WORLD’S OCEANS IN ‘SHOCKING’ DECLINE

CAN WORLD’S OCEANS BECOME EXTINCT?
MASS EXTINCTION THREAT IN OCEANS

http://www.bbc.co.uk - In a new report, an expert panel of scientists warn that ocean life is “at high risk of entering a phase of extinction of marine species unprecedented in human history”.  They conclude that issues such as over-fishing, pollution and climate change are acting together in ways that have not previously been recognised.  The impacts, they say, are already affecting humanity.  
The panel was convened by the International Programme on the State of the Ocean (IPSO), and brought together experts from different disciplines, including coral reef ecologists, toxicologists, and fisheries scientists.  

“The findings are shocking,” said Alex Rogers, IPSO’s scientific director at Oxford University.  “As we considered the cumulative effect of what humankind does to the oceans, the implications became far worse than we had individually realized”.

The team noted there are alarming ways in which different issues act synergistically to increase threats to marine life.  Some pollutants, for example, stick to the surfaces of tiny plastic particles that are now found in the ocean bed.  
This increases the amounts of these pollutants that are consumed by bottom-feeding fish.  Plastic particles also assist the transport of algae from place to place, increasing the occurrence of toxic algal blooms - which are also caused by the influx of nutrient-rich pollution from agricultural land.  In a wider sense, ocean acidification, warming, local pollution and overfishing are acting together to increase the threat to coral reefs - so much so that three-quarters of the world’s reefs are at risk of severe decline.

The oceans are in a worse state than previously suspected, according to an expert panel of scientists.  A new report cautions that the world’s oceans are undergoing changes that threaten to wipe out marine species at a far faster rate than earlier feared.  Some species are already fished way beyond their limits - and may also be affected by other threats.  “The challenges are vast; but unlike previous generations, we know what now needs to happen,” says Dan Laffoley from IUCN.  In the long run, greenhouse gas emissions must be cut to conserve ocean life, the report concludes.  

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?  

It’s time that humanity revert to and value a simpler, healthier, and more natural way of life. Only in this way may we attain true health, harmony, and prosperity. ... Nature is one of the manifestations of God; if we mistreat the environment, if we live irresponsibly, in any moment we will be sucked into an abyss. God is in each tree, each plant. The waters of the Earth are the veins of the Lord.  We should proceed with absolute compassion and responsibility, because by not taking care of other living beings, our present planet will become a complete desert.  Polluted waters cause the leukemia of the ecosystem. Mother Earth heals you, she allows you to build houses, sustains you, gives you drinkable water; that is our dear Mother Earth. If you cannot see divinity in the mud, in Mother Earth, it would be very astonishing to see it in anything.

House of Wisdom :  “Eco Conscience - Recommendations”
http://www.houseofwisdom.org/english/advices_eco_conscience.htm
http://www.houseofwisdom.org/english/index.html
http://www.houseofwisdom.org/

ELEPHANT GORES MAN TO DEATH IN INDIA

WILD ELEPHANTS KILL MAN  
INJURED OTHER PEOPLE IN INDIA

http://www.nydailynews.com - A man dies and several others injured as two wild elephants go on five-hour rampage through Mysore in southern India.  On of them gored a man to death after farmers chased it from a field outside the city.  Residents scattered as the young male charged through the city streets attacking vehicles on Wednesday.  The elephant later charged towards people who took cover on top of a staircase, and lunged at a car on a main street.  It turned on the victim in a doorway in an alleyway and gored him as residents looked on.  New Delhi Television news channel aired footage Wednesday showing the body of a man at the feet of one of the animals in the city of Mysore in Karnataka state.   Separate video footage also showed the animals roaming a local women’s college, chasing a bus, crushing parked motorcycles and attacking a cow.

The elephant was one of four that had earlier entered fields on the outskirts of Mysore after becoming separated from their herd, Press Trust of India news agency reported. Farmers chased the animals, sending two of them back into nearby forests. One pachyderm was later trapped at a farm, while the remaining elephant entered the city and was tranquillised.  Several people were injured during the five hours it took to tranquilise the animal, officials said.  Hundreds of people die in India annually when wild animals wander into cities as their habitats shrink and they have to range farther for food.  India’s parks face massive encroachment from people who live and forage in the forests or graze cattle there.

Two hulking elephants rampaged through a southern India city Wednesday, killing at least one man and causing widespread panic.  Video footage showed one of the elephants repeatedly goring and kicking a man’s lifeless body during a gruesome attack in a narrow alley, as horrified residents looked on.  After three hours, forest rangers from the Mysore zoo managed to capture both beasts using tranquilizer guns.  One official blamed the rampage on the push of human settlements into forested areas where elephants live.  Destroy the natural habitat brings unwanted reactions which could have been avoided. 

