“I left Earth three times. I found no place else to go. Please take care of Spaceship Earth.”
—Wally Schirra, who flew around Earth on Mercury, Gemini and Apollo missions in the 1960s.
Monday, April 23, 2007
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
One and the Same
I was reading an earlier post, about a commentator on a 60 Minutes segment on Global Warming. He said something to the effect of, "Stop worrying about global warming, it doesn't exist, go about your lives and let others live theirs!"
It's ironic to me that there are people that would say that, and yet be so critical against gays and lesbians, minorities, and other people who just want to live their lives the way they want to.
"Let other people live their [lives]"
Is Global Warming a religion? Am I preaching this religion hoping for converts? I believe in it whole-heartedly, and there is proof, yet there are still people who doubt it.
I don't think Global Warming is a religion, and yet I don't blame people who may think that I'm pushing this 'belief' on them. I guess, according to the smartest people in the world, we will find out, for better or for worse, 12-20 years from now.
It's ironic to me that there are people that would say that, and yet be so critical against gays and lesbians, minorities, and other people who just want to live their lives the way they want to.
"Let other people live their [lives]"
Is Global Warming a religion? Am I preaching this religion hoping for converts? I believe in it whole-heartedly, and there is proof, yet there are still people who doubt it.
I don't think Global Warming is a religion, and yet I don't blame people who may think that I'm pushing this 'belief' on them. I guess, according to the smartest people in the world, we will find out, for better or for worse, 12-20 years from now.
Doing what you can
Exxon Mobile again will have a record profitable year this year. People at work got into a debate where some people who bike to work argued that those who drive contribute to the problem.
Even though I drive, I completely agree. Us driving our cars not only help the oil companies, but also pollute the Earth. However, I have to drive to work. The neighborhood through which I drive home every night is not... very safe for a biker. The distance also makes it a bit difficult. That got me thinking that, we can't force everyone to live the "ultimate, zero carbon emmission, completely green" lifestyle. I can't expect everyone to go out and buy a hybrid car, just as much as these people shouldn't expect everyone to easily bike to work the way they do.
HOWEVER! I don't want to come off as saying we don't have to do anything. We ARE faced with a problem. And I am 100 percent sure that even if we don't have a lot of resources, even if we can't all go buy a hybrid, each one of us can still do SOMETHING.
Like replacing a lightbulb or two with a flourescent one, taking shorter showers, drive less, recycle more, these (and many more) are all things that I think a great majority of people CAN and definitely AFFORD to do.
Even though I drive, I completely agree. Us driving our cars not only help the oil companies, but also pollute the Earth. However, I have to drive to work. The neighborhood through which I drive home every night is not... very safe for a biker. The distance also makes it a bit difficult. That got me thinking that, we can't force everyone to live the "ultimate, zero carbon emmission, completely green" lifestyle. I can't expect everyone to go out and buy a hybrid car, just as much as these people shouldn't expect everyone to easily bike to work the way they do.
HOWEVER! I don't want to come off as saying we don't have to do anything. We ARE faced with a problem. And I am 100 percent sure that even if we don't have a lot of resources, even if we can't all go buy a hybrid, each one of us can still do SOMETHING.
Like replacing a lightbulb or two with a flourescent one, taking shorter showers, drive less, recycle more, these (and many more) are all things that I think a great majority of people CAN and definitely AFFORD to do.
Buying Carbon Offsets
no doubt that people have heard of Carbon Offsets, it's buying/paying for a green project to help negate the effects of the carbon you put out. For more info, click on this link
It doesn't require a lot of money, contrary to what one might think, to offset our carbon emmissions.
It doesn't require a lot of money, contrary to what one might think, to offset our carbon emmissions.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
How it'll affect you (if you're an American)
From an excerpt in the UN report:
UNITED NATIONS - Chicago and Los Angeles will likely face increasing heat waves. Severe storm surges could hit New York and Boston. And cities that rely on melting snow for water may run into serious shortages.
According to the panel, global warming is already having an effect on daily life but when the Earth gets a few degrees hotter, the current inconvenience could give way to danger and even death. The North American impact will be felt from Florida and Texas to Alaska and Canada's Northwest Territories.
"Canada and the United States are, despite being strong economies with the financial power to cope, facing many of the same impacts that are projected for the rest of the world," said Achim Steiner, executive director of the U.N. Environment Program, which co-founded the panel.
