Using Alternative Fuels and Global Warming

Why Should I Care About Using Alternative Fuels Anyway?
After all, it’s the big question on your mind, right: What's the big deal?



The reality is that driving your vehicle is the one regular activity that has the single largest impact on the earth regarding climate change.

Yes, think about it: Every gallon of alternative fuel burned is a gallon of petrol not burned. That’s 20 pounds of heat-trapping carbon dioxide not released into our atmosphere, not to mention carbon monoxide, oxides of nitrogen, sulfur and more. Plus, each one of those gallons strengthens a nation’s economy and energy independence.
Fossil Frenzy

Did you know that cars and trucks are a significant source—27 percent—of the United States’ carbon dioxide emissions?

Many countries, including the United States, currently depend heavily upon coal, oil and natural gas for energy. The United States actually generates 70 percent of its electricity from fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas and oil, but only two percent from renewable sources such as solar and wind. What gives? It’s a complex situation, one that we address in political considerations, in walking the tightrope between industry, government and policy-making.

Yet the facts remain: Fossil fuels are non-renewable which means they utilize the sunlight captured millions of years ago—and are ultimately finite resources that will go extinct, much like the prehistoric creatures for which they’re named. It’s not a pleasant thought: Eventually (and there is great dispute as to when), these supplies will run low and the expense, labor and ability to obtain them will surpass their value.
It’s only a matter of time.
Powered by the Sun

So let’s take a look at renewable resources: Think solar, biomass and biofuels. They are called renewable since they are naturally replenished or re-grown, thanks to the power of the sun, in the natural course of the seasons.

And the power of the sun is a force to be reckoned with: 127 trillion kilowatts (kW) of solar energy reaches the earth each hour, and a mere 92 trillion kWh of energy are used worldwide for an entire year.

The sunshine on our faces, the wind through the trees—have the answers been closer than we thought all along?
Using it Well

And it’s not only how we obtain our energy, it’s how we use it. Have we had so much of a good thing we’ve become mindlessly wasteful?

Energy efficiency is all about using less energy in accomplishing the same amount of work. Economy and energy usage—they’re closely tied. For example, in 2002 the carbon dioxide from energy use rose 15 percent above 1990 levels. And during that same period, energy usage had also risen 16 percent.

Wouldn’t it be great to be able to catch all those dollars and "sense" leaking out from homes, businesses, schools, industries and government—to funnel it back into needed goods, education and services? It’s all about getting more bang for your buck.

We’re not into scare tactics—don’t get us wrong. It’s all about starting to solve the problems and not leaving them for the generations following in our footsteps.

Alternative fuels are one step in that direction. After all, if we’re all part of the problem, we can all be part of the solution.

source: about.com

Global Warming Signs in Summer

Scientists See Summer Full of Global Warming Signs

This summer's wildfires in Russia, floods in Pakistan, torrential rainfall in China and sweltering heat waves in 15 (out of 50) U.S. states are all signs of the effects of global warming identified by scientists in the U.S. Global Change Research Program, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS).

In its report, Global Climate Change in the United States, the U.S. Global Change Research Program predicted that climate change associated with global warming would trigger devastating heat, along with unusually heavy rains in some parts of the world, and extended droughts in others.

While heavy rains may not seem consistent with a warming world, they are, says the Union of Concerned Scientists. "While it may seem counterintuitive, a warming planet generates more precipitation in regions that typically experience rain or snow. That is because a warmer atmosphere absorbs and retains more water from the soil and water bodies--lakes, rivers and oceans. Where storm clouds gather, the atmosphere typically has more water to dump, producing heavier-than-normal storms."

The villain, according to the Concerned Scientists and the U.S. Global Change Research Program, is the ongoing burning of fossil fuels which causes a build-up of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, resulting in a steady increase in the Earth's average temperature.

