South Korean government research calls for efficient use of farmland

South Korean government research calls for efficient use of farmland. A recent report by the Rural Development Administration of South Korea calculated the number of people who could receive a full daily 3,000 kilocalorie intake of food energy from crops grown on one hectare of land.

The study found that rice and other plant crops yielded much more direct food energy than converting corn crops for animal feed into meat. With arable land decreasing each year, the report suggested that the best way to protect South Korea from a food crisis would be to favor plant farming over raising livestock. 

Lee Duk-Bae – Chief of Task Force for Climate Change Response, Rural Development Administration, South Korea (M): According to the recent survey from the Rural Development Administration, one hectare of sweet potatoes can feed 26 people and one hectare of rice can feed 20 people, while the equivalent of pork can feed only 1.3 and beef 0.3 people per hectare. That’s because pigs and cows consume a lot more grain to produce only a small amount of meat.

VOICE: At the recent Climate Change Policy Symposium held for the first time in the South Korean National Assembly, a large group of Parliament members united to plan for urgent action to halt global warming.

Lee Kyung-Jae – Congressman and Chair of Environmental Policy Research Committee for Sustainable Development, South Korea (M): Now the effort to protect the environment is also a matter of humanity’s survival.

VOICE: As for the food crisis, climate change can also be addressed largely through a shift in agriculture away from inefficient animal products and toward grains and vegetables for human consumption.

Lee Duk-Bae (M): Vegetarians have a point there, and so as much as possible, our diet should be based on grains produced in a natural state. Maintaining such a lifestyle is a healthy consumer behavior that helps to stop global warming. Be Vegetarian, Go Green, and Save Our Planet!

VOICE: Our respectful accolades, South Korean National Assembly members, for your responsible actions and willingness to adopt policies that help preserve our fragile planet. May agricultural countries such as yours reap the benefits of producing foods that are good for the Earth’s survival and our own.

UK unveils CO2 footprint standard

New standard for carbon footprint calculation. BSI British Standards, along with the Carbon Trust and the United Kingdom’s Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra) have announced a new standard, called PAS 2050, designed to facilitate companies’ calculation of their carbon footprint for the entire lifecycle of a product or service.

In doing so, a business can evaluate greenhouse gas emissions starting with the design phase, making it easier to develop new products that are Earth-friendly. Using PAS 2050, one corporation already helped a supplier reduce its waste by 54%. BSI British Standards, the Carbon Trust and United Kingdom, we laud this innovative tool that helps businesses go more green. Through such standards as these, may we all be successful in treading more gently on the planet.

Wildflowers disappear from Walden Pond as earth heats up

Large numbers of plants disappear from Walden Pond. Scientists from Boston and Harvard Universities in the USA have found that 27 percent of the plant species which Henry David Thoreau, a well known American naturalist, philosopher and vegetarian, documented in great detail in the 1850s are now gone from this natural area, with another 36 percent of the remaining plants likely facing a similar fate.

The researchers also reported that the average temperature in the region has risen 2.4 degrees Celsius in the last century due to climate change. Scientists, we appreciate knowing about the extended harms of global warming. May we all be eco-heroes every day by treading more lightly on this Earth with sustainable lifestyles. 
 
Singapore leaders mark Clean and Green campaign with tree plantings

Singapore leaders plant trees. To promote benevolent stewardship of the environment, Singaporean government leaders participated in a Clean and Green event that featured festivities and tree planting. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was amongst those who planted over 250 trees at Sengkang Riverside Park in northeastern Singapore.
 
Around 1,600 Singaporeans followed the Prime Minister’s example by planting fruit trees such as guavas and mangosteens. Other activities included exhibitions of students’ environmental projects and a fruit carnival. Bravo, Your Excellencies and all participants for your noble example in greening your nation. Blessed be initiatives such as these in leading to a cleaner ecosystems in our shared biosphere.
 
Sweden to contribute to ADB's clean energy fund

Sweden donates US$4.7 million to Asian Development Bank (ADB) for clean energy. Joining Norway and Australia in contributing to Asian Development Bank's Clean Energy Financing Partnership Facility, the monies are intended to assist developing member states in becoming more energy independent.

They can also help lessen greenhouse gas emissions through investments in energy efficiency and clean power projects. Sweden, Heaven smiles on for your generous assistance to developing nations in addressing climate change and becoming more energy secure. May all countries be similarly graced in their development of green energy for our planet’s brighter future.