Coherent and wholistic water management strategies are still required for the Nile Basin region especially with increasing population, accelerating needs for diversified uses, enhanced degradation in water quality because of waste, pollution and sanitation as well as existing threats from global warming.
The current trends in the international security environments are very dynamic and constantly changing and shifting. Tension in major parts of the world are in best cases persistent, if not growing e.g. Europe. New and serious tensions are to emerge more and more, e.g. the MENA region and Africa. All these tensions either existing or emetging are caused by transnational criminality or by old ethic, religious, territorial or separatist disputes to contest existing borders.
Honeybee loss can induce global threats for food production as it is estimated that one third of the entire world’s food supply comes from pollination. Pesticides are a key suspect for honeybee loss and there is something that we can all do to counteract their use.
Colony collapse disorder (CCD) is a global phenomenon in which worker bees from European and North American hineybee colonies abruptly disappear. Colony collapse disorder is significant economically because many agricultural crops worldwide are being pollinated honey bees (http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colony_collapse_disorder).
The negative effects of the honeybee shortage were predicted years ago and there are several theorized causes of colony collapse disorder, from disease, to mites, to pesticides. However, in recent studies, e.g. U.C. Davis, where large sample of hives was examined, as much as 150 different chemical residues were found on the bees.
http://www.realfarmacy.com/effects-of-colony-collapse-disorder-now-manifesting-in-california/
Water means everything from health, nature, urbanization, industry, energy, food and equality. It is part of our daily life everywhere and at anytime. It is the heart of sustainability and essence of life. Today the 22nd of March, World Water Day, is an occasion for us to celebrate water as ancient Egyptians did (http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flooding_of_the_Nile). To promote water and sanitation in Africa there is a dedicated Facebook page for communication and information, visit it at: (https://m.facebook.com/commonwealthafricabuja/posts/1610941099118189).
http://www.unwater.org/worldwaterday/
Egypt is in on its feet again after years of turmoil. On the top of Egypt’s long-term renaissance strategy is providing energy, housing, education and work for its growing population, in particular young people.
The MENA region as whole is investing heavily in renewable energy, unlike Iran with much investment in nuclear solutions. It is the particular geographical situation of the MENA region by being rich with solar resources and the long-term needs for desalination, water treatment and wastewater treatment, all of which are much power dependent. The region as whole still needs appropriate policies and sustainable long-term solutions for affordable and accessible water resources because of the arid and semi-arid nature of the region. Also, the negative impacts of climate change, in particular Egyptian Nile-delta, accelerating pressures not only of groundwater resources but also surface waters of the Jordan River, the Tigris-Euphrates River Basin, and the Nile River and their catchments with huge populations. Sound and sustainable large-scale and long-term policies for protection and conservation of the natural resources in the MENA region against waste and pollution are, also, important emerging necessities.
http://www.utilities-me.com/article-3326-mena-renewable-energy-zeal-spreads-to-egypt/#.VQv6kYp86nN
If you can not measure it, it does not exist and if you can measure it properly you would not be able to control it.
What is sustainability and how can we measure it, below are some information. To know more follow, share and contribute in: http://sustain-earth.com to know more
Water management is becoming IMPERATIVE with the increasing concern about the effects and impacts of global warming. Many ancient civilizations, if not all, evolved and sustained around water resources by using intensive water-demanding irrigation techniques.
The MENA region which helped birth of earliest agricultural civilizations is now signaling one of the strongest warnings of its mortality. It lost huge amount of its water resources mostly because the groundwater pumped up and out of the region’s fragile aquifers for irrigation. Groundwater is/was being over-pumped, some massively so, at rates much higher than ability to recharge. Ongoing global warming poses further threats for additiknal severe decline in groundwater resources unless counter measures and mitigation actions can be done.
http://ensia.com/features/groundwater-wake-up/
Be part of a new future and join the ongoing changes in one of the most dynamic regions in the world where all challenges, but yet diverse and new possibilities, for socio-economic developments, co-exist.
