Mismanagement of freshwater resources is still taking place around the world though previous disasters that is worthwhile to learn from. The overuse of water resources is currently a major global problem and the outcome from such overuse wouldn’t be different than what happened to Aral Sea. Water management policies should be based on appropriate “Environmental Consequence Analysis” with consideration to large-scale and long-term impacts and not on short-term economic interests only.

The story of the Aral Sea is one of such lessons. In 1950’s the water of the Aral Sea were largely untouched with two rivers replenishing the sea. The Soviet Union that managed the region at that time did major water projects with the goal of boasting the economy by converting land-use from pasture to cotton fields. Along with farming and other industries considerable amounts of water were consumed from the rivers, the water feeding the sea became so scarce and gradually evaporated away.

The vanishing of the Aral Sea and the associated transformation the landscape to huge desert and salty areas is “one of the planet’s worst environmental disasters”. The Aral sea-region once prosperous fishing industry with natural land that could otherwise be used for many other purposes has been essentially destroyed, bringing unemployment and economic hardship. Such destruction brought severe environmental degradation and heavily pollution with consequent serious public health problems. The blown up sand, dust and salt caused large-scale degradation of soil fertility. In addition to these impacts, the retreat of the sea has also caused local climate change, with summers becoming hotter and drier, and winters colder and longer. Local citizens can tell about the damage brought about by short-term policies without consideration to the existing population. The local population was faced with lack of future, increasing unemployment for young people and no work for decades.

The people there have already begun to reverse the drain and restore the Aral Sea “Back From The Brink” through loans from the World Bank. Dried up wells started to be replenished and life started to be better (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEd0hz4Axp4&feature=youtu.be)

Safe water and air are essential for all life forms on earth and there are “safety limits” where water and air can turn unsafe, dangerous or even toxic. Healthy water is carrier of nutrients and healthy air is carrier of oxygen and carbon dioxide (with specific composition), both of which are required for healthy life. Healthy water and healthy air are, also, fresh and free from toxic matter “clean”, under such conditions all forms of life are healthy.

Fresh water, fresh air and healthy eco-systems are related in complex web of functioning, interactions and metabolism. Nature managed to great extent to “clean” itself, to optimize and fix all life parameters in an extremely accurate and delicate balance. Evolution of life on earth struggled for millions of years to bring about perfect living environments and climate conditions. As a reslut of such long struggle earth provided humans with healthy food. What didn’t happen over-night we succeeded to change over-night. We are competing more and more to degrade the life quality on the earth and we are succeeding.

The water and air we are polluting are the raw material and the natural resources for our life. If we ignore them and don’t take care of them, i.e. make them fresh, they wouldn’t care about us and they will ignore us. If we turn them to victims, they will also turn us to victims!

file:///Users/farid/Desktop/Chemical%20pollution%20of%20European%20waters%20is%20stronger%20than%20anticipated%20%7C%20Science%20Codex.webarchive

The role and involvement of individuals in achieving sustainable water resources is becoming an important component in water management. Understanding how to act, react and interact to protect water resources involves understanding the major components that influence water quality of the natural water resources.

“POLLUTANTS” that influence “WATER QUALITY” have different “SOURCES” and get mobilized to  “WATER SYSTEMS” by various ways and dynamics by which water move and get transported from one place to another “HYDROLOGY”. How pollutants get mobilized is dependent on the “USES” of water and the “Practices” utilized by all involved stakeholders/consumers. In order to take part in SUSTAINABILITY SOLUTIONS it is essential to understand how different pollutants are produced from various sources and stakeholders, their pathways and their impacts of on water quality. This allows active participation in sustainable management of water resources.

The Sahara or the Great Desert, in Arabic Al Sahra al-Kubra “الصحراءالكبرى” is one of major deserts on planet Earth, i.e. landscape that receives very little precipitation, rain or snow, less than 250 mm per year. It is as big as the USA and its sand can burry the whole world 20 cm deep. Desert land does not necessarily mean sand and sand dunes; many deserts are rocky surfaces as well. One third of the earth’s surface is desert lands that exist in polar, subtropical, cold winter and cool coastal regions. Deserts have no surface streams because of rapid evaporation, transpiration (by plants and subsequent release to atmosphere) or/and infiltration into the ground. Deserts have unique fauna and flora that are adapted to the harsh climate and environment conditions, i.e. intense sun, limited precipitation, severe temperature ranges, dry wind and low humidity. 

