Results tagged “DK GreenRoots” from Program to Relocate and Assist Environmental Refugees

There is one disturbing diary up now about Saudi Arabia and here is one more. It turns out that Saudi Arabia has convinced Qatar and Kuwait to join together to block a U.N. Climate Change study, in an apparent effort to protect their Oil Based Economy. While there has been an orchestrated effort by Fossil Fuel lobbyists to weaken international Climate Change legislation, this is the first time a state Government has openly blocked reforms. The immediate losers are the people who are members of A.O.S.I.S. - the Alliance of Small Island States - and what they have to lose by this action. crossposted at Huffington Post, Square State, FDL and PRAER.org It is no secret that Saudi Arabia would stand to lose a significant chunk of change if a Climate Study concluded that greenhouse gases created by Oil were going to cause the disappearance of low lying islands. This is disappointing because while the European Union, Australia and New Zealand joined in support of AOSIS' efforts, the United States remained on the sidelines, quietly agreeing through silence with Saudi Arabia's efforts. The United States' endless addiction to Oil profits feed by our transportation sector stands in the way of change to an all electric fleet and high speed rail which would help mitigate the already dangerous sea level rise that islanders face.

Saudi Arabia on Thursday blocked a call by vulnerable island states at climate talks for a study into the impact of 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) of global warming, delegates said. The appeal came from the Association of Small Island States (AOSIS), gathering low-lying islands in the Caribbean, Indian Ocean and the Pacific, which is lobbying hard for the UN climate arena not to abandon the 1.5 C target. The goal is receding as emissions of greenhouse gases rise and political problems for tackling climate change multiply. AOSIS, supported by the European Union (EU), Australia and New Zealand, called for a technical report on the cost of reaching the 1.5 C target and the consequences of breaching it. But it was thwarted by Saudi Arabia, with support from Kuwait and Qatar, under the UN's consensus rule, the sources said. Saudi Arabia and other major oil producers argue that ratcheting up action on carbon emissions will hurt their revenues as fossil-fuel consumers switch to cleaner energy. "Some small island states could become stateless from sea level rise, which is why they are calling for global temperature rise to be kept below 1.5 C," added Wendel Trio of Greenpeace. "That Saudi Arabia, a country with such obvious oil interests, exploited the UN consensus rule to stop the world's most vulnerable countries from getting a much-needed summary of the latest climate science is breathtaking for its criminal disregard for the human impacts of climate change."

(Hattip to Dr. Rolph Payet) As I have made the case before, only when citizens realize that the way they power their cars is directly causing the loss of entire ways of life, will the demand change. Unfortunately, while we failed to convince people do at Copenhagen, the BP oil spill and the planet itself is showing the limits she can withstand. I also humbly ask to also do the following: #1 sign the Environmental Refugee Legal Status petition that changes the legal status of Environmental Refugees from Migrants to actual refugees - guaranteeing them the right to asylum and monetary restitution. #2 sign the Gulf Oil Spill Electric Car Credit petition, and mention it to your elected officials. #3 Talk to your candidates about Environmental issues - until they start to show that they are listening - I know one candidate in my state who has listened and promised some of the most progressive renewable energy legislation if elected to the Senate. #4 Get involved with 350.org and tck, tck, tck.

( from Kos Blogger Asinus Asinum Fricat)

• Asinus Asinum Fricat's diary :: ::
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Less than 3 percent of the world's water is potable and climate change is already rapidly diminishing the vast stores of freshwater stored in glaciers and polar ice. As a result vultures venture capitalists are starting to take note since water's hot-commodity status has snared the attention of General Electric among a host of others, like French-owned Suez and Aqua America, the largest US-based private water company.

Here is further food for thought: The Water Lords.

There are over ten major corporate players now delivering freshwater services for profit. The two biggest are both from France Vivendi Universal and Suez, considered to be the General Motors and Ford of the global water industry. Between them, they deliver private water and wastewater services to more than 200 million customers in 150 countries and are in a race, along with others such as Bouygues Saur, RWE-Thames Water and Bechtel-United Utilities, to expand to every corner of the globe. In the United States, Vivendi operates through its subsidiary, USFilter; Suez via its subsidiary, United Water; and RWE by way of American Water Works.

They are aided by the World Bank and the IMF, which are increasingly forcing Third World countries to abandon their public water delivery systems and contract with the water giants in order to be eligible for debt relief. The performance of these companies in Europe and the developing world has been well documented: huge profits, higher prices for water, cutoffs to Customers who cannot pay, no transparency in their dealings, reduced water quality, bribery and corruption.

Water for profit takes a number of other forms. The bottled-water (my personal pet hate: over $100 billion is spent annually on bottled water, but it would cost only $30 billion to provide clean drinking water to the entire world) industry is one of the fastest-growing and least regulated industries in the world, expanding at an annual rate of 20 percent. Bottled-water companies like Nestlé, Coca-Cola and Pepsi are engaged in a constant search for new water supplies to feed the insatiable appetite of this business. In rural communities all over the world, corporate interests are buying up farmlands, indigenous lands, wilderness tracts and whole water systems, then moving on when sources are depleted. Fierce disputes are being waged in many places over these "water takings," especially in the developing world.  

California illustrates this hot issue right now: most of its rain comes in the winter months and not much in the summer when agriculture and people need it most. The vast majority falls in northern California's National Forests, yet the greatest demand is in southern part of the state. That's the main problem California faces today as water privatization is becoming increasingly politicized, and expensive.

