This Is War

Some weeks ago I remember being working as a volunteer in a project for the conservation of cetaceans somewhere in the North Sea. I also remember having conversation with the people of the team about the consequences of depleting the oceans. The leader of the project made some comments about the increasing number of jellyfish (basically the consequence of tuna overfishing). But this point was not something new to me, in fact, I belong to one of the main countries that the more overfish the oceans: Spain. It's not something new in this country to have in summer news about jellyfish invading our beaches. The point is the way people understand the reality because no many are really aware of what's happening with the tuna population around the world. Things continue happening as some weeks and years ago... the war continues... and the worse is that the problem is getting worse.

Has something changed since 2007 when I wrote the following lines?...

July 3rd, 2007. I could recently read in the newspapers that authorities had declared war to jellyfish... Oh mine!... I continued reading and it seemed that the only real politicians and civil servants worried about the subject were those from the environment agency, in fact they were the only ones who put the finger in the wound: the lack of natural predators has boosted the presence of the jellyfish in our seas (and thanks God we have recently had a reasonable rainy season).

I'm really sure that more than one will have wondered about who is naturally supposed to be pillaging the jellyfish population.The answer is Mr. Tuna and Ms. Turtle. And now the cornerstone is... Where the hell are the tunas and the turtles? Why are their populations so low? Basically there are two answers:

1. We're fishing tuna four times over the sustainable level. 
2. Turtles are being jeopardised troughout really questionable methods of fishing.   

Although you can see the shelves of the supermarket plenty of tuna tins, it would be really suitable for you to reduce the consumption of this fish (in fact I left it some years ago). I would like to think that consumers and politicians are going to do their bit but let me doubt about it... Above all because the problem is developing faster than reactions being carried out to fix it.

If only the history didn't repeat as it happened to cod, but I'm afraid that there won't be a happy end, man is the only animal to stumble over the same stone twice. 

Good night.

There's Something Wrong

Before consuming some wood or paper... Think twice please...

• A surface equivalent to a football stadium disappears every two seconds.
• Non Stop. Every day a surface equivalent to 43,200 football stadiums disappears. Every year a surface equivalent to 15,500,000 football stadiums a year disappears. It would be something similar to the surface of Spain and Portugal together.
• In the last 80 years we have lost so much forests as in the last 10.000 years and what is worst... the pace is accelarating: in the last 30 years we have lost so much forests as in the last 5,000 years. And last but not least, the loss of biodiversity goes in parallel with the loss of forests.
• Many forests finishes their lives transformed into toilette paper, packing, wrapping and office paper.

It's up to you.

90% Hypocrisy

Once upon a night in which I spent my time having a look at a magazined specialized on fruits and vegetables. Although there are some people who don’t believe it, there are magazines for people from all walks of life. Among all the many different sections there was one dedicated to ecology and I could observe that it was a survey about the degree of concern of Spanish people respect to climate change. Although it could seem unbelievable, 90% of the Spaniards show to be very concerned (I am speaking about the month of June 2007). Should I begin to laugh or to cry? Is anybody pulling my leg? Who on earth has been in charge of carrying such survey and where? Were they collecting the data in an ecologist demonstration? Sincerely, I couldn’t believe it.

With such level of concern things would be very different. Firstly, the use of bicycles would be far greater. Secondly, the fact of driving a car would be far smaller. I wonder if traffic jams would continue being traffic jams. I wonder if so many people would continue doing an irresponsible use of paper, if so many people would continue carrying out an irresponsible use of air conditioning and if many of they would continue travelling and consuming in an irresponsible way. This late on in life I can’t accept people telling they don’t have enough information. We are to be lazy and fat, there’s no way.

Bad Gases

So that's what we get with cows and their poohs. They are so polluting that New Zeland won't be able to catch up with the Kioto Protocal because of its livestock. The question is: why such poohs are so polluting? Among other things, they are because they release a greenhouse gas called methane. The point is that this is not new. It is known that some "special rucksacks" are carried by sheep. Such rucksacks inject a substance into the blood which neutralizes the methane, a gas which is twenty-two times more powerful than CO2 with respect to the capacity of warming the planet.

