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6 Jun 07 Tree Planting, Worm Farming on World Environment Day PlanetArk 5 Jun 07 Melting Ice, Snow to Hit Livelihoods Worldwide - UN Story by Alister Doyle Yahoo News 3 Jun 07 Indian students to plant 2.5 million trees Yahoo News 4 Jun 07 U.N. warns of effects of global thaw By Doug Mellgren, Associated Press Writer Yahoo News 4 Jun 07 Melting ice in focus on World Environment Day by Pierre-Henry Deshayes The melting of the planet's ice due to climate change will be the central theme of World Environment Day, celebrated annually on June 5 and this year hosted by the Arctic town of Tromsoe in Norway. Melting ice offers some of the clearest evidence of global warming, and this year's choice of host city was no coincidence, with the picturesque Norwegian town nestled in the Arctic, a region which is heating up twice as fast as the rest of the planet and where the effects are already visible. "The Arctic and Antarctica may be the Earth's climate early warning system -- feeling the heat first -- but we know it does not end there," said the head of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), Achim Steiner. The melting is both a consequence and a cause of global warming: ice reflects heat, as opposed to water which absorbs it and warms up the climate, thus causing more glaciers and snow to melt. The gradual disappearance of ice and snow has already affected the four million inhabitants of the Arctic region. With ice sheets gradually receding, Inuits have seen their seal and polar bear hunting grounds shrink and their traditional way of life threatened. Accidents are believed to be on the rise among the Far North communities as hunters fall through the once-thick but now thinning ice, and they are increasingly swapping their dogsleds for motor boats. Polar bears meanwhile risk becoming extinct over the next decades as their natural habitat melts away. On the positive side, the shrinking ice sheet will open up two new maritime routes between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans off Canada and Russia, shortening shipping times considerably. And, for better or worse, the ice melt will also open up the Arctic for oil and gas drilling. The region is believed to be home to one-quarter of the world's remaining reserves, according to the US Geological Survey, though that could also heighten tensions among bordering countries. The melting ice will also affect parts of the world much further afield than the polar regions. "What happens in the Arctic and the Antarctica as a result of climate change is of direct interest to us all -- from someone living in the Congo River Basin, the Australian outback and in rural China, to suburban dwellers in Berlin, New Delhi, Rio de Janeiro or Washington DC," Steiner said. According to Canadian researchers the melting of the Greenland ice cap, the planet's second-largest source of freshwater after Antarctica, could cause ocean levels to rise by seven meters (23 feet), drowning coastal regions and islands, including several countries in the Pacific. Indonesia alone could lose 2,000 islands by 2030, according to its environment ministry. That would lead to tens of millions of "climate refugees," in addition to the masses that would undoubtedly have to flee droughts and flooding brought on elsewhere by the warming of the planet. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a stabilisation of carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations in the atmosphere at today's levels would make it possible to limit the temperature rise to around two degrees Celsius (35.6 degrees Fahrenheit) and would cost only 0.12 percent of global gross domestic product. But despite US President George W. Bush's announcement last week of an "initiative" to cap greenhouse gas emissions, the United States, the biggest CO2 polluter, has refused to commit to binding targets. The issue is expected to be one of the main bones of contention between the United States and its western allies at the G8 summit to open in Germany on Wednesday, the day after World Environment Day. A slew of activities are being held around the world to mark World Environment Day. In the Arctic town of Tromsoe events will last three days, running from June 3 to June 5. South Africa's former Anglican archbishop Desmond Tutu will hold a religious service on Sunday, and an international scientific report on melting glaciers will be presented on Monday. A two-day conference on the melting ice cap will also be held, while the UNEP will launch a book on sustainable tourism in the polar regions. And on its website, the UNEP has listed 77 suggestions for how to celebrate World Environment Day, including planting trees, bicycle parades and rickshaw races. Yahoo News 3 Jun 07 Indian students to plant 2.5 million trees Students from more than 5,000 schools in India's southwestern coastal state of Kerala will plant 2.5 million saplings on World Environment Day. The "My Tree" project will be the world's biggest of its kind, the government said, ahead of the United Nations-sponsored day on Tuesday. The tourist state's communist government aims to increase the region's forest cover to more than 33 percent from 24 percent currently. "The programme was envisaged as part of efforts to achieve the goal of creating green cover of over 33.33 per cent of the area of the state," education minister M.A Baby told AFP in the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. Mango, jackfruit and tamarind saplings, and a host of other local trees, will be planted in schools, homes and public places, Forest Minister Binoy Viswom said. The schools will also form panels to nurture the plants and monitor