Hear what global investors tell about investing in Egypt. The call is still opened for any to join and respond to people’s call for major changes. Yes, you can contribute in creating sustainsble societies.
Among the new plans for the socio-economic developments of Egypt a new capital “New Cairo” is planned to be established in region of the Red Sea so the pressure on the existing capital can be mitigated. Interesting enough the Red Sea region and Sinai, including the Suez Canal are becoming among the major changes and reforms in “Egypt the Future”. https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=941998875850439
To know more visit also, http://m.bbc.com/news/business-31874886
Flooding is among major threats in many countries around the world. Global warming is a modern man-made driver of negative feedback impacts on the global water cycle.
World Vision Australia is a member of the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID) and adheres to the ACFID Code of Conduct which defines minimum standards of governance, management and accountability of development for non-government organisations (NGOs). http://worldvision.com.au/home/defaultverD.aspx?lpos=top_drop_0_Home
To know more about flooding visit: http://montagepages.fuselabs.com/public/Benji-kun/Floods/3cc1dea9-0708-4b2a-a127-389832eea821.htm
Life quality on earth is very much related to the interaction of humans with nature and their impacts on functioning and metabolism of the environmental systems.
International Conference. Adelaide 31st March 2015 “Clean and Green Environment: Creating Resilient World For All”
http://missioncleanenvironment.com.au/#openModal
Clean and crime free environment to all living creatures on our earth is a mission humanity. This mission is not only limited to science and politics. Active contributions of all of us, our awareness of existing realities and our continuous support for scientific and political efforts are IMPERATIVE for achieving sustainable socio-economic developments worldwide. We are sharing one planet for living and our lives are dependent on sharing clean air, water and food. To have clean and crime free environment, not only for us but also for the future generations, we need to have all the necessary instruments, actions and efforts for conservation and protection of our common natural resources on earth.
http://missioncleanenvironment.com.au
It is not new that science and politics don’t mix, and there are increasing gaps in many societies between facts and values because of the different paths of historical evolution, limited exchanges in micro-cultures and also between major civilizations. Steven Pinker, professor of psychology at Harvard University, recently wrote an essay for the New Republic in defense of science. As is the case everywhere around the world, science is under attack for its arrogance, vulgarity and narrowness of vision. But is this true? If not why? What are the limits of science and politics? Who has the right to decide this? Above all what are the consequences if science and politics run in conflict? When, how and where this takes place? These are important, if not essential, questions but the answers are not simple or straightforward and the debate will go on for generations.
Why is this happening? Pinker asks. Because, he says, science is intruding on the humanities, disciplines lacking in vitality or any real purpose of their own, and the intrusion is resented. Far from deriding science as a campaign to diminish and oversimplify — to reduce beauty to brain chemistry, say, or ethics to natural selection — the humanities should welcome science as a source of new inspiration: “Surely our conceptions of politics, culture, and morality have much to learn from our best understanding of the physical universe and of our makeup as a species.”
Science is judged by quality and has its own limits. However, it is always expecting respect, as is the case for values. Quality has “scientific” instruments for assessment but the limits of science are described by the distinction between facts and values. Values have other “cultural” frames to be judged upon and assessed, even economic and environmental issues are finding their way into values. Here, comes a continuous dilemma and paradox, science is practiced and done by “minorities” though its content “facts” is still shaped by the needs of the society, at least in societies that recognize the importance of science. It is, also, true that politics seek help from science whenever is necessary. This isn’t to deny that science “facts” can shed light on “values”, make moral values intelligible in physical terms, it can explain how certain moral instincts might confer an evolutionary advantage, or why they might persist. It can show that the supposed empirical basis for some moral values is simply false. Values, on the other hand, are practiced by majorities in societies, if not by everyone, and they have their own “codes of conduct” which get support by political parties and have more legitimate status through elections and political systems. Values have, therefore, enormous momentum in many societies especially where science is week with has little support.
