by nate on Monday, December 14th, 2009 | Health, News, Weather, World | No Comments

COPENHAGEN — On the 30th of November, 2009 the governments of the world attended to Copenhagen for the fifteenth UN Climate Conference (COP-15). This will be the biggest summit on climate change ever to have taken place.

A large numbers of protesters took to the streets of Copenhagen on Saturday to demand a strong global-climate pact, even as world leaders reiterated that the coming week’s talks will not lead to a binding legal agreement.

Among the balloons and climate-themed sails waved during the massive demonstration flew the flags of left-of-centre European political parties, as well as signs reading “there is no planet B.”

While most of the march was peaceful, riot police detained between 600 and 800 people around the Danish capital after some black-clad demonstrators threw bottles and smashed windows.

“And the number is growing,” police spokesman Flemming Steen Munch said.

The marchers spread out across six kilometres as they walked toward Copenhagen’s Bella Centre, the high-security site of the international talks.

Estimates ranged from 30,000 upwards to 100,000 protesters, all of whom flocked to the Danish capital from across Europe and the world.

read more

Tags: climate change, climate change's summit, climate conference, copenhagen, global warming, mass protest, protests, save the planet

by wildcherry on Monday, December 7th, 2009 | Life, Tips | 1 Comment

In North America, we love our meat—whether it’s a lazy summer barbecue or a regular meat and potatoes meal. But if you’re looking for a high-impact green living idea, you should consider eating less meat since it can have a greater impact on your carbon footprint (for the good!) than switching from a gas-guzzler to a hybrid car.

Of all of the green living changes you could make to your life, eating less meat (and dairy) may have the biggest bang for your buck—it’s more effective than buying food locally, eating organic, or driving a hybrid car. But why is this? Let me explain:

Deforestation: Raising animals for meat results in the levelling of huge swaths of forests around the world. It is estimated that 55 acres of rainforest is required to produce one meal composed of meat protein (John Robbins, author of The Food Revolution). Trees are a major carbon sink (not to mention their many other environmental benefits), so cutting them down reduces the planet’s ability to absorb carbon dioxide.

Agricultural greenhouse gas emissions: Eighty percent of all grain products grown in the US are used to feed livestock. Conventional farming methods involve large doses of petroleum-based chemicals (fertilizers and pesticides) as well as the operation of heavy machinery which burns a proportionately large amount of fuel, emitting a lot of carbon dioxide.

Enteric fermentation: As ruminating animals (cows, sheep, goats, and buffalo) naturally digest their food, they produce a potent greenhouse gas: methane, which is more than 20 times more effective at trapping heat in our atmosphere than carbon dioxide. According to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization, eating meat is responsible for 37% of methane, 9% of all carbon dioxide, and 65% of nitrous oxide—all of which are greenhouse gases.

Rajendra Pachauri, chair of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recommends that people should start by having one meat-free day per week then cut back further.

The 68-year-old Indian economist, who is a vegetarian, said diet change was important in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and environmental problems associated with rearing cattle and other animals.

“Give up meat for one day (per week) initially, and decrease it from there,” he said.

“In terms of immediacy of action and the feasibility of bringing about reductions in a short period of time, it clearly is the most attractive opportunity.”

Other small-scale lifestyle changes would also help to combat climate change, he said without elaborating.

“That’s what I want to emphasise: we really have to bring about reductions in every sector of the economy.”

Tags: carbon footprint, eating meat, global warming, Green Living, hybrid car

by wildcherry on Monday, December 7th, 2009 | News, World | No Comments

The Environmental Protection Agency concluded earlier today that climate changing pollution threatens the public health and the environment.

The announcement came as the Obama administration looked to boost its arguments at an international climate conference that the United States is aggressively taking actions to combat global warming, even though Congress has yet to act on climate legislation. The conference opened Monday in Copenhagen.

The EPA said that the scientific evidence surrounding climate change clearly shows that greenhouse gases “threaten the public health and welfare of the American people” and that the pollutants – mainly carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels – should be regulated under the Clean Air Act.

“These long-overdue findings cement 2009’s place in history as the year when the United States government began addressing the challenge of greenhouse-gas pollution,” said EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson at news conference.

The action by the EPA, which has been anticipated for months, clearly was timed to add to the momentum toward some sort of agreement on climate change at the Copenhagen conference and try to push Congress to approve climate legislation.

Under a Supreme Court ruling, the so-called endangerment finding is needed before the EPA can regulate carbon dioxide and five other greenhouse gases released from automobiles, power plants, and factories under the federal Clean Air Act.

The EPA signaled last April that it was inclined to view heat-trapping pollution as a threat to public health and welfare and began to take public comments under a formal rulemaking. The action marked a reversal from the Bush administration, which had refused before leaving office to issue the finding, despite a conclusion by EPA scientists that it was warranted.

