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Evironmental Issues
Global warming is the increase in the average temperature of the Earth's near-surface air and oceans since the mid-twentieth century and its projected continuation.
Climate Change refers to the result of human activities, especially the buildup of Greenhouse Gases, such as carbon dioxide and nitric oxide, which result from the consumption of fossil fuels for heating, travel, and the production of chemicals and plastics.
Air pollution is due to human influences that contaminate the air with chemicals, particulate matter, and biological matter. There are two types of air pollution:ozone (i.e., smog) and particulate matter (i.e., soot). Both types of air pollution pose health risks and environmental dangers to people, plants, and animals. Ozone is an invisible gas that vapors emitted from fuel (e.g., cars, trucks, factories, power plants) interacts with sunlight.
Water pollution is a large set of adverse effects upon bodies of water such as lakes, rivers, oceans, and groundwater caused by human activities. Water pollution has many causes and characteristics. Natural phenomena such as volcanoes, algae blooms, storms, earthquakes, runoff, decay of vegetation and oil seeps can cause changes in water quality and the ecological status of water.
A Carbon Footprint is a measure of the impact human activities have on the environment in terms of the amount of Greenhouse gases produced, measured in units of carbon dioxide. It is meant to be useful for individuals and organizations to conceptualize their personal (or organizational) impact in contributing to global warming. In addition, the burning of fossil fuels adds large amounts of pollution into our breathing air.
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Introducing Africa Environmental Watch
By Patrick Nimely-Sie Tuon Editor/Publisher
AEW will become the umbrella organization for various African environmental groups, including LEW. At a recent held environmental briefing during which this ambitious environmental crusade was revealed, LEW Executive Director, now the Executive Director for AEW, Mr. Morris Koffa, said that many of the environmental problems found in Liberia are common to those found in other African countries. And knowing the domino effect many of these problems have, Liberia will still be unsafe if other African countries continue to face environmental troubles.
The idea of setting up an environmental umbrella organization was made possible after many consultations with environmental conscious citizens from other African countries who overwhelmingly welcome the idea and are anxious to join the ranks of this new Pan-African environmental adventure. Adding to the consultations was also research conducted and led by the LEW Board of Directors, headed by Dr. Dougbeh C. Nyan. In a release announcing the formation of Africa Environmental Watch, it was revealed that all the various concepts and approaches that were developed under LEW will be greatly expanded under AEW. The statement said that the idea to form Africa Environmental Watch “was borne out of the need to have an umbrella organization for Africa that will advocate concerns of the environmental problems confronting Africa”.
LEW, along with other environmental organizations, according to the statement, in other African countries, will serve as independent functional subsets under Africa Environmental Watch, Inc. It is important to note that the formation of AEW will in no will overshadowed LEW, but rather link LEW with other African environmental groups under this new environmental tent. With erosion, deforestation, chemical spills, industrial pollution, and other environmental hazards threatening the continent of Africa and its peoples, AEW intends to highlights these potential environmental threats during its up coming conference scheduled for November 21 -22, 2008. Many of the topics that will be discussed at the conference will be carefully crafted as to capture and reveal Africa’s current environmental conditions.
One of LEW’s models or concepts that AEW will be expanding on is environmental education based on the grassroots and community levels. Environmental education campaigns are emerging as one of the effective ways the issues of the environment are spilled into mainstream discussions which in turn find their way into the policy making process. The issues of the environment are issues that are not voluntarily discussed or brought up by the powers to be. But environmental education campaigns from the grassroots and community levels where the people who are concerned and directly affective are involved make it impossible for policy makers to ignore. During the LEW briefing, the idea of green politics in Africa came up that involves the creation of environmental conscious political parties across the African continent. It is believed by having environmental conscious politicians strategically placed in the policy making processes, the issues of the environmental will always be on the front burner. |
Major International Treaties On The Environement
Kyoto Treaty: Signed In Japan December of 1997.
Montreal protocol: Signed September 16, 1987 in Montreal, Canada
US Clean Air Act of 1990, 1970, 1966 and 1963
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Recognizing the shared environmental misfortunes among countries on the African continent, the Liberia Environmental Watch, or LEW, that has its lenses focusing entirely on the Republic of Liberia, will now become part of what is now known as Africa Environmental Watch, or AEW, with the sole purpose of taking on the African continent environmental woos head on collectively with other African environmental groups under a new emerging concept “leave no country behind” when it comes to the environment. 