Kitchen Gardening During Global Warming

The earth is warming. It seems most scientists think humans are at least partly responsible. If the scientists are right, we should all work together to reduce how much CO2 we are putting into the atmosphere.

The major sources of human generated greenhouse gases are transportation, heating homes, and industries. If you seriously want to reduce how much humans are contributing to global warming, go for reductions in those big three CO2 sources. If you want to do all you can to reduce how much CO2 you are contributing, also do the smaller reductions, like planting a tree, using non gasoline powered garden tools, and not mowing the lawn so often.

Regardless of whether people are a significant cause of global warming, it seems certain that the earth has been warming and it may continue to warm.

As the earth warms food supplies may decrease because of drought and other factors relating to higher temperatures. Having a garden gives you a source of food that could fill in for shortages in the present system of supply. If food shortages happen, food prices would rise sharply. Food from the garden could become very practical for many people.

Having a food garden reduces the amount of CO2 put into the air because the food is not shipped and refrigerated. Gardening is good exercise and it is an enjoyable hobby. For me, gardening is insurance against a possible sharp increase in food prices caused by any of a number of possibilities - global warming, severe pandemic, war, plant diseases, or some unsuspected cause.

Gardening is already a risky venture. Late spring frost, droughts, plant diseases, insect pest... the list goes on for what can and often does goes wrong. Global warming may increase some of gardening's pitfalls. Worse droughts are predicted. There could be bigger storms and more fluctuations in temperature such as late spring frost, heatwaves, and early fall frost. So it seems prudent to adopt gardening practices that best enable your garden to thrive in spite of climate change.

As temperatures rise plants need more water. For more reliable crops, choose drought resistant plants. Examples are blackeyed peas, tepary beans, asparagus, okra, and tomato. Somewhat tolerant of drought are squash, cabbage, New Zealand spinach, and asparagus bean.

Growing quick maturing vegetable that can be planted early so they mature before the dryness of summer is another strategy. That is true of peas, spinach, and short season corn. Some vegetables do much better in the coolness of Fall. Vegetables I sometimes grow in the Fall include beets, carrots, cabbage, brussel sprouts, lettuce, and broccoli.

Deep soil holds water longer than a thin layer of soil. Adding another foot of topsoil adds significant drought tolerance if your topsoil is a foot or less thick now.

Grow a variety of vegetables. In a cool, wet year, tepary beans may die in clay soil but rutabaga will flourish. Unusual hot weather when fava beans are in flower will cause the flowers to abort but will not bother tomatoes. If bean beetles destroy your green beans, blackeyed peas will go unharmed. A late spring frost will not harm peas or spinach. Early frost in the fall cause little or no damage to kale, cabbage, brussel sprouts, and rutabaga.

You can reduce water usage by using drip irrigation instead of sprinklers. Adding straw mulch will keep the soil moist longer after watering. Applying water very early in the day reduces losses to evaporation.

A gardener is very concerned with how his food is produced and how the many factors of nature combine to enable food to be grown. That concern somehow makes food more appreciated and more enjoyed.

Gardening is an enjoyable and satisfying hobby that may become very practical.

Could Eco Friendly Clothing Help Reduce Global Warming?

In the recent release of The Worldwatch Institute's State of the World report, consumerism was called out as the main cause of the world's current environmental issues, from climate change to unsustainable depletion of natural resources. In other words, there is simply not enough to go around, and the demand for resources is going up exponentially compared to the Earth's population. This means not only are there more people to compete with for resources, but everyone is asking for more than their preceding generation. As it stands today, and since so many individuals are living far below their means, we would need one and one-third planets to meet our basic demands.

So who are the over-consuming offenders? It really boils down to about seven percent of the world's population (roughly 500 million people) who are responsible for greater then 50 percent of total global carbon dioxide emissions. On the other end, 50 percent of the world's population (three billion people) is only responsible for six percent of global carbon dioxide emissions.


At the top of the heap of over-consumers is North America, whose citizens consume twice as much in natural resources as the average European.

It has been well documented that carbon dioxide emissions are the major cause of global warming, as 72 percent of total emitted greenhouse gases is carbon dioxide, and the rate at which the world increases its carbon dioxide emissions is three percent annually. In 2005, the world-wide average of carbon dioxide emissions per capita was four tons annually. However, for North America the per-capita average was 20 tons. Most experts believe that by 2050, to avoid an environmental catastrophe, the world-wide average must get below two tons per capita, which also means that North Americans will have to reduce their emissions by far more than 50 percent to obtain a lower world-wide average. Since North Americans are the largest contributors; they also bear the greatest responsibility.