Tags: climate change, Environmental Protection Agency, Epa, Epa Greenhouse Gases, global warming, Green News, Greenhouse Gases

by nate on Tuesday, November 24th, 2009 | News, Weird, World | No Comments

More than 100, and possibly hundreds, of Antarctic icebergs are floating towards New Zealand in a rare event which has prompted a shipping warning, officials said on Monday.

Scientist Neal Young said more than 100 icebergs – some measuring more than 200 metres (650 feet) across – were seen in just one cluster, indicating there could be hundreds more.

He said they were the remains of a massive ice floe which split from the Antarctic as sea and air temperatures rise due to global warming.

“All of these have come from a larger one that was probably 30 square kilometres (11.6 square miles) in size when it left Antarctica,” Young told AFP.

“It’s done a long circuit around Antarctica and now the bigger parts of it are breaking up and producing smaller ones.”

He said large numbers of icebergs had not floated this close to New Zealand since 2006, when a number came within 25 kilometres of the coastline – the first such sighting since 1931.

continue to read here

Tags: Australian's iceberg, end of world, flood, global warming, Global Warming Signs, iceberg, New Zealand's iceberg

by wildcherry on Monday, November 23rd, 2009 | News, Weird | No Comments

Thousands of emails and documents were posted on the Internet after being hacked from Climate Research Unit at East Anglia University in the United Kingdom.

The hacking and release raises obvious ethical and even legal questions over the alleged behavior of scientists who advocate the view that human activity is a significant cause of global warming.

Global warming deniers claim the documents suggest that scientists are pushing an “agenda” that humans are responsible for global warming.

In the hundreds of emails that were stolen and have been taken out of context, there isn’t actual evidence of such a plot.

The hacked emails involve both American and European researchers, and according to the New York Times they include “discussions of scientific data and whether it should be released, exchanges about how best to combat the arguments of skeptics, and casual comments — in some cases derisive — about specific people known for their skeptical views.”

The emails also suggest “bitter feelings” involved in the debate between those on both sides of the issue of global warming and the seriousness of the threat.

Read More: Huffington Post

Tags: climate change, Climate Depot, Climategate, environment, global warming, Global Warming Conspiracy, global warming email, Global Warming Emails, Global Warming Emails Ethics, global warming hack, global warming hacked, Global Warming Hoax, Global Warming Scam, green, Green News

by wildcherry on Wednesday, October 14th, 2009 | Life, Tips | 1 Comment

Recycling is not so hard, yet it is one of the best ways you can do something positive for the environment. Your home is one place where you can find plenty of items to recycle.

If you have the room, you can even set out labeled containers and use them to sort recyclable items. Plastic garbage cans are perfect for this project.

The easiest items to sort are plastic, glass and cardboard. If you drink soda pop from aluminum cans, there should be a container especially for those cans. While you are at it, check with your local schools and churches to see if they collect the pop tops from these cans. Another use for the pop tops is to make household items. A Google search can give you ideas on what can be made with aluminum pop tops. Novica, a division of National Geographic sells beautifully crafted purses from aluminum pop tops.

Most towns have recycling centers. Find out where the one in your community is located so you can dispose of your recycled material properly. Towns often have a day set aside for hazardous waste disposal. Check to see what items they take and have a container especially for those items. Extreme care should be taken in storing hazardous wastes.

Towns that don’t have a recycling center may have large containers in a designated area where you can bring recyclables. These containers are emptied on a regular schedule.

Since you know why recycling is important, if your town doesn’t have recycling containers, or a recycling center, you need to find out why. Contact your government officials, either in person or by writing them a letter, to voice your concerns over the fact that recycling is not available for the citizens. If containers are not readily available, people will not be motivated to recycle.

Once you have your recycling program at home working, consider expanding your recycling efforts to your workplace and your schools. If you have children, they should be taught at an early age to recycle. After all, recycling is important for their future. Schools must have recycling programs in place to set a good example. Creative recycling programs are very exciting for children, and this excitement is often brought to the home. Parents are then encouraged by the children to recycle.

Offices and health care facilities are one of the largest consumers of our natural resources, yet many of these facilities do not have an active recycling program.

People need to be educated on why recycling is important and the benefits it has for our environment. The same items that are recycled at home can easily be recycled in the work place. Encouraging employees to avoid the use of paper cups and plastic water bottles (unless they are refilled at home), and to recycle computer paper and aluminum cans.

In order to complete the cycle of reduce, recycle, and reuse, purchasing products that have been made from recycled products is a must. Buying paper products, such as greeting cards, napkins, and computer paper that are made from recycled paper is essential to complete the cycle. Your use of these products shows your support for the recycling effort.

Another simple way to help the environment is by using “green” bags instead of plastic bags when you are grocery shopping. Every bit of plastic that has ever been manufactured is still in existence. Plastic takes hundreds of years to degrade. A reusable grocery bag helps keep those plastic bags out of the landfills.

Everyone is beginning to realize why recycling is important, but many people can’t be bothered to recycle. Education and readily available recycling centers is essential if we are to save this environment.

