'DRAMATIC DECLINE' WARNING FOR PLANTS AND ANIMALS

CLIMATE CHANGE MAY BE CATASTROPHIC
TO A THIRD OF ALL ANIMALS ON EARTH

www.sciencerecorder.com - A new study published in Nature Climate Change suggests that if nothing is done to curb climate change, the impact on animal and plant life could be catastrophic. The study, which comprises of researchers from the U.K., Columbia and Australia, examined the impact of climate change (specifically rising temperature) on nearly 50, 000 different species. The team carried out climate modeling and examined three main factors: climate sensitivity, ocean mixing and climate-carbon feedback that amplifies the temperature.
By mapping the areas that would remain suitable for species habitation scientists were able to determine that there would be a great habitat loss unless mitigating factors emerge. 

According to the report, global warming will destroy over half the habitat of plant life and a third of the habitat of animal life, a transition that may occur as a tipping point or over long periods. Temperatures are predicted to rise seven degrees Fahrenheit by 2100 due to global warming, according the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The rise in temperature is largely due to burning fossil fuels, which retain heat and warm the atmosphere.
Over the past century, global temperatures have risen about 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit, according data presented by the National Academy of Sciences. If this temperature rise happens at the rate predicated, large range contractions can be expected among common and widespread species. The changes would likely lead to the extinction of some 34 % of animal species and 57 % of plant species, say scientists.

More than half of common plant species and a third of animals could see a serious decline in their habitat range because of climate change. The reason for the massive decline is largely due to the rapid change in temperature, which many species will struggle to adapt to over the course of just a few years. “Global-scale biodiversity will be significantly reduced if temperatures rise more than 2C and it would impoverish the biosphere and the ecosystem services it provides,” says Rachel Warren. We must respect and protect our Mother Earth. The sacred texts of the Hinduism contains many references to the worship of the Divine in Nature. 

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Millions of Hindus recite Sanskrit mantras daily to revere their rivers, mountains, trees, animals and the earth.  Hinduism is a remarkably diverse religious and cultural phenomenon, with many local and regional manifestations. Within this universe of beliefs, several important themes emerge:  • The earth can be seen as a manifestation of the goddess, and must be treated with respect.  • The five elements - space, air, fire, water and earth - are the foundation of an interconnected web of life.  • Dharma - often translated as “duty” - can be reinterpreted to include our responsibility to care for the earth.  • Simple living is a model for the development of sustainable economies.  • Our treatment of nature directly affects our karma. 

Pankaj Jain, Ph.D. :
‘Sustenance and Sustainability -
Dharma and Ecology of Hindu Communities’
http://fore.research.yale.edu/news/item/10-hindu-environmental-teachings/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/religious-freedom/message/3325

Published by dasavatara das - "Vedic Views on World News"
http://www.vedicviews-worldnews.blogspot.com.ar/

GOOGLE DOODLE EARTH DAY 2013

EARTH DAY 2013 CELEBRATED

WITH INTERACTIVE GOOGLE DOODLE

www.guardian.co.uk - Earth Day is 43 years' old today, a milestone marked by one of Google's annual doodles dedicated to the event. The day of environmental awareness has been marked by a Google doodle for as long as I can remember, from melting polar ice in 2007 (a prophetic nod to the record Arctic melt that year), rocks in 2008, a waterfall and marine life in 2009 to parrots in 2010, pandas in 2011 and animated flowers in 2012. This year's somewhat pastoral scene of hills, snow-capped mountains and a lake teeming with fish seems to be making a nod to the hydrological cycle. 
If you click the clouds, for example, it rains, and there appears to be a spot of percolation with water making its way through the soil. There are a pair of bears in caves and, if you click the hole near the front, a badger pops out – is this Google's pre-emptive strike against the government's plan to resume its delayed badger cull this summer in a bid to tackle bovine TB? Probably not, but it's cute nonetheless.

Google's no stranger to environmental efforts, of course. In 2011 the internet giant published its carbon footprint for the first time. Turns out it's the equivalent of the United Nations, or a little higher than the emissions of Laos. Earth Day, born in the US in 1970, was the creation in large part of Gaylord Nelson, a US senator and Democrat, who died in 2005. It is designed to "[activate] individuals and organizations to strengthen the collective fight against man's exploitive relationship with the planet." 
Denis Hayes, the national coordinator of that first day, said a few years back that he thought the day had achieved many of its aims. "Beyond any doubt," he said in 2009, "today the basic core values are vastly more 'green,' if you will, than they were in the 60's and 70's."

