Poverty as dealt with in relative terms is not the same as in absolute numbers of poor people. That becomes very clear when we take in consideration the growing world population, the declining access to natural resources on the planet, the accelerating scarcity of water because of increasing competition on water resources, accelerating pressures on fertile land because of degradation in soil quality and associated increase in food prices.

Under such conditions the global market of slaves find it way and has expanded into a big multi-billion industry with many people just living under extremely bad conditions with daily threats and mistreatment.  An example is Thai seafood slavery; with four simple things you can do and contribute in improving the working conditions of many people that are crying for help with voices that are not heard in cruel economic systems without fair-trade policies.

http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/video/2014/jun/11/thai-seafood-slavery-four-simple-ways-you-can-help-video

Our environment, in particular water, land and air, has been the victim of all sorts of attacks, either of natural, e.g. hurricanes and earthquakes, and/or of man-made origins. Waste and pollution from man-made activities such as wars, explosions, accidents, chemical spills, etc. has caused enormous threats to all life forms on earth. This video gives a summary on the 25 biggest environmental disasters of history, however waste and pollution remain to be major threats for all life forms on earth.

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.

Nomads, 30-40 millions in 1995 around the world, roaming around and moving from one place to another for pasture or hunter-gatherer is a fast disappearing life-style. Reindeer have been herded for centuries in polar and sub-polar regions, horses remain national symbols in Mongolia and camels are still the perfect choice in the Sahara. After the industrial revolution “mechanization” and with increasing dependence on fossil-fuel, urbanization became “magnets” causing considerable drainage of people to technology and modern life, even without basic knowledge about the requirements and threats of the new life.

“There’s no place like home”, but with the advance of science and technology the definition of home becomes much different in particular in the era of globalization and the Internet. The choice between staying home and being drained to new life-styles may create conflicts between generations and communities or at least cause separation and fragmentation in families.

The weather in the polar mountains can turn in just a few minutes and at the artic circle conditions can be extreme. The ways of life, learning and even childbirth are often intense. People living in the tundra are accustomed to a nomadic life. Tents are their homes, food is basic, and the deer is king. They don’t watch TV or don’t use internet. Children do go to boarding schools, but not all parents are in favor of them. A well-known writer and teacher created her own alternative education for the children of the tundra as she believes that a good education should be based on the essential skills needed to survive in the artic far north. She explains that our constitution clearly says our indigenous children must have free education but it doesn’t say free life care. In schools everything is done for the children and later on they face life without to know how to do ordinary things, as they don’t have that knowledge when they leave schools. Children become gradually separated from their roots, loose ties with other generations and when graduated from school they have to decide between going to higher education or back to the tundra. What to choose when they already separated from home and are not able to establish roots at home?

Find out more about life and education in the tundra.

To understand the importance of temperature for the sustainability of life on earth we have to examine how our environment looks like in different climate zones, i.e. at different average temperatures around the year, with different ranges and extremes of temperature. These are central in climate issues and the ongoing debate on the impacts of global warming.

How cold is cold and how hot is hot is, for several reasons, important for us to know. This is not only vital for our lives and living environments but also how the technology we are dependent on in our houses, cities and villages operates. Temperature has several impacts on biological, chemical and physical reactions/behavior of everything around us. Human bodies, for example, have an optimum universal temperature of 37 degrees Celsius for healthy functioning and few degrees change in this temperature may indicate threats and even endanger lives. For other species temperature is also important, elephants wouldn’t survive in Siberia as much as beers wouldn’t exist in “Death Depression”. However, reindeers are perfectly suited for Siberia and camels can survive the harsh conditions of Sahara, deserts and even the heat of “Death Depression”. Temperature has several impacts on water, in hot arid zones you would never find fresh surface-water as is the case of “Death Depression”, and at the very low temperatures of Siberia you wouldn’t find water running on the surface either, i.e. only snow or ice. In both cases, you would have either desert or “permafrost”, i.e. permanently frozen soils, with little on no possibility for agriculture, food, controlled animal husbandry and production.

What concerns technology, there are no need for refrigerators in Siberia and no need for warming houses by fire/electricity in Kenya or Tanzania. Construction of ventilation, water piping and sanitation facilities as well as transport, communication and health-care infrastructures can be much different in very hot and very cold areas. Costs and operation of public and private services and infrastructures would be much different at extreme temperature and weather conditions. We have to take in consideration that different extreme temperatures mean different extreme weather conditions as well. In some cases, functioning and maintenance would be costly, technically complex or even unrealistic. Also, for the agriculture, i.e. food, feed, fuel and fiber production, consumption and conservation of natural resources.

We can feel heat/cold through the “sense” of our skin that has “sensors” to tell about the how hot/cold objectives around us are. But, this is in narrow limits of temperature range “hot/cold” and with cost of damaging the skin and/or the body. Thermometers or heat/cold “sensors” are much better instruments to measure the temperature, i.e. the property that describes how hot or cold things are and in terms of absolute units. Among international units to measure the temperature is degrees Celsius, however other systems of units exist, e.g. degrees Fahrenheit in the US. Anders Celsius, Swedish scientist, came with the elegant “Celsius” scale for measuring the temperature by relating it to the properties of water at sea level, i.e. where the atmospheric pressure is defined to be normal. The zero degrees Celsius is where water gets frozen and 100 degrees Celsius is when water boils.

