Sunday, October 28, 2007
Carbon Footprints
I found this world view from the carbon footprint article in Wikipedia interesting because the U.S. is not depicted
as the worst for emissions. It shows per capita greenhouse
gas emissions by county for the year 2000. This map includes more than carbon dioxide from the burning
of fossil fuels. It includes carbon dioxide from land-use change which is at least as important a
contributor to GHG emissions as the methane attributable to
livestock-rearing, or about a fifth of the total.
Burning fossil fuels is certainly most of the problem, however.
Note: I can not find any info on
the guy who put the map together other than he frequently comments on this subject.
There are quite a few carbon footprint calculators listed in a Google search.
Monday, October 29, 2007
First Item on Gore's Seven Point Pledge
1. To demand that my country join an international treaty within the next 2 years that cuts global warming pollution by 90% in developed countries and by more than half worldwide in time for the next generation to inherit a healthy earth.
It looks like interested countries are pushing hard to get things moving sooner. The Age, a news source in Australia reports on preliminary negotiations for the big Bali meeting.
The world's key environment ministers have endorsed finalising a successor to the Kyoto Protocol by 2009, laying down a road map for December's negotiations in Bali to design new measures to combat global warming.
Meeting in the Indonesian city of Bogor yesterday (10/25/07), more than 40 nations agreed tougher action was required to address climate change and produce a successor to the Kyoto Protocol.
Australia and the United States came under pressure before the meeting for failing to ratify the Kyoto Protocol and commit to binding emissions reductions target.
The environmental ministers agreed that the future treaty must address deforestation as well as carbon
emissions by industry. Read the complete
article.
The picture shows a clearcut a couple of miles to the north of where I live next to the Headwaters Forest. For more clearcut pictures, click here.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Intersex Fish
Looking across the Potomac towards the nation's capital, you are gazing at the habitat of gender-bending large and small-mouthed bass. Intersex fish, a term I wish did not exist.
This is old news, the male fish with eggs in their organs were discovered several years ago. Here's some conclusions from the above link.
. . . the results on both bass species seemed to indicate that the Potomac watershed has a problem with "endocrine disruptors," contaminants that interfere with nature's chemical signaling. In this case, the contaminants might have turned on bodily processes that normally are only active in female fish.
"There is this sort of widespread endocrine disruption in the Potomac, but we don't know still what are the causes."
Pollutants that mimic hormones have emerged as a worldwide concern in the past decade, blamed for problems in animals as diverse as alligators, minnows and polar bears. Although scientists say the research is in its infancy, they have identified a large array of pollutants that might affect animals, including human estrogen from processed sewage, animal estrogen from farm manure, some pesticides and additives to soap.
. . .
In 1996, Congress required the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to help answer that question by developing a screening program to identify which chemicals are endocrine disruptors. Ten years later, the agency hasn't tested a single chemical, officials said.
"I would have hoped it would have been faster, but this is a very difficult program," said Clifford Gabriel, director of the EPA's Office of Science Coordination and Policy. "We want to make sure we get the science right."
There's a great phrase for public employees like this. It's, "You're Fired."
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Have a Green Halloween
I filched these suggestions from a 2002 Environmental Defense press release.
- Use a reuseable bag or a pillowcase to carry the goodies.
- Make a costume from old clothes instead of disposable purchased costumes.
- If having a party, use reusable utensils, plates, napkins and tablecloths instead of disposable ones.
- Give goodies that have the least amount of packaging.
- Carpool to Halloween events.
- Paint pumpkins so they can be eaten later, or compost carved pumpkins.
- Store and re-use Halloween decorations from year-to-year instead of throwing them away.
About.com has an environmental issues site and their halloween section has much the same suggestions with a few variations.
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Increasing Car Efficiency
You can help protect the environment by using less fuel. Every gallon of gas burned produces over 20 pounds of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas. Increasing fuel efficiency also reduces our dependence on foreign oil. Over half of the petroleum used in the United States is imported, costing over $2 billion a week. There are so many tips, only one will be included in each day's blog entry.
Increasing Home Efficiency
Weatherize your home. Check for drafts around windows and doors with a piece of tissue paper attached to a string. If the paper moves, air is leaking in or out. Adding the proper amount of weatherstripping or caulking can increase energy savings by up to 10% or more.
Friday, November 2, 2007
Increasing Car Efficiency
Avoid idling. Idling gets zero miles per gallon. Letting your vehicle idle for more than 10 seconds uses more gas than shutting it off and restarting. Don't start your car until you are ready to go, and keep winter engine warm-ups to about a minute. The engine actually warms up more quickly once the car is operating, and will stay warm after stopping. Avoid drive-up windows - park and go inside instead.
The World's Tallest Trees
There are unique ecosystems in the canopies of the world's tallest trees. I live within an hour's drive of these giants. However, the coast redwoods were not always the modern world's tallest trees. That honor probably went to Eucalyptus regnans in Tasmania -- before they were cut down. Our local Humboldt State University has one of the world's experts in this lofty field. Read about these 300-foot plus giants, such as the largest individual, shown above, which is over 29 feet diameter at the base and has over 42 thousand cubic feet of wood and bark in its main trunk and crown.
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Increasing Car Efficiency
The costs below are based on gasoline costing $2.20 per gallon. Keep tires properly
inflated. Under-inflated tires can decrease your gas mileage by
around 3 percent. Plus, properly inflated tires are safer and last longer. Check pressure
in all four tires every two weeks with an accurate, hand-held air pressure gauge.
Fuel economy benefit: up to 3 percent
Equivalent gasoline savings: up to $0.07/gallon
Live Earth asked the question --
What's Greener: Cremation or Burial?
A lot of people had thoughts and opinions. You can view the responses here.
For a quirky, irreverent, but informative site on the subject see this page on cremation and the environment. Other pages at this site are even worse -- lots of pictures of live models in panty hose and fishnet stockings, among other things.
Death is a very dull, dreary affair, and my advice to you is to have nothing whatsoever to do with it.
~ W. Somerset Maugham