Over the last five years, 600 scientists from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change sifted through thousands of studies about global warming published in forums ranging from scientific journals to industry publications and distilled the world’s accumulated knowledge into this conclusion: “Warming of the climate system is unequivocal.”

Far from being some future fear, global warming is happening now, and scientists have evidence that humans are to blame. For decades, cars and factories have spewed billions of tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, and these gases caused temperatures to rise between 0.6°C and 0.9°C (1.08°F to 1.62°F) over the past century. The rate of warming in the last 50 years was double the rate observed over the last 100 years. Temperatures are certain to go up further.

The effects of global warming are already being felt worldwide. The Larsen-B Ice Shelf on the Antarctic Peninsula collapsed over 35 days in early 2002, prompted by 3°C of warming since the 1940s. (NASA image by Jesse Allen, based on MODIS data.)

But why should we worry about a seemingly small increase in temperature? It turns out that the global average temperature is quite stable over long periods of time, and small changes in that temperature correspond to enormous changes in the environment. For example, during the last ice age, when ice sheets a mile thick covered North America all the way down to the northern states, the world was only 9 to 15 degrees Fahrenheit colder than today. Much of modern human civilization owes its existence to the stability in the average global temperature since the end of the last ice age—a stability that allowed human cultures to transition from roaming, hunter-gatherer societies into more permanent, agriculture-supported communities. Even the temperature change of a degree or two that has occurred over the last century is capable of producing significant changes in our environment and way of life.

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A new NASA-supported study reports that 2007 marked an overall rise in the melting trend over the entire Greenland ice sheet and, remarkably, melting in high-altitude areas was greater than ever at 150 percent more than average. In fact, the amount of snow that has melted this year over Greenland could cover the surface size of the U.S. more than twice.

Marco Tedesco, a research scientist at the Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology, cooperatively managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., and the University of Maryland at Baltimore County, used satellite data to compare average snow melting from 1988-2006 with what has taken place this summer. He found that in high altitude areas over 1.2 miles above sea level, the melting index -- an indicator of where melting is occurring and for how long - was significantly higher than average. Melting over those areas occurred 25-30 days longer this year than the observed average in the previous 19 years.

"When snow melts at those high altitudes and then refreezes, it can absorb up to four times more energy than fresh, unthawed snow," said Tedesco. "This can affect Earth's energy budget by changing how much radiation from the sun is absorbed by the Earth versus that reflected back into the atmosphere. Refrozen snow can also alter the snow density, thickness and snow-water content." Tedesco's findings were published Sept. 25 in the American Geophysical Union's Eos newspaper.

Researchers determine the melting index by multiplying how long melting took place by the area where the increased melting took place. According to Tedesco, melting in April and May of this year in high-altitude areas was very low, but in June melting jumped unexpectedly and led to the record melting index for the year.

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NASA EXAMINES ARCTIC SEA ICE CHANGES LEADING TO RECORD LOW IN 2007

A new NASA-led study found a 23-percent loss in the extent of the Arctic's thick, year-round sea ice cover during the past two winters. This drastic reduction of perennial winter sea ice is the primary cause of this summer's fastest-ever sea ice retreat on record and subsequent smallest-ever extent of total Arctic coverage.

A team led by Son Nghiem of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., studied trends in Arctic perennial ice cover by combining data from NASA's Quick Scatterometer (QuikScat) satellite with a computing model based on observations of sea ice drift from the International Arctic Buoy Programme. QuikScat can identify and map different classes of sea ice, including older, thicker perennial ice and younger, thinner seasonal ice. Between winter 2005 and winter 2007, the perennial ice shrunk by an area the size of Texas and California combined. This severe loss continues a trend of rapid decreases in perennial ice extent in this decade. Study results will be published Oct. 4 in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.

The scientists observed less perennial ice cover in March 2007 than ever before, with the thick ice confined to the Arctic Ocean north of Canada. Consequently, the Arctic Ocean was dominated by thinner seasonal ice that melts faster. This ice is more easily compressed and responds more quickly to being pushed out of the Arctic by winds. Those conditions facilitated the ice loss, leading to this year's record low amount of total Arctic sea ice.

Nghiem said the rapid decline in winter perennial ice the past two years was caused by unusual winds. "Unusual atmospheric conditions set up wind patterns that compressed the sea ice, loaded it into the Transpolar Drift Stream and then sped its flow out of the Arctic," he said. When that sea ice reached lower latitudes, it rapidly melted in the warmer waters.

