The United States receives many imports from Mexico on a daily basis, including possibly water. Four major American water districts are currently working on a plan that would build two big desalination plants in Playas de Rosarito. The reason? The Colorado River, which tends to often go through periods of drought, has spawned concern from both Mexico and the U.S. Both countries are currently dependent on the Colorado River for water.
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Antarctic ozone hole in 1979 (left) compared to 2008 (right).
One of the biggest indicators of climate change are ozone holes, zones where the ozone that forms the protective layer of Earth’s atmosphere are too thin to be protective anymore. This is caused by greenhouse gases creating chemical reactions with sunlight which destroy the oxygen particles. This is more severe over the poles.
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Visitors tour the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2011 in Washington, D.C. Photo credit: Stefano Paltera
The 2011 Solar Decathlon, which is a ten day event where groups of college students create homes that are powered entirely by capturing the energy from the sun, is now in its fifth year. The idea behind the event is to not only allow minds to dream of alternative ways to live but it also shows the public, in a very visible way, how these dreams would become reality. Each year, the best and brightest minds come together to create sustainable solar powered homes to be entered into the annual contest.
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Oil have been found in the underground below Lake Albert on the border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Western companies are working with the Ugandan government to get development under way but a myriad of issues seem to delay the project: Criminal and rebel activity is up and rising, Ugandan democracy is struggling for control with the shady closed door negotiations and now US troops enter the picture. Al Jazeera summed up the situation in less than two minutes, October 14th:
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Australian National University
Australia and indeed the World are increasingly threatened by massive investment in coal seam gas (CSG). CSG expansion has drawn vehement opposition in Australia from urban environmentalists and also from farmers opposed to despoiling of prime agricultural land and potential pollution of aquifer resources. Now the Australian National University (ANU) has disinvested in coal seam gas (CSG) development after student opposition to such investment (see “ANU removes itself from coal seam gas operations”).
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On October 4, the Just Label It – We Have a Right to Know campaign submitted a petition to the FDA demanding the mandatory labeling of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The petition was signed by millions of consumers, and almost 400 businesses and organizations also back the initiative.
GMOs are genetically modified organisms, also called GE or genetically engineered foods. This involves scientists making changes to the food on a molecular level which could not happen in nature. These changes may include mixing the DNA from two separate sources, and potentially from different species, and they are ultimately made so that the crops will be more beneficial for humans. For example, flounder DNA was mixed with tomatoes so that they will be better able to withstand the cold. While this allows tomatoes to grow in a larger geographic area and for a longer period, it is unclear what other effects genetic modification may have.
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In the Western Murdochracies (Big Money buys truth and votes) and Lobbyocracies (Big Money buys politicians and policy) pro-Planet and pro-Humanity voters have little choice but to vote 1 Green or vote 1 Socialist as set out below using the example of climate criminal Australia, a nation that is making a disproportionately huge contribution to a worsening climate genocide that is set to kill 10 billion non-Europeans this century through unaddressed, man-made climate change.
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