Global Warming 2020

Stop Global Warming   by Paul Arnold

More frequently we are being given reminders that we are living on a fragile and volatile planet. Many of our natural resources have been processed to near depletion. As the world population grows more land and resources are being used to cope with the increase in demands and deforestation, this in turn has a by product, Pollution and Global Warming. Global Warming is a “Global” issue and is not particular to one event or action, although one event or action repeated round the world by millions of us could make a big difference.

Because the effects of Global Warming are created by many different actions it is hard to put a “Cover All” solution into place. A “Cover All” solution is equally hard as it would have to be established as part of an international policy, a policy that would need every country to sign up to, but that’s politics and will be covered in a separate article. This article is aimed on focusing the individual actions.

What can one person do?

Alone, not a lot but imagine if millions of others just like you done the same thing round the world! That would make a big difference on a Global scale, now imagine this happened with various different products at the same time!

The biggest pollutant in most of our lives is our beloved Car, for most of us the car is an integral part of our lives. Without taking the drastic measures of not having a car and hampering our lifestyles there are still a few tricks left to reducing the motor vehicle carbon emissions. Car sharing work journeys, lower c02 emission cars, hybrid cars, cutting out short journeys that can be done on foot, and public transport.

Having now looked at the ways to reduce global warming in regards to your traveling attention can now turn to the management of household waste products like old bottles, newspapers, excess paper, tins, unwanted toys, food and other such items. Many of these items can be recycled or disposed of without being put into a general land fill. All it requires is a few vital minuets to separate and sort it and it’s done.

For instance you can make compost for your garden from food stuff like onion peelings, tea leaves, spoiled vegetables and fruit can be turned into compost. The items like tins, old bottles, papers and newspapers can be taken to recycling centres where they will be eventually taken for recycling.

You can take your old clothes, toys and other goods to charity shops so that someone else will have the chance of using them. This way you can prevent the many garbage dumps from becoming too full. This is another way to reduce the effects of global warming that rarely crosses our minds.

As you can see, while the large industries and companies work to reduce global warming on a large scale, the small scale reduction is down to the individual. For those of us who are looking at the ways to stop global warming our homes, the way we travel and our lifestyles can be looked at with this goal in mind. In the end it is all of our collective efforts to stop global warming which will help us to live a better and cleaner life. You may only be ably to change one element of the above at a time, but can you imaging the impact if everybody done just ONE thing?

About the Author

Global Warming site aimed at focusing individual efforts to what causes global warming and what we can do to help.

Source: http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=743444

Stop Global Warming Articles : “Can I Save the World?” Easy Actions You Can Do Today to Help Stop Global Warming    by Helena Jackson

We all feel we have a purpose in life. As more of us become aware of the damaging effects of global warming, we are also concerned about practical solutions to the problem. Most importantly, how can we fit in as part of the solution, instead of the problem?

Unfortunately, many of us become overwhelmed when we watch the ever-increasing natural disasters and it starts to feel like the world is crashing around us. I remember watching the plane hit the World Trade Center over and over and over again. I remember being completely paralyzed to the television. Sleep was optional, but only in between important news breaks. I felt helpless. I wanted to understand the reasoning behind the attacks to ease my fears of possible future attacks, but I mainly wanted a sense of control back into my life.

I do not like to focus on the doom of global warming because that’s not the best mindset for me to find solutions and implement actions. I truly believe we all can make a difference in our lives, in the lives of our families, friends and community. I also am a firm believer that every single action taken produces a ripple effect throughout the world. When we take a simple action such as changing a light bulb to a compact fluorescent bulb, a positive motion is set in place.