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WASHINGTON - The human face of the exploration of Earth's polar regions is coming to science centers and museums across the United States. NASA and the National Science Foundation are sponsoring the Polar-Palooza "Stories from a Changing Planet" tour beginning Oct. 19 in San Diego. The tour will stop in cities across the country in 2007 and 2008.

NASA and the National Science Foundation are funding Polar-Palooza and other education and outreach activities as part of the International Polar Year, which began last March and ends in March 2009. The International Polar Year focuses science and education on Earth's remote polar regions.

The Polar-Palooza national tour features tales of science and adventure from polar glaciologists, geologists, climate scientists, oceanographers, biologists and residents of the Arctic. Each tour stop includes multimedia shows with high-definition video, school programs, teacher workshops and briefings for media and business leaders.

Upcoming tour dates include:
- Oct. 19-21: San Diego area - Reuben H. Fleet Science Center, Scripps Institution of Oceanography Birch Aquarium, San Diego Museum of Natural History and other locations
- Oct. 26-28: San Francisco area - Chabot Space and Science Center, Oakland, and the Lawrence Hall of Science, University of California, Berkeley
- Oct. 22-24: Albuquerque - New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science
- Nov. 8-10: Tampa, Fla. - Museum of Science and Industry
- Nov. 11-13: Atlanta - Fernbank Science Center
- Nov. 15-17: Baton Rouge - Louisiana State University Museum of Natural Science

Polar-Palooza is produced by Passport to Knowledge, Morristown, N.J., as an integral part of the International Polar Year outreach efforts. The "Stories from a Changing Planet" tour will continue in 2008 with events planned in Chicago, St. Louis, Denver, Philadelphia, New York, Houston and several other cities.

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Applicants are invited for the Ford Motor Company’s Conservation and Environmental Grants Scheme on environmental and conservational projects in the GCC and Levant countries.

The initiative has rewarded and fuelled more than 75 local environmental projects in the Middle East, since its launch seven years ago.

“As with previous years, a total of $90,000 (BD 34,020) is available to individuals, community or non-profit groups that have projects in the areas of preserving the natural environment, environmental education and conservation engineering,” said Ford Middle East managing director Waldo Galan.

Application forms are available at Ford, Lincoln and Mercury dealerships in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UAE, Oman, Qatar, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan.

“We commend the selfless efforts of all the individuals and groups that have made it their priority to protect their local environment, each in their special way."

The grants so far support more than 75 projects with $600,000 (BD 226,800).

Mr. Galan said an independent panel of jurors consisting of academicians and environmental and conservational specialists selects the projects.

The entries should demonstrate a well defined sense of purpose, a commitment to maximizing available resources and a reputation for meeting objectives and delivering planned programmes and services.

“Only ongoing and established projects can be accepted for review,” said Mr. Galan.

Applications should reach before February 14th, 2008. For more information, visit www.fordenvironmentalgrants.com

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London: Tributes flooded in yesterday for Anita Roddick, the British founder of The Body Shop cosmetics chain and “queen of green”, who died at the age of 64 after a major brain hemorrhage.

Roddick pioneered environment-friendly and ethical business practices and was also a philanthropist. She died in hospital in Chichester in southern England on Monday night with her husband Gordon and two daughters by her side, after collapsing with a sudden headache, her family said.

Roddick is best known as the driving force behind The Body Shop, a highly successful international chain set up in 1976 that sells free trade and environment friendly beauty products. The shop was also an early pioneer of recycling: customers were encouraged to bring empty containers back to the store for refills.

Roddick was also known as a hard working campaigner for environmental and human rights as well as health causes. John Sauven, executive director of Greenpeace and a personal friend of Roddick’s, said that the Body Shop’s green principles blazed a trail for the eco-friendly ethos that major companies routinely embrace today.

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Bahrain may soon have a fund that will be responsible for financing environmental awareness programmes, according to the GDN dated Tuesday, September 11th. Education Minister Dr. Majid Al Nuaimi, speaking at a ceremony to honour winners of the third edition of the GPIC-sponsored Education for Environmental Research Programme, said he plans to recommend this fund to the Cabinet in the near future. The fund is to target school children, creating awareness and a sense of social responsibility at a young age.

The minister stressed the need to set up a nationwide “citizen education programme” on issues concerning the environment. Dr. Al Nuaimi said that the concern for and awareness of the need to protect the environment was a must, because if it does not happen now, future generations will suffer.

“Companies like the GPIC coming forward to support such activities are a major incentive”, says Professor Ismail Al Madani, vice president of the Public Commission for the Protection of Marine Resources, Environment and Wildlife. Twenty students were honoured at this ceremony, all of who submitted projects as part of the programme.

