Hey..
We are a group of students who are trying to get people to know about what Global Warming and Climate change is and how it is affecting us. Its now past the time that people get past the myth that Global Warming is nothing of their concern. It is a concern for all of us. You don’t want to give your child to inherit a Burning Planet. Would you live in that yourself? No right.. So start acting from now. Get yourself to do at least one thing that will reduce your Carbon Footprint.
But before that you really need to understand what exactly is happening. The following links will give you an idea what exactly is the situation.
Where are We now?
How did we Reach Here?
Till where can it go?
so now that you have a basic idea lets get started. Check out the Myths and Facts section and also What You Can Do section to know more.
Lets together Save our Planet. Get UNITED....
EARTH NEEDS YOU
Mass Painting Competition
Be a Part of "EARTH NEEDS YOU" through ART
The environment based painting competition will be held on 24 October,2009 at the TDM hall,situated near Durbar Hall Road.The topic will be SOLUTIONS OF GLOBAL WARMING.
Registration for the same will begin by 8 30am and close at 9 30am, and it will be free of charge.
Each team should consist of 10 members. They will be given a 8.75 X 4 feet cloth, where they have to paint according to the above specified topic.
There will be one and half hour for you competitors to paint to the best of your abilities and be a part of this big venture to HELP MOTHER EARTH
Participants will be awarded participation certificates, and the best among the lot will be chosen, who will ultimately gain the rewarding prize...
The environment based painting competition will be held on 24 October,2009 at the TDM hall,situated near Durbar Hall Road.The topic will be SOLUTIONS OF GLOBAL WARMING.
Registration for the same will begin by 8 30am and close at 9 30am, and it will be free of charge.
Each team should consist of 10 members. They will be given a 8.75 X 4 feet cloth, where they have to paint according to the above specified topic.
There will be one and half hour for you competitors to paint to the best of your abilities and be a part of this big venture to HELP MOTHER EARTH
Participants will be awarded participation certificates, and the best among the lot will be chosen, who will ultimately gain the rewarding prize...
Cultrural Events
TIme: 9.30AM-12.00PM
We are planning to use the efforts of students from various Yi nets across the city show their concern for the casue using Skits, Dance Dramas, Mime etc.
We are planning to use the efforts of students from various Yi nets across the city show their concern for the casue using Skits, Dance Dramas, Mime etc.
The programs will be:
- Heal the World (collective action)
- Earth Calls-Wake up (what an individual can do)
- its hot!!! (global warming, climatic change)
- Earth Cry (Effects of pollution)
- Tree Hugger( save trees, plant more)
- Past Perfect !! (the beautiful past)
- Nature's groove (dance)
- If earth could speaK ( Mime on how the present situation was reached and how it can get better if people act soon)
- Nature's reflections(mimicry but positive-people must not think we are doomed)
- The Ten "Green" Commandments ( action drama based on the 10 golden rules to keep earth alive)
- On your mark. ...get set GREEN!!!(ecofriendly vehicles)
- Reduce,Reuse and Recycle
Cycle Rally and Marathon
We are trying to highlight the need of cutting down on Carbon Emission by using better transportation methods. Using Cycles, Mass transit etc.
The routes for Cycle Rally and Marathon are:
Cycle rally : High Court > Alberts > Madhava pharmacy Jn > Padma> Shenoys > Maharajas ground > Woodlands Junction > South(take right) > DHG
Marathon: Shipyard > Ravipuram > Pallimukku > South > DHG
Time to ACT!!!
Global Warming and Climate change is a burning issue in all parts of the world these days. Many people are already lobbying for the green cause and with COP-15 to be held in December, this year has seen a marked rise in concern about the environment from all quarters with more and more people taking notice. But the need of the hour is that everyone understands this global phenomenon and contributes in his own way so that finding a Climate solution is visible for all. We are way past the Safe mark of 350(ppm of CO2 in the atmosphere), but there is still time for us to save the planet and for that to happen everyone of us must put their hand up and contribute in his own way.
The sad part of all this is that many people still think that Global Warming in wont affect them in any way. They might be right. But to a very large extent they are very very wrong. This is your planet, your home. Will you let someone destroy your home while u sit and watch? That is a question all of us need to answer.
Let’s all be a part of this revolution against Global Warming.. Make our voices heard.. Implement Climate solutions and make our planet Earth heave a breath of relief.
The EARTH NEEDS YOU….
ASP...
Our Action
24th October is declared as the “International Day of Climate Action”. But not many or us are actually aware of the effects and cause of Global Warming and how it affects every single one of us. We, in Yi, are tying to show that this is a very serious issue and trying to make everyone understand that the time has come for all of us to take action, on a individual scale as well as on a collective scale.
On 24th October we are planning to conduct
EARTH NEEDS YOU.
On 24th October we are planning to conduct
- Marathon
- Cycle Rally
- Mass painting Competition in TDM hall(for schools)
- Cultural Events in Durbar Hall Ground(for Yi Nets)
- Awareness Campaigns
- and much more
EARTH NEEDS YOU.
What you can do?
Well I guess all that info will be churning your brain and making you think that you are doomed. Well not so. You can help by following a few things that u do in your daily life. Right from the way you eat to the way u sleep can help in reducing Carbon emission.