Just for fun, let’s see what can happen: (this will show how the action affects others)

* That old bulb in the living finally goes out. You go to your local hardware store and see miles of shelves of light bulbs! OY! (production of CFL bulbs)

* Someone comes over to help and maybe suggest a CFL. “A what?” you ask. The assistant tells you that even though the bulb is more expensive than a basic tungsten bulb, it will last years longer, it will not burn hot, uses way less energy, thus saving you money every month AND prevents the release of more than 450 pounds of emission from a power plant normally used to light the old style bulbs into the air! (increased sales and more potential advertisement of a green product, decreased amount of carbons released into the atmosphere)

* You read the advertisement and glimpse the familiar EnergyStar sign. So, you think, “Why not!” (increased awareness of a great program)

* You go home and your kids ask you about the funny looking bulb. (educates the kids and tell their friends how smart their parents are!)

* Your friends come over for dinner and recognize the bulb, but never really considered buying one until now. (increased awareness through word-of mouth [extremely powerful!!!] and more potential sales, advertisement, decreased emissions)

* You get the electric bill the next month and notice you really did use less electricity AND saved a little money. ($$$)

* You go to buy more CFL bulbs and realize the prices dropped a bit due to increased sales! (supply and demand of a product that improves our world)

That’s just for changing one bulb! Just one action really can make an impact. Just because we do not always see the immediate results don’t mean they aren’t there!

So what are the best solutions of global warming? Can we help save the world? Yep. I would first suggest do whatever feels right for you. The level of comfort will be different for everyone. To me, it can be summed up as: AWARENESS and ACTION

AWARENESS

My first exposure to environmental issues came about while working at Home Depot. I watch as a person chained himself to our lumber shelves and awaited the local police. His actions, maybe a bit extreme to some, created awareness to the customers, Home Depot and the media. Many of those same actions ultimately changed the way Home Depot purchased and sold lumber.

For me, my level of comfort was turning off the lights. The more I learned, the more I did to help the environment. Learning about basic, easy-to-do home repairs really made a difference and increased my confidence as well as the confidence of my customers.

Now, years later, I must say living in Thailand has taught me a lot about saving energy as well as joining together for what you believe in. I’ve seen Thais go to the employment office and march because wages were too low. I have witnessed the ousting of a political figure because the Thais felt betrayed.

I have greater respect for Thais and for others I’ve met from different countries. Their views and actions have taught me so much about global warming. I also have greater appreciation for our abilities as Americans to make changes worldwide.

So to further answer people’s question – “What are the best solutions to global warming?” My suggestions are all easy to do, but the main factor lies with what is comfortable for you. If I am given a great idea, but is too time-intensive, I probably won’t do it. But if it’s as easy as hitting the enter key, now you got my attention!

Ok. We are much more aware of what’s going on. We understand we have a problem. Now what?

ACTION

I started with small steps. As I learned more, I found the bigger steps easier than I realized. I discussed my views with others and listened to their ideas.

My friends in Alabama recently installed solar heaters and a tankless water heater. Businesses are seeing the advantages of doing the right thing and stepping up their environmental cleaning efforts People from all walks of life have created petitions requesting a more proactive government. Even the 2008 Presidential Candidates are listening. Many are now including global warming as their primary issue.

Need some ideas to get your creative green juices flowing? OK! Here you go! Enjoy!

* Get the family involved – make it fun and educational.

* Make it a project during your child’s science fair.

* Chat with your friends – they may have some unique ideas.

* Add a signature tag to your emails. I have a personal account with Yahoo. Whenever I send someone an email, my signature message or quote is at the end of the page. I create the signature once and forget about it. If you see a quote you like or have a message to share with others – signature it!

* Find out what tax incentives or refunds are available to you, i.e. hybrid car tax incentives, toilet replacement rebates, deduct the costs of energy-saving appliances and energy renovations in your home.

* Support greener businesses. Our money dictates what businesses sell. Our support encourages businesses to continue doing the right thing.

* Want to invest in the stock market? What companies are moving forward in clean-up? Researching new technologies? Contributing portions of their profits to support environmental organizations?

* Vote. What candidates are fighting for positive changes in the environment? Who seems to be making global warming a primary focus in their campaign? How does the candidate balance global warming and the economy? Does the candidate understand the threat and what solutions does he or she offer?

