1472784205000

gaia

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2Fkhwaja-khusro-tariq%2Fjill-stein-the-only-candidate-serious-on-climate-change_b_11827300.html%3Futm_hp_ref%3Dgreen%26ir%3DGreen&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
Jill Stein: The Only Candidate Serious On Climate Change

Back in 1991, fresh from reading George Stewart's magnificent science fiction novel “Earth Abides”, I started an eighth-grade science assignment with the quote from Ecclesiastes Stewart begins the book with:

“One generation passeth away and another generation cometh but the earth it abideth forever”

To this I added:

“Not if the human race can help it, though.”

Inspired by a recent article in Time magazine about global warming, I had written a Ted Kaczynski-esque withering assault on modern civilization and advocated a reversal (yes, LOL indeed) of industrialization. It was a thoroughly godawful paper and I have little doubt that George Stewart was the only thing that got me a passing grade on it.

It was straight from the heart though, and not since then has my interest and passion in what we have done to this planet waned. As someone who tries to keep track of the impact of human-induced climate change, I have always found baffling the lack of importance the issue has received as an electoral issue. There is no greater threat to our safety and well being-no ifs, ands, or buts about it. We are a species that like any other, requires a habitat that can sustain our biological functions and allow the vegetation and animal life necessary to sustain our food supply. The manifest reality of today is that our habitat is under attack from our own creations. We have polluted our air and our oceans. We have doomed to extinction countless species of plants and animals many of whom we may have annihilated before they could be discovered. The earth is warming quicker and sea levels are rising faster than any prediction model foresaw. Literally hundreds of small island communities ― as well as major nations like Bangladesh and Indonesia ― are already losing shorelines and even arable land. In America, with our over 10,000 miles of shoreline, climate scientists predict a rise in sea levels and markedly increased flooding in coastal cities like New York within the next five decades.

This is not a problem of the future, it is a problem of the here and now and a catastrophe beyond biblical proportions in the making.

Jill Stein is the first presidential candidate in American history to make climate change the centerpiece of her campaign. Her plan to address climate change is the most comprehensive and consistent over the years of any Presidential candidate. Her plan aims to make clean energy a major focus of her economic plan and she states in her manifesto:

“The environment and the economy are interdependent―they are not at odds with each other. In order to have a prosperous economy, you need to have the healthy environment to support it: for energy, for food, and for other aspects. The idea that they're pitted against each other is a concoction of misinformation from those who exploit the environment. We allow them to exploit the environment at our own peril, as we see from everything from air pollution and its health impact, to water shortages, to flooding, to extreme storms. These are not just happening in the Third World: we are beginning to pay the price for this very misguided, short-term, short-sighted exploitation of the environment.”

With such beautiful simplicity, Dr. Stein makes a point no one else is making. A cleaner environment and actions to protect our country and planet from climate change are not, and must not, be construed as being anathema to our economy. They are a necessary challenge on which the future of everything, including the economy, rests.

Dr. Stein wants to empower the EPA and cleanse it of all political and corporate influence. She wants to invest money not into bailing out our predatory banks and perpetually failing automobile industry but into clean energy and green technology. She envisions a major creation of green jobs including constructing green infrastructure, retrofitting homes, sustainable food and agricultural practices and increasing recycling.

I find Jill Stein to be the only Presidential candidate with the passion and sense of urgency necessary to combat human-induced climate change and other ongoing environmental damage. I cannot imagine voting for a man who has called global warming a Chinese conspiracy and climate change a hoax. I cannot vote for a woman who has corporate ties so prolonged and so deep that she cannot be trusted to operate independent of lobbyist influence on any issue including climate change.

A vote for Jill Stein is a vote for the future of this country and this planet. Let us no longer lead the world in war and corporate greed. Let us no longer pretend to the throne of the world and wax eloquent about our golden principles while violating them in every corner of the globe. Let us instead lead the world by example. And in this, let us start with the most crucial issue of all-protecting and preserving our habitat.

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

gaia

1472784203000

gaia

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2Fasif-iqbal%2Fwhy-we-need-to-stay-below-15-degree-c-threshold-to_b_11827322.html%3Futm_hp_ref%3Dgreen%26ir%3DGreen&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
Why We Need To Stay Below 1.5°C Threshold To Fight Water Crisis in Pakistan

Different researches and real time experiences confirm that climate change has direct impact on access to and management of water for drinking and agriculture purpose in Pakistan. The country is hit hard due to recurring climate catastrophes. Women are at the center of these impacts due to their inequitable access to water and land rights and decision making.

