Solar panels don’t come falling out of the sky – they have to be manufactured. As is the case in any production of electronics and computer chips, this is a dirty and energy-intensive process. Raw materials have to be mined, transported and treated,  i.e. quartz sand for silicon cells and other metal ores for thin film cells. Treatment requires different steps, e.g. purification, crystallization and wafering, also deposition). Upgraded materials have to be manufactured into solar cells, assembled into modules and transported. These steps brings with them air pollution, heavy metal emissions, and they consume energy and add more greenhouse gases to the atmosphere.

How electricity from solar panels is generated (existing three scenarios of energy mix), in which part of the world (solar insolation), and for which purpose (energy generating or energy guzzling equipment) solar panels are being used, these factors allow more appropriate assessment of the ecological burden of solar panel technology. Additional relevant factor for full assessment are how solar-technology is likely to develop in future and manufacturers warranties of life expectancy versus existing consumers laws/incentives. With these factors more realistic conclusions can be deduced what concerns “energy-ecological assessment” of solar panels.

Now What is New and have to be taken in consideration. First, solar cells are far from a zero emission technology, they do add pollution and carbon dioxide to the environment, and with considerable amounts. Solar panels can be a doubtful choice in less sunny regions and solar panels mounted on gadgets are completely insane. Solar cells should be recycled but who would do it, would the huge amount of waste be transported all the way around the world to the manufacture? Also, some law or incentive should be introduced to guarantee longtime of life expectancy so as the technology can survive. If possible and as an important conclusion, solar thermal power should have priority over solar PV power.

These facts mean that ALL SUSTAINABILITY factors should be taken in consideration for the best promotion of solar technology. For example, it’s much better using solar panels to make energy generating equipment instead of energy guzzling equipment (like computers, mobile phones and car electronics). It should be realized that solar panels first raise the amount of greenhouse gasses before they help lowering them. If the world collectively would embark on giant deployment of solar energy, the first result would be massive amounts of extra greenhouse gasses, due to the enormous production of the cells. Rush using a technology that is still developing and to accept it as universal solution anywhere and for anything wouldn’t be the best eco-friendly optimized solution specially that the recycling-technology of used solar panels is not yet in place. Recycling-technologies and handling of waste and pollution of all types of industries are IMPERATIVE for conservation and protection of natural resources and the environment.

Solar planels can be only used as energy resource but petroleum “oil” is not just a fuel but thousands of products can be processed and produced from petroleum (http://www.ranken-energy.com/Products%20from%20Petroleum.htm). About 54% of petroleum is used for the processing of these products and their production doesn’t necessarily yield carbon dioxide and/or pollution and recycling technologies of these products are already in place.

http://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2008/03/the-ugly-side-o.html

The global food chain involves people that are enslaved, tortured and even killed while working to get the food that ends on our tables. One example is the seafood sold in the US, UK and Europe where enslaved people are forced to work hard and with no pay and under huge threat of extreme violence. They work under horrific conditions, including 20-hour shifts, regular beatings, torture and execution-style killings. Trafficking victims tell stories about fellow slaves murdered or committing suicide in front of them.

“Asian slave labor” are bought and sold like animals and held against their will on the fishing boats of prawns or shrimp sold in leading supermarkets around the world, including the top four global retailers: Walmart, Carrefour, Costco and Tesco. The world’s largest prawn farmer, the Thailand-based Charoen Pokphand (CP) Foods, buys fishmeal, feeding its farmed prawns, from some suppliers that own, operate or buy from fishing boats manned with slaves. CP Foods – annual turnover of $33bn (£20bn) that brands itself as “the kitchen of the world” – sells its own-brand prawn to other farms, international supermarkets, food manufacturers and food retailers, with frozen or cooked prawns and ready-made meals, also raw prawn materials for food distributors.

