Antarctica’s ice shelves collapsing.

Since the end of February, the Antarctic Peninsula’s Wilkins Ice Shelf, which had long been very stable, has been disintegrating at a rate whose speed has surprised the scientists monitoring it. Clear high-resolution color images showing the process of collapse were taken by Formosat 2, a satellite operated by Dr. Cheng-Chien Liu, associate professor of National Cheng Kung University, Formosa (Taiwan).

Supreme Master Television’s correspondents in Formosa had the chance to speak with Dr. Liu.

Dr. Cheng-Chien Liu, Associate Professor of National Cheng Kung University, Formosa: Everybody knows that the temperature is rising, the globe is warming. But probably not many people know that the highest rate of temperature rising is in Antarctica, especially the western part of Antarctic Peninsula. This area, Wilkins Ice Shelf, has experienced the highest temperature rising rate, which is about 0.5 degrees for every ten years. In the past 50 years, that means it has already gone up 2.5 degrees. That's the reason the ice shelf in this area keeps breaking up one by one. We have already seen a lot of ice shelves disintegrated in the past few years. So I would say temperature rising, global warming is the main cause of this kind of event.

The British Antarctic Survey observing the Antarctic ice shelves say the Wilkins Shelf is the largest compared to the 6 other ice shelves of the continent that have collapsed in the past several decades.

Dr. Cheng-Chien Liu: I think this Wilkins Ice Shelf disintegration event gives us a good lesson. This is not just a scientific fiction, or just movie, or theory proposed by scientists. This is something happening right now. And if we don't do something now, the situation may get worse and worse. We can work together to help the Earth, the only Earth.

Our deep appreciation to Dr. Cheng-Chien Liu for your insights and your message, one that is echoed by many other scientists and experts. We pray that all global citizens will all act quickly to save our Earth.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article3621685.ece , http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/press/press_releases/press_release.php?id=376

Italy recalls contaminated mozzarella cheese. 

The Italian Ministry of Health has recalled buffalo mozzarella produced at 25 different companies in the Campania region that was found to be tainted with dioxin, a dangerous carcinogen.  The European Commission will monitor mozzarella production in Campania to ensure that no dioxin tainted cheese enters the food supply. 

We thank the Italian Ministry of Health for protecting the lives of people through this recall. May Heaven bless all to adopt a plant-based diet - for our health, for the animals, and for our environment.

www.iht.com/articles/2008/03/28/europe/cheese.php

UN passes resolution recognizing the effect of climate change on human rights.

The Maldives introduced the resolution, noting that the global poor are often most at risk from the consequences of climate destabilization. The resolution was passed by the UN Human Rights Council and recognizes the areas most immediately threatened by global warming as being low lying coasts or island states like the Maldives, countries with large arid or semi-arid regions, and fragile mountain ecosystems. 

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/world/view/20080328-127056/Climatechange-now-a-UN-human-rights-issue

New report shows the western US is heating up twice as fast as the global average. 

“Hotter and Drier: The West's Changed Climate” is the title of a report recently issued by the Rocky Mountain Climate Organization based in Boulder, Colorado, USA. Consequences of the warming trend include more frequent wildfires, massive tree die offs from insect infestation, glacier melt in Montana and severe water shortages in several states. Stephen Saunders, president of the Rocky Mountain Climate Organization, said “It's already begun. We are already seeing the effects, and scientists are telling us it's going to get markedly worse.”

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/state/20080327-0935-wst-warmingwest.html