As the millennium
approaches, the bleakest diagnosis yet about the health of planet Earth has
been delivered in a vital UN report called The Global Environmental Outlook
2000. The report states that time has already run out for many fragile habitats
like the rainforests and within 25 years two thirds of the worlds population
will not have access to safe water because of drought or pollution. The crisis
will only deepen as the worlds population soars from around 6 billion today to
nearly nine billion within 50 years. The UN agencies warn that the Third World
is being ground down by poverty while the greed of western consumers is
continuing to rape the planet and that time for a rational, well-planned
transition to a sustainable system is running out fast, in some areas it has
already run out; full scale emergencies now exist in a number of fields. The
world water cycle seems unlikely
 to be able to cope with demands in the coming decades and the
panel warns that in Africa, Asia and the Middle East disputes over water
sources could provoke wars in the future. A quarter of the worlds mammals and
11% of it's birds face risk of extinction, more than half the world's coral
reefs are threatened, while tropical forest destruction "has gone too far
to prevent irreversible damage" The UN panel warned governments and
big-business that the emergency required urgent and radical action and
"Friends of the Earth" say that this vital UN report is a wake-up
call to the world, GEO2OOO,they say, proves that we are literally destroying
life on Earth.
You can do your bit to help stop this destruction. We in Britain are some
of the worse water wasters in the world. We flush away two and a half times the
volume of Wembley Stadium every day, that's enough to supply a city like
Birmingham with water for more than a week. The water Companies have reduced
 leakage's by over 25% in the last 3 years and you could
help by fitting a device called a HOG in your WC cistern which reduces the
amount of water used in each flush by two pints. If you have a water meter it
will also cut your water bills. What is more you may still be able to get some
free from the Daily Express who were recently offering two free ones per
household just by ringing 0345-868686. When the Queen had them fitted in
Buckingham Palace she cut her water bills by 66%. She dubbed it The Royal
Flush.
During the early part of November beaches along the east side of Mounts Bay
from Marazion to Porthleven became polluted by material rolled into sandy balls
ranging in size from Peas to Potatoes. The Environmental Agency analysts
believed it to be hydraulic fluid which had become emulsified in contact with
sea water and was said to be non-toxic, and believed to have come from a wreck.
A pod of 20 or more Common Dolphins were seen in a high speed chase after
fish 2 miles off Tater-du at noon on Monday 15th November. Many were jumping
high out of the water as they went, and were reported as being no more than
about 4ft long. Another pod of about a dozen Common Dolphins were leaping about
all day at Trevanaunce Cove, St.Agnes on the 6th.
2 Pilot Whales were seen close to the Wolf Rock on Sat. 13th November, and 40 By-the Wind-Sailors were found at Sennen. These little blue
jellyfish sometimes get washed up in large numbers. The only Bottlenose Dolphin
sightings were 3 at the mouth of the River Yealm ,South Devon on the 10th' 3 at
Polzeath on the 19th and 3 at Porthscatho on the 22nd, if these were the same
dolphins they were moving from place to place very quickly. Another 8 dead Grey
Seals have been found on Cornish beaches during the month, and also the carcass
of a Leatherback Turtle. |