The Sahara Desert is located in subtropical North Africa and it is the hottest place on the planet. The mystery of what created and changed the Sahara desert has revealed a turbulent past. The African tectonic plate collided with Europe and what was a huge sea turned gradually to land, with the Mediterranean as remaining sea, many million of years ago. Finding whales in the desert is not a climatological story but rather a geological evolution. Indeed, the Sahara has the highest fossil remains in the world, almost all of them are marine animals such as those found in Wadi Al Hitan, Egypt “Whales Valley”. The reconstruction of the evolution and the history of the Sahara were made possible through the remaining fossils of sea creatures in the desert itself along with geological information from deep sediment cores. Sediment cores are excellent archives for obtaining historical, environmental and climatological information. Whale bones in the desert showed that 40 millions years ago the Sahara was a sea bed, deep ocean sediment cores containing wind blown sand revealed that sea water dried up three millions years ago. Freshwater shells buried in sand showed that 90 000 years ago the “wobbles” of the earth’s axis (http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/milankovitch.html) created huge freshwater lakes and rivers and turned the Sahara green every 20 000 years. Ostrich eggshell, used by prehistoric settlements for manufacturing beads, indicated that just 7000 years ago the Sahara enjoyed its final burst of life before returning into desert.

The story of the Sahara showed that it wasn’t always a barren wasteland. Life was not static, it could shift, change, evolve and it can bloom again into green terrain, i.e. in the distant future. Ground penetrating radars showed that there are huge freshwater lakes “groundwater” under the surface of the Sahara Desert. Such fossil water can be million of years old. This gives hopes for turning the desert to green land by being reclaimed for agriculture and farming. Nubian Aquifer (Egypt, Libya, Sudan and Chad) is an example of such fossil water and is already in use. Fossil water is non-renewable resource, can only be used once and is sufficient for a short period of time depending on consumption, probably can last something like 100 years. After being consumed the desert has to wait for another 15000 years before once more earth “wobbles” turns it green again.

Note. The earth wobbles in space makes it tilt around its axis on a cycle of 41 000 years with introduction of changes in the seasons. More tilt means more severe seasons, i.e. warmer summers and colder winters; less tilt means less severe seasons – colder summers and milder winters.

This new chapter of history that tells the story of the past turbulent landscape of the Sahara gives interesting information on how the earth and desert was made. 

The environmental importance is gaining greater and greater attention for policy makers around the world. Many countries are struggling to provide drinking water with good quality for their population. However, the quality of drinking water is very much related to the environmental conditions. The most important indicator for clean environment is availability of clean drinking water for everyone, this is also very much related to availability of clean natural waters and thereby clean environments.

Many countries in Europe can offer everyone the best drinking water quality in the world; in this context tap water in Europe can very well compete with the quality of bottled water.

http://www.therichest.com/expensive-lifestyle/location/top-10-countries-with-the-best-tap-water/

Toxic compounds, hazardous chemicals and aggressive gases are not only produced in laboratories with restrict protection laws and well planned ventilation systems. They are, unfortunately, allowed to be produced and emitted as well as to keep circulating in our living environments and in the atmosphere around us. Though most of our concern is focused on “green-house” gases and the “green-house” effect, air pollution and air quality are among important environmental issues because of their severe impacts on health.

Many capital cities around the world suffer from “smog”. “Smog” has different origin and composition. Heavy industries using oil, metals and natural gas in their production can be potential sources for smog formation. Domestic fireplaces with coal and wood can contribute to major parts of the smog formation in some cities; this can be also the case with high volume of road traffic, rubbish incineration and dust from the surrounding deserts. In some mega cities the number of cars has increased to tens of millions in the last 30 years. However, fossil fuels, in particular coal, powered plants can still be major sources causing the biggest problem. Apart from man-made pollution, natural processes, e.g. sandstorms in hot arid and semi-arid regions/deserts can contribute to smog forming. In combination with intense ultra-violet rays industrial and automobile emissions can be transformed into, as transported as, ozone.

But, according to the most recent figures from the World Health Organization (WHO), the megacity doesn’t even rank among the top 10 cities for smog. Most of the worst afflicted are smaller cities across the developing world.

