Globalization of Water: Sharing the Planet's Freshwater Resources
We cannot survive without fresh, clean water, yet our global economy impacts far off places in ways we don't often imagine. Our cheap goods made abroad require water for manufacturing. Do we ever think about what this is doing to local ecosystems and communities?
Globalization of Water is a first-of-its-kind review of the critical relationship between globalization and sustainable water management. It explores the impact of international trade on local water depletion and pollution and identifies "water dependent" nations.
Examines the critical link between water management and international trade, considering how local water depletion and pollution are often closely tied to the structure of the global economy
Offers a consumer-based indicator of each nation's water use: the water footprint
Questions whether trade can enhance global water use efficiency, or whether it simply shifts the environmental burden to a distant location
Highlights the hidden link between national consumption and the use of water resources across the globe, identifying the threats facing 'water dependent' countries worldwide
Provides a state-of-the-art review and in-depth data source for a new field of knowledge
Parts of this book are very scientific with formulas and such that do not make for casual reading; however, much of the text is understandable to the lay person.
I like how the authors do not take a stance against or pro-globalization. Instead, they focus their energy on "the establishment of proper arrangements at the global level where national arrangements are not sufficient". We cannot stop globalization in its tracks, but we can work towards sustainable water management in conjunction with it.
Disclosure: The products described above were sent to us as free samples. Prior assurances as to the nature of the reviews, whether positive or negative, were not given. No financial payments were accepted in exchange for the reviews. The reviews reflect our honest, authentic opinions.
Tax Deductible Holiday Gifts: Environmental Working Group Gift Bag
Sometimes it is hard to find the gift for those who have it all, and sometimes it is hard to find a gift that you feel good about. During the holiday season that often equates to overconsumerism, tax deductible donations are a great alternative to traditional gifts, especially one that comes with a great holiday gift bag that also will educate.
EWG is working overtime to give you the crucial information you need about the toxins that could be lurking in your food, water and personal care products. Our Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce tells you which fruits and vegetables are lowest in pesticide residues. Our Tap Water Database tells you what harmful chemicals are in your water depending on where you live. Our Skin Deep Cosmetics Database helps you make smarter product choices, from shampoo to aftershave, to protect your family from harmful chemical ingredients.
By purchasing a gift bag right now, you'll help EWG meet our 2011 budget goal and ensure that we have the necessary funding to continue our groundbreaking research in 2012. And because a generous donor has agreed to match your donation dollar-for-dollar, you have the extraordinary opportunity to double the impact of your gift.
I know you'll love this year's gift bag because it's full of products that will help you eat better - for your own health and the health of our planet.
USFWS: "America's Coastal Wetlands are Vanishing at an Alarming Rate"
There is bad news for America's wetlands, according to a new US Fish and Wildlife Service report. RESTORE AMERICA'S ESTUARIES writes:
A new federal report confirms that America's coastal wetlands are vanishing at an alarming rate, according to a national coalition of environmental and sportsman's groups concerned with the health and sustainability of our nation's coastal ecosystems.
"Status and Trends of Wetlands in the Conterminous United States, 2004-2009," released last week by the United States Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS), represents the most up-to-date, scientifically valid assessment of the nation's wetland habitats.
While the report holds out some hope - overall national wetland losses are slowing because of increased emphasis on wetland conservation, protection, and restoration - it is clear that not all habitats are created equal. The report documents substantial losses in coastal wetlands when compared to other habitat types. In the five years covered by the study, coastal wetlands experienced a decline of 110,000 acres or 2.4%-roughly the size of 84,000 football fields. This rate of loss far surpasses that of all other wetland habitat types.
California Subsidizes Logging Industry $18 Million a Year
In a time when California is threatening to close numerous state parks, logging industry subsidies are coming under hard scrutiny. The Sacramento Bee reports:
The key question before the Accountability and Administrative Review Committee was whether any of that subsidy is justified.
Owners of the state's 8.7 million acres of private forestland argue they provide public benefits including wildlife habitat, clean air and carbon sequestration - not to mention about 22,000 jobs.
Environmental groups counter that logging causes habitat loss and water pollution and that the industry should cover all of the state's cost to police those problems.
