Scientists question Antarctic ice sheet stability.
Containing some 90% of the world’s glacial water reserves, Antarctica has long been thought to be resistant to the melting that has characterized the ice cap at its opposite Arctic pole.
However, troubling new evidence indicates that these vast ice sheets could become unstable within this century and that they have in fact already seen periods of rapid decline.

Data from a collaborative geological research program known as ANDRILL, involving scientists from Germany, Italy, New Zealand and the United States is now indicating that a sea level rise of at least 61 meters could occur if ice sheets in Antarctica and in Greenland were to melt completely.

Examining 20 million years of data from an 1,100-meter long ice core sample, chief US scientist Dr. David Harwood observed that the ice sheets appear to dynamically increase and receded over time, while US geologist Dr. Robert DeConto went on to note the grave implications of current ice instability, saying, “Our models may be dramatically underestimating how much worse it's going to get….
We're seeing ice retreat faster and more dramatically than any model predicts.”

Drs. Harwood, DeConto and ANDRILL international colleagues, we appreciate your detailed work in bringing this factual evidence to light.

Let us act sustainably now to preserve the Antarctic and all life in our global ecosphere. Speaking at a November 2009 videoconference in Washington, D.C., USA, Supreme Master Ching Hai again highlighted the real urgency of global warming, while also reminding of humanity’s capacity to halt it.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=antarctica-andrill-ice-sheets

Extra News
Groups such as the US Green Building Council state that homes of the future are being constructed with an increasing number of eco-considerations such as smaller size, energy meters to monitor power use, programmable thermostats, solar panels and even pre-wiring to for electric vehicle recharging.
http://www.physorg.com/news191475185.html

A study by the Netherlands’ Wageningen University found that forest certification programs, which require that certain management standards be met, are helpful in ensuring that the certified areas are optimally maintained economically, socially and ecologically.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100429083022.htm
http://www.wageningenuniversity.nl/UK/newsagenda/news/p022e.htm
http://www.alphagalileo.org/ViewItem.aspx?ItemId=74786&CultureCode=en


The World Wildlife Fund (WWF)-Malaysia, working together with several other groups to protect the critically endangered Sumatran rhino, recently photographed a female that is believed to be one of perhaps 30 remaining in the world.
http://www.thisdishisvegetarian.com/2010/04/0409wwf-captures-rare-photos-of-near.html
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/pregnancy-hopes-for-endangered-rhino-199868.html

Dutch researchers find that the subterranean area where the plant makes contact with the soil contains diverse organisms that coexist with the plant’s roots, which can be significantly affected by global warming changes such as higher temperatures and CO2 levels.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100429131248.htm
http://www.alphagalileo.org/ViewItem.aspx?ItemId=74822&CultureCode=en