For the last few decades, the Aral Sea in Central Asia suffered of what the Russians did, back in the 50s. They diverted the two tributary rivers into irrigation for cotton and rice crops and caused what scientists called an irreversible environmental disaster.

Aral Sea Nowdays (Google Maps)

The smaller bodies of water became much saltier destroying the fishing industry leaving only one single species of fish and also affecting the local weather.

But call it a miracle or whatever you like, nature knows how to heals itself when we stop harming her. It’s a real example for future ecological recovery and reversal projects. In 1990 the World Bank financed a project that involved several actions to reduce the damage of which the most important was the Kok-Aral Dam.

Aral Sea in 1964 - things looked better at the time

Aral Sea in 1997 - the ecological disaster became worse and worse

The project was finished in 2005 and just one year later an article in the New York Times mentioned:

In dozens of villages in the region, frigid green water now laps against long-abandoned harbors, and fishing vessels retrieved from open-air desert graves have been put back to sea.

The Aral Sea, which was once drained of 75 percent of its water, has this year taken on millions of cubic feet of new water years ahead of schedule, surpassing even the sunniest predictions made when a new dam was completed last summer.

Though it’s a miracle it’s not complete. Things are starting to look better only in the Northern Aral Sea, because the South is still both highly polluted and salty. Another critical example is the port of Aralsk that is still stranded 25km above the shoreline.

Seeing how things got better in the North, there is hope, though. It’s all in our power to change the world we live in.

Satellite images courtesy of EarthShots

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe free for our updates via RSS feed. Thanks for visiting and please do come back!

It’s not the high crude oil prices causing high gasoline prices that are driving up food costs. It’s not the fault of the US invasion of Iraq and upsetting the oil bucket. It’s not even the global warming monster that is causing food shortages, hunger among the poor, increased poverty or social unrest. It’s not even the demands of the growing economies in India or China.

The World Bank has concluded that its the EU and the United States and their drive for biofuels that has had the biggest impact on food supply and prices. When what would normally be used for food is fed to cars, people are left wanting.

Let me think this through. The push for biofuels is the result of high gasoline prices, no? If crude was more affordable then no need to push biofuels, right? What I really want to know is how many farmers in America and elsewhere are still being paid to not grow anything? Have the government subsidies stopped? If not, why not?

source

Harrison Ford (aka Indiana Jones), Bo Derek and Robert Duvall have recently joined forces with the World Bank to save the the tigers from extinction. A century ago there were at least 100,000 tigers. Studies revealed that there are currently less than 4,000.

Though the World Bank is more likely to support poverty and developing countries rather than wildlife projects they are now behind the new Tiger Conservation Initiative. Other members include wild life experts, scientists and governments, all working for the same purpose, to protect tigers.

The large predators, which I think are the most beautiful cats on Earth, are being killed for their skins, meat and body parts which are used in traditional Asian medicines.

Image by Oyvind Solstad

Russia and Nepal are examples where governments took initiative and managed to save the felines. Saving the world tiger population is much harder.

“This is a problem that cannot be handled by individual nations alone, it requires an alliance of strong local commitment backed by deep international support,” said World Bank President, Robert Zoellick.

Kudos to these three famous Hollywood actors for supporting the cause and a quick note to World Bank. Do it faster, or there won’t be any tigers to be saved. Besides, with Indiana Jones on your side, how can you lose?