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

15 Tips On How To Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

Many folks can't afford solar panels or a new hybrid car — and newly produced items like those can actually add to a personal carbon footprint, because of the energy and resources needed to make them.

But there are simple, constructive ways to reduce your carbon shoe size without the big price tag. Lisa Wise, executive director of the Center for a New American Dream, says everyday choices and actions can make a huge difference:

    1. Buy organic and local.
    When possible, buy organic or "fair trade." There's a better chance the food was grown in an Eco-friendly way, and if it's locally grown, it didn't have to travel that far. This also goes for those double lattes — coffee often has a large carbon footprint because of the distance those beans had to travel to get here, and how they were produced. Also, try eating at restaurants that serve locally produced or seasonal foods.
    2. Pay attention to packaging.
    When out shopping, try to go to stores or co-ops that keep packaging to a minimum. For example, you may chose to buy the loose tomatoes rather than boxed or plastic-wrapped tomatoes. Also, take reusable bags to the grocery store. When it comes to resources, plastic is better than paper — but a reusable cloth tote-style bag is better still.
    3. Ditch bottled water.
    Bottled water has a huge carbon footprint — it's bottled at one location in small plastic bottles and shipped all over. Try buying a reusable water bottle or canteen for your water. Also, a lot of restaurants have made the move from offering fancy bottled water, usually imported from an exotic source, to using in-house filtration systems that make tap water a good choice. Many plastic water bottles are recycled, but most are not, making the footprint even bigger.
    4. Energy-proof your home.
    We're not talking major upgrades here... Make sure all of your windows close properly and that the attic in your home is properly insulated. This can save you big bucks on your energy bill. Also, keep your heating and cooling systems properly maintained, and switch to reusable filters when possible. Try switching from incandescent to compact florescent light bulbs. Compact florescent light bulbs use about 75 percent less energy than our normal light bulbs and last much longer. Compared to regular bulbs, the fluorescent are more expensive, but they will eventually pay for themselves due to lower energy costs.
    5. Go native.
    Use native plant species to landscape around your home or business. The plants will probably grow better in a familiar environment, and the plants may also get shipped a shorter distance to get to your local nursery. Also, use organic soil when planting — it's made using more eco-friendly methods, and uses less resources. And remember, green plants are a good way to offset carbon. So plant something, anything — it helps.
    6. Window shop.
    If you have the urge to spend, try window shopping or browsing first. This helps ensure you are only buying things you really need, or really want, and you're not just impulse buying. Remember, every item in a store, no matter how small, has a footprint — so if we are conscious consumers, we can reduce our own footprint and the overall footprint of our nation.
    7. Take a direct flight.
    If you need to travel by airplane, try taking a direct flight when at all possible. Your impact is reduced when you take one flight, as opposed to hopping on a couple or more passenger jets to reach your final destination. You might also feel a little less harried when you arrive, because changing planes can be a real hassle.

    8. Switch water heaters to vacation mode.
    Most water heaters have a "vacation" setting for when you are away from home for an extended period of time. Switching to that "away" mode still keeps the water warm, but will not use the energy it takes to keep a tank full of piping-hot water. Enjoy your vacation even more, knowing that you're saving money and reducing your footprint.