GPIC General Manager Abdul Rahman Jawahery praised the ministry’s contribution to motivate students towards scientific research and innovation.

“I hope this initiative will encourage other firms in the private sector to follow GPIC’s example inenhancing the principles of scientific research, and to advance the educational process as a whole”, he said. “The students have made a great effort in selecting the projects’ topics and compiling of information.”

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By RASHA AL QAHTANI

AN initiative to recycle five tonnes of used paper will begin today at the Al Estiqlal Secondary Girls School, Muharraq.

The 10-day environmental project is being organised by the Bahrain Centre for Volunteers in collaboration with the General Organisation for Youth and Sport (Goys).

It aims to encourage a clean environment and encourage youth to volunteer and participate during their summer holiday, said project co-ordinator Mohammed Al Dashti.

"There are tonnes of used paper thrown out every day from various companies and offices," he said.

"The idea is to recycle the paper collected from various companies and offices."

Mr Al Dashti said that they had put up advertisements and contacted various organisations to provide them with discarded paper.

"We saw a good response and the amount of paper we received reached up to five tonnes," he said.

"The only cost involved is the equipment we use, like shredders and blenders."

He said that the recycling process was very simple and it would start with cutting up the paper in the shredder.

"The shredded paper would then be placed into a blender to further cut into smaller pieces," said Mr Al Dashti.

"The paper would then be mixed with water and wood chippings and eventually turned into paste."

He said that the paste would then be kept on a net and dried in the sun.

"The recycled paper would then be turned into boxes or greeting cards designed by the volunteers," he said.

A total of 80 volunteers, aged between 17 and 24, are participating.

"They will be honoured at a ceremony by the end of the month," said Mr Al Dashti.

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The Live Earth concert was held on 07/07/07, a date that will go down in the history books. It was a 24-hour concert, performed on 7 continents, bringing together more than 100 music artists and 2 billion people to start a global movement to solve the deadly climate crisis facing our planet today.

Live Earth reached worldwide audiences through an innovative, first of its kind media campaign, utilizing television, radio, the Internet and wireless channels. Former US Vice President Al Gore was the driving force behind this huge event, following on the heels of his much talked about documentary An Inconvenient Truth, on global warming.

Live Earth staged official concerts at Giants Stadium in New York, Wembley Stadium in London, Aussie Stadium in Sydney, Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, the Coca Cola Dome in Johannesburg, Makuhari Messe in Tokyo, the Oriental Pearl Tower in Shanghai and HSH Nordbank Area in Hamburg.

Join the movement at http://www.liveearth.org/

To watch official video coverage of the event, go to http://liveearth.msn.com/

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THE potential impact of environmental policies is being analysed by experts from the West Asia region at a three-day workshop, which opened in Bahrain yesterday.

Bahrain is particularly interested in policies related to waste management, water scarcity, coastal and land degradation as well as marine pollution.

"We are concerned with booming of the economy," Public Commission Assessment and Planning Directorate senior environment specialist Suzan Al Ajjawi told the GDN.

"A lot of companies are coming into the Gulf and so we need to see what industries we are accepting, because of air pollution.

"In order to enhance the environment we need to know more about the traffic situation and see how we can reduce air pollution."

Ms Al Ajjawi said waste management was another issue the public commission was tackling.

She said an industrial-hazardous waste landfill site had been established in Askar in 2002 and there was another in the same area for domestic waste. "We try to make people more aware of the environment and try to change consumption habits," she explained.

"The problem (of waste) is growing as we become a consuming nation. We do a lot of awareness campaigns in schools and societies and teach people about recycling, reducing water consumption and lifestyle."

Ms Al Ajjawi was speaking on the sidelines of the train the trainers workshop on the Global Environment Outlook (GEO) Resource Book on Integrated Environmental Assessment (IEA), which is organised by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

Around 40 governmental experts and representatives of institutions from the West Asia region are attending the event, which is being held at the Sheraton Hotel until tomorrow.

IEA is defined as the process of producing and communicating future-oriented, policy-relevant information on key interactions between the natural environment and human society.

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World Environment Day, commemorated each year on 5 June, is one of the principal vehicles through which the United Nations stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and enhances political attention and action.

Oslo/Nairobi, 12 May 2006 - A Nordic country in the frontline of climate change has been chosen by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to host the main celebrations of World Environment Day 2007.

A range of events, reflecting the threats from global warming to the people and wildlife across the world, are to be staged in Norway's most northerly city Tromsø as well as the capital Oslo and other Norwegian cities. 2007 also marks the start of International Polar Year.

