Guest guest Posted October 29, 2002 Report Share Posted October 29, 2002 ***************************Advertisement*************************** eCentral - Your Entertainment Guide http://www.star-ecentral.com ***************************************************************** This message was forwarded to you by yitzeling. Comment from sender: This article is from thestar.com.my URL: http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2002/10/29/features/green2910 & se\ c=features ________________________ Tuesday, October 29, 2002 Kilimanjaro & #8217;s fast melting roof TOURISTS flocked to test their mettle against Africa & #8217;s highest peak last week, unperturbed by predictions that Mount Kilimanjaro & #8217;s famous snow cap will be gone in less than 20 years. Scientists say the glaciers on the Tanzanian mountain known as the “Roof of Africa”, and romanticised by Ernest Hemingway, are melting so fast they will be gone in less than two decades. Unlike the tourist brochures that picture the top half of the 5,869m dead volcano covered in snow, most of the mountain is a mix of forest, moorland, and & #8211; in its upper reaches & #8211; volcanic ash, rocky scree and boulders. The renowned snows are barely visible from Kibo base camp at 4,700m and it is only when one reaches the rim of the crater that the ice fields clearly come into view. US researchers, writing in the journal Science, said last week that the glaciers on the top of Kilimanjaro measured 12 sq km in 1912, but had shrunk to 2.6 sq km by 2000. The study was led by Professor Lonnie Thompson of Ohio State University who said the summit of the ice fields had reduced in height by about a half-metre each year since 1962. Although the scientists say glaciers elsewhere are melting due to global warming, one of the researchers said further work needed to be done to establish the cause of Kilimanjaro & #8217;s meltdown. & #8211; Reuters <b>Human footprints</b> HUMANS take up 83% of the Earth & #8217;s land surface to live on, farm, mine or fish, leaving just a few areas pristine for wildlife, said a report issued last Tuesday. People also have taken advantage of 98% of the land that can be farmed for rice, wheat or corn, said the report produced by scientists from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and Columbia University & #8217;s Center for International Earth Science Information Network in New York. Their map (www.wcs.org/humanfootprint) adds together influences from population density, access from roads and waterways, electrical power infrastructure, and the area used by cities and farms. The few remaining wild areas include the northern forests of Alaska, Canada and Russia; the high plateaus of Tibet and Mongolia; and much of the Amazon River Basin. “The map of the human footprint is a clear-eyed view of our influence on the Earth,” Eric Sanderson, a landscape ecologist for the WCS, who led the report, said in a statement. “It provides a way to find opportunities to save wildlife and wild lands in pristine areas, and also to understand how conservation in wilderness, countryside, suburbs, and cities are all related.” & #8211; Reuters <b>Birds in crisis</b> URBAN expansion and loss of open space have put some 25% of North America & #8217;s bird species in trouble or decline, more than double the number of species at risk five years ago, according to the National Audubon Society. The wildlife conservation organisation, in its watch list of threatened birds, said about 201 birds are listed and 21 of them are in the endangered category. Audubon spokesman John Bianchi said habitat was being destroyed “due to increasing conversion of farmland to urban areas, and from grasslands to farmlands.” The Audubon list aims to draw attention to the decline and rally support to rebuild bird populations, said Frank Gill, Audubon chief ornithologist and vice-president of science. He said birds are the primary indicators of environmental health, and what hurts birds also hurts the people who share the same space. “We should listen to what their declines are telling us about the ecosystems we both inhabit,” he said. Since 1970, the California thrasher and the south-east & #8217;s painted bunting have declined by over half while the cerulean warbler of the eastern United States has declined by more than 70%. The Henslow & #8217;s sparrow from the Midwest has dropped by 80%, while the Hawaiian Akikiki from Kauai has dropped from about 6,800 birds in the early 1970s to 1,000 birds today. & #8211; Reuters <b>Still spewing CO2</b> THE world is not on track in reducing its carbon dioxide emissions and needs to do more to tackle global warming, the head of the of International Energy Agency (IEA) said. The IEA, the West & #8217;s energy watchdog, said in 2000, global energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, seen by many scientists as a contributor to global warming, were 13% higher than in 1990, showing there was no room for complacency in efforts to prevent climate change. The 1997 United Nations Kyoto Protocol on global warming aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, mainly CO2, from the developed world by 5.2% of 1990 levels by 2012. “Clearly we are not on track with the longer term objectives to stop future climate change,” said Robert Priddle, IEA executive director at a news conference. By 2010, midway through the Kyoto period, emissions of OECD countries, including the United States, are forecast to be 29% higher than the target committed to in Kyoto, the IEA said. If the United States, which has rejected the pact over fears it would harm its economy, is