Species are going extinct at an alarming rate - approximately one every 20 minutes. And global warming is a big part of the problem. It’s changing the climate and ecosystems, forcing species to move, adapt - or die out.

Today I’d like to share a special opportunity to help protect species by taking action with Conservation International. CI’s projects are closely aligned with Environmental Defense Fund’s own work fighting global warming and protecting our planet.

Read on to see how CI is saving species from extinction, and learn how you can help.

Sincerely,

Sam Parry

Dear  People,

Ensuring the survival of all species is a cornerstone of Conservation International’s work. But it’s no small task.

Every 20 minutes, another species on our planet is pushed to extinction.

In that same time, more than 1,200 acres of forest are destroyed, releasing climate change-causing pollution into the atmosphere. That means fewer acres of habitat and more CO2 in the air, which further threatens species’ survival by altering the climate and ecosystems on which they rely.

It’s a catastrophe on a global scale - perhaps the Earth’s next major extinction event - but it’s solvable. And you can be a part of the solution. Sign CI’s petition to save forests and stop the clock on species extinction.

By signing the petition, you are telling government leaders to incorporate forest protection into their national policies on climate change - for the good of our species, our climate, and ourselves.

Take a moment right now and sign our petition to government leaders and help stop the clock on species extinction.

Your signature will bring us one step closer to protecting life on earth, and will help ensure that rare and threatened species survive. Please sign the petition today.

Sincerely,

Beth Wallace
Conservation International

Monkey © CI/Photo by John Martin
Children © CI/Photo by Critano Nogueira

Written by Darci Palmquist
Published on December 8th, 2009 in Animals, Asia Pacific, Climate Change, Cool Green Morning, Copenhagen, Forests, Green Living, Policy, Sustainable Livelihoods, United States

Copenhagen, EPA, Copenhagen, EPA… sound like a broken record? Don’t worry, we’ve got more news than just those two biggies for you today: palm oil and orangutans, the green movement and a few photos from COP 15 thrown in for good measure. Enjoy your daily dose of Cool Green Morning!

1. Yesterday’s ruling by the EPA that greenhouse gas emissions are dangerous to people – a decision that empowers the agency to regulate emissions — has everyone a-buzz. Could this be the push that gets the U.S. into the game at Copenhagen?
2. And more buzz: a report issued by Lord Nicholas Stern and the UN Environment Programme last week says there is hope for Copenhagen to succeed — at least, there’s a “50-50″ chance of avoiding change of more than 2 degrees Celsius.
3. Check out what you’ve been missing at Copenhagen with this slideshow of photos from day one of COP 15 from Treehugger.
4. And now for some non-Copenhagen news… what’s the link between Indonesia’s 40 richest men and the decline of orangutans in that country? Palm oil. The growing demand globally for palm oil is bringing wealth to a few and major habitat loss to orangutans.
5. We’re big fans of doing all we can to green our livelihoods here at Cool Green Morning, so this piece telling people to stop going green raised some ire. What do you think — is going green just a “distraction” as the author says, or does it help create some kind of change?

WOW! Is there anything else to say about this stunning photo of Elakala Waterfall in West Virginia by ForestWander Nature Photography? You tell us — what do you think of our “Nature Photo of the Week”?

And that’s a problem in a warming world.

Billions of people get their fresh water from mountain glacier meltwater flows. The trouble is the planet’s glaciers are receding at alarming rates.

Nowhere is this threat more acute than in China and India where huge populations rely on meltwater from rapidly thinning Himalayan glaciers.

Environmental Defense Fund is partnering with the Asia Society to highlight this threat in a full-page ad in tomorrow’s New York Times.

The ad is timed to coincide with President Obama’s trip to Asia, during which he is scheduled to meet with China’s President Hu Jintoa to discuss climate change, among other topics.

