Charles Perrings, a professor of environmental economics at Arizona State University, has proposed that people can help soften the impacts of global warming or global climate change by starting with their own backyard. More information in the full article.

Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai put forward a concept last November 8, 2006 about the deterioration of the environment and proposed a campaign entitled the Billion Tree Campaign with the goal of planting one billion trees by the end of 2007.

A little more than a year after, the results have been tallied and put forward during a meeting that the Billion Tree Campaign has already reached its goal of planting a billion trees.

Environmentalists have encountered another obstacle in their efforts to combat global warming: the developing world's so-called addiction to coal. With the rising costs of oil and natural gases, countries have turned to this abundant and inexpensive fuel source to power their economies. In response to this, the United Nations has proposed a course of action, much to the dislike of coal-using countries.

Find out what it is after the jump!

Nothing like visual aids to get the point across. NASA has recently released a video simulating the Arctic's sea ice cover - the semi-permanent frozen seawater that surrounds the region. The video will illustrate the region's perennial ice cover for the end of the summer of the year 2005, before comparing it to 2007 and 1979's perennial ice covers.

In case the video's a little hard to figure out, here's NASA's explanation on the visuals:

The 2007 Arctic summer sea ice reached the lowest extent of perennial ice cover on record - nearly 25% less than the previous low set in 2005. The area of the perennial ice has been steadily decreasing since the satellite record began in 1979, at a rate of about 10% per decade. But the 2007 minimum, reached on September 14, is far below the previous record made in 2005 and is about 38% lower than the climatological average.

As you guys may recall, the United Nations came out with its own Global Environment Outlook regarding this topic. If these apparently linked reports from the UN and NASA are accurate, we may be looking at some very grim prospects for the years to come.

  

The latest Global Environment Outlook report from the United Nations, to be quite frank, is looking grim for the human race. While it is true that economy and trade is increasing and the living standards for many people are getting better, the UN maintains that there are a lot of problems we need to face sooner rather than later.

Some of these problems include climate change, pollution, access to clean water, and the threat of mass extinctions. The part of UN that came up with the report even remarked that these problems are being met with a "remarkable lack of urgency". Here are other points raised by UN:

• Over the last 20 years, the human population has increased by a third, global trade has tripled, and per capita income has gone up by 40%. Annual emissions of the main greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide, have also increased by one third.
• As the human population grows, it has reached the point where the amount of resources needed to sustain it exceeds what is available.
• Sixteen thousand species are threatened with extinction. Habitat loss is a major factor as many forests are cleared for agriculture. The UN estimates the global annual loss of primary forest is 50,000 km2.
• The availability of fresh water will decline. By 2025 1.8bn people will be affected by water scarcity.
  
• Sanitation is also a major issue, as contaminated water is the greatest single cause of human disease and death.
  
• Many fish stocks are over-exploited, while the demand for fish is expected to rise alongside growing populations.
• By the end of 2007 it is estimated that more people will live in cities than rural areas for the first time in history. his rapid growth can put pressure on water resources and infrastructure.

The Kyoto Protocol, the United Nations' efforts on climate change, were focused on stabilizing greenhouse gases to a level where it won't be dangerous for the environment. However, the treaty is soon to expire in 2012. For a worldwide effort, from now till then isn't that far away at all. Industries have to know the rules that will be applied to them before they start anything like building a factory.

The next climate plan will be held in Vienna on August 27, and delegates from more than 150 countries are expected to attend. That's about 1,000 participants in total.

The talks are expected to present some key points for discussion for the UN climate summit in December. One of the main points in the agenda is whether or not the involved countries are willing to take the next step from the Kyoto Protocol.

The meeting will address certain climate concerns for the next 25 years. Among other things that will be discussed is the participation of developing countries in the program and the droughts and floods that plague Africa.

A fast changing climate attributed to human activities will also be addressed. The changes are believed to cause heat waves and droughts in the future. By 2030, costs for just maintaining the current level of greenhouse gasses are estimated to reach US$ 200 billion.

Australia, and the rest of the world for that matter, has to wake up soon or suffer grim consequences.

The Land Down Under is currently on the brink of an epic drought - probably the first disaster in history caused by climate change to hit a developed nation. The changing weather patterns is attributed to global warming.