    9. Unplug it!
    Unplug appliances that you don't use frequently. Most electronics have a standby mode that siphons energy even when not in use. Cell phone chargers, laptops, televisions, stereos — there's a whole list of items that should be unplugged when not in use. Try using a power strip for groups of electronic items. One flick of the switch and it's all off.
    10. Keep your car.
    With gas prices seemingly always on the rise, it's tempting to buy a hybrid or electric vehicle. But if your older-model car is in good condition, you're better off keeping it in good running condition. Even hybrids create a big footprint when they're built, so consider driving that old clunker for a little while longer. Also, try more Eco-friendly modes of transport when possible, like buses, trains, a bicycle, telecommuting or even walking.
    11. Chuck your microwave.
    Admittedly, this is a bit drastic. But this speaks more to those convenient frozen dinners some rely on because of their busy schedules. A freezer full of meals is actually more energy-intensive — it costs more to freeze foods, ship them cold, display them frozen in the grocery store and keep them frozen in our homes. So while the modern convenience of the microwave and the Lean Cuisine is enticing, it's much more resource-intensive. Cook fresh food when you can, and you'll also find yourself eating out less often.
    12. Use cold water.
    No, not in the shower... but maybe in the washer. Try using cold water to launder things that don't need to be cleaned in hot or warm water. It takes a lot of energy to heat up water — multiply that by the number of loads, and that's a big footprint. Most major detergent makers sell detergents designed to have the same cleaning power as with regular soap. Try washing mixed loads in cold water, too.
    13. Have the family over.
    Family gatherings are a good way to spend some quality time with loved ones, with very little carbon impact. Cooking and entertaining for larger groups is more efficient and, per person, a lot less expensive. And who can put a price on these "carbon freebies"?
    14. Make time for errands.
    A lot of us try to run errands in-between work and other commitments. Try bundling errands together to reduce how far you need to travel. Going back-and-forth to the same part of town on different days to run errands uses more gas than if you planned and did everything in the same area all at once. And if you really want to make it a "carbon freebie," try carpooling and running errands with a buddy.
    15. The Three Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
    It seems like something from a kid's sing-a-long, but sometimes we lose sight of just how much we buy. Try buying less, and reusing and fixing things when you can instead of buying new. And for a lot of people, recycling is as easy as rolling the trash bin to the curb. Just remember to do it at work, too.

Help Save The Earth, There Is No Life Elsewhere

Source: http://sustainability.publicradio.org/consumed/tips.html
By Millie Jefferson, producer, Weekend America®

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

Dr. Seuss The Lorax - Movie For The Environment

I am Lorax and I Speak for the Trees

The Lorax didn’t have the joy and humor but instead left its readers with a poignant message and dire warning.

Charles Cohen, a Dr. Seuss enthusiast and scholar, who helped publish several of Dr. Seuss’s lost stories last year in a collection, “The Bippolo Seed and other Lost Stories,” agreed in part, that Dr. Seuss was not one for a political tirade.

Cohen said that at the time Seuss wrote The Lorax, it was an attempt to bring ecological and environmental problems to the attention of young children.

“He knew that he was taking a moral stand and he said, in his words, that it was the only book that he’d written up to that point which he’d consciously tried to preach and to propagandize,” Cohen said.

Cohen insisted the point of the Lorax was not to condemn industry or lumbering as immoral. Instead, it is meant to serve as a lesson about conservation.

The movie has been through critisism from logging indusrty which says that they have been reseeding and harvesting trees.

Weather or not, the movie is successfull or it faces critisism but it sure gives a very strong message about envirnment and the trees. Yes, we need wood to meet our needs but at what cost ? Proper harvesting and reseeding has to be insured.

Trees are living and the have a life, they just can't speak. We invest billions to save human lives, which is very good. But now we must also invest, individually to save Green cover.

Help Save The Earth, There Is No Life Elsewhere

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


 

Tissue Issue : Usage And Tips On Saving

North Americans use 50 lbs. per person (22.4 kg) of tissue papers per year, up from 37 lbs. per person (17 kg) twenty years ago. That's a lot of toilet paper and paper towels!

Reducing tissue use and choosing reusable products - sponges and washable cloths instead of paper towels, for example - are influential and positive environmental steps. (The water and energy used in household washing don't come near the amounts needed to continually make and distribute new products.) Still, even with reducing use, virtually all North American households will buy some tissue products.

It is environmentally responsible to expect tissue products to include a high percentage of recycled fibers, especially because most are specifically designed to be thrown away after a single use.