Climate Scientists recommend the world take serious actions to limit emission of greenhouse gases and keep the average global temperature below 1.5°C. This is vital to prevent humanity from climate crisis. In case of Pakistan, even before reaching this threshold, water crisis in the region is already at alarming level. Pakistan by no means can afford the world cross the safe limit of 1.5°C and increase its vulnerabilities manifold.

Declining water as a serious threat to human life in Pakistan: In December 2013, the World Resources Institute ranked Pakistan among the 36 most water-stressed countries in the world. Data from the Water and Power Development Authority of Pakistan indicates in 1951 per capita water availability was 5,650 cubic meters. By 2010, that figure shrank to 1,000 cubic meters and it is set to fall to 800 cubic meters by 2025, when Pakistan's population rises to 221 million. Alarmingly, groundwater levels in the country are dropping by a meter a year. With this rate, Pakistan is heading towards widespread water poverty in next few years.

According to Water Aid, 16 million people in Pakistan have no choice but to collect unsafe water from unsafe sources. 68 million people don't have access to adequate sanitation in Pakistan. Around 39,000 children under five die every year from diarrhoea caused by unsafe water and poor sanitation in Pakistan.

Water-stressed agriculture: Nearly 70% of Pakistan's 291 millimeters of annual rainwater gets wasted because of poor storage facilities. Agriculture accounts for 24% of the total GDP of Pakistan. 68% of its geographical area has annual rainfall of 250mm whereas only 8% of the areas have annual rainfall of 500mm. To meet the food production need, the country thus requires supplemental water for better crops production. The contribution of Agriculture in GDP growth rate has significantly declines from 50% in 1929-50 to about 24% in 196-97. By the year 2050, the urban population of Pakistan is expected to reach 63.7% as compared to only 36 percent in 2010. Rapid increase in population will lead to overwhelming pressure on water supply both for households and agriculture needs.

Women, the most vulnerable: Women face the brunt of climate crisis more than anyone else in the society. Inequitable power relationship, lack of access to different resources like water and land rights, information and training keep women more vulnerable in the face of growing impacts of climate change. Women are often at receiving end by the policy makers and strategists rather than being empowered to find their own solutions and actions to find sustainable water solutions.

Women faces numerous challenges, however natural disasters and conflicts in Pakistan doubles the risks that women face. They have limited access to assets, income and information and their limited mobility restrict them respond to disasters, unlike men. In the agriculture sector, women are disproportionately employed. When disasters hit like flooding, large number of population gets displaced which triggers case of gender based violence and other abuses. In addition, living in displaced settings, women have to travel more to fetch water and collect food and woods as distance between their settlements and source of water increased. Studies from the Asian Development Bank shows that targeted interventions in rural development projects have significantly contributed in women's empowerment. Another study found that if water is available at household level in some rural communities, families can save as much as 1,200 hours per year.

This analysis simply tells a straightforward story - keep the world under 1.5 Degree threshold as this is the utmost need of countries like Pakistan and its citizens who would otherwise fight for their dignity and search of water to drink and survive.

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

gaia

1472784197000

gaia

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2Fdr-steven-c-amstrup%2Funiting-conservationists-around-climate-action_b_11827286.html%3Futm_hp_ref%3Dgreen%26ir%3DGreen&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
Uniting Conservationists Around Climate Action

Over the next several days, delegates from over 170 countries will gather in Hawaii for the IUCN World Conservation Congress. The theme of this year's Congress is “a planet at risk.” Exaggerated droughts and floods, reduced regional water supplies, and ever-longer wildfire seasons, make it clear we are overdue for major conservation organizations to apply strong focus to combatting global warming and its dangerous climate change symptoms. Yet, just as in other recent conservation conferences I have attended, agenda topics at this Conservation Congress seem focused on traditional “on the ground” conservation tools like anti-poaching efforts and setting aside protected areas of habitat.

Climate change is the single biggest issue the world faces, with ramifications for generations to come. While traditional conservation efforts remain important, no conservation plan is complete without simultaneous efforts to stop this overarching threat.

