The ecologic G8

The ecologic G8 took place in Sicily, Italy and began on April, 22nd. It opened on the Day of Earth, a symbolic way to put everybody at rest in the global crisis the world is facing up to.

UK, Germany, Italy, Canada, Russia, USA, France, Japan but also delegates from Brazil, India, China, Mexico, South Africa and from EU, Australia, Egypt, Indonesia, South Korea and Denmark (where the Conference of Copenhagen is going to continue the Kyoto Protocol by 2009) met during 3 days.
The summit tried to answer several issues of ecology as climatic changes, environment, new ecologic technologies…
The World Bank also participated to the discussion because the financial crisis has a bigger and higher impact on the investment projects in ecology.
So the G8 countries decided to:
- Invest $10 billions in experimental projects in order to reduce carbon gas.
- Create two World Bank funds (around $6 billions) in order to struggle against global warming.

Even if G8 countries are involved in reducing by 50% the greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, the Kyoto Protocol said the same objective since 16 years…

Barrack, a new approach of Global Warming?

With the new way on which Barrack Obama leads his country, the US government leaves “the ecologic desert” as the French news paper Liberation says. The US President announced that he will invest the country in the green tech and that he will support the green industry, but these changes look like more as a way to leave the economic crisis and no a consideration for the environmental issues. The Obama administration declared that it would not signed the Kyoto Protocol and will not engaged the country in the 20% CO2 reduction as the Kyoto protocol asks.

Here a bear which is waiting for

a real change in policy!

http://patriotroom.com/tag/Global%20Warming

Climate : will the young people pay the bill !?!?

Will the resources disappear ? Which are the social and economic consequences regarding the global warming ?

About those questions, the engineer and polytechnician Jean Marc Jancovici (who is also a member of scientific council of the Nicolas Hulot Foundation) tries to answer.

He announces to the teens that they are confronting, on the long view to the climatic change and at short term to the rise of the price of the barrel.

In fact, J.M. Jancovici tries to specify the environmental issues to the young generation, by explaining to a child the human impacts of his/her future life.
He gives especially a reflection about the consequences that would have those variations, an economic then a social disaster, if the children aren't more wise than their parents (have been).

According to the author, the climatic change is a doomsday, an irreparable processus. For example, we can notice the level of the sea is going to rise, the selling out of oil by reserting to the coal and gas to generate energy, that it raises the green house effect. Then, the rise of the price level would cause a social crisis.

However, simple modifications of behaviour in the life can only reduce the serious future disasters.

2009 Earth Hour

Yesterday, on Saturday March 28th at 8.30 PM, about one billion people all over the world was asked to switch off the light during one hour : the Earth Hour.

The action was to remember people that the fight against global warming is still relevant today.
With Sydney, Australia opened the Earth Hour by switch off the lights of its famous opera and bridge. From the Eiffel Tower to the Empire State building including the Gizeh Pyramids or the Acropolis, the most famous ancient monuments took part to this.
In few months, the international community is going to reconvene in Copenhague. There, countries' representatives will have to find solutions against gas emissions and global warming. They will deal with an extension of the Kyoto protocol which expires in 2012 too.

The 2009 Earth Hour is a symbol in ecology and now people must react.

Have a look on : http://www.earthhour.org/home/

Climatic Change Undervalued

According to an American and European study, published on February, 23rd, the risks of negative impacts of the climatic change onto the humans and the environment are all the more important that we thought few years ago.

Indeed, the ecosystems reveal a high sensitivity to the CO2 emissions and the intense futur events increase.

The Aral sea

We decided to speak a little more about water issues after the 5th World Water Forum. Water is such a main ecologic issue that we have to devote some time to it.
If you are really fond of the debate around water, just have a look on Don't touch to my water ressources ! http://eaumenacee.blogspot.com/

Now, let's talk about the Aral sea.

It is a continental sea astride Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in which the rivers Syr-Daria et Amou-Daria used to flow. Unfortunately, since 1960's dams built by the Soviets stop the outflows of water. And now, the Aral sea is disappearing even if improvements have been done.

To fight against desertification, Uzbek agricultural engineers suggest to plant trees on the area created by the fallback of water. There is a double-acting goal:
plants stop the erosion and salt dispersal in the air
plants also absorb carbon dioxide and rejet oxygen
It is thought that one hectare of 4 years old saxaoul (a regional tree) can absorb 1158 kg of carbon and rejet 835 kg of oxygen!!

The future of the area is under-controlled of these trees because it seems to be the last solution the Aral sea and the population around it have to survive.

