Climate Change And Its Realities For Pakistan

''Climate Change and Its Realities For Pakistan'' and Article written by Ali Husnain Sayed. The article's purpose is to highlight the Climate Change in Pakistan, test the adaptation measures of Pakistan's government and to further identify the effects of climate change on Pakistan's water, food and energy sectors, and sugest policy recommendations that are contextual and aligned with the development preferences of the country.

Download the Article here : Climate Change And Its Realities For Pakistan

City Of My Dreams

City Of MY Dreams, a painting by 2009 contest participant 

YEREVAN- Sincere and ingenous, bold and unexpected... this is how we see the paintings of children who participated in the Painting Day organized by the Foundation of the preservation of Wildlife And Cultural Assets (FPWC) 2009.

Environmental Street Art By Anna Garforth

World Oceans Day 2014

World Oceans Day has been unofficially celebrated every 8 June. It was first proposed in 1992 at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro Brazil  by Canada. It Was officially recognized by the United Nations in 2008. Since then it has been coordinated internationally by The Ocean Project and the World Ocean Network with greater success and global participation each year.

The oceans are essential to food security and health and survival of all life, power our climate and are critical part of t he biosphere. The official designation of World Oceans Day is an opportunity to raise global awareness of the current challenges faced by the international community in connection with the oceans.

The Slogan for World Oceans Day 2014 is:

''Together We Have The Power To Protect The Oceans''

Themes

• The Theme for World Oceans Day 2013 was the same as 2014.
• 2011-12:   ''Youth The Next Wave Of Change''
• 2010:   ''Oceans Of Life: Pick Your Favorite, Protect Your Favorite''
• 2009:  ''One Climate, One Ocean, One Future''

''What If Empty Coke Bottles Were Never Thrown Away ???''

Rejoice, Happy-go-lucky and environmentally conscious Coca-Cola lovers. With this new ''2nd Lives'' kit from the brand you can transfer your coke into something even more delightful.

Created with the help of with the help of Ogilvy and Mather Chin, the campaign features a line of 16 innovative caps that can be screwed on to bottles when they're empty, transforming them into useful objects like water guns, whistles, pant brushes, bubble makers and pencil sharpeners.

Its part of a clever effort to encourage consumers in Vietnam  to recycle.

''What if empty coke bottles were never thrown away?'' the campaign asks.

Watch the Ad here:  ''What if empty coke bottles were never thrown away?''

Urbanization In Pakistan

A Nation with a population of 177 million with an average population dinsity of 222 persons per sq km, higher than many other developing countries, whose 37% people live in urban and 63% in rural areas, Urbanization in Pakistan has increased since the time of independence. Having different causes the population of Pakistan has a high rate of migration to urban centers which has made the cities dysfunctional, overcrowded and very congested.

The majority of southern Pakistan's population lives along the Indus River. Karachi is its most populous city. In the northern half of the country, most of the population lives in an arc formed by the cities of Lahore, Faislabad, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Jhelum, Sargodha, Sheikhupura, Nowshera, Mardan and Peshawar. During 1990-2008, city dwellers made up 37% of Pakistan's population,  making it the most urbanized nation in South Asia.

Rapid urbanization is putting the available insufficient infrastructure under enormous pressure and causing environmental debacles of great magnitude. Serious risks of irreversible damages are present due to air and water pollution, mismanagement of solid waste and destruction of fragile ecosystems.

Motorcycles and rickshaws, due to their two stroke (2 Strokes) engines, are the most inefficient in burning fuel and contributes most to emissions. 2-stroke vehicles are responsible for emission of very fine inhalable particles that cause respiratory diseases. The 2-Stroke vehicles industry is performing fast in Pakistan and has increased by 142.6% in 2010-11 when compared with the year 2000-01. Rickshaws have grown by more than 24 percent while motorcycles and scooters have more than doubles since 2000-01.