The alarm over slavery in the Thai fishing industry has been sounded before by non-governmental organizations and in UN reports. But the Guardian has established how the pieces of the long, complex supply chains connect slavery to leading producers and retailers. “If you buy prawns or shrimp from Thailand, you will be buying the produce of slave labor,” said Aidan McQuade, director of Anti-Slavery International.

An interesting observation made by a US researcher is that global warming introduced negative impacts on the labor market and forced people to slavery. Increasing sea level caused enhanced salinity of agricultural land in coastal areas of Asia with effects on people to leave agriculture to fishing industry and the threats of being unemployed made them victims for slavery.

http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2014/jun/10/supermarket-prawns-thailand-produced-slave-labour

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

African fertile farmland has potential not only to feed Africans but many other countries around the world. Indeed, Africa can be the next breadbasket of the world but what are the best sustainable approaches for developing the agriculture in Africa with consideration to the existing threats and needs in Africa. Agriculture in Africa doesn’t yield enough food for its population, Thailand for example currently exports more agricultural products than all sub-Saharan countries combined, yet climate change has many known and unknown threats to Africa’s yields.

Would big corporations grabbing up land on the planet’s hungriest continent be able to solve Africa’s current and future needs? Giant corporations versus small farming are two models with contrasting advantages for a continent coping with famine, poverty, threats of climate change and degradation in water quality from pollution and waste.

So far, most land deals have occurred in Africa, one of the few regions on the planet that still have millions of acres of fallow land and plentiful water available for irrigation. Cheep land and labor makes Africa very attractive for agricultural investments but with negative impacts on poor African small farmers. Chirime’s situation is what small farmers are currently facing in Africa and it is hardly unique. She’s just one character in the biggest story in modern global agriculture reality. The situation as such is an unlikely quest to turn sub-Saharan Africa, historically one of the hungriest places on the planet, into a major new breadbasket for the world. But who will do the farming in Africa’s future? Will it be poor farmers like Chirime working one-acre plots, who make up roughly 70 percent of the Africa’s labor force? Or will it be giant corporations like Wanbao, operating industrial farms like those of American Midwest?

Humanitarian groups that deal with global hunger and peasants’ rights call corporate land deals neocolonialism and agri-imperialism. Yet veterans of agricultural development say the massive infusion of private cash, infrastructure, and technology that such deals may bring to poor rural areas could be a catalyst for desperately needed development—if big projects and small farmers can work together. But, how the land rights of the people can be protected, the global poverty be significantly reduced? Who would implement sustainable policies for the mitigation of climate change? Who would develop large-scale and long-term actions for conservation of water resources and protection against pollution and waste? With the existing threats of increasing soil erosion, and expected degradation in soil fertility, how/when land-water management strategies would be planned, coordinated and implemented to achieve sustainable socio-economic developments in Africa?

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/foodfeatures/land-grab/

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.

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

Increasing consumption of water for agriculture and food production, as consequence of feeding an ever growing world population, is causing geographical expansion of “Peak Water” around the world. Lack of sufficient water for irrigation and food production is already turning vast regions of land to “virtual deserts” that gradually and eventually will develop to permanent deserts through an accelerating degradation of soil quality and erosion of top fertile soils.

Also, the increasing decoupling of “surface water – groundwater” through the action of “Peak Water” in combination with degradation in soil quality, i.e. decreasing organic content “mineralisation”, will force increasing water-consumption for irrigation with gradual development of “Virtual deserts”. Furthermore, excessive use of surface water and groundwater pumping in combination with global warming will enhance expansion of dry land.

http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2013/jul/06/food-supply-threat-water-wells-dry-up

Decisions of what type of energy resources we should invest in have long-term and large-scale impacts on the ecological quality of water and soil fertility. One issue, which is not very well searched, is the impacts of hydropower on the ecological quality of water that gives rise soil fertility. Both the ecological quality of water and soil fertility are very important for biodiversity and food production.