The panel warned that shifts in rainfall patterns, melting glaciers, rising temperatures, increased demand and reduced supplies of water in some places are likely to increase tensions between users — industry, agriculture and a growing population.
"Heavily-utilized water systems of the western U.S. and Canada, such as the Columbia River, that rely on capturing snowmelt runoff, will be especially vulnerable," the report said.
A temperature warming of a few degrees by the 2040s is likely to sharply reduce summer flows, at a time of rising demand, it said.
By then, the panel estimated that Portland, Ore., will require over 26 million additional cubic meters of water as a result of climate change and population growth, but the Columbia River's summer supply will have dropped by an estimated 5 million cubic meters.
Over 40 percent of the water supply to Southern California is likely to be vulnerable by the 2020s due to losses of the Sierra Nevada and Colorado River basin snow packs.
The panel also said "lower levels in the Great Lakes are likely to influence many sectors" and exacerbate controversies over diverting water to cities such as Chicago, and the competing demands of water quality, lake-based transport, and drought mitigation.
Cities could also be at risk from high tides and storm surges, it said.
Near the end of the 21st century, under a strong warming scenario, the New York City area could be hit by increasingly damaging floods from surges, "putting much of the region's infrastructure at risk," the panel said. A current one in 100 year flood in New York could have a return period of three to four years, it added.
full article here
UNITED NATIONS - Chicago and Los Angeles will likely face increasing heat waves. Severe storm surges could hit New York and Boston. And cities that rely on melting snow for water may run into serious shortages.
According to the panel, global warming is already having an effect on daily life but when the Earth gets a few degrees hotter, the current inconvenience could give way to danger and even death. The North American impact will be felt from Florida and Texas to Alaska and Canada's Northwest Territories.
"Canada and the United States are, despite being strong economies with the financial power to cope, facing many of the same impacts that are projected for the rest of the world," said Achim Steiner, executive director of the U.N. Environment Program, which co-founded the panel.
The panel warned that shifts in rainfall patterns, melting glaciers, rising temperatures, increased demand and reduced supplies of water in some places are likely to increase tensions between users — industry, agriculture and a growing population.
"Heavily-utilized water systems of the western U.S. and Canada, such as the Columbia River, that rely on capturing snowmelt runoff, will be especially vulnerable," the report said.
A temperature warming of a few degrees by the 2040s is likely to sharply reduce summer flows, at a time of rising demand, it said.
By then, the panel estimated that Portland, Ore., will require over 26 million additional cubic meters of water as a result of climate change and population growth, but the Columbia River's summer supply will have dropped by an estimated 5 million cubic meters.
Over 40 percent of the water supply to Southern California is likely to be vulnerable by the 2020s due to losses of the Sierra Nevada and Colorado River basin snow packs.
The panel also said "lower levels in the Great Lakes are likely to influence many sectors" and exacerbate controversies over diverting water to cities such as Chicago, and the competing demands of water quality, lake-based transport, and drought mitigation.
Cities could also be at risk from high tides and storm surges, it said.
Near the end of the 21st century, under a strong warming scenario, the New York City area could be hit by increasingly damaging floods from surges, "putting much of the region's infrastructure at risk," the panel said. A current one in 100 year flood in New York could have a return period of three to four years, it added.
full article here
Saturday, April 7, 2007
Small tips to be green
A friend of mine recommended this site to me, they give you small tips that are very easy to do, and can help the fight against Global Warming. You can also sign up, apparently, to get a tip every day.
www.idealbite.com
www.idealbite.com
Friday, April 6, 2007
Some advice from the authors of the Global Warming Report
first of all:
“We can fix this,” by investing a small part of the world’s economic growth rate, said Schneider. “It’s trillions of dollars, but it’s a very trivial thing.”
now how to live with it, if we don't do anything:
"Without action to curb carbon emissions, man’s livable habitat will shrink starkly, said Stephen Schneider, a Stanford scientist who was one of the authors. “Don’t be poor in a hot country, don’t live in hurricane alley, watch out about being on the coasts or in the Arctic, and it’s a bad idea to be on high mountains with glaciers melting.”
"The report said up to 30 percent of the Earth’s species face an increased risk of vanishing if global temperatures rise 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit above the average in the 1980s and ’90s.
Areas that now suffer a shortage of rain will become even more dry, adding to the risks of hunger and disease, it said. The world will face heightened threats of flooding, severe storms and the erosion of coastlines."
Please view previous post for more on the report.
