The
Other World
Oceans and seas represent an
endless mystery. Their waters cover most of the planet
and provide 99
percent of the inhabitable space for living beings
- in other words, plants and animals - in a world
that we, perhaps ironically, call 'Earth.'
On Earth, or land, coastlines
represent a frontier to the great beyond that is only
partially known, where deep-sea explorations pose
as many challenges as those of outer space as humans
seek knowledge and opportunity. Science assures us
that life first formed in the oceans, and some visionaries
believe it is in the oceans that we will find the
key to humanity's future - for starters, as a provider
of resources.
Oceans are usually associated
with enormity, given their dimensions and the stunning
biodiversity they hold in their saline waters. Nevertheless,
they face grave threats. Their chief enemies are pollution
and over-exploitation through activities that originate
on land.
The relationship of our civilization
with the oceans is marked by their unavoidable presence
in our lives, the center of numerous human activities,
and of many cultures, vocabularies and adventures.
And now also because of the initiatives to defend
the quality of the environment.
The planet, according to human
geography, has three oceans and 18
seas, each with a regionally defined vocation.
''The sea unites nations instead of dividing them,''
affirms the executive director of the United Nations
Environment Program (UNEP), Klaus Topfer, referring
to the need to work
together to prevent their degradation.
Those who want to navigate the
oceans, but via the Internet, can embark on an adventure
through the following websites,
surfing the fascinating world of water and learning
about the urgent need to prevent its destruction.
Ocean
Planet, Smithsonian Institute
Inter-Governmental
Oceanography Commission, UNESCO
International
Year of the Ocean - 1998
Regional
Seas, United Nations Environment Program
Global
Program of Action for the Protection of the Marine
Environment (UNEP)
Ocean
Information Sources
The
Oceans as Seen from Space
Ocean
Information Center
Ocean
Pilot (directory), UNESCO
Tsunami
Temperatures
Rising
When we try to conceptualize
''the greenhouse effect'' we can think about it like
this: a layer of gases that envelopes the Earth's
atmosphere and traps the energy emitted by the planet.
It is a natural phenomenon, but a new reality has
become evident over the last few decades - the greenhouse
effect has gone beyond its normal parameters because
of human activity.
The emission of greenhouse gases
can be attributed to naturally occurring fires or
volcanic eruptions. But in the 20th century the major
source has been the combustion processes created by
our civilization, largely those involving the burning
of fossil fuels, whether by factories or automobiles.
The problem with an abnormal
greenhouse effect is that it leads to planetary climate
change, in our case global warming. Scientists
predict temperature variations that may seem minimal
- a few degrees Celsius - but they are enough to gravely
damage the Earth's ecosystems.
This phenomenon has triggered
worldwide alarm. The nations of the world have been
convened to take an active role in a United Nations-sponsored
Framework Convention
on Climate Change, and to sign the Kyoto
Protocol, an agreement intended to counteract
the greenhouse effect and its potentially devastating
consequences.
Industrialized countries, which
are the principal energy consumers, are being asked
to take the lead in curbing greenhouse gas
emissions.
The executive director of the
United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), Klaus Topfer,
has stated that the greatest threat confronting humanity
today is that our economic activities are causing
global warming.
Some of the consequences scientists
predict are the melting of polar ice caps, rising
sea levels, and even the disappearance or massive
migration of species. And some of these ''symptoms''
are already evident.
Tierramérica:
Climate Change
Map
of greenhouse gas emissions
UNEP.net
explains the greenhouse effect and climate change
Convention
on Climate Change - Official Site
Kyoto
Protocol
What
is the greenhouse effect?
Cattle
also contribute to global warming
Enormous
Family
Insects are the most abundant
of living beings on the planet. There are approximately
two million known species, and they are found everywhere:
warm climates, cold climates, in the soil, in the
air… And now they also abound on the Internet.
Their origins date back to the
beginning of life, more than 300 million years ago,
before the dinosaurs, and of course a long time before
humans evolved! And, according to a widely held and
extensively studied belief, insects will survive humans
if the Earth's biological conditions are drastically
changed.
There are many tiny beings that
are categorized under the term ''bugs,'' but not all
are insects. There is one way of identifying insects
beyond all doubt: they have six legs. Their cousins,
the spiders, meanwhile, have eight.
Insects are the subject of study
in a branch of science known as ''entomology,'' and
their great abundance and variety has led to several
fields of research and even a specialized vocabulary.
In their minute world, insects are capable of great
feats of strength and speed.
Though we are living in high-tech
times, interest in insects, their structure and behavior
seems limitless. There are more and more channels
for understanding them, even in 3-D! Many websites
exist that attract cybernauts and collectors alike,
in addition to the expert entomologists.
Insect
Portal
Insects
Break All Records!
Insect
Websites on Yahoo!
Get
to Know Bugs
Insects
in 3-D
What
is an Insect?
Smoke
and Fog
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