The Environmental Art Of Gail Potocki (2008)

Overflow

'' Gail Potocki's Concern about human population growth is represented by the two people interlaced in the human paper cutouts. The background is a solid mass of buildings where only a small square of sky shows through as all of the landscape becomes consumed.''

Plastic Vortex

''With animals trapped in the plasticized water, the figure in the painting recoils from the Grim Reaper - like seabird as she bears witness to an omen of the future of our oceans.''

Taira

''This is symbolic of deforestation 's effect on the landscape. The woman/tree hybrid catching fire represents all of humanity's attachment to nature and how our fates are interwined.''

Icarus

''Influenced by Icarus ignoring his father's warning and flying too close to the sun; Gail show similarities in this myth with nature's warning for our own possible self destructiveness. In the case of Icarus here, his wings have been stolen from the dead bird that he has slung over his shoulder showing brutal acts of human with animals.''

Thaw

About Thaw Gail Said ''Both bees and the woman are out of place in this landscape showing habitat problem. the bee brings a fleck of light to the woman representing our dependence of them as life givers''. 

Environmtnt Commission 2013

By: TaylerEdlinArt

Environmental Paintings by Brin Levinson

Surrealist painter Brin Levinson devoted his creation to ecological issues and environmental destruction by human activities as well as to the fate of the animals on dying planet.

EPA To Propose 30% Cut In Carbon Dioxide Emissions From Existing U.S. Power Plants

WASHINGTON, June 1 (Reuters) - The U.S Environmental Protection Agency taking a historic step to fight climate change plans on Monday to propose a 30% cut in carbon dioxide emissions from existing U.S power plants by 2030, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday.

The proposed reduction would be based on 2005 emission levels, the newspaper said, citing two people briefed on the plan.

States would have flexibility under the plans to decide on how to achieve the reduction, including through cap- and trade programs, the journal said, adding they must enact the rules and submit compliance plans by June 2016.
The White house and the EPA declined to confirm or comment on the rules before they are released.

President Barack Obama said in his weekly radio address on Saturday that the United States had to do more to reduce carbon emissions so that children suffering from asthma and other related ailments did not face further problems as a result of polluted air.

The rules are intended to help Washington meet international obligations to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions blamed for global warming, but the White House's focus on human health benefits is part of a sale pitch to drum up support from public.

Fighting climate change could become one of the top domestic policy achievements of the president's second term and getting public support is critical as the White House prepares for an onslaught of criticism from industry and Republicans.

(Reporting by Peter Cooney; Additional reporting by Jeff Mason, Mark Felsenthal and Valerie Volcovici; Editing by Jim Loney)

Mahatma Gandhi

''What we are doing to the forests of the world is but a mirror reflection of what we are doing to ourselves and to one another.''

Mahatma Gandhi

''Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed''

Some Facts About Ozone Layer

• The discovery of the ozone hole was first announced in a paper by British Antarctic Survey's Joe Farman, Brian Gardiner and Jonathan Shaklin, which appeared in the journal ''Nature'' in May 1985.
• Ozone in the atmosphere is measured using Dobson Spectrophotometer - equipment designed in the 1920s, but still the world standard. 
• Ozone is measured in Dobson Units, DU and a typical measurement is about 300 DU.
• If ozone layer was brought down to the earths surface in a vertical column, air pressure and temperature conditions would compress the ozone and it would form a layer just 2 to 5 mm thick.
• Major volcanic eruptions, such as the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines may put material which enhances ozone depletion into the stratosphere.
• Scientists working in Antarctica wear high factor sunscreen to avoid sunburn when working outside, especially as sunlight is also reflected from snow surface. you can get burnt as little as five minutes without it.

The Arctic And The Ozone Layer

Its Over 30 years since the discovery of the Ozone Hole drew world attention to the impact of human activity on the global environment.

Discovery

Scientists from British Antarctic Survey began monitoring ozone during the International Geophysical Year of  1957-58. In 1958 scientists discovered that since the mid 1970's ozone values over Halley and Faraday research stations had steadily dropping when the sun appeared each spring. Something in the stratosphere (about 20 km above Earth) was destroying ozone.

