Archive for the 'Environment' Category

Short Term Benefits of Global Warming

It is certain that enough global warming would be harmful to human beings.  If the temperatures were hot enough and the sea levels were high enough, it would spell an end to life as it is known at this time.  Yet, there may be some short-term benefits of global warming.

Few people would argue and say that a warm climate is not preferable to a cold one.  Not only are warm climates generally more pleasant, there are health benefits as well.  People who suffer from conditions that are affected by the cold, such as rheumatoid arthritis, often move to warmer climates.  A small amount of global warming would allow people to stay in their homes.

One scientist did an extensive study of statistics to find out the health benefits of warmer weather.  He studied the numbers of deaths in different months of the year in places that get cold in the winter and warm in the summer.  He determined that many more people die in the winter than in the summer.  This would seem to support the benefits of global warming.

Protection Agreement on Global Warming

When the dust settled on February 16, 2005, 141 countries had ratified the Kyoto Protocol and put it into effect.  The United States was not one of those countries who saw fit to join together to stop global warming.  Many citizens were disappointed, but one US Mayor decided to do something about it.

Mayor Greg Nickels was serving his second term in Seattle when the Kyoto Protocol went into effect.  He was concerned that the US should do something, and, failing that, that he should do what he could.  He devised a plan to enlist other US Mayors to make the changes that were needed to reduce global warming.

Mayor Nickels sent out a challenge to mayors across the country urging them to start implementing the changes that the Kyoto Protocol demanded of its member nations.  The idea was that if a grassroots network could be built to prevent global warming, it would essentially do the same job that the government was shirking by not ratifying the Kyoto agreement.

The Economics of Global Warming

Global warming can prove to be a costly occurrence.  For many reasons, financial considerations have already been impacted.  For anyone who looks to the wallet for an indicator of disaster, trouble can be seen in global warming.

The deadly and destructive storms that are now being seen have caused tremendous financial losses.  Hurricane Katrina cost roughly 81 billion dollars in damage, and the actual rebuilding has barely even begun.  Storms like Katrina have most likely been boosted to their extreme levels of force by warm ocean waters.  These are caused by global warming.

Agriculture can be spoiled by global warming.  Crops die during droughts brought on by global warming.  Storms intensified by global warming can damage agricultural buildings and injure animals.  Floods resulting from these storms can drown out crops before they can be harvested.

This all translates into lost revenues for both farmers and investors.  It also means higher prices for consumers of agricultural products.  Consumers already know what it is like to pay exorbitant prices for foods that have been damaged while in the fields.  If global warming continues on its present course, this will be a common occurrence.

Fight Global Warming at Home

There are steps you can take to fight global warming in your home and car.  You do not have to wait for the government or big businesses to do something about it.  It is better to take the initiative and do your part.

In your home, you can begin by changing your light bulbs.  You do not have to do it all at once.  Every time you change a bulb, though, you can replace the old incandescent bulb with a compact fluorescent.  Not only does this reduce greenhouse gases, it also saves you money in the long run.

It has always been wise to seal and insulate your home, just for comfort’s sake.  Now, it is even more important.  You can stop your home from emitting greenhouse gases and contributing to global warming by doing this.  If you have any doubts about where your home needs insulation, you can hire an energy auditor to help you decide.

Global Warming causes rise in Water Temperature

A part of the alarm that is being raised about global warming has to do with rising water temperatures, especially in the ocean.  Scientists are studying warming waters all over the globe to determine the extent of the change.

The consequences of this global warming are far-reaching.  One of the most devastating effects of global warming is that, as the ocean water warms, it impacts tropical storms.  Hurricanes that would have been category 3 storms in past years are now category 4 or above.  This is because they are energized when they pick up the warmer ocean water.

In fact, there has been a significant increase in these higher intensity storms in the last 35 years.  This could be due to global warming.  In 2005, the Atlantic was bombarded with 27 tropical storms powerful enough to receive a name.  15 of them developed into hurricanes.

