How Global Warming Affects Our Pets

Global warming has brought about extreme weather conditions, extreme cold or extreme heat, which can even come unexpectedly. Have you noticed how the weather nowadays can seem to be out of date or out of season? Yet when they come, they always seem to be at an intense level.

The Department of Pathology and Animal Health, University of Naples "Federico II", Naples, Italy warned, that the effects of these climate changes include the increase in numerous vector borne diseases. Vector in biology means an agent or organism capable of transmitting disease-causing microorganisms from one infected human being or animal to another. The most common vectors are mosquitoes, fleas, and ticks.

Humans are not the only ones susceptible to the effects of these severe climate conditions. Even our pets who are supposed to have built-in adapters for wild life condition can be affected. Why not? We have sheltered and protected them just like our own offspring. We feed, bathe, and care for them to make them feel comfortable so they would never run away from home. Just like humans, pets would prefer to stay snug, cared for, and cozy in a loving home. However, they are the likely carriers of fleas and ticks.

According to the paper reviews of the university, one such vector borne parasite is called "Dirofilaria" and poses a great risk of infecting humans and animals because they are mosquito-borne parasites. The past summer temperatures had been ideal for the incubation of these parasites and its impact can spread in different parts of the world.

As winters have become shorter and milder, ticks have more time to be active during the year. In Europe, dog tick is said to be responsible for spreading a malaria-like disease called "canine babesiosis" to other countries that rarely experienced any such diseases in their communities. In other cases, ticks called  "Ixodes' medically pinpointed as responsible for tick-borne encephalitis that occur in horses and dogs, are now gaining greater density in Europe. Cat flea typhus, which used to be a rare disease, is now feared to become widespread in both dogs and cats.  

As responsible pet lovers and owners, our tendency is to treat our household pets with anti-flea products that contain insecticides. They may come in the form of shampoos, spray or dusting agents to make sure fleas will not thrive to cause discomfort in our pets. However, there is still another problem to contend with.

As early as June 1999, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) gave out its warning that flea control products sold as shampoos, dips, and other forms of flea insecticides pose a threat to its users, handlers and the pet itself. Most of them contain some of the most dangerous pesticides collectively known as "organophosphate" (OP). Individually there are seven known "organophosphates" widely used in pet products. These are: malathion, dichlorvos, phosmet, tetrachlorvinphos, diazinon, naled, and chlorpyrifos.

The CDC came out with this warning after several cases of children being hospitalized for "organophosphate" poisoning as a result of their exposure to pesticides found in their respective dogs or cats. The CDC further warned that children who will continuously be exposed to these toxic hazards face an increased risk of impaired brain development.

It was established that a child who is still in the developing stage of his or her nervous system is highly vulnerable to the toxic effects of "organophosphate". This report aims to bring to the consumer the knowledge that the anti-flea product they have patronized not only contribute to our environmental ruin but also threaten our health, especially that of our children.

Anti-flea shampoos are carried in water-run offs that will eventually find its way to canals, rivers and streams. Aerosol sprays evaporate and mingle in our atmosphere while dusting powders are particulate matters that contribute in polluting our air. There is a call to go green, which means changing our lifestyle including that of our pets, by utilizing products made from less hazardous raw materials.

There is a green and safer alternative to care for our pets.  The Natural Resources Defense Council suggests a little extra effort like regular washing and combing of pets as well as cleaning of furniture and vacuuming of carpets can control cases of mild flea infestations. If necessary, there are other newer substances known as insect growth regulators not classified as pesticides but as chemicals that are effective in arresting the propagation of young fleas. They are safe to spray and apply on our pets since the ingredients were verified to be non-hazardous.  

Based on the above report, the facts presented to the buying public aim to convince them of the need to go green. Change must also come from them because they are the end users and hazardous wastes result from their use of non-eco friendly goods. Increasing the public's demand for green products can lessen the demand on products made from toxic raw materials. 

Hopefully, we will finally see the day that environmental concerns for toxic wastes and pollution will become a thing of the past.  Don't you think it's about time we stopped using toxic products and all other consumer goods that result to toxic wastes? 

For your guide to green products, visit The GreenAbility. it's also a good place to learn more.

The Quality of Air We Breathe

Accordingly, air pollution in the U.S. stems not only from the pollution originating from the country’s sources of air pollutants but also includes air borne pollution coming from global sources. Hence, tracking which source is the greatest contributor to air pollution, presents difficulties. The air moves along with the pollutants thus, the levels of pollution will differ from one place and one moment to another.   

