Global Warming 2020

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The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has made several determinations of late confirming what most of us already knew, 2006 was the hottest year on record and 2007 is proving to be hotter yet. Global Warming activists and environmental groups have latched onto he sudden climate change since 2004 as proof that global warming is accelerating and that human generated greenhouse gases are the cause.

The evidence for global warming is irrefutable, the planet is warmer. The increase in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases is also well established. What is not in evidence is that the greenhouse effect is responsible for the sudden change in global temperatures over the past 2 years. The greenhouse effect ignores several important factors, planetary axis shift and oceanic carbon dioxide sequestration.

Planet earth has undergone several axis shifts over human history. The best documented are the axis shift following the eruption/explosion of Krakatoa and the 2004 axis shift following the indonesian earthquake and tsunami. The most recent of these shifts is responsible for changing the latitude of the Northern hemisphere by 1/2 to 1 degree relative tot he incident angle of the sun’s rays. In plain English, everyone in the Northern Hemisphere moved south 200 miles that day. I live in the Orlando area, now I have Miami weather.

Oceanic carbon dioxide sequestration is more difficult to explain. Imagine that the deep ocean floor is a “carbon dioxide battery.” Under the right water temerature and salinity, the ocean water “charges” the “battery” by pulling massive amounts of carbon dioxide out of the air. As a result, greenhouse gases are reduced and global tempertures drop. Under different ocean conditions, the “battery” releases carbon dioxide which bubble or even boils to the ocean’s surface.

This sudden and explosive release of carbon dioxide has been documented on film as early as the 1930’s when a US Navy freighter sank suddenly as the ocean around it foamed and lost bouyency. It has been estimated that in the time it took for the ocean to engulf the freighter and the release to end that the equivalent of 1 year worth of human and domestic animal carbon dioxide production was released.

What does all this mean to global warming?

It means that the problem is far more complex than simply decreasing fossil fuel use. There are global factors that move in cycles set in geological time. Events that we can no more predict than we can control have a far greater impact than all human endeavor and domestic animal cultivation combined.

On the other hand, the entire global climate system is like a household budget. In my home, I am the long range planner, infrequently spending large sums of money on large family purchases. My wife is the short range budgeter, spending smaller amounts daily to keep the household going. We both negatively impact cash flow. I have big effects, but they are rare, just like planetary axis shifts and oceanic sequestration. My wife has a constant effect, but it is sustained and if just slightly over budget, will have a large negative impact.

Our human effect on global climate change is incrementally small, but if excessive, will yield a global catastrophe equal to the 2004 axis shift or Krakatoa.

Dr. Maurice A. Ramirez is the founder and president of the consulting firm High Alert, LLC.. He serves on expert panels for pandemic preparedness and healthcare surge planning with Congressional and Cabinet Members. Board certified in multiple specialties, Dr. Ramirez is Founding Chairperson of the American Board of Disaster Medicine and serves the nation as a Senior Physician-Federal Medical Officer in the National Disaster Medical System. Dr. Ramirez has a new book: You Can Survive Anything, Anywhere, Every Time. His website is http://www.High-Alert.com

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The greatest environmental challenge of our time is without a doubt climate change. Over the coming years and decades this will have a stark influence on our lives. Not only through the physical changes in the climate, but also through changes in our energy consumption, travel patterns and many other aspects of our life. Companies will not be unaffected by these changes. Markets will change, as will client requirements and there will be a steep rise in legislation with regards to climate change and greenhouse gas emissions. Developing a comprehensive corporate climate change strategy is therefore an essential part of good business management. This article gives a brief description of the elements that such a strategy should include.

The management of climate change should adopt two distinct strategies: mitigation and adaptation. Mitigation deals with the reduction in greenhouse gases to the earth’s atmosphere. Carbon foot-printing and carbon accounting form typical measures that are used within the framework of this strategy. Adaptation revolves around measures that address the changes and vulnerabilities of the organisation that will be present as a result of the inevitable physical change in our climate. A good corporate climate change strategy addresses both mitigation and adaptation.

1. Understanding greenhouse gas emissions of the organisation

An understanding of the organisation’s greenhouse gas emissions is fundamental in every credible corporate climate change strategy. To achieve this a comprehensive greenhouse gas inventory should be made. The inventory is a first step to manage and reduce the emissions, which are also key elements of a the strategy. The inventory combined with the management and reduction form the core of a greenhouse gas accounting system. At this moment there are two internationally recognised systems for greenhouse gas accounting available. These are the ISO 14064 standard and the Greenhouse Gas Protocol.