You can try to do the following things:
1. Replace a regular incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb (cfl)
CFLs use 60% less energy than a regular bulb. This simple switch will save about 300 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.
2. Install a programmable thermostat
Programmable thermostats will automatically lower the heat or air conditioning at night and raise them again in the morning.
3. Move your thermostat down 2° in winter and up 2° in summer
Almost half of the energy we use in our homes goes to heating and cooling. You could save about 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year with this simple adjustment.
4. Clean or replace filters on your furnace and air conditioner
Cleaning a dirty air filter can save 350 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.
5. Choose energy efficient appliances when making new purchases
Look for the Energy Star label on new appliances to choose the most energy efficient products available.
6. Do not leave appliances on standby
Use the "on/off" function on the machine itself. A TV set that's switched on for 3 hours a day (the average time Europeans spend watching TV) and in standby mode during the remaining 21 hours uses about 40% of its energy in standby mode.
7. Wrap your water heater in an insulation blanket
You’ll save 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year with this simple action. You can save another 550 pounds per year by setting the thermostat no higher than 50°C.
8. Move your fridge and freezer
Placing them next to the cooker or boiler consumes much more energy than if they were standing on their own.
9. Defrost old fridges and freezers regularly
Even better is to replace them with newer models, which all have automatic defrost cycles and are generally up to two times more energy-efficient than their predecessors.
10. Don't let heat escape from your house over a long period
When airing your house, open the windows for only a few minutes. If you leave a small opening all day long, the energy needed to keep it warm inside during six cold months (10ºC or less outside temperature) would result in almost 1 ton of CO2 emissions.
11. Replace your old single-glazed windows with double-glazing
This requires a bit of upfront investment, but will halve the energy lost through windows and pay off in the long term. If you go for the best the market has to offer (wooden-framed double-glazed units with low-emission glass and filled with argon gas), you can even save more than 70% of the energy lost.
12. Get a home energy audit
Many utilities offer free home energy audits to find where your home is poorly insulated or energy inefficient. You can save up to 30% off your energy bill and 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.
13. Cover your pots while cooking
Doing so can save a lot of the energy needed for preparing the dish. Even better are pressure cookers and steamers: they can save around 70%!
14. Use the washing machine or dishwasher only when they are full
If you need to use it when it is half full, then use the half-load or economy setting. There is also no need to set the temperatures high. Nowadays detergents are so efficient that they get your clothes and dishes clean at low temperatures.
15. Take a shower instead of a bath
A shower takes up to four times less energy than a bath. To maximize the energy saving, avoid power showers and use low-flow showerheads, which are cheap and provide the same comfort.
16. Use less hot water
It takes a lot of energy to heat water. You can use less hot water by installing a low flow showerhead (350 pounds of carbon dioxide saved per year) and washing your clothes in cold or warm water (500 pounds saved per year) instead of hot.
17. Use a clothesline instead of a dryer whenever possible
You can save 700 pounds of carbon dioxide when you air dry your clothes for 6 months out of the year.
18. Insulate and weatherize your home
Properly insulating your walls and ceilings can save 25% of your home heating bill and 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. Caulking and weather-stripping can save another 1,700 pounds per year.
19. Be sure you’re recycling at home
You can save 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide a year by recycling half of the waste your household generates.
20. Recycle your organic waste
Around 3% of the greenhouse gas emissions through the methane is released by decomposing bio-degradable waste. By recycling organic waste or composting it if you have a garden, you can help eliminate this problem! Just make sure that you compost it properly, so it decomposes with sufficient oxygen, otherwise your compost will cause methane emissions and smell foul.
21. Buy intelligently
One bottle of 1.5l requires less energy and produces less waste than three bottles of 0.5l. As well, buy recycled paper products: it takes less 70 to 90% less energy to make recycled paper and it prevents the loss of forests worldwide.
22. Choose products that come with little packaging and buy refills when you can
You will also cut down on waste production and energy use... another help against global warming.
23. Reuse your shopping bag
When shopping, it saves energy and waste to use a reusable bag instead of accepting a disposable one in each shop. Waste not only discharges CO2 and methane into the atmosphere, it can also pollute the air, groundwater and soil.
24. Reduce waste
Most products we buy cause greenhouse gas emissions in one or another way, e.g. during production and distribution. By taking your lunch in a reusable lunch box instead of a disposable one, you save the energy needed to produce new lunch boxes.
25. Plant a tree
A single tree will absorb one ton of carbon dioxide over its lifetime. Shade provided by trees can also reduce your air conditioning bill by 10 to 15%.
26. Switch to green power
In many areas, you can switch to energy generated by clean, renewable sources such as wind and solar. In some of these, you can even get refunds by government if you choose to switch to a clean energy producer, and you can also earn money by selling the energy you produce and don't use for yourself.
27. Buy locally grown and produced foods
The average meal in travels 1,200 miles from the farm to your plate. Buying locally will save fuel and keep money in your community.
28. Buy fresh foods instead of frozen
Frozen food uses 10 times more energy to produce.
29. Seek out and support local farmers markets
They reduce the amount of energy required to grow and transport the food to you by one fifth. Seek farmer’s markets in your area, and go for them.