In order to understand what is causing greenhouse gas emissions, we can look at a breakdown of harmful emissions by sector. Isolating carbon dioxide emissions, we find that over 20 percent of total carbon dioxide emissions stems from Industrial processes - that is the manufacturing of goods for consumers. This contribution is larger than transportation (19.2 percent) or land use/biomass burning and residential/commercial uses combined (17.5 percent).


So it does matter from where we buy our goods, how much we buy and the buying decisions we make. If we continue to demand cheap, disposable goods, we are allowing ourselves to be part of the global warming problem. By saying yes to eco friendly clothing, organic produce and, low emission vehicles we are doing our part to help drive positive changes which in turn can help turn the tide on global warming.

The reality is, our planet has finite resources and a finite ability to absorb the pollution we create. If we do not get off this consumerism treadmill and soon, the effects of global warming will be far reaching and all encompassing and long lasting.

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Global Warming and Increasing CO2 and Methane Emissions

The burning of fossil fuels is the primary culprit behind global warming and worldwide air pollution. Much of the world suffers from the increasing heat. People are getting angry that nothing is being done. They hear about the world and oceans getting warmer. Terrible hurricanes, floods, severe snow storms, floods and droughts have made people more aware of the dangers of global warming.

What is being done to stem the tide of global warming? Some bills have been passed. Obama steadily attempts to accomplish more. It is not clear with the GOP controlled Congress how much will get accomplished during the next two years. But most of what is being done is woefully insufficient. We need one million windmills or erecting 10 or 20 or 50 square miles of solar panels. Those acts alone could supply much of the energy needs of the entire country?

Such large scale programs are necessary to fight the increasing cause of greenhouse gases. Many elements, such as the melting of the permafrost that is releasing incredible amounts of CO2 and Methane into the atmosphere, have not been adequately factored into the statistics of global warming increases. Methane is being produced from the breakdown of organic material on ocean floors and the thawing of the permafrost peat bogs in Greenland, the Arctic and Western Siberia is rapidly accelerating. The permafrost is also starting to melt in Eastern Siberia. Hundreds of new lakes are being formed in the middle of previously solid frozen permafrost. Many of the new lakes are bubbling violently, even in the winter, when they'd normally freeze over. And those bubbles are methane gas. The accelerated melting of the permafrost peat bogs is for now a frightening unknown in the increasing global warming that is radically changing our future.

More important is trying to determine how rapidly weather is changing. The permafrost is melting in Alaska and Greenland at an alarming pace. Cracks are developing in many structures as the solid permafrost becomes soft, like slurry. Back in 2001 at Nairobi, at a major scientific conference on global warming, the dangers of permafrost melting were carefully spelled out. Roads and homes were already cracking then.

Like most governments worldwide the US ignored it. What is in store for the world as this melting intensifies? Some have felt that the melting of the permafrost is the death knell of this world. Methane is being released into the air at such alarming rates it boggles the mind.

The amount of methane that will be released as the peat bogs melts is almost beyond belief. 500 billion tons. And there's another 500 billion tons of carbon dioxide. The latest estimates are higher, some 1500 billion tons of carbon dioxide and methane combined. To get an idea how much that is keep in mind that there's only 1,000 billions tons of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere now. Add to these figures that methane is 21 or 22 times as potent a greenhouse gas as carbon dioxide. Imagining what this will do to global warming?

And unfortunately much of these emissions will enter the atmosphere since the ocean is becoming saturated and rain forests are being cut down. The southern ocean around the Antarctica, once a major carbon sink, has already reached its saturation level. That alone will accelerate the amount of carbon dioxide heading into the atmosphere.

And the worse case scenario that may occur as the greenhouse gases are released and the world gets warmer is acceleration of the release of more methane and carbon dioxide from the thawing permafrost. If global warming is not reversed quickly a runaway irreversible climate change may occur. In other words a vicious cycle may begin that can't be changed by anything that we do. The evidence that the earth is getting warmer is clearly manifested as we see the glaciers disappearing, the oceans getting warmer and the icebergs breaking off and melting. The urgency to control global warming is self-evident.

