I.

                        To begin I would like to talk about the aquatic issues Indonesia has faced in the past specifically a decline in fish population starting in the 1970’s.  These large amounts of aquatic deaths were due to contamination of coastal waters by one harmful pesticide used on the nearby rice farms.  And two because of a leaking Japanese supertanker which destroyed the Sumatran coastline.  Because of mass deforestation soil erosion caused silt deposits to cover and kill the coral of the Indonesian coasts.  Deforestation was a serious problem in the 1970’s and 1980’s due to commercial logging which caused soil erosion. 

            Today in Indonesia natural disaster from Tsunami’s and typhoons have ravaged the coast and they seem to be getting worse due to global warming.  Also severe overfishing is taking its’ toll due to advances in fishing technology has pushed fish populations to the brink of depletion.  Deforestation is also a major problem in Indonesia as they are the fastest Southeast Asian country in forest depletion, this causes massive soil erosion.  Also because of forest fire and the burning of forest to create domestic land green house gas emissions have sky rocketed due to carbon sinks being released as the forest are destroyed. 

            To address this challenge of being the third largest green house gas producer in the world Indonesia has brought together ministers from the government non-governmental organizations and technical experts to identify and promote solutions to their strong deforestation problems.  Indonesia is also working to address pollution issues with public disclosure tools; these show the public water pollution performance of companies.  Obviously my country is very concerned with its high pollution levels because it is so pro active and fixing them Indonesia even applied to lead the UN in climate change talks.  On a more domestic level Indonesia has taken initiatives to a mobile air conditioning sector plan, a foam sector plan, and a technical assistance program.  This is all to reduce aerosol emission and the depletion of the ozone. 

II.

            Indonesia has received some attention for its willingness to reduce emissions by twenty six percent after it ratified the Kyoto protocol.

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  Indonesia and World Bank have begun a program for the reduction of emissions from deforestation and degradation and they have also launched the forest carbon partnership facility.  Other deforestation reduction plans are the forest utilization right and the forest resource fee.  Several large NGO’s have began financing the largest coral reef rehabilitation program in the world.  On a more international scale Indonesia has begun preparing the second national communications to the UN framework convention.  This document will include how Indonesia can reduce emissions.  Indonesia also ratified and implemented the Montreal protocol and effectively lowered CFC emission by banning them. 

III.

            Indonesia has been in favor of many environmental policies despite their high emissions.  The supported the carbon tax even though it may cost them as they emit so much green house gas.  Indonesia is also currently the UN’s assistant manager for environmental affairs.  My country also strongly supports the UNFCC they signed this document and ratified it meaning they are bound to the rights and obligations stipulated in the convention.  They also support the cap and trade system and have gone the extra mile by setting a particularly high standard at reducing emissions by twenty six percent.  Indonesia has adopted and ratified a series of International agreements, such as the 1985 Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer, the 1987 Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, and the 1992 United Nation Framework Convention on Climate Change.  Specifically Indonesia believes that every country must reduce emissions in some form but the industrialized countries are responsible to have the highest percentage drop as they have the most resources to do so.  The poorer countries should receive as much aid as the UN sees fit to reduce emissions to reach their goal and this aid should come from richer industrialized countries.  Because the rising temperatures could be taking more of a toll on the poorer countries already weak economy due to emissions from industrialized countries.  The agreement calls for the countries and private sectors to monitor their own emissions and report them to the UN.  Indonesia also agrees that a good temperature reduction goal is to not have the temperature rise above two degrees before 2020.

IV.

            Indonesia believes that the leading force for emission reduction should be the global environmental affairs department of the UN.  Because they are responsible for the international cooperation of the world to maintain the environment for all countries.  The non-governmental organizations that are most closely tied to Indonesia re World Bank organization and other large NGO’s.  All nations should be engaged since this is a worldwide problem but specifically china and the U.S. should be because they are the two highest green house gas emitters.  But in general all the industrialized countries seem to be emitting the most and therefore should be more actively engaged in the problem.  But some developing countries in Africa for instance should also be engaged as the effects of climate change could be the most severe in those already harsh regions of the world. 

V.

