Simon
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Turn off your lights for one hour at 8pm March 29 (that's tomorrow) "to deliver a powerful message about the need for action on global warming." Households and businesses around the world are urged to turn off their lights and non-essential electrical appliances for one hour in an international event called Earth Hour 2008. Earth Hour started out in Sydney, Australia between 7:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on 31 March 2007. That year it was a local event in Australia, this year they are going bigger than ever. Over 11,900 businesses and over 200,000 individuals have signed up to take part in this event. Cities worldwide like Dubai (UAE), Bangkok (Thailand), Örebro (Sweden), San Francisco (USA), Toronto (Canada) and many others will also participate. It is indeed a worthy cause that should be supported. But one can't stop from wondering if this, one hour, of turning down your electricity, is all we in the developed world is willing to do? Or like Al Gore said: "I can't understand why there aren't rings of young people blocking bulldozers and preventing them from constructing coal-fired power stations."
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This is a continuation on an earlier post called "It keeps getting warmer, no matter what some people say". Just like the global warming deniers say the Arctic ice is approximately the same as it was last year, as data from Nasa clearly shows. But, the Nasa data also shows that the old and thick Arctic ice is melting much faster than previous years. Data shows that ice older than two years have decreased from 60% to 30% of the total ice mass in Arctic. Seelye Martin, manager of the Cryospheric Sciences Program at Nasa headquarters in Washington DC, said that "although this March the area is slightly larger than last March, the area of [thick] perennial ice has reached an all time low." And he concludes that "the volume of Arctic ice continues to decrease." So despite the colder weather from La Niña the old and thick Arctic ice is melting at record speeds. And this is worrying. The older Arctic ice is thicker and contains less salt than younger ice does. That means they can last longer during warmer periods. If the Arctic ice melts away it will be felt around the world. We will see sea levels rising and the earth will get warmer when ice no longer can reflect the solar energy back into space. Walt Meier from the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) in Boulder said that "it may look OK on the surface, but it's like looking at a Hollywood movie set - you see the facade of a building and it looks OK, but if you look behind it, there's no building there." Scientific reports projects that the Arctic will become ice-free by year 2050. But newly released reports suggest it could happen as early as 2013. And as closer we get to 2013 the newer forecast looks more accurate. It was not even a year ago since the Northwest Passage in the Arctic melted away making it possible for ships to sail all the way through the Northwest Passage. In 2002 Larsen B, a 3,250 km² big area of 220 m thick ice collapsed and melted away. And it was just two days ago reports started coming that the 14,500 km² ice shelf called Wilkinson has started to collapse and melt away. In 1993 Professor David Vaughan of BAS predicted that if the warming continues the northern parts of Wilkins would be gone within 30 years. In an interview with BBC News recently he said he "didn't expect to see things happen this quickly. The ice shelf is hanging by a thread - we'll know in the next few days or weeks what its fate will be." He also noted that "this is yet another indication of climate change in the Antarctic Peninsula and how it is affecting the environment." If you are interested the Guardian and SVT (Swedish state television) has videos and images from the melting. Image credit to BBC and NASA.
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Kansas Governor Katherine Sebelius said this when she vetoed a bill last week that would have allowed the construction of two new coal fired power plants: Of all the duties and responsibilities entrusted to me as governor, none is greater than my obligation to protect the health and well-being of the people of Kansas. Stephanie Cole, a Sierra Club spokeswoman, said that this... ...sends a message that Kansas is willing to be part of the solution, rather than part of the problem. Roderick L. Bremby, Secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) added that he believes... ...it would be irresponsible to ignore emerging information about the contribution of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases to climate change and the potential harm to our environment and health if we do nothing. The coal plants would, according to Sunflower (the owners), emit 11 million tons of carbon dioxide a year. Learn more: - Kansas Governor Vetoes Bill to Allow Coal-Fired Plants - Kansas Rejects Massive Sunflower Coal-Fired Power Plant
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http://www.carbonrationing.org.uk/wiki/web...rbon-accounting "Wondering how to calculate all those personal emissions from your home, work and travel? There are plenty of Web sites with so-called carbon calculators, making it difficult to choose. In addition, many of these carbon calculators are sponsored by companies selling carbon credits, which could also make it tricky to select a trustworthy online service. One place to look for reliable guidance should be the folks who take personal emissions the most seriously — Carbon Rationing Action Groups, or CRAGs. CRAGs are citizens, mostly in Britain, who form support groups and then hold each other to account for their carbon profligacy. In some groups, members who break an annual quota — by flying or driving, for example — must pay a fine into a central account that is redistributed to those who emit less than the annual quota. I wrote about the efforts of the “craggers†last year. Since then, they’ve added to their Web site and it now includes a great deal more information, including a guide to some Web-based carbon accounting sites they recommend. Wondering how you match up to the craggers? Most of the members I spoke with were aiming to emit no more than 4,500 tons of carbon each year — or about half the British national average and about a quarter of the average emissions of someone living in the United States." From: http://blogs.iht.com/tribtalk/business/green/?p=148
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Lady Liberty dismisses Mr. Car Fetish and marries Mr. Transit
Simon posted a article in Cars & Transportation
