Ediraph Environmental watch.(Series 2) Compiled by EDIDIONG RAPHEAL UDOEYOP (Ediraph).
1.>>Cows and Greenhouse Gas.
Methane gas is said to be 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide in causing global warming. It is estimated that worldwide, 100 million tons of methane are produced every year by some two billion cattle, sheep, and goats. According to The Canberra Times, livestock produce 13 percent of Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions, while in New Zealand the figure is about 46 percent. Microorganisms in a ruminant’s stomach break down fodder and produce methane, which is released through the animal’s mouth. In an effort to reduce the animals’ contribution to global warming, scientists are now experimenting with ways to increase milk production per head while reducing the methane produced by the animals.
2.>>Deadly Air Pollution.
“Road traffic is the fastest growing source of pollution in Europe and in some countries more people are dying as a result of this air pollution than are being killed in [traffic] accidents,” reports Reuters news service. According to a study by the World Health Organization, 21,000 people in Austria, France, and Switzerland die prematurely every year from respiratory or heart diseases that are triggered by air pollution. In a separate report, it is estimated that in 36 Indian cities, 110 people die prematurely every day as a result of air pollution.
3.>>Threat From Shrinking Glaciers.
The world’s largest body of ice outside the polar regions will disappear within 40 years if the current rate of melting continues, reports The Sunday Telegraph of London. A combination of rising global temperatures and the relatively low latitude of the Himalayas threatens the region’s 15,000 glaciers. The Gangotri glacier, which is one of the sources of the Ganges River, has shrunk by almost one third of its length in the past 50 years. Syed Hasnain, a scientist who monitors the glaciers, warns that if the current rate continues, “rivers such as the Ganges, the Indus and the Brahmaputra, which receive about 70 to 80 per cent of their water from snow and glacial melt, will dry up.” The result would be “an ecological disaster,” he warns. Meantime, the risk of serious flooding grows. When glaciers shrink, lakes are formed that are surrounded by fragile walls of ice, boulders, and sand. As melting continues, the walls burst, sending devastating floods to the valleys below.
4.>>Early Warning.
“The world may be in store for a decade of ‘super- disasters,’” reports World Press Review, based on an article in London’s Financial Times. Citing such natural disasters as cyclones and earthquakes, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies warns that large populations are vulnerable to catastrophe. “Of the world’s 50 fastest- growing cities, 40 are in earthquake zones, and half the world’s population lives in coastal regions, exposed to rising sea levels,” the magazine says. Another ominous sign is that while disasters are increasing, government funding for emergency aid has dropped in many nations.
5.>>Oral Ecosystem
“Stanford University scientists have discovered 37 new and unique organisms in one of the most diverse ecosystems on earth: the human mouth,” reports The Toronto Star. This increases the known types of oral bacteria to over 500, “a diversity so large that it may rival that of tropical rain forests, often seen as the pinnacle of biological richness.” Is the bacteria harmful? After discovering the new organisms in oral plaque, microbiologist Dr. David Relman stated: “Such diversity is quite reassuring because it provides for biological stability and protection.” The Star adds that most types of bacteria “are thought to provide comfort, protection and nourishment.” Only a few cause problems such as tooth decay, gum disease, and bad breath.
Reference are from Awake! Magazine and International Bulletine
1.>>Cows and Greenhouse Gas.
Methane gas is said to be 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide in causing global warming. It is estimated that worldwide, 100 million tons of methane are produced every year by some two billion cattle, sheep, and goats. According to The Canberra Times, livestock produce 13 percent of Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions, while in New Zealand the figure is about 46 percent. Microorganisms in a ruminant’s stomach break down fodder and produce methane, which is released through the animal’s mouth. In an effort to reduce the animals’ contribution to global warming, scientists are now experimenting with ways to increase milk production per head while reducing the methane produced by the animals.
2.>>Deadly Air Pollution.
“Road traffic is the fastest growing source of pollution in Europe and in some countries more people are dying as a result of this air pollution than are being killed in [traffic] accidents,” reports Reuters news service. According to a study by the World Health Organization, 21,000 people in Austria, France, and Switzerland die prematurely every year from respiratory or heart diseases that are triggered by air pollution. In a separate report, it is estimated that in 36 Indian cities, 110 people die prematurely every day as a result of air pollution.
3.>>Threat From Shrinking Glaciers.
The world’s largest body of ice outside the polar regions will disappear within 40 years if the current rate of melting continues, reports The Sunday Telegraph of London. A combination of rising global temperatures and the relatively low latitude of the Himalayas threatens the region’s 15,000 glaciers. The Gangotri glacier, which is one of the sources of the Ganges River, has shrunk by almost one third of its length in the past 50 years. Syed Hasnain, a scientist who monitors the glaciers, warns that if the current rate continues, “rivers such as the Ganges, the Indus and the Brahmaputra, which receive about 70 to 80 per cent of their water from snow and glacial melt, will dry up.” The result would be “an ecological disaster,” he warns. Meantime, the risk of serious flooding grows. When glaciers shrink, lakes are formed that are surrounded by fragile walls of ice, boulders, and sand. As melting continues, the walls burst, sending devastating floods to the valleys below.
4.>>Early Warning.
“The world may be in store for a decade of ‘super- disasters,’” reports World Press Review, based on an article in London’s Financial Times. Citing such natural disasters as cyclones and earthquakes, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies warns that large populations are vulnerable to catastrophe. “Of the world’s 50 fastest- growing cities, 40 are in earthquake zones, and half the world’s population lives in coastal regions, exposed to rising sea levels,” the magazine says. Another ominous sign is that while disasters are increasing, government funding for emergency aid has dropped in many nations.
5.>>Oral Ecosystem
“Stanford University scientists have discovered 37 new and unique organisms in one of the most diverse ecosystems on earth: the human mouth,” reports The Toronto Star. This increases the known types of oral bacteria to over 500, “a diversity so large that it may rival that of tropical rain forests, often seen as the pinnacle of biological richness.” Is the bacteria harmful? After discovering the new organisms in oral plaque, microbiologist Dr. David Relman stated: “Such diversity is quite reassuring because it provides for biological stability and protection.” The Star adds that most types of bacteria “are thought to provide comfort, protection and nourishment.” Only a few cause problems such as tooth decay, gum disease, and bad breath.
Reference are from Awake! Magazine and International Bulletine
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