“We can fix this,” by investing a small part of the world’s economic growth rate, said Schneider. “It’s trillions of dollars, but it’s a very trivial thing.”
now how to live with it, if we don't do anything:
"Without action to curb carbon emissions, man’s livable habitat will shrink starkly, said Stephen Schneider, a Stanford scientist who was one of the authors. “Don’t be poor in a hot country, don’t live in hurricane alley, watch out about being on the coasts or in the Arctic, and it’s a bad idea to be on high mountains with glaciers melting.”
"The report said up to 30 percent of the Earth’s species face an increased risk of vanishing if global temperatures rise 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit above the average in the 1980s and ’90s.
Areas that now suffer a shortage of rain will become even more dry, adding to the risks of hunger and disease, it said. The world will face heightened threats of flooding, severe storms and the erosion of coastlines."
Please view previous post for more on the report.
The new Global Warming Report
A new report came out today, some of the main points that it covered are:
"The international global warming conference approved a report Friday warning of dire threats to the Earth and to mankind — from increased hunger in Africa and Asia to the extinction of species — unless the world adapts to climate change and halts its progress.
Africa will be hardest hit, the report concluded. By 2020, up to 250 million people are likely to exposed to water shortages. In some countries, food production could fall by half, it said."
The report said up to 30 percent of the Earth’s species face an increased risk of vanishing if global temperatures rise 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit above the average in the 1980s and ’90s.
Areas that now suffer a shortage of rain will become even more dry, adding to the risks of hunger and disease, it said. The world will face heightened threats of flooding, severe storms and the erosion of coastlines.
“This is a glimpse into an apocalyptic future,” the Greenpeace environmental group said of the final report.
Without action to curb carbon emissions, man’s livable habitat will shrink starkly, said Stephen Schneider, a Stanford scientist who was one of the authors. “Don’t be poor in a hot country, don’t live in hurricane alley, watch out about being on the coasts or in the Arctic, and it’s a bad idea to be on high mountains with glaciers melting.”
“We can fix this,” by investing a small part of the world’s economic growth rate, said Schneider. “It’s trillions of dollars, but it’s a very trivial thing.”
North America will experience more severe storms with human and economic loss, and cultural and social disruptions. It can expect more hurricanes, floods, droughts, heat waves and wildfires, it said. Coasts will be swamped by rising sea levels. In the short term, crop yields may increase by 5 to 20 percent from a longer growing season, but will plummet if temperatures rise by 7.2 F.
Parts of Asia are threatened with massive flooding and avalanches from melting Himalayan glaciers. Europe also will see its Alpine glaciers disappear. Australia’s Great Barrier Reef will lose much of its coral to bleaching from even moderate increases in sea temperatures, the report said.
But what's intriguing is how the report was hashed out, and how it has frustrated so much of the scientific community:
"Agreement (for the body of the report) came after an all-night session during which key sections were deleted from the draft and scientists angrily confronted government negotiators who they feared were watering down their findings."
"Several scientists objected to the editing of the final draft by government negotiators but in the end agreed to compromises. However, some scientists vowed never to take part in the process again.
The climax of five days of negotiations was reached when the delegates removed parts of a key chart highlighting devastating effects of climate change that kick in with every rise of 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit, and in a tussle over the level of scientific reliability attached to key statements."
Well, it's certainly nice to know that our governments are looking out for our best interests. I can't even imagine what they chose to leave out.
"The United States, China and Saudi Arabia raised the many of the objections to the phrasing, often seeking to tone down the certainty of some of the more dire projections."
yeaaaap.... yeeap.............I am literally speechless.
“Doing nothing is not an option.”
"The international global warming conference approved a report Friday warning of dire threats to the Earth and to mankind — from increased hunger in Africa and Asia to the extinction of species — unless the world adapts to climate change and halts its progress.
Africa will be hardest hit, the report concluded. By 2020, up to 250 million people are likely to exposed to water shortages. In some countries, food production could fall by half, it said."
The report said up to 30 percent of the Earth’s species face an increased risk of vanishing if global temperatures rise 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit above the average in the 1980s and ’90s.
Areas that now suffer a shortage of rain will become even more dry, adding to the risks of hunger and disease, it said. The world will face heightened threats of flooding, severe storms and the erosion of coastlines.
“This is a glimpse into an apocalyptic future,” the Greenpeace environmental group said of the final report.
Without action to curb carbon emissions, man’s livable habitat will shrink starkly, said Stephen Schneider, a Stanford scientist who was one of the authors. “Don’t be poor in a hot country, don’t live in hurricane alley, watch out about being on the coasts or in the Arctic, and it’s a bad idea to be on high mountains with glaciers melting.”
