Belgium supports “The Big Ask”.

Since 2005, Friends of the Earth’s “The Big Ask” campaign has advocated immediate action on climate change. Following its success in England, the movement has spread to 16 other European countries and Japan. Most recently, “The Big Ask” came to Belgium where our Association members participated by distributing the SOS flyers.
Spokesperson Thom Yorke, lead singer of the popular English band Radiohead, joined Belgian celebrities Tom Kestens, Stef Kamil Carlens and others to support the campaign.

Koen Cornelis – Friends of the Earth Flandres and Brussels (M): Now what is “The Big Ask”? It is simple: the request for a law, a binding law that makes it an obligation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions annually by a certain percentage. In Belgium, this is 3 percent per year, amounting to 30 percent by 2030 and 90 percent by 2050.

VOICE: Well-known Belgian film director Nic Balthazar called upon the citizens of Belgium to participate in his new climate video about the urgency of the planet. Six thousand participants dressed in red answered his call to meet and form the letters SOS.
The simple purpose of “The Big Ask” campaign is to encourage people to raise challenging questions so their governments are persuaded to take action for the planet.

Nic Balthazar – Belgian film director (M): Indeed there are many different things that cause global warming and the destruction of the climate. And excessive meat consumption seems to be responsible for one fifth of greenhouse gases.

SupremeMasterTV-Belgium: What can we and the viewers at home do to make this world a better place?

Koen Cornelis – Friends of the Earth Flandres and Brussels (M): First of all, what you can do is support “The Big Ask,” of course. But what you can do yourself is eat less meat.

VOICE: Hats off to Friends of the Earth and all the concerned celebrities and Belgian citizens involved in “The Big Ask”! Indeed, your creatively successful initiative shows that working for a better planet can be fun and cool – and the same for going veg.

Arctic sea ice may reach record low.

The National Snow and Ice Data Center in Colorado, USA recently stated that this year’s Arctic sea ice has reached the second lowest on record. The latest satellite data shows that presently the ice expanse is down to 5.26 million square kilometers. With three weeks still remaining in the melting season, experts say there is still a possibility that last year’s previous record low will be exceeded.

Thank you esteemed scientists for sharing this urgent information. We pray for humanity to act upon effective measures that change the course of events such as these and restore the vital balance of our planet.

http://www.spa.gov.sa/English/details.php?id=585474

Global warming accelerates impact of Atlantic hurricanes.

US climate scientist Dr. Amanda Staudt is the author of a recent report, “Increasing Vulnerability to Hurricanes: Global Warming's Wake-Up Call for the U.S. Gulf and Atlantic Coasts.” The report states that the destructive potential of tropical storms in the North Atlantic has increased by about 50 percent since the 1970s, and that a continuously warming climate is supplying the conditions to fuel ever stronger storms in the eastern and southern states. This report comes even as rain from Tropical Storm Fay has deluged the southern and eastern US for the past week and landfall for Hurricane Gustav is looming.

We are grateful, Dr. Staudt, for your report that alerts us to the imminent need for our more kind and benevolent care of the Earth.

http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/aug2008/2008-08-25-092.asp, http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601086&sid=anZ.R.C_LkNo&refer=latin_america yogini

Crops may be lost to drought in West Java.

According to the Indonesian Cirebon Agriculture and Farming Agency, this season’s severe dry spells may result in the failure of over 4,000 hectares of rice in 12 districts, causing a loss of crops and income to more than 12,000 farmers. Water reserves are so low that they are not enough to supply every field in need, and water distribution systems have also been damaged by the lack of precipitation.

We wish the people of Java a sufficient harvest to meet their needs as we pray for changes worldwide to help protect precious water reserves and provide plentiful sustenance for all.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2008/08/21/severe-drought-hits-cirebon-farmers.html

Leading US magazine journalist recommends a meat-free planet.

Nancy Shute, writer for news magazine U.S. News and World Report recently authored the article, “What Will We Eat in a Hungrier World?’ in which she highlighted the benefits of global vegetarianism. Ms. Shute stated that eating meat pollutes the environment and causes global warming along with being inefficient due to the high quantities of grain fed to animals, a practice that will certainly make it more difficult to feed a planet of an estimated 9 billion by 2050. She stated, “It would make sense, of course, for the whole world to become vegetarian:  A plant-based diet is more healthful, more economical, and more environmentally benign.”

Ms. Nancy Shute and US News and World Report, we are thankful for your clearly presented insights and practical approach. May your readers also realize the many benefits, both personal and planetary, of adopting the animal-free vegetarian diet.

 http://www.usnews.com/articles/science/plants-animals/2008/07/24/what-will-we-eat-in-a-hungrier-world_print.htm