Earth Rise

Pollutants and Air Quality   Air pollutants are responsible for a number of adverse environmental effects, such as photochemical smog, acid rain, death of forests, or reduced atmospheric visibility. Emissions of greenhouse gases from combustion of fossil fuels are associated with the global warming of Earth’s climate. Certain air pollutants, including black carbon, not only contribute to global warming, but are also suspected of having immediate effect on regional climates. Air pollutants are substances that adversely affect the environment by interfering with climate, the physiology of plants, animal species, entire ecosystems, as well as with human property in the form of agricultural crops or man-made structures. Climate tops the list to reflect the fact that global climate change has been recognized as one of the most serious environmental challenges to be faced by humanity in the 21st century. In this context certain climate forcing agents, the most important one...

Collected Palm Oil Fruits Before Processing Found in thousands of products, from peanut butter and packaged bread to shampoo and shaving cream, palm oil is a booming multibillion-dollar industry. While it isn't always labeled in supermarket staples, there are unintended consequences of producing this ubiquitous ingredient. Indonesia and Malaysia together account for nearly 85% of global palm oil production. This oil is commonly used in processed foods, cosmetics and bio-fuels, and while it is inexpensive, the environmental and social costs are high. Each year, thousands of hectares of rainforest disappear in order to meet the growing demand for the oil worldwide. In 2012, Indonesia had the highest deforestation rate in the world, according to a study published in 2014 in Nature Climate Change . Palm oil cultivation causes greenhouse gas emissions. Deforestation in tropical areas accounts for an estimated 10 percent of man-made carbon dioxide emissions, and is a driver tow...

Severe, diverse and location specific impacts on agricultural production are anticipated with climate change. The last IPCC report indicates that the rise of carbon dioxide and associated green house gases could lead to a 1.4 to 5.8 °C increase in global surface temperatures, with subsequent consequences on precipitation frequency and amounts. The 2013 report of the IPCC authoritatively re-affirms that climate change and variability will impact food and fiber production around the world due to the effects on plant growth and yield by the elevated carbon dioxide, higher temperatures, altered precipitation and transpiration regimes, and increased frequency of extreme events, as well as modified weed, pest and pathogen pressure. Therefore, more durable benefits will likely result from radical agroecological measures that will strengthen the resilience of farmers and rural communities. Traditional farming systems are repositories of a wealth of principles and measures that can help m...

The seed on good soil, (the parable of the sower tells us) stands for those with a noble and a good heart, who hear the word, retain it and by persevering produces a crop .    we all come from distinguishable, somewhat unknown backgrounds with shady pasts that we aren't so much proud to have come from, struggled to get where we are and struggling to reach even greater heights in the pursuit of making ourselves and the world a better place. Our forefathers were noble, compassionate, and hard working people who laid grounds for where we stand, were the proverbial salt of the earth, and who did not chase fame and fortune but strived to give us an opportunity to be better than we would be, and passed on that strength and cohesiveness to us with faith and hope that we would live better and have a chance to grow and flourish.  They gave us the courage to open our doors to strangers and invite them in so they can see the light of a better day. That strength is a convict...

To many, the term “climate change” feels like a buzzword that encompasses a large amount of negative impacts (which it recently is), First, climate means the average weather conditions in an area over a long period of time—usually 30 years or longer. A region’s climate includes systems in the air, water, land and living organisms. Climate change is the shift or abnormal variation to the climate patterns. As the planet warms quickly, mostly due to human activity, climate patterns in regions around the world will fluctuate. Ecosystems and biodiversity will be forced to fluctuate along with the regional climate, and that could harm many species . These climate change impacts are in part due to how we have altered land use. Turning natural areas into cities or agricultural fields not only diminishes biodiversity, but can make warming worse by chopping down trees and plants that help cool the planet. A change in climate also intensifies droughts, decrease water supply, threaten foo...

We the young people, united in diversity from all walks of life, deeply conscious of history, express our ultimate concern for what has become of our generation. We wonder why it has become a matter of debate whether or not climate action should be taken as if we do not have reasons why we should. On that note, we present the global youth climate action declaration to the world to provide solutions and robust framework for addressing generational injustice and the realization of our potential and position on the global decision making table. We are confident that the destiny of this planet is in our hands and we must act now to shape a future that we want. Our aspirations reflect our desire for shared prosperity and well being across borders, for a free generation where both the young and the old generation exercise their distinguished and unique potentials without fear and advocate for peaceful co-existence and human progress. We are equally confident that this generation ...

Cumulative effects can be understood as changes to the environment caused by the combined impacts of the past, present and the future human activities and natural processes. Many human activities in combination with natural processes result in direct and indirect impacts that collectively impact the environment resulting in cascading responses in ecosystems that usually become unpredictable. Some activities known to have significant impacts on the environment and contribute highly to the cumulative effects are marine resource development, energy production and consumption among others which ultimately intensify global warming and climate change.  Although many development activities may have individually minor impacts, their impacts collectively over time become substantial, and multiple activities may therefore cause a common stressor, for example, a factory and a nearby landfill may both release a polluting run-off into a river occassioning a massive water pollution.  Marine...