HELPING COMMUNITIES AND ECOSYSTEMS ADAPT TO CLIMATE CHANGE

THE PROBLEM

Along with addressing the emissions gap to reduce the rate of temperature change and climate change impacts, there is also an urgent need to decrease the adaptation gap and to reduce the vulnerability of people and ecosystems to the effects of climate change. International efforts to support adaptation have been increasing in the past years, but several challenges remain when attempting to up-scale adaptation efforts in developing countries. Barriers include limited access to financing, capacity, and knowledge to support adaptation planning and action.

THE SOLUTION

To meet this challenge, UNEP helps build capacity among governments and communities for planning and implementing adaptation actions. UNEP’s approach towards building climate resilience focuses on a range of support services
These services include:

• Supporting research, pilot projects, and other activities that demonstrate how vulnerability to climate change can be reduced through Ecosystem- Based Adaptation (EBA) approaches, which can also contribute to closing the emissions gap through carbon sequestration
• Strengthening the ability of countries to undertake vulnerability and impact assessments
• Providing countries with knowledge, tools, and policy support for adaptation decision-making, planning and implementation
• Improving access to adaptation finance and supporting finance readiness, particularly among Least Developed Countries

THE IMPACTS

Ecosystem-Based Adaptation is a key approach and focus area of UNEP’s overall adaptation portfolio. In this regard, UNEP is working closely with the governments of Nepal, Peru and Uganda to demonstrate EBA in mountain ecosystems and to incorporate EBA in adaptation plans. Implementation of a project on coastal ecosystems in selected Small Island States supported by the European Commission (EC) will begin in 2013. Exchanges of adaptation knowledge, good practices and capacity building through climate change networks are progressing well in Asia Pacific, Latin America and West Asia, with a focus on vulnerability and impact assessments, training and knowledge-sharing workshops, and development of online knowledge management tools.
UNEP is supporting countries to design and implement adaptation projects (with a focus on EBA), under the Global Environment Facility, the Least Developed Countries Fund and the Adaptation Fund. Implementation has now started for Adaptation Fund projects in Tanzania, Madagascar and Cambodia. UNEP also recently supported Paraguay to develop an Adaptation Fund proposal.

SUPPORT

Key donors (selected): Germany, Spain, Norway, Sweden, Japan, EC, Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF) Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF), Adaptation Fund. Key partners (selected): International Union for Conservation of Nature, United Nations Development Programme.

WEBSITE

• www.unep.org/climatechange/adaptation

SUCCESS STORY

UNEP is collaborating with UNDP and IUCN with the support of the German ministry of environment on a joint programme to implement EBA approaches in mountain ecosystems in Nepal, Peru and Uganda. Countries are supported in maintaining and restoring the functioning of ecosystems to provide adaptation services, and in strengthening in-country capacity to implement adaptation actions. Local communities, national government agencies and other actors are closely in involved in the implementation through action-learning and capacity building activities.
UNEP-supported LDCF adaptation projects are starting to deliver results on the ground, for example in Djibouti, where mangroves have been rehabilitated to reduce coastal erosion and floods from sea level rise.
In order to assist national planners and decision-makers select, design, implement and track EBA approaches as part of a wider adaptation strategy, UNEP together with partners has developed a new ‘EBA Decision Support Framework’ (EBA-DSF) draft guidance document. The EBA-DSF centers around four iterative steps and strategic considerations: Setting Adaptive Context – Selecting Appropriate Adaptation Options – Design for Change – Adaptive Implementation. The EBA-DSF is being transformed into a capacity building platform to support the implementation of National Adaptation Programmes of Actions and other adaptation actions. Next steps include the pilot testing and refinement of the framework, as well as the development of practical modules for monitoring & evaluation and community-based adaptation, ecosystem-specific modules, and related training packages.

Source: Re-blogged from http://www.unep.org

Help Save The Earth, There Is No Life Elsewhere

CLEAR WIN FOR CLEAN TECHNOLOGY IN THE MEDITERRANEAN

THE PROBLEM

Although small scale renewable energy technologies, such as photovoltaic systems and solar water heaters (SWH), are considered reliable and competitive, they are still not fully established in the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean region due to the high upfront cost for the end-users, and the lack of financing options tailored for this type of investment.