Talking about the benefits of recycling is like peeling an onion: There are so many, and they are so intertwined, that it would be near impossible for me to explain them all in one measly blog post. But let me briefly highlight a few more:
Energy. In 2005, recycling saved 900 trillion BTUs, equal to the annual energy use of 9 million households. This, in turn, combats global warming, since lower energy needs = less demand on fossil fuel power plants.
Pollution. For every ton of aluminum that is mined, another ton of toxic chemicals is left behind to contaminate water supplies. Make foil and soda cans from recycled materials, and you eliminate this type of pollution. And it’s not just aluminum: Producing paper from recycled pulp versus virgin fiber emits 95 percent less air pollution; manufacturing glass from recycled materials generates 20 percent less air pollution.
Natural resources. If every US household swapped out just one four-pack of traditional bath tissue (made from virgin fiber) for the recycled version, it would save approximately 1 million trees a year. This links back to emissions, since forests are our first line of defense in absorbing all that CO2.
Economy. Recycling and remanufacturing industries account for close to 1 million manufacturing jobs and more than $100 billion in annual revenue. Current unemployment rate: 9.5 percent. ‘Nuff said.

Tags: Carbon Emissions, Composting, environment, global warming, Green Advice, Green Bags, Green Living, Greenhouse Gases, Hazardous Waste, Landfill Space, Landfills, Methane Emissions, recycling, Recycling Myths, Recycling Program

by nate on Wednesday, December 17th, 2008 | Knowledge, World | 8 Comments

Between 1.5 trillion and 2 trillion tons of ice in Greenland, Antarctica and Alaska has melted at an accelerating rate since 2003, according to NASA scientists, in the latest signs of what they say is global warming.

Using new satellite technology that measures changes in mass in mountain glaciers and ice sheets, NASA geophysicist Scott Luthcke concluded that the losses amounted to enough water to fill the Chesapeake Bay 21 times.

“The ice tells us in a very real way how the climate is changing,” said Luthcke, who will present his findings this week at the American Geophysical Union conference in San Francisco, California.

NASA’s Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment, or GRACE, mission uses two orbiting satellites to measure the “mass balance” of a glacier, or the net annual difference between ice accumulation and ice loss.

“A few degrees of change [in temperature] can increase the amount of mass loss, and that contributes to sea level rise and changes in ocean current,” Luthcke said

For detailed article from CNN, click here.

Tags: Alaska, Antarctica, global warming, GRACE, Greenland, Ice melting, NASA

by argyll2002 on Monday, December 1st, 2008 | Life | 2 Comments

Global warming is something i think we should all take seriously and here is a poem about how we can all do something to help.

A human Solution

This world belongs
To you and I
The oceans, seas
Lands and sky

So why do people
Seek to destroy
This very planet
We’re supposed to enjoy

With greenhouse gases
And high pollution
It is only we humans
That has the solution

So start with your rubbish
Try and recycle it
And at least you’ll know
You are helping a bit

And in case you decide
To give it a miss
Go out in the garden
And try to do this

Take a deep breath
Lay on the grass
Look up at the sky
And watch the clouds pass

This is the earth
And there is only one
So let’s try and maintain it
For generations to come

By James

www.alifeofrhyme.blogspot.com

Tags: climate change, environment, global warming, Greenhouse gas, poem, poetry, Pollution

by nate on Wednesday, November 5th, 2008 | Inspiration, Knowledge, Life | 4 Comments

For many years, large, influential businesses and governments have been against the idea of global warming. Many have poured a lot of resources into discrediting what has generally been accepted for a long time as real. Now, the mainstream is generally worried about climate change impacts and the discourse seems to have shifted accordingly. Even some businesses that once engaged in disinformation campaigns have changed their opinions, some even requesting governments for regulation and direction on this issue. However, a few influential companies and organizations are still attempting to undermine climate change action and concerns. Will all this mean a different type of spin and propaganda with attempts at green washing and misleading information becoming the norm, or will there now be major shift in attitudes to see concrete solutions being proposed and implemented?

taken from globalissue.org

Tags: climate change, earth, global crisis, global warming

by nate on Wednesday, October 15th, 2008 | News, World | No Comments

(taken from msnbc.com)
Some current hotspots will lose their appeal, but others stand to benefit

By David S. Hirschman
updated 6:57 a.m. PT, Wed., Oct. 15, 2008

Predictions about the rate of global warming vary greatly, but even by conservative estimates it’s likely to have a big effect on travel. Many current tourist hotspots will literally be too hot for comfort, while others will lose their natural beauty, be prone to catastrophic storms—or simply be underwater.

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the planet’s average temperature could increase by as much as 3.5 degrees celsius by 2100, causing sea levels to rise nearly four feet. If the Greenland and Antarctic continental ice sheets then melt—as some predict—sea levels could rise by an additional 30 feet. Potential side effects include increasingly intense storms, catastrophic heat waves and global flooding on a biblical scale.

read here for further information

Tags: climate change, global warming, National Center for Atmospheric Research