Climate change taking a toll in Âu Lạc (Vietnam).
With no rainfall since September 2009 in the northern part of the country, forest fires have ignited in the provinces of Lào Cai and Lai Châu. Moreoever, the Red River is at its lowest in more than 100 years, with passage by boat currently impossible while regional rice farmers are in need of water for newly planted seedlings.

Alarmingly, the southern Mekong Delta is also experiencing water shortages. Worsening global warming effects have not only reduced Mekong River water levels to record lows, ocean salt water has encroached an unprecedented 60 kilometers inland this year, threatening 100,000 hectares of rice.

Central Âu Lạc has also been affected, enduring high temperatures that have caused hundreds of people to seek medical treatment at local hospitals for conditions of heatstroke, severe dehydration and other respiratory illnesses.

We are saddened to know of this suffering caused by the increasingly dire state of our planet.
Let us act now to bring relief through sustainable choices that help restore harmony to our Earth’s cycles. As on previous occasions, Supreme Master Ching Hai spoke during an August 2009 conference in Thailand about global warming’s critical tolls and the need to curb them.


http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=88320
http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90851/6909249.html
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/Health/201003/Sweltering-weather-sending-kids-elderly-to-HCMC-hospitals-
898122/

Lebanese media panel calls for expanded coverage of the environment.
Held in Beirut, the discussion was hosted by national publication media representatives, including Raghida Haddad, a 2008 international journalism competition winner and editor-in-chief of the leading Middle Eastern “Environment and Development” magazine.

During the meeting, Lebanon’s Ministry Media Advisor Pascale Saad Choueiri assured the support of the current administration for environmental matters, while journalist Suzanne Baaklini of Lebanon’s “L’Orient le Jour” newspaper urged for a more active voice from the media, saying that the situation is urgent
with Arab regions being impacted the most by climate change.

Our appreciation, Lebanese media members for your commitment to journalistic development in recognition of our environment’s fragile state. May more of such vital information be shared by all news reporters to hasten awareness about the importance of acting now to save our planetary home.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=112417

Extra News
Lack of rain across the country of Niger has created a shortage of crops, with the worst per capita cereal production in 20 years, causing towns to be abandoned as families leave in search of food and water.
http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=88385

To help alleviate the effects of prolonged drought, officials of Sarawak state in Malaysia adopt measures such as emergency deployment of water aid, voluntary water-rationing and electricity conservation.
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/3/10/nation/5830788&sec=nation

With encouragement from other veg advocacy initiatives, East Village Community School in New York, USA, adopts a “Vegetarian Monday” meal plan and urges participation from other schools to benefit children’s health and the environment.
http://www.ny1.com/5-manhattan-news-content/top_stories/114462/manhattan-school-cuts-the-fat--urges-
others-to-join

South Korea’s Advanced Institute of Science and Technology demonstrates the effectiveness of electrically powering transportation by pairing up vehicle magnetic sensors with recharging strips embedded in the road.
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6281SI20100309