Abstracts of New Working Group Groups for Phase Three 2010 (more are anticipated)

Enhanced Ecologically-Oriented Renewable Energy Program for Sustainable Development:  Main coordinators/editors: Francis C W Fung, Ph.D., World Harmony Organization, and   Richard Jordan, Chairman of the 60th UN DPI/NGO Conference on Climate Change.

 This chapter will be based on SCIENCE in service to solutions for energy production for sustainable development.

ABSTRACT

• Small scale energy projects that respect biodiversity while maximizing the positive forces of nature will not only be a positive solution to the challenge of climate change, such projects will also be able to be used in disaster relief programs in the face of rebuilding efforts.
• New technologies must be invented or developed to minimize the harmful effects to nature, including landscape, birds and marine biology, in exploitation of wind, hydro and wave energy.  Following are suggested enhanced ecology-oriented ideas for small appropriate wind and hydro power plants.
• The use of omni-directional vertical turbine, venturi-housing designs can have protective covers for the wind inlets, thus ensuring that bird species are protected.
• Instead of direct use of hydro power by allowing water and marine micro organisms through the turbine generators, water can be diverted through hydraulic air entrainment compressors, without going through moving turbines, for usable power.  Marine life is not destroyed.  The tail water after aeration is beneficial for irrigation and fish farming as well.
• Most of all, compared to conventional hydro power plants, small compressed air hydro power plants are much easier to manipulate than direct hydro power plants, thus minimizing disturbance to the landscape by dams.
• A system of small scale Hydraulic Air Compressor Generators (HACG) can be distributed along a river or around a body of water.  With the aerated tail water not forced through the vigor of the generator turbine, returning to the reservoirs or rivers down stream, the need for building large scale dams is not necessary.
• In conclusion, if humans and nature work in harmony with each other, the impacts of projects built by systems engineers who understand the need to work with nature rather than against it will be the order of the day in the near future.
• A menu of renewable energy technologies will truly lead to sustainable energy production.

• This chapter will deal not only with the technical solutions for using clean energy; this chapter will also deal with the philosophical foundations underlying the reasons for such work.
• To implement new technical solutions, we propose that the United Nations Energy Group immediately initiate a GENEI (Green Energy Inventions) Depository for selected appropriate technology for commercialization, available to all nations.

Climate Change Education:

Coordinators/Editors: Moki Kokoris, MN, DPI/NGO Representative for the World Federation of Ukrainian Women’s Organizations and founder of 90-north.com, an outreach environmental education program, Email: Moki@cloud9.net, Nicole Rom, Executive Director of the Will Steger Foundation: http://www.willstegerfoundation.org, Email: nicole@willstegerfoundation.org,

Abby Fenton, Education Program Manager of the Global Warming 101 Initiative: http://globalwarming101.com , Email: abby@willstegerfoundation.org   

As we look ahead to 2009 and beyond, we take stock of a changing political climate, a shrinking window of opportunity to make the changes needed to slow global warming, and a growing population of new voters and policy makers coming of age. We believe the time is critical to engage our young citizens in global warming education and solutions. In contrast to the grim reality of global warming, young climate activists are a beacon of hope. They are as diverse as they are many and are building momentum for significant local, national, and international climate change policy reform. 

Mission Philosophy: EDUCATE = INSPIRE = EMPOWER 

The ultimate goal of environmental education is to influence the attitudes, affect the behavior of learners to promote responsible environmental stewardship, and help foster a new understanding and respect for the planet. Traditional thinking has been that as people become more knowledgeable about the environment and its associated issues, their behavior will change.

 This chapter’s objective is to:  

§  support educators around the world with authentic, relevant climate change education resources and distance-learning programs,

§  engage society’s emerging leaders in finding new and unique global warming solutions,

§  empower youth to believe they can influence policy decisions,

§  inspire millions through media coverage and by partnering with government, industry, and faith organizations to reach thousands more across the globe,

§  work toward changing the actions of people, industry, and governments worldwide by directly engaging decision-makers, and

§  help establish programs that provide an international platform for further education, discussion and civic engagement.

The fundamental edict is that human beings are not distinct from nature but are a part of it.

Climate Change & The Oceans: 

Coordinator/Editor: David W. Randle - Managing Director for the Waves of Change campaign of the International Ocean Institute, an international organization headquartered in Malta with 26 operational centers around  the world.  Director of the WHALE Center and along with Dr. Noel Brown, former director of UNEP/RONA, co-facilitator the Global Healing Initiative. 

(see: www.globalhealing.net) 

Climate Change has several significant impacts on the oceans.  Some of the key issues this chapter will address include but are not limited to: 

o    Ocean Acidification:  This is one of the greatest threats to the health of the oceans and threatens the very foundation of all ocean life.  Increased carbon emissions has raised the acidification so we are now past the healthy point and moving toward the tipping point.

o    Sea Level Rise:  Sea level rise threatens a variety of ecosystem habitat including wetlands, estuaries, coastal habitat for marine mammals, and submersion of small islands.

o    Bleaching of Coral Reefs:  Impacts from climate change could wipe out most of the coral reefs of the world that would also lead to some species extinction.

o    Hurricanes:  Science is still debating whether there will be more frequent hurricanes due to climate change.  What is generally agreed upon though is that the hurricanes in the future are likely to be more powerful due to the warmer waters that climate change will produce.

o    Change in Ocean Currents:  Potential change in ocean currents would not only disrupt existing trade routes but potentially have dire harm through change in weather patterns, temperature changes,  and may accelerate sea level rise.

o    Impacts on Marine Food Security:  Fifty percent of the world’s protein comes from fisheries.  Degradation and destruction of habitat threaten to remove the security of one of the world’s primary food sources.