THE SOLUTION

The Mediterranean Investment Facility (MIF) helps to establish innovative financing mechanisms to allow end-users to invest in renewable energies.
The integrated approach is based on:

1. Financing mechanism design, implementation and monitoring
2. Training and capacity building for government officials, financing institutions as well as for technology suppliers and installers
3. Quality control and checking system to select equipment complying with international standards and to check the operation of the systems

THE IMPACTS

• More than 145,100 households now get their hot water exclusively from the sun in Tunisia, thanks to the country’s solar water heater programme for the residential sector – PROSOL – that has created a sustainable market for solar water heaters, with 50 technology suppliers and more than 3,000 direct jobs.
• Since the launch of the photovoltaic project for the residential sector in Tunisia – PROSOL ELEC – in 2011, more than 740 families have installed photovoltaic systems.
• In the tertiary sector, particularly in the hotel sector, 24 collective solar water heaters were installed in Tunisia and Egypt corresponding to more than two million kilowatt-hours of solar energy produced every year.
• Detailed studies are ongoing in Tunisia to set a sound regulatory framework to integrate solar thermal energy in the industrial sector.
• An innovative financing support mechanism in Morocco enables two million households to phase out incandescent lighting and repay the cost of new energy-efficient lamps through their electricity bill over 21 months.
• In Montenegro, free loans to end-users are provided through local commercial banks over a period of seven years to install solar water heaters.

SUPPORT

Italian Ministry of Environment, Land and Sea

WEBSITE

• www.unep.org/energy/Activities/MediterraneanInvestmentFacilityMIF.aspx

SUCCESS STORY

Within the MIF, PROSOL provides financial support to local households through a combination of value added tax exemptions, customs duty reductions and reduced-rate bank loans. The repayment of the loan is included in the regular electricity bill, which lowers the risk for local banks that are then willing to finance SWH projects with reduced interest rates.
An interest rate subsidy was available during the first phase of PROSOL (2005-2006) that reduced the interest rate of the loan to zero per cent for the final end user. The Tunisian government provides a subsidy of 20 per cent of the system cost. This was initially a temporary measure funded by UNEP to “prime” the market, but was later made permanent by the Tunisian government. Thanks to PROSOL more than 80.000m² of solar collectors are installed every year.

Source: Re-blogged from http://www.unep.org

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TROPICAL FOREST PROTECTION MAKES CLIMATE SENSE

THE PROBLEM

Deforestation and forest degradation account for between 15 and 17 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions – making it the second biggest contributor to the build-up of greenhouse gases after the energy sector. However, reducing emissions requires large investments in conservation, sustainable management and the restoration of tropical forests. UNEP’s Green Economy Report estimates that US$40 billion dollars annually will be needed to halve the deforestation rate, and these resources need to be invested strategically.

THE SOLUTION

Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD), aims at creating financial value for the carbon stored in forests, offering incentives for developing countries to reduce emissions from forested lands and invest in low-carbon paths to sustainable development. REDD+ goes beyond deforestation, and includes the roles of conservation, sustainable management of forests and the enhancement of forest carbon stocks. The UN-REDD Programme was launched in 2008 and builds on the convening role and technical expertise of FAO, UNDP and UNEP.
Although initiated primarily for mitigation purposes, REDD+ holds the promise of multiple benefits for climate, development and conservation in the forest sector at national and global levels. The UN-REDD Programme works with countries to extract benefits from forests through support to national REDD+ programmes, capacity building and technical support. There is also a significant potential for strategies to go beyond reducing deforestation alone and contribute to the larger goals of increasing sustainable development and building the green economy. UNEP is working to identify the types of intervention that add value to the economy, increase revenue, and provide new livelihood opportunities while conserving forests and reducing emissions.