30. Buy organic foods as much as possible
Organic soils capture and store carbon dioxide at much higher levels than soils from conventional farms. If we grew all of our corn and soybeans organically, we’d remove 580 billion pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere!
31. Eat less meat
Methane is the second most significant greenhouse gas and cows are one of the greatest methane emitters. Their grassy diet and multiple stomachs cause them to produce methane, which they exhale with every breath.
32. Reduce the number of miles you drive by walking, biking, carpooling or taking mass transit wherever possible
Avoiding just 10 miles of driving every week would eliminate about 500 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions a year! Look for transit options in your area. Sharing a ride with someone just 2 days a week will reduce your carbon dioxide emissions by 1,590 pounds a year.
33. Ditch the Plastic
2.5 million individual plastic water bottles are thrown away every hour in the US. Start using a reusable water bottle and just say no to plastic!
34. Don't leave an empty roof rack on your car
This can increase fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by up to 10% due to wind resistance and the extra weight - removing it is a better idea.
35. Keep your car tuned up
Regular maintenance helps improve fuel efficiency and reduces emissions. When just 1% of car owners properly maintain their cars, nearly a billion pounds of carbon dioxide are kept out of the atmosphere.
36. Drive carefully and do not waste fuel
You can reduce CO2 emissions by readjusting your driving style. Choose proper gears, do not abuse the gas pedal, use the engine brake instead of the pedal brake when possible and turn off your engine when your vehicle is motionless for more than one minute. By readjusting your driving style you can save money on both fuel and car maintenance.
37. Check your tires weekly to make sure they’re properly inflated
Proper tire inflation can improve gas mileage by more than 3%. Since every gallon of gasoline saved keeps 20 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, every increase in fuel efficiency makes a difference!
38. When it is time for a new car, choose a more fuel efficient vehicle
You can save 3,000 pounds of carbon dioxide every year if your new car gets only 3 miles per gallon more than your current one. You can get up to 60 miles per gallon with a hybrid!
39. Try car sharing
Need a car but don’t want to buy one? Community car sharing organizations provide access to a car and your membership fee covers gas, maintenance and insurance.
40. Try telecommuting from home
Telecommuting can help you drastically reduce the number of miles you drive every week.
41. Fly less
Air travel produces large amounts of emissions so reducing how much you fly by even one or two trips a year can reduce your emissions significantly.
42. Encourage your school/college or business to reduce emissions
You can extend your positive influence on global warming well beyond your home by actively encouraging other to take action.
43. Be a Meat Reducer
The average individual diet contributes an extra 1.5 tons of greenhouse gases per year compared with a vegetarian diet. Eliminating meat and dairy intake one day a week can make a big difference.
44. Encourage the switch to renewable energy
Successfully combating global warming requires a national transition to renewable energy sources such as solar, wind and biomass. These technologies are ready to be deployed more widely but there are regulatory barriers impeding them.
45. Protect and conserve forest worldwide
Forests play a critical role in global warming: they store carbon. When forests are burned or cut down, their stored carbon is release into the atmosphere - deforestation now accounts for about 20% of carbon dioxide emissions each year.
46. Consider the impact of your investments
If you invest your money, you should consider the impact that your investments and savings will have on global warming.
47. Make your city cool
Cities and states around the country have taken action to stop global warming by passing innovative transportation and energy saving legislation.
48. Tell Law Makers to act
Get your voice through to the law makers and make them aware that you and your community are concerned.
49. Make sure your voice is heard!
Raise your voice and make sure it heard in the right places and by the right people.
50. Share this list!
This is a very extensive list. Even if people carry out a few of the points mentioned above we can have a sea of change. Spread it.
This is a list of 50 simple things that everyone can do in order to fight against and reduce the Global Warming phenomenon: some of these ideas are at no cost, some other require a little effort or investment but can help you save a lot of money, in the middle-long term!
You can try to do the following things:
1. Replace a regular incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb (cfl)
CFLs use 60% less energy than a regular bulb. This simple switch will save about 300 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.
2. Install a programmable thermostat
Programmable thermostats will automatically lower the heat or air conditioning at night and raise them again in the morning.
3. Move your thermostat down 2° in winter and up 2° in summer
Almost half of the energy we use in our homes goes to heating and cooling. You could save about 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year with this simple adjustment.
4. Clean or replace filters on your furnace and air conditioner
Cleaning a dirty air filter can save 350 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.
5. Choose energy efficient appliances when making new purchases
Look for the Energy Star label on new appliances to choose the most energy efficient products available.
6. Do not leave appliances on standby
Use the "on/off" function on the machine itself. A TV set that's switched on for 3 hours a day (the average time Europeans spend watching TV) and in standby mode during the remaining 21 hours uses about 40% of its energy in standby mode.
7. Wrap your water heater in an insulation blanket
You’ll save 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year with this simple action. You can save another 550 pounds per year by setting the thermostat no higher than 50°C.
8. Move your fridge and freezer
Placing them next to the cooker or boiler consumes much more energy than if they were standing on their own.
9. Defrost old fridges and freezers regularly
Even better is to replace them with newer models, which all have automatic defrost cycles and are generally up to two times more energy-efficient than their predecessors.