Some conservationists seem to think this is an “either/or” situation, or that there is a competition between addressing global warming and implementing on the ground strategies. Nothing could be farther from the truth. If we don't stop elephant poaching soon, there will be no elephants left for global warming to kill. Conversely, if we don't act soon to address climate change, the boundaries of new elephant reserves will no longer enclose the ecosystems they were designed to protect. Clearly, we need traditional on the ground efforts and rapid efforts to reduce our use of fossil fuels. And, because we cannot fight global warming in the field, efforts to combat it must take place independently of ongoing efforts applied on the ground.

Combatting climate change requires a united front of conservationists and humanitarians to inform, enlighten, and inspire our policy leaders to take necessary action. This “enlightenment” can be done at the same time funds are focused on battling poachers.

For many concerned conservationists, climate change seems an uncertain and distant challenge. But there is no uncertainty in the ultimate threat. The laws of physics require the world to continue to warm as long as atmospheric greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations rise. If we don't stop GHG rise soon, all of our on the ground conservation efforts will have been for naught.

By the latter part of this century, for example, mean annual temperatures across most of Africa and the Middle East will be nearly 5°C warmer than now, and summer temperatures in most latter years of this century will be hotter than any summer ever recorded. We don't need computer models to appreciate that those conditions will result in human malnutrition on an unprecedented scale, and we know from experience that hungry people cannot do conservation. At the end of this century, between widespread famine and refugee problems that dwarf anything yet seen, governments will be too busy dealing with humanitarian issues to care about conserving polar bears or rhinos.

Yet, I continue to be dismayed by statements like “we don't have the mandate to address greenhouse gas emissions” or “we are a research organization, and pushing for climate action is beyond our purview.” Such statements are like turning up the volume on your car's radio so you cannot hear a bad noise coming from the engine.

At the December 2015 Climate Talks in Paris nearly all nations of the world agreed that failure to stop GHG rise soon would assure numerous global extirpations and other future problems for all species, including humans. One unrecorded outcome from Paris was that avoiding the most dangerous of climate change effects is only likely if we adopt an international price for carbon emissions. Voluntary efforts simply will not get us to the Paris goals.

This week, the World Conservation Congress has an opportunity to carry the Paris momentum forward with a full force push for a fair carbon price. Such a call from the World Conservation Congress could help unite the voices of people concerned about conserving everything from coral reefs to polar bears. That united voice could become an important tool needed to stop the ever-louder noise coming from Earth's engine compartment. I hope the World Conservation Congress will build that tool instead of cranking up the volume on the radio.

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

gaia

1472770406000

gaia

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2Fforest-trends%2Fgo-easy-on-the-guacamole_b_11824294.html%3Futm_hp_ref%3Dgreen%26ir%3DGreen&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
Go Easy on the Guacamole - Mexico's Forests Will Thank You
This story first appeared on Ecosystem Marketplace.
By Will Tucker

What's small, green, famously healthy, and deceptively destructive? An avocado, believe it or not. The benign-looking fruit has captured worldwide attention in recent weeks after revelations that America's insatiable taste for guacamole is prompting farmers to chop forests in central Mexico - and funding narcoterrorism in the process.

After initially disputing the reports, Mexican avocado growers have resolved to make their operations more sustainable - but how? After all, the problem begins with foreign demand, and it extends beyond avocados, as Bolivian chef Kamilla Seidler pointed out at the Aspen Ideas Fest in Colorado, where she described the "Quinoa Effect" that has driven the price of a kilogram of the fashionable grain from $1 to $11 in La Paz - a boon to growers (or, more often, middlemen) but a bust for working class Bolivians who rely on quinoa as a staple food.

Source: Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)

The solution, it turns out, won't come in the form of a silver bullet or tidy quick fix. But the necessary ingredients are within reach: consumer self-awareness; lessons learned in the beef, soy, and timber trades; new financing mechanisms enshrined in the Paris Climate Agreement; and a dash of entrepreneurial spirit blended with some time-tested lessons from forests and the communities who have sustainably managed them for centuries.

America's love affair with the avocado dates back well beyond the quinoa boom - and while it began within U.S. borders, it was Mexican imports that allowed that relationship to flourish. Avocado consumption has doubled in the past 10 years and is nearly four times higher than in the mid-1990s, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The average American consumed nearly seven pounds of avocados in 2015, compared with less than two per year prior to 2000.

