Friday, May 16, 2014

Dry Planet



A Future of Thirst: Massive Worldwide Water Crisis Lies on the Horizon

The next time your throat is as dry as a bone and the Sun is beating down, take a glass of clean, cool water.

Savour it. Sip by sip.

Vital and appreciated as that water is, it will be even more precious to those who will follow you.

By the end of this century, billions are likely to be gripped by water stress and the stuff of life could be an unseen driver of conflict.

So say hydrologists who forecast that on present trends, freshwater faces a double crunch -- from a population explosion, which will drive up demand for food and energy, and the impact of climate change.

World maps showing water resources, energy consumption and regional hydroelectric potentional

/AFP World maps showing water resources, energy consumption and regional hydroelectric potentional

"Approximately 80 percent of the world's population already suffers serious threats to its water security, as measured by indicators including water availability, water demand and pollution," the Nobel-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warned in a landmark report in March.

"Climate change can alter the availability of water and therefore threaten water security."

Already today, around 768 million people do not have access to a safe, reliable source of water and 2.5 billion do not have decent sanitation. Around a fifth of the world's aquifers are depleted.

Jump forward in your imagination to mid-century, when the world's population of about 7.2 billion is expected to swell to around 9.6 billion.

By then, global demand for water is likely to increase by a whopping 55 percent, according to the United Nations' newly published World Water Development Report.

More than 40 percent of the planet's population will be living in areas of "severe" water stress, many of them in the broad swathe of land that runs along north Africa, the Middle East and western South Asia.

Yet these scenarios do not take into account changes in rainfall or snowfall or glacier shrinkage caused by global warming.

- Wetter or drier -

As a very general rule, wet countries will get wetter and dry countries will get drier, accentuating risk of flood or drought, climate scientists warn.

But whether people will heed their alarm call is a good question.

"When seismologists talk about an area at risk from an earthquake, people generally accept what they say and refrain from building their home there," says French climatologist Herve Le Treut.

"But when it comes to drought or flood, people tend to pay less attention when the warning comes from meteorologists."

Water squabbles in the hot, arid sub-tropics have a long history. In recent years, the Tigris, Euphrates and Nile have all been the grounds for verbal sparring over who has the right to build dams, withhold or extract "blue gold" to the possible detriment of people downstream.

End of excerpt.



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It has been stated many times on this blog and I will state it again: The global water crisis is the most crucial urgent crisis mankind is now facing on our planet. Without water there is no food, no life. As we now see the effects of anthropogenic climate change taking effect upon a greater portion of the Earth this is now becoming known firsthand by people who up until now would never think about water. Water is the one resource mankind has taken most for granted and we are now paying for it.

Aquifer depletion in India, Asia, Africa and right here in the US (the Ogalalla aquifer) is putting our ability to sustain ourselves at risk. Rainfall pattern changes ( places like India, Pakistan etc. have already seen this regarding monsoons as well as much of the world with more extreme rainfall in quicker time spans) amplification of evaporation rates, more severe and prolonged droughts, glacier melt affecting access to water resources for millions, sea level rise as well as increased building of dams and acidification of our oceans are all factors as well as our own wasteful consumptive habits that are now bringing the Earth to a place where the habitability of the human race and other species is clearly in danger.

Case in point: Water Extraction Boosts California Earthquake Risk (San Andreas Fault)

Will our relentless thirst bring on the big one? Also then, would this not also apply to our rapacious depletion of fossil fuels from our Earth as we dig deeper to satisfy our addiction? It has never been more imperative than it is now for all of us to become aware of the reality the global water crisis presents in our lives today and the role we play in it. Like the climate crisis it is not a far flung crisis that we have time to ignore. For the last eight years I have been doing my best on this blog to bring that reality to as many people as possible. Please pass it on. The future is now the present. A world without water (and yes, that is possible when you consider physical scarcity as well as lack of access due to climate change) in places where it is needed most to grow food is a slow death for biodiversity and our oceans. This is real and it is serious.

Also, be wary of the motivations of governments making the water crisis a focal point. Geopolitical advantage regarding water resources (as we are now seeing regarding natural gas) may well also lead to more conflict. I sincerely doubt altruistic motivations on their part in whole regarding this crisis. One need only look at the current situation in the Ukraine and the other regions regarding competing for hegemony regarding natural gas resources and in the Arctic where the melting sea ice is actually facilitating their geopolitical motivations to control the very resource exacerbating this crisis.

Look beyond the barriers we place up in order to prolong facing reality. Conserve, speak out for those less fortunate and against the privatization of our water resources and those dirty energy sources wasting and poisoning our water and above all cherish the lifeblood of our Earth. This crisis like the climate crisis will not be solved without humanity at its core. We truly are running out of time.

