A report from the Union of Concerned Scientists, states ExxonMobil has funneled nearly $16 million between 1998 and 2005 to a network of 43 advocacy organizations that seek to confuse the public on global warming science.
"ExxonMobil has manufactured uncertainty about the human causes of global warming just as tobacco companies denied their product caused lung cancer," said Alden Meyer, the Union of Concerned Scientists' Director of Strategy & Policy. "A modest but effective investment has allowed the oil giant to fuel doubt about global warming to delay government action just as Big Tobacco did for over 40 years."
The report, "Smoke, Mirrors & Hot Air - ow ExxonMobil Uses Big Tobacco’s Tactics to Manufacture Uncertainty on Climate Science", raised doubts about even the most indisputable scientific evidence. It also talks about how Exxon funded an array of front organizations to create the appearance of a broad platform for a tight-knit group of vocal climate change contrarians who misrepresent peer-reviewed scientific findings, used its access to the Bush administration to block federal policies and shape government communications on global warming and many other topics.
Alden Meyer continues and states, "ExxonMobil needs to be held accountable for its cynical disinformation campaign on global warming... Consumers, shareholders and Congress should let the company know loud and clear that its behavior on this issue is unacceptable and must change."
Read the report here
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Global Warming: Effects and what can be done to reduce it
In the last couple of blogs I have only touched on the effects of global warming. Global warming has the capacity of creating many problems for our world. There are some issues that we know of and have seen, issues that we can predict to happen and some issues that are unforeseeable due their scale or due to the unpredictability of future events. I will also discuss the many ways that we can reduce global warming.
Isaac Newton a great figure of science is famously known for coming up with 3 laws for motion. His third law states that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Global warming is happening in much the same way. When we heat or cool our homes and drive our cars to work, most people do not stop to think what the real costs are. The action of driving a car using gasoline or heating your home through coal causes a reaction and part of it, yes is money. But as the rule states above, an action has an equal and opposite reaction. When you look at what is at stake, money is by no means a valid opposite and equal reaction. This is not to say that heating your home or driving a car is wrong but I’m merely stating that there other ways do it, in an environmentally friendly way.
These are some of the things to expect with increased temperatures due to greenhouse gases:
- Warm water means fuel for hurricanes. As long as hurricanes pass over waters above 26ºC, they will continue to pick up strength by pulling moisture from the surface. A hurricane will only lose strength when it passes over land or cooler waters. When hurricane Katrina passed Florida, it was only a category 1 (119-153 km/h wind speeds) hurricane. Warmer waters in the gulf coast helped it to reach category 5 (>249 km/h wind speeds) causing more than 2000 deaths and more than 150 billion dollars in economic damage. Warm water also expands, causing sea levels to rise
Catarina, the first Atlantic hurricane to form south of the Equator hit Brazil with 144 km/h winds in April 2004 - Polar ice and mountain glaciers melting cause sea levels to rise
- Canada, Alaska and Russia are experiencing melting of permafrost. Permafrost holds carbon-rich plants that were trapped during the ice age. Thawed permafrost releases methane and carbon dioxide which are both greenhouse gases. These greenhouse gases then cause more permafrost melting
- The following areas, if no infrastructure is constructed in time, will be under water due to sea level rise: 17% of Bangladesh (with 1 m sea rise), 80% of Majuro Atoll in the Pacific Marshall Islands (with 0.5 m sea rise), Alexandria (with 1 m sea rise), many parts of the 13 of 15 largest cities which are built on costal plains such as New York’s Manhattan. Many other areas not listed above around the world are also at risk. If no infrastructure is present when the sea levels rise, much of what happened to New Orleans will be a common sight in the future. Unfortunately, if infrastructure is built to stop flooding from costal cities, in some cases this will mean a disruption of coastal ecosystems forever
Post-Katrina: 80% of New Orleans was under water - Rising sea levels also means disappearing wetlands and coral bleaching
- Increase of diseases such as West Nile, malaria and lyme disease
- Air pollution and ragweed pollen will increase causing more cases of asthma.