Google marks environmental awareness day with interactive scene depicting the water cycle. Frances Beinecke says: "Since that first Earth Day, in 1970, we have come a long way. Now a new generation is standing up to say enough of blowouts and disasters that put our workers, waters and wildlife at risk. Enough of the carbon pollution that is warming our planet and threatening us all. Enough of going to unconscionable extremes to feed our costly addiction to oil, while putting deep waters, ancient forests and Arctic wonderlands at risk. However, there is still much to do to raise awareness about environmental issues such as climate change and biodiversity loss.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

In Indic traditions, we see a number of rituals and myths in which mountains, rivers, trees, animals, and birds are revered. Despite this nature worship in India, its natural resources are under heavy pressure with its growing economy and exploding population. This has led several scholars to raise questions about the role religious communities can play in environmentalism. Does nature worship inspire Hindus to act in an environmentally conscious way? Is there any relationship between their reverence for bio-divinity and their care for biodiversity? Since the 1990s, India has been embracing capitalism, consumerism, and urban development at a rapid pace. At this turning point, will it join the other developed countries as a major contributor to global warming?

Pankaj Jain, Ph.D. :
'Sustenance and Sustainability
Dharma and Ecology of Hindu Communities'
http://fore.research.yale.edu/news/item/10-hindu-environmental-teachings/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/religious-freedom/message/3325

Published by dasavatara das - "Vedic Views on World News"
http://www.vedicviews-worldnews.blogspot.com.ar/

RELAX, THE WORLD WON'T END NEXT MONTH: EXPERT

THE “END OF THE WORLD” MAYA STONE
RECOUNTS LIFE AND BATTLES OF A RULER

www.brisbanetimes.com.au - Relax doomsayers, the Maya people did not really mark their calendar for the end of the world on December 21, 2012. As tourists book hotels rooms in Mexico's Maya Riviera and Guatemalan resorts ahead of next month's fateful date, experts are busy debunking the doomsday myth. The apocalyptic prophecy that has inspired authors and filmmakers never appears in the tall T-shaped stone calendar that was carved by the Maya around the year 669 in southeastern Mexico. In reality, the stone recounts the life and battles of a ruler from that era, experts say. Plus, the last date on the calendar is actually December 23, 2012, not the 21st, and it merely marks the end of a cycle. 
So no need to build giant arks, because the terrible floods, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions depicted in the Hollywood blockbuster 2012 were not prophesied by the Mayas. “The Mayas had a cyclical idea of time. They were not preoccupied with the end of the world,” Mexican archaeologist Jose Romero said. The stone, known as Monument 6, was located in El Tortuguero, an archaeological site that was discovered in 1915. 

Broken in six pieces, the different fragments are exhibited in US and Mexican museums, including Tabasco's Carlos Pellicer Camara Anthropology Museum and New York's Metropolitan Museum. “The last inscription refers to December 23, 2012, but the central theme of Monument 6 is not the date, it's not the prophecies or the end of the world. It's the story of (then ruler) Bahlam Ajaw,” Romero said. The final date represents the end of a cycle in the Mayan long count calendar that began in the year 3114 before Christ. It is the completion of 13 baak t'uunes, a unit of time equivalent to 144,000 days. 
“It is not the end of the Mayan long count calendar, which is endless. It's the beginning of a new cycle, that's all,” said Mexican historian Erick Velasquez. Though the Maya made prophecies, they looked at events in the near future and were related to day-to-day concerns like rain, droughts, or harvests. The belief that the calendar foresees the end of the world comes from Judeo-Christian interpretations, the experts said.

The first study on the stone was published by a German researcher in 1978. Since then, various archaeologists have examined its significance and agree that it refers to the December 23 date and not December 21 as stated commercially. Mexican historian Velasquez warned against giving too much weight to Monument 6, noting that it is just one of more than 5000 stones from the Mayan culture that have been studied. The earth still has a few years left, even in eyes of the ancient Maya: Some stones refer to the year 7000. Therefore, from the point of view of Science, Astronomy, Mayan Prophecy or even the ancient Hindu Astrology and Vedantic Cosmology there appears to be little reason  to be concerned that the world will end in one month.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Vedantic cosmology describes that the universe is maintained for a specific period before it is wound up. At the beginning of each cycle of creation of the universe, Lord Brahma, the first created cosmic living being is born. A day of Brahma is called a kalpa and one kalpa consists of a thousand cycles of four yugas, or ages, called Satya, Treta, Dvapara and Kali. The same number comprises one night of Brahma and he lives one hundred such years and then dies. Satyayuga lasts 1,728,000 years; Tretayuga lasts 1,296,000 years; Dvaparayuga lasts 864,000 years; and Kaliyuga lasts 432,000 years. Thus one hundred years of Lord Brahma equal 311 trillion and 40 billion earth years. According to Vedantic cosmology, our universe starts with the birth of Lord Brahma and he is at present a little more than 50 Brahma-years old. Thus our present universe started about 155.522 trillion (155.522 x 10^12) years ago and will end in 155.518 trillion (155.518 x 10^12) years and just after that a new cycle of creation will begin again.

T.D. Singh, Ph.D. - Śrīla Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Mahārāja :
“Hinduism and Science”
“Universe - A Brief Overview of its Origin, Maintenance, and Dissolution”
Science and Scientist - Bhaktivedanta Institute Newsletter
January - March 2008 - scienceandscientist.org
http://www.krishnascience.com  -  http://www.bhaktisvarupadamodara.com/

Published by dasavatara das - "Vedic Views on World News"
http://www.vedicviews-worldnews.blogspot.com.ar/