How To Reduce The Effects Of Global Warming
Posted by admin in environment on 06 4th, 2010When news of our world warming up hit the media there was not even the slightest indication that the masses would respond swiftly. At first we all must have thought of global warming as a scam meant to grapple us in an unrelenting grip of fear. But the moment temperatures began to rise like never before we all woke up to the reality as if we had all been dreaming. Global warming needs to be stopped and it is everyone’s responsibility to contribute towards its demise.
Public protests are the best way to apply pressure on industrialized nations to abide by the Kyoto Protocol. If anything the end of this steady warming up of our world is highly dependent on governments making a sensible commitment to the Kyoto Protocol. The Kyoto Protocol is the agreement that binds its signatories to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere.
Public demonstrations and protests are very crucial to the successful execution of this agreement. But just like any other public protest it is never as easy as say, using the plug and play profit system to make money. It is hoped that pressure of this kind will force uncompromising nations to abide by the agreement they signed.
The manufacture of eco-friendly cars, buses, and trucks is yet another wise move. Such eco-friendly vehicles must operate using a power source that does not emit pollutants into the atmosphere. Motor vehicles are the largest single emitters of greenhouse gases in the world. Technological innovations of using eco-friendly cars in a smart thing to do. This is even smarter than using a website as a way to make money online.
Planting more trees and taking care of our tropical rainforests are some of the most effective ways of fighting the gradual warming up of our planet. Natural vegetation is responsible for releasing much needed oxygen and absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. It is this single two fold process that can greatly reduce global temperatures by making our world cooler and more habitable.
However, forestation is not enough if people do not actually dedicate themselves to this noble cause. National tree planting day must be followed on an imperative basis and anyone seen chopping down trees illegally must be punished appropriately.
In the exact same way we would use a top forex indicator to safeguard our earnings we must also watch our rainforests. If anything is to go by rainforests are our only sources of hope. By sufficiently policing our rainforests we will be able to fight rising temperatures stemming from deforestation.
read comments (0)New Moore Island sinking into the sea
Posted by admin in environment on 03 27th, 2010New Moore Island is just one of dozens of islands around the world that are slowly but surely sinking into the sea. Both India and Bangladesh have laid claim to New Moore Island, which is situated between the two countries. Though residents have taken a short term loan of living space on other shores, the issue promises to only get worse. The rising sea has claimed more than just New Moore Island, but the media is bringing the issue back to light.
New Moore Island by any other name
At less than 3 square miles, New Moore Island is a relatively small chunk of disputed land. India claims that New Moore Island falls within their maritime borders, and therefore is Indian. However, the government of Bangldesh also claims the island, which they call South Talpatti. Residents of either country have never built a permanent settlement on the island. The island actually came under dispute only about 40 years ago, when New Moore Island / South Talpatti appeared after the Bhola cyclone. India had at one point established a base on South Talpatti / New Moore Island, but international opinion was split on the question.
Rising sea levels engulf New Moore Island
As reported by the BBC, the School of Oceanographic Studies in Calcutta has officially found New Moore Island to be covered by sea water. The institute has confirmed that New Moore Island is no more with satellite pictures and reports of fishermen. In the last 10 years, sea level has risen an average of five millimeters per year, while the previous average was three millimeters per year. In the Bengal Basin region and Sundarban Island chain, where New Moore Island was situated, sea levels have been rising by about 3.14 centimeters a year. Four islands of the Sundarban chain sunk before New Moore Island.
More island nations might sink
Islands are at risk of sinking outside of the Sundarban chain. A small nation known as the Maldives in the Indian Ocean has been losing land mass steadily for years. Tiny changes can make a huge impact on these islands, where the highest point is only 8 feet above sea level. In response, the government of the Maldives has been building Hulhumale, a man-made island, for residents to emigrate to. In the Pacific Ocean between Hawaii and Australia, Tuvalu is also in danger of sinking. There are 11,000 residents of Tuvalu, all of whom will be without a home in as little as 50 years. 75 residents of Tuvalu can use military personal loans to move to New Zealand each year, but that is far from all of them. Tonga, Kirbati, and the Marshall Islands are also at risk of disappearing just like New Moore Island did.