- Ecosystems are forced to change meaning the habitats of many species will change. This may cause an increase in population for some species or extinction for others and everything in between. Recently, polar bears were placed on the endangered species list while mosquitoes recently have been discovered to have evolved and adapted to the higher global temperatures
The polar bear is on the Endangered Species list - Warmer summers and winters. The 2003 European heat wave that was attributed to global warming killed more than 52,000 Europeans. Warmer summers also means more intense forest fires and that pests are around longer with greater populations
I really could go on and on. You can find out more by going to NationalGeographic.com which will bring you up 460 articles and Google which will bring up 2.4 million websites on the subject when this blog was published.
There is clear evidence that global warming is happening. Many of us can do small things to reverse the effects. Ignorant governments can also change their way of thinking for a better world and better economic prosperity. Do governments not see that their refusal to govern greenhouse gases will drastically affect their long-term economic goals?
Here is just some of things you can do help reduce greenhouse gases:
- Plant a tree. Trees absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and release fresh oxygen... not to mention they look nice
Trees: Fight carbon dioxide - Reduce waste by recycling and buying products that are reusable
- Use florescent light bulbs. They save you money in the long run (about 30 USD) and use about two-thirds less energy compared to incandescent light bulbs. If every household in the US used at least one of these light bulbs, it would be like taking off 7.5 million polluting cars off the street
- Drive less. Take public transportation, walk, ride a bike when available and convenient to you. If you are going to drive, make sure your tires are well inflated; it could mean 20 pounds less carbon dioxide for every gallon of gasoline you save
- Use less hot water. That means in the shower, washer and dish washer. There are now detergents on the market that clean your clothes using cold water. Doing these small things will not only help reduce greenhouse gases but will also save you money
- Use less air conditioning. Turn off the air conditioning when you leave the house and setup a timer that auto shuts-off in the middle of the night. Increase the temperature by 1 or 2 degrees goes a long way to saving you money and greenhouse gases
- Use less heating. Same as above. Decreasing the temperature by 1 or 2 degrees is great. Make sure all windows, doors, attic and basement are sealed correctly. This may save you up to 25 percent on your heating bill
- Turn off lights at night and when you leave the room
- Turn off your computer at night when you sleep
- Use environmentally friendly appliances. This will lower your electrical bill as well as drastically lower greenhouse gases
- Use less drive-thrus. If you can spare the time, walk into the restaurant or bank. Again this will save you money and reduce gas emissions
Get active. Don’t use the drive-thru - Buy hybrid cars and encourage car companies to switch from petrol powered cars to renewable energy such as ethanol. All fuel sold in Brazil (yes, Brazil) must contain 20% percent ethanol which means all cars sold there must be able to run on it. The US alone has the capacity to produce 5.1 billion gallons of ethanol with 3.8 million on the way in the next 18 months
- Lawnmowers can be more pollutant than cars, consider buying non-electric lawnmowers
- Tell your friends and family about the risks and what they can do to reduce greenhouse gases, in most cases it often means more money for them
- Talk to politicians and tell them that global warming is important to you. Unfortunately, the prime minister of Canada and the president of the United States of America (along with many other leaders) don’t do much to restrict greenhouse gases. It is usually the mayors of cities that often do the most policing of pollution. Talk to your mayor and tell them that you want restrictions and caps on greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide. This will force companies such as automakers and oil companies to invest in clean technologies that emit less to no greenhouse gases
- Lastly, vote for politicians that want to fight global warming. If you can't find one, run yourself.
I’m sure there are more that I haven’t thought of but as you can see from above, all these are achievable. No one is perfect and it is not expected that one person can do all these. But every little bit helps. So go out and buy a low-flow shower head to conserve hot water (will take 350 pounds of carbon dioxide yearly out of the atmosphere) and reduce household garbage by 10% (will save 1,200 pounds of carbon dioxide annually). If we all do our part, global warming will be history.
Sunday, December 10, 2006
The Greenhouse Effect
I'm sure many of you have heard of the greenhouse effect or/and greenhouse gases. In this post I will give you a description of both and why understanding them is important. The greenhouse effect is a natural occurring process that has warmed the Earth for millions of years. Without the greenhouse effect, the earth’s surface would be around 30°C cooler.
