Blog Action Day ’09: How climate change is affecting the Maldives

Hi All!
For the second year I’m proud to be part of this useful and important social media action called “Blog Action Day”

The aim is to involve people as much as possible in an important topic. This year bloggers from all over the world are called to write about CLIMATE CHANGE.

I’d like to grab your attention, talking about my experience in one of the most famous paradises: the Maldives Islands.

In 1998 Maldives were affected by El Nino that is a periodic change in the atmosphere and ocean of the tropical Pacific region.

In that year, water temperature increased of 4-5 degrees over the average. One of the worst consequence was the whitening of corals.

When I visited Maldives in 2000, in some places there was a sort of ghostly underwater landscape.

Fortunately, the situation has changed and many species are retrieving their original colors.

But few days ago I was affected by another bad news about this famous archipelago.

Government of the Maldives held a cabinet meeting underwater to highlight the threat of global warming, in order to send a serious message about rising sea levels. Maldives Islands would be wiped out if oceans will rise.

The Maldives President Nasheed and the cabinet signed a document, calling on all the nations to cut down their carbon emissions.

If you’d like to have more information about this story and other correlated topics, I warmly suggest to read the annual report by Time ‘Heroes of environment’

I strongly believe that only if we work together we can help our planet, and save places like the Maldives. Don’t forget that with our behaviours we can all make a difference!

How Technology can help the Environment

Italy and France signed an agreement for the construction in Italy of four nuclear plants by 2020. This decision replaces that one expressed by referendum in 1986.

As you probably know, in Italy there are many problems related to collecting and recycling garbage. I’m just wondering how we are going to deal with nuclear waste… (More info at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7908434.stm)

On the other side, President Obama announced his investments program about energy: “…But to truly transform our economy, protect our security, and save our planet from the ravages of climate change, we need to ultimately make clean, renewable energy the profitable kind of energy.  So I ask this Congress to send me legislation that places a market-based cap on carbon pollution and drives the production of more renewable energy in America.  And to support that innovation, we will invest fifteen billion dollars a year to develop technologies like wind power and solar power; advanced biofuels, clean coal, and more fuel-efficient cars and trucks built right here in America…” (http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Remarks-of-President-Barack-Obama-Address-to-Joint-Session-of-Congress/)

I strongly believe that the future of our planet is in renewable energy, and nuclear power represents a short term solution.

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Talking about green best practices, I’ve just found out a new Italian eco-tech social network: www.youimpact.it

According to Web 2.0 guidelines, the main goal is to spread environmental culture in a no-conventional way.

The community is invited to express its creativity, by publishing images, videos, audio files. Obviously, the subject is environment.

Moreover, for every uploaded image, video or audio, it will be created one square metre of new forest.

Together with some useful information about ‘green’ lifestyle, there are some interesting contests, which aim is to share green IT experiences and their ‘green effects’. There are many important IT companies involved in these projects:  Cisco,  IBM, etc.

Do you know any other green social network?  I’d really like to create a world map of these experiences …

Good news from the World!

Chile

Few days ago, Chilean government passed a bill against the whales hunting. It turned its territorial water into a whale sanctuary.

The new law forbids hunting, selling and transportationt of 43 species of cetaceans.

Moreover, it defines new conservation areas and protects the whole whales lifecycle.

Further information:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081015/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_chile_whales_1

Protecting whales around the world:

http://www.ifaw.org/ifaw_international/join_campaignsprotecting_whales_around_the_world/index.php

Italy

From october 23^rd to 27 will be held in Turin “Terra Madre 2008”, a world meeting of food communities.

Terra Madre (mother land) is a project created by the Italian association Slow Food with the aim of giving voice and visibility to the rural food producers who populate our world, and sustaining their ability to work under the best conditions, for all of our good and for the good of the planet.

The Terra Madre network is made up of all those who wish to act to preserve, encourage, and support sustainable food production methods.

Terra Madre fights against hunger, by defending local cultures and products.

The main projects are about education, biodiversity, and short chain.

Info: www.terramadre.org