“We can fix this,” by investing a small part of the world’s economic growth rate, said Schneider. “It’s trillions of dollars, but it’s a very trivial thing.”
North America will experience more severe storms with human and economic loss, and cultural and social disruptions. It can expect more hurricanes, floods, droughts, heat waves and wildfires, it said. Coasts will be swamped by rising sea levels. In the short term, crop yields may increase by 5 to 20 percent from a longer growing season, but will plummet if temperatures rise by 7.2 F.
Parts of Asia are threatened with massive flooding and avalanches from melting Himalayan glaciers. Europe also will see its Alpine glaciers disappear. Australia’s Great Barrier Reef will lose much of its coral to bleaching from even moderate increases in sea temperatures, the report said.
But what's intriguing is how the report was hashed out, and how it has frustrated so much of the scientific community:
"Agreement (for the body of the report) came after an all-night session during which key sections were deleted from the draft and scientists angrily confronted government negotiators who they feared were watering down their findings."
"Several scientists objected to the editing of the final draft by government negotiators but in the end agreed to compromises. However, some scientists vowed never to take part in the process again.
The climax of five days of negotiations was reached when the delegates removed parts of a key chart highlighting devastating effects of climate change that kick in with every rise of 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit, and in a tussle over the level of scientific reliability attached to key statements."
Well, it's certainly nice to know that our governments are looking out for our best interests. I can't even imagine what they chose to leave out.
"The United States, China and Saudi Arabia raised the many of the objections to the phrasing, often seeking to tone down the certainty of some of the more dire projections."
yeaaaap.... yeeap.............I am literally speechless.
“Doing nothing is not an option.”
Monday, April 2, 2007
CA trying to curb Global Warming
I don't agree with Schwarzenegger on many issues, but I'm glad he has taken on Global Warming, even if it's for political reasons.
Article taken from MSNBC:
California leads the nation on going ‘green’
From solar power to biofuel, state is way ahead of federal government
In a state where there are more hybrid vehicles on the road than almost all other states combined, two of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's famous Hummers now run on alternative fuels.
The legislature is considering 60 pieces of global warming legislation, everything from biofuel school buses to energy efficient TVs and computer monitors to “green” apartment buildings.
"We hope to have a million solar roofs over the next 10 years," says Mary Luevano with Global Green, an environmental group that promotes green buildings and cities.
"We simply must do everything we can in our power to slow down global warming before it is too late," said Schwarzenegger in September.
Since Schwarzenegger signed landmark legislation last year to cut greenhouse gases by 25 percent by 2020, California has taken the lead. Anaheim on Monday hosted the world's largest conference on alternative fuels and vehicles.
"We've had a hundred years of driving around on petroleum fuel and flipping a light switch powered by coal and other fossil fuels, so it's a matter of changing our thinking and being more informed consumers," says Terry Tamminen, Schwarzenegger's environmental adviser.
Schools like Monterey Ridge in San Diego now feature lights that turn off automatically when rooms empty and a new solar farm that on Monday was generating almost 90 percent of the school's energy needs.
"It's really cool, and it's a great lesson for the kids," says Principal Rebecca Warlow.
Even public opinion polls here, which traditionally list crime as the top concern, now reflect that for many greenhouse gases have become the No. 1 bad guy.
Record low snowfall and record drought have residents this year facing a perfect storm of drought and fire conditions — obvious reasons the political climate surrounding warming is warming here as well.
Article taken from MSNBC:
California leads the nation on going ‘green’
From solar power to biofuel, state is way ahead of federal government
In a state where there are more hybrid vehicles on the road than almost all other states combined, two of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's famous Hummers now run on alternative fuels.
The legislature is considering 60 pieces of global warming legislation, everything from biofuel school buses to energy efficient TVs and computer monitors to “green” apartment buildings.
"We hope to have a million solar roofs over the next 10 years," says Mary Luevano with Global Green, an environmental group that promotes green buildings and cities.
"We simply must do everything we can in our power to slow down global warming before it is too late," said Schwarzenegger in September.
Since Schwarzenegger signed landmark legislation last year to cut greenhouse gases by 25 percent by 2020, California has taken the lead. Anaheim on Monday hosted the world's largest conference on alternative fuels and vehicles.