This being considered, it would be best to place greater concentration on the sources of air pollutants in general. The most powerful emitters of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide are the power plants, cars and trucks, and industrial smoke stacks. Most of the pollutants travel while in the air and eventually forms the acid rain that we now know of. As soon as they precipitate, it rises in the form of rain or snowfall and goes back to the ground.

The major sources of mercury pollution are the coal-fueled power plants and industrial waste incinerators. All these sources include carbon dioxide in their emission hence; it remains the most inexhaustible of all the greenhouse gasses that has continued to damage the Earth’s atmosphere.

The American Lung Association’s listings of the most air polluted state are based on the number of hospital admissions within a particular area; this admissions or hospital visits pertained to treatment of patients for health problems linked to long or short-term exposure to particulate matters that pollute the air. The statistics included deaths aggravated by the said type of air pollution. Hence, the state with the most number of health cases linked to air pollution reported, qualifies as the area with the highest level of pollution.

In the U.S., the consensus is that, California still holds the title of being the state with the highest level of air pollution. In fact, four of California’s metropolis, San Bernardino, Riverside, Bakersfield, and Fresno lead the pack of California’s collective cities and counties listed in the American Lung Association’s State of the Air Report as of 2006. Liberty, Pittsburgh comes in next as the first area outside of California to have the highest level of air pollution while Dearborn, Michigan holds the title to being the second area outside of California to have high level of air contaminants. 

Certain political views blamed the Bush administration for the worsening of the air pollution in some state. Certain changes in the enforcement of policies to ensure air quality involved relaxing inspection requirements. Under the relaxed rule, states are required to inspect pollution sources only once in every five years, in spite of the presence of factories that were previously monitored to have given off tons of harmful pollutants during the past years.

America’s children are reportedly paying the price for this disregard in ensuring clean air in our environment. Asthma has become prevalent   and now a major health issue since medical statistics shows asthma as the leading cause of children’s hospitalization during the past years. Parents are now faced with the dilemma of forcing their kids to stay indoors.

However, indoor air pollution is another issue.

Read a related article about Air Pollution in the U.S.  

Do We Keep Our Kids Safe from Pollution by Keeping Them Confined Indoors?

Staying indoors most of the time does not guarantee our protection from air pollution. People, particularly children, often suffer from asthma attacks despite staying within the confines of their homes. Some of us may not be aware of it but indoor pollution is also a threat to our health and that of our children’s. Some of the medically verified allergens we should be aware of are:

• The secondhand smoke exhaled by a family member, as he or she exhales the cigarette, pipe, or cigar inside an enclosed room or car. 
  

• The dust mites, who are too minute to be perceived by the human eye but can be sensed by our olfactory system; these allergens can be present in almost every home, in bedding materials, mattresses, stuffed toys, curtains, and upholstered furniture.
  

• Molds that thrive on wet or damp areas often found in bathrooms, kitchen, and particularly the basement. The growth of mold spores is accounted during rainfalls followed by great humidity or in rooms where there are cold and dry conditions.
  

• Cockroaches and other insects are carriers of allergens in the form of their droppings and secretions. We know for sure that these pests are capable of these things but it is something not totally visible to us. Hence, they merely evaporate in our surroundings and become part of the air that we breathe indoors. Eliminating them in our households as much and as often as possible lessens the composition of our indoor air pollution.
  

• Our pet’s skin also sheds off flakes and fine particles of hair not to mention other secretions they may leave in their litter boxes or in the specific spots in our homes that they consider as their special places. We may have provided them with scratchboards or mattresses, but could take us a week or more before we could attend to. The accumulation however can rise in the air and becomes part of the air we breathe.
  

• Nitrogen Dioxide, the emission that comes from our indoor fuel burning equipment especially if our homes do not have enough air vents. These are fuel burners such as gas stoves, gas space heaters, wood stoves, gas or oil furnaces, and unvented kerosene fueled heaters.
  

Our children are at risk from both indoor and outdoor pollutants. Statistics gathered from hospitals, place asthma as the number one cause for hospitalization among children while schools have recorded asthma as the leading reason for student absences.  

These are certain environmental issues that cause detrimental risks to our health. The call for change and order can get a good start right in our own homes.

 

The Main Reasons Why We Should All “Go Green”

Looking Back in the Pre-“Green” Era

In the early 1960’s, being “green” was a cool idea only among the hippies. Environmentalists then were considered as radicals and merely needed an excuse to become recluses. The acceptable norm was that the Earth had limitless capacity to absorb all the wastes of modern technology. People saw only the vastness of the lands, the immensity of the oceans and the endlessness of the skies. 

