Food is a pleasure that has found many ways to adapt to the country where they are prepared. The ingredients, although they may appear similar to those of other continents, there is always a unique stamp associated with the taste of each dish depending on processing, origin of meat or vegetables and spices being used (http://www.whichcountry.co/countries-with-best-food/).

However, food is not only a pleasure of the taste. There are very much to learn about global cultures and habits and importance of agriculture, farming, food production and processing. Why some countries are better than others and why, for example, The Netherlands is ranked best in world food systems (http://www.undercurrentnews.com/2014/01/15/netherlands-ranked-best-in-world-food-systems/). Also, why European countries and Australia are among the ten best countries. The challenges countries faced in getting enough of the right food are dependent on many factors. Oxfam’s Good Enough to Eat Index asked four core questions using two measures each in order to get a global ranking of eating in terms of accessibility, affordability and quality of food, and the unhealthy outcomes of people’s diet. Here are these questions and measures used in the global assessment and ranking:  1. Do people have enough to eat? – Measured by levels of undernourishment and underweight children; 2. Can people afford to eat? – Measured by food price levels compared to other goods and services and food price volatility; 3. Is food of good quality? – Measured by diversity of diet and access to clean and safe water; and 4. What is the extent of unhealthy outcomes of people’s diet? – Measured by diabetes and obesity.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/tasneemnashrulla/the-best-and-worst-countries-in-the-world-for-eating#i7aod3

Sustainability issues are imperative for the survival and any technology. Lead, as other toxic compounds, has negative environmental and ecological impacts both what concerns air and water quality.

Researchers from USA and U.K. came up with new research where they claim could be a win-win solution for new long-lasting solar panels that provide emissions-free power. The idea is to use recycled lead from discarded car batteries to produce solar cells using perovskite “organo-lead halide perovskite”. This technology has rapidly progressed from initial experiments to a point where its efficiency is nearly competitive with other types of solar cells. Perovskite technology identified its use of lead as a drawback. Researchers claim that using recycled lead from old car batteries can save the environment insteed of the energy and waste demanding lead mining. Also, such technology can benefit from excess lead in the future markets because of production of new lead-free batteries.

Production of “perovskite” solar cells is relatively simple and economic as the process can be done at low-temperature with reduced number of steps as compared with the manufacture of conventional solar cells. So, it would be “easy to get to large scale cheaply”. Questions still remain (https://www.businessspectator.com.au/article/2014/8/19/solar-energy/revolutionary-perovskite-solar-cells-could-be-game-changer-questions) about how this technology become sustainable: (1) would large-scale production require additional lead mining as lead-recycling is currently used to produce lead-batteries, i.e. before there is complete shift to new car-batteries?; (2) would lead used in this technology be capsulated with no leak to the environment under the life-time of solar cells?; (3) would the life-time of “perovskite-based” solar cell be as long as traditional solar cells?

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2014/08/recycling-old-batteries-into-solar-cells?cmpid=SolarNL-Tuesday-August19-2014

“Knowledge” is needed in all sectors and on all levels in any society, however the content of knowledge for achieving “sustainable socio-economic developments” needs not necessarily to be of the same components, structure and organization. To bring about changes and developments in any society knowledge has to be “fresh” in the sense that it has to be up-dated or “refreshed” not only to mitigate historical imparities but also to meet emerging necessities and to have capabilities and instruments to deal with any future known or unknown challenges. Knowledge has, also, to be individually adapted to maximize engagement and integration of all citizens and stakeholders for the benefits and welfare of the society.

In our ICT-based “Information Communication Technology” societies there are huge capital and diversity of knowledge resources, though needs of more knowledge still remain to be among essential priorities. Problems and difficulties in many societies for bringing about changes, especially what regards sustainable developments, are not a priori related to availability and accessibility of knowledge but rather the management of knowledge in terms of structure, transfer and adaption on both vertical and horizontal levels. In this context, instruments for appropriate coupling of science and technology to society and market needs is an imperative part of structuring, transferring and adapting knowledge. This is the essence core of successful knowledge-management policies where the coupling goes through citizens and stakeholders, i.e. within and between the very building blocks in the society, i.e. “individuals” and “groups”, in all society levels and sectors.