THE IMPACTS

The Programme supports national REDD+ readiness efforts in 44 partner countries, spanning Africa, Asia- Pacific and Latin America and covering 56 per cent of the world’s tropical forests. Currently, 16 of those countries have approved National Programmes with activities structured to facilitate the REDD+ readiness process in those countries. In addition, the UN-REDD Programme provides targeted support to partner countries upon request for specific activities related to readiness including stakeholder engagement; support to a national approach to safeguards; Measurement, Reporting and Verification; and pursuing investment options. The Programme has allocated over US$118 million dollars in support of REDD+ Readiness in partner countries.

SUPPORT

Donors: Denmark, Japan, Norway, Spain
Participating UN Organizations: FAO, UNDP, UNEP

WEBSITE

• www.un-redd.org

SUCCESS STORY

The Government of Indonesia (GoI), with a range of partners including UNEP and the UN-REDD programme, is exploring how REDD+ investments can leverage sustainable change in Central Kalimantan’s vast forested landscapes, so that green development with sustainable, equitable job creation can go hand in hand with climate, conservation and development objectives.
Initial scenarios have been developed that show that a green development pathway, which involves some modification in the way oil palm expansion takes place, can outperform ‘business-as-usual’ in terms of GDP growth rates for the region by as much as 6 per cent, with even greater benefits for the ‘GDP of the Poor’. While these first results will need to be subjected to rigorous peer-review and broad consultation, they provide a scenario for development and economic growth coupled with necessary emissions reductions.

Source : Re-blogged from http://www.unep.org

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SUSTAINABLE ENERGY FOR ALL

THE PROBLEM

Nearly one in five people around the world do not have access to modern energy services. Three billion people, mainly in poor countries, rely on traditional biomass such as wood, coal, charcoal or animal waste for cooking and heating, usually with negative impacts on human health and the natural environment.
In industrialized countries the problem is one of waste, not shortage, due to inefficient energy use. The world currently invests more than one trillion dollars per year in energy, much of it going toward fossil-based energy systems. This excessive dependence on fossil fuel based energy contributes significantly to global warming and climate change. Climate change puts us all at risk, but the poor are the first and worst affected and it is a major barrier to poverty alleviation, in particular for women and local communities.

THE SOLUTION

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon launched the Sustainable Energy for All Initiative, (SE4ALL) to mobilize action from all sectors of society in support of three interlinked objectives to be achieved by 2030: providing universal access to modern energy services; doubling the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency; and doubling the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.
The UN General Assembly declared 2012 the International Year of Sustainable Energy for All, to promote access to modern affordable energy services in developing countries. As part of the year’s activities, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is calling on governments, businesses and civil society to commit to taking concrete actions that will help achieve sustainable energy for all by 2030. These actions will provide significant benefits for all, including strengthened economic growth, expanded social equity and a cleaner environment.
UNEP is actively engaged in two of the 11 action areas identified by SE4ALL – efficient lighting and vehicle fuel efficiency – by registering commitments to promote efficient lighting in 44 developing countries, and to develop efficiency standards for alternative fuel vehicles. UNEP hosted the Africa roll-out of the International Year of SE4All in February 2012 to examine how to achieve the objectives of SE4ALL, and is linking its sustainable energy activities to the initiative.
UNEP is also contributing, together with the Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century (REN21), to the development of the renewable energy component of the SE4ALL Baseline Report, which will be published in January 2013. This report will enable the tracking of progress, of unrealised potential and of what remains to be done to attain the three objectives.

THE IMPACTS

Thanks to the strong leadership from the Secretary- General and active support by governments, significant momentum continues to build around the initiative:

• More than 50 developing countries are now working with the initiative, with more coming on board
• More than US$50 billion has been mobilized from the private sector and investors
• Tens of billions of dollars have been committed by multi-lateral development banks in Asia, Europe and Latin America
• Hundreds of actions and commitments have been catalyzed in support the three core objectives, with commitments to support energy access providing more than one billion people with access to modern energy during the lifespan of the initiative.

WEBSITES

• www.sustainableenergyforall.org/
• www.unep.org/energy/

Source : Re-blogged from http://www.unep.org

Help Save The Earth, There Is No Life Elsewhere

How Long Does It Takes To Decompose

Plants To Improve Your Home’s Air Quality

Clean Your Air With Three Plants

According to Rentokil, it only takes three large plants to reduce volatile organic compounds in your air by around 50-70 percent, in a room the size of 120 sq meters.

