Our Environment

Obama Going to Copenhagen

asilva — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 05:00:59 +0000

US President Barack Obama will make an appearance at the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December, according to NPR. Many observers believe this will be a boost to the conference, one that will show the importance of reaching some kind of agreement.

At the conference, Obama is expected to announce that the US will set a target of a 17 percent reduction (from 2005 levels) in CO2 emissions by 2020. Whether the US can attain this goal is an important question to ask. Another important question is “Will it be enough?” As one observed said:

A US pledge of a 17 percent emissions reduction from 2005 levels roughly translates into a four percent cut from 1990 levels. This is still far less ambitious than other industrialized countries’ near-term commitments. In comparison the EU has offered a 20 percent cut from 1990 levels by 2020 – 30 percent if other nations follow suit.

So, while it’s a start, it may be considerably less than expected.

Conserving Energy

asilva — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 19:00:56 +0000

Part of any solution to global warming is energy conservation. California (USA) recently came one step closer to this goal by creating new standards that require any television sold in the state to meet strict energy-use levels. Specifically, the measure calls for a 30 — 50% reduction in energy consumed by new televisions, beginning in 2013.

Nationally, many television manufacturers participate in the voluntary Energy Star program. California’s new standards, however, would go beyond this, and will become the strictest standards in the world when they are implemented.

I wonder if these new standards can be considered an incentive?

Greenhouse Gas Sources

asilva — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:00:29 +0000

Anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions are thought to be the main force driving global warming. Where do these gases come from? You may be able to guess—that’s right, energy generation! It seems that our increasing need for more and more energy is the root of the problem. I wonder if we can solve the problem, then, just by using less energy.

Climate Change Basics

asilva — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:00:00 +0000

We hear a lot about climate change these days, but how does it actually work? And what is the relationship between greenhouse gases, the greenhouse effect, and global warming? Important, basic information that everyone should know as we approach Copenhagen ….

More Record Highs

asilva — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 06:10:36 +0000

When discussing climate change, it is tempting to try to connect this broader, long-term pattern with daily weather phenomena. But most research has tended to support this climate / weather distinction. Recently, however, researchers are beginning to find that long-term climate change is actually beginning to affect daily weather patterns, according to an msnbc report. Scientists have found that there have been twice as many record high temperatures than record low temperatures in the US during the past decade. The lead researcher says computer models show that we can expect this ratio to increase in the future if greenhouse gas emissions are not reduced. We know that predictions are only as good as the computer models used to make them, but still, this is troubling news.

Safe Cities

asilva — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:54:10 +0000

Although the first thing that comes to mind when we think of safe cities is crime, pollution levels can also make cities unsafe to live in. Forbes magazine recently ranked the top 40 metropolitan areas of the US according to toxicity, which they defined as “the number of facilities that reported releasing toxins into the environment, the total pounds of certain toxic chemicals released into the air, water and earth, the days per year that air pollution was above healthy levels, and the number of times the EPA has responded to reports of a potentially hazardous environmental incident or site in each metro area’s principal city.”

There seems to be a pattern here (map).

Saving Tigers

asilva — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 19:00:41 +0000

Tigers are facing extinction, the most recent of animals facing extinction to come to the public’s attention. While there were once over 100,00 tigers in existence, fewer than 4,000 of these wild animals are left in the world today, according to estimates. Over the years, bans on selling tigers have been implemented in many of the Asian countries that form the tiger’s habitat. However, these bans have not been effective in stopping the black market trade. Perhaps domesticating them, as has been recently suggested, is worth a try.

Climate Change Extinctions

asilva — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:00:39 +0000

The Center for Biological Diversity has put together a list of species that are threatened by global warming. If CO2 emissions are not reduced from 390 ppm (current level) to 350 ppm (safe level), according to scientists, we will not be able to avoid runaway climate change. The list of threatened species includes many mammals—human beings included!

Forest Management

asilva — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 19:00:23 +0000

Reforesting logged forests appears to be a promising solution to deforestation and biodiversity loss. A recent study has found that a logged forest can be effectively managed so that it can return to previous levels of biodiversity within 15 years. Of course, forest preservation, such as this effort in Madagascar, is probably preferable. However, given the threat that forests face today, it is best to intervene in as many ways as possible.

The Importance of Biodiversity

asilva — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:52:45 +0000

Humans have had a significant impact on the planet in terms of biodiversity. Although the world is currently focused on the global economic crisis, many people fail to understand the economic importance of maintaining biodiversity both on land and in the oceans. Perhaps it is time we all reconsider our relationship with the plants and animals around us.