Services, i.e. serve and get served, production and consumption have to be shaped and based on sound economic policies involving all basic sustainability requirements, i.e. the conservation and protection of natural resources. If all natural resources are consumed, wasted and/or degraded, then it wouldn’t be possible to have life any more. In a knowledge-based society difficulties don’t exist in how knowledge can be obtained and how “citizens”, as carriers, transformers and generators of knowledge, can be engaged to form and shape “consumption”, “production” and “services” for the benefit of their society. The optimum functioning of any society is therefore a balance of these components: why knowledge is needed; what and when knowledge is required; how can knowledge can be produced, transferred, disseminated and propagated.

A major part of the capital knowledge of humans is stored in “virtual memories” around the world. However, such knowledge is accessible but not necessarily affordable for everyone. The Internet provides knowledge with variable quality and in a very scattered and random way though search engines may provide certain limited structuring. Traditional sources of knowledge through libraries are still important sources to “on-line” publishing with excellent audio-visual illustrations and “open-access” versions. In social and human sciences, for example, morals and ethics can be biased by historical misconceptions with negative impacts on freedom of speech as expressed by the public on the Internet. Quality of knowledge is, therefore, essential not only for sustainable socio-economic development but also for lasting security, safety and political stability.

Issues and topics of relevance for achieving socio-economic developments around the world are being discussed and detalied in http://sustain-earth.com

According to a report by sustainability investment firm Robecosam Sweden is ranked as the most sustainable country in the world. But why? and such a status was achieved? What long-time is took to get their? and how it was possible to revert Sweden poverty to what Sweden is today?

Some reasons are its use of renewable energy sources and low carbon dioxide emissions, as well as social and governance practices such as labor participation, education and institutional framework.

Follow http://sustain-earth.com to know more about sustainability.

http://www.environmentalleader.com/2013/08/19/sweden-most-sustainable-country-in-the-world/

Water quality is often understood in its narrowest meaning where the focus is limited and reduced to portable water. Often at homes, schools, and communities as well as even among policy-makers and politicians, especially in developing countries, the knowledge is still limited to drinking water. This can be true on short-term and small-scale levels to secure affordable and accessible water resources with acceptable quality to mitigate immediate and epidemic impacts on human health.

However, this understanding has generated serious and widespread global threats with disastrous impacts on ecosystem and human health worldwide. This is evident from historical “palaeo-environmental” data that gives information on evolution of water quality and its degradation in natural water resources, e.g. rivers, lakes, reservoirs, marine coasts, wetlands and groundwater. Long-term and large-scale monitoring of the quality of natural water resources and associated impacts on eco-system and human health are IMPERATIVE and there are standard ways to do such studies. Typically, there are two approaches: (1) continuous monitoring of contemporaneous water quality status, such as those given in the present report given in the provided link; (2) full historical records on the evolution of water quality due to point/diffuse pollution sources.

Both approaches are necessary have different and important benefits. The first one is used for “Early Warning” with direct coupling to enforce regulation and laws on stakeholders regarding production of waste/pollution, also to take necessary measures and solutions to cope with the threats, and to give relevant information to the public. While, the second is important for uncovering long-term and large-scale impacts on water quality, e.g. acidification, eutrophication, chemical pollution, other industry/agriculture associated threats and climate impacts. It is, also, useful for assessing consequences of environmental and ecological impacts of pollution/waste in terms of their cycles from source to sink. This outcome of the seconds approach has feedback impacts on international laws and regulations and for implementation appropriate rehabilitation strategies.

Click to access water_quality_human_health.pdf

Several man-made toxic products from agriculture and industry, e.g. mercury, lead, chromium and other toxic compounds, rob years of healthy life from millions each year. These toxic compounds are either emitted to the atmosphere or injected into water. However, arsenic from natural origins in toxic levels can be found in groundwater as well.

Here are only some examples of worst toxic pollutants. Arsenic leaching into groundwater afflicts some 750,000 people, largely in south Asia. This can can lead to abnormal heartbeat, blood vessel damage and cancer, among other ill effects. Dry waste from LEAD–ACID BATTERIES, can cause very fine lead oxide to be inhaled or otherwise absorbed into the body with negative effects on the nerve-system. CARCINOGENIC CHROMIUM used for turning hides into leather is, also, toxic. Clusters of such tanneries in countries such as Bangladesh produce vast quantities of toxic pollution in wastewater or as solid waste. Pesticide Problems in agriculture induce skin irritation and can cause cancer. Industrial wastewater flowing in an open drain with several toxic compounds, for example the Malir River in Karachi, Pakistan, boasts lead levels of 100 times higher than the health standards for irrigation water. Elemental mercury “quicksilver” used in separation of gold in slurry cause development of disorder and affects the central nervous system.  SMELTER, e.g million metric tons of lead are produced annually by separating it from mined ore.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/slideshow/10-worst-toxic-pollution-problems-slide-show/