"Climate scientists have been warning for years about the potential for intense heat waves, droughts and drenching rains in various parts of the world," said Brenda Ekwurzel, a climate scientist with the UCS in a press release. "This intense weather is consistent with well-documented climate change trends over the past several decades. Unless we significantly reduce global warming emissions, we'll likely see even more extreme weather events."

Victim of global warming? Scientists believe it may actually have been climate change that killed the mammoth off

Did global warming kill off the woolly mammoth? Scientists say it may have been climate change that wiped out the beasts

Human have always taken the blame for wiping out the woolly mammoth.
But although man hunted the beasts for their skin and meat, scientists believe it may actually be climate change that killed the mammoth off.
Some 21,000 years ago, after the last Ice Age, warmer temperatures led to a loss of grassland over much of the Earth’s surface.

As the prairies and steppes dwindled, spreading forests took their place. These changes made survival impossible for the big, grazing herbivores and the predators that fed on them, according to a Durham University study, the most comprehensive of his kind.

Researcher Professor Brian Huntley said: ‘Woolly mammoths retreated to northern Siberia 14,000 years ago, whereas they had roamed and munched their way across many parts of Europe, including the UK, for most of the previous 100,000 years.

'It would have been difficult for man to  wipe them out because our species was not so widespread then and did not have the technology.

‘We know from mammoth fossils that they were hunted by humans. But they would not have been an  easy kill because of their size.’

His research on the climate firmly points the finger at rising temperatures.

The woolly rhino, cave lion, giant deer and cave bear also failed to survive the new conditions.

Although some small pockets may have clung on, their fate had effectively been sealed.

‘Mega-mammals found it increasingly difficult to find food,’ said Dr Huntley. ‘We believe the  loss of food supplies from productive grasslands was the major

contributing factor to extinction.’

The Durham experts, who worked with researchers from London’s Natural History

Museum, report their findings in the journal Quaternary Science Reviews.

And they say we should learn the lessons of the past.

‘This is a model for what may happen as a result of rapid climate change over the next century,’ said Dr Huntley.

Big species today, such as the elephant, are likely to be among the first affected by climate change, he added.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1303981/Did-global-warming-kill-woolly-mammoth.html#ixzz0wwpEIg4o

 

Global Warming: the Climate of Threat

In the present context of environmental awareness, ‘Global Warming’ is the buzzwords that reverberate in every corner of our planet. It is a highly debated issue among environmental scientists & academicians. Though we are not fully aware about global warming but knowing or unknowingly we all, more or less are contributing to ‘global warming & climate change’. Rise in the average temperature near the surface of the earth is scientifically termed as global warming. As per the IPCC (Inter Governmental Panel on Climate Change) report the measured average atmospheric temperature near the earth’s surface rose by 0.740 Celsius during the last 100 years (1906-2005).11 out of 12 hottest years on record occurred between 1995-2006. We are living in the midst of constantly changing climatic conditions, largely a result of human interference and if allowed to continue can cause irreparable damage to the flora, fauna & human life. Global warming will have strong effect on the variability of rainfall, drought type of situation and rise in the sea level. The overall change in the natural characteristics of the earth for global warming continuously for a long time period is known as ‘climate change’. So, the climate change is a result of global warming. Climate change is definite if the globe becomes warm & warm.
Global warming and climate change can have serious effect on agriculture. Production & productivity of most of the crops may decrease due to increase in temperature and decrease in water availability. Quality of crops may also be detoriated. Increasing temperature will increase fertilizer requirement for the same volume of production & result in higher GHG emissions. Impacts of climate change arise from global warming in forest ecosystem is also very high. According to the IPCC reports, even with a modest global warming, most forest ecosystem will be impacted through changes in forest species composition, biodiversity & plant productivity. Plant flowering, bird arrival, date of breeding in flowering all will be affected from climate change. Forest dependent communities will also be affected from such impacts of climate change in forests. More than 30 million people of India are directly involved in gathering & trading non-timber forest products such as fruits, seeds, flowers, leaves, honey, gum etc. Any impact on forest biodiversity will have adverse implications for the livelihoods for forest dependent communities like tribal. Again critically endangered species of forest could become extinct for such type of change in natural setup. Again, one of the most important & visible indicators of climate change is the recession of glaciers and snow covers in many parts of the world. The Himalayan Glaciers feed seven of Asia’s greatest rivers including Ganga & Brahmaputra. They ensure water supply to about one billion people. Continuous melting down of glaciers in Himalayan region is expected to have serious consequences on bio-diversity, agriculture production, livelihood system of people. On the other hand coastal belts are more prone to the devastating impacts of global warming. Global assessment shows that 1 meter sea level rise can lead to welfare loss of $ 1,259 million, in India equivalent to 0.36% of GNP. Sundarbans, the group of 102 islands is located along the Bay of Bengal. The sea level around the Sundarbans is rising due to global warming & the islands are under threat of getting submerged. 2 of 102 islands have already submerged.