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?   

Banwari explains how originally the land is covered with trees, but as the human population increases trees are cleared to make way for cultivation.  However, Vedic culture required that another kind of forest be established in its place. To remove the forest was simply not acceptable. It was the source of natural wealth such as fodder, timber, roots and herbs. Moreover the trees guaranteed the fertility of the soil and purified the air and water. Therefore the villages would each preserve sections of forest for their own specific needs. These forests were different from the Mahavana, the wild forest or jungle, because they were open for exploitation and harvesting according to strictly ecological practices. This kind of forest was called Shrivan, which literally means forest of wealth - they were the basis of the community’s prosperity.

Ranchor Prime (Śripad Ranchor Dasa) :
“Hinduism & Ecology” Chapter Two: “The World Forest”
Friends of Vrindavan (FOV) - WWF
http://www.fov.org.uk/hinduism/hinduism.html

VOLCANIC ASH DISRUPTS SOUTH AMERICA FLIGHTS

ASH CLOUD FROM CHILEAN VOLCANO
GROUNDS FLIGHTS IN ARGENTINA

Buenos Aires (CNN) - The ash cloud from a Chilean volcano reached Buenos Aires, the capital of neighboring Argentina, but was not expected to cause problems for area residents, officials said.  The ash cloud had already caused most airlines flying into Buenos Aires to cancel flights, but if favorable weather conditions persist, it will not pose a risk to people, said Jorge Echarran, head of the emergency council.  Smoke and ash shot more than six miles into the sky when the Puyehue volcano in southern Chile first erupted Saturday afternoon. Authorities evacuated about 3,500 people from the area, the state emergency office said.  On Tuesday, there was an ash cloud between 5,000 and 7,000 meters (about 16,000 to 23,000 feet) in the atmosphere over the capital, Echarran said, according to the state-run Telam news agency.

The cloud’s consistency was not as strong as when it passed over southern Argentina, and therefore would not bring with it the same problems, he said.  The Patagonia region in southern Argentina was the area most affected by the volcanic ash.  Cities that draw tourists, like Bariloche, Junín de los Andes and others in the area, canceled school and public activities.  Ash piled as high as 30 centimeters (about 1 foot) on highways through Patagonia. Local governments used machinery to clear the roads.  Airlines canceled most flights Tuesday at the Ezeiza International Airport in Buenos Aires, an official there said. Airports in several other cities are also affected, Telam reported.

A vast cloud of ash spewing from a Chilean volcano disrupted air travel on Wednesday across much of South America, as heavy rains around the eruption site prompted fears of mudslides. Air traffic was sharply curtailed on the continent as the ash cloud drifted over Argentina, and into Brazil.  Chile is located on the Ring of Fire, an arc of volcanoes and fault lines circling the Pacific Basin that is prone to frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.  When humanity exploits the earth and natural resources in a massive worldwide level it results natural to receive many ecological and karmic reactions. 

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?  

Nature is one of the manifestations of God; if we mistreat the environment, if we live irresponsibly, in any moment we will be sucked into an abyss.  God is in each tree, each plant.  The waters of the Earth are the veins of the Lord.   We should proceed with absolute compassion and responsibility, because by not taking care of other living beings, our present planet will become a complete desert.  Polluted waters cause the leukemia of the ecosystem. Mother Earth heals you, she allows you to build houses, sustains you, gives you drinkable water; that is our dear Mother Earth. If you cannot see divinity in the mud, in Mother Earth, it would be very astonishing to see it in anything.  All the elements created by the Lord are different representations of His powers, and the combination of all the components produces food for us, the conscious beings.

House of Wisdom :
“Ecology - Eco conscience”
http://www.houseofwisdom.org/english/index.html
http://casadelasabiduria.org/  -  http://www.houseofwisdom.org/

GANGES RECEDING DESPITE RAINFALL

GANGES WATER HAS DROPPED  
TO ALARMINGLY LOW LEVELS 

India (The Australian) - The Ganges River, India’s heavily polluted spiritual artery, has dropped to alarmingly low levels and begun receding from the historic Varanasi Ghats, which attract millions of pilgrims and tourists each year. The water has receded as much as 3m in some areas from the holy ghats.  Environmentalists say levels in the upper reaches of the river below the Himalayas, as well as downstream, are several metres lower than they should be at a time when heavy rains and spring melt from Himalayan glaciers normally increase flows.  At Varanasi, the water has receded as much as 3m in some areas from the holy ghats, considered one of the most sacred Hindu spots India.  The blame is being laid at the feet of the country’s major hydroelectric projects in the upper reaches of the river, which hoard massive volumes of river flow in dams and barrages.  