Poor air quality causes a number of illnesses for city residents, like chronic respiratory problems and lung cancer. According to a study by the Max-Planck Institute in Mainz, some 15,000 people die every year in Dhaka due to air pollution. Researchers found the world’s highest concentration of sulfur dioxide there. Smog can contain high levels of toxic chemicals, e.g. hydrocarbons, heavy metals, fine particulates, S-/N-/C- compounds, ozone, …. and other hazardous compounds.

The Chinese capital, Beijing, isn’t the only big city suffering from smog. From Asia to the Middle East to the Americas, here’s a look at the 10 worst cities for bad air. Beijing, China; Ahwaz, Iran; Ulan Bator, Mongolia, Lahore, Pakistan, New Delhi, India; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Cairo, Egypt; Dhaka, Bangladesh; Moscow, Russia; Mexico City, Mexico

http://www.dw.de/top-10-worst-cities-for-smog/g-17469135

Among the most important indicators for life on earth are air and water qualities with poor qualities of air and water it becomes difficult, even impossible, to sustain life in any form. In some places in the world abuse of the natural resources, e.g. blind exploitation, production and use, have caused serious degradation and enormous damage, of natural environments. Exploitation, production and consumption are associated with environmental, ecological and human costs in form of “environmental, ecological and health degradation” and if such costs are not accounted for we will have negative sustainability balance. With gradual pile-up of such environmental, ecological and health debt, as is the case in the given examples, there would be no places on earth for suitable and sustainable life.          

http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/wilderness-resources/photos/the-15-most-toxic-places-to-live/earths-orbit

The following are currently considered to be the top five most sustainable cities in the world:  VANCOUVER, CANADA; SAN FRANCISCO, U.S.; OSLO, NORWAY; CURITIBA, BRAZIL; and COPENHAGEN, DENMARK.

When it comes to implementing sustainable initiatives these cities are leading the globe in how that achieved and/or can achieve sustainable cities through using renewable energy and by cutting back on emissions. Among common sustainability characteristics of these cities (http://archive.rec.org/REC/Programs/SustainableCities/Characteristics.html) are:

leadership in using and developing renewables; green transport and traffic with low emissions; strict and green buildings with improved energy efficiency and ongoing LEED-certified green building projects); high marks for air quality and clean environment; waste management with efficient and high recycling rates; reserve high percent of land to green spaces, ongoing projects for efficient electric car traffic (Vancouver and San Francisco); protected forest, parks waterways, and agriculture land (e.g. Oslo, Curitiba); intelligent lighting adjusting intensity depending on traffic conditions and weather (Oslo); bio-methane from waste to power mass transit and heating; projects for cutting carbon emissions by 50 percent in coming decades with goals to be the world’s first carbon neutral capital by 2025 (Copenhagen); heating system powered by high percent renewable energy, mainly from biomass from residual waste with plans to reach 100 percent renewable sources for heating in most the cold regions in the world (Oslo); innovative program that allows people to exchange trash for transit tokens or fresh produce (Curitiba); projects to get 50 percent of the population on two wheels by 2015 by closing down some major roads to cars and developing an additional 43 miles of bike lanes and requiring all new developments to incorporate some level of vegetation into building designs (Copenhagen).

http://www.ecomagination.com/top-five-most-sustainable-cities-in-the-world

Security and safety of citizens are essential features of safe societies and although it seems like the world is becoming more crueler with increasing instabilities, The Global Peace Index indicates here the 20 most peaceful countries in the world. The Global Peace Index issued by IEP (Institute for Economics and Peace) since 2007 gives data of nations’ and regions’ peacefulness as based on external and internal measures.

Among the essential features of the countries given here are that they prefer to focus on economic matters, building strong economies and creating a stable investment climate, trusted platforms for wealth management services and estate planning, instead of involving themselves in various armed conflicts. Many of these countries show great standards of living, have high levels of human development and place peace at the forefront of their priorities, e.g. they concentrate on being great neighbors, through establishing social, peaceful, economic, cordial political relations with other countries. Many of these countries work with the United Nations and its supporting agencies on a great variety of efforts, e.g. peacekeeping missions, and participate in various global, unilateral and multilateral organizations to promote international cooperation. They enjoy especially low rates of homicide, violent crime, criminality, organized internal conflicts, violent protests, internal and external wars fought, also, staying out of the main conflicts in the world. Sweden, for example, has a low level of robberies (only 9,000 a year) compared to the United States (about 350,000 a year)! Besides, Sweden has not been to war and has not participated in any combats for the whole 2 centuries. Many of these countries also enjoy political stabilities, neutrality in regional, international and global political issues while maintaining strong diplomatic relations with various countries around the world. Education in some of these countries is at the heart of literally everything, e,g. Finland’s education system is ranked fifth best in the world.

