Short-lived greenhouse gases heating the planet.
As government climate efforts continue to focus on reducing carbon dioxide as a major greenhouse gas,
a growing number of scientists and leaders have begun calling attention to other climate forcing agents
whose warming effects are many times shorter-lived than CO2. Along with methane, a potent greenhouse gas primarily generated by the livestock industry whose effects can dissipate in as few as ten years, other agents have similarly have intense warming influences that could quickly be halted. Dr. Andreas Stohl from the Norwegian Institute for Air Research explains.

Andreas Stohl  (M): The short-lived climate forcers are anything that has a shorter lifetime than say, 10, 15 years, starting at methane, which has a lifetime of about 10 years. Which means that, if you reduce the emissions of these substances, then the concentrations in the atmosphere would almost immediately go down. And that means that climate impacts would also be reduced almost immediately, which we don’t get for the CO2.

VOICE: One of the aerosols that acts as a short-lived climate forcer is black carbon, or soot. Soot is released through the incomplete combustion of burning substances such as biofuels, fields, or forests.
The black air-borne particles absorb solar radiation both while in the atmosphere and after being deposited
on snow or ice, resulting in regional warming.

Andreas Stohl (M): It darkens the snow surface and then the snow starts absorbing more solar radiation, and that means that the snow is probably melting away quicker in the spring. And if it’s a glacier, then it could also cause additional melting.

VOICE: We thank Dr. Stohl and all scientists and governments for your consideration of this significant
warming source. Let us join in acting now to address such short-lived agents as black carbon and
methane to bring swift and necessary planetary cooling. Supreme Master Ching Hai has frequently urged for the most effective actions in halting climate change, as during an interview published in the December 16, 2009 edition of The Irish Dog Journal.


Whaling ban maintained at IWC meeting.
The annual 5-day summit of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) held in Agadir, Morocco this past week  brought together 88 members with a priority discussion of whether to uphold a long-time moratorium that forbids commercial whaling.

Many members present expressed concern that a proposal to lift the ban did not adequately protect
the marine mammals. Lead German delegation member Gert Lindemann said, “The document… is not acceptable to us as such. Whaling must … be reduced more than being planned, and commercial hunting has to end entirely.”

Similarly, a statement from the United States read: “First and foremost, the (US) continues to support the commercial whaling moratorium. We strongly oppose lethal scientific whaling … it (is) unnecessary for modern whale conservation and management.” Other nations such as Australia, France, Germany, Britain, and many Latin American countries joined in support of maintaining the ban, as did citizens, scientists and other leaders worldwide.

A big bravo and our grateful thanks, international community for your clear vote to help protect our
intelligent and threatened whale species. May we all continue such conservation efforts so that these loving marine mammals can flourish once again in their deep blue ocean homes.
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/330988,hunt-ban-summary.html
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iPUjGuZokfP3tyEKCC8pXzfvgnVg
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/philip-radford/obama-administration-keep_b_623866.html
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/330470,corruption-allegations-summary.html

With 99% percent of dams in the northern Indian state of Rajasthan having dried up due to insufficient rainfall
over the past few years, the situation in the state capital Jaipur is expected to worsen with forecasts
of Bisalpur Dam soon running dry. 
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/Water-crisis-Bisalpur-to-run-dry-by-July-10/articleshow
/6084597.cms
http://sify.com/news/empty-dams-cause-water-scarcity-in-jaipur-news-national-kgbqkgeiahb.html  

US inventors Mike Strizki, Brad Carlson, and David Squires develop “Hydra,” a solar-powered water purification system that removes viruses and bacteria and can produce 20,000 gallons of filtered water per day to benefit people in need.
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local
/20100623_Inventors_say_Hydra_offers_clean_water__hope_for_villages.html
http://www.hopewellproject.org/pages/event.html

The Bangladeshi government distributes compact fluorescent light bulbs to help conserve electricity, with
an anticipated savings of up to 500 Megawatts of power a day.
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=31&art_id=nw20100620085154239C904089
http://nation.ittefaq.com/issues/2010/06/19/news0469.htm
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/SGE65I00N.htm