10. Don't let heat escape from your house over a long period
When airing your house, open the windows for only a few minutes. If you leave a small opening all day long, the energy needed to keep it warm inside during six cold months (10ºC or less outside temperature) would result in almost 1 ton of CO2 emissions.
11. Replace your old single-glazed windows with double-glazing
This requires a bit of upfront investment, but will halve the energy lost through windows and pay off in the long term. If you go for the best the market has to offer (wooden-framed double-glazed units with low-emission glass and filled with argon gas), you can even save more than 70% of the energy lost.
12. Get a home energy audit
Many utilities offer free home energy audits to find where your home is poorly insulated or energy inefficient. You can save up to 30% off your energy bill and 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.
13. Cover your pots while cooking
Doing so can save a lot of the energy needed for preparing the dish. Even better are pressure cookers and steamers: they can save around 70%!
14. Use the washing machine or dishwasher only when they are full
If you need to use it when it is half full, then use the half-load or economy setting. There is also no need to set the temperatures high. Nowadays detergents are so efficient that they get your clothes and dishes clean at low temperatures.
15. Take a shower instead of a bath
A shower takes up to four times less energy than a bath. To maximize the energy saving, avoid power showers and use low-flow showerheads, which are cheap and provide the same comfort.
16. Use less hot water
It takes a lot of energy to heat water. You can use less hot water by installing a low flow showerhead (350 pounds of carbon dioxide saved per year) and washing your clothes in cold or warm water (500 pounds saved per year) instead of hot.
17. Use a clothesline instead of a dryer whenever possible
You can save 700 pounds of carbon dioxide when you air dry your clothes for 6 months out of the year.
18. Insulate and weatherize your home
Properly insulating your walls and ceilings can save 25% of your home heating bill and 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. Caulking and weather-stripping can save another 1,700 pounds per year.
19. Be sure you’re recycling at home
You can save 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide a year by recycling half of the waste your household generates.
20. Recycle your organic waste
Around 3% of the greenhouse gas emissions through the methane is released by decomposing bio-degradable waste. By recycling organic waste or composting it if you have a garden, you can help eliminate this problem! Just make sure that you compost it properly, so it decomposes with sufficient oxygen, otherwise your compost will cause methane emissions and smell foul.
21. Buy intelligently
One bottle of 1.5l requires less energy and produces less waste than three bottles of 0.5l. As well, buy recycled paper products: it takes less 70 to 90% less energy to make recycled paper and it prevents the loss of forests worldwide.
22. Choose products that come with little packaging and buy refills when you can
You will also cut down on waste production and energy use... another help against global warming.
23. Reuse your shopping bag
When shopping, it saves energy and waste to use a reusable bag instead of accepting a disposable one in each shop. Waste not only discharges CO2 and methane into the atmosphere, it can also pollute the air, groundwater and soil.
24. Reduce waste
Most products we buy cause greenhouse gas emissions in one or another way, e.g. during production and distribution. By taking your lunch in a reusable lunch box instead of a disposable one, you save the energy needed to produce new lunch boxes.
25. Plant a tree
A single tree will absorb one ton of carbon dioxide over its lifetime. Shade provided by trees can also reduce your air conditioning bill by 10 to 15%.
26. Switch to green power
In many areas, you can switch to energy generated by clean, renewable sources such as wind and solar. In some of these, you can even get refunds by government if you choose to switch to a clean energy producer, and you can also earn money by selling the energy you produce and don't use for yourself.
27. Buy locally grown and produced foods
The average meal in travels 1,200 miles from the farm to your plate. Buying locally will save fuel and keep money in your community.
28. Buy fresh foods instead of frozen
Frozen food uses 10 times more energy to produce.
29. Seek out and support local farmers markets
They reduce the amount of energy required to grow and transport the food to you by one fifth. Seek farmer’s markets in your area, and go for them.
30. Buy organic foods as much as possible
Organic soils capture and store carbon dioxide at much higher levels than soils from conventional farms. If we grew all of our corn and soybeans organically, we’d remove 580 billion pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere!
31. Eat less meat
Methane is the second most significant greenhouse gas and cows are one of the greatest methane emitters. Their grassy diet and multiple stomachs cause them to produce methane, which they exhale with every breath.
32. Reduce the number of miles you drive by walking, biking, carpooling or taking mass transit wherever possible
Avoiding just 10 miles of driving every week would eliminate about 500 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions a year! Look for transit options in your area. Sharing a ride with someone just 2 days a week will reduce your carbon dioxide emissions by 1,590 pounds a year.
33. Ditch the Plastic
2.5 million individual plastic water bottles are thrown away every hour in the US. Start using a reusable water bottle and just say no to plastic!
34. Don't leave an empty roof rack on your car
This can increase fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by up to 10% due to wind resistance and the extra weight - removing it is a better idea.
35. Keep your car tuned up
Regular maintenance helps improve fuel efficiency and reduces emissions. When just 1% of car owners properly maintain their cars, nearly a billion pounds of carbon dioxide are kept out of the atmosphere.