The name greenhouse effect comes from … well, a greenhouse. A greenhouse is a house made of glass panels and is used to grow plants usually in the winter by allowing them to grow in a warm climate. The glass panels of the greenhouse let in light but keeps heat from escaping. Earth works in much the same way. But instead of glass panels, earth has greenhouse gases to trap heat in.
Greenhouse gases are a natural component of the atmosphere. Think of the atmosphere as the greenhouse’s frame and the greenhouse gases as the glass panels. Some greenhouse gases occur naturally in the atmosphere and the rest due to human activity. Greenhouse gases include water vapor, methane, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and ozone.
The greenhouse effect is essential for humans to live on earth but issues arise when the greenhouse effect becomes stronger. As it becomes stronger the more consequences take place on earth. It gets stronger when more greenhouses gasses are built up in the atmosphere. These atmospheric gases have risen to levels higher than at any time in the last 420,000 years due to human activity. This has caused and will continue to cause earth to warm up higher than it naturally would, producing undesirable events to our lives.
Below is how the greenhouse effect works. Below that is how greenhouse gases are produced by humans.
(1) Solar radiation from the Sun passes through earth's atmosphere (The stuff that gives you a suntan or sunburn).
(2) Some solar radiation is blocked from entering earth and is sent back into space. Also, some of the solar radiation that makes its way to earth is reflected by earth's surface to space.
(3) The remaining solar radiation that was not reflected into space is solar energy that is absorbed by earth. This energy is what warms our earth's surface causing heat. This heat then in turn causes emissions of infrared radiation. Just think of infrared radiation as heat itself.
(4) Infrared radiation rises to the atmosphere. Some of the radiation is then absorbed and reemitted back to earth in all directions through greenhouse gas molecules. This in turn causes further warming to earth and part of the atmosphere (Troposphere). This cycle causes the surface to gain more heat and infrared radiation is then emitted starting the process again.
(5) Every time infrared radiation is emitted to the atmosphere, some of the radiation passes through the atmosphere and is lost in space.
Greenhouse Gasses
During the past two decades, about three-quarters of human-made carbon dioxide emissions were from burning fossil fuels such as oil, gas and coal. These fossil fuels are used to power our cars, heat our homes and run our factories. Deforestation is another producer and contributor to an increase in carbon dioxide. Trees burnt down release carbon dioxide. But if left uncut or burnt, trees would absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen instead.
Methane which accounts for 9 percent of total emissions comes from landfills, coal mines, agriculture and many other sources. Methane has doubled in levels since 1750 and will double once again in 2050. Methane is released in the air through live stock, coal mining, drilling for oil, landfills and other sources.
Nitrous Oxide (aka laughing gas) is released naturally by the world’s oceans. It is also released into the atmosphere through fertilizers, sewage treatment plants, automobile exhaust and other sources.
Other typical greenhouse gases come from aerosol cans, refrigerators and air conditioners.
Conclusion
As we continue to emit carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouse gases, our world as we know it will change. It has already started to change. Polar ice caps that act as one large mirror to solar radiation (see step 2 in the above diagram) are melting and increasing sea levels causing more severe floods. As the ice caps melt, the more solar radiation is absorbed by earth, in turn causes other ice caps to melt faster in a vicious cycle. The warmer temperature also causes heat waves that kill ecosystems, animals and people who are not used to or prepared for it.
As you have read this post, I hope you have thought of ways that you can reduce some of these greenhouse gases in your everyday life. In a future post, I will list ways everyone can reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gases.
References
Greenhouse effect. (2006, December 5). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved December 10, 2006, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Greenhouse_effect&oldid=92323608
"Greenhouse Effect," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2006 http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2006 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
Greenhouse Gases, Climate Change, and Energy (2004, April 2). In EIA Brochures. Retrieved December 10, 2006, from http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/1605/ggccebro/chapter1.html
Greenhouse Effect. (2006). In Envirolink. Retrieved December 10, 2006, from http://www.envirolink.org/topics.html?topic=Greenhouse20Effect&topicsku=2002116191249&topictype=subtopic
The name greenhouse effect comes from … well, a greenhouse. A greenhouse is a house made of glass panels and is used to grow plants usually in the winter by allowing them to grow in a warm climate. The glass panels of the greenhouse let in light but keeps heat from escaping. Earth works in much the same way. But instead of glass panels, earth has greenhouse gases to trap heat in.