            Under examination Indonesia seems to have taken an odd approach to these problems because they have begun to lead in emission reduction even though they are a leader in green house gas emissions.  This is contradictory to other heavy emitting countries that seem wary of any regulations and certainly to jump at the chance to set very optimistic goals for emission reduction.  But the difference between Indonesia and those countries is that Indonesia’s economy isn’t based on factory emissions and the real reason its emissions are so high is because of forest clearing which releases carbon sinks.  While stopping this forest burning would slow down their rapid industrialization it wouldn’t complete destroy their economy as there are other less polluting forest clearing methods.  Indonesia also wants global emissions reduced because it has already seen the terrible effects of powerful typhoons and tsunamis and fears the repercussions of climate change creating more frequent ones. 

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However,huge portions of the richest forests are being destroyed for timber, agriculture and wood fuel. In the 1990s, for example,the rain forests of the Brazilian Amazon River basin were being depleted at an estimated rate of 14million hectares(35million acres)yearly. In its 2005 report titled ”Global Forest Resources Assessment ”  the Food & Agricultural Organization revealed that forested areas of the world(4billion hectares or 10billion acres)were declining at a rate of about 7.3million hectares or 18million acres annually, equivalent in size to Sierra Leone or Panama. This was, however, a decline when compared to the period between 1990 and 2000 when the slide was at an alarming pace of 8.9million hectares (22million acres) of forests yearly.While Africa, south of the Sahara and South America continued to have the largest net loss of forests, Asia and Europe showed a net gain due to landscape restoration, forest planting and natural forest expansion.
  In Canada and the US, deforestation comes largely in form of extensive logging or clear cutting.This destoys plant and animal habitat,leaving the landscape bare and unproductive.Due to lawsuits by environmentalists between the late 1980s and the early 1990s for breaching the National Environmental Policy Act, a more sustainable ecosystem management policy, requiring foresters to focus on conserving natural habitats instead of maximizing tree harvest,was adopted.
   Rapid deforestation,especially in the Tropics,damages the thin layer of soil and this is further worsened by heavy rainfalls.It has been estimated that globally,agriculture accounts for 28%of 2 billion hectares of soil degraded by human activities, overgrazing for 34% and deforestation,29%.
   In conclusion,the effects of deforestation include reduction in total species richness,shrinking biodiversity,reduction of soil nutrients, the lowering of the local water table leaving less water available for plants
and loss of human lives due to decreased natural resources.To reduce deforestation,it is advisable to adopt the soil management methods and these include the following options:(i)strip-cropping (ii) planting crops along the contours of slopping lands to reduce erosion and run-off (iii) terracing (iv) the growing of legumes to restore soil nitrogen (v) boycotts of multinational corporations responsible for exploitative logging and (vi)formulating policies aimed at reducing population growth,poverty and expanding access to health and education.

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Image via Wikipedia

The Greeks are one of the most fascinating civilizations in western European history. Sadly, Hollywood has significantly skewed the public’s understanding about their lives. For the most part, they lived quite similar lives to us, albeit without the benefit of modern conveniences or transportation. They raised families, they waged war, and they all had their own distinct cultures. Most know only snippets about Greek history and that from the classical period of Athens and Sparta. But Greek history starts much sooner than those city-states. For thousands of years, the Minoans and Mycenaeans lived in and around the area of modern day Greece, yet are lost to the more well-known era of the city-states. These civilizations were almost perfect historical parallels of Athens and Sparta and inspired their myths and architecture for hundreds of years to come.

The Minoans arrived on the island of Crete in approximately 7000 BCE. This island was advantageous to them because of its size, allowing them to expand, the readily available fish populations, and its proximity to other civilizations to conduct trade. They were known to be skilled navigators and made most of their fortunes by fishing and trading with others. Speaking of fortune, the Minoans were known to be one of the richest civilizations in history with even the lowliest peasant possessing more riches than some Egyptian nobility of the time period. Their palaces reflected this wealth through its size and sheer beauty. They were often built two to three stories tall, had beautiful inner courtyards, and walls decorated in colourful frescoes depicting their daily lives and the nature that surrounded them. Their palaces had several roles, mainly acting as a trade and distribution center for their district, as a religious building, and as a home for the royals and their servants.

The Minoans were very peaceful people and focused their talents are creating beautiful works of art and complex religious rituals. When not busy working, the Minoans would participate in board games or various athletic events. Two of their favourites were boxing and bull-jumping, a dangerous activity in which people performed back-flips off of the backs of charging bulls while their friends cheered them on. Women seemed to possess most of the same rights and opportunities of men based on frescoes depicting them as bull-jumpers and workers. As well, the Minoans had their own system of writing known as “Linear A” which was partially based off of Egyptian hieroglyphics. Sadly, this language is indecipherable, preventing archaeologists from learning more about their ancient culture. Due to this, the fate of the Minoans is unknown. Historians have theorized that  around 1600 BCE a volcano erupted on the nearby island of Thera, causing a tidal wave that destroyed most of the homes and palaces along the northern shore of Crete. As well, attacks by the Mycenaeans and poor soil due to their destructive logging practices brought about the elimination of the society sometime around 1100 BCE.