If that’s the case, then grab yourself a bunch of these plants and clean up the air in your home. This should be especially important for pregnant mothers or families with infants and small children. Improve the health of your home and the environment in general by eliminating these compounds from the atmosphere.


Here is a list of plants which you can use to clean the air in your home.

Dracaenas
This is an architecturally pleasing plant from Africa which is quite suitable for any room of your home. It’s said to be best at filtering Trichloroethylene and Benzene from our air. If you have a lucky bamboo plant, you’ll also be happy to know that it is a form of Dracaena.

You can find out more about Dracaenas and the different species, including the more popular Lucky Bamboo species, here.

Chrysanthemum
This is the perfect gift for Mothers’ Day. Give you mother a potplant with a Chrysanthemum in it and she’ll be pleased at the sight and fresh smell. These flowers also filter Trichloroethylene and Benzene from the air but they have the added benefit of replacing it with an interesting smell.

Take a look at this page for more on how this plant can improve your livelihood.

Devils Ivy (also called as 'Money Plant' in South Asian countries)
Perhaps my favourite plant to keep in my room has to be Devils Ivy or Epipremnum aureum, as it’s known scientifically. It’s a fast growing, hardy plant which can be grown hydroponically and filters Benzene from the air.

It’s a great little plant to have and you can keep taking off cuts and sticking them in water to get them to grow from bottles in every room of your house. I’m very proud of the little one I have growing on my desk and sometime these holidays I hope to recycle some bottles for some off-cuts I’ll make. This plant comes highly recommended.

Check out more details about this plant at Wikipedia and the Potho Production Guide.

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20% Of Worlds Population Consume 80% Of Reosurces

We the richest fifth of the world's population already consume more than our fair share of the world's resources. 

 It is important to bear in mind that this elite does not simply consist of the super-rich strata with incomes of above half a Million pounds a year. It includes the majority of the citizens of these countries. As well as the isolated pockets of rich elites from traditionally poor nations such as India Ecuador Kenya etc.: in other words, the world's consumer class. This same 20% does not exclusively grow, supply or create all of these resources - they are the product of the whole world's labor: and although we may receive the benefits of using these resources, and have control over their distribution, they are not necessarily ours to consume in the first place. In fact, in order for the elite to live at the standard it does, the majority have to go without... and this is one of the major (if not the major) causes of world poverty, albeit one that is largely ignored, unknown or denied.

Perhaps a more graphic example is that of the lowly quarterpound hamburger. To produce just one requires 1.2 pounds of grain to feed the cattle, and 100 gallons of water part of the hidden cost consumers never see.
 
The simple example of the car illustrates this point. Less than an eighth of the world's adult population own a car. This many cars (450 million vehicles) is already responsible for 13% of the global carbon emissions from the burning off fossil fuels, and a larger share of the production of acid rain. If every adult or family in the world owned a car, these emission levels would be beyond any technological solution. Some future fuel efficiency technology might possibly double or treble how far a car can travel on a gallon of fuel, but this would not be enough to bring the emission levels within safe limits. A fuel efficiency increase of twenty times the present rate would be needed to cope with a world wide car density similar to our own, and this is only to keep Pollution levels at the same rate as they are now, let alone reducing them . And a twenty- fold increase in petrol efficiency is beyond the laws of thermodynamics.

 Since the same mathematics applies to almost all other pollution producing consumer goods or practices, we are in effect faced with a simple choice.
 A: We continue to have a high standard of living and deny the rest of the rest of the world the opportunity to do the same. We then use green technology to bring the pollution we produce down to a level the biosphere can absorb without sustaining long-term damage,

or B: We 'allow' the majority to develop, and lower our standard of living, with every individual then living a lifestyle that produces no more than their 'share' of a sustainable global rate of pollution.

Option B is not compatible with our consumer culture, as long as that culture continues to tell us, 'More is always better.' 