You can be one of the first to see the ad, which displays dramatic photos showing the extent of snow cap loss in the Himalayas:

Here are some sobering facts about climate and water to inspire you to take action:

7: Number of great rivers in Asia fed by meltwater from Himalayan glaciers (Ganga, Indus, Brahmaputra, Salween, Mekong, Yangtze and Huang He).

2 billion: Number of people, mostly in India and China, who rely on meltwater from Himalayan glaciers for their fresh water.

2035: Date by which the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and India’s Energy and Resources Institute predict that much of the Himalayas could be glacier free.

66%: Amount by which the July-September flows would be reduced in the Ganga River if we lose the Himalayan glaciers.

37%: Amount of India’s irrigated land is located in the Ganga region.

1 and 2: Respective rank of China and India as the world’s producers of wheat and rice, food staples for all of humanity.

You can help by emailing your Senators and urging them to support a climate bill.

Sources for the climate and water facts:

• http://assets.panda.org/downloads/glacierspaper.pdf
• http://www.tribuneindia.com/2008/20081111/main5.htm
• http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/science/10/05/himalayas.glacier.conflict/index.html
• http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/03/global-warming-melting-glaciers-shrinking-harvests.php

http://www.coalcountrythemovie.com/ check out this web site

This, from the Sierra Club

		There is a new film that speaks to an issue close to my heart—mountaintop-removal coal mining. Once you see this film, it will be close to your heart, too. Mountaintop-removal coal mining has destroyed close to 2,000 miles of Appalachian streams by blowing off the tops of mountains and filling the surrounding valleys and waterways with mining waste. Coal Country is a moving documentary that profiles the concerned residents and coal miners of Appalachia who are so deeply affected by the destruction from mountaintop-removal coal mining—people who must deal with polluted local water sources; the threat of asthma, cancer, and other health effects in their families; and the division of their communities on how to address the crisis. We need your help to ensure that as many people as possible see this powerful film. Hosting a Coal Country viewing party in your community is an easy and effective way to contribute to this growing national movement to end mountaintop-removal coal mining. Sign up to host today and we’ll send you your very own free sneak-peek DVD and a special host packet with everything you need to organize a successful event. As a party host, you and your guests are invited to join national call-ins with actress Ashley Judd, coalfield residents featured in the film, and leaders of the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign as they talk about mountaintop-removal coal mining and how we can take action in our own communities. Sierra Club members and supporters have already planned more than 300 parties between November 10th and 14th—host or join one today!

Hey Everybody,  The Environmental Defense Fund has recently sent an email out on this new report, and I am sharing it with you.

If you aren’t sure why global warming is a top priority, please read this.

Moments ago, the White House released a detailed scientific report forecasting devastating impacts of global warming in the United States if we don’t take dramatic steps now to cut our global warming emissions.

The report, Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States, breaks down climate impacts region-by-region

The Northeast:

• Hartford and Philadelphia could average 30 days of 100+ temperatures per year while Boston could see more than 20 100-degree days per year;
• Native maple, beech, birch, spruce and fir forests could be almost entirely lost;
• The climate of New Hampshire could resemble the climate of North Carolina.

The Southeast:

• Much of Florida and southeast Texas could see more than 180 days in the 90s per year while other southeastern states could see more than 100 90-degree days per year;
• Spring and summer drought has already increased by 12 percent and 14 respectively over the last 30 years. The frequency, intensity and duration of droughts in the region are likely to increase;
• Sea level rise and stronger storm surges could inundate and ultimately flood coastal communities along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts.

The Midwest:

• The climate of Michigan could resemble the climate of Oklahoma and the climate of Illinois could resemble the climate of Texas;
• Deadly heat waves like the one that killed more than 700 people in Chicago in 1995, will become more frequent. Under higher emission scenarios, Chicago could experience up to three such heat waves every year;
• Higher emissions scenarios would cause a water level drop of 1-2 feet in the Great Lakes, threatening shipping, infrastructure, beaches and ecosystems.