Can the islands be saved?
Ultimately, there can be no definitive way to measure the cause or effect of islands ending up in the ocean. Islands can rise and fall in addition to the fact sea levels regularly change. There are also arguments about if the increased water levels are due to global climate change or natural variations in the climate. No matter who or what is to blame, though, island nations that are sinking are being forced to find solutions - because there is not yet a way to simply stop the rise and fall of an island in the ocean.
Sources:
Times of India
BBC News
Wikipedia
Geo Engineering – Perhaps The Only Way Out
Posted by admin in environment on 12 23rd, 2009Global warming and climate change perhaps the most talked matter today, rightly so because it poses dangers that may lead to wiping out nature and the entire animal & bird population of the Planet closely followed by the human species.
International efforts to tackle the problem have perhaps been a bigger failure than even the Doha Round of Negotiations! Political issues and matters of selfish interests of nations always rule over the bigger problem at hand, that of Global Warming. The question remains, should we wait for a renewed Kyoto Protocol? Or is it time we realize that political hassles will not let us stop this menace and therefore we should look for ‘politically amiable’ solutions.
Geo engineering is perhaps one of them. Geo Engineering is a technique of large scale manipulation of the Earth’s environmental set up to reduce the impact of carbon emissions. There are three major techniques under this method that can be used, namely, Solar radiation management, Greenhouse gas remediation and Arctic geoengineering. Some of the techniques proposed under Geo Engineering may seem to some as taken out of some Scientific Fiction book by a crazy author!
The tipping point in the field of Solar radiation management came in 2006, when the Nobel Prize—winning atmospheric scientist Paul Crutzen published an editorial examining the possibility of releasing vast amounts of sulfurous debris into the atmosphere to create a haze that would keep the planet cool. To implement this system precursor gases such as hydrogen sulfide (H2S) can be released using artillery, aircraft and balloons. The price tag that comes with this technique is even more amazing : somewhere between a few hundred million dollars and a couple of billion dollars every year. This technology also has support in an event that took place in 1991. Mount Pinatubo erupted, releasing 15m tonnes of sulphur dioxide into the stratosphere which formed a thick cloud of aerosol particles and within 15 months this had spread across the world, reflecting a significant proportion of the sun’s energy back into space. Average global temperatures fell by over 0.5 degrees celcius.
The Arctic region represents a major cause of concern. The impact of Global Warming can be especially seen in ice covered areas like the Arctic where the ice sheet is rapidly melting. This is an important concern also because it drastically increases sea levels and may cause calamaties by submerging low lying islands. Therefore, geo engineering offers a specific plan for this concern called Arctic Geo engineering under which the aim would be to enhance the polar ice cap by spraying or pumping water onto the top of it which would build thicker sea ice. Ice serves as an insulator and therefore ice on the surface would freeze quicker than that below. River water is being suggested to be used in this case as it is not saline. Presence of salt may in fact reduce freezing capacity and leads to the new layer of ice become perforated.
Geo Engineering is increasingly being looked upon as a viable solution by a lot of developed and developing countries alike. In fact in 2001, President Bush had withdrawn US support from the Kyoto Protocol. This meeting therefore represented something like a US counterproposal to Kyoto, an ‘alternative approach to climate change’. President Obama is also looking at proposals and asking his efficient team of scientists to explore most effective possibilities. Geo Engineering should not be promoted as a technique to be applied in isolation. In fact, it should be used as a supplementary technique along with the main aim of reducing carbon emissions. It is only then can we expect to reduce global temperatures and avoid the destruction of our planet.
The Menace Of Global Warming And Climatic Changes-Is There A Solution?
Posted by admin in environment on 12 21st, 2009We’ve all been cribbing about the extremely harsh summer that we’re witnessing this year all thanks to Global Warming. A phenomenon that has had environment impacts
and caused temperatures to rise by about 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit (0.8 degree Celsius) around the world since 1880. To add to this, even the rate of warming is increasing with every passing year. Naturally, the ice covered or colder regions such as the Arctic, mountain ranges and Northern Regions of the world can be observed to assess the impact of Global warming. Arctic ice is rapidly disappearing and it is estimated that if warming continues at the current rate, the region may be completely ice free by about 2040. Average temperatures have risen world over but in Alaska, western Canada and eastern Russia, they have risen at twice the global average. If we humans can feel the heat, why wont animals inhabiting the Earth? Especially those which are used to cold regions. The Polar bears are suffering from the sea-ice loss, the sex of the sea turtles due to warming seas is another big concern and scientists have observed a major shift in migratory patterns of many birds due to changing climatic conditions. It is conjectured that these changes may lead to the extinction of many birds and animals alike.
