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The conference welcomes young people from all over the world to contribute to the subject of Climate Change and Sustainable Development.
Video webcast of the conference
The conference consisted of plenary sessions with experts regarding the effects of climate change, such as:The plenary sessions were complemented by workshops on various topics, such as:
The workshops covered different topics such as:
Message from Jean-Paul Moka:
Here is a 10 minutes movie clip summarizing some of the events of the conference:
^ For a limited time only, you can purchase an ecologic ICE-WATCH that will allow WeForest to plant 100 trees! More information on their website.
THE COVE is captivating hearts and audiences from Sundance to Silverdocs and also just won the Academy Award® for Best Documentary of 2009. The movie follows an elite team of activists led by renowned former dolphin trainer Ric O’Barry as they use ultramodern equipment to infiltrate a secret cove near Taijii, Japan where they expose both a shocking instance of animal abuse and a serious threat to human health.
Throughout human history, dolphins have been seen in a very positive and romantic light. They are considered a sort of human soul mate, as companions and protectors who unselfishly step in the way of impending danger, as bearers of goodwill. Many tales of seafarers being rescued by dolphins join historical accounts in literature, myths and legends such as the depiction of dolphins as Poseidon’s messengers or as sacred symbols to both Aphrodite and Apollo.
Today, in the 21st century, mankind seems to mistakenly express the deserved respect and admiration which dolphins would deserve.
copyright (Elsa Nature Conservancy or EIA)
These days, humans keep these exceptional mammals captive and trained for trivial show, naval exercises, petting zoos and other self-serving practices. Dolphins not in captivity suffer being hunted for their meat or for the sake of rituals. Above all, they suffer tremendously under the pressure of global development, the unsustainable use of our natural resources and resulting levels of pollution. The high levels of mercury poison their systems causing infection, disease and birth defects. As a consequence, many die too young to mate and so, the dwindling count of dolphin population continues to spiral downward. Wouldn’t you say the time has come for humans to give back?
One person who is giving back is Ric O'Barry. O' Barry was once a dolphin trainer and worked with the five dolphins that stared as "flipper" in the hit television series of the same name. The more he discovered about the intelligent species, the less comfortable he felt about training them and keeping them penned. As Kathy, one of the dolphins starring as "flipper" had been showing signs of depression for weeks, she swam into O'Barrys arms one day, opened her blowhole to take a breath and never took another. O'Barry felt as if the dolphin had committed suicide. Unlike other land-dwelling mammals, dolphins have the ability to actually choose whether to breathe or not. This incident affected him so deeply that it turned his life around; he took it as a sign that things must change. Since then O'Barry has been living the life of a passionate activist whose aim it is to put an end to the dolphin captivity industry, an industry he had once been a part of establishing.
copyright (Elsa Nature Conservancy or EIA)
While pursuing his mission to raise awareness about the freedom and well-being of dolphins he came upon what was known as the secret cove in Taijii, Japan, a cover where over 20'000 dolphins are being slaughtered each year. The reality of this nightmare was shocking. The depth of what it entailed was scandalous. For O’Barry it was clear that he must expose this cruel reality and unveil the truth to misled citizens and consumers.
copyright (Elsa Nature Conservancy or EIA)
With the help of the Oceanic Preservation Society OPS and by incorporating a team of elite activists, filmmakers and divers, O’Barry began an immensely important secret mission; to penetrate the remote and hidden cove and document the events on film. Using absolute state of the art techniques, including underwater microphones and high-definition cameras disguised as rocks, they began to shine a light on the dark and deadly secrets hidden in a seaside village of Japan. The film is a blend of investigative journalism and stunning imagery. It provokes discussion and debate, rage and pity. Most important of all, it is an unforgettable documentary which has moved audiences worldwide to action.
This captivating documentary not only exposes the yearly slaughter of dolphins and porpoises off the coast of Japan but also exposes how the dolphin meat, which contains toxic levels of mercury, is being sold as whale meat in Japan and other parts of Asia, unbeknownst to the consumer; a fat profit for people in power and businesses.
Did you know that 95% of all absorbed mercury is a result of pollution created by coal-fired power plants? More reason to consider how alternative sources of energy, living green and protecting the environment, goes hand-in-hand with the well-being of all living things on our planet.
By creating, preserving and defending laws against dolphin poaching and hunting and by promoting ecologically sustainable human development across the planet, dolphins could be saved from being more than just figures in myth or legend. See “The Cove”, get inspired, take action!
- Tina Masafret
Please download „Cruel Heart“ from iTunes. The song is a heartfelt gift written by Rick Laine and published by Ocean Care (www.oceancare.org). Proceeds go towards the campaign to save dolphins from slaughter in Taiji, Japan! |
The multiple award winning documentary „THE COVE“ is now available on DVD. Please visitwww.thecovemovie.com for further information. |
The „Save Japan Dolphins Coalition“ is an international marine mammal project program dedicated to ending the cruel slaughter of dolphins in Taiji. The Swiss organisation „Ocean Care“ as well as many other animal rights groups have joined Ric O’Barry in this fight against the cruel mistreatment of dolphins. We ask you to please join the campaign and to remember that everbody can help! |
The Endangered Essence of Life
Water is a clear, colorless liquid. It is everywhere; underground and above, in people, in air, in lakes, in flowing rivers and ice. And yet, it is running out.
The Aral Sea, in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, is expected to disappear in 15 years, the 
Great Lakes, in Canada, are being acidified daily, the Sea of Galilee, in Israel, can be walked on, Lake Chad, in Africa, is reduced to 5% its former size, the Colorado River, in America, no longer reaches the sea and neither does the Yellow River in China.
As these seas shrink and lakes disappear, the UN has warned that by 2025 two out of every three people in the world will be facing water shortages.
Why Are Our Taps Running Dry?
The main cause is that although there is a lot of water, it is finite. And people are not. The population escalates and with it, the demand for freshwater.
Climate change has an effect too; temperatures are increasing as well as evaporation resulting to more droughts, floods and storms.
Large scaled irrigation, production of energy, war, tourism and trade all play a part in water shortages.
Perhaps if companies that cut down parts of forests knew how horrible the result of continuous deforestation is, they would be more sparing of the trees. A limit to the number of square kilometres of trees that are cut down by each company per year could be set to keep the level of deforestation under control.
What Can You Do?
In order for the trees to be saved, people all over the world must realize how close we are to losing our wood and oxygen supply. Posters, fliers, and public demonstrations could influence people to take part in saving forests all over the world.
Teachers could be convinced to educate their students about the danger of deforestation so children all over the world would grow up being aware that deforestation is deadly.
The planet depends on the young people of today. Children cannot sit back and watch the world be destroyed. Deforestation must be stopped, or there will be no future.
Maya Grodman, 14, Sweden/USA,
College du Léman, Switzerland
Bananas were first mentioned in the year 600 BC in a Buddhist text.
Alexander the Great went to the Indian valleys where he found a strange plant that had yellow moon shaped item on it. He picked one of them and tasted a banana for the very first time. (Do you think he ate the skin too?).
Alexander thought that it was delicious and picked some to take back home with him. Everyone thought that they were wonderful so they kept on eating them.
Later on they found out that bananas are not fruit or vegetable.Bananas are part of the herb family, the Musacae which is a cousin of the orchid. They do not grow on trees. The plant has a palm-like aspect and has large leaves with overlapping bases that look like a trunk.