Pioneer experiments to be carried out by Norwegian scientists, at the Technological Center Mongstad, to capture carbon dioxide and turn it into food, in form of algae, for fish farming in sea water. This means reducing global warming, enhancing bio-production and conservation of fresh-water. Similar innovations where natural resources are being used as essential parts for multi-solutions of complex threats are needed in long-term and large-scale policies to mitigate the collective threats from global warming, i.e. fresh-water scarcity, food constrains and other associated impacts from climate change threats.

The new technique could, in theory, absorb the gases responsible for global warming and at the same time provide sustainable fish food. It involves, also, production of omega-3 rich raw material for fish feed from algae. Fish need Omega-3 fatty acids that can be hard to get in the farmed fish sector, however in natural habitats fish accumulate these essential chemicals by ingesting algae. Farmed fish cannot do this and instead require a food supplement.

http://www.digitaljournal.com/science/norway-experiments-with-fish-food-made-from-carbon-dioxide/article/390634?utm_content=buffereb09c&utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkedin.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Food pollution is a global threat and the very origin of food pollution is polluted water or/and polluted soil as failing farming and agriculture practices. “Sustain-earth” will bring to you more information and data on existing global threats that cause degradation in food quality and the growing fear from unhealthy food.

http://love-theearth.com/en/food/food05/

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 human waste is growing faster than the increasing global population. By the end of this century, the production of waste is expected to peak at three-times today’s current generation rate. Urbanization “Cities” is supposed to be the best bet we have to meet global poverty reduction targets through feedbacks on wealth, culture, and innovation. However, there are many severe negative impacts from urbanization on environmental conditions in particular aquatic and ecological qualities as well as the global biodiversity. Urbanization is taking place and expanding so rapid that it is, at the same time, bringing with it huge shares of the world’s GHG “Green House Gas” emissions, increasing decline in biodiversity, lots and fast generation of amounts of solid waste.

If we don’t urgently invest and put huge efforts in management of our waste and mitigating their impacts on water, eco-systems and biodiversity future generations will be forced to spend their lifetime in environmental and ecological bankruptcy resulted from our “production-consumption” civilization. Most of the time for future generation, in particular in the next century, have to be spent not only for searching about food but, also, for finding non-toxic and healthy food. The priorities of the next century will shift towards fighting against increasing degradation of environment and water resources; putting more resources, energy and efforts in waste-treatment, fighting against diseases, spending much of their resources on medication and protection from pollution and waste.

http://blogs.worldbank.org//sustainablecities/peak-waste-and-poverty-powerful-paradox

New research data is pointing towards population peak around 2055, about 8.7 billions, followed by decline to 8 billions by 2100 (http://www.cnbc.com/id/101018722).  However, according to data given below peak population could occur by the year 2070 when the population might be 9.5 or 10 billion. Previous data by the United Nations “UN” foresee further rise until 2100 to reach 10.9 billions with no peak population.

The carrying capacity of planet earth is a very much-discussed topic with many different scenarios and predictions. However, increasing amount of data have shifted towards more clear trends a converging world population towards a peak around 2050 due to the declining of global fertility. All developed, less developed and least developed regions show declining fertilities that already started around 1960. The period of continuous increase in global population because of increasing average human life span and decline in human mortality will soon be over.

http://www.camelclimatechange.org/view/article/51cbee0b7896bb431f695b54/?topic=51cbfc8ef702fc2ba812d477

World Resources Institute “WRI” has recently evaluated, mapped, and scored water risks in 100 river basins of 180 nations around the world. Assessment is carried out for the first time on country-level with consideration to area and population. In this research 36 countries face “extremely high” levels of baseline water stress. This means that more than 80 percent of the water available to agricultural, domestic, and industrial users is withdrawn annually — leaving businesses, farms, and communities vulnerable to scarcity. Baseline water stress, used as an indicator, measures how much water is withdrawn every year from rivers, streams, and shallow aquifers for domestic, agricultural, and industrial uses.

Analyzing water risk at the country level is important as such information is highly relevant for country’s economy, environment, and communities. Though water data is usually collected and reported at local geographic scales, water-related decisions and investments are often made at much larger scales, thus requiring country-level information.

