Ridden with inaccuracies, half truths, and plain old news.
Posts tagged global warming
How Big is Your Carbon Footprint?
Dec 4th
The forthcoming Climate Change Conference has created a renewed interest in the effects our actions are having on our planet. Whilst some still doubt the link between pollution and Global Warming most of us are in agreement that something needs to change. We are lucky enough to live in a developed country with all of the lifestyle benefits which that entails. Unfortunately we must stop and consider the effects our lifestyles have on the future of the planet.
For live updates about the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference see the #cop15 Twitterwall.
Just making changes to our day to day lives isn’t enough of course, changes need to be made across the board. Despite this we can make changes to our day to day lives which, when repeated and copied by others will have a larger impact than we might first think. The climate change Copenhagen Conference is hoping to achieve world wide change particularly amongst the most polluting countries. It an also have the effect of making us more aware of what we can do as individuals.
The Guardian have created a Carbon Footprint calculator as part of their coverage of the Copenhagen conference. Whilst it is difficult to use and probably wildly inaccurate it does give you an idea of what small changes could reduce your output. You can adjust the sliders and see how your overall total is effected. you can also look at the US average and wonder what exactly they are doing over there!
Is Climate Change Causing Birds To Shrink?
Aug 14th
A recent study of avian specimens in Australia has found that various species are becoming smaller over time. The research, which was published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society, shows that successive generations of birds have smaller wingspans.
Birds which live in warmer regions around the equator tend to be smaller than their counterparts in cooler regions. This helps the birds to conserve heat but now it appears that climate change has begun to have an effect on wingspans. As temperatures rise the average size of birds, such as the fairy-wren, is reducing.
“We show for the first time that the size of birds have changed geographically with rising temperatures. Birds of a size once found near Brisbane now occur near Sydney – seven degrees further south… Our study is important because it shows a generalized response to some major environmental change over the last 100 years, probably global warming.”
Dr Janet Gardner, of the Australian National University in Canberra
More details here.
Why Climate Change Will Make Life Harder For Coffee Farmers
Aug 7th
Life isn’t easy for coffee farmers. Coffee beans are finickity and require just the right conditions to thrive. They are mostly grown at high altitudes in hard to reach areas and too much or not enough rain can have a disastrous effect on production. Most smaller farms make little money and the majority of each years profits and used to maintain the next years crops. After a year of abnormal weather there will be less beans on the world market which leads to higher prices for the consumer but not necessarily better profits for the growers. Even farmers who are lucky enough to be part of a fair-trade scheme aren’t insured against changes in the weather.
As the problem of climate change deepens those who’s industry is reliant on certain weather conditions are likely to suffer. The weather will become increasingly unpredictable as this will have a knock on effect on the finances of those at the bottom of the coffee producing chain. Most beans are grown at between 1800-6300 feet and as far as i can tell (please comment if you know otherwise) coffee plants cannot be grown under artificial conditions.
The effect to those of us who enjoy drinking coffee is likely to be an overall increase in price. During years when weather conditions are particularly bad in Colombia, El Salvador or India prices are likely to increase dramatically. Huge companies like Starbucks and Nescafé may be able to absorb these price increases but smaller local companies will suffer.
Peter Baker of CAD International believes that
More adaptive, participatory research is needed to find out how best to help farmers, and there should be a greater emphasis on long-term research to develop crop varieties more resistant to climate extremes, pests and diseases. Neither NGOs nor private companies can hope to manage many such activities. And there is an unresolved paradox: sustainability is about imposing order and stability, whereas climate change is about adapting and transforming.
Yet another reason to combat global warming and climate change.
The ‘Danger Global Warming’ Project.
Jul 8th
The Danger Global Warming Project was set up to draw attention to the problem of Global Warming through the medium or art. It was organized by the multi-media art collective Blacksmoke in collaboration with Greenpeace. Artists were asked to incorporate Greenpeace’s black and yellow warning tape motif into artworks of any form they saw fit.
Paintings, videos and installations have been submitted from around the world. Those who have taken part range from unknown artists to big names like Philippe Starck, Bruce LaBruce and Billy Childish. Some of the artworks are great, others less so. The main thing however is that they make you think and hopefully they have enough of an effect on you to stick in your mind long after you see them.
DANGER GLOBAL WARMING (recycled by Utah Saints) from Danger Global Warming Project.
Creating Green Electricity From Brown Waste
Jun 12th
A Dutch farmer is happier than a pig in the proverbial after figuring out a novel way to produce enough energy to run his farm. John Horrevorts from Sterksel farms pigs so he has access to an infinite amount of porcine doo-doo with which he can create enough eco friendly electricity to actually sell some back to the grid.
Horrevorts has a biogas plant that converts the piggy waste into energy without creating pollution or requiring finite resources. The process also reduces methane emissions or, more accurately, uses them for good. The slurry is collected and bacteria is added which causes gas to be emitted which is then converted to electricity.
Although the biogas plant was expensive to set up it will eventually pay for itself. The initial outgoings will be offset by the reduced bill payments and Horrevorts may be able to earn money if he creates enough gas. He also gets a warm feeling inside knowing that he is not contributing to the international global warming problem.
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