Greenhouse gases are a natural component of the atmosphere. Think of the atmosphere as the greenhouse’s frame and the greenhouse gases as the glass panels. Some greenhouse gases occur naturally in the atmosphere and the rest due to human activity. Greenhouse gases include water vapor, methane, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and ozone.
The greenhouse effect is essential for humans to live on earth but issues arise when the greenhouse effect becomes stronger. As it becomes stronger the more consequences take place on earth. It gets stronger when more greenhouses gasses are built up in the atmosphere. These atmospheric gases have risen to levels higher than at any time in the last 420,000 years due to human activity. This has caused and will continue to cause earth to warm up higher than it naturally would, producing undesirable events to our lives.
Below is how the greenhouse effect works. Below that is how greenhouse gases are produced by humans.
(1) Solar radiation from the Sun passes through earth's atmosphere (The stuff that gives you a suntan or sunburn).
(2) Some solar radiation is blocked from entering earth and is sent back into space. Also, some of the solar radiation that makes its way to earth is reflected by earth's surface to space.
(3) The remaining solar radiation that was not reflected into space is solar energy that is absorbed by earth. This energy is what warms our earth's surface causing heat. This heat then in turn causes emissions of infrared radiation. Just think of infrared radiation as heat itself.
(4) Infrared radiation rises to the atmosphere. Some of the radiation is then absorbed and reemitted back to earth in all directions through greenhouse gas molecules. This in turn causes further warming to earth and part of the atmosphere (Troposphere). This cycle causes the surface to gain more heat and infrared radiation is then emitted starting the process again.
(5) Every time infrared radiation is emitted to the atmosphere, some of the radiation passes through the atmosphere and is lost in space.
Greenhouse Gasses
During the past two decades, about three-quarters of human-made carbon dioxide emissions were from burning fossil fuels such as oil, gas and coal. These fossil fuels are used to power our cars, heat our homes and run our factories. Deforestation is another producer and contributor to an increase in carbon dioxide. Trees burnt down release carbon dioxide. But if left uncut or burnt, trees would absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen instead.
Methane which accounts for 9 percent of total emissions comes from landfills, coal mines, agriculture and many other sources. Methane has doubled in levels since 1750 and will double once again in 2050. Methane is released in the air through live stock, coal mining, drilling for oil, landfills and other sources.
Nitrous Oxide (aka laughing gas) is released naturally by the world’s oceans. It is also released into the atmosphere through fertilizers, sewage treatment plants, automobile exhaust and other sources.
Other typical greenhouse gases come from aerosol cans, refrigerators and air conditioners.
Conclusion
As we continue to emit carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouse gases, our world as we know it will change. It has already started to change. Polar ice caps that act as one large mirror to solar radiation (see step 2 in the above diagram) are melting and increasing sea levels causing more severe floods. As the ice caps melt, the more solar radiation is absorbed by earth, in turn causes other ice caps to melt faster in a vicious cycle. The warmer temperature also causes heat waves that kill ecosystems, animals and people who are not used to or prepared for it.
As you have read this post, I hope you have thought of ways that you can reduce some of these greenhouse gases in your everyday life. In a future post, I will list ways everyone can reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gases.
References
Greenhouse effect. (2006, December 5). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved December 10, 2006, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Greenhouse_effect&oldid=92323608
"Greenhouse Effect," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2006 http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2006 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
Greenhouse Gases, Climate Change, and Energy (2004, April 2). In EIA Brochures. Retrieved December 10, 2006, from http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/1605/ggccebro/chapter1.html
Greenhouse Effect. (2006). In Envirolink. Retrieved December 10, 2006, from http://www.envirolink.org/topics.html?topic=Greenhouse20Effect&topicsku=2002116191249&topictype=subtopic
Friday, December 8, 2006
Introduction to Global Warming and this Blog
I was never any good at the English language. There was a point in my life where I stopped trying to get this reading and writing thing. I didn't care for it. Luckily for me, I've had a few teachers who didn't give up on me. Teachers who have taught me the value of writing. To be straightforward and to the point, I hear them all say “introduction!” I need to catch your attention and I need you to continue reading this post and hopefully this blog. So, here's to you making it this far.
