What the world needs today urgently is an ecological development. Ecological development means an all round advancement of the people to construct an environment where progress is done keeping in mind the society, its economy as well as nature as all three should be interdependent. Unfortunately ecological development has been neglected from a long time and its consequences can be felt in the form of ‘Global warming’ which is gradually spreading to engulf the entire planet. ‘Global warming’ is also a result of deforestation, burning of fossil fuels which produce carbon dioxide of such a vast amount that even if we stop blazing them right now still the harmful gas will be present in the atmosphere for several years. This rise in global temperature will result in melting of glaciers, permafrost, sea ice, rise in sea levels causing floods which can wipe away many regions from the face of the earth, drastic change in temperature affecting agriculture, extinction of forests and many species.

Researches reveal that industrial revolution also has a big role to play in augmenting the amount of green house gases present in the atmosphere which caused in the rise of radioactive forcing from CO2, methane, tropospheric ozone, CFCs, and nitrous oxide. Other factors responsible for ecological crisis are air pollution, the key culprits being industrial gases, transports emitting poisonous gases, and the breakdown of certain consumer products discharges a large mixture of toxic wastes into the air we breathe. No wonder now-a-days people suffer so much from respiratory diseases such as asthma, bronchitis and lung cancer. Asbestos is another material causing cancer to many of the shipyard and building workers. Per year the death rate is rising higher such that in France alone more than 100,000 people died because of asbestos. Severe objections have been raised against its usage in richer nations but as its alternatives are expensive hence under developed countries are still using asbestos in a large amount.

Other key ecological problems arise from water pollution and soil degradation. We are just bothered to keep our home clean but have we ever given a thought as to where do all the industrial, household and agricultural wastes go from these massive drains? All these unwanted materials are disposed easily into the world’s waters transforming them into large cesspit. Rivers and lakes carry these wastes and throw them into the sea causing accretion of heavy metals, mercury, cadmium, and extremely lethal untreated compound; these get deposited on the ocean floor, riverbeds and lakebeds. Some fertilizers consisting of nitrates and phosphates have led to the uncontrollable growth of algae and water plants. All these situations have resulted in continuous exhaustion of oxygen which is dissolved in the water, needless to say that a large number of marine lives are getting extinguished every year. Abandoning of chemicals and radioactive wastes, petroleum leakage are some of the heinous crime man is committing everyday. Soil degradation is another source of ecological crisis and this is caused by over cultivation of land, monoculture, crops which will reap huge profits are grown regardless of their harmful effects on the ecosystem and weather.

With the heightening of ecological crisis the countries worldwide are becoming aware of the immediate necessity to take some serious measures for controlling the situation before it is too late. In 1992 the United Nations held a conference in Rio dealing with Environment and Development. Its main focal point was to attract attention on subjects such as environmental degradation, poverty, development and their relations. Ecological movements are held throughout the world which is bringing a deep rooted transformation in public awareness towards our environment. People are raising their voices against even the most powerful nations who are achieving economic gains while deteriorating the entire ecosystem. It is not the question of one nation’s malpractices which can be easily ignored since the consequences of the constant depletion and worsening of ecology will be felt by the entire planet. During a world war one can immediately see the disastrous result of massive destruction but here the obliteration of the environment cannot be felt or seen instantly but its end result is far more dangerous than a nuclear war.

Via Campesina is an international peasant movement supported by members from countries like Latin America, Asia and Africa, their main motto is to attract attention to the relation between climate change and crop failure, and the link between food sovereignty and climate justice. This movement raises its voice against the production of junk food which is harmful to the fertility of the land, removal of industrialized agriculture, it encourages solar and biogas as energy sources to be used in farms. Oilwatch is another international network located in Ecuador, Nigeria, Thailand and Costa Rica which insists to stop the usage of crude oil by promoting renewable forms of energy like the wind and the solar. The GAIA (Global Anti-Incinerator Alliance) is a global organization which focuses on the diminution of production of crude wastes like the dioxins. They promote the concept of “zero waste” which means that by bringing certain changes in the production process both the solid waste and the noxious wastes can be brought down to zero level.

