ecotourism

caring & learning to live in harmony with earth

reduce, reuse, recycle!

Archive for April, 2009

The Importance Of Global Warming Awareness 2007

barrier reef
Composite findings of about 2,000 scientists do not augur well for future years due to the alarming rate the earth’s lower atmosphere is warming up. The world is being warned of hunger and thirst for millions (even billions) due to global warming. The continuous emission of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane has worsened the situation especially in the most recent years. Global warming has triggered climate change in all parts of the world, most apparent of which is the warming of the polar zones which has flushed water from the melted ice to the oceans, disrupting the ecology and the affecting the lifestyle of thousands of people.

Millions of homes (pegged at 7 million) could be washed away by sea levels that are continuously on the swell. The Great Barrier Reef, the pride of Australia and the refuge of most of the world’s most treasured sea creatures, (the living reef in itself considered as the biggest organism in the world) could die in just decades, the same reports say. This is part of the draft of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Global Warming Awareness 2007 or IPCC. This highly compelling study from IPCC is a significant development it has always been reputed for no-nonsense (neutral), highly statistical (cautious) reporting.

Australia is a focal point in one part of the reports, warning on the effects of warmer and more acidic seas on the Great Barrier Reef (mainly coral bleaching) by 2030. This detrimental effect is caused by the death of the corals, leaving only its skeleton (used to be sold but is now prohibited as decorative items tourist shops).

In the report, scientists say that the coast northeast of Australia known as The World Heritage would be most damaged by warmer temperatures. This means extinction of more than 133,000 square miles of underwater living wonders.

Over the past century (reference year 1900), global temperatures on the average have risen from 0.7 to 0.8 degrees. This has been documented as the culprit in the ongoing death or bleaching of the Indian coral reefs, as well as those in the Indian Ocean. Warmer temperatures also means more evaporation increasing the concentration of water vapor in the atmosphere, another influencing factor that has increased the greenhouse effect over the oceans by 4% over the past 35 years.

Once temperature increase reaches 2 - 3 degrees above that in 1900, Australias alpine zones will totally be gone. Another scary consequence would be the imminent total destruction of Amazon forest system of South America. The greatest casualty: biodiversity.

As with any late realizations, global warming awareness is not without tradeoffs in regards to human and economic costs, which is relatively higher in poor countries. Many African countries are now being debilitated by very serious water shortages. Flooding of coastal areas in low-lying regions is now a common phenomenon. Hardest hit are Bangladesh and many islands along the Pacific.

Other alarming consequences of global warming include:

Killer heat waves . They will be worse, will last longer, and will be more frequent than that of summer 2003 which hit southern Europe.

Stronger, more destructive tropical storms and hurricanes. There will also be marked increase in rainfall and flooding of coastlines.

High probability of ice-free summers in the Arctic, ongoing melting of mountain glaciers, ice caps and ice sheets.

Significant rise in sea levels. Even if carbon dioxide levels will be stabilized, the world will still stand witness to higher sea levels 0.43 meters higher in 2100 and 0.8 meters by 2300.



By: Gordon Petten

About the Author:

To increase the awareness of global warming
http://www.arabictopics.com/



Posted by http://www.traveltheworld360.com

In the Name of Humanity

Zimbabwe
I often wonder how many people would decide to visit any of the hunger and pain stricken cities of Africa, instead of going to the Caribbean or any other beautiful place for their vacations.-

Nobody wants to see, feel and confront the horrible truth that is destroying the lives of

millions.- Misery, hunger, poverty, sickness and fatalities,- is something you try to avoid above all things.- You watch it on T.V., and read it in the newspapers, but latter try to dismiss it from your mind.- Too "Depressing".-!!!

WELL, I THINK IT IS ABOUT TIME WE CONFRONT THE TRUTH:

More that 590,00 persons, including children have already died in a period of one year in Kwazule - Natal, South Africa, due to HIV, Tuberculosis, influenza, pneumonia, intestinal infectious diseases and hunger.- This number is followed by Guateng and the Northern Cape - Limpopo, where the number of deaths is 200,000 and raising.- 65% of deaths related to HIV and AIDS.-

In some other cities, like Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Mozambique,- the number of deaths is estimated at 800 per day. That is 288,000 a year.-

This implies that around 5.5 MILLION of South Africans are living with HIV, including

250,000 children under 13 years old.

There are 825 "MILLIONS" of hunger stricken people worldwide, as a result of oppression poverty, lack of drinkable water and many other factors.

Africa, Asia, India, Afghanistan, parts of the Middle East, North Korea, Ethiopia, Central and South America, Haiti.- Among the most food and water stricken countries:

Mozambique,- Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe,  Malawi (All in South Africa).-

From 30 to 40 MILLION People in Sub-Saharan Africa (Kikuyu, Nairobi, Kenya).- Are suffering and will probably die,- due to Poverty, thirst, hunger, diseases and AIDS.-

More than 1 "BILLION" PEOPLE WORLD WIDE, including children "ARE" chronically

dying of hunger, lack of medications, medical attention, drinkable water.-

Every year, 13 to 18 MILLION PEOPLE die as a result of hunger and illnesses.- That is

24 human beings "EVERY MINUTE"–, 18 of whom are children under 5 years of age.- The majority in AFRICA.

