| ecology
5 |
the
destruction of of the mesopotamian wetlands by madsam
Another example of environmental destruction be a
centralised state, and the hope of restoration under freedom.
Advised reading
“More specifically, the late, great Mesopotamian marshes --
a decade ago, the largest wetland by far in the Middle East, and a site
considered by many religious scholars as the inspiration for the Garden
of Eden in the Bible and Koran.”
—
“ But Hussein considered the swamps a haven for Shiite opponents
of his regime. So in the mid-1990s, he drained the marshes, broadcast
pesticides to kill the fish and wildlife, and attacked the villages
of the ma'dan. Today, the once verdant network of reed beds and waterways
is mostly a sere and lifeless plain.”
And another similar
item here with small map and picture.
This is an excellent test case for the seriousness of both the liberators
and the local communities.
Wars are a large danger to the environment.
Here is a poor article on the issue,
for want of something better.
the web address for this article is
https://www.abelard.org/news/ecology5.htm#ecology220403 |
Updated
02.05.2003 |
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effects
of light pollution on animals
“Light pollution, the luminous orange glow that haloes cities
and suburbs, threatens wildlife by disrupting biological rhythms and
otherwise interfering with the behavior of nocturnal animals”
and several more details.
Light pollution is also a problem in astronomy, or even merely taking
a look at the starry skies during an evening stroll.
Of course, with increasing lighting efficiency, human behaviour is now
much less dependent upon sunlight, leading to changing living and work
patterns.
the web address for this article is
https://www.abelard.org/news/ecology5.htm#ecology210403 |
21.04.2003 |
| |
coral
bleaching vector?
Coral bleaching may be linked to bacteria responsive to increased temperatures.
“He suspects much of the world's coral bleaching is caused by
similar pathogens, and some of them may have different vectors. This
year, he showed that another new bacterial species, Vibrio coralliilyticus,
causes
bleaching in a Red Sea reef coral. Pathogenic strains of Vibrio
have also been isolated from reefs off the coasts of England and Brazil.”
the web address for this article is
https://www.abelard.org/news/ecology5.htm#ecology140403 |
14.04.2003 |
| |
and still
the pressure grows—population, desertification, water, oil
 population,
desertification
“The pressure of the world's 6.2 billion people is slowly turning
productive land into desert on every continent. Cultivation of marginal
land has eroded soils, while some 3 billion cattle, sheep, and goats
have
pushed pastures beyond their sustainable limits. All told, desertification
plagues up to one third of the earth's land area, affecting more than
1
billion people in 110 countries.”
water,
oil, population
“Aquifers are being depleted in scores of countries, including
China, India, and the United States, which collectively account for
half of the world grain harvest. Under the North China Plain, which
produces more than half of China's wheat and a third of its corn, the
annual drop in the water table has increased from an average of 1.5
meters a decade ago to up to 3 meters today. Overpumping has largely
depleted the shallow aquifer, so the amount of water that can be pumped
from it each year is restricted to the annual recharge from precipitation.
This is forcing well drillers to go down to the region's deep aquifer,
which, unfortunately, is not replenishable.”
“In China, a combination of aquifer depletion, the diversion
of irrigation water to cities, and lower grain support prices are shrinking
the grain harvest. After peaking at 392 million tons in 1998, the harvest
dropped to 346 million tons in 2002. China's food bubble may be about
to burst. It has covered its grain shortfall for three years by drawing
down its stocks, but it will soon have to turn to the world market to
fill this deficit. When it does, it could destabilize world grain markets.”
“And they [harvest cutbacks] will be occurring at a time when
world population is growing by more than 70 million a year.”
“Nearly all the 3 billion people to be added by 2050 [will be]
born in
developing countries”
And what will happen when the diesel, that fuels the pumps, that provides
the water, that waters the crops, that fertilises the crops and fuels
the agricultural machinery, that feeds the billions of people, runs out?
related material
replacing
fossil fuels: the scale of the problem
the web address for this article is
https://www.abelard.org/news/ecology5.htm#ecology040403 |
04.04.2003
related material
replacing
fossil fuels: the scale of the problem |
| |
less power, less land, more paper pulp
“The expensive, energy-intensive process of turning wood into
paper costs the pulp and paper industries more than $6 billion a year.
Much of that expense involves separating wood’s cellulose from
lignin, the glue that binds a tree’s fibers, by using an alkali
solution and high temperatures and pressures. Although the lignin so
removed is reused as fuel, wood with less lignin and more cellulose
would save the industry millions of dollars a year in processing and
chemical costs. Research at North Carolina State University shows promise
of achieving that goal.
“By genetically modifying aspen trees, Dr. Vincent L. Chiang,
professor of forest biotechnology, and his colleagues have reduced the
trees’ lignin content by 45 to 50 percent - and accomplished the
first successful dual-gene alteration in forestry science.”
the web address for this article is
https://www.abelard.org/news/ecology5.htm#ecology030403 |
03.04.2003 |
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