* Join others online and become a part of something bigger. In the past, petitions involved going door-to-door or standing near the mall entrance. Thanks to the internet, a letter to Congress has never been easier – or more effective! Read the letter already prepared. If you agree with it, type your name and hit ENTER !

* Submit your ideas to websites. I would love input from you! Your ideas can be just what someone else needed! Many websites would also benefit from your thoughts and appreciate the communication!

* Start a discussion group in your community. Barnes and Noble or Borders are excellent meetings spots. It’s a great way to meet others and bounce around ideas.

* Help improve your neighborhood. In Tampa, there’s a wonderful community group that has a Project Lottery. Each participant chooses a project they need completed on their house. A name is pulled every month. The neighbors spend one weekend on the project. The lucky owner provides drinks and snacks to the neighbors volunteering.

* Create a website of your own! Everyone has a voice. Today, websites are effective communicators and very inexpensive. Get the kids or the community involved.

About the Author

As a writer, teacher and webmaster, Helena Jackson is constantly trying to find simple and easy ways to make a difference in the world. To find out more info about global warming and money-saving tips, including some really cool freebies, check out http://www.citizens-stop-globalwarming.com

Source: http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=630303

Stop Global Warming   by Communication Manager

The world that we live in is very fragile. We may think that the various resources and land will last forever but this is not true. As we continue to see a growth explosion more and more land and resources are needed to help cope with the needs of living. What all of this need for resources does is to create pollution, land deforestation and global warming. Even though the effects of global warming are on the increase you will find ways to stop global warming in your corner of the world.

The ways to stop global warming can be accomplished on a large scale or on a small scale. The small scale way is the first one that we will look at. Here you will need to understand that you must start the steps in small does otherwise they will be too much to handle.

The first step involves your mode of traveling. As most of us travel to work by car we don’t seem to realize that we are contributing towards global warming patterns. To stop global warming from becoming worse because of our traveling habits we can see about carpooling.

The different public transport systems are another way that masses of people can travel from one destination to another. You could see about buying a hybrid car. With this form of travel you will save money on fuel and you can see how you effort to stop global warming is coming along.

Having looked at the ways to stop global warming with regards to your traveling you can now turn your attention to disposing of household waste products like old bottles, newspapers, excess paper, tins, unwanted toys, food and other such items. As there are many different types of household waste items to look at you should separate the ones that you have and dispose of them in this manner.

For instance you can make compost for your garden from food stuff like onion peelings, tea leaves, spoiled vegetables and fruit can be turned into compost. The items like tins, old bottles, papers and newspapers can be taken to recycling centers where they will be eventually taken for recycling.

You can take your old clothes, toys and other goods to charity shops so that someone else will have the chance of using them. This way you can prevent the many garbage dumps from becoming too full. This is another way to stop global warming that seldom crosses our minds.

As you see while the large industries and companies work to somehow stop global warming on a large scale, the small scale prevention is just as good. For those of us who are looking at the ways to stop global warming our homes, the way we travel and our lifestyles can be looked at with this goal in mind. In the end it is all of our collective efforts to stop global warming which will help us to live a better and cleaner life.

About the Author

Communication Manager at http://www.theglobalwarmingoverview.com

Source: http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=626838

Global Warming Articles : How to Stop Global Warming By BRYAN WALSH

It’s called eco-anxiety – free-form worry triggered by concerns about the worsening fate of the planet – and if you suffer from it, you might want to give Lester Brown’s new book, Plan B 3.0, a pass. Brown – the president of the Earth Policy Institute, a Washington-based environmental think tank – paints a comprehensive and depressing picture of the planet, with ream after ream of dire statistics. Here’s just a handful: Arctic summer sea ice shrinkage increased by 9.1% a decade between 1979 and 2006, and this year an area of ice almost twice the size of Britain melted in a single week. In an era of unprecedented global economic growth, the number of hungry people increased from 800 million to 830 million between 1996 and 2003. At current rates of logging, the natural forests of Indonesia and Burma will be gone within a decade or so. Each year the number of failing states increases – Sudan and Somalia today, perhaps Pakistan tomorrow – a trend that climate change will only worsen. Global demands on the Earth already exceed sustainable capacity by 25% – and we’re set to add another 3 billion people by 2050. As Brown writes: “Civilization is in trouble.”