The Great Plains:

• Hotter, drier summers will threaten the already overused High Plains aquifer, which irrigates 13 million acres and provides water to 80% of the people in the region;
• Increased temperatures and higher carbon dioxide levels will threaten farming activities with more drought, pest infestations, and faster weed growth;
• Under higher emission scenarios, North and South Dakota, which currently see only a handful of 100-degree days, could see 50 or more days of 100+ temperatures per year.

The Southwest:

• Under higher emission scenarios, the southern half of Arizona, southeastern California and Las Vegas could see more than 120 days with 100+ temperatures;
• Most of the region could see precipitation levels decline by more than 40%, pushing already water-strained areas over the edge;
• Southwestern forests will be decimated with less water, more wildfires and more invasive pests. Under higher emissions scenarios, California’s mountain forests could decline by 60-90%.

The Northwest:

• Mountain snowpack runoff, critical water needs, could run 20-40 days earlier, threatening water resources in summer months;
• Declining summer streamflows and warmer water temperatures could push salmon and other cold water fish species, already stressed by human activities, over the brink;
• 100-degree days are rare today in the Northwest. Under higher emission scenarios, much of the region could see 30-40 days of 110+ temperatures per year.

Without action, this is the future that awaits our children. We can’t let it happen.

The good news? The U.S. House could vote on a landmark energy and global warming bill as soon as next week. The Environmental Defense Fund (and others) is doing everything they can to pass this bill and keep the pressure on the Senate to move a bill of its own.

Here are three things you can do now to help:

1. Take action to urge passage of the bill in the House.
2. Forward this email to all your friends and family.
3. Share facts about your region on Facebook or Twitter. Please include a link to their action alert: http://support.edf.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=118

Thanks for all you do,

P.S. In addition to the human toll, this report reinforces the dire threat American wildlife face in a warming world. Go to our Warming and Wildlife campaign to meet and see seven “ambassador” species that face a bleak future in a warmer world.

Here is one area we tend to ignore as we progress into an “advanced” civilization.  I do use the word advanced with reserve my friends, as I believe that our ‘advancement’ is in reality a backward stepping as we resolve to ignore the damaging effects.  Thus our Moral Development is what comes to mind today.

These thoughts come to mind as I sat watching an documentary history of the development of Sci-Fi as we know it today.  The writers of past had some very interesting ideas of the future, technologies that may be a part of that future, and our links to other civilizations.  I found it amazing how accurate many of them have been.  In fact it was noted that perhaps many of our developments in technology may have even come about as a result of the ideas shared by those writers.  Those that wrote Star Trek and Star Wars and the like, foresaw technologies that we today use in our everyday lives without much thought.

What, though, do we think of when we come with an idea and proceed with producing it.  Do we consider the consequences?  Or can we?  Is it possible at that time to know what consequences there will be.  For example when you learn of just how many plastic bottles alone are thrown into our landfills each day…..it is staggering and unimaginable.   Difficult to believe even after seeing it with our own eyes.  Only after we have succumbed to the conveniences it adds to our everyday lives do we then notice it’s impact.  Or do we?  Even if we do, it is so very difficult to just stop.

Well one thing that came into thinking while watching this is an overwhelming fact.  OUR MORAL DEVELOPMENT HAS NOT KEPT UP WITH OUR INVENTIONS OF TECHNOLOGY…..Think about that satement for a minute, repeat a few times, let it sink in.  Our Moral development has not kept up with our inventions of technology.

WOW!  that is rather profound, wouldn’t you say?…And then think about this…..Our technological developments are more than anything else, applied toward WAR.  H.G. Wells wrote of so much of this in his books when he talked about HUMAN EXTINCTION—-It was not taken seriously–his novels of WARNING….And as much as he foresaw WAR as the device for human extinction, he may have perhaps missed the self destructive powers that technology itself would have, even without war.  A more suttle (although it’s not) path than war, perhaps not quite so bold as war, perhaps a little more un-noticed.

