Global warming,the Amazon and us.....

Increasing carbon dioxide levels caused by emissions from fossil fuels and deforestation are obviously a cause for serious concern in today’s ever changing climate environment...

On top of this are the additional emissions that could be unleashed by natural systems as the world warms up. In this and other aspects we should not expect the accumulation of greenhouse gases to lead to a smooth and predictable increase in temperatures.

The potential for more releases of greenhouse gases as a result of the warming put in train by human activities is called “positive ‘ or ‘emissions’ feedback. The warmer it gets, the less control we will probably have over the final total level of warming,

There are several potential feedback effects, and some of them are absolutely vast.

One is the potential die back of the Amazon rain-forests  As if the depredations of loggers, ranchers, soya farming and mining weren't serious enough in causing the degradation, fragmentation and progressive clearance of  this incredible planetary asset. It now seems that there is far lager threat to the earth‘s largest rain-forest  a lack of rain.

Modelling studies carried out by climatologists show that there is risk of reduced rainfall over the Amazon basin caused by an increase in sea surface temperatures in the topical Atlantic Ocean.

The prolonged drought that affected much of rain-forest during 2005 was perhaps a portent of a possible future.

Drought that transforms serious one-off events into more frequent dry periods and moves towards such conditions being normal would have very profound effects. Not only would such a shift directly affect the composition of the forest and change the animal life within it, it would also seriously increase the risk of fire and the potential for the forest to rapidly transform from dense moist jungle into Savannah and even grassland. Te fact there used to be lush moist forest growing across large swathes of what is now the Sahara Desert demonstrates how climatic shifts can trigger truly awesome changes in the dominant kinds of vegetation.

We know of no certain threshold at which such a shift would certainly occur, however, if temperatures edge up towards three degrees average global increase then the collapse of the Amazon rain-forest into much drier ecosystem become far more likely. If this happens, a vast quantity of carbon dioxide would be released into our atmosphere: there are billions of tonnes of carbon locked into the living fabric of the Amazon rain-forests and the release of even a fraction of that would add considerable further impetus to the process of global warming.

It’s not only in the topics that these emissions feedback's could be stimulated on large scale. There is grave cause for concern in the Polar Regions, partly because of the melting permafrost: Across large swats of Siberia and North America, in particular, there is vast territory of frozen land in which bubbles of methane have been locked tight for many centuries. As the global thermostat has been edged upwards, the line of melting has traveled progressively further north.

Something to think about.........

Britain may sidestep an EU ban on supplying arms to the Syrian opposition......13/03/13..

The UK Prime Minster David Cameron has said today that they might just sidestep the UN resloution not supply arms to syria if it means it will end the civil war in Syria.

I cant see how supplying the Syrian rebels with arms to supposedly end the conflict are justifiable, or a good judgment call by David Cameron. Yes there is an agreed and recognized opposition by most of the international community in place, however it’s apparent they do not have total control of all the rebels actions, as seen when a group calling themselves the Yarmuk Martyrs Brigade abducted 21 Pilipino UN peace keepers in the disputed Golan Heights in Syria. It is ironic that when the rebels first abducted the UN peacekeepers they advised the world that they will hold them captive until Assad forces retreat. A few days later the opposition changed their tune and advised the world the UN peace keeps were treated well with blankets and were only being kept safe. It is obvious they can’t control all the rebels who are on the loose in Syria and should then not have the responsiblity to control Syria.

I can only see that more civilians will be caught between heavier fighting with the supply of advanced arms by the UK.

Melbourne Police use human sheilds again to stop a hoon driver!!12/03/13

Today on the Hume Freeway, Melbourne police again decided the way to stop a high speed car chase was too use civlian cars for a road block,putting dozens of people at great risk.
In the footage shown today, it was seen that the car did crash into two cars that were part of the road block on the Hume freeway.
I do not undertand how police think its acceptable to stop civilan traffic to block a drug fulled crimminal? It not only places more innocent people at risk of injury or death, but is also a desprate act on behalf of a force that should be able to handle a police chase.

I guess police get there way again!.... regardless of what they do.

Jill Meagher's Murder case 12/03/2013

In court today Adrian Bayley pleads guilty to raping Jill Meagher, but pleads not guilty to murdering her and two other rapes.
Jill was approached by Adrian Bayley only 8 minutes after she left the bar she was drinking at in Brunswick, she was then dragged into a lane way, raped, then strangled. Adrian Bayley left the scene and returned 3 hours later with shovel, drove Jill to sth Gisbon, where he buried her in a shallow grave.
I think we need to remember and understand that there are people out there that do commit such horrific acts, regardless of the laws. Even though women are protected by Law, it does not mean that the laws governed to protect all women, will serve like a barrier or shield around them.
 Women in today’s society need to be more street wise and to try and leave the naive part …..This mentality ‘it won’t happen to me ‘permanently behind.
 Its time women realize they need to practice safety, especially when drinking and walking home at night.

This is a tragedy and I hope the Meaher family find justice and long term peace.

Syrian Conflict....

I believe this further political or miltary interference by Western governments will only escalate tensions in the Middle East region and only create further divisions amongst the different ethnic and religious groups.
We need to remember some recent history, In the 90's the US government were happy to work with Assad's father Hafez al-Assad  in Syria against Saddam, at the same time having no problem with Basher al Assad studying in London, however now that Syria's government has no use, they have become the enemy of the so called free world.
 In Damascus cars bombs have been detonated, killing dozens, by the so called opposition, however the UK and US government's are silent on this terrible act that is so familiar to their recent history. If this horrendous act happened in any Western power they would all condemn this as a terrorist act and would immediately retaliate on the masses and not on the few. It is clear that the West seems to only use the word’ Terrorist’ when it suits there interests and NOT as a universal rule of Law. It is a shame that this kind of hypocritical attitude will only create distrust, instability and further enemies around the world.

In the world of politics not all citizens will agree with a leader’s direction, however it does not mean we all create groups of heavily armed militia’s to overthrow our governments by force.This kind of violence would not be tolerated in the west, yet it is accepted by the west when it arises in the Middle East.
Let the Syrian people decide who they would like to lead them, not the oppostion, not western powers or Assad......only the ballot box.

I believe that there should be a cease fire created by the UN and Arab League and for there to be a free election to be held observers from all sides. Only then will the voice of the Syrian people will be heard and not by Western backing of the Rebels.

 

Picture by: Khalil Ashawi/Reuters

Unfortunately.... It is a loose loose situation for the Syrian people at the moment.