World Water Forum

The 5th World Water Forum took place in Istanbul, Turquey during one week.
Since 1997, it gathers countries each three years trying to find solutions to water issues. On March 09, the World Water Forum tried to answer to the problem of « Bridging Divides for Water ».

Water is one of the main issues in development in terms of ecology, energy but also human growth.
It is thought that the world population will increase from 6 to 9 billion about 2025 and it is necessary to provide safe water to every body.
And yet, most part of water is used in agriculture (70%) and industry (20%). These two activities create contamination and negative effects on the climate&on the earth.
Moreover, water is such a tense issue : there are many conflicts for it. Just an example : Washington blames Mexico to pollute the Rio Grande's water which constitutes a natural border between the 2 countries.

You can find other examples on arte website (it is in French).

http://www.arte.tv/fr/Comprendre-le-monde/L-eau-en-danger/2460324.html

During the WWF, Argentina&South America countries, Spain, France and others suggested to establish a water right. Unfortunately, they failed...

Water is an issue increasing with time, an explosive issue...

Canada is in big trouble...

Canada signed the Kyoto Protocol on April, 29th in 1998 and ratified it in 2002.

According to the protocol, Canada has to reduce its discharge of gas carbon : a decrease of 6% compared with the 1990's rate. But studies show the gas carbon didn't reduce at all.

On the website Environment Canada, figures are eloquent : Between 1990 and 2003, the gas discharge increased in all sectors except in Industrial Processes. Canada seems to be the dunce's cap of the Kyoto Protocol member countries.

Moreover, The Globe and Mail, a newspaper from Toronto, announced Canada is the industrialized country where the rate of greenhouse effect gas increases the fastest.

What a shame!! While its US neighbour, which even did not sign the protocol, shows best results !!
All that raise once again the difficulties to apply the Kyoto Protocol even for invested countries.

Negotiations

Struggle against the climatic change and development may go hand in hand.

The struggle against the climatic change is a notion that Asia has to understand if she wants to be an important actor in the international negotiations.

Asia should be more serious and more prepared face to face with the threat about the global warming and take the head of negotiations. Indeed, the situation is very tense because of serious differences between rich countries and poor countries in the way they fight the global warming.

A new agreement would be elaborated in Copenhague for december.

Special news: new specie has been discovered in Galapagos Islands!!

Scientists discovered a new kind of iguana: a pink iguana with black stripes.

At the beginning of the 1986's, in the main island of Galapagos, Isabela, scientists saw this particular iguana for the first time. But they didn't expect it was new specie. They only thought it was a special iguana which could eat black latex plant, that’s why it was pink... and they explained the colour as they could.
In the end, this iguana was more than an adaptation.

The iguanas live in the sides of volcano Wolf and feed with plants. Nevertheless, they have already got a predatory: a wild cat and the expansion of the specie is threatened. It is a huge problem for the emergent iguanas.
For the time being, scientists didn't find a name but give a nickname to it: Roseta.

But I prefer and I'm suggesting «the zebra iguana»!!

China's way of thinking

Climatic change : China's request to LCD's*

China exhorts the rich countries to help the poor nations to tackle the global warming. In fact, China wants the developped countries to consecrate 1 % of their GNP to help them.
China attracts rich countries to help NIC's* into the campaign against the climatic change even though the Kyoto Protocol (sustained by UN) will expire in 2012. China (developed country) agrees to reduce polluting emissions and is prepared to be the main actor in the negociations about climatic change.
Beijing insists NIC's need more technology and more pool to reach Kyoto Protocol targets.

LCD's : Low developed Countries
NIC's : Newly Industrialised Countries

Is Darwin's Nightmare finished ?

Do you remember the movie « Darwin's nightmare »?

It speaks about the problems of the introduction of Nile Perches in the lake Victoria (East Africa). The movie has been successful everywhere in the world and won many awards.
But it is wrong to say it is a perfect documentary film because it isn't. But, that's not the problem I want to deal with.

I've read an article in CI (Courrier International, a French magazine) about a fishing war in the borders of lake Victoria area. And I remembered the famous movie linked to this story...

When the authorities introduced the fish in the lake in the 1950's, there was a debate between the pros and the cons. Of course, the introduction of Nile Perches should destabilize all the ecosystem but it should be a collateral effect in terms of money. The fishermen should win so much money. « Don't worry about environnement ! » they thought.
So yes, at the beginning, the Nile perches was really a source of prosperity because fishes rapidly increased a lot. It was easy to sell them and to earn one's life. But a growth like this one cannot be infinite.
And unfortunately today, there is a lack of fishes in the lake.
With the years, the ressources of the lake fall down and all the area suffers for economic crisis.
Now, the environnement is polluted and all the economic system around this trade is falling.