At the car-fetishes altar of happiness, the NY International Auto Show at the Javits Center, this year experienced a rather special protest from the people behind StreetFilms. Thousands of people flocked to the NY International Auto Show at the Javits Center on Saturday. In the midst of it all, Lady Liberty ended her 100 year "spectacularly combustible love affair" with the automobile. Lady Liberty said, "Frankly, this relationship has just gotten to be much more work than it's worth. My health, liberty and freedom have suffered greatly, and now I hope that my new relationships will finally give me security and happiness." Then Reverend Billy officiated her marriage to "Mr. Transit" and the Stop Shopping Gospel Choir sang in celebration. Video after the jump: You can also watch the video on StreetFilms.org. -
I remember when I did Easter eggs like these when I was smaller. You know, back then when you actually cared to celebrate Easter. But no matter what your personal opinion about Easter is, this method will make your eggs look fabulous. Check out the video on how to make naturally dyed Easter eggs using vegetables and spices. ">" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355">
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We have wondered and discussed where climate change is in the USA primaries, and we have asked ourselves if Al Gore can put pressure on the climate issue during the USA 2008 election. The primaries have come a long way since then and there are now only a few candidates left. But there are still no real discussions about climate change. There are no hard questions coming from the press regarding climate change and what the different candidates plan to do about it. Is family values really that more important for Americans than the future of our civilisation? I hope not. A League of Conservation Voters' study found that ABC's George Stephanopoulos asked presidential candidates more than 767 questions -- only 5 of which were related to global warming. CNN's Wolf Blitzer asked more than 402 questions -- only 5 were about global warming. Sadly, other political commentators and reporters have shown a similar disregard for this key issue. It seems the media isn’t doing their job so we, the people, need to put some pressure on them. One way can be to contact the press yourself and complain. Another way can be to add your name to this petition from the Alliance for Climate Protection urging the press to ask more about Global Warming.
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And we dont need huge cars with green engines. We need smaller cars with green engines. :ph34r:
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Welcome Mr Jolly, I hope you will have a great time here. By the way, your website has some rather "special" content. ;)
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I know something that will spoil New York even more: Rising Sea Levels. :whistle:
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First of all, water is not free. And you also consume the most water. An average American consumes 50% more water than the average European does.
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There are currently around 12000 traditional "yellow cabs" in New York today. They are big and gas-guzzling. Now Ford wants to replace them all with their new Ford Transit Connect Taxi Concept. The new Ford Transit Connect is smaller and more compact than the older yellow cabs. They are designed with less horizontal space and with more vertical space. But it will actually have more space for passengers and their cargo than the older cabs. It also features dual sliding doors which help cause less pain in an over-crowded city like New York. The Ford Transit Connect uses a standard 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine which uses 30% less fuel and releases 90% less exhaust fumes than the older cabs. The new cab will get an estimated 19 mpg in the city. The driver of the cab will get an in-dash computer, running Microsoft Auto software, which is linked to Internet and offers traffic, weather, and navigation information and help.
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Sorry, but I dont trust anything thats on Fox "News".. :lol:
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Interesting reading, thank you.
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My re-usable bags that once where shining white and bright is now all looking a bit, let's say, unattractive. I don't really know how many years I've been using them but it's many and it's getting a bit unattractive to bring them to the town. If you are, like me, in this position or you don't have any re-usable bags at all(!) you might want to check out the new colourful Mikado series from Envirosax. With all the different colours, textures and patterns you won't have a hard time finding a bag you like - it will be hard to choose which one to get! Besides the "graphic" bags they also have a few good-looking organic bags made from bamboo, linen and hemp. On their US site they also offer six different, and rather cute, bags designed for children.
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Yes, I agree. It’s capitalism or a habitable planet - you can’t have both.
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London raises its congestion charge for heavy vehicles
Simon replied to Simon's topic in Transportation
The money will go to fund a "major cycling initiative in London". So the money will go to the people. Indeed. But they already know that: "Ken Livingstone admits that the new tax will only have a minor impact on greenhouse gas emissions in London. But, he says the new congestion charging scheme for gas-guzzling cars will send signals that its time to change lifestyle." -
Welcome back Kruzzen :)
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Yeah, books is the biggest expense from my online shopping... :blink:
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Scandic, the Nordic hotel company, have decided to ban water on bottle on all of their 141 hotels this year. Instead of bottled water their customers will be offered ordinary and carbonated water from water taps from the hotel. It is expected that this will save around 160 tons of carbon dioxide. Due to the fact that the water quality in the Baltic's and other European countries isn't as good as in the Nordic countries Scandic will build local water cleaning systems on hotels that doesn't have a good quality on their water. But this is just one of many things Scandic have, and is planning to do to improve their environmental footprint. Since 1993 Scandic have switched from dirty energy to cleaner renewable energy to power up their offices and hotels, they have changed to more environmental friendly chemicals, they use organic food and many other things. Last fall the company decided to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to zero to year 2025. They are planning to cut their emissions by half to year 2011. And Scandic has already come a long way. They have already lowered their emissions from heating, cooling, electricity and transportation from 5,2 kilo to 3 kilo per guest/day. Image credit: shrff14. Image licensed under a Creative-Commons Attribution license.
