British cold water swimmer urges action on climate change. A recently released report by the US Geological Survey on the state of glacier retreat in the Himalayan mountains due to global warming cited diminished water supplies to millions of people along with added sea level rise, and increased likelihood of outburst floods from sources such as glacial lakes.
Of particular concern to the 39 scientists involved in the study is the accelerating melt of fresh water sources in the Himalayas. Working to raise further awareness of such global warming impacts is British explorer and swimmer Mr. Lewis Gordon Pugh, who, in May 2010, braved dangerous freezing temperatures and oxygen-depleted high altitudes in a symbolic one-kilometer swim across a lake at the base of Mount Everest, which itself has formed as a result of global warming.
Lewis Gordon Pugh – British explorer and swimmer raising awareness on climate change (M): This swim was one of the hardest swims I’ve ever done, because you’ve got to get a fine balance. If you go slowly where you’re just wearing a Speedo, you’re going to freeze to death. But, if you go too quickly, up there at 5,300 meters,
it is very, very difficult to breathe.
What I was trying to do about this swim was to link damaging the environment and having conflict on this Earth. Imagine if you are a farmer, and you live at the bottom of the Ganges River, and you have less and less water.
And that water which you are getting is polluted and toxic, then you are going to be very, very angry. We need to protect our water supplies, because we cannot live on this Earth without good, clean water.
VOICE: Wearing no protective gear, Mr. Pugh had previously conducted a similar activity at the North Pole – a place that without global warming would have been covered by ice. His deep concern in raising awareness of these sites most jeopardized by climate change has allowed him to meet with world leaders to discuss solutions.
Lewis Gordon Pugh (M): For me, I am so passionate about trying to draw attention to what is happening, and the speed at which it is happening, as I will do anything to draw attention to this issue. If we are not able to stop climate change, there is no future. I think the most important thing that we need to do right now is to believe that we can stop climate change. Before I start with any expedition, I’ve got to believe I can do it. And that is the most important thing.
VOICE: Our salute and admiration Mr. Pugh for your determination, care and very courageous actions to hasten our actions to halt climate change. May leaders and citizens alike each do our part to save the planet.
In a video message for a June 2009 climate change conference in Mexico, Supreme Master Ching Hai described the urgency of glacial melt worldwide while at the same time addressing the most effective solution.
Supreme Master Ching Hai : Most of the planet’s glaciers will be gone within a few decades, jeopardizing the survival of more than 2 billion people. One billion of these people will suffer the effects of the Himalayan glacier retreats, which have been occurring at a pace more rapid than anywhere in the world, with two-thirds of the region's more than 18,000 glaciers receding.
The initial effects of glacier melt are destructive floods and landslides. As the glacial ice retreat continues, reduced rainfall, devastating droughts and water shortages are the result.
So, to cool the planet most quickly, we have to stop consuming meat in order to stop the livestock raising industry. If everyone in the world would adopt this simple but most powerful practice of an animal-free diet, then we could reverse the effect of global warming in no time.
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/08/usgs-confirms-himalayan-glaciers-melting-climate-change-to-blame.phphttp://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=2573 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/devon/8699152.stmGulf oil well receives permanent seal. Energy company BP announced on Saturday, September 18 that cement had set in the permanent plugging of the defective well that had leaked oil into the Gulf of Mexico off the southern coast of the USA for several months.
Having passed a pressure and weight test successfully, seal has been officially announced as complete. Additionally, the US government passed a measure requiring 3,500 non-producing wells throughout the Gulf to be sealed for environmental safety and for 650 production platforms not currently in use to be dismantled.
We thank the organizations and individuals involved for your tireless efforts to permanently halt the oil leak. Let us encourage government and business leaders to place safety foremost in all industrial settings for the benefit of cherished humans, animals and the environment.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/18/AR2010091803519.htmlhttp://content.usatoday.com/communities/greenhouse/post/2010/09/interior-department-offshore-wells/1 http://edition.cnn.com/2010/US/09/17/gulf.oil.disaster/index.html?hpt=T2Extra NewsFollowing a prolonged drought that left food shortages, months of recent heavy rains in Guatemala have left crops destroyed and water contaminated,with more than 100,000 people currently relying on emergency food supplies.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3qA8c9JHEc http://english.aljazeera.net/video/americas/2010/09/201091110301582896.htmlThe Indonesian government implements new requirements for forestry companies to obtain official certificates for wood and wood products that verify the timber has been harvested legally,in an effort to protect the forests and to comply with European Union import regulations.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/09/13/indonesia-bans-exports-illegally-harvested-timber.htmlhttp://www.ttjonline.com/story.asp?sectioncode=17&storycode=64047&c=2
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