“Though the scientific facts do not by themselves dictate values,” Pinker goes on, “they certainly hem in the possibilities.” He’s right about this — but the second point, though interesting, is much less important than the first. Science can’t dictate values. That’s what matters. And because it can’t dictate values, it can’t dictate courses of action.
Science is always seeking respect especially when it acts beyond the limits set by politics. Climate science for example, as viewed by non-experts is a far-flung family of loosely related disciplines, which resulted in a set of costly and controversial policy proposals. This is not strange because of the extent and dimensions of the threats and as many climate scientists require urgent measures to cut greenhouse-gas emissions. Still there is criticism that The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which will release its fifth assessment report on global warming next year, is an advocacy organization rather than a neutral compiler of scientific evidence. But who would invent appropriate solutions without having the knowledge and how-how to decide how, why, where and when? What to do about climate change is indeed not only a political question and if so where were the politicians? What do they want? What are their arguments? Who would take the responsibility when things go wrong? “Business as usual” still is requiring science to be cautious and do not mix with politics.
http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2013-08-20/why-science-and-politics-don-t-mix
Amazing conclusions from continuous and comprehensive global research that are based on all developments in science as a whole “big science”. They involve, also, integrated global observations on several scales and enormous human thinking and intelligence of the whole past century. It is how climate change shaped and formed global creativity (http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2014/nov/05/climate-change-theatre-2071-katie-mitchell-duncan-macmillan) to bring politics and science for a better future. A future we want to create and for generations to come. Climate change is not just about science – it’s about creating the future (http://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/nov/22/-sp-climate-change-special-report).
Saving is essential not only in economic terms but is also for the very sake of lasting survival, not only our survival but the protection and preservation of life on the planet. It took us so much time to arrive to the conclusion that “production and consumption” of natural resources, in particular fossil fuel, at the existing rapid speed is not more than destruction and annihilation of our life. It is a hard conclusion and inconvenient reality that much of the fossil fuel of the planet must stay buried and not to be burned. For the coming decades, until 2050 and beyond, the emission of carbon dioxide has to be cut down to zero which essentially mean much of the fossil fuel on the planet has not to be burned.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jan/07/much-worlds-fossil-fuel-reserve-must-stay-buried-prevent-climate-change-study-says
Climate change creativity
The Millennium Development Goals promised to reduce poverty by half by 2015. Why are Africa and India so far behind in reaching this target? Follow the Big Debate about “Why Poverty?” with panel of top world politicians, ministers, writers and policy-makers from UK, Nigeria, India and South Africa as well as participants from business leaders, academics, activists and students: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JD7nB8tRc4&app=desktop.
Mining is one of the big industries in Africa that is supposed to contribute in erasing its poverty. However, though the enormous mineral resources in Africa, the question still remains “Does Mining Benefit Africa?”. Follow the Big Debate on this topic with focus on where the income and wealth of Africa’s minerals ends up? Is the benefit is still for the investors and not for the population? Would Africa be able to develop education, health, sanitation and transport infrastructures from such wealth? Are the taxation systems correct, accountable and transparent? Whether or not Africa is heading to an overall privatization, how would public services be developed? All in all would poverty is still remain when all the mineral resources in Africa are consumed? Many facts and information are uncovered from top politicians, government and finance bodies, mining industries, World Bank, policy-makers and activists from Africa as well as representatives from international companies and others bodies of relevance to the topic.
Would we still hear the same story, again and again, a worker in the mining industry after 22 years of loyalty in a company reporting billions in profit still has no electricity, no sanitation and continue to live in poverty!
Clear, clean waters and healthy air in fresh, quite and relaxing environment are among essential features of high quality tourism. Many more extra enjoyable wishes of exotic, healthy, fresh and delicious food make your relaxing holidays unforgettable memory in your life.