Also see:

Facing The Freshwater Crisis

1 In 10 People To Face Water Scarcity If Greenhouse Gas Emissions Continue

Global Water Shortages Grow Worse, Nations Have Few Answers

Global Threat To Food Supplies As Wells Dry Up

Source of Life Running Out

Drop In US Underground Water Levels Has Accelerated: USGS

The Root Causes Of Violence In Syria: Climate Change & Water

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Good Blog Posts-Environment

My post can also be found here. Thank you!

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Update: Collapse Of Parts of West Antarctica Ice Sheet Has Begun

UPDATE:5-20-14: Doubling of Antarctic ice loss revealed by European satellite

It was also the European model that predicted Hurricane Sandy exactly.

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How does it feel to be the generation watching the beginning of the extinction of the human species? Even though these glaciers may not totally melt for a couple more centuries the rise in sea level brought by them now is already affecting coastlines and that means affecting us. So the next time you hear anyone say humans aren't pushing this or that "Antarctic ice is increasing" you will know they are lying to you by omission by design. There is a difference in land ice and sea ice in Antarctica and the dynamics of that is not known nor cared about by the Rush Limbaughs of the world.

This isn't about your politics or your portfolios. This is about survival. As we all know when faced with imminent harm to ourselves/danger to our lives and especially our children (ever see a mother defend her child?) and those we love we humans go into preservation mode in an attempt to save our lives and especially the lives of those we love. That mechanism is part of our DNA. This is one hell of a time to forget that.

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Scientists Warn of Rising Oceans From Polar Melt

A large section of the mighty West Antarctica ice sheet has begun falling apart and its continued melting now appears to be unstoppable, two groups of scientists reported on Monday. If the findings hold up, they suggest that the melting could destabilize neighboring parts of the ice sheet and a rise in sea level of 10 feet or more may be unavoidable in coming centuries.

Global warming caused by the human-driven release of greenhouse gases has helped to destabilize the ice sheet, though other factors may also be involved, the scientists said.

The rise of the sea is likely to continue to be relatively slow for the rest of the 21st century, the scientists added, but in the more distant future it may accelerate markedly, potentially throwing society into crisis.

“This is really happening,” Thomas P. Wagner, who runs NASA’s programs on polar ice and helped oversee some of the research, said in an interview. “There’s nothing to stop it now. But you are still limited by the physics of how fast the ice can flow.”

Two scientific papers released on Monday by the journals Science and Geophysical Research Letters came to similar conclusions by different means. Both groups of scientists found that West Antarctic glaciers had retreated far enough to set off an inherent instability in the ice sheet, one that experts have feared for decades. NASA called a telephone news conference Monday to highlight the urgency of the findings.

The West Antarctic ice sheet sits in a bowl-shaped depression in the earth, with the base of the ice below sea level. Warm ocean water is causing the ice sitting along the rim of the bowl to thin and retreat. As the front edge of the ice pulls away from the rim and enters deeper water, it can retreat much faster than before.

In one of the new papers, a team led by Eric Rignot, a glaciologist at the University of California, Irvine, used satellite and air measurements to document an accelerating retreat over the past several decades of six glaciers draining into the Amundsen Sea region. And with updated mapping of the terrain beneath the ice sheet, the team was able to rule out the presence of any mountains or hills significant enough to slow the retreat.

“Today we present observational evidence that a large sector of the West Antarctic ice sheet has gone into irreversible retreat,” Dr. Rignot said in the NASA news conference. “It has passed the point of no return.”

snip

Scientists said the ice sheet was not melting because of warmer air temperatures, but rather because relatively warm water that occurs naturally in the depths of the ocean was being pulled to the surface by an intensification, over the past several decades, of the powerful winds that encircle Antarctica.

And while the cause of the stronger winds is somewhat unclear, many researchers consider human-induced global warming to be a significant factor. The winds help to isolate Antarctica and keep it cold at the surface, but as global warming proceeds, that means a sharper temperature difference between the Antarctic and the rest of the globe. That temperature difference provides further energy for the winds, which in turn stir up the ocean waters.

snip

Richard B. Alley, a climate scientist at Pennsylvania State University who was not involved in the new research but has studied the polar ice sheets for decades, said he found the new papers compelling. Though he had long feared the possibility of ice-sheet collapse, when he learned of the new findings, “it shook me a little bit,” Dr. Alley said.

He added that while a large rise of the sea may now be inevitable from West Antarctica, continued release of greenhouse gases will almost certainly make the situation worse. The heat-trapping gases could destabilize other parts of Antarctica as well as the Greenland ice sheet, potentially causing enough sea-level rise that many of the world’s coastal cities would eventually have to be abandoned.

“If we have indeed lit the fuse on West Antarctica, it’s very hard to imagine putting the fuse out,” Dr. Alley said. “But there’s a bunch more fuses, and there’s a bunch more matches, and we have a decision now: Do we light those?”