Hydropower is by definition a major interference in the natural hydrological cycle of surface water where erosion at up-stream high-land regions is essential process for promoting soil fertility in river catchments and river deltas in down-stream and low-land regions. In previous cases, e.g. the Aswan high-dam, the natural fertility at down-stream and delta areas was mitigated by heavy use of artificial fertilization. Artificial fertilization will not last for long-term as it is a non-renewable resource in addition to the long-term and large-scale environmental risks associated with it in terms of use and production.

In most of the energy debates the focus, so far, has been on reduction of carbon dioxide “green-house gas” so as to minimize the effect of global warming and its associated impacts. That is of course necessary but at the same time we have to consider other major impacts on the water cycle because of “Water-Energy Nexus” and in this context we have to take such aspects while we are about to implement policies for the use of “oil sand” or tar sand”. “Oil sand” or tar sand” is another case where in addition to risks for increased carbon dioxide emissions, there are clear negative impacts on water and ecological qualities.

Though the negative impacts of hydropower on ecological water quality and soil fertility may not be of the same dimensions as the benefits from hydropower, such impacts have to be taken in consideration for optimization of overall long-term and large-scale uses of “Water-Energy” resources. What we need to do is to have appropriate “Environment Assessment Analyses” and “Sustainable Actions” in place, so as to be prepared to deal with the growing degradation of water and ecological qualities.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/business/21-Jun-2014/world-bank-prefers-financing-hydel-projects

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

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.

This is a lesson to be learned about how previous generations survived the extreme conditions on earth, i.e. somewhat similar to the environment of the ice ages.

Agafia Lykov born 1944 in the Siberian wilderness, she has a very unique and rare story. Today she is still remaining alone, isolated in one of the most extreme and inhospitable environment on our planet. She is surviving steadfast in her seclusion in the Sayan Mountains, 160 miles away from any other sign of civilization. Agafia’s family that escaped persecution and moved to Siberia in 1936 became famous in 1978 when Agafia was discovered by a team of Russian geologists. This event marked the end of their isolation and Agafia’s family became famous in Russia as the family of Siberian hermits who didn’t know that World War II took place!

See and follow this interesting story how a single person turn severe environments to a sustainable living home.

The economic benefits of phosphorus fertilization on crop production are well documented, also its importance for food security but is phosphorus fertilization free from risks and threats? or is too much of a good thing can be detrimental? If so, what are the threats and risks that are associated with the excesstive use of phosphorus.

Soil degradation is a worldwide problem especially with the inceasing damming of rivers around the world due to the need for hydro-electric power. Natural erosion that brings fertile soil to the low land and deltas are being halted as eroded materials are forced to accumulate behind artifically engineered barriers, i.e. the dams. As a consequence of damming of rivers huge land-areas loose their natural fartility and artificial fertilization is required for mitigation. This is, indeed, on short-term perspective both economically and environmentally expensive, and out-come are disastrous what regards the long-term and large-scale consequences.

Excessive use of phosphorus in agriculture for food production has negative impacts on water quality of aquatic systems (rivers, lakes and marine coasts) and groundwater due to increasing levels of P in aquatic systems that cause “eutrophication”, decreasing levels of oxygen and gradual decrease in fish productivity. Degradation of water quality of groundwater is associated with increasing agricultural waste/run-off. In all cases, there are associated costs for mitigation, rehabilitation and purification of water.   http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/424/424-029/424-029_pdf.pdf

Another critical issue in securing our future food is indeed missing from the global policy agenda: we are running out of cheap and readily available phosphate fertilizer on which world agriculture is totally dependent. Supply of phosphorus from mined phosphate rock could ‘peak’ as soon as 2033, as phosphate rock is a non-renewable resource becoming increasingly scarce and expensive. http://www.soilassociation.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=eeGPQJORrkw%3D

“Sustain-earth.com” will represent an alternative and sustainable approaches for fertilization with several benefits over artificial phosphorus fertilization that can very well replace it. This alternative is WE-saving, i.e. can save both energy and water, it is environment friendly.

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