But unregulated water extraction at all points along the 2500km river, for farming, cities, industry and hydroelectricity, has also reached unsustainable levels.  At the Bim Goda barrage alone, outside the Himalayan tourist town of Haridwar, 9 per cent of the river’s total flow is believed to be diverted.  The effects of climate change on Himalayan glaciers - a controversial topic in India - are also suspected of contributing to the river’s reduced flows.  

The federal government has established a National Ganga River Basin Authority to oversee the river’s management and rehabilitation. In November, it blocked plans for three new hydro projects.

At Varanasi, the water has receded as much as 3m in some areas from the holy ghats, considered one of the most sacred Hindu spots India.  River campaigner M.C. Mehta, says he is alarmed by the plight of the river.  “The water has receded very dramatically when the water should be increasing because of snow melt and heavy rains,” he said yesterday. “In the downstream reaches now there is no flow in the river at all. It’s not a good thing. The river has a right to live and a right to sufficient water flows. India is not India without the Ganges,” he added.  Every Vedic literature nicely explains Ganga-devi's greatness, mercy and pastimes. 

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?  

The Lord is so kind that He has spread the River Ganges throughout the universe so that by taking bath in that holy river everyone can get release from the reactions of sins, which occur at every step. There are many rivers in the world which are able to evoke one’s sense of God consciousness simply by one’s bathing in them, and the River Ganges is chief amongst them. In India there are five sacred rivers, but the Ganges is the most sacred. The River Ganges and Bhagavad-gītā are chief sources of transcendental happiness for mankind, and intelligent persons can take shelter of them to go back home, back to Godhead. Even Śrīpāda Śańkarācārya recommends that a little knowledge in Bhagavad-gītā and the drinking of a little quantity of Ganges water can save one from the punishment of Yamarāja.

Śrīla A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda :
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam - Canto 3: “The Status Quo”
Chapter 5: “Vidura’s Talks with Maitreya”
Verse 41.  Bhaktivedanta VedaBase

GROWTH CHEMICAL LEADS TO EXPLODING WATERMELONS

CHINA: “EXPLODING” WATERMELONS
PUT SPOTLIGHT ON FARMING PRACTICES

http://www.presstv.ir - Chinese farmers in the country’s eastern Jiangsu Province have lost acres of their watermelons after the fruits started exploding one by one.  A report by the China Central Television said farmers were using too much of the growth promoter chemical so that they could get their fruit to market ahead of the peak season and increase their profits.  According to the Xinhua, 20 farmers in a Jiangsu village planted imported seeds from Japan, from whom 10 households said their watermelons began exploding last month.  Farmer Liu Mingsuo told Xinhua that more than two-thirds of his crop had blown up after he used chemicals to boost their growth.  Liu is, however, the only farmer from the 10 households who used chemicals.  Experts cannot explain why the chemical-free watermelons have the same fate as the non-chemical ones.

Chinese regulations don’t forbid the drug, and it is allowed in the United States on kiwi fruit and grapes. But the report underscores how farmers in China are abusing both legal and illegal chemicals, with many farms misusing pesticides and fertilizers.   China has approved the use of growth chemical - like the growth accelerator forchlorfenuron - under certain quotas and tests conducted so far show that the chemical is safe.  
People, however, are more concerned about food safety and experts believe a quality tracking system should be introduced to ensure food safety and inform the public about all stages of the food chain.

Watermelons have been bursting by the score in eastern China after farmers gave them overdoses of growth chemicals during wet weather.  Prices over the past year prompted many farmers to jump into the watermelon market.  The aim of gaining more profit leads farmers to depend on chemical fertilisers and many have no choice but to cut down their trees and to poison their soil with cheap fertilisers to produce cash crops for sell.  People have been taught to want more and more, and the result is pollution, hunger and war. 

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?  

You have to feed 16 pounds of grain and soybeans to a cow to produce one pound of edible beef. In other words, to produce 500 pounds of meat on a 700 pound cow requires that the cow consume 8,000 pounds of grains and soybeans. ... In environmental matters, for instance, the largest culprit against the environment is the farm industry. Because it takes 16 times more food to feed cattle than what we receive in return, that means we are using 16 times more land than is necessary to produce food. And this land is mostly cleared forests and drained wetlands, which are growing in short supply, and are essential for the biological diversity of nature. ... The largest polluter of rivers, lakes, and underground aquifers (for water wells) is not the manufacturing industry, but the agriculture industry, by the runoff from chemical fertilizers, manure and pesticides.

Śripad Yajnavalkya Dasa :
“Defending Dharma”
http://stephen-knapp.com/defending_dharma.htm
http://es.scribd.com/doc/46973472/DefendingDharma