The Demand Side: Creative Consumers

Americans could "buy local", but that won't make a dent because California is the only US state that produces avocados on a large enough scale to matter, and its thirsty orchards face challenges of their own.

They can also substitute, according to Brazilian chef Paulo Machado, an expert on Latin American cuisine and member of the sustainable food initiative Cumari: From Rainforest to Table. He cites a fruity reinterpretation of guacamole that uses a fraction of the avocado typically found in the dish. The recipe, which Machado inherited several years ago from a Mexican friend during a period of runaway avocado prices in Brazil, substitutes mango, peach, and the savory texture of papaya to fill out the rest of the body.

Source: USDA Economic Research

And at the grocery store, consumers can also mitigate some of the environmental and social costs of Michoacán's avocados by purchasing only those that are certified organic. Admittedly, organic certification has its shortcomings - for example, it doesn't explicitly address deforestation - but locals point out that organic methods can address certain other negative consequences of avocado farming tied to public health, soil quality, and biodiversity.

Suppliers can also lift a page from the larger soy, palm, and beef sectors, which have embraced products that are certified as "sustainable," but such certification efforts aren't easy to set up.

The Supply Side: Funding Sustainable Agriculture

Another part of the solution emerged at the Paris climate talks, where companies like Unilever and Marks & Spencer pledged to source raw materials from states and countries that can prove they've slashed deforestation, regardless of which commodities are causing it. To overcome start-up costs, they embraced a program known as Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+), which was embedded in the Paris Agreement and aims to slow deforestation by tapping carbon finance to promote sustainable agriculture.

Although often characterized as "paying people to not chop trees," the acronym covers a diverse array of mechanisms that divert finance into activities designed to save forests - from actively patrolling them to helping farmers become more efficient in managing the land they have to jump-starting certification programs. Donors have committed nearly $6 billion to 10 key tropical forest countries - including Mexico - to fund REDD+ readiness efforts aimed at boosting the capacity of governments to more effectively manage their forests, with an eye toward achieving long-term sustainability.

"REDD+ donors are interested in providing the incentive for governments to prioritize what is, in many ways, in their long-term interest anyway: conserving their forests by directing intensified agricultural production to areas already degraded or under cultivation," says Brian Schaap, a Senior Associate with Forest Trends.

In its climate action plan, Mexico explicitly mentioned using REDD+ to promote sustainable agriculture in agrarian and forest collectives known as ejidos, which are legally owned by communities and account for roughly 70 percent of the country's forested land.

But while REDD+ can help finance sustainable forest management, it's not a panacea that can protect against the effects of consumer demand, says Naomi Basik Treanor, Program Manager for Forest Trends' Forest Policy, Trade, and Finance initiative.

"Sure, it'd be great if countries stepped up enforcement efforts and got rid of laws that contradict each other, and if consumers changed their spending habits," she hypothesizes, "but a real solution would be demand-side policy that ensures only legally and sustainably sourced products make their way into consumer markets."

These kinds of policies already apply to timber imports in the U.S., EU, and Australia, and some conservation groups are lobbying for similar laws to promote responsible agricultural supply chains.

Source: Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)

Diagnosing the "Avocado Fever"

"We want to focus on deforestation, but it's only part of the problem," says Nacho Simón, a Michoacán-based agricultural advisor with the group GAIA who teaches organic farming methods through workshops and courses across Latin America. He expresses concern over the long-term impact of herbicide residues in Michoacán's porous volcanic soil, and cites high rates of anencephaly and leukemia in two of the state's major avocado zones. Organic farms, which forego industrial herbicides in favor of natural inputs, account for only a small fraction of avocado cultivation in Michoacán - 7,000 to 8,000 of 130,000 total hectares, according to Simón.

And while Michoacán's organic avocado orchards are reducing the volume of chemicals exposed to local groundwater, many are failing to achieve another one of GAIA's tenets: biodiversity. As high avocado prices make monoculture increasingly lucrative, Simón says it's been a challenge to persuade even organic farmers to continue cultivating a variety of crops - to promote beneficial biodiversity and, in the process, grow food for their families. In addition to the thousands of hectares of forests that have been cut down and converted to avocado orchards in the last 15 years, Simón says a growing numbers of farmers are switching from maize to avocado for export. He marvels at the paradox of having to buy conventional produce from Walmart because your land is devoted entirely to growing organic avocados. This, Simón says, perfectly illustrates la fiebre de aguacate - the avocado fever - that has taken hold of Michoacán's agrarian sector.