End of excerpt

(Bolding my emphasis)


A NASA animation shows glacier changes detected in the highly dynamic Amundsen Embayment of West Antarctica.
Publish Date May 12, 2014

Also see:



West Antarctic Ice Sheet Stability

Water In The Anthropocene

Satellite Data Shows Sea Level Rise

Monday, May 12, 2014

Update: Mysterious Cluster Of Birth Defects In Washington State- Is It The Water?

UPDATE:5-20-14:

Changes in confirmed plus borderline cases of congenital hypothyroidism in California as a function of environmental fallout from the Fukushima nuclear meltdown

"The findings support research that the fetal thyroid gland is particularly vulnerable to adverse health effects from radiation exposure. The fetal thyroid, the first glandular structure to appear in the human embryo [20] begins to concentrate iodine and produce thyroid hormones by the 70th day of gestation. Proper brain development is dependent upon adequate thyroid function [21].

This report addressed doses to California fetuses from the meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant. While official US government data includes a limited number of measurements of radioactive iodine concentrations in air, water, or other environmental media, most of the highest levels were found in the western US. Our use of gross beta concentrations in air is less specific, as gross beta includes multiple beta-emitting radioactive chemicals, not just iodine, but also Cesium-137 and other radioisotopes. Our finding that the actual vs. expected ratio in California airborne beta in the month after Fukushima fallout arrived were over four times greater than in non-western sites (10.53 vs. 2.55 times above the expected) supports the understanding that the western and Pacific US received the greatest exposures, raising risk of subsequent adverse health effects. Measuring deciduous teeth for concentrations of Strontium-90, taken up late in pregnancy and after birth, is used to measure exposure. Studies of Sr-90 from atom bomb test fallout, the Chernobyl meltdown, and near reactors in the US and UK have provided valuable data on actual doses to humans [22-28].

More studies on potential adverse health effects to the thyroid gland, in areas proximate to and far from the Fukushima plant, are urgently needed. Japan’s Fukushima Medical College is tracking local children under age 18. The project has already documented the presence of a thyroid nodule or cyst in 43.6% of 94,426 of these children [29]. It has also diagnosed 44 thyroid cancer cases since March 2011 out of 178,000 children 0 - 18 tested an annual rate of over 12 cases per 100,000 persons vs. an expected annual rate based on the analysis of the Japan Cancer Surveillance Group of 0.15 per 100,000 in 2005 [30]. This is a remarkably high Standardised Incidence Ratio of 80. More suspected child cancers have not yet been confirmed [31].

Studies should not be limited to the Fukushima area because doses in distant locations may be lower. Fallout from the meltdown crossed the Pacific Ocean and reached the US west coast in five [5] days, eventually circling the entire northern hemisphere. Thus, many were exposed to relatively low doses of Fukushima radioactivity—which nonetheless pose a risk to human health. In its last two reports on the topic, the Committee on Biological Effects of Ionizing Radiation (BEIR) concluded a linear no-threshold dose response exists between radiation and health risk, and upheld the heightened sensitiveity of the fetus and infant [32,33]. Stewart and others demonstrated a near-doubling of childhood cancer mortality risk after exposure to in utero pelvic X-rays during pregnancy [34-36]. The US Institute of Medicine and National Research Council estimated as many as 212,000 Americans developed thyroid cancer after fetal/infant/ childhood exposure to relatively low-dose radioactive I-131 from atmospheric nuclear weapons tests over the Nevada desert [37,38].

5. CONCLUSION Although less than three years have elapsed since the meltdown, health effects of low-dose exposures from fallout should be analyzed, especially for those in the earliest stages of life. Health status measures after March 2011 such as infant deaths, neonatal deaths, birth defects, stillbirths, low-weight births, premature births, and cancers in the first year of life can be analyzed. Short-term findings of the young can serve as a warning about potential long-term adverse health effects on populations of all ages."

End of excerpt

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Didn't know these tests were being performed? Well why would you? The US media is doing a terrific job of blacking out any news regarding Fukushima and its potential after effects. The downplaying of the effects of Fukushima in the US is now beyond suspicious. It is downright criminal. Do these findings in any way have a link to the cluster of birth defects in Washington state? I would think those charged with finding the answers would at least be questioning this. Of course, as with the fossil fuel and chemical industries the nuclear industry is constantly given cover as well by governments and the media. To me it is insidious how this is being swept under the rug and how their minions now come out to downplay the effects of the Fukushima implosion as if it were a firecracker that went off rather than a complete meltdown.Add the potential for after effects of this to the clear danger of what is happening at Hanford and you have a potential for consequences that the parties in play obviously do not want us privy to. Thankully not all are easily silenced.