"We've had a hundred years of driving around on petroleum fuel and flipping a light switch powered by coal and other fossil fuels, so it's a matter of changing our thinking and being more informed consumers," says Terry Tamminen, Schwarzenegger's environmental adviser.
Schools like Monterey Ridge in San Diego now feature lights that turn off automatically when rooms empty and a new solar farm that on Monday was generating almost 90 percent of the school's energy needs.
"It's really cool, and it's a great lesson for the kids," says Principal Rebecca Warlow.
Even public opinion polls here, which traditionally list crime as the top concern, now reflect that for many greenhouse gases have become the No. 1 bad guy.
Record low snowfall and record drought have residents this year facing a perfect storm of drought and fire conditions — obvious reasons the political climate surrounding warming is warming here as well.
sorry about the last couple of posts
...that were filled with cynicism and sarcasm. I just get tired and frustrated by it all sometimes. It's just that sometimes, I imagine the worst case scenario, that Global Warming turns out to be true, and that this planet is reversibly damaged and we end up facing the worst crisis of mankind. Then what? What will these Naysayers say then? "Ooops..." !?!?!?! If I were a betting man, I would bet on Global Warming being real, and try my best to be consicous of our environment, rather than be ignorant, have our planet go to heck, and then say, "Oops... can someone save me now?"
We are getting mugs that we ordered at work today. It sucks that I've been one of the people who use and discard paper cups (though I try to use a cup a week), but now I will get to use the mug instead and say goodbye forever to these cups!
We are getting mugs that we ordered at work today. It sucks that I've been one of the people who use and discard paper cups (though I try to use a cup a week), but now I will get to use the mug instead and say goodbye forever to these cups!
BREAKING NEWS! (sarcasm included!)
Global Warming threat neutralized!
World leaders have just confirmed that no where in the scriptures of religion, including the Bible and the Koran, mentions Global Warming or death by man-made carbon dioxide. Thus they have concluded that Global Warming is really a ploy, a conspiracy, if you will, by scientists, left-wingers, tree-huggers, atheists, Al Gore, moderate Republicans, Hollywood celebrities, and the other animals of this planet, to rid us of God and help the rise of Satan.
Again, do not worry! Global Warming does not actually exist, because God never said so.
The Bush administration is currently looking at all military actions.
World leaders have just confirmed that no where in the scriptures of religion, including the Bible and the Koran, mentions Global Warming or death by man-made carbon dioxide. Thus they have concluded that Global Warming is really a ploy, a conspiracy, if you will, by scientists, left-wingers, tree-huggers, atheists, Al Gore, moderate Republicans, Hollywood celebrities, and the other animals of this planet, to rid us of God and help the rise of Satan.
Again, do not worry! Global Warming does not actually exist, because God never said so.
The Bush administration is currently looking at all military actions.
some arguments against Global Warming
I could rebutt these... but then again do I need to?
"What in the world is wrong with you people????? God said there would never be a flood that would cover the earth again so why worry. Our lifespan is only like up to 115 years if your very lucky so people just need to start obeying God and be grateful for the life he's given us. If we accept him we can live for eternity" - taken from a comment posted on 60 minutes website
"It is IMPOSSIBLE for mankind to destroy this planet. This whole global warming "scare" is the same BS the anti-capitalist movement tried back in the 70's when they said an ice age was threatening our world. The planet is a life cycle in itself. That is a fact people. Besides, we'll probably all get extinguished by a huge meteor anyway, so get over your anti-American, Michael Moore liberal garbage and go about your life and STOP worrying about what others are doing with theirs!" - taken from another comment on 60 minutes site
"There is no global warming and sea levels are not rising. This is coming from the communist Left, which is incompetent at science and hates technology. Yes that's what has always been behind 60 Minutes. They won't let you hear the other side. Do not worry. Global warming is not proven by localized events. It does not exist - that's the point."
"The climate may be changing, but to credit puny humankind, I have my doubts."
What are your thoughts?
"What in the world is wrong with you people????? God said there would never be a flood that would cover the earth again so why worry. Our lifespan is only like up to 115 years if your very lucky so people just need to start obeying God and be grateful for the life he's given us. If we accept him we can live for eternity" - taken from a comment posted on 60 minutes website
"It is IMPOSSIBLE for mankind to destroy this planet. This whole global warming "scare" is the same BS the anti-capitalist movement tried back in the 70's when they said an ice age was threatening our world. The planet is a life cycle in itself. That is a fact people. Besides, we'll probably all get extinguished by a huge meteor anyway, so get over your anti-American, Michael Moore liberal garbage and go about your life and STOP worrying about what others are doing with theirs!" - taken from another comment on 60 minutes site
"There is no global warming and sea levels are not rising. This is coming from the communist Left, which is incompetent at science and hates technology. Yes that's what has always been behind 60 Minutes. They won't let you hear the other side. Do not worry. Global warming is not proven by localized events. It does not exist - that's the point."