Connecting Farmers and Consumers

One creative way to connect small farmers with distant markets is through tools like Putting Amazon Indigenous Producers on the Map, an interactive map developed by the Coordinating Organization of the Indigenous Peoples of the Amazon Basin (COICA), Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), EcoDecisión, and Forest Trends with support from USAID.

Chris Meyer, Senior Manager of Amazon Forest Policy at EDF, says 150 producers have been mapped so far, with more additions coming every month. The new initiative has already helped connect the Uncommon Cacao group with Peruvian cooperative Kemito Ene, whose indigenous farmers are poised to earn up to 20 percent more income as a result of the agreement. Advocates say this is the kind of incentive that can help local communities continue practicing agriculture in a responsible, sustainable way, protecting surrounding forests in the process.

"There are a number of coffee and cacao producers and associations who have certifications that are ensuring sustainable production," Meyer pointed out in an email. One prominent example is Runa, an ethical producer of a tea-like beverage derived from guayasa, which sources the Amazonian leaf from a co-operative of small, sustainable producers. Guayasa is a shade-grown shrub planted in biologically diverse "agroforestry" plots, alongside bananas and other crops, that thrives in a comfortable symbiosis with existing forests, rather than at their expense. Meyer concedes that guayasa doesn't suffer from the same demand pull as avocado; still, Runa's growing success suggests that consumers are hungry for "superfood" products that are sustainable - not just healthy.

See how initiatives like Cumari: From Rainforest to Table are trying to drum up extra recognition - and income - for Latin America's forest stewards:

As for the interactive map, Meyer hopes it will help multiple actors - from consumers to restaurateurs to distributors - connect with sustainably produced Amazon ingredients. Another project taking the work out of identifying responsible small producers is Canopy Bridge, the non-profit whose website hosts the Amazon map. But its sourcing network includes sustainable producers located well north of the Amazon, including central Mexico, opening the door for avocado growers looking to stand out from the crowd by virtue of their environmentally friendly farming practices.

The Wicked Challenges

Back in Michoacán, the organic farming advocate Simón agreed that demand is the primary culprit.

"The biggest pressure is economic," he says. "Because of the very high prices avocados bring, of course people are going crazy over them."

Simon didn't mince words when asked about new commitments from APEAM, the Mexican trade association, to double down on their reforestation initiative and work with the government and state university to develop limits on future expansion.

"It's all purely political; this is political posturing," he says. "If they had had the will to [take these steps], they would have done it 10 years ago."

To date, Simon says the group's reforestation efforts have been geared more toward publicity than meaningfully restoring carbon stocks.

"You'll see 1,000 saplings planted along city streets, and meanwhile in the hills, where nobody sees, 10,000 enormous pines get felled," he says. "It's pure garbage."

And then there are the notorious Mexican drug cartels, who, through a combination of extortion and violence, compel avocado farmers to maximize production.

"Not only do [these criminal enterprises] offer incentives to local communities that exceed those of their normal, legal income streams, but evidence from other countries shows they may exert considerable pressure on those who either refuse involvement with the trade or deny gangs their cut of the profits," says Basik Treanor.

One Michoacán farmer, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of reprisal, reported last week that an engineer working with avocado farmers was murdered just days prior, and says killings and kidnappings are a daily occurrence.

"Here, people live in a situation of terror," he says.

While the slow wheels of policy and business practice turn, it's up to consumers to make thoughtful and informed decisions - whether at the grocery store or at their favorite Tex-Mex chain. For now, the safest bet is to go easy on the guacamole. Michoacán's forests will thank you for it.

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

gaia

1472766796000

gaia

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2Focean-unite%2Fwhy-the-next-two-weeks-ar_b_11814260.html%3Futm_hp_ref%3Dgreen%26ir%3DGreen&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
Why the next two weeks are critical for the future of high seas marine life, the Ocean, and all of us
By Karen Sack

Protecting the heath of the high seas is, literally, the biggest global challenge many people have never heard of. It's therefore no surprise that hardly anyone realizes that discussions taking place at the UN over the next two weeks will impact the future of the high seas, the entire global Ocean, and therefore the planet. Because whether you live in a first world city by the sea, a land-locked country in the middle of Africa, a small island in the Pacific, or anywhere in between, these discussions affect you.

