter million new tires from scratch! To help prevent this, you can inflate your tires well. This preserves the life of the tires and saves gas, which ultimately saves money.
Shopping Bags -- Plastic bags are not biodegradable even if they say they are they do not decompose fully. Also the ink is made up of cadmium, and is highly toxic when it is released. Whereas paper bags are reusable and biodegradable. However supermarkets use paper that has never been recycled before and they always say "recyclable" not "recycled". Here is what you can do: if your purchase is small don't take any bag, this alone could save hundreds of millions of bags. Bring a cloth bag when you shop, or use string bags.
Home Appliances -- Did you know that America's refrigerators consume 7% of the nation's electricity, which is the equivalent to more than 50% of the power generated by nuclear plants. To allow your fridge to run more efficiently, you should clean the condenser coils annually. By raising the temperature in your refrigerator by 10 degrees, you can save 25% of your energy. With air conditioners, you should clean or replace filters each month. This will save electricity and money.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Fundamentals @ Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of interactions of organisms with one another and with the physical and chemical environment. It includes the study of environmental problems such as pollution and involves research on the natural world from many viewpoints, using many techniques. Modern ecology relies heavily on experiments, both in laboratory and in field settings. These techniques have proved useful in testing ecological theories, and in arriving at practical decisions concerning the management of natural resources.
An understanding of ecology is essential for the survival of the human species. Our populations are increasing rapidly, all around the world, and we are in grave danger of outstripping the earth’s ability to supply the resources that we need for our long-term survival. Furthermore, social, economic and political factors often influence the short-term distribution of resources needed by a specific human population. An understanding of ecological principles can help us understand the global and regional consequences of competition among humans for the scarce natural resources that support us.
Ecology is a science that contributes considerably to our understanding of evolution, including our own evolution as a species. All evolutionary change takes place in response to ecological interactions that operate on the population, community, ecosystem, biome and biosphere levels. Studies conducted within the scientific discipline of ecology may therefore focus on one or more different levels: on populations of a single species, on an interacting community involving populations of many species, on the movement of matter and energy through a community within and ecosystem, on large scale processes within a biome, or on global patterns within the biosphere.
Humans are also animals, and our human communities are just as dependent on access to clean water, clean air, the fruits of healthy soil, and the joys of open space, as the lowest worm, and the most obscure sprig of crabgrass.
An understanding of ecology is essential for the survival of the human species. Our populations are increasing rapidly, all around the world, and we are in grave danger of outstripping the earth’s ability to supply the resources that we need for our long-term survival. Furthermore, social, economic and political factors often influence the short-term distribution of resources needed by a specific human population. An understanding of ecological principles can help us understand the global and regional consequences of competition among humans for the scarce natural resources that support us.
Ecology is a science that contributes considerably to our understanding of evolution, including our own evolution as a species. All evolutionary change takes place in response to ecological interactions that operate on the population, community, ecosystem, biome and biosphere levels. Studies conducted within the scientific discipline of ecology may therefore focus on one or more different levels: on populations of a single species, on an interacting community involving populations of many species, on the movement of matter and energy through a community within and ecosystem, on large scale processes within a biome, or on global patterns within the biosphere.
Humans are also animals, and our human communities are just as dependent on access to clean water, clean air, the fruits of healthy soil, and the joys of open space, as the lowest worm, and the most obscure sprig of crabgrass.
Poem @ Ecology by Martin Robertson
The hawk is beautiful
but he is built to kill.
A chain of predators
looks like the primal curse,
yet should he cease to prey
the scales would tip one way.
There is a balance in things
subtle as his, riding those narrow wings.
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