"The climate may be changing, but to credit puny humankind, I have my doubts."
What are your thoughts?
60 Minutes
A sobering news story on 60 Minutes.
I refuse to believe it's too late, and I refuse to believe that we are not capable of great change.
How long must something terrible go on before we wake up???
here is the link to the video
link
I refuse to believe it's too late, and I refuse to believe that we are not capable of great change.
How long must something terrible go on before we wake up???
here is the link to the video
link
Tips on being more environmentally conscious
This will be an on-going post... I will add more as I find more info.
Replace regular lightbulbs with flourescent, it will save you on your electric bills as well as produce less waste, and emit less carbon.
Drive less, walk more, it will save you on gas, make you thinner, make your heart healthier, and make the air cleaner for your lungs and the lungs of those around you.
(if you need to go to a store that's a mile away, taking that 10 min. walk instead of driving makes a big difference)
Use less AC and Heater. Again, this saves you on your electric bills. Instead of turning up the heater, wear more layers, instead of using AC, open the windows, or build a shade. Even if you have to turn on AC/Heater, not turning it up so high can already make a lot of difference. It's a vicious cycle that the more AC people use, the hotter it will get.
Another simple one, Unplug electronics FROM THE WALL when they're not in use. Even when it's turned off, electronics uses up electricity. If you have something that you don't use that often, unplugging it will save your wallet and the environment. If you really want to help out, use surge protectors, and when you go to work, or go on vacation, unplug the surge protectors which prevents your electronics from sucking up electricity.
Recycle. This one takes a bit of an effort, but I've seen many parents not give their kids allowances, and instead have them collect bottles and cans from school events, bbqs, etc to recycle to earn the money. It teaches them reponsibility, work ethic, and also help protect the environment.
Please feel free to add more or let me know of any ones I've missed: concernsme@gmail.com
*majority of info taken from www.cimatecrisis.net
Replace regular lightbulbs with flourescent, it will save you on your electric bills as well as produce less waste, and emit less carbon.
Drive less, walk more, it will save you on gas, make you thinner, make your heart healthier, and make the air cleaner for your lungs and the lungs of those around you.
(if you need to go to a store that's a mile away, taking that 10 min. walk instead of driving makes a big difference)
Use less AC and Heater. Again, this saves you on your electric bills. Instead of turning up the heater, wear more layers, instead of using AC, open the windows, or build a shade. Even if you have to turn on AC/Heater, not turning it up so high can already make a lot of difference. It's a vicious cycle that the more AC people use, the hotter it will get.
Another simple one, Unplug electronics FROM THE WALL when they're not in use. Even when it's turned off, electronics uses up electricity. If you have something that you don't use that often, unplugging it will save your wallet and the environment. If you really want to help out, use surge protectors, and when you go to work, or go on vacation, unplug the surge protectors which prevents your electronics from sucking up electricity.
Recycle. This one takes a bit of an effort, but I've seen many parents not give their kids allowances, and instead have them collect bottles and cans from school events, bbqs, etc to recycle to earn the money. It teaches them reponsibility, work ethic, and also help protect the environment.
Please feel free to add more or let me know of any ones I've missed: concernsme@gmail.com
*majority of info taken from www.cimatecrisis.net
Global Warming report
A pretty sobering article on Global Warming. It angers me that there are still people who refuses to believe that this is happening. Even if it doesn't, would it really be that bad if we took care of the Earth a little better? I mean, we do LIVE on it. Below is the full article:
A study by the world's leading experts says global warming will happen faster and be more devastating than previously thought
Global warming is destined to have a far more destructive and earlier impact than previously estimated, the most authoritative report yet produced on climate change will warn next week.
A draft copy of the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, obtained by The Observer, shows the frequency of devastating storms - like the ones that battered Britain last week - will increase dramatically. Sea levels will rise over the century by around half a metre; snow will disappear from all but the highest mountains; deserts will spread; oceans become acidic, leading to the destruction of coral reefs and atolls; and deadly heatwaves will become more prevalent.