More people have died from hunger and other diseases, than all those who were killed in  World War ONE and World War Two. (Combined).-

The number of people who die EVERY DAY is equivalent to the number of those who were killed instantly by the Hiroshima Bomb, and the worst earthquake in modern history

(500,000), in China in 1976.

The numbers are "STAGGERING",- SO IMMENSE that nothing can describe the situation of poverty and desperation of these countries.

To make matters worse,– in AFRICA,-there is a prolonged drought that has withered harvests of the small amounts of produce they were trying to grow - Specially South Africa:

Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe. But even if the rainy season produces crop, it doesn’t do much good if there is no one to harvest it .- Most of them are either dead or dying,-

The help of The Red Cross and other organizations in Africa, is like a drop of water in the  Sahara Dessert.- Other sources like United Nations, Community Food Bank (CFB), UNICEF,- provide food, medicines or money, which are confiscated by the corrupt government of these countries for their own pockets and personal benefit.-

The Holocaust in Germany, as horrible and insane as it was,- can not compare to the horrifying situation of these people. At least, the Holocaust had an end.- I do not see an end for the terrible situation of these "BILLIONS" of people.

This, specially in Africa, is a "GENOCIDE", and there are many who must be held responsible for this horror.- Starting with the many corrupt governments of these forgotten countries.-

And PLEASE, DO NOT BLAME GOD for this terrible situation.- He gave us brains, hands, eyes, and ears, but it is up to us what we do or how we act in THE NAME OF HUMANITY.-

To think that OUR PETS live better than these poor human beings,- simply makes my mind spin.-They eat and have fresh water every day. We take them to the veterinarian for a simple injury or illness.- Some people leave millions of dollars, after their deaths, just for the future care of their pets.

Others spend Millions on houses or apartments, jewelry, Cars,–without thinking, for one single second, of going to one of these countries and helping a family.- With just $5,000.00 US Dollars, they could save the lives of 50 children - As long as the money goes directly to the families, not through any government. –Just think how many families and children could be saved with only one million dollars, which is just "pocket money" for these millionaires.

Lets pray that more people open their hearts in trying to help these human beings,- that after all,- ARE AND WILL ALWAYS BE OUR BROTHERS.-

Eva de la Torriente Diaz

June 7, 2008



By: Eva Torriente Diaz

About the Author:

writer - political, family and other issues.



Posted by http://www.traveltheworld360.com

Deforestation and Greenhouse Gas Emissions

deforestation
Loss of forests contributes as much as 30 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions each rivaling emissions from the global transportation sector. The Kyoto Protocol’s offset mechanisms allow credits to be given for replanting trees or establishing new forests, which capture carbon dioxide through photosynthesis. But the current policy regimen does nothing to prevent existing forests from being cut down in the first place.

With Kyoto set to expire in 2012, a new round of talks is under way to develop the next framework for climate change. Experts believe a policy to avoid further deforestation will be a major topic at the conference. But some environmentalists remain wary of forestry climate policy, fearing it will draw attention away from the need to reduce emissions caused by fossil fuels.

The world currently has about ten billion acres of forest. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) 2007 report on the world’s forests, the world lost about 3 percent of forest area between 1990 and 2005, and the net rate of loss has declined since 2000 (the world loses on average 32 million acres per year). Growth in northern hemisphere forest has helped offset tropical deforestation. There is disagreement, however, on the extent to which increases in temperate-zone forests offset the loss of carbon sinking in tropical zones.

Deforestation is caused by exploitation of natural resources, including expanding populations, logging, agriculture, biofuel production, and wildfires. Clearing forests for the production of biofuels is causing major concern, as experts contend that it has a significant negative impact on forests without doing much to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The FAO report shows that the greatest overall loss is occurring in Africa, followed closely by Latin America and the Caribbean. Indonesia has the fastest deforestation rate of any single country in the world. When emissions from loss of forests are taken into account, Indonesia could be considered the world’s third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases, according to a recent World Bank report. Indonesia recently has made a show of planting 80 million trees ahead of the Bali conference, but some question the country’s long-term commitment to slowing exploitation of its valuable resources, such as stemming illegal logging.

China’s rapid growth in the production of manufactured goods that need wood also poses challenges. The country’s consumption of forest products leads the world. According to Forest Trends, a nonprofit research group, China’s increasing demand has lead to unsustainable and sometimes illegal logging practices in many of the countries seeing significant deforesting activities, such as Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.

China has a seemingly limitless appetite for cheap wood, says Don J. Melnick, a conservation biology professor at Columbia University. Products made from this timber often wind up in U.S. and European markets. Richard Z. Donovan, chief of forestry for the Rainforest Alliance, an advocacy group, says that right now China is not only adding to climate change by burning large amounts of fossil fuels that emit greenhouse gas but also by being a non-discriminating buyer of wood.



