Recent Posts from Earthwatch's very own blog on treehugger.com.
Friday 06, 11 2009
Does the looming climate crisis leave you feeling helpless? Apathetic? Disengaged? Disempowered? Well, you're not alone.
According to a recent global survey of consumer attitudes to climate change, our optimism that we can avert catastrophic climate change is waning worldwide. The Climate Confidence Monitor research, commissioned by the HSBC Climate Partnership is a survey of consumer attitudes, carried out across twelve countries. Its aim is to gauge levels of concern, optimism, confidence in leaders to take action and personal commitment to tackling climate change. Over three consecutive years that the research has been undertaken, levels of optimism have taken a nose dive across all regions, and are lowest of all among wealthier nations such as the USA and Europe.
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Friday 07, 08 2009
What do you get when you mix a global environmental non-profit, volunteers going on 19 climate change research projects around the world , a scientist on one of them studying permafrost that’s becoming oxymoronic, a renewable energy company, a local environmental non-profit that greens urban, underserved neighborhoods, a steel drum band, and Twitter?
Here at Earthwatch, we’re not exactly sure, yet.
But we’ll know by August 13, when our annual Beat the Heat Climate Change Campaign kicks off at Boston’s Museum of Science.
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Friday 17, 07 2009
Stop me if you’ve heard this one.
A veritable All-Star Team of international environmental, scientific, and governmental organizations repeatedly warn that unless we do something in our own lives and pressure our elected officials to take action, multiple species are likely to vanish from the planet, some in as little as a decade.
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Friday 12, 06 2009
Tiger bones, tropical birds, tortoise shells, and rare palms - these are the currency of environmental criminals.
Environmental crimes abound - but not in the places you might think. Environmental criminals steal in broad daylight and sell in open markets. They rob from forests, swamps, deserts, beaches, and coral reefs. Their illegal bootie can be found in plant nurseries, aquarium and pet stories, home decorating businesses, and jewelry, fashion and trinket shops, right around the corner from our homes and businesses.
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Monday 08, 06 2009
Happy Belated World Environment Day, 2009! (The official date was 5 June 2009)
First things first: if you've got a Twitter account (or if you've been on the fence and need a good excuse to sign up), go to @UNEPandYou and become a follower. You just may be the one to help 100,000 trees get planted.
Now, let's clear something up-or try to. World Environment Day (WED) isn't, of course, Earth Day, though both date back to about the same period. WED, always celebrated on June 5, was established by the UN General Assembly in 1972; Earth Day officially kicked off its annual April 22 efforts to celebrate and raise awareness in 1970, due to the efforts of US Senator Gaylord Nelson. (Nor is WED the UN's own official Earth Day, celebrated on or about March 20 every year since 1969.)
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Saturday 23, 05 2009
The average wedding in the USA costs $20,000. Yikes! In this economy, that's not just insane; it's silly.
Why not go green and save green? Creative couples can hold a fantastic event for $500 or less, and share their love with the planet. Here are a few ideas from a June Bride (the author), who plans to rock her wedding by walkin'‚ the Treehugger talk. - more
Tuesday 28, 04 2009
After Earth Day, what's next? Earth Week certainly isn't going to get us where we need to be. Ditto for Earth Month. How about Earth Life?
In other words, how about using your life as leverage to tip things in an ecological direction?
Imagine a playground seesaw, with two persons of equal weight sitting on opposite ends. We'll call this "status quo". The seesaw doesn't move - it stays in a perfectly horizontal position. Now picture one of those persons shifting their weight, and with a mighty shove of their legs against the ground, setting the seesaw in motion.
That person has just tipped the seesaw. They upset the status quo, and got things moving. — more
Friday 10, 04 2009
Would you like to visit a pristine forest? A forest untouched by the hand of (wo)man? Well, you can't. Not because I won't let you, but because there isn't one.
Long ago, our ancestors came down from the trees but they never really left them. Trees are just too useful and important to people. Our relationship with them is long and deep. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, around two thirds of forests show obvious signs of recent human activity or use, ranging from industrial logging operations to small scale harvesting of foods, medicines, and materials. Those forests are known as secondary. The remaining third, the primary forests, don't have obvious signs of use by people. The operative word here is 'obvious'. — more
Friday 03, 04 2009
Is creating the next generation of environmental stewards as easy as sending your kids outside to play? Research suggests the answer is yes. A study done several years ago by Louise Chawla tried to understand what factors went into the make-up of people who demonstrated significantly pro-environmental behavior. After doing a psychometric profile of these people Chawla found they all had one characteristic in common: they all spent a significant amount of time outdoors playing in the wild. — more
Saturday 14, 03 2009
Every single American has the power to stimulate their local economies: not by spending more, but by supporting local businesses. In economic theory, more local spending translates into less "leakage". This means a greater percent of the money spent actually stays and circulates within the region, supporting more employment, investment, goods and services. Local spending leads to economic multipliers that strengthen the regional economy. — more
Friday 20, 02 2009
Here's a not-so-Trivial Pursuit Question: what ancient society survived dire ecological circumstances for 500 years by reorganizing their production systems, restructuring their economy, reducing consumption levels, and maximizing limited resources? Answer: Easter Island (Rapa Nui).
Surprised? Contrary to popular understanding, Rapa Nui society didn't just use up all their resources and then collapse. Instead, despite severe deforestation and general environmental degradation, from around 1350 CE (Current Era) onward, populations remained steady until Europeans introduced diseases in 1860, decimating the island's inhabitants. — more
Monday 16, 02 2009
What if we gave our environment the same wallop of attention we're giving our economy? What if we valued natural capital as highly as financial capital?
The US Congress has passed a $790 billion economic stimulus package. Last November, the Chinese government approved a four trillion yuan (US $586 billion) financial stimulus plan. — more