So far everything seems to be bad but as many things in life there are heads and tails. The good thing of the methane is that if well managed we could be able of making a car work. Let me explain it. If we could manage to collect all the gasses of ten cows during a year, we could make a car work for 9,000 kms, maybe you laugh at what I'm saying but it is bussines, really business. If we take into account that a typical gasoline car goes over 10,000 - 12,000 kms, the propose is really interesting which also would allow us to get rid of such a gas and to cut down CO2 emissions by 50%.

Last but not least, this is one of the arguments that people like the writer of this post have used to justify their rejection to eat meat.Here I leave you an interesting reading: Livestock's Long Shadow.

"Share" Is The Key

Some days ago I read an article about the otters resurgence in some parts of England. However, such resurgence has shown once more the concept of property that we have respect to the planet. And maybe here we have the key to resolve the problem of cohabitation that we have with the rest of forms of life with which we share the planet. I repeat the keyword: share. We are not only unaware of the point that we human species alone are consuming more than 50% of the resources of the planet. We are so cheeky that have even claimed for the recovery of some species like the one of the otters.

I could understand that someone claims because a certain species is destroying their way of making a living but having someone claiming because on holidays are not going to fish as much as expected is outrageous. This is the case of the otters in England. Maybe the selfishness and blindness of those claimers prevent them from understanding that planet Earth is shared. The otters have the same rights than humans to enjoy the rivers and make of them their way of living. It seems that everybody is wrong except us. I think it's high time to understand that our overpopulation and comsumption of resources should be the first thing on this planet to be under a strict control.

Thanks Rafa for your videos, they show the shameful way of how we deal with Life all over this planet.

Xmas Time Is Coming: Keep This In Mind

Oceans Empty Of Life And Plenty Of Noise And Rubbish

The Revenge

Some shameless people should be in the situation of the video.He who lives by the sword, dies by the sword.

Have Things Changed Something In 6 Years?

I posted in April 2007 some comments about de main headlines related to the environment. In that moment after 3 years, things hadn't changed a lot. Now, 3 years later, the question is reaised once again. Maybe people are more concerned, there are some steps being taken but there's a new question: can these measures catch up with the level of destruction? I'm in doubt. Three examples to think about: Europe's seas face 'bleak future', €1.1 trillion and 2010 living planet report. And now some headlines from 2004 to 2007:

• Climate change threatens beaches in the Mediterranean Sea.
• Patagonia's glaciars could disappear in twenty years time.
• Global warming could come great famines and the melting of the Himalaya.
• Climate change will leave 200 million refugees in 2050.
• Ten important natural reservas under threat.
• Global warming threatens 30% of flora and fauna.
• Equator declares the Galapago Islands at risk.
• Scientists declare the collapse of marine ecosystems.

Amen.

The Footprint Of Your Bottled Water

First of all here you are a report about the footprint of bottled water consumption: click here. Second, when we buy something I think we should take into account the point of departure of the product so that way the thought would become part of what is called "responsible consumption".

Among the products with an important footprint is not only the bottled water but also off-season fruit. We could say that eating the off-season fruit has become second nature but if we take into account that such fruit has been brought from Equator to Spain for example, that could be something bad as it has surely been brought by plane (a really important machine for generating CO2 emissions). If we speak in general terms, a ship emits 0.002 Kg of CO2 per kilometre and ton transported. The same distance and weight for a train is 0.069, 0.11 for a truck and 2 for the plane. It is, for the same distance a plane pollutes 1000 times more than a ship, I don't know if you get the idea... Because of this I raise, the spanish government plans are focused on promoting the railway network and sea routes. Time will tell.

And speaking about bottled water another question would be: why not using glass bottles as we did some years ago? I don't know if in other countries has happened but here in Spain, a twenty years ago, it was something usual to get a discount for returning an empty glass bottle when you bought a new one (filled up with the product of course). It is true that the majority of the bottled water which is sold is bottled in plastic and because of that we should get in contact with the company which makes the product asking for a change  respect to the bottling. The glass bottles are 100% recyclable, in other words, we could use the same material for ever in practical terms (the quantity of missing material is trivial compared to plastic) and the quantity of energy and material necessary in the process is far less than making plastic bottles. The moral today would be: The more glass-bottled water you use the tinier your footprint will be.

And finally, please, keep in mind this is not an apology for consuming bottled water, keep in mind we should drink tap water but just in case we need to buy bottled water for any reason, be responsible and opt for glass bottles as far as possible of course.

And now a nice story to summarise the impact of plastic bottles on our environment and pockets.

I Want To Be Optimistic...