36. Drive carefully and do not waste fuel
You can reduce CO2 emissions by readjusting your driving style. Choose proper gears, do not abuse the gas pedal, use the engine brake instead of the pedal brake when possible and turn off your engine when your vehicle is motionless for more than one minute. By readjusting your driving style you can save money on both fuel and car maintenance.
37. Check your tires weekly to make sure they’re properly inflated
Proper tire inflation can improve gas mileage by more than 3%. Since every gallon of gasoline saved keeps 20 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, every increase in fuel efficiency makes a difference!
38. When it is time for a new car, choose a more fuel efficient vehicle
You can save 3,000 pounds of carbon dioxide every year if your new car gets only 3 miles per gallon more than your current one. You can get up to 60 miles per gallon with a hybrid!
39. Try car sharing
Need a car but don’t want to buy one? Community car sharing organizations provide access to a car and your membership fee covers gas, maintenance and insurance.
40. Try telecommuting from home
Telecommuting can help you drastically reduce the number of miles you drive every week.
41. Fly less
Air travel produces large amounts of emissions so reducing how much you fly by even one or two trips a year can reduce your emissions significantly.
42. Encourage your school/college or business to reduce emissions
You can extend your positive influence on global warming well beyond your home by actively encouraging other to take action.
43. Be a Meat Reducer
The average individual diet contributes an extra 1.5 tons of greenhouse gases per year compared with a vegetarian diet. Eliminating meat and dairy intake one day a week can make a big difference.
44. Encourage the switch to renewable energy
Successfully combating global warming requires a national transition to renewable energy sources such as solar, wind and biomass. These technologies are ready to be deployed more widely but there are regulatory barriers impeding them.
45. Protect and conserve forest worldwide
Forests play a critical role in global warming: they store carbon. When forests are burned or cut down, their stored carbon is release into the atmosphere - deforestation now accounts for about 20% of carbon dioxide emissions each year.
46. Consider the impact of your investments
If you invest your money, you should consider the impact that your investments and savings will have on global warming.
47. Make your city cool
Cities and states around the country have taken action to stop global warming by passing innovative transportation and energy saving legislation.
48. Tell Law Makers to act
Get your voice through to the law makers and make them aware that you and your community are concerned.
49. Make sure your voice is heard!
Raise your voice and make sure it heard in the right places and by the right people.
50. Share this list!
This is a very extensive list. Even if people carry out a few of the points mentioned above we can have a sea of change. Spread it.
This is a list of 50 simple things that everyone can do in order to fight against and reduce the Global Warming phenomenon: some of these ideas are at no cost, some other require a little effort or investment but can help you save a lot of money, in the middle-long term!
Myths and Facts
Myth #1:Global warming is not real.
Fact: The fact is that for most of the world, the issue of global climate change is very real. Global warming is a phenomenon that has been described the world's leading scientists, and the global scientific community has come to a consensus. They have agreed that global warming indeed exists; that it is caused by human activity; that it is happening right now; and that if our world's leaders do not take immediate action, global warming can have dramatic and devastating effects on this world.
Myth #2: Global warming exists, but we don't have to worry about it for several more decades, if not hundreds of years more.
Fact: Even though many in the media speak of global warming as a future threat, the truth is that global warming began during the Industrial Revolution. The truth is that global warming is already happening. Scientists have measured the shorelines and they are receding. The polar ice caps and glaciers have already begun to melt. Moreover, we can actually measure the rise in temperature. Other evidence of the effects of global warming can be seen in the lasting droughts in the American Southwest, the longer and more intense hurricane season in the Atlantic, the greater number of undersea seismic earthquakes and tsunamis as well. In short, there is ample scientific evidence that global warming is happening right now.
Myth #3: Some scientists say global warming is a problem; others say it isn't. The science is still being debated.
Fact: The views of scientists on greenhouse gases, climate change, and the likely impacts are even more lopsided than the two examples above. The overwhelming consensus opinion is:
* the earth is warming;
* human activities are responsible;
* left unchecked, the impact will be large, potentially catastrophic.
Yet, somehow, climate change is portrayed in news reports as an area where scientists are still not sure. Folks—they are sure!
The only debate in the science community about global warming is about how much and how fast warming will continue as a result of heat-trapping emissions. Scientists have given a clear warning about global warming, and we have more than enough facts — about causes and fixes — to implement solutions right now.
Myth #4: Man-caused greenhouse gases are insignificant relative to naturally released greenhouse gases; thus, we humans are not the problem.
Fact: The world's climate scientists are overwhelmingly in agreement that the current rise in the atmospheric greenhouse gas level is due to man's activities on the planet. You may be the type of person that refuses to trust any data coming from international bodies such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. But at least dont neglect the over whelming evidence around yourself. Open your eyes.
Myth #5:The increase in global temperature over the last 100 years was only about 1 degree F, and if the temperature goes up a similar amount in the next 100 years, it's no big deal.
Fact: That’s the way you think. Well lets have a A FEW HOT FACTS
- The 10 hottest years on record have occurred since 1990.
- The decade of the 1990s was the hottest in the last millennium.
- The planet is warming at a rate faster than at any time in the last 10,000 years. This accelerated rate is of great concern to scientists
In the last 10,000 years, humans have prospered, partly due to a long-term period of climatic stability—the Earth's average temperature hasn't varied by more than 1.8°F (1.0°C). Temperature increases of 2.5-10.4 degrees are far beyond the norm and will put us into uncharted territory. The climate in 2100 could be as drastically different from our climate today as the Ice Age was.
