Planet Under Pressure 2012 was the largest gathering of global change scientists leading up to the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) with a total of 3,018 delegates at the conference venue and over 3,500 that attended virtually via live webstreaming. The Plenary sessions and the Daily Planet news show continue to draw audiences world wide as they are available On Demand.
One Planet Living is a vision for a world where it is easy, attractive and affordable for people to lead happy and healthy lives within a fair share of the earth's resources. Developed by BioRegional and WWF, it is based on ten principles of sustainability, which aim to reduce people's carbon footprints and help them to live happy and healthy lives. BioRegional's program is developing exemplary projects around the globe.
"By the end of this century, Earth may be home to 11 billion people, the United Nations has estimated, earlier than previously expected. As part of a week-long series, LiveScience is exploring what reaching this population milestone might mean for our planet, from our ability to feed that many people to our impact on the other species that call Earth home to our efforts to land on other planets. Check back here each day for the next installment."
350 means safety from the climate crisis.
To preserve our planet, scientists tell us we must reduce the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere from its current level of 392 parts per million ("ppm")to below 350 ppm. But 350 is more than a number-it's a symbol of where we need to head as a planet. At 350.org, we're building a global grassroots movement to solve the climate crisis and push for policies that will put the world on track to get to 350 ppm.
Earth had a climate long before we showed up and started noticing it and it's influenced by a whole series of cycles that have been churning along for hundreds of millions of years. In most cases those cycles will continue long after we're gone. A look at the history of climate change on Earth can give us some much needed perspective on our current climate dilemma because the surprising truth is, what we're experiencing now is different than anything this planet has encountered before. So, let's take a stroll down Climate History Lane and see if we can find some answers to a question that's been bugging Hank a lot lately - just how much hot water are we in?
Earth had a climate long before we showed up and started noticing it and it's influenced by a whole series of cycles that have been churning along for hundreds of millions of years. In most cases those cycles will continue long after we're gone. A look at the history of climate change on Earth can give us some much needed perspective on our current climate dilemma because the surprising truth is, what we're experiencing now is different than anything this planet has encountered before. So, let's take a stroll down Climate History Lane and see if we can find some answers to a question that's been bugging Hank a lot lately - just how much hot water are we in?
"Climate change isn't an issue for any one government or any one region. Carbon pollution has taken a devastating toll across the planet, from floods in Manila to droughts in Australia. To learn about the global reach of the environmental changes caused by human behavior, take a world tour with the six videos that premiered during Climate Reality Project's 24 Hours of Reality: The Cost of Carbon."
"Climate change isn't an issue for any one government or any one region. Carbon pollution has taken a devastating toll across the planet, from floods in Manila to droughts in Australia. To learn about the global reach of the environmental changes caused by human behavior, take a world tour with the six videos that premiered during Climate Reality Project's 24 Hours of Reality: The Cost of Carbon."
"Educating kids about recycling can have an impact on the entire household. That's why Planet Ark has developed the Packaging Covenant Schools Recycle Right Challenge to support recycling education in schools. Register your school now to access a wide range of recycling-themed activities, lesson plans and events ideas that have been developed specifically for Australian schools."
"Global drought has not increased significantly over the past 60 years, a report in Nature has found.
Previous assessments of global drought have relied on the Palmer Drought Severity Index, which only accounts for temperature, and does not consider sunlight, humidity or wind. These assessments have falsely indicated that global drought will increase as the planet warms.
The paper's authors show that when these additional factors are included, worldwide drought has actual changed very little since 1950."
"- What does sustainability mean?
- Why are we currently unsustainable?
- What is an ecological footprint?
- What's the problem with plastic?
- What about water?
- And biodiversity?
- How are people faring?
- How can we find a sustainable path?
- What are some great sustainability initiatives?
This video introduces the concept of sustainability and explains our current situation on this planet, even before any potential challenges from climate change are involved.
From the Australian Research Institute for Environment and Sustainability (ARIES) at Macquarie University, Sydney. "
"The heat is on for the planet as a whole, but what has been happening where you live? Click a place on the map to find out, or enter a location in the search box in the top right-hand corner."
"Watch the world change over the course of nearly three decades of satellite photography. These Timelapse pictures tell the pretty and not-so-pretty story of a finite planet and how its residents are treating it - razing even as we build, destroying even as we preserve. It takes a certain amount of courage to look at the videos, but once you start, it's impossible to look away."
TWO brands of olive oil, one from Australia, the other shipped 16,000 kilometres from Italy, sit on a supermarket shelf.
Most eco-friendly shoppers would reach for the Australian oil. But despite burning less fossil fuel to get here, it may not be better for the planet.
Contrary to popular belief, ''food miles'', or the distance food has travelled before we buy it, is a poor indicator of our food's total greenhouse gas emissions, or ''carbon footprint''.
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More important is the way our food is farmed and produced, and how far we drive to buy it.
CSIRO studies are expected to show how emissions from farming and food production eclipse those from food freight.
"A new report released by the United Nations calls on world governments to change the way they do business, end fossil fuel subsidies and factor in social and environmental costs into the measurement of economic activity. It notes that the standard method of calculating economic growth through measures such as GDP ignores the impacts on the planet and food and water resources."
When I testified before the US Senate in the hot summer of 1988, I warned of the kind of future that climate change would bring to us and our planet. I painted a grim picture of the consequences of steadily increasing temperatures, driven by mankind's use of fossil fuels. But I have a confession to make: I was too optimistic.
My projections about increasing global temperature have been proved true. But I failed to fully explore how quickly that average rise would drive an increase in extreme weather.
"Carbon Visuals is dedicated to helping everyone on the planet make more sense of the invisible. Images, films, animations and interactive web tools provide a fresh and visual communications approach."