...but every day it is more difficult.

Not Another Nature Film from WWF on Vimeo.

WWF's Living Planet Report 2010

The Profecy - Part II

The years before 2007 were years where politicians in our Valencian Community took profit for selling around the idea of creating natural parks. They not only spread the idea but also passed the corresponding laws to carry it out. At the same time there were voices saying that everything answered to a perfectly or almost perfectly arranged plan: natural parks were to be used as a call for potential buyers of houses. In other words, these plans of setting natural parks around were spearheading the settlement of builders and unscrupulous people around such mentioned places. And words like "benefit for a few and disgrace for many" would become a profecy some years later. Where is now the money? Who is now to pay for our destroyed environmental heritage? Nobody thought about that our economy couldn't be based only on bricks for ever?

We tried and continue trying to domesticate nature. We try to transform forests into gardens which is equal to dead forests because there will be left only trees. Maybe there will be left some birds, but what about mammals and reptiles if they are only seen as bugs? Where will be the necessary space for medium and big size species? I don't know if you reader will understand spanish but the point is that every time I read an advertisement like the one below, I can't help to think about the idea of "once upon a time Europe was a forest spotted of small clearings, today, Europe is a bit clearing spotted of small forests".

We people who buy a house have the last word as before buying it we should be aware of the "things" that previously were in such a place. Such an action is for free, you don't have to pay any tax or fee, just inform you. The change is inside you. What are you waiting for?

Additional Information

• Spain Destroys 7.7 Hectares of Coastline Daily.
• Friends of Escalona Mountain Range.

A Very Interesting Idea: Rerverse Combustion

Have a look at here.

Something Simple and Efficient: A Bicycle

Sometimes I become angry because of the prices of the energy, not because it is expensive but cause I think there many interests into play. However, every time I ride the bicycle along the city and see the way in which we use our cars and air conditioning in homes and shops I said to myself: We don't pay enough for energy, it is cheap till...

Now the thing is: How to make people to understand that our life style of excess and waste should be over? Every day I'm more convinced that many people don't really care about environment and the state of the planet. They just think about themselves or simply, as a human way of scape, they assume that environmental problems are not such a big deal. In other words: human resistance to accept CHANGE.

I don't know what readers will think about what I'm going to say. It's obvious that an environmental education is necessary at schools and centres of education but, most important, for all those ones who "don't care", controlling their expenditure is the key. High prices for energy is the way to understand that we humans can't continue wasting around and eating up natural resources. I could give two examples of how people would behave in front of increasing prices of fuel:

1. There are surveys which point out that 20% of the mileage is unnecessary. Have you realized how many energy could be saved at a planetary scale?


2. More than one would stop speeding. They would keep tyres pumped up (so they would last longer and would also save more money), they wouldn't accelerate hard and driving would be a bit slower (which would save human and wildlife lifes on the roads).

Once more the key is: Everyone should accept that CHANGE is necessary. Fuel efficient cars (including hybrid and electric) are not the solution but part of it. And now, as always, speaking about cars... Who speaks about something or reminds that there is something really efficient and cheap as a bicycle? Mssers. Politiciens... Who bears the cars in the cities? Mssers. Politiciens... Who bells the cat?

Respect

There are some people who frequently use the word, which titles this post, in a way pretending to be cool and gentle. The question is how far can we tune up the meaning of the word. And why do I say all this? Because there are many people who make a great song and dance about how respectful they are and, when the moment of being in control of the steering wheel arrives, they go from Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hide. It is in that moment when they speed, when they don't adapt their driving to the circumstances of the road, and it is here where the expression "I control" puts and end to the word which titles the post and begins to increment the possibilities of death for any species who cuts in front of such a cool and pleasant driver.

Our roads have become so big in size and number that have invaded and fragmentated almost all known ecosystems and last but not least, the designers didn't take into account that in those ecosystems there were other forms of life which also need mobility like humans. So the point is that thanks to that design and those cool guys in the driver seat, the possibilities of death notably increase because there is no alternative to cross the roads and move along them.

Only the fact that "the others" were before we arrived is enough reason to decive a respect besides we are "the lowest of the low". The others also have the same right to share this planet. An accident is something unpredictable and outside to driving in a careless way, which would be an imprudence and so something you would have to pay for it.

