Friday, October 21, 2011

Wow - Pushing Back the Desert

"The Man Who Stopped the Desert"

So [Yacouba Sawadogo] began planting trees. It not only saved the land from degradation but also restored ground water to unprecedented levels.

"People thought I was mad when I started planting these trees," he said. "It is only now that they realise how beneficial the forest is."

People are coming back to his region after fleeing years before. See! One person can make a difference. Sometimes I need to be reminded of this.

What desert do *you* live near?

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Sea Level Rise and Cow Power

IPCC predictions of less than half a meter sea rise is 3 times too low.

The results are that the sea level will rise between 0.7 and 1.2 meters during the next 100 years. The difference depends on what mankind does to stop the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. If we seriously reduce the emissions of CO2 globally, the sea will only rise 0.7 meters, while there will be a dramatic rise of 1.2 meter if we continue to increase CO2 emissions with the current use of energy based on fossil fuels.


In other news, Vermont Experiments in Cow Power

I can't help it, I just love the title. Cow Power! The Moo Rules!


So, yes, seriously: interesting. Good to see regional solutions, because there is no one right answer for a vast nation such as the U.S.A. Wind is a great idea for certain states, hydro, geothermal, or cow is great for others.