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:

• 
  Catarina, the first Atlantic hurricane to form south of the Equator hit Brazil with 144 km/h winds in April 2004
  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


• 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


• 
  Post-Katrina: 80% of New Orleans was under water
  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


• 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.


• 
  The polar bear is on the Endangered Species list
  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


• 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:

• 
  Trees: Fight carbon dioxide
  Plant a tree. Trees absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and release fresh oxygen... not to mention they look nice


• 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


• 
  Get active. Don’t use the drive-thru
  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


• 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.