Volcanic eruptions on PNG’s Ritter Island have caused widespread panic of another Tsunami for the region in less than a month.  Locals reported loud rumbling, violent shaking, smoke clouds, a rise in the sea level  and wave surges following the eruption. 

“1 500 to 2 000 people have fled to higher ground in fear,” said Morobe Province disaster and emergency director Roy Kamen. 

 Aftershocks measured 5.0 on the Richter Scale.  ”Minor eruptions occurred on the 140m high uninhabited Ritter Island in 1972 and 1974. In 1888 half the island collapsed in an eruption that triggered massive tsunamis that claimed an estimated 3000 lives on surrounding islands and the PNG mainland“.

There have been no reports of casualties yet, however four houses and a boat have been destroyed by wave surges.

Being environmentally friendly is fast becoming the next trend to hit the streets.  New York models have been sporting bags that have the slogan “I am not a Plastic bag”.  Whilst most people want to say ‘Darrrr!’, the trend although stating the obvious, is helping the environment. 

“I’m Not A Plastic Bag”

It is now becoming popular to drive eco-friendly cars like Arnold Schwarzenegger and his hydrogen powered Hummer

(after-all if its good enough for the Terminator turned Govenator then it’s good enough for me!). 

 Talking about celebrities making a difference to the environment.  Bono and his wife have just launched their own eco-friendly clothing line, Edun.  Edun uses 100% organic materials and is providing Africans with trade, not aid (i.e. by providing jobs with fair income, poor African villages are able to build better communities themselves through the funds they have raised from Edun). 

Holidaying has also become a way of being environmentally trendy with Travel Agencies now offering trips that utilise less harmful forms of transport.  Did you know that greenhouse gas emissions from aircraft are almost three times as damaging to the atmosphere as emissions generated by land and sea transport?  They also have guides to travelling green and environment hot spots.  Hotels have stepped up to the environment trend and are not only providing their comfort rating in stars but also their eco or green rating.  Some hotels have gone to such lengths that they have recycled carpets, lead-free paints and energy-saving light bulbs. 

Looking to your future.  If you hear wedding bells and are looking at house plans then  think about throwing yourself an eco friendly wedding and building an eco friendly house.  How? Believe it or not there are thousands of websites and companies that have causght this green trend bug and have marketed it really well.  They are providing simple tips such as:

•  use organic foods

• have handwritten invitations on recycled paper (this cuts down on dangerous printer-cartridge landfill and helps reduce deforestation) or have place cards made from stamped stones

• plant and grow your own flowers

• and decorate your tables using bamboo or other potted plants.

Now for the environmentally friendly house…put in energy efficient lighting, a rain tank, get the new electronic windows that enable you to reflect or trap the sunlight and heat to reduce heating and cooling costs, insulate your house and install a revolutionary toilet!  Yep, you read correctly.  This new toilet isn’t on the market yet but contains a coating that reduces residual waste and bacteria (if it means less cleaning, then I’m in!!!)

You can also do your bit by Rockn’ at the Live Earth SOS party on 07/07/07 (to get your tickets…Click Here!)

Now test how green you are…(click here!)

http://www.one.org/

Rudd will implement the policy if elected in 2009.  It is estimated that if the project is fully undertaken greenhouse gas emissions will decrease by 15 million tonnes per year.   

The fierce monster in the movie “Jaws” gave the shark, a mysterious predator of the deep, a bad name and now the hunter is the hunted. 

Thanks to shark movies like “Jaws”, “Dark Water” etc people have become terrified to enter the water in fear they will be attacked or eaten by a shark.  The study of the effects of scary movies has mainly been concentrated on how these types of programs effect children, however in recent studies the effects on adults has been measured and the results profound.  Whilst many of these symptoms are minor, the fact is that these movies can have such an affect on an individual that they continue to  avoid the situations portrayed in the movies and/or demonise similar objects and characters into adulthood.  The effect of these movies and the unknown have added to the fear of sharks and allowed for the absent killing of these wonders of the sea.  What is highly amusing is that people don’t stay inside or avoid flowers because of bees or run screaming from coconut trees even though  more people die from bee stings and coconuts falling on their heads than from shark attacks .  What is not funny, but heart breaking, is that because of people’s fear of these creatures, the plummeting population numbers and brutal and wasteful killings are overlooked.  Some staggering statistics are:

• 100 million sharks are slaughtered each year with almost all of these killings for the shark fins

• Shark finning targets only 2 – 5 per cent of the shark’s body mass and wastes the remaining 95 per cent.
  (the picture below show what is used…)

•  Most shark fining occurs on-board with the fins being removed whilst the animal is still alive with a sharp blade.  The shark’s finless body is then dumped overboard and, being unable to swim, it drowns (as sharks need to swim forward to receive the oxygen from the water) or dies of starvation.  