Millions of animals are dying in roads around the world every day and many of them would save their lives with better designed infrastructures and of course, with a more level-headed way of driving. So keep in mind these words whenever you are at the driver seat, keep in mind that you are driving along different ecosystems with other forms of live moving around as you would do. And of course, keep in mind that only 1% of the money necessary to construct the infrastructure is enough to save millions of lifes. Other question would be how that money is managed...

Here you are two interesting and related links: Carnage on the carriageway & Driving animals to their graves.

If I Pug Can Do It So You Can Do It

Don't wait for the change, you are the change. The change will come when everyone of us changes.

Thanks Charles for the link.

I Want

Much wisdom often goes with brevity of speech. Sophocles

On Freedom, Licentiousness and Dictatorship

I am 35 and I don't have to make an effort to remember some elderly people speaking about the times when cars were less numerous or even an exception in the streets. Above all, having a car in a village in those times was an expression of being wealthy. cars began to become something more normal about the end of the 60s and the beginning of the 70s. Up to that moment, a car was something accepted by the rest of the means of transport: pedestrians, bicycles, buses, trolleybuses, trams, coaches, etc, etc. And I say it was accepted because the car just was one more element in the streets.

Times have changed and, for better or for worse, the car has become a model or symbol of progress (badly understood from my point of view), and what's more, I would dare to say it has become a plague. Such an incredible drive was given to the car by population and political circles that it converted democratic mobility into a tyrannical one. We passed from sharing the streets with our bicycles and the rest of vehicles to be expelled in straightforward terms in favor of a mobility based on four wheels and an inefficient engine which poisons the air we breathe.

Today, organizations of city bikers and in favour of a sustainable mobility, feel, or at least I feel, like being in a crusade. But I would like to point out that I do not want the car to die out, I want an affable crusade, I do not want to do with it what it did with us. The only thing I want is to recover the space that once belonged to our ancestors and makepeople understand that we, “the no cars”, are not a nuisanc,e but one more part of “the urban ecosystem”, where all of us, in one or other way, had and have our place. One of the problems we face is how to make addicted car drivers understand this point. It is necessary they understand their cars eat up a great quantity of natural resources which are compromising the recycling capacity of our planet. It is necessary they understand their selfish and comfortable position, we even could add that driving a car is something inactive in cultural and antinatural terms. Obviously, a great quantity of excuses are spread everywhere. Excuses like “everybody does it”, “if I do not do it others will”, etc, etc. The point is tthat we shouldn’t deceive ourselves, change has to come from inside each one of us; we do not have to wait for others, politicians included, to change things, because nobody will do it. Don't be so passive because that way we will not get to any worthy place.

So I think there are reasons to wonder about the title of this writing. I am not telling anybody not to buy a car, for the love of God, but I think that with a consumist eagerness or without it, the vehicle of four wheels has always been sold as a symbol of freedom. Can we understand freedom being slaves of a monthly bill to pay the vehicle, fuel, breakdowns and maintenance ? Thanks to the spread and imposition of the car, we have been deprived of good buses and trains networks, which are far more efficient than cars and which would also allow us to get to many places. Are we to understand progress as a highway arriving at every village in our country? Regarding buses, some people can plead that there have been some attempts that have failed, at least in our province, such as the case in Onda. But humans are conservative and creatures of habit, we do only understand of physical barriers, there is no way and time is out. A lot of money has been spent on campaigns making people aware of the wrong use of the car, so the moment of making people fed up with their cars has arrived: speed limits strictly controlled, obstacles such as level changes in the asphalt, reducing suddenly the width of the road with little gardens, shared lines for buses and bicycles s which would reduce the space to private cars, etc, etc... So taking measures like these, the private car would stop being the main character in our streets.

It is nice, really nice to be free and feel the freedom, being free to get everywhere by one's car but, when that one makes of the use an abuse, freedom becomes licentiousness and that should not be allowed, or at least I understand that this is the way.

P.S. Place where I found the picture.

End of 2009: Year of the Gorilla

I know I arrive a bit late but what matters is the thought. Some days after having begun 2010 I would like to wish it to you.

Year after year, one that comes another that goes, that's life: someone comes, someone goes. I have taken advantage of the last post of the year to dedicate some words to the animal of the year 2009: The Gorilla.

This is not the first time I make a reference to this animal but sadly, this species like many other big mammals are on the brink of extinction and I think it is a moral obligation to me to remind my readers the nowadays situation of one of our nearer relatives in the Line of Evolution.