Vast Ocean areas beyond the national jurisdiction of any state cover half the surface of the globe and house the majority of its species. But the massive expanse and depths of the high seas is a remote, mysterious place that has suffered from being out of sight and out of mind. While climate change, endangered species and other issues have garnered major international attention, and - eventually - positive outcomes like last year's Paris Climate Agreement, the Ocean has been something of a Cinderella story: quietly doing all the work to keep our planet functioning, and clean up our mess, while being neglected and abused by its beneficiaries - namely, us. The high seas provide us with food and oxygen, and even absorb the excess carbon and heat we generate, but their importance is not reflected in the way we treat them.

The current system of high seas governance is chronically weak, fragmented and unfit for addressing the 21st century Ocean threats that include climate change, ocean acidification, excessive and illegal fishing, plastic and noise pollution, and biodiversity and habitat loss. There is not even a mechanism for establishing Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the high seas, a major governance gap that makes it impossible to grow the regenerative capacity of the Ocean for marine life, to capture more carbon dioxide and to improve its ability to produce the oxygen for every second breath we take. However, thanks to decades of tireless work and campaigning by scientists, some governments, organizations, and a growing movement of global citizens, a new chapter in the story of the high seas and us is about to be written: perhaps the Ocean will get to go to the ball after all.

In 2015, the UN General Assembly agreed to begin negotiations towards a new, legally-binding international agreement on marine biological diversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction (a tongue-teaser best abbreviated to BBNJ). This will be the first ever global treaty dedicated to protecting the life, ecosystems and habitats of the high seas - the last great global commons - and the importance of this decision, which took at least a decade to reach, is hard to overstate. But a happy ending - a strong, comprehensive agreement with "teeth" in the form of monitoring and enforcement provisions - is far from a foregone conclusion. Those tasked with negotiating the agreement will need vision, courage and character to achieve an outcome worthy of the challenge, and resist the inevitable calls for watering-down and evading commitments. From 26 August, government delegates will be gathering at the UN in New York for a meeting of the Preparatory Committee charged with determining the key elements of the draft agreement that will be put to the General Assembly. The time for this vision, courage and character to reveal itself is now!

And time is itself a key factor. It has just been announced that July 2016 was the hottest month ever recorded. In this age of climate change, as each day passes, we have to think more urgently about what we can do both individually and collectively to build resilience to these changes, to buy time for adaptation, and to help secure the future of the vital species, habitats and ecosystems that are being impacted.

The negotiations at the UN can do all of these things, but this process cannot be allowed to prevaricate for years like others have done. There simply isn't the time. Negotiators have a global responsibility to focus on quickly reaching a consensus on how to put in place the biggest single agreement after the Paris Agreement that will help us grow the health of the global ocean, increase species abundance and diversity, and in so doing enhance the capacity of this critical Earth system to withstand the impacts of climate change.

This is not a North/South, rich country/poor country issue; the Ocean is a great unifier. It has been incredible over the past decades to witness countries from every continent and every ocean coming together in support of this new high seas treaty, as more and more of them realized the need to address this critical gap in ocean and international governance. Likewise, it was wonderful to see the Ocean prioritized with its own Sustainable Development Goal last year, complete with concrete, time-bound targets. These achievements are the fruit of years of research, discussion and awareness-raising; the groundwork for the new high seas agreement has been laid. There is no need for negotiators to reinvent the wheel and start from scratch.

©Woolcott Henry

Neogitators also have guidance from 17 top global political and business thought leaders. Recent recommendations put forward by the Global Ocean Commission sum up the key elements the High Seas Agreement needs to include to be considered a success. It must:

Allow the designation and enforcement of MPAs on the high seas.
Establish clear common principles, targets and objectives.
Provide an overarching mandate for the conservation and management of high seas biodiversity.
Require the application of an ecosystem approach, including prior environmental impact assessments before the exploitation of high seas resources.
Secure an accord such that the benefits resulting from the exploration and exploitation of high seas genetic resources are accessible to and shared equitably among all nations.

We know what needs to happen; now we need to act fast and get it done. It is important that the delegates meeting in New York this week know that people around the world are watching and engaged in this process. Negotiating this new agreement is an opportunity decades in the making that must not be missed, or diminished. It calls for courage not compromise, vision not evasion. The time has come for us to compose a bright new future for the high seas and buoy up the prospects for all life on Earth.