If you are deeply concerned for the future of our planet, read "Rescue," a novel, that focuses on the increasing dangers to earth as global warming and worldwide pollution sweep the world. It offers solutions to the immense crisis that faces us.

Global Warming and Its Effects On Water

Global warming is expected to increase average global temperatures by several degrees and have detrimental effects on water. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC, 2007), water will be affected by global warming in several ways.

    * Warming of ambient temperatures will speed evaporation globally. This will cause increased precipitation and changes in the seasonal timing of precipitation and snow/ice melt.
    * Global warming will negatively effect snowpacks, groundwater, lake, and river systems, and water quality.
    * There will be increased human competition for water due to negative effects on water quality and supplies.

Precipitation

As global warming will speed evaporation, precipitation will increase. However, it is hard to judge where increased precipitation will take place and when. Some regions will experience more rain and snow than they have historically, while other regions will experience more drought. The natural rhythm of seasonal precipitation will change, pushing forward seasonal rains and melts in some areas, and prolonging dry spells in other areas. Rivers will flood more frequently and at different times, desert areas may get more flash floods, and coastal wetlands may also sustain greater water levels, which could eliminate this sensitive and important ecology altogether.

Reduced Snowpacks

As global warming increases global temperatures, glaciers and snowpacks will continue to melt at a more rapid pace. Glaciers will continue to break off and disappear. Snowpacks will melt faster and earlier in the season, or not form as densely. The lack of snowpacks in some regions will negatively affect streamflow and water supplies. Declines in snow melt will cause drought in streamflow-dependent regions. Increased glacier melts will raise water levels of some river systems.

Groundwater

Groundwater systems will also be affected by climate change. In some areas, groundwater levels will rise, while in others it will fall. All areas, from deserts to inland plains to coastal areas will have effects on water due to global warming. Groundwater, as the water in rivers, lakes, and streams is affected by streamflow. Where precipitation and streamflow is increased, groundwater will be increased and vice versa. This will cause more flooding and droughts, depending on the region.

Water Quality

Climate Change will cause crises in water quality. More runoff due to heavy rains and floods will carry more harmful chemicals, such as pesticides and fertilizers into water supplies, and increase acid rains. Warmer water temperatures will encourage the flourishing of waterborne diseases. Global warming will also most probably increase the salinity of fresh water as oceanic evaporation accelerates. Soil erosion from heavy rains and floods due to global warming will also have effects on water, dumping more particulate and heavy metals into water supplies. Disappearance of wetlands and bogs will eliminate their beneficial water-filtering role, which will have further negative effects on water quality.
Changing supplies and water quality will increase human competition for plentiful and clean water for use as drinking water and in agriculture.

How Going Green Can Reduce Global Warming?

There are many ways going green can reduce global warming. The first starting point is with using renewable energy sources. You can choose a variety of different systems today, and the competition is so fierce that prices for kits and materials are as low as ever. You can find photovoltaic cells extremely inexpensively, and if you buy in bulk the savings is even more substantial. You can purchase all the framework materials at many of your local hardware and home improvement outlets. You also have many choices, such as solar power, wind turbines, geothermal, hydroelectric, and even magnetic generators. The nice thing is that these can be used as independent systems, or can be combined for even more power output.

On a personal level, using renewable energy in your own home can reduce global warming. For one, these sources don't use any fossil fuels, so they don't produce any of the toxins that coal, natural gas and nuclear power plants produce and release in the atmosphere. Because these systems don't use fossil fuels, they are completely renewable, and don't take away precious natural resources. There is no need to worry about where the energy comes from, or the methods used to extract them, like you do with coal.

It's also not just about using alternative energy power systems in your home. There are many other ways you can cut down on global warming at home. Recycling is probably one of the other biggest ways you can reduce your carbon impact on the Planet. Recycling aluminum, glass and plastic make it easier to reproduce more, and it can save half of the energy needed to make these from scratch. Recycling paper reduces the amount of trees being cut down for paper products, and allows them to do their job, removing harmful carbon dioxide from the air, and producing oxygen.

Going green also means conservation in the home as well. Even if you are not using renewable energy resources, there are many ways you can conserve energy and valuable resources. Changing to more fuel efficient appliances for one thing can help cut down on wasted energy. Using Energy Star appliances instead, switching over to inline water heaters, and waiting until evening to use your dishwasher, or clothes washer can save you money and energy. Cutting down on water usage, like switching over to low flow faucets and toilets, and fixing faucets that are dripping will help save water.