Montreal Protocol: Is it Successful ?

The Protocol is having clear effect and the amount of zone destroying substances in the atmosphere is beginning to go down. Nevertheless, the original compounds are so stable and long-lived that an ozone hole will exist each Antarctic Spring for at least another 50 years.

The Arctic

The Arctic region, around the North Pole, is an important indicator of the impacts of industrial and human activities, both at the surface level and in the atmosphere. The rapid warming of the regions has attracted considerable scientific attention.

Besides well known phenomenon of global warming occurring in our lower atmosphere another atmospheric phenomenon had been taking place over the Arctic. Recent record low ozone values in the stratosphere have led scientists to take a closer look at the links between the changing climate and ozone distribution; changes that may undermine the recovery of the Ozone layer predicted to occur in a few decades.

This 17 min documentary was produced by the United Nations Environmental Program:

The Arctic And The Ozone Layer

The Antarctica Challenge: A Global Warming

The Effects of Global Warming are ecological and social changes caused by human emissions of greenhouse gases. There is a scientific consensus that climate change is occurring and that human activities are the primary driver. Wikipedia

The Antarctica Challenge: A Global Warming is a climate change documentary that had its television premier on 7 June 2009.

Made by environmental documentary filmmaker Mark Terry, the film examines the latest discoveries made by the World's Scientific Community stationed in research outposts in Antarctica, just a few months ago. The film focuses on the research in the area of climate change there and its impact on the rest of the world.

Click to Watch the Documentary: The Antarctica Challenge: A Global Warming

Important Environmental Dates

• February 2:                 World Wetland Day
• March 21:                   World Forestry Day 
• March 22:                   World Water Day  
• March 23:                   World Meteorological Day
• April 7:                       World Health Day 
• April 18:                     World Heritage Day 
• April 22:                      Earth Day
• May 31:                      Anti Tobacco Day
• June 5:                       World Environment Day
• July 11:                      World Population Day
• September 16:            World Ozone Day
• September 28:            Green Consumer Day
• October 3:                  World Habitat Day
• October 4:                  World Animal Welfare Day
• October 13:               World Day for Natural Disaster Reduction
• December 2:               Bhopal Tragedy Day

The Earth's Atmosphere--- The Air We Breathe

Of the planets in the solar system Mercury, nearest to the Sun, has almost no atmosphere. The next three planets, Venus, Earth, and Mars, lost whatever gases were present at their formation and the atmosphere they now possess arise from gases related from their interiors and reactions that these have undergone. The atmosphere of each planet is unique. The outer planets have extremely deep atmospheres made up mostly of hydrogen and helium, little changed from the original composition at the time of formation.

The Earth's atmosphere is a thin shell of gases surrounding the globe. The thinness becomes clear when we realize that the part of the atmosphere in which all human activities take place adds less than 0.3% to all the radius of the Earth. Its unique chemistry, including compounds such as oxygen (molecular oxygen or dioxygen) and carbon dioxide that support the processes upon which all forms of life depend, distinguishes this atmosphere from that of other planets in the solar system.

The mixing ratios of the major gases remain relatively constant up to an altitude of about 80 km. The constancy is because the kinetic energy of these molecules is sufficient to overcome any gravitational forces that would lead to settling. Because the mixing ratios of the major components are constant, the average molar mass, Ma can be calculated.

Above about 80 km altitude, the concentrations of the major species do begin to change significantly due to photochemical processes that cause dinitrogen and especially dioxygen to dissociate. 

In contrast to the major species, the composition of some trace gases is not constant in the atmosphere near Earth's surface due to the various sources and removal processes that operate in different regions, on both horizontal and vertical scales.

