The Philippines drastically impacted by drought

The Department of Agriculture’s Central Action Center (DACAC) has reported that El Niño-induced drought has caused the loss of more than 144,000 tons of corn and 56,000 tons of rice across 14 affected provinces.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has ordered water conservation measures as well as infrastructure improvements, while the Department of Agriculture is setting aside an aid package of US$19.1 million to assist farmers.

Moreover, due to low water levels of some hydroelectric dams, power shortages are also a concern. Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers go to all in the Philippines affected by these extreme conditions.

We pray for sustaining rains and a restored climate through humanity’s soon adoption of eco-friendly and compassionate lifestyles. As on many occasions, in a September 2009 climate change videoconference in Peru, Supreme Master Ching Hai reminded of the most effective way to return even dangerous conditions as these to balance.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Some countries and communities have to cope with worsened drought situations. There is not enough water to raise crops or even to drink. So how can we handle the mass migration of tens of millions of people all at once due to desertification, the rising sea levels or the permanent loss of crop fields?

The smartest way would be to stop the worsening of global warming by being vegan. It sounds very simple but it is the best solution, the most effective and the effect of it will be felt almost immediately.

The warming atmosphere, water shortage, food scarcity, desertification - we can quickly eliminate by stopping meat production. Stop it now, no further!

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20100219-254002/Isabela-farms-worst-hit-of-14-provinces
http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/244192/save-water-gma-orders
http://www.tribune.net.ph/nation/20100219nat1.html
http://www.silobreaker.com/northwest-farmers-feel-the-drought-5_2263241930831822884

Global warming and El Niño impacting South American monkeys

Wishing to better understand the impact of climate change on tropical monkeys, US scientists studied the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), the weather patterns that are worsening with global warming. They selected four representative species, all of which are highly threatened: the muriqui of Brazil,(Brachyteles hypoxanthus)
Colombia’s woolly monkey (Lagothrix lagotricha), Geoffroy's spider monkey in Panama,(Ateles geoffroyi) and the red howler monkey in Venezuela.

(Alouatta seniculus) Associate Professor of Biology, Dr. Eric Post (NFT: PhD) and Ecology graduate student Ms. Ruscena Wiederholt of Pennsylvania State University discovered that all four species showed a decline due to changes in fruit availability because of the extensive variations in climate associated with El Niño fluctuations.

Dr. Post stated, “El Niño events are expected to increase in frequency with global warming. This study suggests that the consequences of such intensification of ENSO could be devastating for several species of New World monkeys.” Their research will be published in the United Kingdom’s Royal Society journal, Biology Letters.

Many thanks, Dr. Post and Ms. Wiederholt for your important findings that highlight the harmful consequences of climate change on our primate relatives and co-inhabitants.Let us quickly adopt compassionate vegan lifestyles to help safeguard the many precious lives of our animal friends.

Concerned for the welfare of all beings facing the dire circumstances of our time, Supreme Master Ching Hai has often emphasized the urgent need for action, as during an August 2008 videoconference with our Association members in Canada.

Supreme Master Ching Hai : They are trying their best to sound the warning bell, warning by disease, and even death en masse, but I don’t know how many of us are listening. They are trying to help us, but we are trying to kill them. It’s a very sad affair. We humans have to do everything we can, not waiting for the animals.
They are already dying, dying, dying. Numerous are dying every day.

So many other signs in nature, so many animal signs, but we have to listen. It’s not the animals. It’s us.
Supreme Master Ching Hai : We just have to remind everybody to be veg and to be kind to the animals. That's the only way we can protect them.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-10/ps-gwc102309.php
http://www.bio.psu.edu/directory/esp10
http://www.huck.psu.edu/people/rpw143
http://kids.earth.nasa.gov/archive/nino/intro.html
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/389567/monkey/225158/Old-World-monkeys-versus-
New-World-monkeys
http://royalsocietypublishing.org/site/misc/about.xhtml#question1