their progress. Popular among holidaymakers for its beaches and backwaters, Kerala is also known for its lush tropical forests. PlanetArk 5 Jun 07 Melting Ice, Snow to Hit Livelihoods Worldwide - UN Story by Alister Doyle, Environment Correspondent OSLO - Global warming that is melting ice and snow will affect hundreds of millions of people around the globe by disrupting rivers in Asia, thawing Arctic ice and raising ocean levels, a UN report said on Monday. Glaciers from the Himalayas to the Alps are in retreat, permafrost from Alaska to Siberia is warming and snowfalls are becoming unreliable in many regions, according to a "Global Outlook for Ice and Snow" written by more than 70 experts. And it said the changes, widely blamed on greenhouse gases released by mankind's use of fossil fuels, would be felt far from polar regions or high mountain areas. "Fate of the world's snowy and icy places as a result of climate change should be cause for concern in every ministry, boardroom and living room across the world," said Achim Steiner, head of UN Environment Programme of the 238-page report. He said the findings were relevant "from Berlin to Brasilia, and Beijing to Boston". The report said that about 40 percent of the world's 6.5 billion population would be affected by retreating glaciers in Asia -- snow and ice in the Himalayas, for instance, help regulate river flows and irrigation from China to India. And a one metre (3 ft 3 in) rise in world sea levels, linked to expansion of the oceans as they warm and melt from glaciers, could cause almost US$950 billion in damage and expose 145 million people to flooding, it said. Oceans rose by almost 20 cms last century and UN studies project a further rise of 18-59 cms by 2100. Asia would be hard hit by rising seas, especially low-lying Bangladesh, it said. ENVIRONMENT DAY The snow and ice report was released on the eve of World Environment Day, and two days before a June 6-8 summit by the leaders of the world's top eight industrial powers in Germany. "The world cannot afford simply to discuss climate change. It has to act," Steiner said. The report said there were big uncertainties about the fate of ice on Greenland and Antarctica, the world's main stores of fresh water. Greenland contains enough ice to raise sea levels by 7 metres, bigger Antarctica by about 60 metres. And less snow is falling in many areas, with a 1.3 percent decline per decade since the 1960s in the northern hemisphere. A one degree Celsius (1.8 Fahrenheit) temperature rise would raise the snow line in the Alps by 150 metres, for instance, damaging ski resorts and tourism. And lifestyles were already changing. Hunters in Qeqertarsuaq in western Greenland were turning to use motorboats rather than dogsleds because the sea ice was no longer solid. Polar bears are among animals under threat from shrinking ice. The report said the rise in temperatures "has not yet resulted in widespread permafrost thawing." Even so, the report said the quantity of methane being released from permafrost in Siberia may already be five times more than previously supposed. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas stored in vast quantities in permafrost. Among benefits from melting ice, a northern sea route along the coast of Russia could be open for 120 days a year by 2100 against 30 now. And the report pointed to dangers of abrupt floods linked to a melting of glaciers that have blocked lakes. In 1998 a so-called glacier lake outburst flood killed more than 100 people in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. Yahoo News 4 Jun 07 U.N. warns of effects of global thaw By Doug Mellgren, Associated Press Writer Melting glaciers, ice sheets and snow cover could speed the rate at which the planet heats up, causing rising sea levels, flooding and water shortages that impact as many as 40 percent of the world's population, a U.N. report said Monday. The study, released before World Environment Day on Tuesday, highlighted the risk the receding ice cover could accelerate global warming, because the icepacks cool the planet by reflecting heat into space. Even though much of the ice is in remote areas, such as polar regions and Greenland, the impact will be felt worldwide, U.N. Environment Program executive director Achim Steiner said. "The report underlines that the fate of the world's snowy and icy places in a climatically challenged world should be cause for concern in every ministry, boardroom and living room across the world," Steiner said. The report was released in the Norwegian Arctic city of Tromsoe, which is hosting the main international celebrations of World Environment Day under the theme "Melting ice — a hot topic?" It builds on a series of reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released earlier this year. The study by some 70 scientists, called "The Global Outlook for Snow and Ice," said warmer temperatures could raise sea levels by 30 to 50 inches this century, which could flood low-lying areas and force millions to flee. Even those far from a coast could feel the impact, including as many as 1.5 billion people, mainly in Asia, who get their fresh water from the spring thaw of snow and ice. "An estimated 40 per cent of the world's population could be affected by loss of snow and glaciers on the mountains of Asia," the report said. In the Northern Hemisphere, snow cover in March and April has declined 7-10 percent over the past 30 or 40 years, the report said. It said over the past 30 years, sea ice has declined 6-7 percent in winter and 10-12 percent in summer, while ice thickness has declined by 10-15 percent. The rate at which the Greenland ice sheet is melting has doubled over the past two or three years, and