Global Warming and Building Green

Building green is one of the solutions to global warming that many people do not think about.  Building green is designing and constructing buildings with the environment in mind.  It is these practices that can have an impact on stopping global warming.

Houses give off a high percentage of a country’s total carbon dioxide emissions.  In the United States, the figure is about 38%.  Since carbon dioxide is one of the greenhouse houses gases, contribute strongly to global warming.

One way to cut the greenhouse emissions of houses, and therefore help stop global warming, is to minimize the energy use needed to sustain comfortable living in a house.  There are several ways to do this.

One way is to be careful about what building materials are used.  Some building materials can be from quickly renewable sources.  These include bamboo and straw.  Also, building materials can be used that originates near the building site.  This cuts down on transportation, and so cuts down on emissions of greenhouse gases and global warming.  One example is stone houses built with local stone.

Global Warming and Ecosystem

Since global warming has such a profound impact on the earth’s surface and oceans, it is not surprising that it affects the ecosystems of earth.  Species depend on a fairly consistent habitat in which to live.  Global warming changes habitats and endangers these species.

One of the habitats already being affected by global warming is the Polar Regions.  Vast amounts of ice are melting at both poles.  This makes it hard for the species in these regions to survive.  For instance, polar bears’ habitat is altered.  Where once they could swim a short distance from ice floe to ice floe, that is no longer the case.

Now, the ice floes are so far apart that many polar bears drown trying to make the swim.  According to the US Geological Survey, their numbers will decrease by half in the next forty or so years.  The melting polar ice cap will be too much for most polar bears to survive.  Global warming will eventually lead to their extinction if left unchecked.

Forestry and Global Warming

The way land is used can have an affect on global warming.  The kinds of plants, animals, or minerals set upon a plot of land render it different from other plots of land.  It is these differences that can be explored to help you gain an understanding of global warming.

Forests are an important use of land in most countries.  This is true for many reasons, but when it comes to global warming, it is particularly true.  Plant life can scrub carbon dioxide from the air.  Much of the very carbon dioxide that is one of the causes of global warming can be eliminated just by being in the vicinity of certain plants.

Trees are the best carbon dioxide scrubbers there are in nature.  Old growth trees are especially good at removing carbon dioxide from the air and storing it within their cells.  For this reason, old growth trees need to be protected from the lumber jack’s blade.

Agriculture and GlobalWarming

When you think of global warming, you might envision dramatic scenes like hurricanes and melting glaciers.  The truth is that something as commonplace as agriculture is already showing signs of the effects of global warming.

Some studies show that the news of global warming is not all bad for farming, at least not in the short run.  While humans have changed many environmental factors by their activities, the short term effects of these changes often lead to better crops.

Because of global warming, temperatures obviously increase.  This has some temporary benefits.  For awhile, it will simply mean more time for crops to mature because of a longer growing season.  This is especially true of regions where the spring and fall were once quite cool.

On the other hand, these higher temperatures can bring problems in other areas.  In regions that are already warm, global warming will cause the plants to languish in the heat.  Soil evaporation rates will be very high, leaving very dry earth.  Add to that, droughts that will make both the soil and the air dry and might even lead to burning of some crops.

Global Warming

It seems that people are coming from all directions to make movies about global warming.  Many people are moved to educate people about the subject and want to reach the widest possible audience.  Books do not hold the appeal they once did.  Now, people want to sit down and watch a movie to understand subjects like global warming.

Although Al Gore has a book by the same name, most people know An Inconvenient Truth as a feature length documentary movie.  The movie boils down to a power-point presentation that Gore has given many times on the subject of global warming. Al Gore simply presents facts in a low-key, personable way.  The film includes some biographical information about Al Gore, too.

The 60 Minutes documentary, The Age of Warming, which aired April 1, 2007, is a must-see for those interested in global warming.  In it, correspondent Scott Pelley explores Antarctica to find evidence of global warming. There, Pelley finds that the Adelie and Chinstrap penguins are being endangered by loss of habitat.  He also finds glaciers that are in the process of rapid melting into lakes.  It is an eye opener.