Our self destruction, brought on by making our lives better, more convenient, more advanced…has left us so dependant we are unable to get back to BASICS, (which by the way, make life much better) without all this stuff that is SELF DESTRUCTION.  Because simple is better, that is without new Psychological Syndromes such as “information overload”, for one.  So new you may not have even heard of it yet.  We humans are so much an instant gratification group that we gradually allow ourselves to become little stressed out robots that have seemingly lost our purpose or grasp on the concept of what LIFE is all about, or what LIFE is period.  I am in no way saying that we do not need to be productive, but that we may need to re-think our productivity.  Is it positive?  Productive Positivity

Help me define productive positivity.  Think along the lines of what makes it positive.

Is it safe, environmentally, psychologically, physically, etc.?

Is it balanced enough to allow resources to renew and do no harm….?

What activities constitutes positivity, and what does not?  (i.e.  manufacturing, inventions,      developments, work force, Land use, etc.)

I know this may all seem completely ridiculous to even bother thinking about since we have so little control over so much of our lives (ooh!  did I really just say that),  but I believe we have to start somewhere at some time.  It is after all the thought process that generally leads to action, eh!…

Yes as most all life on Earth does, we ADAPT…..and we do it so well.  That is why so much goes un-noticed for so long (Perhaps you are familiar with the Frog and the boiling water). That is why we have so many different cultures all over the world with so many different ways of living in each of those cultures.  We are and can be most anything, and can live most any way.

Have we lost so much control that we can no longer CHOOSE to live in a way that is not harmful to Earth, Ourselves and Others?  This is one statement I disagree with so  much it hurts…….I truly believe that consciously we do have the ability, the power, the desire, and the need to begin choosing a more BALANCED way of living on Earth.                  PRODUCTIVE POSITIVITY

What are the Threats to Fresh Water in your Neighborhood?

Explore this cool interactive feature

Here is a plug for the Natures Conservancy, cause I love all that they do.  This is some really good information I just had to share with everyone today…….Enjoy!!

to see how Natures Conservancy protects freshwater resources Worldwide.

This article from the pages of Natures Conservancy:  I have been a member for many years and believe very strongly in their world wide work.  If you are not already a member, please don’t hesitate to join and/or make a donation.  They need our help.

Did you know that deforestation affects an ecosystem’s ability to provide clean drinking water to the people who live there? Or that the location of a dam could determine the survival of migratory fish?

This interactive feature lets you explore the different threats that have an impact on watersheds around the world—and the strategies the Conservancy is using to address them. Click on the illustration above to actually see how different changes, such as the building of a dam, can affect a freshwater ecosystem.

In addition to learning about the different strategies the Conservancy uses to mitigate the impacts to threats such as invasive species, increasing water consumption, and agricultural runoff, you can read examples of how the Conservancy is implementing these strategies all over the world.

Deforestation
South America
The Mississippi River Valley

Dams
Magdalena River, Colombia
Penobscot River, Maine
Yangtze River, China

Agriculture
Mackinaw and Root Rivers, Illinois and Minnesota
Flint River, Georgia
Paraguay-Parana River, Brazil

Invasive Species
Q&A with Lindsay Chadderton
San Miguel River, Colorado

Reduced Water Consumption
Colorado River, CO and Murray Darling River, Australia
Great Lakes

Floodplain Conversion
Emiquon, Illinois
Klamath Basin, Oregon

Climate Change Strategy

Freshwater Conservation

Freshwater Conservation

What’s New

The Role of
Freshwater Ecosystems

Threats to
Freshwater Conservation

What You Can Do

What We Do

Dams
Floodplains
Watersheds
Environmental Flows
Agriculture
Coastal Rivers
Invasives
Climate Change

Interactive Feature:
How We Protect Watersheds

Where We Work

Practitioner Resources