The only life in our Universe exists on planet Earth though the whole Cosmos has as much as 500 billion of galaxies, each with hundred billions of stars and millions of planets. The Solar Systems, hosting planet Earth, was created 4.5 billion years ago during the evolution of one of the oldest galaxies, the Milky Way with an age of 12-14 billion years. Earth is well located in the habitable zone of Sun that fuels its life, i.e. by being between the burning Venus and the freezing Mars. However, with the complex biogeochemical parameters, environmental and climatic conditions for life to exist, it is not strange that sustainable life on the Earth required very long time to develop. Liquid water, perfect solvent for the biochemistry of life, is also essential for sustainable life.

The life of stars, e.g. the Sun, how they are created, how long they live and how they eventually die is of interest to know. The Solar System itself is, still, part of a galaxy with own dynamics and interactions with the rest of the universe. A struggle controlled by shifting reactions, transformation and balance between gases, masses, dark matter and black holes in space full of radiations, gravity and nuclear forces.

Life somewhere, else, in this dangerous, complex and dynamic Universe is not likely to be find over-night though the very long age of the cosmos and the huge number of stars and planets.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDaFQsdNNgU&feature=youtu.be

The journey of science, to understand the very secret of the universe and the natural evolution of life, and the behavior of humans and the feedback impacts of technology on the fundamental drivers of life and its quality, never stops. A journey that fuels itself to complete Darwin’s “Unfinished Business”, and to search about a new vision of nature, a “Metanoia rather than Affluenza”. A journey directed by science and technology for sustainability and preservation of life, rather than for consumption and collapse of life, would help nature to resume rather than to relapse from the natural path of evolution.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ff1Z8nGGebs&feature=youtu.be

A new BLOG about applied global sustainability is available now. We will be gradually working with developing, interacting and promoting all issues relevant to applied global sustainabilty. With the NEW YEAR of 2014, you are kindly invited to visit, share and contribute in this BLOG.

ABOUT Sustain-Earth.com

ABOUT Sustain-Earth.com

Scientific discoveries and production of new knowledge involve a long chain of systematic steps where publication of science work in top-tier journals is becoming an essential step. Randy Schekman, a US biologist and Nobel Prize winner in physiology or medicine 2013, is warning the scientific community about the role of leading academic journals in distorting the scientific process. There have been long-standing debates about assessment of scientific publication especially in terms of originality, quality and credit. Scientific journals have grown in number dramatically in the past decades. However, only few journals, e.g. Nature, Cell and Science, have kept very high reputation through their restricted referee and publication policies, in particular the number of papers they accept. This, however, has promoted high “impact factor” for these well-established journals. “Impact factor” is very widespread for judging the quality, originality and credit of scientific publications, also, in the process of judging the quality/standard of scientific applications for funding. Randy Schekman, and many others, are very critical about the existing rules for judging science as the “impact factor”, which is used for marketing top-tier journals and for ranking scientific applications for funding, can not be regarded as an absolute indicators and a fair instrument in these aspects.

http://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/dec/09/nobel-winner-boycott-science-journals

Colonialist convinced once colonized African nations that democracy was the way, but who truly determines the definition of democracy and how did it appear in Africa?
http://globalfusionproductions.com/globalfusionist-blogs/does-democracy-in-africa-work-or-is-it-time-to-look-to-our-homegrown-form-of-governance/

At the onset of the ancient Egyptian civilization the world population was somewhat more than 15 million people, i.e. the current population of the Netherlands only or fifth of the current of population of Egypt today. Ancient Egyptians had therefore enough natural resources to create a civilization on their own and within their boundaries. So, peak population had passed very long time ago!
http://www.vaughns-1-pagers.com/history/world-population-growth.htm

When the waste on our planet keeps piling up, in air, water and land, the only choice left is to breath it, drink it and eat it up. We can’t run away from it! http://m.theatlanticcities.com/neighborhoods/2012/09/worst-polluted-playgrounds-world/3395/