My intentions for this blog are simple; to get the word out on global warming using simple explanations and visual illustrations. I will be writing about what global warming is, recent scientific developments, about opponents of global warming, what we can do stop the warming, the myths and facts.
Global warming refers to Earth's increased average atmospheric, ocean and landmass temperature that causes changes in climate (climate change). This increase in temperature has already caused floods, droughts, spread of disease, extreme weather change and extinction of ecosystems and living things within them. This is an issue we cannot ignore as it will not correct itself. Ignoring this issue will only cause more devastation to this planet and loss of life.
Global warming is a threat to everything we hold sacred in our lives, our children’s lives, and our children’s, children’s lives. There are many things that cause our world to warm up. Some causes are burning of fossil fuels, driving vehicles and cutting down of forests which in turn produce and/or increase greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide, methane and Nitrous oxide. Theses gases trap Earth’s natural escaping heat in the atmosphere and reflect them back to earth. In future posts, I will dig further into greenhouse gases and where they fit in global warming.
Global warming can be slowed down. We all can do something to decrease greenhouse gases. Al Gore said it best; what is at stake is
References
Kirby, T. (2006, December 8). Extreme weather: When a tornado struck London. The Independent. http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/article2055593.ece
Thomson, A. (2006, December 8). Bird flu has deadly friends, health experts say. Reuters. http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L08749393.htm
Revkin, Andrew C. (November 25, 2005). Rise in Gases Unmatched by a History in Ancient Ice. New York Times. "Shafts of ancient ice pulled from Antarctica's frozen depths show that for at least 650,000 years three important heat-trapping greenhouse gases never reached recent atmospheric levels caused by human activities, scientists are reporting today."
"Global Warming," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2006 http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2006 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
An Inconvenient Truth. (2006). Davis Guggenheim. Perfs. Al Gore. Documentary.
My intentions for this blog are simple; to get the word out on global warming using simple explanations and visual illustrations. I will be writing about what global warming is, recent scientific developments, about opponents of global warming, what we can do stop the warming, the myths and facts.
Global warming refers to Earth's increased average atmospheric, ocean and landmass temperature that causes changes in climate (climate change). This increase in temperature has already caused floods, droughts, spread of disease, extreme weather change and extinction of ecosystems and living things within them. This is an issue we cannot ignore as it will not correct itself. Ignoring this issue will only cause more devastation to this planet and loss of life.
Global warming is a threat to everything we hold sacred in our lives, our children’s lives, and our children’s, children’s lives. There are many things that cause our world to warm up. Some causes are burning of fossil fuels, driving vehicles and cutting down of forests which in turn produce and/or increase greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide, methane and Nitrous oxide. Theses gases trap Earth’s natural escaping heat in the atmosphere and reflect them back to earth. In future posts, I will dig further into greenhouse gases and where they fit in global warming.
Global warming can be slowed down. We all can do something to decrease greenhouse gases. Al Gore said it best; what is at stake is
our ability to live on planet Earth, to have a future as a civilization… It is your time to seize this issue; it is our time to rise again, to secure our future.”
References
Kirby, T. (2006, December 8). Extreme weather: When a tornado struck London. The Independent. http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/article2055593.ece
Thomson, A. (2006, December 8). Bird flu has deadly friends, health experts say. Reuters. http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L08749393.htm
Revkin, Andrew C. (November 25, 2005). Rise in Gases Unmatched by a History in Ancient Ice. New York Times. "Shafts of ancient ice pulled from Antarctica's frozen depths show that for at least 650,000 years three important heat-trapping greenhouse gases never reached recent atmospheric levels caused by human activities, scientists are reporting today."
"Global Warming," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2006 http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2006 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
An Inconvenient Truth. (2006). Davis Guggenheim. Perfs. Al Gore. Documentary.
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