Today, after more than forty years, the vast land is almost depleted, marine life is disrupted, and the skies are detrimentally polluted. Now the concept to “go green” seems to be the only way to rectify all that was neglected. How our resources and environment came to be are the obvious reasons why there is now a global effort to “go green”. We, as individuals should consider several underlying reasons why we should be in agreement with this “green” movement. Take awhile and ponder on some of these reasons: 

    

Think About the Living Conditions of Future Generations

Has it ever crossed your mind that the ones who will suffer are the children we cherished and kept protected all through their growing up years? Soon, these young ones will bring forth future generations. Consider the kind of legacy we have in store for them. A world full of contamination and less of the life sustaining resources that their forefathers enjoyed during their lifetimes.

Wouldn’t it be better if our children and the next in their line learn and enjoy the values of an Earth-friendly way of life? 

Think About the Safety of the Weak and the Geographically Disadvantaged

Have you noticed the harshness of the weather? Where heat and cold could be at extreme levels, some members of our global society don’t have the means or capacity to protect themselves from its ill effects. Global warming has transformed hurricanes, cyclones and “tsunamis” to something more dreadful than before, because they can come unexpected and leave a place totally devastated. Consider the health of the young ones and the elderly as they breathe in air full of pollution particles and potent gasses. 

Do we wait until we become the next victims or be proactive and get into green living?

Think About the Advantages of ”Green”

To “go green” in our lifestyle means not only the promotion of health through eco-friendly sustenance, but the creation of a demand for naturally grown and organically based products. Manufacturers often take their cue from what the public demands. Soon these manufacturers will supply a demand for eco-friendly products without need for smokestacks, chemicals, and harmful synthetics. 

In fact, the small businesses have been the fore runners in adapting the green living concept in their products. There are now green cleaning materials, organic fertilizers,  solar powered batteries and chargers, organic foods, organic coffee,  and countless other green products just to save the Earth that we live in.  

The “green” way of life will eliminate wastes that pollute the rivers, streams, and estuaries. These are where polluted rainwater run-offs carry the wastes and debris used by man in his day-to-day life.

Greening the environment will mean more plants and trees to give shade and provide fresh sources of oxygen. We can walk with leisure, ride our bikes, and have less demand for carbon dioxide emitting vehicles that contribute the most harm to our ozone layers.

The best part of all? Less green bucks will be taken out of our wallets because “green” products cost less.

Photo Courtesy of fotoforfree.com.au

Read a related article about Sustainability via this http://www.brighthub.com/environment/science-environmental/articles/27060.aspx

http://ezinearticles.com/?Saving-the-Earth-and-Our-Environment,-the-Main-Reasons-Why-We-Should-All-Go-Green&id=2022191

The Plight of the Sad-Faced Elephants

Do you think elephants are sad-faced? Actually, they have a lot reasons to be. Not just the “Dumbo” type of reason but by the way they are being inhumanely treated. Today, they are under the endangered species list; Asian elephants are classified as full-fledged endangered while African elephants are classified as threatened-endangered. So big and so majestic and yet these gentle creatures are subjected to cruel treatments very few of us are aware of.

The African Elephants 

During the 70’s up to the late 1980’s, the world market’s demand for the elephant’s ivory tusk was high. The market price commanded as much as $90 per pound because the smooth texture of these ivory tusks was very ideal for exquisite artistic creations. They were used for decorative carvings, religious images, handles, piano keys, jewelry, and other exquisite ideas of artisanship. Besides, during that era, plastic as an alternative smooth material was yet unheard of.   

These ivory tusks are actually the elephant’s extra teeth, which it uses for digging deeply into the ground in search of food to sustain its humongous body. What we see of its tusks is only a 2/3 part while the remaining part is embedded deeply in the elephant’s skull. Hence, poachers slaughtered these elephants in order to get those precious ivory tusks. In those days, it was common to see herds of elephants killed in multitudes in the plains of Africa, their carcasses left to rot in the heat of the African sun for vultures to feast on.

It was only in 1989 when the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) unanimously voted to ban the international trade for ivory tusks, that these killings were put to a temporary halt. The government of Kenya finally found a support for their local laws in banning the sale of products from their wildlife preserves.

It was only temporary of course since poachers still found a way to smuggle the ivory tusks out of the African countries. As recent as 2006, several contraband items containing ivory tusks were confiscated in several Asian key ports and on different occasions. The ivory tusks found were still fresh with blood and bits of flesh at the time of confiscation.