glaciers are receding in most of the world. "Melting of ice and snow will in itself have severe consequences on nature and society. But it will also reduce the reflection of sun beams from the surface of the Earth and in this way contribute to further global warming," Norwegian Environment Minister Helen Bjoernoey said. In addition to snow- and ice-free areas absorbing more heat, the melting of permafrost in places like Siberia could open new bodies of water, creating "thermokast lakes" that could release enormous amounts of the powerful greenhouse gas methane. Bjoernoey said she was especially worried by the fact that "global warming results in further global warming." The report said people are already adapting to the change. In China, a railroad built on permafrost includes a cooling system to prevent melting that would undermine frozen ground under the tracks. Hunters in parts of Greenland have switched from traditional dogsleds to small boats because of changes in the ice. Events in Tromsoe began Sunday, with South African Bishop Desmond Tutu hosting an ecumenical church service, and last through Tuesday, with a climate conference. On the Net: http://www.government.no PlanetArk 6 Jun 07 Tree Planting, Worm Farming on World Environment Day AUSTRALIA: June 6, 2007 SYDNEY - Australian protesters held a "picnic rally" against the logging of native forests while hundreds of Indian policemen swapped guns for spades to plant trees on Tuesday to highlight World Environment Day. Across Asia, people learned about worm farming and composting, listened to lectures about renewable energy and cutting carbon emissions, while school children took part in plays and painting competitions. More than 50 people halted logging operations in the southern Australian state of Victoria, calling for an end to native forest logging, the Wilderness Society said. "Trees are giant carbon pumps, sucking carbon from the air and pumping it into the ground, trunks and branches. To protect us from the impacts of dangerous climate change, this destruction must stop," said Luke Chamberlain, a campaigner for the society. Hundreds of policemen India's western state of Gujarat pledged to turn barren areas into fruit orchards by planting mango and guava trees. "We will keep our gun and baton aside and pick up a spade to plant trees all around our offices," said Sujata Solanki Majumdar, a senior police officer in Gandhinagar, the state capital. "If the cops go green, then the people will follow too." In Vadodara in central Gujarat, housewife Savita Dabhi sat outside her home, cooking a four-course meal for her family and friends on a solar cooker to promote the benefits of renewable energy. TOP ISSUE Global concern about climate change has risen dramatically over the last six months and consumers increasingly expect their governments to act, according to a survey published on Tuesday. The survey by the Nielsen Company and Oxford University's Environmental Change Institute, found 42 percent of global online consumers believe governments should restrict companies' emissions of carbon dioxide and other pollutants. A G8 summit of rich nations this week could pave the way for a world deal on how to tackle global warming. Rich nations and major developing nations such as China, India and Brazil are under pressure to agree targets to cut emissions and to start talks on shaping the next phase of the UN Kyoto Protocol climate pact, which runs out in 2012. This year's World Environment Day focuses on the theme "Melting Ice -- a Hot Topic?" to complement International Polar Year 2007. The United Nations said subtropical Vietnam, which has a 3,200-km (2,000-mile) coastline, could be one of the worst-hit countries if sea levels continue to rise at current rates. In the central coastal city of Danang, members of the Youth Union planted trees and picked up rubbish from beaches. The government chose the city for the day's events because of an increase in the frequency of typhoons and floods in the region. The United Nations Development Programme said on Tuesday that if global sea levels rose by one metre, Vietnam would face losses of US$17 billion per year, one-fifth of the population would lose their homes, 12.2 percent of the most fertile land could be lost and the southern Mekong Delta would have unprecedented flooding. China, one of the biggest polluters and facing public anger over foul air and water, said on Tuesday it had slowed, but not reversed, a rising tide of pollution from frenetic industrialisation. China is the world's largest emitter of sulphur dioxide, which is released from burning fossil fuels and smelting and causes acid rain. About 100 environmentalists gathered in a city park of Banda Aceh, capital of Indonesia's Aceh province, to show their support for a logging moratorium that will be announced on Wednesday by the provincial governor. Wearing T-shirts saying "Save the forest with your hands, support the logging moratorium", the activists formed a human chain around 500 tree stumps made of papier-mache and held a minute's silence. ( Additional reporting by Rupam Jain Nair in Ahmedabad, Grant McCool in Hanoi, Chris Buckley in Beijing and Adhityani Arga in Jakarta) Story by Michael Perry links Melting Ice-A Hot Topic? New UNEP Report Shows Just How Hot It's Getting on the UNEP website with full report (Large pdf file: 98 MB) World Environment Day activities in Singapore A way for companies to do their bit for the planet Letter from Ricoh Today Online 18 May 07 Kid's activities on Sentosa by the Naked Hermit Crabs and Joseph Lai and the Nature Society Education Group more Related articles on Global: general issues |
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