Essere Organics Blog

“Pressure on Earth’s unique and highly vulnerable polar areas is mounting quickly and an internationally-agreed set of rules built on new realities appears needed to many observers. In Iceland, leading scholars will detail fast-emerging issues in international law and policy in the polar regions caused by such developments as the opening up of the Northwest Passage. They will identify priorities for law-making and research and offer their best advice to decision makers, who clearly need to act even faster than the changing environment.”Rising Arctic economic activity

Problems forecast for the Arctic as its ice recedes include:

1. Overfishing
2. Pollution from ships and offshore extraction of oil and gas
3. Oil spills
4. Invasion of alien species carried by ships’ ballast water

“Overfishing, the result in part of illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, is already occurring in the Okhotsk and Bering Seas,” says conference presenter Dr. Tatiana Saksina of the World Wildlife Fund’s International Arctic Programme.

“Agreements are needed now to regulate shared and straddling fish stocks and to protect fish migrating to higher latitudes in search of colder waters,” she says.

“Arctic sea routes are among the world’s most hazardous due to lack of natural light, extreme cold, moving ice floes, high wind and low visibility and the Arctic marine environment is particularly susceptible to the effects of pollution (as demonstrated by the Exxon Valdez oil spill).

National marine environmental protection regimes that cover significant portions of Arctic waters constitute a fragmented system of governance, with large gaps in jurisdiction, implementation and effectiveness. The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), meanwhile, includes environmental rules inadequate to protect the ice oceans, she says.

“There is a need for an arctic ship routing system, traffic separation schemes, and use of Automatic Identification System (AIS) and Long Range Identification and Tracking (LRIT). Due to their vulnerability, arctic waters require very strict standards for ballast water exchange, fuel content, discharge and emission. There should be internationally binding standards for construction, design, equipment and manning of ships,” says Dr. Saksina.

“There is an urgent need for a comprehensive international environmental regime specially tailored for the unique arctic conditions. This regime is needed before natural resource development expands widely. The earliest date of summer Arctic Ocean without ice may be 2013. The longer the delay in developing international environmental rules, the more likely it is that unplanned and unregulated development will damage the very resources most necessary for a sustainable future in the Arctic. There is no time to waste and no reason to wait.”

Antarctic Tourists and Researchers

In the Antarctic, tourist activities can compromise the region due to seeds, invertebrates and soil in their clothing and footwear, and in their provisions and equipment, says Dr. Leary. As well, visitors may introduce and spread infectious disease-causing agents through, for example, interactions with wildlife and leaving behind organic wastes.According to a 2005 UNEP report: “Governments may be reluctant to impose thorough quarantine controls on tourists for fear of damaging the industry … [and] tourists are likely to be moving between similar sites (for example, wildlife viewing areas), increasing the risk of spreading invasive alien species.”

It also notes that “researchers may pose a particular risk to biodiversity because they have access to sites of high conservation value that may be closed to the general public, and may carry equipment or organisms to those sites.”

Given changing environmental circumstances, however, he anticipates potential new questions arising, such as:

• At what temperature are climatic conditions considered particularly severe?
• Do laws and regulations adopted by the coastal States for ice-covered areas apply also in the part of the year when the areas are not covered by ice?
• What happens if in certain years the waters are ice-covered for most of the year, but in other years they are not, also considering that the precise calculation of the duration of ice-coverage can only be made at the end of the year?

Bioprospecting is also emerging as an issue in both polar regions, says Dr. Leary of UNU-IAS.

“Bioprospecting in Antarctica in particular raises new questions about its impact on freedom of scientific research and the unique framework of international co-operation and governance in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean which is built upon the ideals of Antarctica as a region devoted to science and peace.

“Similar questions arise in the Arctic as well. It is quite suprising but it looks like bioprospecting is already a well established commercial activity in the Arctic, perhaps exceeding the level of activity in Antarctica. Both biotechnology companies and government funded research projects alike see the potential of the Arctic’s unique biodiversity for new developments in biotechnology.