I wouldn’t say that it’s the right time to take action because we are already late. I do not consider signing of treaties as a way out looking at the absolute failure of the Kyoto Protocol to do so. With the world order in utter chaos, I do not see a conducive conclusion coming out of the renewed Kyoto Protocol either. So what to do?
For most environmentalists, politicians and even citizens, the only solution seems to be ‘to cut carbon emissions and to cut them now!’. But some scientists are thinking ahead. They are quietly working on another option-seldom known to people called Geo-Engineering to cool the planet’s fever.
It is based on a simple principle- if human interference has led the Earth to suffer Global Warming, then a bit more of interference might fix the problem too!
Geo engineering simply put is a way of compensating for an intensified greenhouse effect by reducing the amount of solar radiation reaching the Earth. Geo engineering would involve a large scale manipulation of the Earth’s environmental system to counter act the problems of Greenhouse gas emissions and Global Warming. A few of the techniques proposed under this system would rather sound like science fiction to some. One is using orbiting satellite mirrors to bounce sunlight back into space, painting the roofs with light colours and even using fine sea water sprays to lighten clouds, all to improve reflectivity! Another interesting technique is with respect to removing Greenhouse gases from the atmosphere, thereby talking the root cause of the problem. One way to do so is iron fertilization of the oceans to amplify the ability to absorb carbon. An oceanic phytoplankton bloom has been discovered in the South Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Argentina-this is a fine example of iron fertilization that could help lock up carbon on the seabed.
A tipping point in the field of Geo Engineering came when in 2006, Noble Prize winningatmospheric scientist Paul Crutzen published an editorial examining the possibility of releasing vast amounts of sulfurous debris into the atmosphere to create haze that would keep the planet cool.
Though increasingly ignored in the past, with the failure of ‘negotiations and talks’ at global forums relating to Climate Change and Global Warming, Geo engineering may actually become the only and best option available to curb the problem at hand i.e only if world leaders don’t end up politicizing this matter too-because its high time we realize that if we want our children’s children to be born on Earth-something has to be done-else the Earth might not survive!
Global Warming Ravages Planet - Climate Change Action Required Today!
Posted by admin in environment on 12 9th, 2009By the time you read this, 56 pagers in 45 countries will have published a front-page editorial guided by the Guardian of London. The editorial will call global climate change a “profound emergency” with requires immediate action. It claims there are no replays regarding climate change: “Unless we combine to take decisive action, climate change will ravage our planet, and with it our prosperity and security.”
I took a master’s level college course on the environment back in the early 90’s, and I remember the main theme of our textbook was that our environment is such a complicated system that it is not only more complex than we know, it’s more complex than we can ever know. That has stuck with me ever since.
The science behind global warming and climate change is extremely complex. Arguments abound about how, and even if, it is really a crisis at all. But, if you look at the data behind this gargantuan topic, it is extremely difficult to explain away what is happening before our very eyes, and even all that is not visible to the naked eye. Temperatures are rising, glaciers and ice fields are melting, the oceans are warming, the weather is changing in many locales, species of animals and plant life are disappearing or being profoundly altered. Gigantic clouds of methane gas are potentially being released from below thawing ice on a scale that is just now beginning to be measured. One thing is certain: 11 of the last 14 years have been the warmest on record.
In my neck of the woods, the mountain southwest, the aspen tree is undergoing SAD: Sudden Aspen Decline. While there are many factors that enter into this phenomenon, the long-continuing drought that is plaguing the American Southwest has left the aspen and other tree species unable to protect themselves from wood-boring insects, for starters.
The havoc that global warming is already causing is hard to calculate because it is so vast. And, what the future holds is even more astounding. Rising sea levels could, and almost certainly will, devastate coastal countries and cities more than we can imagine. It’s the domino effect on a spectacular scale.
