North Korea UN Abassador talks Nuclear Arms Race

North Korea’s UN Ambassador said yesterday that “If the U.S. plans to deploy a missile shield to protect Europe against a possible attack by Iran are realized, it will spark a new nuclear arms race”.

North Korea’s withdrew from the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (the global anti-nuclear weapons pact) in 2003 and tested nuclear devices in 2006 and 2009. This prompted the U.N. Security Council to impose sanctions on Pyongyang to pressure it to end its missile and nuclear programs.

The Treaty for Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons was created to limit the spread or proliferation of nuclear weapons. The treaty took effect on March 5, 1970 and currently has 189 states party to the treaty, five of which are recognized as nuclear weapon states:

United States, Russia, United Kingdom, France, and China   who are also the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council.

The four non-parties to the treaty are known or suspected to possess nuclear weapons:

India, Pakistan, Israel, and North Korea.   North Korea violated the treaty and withdrew from it in 2003.

The treaty is sometimes referred to as a three-pillar system with balance among them:  non-proliferation
disarmament
right to peacefully use nuclear technology

The treaty is reviewed every five years by the Parties to the Treaty of Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

H2 Earth Update in the news today

Polar bears and their cubs are in danger from our warming planet according to biologist in Northern Alaska. The sea ice they rely upon to catch seals and to mate from is being lost. Scientists believe adult polar bears have drowned when they’ve been forced to cross vast expanses of open water. Today, new research shows polar bear cubs are also drowning, confirming the dangers of ice loss and the impact on the Polar bears survival.

In the summer of 2008 wildlife biologist in Northern Alaska reported that a female polar bear (that was tagged) swam for nine and half days straight to reach ice.  The ice had receded 427 miles from the Alaska shoreline.

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The UN declared the first Famine in Africa for three decades.  In addition, Somalia who’s biggest funder is the United States is barred from funding money that might be " materially benefiting” terrorists (Somalia’s al-Qaeda linked insurgents). Tens of thousands may have already died.  In 1984 approximately 1 million Ethiopians starved to death.

2011 Year for the Record Books

2011 is already the costliest year on record for property damage according to a report by a leading insurer.  What that means in short is more expensive insurance rates.

January 2011            Australia’s flooding                     $7.3 billion

February 2011          New Zealand's earthquake        $20 billion

March 2011               Japan earthquake and tsunami
at present in 2011 this was the most costly and had the most loss of life

Spring 2011              US Twister Outbreak
$23.5 billion and claimed nearly 600 lives this year

2011 will go down as "the year of the tornado" quote from Carl Hedde a risk analyst
 

Possible climate connection … extreme weather…Global warming
Natural events like La Nina and El Nino and global warming  could be factors

Yellowstone River oil spill may grow

Exxon Mobil Corp. says leak could extend far beyond 10-mile stretch… which was announced due to political pressure.

As cleanup of tens of thousands of gallons of spilled crude, Exxon Mobil Pipeline Co. vowed to do "whatever is necessary" to find and clean up oil from the pipeline that broke at the bottom of the river over the 4^th of July  weekend. 

Company officials said that crews would begin walking the Yellowstone shoreline as soon as the flooding river recedes to look for pooled oil along the bank.

As of Monday, Exxon Mobil said it had received 36 calls to a hotline from landowners concerning oil on their property. In addition, a goat farmer and environmental activist said his partner was sickened by oil fumes and had to be taken to the emergency room.

Los Alamos

The Los Alamos nuclear weapons laboratory will reopen soon as the threat from a record New Mexico wildfire retreats.  Native American tribes prayed the blaze would not take any more sacred land.  The blaze is now ranked as the largest wildfire blaze in New Mexico.