By: James Nash

About the Author:

James Nash is a climate scientist with Greatest Planet (www.greatestplanet.org). Greatest Planet is a non-profit environmental organization specialising in carbon offset investments.

James Nash is solely responsible for the contents of this article.



Posted by http://www.traveltheworld360.com

This Summer Vacation We Are Visiting A Continent

barrier reef
Where can you go on vacation to see the natural wonders and wide open spaces and see an entire continent? Australia!

From beaches to deserts, the Outback country is one of the most highly urbanized countries. Many cosmopolitan attractions of cities like Sidney, Brisbane, Perth, Melbourne and more are major tourist attractions. The country, one of the wealthiest in the world, is renown for it is untouched landscape and very unique culture.

One of the must see Australia vacation stops is the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex. Canberra, is a part of NASA’s Deep Space Network (DSN), an international network of antennas that support interplanetary spacecraft missions, and radio astronomy observations for the exploration of the Solar System and beyond.

The DSN has three tracking stations around the world that are linked to NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Tidbinbilla has four giant antennae, the main antenna is over 70 meters in diameter and is the largest in the southern hemispheres. This antenna received some of Neil Armstrongs giant leap for mankind on the moon in 1969. While there you can see a 3.8 billion year old Moon rock, check out an astronaut suit and dine at the Moon Rock Cafe. Open 365 days a year and admission is FREE.

The National Museum of Australia covers the land, nation and people of Australia in Canberra. The museum contains social history and reveals the stories of ordinary and extraordinary Australians, and promotes the exploration of knowledge and ideas by providing a forum for discussion and reflection. The National Historical Collection contains almost 200,000 objects representing Australias history and cultural heritage. Through Aboriginal and Torres Strait Cultures and histories, you can explore Australia through experiences, stories and images of Indigenous Australians.

You can also experience the Great Barrier Reef up close. The Reef is the only living thing that you can see from space. Feel free to explore shallow bays, exclusive islands, rainforests and remote reefs aboard the award-winning MV Reef Endeavour. Once there, you can stroll along white sand beaches and snorkel amongst a kaleidoscope of fish on the outer Ribbon and Hedley Reefs. Also discover Lizard Island’s giant clam gardens only meters from the shore. You can hear native birds call from the rainforest.

Ancient and diverse flora and fauna of Mount Field National Park, the pristine wilderness of the Franklin River and many other sites make Tasmania a must see. The diverse history of Port Arthur the spectacular forest backdrop of Wineglass Bay should not be missed.



By: Phoenix Delray

About the Author:

For more information on planning your own Australia vacation, please visit our website.



Posted by http://www.traveltheworld360.com

Cheap Holidays To Australia

barrier reef
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to enjoy an entire week of underwater exploring for your holidays? Cheap holidays to Australia are going to provide just that opportunity. You have never experienced underwater exploring as Australia has anywhere else. It is exciting and beautiful to see and do. Although the area has many different attractions you might just end up captivated by the activity under water that you will keep going back for more. The Great Barrier Reef is a hot spot in the country.

The coral reef is beautiful to explore and see the marine life that lives under water. The water is so clear and warm that all the habitants just float by you as you watch in awe. You can do some scuba diving or snorkeling or even utilize the submersible watercrafts that are found around the Great Barrier Reef. Cheap holidays to Australia cannot get any better. They also have glass bottom boats that are great to do some dolphin watching as well as some whale watching without getting wet.

Other areas in Australia offer some great underwater adventures. You will find that the days are spent exploring and the nightlife is spectacular, but day trips to other islands from the Great Barrier Reef are great. Plan a day trip to the island of Lizard, Hayman, Hamilton or Dunk. You will enjoy a day crossing the beautiful waters to reach the islands and then enjoy a day exploring the waters around the island. On your way back, you can relax in the warm sun and rest up for the excitement that the nights bring.

You will find that cheap holidays to Australia do not end underwater, but carry over to the popular nightlife attractions. You can enjoy the area cultures and customs, while dining in some of best restaurants in the area. After the dinner, you can sit back and watch the people dancing to live entertainment or enjoy a quick game of pool. You are not going to be left without anything to do at night. Many of the hotels have activities close by as well as on site entertainment.

Your cheap holidays to Australia will be exciting, adventurous and fulfilling. If you need more than underwater excursions, you might plan your trip around different stops in different cities of Australia. One thing is for sure, you will have the time of your life on an underwater vacation. There is another area of Australia that has a great underwater adventure. Perth has a underwater tunnel for some excitement. The tunnel is a hot spot for visitors to the area. This is something where you do have top get wet, put you can see the marine live every day. Things are never the same from minute to minute in the tunnel.

You are going to enjoy planning your underwater adventures in Australia. The reef or the tunnel as well as the many area beaches that have available snorkeling and scuba diving will keep you busy for as long as you plan your stay.



By: Ben Nielson

About the Author:
It is indeed possible for you to find cheap holidays to Australia. Please visit our cheap holidays deals site. If you live in scandinavia you should visit our last minute travel site called billige rejser.



Posted by http://www.traveltheworld360.com