Ocean of Truth - Stunning video & amazing facts about our Ocean

Below is a stunning video brought to you by Conservation International. The footage really shows how unique, amazing, beautiful and vital our oceans and marine life are.

Life originates from the sea.
The measure of salt in our blood is the same as the Ocean's.
The Ocean is the largest place on earth, it covers 70% of the earth's surface.

What does this ocean do for us?
The Ocean provides 80% of the air we breathe.
The Ocean is the main protein source for 1 in 4 people worldwide.
The Ocean regulates temperature, absorbs 80% of climate change heat, and 50 times more carbon than the atmosphere.
The Ocean gives us medicines that help treat heart disease, cystic fibrosis and cancer.
The Ocean provides economic opportunity from fishing, transport, minerals and recreation to name a few.
The Ocean recycles substances (CO2, N, H20), that we need to live.
The Ocean sustains mangroves, wetlands and coral reefs that protect us from disasters.
The Ocean is home to the greatest diversity of life on earth.

Now the Ocean needs us.
It's our moment of truth.

'This is George', fighting against climate change

The Poor Planet blog was created to help raise awareness around environmental issues across the globe. There is always so much people can do to help. But being aware of an issue is always the very first step.
It is for the exact same reason that a group of "amateur thinkers, producers, designers, animators and artists" from Australia have come together and produced 'This is George', a great little animation video to explain in simple words the issue and challenge climate change represents.

This is their submission to a competition entitled ‘Communicating Climate Change through Visuals’ opened by the Minor Foundation for Major Challenges. This competition is an attempt to make people understand and accept the statement: "Emissions from human use of fossil energy cause climate change".
This video definitely gets our vote.

Sources:
"This is George" website / facebook page / twitter page

Thick smog covers North-Eastern China (Satellite pictures)

Some of you might remember the photo-documentary entitled "Pollution in China" which highlighted the consequences of pollution on the health of Chinese citizens (View the photos here). Well guess what, air pollution - just like marine pollution - knows no border.

Below are image satellite pictures taken by NASA over North-Eastern China in October 2011. The thick smog (smoke fog) is the direct consequence of heavy air pollution caused by countless factories, coal power plants and the exponentially increasing number of personal cars.

Source: NASA Earth Observatory

It is about time we realise this world is overpopulated

Below is a great little (artistic) video that explains in simple words how the world's human population came to reach 7 billion souls a few weeks ago.

It was just over two centuries ago that the global population was 1 billion — in 1804. But better medicine and improved agriculture resulted in higher life expectancy for children, dramatically increasing the world population, especially in the West. As higher standards of living and better health care are reaching more parts of the world, the rates of fertility — and population growth — have started to slow down, though the population will continue to grow for the foreseeable future. U.N. forecasts suggest the world population could hit a peak of 10.1 billion by 2100 before beginning to decline. But exact numbers are hard to come by — just small variations in fertility rates could mean a population of 15 billion by the end of the century.

Mass tourism can harm fragile reef ecosystems

Indonesia offers some of the best diving spots in the world. But these reefs are under a lot of pressure, from pollution to overfishing, and now by mass tourism that brings hundreds of inexperienced divers underwater. It is not only dangerous for the divers, but they inadvertedly harm the reefs, breaking corals with their fins, leaving traces of sunscreen in the water and disturbing resting animals.

The video below shows the Mola Mola fish, famous for it's pokemon shape, resting in Crystal Bay, one of Bali's top diving spots. The fish comes here to use the cleaning stations, where other fish and invertebrates come eat the parasites off the Mola Mola's skin.

Then the divers, as many as a few dozens at the same time, invest the area and scare the fish off.

Source:
http://underwaterfestival.org/videos/video/39/

56 rare animals killed in the US

56 animals, escaped from a private zoo in Ohio, were killed by the local police force. The deaths include: 17 lions, 18 rare Bengal tigers, grizzly bears, black bears and wolves. Shocking

Read more:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-15364027

100% Pure New Zealand, not so pure anymore

100% Pure New Zealand is the slogan used by the the New Zealand tourism office across the world. If you've been to NZ, then you know how relevant it is, and how much it means to people in this region. Nature, wilderness and healthy living are what makes this country so wealthy. As you have probably heard, a container ship, the Rena, has crashed onto a reef on the 5th of October off the NZ coast. It has been stuck since, with 350 tons of toxil fuel has been escaping the hull and dozens of containers (some of which contain toxic chemicals) have been falling overboard. While rescue teams are doing their best to contain the disaster and pump as much fuel out of the vessel's tanks, there is a great risk that the entire ship breaks in two under the pressure of the waves. 1300 dead birds have already been recovered, including rare species of penguins. This is by far New Zealand's worst environmental disaster in many decades, and yet another oil spill in our precious oceans.