Ecological development unlike any other development does not relate to urbanization and industrialization, instead it refers and strongly recommends the eco-friendly path which points towards going back to nature. Nature has made everything so perfect but it is a plight that we greedy humans in order to satiate our desires have exhausted mother earth of all her natural resources. It is an irony that only when something becomes unachievable to us then we realize its true worth.

The International environmental law has originated from around four sources such as:

-different agreements between the different countries including treaties, international legal instruments, conventions, pacts, covenants and protocols
-customary laws
-general principles of laws
-several new sources such as court decisions on historic cases certain, resolutions, doctrine, recommendations and declarations given by different world organizations

The global environmental laws based on the agreements pertaining to the same can either be regional, multilateral or bilateral in nature. The MEAs or the multilateral environmental agreements have come to being in the last decade. Laws based on the treaties have been the most common source of these environmental laws. At present there are more than 1000 environmental treaties in function across the globe. The conventions, declarations, recommendations are specific to a certain issue which deal directly with environmental issues.

Protocols are gaining immense importance pertaining to International environmental laws. These are small agreement and a part of main environmental treaties. Protocols have become a part of numerous international laws especially in the environmental issues. It is also being used to upgrade the scientific knowledge required for environmental protection. The protocols are easier to create as they are flexible. One of the most widely known environmental protocols is the Kyoto Protocol.

Let us start the environmental world news with endangered species of birds. According to a group of environmentalists, three birds are on the verge of extinction Ethiopian Lark Sidamo, Galapagos Finch and a rarely found and unique colored humming bird. Sidamo would be the first African known bird to disappear. The gorgeted puffleg or the humming bird was discovered only four years ago in Columbia and is already on Red List.

In Bulgaria, the lawmakers have voted in favor of a ban on smoking in public places. This law has to be implemented from June 2010 onwards. After Greece, Bulgaria is the first country of Europe to house maximum numbers of smoking population. Now the ban on smoking in hospitals, taxis, offices and proposals of no-smoking zones in restaurants and pubs have created ripples hitting the global news big time.

Of late, Japan is making the headlines of world news too. The Japanese power firms have paid ¥100.1 billion to buy the carbon credits that exhausted on March 31. A lion’s share of the credits is supposed to be taken from the initial investments made in clean energy projects that are in process in the developing nations.

Now a bubbly piece of world news! Coca-cola is to launch a semi environment-friendly bottle in North America this year. According to the reports, these bottles would be made of plastic that would partially contain sugarcane and molasses as ingredients. First experiment would be implemented on packaged mineral water of Dasani. To stay in the competition and gain the votes of environmentalist consumers, Pepsi has introduced lightweight bottles that are made up of small amount of plastic.

Thanks to the rising population of the world, the intrusion into the territory of other habitats and their destruction, a serious threat is posed to existing natural resources. Conservation of natural resources such as water, land, soil, forests and various habitats has become necessary to prevent the release of toxic elements into the atmosphere.

The demands of an ever-increasing population have led to random deforestation. Forests have been cleared to make way for housing projects and at times to meet agricultural requirements. This has resulted in the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. They are gradually taking a toll on the ozone layer and exposing the living beings on this Earth to the harmful ultra-violet rays of the sun. These gases also retain the heat from the sun thereby causing the temperature to increase leading to the melting of glaciers, rise in sea levels and floods. Conservation of forests is necessary as trees absorb these gases and their roots bind the soil, thereby preventing soil erosion.

Conservation of environment is on top of the priority list of all nations apart from economic growth and overall development. This is evident in the various forms of nature movements like green politics, natural capitalism, ecology movement and environmentalism which are all aimed towards safeguard of the natural environment.