Global warming: the final verdict
A study by the world's leading experts says global warming will happen faster and be more devastating than previously thought
Robin McKie, science editor
Sunday January 21, 2007
The Observer
Global warming is destined to have a far more destructive and earlier impact than previously estimated, the most authoritative report yet produced on climate change will warn next week.
A draft copy of the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, obtained by The Observer, shows the frequency of devastating storms - like the ones that battered Britain last week - will increase dramatically. Sea levels will rise over the century by around half a metre; snow will disappear from all but the highest mountains; deserts will spread; oceans become acidic, leading to the destruction of coral reefs and atolls; and deadly heatwaves will become more prevalent.
Article continues
The impact will be catastrophic, forcing hundreds of millions of people to flee their devastated homelands, particularly in tropical, low-lying areas, while creating waves of immigrants whose movements will strain the economies of even the most affluent countries.
'The really chilling thing about the IPCC report is that it is the work of several thousand climate experts who have widely differing views about how greenhouse gases will have their effect. Some think they will have a major impact, others a lesser role. Each paragraph of this report was therefore argued over and scrutinised intensely. Only points that were considered indisputable survived this process. This is a very conservative document - that's what makes it so scary,' said one senior UK climate expert.
Climate concerns are likely to dominate international politics next month. President Bush is to make the issue a part of his state of the union address on Wednesday while the IPCC report's final version is set for release on 2 February in a set of global news conferences.
Although the final wording of the report is still being worked on, the draft indicates that scientists now have their clearest idea so far about future climate changes, as well as about recent events. It points out that:
· 12 of the past 13 years were the warmest since records began;
· ocean temperatures have risen at least three kilometres beneath the surface;
· glaciers, snow cover and permafrost have decreased in both hemispheres;
· sea levels are rising at the rate of almost 2mm a year;
· cold days, nights and frost have become rarer while hot days, hot nights and heatwaves have become more frequent.
And the cause is clear, say the authors: 'It is very likely that [man-made] greenhouse gas increases caused most of the average temperature increases since the mid-20th century,' says the report.
To date, these changes have caused global temperatures to rise by 0.6C. The most likely outcome of continuing rises in greenhouses gases will be to make the planet a further 3C hotter by 2100, although the report acknowledges that rises of 4.5C to 5C could be experienced. Ice-cap melting, rises in sea levels, flooding, cyclones and storms will be an inevitable consequence.
Past assessments by the IPCC have suggested such scenarios are 'likely' to occur this century. Its latest report, based on sophisticated computer models and more detailed observations of snow cover loss, sea level rises and the spread of deserts, is far more robust and confident. Now the panel writes of changes as 'extremely likely' and 'almost certain'.
And in a specific rebuff to sceptics who still argue natural variation in the Sun's output is the real cause of climate change, the panel says mankind's industrial emissions have had five times more effect on the climate than any fluctuations in solar radiation. We are the masters of our own destruction, in short.
There is some comfort, however. The panel believes the Gulf Stream will go on bathing Britain with its warm waters for the next 100 years. Some researchers have said it could be disrupted by cold waters pouring off Greenland's melting ice sheets, plunging western Europe into a mini Ice Age, as depicted in the disaster film The Day After Tomorrow.
The report reflects climate scientists' growing fears that Earth is nearing the stage when carbon dioxide rises will bring irreversible change to the planet. 'We are seeing vast sections of Antarctic ice disappearing at an alarming rate,' said climate expert Chris Rapley, in a phone call to The Observer from the Antarctic Peninsula last week. 'That means we can expect to see sea levels rise at about a metre a century from now on - and that will have devastating consequences.'
However, there is still hope, said Peter Cox of Exeter University. 'We are like alcoholics who have got as far as admitting there is a problem. It is a start. Now we have got to start drying out - which means reducing our carbon output.'
A study by the world's leading experts says global warming will happen faster and be more devastating than previously thought
Global warming is destined to have a far more destructive and earlier impact than previously estimated, the most authoritative report yet produced on climate change will warn next week.
A draft copy of the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, obtained by The Observer, shows the frequency of devastating storms - like the ones that battered Britain last week - will increase dramatically. Sea levels will rise over the century by around half a metre; snow will disappear from all but the highest mountains; deserts will spread; oceans become acidic, leading to the destruction of coral reefs and atolls; and deadly heatwaves will become more prevalent.
Global warming: the final verdict
A study by the world's leading experts says global warming will happen faster and be more devastating than previously thought
Robin McKie, science editor
Sunday January 21, 2007
The Observer
Global warming is destined to have a far more destructive and earlier impact than previously estimated, the most authoritative report yet produced on climate change will warn next week.