The area wins one more time another conflict...

Try to build a better world !!

Clik on the picture to enlarge it.

I've discovered a French website on which everybody can try to reduce CO2 rates. It is called Clim City.

Your mission, if you accept it, is to build the better city you can in order to reduce exhaust fumes in your town.

Reducing CO2 is one of the main aims of Kyoto Protocol, that's why this game is very funny. First of all, you can better understand what the different policies are.

Then, you can also graduate the risks if our way of living doesn't change...

To finish, have a good struggle against contamination on

http://climcity.cap-sciences.net/#h !!

CO2 TRADING

“A central authority sets a limit on the amount of a pollutant that can be emitted. Companies or other groups are issued emission permits and are required to hold an equivalent number of allowances (or credits) which represent the right to emit a specific amount. The total amount of allowances and credits cannot exceed the cap, limiting total emissions to that level. Companies that need to increase their emission allowance must buy credits from those who pollute less. The transfer of allowances is referred to as a trade. In effect, the buyer is paying a charge for polluting, while the seller is being rewarded for having reduced emissions by more than was needed. Thus, in theory, those that can easily reduce emissions most cheaply will do so, achieving the pollution reduction at the lowest possible cost to society.”

Now we would like to know what you are thinking about this pollutant trading.

The US & the Kyoto Protocol

Today, the US rejects ¼ of greenhouse effect gas so they contribute to an important part in global warming.

That’s why their participation to the Kyoto protocol is the main basis of the beginning of the ecologic battle.
Nevertheless, under President Bush’s area the United States decided to leave the project and fight against global warming as they wanted to do. They created with Asian countries the Asian Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate. Most of studies show the developing countries will produce most of greenhouse effect gaz. Reducing carbon dioxide with these countries seems to be the best solution for the US which don’t really want to decrease their own production.
Now the US has a charismatic President named Obama, we can hope the ecology policy of the country will change…

Coming soon : special message about the US which don't respect the Kyoto Protocol !!

Don't forget with this blog you're going to learn so many things about the Kyoto protocol !!!


To wait until the special message, here a beautiful picture I've found on Web !!

Discovery of a new paradise ?!!

This morning I've decided to read a little bit during my daily journey. And an article particulary attracted me. It was about an amazing discovery in Mozambique : a whole ecosystem has been found by British scientists.

It is a new forest with unknown species like butterflies or snakes...
This area wasn't exploited by humans because it was a shelter when the 17 years civil war (1975 - 1992) separated the people.
Mabu Mount is a little paradise but we can ask ourself how many years it got until humans would begin to use its ressources in wood for example... It looks the Dodo motto : don't meet humans at all !!

Is Dodo rigth?

Visit blogs about ecology !!

Look this interesting blog creating by students from high school of Saint-Brieuc, France.

You can learn so many about ecology in Britany !!

blogedu.tv/secondebstpierre22/

Phew !! The Kyoto Protocol is under control !

Home sweet home...

Today I just want to thank the Earth for the beautiful landscapes it's giving to us every day and particulary from space.

One more time, don't forget our destiny is strongly linked with the future of the Earth so we have to better protect it from our hyper consumption.

Keep an eye on the planet !!

How to try to survive according to a Dodo?

This weekend, I've seen on TV a Dodo explaining how to try to survive in this world. This BBC documentary film was amazing because it explained very well how humans can destroy their environnement, and especially the fauna&the flora.

Just to renember the Dodo was a bird living two centuries ago in the Indian Ocean islands like La Réunion. It was exterminated by humans when they discovered these islands.

But all this raises the problem of biodiversity. About 15.589 species have to dissapear according to UICN. It means 1 mammal on 4, 1 bird on 8, 1 amphibia on 3...

And I don't speak about the flora.

That's why the Kyoto protocol was neccessary but nobody really applies it and it is a new evidence (again !!) of the uneffcience of UN policies.

Happy new year 2009 ?!!

Hey everybody !!

A new year is beggining and we can still answer to ourselves if we changed a little our world in the good way.
And the answer is : absolutely not !!
Of course, a new President has been elected in the US and it is a message of hope because YES WE CAN !!

But now, we have also to open up our eyes on the environnemental issues of the 21st century. Is one day people can say about environnement : Yes we can, Yes we did ?!

All the problem is here. Could we save ourself from finity ?