Heat May Spark World Food Crisis

It’s hard to think about heat and drought when one has to wear four layers of clothes and to keep a fire going all day just to be able to function in semi-comfort. But yes, I do recognize that while we’re trying not to freeze in our own tiny corner of the world, people in other corners are likely experiencing other extremes. What’s more, staying comfortable could very well be the least of their concerns.

In a new report, US scientists warn that half the world’s population could face a food crisis by 2100 due to extreme climate conditions. 2100 seems so far away–I know B and I would be six feet under by then–but for the kids who are just now being planned or born, that’s in their lifetime. 

“The stresses on global food production from temperature alone are going to be huge,” said Mr Battisti, a professor of atmospheric sciences, in an interview with BBC. ”And that doesn’t take into account water supplies stressed by the higher temperatures.”

Dr Geoff Hawtin, director general of the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) and a former executive secretary of the Global Crop Diversity Trust, says that because we don’t know at what speed the growing season temperatures will rise, it’s crucial to act as quickly and efficiently as possible. ”We don’t know where the tipping points are,” he told BBC News, “they could come quite quickly.”

What can we do about this? Lots. Such as:

First, you can read the full article here, to get a better picture of the problem.

Second, let’s each do our part in conserving crucial natural resources, like water. Without water, we’re all kaput. And with the exponential increase in human populations, combined with drastic changes in the environment due to global warming and other causes, the earth’s water supply is fast-approaching the red zone. For ideas on water conservation, clicky here.

 

Third, if you can’t eliminate meat from your diet (and that is your right and choice), then please do consider cutting down on your intake. Raising huge quantities of animals for consumption destroys top soil crucial for farming and contributes to global warming. As I mentioned in a previous post, if we ate the plants we feed to animals, it will help solve the world’s food crisis.

Cheers, and thanks for listening.

I Can’t Have Children…

..because I don’t think my heart can take it. I’ll probably die young from all the emotional strain–and B, the same–and our little one will probably end up an orphan.

Gumby

Case-in-point: Last week, B and I had to rush our pet cat, Gumby, to the vet because there was a dark-colored, foul-smelling liquid coming out of his ear. We had less than 30 minutes before closing time to make it. Picture the scene: both of us not showered and unbrushed, me with boots placed on the wrong feet because I was hurrying, B gunning through the speed limit while Gumby meows miserably in his cage.

We finally get to the clinic and the vet looks inside Gumby’s ear and pooh-poohs it off. “C’est presque rien,” he says. “C’est une otite, mais benigne.” (It’s almost nothing. It’s an “otite”–a type of ear infection–but benign.) He pours antibiotic into Gumby’s ear, and rubs it about. Still, I ask him a zillion questions in stumbling French, and since we were already there, had him give Gumby his annual shots. A few more minutes and we’re heading back home, a subdued pet on my lap. Whew.

But apparently, that wasn’t the end of it.

Within a short time, the ear infection turned into this huge, hard mass that doesn’t stink anymore but makes Gumby look like one of those cartoon characters that got whacked on the head. Worried, B and I again brought him to the vet, who looked at the lump carefully and said “Hmmm…Je ne sais pas. C’est quoi, ca? (Hmmm…I don’t know. What is that?) He then proceeded to name several possible causes, but admits he hasn’t seen anything like it before. At a loss, he gave us antibiotics in the form of pills, which we have been force-feeding to Gumby the past several days.

Well, he was scratching his head last night and the lump burst and a huge wallop of pus and blood came oozing out. Left in its place is this sizable hole, the size of a child’s fingernail, and I COULD SEE HIS FLESH inside. Aaaahhh!!!

you could skate on this

The problem is, we’ve been stuck indoors since yesterday, and will probably be for the whole week. The road is layered with slick, hard ice (not snow)–basically an accident waiting to happen. Our neighbor tried to brave it and to drive his car to work, and he didn’t even get past the village before the wheels skidded and he plowed into another car. No one in these here parts is going out. In nearly 30 departments in France, especially the rural areas, roads and public transportations are closing down.

Because of this, I’ll be missing an important appointment (which means I’ll have to resubmit paperwork and wait for another three months). But more importantly, because of this, we can’t bring Gumby to the vet. Aaaaaaahhh!!!

So what do we do? We periodically dab hydrogen peroxide on the wound and continue giving Gumby his antibiotics. We’re also keeping him indoors for now, at least until the hole closes up. But looking at him, all miserable, and seeing that huge wound on his head, my heart is breaking. And if this is what it’s like when we have a pet, what more when we have a kid?

P.S. I’m also a bit scared about the extreme weather changes going on all over the world. If what we’re seeing isn’t a proof of global warming and our need to act now, then I don’t know what is. What kind of world will we be leaving to our kids?!

Just Call Me SuperWoman

 

In just one click, I helped fight world hunger, global warming and cruelty to animals–plus, I made a pledge that will undoubtedly help me stay slim and sexy (or at least, that’s what hubby tells me). How? By signing up for PETA’s 30-Day Veggie Pledge. Here’s what they say on their site:

Every year, more than 15 billion animals are slaughtered for food in the U.S. alone. Each of those billions of individual animals is denied everything that is natural and important to them: the space to take a few steps, love, safety from fear and pain, companionship, the joy of being able to nuzzle their young, and often even protection from the cold. That’s billions of feeling beings who die frightening, painful, and often violent deaths so that they can be thrown into a bucket or a box or onto a sandwich.

In 2009, will you please consider the suffering of each of the animals killed for food and pledge to try a vegetarian diet for just 30 days?

For every person who signs the Pledge to Be Veg for 30 Days through the end of January 2009, PETA will make a donation to a program to plant fruit trees in an impoverished village where people go hungry every day. These people would benefit from the vitamin C and other natural goodness of the fresh fruit that you would be helping to provide. So not only will you be helping animals, you’ll also be helping to nourish a hungry person.

The trees that you will help plant will also provide shade and shelter. They will reduce carbon emissions and allow rainfall to soak into the ground instead of washing away precious top soil. But the connection between your diet and the environment doesn’t stop there.

A U.N. report summarized the devastation caused by the meat industry by calling it “one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global.” By planting these trees, we will work together to mitigate some of the devastation caused by factory farms.

By taking the Pledge to Be Veg for 30 Days, you will be helping animals, the environment, and those who are hungry, and you even get to do something terrific for yourself—get more energy, cleaner arteries, and a chance to live a longer and fitter life! Sign the pledge now, and we’ll send you great tips and resources to get you started.

Ready to sign? Clicky here. Hubby signed up too. I’d ask Clark Kent to hand over his cape, but I found out he’s also vegetarian. Good ol’ Clark. So we’ll just share the air space. Up, up and away!