The pressure mounts on The United States to become an active member in the staving off of planetary destruction after years of obstructionist environmental policy, particularly from the George W. Bush reign. This should not be a battle between the rich world and the poor world. This is a shared responsibility. We are all in this together. We can unite as ONE PEOPLE of the entire globe and work to solve this immense catastrophe, or we can do what we do best: nothing. It requires shared sacrifice, but the Super Powers must surely take the lead. There is no doubt that rich countries have contributed far more to this dilemma than poor countries. Yet, we all bear responsibility. There is no time to waste playing “the blame game.”
There is huge economic opportunity in turning the world into a much greener and sustainable environment. But, attitudes, concrete policy changes, and hardcore action must become the rule of the day. If “What goes on in the Copenhagen Climate Summit, stays in Copenhagen” is the prevailing mood, we all lose. The very survival of the human species, and the Earth as we know it, depends upon a drastic shift in global consciousness beginning today!
Grant Brad Gerver is an entrepreneur and creative consultant for Filibi, a classified and online coupon advertising site and home business. He’s also a YouTube Channel blues singer-songwriter and guitar player with The Buzzard Brothers. Additionally, Grant writes political humor, thousands of bumper stickers, and humorous movie reviews. He has also worked with various companies as a product-naming specialist. He’s a retired elementary school teacher and published children’s author who works in the health care field.
Capturing Carbon
Posted by admin in environment on 12 7th, 2009Global warming is mainly caused by green house gases especially carbon oxide. Carbon capture is necessary to reduce this global warming among other efforts. Many 3g technologies are being put forward to tackle the rising carbon dioxide. Some have not helped in sustainable development while others are not just feasible. There hasn’t been an outright discovery to capture carbon till now. However, we need to sail through the possibility of finding one otherwise our only way forward is south.
Any suggested methods of carbon capture should be ecologically safe. It should be economical and sustainable, which means the captured carbon has to stay that way for a number of years.
Naturally, plants capture carbon. However, once they die they release the carbon back into the atmosphere. Also with the accelerated emission of carbon doubled with cropping problems and deforestation, the remaining plants aren’t able to take in more carbon. They have become saturated. A team of American scientists seem to have found a way though for capturing carbon through plants. If crop residues are buried in the bottoms of the deep oceans it will make sure the carbon remain captured. This is similar to putting back the carbon as sediments in deep water which enabled the formation of fossil fuels millions of years ago. It is estimated this process can mitigate 15 percent of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
The team suggested that these crop residues could be baled and carried to ocean sites and then stabilize it with stones and sunk. They say this technology is feasible because of the oxygen deficient deep ocean waters ensuring the residues do not degrade.
We have heard of soil sequestration many times in recent past. This method ensures soils store up to 2 petagram (Pg) of carbon every year. (1 Pg=1 trillion kilogram) What it does is once crops are harvested the residues are ploughed back into the soil. It enables the carbon to stay underground that way for a few years. In about 20 years almost more than 90 percent are lost in the soil due to decay and degradation.
There are other methods also for capturing carbon. However, they are not as efficient as the ones I have mentioned above. For instance, Forest capture is another form of capturing carbon. It captures 0.1-3 Pg of carbon annually. But with time the ability to capture reduces drastically. Forest fires and deforestation doesn’t help either releasing much of the captured carbon into the atmosphere.
Another method which hasn’t fully grown is ocean fertilization. Here iron dust is sprayed across the ocean to create an algal boom. 1-2 Pg of carbon can be removed annually with this. However the problem is algal die after a point of time and 60-80% of the captured carbon is emitted back after their deaths.
With the lack of efficiency in capturing carbon with some of the methods, the sinking crop residual method, the first one we discussed, sounds like the most effective one among all existing technologies. It is cheap as the residual comes naturally in the process of crop cultivation. The scientist group, however, warn against complete removal of crop residue as this will negatively affect the carbon flow in the soil. Also there could be unwanted changes underneath the ocean floor.
