Global Warming: In the know?

First of all i just want to say thankyou for reading. I don't normally make journals like this, however after watching 'An Inconvenient Truth' in a lesson today it really made this issue alot clearer and made me realise just how important it is to act. Now apparantly science within 'An Inconvenient Truth' is questionable, i'd like to point out that the effects of Global Warming are still really apparant everywhere. Truth be told i myself have never been overly bothered by the issue myself, in my house we do recycle and we rarely use our car but still ~ we can always do more. I have decided to write about this on DA because art can be a very powerful form of media, a person can express themselves and their views via art and DA also has alot of very community based members. I just want to raise some awareness in hopes that people pass the word on. I don't want to hear any 'As if one person can make a differance' with that attitude; nothing changes. If we all think 'I CAN make a differance' then thats alot of people.

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Carbon dioxide and other gases warm the surface of the planet naturally by trapping solar heat in the atmosphere. This is a good thing because it keeps our planet habitable. However, by burning fossil fuels such as coal, gas and oil and clearing forests we have dramatically increased the amount of carbon dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere and temperatures are rising.


Well im sure its to be expected that Global Warming would mean that the planet would get warmer. That assumption would be correct, however its not JUST a matter of the planet getting warmer, this 'warming' has an effect on other things.

Weather Changes - as temperatures increase weather patterns change. It's actually noticable places see more floods as more rain falls,  more Hurricains and Tornados, these weather changes also seem to get bigger and worse.

Melting Glaciers

Would you believe that, this beautiful setting


In 1941 actually looked like this..


Does it not seem strange that, in just over 50 years ALL that glacier has dissapeared. When before it had been there for so long?

And here


Rising Sea Levels - As a  consequence of ice and glaciers melting sea levels will rise. Some coastal areas will dissapear underwater because of this.

Economical Costs - With an increase in harsher weather conditions there would be alot of costs envolved with the 'clean up' jobs needed to repair their aftermath.

Health Issues - People with heart problems are vulnerable because the cardiovascular system must work harder to keep the body cool during hot weather, heat exhaustion, and some respiratory problems increase. Higher air temperature also increase the concentration of ozone at ground level. In the lower atmosphere, ozone is a harmful pollutant. It damages lung tissues and causes problems for people with asthma and other lung diseases.

There are a great deal more effects of Global Warming, however i just wanted to highlight a few, some you may have noticed yourself in your day to day life or from watching the news. By all means search the net or read up in articles on other effects.



You would actually be rather surprised at how just one person can make a differance. There are a number of sites on the internet which allow you to actually work out your Carbon Footprint, try www.carbonfootprint.com/calcul…
One person can make a differance, if we all think that as 'one person' can make make a differance, thats alot of single persons doing their bit to help.


Sometimes its the little things in life that make a big differance. I don't expect anyone to go out protesting and making hugely dramatic changes, but here is a list of a few simple changes that most people can do that all add up.

Choose Energy Efficient Lighting
This is a very easy and cost effective way to reduce your energy use in your home, replacing your regular incandescent light bulbs in your home with super-efficient compact fluorescent lights (CFLs). They give of the same warm light, but they are much more efficient. Only 10% of the energy consumed from your normal lightbulbs generates illumination, the other 90% is lost in the form of heat energy (thats a waste 0_o') CFL light bulbs on the other hands last up to 10,000 hours (10x longer than NORMAL lightbulbs) and they use 66% less energy ^.^
A little fact, if EVERYONE in the US substituted just ONE normal lightbulb for a CFS, it would have the same effect as removing ONE MILLION cars from the nation's roads. WOW

Conserve Hot Water
You can actually cut energy use by setting your water temperature to no higher than 120°F. You can also conserve hot water by taking a shower rather than a bath.

Reduce Standby Power Waste
25% of the energy a TV uses is consumed when it is not even powered on. The only way to ensure its not using any power is to unplug it, this goes for any appliance. You could alternatively plug them into a power strip which although does consume a small amount of energy ~ is alot less than leaving appliances on standby.

Reduce the number of miles you drive
Try to walk or bike where possible, not only does this reduce emissions but its also a healthier option ^.^ Alternatively if you know people who are going the same place as you, take it in turns sharing the car. Using one car is better than two for the same journey.

Recycle!
Try as best you can to sort out your waste and recylce what can be used again. For a list of everything that can be recylced please visit www.recyclenow.com/what_more_c… . This site is actually really helpful as if your living in the UK it tells you where items can be recycled, all you need to do is enter your postcode to find out details of your local authority's recycling collection service and the nearest recycling facilities available. If your not from the UK you can still see what you can recycle ^.^

Facts
Making glass bottles and jars from recycled ones saves energy. The energy saving from recycling one bottle will:
- Power a 100 watt light bulb for almost an hour
- Power a computer for 20 minutes
- Power a colour TV for 15 minutes
- Power a washing machine for 10 minutes

Amazingly, recycling aluminion requires only 5% of the energy it takes to make new aluminium – and produces only 5% of the CO2 emissions

Glass can be recycled again and again without losing its clarity or purity

For alot more facts visit www.recyclenow.com/facts/inter…


I really hope that you take at least some of this into consideration. You can see that even a small change like changing your lightbulbs to more effecient ones can make a differance. If we can spread the word we can make a change.
I personally keep hearing about Global Warming but sometimes i feel that little is actually being done to counter it. Please if you do care about this issue, display the stamp, link to this journal in your journals, tell family and friends to read it. Make the small changes listed above. Like i said the small things can make a differance if alot of people do them. By all means if your not interested in this don't feel you have to support it, but please respect that some people do care ~ give your opinions as you wish.


I'd love to hear about it.
Personally i have started making sure that lights on in rooms im not in are turned off, as a household we recycle and i shall be making sure we have energy efficient lights. I also switch of ALL my unsused appliances in my room and i have told my parents they are to do the same ^.^.
Set the example if you don't have one to follow, together we can make a change.