Tromsø, with its strong cultural, historical and scientific links to both the Arctic and Antarctic, is in many ways an ideal location. The city boasts the planet's most northerly university, is linked with such fabled explorers as Amundsen and Nansen and holds the key centre of the internationally recognized Norwegian Polar Institute.

Tromsø is a key centre for the development of nature-based tourism underlying the important economic value of healthy and pristine environments, not to mention the midnight sun in summer time. The city is situated in the heartlands of the indigenous Sami culture, and has a history inextricably linked with the marine resources of the frozen North.

Shafqat Kakakhel, Deputy Executive Director and Officer in Charge of UNEP, said: "The Polar Regions are some of the most hauntingly beautiful places on Earth. They are also nature's early warning systems where human-induced climate change, the thinning of the ozone layer up to the impacts of persistent chemical pollution continue to be registered first".

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BANGKOK, Thailand: The United States and China want to water down a key climate change report, arguing that quick action to reduce greenhouse gases will be more costly and less effective than the scientists who wrote the report claim, according to documents reviewed Monday by The Associated Press.

The comments, submitted by the two governments ahead of this week's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change meeting, also downplay the potential benefits of reducing emissions and take aim at the report's conclusion that quick action could stabilize greenhouse gas levels, limiting the temperature rise to 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit).

The comments from the U.S. and China are a precursor to what delegates expect will be a fight for much of the week to preserve the key conclusions in the draft IPCC report, which says greenhouse gas emissions can be quickly cut below current levels if the world shifts away from fuels like coal, invests in energy efficiency and reforms the agriculture sector.

The report was prepared by hundreds of researchers from around the world and independently reviewed by their peers.

A spokeswoman for the U.S. delegation declined to discuss the American position until the draft report is finalized Friday.

Two previous IPCC reports this year painted a dire picture of a future in which unabated greenhouse gas emissions could drive global temperatures up as much as 6 degrees C (11 degrees F) by 2100. Even a 2 degree C (3.6 degree F) rise could subject up to 2 billion people to water shortages by 2050 and threaten extinction for 20 percent to 30 percent of the world's species, the IPCC said.

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The United Arab Emirates is still sitting on huge reserves of oil and natural gas, but now the Gulf federation plans to harness yet another of its abundant natural resources - the year-round sunshine. In the vast desert surrounding the capital, Abu Dhabi, the authorities are planning to spread arrays of solar panels to transform the blazing sun into energy. The plan may be expensive, but the handsome surpluses currently earned from oil revenues can cover the cost.

"In the UAE today we do not suffer from a lack of energy security, but we never want to suffer from it," said Sultan al-Jaber, chief executive officer of the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (ADFEC).

"We are thinking ahead of ourselves," he told AFP in an interview as he explained ADFEC's initiative to develop alternative energy - branded Masdar, or "source" in Arabic.
The government-backed initiative is ambitious, aimed not only at generating solar power but also at luring major manufacturers to produce the required technology locally.
Jaber describes the Masdar initiative as a whole new economic sector fully dedicated to alternative energy, which will also have a positive impact on the emirate's economy.
Abu Dhabi sits on most of the UAE's oil and gas reserves, ranked respectively as fifth and fourth in the world. Proven oil reserves on their own are expected to last for another 150 years. But like most oil-producing countries, the UAE also wants to diversify its economy in order to ease its traditional economic dependency on oil.
The idea of solar power has also appealed to the ruler of neighboring Dubai, Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid al-Maktoum, who said this month that solar technology is the "best renewable option [for Dubai] going forward." The booming city-state, which unlike Abu Dhabi has dwindling oil wealth, faces a surging demand for energy to power its rapid economic development.
Such "green" talk brings wide grins to the faces of environmental activists.

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The average person in the countries listed below puts more demand on the global ecosystem than any other, giving these countries the world's largest per-capita "ecological footprint", WWF data shows.

Here is the top 5 most polluting countries on Earth:

1. Qatar
2. UAE
3. Kuwait
4. Bahrain
5. USA

Of course Bahrain's population is small compared to all the other countries on the list, so the total contribution is relatively little. Still, let's hope Bahrain will drop off the top 10 list soon. Every one of us can do something to help it.

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This is an interesting action to bring awareness to the exhaust emissions of the growing number of cars in China. Of course this same issue applies to Bahrain as well. The text on the balloon reads:

Drive one day less and look how much carbon monoxide you'll keep out of the air we breathe.

Avoid cruising around for no reason. Organize a car pool to work. Take a walk. Use public transport.