Sharks go from this….

To this….  Shark fins sell for around $700US per kilo

To this…..  Shark fin soup.  The bowl below is worth around $100US

Hong Kong imports 70% of shark fins in the world and with it’s current economic boom the demand for shark fins is predicted to increase by 5% per year.  This, along with other human actions, will force a predator that has been around since the time of the dinosaur to become extinct in 7 to 10 years…unless we do something.

The dramatic decrease in shark populations are creating catastrophic results in marine ecosystems.  The loss of the apex predator is travelling down the food chain and is set to devastate the marine ecosystem. 

For more information have a look at my other blog entry “Don’t think DANGER, think ENDANGERED” and jump onto a few of these sites…they are both interesting and devastating!

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/12/061204123545.htm

http://www.sharkattacks.com/sharksvictims.htm

http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/sharks/innews/Aussiewhale2005.html

http://www.umich.edu/~urecord/9899/Mar29_99/9.htm

 http://www.greenpeace.org/australia/news-and-events/news/overfishing/shark-fin-mystery

 http://www.bite-back.com/sharks/index.html

Coral reef bleaching is caused by various anthropogenic and natural variations in the reef environment including sea temperature, solar irradiance, sedimentation, xenobiotics, subaerial exposure, inorganic nutrients, freshwater dilutionand epizootics.

To put itsimply, corals are highly sensitive organisms that are endangered by the effects of global warming.  The exacerbation in recent times of the exploitation of coral, overfishing, increased sedimentation (from soil erosion due to bad farming practices and industrialisation), nutrient overload (due to over fertilisation) and increased UV radiation from the growing hole in the Ozone layer have caused large amounts of coral to bleach itself.  Bleaching is coral’s way of reacting to stress.  Bleaching or paling of coral is due to the “breakdown of the symbiotic relationship between corals and unicellular algae (zooxanthellae)“.  Bleaching occurs because the zooxanthellate invertebrate’s population declines or when the photosynthetic pigments within the zooxanthellate decline.  

The effects of coral belaching are evident world wide.  The map blow shows the distribution of bleaching around the world. 

Regions where major coral reef bleaching events have taken place during the past 15 years.  Yellow spots indicate major bleaching events.

Coral Bleaching is not only affecting humans esthetically but is reducing food supplies for many island communities that depend on the health of the reefs for food (i.e. fish).

Fisheries and scallops to suffer from shark decline.  Shark populations are decreasing rapidly due to finning, pollution, the accidental catching of sharks in fish nets, anglers and by casual fishers (who may catch sharks by accident or on purpose). 

 You’re probably thinking that fishermen would love to see sharks become extinct as there would be more fish to catch…but you’re wrong!  Sharks play a vital role in maintaining the ocean ecosystem as the apex predator.  By removing them it allows other secondary predators to thrive which reduces populations of smaller fish, bottom dwellers and scallops.  Most of these secondary predators either like to eat the same fish as we do or eat the creatures that feed the fish we like to eat.  The decrease in sharks is already causing major consequences for the marine environment and will effect not only the animals and plants of the sea but also species that use the ocean, like humans.  Humans won’t be able to enjoy seafood platters, make a living off the ocean (through catching fish and other animals for food or for tourism, because there will be nothing to see) or just enjoy the sea (swimming, surfing etc). 

So next time you think of sharks don’t think “Danger” think “ENDANGERED”! 

http://whyfiles.org/shorties/229sharks_shellfish/

http://www.aaas.org/news/releases/2007/0330sharks.shtml

Here is a scholarly article:

http://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=decline+in+sharks+affecting+fisheries&hl=en&um=1&oi=scholart 

The effectiveness of the State Tsunami Emergency System was show when it was activated for the first time after the underwater earthquake near the Solomon Islands.  Amidst the success of the operation in warning citizens, accuracy was lacking due to the sparseness of motion sensors close to the Australian coast.  Increased sensors would enable more accurate predictions on the size, speed and location of these devastating waves.