The Mycenaeans were an almost perfect contrast to the Minoans. They are thought to have began as unified villages sometime around 1600 BCE and quickly took over most of mainland Greece. Unlike the peace loving Minoans, the Mycenaeans loved to conquer other countries and civilizations in order to obtain more power. Though they were brutal, the Mycenaeans were skilled architects building complex beehive shaped tombs known as Tholoi and a variety of irrigation and waste disposal systems. Their cities were also focused around the temples which were very similar in style to the Minoans’ and were used for economic and religious duties. The walls defending this cities were up to 26 feet thick to deter attacks from nearby civilizations.

The Mycenaean culture was largely inspired by the Minoans featuring similar styles of metal-working and paintings. Their frescoes however depicted scenes of battles and destruction instead of the Minoans more colourful  scenes of local wildlife. Their system of writing was also taken from the Minoans and refined to create “Linear B”. Tablets containing this language have been decoded by historians to reveal information about their daily lives and even the names and descriptions of some later Greek gods like Zeus and Poseidon. Mycenaean women were much more limited in their roles, often only performing household duties and weaving clothes. Their world would eventually come crashing down around them sometime around the year 1250 BCE. Political strife, natural disasters, and attacks by the rival Dorians would cause the civilization to disappear completely around 1100 BCE.

Clearly, the world has changed a lot in several thousand years but some things never change. The Minoans and Mycenaeans demonstrated this through their daily lives and eventual demise. Greek history would not have continued without their contributions. They  and we owe a debt of sorts to those ancients for teaching us more about life and the importance of cooperation among ourselves and others. May we learn from their mistakes and endeavour to make this world a better place for all.

King Aditya was restless in his bed.  He was worried over the failure of the monsoon year after year.  Few years ago, there was a dense forest next to his old capital.  The forest was cleared to build a new capital.  Now, there was a sprawling palace complex and many dwelling units for his courtiers.

Unfortunately,  after the new capital came into being, rainfall had becomes scarce.  Some scholars in the court expressed the fear that the rain god must be angry.  So, the King performed a grand ritual seeking the blessings of the rain god.  Still, there was no rain!

One day,  a wandering holy man (saint) called on the King, “O King! How will you get rain,  when you  have taken away the Nature from her precious children?  How will you get rainfall, when you have destroyed the rainforest itself?  The reason for the failure of  monsoon is felling of green trees.  Now, instead of wasting your wealth on rituals, ask your people to plant one tree each so that greenery will be restored, which will automatically get you the much needed rainfall.”

What the holy man advised long ago, stands true even today.  The world is threatened by the destruction of forest lands and the dying out of many valuable species of vegetation due to man’s wrong attitude.

We stand silent witnesses to the large-scale deforestation on the name of urbanization.  We can at least counter its bad effects in our individual capacity by planting green trees in our neighborhood.

Vruksho Rakshathi Rakshithaha!

Save trees! Save Nature!

            A major global issue is the problem of pollution and preserving our earth. Our earth provides us with all the elements that we need to sustain ourselves, but yet we are destroying it with pollution. The expansion of human beings on our planet is constantly putting a strain on our environment and polluting it. We all pollute the planet, not because we are necessarily trying to this, but because activities that give us utility inevitably pollute. Heavy industry, marketing, consumer consumption, and other factors are definitely necessary, but can we find a balance between these things and still preserve the earth?

            Plastic bags used in grocery shopping are extremely convenient, handy, and ubiquitous. They are virtually weightless, cheap, and simple to produce. They can easily be stored, and are very easy to throw away. These reasons are why practically everyone uses them. However, plastic bags are difficult and costly to recycle and most end up in landfill sites where they take an estimated three hundred years to photo degrade. While every year five hundred billion plastic bags are used worldwide. Plastic bags break down into tiny toxic particles that contaminate the soil and waterways and enter the food chain when animals accidentally ingest them. Plastic clogs the intestines in marine life and leads to slow starvation. Others become entangled in plastic bags and drown. An estimated one hundred thousand marine animals die each year of plastic pollution. Nations abroad have begun recognizing this problem, and have begun taking action. For example, in Ireland grocery stores charge a whopping 30 cents for each plastic bag used, which encourages people to bring their own re-usable fabric bags.