A draft copy of the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, obtained by The Observer, shows the frequency of devastating storms - like the ones that battered Britain last week - will increase dramatically. Sea levels will rise over the century by around half a metre; snow will disappear from all but the highest mountains; deserts will spread; oceans become acidic, leading to the destruction of coral reefs and atolls; and deadly heatwaves will become more prevalent.
Article continues
The impact will be catastrophic, forcing hundreds of millions of people to flee their devastated homelands, particularly in tropical, low-lying areas, while creating waves of immigrants whose movements will strain the economies of even the most affluent countries.
'The really chilling thing about the IPCC report is that it is the work of several thousand climate experts who have widely differing views about how greenhouse gases will have their effect. Some think they will have a major impact, others a lesser role. Each paragraph of this report was therefore argued over and scrutinised intensely. Only points that were considered indisputable survived this process. This is a very conservative document - that's what makes it so scary,' said one senior UK climate expert.
Climate concerns are likely to dominate international politics next month. President Bush is to make the issue a part of his state of the union address on Wednesday while the IPCC report's final version is set for release on 2 February in a set of global news conferences.
Although the final wording of the report is still being worked on, the draft indicates that scientists now have their clearest idea so far about future climate changes, as well as about recent events. It points out that:
· 12 of the past 13 years were the warmest since records began;
· ocean temperatures have risen at least three kilometres beneath the surface;
· glaciers, snow cover and permafrost have decreased in both hemispheres;
· sea levels are rising at the rate of almost 2mm a year;
· cold days, nights and frost have become rarer while hot days, hot nights and heatwaves have become more frequent.
And the cause is clear, say the authors: 'It is very likely that [man-made] greenhouse gas increases caused most of the average temperature increases since the mid-20th century,' says the report.
To date, these changes have caused global temperatures to rise by 0.6C. The most likely outcome of continuing rises in greenhouses gases will be to make the planet a further 3C hotter by 2100, although the report acknowledges that rises of 4.5C to 5C could be experienced. Ice-cap melting, rises in sea levels, flooding, cyclones and storms will be an inevitable consequence.
Past assessments by the IPCC have suggested such scenarios are 'likely' to occur this century. Its latest report, based on sophisticated computer models and more detailed observations of snow cover loss, sea level rises and the spread of deserts, is far more robust and confident. Now the panel writes of changes as 'extremely likely' and 'almost certain'.
And in a specific rebuff to sceptics who still argue natural variation in the Sun's output is the real cause of climate change, the panel says mankind's industrial emissions have had five times more effect on the climate than any fluctuations in solar radiation. We are the masters of our own destruction, in short.
There is some comfort, however. The panel believes the Gulf Stream will go on bathing Britain with its warm waters for the next 100 years. Some researchers have said it could be disrupted by cold waters pouring off Greenland's melting ice sheets, plunging western Europe into a mini Ice Age, as depicted in the disaster film The Day After Tomorrow.
The report reflects climate scientists' growing fears that Earth is nearing the stage when carbon dioxide rises will bring irreversible change to the planet. 'We are seeing vast sections of Antarctic ice disappearing at an alarming rate,' said climate expert Chris Rapley, in a phone call to The Observer from the Antarctic Peninsula last week. 'That means we can expect to see sea levels rise at about a metre a century from now on - and that will have devastating consequences.'
However, there is still hope, said Peter Cox of Exeter University. 'We are like alcoholics who have got as far as admitting there is a problem. It is a start. Now we have got to start drying out - which means reducing our carbon output.'
Top court rebukes administration on warming
Justices order government to re-examine regulations on car emissions
In a defeat for the Bush administration, the Supreme Court ruled on Monday that a U.S. government agency has the power under the clean air law to regulate greenhouse gas emissions that spur global warming.
The nation’s highest court by a 5-4 vote said the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency “has offered no reasoned explanation” for its refusal to regulate carbon dioxide and other emissions from new cars and trucks that contribute to climate change.
full article here: link
In a defeat for the Bush administration, the Supreme Court ruled on Monday that a U.S. government agency has the power under the clean air law to regulate greenhouse gas emissions that spur global warming.
The nation’s highest court by a 5-4 vote said the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency “has offered no reasoned explanation” for its refusal to regulate carbon dioxide and other emissions from new cars and trucks that contribute to climate change.
full article here: link
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