Sources:
http://uncensored.co.nz
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/oct/17/new-zealand-oil-spill-rena
http://www.worldbulletin.net/?aType=haber&ArticleID=80070

Just because you can't see it, doesn't mean it isn't there - Image of the day

Just because you can't see it, doesn't mean it isn't there.

Ad from Advertisers without borders

Creative & Art Director: Ferdi Rizkiyanto
Digital Imaging: Ferdi Rizkiyanto

What do bottles do to the planet exactly?

We’ve all seen the images of bottles washing up on the seashore and piling up in landfills. To be exact, 63.4 billion plastic bottles end up in landfills and the ocean each year.  But, why exactly is happening? What exactly are they doing to our planet?

Our lives depend on the oceans more than you might think. In fact, most of the oxygen in our air is generated by the sea. Ever heard of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch? Well, it’s a garbage patch that is twice the size of Texas in the North Pacific. There’s also marine life to think about. About 100 million mammals and turtles are killed annually in the Pacific Ocean alone because of plastic. Sea birds often starve to death because they eat too much of it, and, as a result, cannot consume anything else. If you’re not an animal lover, think about this, where do you think that salmon you had for dinner last night came from? Plastic is poisoning the very fish you eat, because more than likely they ingested plastic. So much for organic, right?  

Realistically, landfills are expensive to build. Recycling 1 ton of plastic saves 7.4 cubic yards of landfill space. It’s for these reasons that North Carolina banned plastic bottles in state landfills in 2009.  The law was designed to reduce energy consumption, provide economic incentives for entrepreneurs, and lower greenhouse gas emissions. In the manufacturing of the plastic bottles, massive amounts of greenhouse gases are produced. They are also produced as the bottles are incinerated with the regular trash.  Greenhouse gases pose risks to our health and the ozone layer.

The amount of plastic bottles recycled in the U.S. has grown steadily since 1990, but the actual recycling rate seems to remain steadily around 27%, less than 1/3. Plastics should be recycled so less petroleum is consumed. So, that means less drilling for oil.  But, raising awareness and recycling isn’t enough.

Yes, you can reclaim the bottles, and, yes, make new bottles and other products at home. But, this is often time consuming and expensive.  Not to mention, according to the Ecology Center’s biggest plastic misconception, not all plastic containers put into the recycling bin are recycled full and reprocessed or converted into useful products. Understand that your choices aren’t limited to polluting the oceans or recycling. There are other options . Go bottleless! Purchase a reusable water bottle for when you’re on the go, or a bottleless water cooler for your office.  Know that it’s not a choice between the earth and your personal budget or health- you can do it all.  

Our seas our changing, for the worst

Below is a copy of an email I have received from Save our Marine Life, an organisation fighting for the creation of marine parks in Australia, and which I strongly recommend supporting.

This testimonial is one of many that have witnessed an evolution of their local marine environment over time, and for the worst.

I’ve received this letter from 87 year old Martin Flynn and wanted you to see it.

Dear Tim,
I have lived my whole life by the sea and I want to tell you about the changes I’ve seen.

My name is Martin. I was born in 1924 and have lived in Bunbury, WA, since I was three. Growing up, my brothers and I would spend many a day swimming and fishing around town. We would pack our lunch in a sugar bag and cycle off for the day.

When I think back, I remember the sense of freedom and the certainty we all felt that wherever we chose to stop, a wonderful array of healthy fish would be swimming past. There were all types of fish: tailor, dhufish, snapper, amongst others, and they were all big, healthy fish.

We would also ride over to the Skeleton Bridge - where Koombana Bay meets the Leschenault Inlet – and as the water flowed under the bridge we would see large numbers of healthy, big fish swimming by.
Another favourite pastime was crabbing, and all we would need was the ability to scoop up the crabs as the estuary was teeming with them

.

I am now 87 years old. I have always loved the ocean and would swim and walk the beach most days throughout my life until my ability to walk too far got the better of me.

I have watched with great sadness over the years the demise of the healthy stocks of fish I remember from the childhood, and feel hopeful that this idea for marine sanctuaries along the coast may be one way where we can restore the balance.

I have a great respect for the ocean and the estuaries, and I have some wonderful memories of swimming, fishing and crabbing here in Bunbury throughout my life.

It would make my day to know that the diversity of marine life that I remember from my childhood has a chance to restore itself through the implementation of marine sanctuaries.

Yours Sincerely,
Martin Flynn
Bunbury, WA

How one company may destroy the entire marine eco-system

The below article is reblogged from Grist.org

There are too many similar cases that normal people, you and me, are not aware of. Thank you Grist for raising awareness on this issue.