Myth #6: Global warming and extra CO2 will actually be beneficial — they reduce cold-related deaths and stimulate crop growth.
Fact: Any beneficial effects will be far outweighed by damage and disruption.
Even a warming in just the middle range of scientific projections would have devastating impacts on many sectors of the economy. Rising seas would inundate coastal communities, contaminate water supplies with salt and increase the risk of flooding by storm surge, affecting tens of millions of people globally. Moreover, extreme weather events, including heat waves, droughts and floods, are predicted to increase in frequency and intensity, causing loss of lives and property and throwing agriculture into turmoil.
Myth #7: We can adapt to climate change — civilization has survived droughts and temperature shifts before.
FACT: Although humans as a whole have survived the vagaries of drought, stretches of warmth and cold and more, entire societies have collapsed from dramatic climatic shifts.
The current warming of our climate will bring major hardships and economic dislocations — untold human suffering, especially for our children and grandchildren. We are already seeing significant costs from today's global warming which is caused by greenhouse gas pollution. Climate has changed in the past and human societies have survived, but today six billion people depend on interconnected ecosystems and complex technological infrastructure.
Myth #8: Global warming can’t be happening because some glaciers and ice sheets are growing, not shrinking.
FACT: In most parts of the world, the retreat of glaciers has been dramatic. The best available scientific data indicate that Greenland's massive ice sheet is shrinking.
Between 1961 and 1997, the world’s glaciers lost 890 cubic miles of ice. The consensus among scientists is that rising air temperatures are the most important factor behind the retreat of glaciers on a global scale over long time periods. Some glaciers in western Norway, Iceland and New Zealand have been expanding during the past few decades. That expansion is a result of regional increases in storm frequency and snowfall rather than colder temperatures — not at all incompatible with a global warming trend.
Myth #9: Global warming is just part of a natural cycle. The Arctic has warmed up in the past.
FACT: The global warming we are experiencing is not natural. People are causing it.
People are causing global warming by burning fossil fuels (like oil, coal and natural gas) and cutting down forests. Scientists have shown that these activities are pumping far more CO2 into the atmosphere than was ever released in hundreds of thousands of years. This buildup of CO2 is the biggest cause of global warming. Since 1895, scientists have known that CO2 and other greenhouse gases trap heat and warm the earth. As the warming has intensified over the past three decades, scientific scrutiny has increased along with it. Scientists have considered and ruled out other, natural explanations such as sunlight, volcanic eruptions and cosmic rays.
Myth #10: There's no real environmental concern - we have an unlimited supply of resources.
Fact: Today we think of food and water as something that will always be available. But changing climates effect the entire ecosystem - since wildlife and plants rely upon water, reductions in water will greatly affect their ability to reproduce and grow.
Myth #11: I cant do anything. I’m helpless. All this data is scaring me. Someone please find a solution
Fact: This thinking is wrong. Though the impact you do individually will be small it can have a huge effect. If all the people can do one single solution that might help reduce Carbon emission, we can still get back to the carbon PPM concentration of the Industrial Revolution days. There a lot of things u can do. Don’t feel helpless.
Fact: The fact is that for most of the world, the issue of global climate change is very real. Global warming is a phenomenon that has been described the world's leading scientists, and the global scientific community has come to a consensus. They have agreed that global warming indeed exists; that it is caused by human activity; that it is happening right now; and that if our world's leaders do not take immediate action, global warming can have dramatic and devastating effects on this world.
Myth #2: Global warming exists, but we don't have to worry about it for several more decades, if not hundreds of years more.
Fact: Even though many in the media speak of global warming as a future threat, the truth is that global warming began during the Industrial Revolution. The truth is that global warming is already happening. Scientists have measured the shorelines and they are receding. The polar ice caps and glaciers have already begun to melt. Moreover, we can actually measure the rise in temperature. Other evidence of the effects of global warming can be seen in the lasting droughts in the American Southwest, the longer and more intense hurricane season in the Atlantic, the greater number of undersea seismic earthquakes and tsunamis as well. In short, there is ample scientific evidence that global warming is happening right now.
Myth #3: Some scientists say global warming is a problem; others say it isn't. The science is still being debated.
Fact: The views of scientists on greenhouse gases, climate change, and the likely impacts are even more lopsided than the two examples above. The overwhelming consensus opinion is:
* the earth is warming;
* human activities are responsible;
* left unchecked, the impact will be large, potentially catastrophic.
Yet, somehow, climate change is portrayed in news reports as an area where scientists are still not sure. Folks—they are sure!
The only debate in the science community about global warming is about how much and how fast warming will continue as a result of heat-trapping emissions. Scientists have given a clear warning about global warming, and we have more than enough facts — about causes and fixes — to implement solutions right now.
Myth #4: Man-caused greenhouse gases are insignificant relative to naturally released greenhouse gases; thus, we humans are not the problem.
Fact: The world's climate scientists are overwhelmingly in agreement that the current rise in the atmospheric greenhouse gas level is due to man's activities on the planet. You may be the type of person that refuses to trust any data coming from international bodies such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. But at least dont neglect the over whelming evidence around yourself. Open your eyes.