“The neural stem cells of Arctic squirrels for example offer interesting new possibilities for the treatment of strokes in humans, while some Arctic fish species have already yielded new interesting enzymes useful in industrial and manufacturing processes.”

“But can these new commercial activities, often occurring on the high seas, be substainably managed? That is but one new challenge for international law we are considering at this conference”, says Dr. Leary.

Thorsteinn Gunnarsson, rector of the University of Akureyri says: “As the impact of climate change is increasing, it is highly important to discuss leadership and governance in the Arctic regions. The academic community should provide a platform to explore and openly debate these issues. University of Akureyri is very proud to offer this platform by holding this conference in international law and policy in the polar regions in cooperation with UN institutions and other partners.”

Says Konrad Ostrerwalder, UN Under Secretary-General and Rector of UNU: “As the ecosystems of the Arctic are affected by climate change, so too will the inhabitants be affected, because of their heavy reliance on the natural resources of the Arctic.

“It is important that voices of the indigenous and other peoples of the Arctic be heard in the course of the development of government policies at all levels.”

We have all this before but this is the easiest way to do your part for the environment, by simply unplugging those appliances.

Just turn off and unplug your printer,television,coffee maker or any other electronic devices that you are not using. The drain is real and it all adds up.

There has been a lot of buzz lately concerning flame retardants. Its supposed to make everyday consumer items safer but have been found to affect the development of the fetus. What was found by a Quebec researcher, it is suggested that the use should be banned. The scope of use covers a large range of consumer items from cars, electronics, furniture,carpets and draperies to name a few. Some actually have already been banned but because of the vast use in so many consumer items it would take a lot of time just to deal with products that have been sprayed not even to mention new products. Where we can control the use of these we should, for example on our couches and carpets to not have them sprayed to limit the off-gassing in our homes.

One of the most basic and easiest things to follow is to load up your dishwasher, clothes washer and dryer.

Since most appliances consume large amounts of energy it is important to reduce their use simply by running them only when you have full loads. One more tip that will also help your wallet too.

Reducing global emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) over the coming century will be more challenging than society has been led to believe, according to a new research commentary appearing April 3 in Nature.The authors, from the University of Colorado at Boulder, the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, and McGill University in Montreal, say the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has significantly underestimated the technological challenges of reducing CO₂ emissions. The study, “Dangerous Assumptions,” concludes that the IPCC is overly optimistic in assuming that, even without action by policymakers, society will develop and implement new technologies to dramatically reduce the growth of future emissions.
In the end, there is no question whether technological innovation is necessary–it is,” write the authors in the Nature commentary. “The question is, to what degree should policy focus explicitly on motivating such innovation” The IPCC plays a risky game in assuming that spontaneous advances in technological innovation will carry most of the burden of achieving future emissions reductions, rather than focusing on those conditions that are necessary and sufficient for those innovations to occur.”

Recent changes in “carbon intensity”–CO₂ emissions per unit of energy consumed–already are higher than those predicted by the IPCC because of rapid economic development, says lead author Roger Pielke Jr. of the University of Colorado. In Asia, for instance, the demands of more energy-intensive economies are being met with conventional fossil-fuel technologies, a process expected to continue there for decades and eventually move into Africa.

In estimating the emissions reductions required for CO₂ concentration stabilization, the IPCC divides future emissions changes into those that will occur spontaneously (such as in the absence of climate policies) and those that are policy driven. This division hides the full challenge associated with stabilizing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The Nature commentary points out, for example, that to stabilize CO₂ levels at around 500 parts per million (compared to the present level of about 390 ppm), the IPCC scenarios assume that 57 to 96 percent of the total carbon removed from the energy supply over the coming century would occur spontaneously.