more:
http://www.morungexpress.com/analysis/53450.html

What is GreenHouse Effect ?

The greenhouse effect is a process by which radiative energy leaving a planetary surface is absorbed by some atmospheric gases, called greenhouse gases. They transfer this energy to other components of the atmosphere, and it is re-radiated in all directions, including back down towards the surface. This transfers energy to the surface and lower atmosphere, so the temperature there is higher than it would be if direct heating by solar radiation were the only warming mechanism .

This mechanism is fundamentally different from that of an actual greenhouse, which works by isolating warm air inside the structure so that heat is not lost by convection.

The greenhouse effect was discovered by Joseph Fourier in 1824, first reliably experimented on by John Tyndall in 1858, and first reported quantitatively by Svante Arrhenius in 1896.

If an ideal thermally conductive blackbody was the same distance from the Sun as the Earth, it would have an expected blackbody temperature of 5.3 °C. However, since the Earth reflects about 30%[4] (or 28%) of the incoming sunlight, the planet's actual blackbody temperature is about -18 or -19 °C , about 33°C below the actual surface temperature of about 14 °C or 15 °C. The mechanism that produces this difference between the actual temperature and the blackbody temperature is due to the atmosphere and is known as the greenhouse effect.

Global warming, a recent warming of the Earth's surface and lower atmosphere, is believed to be the result of a strengthening of the greenhouse effect mostly due to human-produced increases in atmospheric greenhouse gases.
Source : Wikipedia

is Global Warming undeniable?

Scientists say global warming is undeniable 

THE world will be hotter by 2100 than at any time in the past few million years if greenhouse gas emissions continue unabated, the Australian Academy of Science warns in a new report.
Global emissions would need to peak within the next 10 years, and then decline rapidly for the world to have a better than 50-50 chance of avoiding a temperature rise of 2 degrees, it concludes.
Produced and reviewed by two expert panels, the 24-page report, The Science of Climate Change, Questions and Answers, acknowledges there are still scientific uncertainties about some of the details of climate change.
These include its impact at specific locations, the precise timing and size of future changes, and when high-risk tipping points might be reached.
But broad conclusions about the impact of high emissions are based on strong evidence and rigorous scientific scrutiny, its authors said. ''We are very confident that human-induced global warming is a real phenomenon.''
A former academy president, Kurt Lambeck, said the report was aimed at clarifying often contradictory comments from non-scientific ''instant experts''.
The report refutes many of the claims made by climate change sceptics, such as that the globe has been cooling since 1998, the sun is mainly to blame for recent warming, recent warming is part of natural variability, and volcanoes emit more carbon dioxide than human activities.
The report ''unambiguously'' supported the conclusion that a continued reliance on fossil fuels would lead to a warmer world, with predictions ranging from a 2 to 7 degree increase by 2100.
Source : http://www.smh.com.au

 

If we give up , They Give up...Global Warming Video

if you give up , they give up...
Stop Global Warming , Save Animals , Save the WORLD...