            Deforestation is another major controversial issue that plays a key role in our environment. Forests of all varieties are disappearing rapidly as humans clear the natural landscape to make room for farms and pastures, to harvest timber for construction and fuel, and to build roads and urban areas. These are very important needs that have to be met, but deforestation has devastating consequences. The losses of forests have led to the extinction of plants and animals, led to social conflicts, and is a cause of climate change. Tropical forests are home to millions of indigenous natives, who are being left without land and other resources due to this, causing native cultures to disintegrate. Forests contain various species and biodiversities that are vanishing with the clearing of their homes. Forests recapture carbon dioxide from our atmosphere and produce cleaner air. Deforestation of our tropical rain forests should be forbidden and enforced, unless granted special access by the government. In addition, it should not be allowed unless it is also being systematically reforested, that is, more trees being planted to compensate for the ones being lost.

            Taking steps to reduce pollution and protect our environment may be costly and initially inconvenient, but it can’t be denied any longer. Taking these steps to reduce pollution and protect our environment outweighs all the economic problems in the long run, because the destruction of our environment will become a much bigger issue if it is not taken care of.  

Africa is the leading continent gravely affected by deforestation, desertification and environmental degradation. This is due to the overwhelming rate of trees being felled from the forests research shows that for every 28 trees cut down only one is replanted. This has resulted to development of grave climatic effects because of a decrease in the rate of moisture evaporation to the atmosphere and transpiration. These natural processes are vital since they enhance rain formation. Therefore, the rate and amount of rainfall received in Africa has drastically decreased. On the other hand, the increased rate of deforestation has resulted to an increase in the occurrence of soil erosion. This leads to soil impoverishment because the rain water carries washes away the fertile soil. Soil diffusion where all the nutrients of the soil are washed away by the rain water may also occur leaving the soil with a very small nutrient concentration. Conversely, forest habitats have migrated to other regions in search of food, water and a safe environment.

This explains the current situation facing the African continent. Thousands of individuals together with their livestock are dying on a daily basis. This is because the current food and water resources cannot support the large population. The decreased level of rainfall has adversely affected agriculture because foods crops are getting destroyed due to lack of water and the scouring heat of the sun. Moreover, the decrease in fertility of the soil has greatly affected the ability of food crops to grow as they used to. Water sources including rivers and lakes have dried up forcing the inhabitant to travel long distances in search of water. In addition, there has been a breakout of a plethora of ailments including typhoid, cholera, malnutrition and dysentery just to mention but a few because of lack of clean water, food and poor sanitation. Sadly, the African continent loses its future leaders this way because thousands of children succumb to this demise.

There is poaching all around the world. How is hunting even legal? Seriously, how can you kill animals for fun? Its disgusting really. In Asia, for example, there is a thriving business of selling exotic animals and their body parts. How the hell is it possible that no one is serioulsy acting against this? They probably need more funds and volunteers. Why isnt there enough? Why are people not doing enough for this? Animal cruelty is happening all over the world. Their habitats are being destroyed, even though there are other ways to gain these resources, like tree farms for wood. Or breeding animals, intead of hunting wild ones. 

Some things that piss me of particularly are the Chinese people’s eating habits and the whaling in Japan. Chinese people eat absolutely anything, even if they know that the animals they eat are endangered. For example, they eat tiger testicles and shark fins. Tiger testicles are believed to make men better in bed. What a bunch of retards. What are they thinking? And shark fins dont even have a taste, they just eat them because its cool. The Japanese harpoon whales, a lot of whales. This is illegal. But they continue to do it. At least they could do it in a less brutal way but that of course wouldnt be enough. They sell the meat and blubber. Its horrible. These are horrible people. Now Im not saying that Chinese people and Japanese people are bad, Im saying the people who do these things are bad. 

I know education is the biggest issue thats behind animal cruelty. Think of the places where these things happen least (its a shorter list); Europe, USA, Canada, etc… These are educated people. And when it happens in these countries, its usually the poor, uneducated people who do it. They need to know the value of animals. The role they play in making this planet work properly. Without animals, there are no humas, so appreciate them. They need to learn that they dont own nature. They owe it to nature to help it to be as it should be. 