Cutting down on vehicle use can significantly decrease global warming as well. Using a bike, taking public transportation, and just walking reduces carbon emissions that all vehicles emit. Switching to hybrid vehicles also makes a big positive impact, and prices of these vehicles have come down significantly over the last few years, making them more affordable.

There are many other ways that going green can significantly reduce global warming. There are an abundance of websites available to show you what things you can do to help the environment. There are DIY solar, wind and magnetic energy power system kits to choose from as well. We all need to do our part, before we come to a point where there simply is no turning back.

Global Warming Alarmists Die Hard

It is truly amazing how many global warming alarmists now realize the data isn't quite as accurate as they'd hoped for, and they now realize that it has been manipulated, but still will not dump their theories. Indeed, many people liken global warming to a religion, and it appears that it is now just that. One of the most interesting things I think is when the news media cites the percentage of our population that believes in global warming. That's highly relevant from a scientific standpoint.

For instance, what if I asked you how many kids under the age of four in the United States believe in Santa Claus. Surely that number is around 50% or more, but that doesn't mean that Santa Claus is real. Do you see my point? And I didn't even bring up the issue of human religions, as not to offend anyone, you know you have to be politically correct these days. And speaking of political correctness, if you are a scientist and you come out against global warming, in the last five years you couldn't get any work, you'd be black balled from the scientific community - no research funding.

Still, it's no longer science without the ability to question theories, and challenge the experts. The minute we stop doing that, it's no longer science, it is nothing more than a religion, a political agenda, or something even more insidious. We can't do science that way, and still call it; science.

Not long ago, I was discussing the concept of global warming with a diehard believer that our planet is heating up and everyone on the surface will be cooked alive, no not right away, but soon enough. You see, I am a complete skeptic and let the gentleman know that a one to two degree change in global ambient temperatures over the last 100-years was irrelevant, had nothing to do with CO2 output from mankind, and that the whole debate was disingenuous and not worthy of a think tank dialogue or the massive funding put forth by governments and NGOs around the globe.

Indeed, he agreed that it was not a near term problem, but again projected the scientist's temperature readings far into the future. Then using this extrapolated data suggested (in so many words something to the effect) that;

"Our generation will have nothing to be concerned about, global warming is no threat to us, but future generations will suffer a fate worse than death, if global warming isn't reversed in time. One of the biggest problems will be food shortages, and that will breathe other crimes. No, don't concern yourself, Sir. It will be many centuries before the end comes."

Well, here we go again, it's just more of the same, more Al Gore type fear mongering. It's like saying; "God will come down from the heavens, and strike you down," or "Zeus will come down from the sky, and burn the crops, the cities, and sink all the ships upon the water via a Super Tsunami," or something. Indeed, the whole thing sounds like a giant Greek tragedy but let's get real. If humans are going to participate in science, they need to participate in the real world, not some fantasy-land or some futuristic Harry Potter science fiction movie. Indeed I hope you will please consider all this and think on.

Global Warming Problems – Why Subliminal Persuasion May Be the Solution

There is still no cure to the global warming problems that plague our environment these days. All over the world, drastic changes to the climate and to the environment are being observed. These dire effects show just how urgent this problem is, and the government and environmentalists are not stopping in their attempts to get people to help save our planet.

Unfortunately, bad habits are indeed hard to break, especially habits that have plagued humanity for ages. People’s way of life has been formed over the centuries until we have reached this highly advanced point in life and technology. The development has led us to rely heavily on the use of fuel and other depleting resources as well as of materials that release carbon dioxide into the air. This is why it is so difficult to get people to stop using materials that cause the ozone layer depletion even though they know for a fact how it affects the environment. This is also why the climate is continually changing and the environment is spiralling out of control.


In recent years, there has been much talk about the use of subliminal messages in advertising. This gives us an idea of what could possibly help solve the global warming problems of today. Why not use subliminal messages to more effectively send the message across?

1. Spread awareness and involvement regarding global warming. The government has many programs aimed towards awareness and involvement in preventing the effects of global warming from further wreaking havoc on the environment. Unfortunately, forming these programs is a different thing from convincing people to join and be involved. Only a small percentage of people get persuaded and understand the urgency of the situation.