Everywhere on our planet, waste management is of major concern. Life quality is very much related to successful waste-management policies. Reducing, Collecting, Sorting, Processing and Re-cycling of human and industrial waste is becoming a major industry. But do we have proper scientific and technology approaches for such vital and important industry. Waste problems have costed humanity decades, if not centuries, to understand the enormous threats of waste and pollutions that have degraded all forms of life qualities of earth.
http://theferkel.co.uk/2012/05/30/worst-examples-of-pollution/chinese-migrant-workers-sort-through-industrial-and-household-waste-at-a-recycling-centre-in-beijing-china/

Unusual weather conditions have maximized the suffering of civilians in Syria and millions of refugees in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, and elsewhere. The severe conditions of war and weather combined with minimal humanitarian help changed the region to a new Death Valley.
http://www.trust.org/item/20131211164138-6ux4m/

Water conservation is of global concern and water issues are not only about water scarcity. Quality is essential and without public awareness and the consumer’s responsibility one would expect many new additional threats for the environment, the ecosphere and for humans.
http://www.ec.gc.ca/eau-water/default.asp?lang=en&n=344B115B-1#why

In many situations household can build simple systems for water “purification” through improving and developing the existing knowledge. These systems can be of interest for people that have limited access to public services, in remote areas and in cases of water scarcity where re-use of water becomes a necessity. http://www.clearchoicescleanwater.org/septics/septic-impacts/

Cutting-edge technology, a wealth of natural assets and a high proportion of renewable energy – Sweden is in the front line as the world embarks on a shift to more sustainable energy systems. The journey of putting Sweden on more sustainable path started already with first global energy crisis in 1970. At that time Sweden was prepared to make the necessary shifts and transformation to move forward in the direct of creating the necessary policies for what is achieved today.
http://sweden.se/society/energy-use-in-sweden/

Basic principals in climate literacy and energy awareness are explained in the given link. Climate on Earth has been regulated by long and continuous chain of natural processes for billion and millions of years. Climate on Earth developed a unique evolution, coherence and equilibrium in all life processes at the earth’s surface. After the industrial revolution and the accelerating use of fossil fuel, humans have had an increasing impact and traceable negative effects on the earth’s climate and thereby the basic processes regulating life at the earth’s surface.

http://cleanet.org/clean/literacy/concept_maps.html

Islands are sensitive areas for weather conditions and with the growing threats of climate change the life conditions in these places are facing enormous challenges. Follow what the Super Storm “Typhoon Haiyan” caused in the land of thousand island, The Philippines!

Ghana, the gate to Africa and a model of success! Unbelievable fast progress within many sectors of activities, energy, education, health, ICT, agriculture, tourism, … . An amazing safe and peaceful society with a high-level of democratization brought about by international trade, cultural exchange and expansion of small and medium enterprises.

http://www.theafricareport.com/component/option,com_videoflow/id,72/sl,play/task,play/

Holistic assessment approaches for developing and implementing sustainability strategies for shaping strategic policies are needed on all levels of different public and private sectors. Such approaches would require Key Performance Indicators for quality assessment analysis of the three main pillars of sustainability, i.e. social, environmental and economic. How would such approaches and indicators look like?

See, this example on a partial approach

http://reliabilityweb.com/index.php/articles/measuring_sustainable_change/

Some basic facts about bottled water.
http://water.epa.gov/drink/info/upload/2005_09_14_faq_fs_healthseries_bottledwater.

Information on the quality of food we are eating, i.e. not only in terms of nutrition value but the levels and contents of toxic compounds also, is not always available for the citizens. How do we know that the food we are eating is free from toxics, or at least will not damage the organs of our body. Is it the responsibility of the citizen to find out if the food is safe or is it the responsibility of the producers or is it the responsibility of the shops selling the products or is it the institutional organizations that have to take care of the safety of the products circulating in the global “free market”?
The control mechanisms and the rules are getting diffuse and the looser are definitely the consumers!

http://oracletalk.com/10-foods-sold-u-s-banned-elsewhere/?shared=email&msg=fail

To transform the whole planet with its seven billion people to a sustainable path needs your help. What would you be able to do?