But take a few deep breaths and relax – a little bit. Brown, one of the U.S.’s most respected environmentalists, has a plan – and it’s called Plan B. (Hear Brown talk about Plan B 3.0 in this week’s Greencast.) After detailing just how screwed our overpopulated, overconsuming world is – thanks to an economic system that rewards production without regard for environmental impact – Brown lays out an alternate path that could save us from the worst consequences of climate change. At the heart is a call to reduce global carbon dioxide emissions 80% by 2020 – far more aggressive than anything you’ll hear from political leaders or even most activists. It’s an ambitious plan, one that is less concerned with political feasibility than the survivability of the planet. “This is not Plan A, business as usual,” Brown writes. “This is Plan B – a wartime mobilization, an all-out response proportionate to the threat that global warming presents to our future.”

The key to Brown’s Plan B is winding down our dependence on coal – the carbon-heavy fuel that the people over at the environmental website Grist like to refer to as “the enemy of the human race.” Right now the world is on pace to build hundreds of new coal power plants over the coming decades, adding vast amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, and if that happens the fight against global warming is as good as lost. Brown argues that rapid action to improve energy efficiency, develop renewable sources of power and expand the Earth’s forest cover could reduce carbon emissions enough to allow us to phase out coal power and meet that 80% target.

The numbers are simple. It’s easy to ridicule the “switch a light bulb, save the planet” school of environmental planning, but Brown points out that by making the most of efficiency improvements in lighting and appliances, we could reduce power demand sufficiently to obviate the need for 1,410 coal plants. That’s more than the 1,382 coal plants the International Energy Agency predicts will be built by 2020. If we start pumping out new wind turbines with the same industrial urgency the U.S. produced tanks and bombers in World War II, Brown writes, we could generate 3 million megawatts of wind power by 2020, enough to meet 40% of the world’s energy needs. Solar thermal, plug-in hybrid and geothermal technology are all part of Plan B. (Did you know that the geothermal energy contained in the upper six miles of the Earth’s crust is 50,000 times more powerful than all of our oil and natural gas? Brown does.)

To push the transition to a cleaner, more efficient economy – the Plan B economy – Brown argues for a worldwide carbon tax to be phased in at $20 per ton each year between 2008 and 2020, topping out at $240 per ton. That might seem excessive, but Brown points out that even a carbon tax higher than $240 per ton wouldn’t cover all the environmental and health costs of burning fossil fuels, from climate change to air pollution-related illnesses. And while it’s difficult to imagine any politician standing up for such a tax, he reminds us that we already have a precedent for a heavy tax that takes into account negative externalities and attempts to discourage consumption: cigarette taxes.

Altogether Brown calculates that his Plan B would cost the world an additional $190 billion a year. That might seem high, until he compares the price tag to the global military budget, which stands at more than $1.2 trillion. All we have to do is find the political and popular will to implement the plan. But that’s the problem. Brown’s proposals are solid, but the real battle over climate change is now political, not technological, and it’s one that too many environmentalists tend to discount. If you’ve drunk the green Kool-Aid, it can seem frustratingly obvious why we need a $240 carbon tax, or why the climate change challenge is on par with World War II, and thus demands Rosie the Riveter redux. But the true, painstaking challenge of the next few years will be building a broad political coalition that will support that level of commitment. Brown’s Plan B is a great blueprint for combating climate change, but we might need a Plan C to put it into action.

Source: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1700189,00.html