This post is part of a series produced by The Huffington Post in partnership with Ocean Unite, an initiative to unite and activate powerful voices for ocean-conservation action. The series is being produced to coincide with the UN's Preparatory Committee Meeting (Aug 26-Sept 9) on an internal legally binding instrument on marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction and is a part of HuffPost's "What's Working" initiative, putting a spotlight on initiatives around the world that are solutions oriented. To read all the posts in the series, read here.

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

gaia

1472766555000

gaia

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2Fdana-ellis-hunnes%2Fdolphin-hunt-about-to_b_11785614.html%3Futm_hp_ref%3Dgreen%26ir%3DGreen&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
Another Dolphin Hunt Is About To Resume

"2016-08-30-1472599065-496336-dolphins.jpg"

Image Credit: Huffington Post Images
Dolphins - as they should be, in the wild.

The quota for this year's Taiji, Japan dolphin hunt is set at 1,820 dolphins.

That's 1,820 dolphins the government of Japan decided and declared should no longer be alive after this season's hunting, from September 1 to the end of February.

In addition to these 1,820 dolphins that may be murdered, another 150 have been appointed for selection to amusement parks.

Combined, this represents nearly 2,000 dolphins.

What this doesn't account for, however, are the Dolphins that will likely die or drown before the slaughters take place. The dolphins are scared witless, by loud underwater noises and driven quickly, for several miles, into a killing cove. The young and the old may not make it, they can't keep up, or they drown.

Yet, these dolphins are never accounted for in the death toll. So in reality, the numbers above, represent at a minimum, 2,000 dolphins. But, likely more than that.

Altruism for dolphins may be their downfall. They have nothing to fear from humans in their everyday life. But, once in the killing Cove, families of dolphins huddle together, moms try to protect their young. You see very altruistic, human-like behaviors.

In Japan, dolphins, whales, and porpoises are not viewed as sentient beings--which they are; instead, they are viewed as pests, they are viewed as competition for fish; fish that humans have overfished, overexploited, and removed from the oceans at unsustainable rates.

During the hunting season, dolphins are viewed as a commodity, to sell to amusement parks at $100,000 each. The rest of the family is collateral damage, often slaughtered and sold for human consumption. Yet, this meat is so tainted with mercury and other chemicals that it is dangerous to eat.

More than that however, is that dolphins live in families, close families. They know each other as well as we know our families, and never stray far. These murders or kidnappings not only destroy families, but they destroy the oceans' ecosystems and the natural order of life, taking an apex predator out.

Those that are captured are sold into a life of slavery, boredom, stress, and innumerable cacophonous noises.

Those that are released--if any are, maybe the babies or the injured, whose likelihood of survival is significantly diminished, whose minds will be filled with the hunt-drive memories.

Those not selected for captivity or release are cruelly and brutally murdered. Sometimes within the hour, sometimes within days depending on the species.

The trauma, pain, and suffering these dolphins endure is unacceptable, and it needs to stop.

What can you do?

1. You can donate to groups such as the Dolphin Project, or Sea Shepherd Cove Guardians.

2. You can watch the movie "The Cove."

3. You can tell your friends.

4. You can sign petitions.

5. You can join the Facebook group "Dolphin Angels" and tweet.

6. But perhaps most importantly, you can stop going to dolphin amusement parks, swim-with-dolphin programs, dolphinariums, or any show that has captive dolphins.

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

gaia

1472761695000

gaia

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2Fdr-bill-van-bonn%2Fworld-of-water-what-it_b_11782716.html%3Futm_hp_ref%3Dgreen%26ir%3DGreen&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
Shedd Aquarium's World of Water: What It Takes to Keep a Quality Environment for Animals
For a bunch of air-breathers, those of us trusted to keep our animals healthy and thriving are up to our "gills" as we're tasked to think about our water quality at Shedd Aquarium. As we near the end of National Water Quality Month, it's important to reflect and think about why water quality is a critical issue 365 days a year, not just during the month of August.

"2016-08-30-1472588526-5767006-D75Q6390.jpg"

Allen LaPointe, Vice President of Environmental Quality at Shedd Aquarium, takes a sample of the water in the Abbott Oceanarium.

