This episode we focus is overwhelming amounts of plastic inundating our precious oceans and causing severe damage to marine ecosystems worldwide. Aside from describing the mind-boggling enormity of the plastic problem, we will offer some ideas on minimizing the amount of plastic waste we produce to lessen the load on our life-rich oceans.

Fog collecting is a practical ,eco-friendly method that can help solve some of the world’s water shortage problems. In some of Earth’s driest, most remote regions， fog harvesting works with Mother Nature to supply fresh, clean water for communities, animals and plant life to live.

Currently, Antarctica is one of the fastest warming areas in the world; the rate of temperature change there is three times faster than anywhere else on the planet. As a result of climate change, Antarctica is starting to melt. A new scientific report published in Nature revealed that in 2017 Antarctica experienced the warmest temperatures, lowest snow cover, and lowest autumn sea-ice cover on record.

Because green houses can produce food under almost any climatic conditions, using far less water, and with substantially higher yields than traditional farming methods, high technology greenhouses could become even more important in the future, providing a stable source of high quality and delicious fruit and vegetables.

Dr. Lin Wen-Long is an expert in forestry and resource conservation. He also promotes veganism as the most effective lifestyle to protect Earth's resources. Dr. Lin will now discuss examples of enthusiastic efforts of reforestation initiatives currently being conducted around the world. “The Great Green Wall” , “The Jane Goodall Institute” , “Plant-for-the-Planet” . For their exceptional work to promote the well-being of Earth and its inhabitants through reforestation, they are truly noble citizens of our precious planet.

Dr. Lin will now discuss further examples of enthusiastic efforts made by individuals and organizations promoting the greening of our beloved planet. For example: Eden Reforestation Projects, Ecosia, International Tree Foundation, Conservation International, BioCarbon Engineering. We Formosans send our best wishes that our world now rejuvenates through the love of God. Mother Nature has provided us with forests to soak up carbon dioxide and at the same time produce life-giving oxygen.

Our beautiful planet Earth is getting warmer. In 1970, Earth’s surface temperature began to increase at an average rate of 0.17 degrees Celsius per decade. For many years, the world has witnessed the melting of glacial ice in the Arctic and Antarctic regions due to global warming. And an even warmer planet will speed up this process. In addition to simply adding water to the ocean, science tells us that thawing glaciers can raise sea levels even more through a mechanism called “thermal expansion.”Higher sea levels worldwide are threatening to inundate small islands and coastal nations from Asia to the US. Beyond swelling sea waters, climatic changes that cause intensified storm surges will drive sea water further inland in low-elevation coastal zones. As saltwater intrudes into freshwater aquifers, the availability of drinking water supplies will decrease. Among other effects are the destruction of natural aquatic habitat and loss of natural resources. As the climate gets warmer and sea levels continue to rise, many residents will face climate-induced migration.Many scientific studies confirm that the global adoption of a plant-based diet is the most effective way to prevent our planet from heating up further and will enable our world to rapidly cool down. Supreme Master Ching Hai spoke about the urgent issue of climate change during a January 20, 2008 teleconference with Supreme Master Television staff in Los Angeles, California, USA. “(Can we reverse the damage that we have done to the earth?) Well, to some extent if they act fast, if the government and the people in the world act fast, maybe we can reverse somehow, yes. But I think not so quickly 100% like the primordial state of the world before. But we can like protect ourselves if we act fast, then the world will not get worse. That’s what I mean. They first have to be vegetarian and then they use their power truly. Like the way they forbid smoking. They could do that by forbidding meat as well. By citing all the harm that meat would do to humans and the planet. They can do that. Just like forbidding smoking. Forbid meat eating. Just like forbidding smoking cigarettes, and drugs, that’s also another kind of harmful drug.”

Due to increases in our planet’s average temperatures, news about melting glaciers has become more frequent. In recent years, warmer-than-usual global temperatures have caused chunks of Western Antarctica to collapse into the ocean. Glaciers and ice caps, mostly from the Arctic and Antarctic regions, respond to climate change by melting and thus contributing to sea level rise.Lately, scientists have observed a rapid increase in sea levels in the Indian Ocean. As the third largest global oceanic division, the Indian Ocean is of great importance – its swelling waters will have a huge impact on many countries due to its geographic location. Nearly 40% of the world’s population, approximately 2.6 billion people, lives in coastal zones around the Indian Ocean.Many parts of our planet will be under water if greenhouse gas emissions – mostly methane and nitrous oxide produced by animal farming – continue to warm the earth. The loss of icebergs frequently contributes to sea level rise, which in turn leads to extreme flooding around the globe. This bleak future can be prevented if greenhouse gases are significantly reduced by ending the production and consumption of meat and dairy products.During a videoconference held on June 13, 2008 with London, UK Association members, Supreme Master Ching Hai conveyed a very important message on protecting our environment and ending climate change. “If we stop the worst cause of global warming, meaning stock raising, animal breeding, then we will be able to save the planet. We have to stop the killing of man or animals. We have to stop producing animals products. And we have to stop using it, okay? The best thing is stop eating meat, stop killing animals, stop raising animals. Then the methane gas and the nitrous oxide gas will stop! And then we cut already a big chunk of pollution off our air and we cut off the global warming process. And I said already 80% of it will be cut almost immediately, and we can see the results in a few weeks.”