It could end on a happy note that the African nations have provided wildlife reserve areas where these elephants are protected from poachers. However, as these elephants are huge and with equally huge appetites, the funding for these reserves could not meet the resources needed to maintain the growing number of elephants. Thus, the government and the wildlife officials decided that culling measures be implemented to lessen the demand for wildlife reserves.

Culling is how they call their selective and regulated method of deciding which elephant should stay and which elephant should be killed. The tusks of those who were culled was again the subject of trade on the grounds that the proceeds will be used to fund the wildlife reserves. This move gained support from the local farmers, since they were not too happy with the way elephants invaded and destroyed their cultivation once the reserves’ food provision could not satiate the elephant’s large appetite.    

The only problem is the poachers and the smugglers found another opportunity to continue with their trade. This time though, the massacred elephants were found deep in the forests. The poachers too were well prepared, since they have set-up camps in the woods. They came complete with high-powered guns and rocket launchers in case anyone, including the forest rangers, interfered with their poaching activities.

If only these gentle giants could run as fast and as agile as their other jungle counterparts could, they would have eluded these poachers. Alas, they are big and slow as well as traveled in herds, which made them easy targets for the poachers. Hence, this is the plight of the sad-faced African elephants.         

The Asian Elephants

The Asian elephants are different. They are endangered not because they are victims of poaching. In fact, greater value is given to a living Asian elephant since they are literally used as beasts of burden. The value of two ivory tusks is nothing compared to the number of logs it can haul in a day’s work.

In Burma, elephants haul and pull logs in steep inclines and steadily rising grounds at times covering a distance of about two miles. They strained and pulled logs, sometimes crying out in pain since each pull managed to open up the sores on their flanks. As a reporter empathized while watching the elephant, it was accordingly a scene too difficult to witness. Finally, after about an hour and a half, the elephant will complete its task of dragging illegally felled logs.

Here in Burma, the elephants are fed, bathed and cared for as well as trained, scarred and marked. The upkeep of a healthy herd of elephants is important for Burma’s logging industry which up to now carries a way of life long forgotten from the rest of the other regions.

As ironic as the life of the African elephants, Asian elephants found in Burma can be sustained by large forest reserves because Burma is the only place in Asia with the largest remaining wild lands. Unfortunately, they live in a country meted by sanctions by the international community, hence, the country is isolated from the rest, and only a few organizations can help regarding the issue of elephant conservation.  

The life of an elephant both in Africa and in Asia is hard. If the two could communicate, one would probably ask the other,” Where do you prefer to live? “In a vast land where you are not allowed to roam too far, lest the poachers will kill you or here in an equally vast land where you are cared for in captivity  because they need you to be strong for tomorrow’s work?”

Now you know why elephants have sad faces.  

Read a related article entitled: "Poaching: Still a Threat to Elephants despite Internation Ban on Ivory Sales", via this link: http://www.brighthub.com/environment/science-environmental/articles/23517.aspx

Water Pollution - How Unsafe is our Water?

Photo courtesy of fotoforfree.com.au

The rate by which our waters is getting polluted has caused environmentalists to call for more rigorous control measures on water safety monitoring as well public filtration processes. Current proposals in Congress are inclined on transferring the responsibility of ensuring safe and quality water from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to local governments regardless of whether they are ill equipped or insufficiently funded.

There is still uncertainty as to what measure to adopt; whether Congress will require the State and local government to improve on their water purifications techniques and EPA to bear down heavily on standards for possible cancer causing chemicals. The other alternative is for EPA to loosen up and regulate only those chemicals that has the greatest potential risks, like lead. Neither one of the two proposals seems to ensure that the water we will be drinking will be made safe. 

Environmentalists feel that there is a need to inform the public as to the real extent of the water pollution issue. This will create an awareness that they should take certain steps in making sure that their water is safe to drink or use. Below are some environmental issues that have rendered our sources of water unsafe:    

Polluted Snow/Rain Water Run-offs

We as community dwellers should be the firsts to be responsible about this. Since most of our grounds today are considered as altered lands being covered with concrete and all that, the rain water that falls are hardly absorbed by the ground. Rain, storm, snow, flood waters called as run-offs flow through canals and roads and will eventually reach its destination in streams, rivers, and estuaries. On their way out, these waters will meet all sorts of debris thrown carelessly by humans such as detergents, pet wastes, construction materials, vehicle oil drip offs, salt or fertilizers used for defrosting driveways, and other similar substances disposed of carelessly.