Animals - whether in an aquarium environment or in a native environment - have no control over the quality of the water around them. We do. As a result, we have an obligation to ensure the very best water quality possible. At Shedd, this means putting the right water for the right purpose in the right place. That's no small task! Water comes in all forms at Shedd - clear, cloudy, salt, fresh, warm, cold - the list goes on! These conditions are carefully analyzed and adjusted as needed to create the best home for the animals that spend their lives swimming inside it.

How do we do that? We start in our own backyard, in the same waters of Lake Michigan that millions of people in the Chicagoland area use daily to drink, clean and cook with. All water that we use for our habitats at Shedd is first put through a massive charcoal filter - think about a home water filtration system, and multiply that by about 10,000. That's where the water for our habitats begins its journey. This removes impurities like chlorine, which can be poisonous to our amphibians and fish. From there, we apply a variety of techniques to purify this water, like running it through a reverse osmosis membrane - a very specialized filter that removes dissolved salts and other molecules that even charcoal can't capture. This process is necessary in our Amazon Rising habitats because Amazon river water in the native habitat is known to be very low in dissolved salts and we must replicate that for animals that have evolved in that type of water.

But that's just the start. Next, we must ensure the water is the right mix for the right habitat. Our Caribbean Reef exhibit - home to rescued sea turtle Nickel, stingrays and bonnethead sharks - requires added salts and warmer temperatures. For habitats that house endangered coral, calcium is added and phosphorus is filtered in to ensure a quality environment. These additions, subtractions and changes to the variety of environments are constantly monitored by a team of Environmental Quality Technicians - and supported by more than 60 volunteers! - who continuously test the water inside the habitats in our Environmental Quality Lab.

Through this research, we are constantly applying what we have learned and adjusting the way we do things. Over the past few years, we been exploring whether we could "recycle" some water from habitats within Shedd without impacting the health of our animals. Through careful testing, we have been able to reduce our water footprint by transferring water from some of our gallery spaces into our Oceanarium, therefore a decrease in the amount of water we take in and put out.

Beyond the day-to-day monitoring of water quality within Shedd, we're diving even deeper. While the chemical composition is important to keeping our animals healthy, we're also closely examining the biological communities that share the water with our animals. The Aquarium Microbiome Project has begun studying the vast yet microscopic ecological communities within Shedd's water. This includes closely examining how these tiny bacteria, viruses and fungi interact with our animals, and the results have been fascinating. While we sometimes think of these communities as simply "germs," we have found they can be incredibly beneficial, if not essential, to the health of our animals. In fact, we recently studied the microbiotic makeup of the water in our Stingray Touch experience. Despite these animals being touched by more than 400,000 human hands through the course of the season, the results proved this experience has no negative effects on the animals. It actually improved some of the indicators of health and welfare like heart rate!

At Shedd Aquarium caring for the quality of water animals live in and depend on does not stop at the front doors. It's extremely important that we as a species are constantly aware of our impact on the water systems we - and all animals - rely on around the world. Choosing public transportation, participating in beach clean-ups, avoiding products that contain microbeads and refraining from disposing of medications down the drain are all examples of small but important steps we can take to improve water quality at home, and by extension, around the world.

Bill Van Bonn, DVM, is Shedd Aquarium's vice president of animal health. With more than 25 years of clinical veterinary experience, Dr. Van Bonn strengthens the aquarium's established animal care and health expertise, overseeing its diverse aquatic medicine initiatives as well as furthering innovative veterinary science at Shedd. Dr. Van Bonn specializes in preventive medicine and enhanced clinical veterinary services for aquatic animals, with a focus on marine mammals. At Shedd, he focuses on providing top-quality care and applying his knowledge of animal health to conservation of their counterparts in the wild. He also oversees the aquarium's Microbiome Project.

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

gaia

When big media goes clueless about big data

The Demand Side: Creative Consumers

The Supply Side: Funding Sustainable Agriculture

Diagnosing the "Avocado Fever"

Connecting Farmers and Consumers

The Wicked Challenges

Boklue by Titipong Jaiharn

Solitude by TJ Drysdale

'Solitude' This is one of my old favorites! 50% off my editing tutorial for only 3 more days!! Don't miss out! In this 1hr tutorial, I'll discuss some of the tips and tricks I've discovered in Photoshop to give photos a cinematic/artistic feel! You won't be disappointed!

Colors by Juan I. Cuadrado

Puesta de sol en la Montaña de Riaño. Sunset in Riaño Mountains.

Link:
Embed: