World's deserts getting greener despite global warming
Contrary to the assumption that global warming would cause an expansion of the world's deserts, some scientists are predicting that water and life may slowly reclaim these arid places. According to a report by BBC News, the evidence is limited and definitive conclusions are impossible to reach, but recent satellite pictures of North Africa seem to show areas of the Sahara in retreat.

It could be that an increase in rainfall has caused this effect.The Sahara is experiencing a shift from dryer to wetter conditions, according to Farouk el-Baz, director of the Centre for Remote Sensing at Boston University."It's not greening yet. But the desert expands and shrinks in relation to the amount of energy that is received by the Earth from the Sun, and this over many thousands of years," el-Baz told the BBC World Service.

"The heating of the Earth would result in more evaporation of the oceans, in turn resulting in more rainfall," he said.Droughts over the preceding decades have had the effect of driving nomadic people and rural farmers into the towns and cities. Such movement of people suggests weather patterns are becoming dryer and harsher.The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned recently that rising global temperatures could cut West African agricultural production by up to 50 percent by the year 2020.

But, satellite images from the last 15 years do seem to show a recovery of vegetation in the Southern Sahara, although the Sahel Belt, the semi-arid tropical savannah to the south of the desert, remains fragile.The fragility of the Sahel may have been exacerbated by the cutting of trees, poor land management and subsequent erosion of soil.

The broader picture is reinforced by studies carried out in the Namib Desert in Namibia. or the last few years, there has been higher than average rainfall in the area.This is a region with an average rainfall of just 12 millimetres per year - what scientists call "hyper-arid".

Last year, the local research centre, called Gobabeb, measured 80mm of rain.In the last decade, they have seen the local river, a dry bed for most of the year, experience record-high floods. All this has coincided with record-high temperatures. According to Mary Seely, a scientist from Gobabeb, "Deserts and arid areas always have extremely varied rainfall. You would have to look at a record of several hundred years to maybe say that things are getting greener or dryer. For the last few years, there has been higher than average rainfall."

Akal Takht tells Sikhs to go green

Akal Takht, the highest Sikh temporal body, has embraced the save-the-environment mantra telling Sikhs across the world it was their ‘‘moral and religious duty’’ to care for the nature.

Akal Takht Jathedar Gurbachan Singh gave a religious call to the community on Sunday saying Sikhs should now focus on cleaning the natural water resources rather than spending more money on building up new gurdwaras.

‘‘Whereever in the world you (Sikhs) may be, your focus should now be on cleaning up of natural water resources rather than building gurdwaras,’’ he said at a function on the ninth anniversary of cleaning of Kali Bein, a river in Kapurthala district.

Environmentalists said the Jathedar has set a precedent with his call for saving the environment from depletion. Many said the call would prompt devotees to do their bit for the environment.

Some said the appeal from the Jathedar could make other religious leaders to think about contributing to the environment. It could even help save the most important river in the country, the Ganges river, they added.

The Kali Bein, a much polluted river flowing through Sultanpur Lodhi, was cleaned in an initiative by the Akhat Takht Jathedar through community participation.

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CLIMATE CHANGE AND YOUR ROLE

Nature is already responding to the climate change that has already occurred. At local level we are experiencing uneven rain fall, we never heard of floods in Rajasthan and with increase in temperatures will rise the sea levels where low lying nations like Bangladesh will be facing problem of sea rise.

In the Arctic we are seeing threshold changes in physical nature (ice to water) with major consequences for species with ice related natural histories, e.g. polar bears and Arctic cod. Further, melting ice in the Arctic is already affecting climate in those high latitudes and there are possible consequences for global ocean circulation. Drying trends have already begun in some parts of the world and the changing hydrology has implications for water supplies and agriculture. Glaciers and mountain snows are rapidly melting—for example, Montana's Glacier National Park now has only 27 glaciers, versus 150 in 1910. In the Northern Hemisphere, thaws also come a week earlier in spring and freezes begin a week later. An upsurge in the amount of extreme weather events, such as wildfires, heat waves, and strong tropical storms, is also attributed in part to climate change by some experts.

Many heavily populated areas, including Florida in the U.S., are looking to their coastlines with increasing concern as sea levels rise. But perhaps none have taken it so seriously as Male. With a maximum elevation of only 8 feet (2.4 meters), any rise in sea level is likely to engulf currently inhabited ground. In response to this impending threat, the city has built a seawall around the capital. More disturbingly, it has triggered some first threshold changes in ecosystems: e.g. coral bleaching and massive coniferous tree mortality from native pine bark beetles that have an additional generation because of longer summers.

The Earth is already 0.8 Degrees C warmer than in pre-industrial times and current CO2 concentrations are close to 390 ppm compared to pre-industrial 280 ppm. The lag between an increase in greenhouse gas concentrations and the consequent trapping of additional heat means the Earth is already destined to warm by another 0.5 degrees C even if the increase in greenhouse gas concentrations ceased today. That 2.0 degrees C increase (merely 0.7 degrees beyond where the Earth is pretty much committed) is higher than what would avoid major disruption of ecosystems. If we are already seeing threshold changes in ecosystems and system change like acidification of the oceans, the picture at 2.0 should be grave. At 2.5 degrees C increase the IPCC(Inter Government Panel on Climate Change) predicts dieback of the Amazon forest. At 2.75 degrees C the IPCC projects loss of 20 to 30% of all species.

Land degradation is major concern, with development much of the world forest areas are destroyed. As deforestation accounts for 20% of the global emissions. The productivity of green plants that is at the base of so many food chains on earth is measured as Net Primary Productivity (NPP) and is essentially plant growth net of plant respiration (the metabolic activity of existence).It also can be used as a first approximation of the overall state of the planet’s ecosystems and the health (or degradation) of the land. A major fraction of NPP has been appropriated for human use and it is a cause for concern, especially in a world concerned about sufficient food, both now and for growing population, that NPP on land has declined by 12%.

Burning of the Fossil fuels is another reason for climate change. We have exploited the non renewable energy resources indiscriminately. Rapid industralisation has contributed to emissions. China accounts for 16% of the total global emissions annually and 3 tonnes per capita. USA is comparable with China on an absolute level but its per capita emissions are 20 tonnes. India's contribution stands at a mere 1.1 tonnes per capita and a meager 4% in absolute terms on an annual basis. Even though our per capita emissions are less, India is much populated country we are contributing more emissions to planet.

Life style changes contributed for climate change. With increase of consumerism, people are indiscriminately using the modern gadgets and vehicles and contributing to emissions. For examples in olden day people go for walk to keep fit, because of busy scheduled people are using treadmill for exercise which consumes electricity leading to emissions. Even one hour power cuts we are unable to survive.

What is your role as individual???

• Change your life style, go back to nature, and practice age old practices eco-friendly practices.
• Plant more trees, trees are sink to lot of pollutants especially Carbon dioxide.
• Reduce individual carbon foot prints
• Use Car pool to go to office instead of every one driving individual cars.
• Use renewable energy like solar heaters, solar power for lighting your home.
• Think globally, act locally.
• Educate people

“Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed”.....................................Mahatma Gandhi