Myth #5:The increase in global temperature over the last 100 years was only about 1 degree F, and if the temperature goes up a similar amount in the next 100 years, it's no big deal.
Fact: That’s the way you think. Well lets have a A FEW HOT FACTS
- The 10 hottest years on record have occurred since 1990.
- The decade of the 1990s was the hottest in the last millennium.
- The planet is warming at a rate faster than at any time in the last 10,000 years. This accelerated rate is of great concern to scientists
In the last 10,000 years, humans have prospered, partly due to a long-term period of climatic stability—the Earth's average temperature hasn't varied by more than 1.8°F (1.0°C). Temperature increases of 2.5-10.4 degrees are far beyond the norm and will put us into uncharted territory. The climate in 2100 could be as drastically different from our climate today as the Ice Age was.
Myth #6: Global warming and extra CO2 will actually be beneficial — they reduce cold-related deaths and stimulate crop growth.
Fact: Any beneficial effects will be far outweighed by damage and disruption.
Even a warming in just the middle range of scientific projections would have devastating impacts on many sectors of the economy. Rising seas would inundate coastal communities, contaminate water supplies with salt and increase the risk of flooding by storm surge, affecting tens of millions of people globally. Moreover, extreme weather events, including heat waves, droughts and floods, are predicted to increase in frequency and intensity, causing loss of lives and property and throwing agriculture into turmoil.
Myth #7: We can adapt to climate change — civilization has survived droughts and temperature shifts before.
FACT: Although humans as a whole have survived the vagaries of drought, stretches of warmth and cold and more, entire societies have collapsed from dramatic climatic shifts.
The current warming of our climate will bring major hardships and economic dislocations — untold human suffering, especially for our children and grandchildren. We are already seeing significant costs from today's global warming which is caused by greenhouse gas pollution. Climate has changed in the past and human societies have survived, but today six billion people depend on interconnected ecosystems and complex technological infrastructure.
Myth #8: Global warming can’t be happening because some glaciers and ice sheets are growing, not shrinking.
FACT: In most parts of the world, the retreat of glaciers has been dramatic. The best available scientific data indicate that Greenland's massive ice sheet is shrinking.
Between 1961 and 1997, the world’s glaciers lost 890 cubic miles of ice. The consensus among scientists is that rising air temperatures are the most important factor behind the retreat of glaciers on a global scale over long time periods. Some glaciers in western Norway, Iceland and New Zealand have been expanding during the past few decades. That expansion is a result of regional increases in storm frequency and snowfall rather than colder temperatures — not at all incompatible with a global warming trend.
Myth #9: Global warming is just part of a natural cycle. The Arctic has warmed up in the past.
FACT: The global warming we are experiencing is not natural. People are causing it.
People are causing global warming by burning fossil fuels (like oil, coal and natural gas) and cutting down forests. Scientists have shown that these activities are pumping far more CO2 into the atmosphere than was ever released in hundreds of thousands of years. This buildup of CO2 is the biggest cause of global warming. Since 1895, scientists have known that CO2 and other greenhouse gases trap heat and warm the earth. As the warming has intensified over the past three decades, scientific scrutiny has increased along with it. Scientists have considered and ruled out other, natural explanations such as sunlight, volcanic eruptions and cosmic rays.
Myth #10: There's no real environmental concern - we have an unlimited supply of resources.
Fact: Today we think of food and water as something that will always be available. But changing climates effect the entire ecosystem - since wildlife and plants rely upon water, reductions in water will greatly affect their ability to reproduce and grow.
Myth #11: I cant do anything. I’m helpless. All this data is scaring me. Someone please find a solution
Fact: This thinking is wrong. Though the impact you do individually will be small it can have a huge effect. If all the people can do one single solution that might help reduce Carbon emission, we can still get back to the carbon PPM concentration of the Industrial Revolution days. There a lot of things u can do. Don’t feel helpless.
Till where can it go?
Where can it go? Are u kidding? This cant go any further.. This has to stop soon… the sooner the better for the for everyone. With the current situation check out the evidence around you.
Glaciers everywhere are melting and disappearing fast—and they are a source of drinking water for hundreds of millions of people. Mosquitoes, who like a warmer world, are spreading into lots of new places, and bringing malaria and dengue fever with them. Drought is becoming much more common, making food harder to grow in many places. Sea levels have begun to rise, and scientists warn that they could go up as much as several meters this century. If that happens, many of the world's cities, island nations, and farmland will be underwater. The oceans are growing more acidic because of the CO2 they are absorbing, which makes it harder for animals like corals and clams to build and maintain their shells and skeletons. Coral reefs could start dissolving at an atmospheric CO2 concentration of 450-500 ppm. These impacts are combining to exacerbate conflicts and security issues in already resource-strapped regions.
The Arctic is sending us perhaps the clearest message that climate change is occurring much more rapidly than scientists previously thought. In the summer of 2007, sea ice was roughly 39% below the summer average for 1979-2000, a loss of area equal to nearly five United Kingdoms. Many scientists now believe the Arctic will be completely ice free in the summertime between 2011 and 2015, some 80 years ahead of what scientists had predicted just a few years ago.