The folks at Public Citizen share my view:

A worldwide crisis over water is brewing. According to the United Nations, 31 countries are now facing water scarcity and 1 billion people lack access clean drinking water. Water consumption is doubling every 20 years and yet at the same time, water sources are rapidly being polluted, depleted, diverted and exploited by corporate interests ranging from industrial agriculture and manufacturing to electricity production and mining. The World Bank predicts that by 2025, two-thirds of the world's population will suffer from lack of clean and safe drinking water.

However the bigger picture tells us that the population of the world is exploding. According to the World Bank, eight out of ten children born in the next 20 years will be born in the developing world and of these, 88 per cent will live most of their lives in a huge megalopolis such as Mexico City, Lagos or Delhi. These cities will require fresh water. And food.

To be able to feed this population will demand that land across the globe is irrigated more intensely. As things stand right now irrigation is highly inefficient as it absorbs 70 per cent of the world's water supply. Where is that water going to come from? I don't have the answers, all I know is that if politicians world-wide don't hurry with legislating renewable energy policies, agricultural changes and water conservation & replenishment among others, then we're in deep doo-doo.

Before I move on to some pertinent water news, I have collected these links which can address how to save water via rain barrels, how to use reverse osmosis membranes, and how you can collect water with this clever gizmo.

First, this link will provide you with tons of other links to reverse osmosis products. Note that I have no interest in any of these companies, I'm merely linking for those who don't have the time to do so.

How to build a water collector: Source

This energy-saving solar hot water system lets your electric or gas hot water heater: Source

How to Build a Rain Water Collector: Source

Building a Desert Rainwater Garden: Source

Solar water desalination and purification: Source

And finally, measure your water footprint here.

                                           

Earth's Most Prominent Rainfall Feature Creeping Northward:

Associate Professor Julian Sachs and colleagues at the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington State, found that a rain band near the equator that determines the supply of freshwater to nearly a billion people has been moving north for more than 300 years. Source

Court Ruling Puts U.S. Waters At Risk:

The Supreme Court has made it necessary for Congress and the Obama administration to protect America's lakes from mining wastes. Last month, the court ruled that a mining company can fill an Alaskan lake with chemically treated mine waste, killing virtually all life forms. Now, all U.S. lakes are vulnerable. The EPA should immediately rescind a Bush administration memo and rule that redefined toxic mining wastes as "fill material." Congress should pass the Clean Water Protection Act, which would make this change permanent and prevent mines and other industries from using our rivers, lakes and streams as cheap dumping grounds. Source

Not Great News as 60% of Chilean Soil is Eroded:

Loss of agricultural topsoil due to erosion is a major problem in 60% of Chile, reported Rodrigo Alvarez, director of the Center for Information on Natural Resources (CIREN) in Santiago. Source (in Spanish)

Lack of Snowy flows called 'tragic':

Manager Juliette Le Feuvre of Environment Victoria's Healthy Rivers Campaign expressed the group's disappointment with a seven-year-old plan to recharge the Snowy River in New South Wales, Australia. I know this river well, having paddled there in the seventies. Source

                                                 

Fluorine in the aquifer, not in the taps, in Italy:

Worries about the quality of drinking water in Treviglio, Bergamo Province, Italy increased after the the Regional Environmental Protection Agency (ARPA) found levels of fluorine above the legal limit. Source (in Italian)

About effing time:

The American Water Works Association (AWWA) today urged members of Congress to create a federal water infrastructure bank to help America invest in its aging water systems. Source

Some results:

American Rivers applauded Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) for introducing legislation that establishes a Water Trust Fund to invest in fixing the nation's outdated drinking water and sewage treatment systems. Source

BPA raises its ugly head again:

Safety fears over controversial chemical bisphenol A (BPA) and environmental concerns have prompted one US beverage company to start selling water in cartons. O.N.E World Enterprises has announced the launch of O.N.E Water in a BPA-free Tetra Pak carton as a "sustainable alternative to plastic bottled water." Source

Desalinations News:

Nuno Oscar Branco, an industry analyst, who has been researching the desalination market, said: "Spain is the largest desalination market in the Mediterranean region, but countries such as Algeria, Morocco or Libya, to name just a few, have joined the desalination bandwagon and are investing heavily on this source of fresh drinking water." Source

A ton of useful links here from UNESCO.

Seriously Good News Here: Drinking Water From Air Humidity. Source

If you are interested in environmental issues, please join DK GreenRoots, a new environmental advocacy group created by Meteor Blades and Patriot Daily. DK GreenRoots comprises bloggers at Daily Kos and eco-advocates from other sites. We focus on a broad range of issues and are always open to new ones.

Over the coming weeks and months, DK Greenroots will initiate a variety of environmental projects, some political and some having nothing directly to do with politics at all.

Some projects may involve the creation of eco working groups that can be used for a variety of actions, including implementing political action or drafting proposed legislation. We are in exciting times now because for the first time in decades, significant environmental legislation will be passed by Congress. It is far easier to achieve real change if our proposal is on the table rather than fighting rearguard actions.

We alert each other to important eco-stories in the mainstream media and on the Internet, promote bloggers at one site to readers at other sites, connect bloggers of similar interests to each other and discuss crucial eco-issues.

Come help us put these projects together. Bring ideas of your own. There is no limit on what we can accomplish together.