Help Save The Earth, There Is No Life Elsewhere

Source:
http://articles.cnn.com
www.enough.org.uk

When The Last Tree is Cut, The Last River Poisoned And The Last Fish Dead... We Will Discover We Can't Eat Money - Cree Indian Proverb

Help Save The Earth, There Is No Life Elsewhere

Oil Drilling In Africa : The Exploitation

Petroleum is abundant in Africa and in some regions, has very special incentives for western investment. Oil off the west coast of Africa has less of a threat of insurrection and local instability which hampers drilling efforts. This is because most oil drilling takes place off-shore. Additionally, African oil, especially West African oil has the added benefit of having shorter transport routes to US refineries. Without the need to transport it through politically sensitive or militarily vulnerable routes.

The exploitation of resources in Africa is a long and sordid history. Western nations have always plundered the resources of Africa for the gain of Western nations. Much of the blame lies not only with Western nations and corporations but with corrupt, cynical and even what can be described as evil African leadership. Men who have used the proceeds from oil and other commodities to line their own pockets, letting their nations go into financial decay and even ruin in the process. Consequently, this paper will not be a typical exercise in Corporate bashing while decrying the maltreatment of Africans.

Development of Africa’s resources for Western exploitation is going to be a key issue from now until the end of the age of oil, or until a viable alternative energy source is discovered. Thus Africa, the war on terror and Western's new found interest in deploying troops into long running conflicts needs to be explored with care and accuracy so as not to fall into typical cliche and well-worn conclusions.

Yet we must understand the while there are substantial oil reserves in Africa, they are dwarfed by the reserves in the Middle East and Russia. It would be wise to remember the overenthusiastic estimates of oil reserves in the Caspian Sean Basin. While significant oil and Gas reserves are present, the actual amount of recoverable oil that exists in Africa may once again be somewhat exaggerated. Nevertheless, because oil production in many parts of the world is declining, Africa will be a target for Western nations and companies for exploitation. Not only for western nations but for India and China as well, as their economies become increasingly industrialized.

    The Cons of Oil Drilling on the Environment
 
    Environmental
        Oil drilling can potentially have negative environmental effects. Drilling disturbs local ecosystems and a spill can cause catastrophic damage if not contained quickly.
    Economic
        Oil drilling can lower property values in nearby residential areas. Oil spills can harm local economies if they effect nearby fishing or farming.
    Pollution/Oil Dependency
        Drilling oil is an energy intensive process that releases pollutants into the air. Increased drilling means that countries have less reason to research environmentally-friendly energy alternatives. It also discourages consumers from purchasing more fuel-efficient vehicles which would add less pollutants to the environment.


Most of the wars and exploitation in Africa is based on control of these natural reserves. Be it oil or diamonds. Africa continues to be exploited and Africans living in these situation have terrible life. We must not exploit other for our lavish lifestyle.

Help Save The Earth, There Is No Life Elsewhere

 


Source : http://www.markswatson.com/afrioil.html

Threats to Aquatic Wildlife : A Pictorial Representation

Global Warming's Rising Threat to the Paradise(Soon to be Lost) of the Maldives

Is the Maldives, a country of about 1,200 coral islets and 400,000 people in the Indian Ocean, southwest of Sri Lanka, living on borrowed time? Is it likely to be wiped off the face of the earth in another 40 years, engulfed by seas rising from the effects of global warming?

I’m sure there are people — politicians, businessmen, even scientists — who’d ridicule this notion and the very idea of global warming, but for the Maldives, one of the world’s smallest nations, the fear is almost mortal. The country feels it’s living in the very jaws of death and has pleaded with the world, on many occasions, to come to its rescue.

In 1992, speaking at the UN Earth Summit, the then Maldives’ president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom declared his fear of doom in these words: “I stand before you as a representative of an endangered people. We are told that, as a result of global warming and sea-level rise, my country, the Maldives, may sometime during the next century disappear from the face of the earth.”

In late 2007, at the UN climate change meeting in Bali, Gayoom sounded desperate. “Over half of our islands,” he said, “are eroding at an alarming rate. In some cases, island communities have had to be relocated to safer islands. Without immediate action, the long-term habitation of our tiny islands is in serious doubt.”