This has to stop. And we all have to make our contributions and sacrifices for it. Are you ready?
Glaciers everywhere are melting and disappearing fast—and they are a source of drinking water for hundreds of millions of people. Mosquitoes, who like a warmer world, are spreading into lots of new places, and bringing malaria and dengue fever with them. Drought is becoming much more common, making food harder to grow in many places. Sea levels have begun to rise, and scientists warn that they could go up as much as several meters this century. If that happens, many of the world's cities, island nations, and farmland will be underwater. The oceans are growing more acidic because of the CO2 they are absorbing, which makes it harder for animals like corals and clams to build and maintain their shells and skeletons. Coral reefs could start dissolving at an atmospheric CO2 concentration of 450-500 ppm. These impacts are combining to exacerbate conflicts and security issues in already resource-strapped regions.
The Arctic is sending us perhaps the clearest message that climate change is occurring much more rapidly than scientists previously thought. In the summer of 2007, sea ice was roughly 39% below the summer average for 1979-2000, a loss of area equal to nearly five United Kingdoms. Many scientists now believe the Arctic will be completely ice free in the summertime between 2011 and 2015, some 80 years ahead of what scientists had predicted just a few years ago.
This has to stop. And we all have to make our contributions and sacrifices for it. Are you ready?
How it was reached?
For all of human history until about 200 years ago, our atmosphere contained 275 parts per million of carbon dioxide.
Beginning in the 18th century, humans began to burn coal and gas and oil to produce energy and goods. The amount of carbon in the atmosphere began to rise, at first slowly and now more quickly. The rapid industrialization did its bit in this and so did the cutting down of forests on a large scale. Many of the activities we do every day like turning the lights on, cooking food, or heating or cooling our homes rely on energy sources like coal and oil that emit carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere. We're taking millions of years worth of carbon, stored beneath the earth as fossil fuels, and releasing it into the atmosphere. By now the planet has 385 parts per million CO2 – and this number is rising by about 2 parts per million every year.
Beginning in the 18th century, humans began to burn coal and gas and oil to produce energy and goods. The amount of carbon in the atmosphere began to rise, at first slowly and now more quickly. The rapid industrialization did its bit in this and so did the cutting down of forests on a large scale. Many of the activities we do every day like turning the lights on, cooking food, or heating or cooling our homes rely on energy sources like coal and oil that emit carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere. We're taking millions of years worth of carbon, stored beneath the earth as fossil fuels, and releasing it into the atmosphere. By now the planet has 385 parts per million CO2 – and this number is rising by about 2 parts per million every year.
Where we are now?
Well I guess most of u knows what is global warming. There are a lot of things on the net that can help you understand that. I’ll cut that can get to the point.
Global Warming has several contributors. One of which is the green house gases on which Carbon Dioxide is the Biggest contributor. Leading Scientists say that 350PPM(Parts per million is simply a way of measuring the concentration of different gases, and means the ratio of the number of carbon dioxide molecules per million other molecules in the atmosphere) is the target we should aim at so that the planet does not face run away Climate Change. And guess what.. the amount of Carbon Dioxde in Air currently is 387 PPM.. that’s a huge way off from the upper limit envisaged. Earlier IPCC had set an upper limit of 450 PPM and 2degree rise in temperature. But that limit threatens the existence of small islands.
“If humanity wishes to preserve a planet similar to that on which civilization developed and to which life on Earth is adapted, paleoclimate evidence and ongoing climate change suggest that CO2 will need to be reduced from its current 387ppm to at most 350ppm.”
Dr. James E. Hansen, 2008
- NASA climatologist
“Even a goal of 450 parts per million, which seems so difficult today, is inadequate,” said Gore, adding we “need to toughen that goal to 350 parts per million.”
Al Gore, Poznan climate summit 2008
We need to act fast and act well so that we can achieve the target. All is not doomed. We can still achieve it. But for that to happen all of us have to contribute in our own small way.
Global Warming has several contributors. One of which is the green house gases on which Carbon Dioxide is the Biggest contributor. Leading Scientists say that 350PPM(Parts per million is simply a way of measuring the concentration of different gases, and means the ratio of the number of carbon dioxide molecules per million other molecules in the atmosphere) is the target we should aim at so that the planet does not face run away Climate Change. And guess what.. the amount of Carbon Dioxde in Air currently is 387 PPM.. that’s a huge way off from the upper limit envisaged. Earlier IPCC had set an upper limit of 450 PPM and 2degree rise in temperature. But that limit threatens the existence of small islands.
“If humanity wishes to preserve a planet similar to that on which civilization developed and to which life on Earth is adapted, paleoclimate evidence and ongoing climate change suggest that CO2 will need to be reduced from its current 387ppm to at most 350ppm.”
Dr. James E. Hansen, 2008
- NASA climatologist
“Even a goal of 450 parts per million, which seems so difficult today, is inadequate,” said Gore, adding we “need to toughen that goal to 350 parts per million.”
Al Gore, Poznan climate summit 2008
We need to act fast and act well so that we can achieve the target. All is not doomed. We can still achieve it. But for that to happen all of us have to contribute in our own small way.
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