Overall:

• Recycled fiber accounts for nearly 60% of fiber use in the tissue industry (although recycled fibers are not distributed evenly throughout the products), and
• More than 40% of tissue products, in industry experts' estimation, do have at least some recycled content.

This is a much higher recycled content percentage than other paper industry sectors. (In comparison, printing and writing papers use less than 5% recycled fibers overall, and less than 10% of products include some recycled fiber.) 

Tips To Reduce  Tissue Paper Consumption :

• Use sponges and washable clothes for cleaning in kitchen and other household.
• Keep a handkerchief handy. Yes, paper that you use after coming out of toilet or to wipe off your sweat only piles up into bigger waste.
• Use effectively. Think before taking a handful of tissue paper, storing them in your drawer and throwing them before they become useless

Just these 3 tips can reduce the consumption of tissue paper by over 40%.

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

Humans Cut Trees, Make Paper And Write "SAVE PAPER" On It

Cycling : Runs on FAT saves MONEY

There are many health benefits that are associated with cycling. Let's look at a few of the major benefits:

Cycling is one of the easiest ways to exercise

You can ride a bicycle almost anywhere, at any time of the year, and without spending a fortune. Many people are put off doing certain sports because of the high level of skill that seems to be required, or perhaps because they can’t commit to a team sport due to time pressures. Most of us know how to cycle and once you have learned you don’t forget. All you need is a bike, a half an hour here or there when it suits, and a bit of confidence.

Cycling builds strength and muscle tone

Contrary to normal perceptions, cycling is not a fitness activity that solely involves the legs. Cycling builds strength in a holistic manner since every single part of the body is involved in cycling.

Cycling increases muscle tone

Cycling improves general muscle function gradually, with little risk of over exercise or strain. Regular cycling strengthens leg muscles and is great for the mobility of hip and knee joints. You will gradually begin to see an improvement in the muscle tone of your legs, thighs, rear end and hips. 

Cycling builds stamina

Cycling is a good way to build stamina. It is very effective in doing so,

because people enjoy cycling and they wouldn’t really notice that they have

gone farther the last time they went cycling.

Cycling improves cardio-vascular fitness

Cycling makes the heart pound in a steady manner and helps improve cardio-vascular fitness.  Studies have shown that cycling to work will increase cardiovascular fitness by 3-7%. Cycling uses the largest muscle groups the legs, raising heart rate to benefit stamina and fitness. 

Cycling eats up calories

Cycling is a good way to lose those unwanted pounds. Steady cycling burns approximately 300 calories per hour. If you cycle for 30 minutes every day you would burn 11 pounds of fat in a year. Since it helps build muscle, cycling will also boost your metabolic rate long after you’ve finished your ride. 

Cycling improves heart health

According to the British Medical Association, cycling just 20 miles a week can reduce the risk of coronary heart disease by 50%. A major study of 10,000 civil servants suggested that those who cycled 20 miles over the period of a week were half as likely to suffer heart disease as their non-cycling colleagues. 

Cycling improves coordination

Cycling is an activity that involves the whole body. Therefore, arm-to-leg, feet-to-hands and body-to-eye coordination are improved.

Cycling reduces stress

Any regular exercise can reduce stress and depression and improve well being and self esteem.  Cycling outdoors is also a good way to be one with nature and to feel the breath of the earth. It takes one’s mind out of everyday-life stress and rejuvenates his soul.

NOTE: Consult your doctor if you are a heart patient or if you get unusual health problems due to cycling.

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.

Welcome

Save Environment

Hi All,

Today onward we will be starting a new column in our blog titled "Save Environment".

The message is clear:

To force people think about the fading green cover of our mother Earth and to help them realize ways in which we can do as much as possible to save Her.

Not all of us can go out and get the Green Revolution in the world but we sure can keep our home, offices and neighborhood green. This would also help us in minimizing energy usage, recycling and making the world better place to live in.

“We don't inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.”
― David Brower