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Mid-east countries unite to find water solutions.
At a recent conference held in Amman, Jordan, experts gathered to discuss the growing water crisis due to climate change. Organized by Jordan’s Ministry of Agriculture along with the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) and other partners, participants spoke of how to counteract
the alarming decrease in water supply to the region.

More than 150 villages were abandoned during 2007 and 2008 in Syria alone due to climate-related drought, and the United Nations just announced the nation’s worst dry spell in four decades, affecting some 1.3 million people.

In an effort to address the situation, the Water and Livelihoods Initiative has been launched, a ten-year collaborative project involving Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria and Yemen.

With an initial US$1 million in funding from the US Agency for International Development (USAID), each country is contributing plans for sustainable land and water management.

Nations such as Morocco and Jordan have already shown promise in implementing practices such as harvesting water from rainfall runoff as well as supplemental irrigation.

Jordan’s Ministry of Agriculture, International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas, all other participating partners and countries, we laud your resource-sustaining goals.

Wishing you every success as we pray that all governments awaken to the ultimate water savings found in the plant-based lifestyle. Concerned for the Earth's urgent state, Supreme Master Ching Hai has often addressed the actions needed to replenish our currently dwindling resources, as during a video message for a June 2009
climate change conference in Mexico.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: We can stop water shortage. While droughts are plaguing more populations, we cannot afford to waste water. Meat production uses massive amounts of water, as you know. It takes up to 1,200 gallons of fresh and good clean water to produce just one serving of beef. In contrast, a full vegan meal costs only 98 gallons of water. That is 90 plus percent less. So, if we want to stop water shortage and to preserve precious water we have to stop animal products.

Adopting a plant-based diet can halt as much as 80% of global warming, eradicate world hunger, stop war, promote peace, and it will free up the Earth’s water as well as many other precious resources, offering a lifeline for the planet and for humanity. In short, it will very quickly halt many of the global problems facing us right now.

Therefore, it is vital that we do our part to bring to the public’s attention the urgent climate change issues and its solutions; the foremost being the vegan diet, to safeguard our precious planet.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=87991
http://www.firstscience.com/home/news/agriculture/scientists-unite-to-combat-water-scarcity-solutions-yield-
more-crop-per-drop-in-drylands_78493.html
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9714c514-10e3-11df-9a9e-00144feab49a,s01=1.html
http://www.speedy-fit.co.uk/Climate-Change/Drought-Drives-Residents-from-160-Syrian-Villages.html

Extra News
In a recently released report, the US Department of Defense stated for the first time that climate change is likely to accelerate instability and potential conflict due to reduced resources and environmental catastrophes.  http://worldbbnews.com/2010/01/pentagon-global-warming-destabilising/
http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/02/01/us.pentagon.review/?hpt=Sbin
http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/01/growing-pentagon-focus-on-energy-and-climate/

The Meteorological Department of India states that 2009 brought the highest temperatures recorded since 1901.
http://netindian.in/news/2010/02/06/0005216/2009-was-warmest-year-india-1901-imd

In evaluating eco-treatments for roofs, US researchers find that green roofs, or those covered with vegetation, are superior in preventing flooding, improving indoor air quality, reducing water treatment needs and lowering temperatures.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=green-roof-climate-change-mitigation

With climate change creating abnormally warm conditions, Winter Olympic officials in British Columbia, Canada have been importing snow and meanwhile are reducing weekend training sessions to preserve the small amount on the slopes at this time.  
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/307877,training-cut-back-as-olympic-venue-combats-
mild-weather.html#ixzz0erqnORp3
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/307877,training-cut-back-as-olympic-venue-combats-mild-weather.html