Traveling to China ‘s capital Beijing is exciting! The Forbidden City, the Great Wall, and Tiananmen Square are among the many great spots for sightseeing! But, more frequent than ever, people in Beijing are having difficulty seeing beyond 50 meters. What causes this low visibility? It’s smog, a kind of air pollution that contains a mixture of fog and smoke particles.

Today, we visit Atitlan Organics, an organic farm on the outskirts of Tzununa, Guatemalan, where Shad Qudsi and his partner, Colleen Donovan, have established a completely “off the grid,” zero waste, permaculture farming operation. Cultivating more than 200 different types of plants, they grow their own food, operate a profitable organic market garden, run a “farm to table” restaurant, and offer courses in permaculture.

Today we are pleased to present Professor Dr. Mojib Latif, a climatologist and Head of Research, Marine Meteorology, at the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel in Germany, one of the world’s leading institutes in marine sciences. Dr. Latif begins by explaining how climate change and human activities are severely damaging the world’s oceans.With climate change already causing higher ocean temperatures, rising sea levels, ocean acidification, and the loss of ocean biodiversity, what does the future hold for our oceans? “If we will experience something like an accelerating climate change, if there won’t be any climate protection, then we will have an additional warming in the global average of four or five, maybe six degrees, This will lead to a complete loss of tropical corals, sea level will rise by an additional one meter by the end of the century, but with strong regional variations. And finally, acidification will continue. We will, in the worst-case scenario, have pH values, by which we measure the acidity of the sea water, well below a value of 8. And well, we believe that, if this really happens, many marine ecosystems will be in danger and biodiversity will dramatically decline in response to this huge acidification. And this will be an acidification we haven't experienced for many, many millions of years and it will be at least unprecedented in man’s history.”What is the most effective thing we can do to stop global warming? According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) report, Livestock’s Long Shadow, the raising of livestock is responsible for approximately 18 percent of all greenhouse gas emission, more than all forms of transportation combined. And a more recent report, Livestock and Climate Change, co-authored by Robert Goodland and Jeff Anhang, stated that, in fact, meat production accounts for 51% of annual worldwide greenhouse gas emissions! By adopting a noble and compassionate plant-based lifestyle, we could help to save our precious oceans.

Today we present the inspiring story of Stone Village, a mountainous community located in the upper reaches of the Yangzi River in Yunnan province, southwest China. Home to 220 Naxi ethnic families, Stone Village is a shining example of bio-cultural heritage preservation.

We examine the effects of the short-lived climate forcer, Black Carbon, in ice masses and planetary warming, and the role that animal agriculture and deforestation for livestock raising play in intensifying Black Carbon’s impact. Black Carbon, also known as soot, is a powerful warming agent that originates from the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels, diesel exhaust, inefficient cook stoves mainly used in developing countries burning biomass such as dried dung, wood, brush, or crop residue as fuel, and the clearing forests and savannas with fire.

How can you buy or sell the sky, the warmth of the land? The idea is strange to us. If we do not own the freshness of the air and the sparkle of the water, how can you buy them? Every part of the Earth is sacred to my people. Every shining pine needle, every sandy shore, every mist in the dark woods, every clear and humming insect is holy in the memory and experience of my people. The perfumed flowers are our sisters, the deer, the horse, the great eagle, these are our brothers. The rocky crests, the juices in the meadows, the body heat of the pony, and the man, all belong to the same family.

April 22nd was “Earth Day,” an annual event observed worldwide to demonstrate humanity’s unity in protecting our planet’s environment. The theme of Earth Day 2018 is “End Plastic Pollution.” Since the beginning of Earth’s history, indigenous people have been the caretakers of the planet and made every day “Earth Day” by protecting the soil, water, plants and animals. Our ancestors were true ecologists with centuries of knowledge about environmental care and skillful conservation practices that have been passed down from generation to generation.

A paper published in 2012 by 22 scientists started off by saying, “Humans now dominate the Earth changing it in ways that threaten its abilities to sustain us and other species.” 22 scientists! Very impressive. I think that from what I’m seeing, we could say that Mother Earth is facing a real risk of death now. And we need to put her into intensive emergency care, just like any doctor or nurse would for any critical patient. She is very sick. And her emergency first responders, the paramedics in this analogy, could be each and every one of the seven billion people on the planet.

With renowned climate change expert Dr. Peter Carter, a Canadian physician who has devoted more than a decade to studying and monitoring the devastating effects of global warming on our planet. Our living planet is being destroyed by constant pollution the worst of all being atmospheric greenhouse gas pollution-the devastating outcomes of unchecked global warming. Supreme Master Ching Hai urgently advised them to implement Vegan Law as the solution to mitigate global warming.