Escape commercialized tourist and spend days in healthiest and purest marine life, “blue river” that it’s clean enough to drink, entire river water from the glaciers and snowfields, making it of the purest quality. Relax on “white beaches” that truly lives up to their names, as pure as being remote, walk along powdery white sand and swim in crystal clear waters with ideal conditions for kite-boarding. Experience beauty that cannot be captured even in the most cinematographic movies with amazing marine life and a huge amount of amazing, deep ocean fish.
http://www.therichest.com/expensive-lifestyle/location/15-clearest-waters-in-the-world-to-swim-in-before-you-die/
Different forms of solid waste have diverse negative impacts on quality of natural waters. All humans, either directly or indirectly, produce garbage from household or/and waste and pollution from work places, i.e. private and public sectors. So, we all make it and we all hate it.
Surface and groundwaters, on various combinations and levels, are important parts of water resources that support the national economies and social developments around the world. In China for example, over 400 cities exploit groundwater and many of them use groundwater as the only source of supply. With this a series of problems emerge gradually just as river waters have been over-used and polluted in many parts of the world, so have groundwater. The governance of groundwater is becoming very urgent after years of researches on the nature and pollution mechanism of contaminants in the groundwater (also coupled interactions between surface and groundwater), i.e. pollution sources, the fate and transport of chemicals and organic pollutants. This in addition to increasing knowledge on landfills, leaking sewers, oil storage tanks, pesticides, fertilizer and septic tanks (http://www.intechopen.com/books/organic-pollutants-monitoring-risk-and-treatment/the-investigation-and-assessment-on-groundwater-organic-pollution). Some aspects on groundwater contamination and pollution in Canada are given at (https://www.ec.gc.ca/eau-water/default.asp?lang=En&n=6A7FB7B2-1), new threats are also emerging from production and processing of oil sands (or tar sands). More about ground-water contamination and related threats in cities and many rural homes, that are dependent on the use of groundwater for drinking and other household purposes, are given at (http://oceanworld.tamu.edu/resources/environment-book/groundwatercontamination.html).
In this context, Europe has indeed the best waste performing countries in the world in terms of e.g. lowest percentage of landfills, highest benefits from recycling and energy gain from waste. Some examples are Estonia (http://www.zerowasteeurope.eu/2014/04/and-the-best-waste-performing-country-in-europe-is-estonia/); The Netherlands (http://www.iamexpat.nl/read-and-discuss/expat-page/news/netherlands-has-the-best-waste-management-in-europe); and Sweden (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAe4fVtPsCs&feature=youtu.be).
USA produces more garbage per person (230 000 000 tons every year) than any other country on the planet, it has biggest mega landfills and it is still lacking behind what regards recycling and waste management.
Food is a daily concern not only for us but also to grow up whatever we need to eat as well! How much do we know about food production, in particular animal and meat production? How much water and energy are needed for such production, also what are the impacts of such production on our environment and health? An interesting issue is the production of chicken and eggs, by being by far most popular food items in the market. Here is a good example of high-quality production and preparation of eggs for the market and consumers (https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10203243637959486&id=1465162541).
The ever-increasing world population is requiring more and more chicken and eggs but how can humans cope with the increasing pressures on chicken? Yet the world has not yet reached peak chicken (http://m.motherjones.com/environment/2013/08/peak-chicken). What about “organic or eco” production; what are the diverse culture and ethics in chicken production and processing? With increasing pressures on water-energy resources how would we sustain farming and production in terms of feeding? Could insects feed animals of tomorrow’s meat industry? If so, what are the challenges posed from convoluted legislation and possible health risks? Indeed, The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization released a report (pdf) last year promoting the introduction of insects into both our diets and animal feed. Scientists and researchers, also claim that “other protein sources for livestock and aquaculture are urgently needed” which in real life terms can be understandable. However, some scientists and researchers even suggest that insects are ideal in this context as they can be “sustainably reared” on vegetable and domestic waste as well as byproducts from slaughterhouses. But startups recognize that for consumers, the thought of directly eating insects is often hard to stomach.
http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2014/dec/08/insects-feed-animals-meat-industry-startup-food
