A Panorama of What was Lost in 2009

National Geographic published photos of their Top Ten Environmental Losses of 2009. We all know that words often convey very potent ideas. In fact, some words can move you into action. Words have a powerful impact on any people from any part of the world. Nevertheless, pictures and photos can tell a story that even the craftiest words cannot tell. You can find the pictures I’m talking about by pointing your browsers to:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/12/photogalleries/091215-environmental-losses-2009/

I find these photos to be a big eye opener. Sometimes you need to see the real picture before you realize the gravity of the situation. As a bit of a warning, some of the pictures you’ll see there are quite graphic, like the drought in Kenya and that sack full of Lemurs.

One of the photos in that aforementioned collection also opens another dimension that we all have to look into before we can catch some 100% fresh air ever again. And that issue is the political dimension of caring for the environment. Well, that’s the last photo in the set.

We have to face the fact that caring for the environment also takes a lot of political will. There really is a need for concerted effort in order to make this happen. Yeah, I know it sounds pretty much a cliché but everyone must pitch in the effort since we are all occupants of this singular planet in which we live on.

Enjoy the pictures!

- Mary

Experts say that drought is one of the severe backlashes we’ll get due to climate change. Well, if we keep messing up the atmosphere we’ll definitely get repercussions such as drought and sniffing our very own bad breath of air one time or another. Drought is a serious matter wherever in the world you may be.

Drought Maps

I never thought there was such a thing as a drought map before. I thought like, why would anyone bother making a map of drought stricken areas and parts of the world. It simply amazes me at what people would be willing to do in order to get the facts straight. I think it’s a positive move from the US Department of Agriculture for putting up these maps to help folks monitor the status of the current situation.

Kudos also needs to go to various organizations and individuals all over the world who take the time to monitor such things and map them out. Great work people! I just hope that we would also go beyond just making maps and looking at the current scenario.

If you’re interested to see what a drought map looks like then click the link below. It shows the Drought Monitor for January 27, 2009 in the United States. This particular drought map was released two days after the situation was actually mapped out. This one was made by some guy from the US Agriculture Department.

I guess I’ll try to make it one of my habits to check out these drought maps and see how things are going from time to time. Changing gears a bit, I mentioned earlier that there are folks in other parts of the world who are also engaged in making these drought maps. These maps help us see the big picture and what’s going on with the rest of the world where drought is concerned.

The Global Picture

Looking around a bit, it appears that drought is now a problem everywhere. For instance, a report from CNN World dated February 6, 2009 says that China is currently suffering one of the worst droughts ranging to 50 years. The Chinese government has now raised the alert level to red, which probably means things aren’t looking too good. The affected areas seem to be central and northern China.

A total of 4.3 million people in China are now facing a shortage of drinking water not to mention that they also have a couple million livestock that also competes for the same water supply. Moving our lenses a bit further, it appears that central Asia and the Middle East is also facing the same thing. Well, not all of the countries in the said region are experiencing extreme drought but seeing it happen there too is really telling.

To date, the countries that are suffering their worst drought in decades include Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Kenya, United States, China, Australia, Kenya, and Argentina. On the other hand, Mexico, India, Thailand, Pakistan, South Africa, and Tunisia among others are only suffering moderate drought.

We all know that such drastic occurrences of drought are only part of the effects of a global climate change. I expect some scientists and other experts to debate the issue and contend that it has nothing to do with the shifting climate. It’s a wait and see situation but the fact of the matter is that drought can be caused by our messing with the atmosphere triggering changes in our climate.

- Mary

Thank you for taking the time to take a peek into this little cubbyhole otherwise known as “Bad Breath of Air“. You maybe wondering why in the world would someone call their personal nook on the Internet as “bad breath,” right? Well, as you move along this very first page I hope I will be able to relay the reason why I chose to call it like that. But you will have to admit the name is a bit catchy, huh?

Just a Speck

For all practical purposes, in the eyes of the world, I am simply nothing more than a speck. I’m nothing special, not even large enough for a lot of people to even notice. Except for the fact that I’m trying to say something that may be so important for you to hear.

That thing about the “Speck” is taken from the animated film ‘Horton Hears a Who!’ If you haven’t seen it or you just need to rattle your memory a bit, you can get a synopsis of the whole thing from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0451079/.

I love the part in that movie when Horton, the elephant played by non other than Jim Carrey, swears to protect the speck and live by the motto “a person is a person, no matter how small.”

So, to the world, I am just a speck…

Most of you won’t even notice me when you actually get to meet me in the street. That is a very good picture of what our society in general has done to us as individuals and to this planet in which we live in. We have been conditioned never to take a peek into the details. As long as it works, it’s OK? Right? Are you sure?

You might be quite surprised to find what’s really messed up under the hood.

Waiting for the Big Exhale

I am but a single voice in the ocean of noise that the majority of the populace tends to ignore. However, a lot of the things we ignore and take for granted will eventually be heard and will be heard with full intent. That is also true of the world we live in. We tend to ignore and take for granted the little things this planet gives to us for free – like fresh air for instance.

Have you ever had a whiff of fresh air lately?

You think that’s fresh air you’re breathing?
(from the Matrix movie, I know, Keanu Reeves is such a doll!)

The air we breathe is just one of the things in our environment that we all tend not to think about that much until the time when it, like the Who’s in the Horton movie, makes a distinct appeal, one that we won’t be able to ignore any longer. Unfortunately, we have taken for granted even the air we breathe that we might have to buy them in a soda can someday (Spaceballs anyone?).

Ever had a bad breath of air lately?

You know what bad breath smells like, don’t you? You’ll be surprised that in some parts of the world the air is so bad that they are literally breathing bad breath. Makes you want to hold your breath doesn’t it?

As citizens in this little speck in the universe we call home, we ought to cast out our voices until we catch everyone’s attention. The air we breathe and the environment in general are pleading their cause. Pay attention before we end up storing fresh air in soda cans.

Truly yours,
Mary

P.S.

You can exhale now.