Doctors Unsure What's Behind Dramatic Increase in Birth Defects In Rural Washington

"As state and federal officials document the alarming rise of deadly birth defects in rural Washington, health experts are at a loss when it comes to pinpointing the source of the problem.

In the three years prior to January 2013, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found there had been 23 cases of anencephaly – a birth defect in which a child is born without parts of their brain or skull – reported in three Washington counties: Benton, Franklin and Yakima. This rate of 8.4 cases per 10,000 live births quickly attracted the attention of health officials, especially since it’s four times the national average

Anencephaly wasn’t the only severe birth defect confirmed by the CDC, however. Three cases of spina bifida were also uncovered, a condition that involves the failure of a baby’s spine and brain to develop properly.

Since the publication of the report last year, another eight or nine cases of anencephaly and spina bifida have been reported by Susie Ball, a counselor at the Central Washington Genetics Program.

The most worrisome aspect of the whole situation isn’t simply the increased rate of the defects, but the fact that no one is quite sure what’s causing the problem. According to a report by NBC News, the CDC inspected the medical records of hundreds of individuals, looking for disparities between mothers whose children suffered birth defects and those whose children were fine.

Despite examining disease history, the types of medication taken, the source of the water used by mothers, and other factors, the research ultimately yielded disappointing results.

“No statistically significant differences were identified between cases and controls, and a clear cause of the elevated prevalence of anencephaly was not determined,” the CDC report stated.

While some experts, such as the CDC’s Jim Kucik, speculate that the cluster of defects could simply be an unfortunate coincidence, others pointed out that since the investigation did not include interviews of the mothers due to lack of funds, crucial information could have been missed."



End of excerpt

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"crucial information could have been missed."... You think?

This is alarming to me. Take a look at this:



Possible New Leak at Hanford Nuclear Waste Site



Do they truly think that radioactive leaks underground recognize barbed wired fences?

This is the US Fukushima!

Believe the government about this? Highly radioactive waste has been leaking for years into groundwater and the Columbia River and yet the government says no contamination to humans from leaks? Do they really think we are that stupid? Hanford is also located in Benton County, Washington. Benton county along with Yakima and Franklin counties are the three counties where this cluster is located. Yet, even this report filed by the CDC never even mentions it. They talk about pregnant women getting the required amount of folic acid. Now, even if these women did not get enough folic acid would it alone have had the effect it has had as I am sure there are women who are pregnant in every other county in Washington needing folic acid and yet we aren't seeing this in any other county (at least not being reported.) Also, don't pregnant women in general need this information because folic acid deficiency can be found in every state?

Counties in Washington State

I also took a look at a report filed by the Washington State Dept. of Health that stated the following : "Residential address during pregnancy used to determine use of public or private well water supply." The address only? Were actual tests done on the water? They remand that responsibility to the residents!

Twenty three cases of anecephaly between January 2010-January 2013 with 8.4 cases for 10,000 births. The national average is 2.1 per 10,000 births and I think that is even too high. How many babies are born in the US every year? Take that number adding 2.1 for every 10,000 births and it is obvious that the human species is hellbent on destroying itself.

When I first read about this I have to admit my mind first went to Fukushima. There is no doubt there are effects from Fukushima also impacting the states along the West Coast: Professor: Concerns Fukushima is impacting Alaska;“Unusual animals showing up dead… Seals with unknown disease… first cases of avian cholera” — NOAA: ‘Rare whale beachings’ in Alaska under investigation — Japan Paper: Mysterious sea creatures found one after another along coast (PHOTOS). I even thought it could be the increased use of pesticides, particularly the herbicide glyphosate (Round Up) which has been found to effect the brains of fish. It could be one or all of these. The point here is that I believe we are once again seeing a blackout of the elephant sitting in the room.

Our waterways nationwide are contaminated with poisons, pesticides nuclear waste, oil, coal slurry, plastic. The excrement of our greed, excess and apathy. Hanford is staring us in the face and it is time we start asking questions. How unlikely is it that it has absolutely nothing to do with it? There is a slight chance, but as you read through this and watch the video I think that chance becomes slimmer.

On Mother's Day we pay tribute to the one woman in our lives who sacrificed so much for us and who loves us unconditionally. No mother should have to see her baby born without a cranium or a spine. No mother should have to worry about the water she drinks. No mother should have to live with the constant fear that her baby will be born stillborn because we decided that the water she was ingesting or the air she was breathing was not as important as the profit made from poisoning it! I am going to keep on looking for information on this story and will be adding it here. There are too many other toxic legacies left behind by us to simply relegate this to coincidence and we should care about finding answers.

Also see: 50 Reasons We Should Fear the Worst from Fukushima

Because you need to know what the media and the government will not tell you to be aware in order to protect those you love and speak out for change.

Another World Water Day Gone

We see another World Water Day pass us by. The theme, Water For All, signifies that though some progress has been made we are woefully behin...