“According to the IPCC report, the majority of the emission reductions required to stabilize CO₂ concentrations are assumed to occur automatically,” says Pielke. “Not only is this reduction unlikely to happen under current policies, but we are moving in the opposite direction right now. We believe these kinds of assumptions in the analysis blind us to reality and could potentially distort our ability to develop effective policies.”

Stabilization of atmospheric concentrations of CO₂ and other greenhouse gases was the primary objective of the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change approved by almost all countries, including the United States, notes co-author Tom Wigley of NCAR.

“Stabilization is a more daunting challenge than many realize and requires a radical ‘decarbonization’ of energy systems,” Wigley says. “Global energy demand is projected to grow rapidly, and these huge new demands must be met by largely carbon-neutral energy sources–sources that either do not use fossil fuels or that capture and store any emitted CO₂.”

Unlike the IPCC assumptions of large future “spontaneous” technological innovations, the Nature commentary authors began with a set of “frozen technology” scenarios as baselines–scenarios in which energy technologies are assumed to stay at present levels.

“With a frozen technology approach, the full scope of the carbon-neutral technology challenge is placed into clear view,” says co-author Christopher Green of McGill University.

“In the end, our message should be viewed optimistically rather than pessimistically,” Pielke notes, “because it is only with a clear-eyed view of the mitigation challenge that we can ever hope to adopt effective policies. We hope that our analysis is one step toward such a clear-eyed view.”

The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research operates the National Center for Atmospheric Research under primary sponsorship by the National Science Foundation.

From: National Center for Atmospheric Research/University Corporation for Atmospheric Research.
Published April 4, 2008 09:29 AM

It just speaks volume to me and hopefully we do not remain complacent. This means that we need to take some action in putting pressure on our government officials so that they may in turn actually implement real environmental improvements. So far, this has been met with resistance from around the world because financial rewards always seem to out weigh the greater good.

What are your thoughts on this article?

The simplest way to fight the seemingly endless increases at the gas pumps is to keep your car in excellent condition. Of coarse biking, walking, carpooling or transit is the best alternative.

For those of us who must use our vehicles here are just a few tips to optimize the cars performance

* keep tires inflated properly

* change oil regularly

* follow scheduled maintenance

* slow down, it burns less fuel

We will be showing our range of great organic products at two upcoming shows. The first show is the Halton Eco Festival held at Glen Abbey Rec Centre
1415 Third Line, Oakville on Saturday April 19, 2008 during Earth Week. This is the first time we will be showing at this particular show and we are excited to meet and support our local community.

The second show is the Green Living show that is being held at the Direct Energy Building, Exhibition Place April 25-27,2008. Whether you’re a passionate eco-activist or a budding environmentalist, you’ll find lots to inform, inspire and entertain you at The Green Living Show. We will be introducing some of our great finds for the first time at this show, so don’t miss out. We hope to see you there!

Simply using cold water instead of hot in your washer will save you money and help the environment. The main concern for people is that cold water simply does not clean as well. It is something that people just believe it to be true but this has been found to be false.

You don’t even need to purchase a specific brand of laundry detergent in order to wash in cold water however it would be ideal to purchase detergents that don’t cause harm to the environment.Washing your clothes in cold water will also help retain the colors of your clothes. It will save you money in the cost of electricity as well as the cost of replacing your clothes.

To take it a step further the dryer also is a large drain on your electricity and the best alternative is to line dry your clothes. I know a lot of municipalities don’t allow these lines but it could be set up in your basement and if you don’t have a basement a rack can be added to whatever room you might have available.This method will also help your clothes from fading and shrinking.

We can all make these simple changes without any sacrifice in convenience or time.

Skip the bottled water. We all need water, it is naturally good for you. However the processes from the raw materials, to manufacturing of the petroleum based plastic to the actual shipping of the plastic bottles is extremely damaging. In addition, the bottles are filling up our landfills at alarming rates.

The best and even the most economical option is to fill up your own reusable bottles. Your body and the earth will Thank you.