Studies have shown that these water run-offs have contributed largely in polluting our water resources since the grounds they flow on hardly has the capacity to absorb the water. In fact, even groundwater, which is the main source of deep-well water, was likewise tested as contaminated. 

Farm Water Run-offs

If you are living in areas near farms and other agricultural areas, research findings have disclosed that they are the major contributors in contaminating the river water. The U.S. Geological Survey has linked nine states, namely: Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, and Tennessee as having contributed in polluting the Gulf of Mexico. Accordingly, this is due to their farm run-offs which contained high levels of nitrogen and phosphorous. In fact, researchers have described the Gulf of Mexico today as over-fertilized.

Researchers from Yale University and Louisiana State University report that over the past 50 years farm run-offs have pumped rivers with excessive carbon dioxide. This has made not only the rivers acidic but the ocean as well. This is one of the reasons why coral reefs today appear bleached and dying; as a result, there is disruption of marine life.

Atmospheric Pollution

The Earth’s atmosphere now contains levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses that have caused temperatures and climate changes. As the atmospheric composition precipitates and falls as rainwater or snowfall, a large part of it goes back into the ocean. The quality of water that goes back into the ocean is now contaminated with carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses including methane. Methane is said to be several times more potent than carbon dioxide.      

Chlorine as Medium for Water Disinfection

Chlorine is actually not a pollutant and is intentionally infused in our water to act as disinfecting agent. However, only a few of us are aware that the use of chlorine with chloroform as its main composition is cancer causing, which is now receiving much attention from the EPA.  

Not all Bottled Water are Safe

After knowing all sources of pollutants listed above, we will then resort to bottled water as our presumed safety measure to ensure that our drinking water is safe. Often promoted as “safer” and “chlorine free,” it may come as a surprise to you that about a third of bottled water in the U.S. come from public water supplies, based on reports. On top of that, consumers are not aware that regulations that govern the preparation of these bottled water are said to be less than strict, hence you are not sure if what you are drinking is safer than what you obtained from the faucet.

Our utmost concern is the safety of our drinking water by using home filtration. It can at least provide us the assurance that the water we are drinking went through proper filtration and disinfecting processes. In addition, we could probably refer to certain sites such as “Your Guide to Green” at this link http://clickserve.cc-dt.com/link/click?lid=41000000027385852 to get ideas on how we could ensure quality and safety in the water we drink. 

Article source: http://ezinearticles.com/?id=1913638

 

 

Greenland is Losing Glaciers: An Ice-Free Greenland in 2040?

Global warming and the resulting rise in the Earth's temperature is causing chunks of ice to melt faster than what was expected. In fact, scientists say that the rate by which the ice is melting in Greenland is way ahead by thirty years based on their previous studies. The Arctic people, the Inuit  Eskimos are finding their houses and roads shifting on what was once frozen grounds. Quite a number are seriously considering relocating before total ice melt down takes place. Even Polar bears are losing their means for hunting seals as frozen seagrounds have melted.Greenland is expected to become totally ice free by year 2040.

In America, Montana's Glacier National Park is also rapidly losing its glaciers. The original count of 150 glaciers have now dwindled down to less than 30 glaciers. In Tanzania, the legendary snow of Mt. Kilimanjaro has depleted by at least 80% meaning only 20% remains and is expected to reach total melt down by 2020. In the Sierra Nevada mountains, plant life has changed from alpine flowers to sagebrush. Sagerbush thrive on dry regions why alpine flowers are known to flourish between the timberline and snowline vegetation zones.

The effects of global warming have quite a negative impact but some good may yet be seen out of it. As the Arctic Ocean becomes free of ice, it has slowly paved the way for the opening of a new route for a faster sea travel. The Northwest Passage presents a direct route from Europe to Asia  which means sea travel can be shorter and will entail less fuel consumption. In fact five countries namely US, Canada,UK, Russia and Greenland  have already expressed their interests in gaining control over this new route. An offshoot of these new travel possibilities is that Greenland can be a potential source for new investments, as its long hidden resource are beginning to unfold.However, the race for Greenland before it finally thaws out into an ice-free zone is becoming complicated. The effects of the ice meltdown seem to be reaching more than ecological problems. Political issues are now cropping up.

For more information about this, read a related article entitled " Greenland Losing Glaciers May Mean Shorter Travel Routes" by following this link:http://www.brighthub.com/environment/science-environmental/articles/20701.aspx