Many of these countries have unique culture diversity, fantastic travel destination, beautiful town halls, majestic castles, captivating and breathtaking natural beauty, alpine glaciers, golden plains and impressive mountains, spectacular coastline, sandy beaches and legendary hospitality, rugged landscape, wonderful fauna, awesome beaches and fantastic geothermal and volcanic activity. Many of them have vibrant, clean and safe cities with millennial heritage, spectacular scenery and friendly people.

http://travel.amerikanki.com/most-peaceful-countries-in-the-world/20/

Coordinated data on weather disasters and the associated impacts on population are becoming increasingly important, as the collective damage can be enormous. Abnormal weather conditions started to be more frequent probably becuase of global warming. Just during the first part of May 2014 a series of abnormal weather conditions took place in many parts in Africa and the MENA regions, below are some examples. These abnormal events of weather conditions are very rare to take place in these regions on times scales of at least several decades. These abnormal weather conditions that hit many countries in the same time-period can be an indication of large-scale phenomena/effects, but what???

6 May 2014, Burundi. Flooding kills 50 after torrential rains and storms that triggered mudslides, landslides and swept away homes, cut off roads and power, injured people, destroyed schools, houses, goods and public infrastructures. Houses in the poorer parts are often made of mud bricks and can’t resist against water and mudslides and landslides.

2 May 2014, Afghanistan. Landslide kills at least 350 because of heavy torrential rains (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mj6Z_0Ty0BI&feature=youtu.be)

8 May 2014, Saudi Arabia. Flooding in Makkah (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1vxRwFRjIE)

5 May 2014, Nigeria. 50 houses in Abuja were affected by flood (http://www.talkofnaija.com/local/flood-hits-over-50-houses-in-abuja-two-days-before-african-davos)

7 May 2014, Egypt. Massive sandstorm cloud rolls over Aswan governorate; heavy rain and flooding in the Red Sea governorate; 8 May 2014 heavy rain over 15 May bridge, Cairo (http://english.ahram.org.eg/UI/Front/MultimediaInner.aspx?NewsContentID=100838&newsportalname=Multimedia)

May 09 2014, Egypt. Flooding because of rainstorms caused panic for tourists (http://www.jerusalemonline.com/news/middle-east/israel-and-the-middle-east/israeli-tourists-stranded-in-egypt-by-floods-can-cross-the-border-5221)

By 2030 South Africa will have 60 million people, i.e. more than double of today’s population, to feed. Today’s water and energy resources are already used up for living and providing food. The only solution is SUSTAINABLE planning and recognizing the way these three resources, i.e. food, energy and water, are INTER-CONNECTED.  We need sustainability as much as sustainability needs us.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MGNxRZD4Uxs

This natural documentary gives some clues about the very origins of human behavior. Bonobos do resemble chimpanzees but they are completely different species diverged from each other around two million years ago. Where chimpanzees fight and murder bonobos are peacemakers and unlike chimps it is not the bonobos males but the females who have the power. So, bonobos social life tells us a different story about kindness and empathy and that these characters do not belong to people alone. The bonobos are deeply intelligent apes, relaxed, highly social and develop life-long friendships. These and many other reasons explain why they are so peaceful and from where we get our gentler side of our behavior. Knowledge that is largely unknown to the rest of the world.

Two groups of researchers set up study camps in Lomako and Wamba in the rain forest of the Congo to do forest observation and document the social behavior of bonobos, our nearest relatives. The work of these researchers was interrupted during a decade of political instabilities and civil strive in the Congo with major threats for the life of bonobos as they were hunted for meat of a starved population. After the end of these instabilities the researchers started to return to see if there were still hopes and chances to complete their research and to get more answers from the bonobos.