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These two quotes comes from Mark Lynas response to a controversial article on NewStatesman.com which argued global warming has stopped: Every qualified scientific body in the world, from the American Association for the Advancement of Science to the Royal Society, agrees unequivocally that global warming is both a reality, and caused by man-made greenhouse gas emissions. But this doesn't make them right, of course. Science, in the best Popperian definition, is only tentatively correct, until someone comes along who can disprove the prevailing theory. This leads to a frequent source of confusion, one which is repeated in the Whitehouse article – that because we don't know everything, therefore we know nothing, and therefore we should do nothing. Using that logic we would close down every hospital in the land. Yes, every scientific fact is falsifiable – but that doesn't make it wrong. On the contrary, the fact that it can be challenged (and hasn't been successfully) is what makes it right. Yes, scientific uncertainties remain in every area of the debate. But consider how high the stakes are here. If the 99% of experts who support the mainstream position are right, then we have to take urgent action to reduce emissions or face some pretty catastrophic consequences. If the 99% are wrong, and the 1% right, we will be making some unnecessary efforts to shift away from fossil fuels, which in any case have lots of other drawbacks and will soon run out. I'd hate to offend anyone here, but that's what I'd call a no-brainer. Related: It keeps getting warmer, no matter what some people say
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Yeah, it seems the blades lost the control due to the extremely strong wind the area experienced.
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It's not really designed to be a climate change killer. Streets in Spain, and other mediterranean countries, are hot - especially during summers - and this "air tree" will help cool down the nearby area for people (+ it will generate electricity and oxygen): That is also why it has been co-financed by the European Union under the LIFE programme-2002 (ENV/E/000198).
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Oh yea we know about Climate Counts. :)
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1 Visit their website for information about the zoo you are visiting. - What are their hours? - Do they allow you to bring beverages and food? - Do they rent strollers? - Do they have electric wheel chairs available? - Do they have scheduled public feeding times? - Do they have daily scheduled shows? - What are the entrance and parking fees? - Can you buy tickets online? - Do they have a capacity limit? If so, at what time of the day is it normally reached? - Are there extra charges for different areas? - Are there public feed stations? If so, how much does it cost? - Should you buy a family membership? 2. Check for hotel partnerships. Many zoos have partnered with local hotels and offer family package plans. Even if you live in town, an overnight stay at a hotel can add some extra fun. 3. Plan your parking. This is very important when visiting zoos in major metro areas. Know if they have a drop off and how far it is to the closest parking area. 4. Check the day before for the weather forecast. A rain or snow day can result in a great trip if you are prepared. Many of the animals will be active and there will be fewer visitors. 5. Plan what to wear. - Shoes. This will be the most important apparel item of the day. A couple of hours walking in flip-flops and some sandals will quickly tire the ankles, leg joints, and muscles. Do not wear new shoes for the visit, you may develop blisters. - Clothing. The biggest consideration will be degree of warmth and protection from the sun. - Rain jacket or poncho if inclement weather is on the horizon. Some animals have been upset with seeing umbrellas. In the past they have been banned in at least one zoo. - Hat - Sunglasses 6. Plan what to take. - Binoculars - Cameras - Comfortable purse and/or backpack. Expect to have them searched at the entrance. - Wipes and anti-bacterial hand cream. - Money. Take enough for small gifts, snacks and any unexpected expenditures. Remember cash machines are not always up and running. - Sunscreen. - Required Medicines, plus any "as needed" medications for pain, allergies, and asthma, also band aids. 7. Upon arrival discuss where to meet if you get separated. Most zoos do not have public address systems to make in-park announcements. 8. Know where all of the rest rooms are located. 9 Follow the basic rules that apply for any zoo visit. - Do not tease or feed animals. This includes throwing any food or non-food items into enclosures, or chasing free roaming species such as peacocks. Not only will you irritate the animals, but other guests as well. In most parks you will not be warned, you will be asked to leave. - Do not climb barriers for a better photo, or to touch the animals. - Stay on the footpaths. - Do not pick the flowers, shrubs, or trees. - Supervise your children at all times, including in the restrooms. Do not allow them to spoil another visitor's experience. - Tobacco products and gum are prohibited at all zoos. - No pets allowed. 10. Plan to take a break. Children bore easily when just looking at exhibits, they need to be engaged with questions. Time your visit and tour to catch a show or feeding.