Understanding the nuances of the environment and the impact that human behavior has had on it broadly classifies environmental science. It is not a pure science like your high school physics or chemistry. It is in fact the confluence of major known sciences and disciplines in order to explain the workings of the environment around us. It uses all knowledge that humans have gathered in order to fathom the workings of the various ecosystems, be they terrestrial or aquatic. Environmental science further tries to understand the impact of human behavior on these ecosystems. Most importantly, environmental science tries to gaze into the future to see possible hazards of misuse of the environment as well as potential solutions.

Awareness has been one of the major outcomes of the development of environmental science. It is only now that we have started to understand the need for conservation in order to ensure the survival of the human species. Laws have been formed, acts have been passed and most importantly, the people on the street have woken up to the grim reality.

Awareness and understanding apart, environmental science has thrown light upon fascinating facts related to our ecosystem, such as deep sea life and how evolution helps overcome adversity. As a discipline of relevance as well as potential, environmental science has become a foremost topic the world over and has allowed us to connect to Mother Earth in a new way.

Numerous sources are present in the world to cater to the need for energy. Categorizing the various sources of energy helps in understanding them better. While coal and oil, which are finite resources, are called non-renewable sources of energy and solar power, hydel power, wind power, etc are known as renewable sources of energy.

Perhaps you have heard a lot about solar energy or hydel power. Do you know that the sun or running river or winds can be harnessed to generate power? And the idea is not something new. Wind power has been used to run windmills and navigate ships with sails as early as 4000-3500 B.C.

The advantage in using the renewable sources of energy is that they can be used again and again. The sun, the winds, the running rivers and streams, geothermal activity, bio-fuel, tidal energy and such other renewable sources of energy could be used as sources of energy without the fear of being exhausted.

The depleting non-renewable source of energy is an area of major concern in modern times. The reserves of fossil fuels coal and oil on earth are limited. With use, they would be exhausted in the future. Moreover, the use of fossil fuels also causes pollution and thus is not a good alternative if you are concerned about protecting the environment.

The preservation of the environment is the area where renewable sources of energy score over non-renewable ones. Burning of fossil fuels uses oxygen and causes the emission of harmful gases. Utilizing renewable sources of energy prevents these and does not harm the environment in any way.

The phenomenon of climate change is apparent from the steady rise in temperatures globally. The rise in temperature has caused the polar ice caps and glaciers to melt thereby increasing the global mean sea level. Since 1850, the average surface temperature of the planet has increased by 0.76º C. If appropriate measures to control the emissions of greenhouse gases, which trap the heat of the atmosphere, are not taken then the temperature is expected to increase by 1.8-4ºC at the end of this century triggering the possibilities of an imminent catastrophe.

One cannot ignore the role of human activities in climate change. Random felling of trees to clear land for habitation and agriculture and the burning of fossil fuels have increased the amount of greenhouse emissions, especially that of carbon dioxide. In order to minimize the effects of this global climate change, it is necessary to control these emissions. Moreover the implementation of treaties like the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol are positive steps taken by the European Union in this direction.

However, all these endeavors at improving the situation cannot be completely effective until and unless it is supported by each and every individual. It is very important for each of us to realize the gravity of this situation and take proper measures to counter it, in our own individual capacities. Since we have been at the root of this problem, we have to take the onus of finding a solution.

Environmental education teaches us the ways in which natural environment should function and more importantly our contribution in its betterment as we are the ones who have blemished it. There are several websites, books, magazines published and media campaigns done to provide environmental awareness to the general mass. Environmental instruction has also become an indispensable part of all primary till post-secondary level education in schools.

Conservation is a key aspect of environmental lifestyle. Charity begins at home, why go outside? Look around you and you’ll get ample scope of conserving energy at any hour. For example, heating or cooling can be made more effective by completely shutting down the windows, covering every gap or hole, by improving your insulation and what not. This will help retain maximum cooling or heating. Nevertheless, good for your pocket too. Appliances consuming maximum electricity are AC units, heaters, light etc. Try switching to high efficiency (energy star) machines for smart energy utilization. One can also install a programmable thermostat which automatically sets daytime and nighttime temperatures. It is advisable to keep your home temperature at 78 degrees or more in the summer and 72 degrees in the winter. Wearing less in summer and more in layers in winters in something that most countries have been doing for ever and continue do so because they have been educated in doing so.