6 Months Later: Is Our Food Still Radioactive from Japan's Nuclear Fallout?
One of the biggest fears and concerns after the Fukushima nuclear reactor started leaking after the devastating tsunami in Japan six months ago was that food in the US would be affected by radiation drifting across the Pacific Ocean. Sure enough, radiation was detected in food from California to Florida. These levels, of course, are nothing compared to the people of Japan's exposure, but nonetheless, any amount of additional radiation is a concern. Should we still be concerned?
In a word, yes.
As long as the reactors continue to leak, radioactive particles will end up in the air and water, subject to the currents and jet streams that will carry them all over the globe. And, even after the leaking has stopped, there is an issue with how to dispose of or contain all of the contaminated soil, sewage, debris, etc. Some of these things are currently being dumped into the ocean or burned - both of which lead to further spread of the radioactive particles...
Radioactive cesium in particular is of concern. David J. Brenner, director of the Center for Radiological Research at Columbia University Medical Center, says in The Wall Street Journal that "its half-life of 30 years means that what was released from the Fukushima plant will be with us for many decades. Most of this radioactive cesium will end up in the Pacific Ocean and will be enormously diluted in the 200 quintillion gallons of water there. But some of it will end up on dry land, in our food and water--and there it will stay, at very low levels, literally for generations."
Anytime an oil spill occurs, whether in a pristine location or not, the environmental degradation is inevitable. Those responsible try to assure the public the consequences are minimal, often overstating clean up efforts and their successes.
Exxon is being accused of "whitewashing" the recent spill on the Yellowstone River in Montana. UPI reports:
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Friday gave Exxon two months to clean up the spill, which came from a ruptured pipeline -- a pipe officials warned Exxon about a year ago, The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday.
Exxon said it could comply with the directive, but deputy director of the Montana Department of Environmental Quality Tom Livers said Exxon had asked him to sign off on overly optimistic news releases concerning the oil spill.
Livers said he rejected the offer to sign off on a press release that said the oil spill would not be harmful to people and another that said the oil spill had been contained.
If you have an Apple iPad 2 or iPhone, tree identification just got a lot easier. Developed by the University of Maryland, the Smithsonian Institution, and Columbia University, LeafSnap is quite handy if you are like me and are always trying to learn more about the plants that surround you. The Huffington Post reports:
Scientists have developed the first mobile app to identify plants by simply photographing a leaf. The free iPhone and iPad app, called Leafsnap, instantly searches a growing library of leaf images amassed by the Smithsonian Institution. In seconds, it returns a likely species name, high-resolution photographs and information on the tree's flowers, fruit, seeds and bark.
Users make the final identification and share their findings with the app's growing database to help map the population of trees one mobile phone at a time.
This app is an incredible resource that will continue to expand its database to all of North America!
Cunningham's idea is to first produce a limited series of boards made from reclaimed debris that will be featured in galleries around the country, to be followed by a line of 100 boards that will be sold as custom orders. But before any trash can become the eco-conscious surfer's dream board, Cunningham needs some financial support.
To that end, he has started a Kickstart campaign, looking for $3,500 by mid-April (he's about halfway there). And pledges come with rewards, from Spirare t-shirts, stickers and tote bags to a surfboard itself (for the grand $2,000 pledge).
Natural Gas Drilling, aka Hydraulic Fracking, Contaminates US Water
Natural gas has been touted by some wealthy individuals, such as T. Boone Pickens, as a solution to the US energy crisis. Like any non-renewable resource extraction, there is environmental degradation. In the case of natural gas drilling, aka hydraulic fracking, the process leaves behind highly toxic waste water. The Guardianexplains:
A controversial new method of natural-gas drilling, embraced rapidly across the US, has contaminated water supplies with radioactive waste, according to an investigation by the New York Times. The paper said internal documents from the Environmental Protection Agency and state regulators showed that the dangers to the public from the drilling method - hydraulic fracturing - were greater than previously understood.
Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, uses huge volumes of water, chemicals and sand injected into rock at high pressure to release natural gas. Its development has unleashed a natural gas boom in the US and around the world. But the NYT said the waste water contained dangerously high levels of radioactivity. It was being sent to treatment plants that were not designed to deal with or being discharged into rivers that supply drinking water.