But behind these frantic pleas is a growing realisation that action by the global community just isn’t round the corner. The Maldives was the first country to sign the Kyoto protocol to fight global warming, but others haven’t quite shared its enthusiasm. So it has decided to take matters in its own hands and do whatever it can to the best of its ability.

Its immediate goal is to become a fully carbon-neutral country by 2020, switching from fossil fuel to 100 per cent renewable energy sources. It’s thinking of a mix of wind turbines and rooftop solar panels, plus power plants burning nothing but coconut husks. Its long-term goal is to save up enough to buy a new homeland elsewhere and relocate its entire population before the crunch comes.

While carbon neutrality isn’t difficult to achieve, how feasible is the idea of a new homeland? The Maldives’ new president, Mohamed Nasheed, says the savings are to come mainly from revenues earned from tourism. They could. Tourism is a major segment of the Maldives’ economy, accounting for over 30 per cent of its GDP, and the more than 600,000 tourists who visit every year are mostly high-spenders and long-stayers.

But where does one find an alternative homeland for an entire nation? It won’t be easy to find an island that’s high and safe and uninhabited or that’s not a nation already or part of a nation. And though the Maldives has held relocation talks with Sri Lanka, India, and Australia, would any country want to carve out a part of its territory and sell it to another?

Perhaps, the Maldives should start looking for a solution that’s more practical and pertinent. The basis for such a solution already exists in the form of an artificial island that’s being built just off the country’s main inhabited island of Male. It’s called Hulhumale, or New Male, and many consider it a smart answer to the Maldives’ problem of survival.

The Maldives is nowhere more than six feet above the sea level, and seas rising from a global snowmelt could easily swamp it. Memories are still fresh of the devastating 1987 floods that submerged most of Male and the December 2004 tsunami, when 53 of the country’s 199 inhabited islands suffered severe damage — 20 were totally destroyed, and 19 of its 87 luxury resorts were badly mauled.

After the 1987 floods, a frantic government responded by erecting a concrete sea wall against the waves, which now rings Male. However, since the concrete tetrapods can only soften the blow and not thwart the surges altogether, the government also began, in 1997, to build Hulhumale as an alternative refuge several feet higher than the existing height of the rest of the country.

Hulhumale, about four times the size of Male, is actually a shallow lagoon being filled with sand dredged from the ocean floor. Its straight, wide streets, modern apartments, and more than basic facilities have already attracted several thousand people to move there. More are willing to follow to escape from Male’s congestion.

For the Maldives living in fear of doom, this is a possible way out. There are other shallow lagoons in the island chain where more Hulhumales could be built, if needed, to protect its people and economy. It’s going to be costly, no doubt, but at least it makes more sense than looking to buy a new homeland, and the UN, the Asian Development Bank, and the World Bank might be called upon to help.

Source: business-standard.com

The History Of MAN...

Did you do all the things today as you have planned ?

Did all your beloved ones did everything today as planned ?

If your answer is 'YES' then consider yourself lucky!

 

For most of us things did not ended up as planned. We just don't know what might happen to us the very next moment. There is one thing for sure that we do plan things as if we have all the time in our hand. We plan for the worse to happen and hope for the best.

If this is the case then why are we not planning for our mother; Mother Earth.

Mother needs us and we have to answer her call. For thousands of year she has been providing space to live, to nourish and grow up only to see herself exploited ?

Every drop of water you save in your home or office or outside is a favor returned to Earth. Every time you turn off you engine on traffic signal is clean sir for everyone and for our kids. Every time you switch off something is a green planet for all of us. Every tree you plant is a new life on Earth.

We all know that global warming, melting ice caps, rising sea level, pollution are on the rise yet we are so selfish that we ignore it as though it doesn't matter to us.

Please plan for this Earth,

• Practice and preach environment saving tips, which includes saving paper, water, fuel or any other means.
• Include Green habits in your daily life style such as wasting less tissue paper, turning off anything that is not to be used for long time.
• Teach your kids about the importance of Green Environment. Help them learn and understand importance of saving.
• In your office, start a initiative(and reward people who follow it) to save paper and electricity. Printers/faxes, monitors, CPUs, tube-lights, ACs don't need to remain on if there one one in office. This will not only bring down your operations cost but also help environment.
• Use public transportation until you are in very urgent need of using your own.