Sending subliminal messages is the best way of changing common perception and habits especially when the subject involved is a whole group of people. It will take quite an effort to change the mind of every individual. Since you want all individuals to have better awareness and involvement in the fight against global warming, then delivery through subliminal messages is an effective method.


2. Instill better habits in people. Subliminal messages is also an effective solution for the global warming problems because these messages are so powerful that they can change people’s habits, behaviour, preferences, and decisions, even without those people’s knowledge. So even if people have a natural resistance to change and even refuse to let go of the comforts and convenience brought by materials that contribute to the global warming problem, the subliminal messages can bypass these resistance and refusals so new and better habits are formed. This is also why subliminal messages offer the easiest way of altering people’s thoughts.

3. Subliminal persuasion. All those talk of reducing carbon emissions, reducing greenhouse gases, stabilizing GHG concentrations, and so on are feasible solutions for solving the global warming problem. However, this is easier said than done. Even until now, some countries have not signed the agreement proposed by the United Nations. This is because nations aren’t united at all. Each nation thinks of its own welfare and benefit. Some nations know that with the agreement comes the failure of some of their most important economic activities, so they are not likely to sign the agreement.

In such cases, only subliminal persuasion, which can persuade them despite underlying resistance, can do the trick.

Factors Contributing To Global Warming

Global warming is defined as rise in the average temperature of Earth, surface air and oceans. According to the studies conducted, it has been explained that the Earth's temperature has risen by nearly 1 degree Fahrenheit in the last 100 years. It is one of the major environmental problems today. If this situation continues, then many adverse effects may take place on earth.

Causes Of Global Warming:

Global warming can be caused due to natural calamities or human activities. Natural causes of global warming include bursting of sunspots, solar output variations, volcanic explosions and changes in the Earth's orbit. Human activities, which increase green house gases, including burning of solid waste, wood, and fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas and coal, and deforestation. Release of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) from industrial processes generates more heat than normal and gets trapped in the atmosphere resulting in global warming.


The main gases contributing to this are carbon dioxide, water vapor, methane, and nitrous oxide. These gases are largely produced by thermal power plants that burn the fossil fuels, road vehicles, and industries. Another cause is deforestation, which is caused by cutting and burning of forests for building houses and industries.

Effects Of Global Warming:

Global warming produces several effects, ranging from the effects on atmosphere, economy, and environment and also on health of human beings.

•Due to this, there is an increase in average earth surface temperature, which resulted in the melting of polar ice. Continuous melting down of glaciers can lead to floods and other natural calamities. More increase in temperature may melt the ice and results in the increase of sea level, which will submerge and immerse low lying countries and coastal areas.
•It also affected animal kingdom and some animals become extinct due to loss of their natural habitat or failure to get adapted to the rapid changes in the climate. Animals' lifestyles have changed due to changes in seasons and migrating birds changed their time of travel and also location of migration.

•Global warming also affected seasons, as there is change in season cycle, the summers are getting prolonged than the winters.
•It is quite responsible for the initiation of some new diseases. This is because, bacteria are very capable and multiply rapidly in warmer temperatures compared to cold temperatures. The increase in temperature has resulted in the increase of microbes, which cause diseases.
•Global warming is also responsible for variation in crop production, because crops are getting destroyed due to sudden change in temperatures or sudden attack of rains. Flash floods and other natural disasters also influence the crop production.
•As a result of it, the earth's atmosphere is gradually becoming unstable. This is because of heavy rains in the places where there is very less rainfall and drought in the places where there is good annual rainfall. There is also change in months of rainfall.
•Effects of global warming, such as decreased snow level, increased temperature and other weather changes will not only influence humans but also affect complete ecosystems. These changes in ecosystem may lead to extinction of species. Another consequence is Glacier retreat, which means deterioration of glaciers. This may lead to flash floods, landslides and glacier lake overflow.
•Due to this, people may suffer from infectious, vector-borne diseases like malaria and food shortages.
•Due to global warming oceans will become significantly more acidic as more carbon dioxide is trapped into water and temperature of ocean increases. This may lead to extinction of ocean animals and plants and cause hurricanes and storms.

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•The polar ice caps are melted which is fresh water and when it is submerged in sea, the salinity of ocean is disturbed and causes imbalance in ocean currents.