excluded, the gap will fall to 2% over the target. But by 2030, carbon dioxide levels will be about 25% higher than 1990 levels, even with the adoption of all policies under consideration. Priddle was presenting three books on carbon dioxide emissions from fossil-fuel combustion and climate change as part of an analytical contribution to a climate change meeting in New Delhi from Oct 23 to Nov 1. OECD countries, including Russia and the former Soviet states, still account for the majority of the emissions of 13.7 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide, compared to 8.9 billion for the developing world. & #8211; Reuters <b>Caged sorrow</b> BEING a zoo elephant is not an easy life & #8211; far from it. You get fat, stressed, and unhealthy; reach puberty early; suffer fertility problems and go to an early grave. Asian elephants in European zoos live half as long as elephants hauling timber in tropical logging camps, zoologists from Oxford University, England, said in a recent report. Georgia Mason and Ros Clubb & #8211; funded by Britain & #8217;s Royal Society for the Protection of Animals, but working independently & #8211; analysed elephant births and deaths over 100 years in European zoos, and combed through 100 scientific reports. The two call upon zoos to stop importing and breeding elephants until their welfare problems were solved. “We are shocked at what emerged,” Dr Mason said. “We need real objective data on what captive elephants need for good welfare. Only then can we judge whether zoos can ever reliably keep these animals well.” In general, zoo animals live longer than wild animals: there are no predators, food is available, and the animals get regular vet examinations. Elephants are different. Those in the wild can live to 65 or longer; Asian ones in European zoos survive on average 15 years. Those born in zoos are even more vulnerable: they tend to die 10 years earlier than those caught in the wild. In contrast, elephants in timber camps live on average 30 years; they work hard, but live in bigger groups and in their native climate. Zoo elephants show stress & #8211; skin infections; repetitive, purposeless movement; low libido & #8211; and are overweight. Wild or working females reach sexual maturity at 18. In zoos they come into puberty earlier and could be breeding at 11 or 12. Early puberty does not mean breeding success: a third of zoo females fail to breed at all; up to a quarter of Asian calves are stillborn; and up to 18% may be killed by their mothers, according to other biologists. & #8211; Guardian Newspaper Ltd <b>High mercury</b> AS many as 10% of high school students in Hong Kong may be at risk of mercury poisoning because of their high consumption of fish such as tuna and swordfish, a government survey has found. “Predatory fish such as shark, tuna and swordfish tend to contain higher concentrations of mercury ... consumers are advised not to consume excessive amounts of these products,” it said. The study found 10% of 903 students surveyed had dietary habits which gave them a mercury exposure of 6.41 micrograms (ug) per kilogram of body weight a week. The study did not specify how much fish those students with a high mercury exposure level ate. The level exceeds the 5 ug safety limit set by the World Health Organisation & #8217;s Expert Committee on Food Additives. Mercury is toxic and can affect the human nervous system. The report follows a string of other studies in the region trying to wean diners off favourite delicacies such as shark & #8217;s fin soup, which has also been found to contain high levels of mercury. A recent study in Hong Kong found people with high mercury levels in their blood had frequently consumed deep sea fish such as tuna and shark & #8217;s fin. It also showed excessive levels of mercury can lead to male and female infertility. Men with high mercury levels were found to have abnormal sperm which swam backwards or sideways instead of forwards. Growing affluence in many places in Asia have brought items such as shark & #8217;s fin, once a luxury only few could afford, and fresh tuna within the budgets of many, and even young children consume them frequently. The Hong Kong government said it may conduct a population wide food consumption survey to study the dietary exposure of the territory & #8217;s 6.8 million residents. & #8211; Reuters <b>Dioxin contamination</b> THE tiny Pyrenean principality of Andorra has closed its only waste incineration plant after it was found to be emitting 1,000 times as much dioxin as allowed by the European Union. The plant, which is located 5km from the capital, Andorra la Vella, contaminated a 200ha valley. Cattle that have grazed in the valley will be slaughtered and local residents will undergo medical tests, local newspapers reported. Environmentalists accused the government of procrastination in closing the plant. Andorra will now resort to Spanish incineration plants until a new one is built in 2005. Located on the frontier between Spain and France, about 65,000 people live in Andorra. & #8211; dpa <p> ________________________ Your one-stop information portal: The Star Online http://thestar.com.my http://biz.thestar.com.my http://classifieds.thestar.com.my http://cards.thestar.com.my http://search.thestar.com.my http://star-motoring.com http://star-space.com http://star-jobs.com http://star-ecentral.com http://star-techcentral.com 1995-2002 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Star Publications is prohibited. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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