Help Save The Earth, There Is No Life Elsewhere

Climate Change and Effects : Extreme Cold and Heat Waves

If you think that Global Warming is just certain parts of this Earth becoming hot. Well, then think again.

Global Warming forces climate change. Change of temperature in the air causes winds to flow in different pattern that they used to follow. The ocean currents too follow same behavior.

This results in storms, tornadoes, blizzard, forest fires.

Just the winter of 2011- 2012 bought heavy snow in Europe while in North America if was very less snowfall. In most of the places they had Christmas without snow.

True, that this change was due to El Nino phenomena but El Nino takes place due to climatic changes.

There were forest fires in Russia that ravaged the country. Record breaking heat wave was seen in many parts of world. There are many parts in South Asia that are engulfed in flood while others have drought.

These change of climatic patterns will cause havoc on Earth. Imagine a place where you grew up and spent your childhood soon turning into desert or submerged under water.

Help Save The Earth, There Is No Life Elsewhere


 

10 "Go Green" Tips In Homes

1) Turn down the thermostat. Lowering it by just one degree can reduce heating energy costs by about four percent.

2) Use ceiling fans in the summer AND winter. By reversing the direction of the blades, warm air is pushed down, helping to keep rooms warm in winter.

3) Conserve energy by purchasing major appliances with an Energy Star rating. Compared to a 2000 model, an Energy Star-qualified refrigerator would save enough electricity to light a home for more than four and a half months.

4) Repair leaky fixtures: one drop per second from a leaky faucet can waste as mush as 10 gallons of water each week.

5) Install low-flow showerheads, faucets, and toilets. Low-flow faucets reduce water consumption and the cost of heating water by as much as 50 percent; using a low-flow toilet can save Americans 2.1 trillion gallons of water and $11.3 million nationwide every day.

6) Choose carpeting, rugs, window treatments and other textiles made from natural fibers, such as cotton or wool, which are untreated and free of toxins, such as pesticides or chemical cleaners.

7) Ask for flooring products made from rapidly renewable resources, such as bamboo. Bamboo is one of the fasted growing plants in the world, requiring no replanting and little fertilization or pesticides.

8) Select solid woods harvested from sustainably-managed forests, when possible, for furniture or cabinetry, rather than pressed woods or composites that may contain formaldehyde or other chemicals that may be toxic and hazardous to your health.

9) Eliminate waste by choosing products that are biodegradable or recyclable. Consider the "lifecycle" of furnishings and accessories before purchasing: Are they made of materials that can be reused or recycled when the item eventually wears out or is no longer needed?

10) Recycle packing and shipping materials from any newly purchased items, and safely dispose of paint cans and other containers with contents that could potentially contaminate the ground or water supply

People Stuck In Traffic On Way To Gym To Ride Stationary Bicycles

Space Needed To Transport Same Number Of People

The image clearly shows for itself.

I know all of us have been cursing traffic and rising price of fuel.

Public transportation is the best way to commute. It says us money, fuel and all the traffic hassles.


Just imagine, 20 people going in car to work consuming space on roads and fuel. On the other hand, 20 people taking bus, or train to work making roads free and less fuel consumption.


Advantages are very clear:

• Save fuel, save energy and have a green life.
• Lesser the consumption of fuel, lesser would be its price.
• Less traffic on roads, making a way for people with emergency to reach places more faster. Emergency includes but not limited to : ambulances, fire, police or even an individual rushing to catch flight.
• Go home on time and spend time with family. Generally people with self commute to office stay late in office since they have privilege to leave office when they want. Since you will be travelling with public transport, you will always prefer to take a bus/train after you end your office hours and be home on time and there by more time with your family.
• Make more friends with fellow passengers. Sometimes a helping hand or a good luck charm in your career or life may be a person totally stranger to you.
• Alternatively, if you take a bike/bicycle to office, it will be more healthy. So you spend less on doctors bill and gym.

But above all, it is the governments responsibility to provide 24/7 transportation to the people and it is also the people's responsibility to use it effectively and wisely.