 Although the alerts have been disregarded as “overkill” by many, I’m just happy to know that there are measures in place to protect Australians from disaster and that they work!

The development of a Tsunami 

 The people of the Solomon Islands aren’t out of the woods yet (both literally and figuratively).  Thirteen villages have been destroyed along with thousands of homes due to the Tsunami.  Whilst many islanders have sought refuge in camps and makeshift villages on higher ground there are still grave fears for their safety.  Humanitarians are concerned with the lack of food, drinking water, sanitation and shelter that is accessible to the 5400 islanders that have been left homeless. 

The relief effort is being made more difficult due to the damage to the country’s airfield and harbours.  Finding places to land and dock safely is just one of the issues facing the Solomon Islanders.  The supplies are insufficient and the natural water supplies are compromised due to salt water intrusion and landslides, caused by the tsunami and following earthquakes. 

The relief effort from Australia is on its way along with media crews to help in the recovery and clean up of the devastated region.

“At the moment people are getting hungry and most don’t have drinking water,” said Ruth Nuboa from the Solomon Natural Disaster Management Office.

The remoteness of many of the villages and the inability to communicate with these islands, because they are are still cut off from electricity is hindering the aid workers and officials in the relief effort.  These factors are continuing to leave large gaps in the estimated death toll and in attempts to gauge the devastation across the islands.

Intense fear of the sea and further Tsunamis is being fueled by scientists’ warnings and the 27 after-shocks and tremors, one reading 6.2 on the Richter Scale.   

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2007/04/03/1175366241354.html

http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/tsunami-survivors-head-for-hills/2007/04/03/1175366240208.html

http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/thousands-flounder-in-a-sea-of-devastation/2007/04/03/1175366240220.html

Here are some statistics of the Solomon Islands’ Tsunami:

• The quake was around 40 times weaker than the one that caused the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami
• The quake measured 8.1 on the Richter Scale
• The quake that caused the tsunami was 150km long and around 10km deep
• The quake raised 10 000 square km of the ocean floor by 2-3m
• Waves around 10m high hit Gizo (a city in the Solomon Islands)
• There was a 10cm wave reported at Port Kembla and a 22cm wave recorded at Cape Ferguson, near Townsville
• Currently 52 people are confirmed dead (but the toll is set to rise) and thousands are living in makeshift homes on higher ground

THOUSANDS of tourists were hauled off beaches, ferry services were suspended and a Manly school was evacuated – all for what… What do they mean ‘all for what’?  If the government hadn’t made such a fuss and a tsunami did occur on Australian shores what would the headlines be saying?  Thousands killed whilst government stayed quiet.  Unlike Dr Weatherly of Geoscience Australia, who believed that “Really, no action needed to be taken by the public at all,”  , I would rather the government be over cautious than cavalier when these kinds of natural disasters may be looming. 

This event however, cannot be classified as the “tsunami that wasn’t” even if the Mayor of Waverley believes this, as the tsunami did occur and it ravaged, killed and devastated many lives in the Solomons.  One can only ponder on the selfishness and narrow-mindedness of some people.  I am certain that the people of the Solomons would have loved to have the technology and the unnecessary alarms that the Australian public heard when their homes became watery graves and their islands submerged by rising waters.

Picture from original article (click for website)

Brisbane band Wolfmother is doing their bit for the environment.  Wolfmother are helping raise awareness on the affects humans have on the environment and is supporting Earth Hour by performing in Perth at the ‘West Coast Blues and Roots Festival’ which is using biodiesel and solar power for energy.  The event will be carbon neutral and is Wolfmother’s stepping stone into their second album.  The trio hope to produce the album using eco-friendly means.  Before this Wolfmother will be touring and will play at the Al Gore-backed Live Earth concert in July at Sydney.  The concert will be played simultaneously around the world to raise awareness for environmental change. 

Many rockers like Pearl Jam and Coldplay are leading the environmental change revolution by combating emissions produced from touring by supporting and implementing rainforest conservation. 

Do your bit for the planet and have a rockn’ time while you’re at it…

(click here for details and ticket info for Sydney’s Live Earth Concert)