Extremely high water stress can be successfully managed such as in the case of Singapore. The country is densely populated with no freshwater lakes or aquifers, and its demand for water far exceeds its naturally occurring supply. Singapore invests heavily in technology, international agreements, and responsible management, allowing it to meet its freshwater needs. Advanced rainwater capture systems contribute 20 percent of Singapore’s water supply, 40 percent is imported from Malaysia, grey water reuse adds 30 percent, and desalination produces the remaining 10 percent of the supply to meet the country’s total demand.

An important issue in this respect which is still lacking in many parts of the world is spatio-temporal water quality maps where pollution sources, both point and diffuse, are being identified. This is of importance for better conservation and protection of water resources as well as for building up solid monitoring programs for assessing the status of surface-/ground-water and associated eco-systems. Such programs give access to base-line data of natural levels of pollutants, provide bases for early-warning systems and facilitate rehabilitation actions

http://www.wri.org/blog/2013/12/world’s-36-most-water-stressed-countries

The fact that there are more “mobile phones” in Africa, and elsewhere in the developing countries around the world, than “toilets” provokes many thoughts. It is worth reasoning why such situation has developed very rapidly and still influencing and forcing many people to do so. What is interesting in this respect is neither the “mobile phones”, they are rather symbols of “technology and science”, nor the “toilets”, they are also symbols of “sanitation and hygiene”.

We have now to examine the connection between mobile phones and toilets. For many people in the developing countries it is more important and essential to have a mobile phone that having a toilet and this choice is not random. It is in fact a human paradox and we need to analyse its origin, i.e. the contradictory behaviour of humans as understood by some of us on the one side and at the same time the irrational but rather natural behaviour also of humans as understood by others on the other side. In this context, we have to take up very complex everyday dilemmas for humans, i.e. the so-called “Nexuses”. “Nexus technology-science” – technology is a consequence of science and both are very much related and dependent on each other like no fish can survive without water and water with poor quality cannot promote life for fish and produce healthy fish. “Nexus science-education” – science in itself a human product based on education, without education there would be no science and the quality of education is essential for survival of good science. One of the essential features of science is that it is neutral which is not the case what regards education and technology. Here comes the modern role of politicians, policy-makers, investors and the market at large on human behaviour, traditions and cultures and thereby the perception of education and technology on the one side and science the other. In the past few decades many of us realised the importance of political “transparency and accountability” for achieving sustainable socio-economic developments. However, no successful political system in the world operates well unless “transparency and accountability” exists in all society sectors and on all levels. This includes “transparency and accountability” within and between all society sectors including all stakeholders, communities and the very building blocks of the society, i.e. families and individuals. “Transparency and accountability” is the core essence of any healthy, functionable and sustainable democracy.

If humans make collective unsustainable decisions then the mentioned nexuses are neither properly understood nor taken in consideration to run the society. At some stage the whole chain in the society contributed in shaping the society in the wrong direction, it is a slow gradual process rather easy to develop but unfortunately very difficult to revert. It is an organised manifestation of the whole society against “transparency and accountability” rules, i.e. organized “misjudgement” which indeed don’t emanate out of thin air. Collective unsustainable decisions and organized misjudgement emerges from ignoring the role of education to foster the citizens and populations to create their own knowledge capital for achieving welfare which indeed a precondition for useful science and technology. Mobile phones and toilets are both products of science and technology but the problems in the developing countries are essentially related to the blind import of knowledge “science” and random imitation of “technology” rather than understanding through education the meaning of science and technology for human welfare.

“sustain-earth.com” main colour of “earth” is green a product of “blue” for clean water and “yellow” for clean energy. Visit, join and contribute in http://sustain-earth.com

Julian Huxley (1887-1975) a zoologist, educator and writer who played a leading role in the creation of UNESCO “United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization”. For twenty years Julian Huxley was the Vice-President of the International Commission for the History of the Scientific and Cultural Development of Mankind.

Rivers, lakes and deltas, and their catchments are major freshwater resources for the world populations. However, the increasing impacts of waste, pollution and sanitation during the past century, in particular after WW-II, caused major damage and degradation in many river and lake eco-systems around the world. We give here few examples of the most polluted rivers around the world.

http://www.wunderground.com/news/worlds-most-polluted-rivers-20130627?pageno=9