I always insist in the same words: The Change has to come out from everyone of us and this is usuful for different aspects of life. We don't have to wait for the Messiah, just live in the way we would like things to be. And of course I'm not the author of this quote, it is the philosopher Kant and it is something that I try to put into practice every day:

Act that your principle of action might safely be made a law for the whole world.

If continue reading, below you'll see I have left several links to information about the gorilla although we could reduce its problems to deforestation and it has three main causes:

1. Search of wood for furniture for rich people (WE).


2. Search of wood for cooking and meat for the ones who are very poor (THE OTHERS).


3. Coltan minery for the posh people who want to change their mobile at a good clip (and I say mobiles for not saying more electronic devices).

So if you consider yourself a responsible person:

• Buy wood when really necessary and take into account its origin. Look for FSC certificates or at least ask the shop assistant about any other warranties: Get the word out.

• Reuse, try to buy second hand furniture. You can find some good oportunities with a bit of patience.

• Calm down with your mobile and don't be so flashy, take profit of it for at least two years if possible and ask your mobile provider any kind of certification which shows that the coltan in your mobile has been taken out under environmental and social responsibility policies because not only elephants and gorillas are killed but also children and farmers are made slaves.

I also want to pay tribute to Dian Fossey who gave her life for defending these incredible animals and without her sacrifice gorillas would've been wiped out. Here you are some links: Wikipedia, the charity which takes her name and another where I've got the picture below.

We also have to pay tribute to Jane Goodall: link 1, link 2 and link 3. You are her foto below and one of her books made me think twice about the way I was conntected to the world and also made me give the first steps to become vegetarian.

Finally, as I paid tribute to the bucardo (link in English), I'd like to do the same with Digit because I think is not fair they fall into obscurity because of a world plenty of "noise", vanity, shallowness and greed. To those who don't know it, gorillas almost don't fight for food, their territory or mating, but leaders put into risk their lifes for trying to stand the group together. Digit was a leader whose loyalty to her family brought her to death when in 1977 she kept a tight rein on six pouchers and their dogs. Her death highlighted the inexorable human interference into the mountain gorillas habit in Central Africa. I hope Gaia has Digit in its glory and from this moment in our hearts.

In the name of gorillas (maybe they can't understand this lines but sign languaje) and mine, we would like to appreciate this time of reading and I sincerelly wish you a very happy 2010.

P.S. Here you are the link to the picture of Digit's tomb: click here.

Mery Xmas!!

I know there are people, although not many, who are not for these days of consumerism, thought which I understand and share. Nevertheless both today and tomorrow and the rest of the days of the year... I wish you the best.

As I say, in these days of execesses, although the culture in which we have been raised has made us to think the consumerist way we do, only for respect to those who don't have or almost don't have anythigng to eat, for a sustainable life and for respect to the planet and the other forms of life, I leave you some pieces of advice which I found revising some Greenpeace's information.

• Eat less meat: Besides being good for your health, according to the FAO, livestock is responsible of 18% of the total emissions of greenhouse gases due to the enormous quantity of energy consumed along the production of fertilizers, logging of rainforests for grazing and soya harvesting, and last but not least, the enormous quantities of methane produced by the animals. In this point I would like to say that a recent research points out that the livestock contributes more than was expected to warm the planet. When I have thoroughly revised the document I will post a summary as always.

• Opt for organic food: It's farmed without pesticides and fertilizers. It doesn't need foreigner feed and the cyclical methods of production for both livesotck and agriculture suppose less emissions of greenhouse gases.

• Buy local and seasonal products: You will reduce them movement of goods and the heating of greenhouses.

What I have said: be happy today, tomorrow and always.

FIgures For Thinking

Here you are some figures from 2007. I don't have any more information at the moment, but according with the little informaton I have, things haven't got better, as much they have slowed down. If somebody has an updated information I would appreciate to let it know here as a commment.

44 - The percentage of threatend species of birds in the planet.

62 - The percentage of aquatic birds, in the Asian continent, which are in decline or facing extinction.

80 - The percentage of ancient forests destroyed. You shouldn't be very brilliant to know that only 20% are left.

1000 - Number of times which rate of species extinction has been multiplied by. It is also the number of years to recover thoroughly from climate change (figure very important for future generations).

2.000.000.000 - Number of rubish tonnes that are dumped into the rivers daily. Yes, you have read correctly.