Warming Temperatures May Cause Loss of 30% of Species
An increase of 3.6 degrees does not sound like much to humans, but to small species, even the slightest increase could be catastrophic. Species typically respond to warming temperatures by moving to a colder climate by traveling north or to a higher elevation; however, some species may not be able to respond to climate change with this method warn scientists.
Over the next 100 years, many scientists predict, 20 percent to 30 percent of species could be lost if the temperature rises 3.6 degrees to 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit. If the most extreme warming predictions are realized, the loss could be over 50 percent, according to the United Nations climate change panel.
Polar bears have become the icons of this climate threat. But scientists say that tens of thousands of smaller species that live in the tropics or on or near mountaintops are equally, if not more, vulnerable...
"It's a really simple story that at some point you can't go further north or higher up, so there's no doubt that species will go extinct," said Walter Jetz, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at Yale, whose research last year predicted that a third of the 1,000 mountain birds he studied, or 300 species, would be threatened because warming temperatures would decimate their habitats.
Wal*Mart Greenwashes Consumers Committing Environmental and Human Rights Violations with Love, Earth Jewelry Line
I've always been suspicious of any green claims by Wal*Mart. I just don't trust a company whose business model is based entirely on mass consumption of cheap Chinese-made goods and driving out competition from local shops (see How Walmart Is Destroying America (And the World): And What You Can Do about It). It is contrary to eco-friendly shopping in all regards!
Three years ago, I exposed Wal*Mart's Earth, Love jewelry line as greenwashing. Now, there is further evidence against the company that it has committed environmental and human rights violations in the Bolivian production of the jewelry line. Alternet reports:
The mines also rely on a controversial process called cyanide heap-leaching, which can result in one of the most toxic substances on Earth entering local water supplies. Indeed, the process is so problematic that it's been banned in Montana, and the European Union is considering a similar prohibition...
The story is a must-read--there's way more in it than I can explain here. But I asked Friedman-Rudovsky about pieces she wasn't able to include in the article--she talked about the impact of U.S. mining on surrounding communities, that the Love, Earth line promises to be community-friendly and engage with populations living on the territories or near the mines, but "there is a lot of documented evidence about how that's not necessarily true."
She added that workers in subcontracted factories don't receive aguinaldo, which she explained is like a Christmas bonus in Bolivia, except that it's legally mandated and should be ten percent of yearly earnings. She said one worker told her that she and friends are "so ashamed to be working in jobs where they don't get aguinaldo, they pull together to buy baskets with treats to bring home to pretend they did get the bonus."
We all know that city lights cause light pollution, but a new study has discovered they actually "boost" air pollution. According to the BBC:
Nature uses a special form of nitrogen oxide, called the nitrate radical, to break down chemicals that would otherwise go on to form the smog and ozone that can make city air such an irritant on the chest.
This cleansing normally occurs in the hours of darkness because the radical is destroyed by sunlight; it only shows up at night.
But new measurements taken from aircraft over Los Angeles indicate the energy from all the night-time light thrown out by this huge urban centre is also suppressing the radical. The lights may be 10,000 times dimmer than the Sun, but the effect is still significant.
"Our first results indicate that city lights can slow down the night-time cleansing by up to 7% and they can also increase the starting chemicals for ozone pollution the next day by up to 5%," said Harald Stark from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa).
Perhaps cities should pass ordinances to limit the amount of lighting left on all night long in areas where safety is not a concern. Perhaps motion sensor lighting could mitigate the effects.
The average area of glaciers in western China might shrink by 27.2 percent by 2050 because of global warming, damaging crop production and worsening droughts, according to a report released at the UN climate talks in north China's Tianjin Municipality...
Xinhua quoted the report as saying that forecasts of glacier recession patterns, summer temperatures and precipitation showed that the average glacier area in western China might be reduced by 27.2 percent by 2050. Ocean glaciers, affected by wet airflow from the oceans, would shrink by 52.5 percent, and Asian continental glaciers, formed in the continental climate would shrink by 24.4 percent.
The ramifications are far reaching for this heavily populated country. From drought to reducing crop production, it is not good news.
Globalization of Water: Sharing the Planet's Freshwater Resources
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