The Most Important But Rarely Mentioned Environmental Issue

The Most Important Environmental Issue is one that is rarely mentioned, And that is the lack of Conservation Ethics in our culture.
                 ~Gaylord Nelson          

World Environment Day 2014

The 2014 Theme for World Environment ''Day focus on Small Islands And Climate Change'', The official Slogan for the year is '' Raise Your Voice Not The Sea Level''

Stewart Udall

"Plans to protect air and water, wilderness and wildlife are infact plans to protect man".
                                                      ~Stewart Udall

World Environment Day

World Environment Day ('WED') is celebrated every year on June 5 to raise global awareness to take positive environmental action to protect nature and the planet Earth. It is run by the United Nations Environment Programme(UNEP).

History

It was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972 on the day that United Nations Conference on the Human Environment Began. The firs World Environment Day was celebrated in 1973. Since then it is hosted every year by a different city with a different theme.

World Environment Day falls in Spring in the Northern Hemisphere, in rainy season in the Southern Hemisphere and in Midsummer in the Tropical Regions.

John McCormick writes in his book  that '' Stockholm was without a doubt the landmark event in the growth of international environmentalism. It was the first occasion on which the political, social and economic problems of the global environment were discussed at an intergovernmental forum with a view to actually taking corrective actions.''

Role Of Media

Community Radio Stations (CRS) in all over Nepal Republic Launches the Campaign. All the National TV and Radio Breakings are replaced by Environmental Slogans and Informations. Nepal Govt launches various programs in collaboration with UNESCO. It also sends the Gurkha Army out of barracks on the road to clean the Environment and for afforestation programmes where all  the media personalles also gathers giving the live coverage.

Zee News launched 'My Earth, My Duty' Campaign. This campaign has entered the Limica Book of Records for a novel Effort: for planting more than 73 lakh (7,300,000) trees in one single day across 34 cities and 2.5 lakh (250,000) villages on 25 August 2010.

NDTV launched ''Greenathon'' Campaign. This campaign was launched in the year 2008 and served as India's first ever nationwide campaign to save the Environment.

World Environment Day Anthem

''Earth Anthem'' by poet-diplomat Abhay K was launched in June 2013 on the Occasion of the World Environment Day by Kapil Sibal and Shashi Tharoor. Union Ministers of India at a function organized by the Indian Council of Cultural Relations in New Delhi. It is in eight languages including all official languages of United Nations viz Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish. The other two languages are Hindi and Nepali.

Themes

2014

The 2014 theme for World Environment Day focus on 'Small Islands And Climate Change', the official slogan for the year is '' Raise Your Voice Not The Sea Level''.

2013

The 2013 theme for World Environment Day was 'Think, Eat, Save' 
The Campaign addressed the huge annual wastage and losses in food.

2012

The Theme for 2012 World Environment Day was '' Green Economy: Does it include you?''
The theme aimed to invite people to examine their activities and lifestyle and see how the concept of a Green Economy fits into it. The host Country for the year's celebrations was Brazil.

2011

The theme for 2011 was ''Forests-Nature At Your Service''

2010

'Many Species. One Planet. One Future', was the theme of 2010.
It celabrated the diversity of life on Earth as part of the 2010 International Year of Biodiversity.

2009

The theme for WED 2009 was ''Your Planet Needs Yo- Unite to Combat Climate Change'' and Michael Jackson's 'Earth Song' was declared 'World Environment Day Song'. It was hosted in Mexico.

2008

The Host for WED 2008 was New Zealand. The Slogan was CO2, Kick the Habit! Towards a Low Carbon Economy''.

2007

The topic for World Environmtn day for ''Melting Ice-a Hot Topic?''  

During International Polar Year, WED 2007 focused on the effects that climate change is having on Polar ecosystems and communities, on other ice-and snow-covered areas of the world, and the resulting global impacts.

2006

The topic for WED 2006 was ''Deserts and Desertification'' and the logan was '' Don't Desert Drylands''

The Slogan emphasized the importance of protecting drylands, which cover more than 40% of the planet's surface.

2005

The theme for WED 2005 was ''Green Cities'' an the slogan was ''Plan for the Planet''