Road To Avabodha

(Source: yobaba)

theweekmagazine:

Has mankind outgrown Earth?

A new report from the World Wildlife Fund says we’re gobbling up the planet’s resources at such an alarming rate that by 2030, even a second Earth wouldn’t be enough to sustain us

Which resources are we depleting?
Renewables like fish, water, timber, and food are being used up much faster than previously thought. According to experts, mankind’s “ecological footprint” is now over 50 percent higher than it was in 2008, meaning it takes 1.5 years for Earth to regenerate the natural resources we use up annually. 

Why is our ecological footprint growing?
The world’s population, which according to the U.N. surpassed 7 billion last October, is getting too big, and the average individual is using more than he or she needs. “The excessive demands that we are putting on the planet will inevitably lead to acute water shortages, a chronic food crisis, and rising prices for energy, metals, and minerals,” says Robert Walker at the Huffington Post.

Keep reading

emoseman:

Tibetan Nomad with Motorcycle, U-Tsang Tibet (TAR) September 2011

Please help support the continuation of my project by visiting my Kickstarter campaign at: http://kck.st/JGemQE 

stopkillingourworld:

offgriddesign:

A report by the Royal Society in London  backs the notion that humanity has already moved beyond “safe” planetary boundaries on biodiversity loss, climate change and the nitrogen cycle, risking severe impacts in the future.

Now this is interesting!  I’m a little surprised it isn’t worse. 

(via BBC News - ‘Huge’ water resource exists under Africa)

“Scientists say the notoriously dry continent of Africa is sitting on a vast reservoir of groundwater. They argue that the total volume of water in aquifers underground is 100 times the amount found on the surface. The team have produced the most detailed map yet of the scale and potential of this hidden resource. Writing in the journal Environmental Research Letters, they stress that large scale drilling might not be the best way of increasing water supplies. Across Africa more than 300 million people are said not to have access to safe drinking water….”

tedx:

During a workshop on creating a TEDx manifesto, attendees face the difficulty of defining something so ineffable: “What makes the TEDx community so strong is the shared gut understanding that’s already there, about the manifesto, about what TEDx is.” They concluded with five items, including this mission statement: “Our mission is to spread ideas that will inspire people to improve society.”

While discussing TEDx tools for the developing world, Kelo Kubu from TEDxSoweto points out that high production value, like that at TED, does not always translate across cultures. A luxurious venue or too smooth an operation can actually work against the mission in some communities; people become distracted from the ideas and instead focus on the “WOW,” or wonder how they can exploit the host organization. As Kelo says, “Don’t bring things into the community that don’t fit there! When you bring people into an environment where they don’t feel they belong, they don’t feel comfortable enough to share.” Sometimes plastic chairs do it best.

In a workshop on hosting an event in a “complicated region,” Yahay Alabdeli from TEDxBaghdad reflects on the precariousness of cooperating with a government sponsor in a country like Iraq. He jokes (with seriousness), “Get EVERYTHING on paper. No ‘inshallah’” — before urging attendees of the workshop to really ask themselves if they want to hold a TEDx event in their native countries, where they may be perceived in the wrong light. As TEDxAnnaba’s Mehdi Dib puts it, “Here, we are perceived as thinkers; but in our countries, we are perceived as activists.”