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We have implemented some new features on Green Bahrain.

Most importantly if you look at your account you will see the number of your Earth points. Currently everybody has zero, but here is how you can gain points. This is our small reward for all the work you do on this site for the cause.

• 1 Earth point for inviting a user. See the invite link in your left sidebar as Invite your friends and collegues.
• 15 Earth points when invited user registers, as it is crucial to have as many members interested in the cause as possible.
• 2 Earth points for posting a Forum topic. Under Create content link in your left sidebar.
• 3 Earth points for posting a Image. Under Create content link in your left sidebar.
• 4 Earth points for posting a Tip. Under Create content link in your left sidebar.
• 1 Earth point for posting a comment.

You can also be easily notified by new content posted on the by going to your account and clicking the My notification settings tab and setting up how detailed you want your notification emails to be. Thank you for setting it up!

Finally, you now have to possibility to add buddies within the site. Every invited user will automatically becomes your buddy.

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Welcome to our website and Happy Earth Day!

Greet your family, friends and colleagues with Happy Earth Day on the 22nd of April. Celebrate Earth Day together.

Today, to mark the occasion and rooting the continuity of the Earth Day celebration, Reef takes the first step to a greener environment by planting a seed for every unique visitor to www.greenbahrain.com. Together there is a lot we can do, so let’s join forces on the journey to a sustainable future for Bahrain.

Bookmark this site and check back often. Find out what this initiative is about, and what we can do together.

As a first step, register and drop a comment here to show your support!

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05/03/2007 Bahrain

Bahrain’s Prime Minister Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman al Khalifa today won a United Nations award for his efforts in improving the lot of the urban poor.

UN-HABITAT, which is mandated to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all, gave Sheikh Khalifa the 2006 Special Citation of the Habitat Scroll of Honour Award for his “impressive efforts in lifting the living standards of all Bahrainis through an active focus on poverty alleviation and modernization while preserving the cultural heritage” of his country.

“UN-HABITAT applauds your efforts to place the urban poor at the centre of the modernization strategy for the Kingdomof Bahrain,” the Executive Director, Mrs. Anna Tibaijuka said in a letter delivered by a delegation in Manama, the capital.

She praised Bahrain’s effort under Sheikh Khalifa’s leadership to increase the supply of housing units for citizens with very low incomes since 1971.

“UN-HABITAT further appreciates your commitment to participatory urban governance, in particular your role in introducing directly-elected municipal councils and promoting citizen participation in decision making for the planning and management of cities,” she said.

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Carbon dioxide and other gases warm the surface of the planet naturally by trapping solar heat in the atmosphere. This is a good thing because it keeps our planet habitable. However, by burning fossil fuels such as coal, gas and oil and clearing forests we have dramatically increased the amount of carbon dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere and temperatures are rising.

The vast majority of scientists agree that global warming is real, it’s already happening and that it is the result of our activities and not a natural occurrence.1 The evidence is overwhelming and undeniable.

We’re already seeing changes. Glaciers are melting, plants and animals are being forced from their habitat, and the number of severe storms and droughts is increasing.

1. The number of Category 4 and 5 hurricanes has almost doubled in the last 30 years.
2. Malaria has spread to higher altitudes in places like the Colombian Andes, 7,000 feet above sea level.
3. The flow of ice from glaciers in Greenland has more than doubled over the past decade.
4. At least 279 species of plants and animals are already responding to global warming, moving closer to the poles.
5. If the warming continues, we can expect catastrophic consequences.
6. Deaths from global warming will double in just 25 years -- to 300,000 people a year.
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The world is running out of water and needs a radical plan to tackle shortages that threaten the ability of humanity to feed itself, according to Jeffrey Sachs, director of the UN's Millennium Project.

Professor Sachs, who is credited with sparking pop star Bono's crusade for African development, told an environment conference in Delhi that the world simply had "no more rivers to take water from".

The breadbaskets of India and China were facing severe water shortages and neither Asian giant could use the same strategies for increasing food production that has fed millions in the last few decades.

"In 2050 we will have 9 billion people and average income will be four times what it is today. India and China have been able to feed their populations because they use water in an unsustainable way. That is no longer possible," he said.

Since Asia's green revolution, which began in the 1960s and saw a transformation of agricultural production, the amount of land under irrigation has tripled. However, many parts of the continent have reached the limits of their water supplies. "The Ganges [in India] and the Yellow river [in China] no longer flow. There is so much silting up and water extraction upstream they are pretty stagnant," said Prof Sachs.

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