If a significant amount of rain fall will not be experienced within the next six to eight weeks, Prime Minister John Howard will be forced to implement a ban on irrigation for one year to focus the remaining water supply for drinking purposes.

Murray-Darling basin will be affected the most with 40% of the country's agriculture produce coming from the area. John Howard lamented:

An irrigation ban would have a potentially devastating impact. But this is very much in the lap of the gods. It is a grim situation, and there is no point in pretending to Australia otherwise. We must all hope and pray there is rain.

The prime minister used to not believe the science behind climate change. Before the situation became this devastating, it should be mentioned that the United Nations (UN) tried to warn Australia as well as New Zealand. Locally, Howard is receiving a lot of criticisms from opposition Labour Party leader Kevin Rudd and National Farmers' Federation head Ben Fargher.

Global Warming's knocking, it's about time we answer the door and face up to our shortcomings.

Professor Paul Reiter, a scientific expert in malaria, of the Pasteur Institute of Paris, claimed that the United Nations report compiled in February about global warming and the greenhouse effect was a "sham." He claims that his name was included in the report along with 2,000 other leading scientists.

The list of names were claimed to have backed the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's report, although he was one to disagree with the reports' findings. His name was eventually removed after threatening legal action against the panel. He said, "That is how they make it seem that all the top scientists [have] agreed. It's not true."

So if global warming isn't caused by the greenhouse effect, what causes it? Well there's a lot of things in this world that can affect the weather, and not just greenhouse gases. Of course, pollution is still a bad thing. Carbon dioxide has to be dealt with anyway, even if it doesn't cause global warming. If you disagree, you'd better bring that to Uh-nold.

Philip Scott, emeritus professor of bio-geography and at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, said:

The system is too complex to say exactly what the effect of cutting back on carbon dioxide production would be or indeed of continuing to produce carbon dioxide. It's ridiculous to see politicians arguing over whether they will allow the global temperature to rise by 2 [Celsius] or 3 [Celsius].

The side of the other half of the scientific community will be aired in a program this coming Thursday, entitled "The Great Global Warming Swindle", which should raise questions against some evidences used to prove global warming. It will also spark fierce, possibly hostile, criticism from the majority of the scientific establishment.

UK-based developer Playerthree, in collaboration with The United Nations, have just announced Stop Disaster Game, a free web-playable game which aims to educate children and gamers on how to "respond to and mitigate disasters." The game is part of the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction which stands by the credo that "disaster risk reduction starts at school, teaches youngsters how to build safer villages and cities against disasters."

The game will require users to take on various missions to take the necessary precautions in case of a specific disaster. You'll be given a specific budget and time limit to test your ability to live out your "savior complex" by saving the most lives and livelihoods in the occurrence of simulated earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, hurricanes, etc.

The game is currently available only in English and on the internet but the organization plans to have a multi-lingual DVD version of the game for the benefit of those in more remote areas in Africa, Latin America, Asia and Pacific, etc. International Strategy for Disaster Reduction director Salvano Briceño says,

Education is essential for reducing children risks to disasters. If we teach them about disaster risk reduction from an early age, they will understand why it is vital to build houses, schools and hospitals in safe locations, to have early warning systems in place and reduce disasters.

A strategy/simulation game that'll teach gamers about surviving natural disasters without the preachy vibe and the classroom setting? Can't say no to that. Click on the Read link to save the world (as much as you can).

Faced with the looming issue of global warming and the possibility of catastrophic worldwide climate changes, the United Nations (UN) has urged all member nations to conduct a meeting of the highest political level to come up with a comprehensive solution to the given problem.

The body also called for finance ministers of all concerned parties to be present so that a "win-win" solution can be forged. Given proper organization, the UN says, the international community has a good chance of saving the planet from the unthinkable by confronting the unavoidable.

The recent clamor to revitalize action against global warming was initiated by the United Kingdom in the wake of large ice shelves disintegrating in the Earth's poles. The sheets which have melted in the recent years have already amounted to a change in ecosystems in the Antarctic region.

"While the climate issue could follow the path of hand-ringing and despair, it was not the view of the group today. If the international community organized itself properly, the opportunities for dealing with the climate issue would be significant for mankind." says Timothy Wirth, president of the United Nations Foundation.

That, however is the easy part of the issue. Getting member states to compromise the use of fossil fuels and ultimately, their rate of production, is the biggest gridlock in the talks.