You’re probably thinking, “Well what the hell are you doing for animals?” Well for one thing, I dont have a job yet, Im a teenager. And the other thing is that I have pets, and I would also never hurt animals or stand-by while one is being hurt in front of me. 

Many species have gone extinct because of humans. We should be ashamed of ourselves for putting nature through this. We need the eco-system to work so animals wont go extinct. We need plants to produce oxygen. We need the ocean for numerous things, like food and the climate. We need nature, so what do we think we are doing when we are destroying it?

            Earth Day came to be known around the world in 1962 after a compilation of ideas came together from several people this generation would call “hippies.” Several events happened, then President Kennedy made some speeches and did some things, and finally Earth Day was born.

            There are little things everyday that you can do in your community that will help save the planet, like:

·        Buying a water canteen. This can help you save up to 365 bottles a year.

·        Instead of driving to a nearby location, why not ride a bike, skate, walk, or even take a bus. This can help you save gas and less CO2 pollution.

·        Donating all of your old clothes, electronics, and cans of food can help keep factory production down.

·        For big events like parties and festivals, try car-pooling with your friends. This is another way to save gas.

·        Once a week, take a bath. This can save up to 50 gallons of water a week.

·        Set up a recycling bin and a compost bin. In the recycling bin, dispose of plastics, paper, glass, and aluminum. In the compost bin, dispose of leftover food, lawn clippings, and dead plants.

·        Volunteer to help clean up your local highways. It not only makes the area beautiful, but it helps our pollution problem.

·        Change out your old light bulbs for compact fluorescent bulbs to help save energy. When you are not using these new lights, be sure to turn them off.

These are just some of the little things that you can do to help save your planet. It just takes a little bit of time, and dedication.

Multinational National Corporations help assist the creation of international challenges caused by environmental problems by going around their home countries environmental policies in developing countries that lack similar policies because the people in these countries are really eager to have the work. OPEC actively blocks binding limits on the carbon emissions (Peace, 234). The United Nations created two bodies that help monitor environmental conditions based on the idea of the Common Heritage of Mankind. The UN Economic and Social Council’s Environmental Program put into place a global network of monitors to help track environmental problems (Pease, 224). International Organizations such as the UN and NATO respond to conflicts caused by a the lack of resources in developing countries and will likely act as resources are diminished (Klare, 197).

International Organizations and the Protection of Worldwide Biodiversity

Worldwide biodiversity is protected by several international treaties that set aside preserves needed by waterfowl, limits trade in endangered species, restricts ocean dumping and oil dumping, as well as committing sovereign states to the protection of habitats, species and habitats (Pease, 227). International nonprofit organizations like Greenpeace monitor the activities of corporations, states and individuals with a history of violations while others like the World Wildlife Fund and Nature Conservancy use funds to buy habitat and develop related research. The International Convention on Whaling funds research, establishes restrictions on whaling, and monitors whale populations worldwide (Pease, 243)

International Organizations and The Ozone Hole

The hole in the ozone is being reduced thanks to the Montreal Protocol signed by 191 states that limits the use of CFCs known to deplete the ozone layer(Pease, 227). The UN Global Environmental Facility was created to help developing countries deal with the costs of managing ozone depletion, the loss of biodiversity and ocean pollution and is provided funding from the World Bank and from the UN Development and Environmental fund.

International Organizations and Global Warming

Many manufacturers are designing their products to be more energy efficient or are building Cleantech products like Suntech Power Holdings and General Electric or buying green products for distribution like Wal-Mart(Friedman, 33-34) help fight global warming by moving to renewable, sustainable energy sources away from carbon producing energy sources. Research has helped to identify industries, alternatives, and evidence related the human contributions to global warming. Although the Kyoto Protocal has not been signed, many countries are following the established guidelines and are actively working to reduce carbon emissions as shown in the Bali Road Map (Pease, 233). Nonprofit international organizations like Earthwatch sponsor global warming research.

International Organizations and Reforestation

Nonprofit organizations like the Jane Goodall Institute help countries like Tanzania replant forests and use satellite data to document forestry losses. Multinational Corporations like Weyerhauser have been prime movers in sustainable practices for the timber industry. Reforestration issues are often tracked under the auspices of international global warming research and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

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International Organizations and Desertification

Desertification is also tracked under the auspices of international global warming research and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change as well as by the UN Conference to Combat Desertification. This year is the International Year of Forests, with National Desertification Day landing on June 17th.