Additional examples of life conditions at extreme temperatures and weather conditions will be given and described on other occasions.

http://www.policymic.com/articles/80809/12-incredible-photos-of-the-coldest-city-in-the-world

Lake Victoria, the second largest fresh-water body in the world and a water resource shared by three East African countries, is an enormous water resource facing collective mis-management on several levels. Lake Victoria is under considerable pollution pressures causing softly and steadily killing of its bio-diversity in addition to a real risk for drying-up from “global warming”.

An example is Jinja town, population of 300 000 people, that is rising after so many years of decline to claim the glory it lost so many years ago. However, the time is running out not only for the town and its population but for the whole water body of Lake Victoria. There is an accelerating pollution, abuse of environment and water resources due to limited access to waste and solid-waste treatment from industry, agriculture, household, rubbish damp and sanitation. Many industrial (more than 70 factories in Jinja only with high pollution incidents) , agricultural, household activities are releasing huge amounts of waste and pollutants to Lake Victoria.

The fishing, transport of people and goods to the main land and other public services suffer from random management, fragmented policies, and lack of collective protection and management actions. Fish population is declining as consequence of the damage the food-web dynamics of the lake and the natural functioning and metabolism in the lake because of heavy loads of nutrients, pollutants and siltation. Over-fishing of  the so-called “fish-of-choice” a small fish lower down in the food-web that is destroying the natural balance of the food-web and causing the collapse of the overall fish-population dynamics.

Poor infra-structures and water drainage systems from forest, agriculture, household and sanitation along with erosion and re-suspension of sediments due to man-made and animal activities are causing excess delivery of nutrients, accelerating “eutrophication” and decreasing levels of oxygen and thereby death and increasing prices of fish. The degradation of water quality will, also, force gradual and rapid increase in the proces of clean water.

The Nile Basin Countries are facing two major long-term and large-scale threats that can lead to the total collapse of the water resources in the whole Nile system, i.e. from the very sources at its origin “up-stream” to its final fate at the deltas “down-stream”.  These major threats are related to climate change “global warming” and environmental degradation because of waste and pollution (from energy, industry, agriculture and household). To deal with these major threats, i.e. mitigation and solutions, the Nile Basin countries need to develop and implement sustainable management strategies/policies. In this context, achieving sustainable socio-economic developments in the Nile Basin region, which indeed applies also to the other parts of the MENA region, requires coupling public awareness, education, science and technology programs to society, population and markets needs.

The accelerating consumption of WE-resources “Water and Energy Resources” in the MENA region has huge negative long-term and large-scale impacts on achieving sustainable socio-economic developments in the whole region. The same threats are emerging in the Nile Basin region. Effective large-scale and long-term solutions are urgently required for developing and implementing WE-saving technologies in all society sectors and on all levels.

http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20130418161903

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

Worldwide water governance has been challenged on several levels from local up to international though the existing forces are beyond human control, e.g. growing human population, increasing diversity in economic activities, enhanced competition on water resources, threats of climate disruption on water balance and availability. Sustainable management of natural resources is facing challenges in particular policy-making, the  implementation of laws, interpretation of international treaties and conventions. Examples are the trans-boundary water issues and disputes between upstream-downstream countries due to divergence in utilization of water resources for power generation, industry, agriculture and household uses. Water scarcity and security are typical issues in the MENA region and have caused disputes in the Nile Basin and Israel-Palestine area. This is, also, the case in other parts of the world, e.g. between India and Pakistan.

Other challenges are: affordable access to safe drinking water as a human right, e.g. sanitation and health issues in Sub-Saharan Africa; the needs for ways to measure access to improved water and unimproved water; the push to privatize water resources to drive efficiency and water trade; drought management and impacts of climate change. In global perspective water as a human right is not totally agreed upon, e.g. by the US and others international donors and what concerns affordability there are still more efforts to be done.

A panel discussion on contemporary challenges is given here on the sustainable use of the world’s freshwater resources, and the effectiveness of international law, e.g. international human right law, international environmental law and others, to meet existing challenges.

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

Humans have always worried about weather not only on for days and short-terms but also distant future and over longer periods (climate) especially for food security, living and for creation of settlements.  Future Tellers, Horoscope or Science are different forms of predicting the unpredictable depending on cultural, social and economic conditions. For science “what you can’t measure doesn’t exist”, even though there are uncertainties in “weather/climate” sciences as such knowledge rely on models. First we develop models through existing knowledge, we keeting improving knwledge through research. Then in parallel models are developed, tested and improved untill they can reproduce the reality and if so the models become reliable and acceptable. What regards climate and weather we seek answers on when, where, how and to which extent the climate/weather would/can be, also assessing the expected disasters, damage, losses and costs. Such knowledge/data are helpful what regards management and actions.

The best journal in science “Nature, Climate Change” has published data from the most accurate model yet developed showing that annual floods in Europe will increase four fold and the associated annual costs will be 23.5 bn Euros by the middle of the century. About 2/3 of these changes are due to human development and not by climate change. It is clear now that instead of assessing individual flood risks, maximum water discharges over large numbers of river basins or parts of catchments can give much better predictions what regards large-scale and long-term predictions.

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)