To conclude, scientists have been trying hard for ways to counter the dangerous carbon level in the atmosphere. They’ve been able to come up with few interesting ideas but all of them are running short in some way or the other. There needs to be an absolute sharing of knowledge and technology among scientists of the developed nations. The sooner, the lesser the destruction will be for us.
Global Warming Trivia for The Classroom
Posted by admin in environment on 07 21st, 2009Global warming is taking its toll on the world. How much do you know about global warming? Taking a global warming quiz can let you see just how much you know about global warming while allowing you to find ways to help prevent global warming. There are several facts that may surprise you about global warming.
For instance did you know that while natural forces are partly to blame for global warming that people are responsible as well? This piece of global warming trivia is something that is often overlooked. Our own creation of greenhouse gases is contributing to the continued warming of the planet.
When it comes to global warming the fact that China is the largest contributor of greenhouse gases is something else that isn’t very well known. What planets conditions are thought to be the result of too many greenhouse gases? This is another of the global warming trivia questions that are difficult to answer off hand.
Global warming trivia even extends to the appliances and fixtures in the home. Individual energy consumption can be reduced from sixty to eighty percent by changing a light bulb. Why is knowing this important? There are over a hundred thousand deaths around the world every year due to changes in the atmosphere from global warming.
A global warming quiz can test your knowledge about carbon dioxide and other deadly effects of global warming. Even if all greenhouse emissions were stopped immediately it would still be at least one hundred years before the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was completely gone. There would be decades after the last emission that the effects where felt.
Animals are facing extinction due to global warming and the effects are beginning to be felt in everyday life. Droughts, heat exhaustion, and pollutants are all effects of global warming. The melting ice is contributing to the warming effects by taking away natural cooling methods. Even malaria is believed to increase as the effects of global warming increase.
An interesting fact about global warming is that planes give off fewer pollutants at night than during the day. So by flying at night you can actually reduce your impact on the atmosphere. Another interesting fact is that hybrid cars don’t always get better gas mileage than traditional cars. Global warming costs everyone money since insurance companies pay more out in claims due to disasters, food becomes scarce and crops are not sustainable in some regions.
Brushing up on global warming trivia and taking a global warming quiz can assist you in finding ways to help save the environment.
British Heatwave: This is what happens when a country starved of sun gets it all at once!
Posted by admin in environment on 07 16th, 2009In the UK the year round weather is so blighted by rain and clouds - but the population got a well deserved break recently with some thermometer busting conditions. The last week of June this year saw UK temperatures soar to a reported 35 degrees Celsius (or 95 in Fahrenheit), the warmest since 2006. It was also the highest recorded temperature in June for decades - the average for June is 19-22 degrees Celcius (66-72F).
Yet one of the things that’s bound to happen in a country which hardly ever sees a ‘proper’ summer, people start to go a bit loopy.
Sun Worshipper Stampede
First thing you see when the sun comes out in the UK is people stripping down to bikinis to make the most of the sun. Any English town or city on a hot day will be littered with bodies lying around trying to get as much sun on as much of their pale flesh as possible. Several months down the line you can be sure of a few melanoma scares resulting from the overexuberant sun-worshipping.
The Complaining Starts
True to form, the British mentality can’t deal with simply being happy and counting there blessings for more than a few days. Inevitably complaints about it being too unbearably hot and sticky soon became commonplace, and people started longing for cooler conditions again. And, inevitably, there were petitions to demand the government do something about the awful hot weather and lack of air conditioners in public places!
Staying Cool
With one half of the UK population is stripping down to their underwear, the rest rushes down to the high street and sucks up the entire stock of desk fans like some sweaty, many-headed monster. According to Google, searches for the term “portable air conditioner” in the UK went from 9,900 in May to 49,500 in June!
Nothing Lasts Forever
Unfortunately these Mediterranean conditions failed to stick around, and after a week of this there were equally severe thunderstorms and rain, leading to severe flooding in some parts.The yo-yoing between extreme weather patterns is certainly worrying for environmental campaigners as an example of climate change in effect. Predictably, everyone is now moaning and complaining about the wind and rain, and wishing the heatwave would come back. You just can’t win.
Global Warming: Fact or Fiction?