Omega Protein, Inc. (a company you've never heard of) is quickly overfishing the Atlantic menhaden (a species you've never heard of). As a result, a number of fish that you have heard of -- striped bass, bluefish, tuna, dolphin, seatrout, and mackerel -- as well as the ocean ecosystem as a whole, the Chesapeake Bay, and the Long Island Sound (which you’ve heard of) are suffering.

Menhaden are tiny, bony, oily fish that humans can't eat, but which, according to marine scientists, are "the most important fish in the sea." Menhaden are the main consumers of phytoplankton, and without them, areas like the Chesapeake Bay and Long Island Sound are clogged with algae. They are also a staple food for bigger, tastier fish, who, deprived of menhaden, are growing sad and malnourished.

In the past 25 years, the menhaden population has shrunk from 160 billion to about 20 billion, Alison Fairbrother and Randy Fertel report for Gilt Taste. (If you haven't heard of THAT, it's Ruth Reichl's post-Gourmet project.) This despite the fact that at this point, only one state -- Virginia -- allows menhaden fishing. And in Virginia, only one company -- Omega Protein -- is responsible for "menhaden reduction" -- cooking, grinding up, and selling the fish once they've been extracted from the ocean. The reduction goes into products like livestock feed, pet food, oils for cosmetics, and those disgusting fish oil supplements someone convinced us we should all take in order to get enough Omega-3.

If you're disturbed and worried by this whole situation, too f*cking bad. Gov. Bob McDonnell isn't (Omega Protein has given his campaigns more than $55,000), and he has made it known that he'll veto any bill that protects the fish.

Polar Bear and cub comes out of hibernation in the middle of an oil field

Sad image that this story gives of the great Alaskan wilderness. This mother polar bear and cub are caught on camera coming out of their hibernation den, to find that the desert island had become an oil rig construction site.

How much more of nature will we destroy? especially for oil!

Earth Hour 2011 - Around the world pictures

The traditional Earth Hour event has broken some new records in 2011 with 134 countries participating. A big round of applause to all that participated. Below are some pictures of before and during the event around the world. Also, remember that Earth Hour does not stop at one yearly event, there is the Beyond the Hour project.

Taipei 101, Taiwan

Sydney Opera House, Sydney, Australia

Skyline and Petronas Towers, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The Door of India, New Delhi, india

The Acropol, Athens, Greece

Beijing Olympic Pool, China

The Great Wall of China

Eiffel Tower, Paris, France

Seoul Tower, Seoul, South Korea

Erasmus bridge, Rotterdam

Beyond the Hour, a new way to continue after Earth Hour

Earth Hour reminds people we need to care about our environment and by taking action together, we can make a difference. And for that reason, Earth Hour is great. However, I've always been skeptical about these one-off events. I know they happen every year but do we really need to wait another year to make things happen? Hell no! But sadly a lot of people think so.

This is probably the reason why the Earth Hour organisers have decided to launch “Beyond the Hour”, an online platform that allows individuals, businesses and groups to log on and share what they are doing “Beyond the Hour” to make the world a better place. 

For example: Gabriel from the Philippines will try to convince is fellow villagers not to destroy local coral reefs; while Dodgeman from Minnesota bought land and planted 5,000 trees in a plan to reforest the area. 


There are thousands of great initiatives and all can be browsed on www.beyondthehour.org.

Also, you can of course participate by adding your own initiative. We'd love to hear about it so don't hesitate to add your own contribution to the comment section below!

It would be great if you could help us spread the word with your readers! Along with the Facebook app, iPhone and Android apps, and mobile site that all feed into the platform, there is also a widget that you can use on your own blog.

Environmental Hazards that Lead to Chronic Illness

When we think of the causes of disease, we tend to think of viruses and bacteria. These are certainly responsible for many types of illness, but not all. Toxins in the environment – particularly substances that are released into the environment by human activity – can also cause illnesses ranging from mild irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat to symptoms of mesothelioma, an incurable cancer. The following substances are all naturally occurring, but our use of them has turned them into pollutants.

• Asbestos

This thread-like mineral is extremely heat-resistant, a property which once made asbestos popular as an insulator and additive to materials that needed to be fireproof. It was particularly prevalent in factories and in the shipbuilding and construction industries, but before the 1980s, it was used to manufacture everything from roofing shingles to decorative plaster household appliances like popcorn poppers and hair dryers. Nowadays, it is well known that if asbestos fibers get into the air, they can lodge in the lungs and other body tissues, causing lung scarring, asbestosis, or mesothelioma. Mesothelioma symptoms can take between 20 and 50 years to surface after exposure, so the number of cases will likely continue to rise for years to come.

• Lead

A soft, non-corrosive metal, lead has historically been used in applications varying from make-up to plumbing to paint to construction projects. For much of the twentieth century, it was also added to gasoline to prevent engine knocking, though this use was phased out beginning in the 1970s. When cars burned this gasoline, it would release tiny particles of lead into the surrounding air. Lead is also dangerous when ingested, and can damage nearly every organ system in the human body, particularly the nervous system. Lead poisoning is most serious in infants and children, whose nervous systems are still developing.