2. Understanding climate change vulnerability

Most large organisations have started to make a greenhouse gas inventory and have adopted measures to reduce their carbon footprint. As I described in the introduction, adaptation also forms an important part of a comprehensive corporate climate change strategy. To develop an understanding of an organisation’s vulnerability to changes in the climate a review of the operations, products and services, transport needs should be made as well as an understanding of the physical changes to the climate in which the organisation operates. There are no clear guidelines on how to develop an understanding of the vulnerability to changes in the climate, although the United Nations Panel on Climate Change has published a range of reports documenting the predicted changes to the climate in each of the global regions over the course of the current century. In addition to these global publications, many governments have funded research predicting the potential change in climate at a national level.

3. Commit to reduction in greenhouse gas emissions

As part of credible strategy, a commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions should be made at the most senior level in the organisation.

4. Develop internal corporate capacity

Development of internal capacity is an essential element to drive through improvements to both the greenhouse gas emissions and the climate change vulnerability. It is the people within the organisation that are best placed to identify practical solutions that will support any improvement programme. Ensuring an adequate level of knowledge and understanding within the members of staff with regards to the climate change issues that are facing the organisation is therefore a key element in the strategy.

5. Work with supply chain and engage with stakeholders

A significant contribution to the carbon footprint of a product that an organisation produces is made during the processing by suppliers. In addition an organisation should be aware of the climate change vulnerability of its own supply chain. The strategy should therefore address the role of the supply chain in managing climate change issues.

6. Adopt and implement improvement action plan

The first five elements provide a thorough understanding of the issues facing an organisation as a result of changes to our climate. Based on this understanding an improvement plan should be drawn up. As with any credible action plan the actions should consist of SMART targets, be fully funded, and be relevant to the organisations climate change threats and opportunities.

7. Publish an annual report

The final element is the publication of an annual report that demonstrate progress against the action plan, re-affirms the commitment to improvement and accounts for the carbon emissions.

Paul Giesberg is founder and Principal Director at Planning for Sustainability Ltd. This firm specialises in providing sustainability support to development projects such as BREEAM assessments and environmental impact assessments.

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While many contend that there are different reasons behind the changing of our climate, few can deny that our planet is going through a period of immense changes. While some may discredit the science, global warming is one of the main hypothesis for why our planet is heating up. In this article, we’ll try to explain some of the science behind global warming so that you can understand the problem more clearly.

According to numerous scientific studies, our planet’s surface temperature has increased by about 1 degree Fahrenheit within the last century. Most of this change has occurred in the past two decades, prompting the question: are our lifestyles accelerating this global change? The evidence definitely seems to point in that direction.

Many scientists point to the emission of greenhouse gases as one of the leading reasons that we are undergoing this global change. Carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide are some of the main compounds that we are releasing more and more, causing something known as the ‘Greenhouse Effect’. This occurs due to the fact that these gases tend to trap heat, and when they are released into our upper atmosphere, they trap some of the heat energy that would normally be reflected by our earth’s natural processes.

It’s an undisputed fact that there is more greenhouse gas in our atmosphere due to humanity. Since the beginning of the industrial revolution, it is estimated that the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased by as much as thirty percent. While a little greenhouse gas helps to keep our planet warm, the more and more that we release, the hotter the planet is going to get. That is an important fact to consider, being that our biosphere is finely tuned to live at the temperatures at which our planet currently operates. Many forms of both plant and animal life run the risk of extinction should the temperature change be accelerated. Fossil fuels are primarily responsible for the amount of greenhouse gases that we are releasing, and to help fix the problem, we are going to need to find an alternate source of energy, and quick. Research into alternative fuels has yielded several possible options, including the use of corn in the production of ethanol, which has already had proven usage in places such as Venezuela. The most accelerated period of temperature change has occurred in the past twenty years, and it’s clearly evident that we need to address this problem while we still can.

Jonathon Hardcastle writes articles on many topics including Weather [http://iweatherworld.com/], Arts, and Science

Global Warming Topics : Acid Rain Definition

“Acid rain” is a popular term referring to the deposition of wet (rain, snow, sleet, fog and cloudwater, dew) and dry (acidifying particles and gases) acidic components. A more accurate term is “acid deposition”. Distilled water, which contains no carbon dioxide, has a neutral pH of 7. Liquids with a pH less than 7 are acidic, and those with a pH greater than 7 are bases. “Clean” or unpolluted rain has a slightly acidic pH of about 5.2, because carbon dioxide and water in the air react together to form carbonic acid, a weak acid (pH 5.6 in distilled water), but unpolluted rain also contains other chemicals.

Source: Acid Rain Definition, Global Warming Issues, Climate Change Topics, Greenhouse Gas information at www.wikipedia.org