The most important lesson in environmental education is to protect our earth from the ever increasing pollution. The first step to avoid creating pollution such as using a public transportation or carpool. Biking is even better. The above guidelines are some of the vital ways to save our environment and pass on a happy healthy world to our next generation. Enlighten yourself with more environmental education today.

The ice at the north and south pole is melting faster than previously anticipated, which therefore increase sea levels and an acceleration of global warming warned while presenting the results of their research on Wednesday in Geneva.

The frozen, and often inaccessible polar regions, have been considered for a long time as the one of the most reliable barometers for the climatic changes as they influence the general conditions of the oceans and atmosphere.

Oceanic waters temperatures around the Antarctic increased more quickly than the world-wide average, according to the first conclusions of the study presented by the world-wide meteorological Organization and the international Counsel for science.

Measures show in addition the acceleration of the melting of the cover of ice of the continent Antarctic and of the Greenland.

In addition the warming of the permafrost, so far constantly frozen, can contribute to accelerate the process of climatic change by liberating greenhouse gas so far trapped in the grounds.

“The message is strong and clear: which arrives in the polar regions has consequences for the remainder of the world and we concern all”, underlined the scientists.

Environment, rather global warming to be precise, has become the burning issue of the present time, round the globe. With global warming causing serious consequences, authorities all over the world have stirred to fix this grave danger hovering on mankind. But political system often hinders this path. In US, Bush has treated global warning with indifference and discouragingly. However, Obama’s stand on global warming, as of now, looks promising to the people of America, and to the world.

Obama’s take on admitting the threats of global warming does not only make him sound serious but also eager to solve it. From these strategies it is evident that he is thinking beyond the obvious, unlike the indifference of his predecessors. He supports ‘clean coal’ and use of ethanol obtained from corn, another alternative source of energy in US that promises to hinder the rise of global warming. Though none of these policies are fool proof and perfect, still it is encouraging to see the authority addressing the issue of global warming with importance. No wonder, environmentalists are happy to see Obama taking serious stance on emission of gases triggering global warming and use of renewable energy. This provides a ray of hope to fight global warming.

The take of immediate former President George W Bush on global warming is quite discouraging by that standard. He denied to accept the posing threat on environment and called global warming a hoax. He had even refused to sign on Kyoto Protocol, according to which production and use of greenhouse gases causing global warming should be reduced. Refusing to sign on it left common Americans in a disturbed state. However, there are experts who believed that global warming alarm was indeed a hoax and Bush had cooled it down.

Positive aspect of these takes and policies on global warming is that scientists are happy with the focus of Obama. He signed a memorandum requiring Environment Protection Act to revise the rules set for auto emission as well as fuel efficiency. To resist the problem of global warming, he also considers utilizing other alternative energy sources like geothermal, solar, water etc.

Global warming is a humungous threat posed on earth and if not handled within time and with proper strategies, mankind will be left with a huge survival crisis. Rise in sea level, flooded coastline, escalated numbers of asthma patients, extinction of flora and fauna are all consequences of global warming. And this is just the tip of the iceberg.

What global warming has left for us in future is uncertain, but we are aware of the outcome. When maps from Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory and National Center for Atmospheric Research were studied, a definite environment trends were found. The concentration of carbon dioxide proves that the greenhouse effect will increase resulting in yet more global warming. This concentration will be more on poles, so more rise in sea levels is on cards. Both the maps also show that concentration of carbon dioxide is more likely to be on lands than on ocean.

Development in the field of technology is taking its toll on environment in form of global warming. In order to solve this pertinent problem, extensive measures needed to be taken. The delay made during Bush era needs to be compensated with quick actions by the present President. Thankfully, measures have started to be taken in form of strict rules and signing memorandums. And it is expected the files on global warming threats that were shelved for a long time will get the attention of government now.