• Benzene

Like lead, benzene was once used as an additive in gasoline to increase the octane rating. Its use in fuel is now limited, but it can still be found in many industrial solvents and as an ingredient in the manufacture of plastics, rubber, and certain dyes. Benzene is a known carcinogen, and has been strongly linked to the development of certain types of leukemia. As a pollutant, it is most commonly breathed in. If found in high concentrations, it can cause death in the short term. In lower concentrations, chronic exposure can result in damage to the bone marrow causing anemia, as well as excessive bleeding and a suppressed immune system.

It’s important to remember that “being green” is not just about environmental health; it’s about human health as well. Remaining aware of our use of natural resources – which are helpful, which are harmful – can benefit both people and the earth.

The above article is a guest post written by Krista Peterson.

"Fuel", Great Documentary about America's Dependence on Oil

Eleven years in the making, FUEL is the in-depth personal journey of filmmaker and eco-evangelist Josh Ticknell, who takes us on a hip, fast-paced road trip into America's dependence on foreign oil. Combining a history lesson of the US auto and petroleum industries and interviews with a wide range of policy makers, educators, and activists such as Woody Harrelson, Sheryl Crow, Neil Young and Willie Nelson. Animated by powerful graphics, FUEL looks into our future offering hope via a wide-range of renewable energy and bio-fuels. Winner of the Sundance Audience Award.

I urge everyone to watch this great yet alarming documentary on our dependence on fuels and what alternatives are available for everyone of us to make a change. Similarly to the documentary "Who killed the Electric Car?", FUEL also highlights the power of the oil industry lobbies and all things that are just wrong in today's political landscape.

However, if people embrace biodiesel and other forms of sustainable energy, then only we can change the world. For more information on this documentary film, head to their official website which also links to their facebook, youtube, twitter and other social media profiles.

So how can I help?

There are many ways you can help. Below are a few examples:
-Reduce your energy consumption (use low-consumption light bulbs or other energy efficient houseware)
-Use public transports or walk/ride your bicycle to work
-Buy more locally grown food or locally produced items (this will reduce your carbon footprint but also help your local economy)
-Visit Repower America, supported by ex US President candidate Al Gore
-If you use your vehicle regularly and can afford to replace your vehicle or buy a new one, go for the electric or biodiesel powered option. You will save money in the long run, and it's a great way to reduce your environmental impact.
-Sharing is caring. Spread the word around you, educate your friends and family and every good thing will follow. This documentary film is a great first step.

Lastly, I want to finish by one of the quotes I read in this film. The quote is from Gandhi:
"When the people lead, the leaders will follow."
This really sums up the fact that the environmental revolution will start from the people, you and me, and not from multi-billion dollar profit making oil corporations.

Top 10 PoorPlanet.com posts of 2010

Launched in 2009, PoorPlanet.com has seen its traffic increase significantly in the past 12 months. Over 5,500 unique visitors from 120 countries visited this blog and we hope to see this figure skyrocket in 2011. Our planet, biodiversity and environment are very previous so here is a big Thank You to all our readers and to all those who care. We certainly hope you remain loyal to us and keep commenting on our articles. One last thing, remember that you can participate in this blog by being a contributor or even a simple guest blogger. Together, let's make 2011 a year of environmental success!

Top 10 read articles of 2010:
1. I’d Rather Wear Fur than go Naked
2. 13 Biggest Oil Spills in History
3. Start Using Ecosia.org as your new Search Engine!
4. 140 kg Endangered Bahaba fish sold for over US$500,000
5. "The End of the Line" documentary film trailer
6. Top 6 reasons to leave the Arctic alone!
7. Hundreds of Nuclear Bombs Lost in the Wild!
8. Important facts everyone should know about water
9. Save trees, print your files in .wwf format rather than .pdf!
10. Pictures & Information of the Great Barrier Reef Damage

'How humans run the Earth' - Infographic

Below is an infographic provided by upack.com, that depicts the rate at which human population grows and what impact/consequences it has on our planet.

Humans are already overpopulating this world and unless we ALL learn how to live in a more sustainable way, we stand no chance in the next century or so (and are likely to end up like the Rapa Nui people from the Easter Islands). The facts and stats below speak for themselves.

Read the rest of this article

Jumbo Elephant Jet ad from IFAW Germany

The German branch of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) has released a video to raise awareness on illegal exports of goods made from animal parts. This not only concerns underground black markets but also local souvenir markets where tourists often buy small hand-made products without always knowing how it is made. So next time you travel, think twice about buying a little statue made of ivory.

You can also make a donation directly under the video using Google checkout. Great ad from IFAW and great move from Google.