Posted by admin in environment on 05 25th, 2009As scientists log increments in the average temperature of the earth, debate marches on about whether or not this warming is natural or caused by the activities of people. Some people who have studied the issues surrounding global warming say that it is just a hoax and that there is no such thing. However, others disagree and believe that since the industrial revolution, we are having a negative affect on our environment.
The best place to start is to look at what we have already been led to believe.
The Greenhouse effect is the relationship between the earth and the sun. The sun provides the earth with the heat and energy it needs and the earth releases back that energy into space.
The greenhouse effect comes into play as the gases in the earth trap that energy so that it cannot be released back into space therefore, warming the earths environment.
The greenhouse effect is natural and even vital to our existence. If there were no greenhouse effect, the earth would be too cold for life to exist.
Methane, carbon dioxide and water vapor are all gases that trap energy from the sun thereby enabling the warming of the earth.
It is common knowledge that plants provide carbon dioxide (CO2) but most people aren’t aware that they also eliminate carbon dioxide.
This is because, when a plant dies and is buried into the earth, these plants become fossil fuel which is coal and oil.
When coal and oil is burned, this then removes the carbon dioxide from the air around it.
Before cars filled our streets and machinery was invented 200 years ago, global warming was a non-issue.
The earth’s own natural gases would trap energy to warm the earth. But since the industrial revolution, more gases are being pumped into the atmosphere which has resulted in more energy being trapped and global warming.
There are ongoing debates between activists and scientists on the subject of whether or not humans are the cause of global warming. However, I believe everyone can agree that when something unnatural occurs, it disrupts the natural order of things.
If we are pumping more gases into the atmosphere than is normal, then it would be natural to expect this to impact the environment. But whether or not this impact is the cause of global warming, well, we will have to leave that debate to the scientists.
It is said that in the last century the earth has warmed by 1%, although this is not a massive amount, it still could be an unnatural 1% which would have an effect on the earth’s climate.
The truth of the matter is, the earth works in a certain way that even the best scientists in the world cannot fathom it. We can’t assume that we know it all because there may be unknown factors that have not been accounted for.
It is easy to conclude that humans are having some kind of impact on the environment in comparison to 200 years ago, but is this the cause of global warming? I don’t believe it is possible to say either way. But what we do know is that we need to do what we can to help the environment.
Whatever the real truth is, you can definitely make a difference by turning your home into a green house (pun intended) and build a renewable energy generator. We can help the earth this way, one household at a time.
Ralph Somers
Moderator of Ralph’s Green Energy Guide
Why Is EPA Important?
Posted by admin in environment on 05 22nd, 2009On December 2nd, 1970, Richard Nixon made history by charging an agency, the EPA, to monitor the growing problems with pollution and ecosystems. The Environmental Protection Agency is a government agency which ensures that the health of humans is protected, as well as preserving out natural environments. Without this valuable agency, the environment would be in dire need, indeed.
The EPA is not alone in its fight to keep the world a clean place. But it does play an instrumental role in convincing other countries to join in the fight to lower pollution levels and encourage more people to participate in recycling programs in their area. Even the Kyoto Protocol, of which the United States is a part, determines the amount of green house gas emissions that are allowed, thus having an effect on each and every citizen of the world.
Perhaps the greatest contact the American citizen has with the Environmental Protection Agency is the recycling program found in local cities and towns. There are laws governing the illegal dumping of hazardous waste into the environment. They push for corporations and businesses to join a recycling program to benefit the environment and serve as an example, with regard to the serious nature of pollution and overflowing landfills.
The Environmental Protection Agency covers endangered species, as well as air, water, land and hazardous waste pollution. They help to protect the environment in more ways that you could possibly think one agency is capable of doing but they manage to get it done. Without this agency regulating the industry and helping people get into a recycling program, this country would be in an appalling condition.
Visit www.epa.org for more information on how the Environmental Protection Agency works on a daily basis. You can give back to your community and help show others that recycling is not that hard. You can keep landfills free of recyclables and start a grass roots campaign to get more cities on track for recycling. Just doing your part is one small step in keeping more useable garbage out of your local landfill. Consider it your civic duty to help start a recycling program in your area and teaching others that big changes start with the efforts of all concerned. Do your part and you will begin to see others taking those small steps as well.
