Evidence of Global Warming at Glacier National Park, Montana (make sure you look at the dates of the pictures)
For more excellent photos and research on global warming, click hereGlobal warming can only be solved by a worldwide effort of government openness and individuals willing to make simple changes to their daily lives. Some states in the U.S. have taken action to reduce global warming by decreasing the amount of carbon dioxide released into the air. We must conserve precious energy and this can be simple if we are open to the many ways we can help solve this environmental crisis.At the top of the problem, industry and government, progress is being made. For example, in California, governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the world’s first low carbon standard for transportation fuels this past January. He signed the Low Carbon Fuel Standard which required fuel suppliers to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in transportation vehicles by ten percent by 2012, and twenty-five percent by 2020. This is quite a revolutionary piece of legislation because it challenges the rest of the world to move forward with it in regulating destructive carbon dioxide emissions.In Industry, one coal-fired power plant by Lake Michigan plans to capture the carbon dioxide that it emits from its smokestacks. They want to store hundreds of thousands of tons of the gas underground or under the oceans for hundreds or thousands of years. Coal is the most plentiful and cheapest source of energy on Earth but emits about 1.5 billion tons of carbon dioxide every year. Carbon dioxide traps heat in the atmosphere. This power plant will set an example for other industrial leaders and power plants to follow.In the area of alternative forms of energy, some companies have made progress. Ford promotes the use of Ethanol (E 85) to use in their pickup truck, the Silverado, while other automotive companies follow suit. E 85 emits much less carbon dioxide than standard oil. Solar power is another feasible and renewable source of energy that has largely not been tapped into. GE electric has begun to embrace wind power by use of wind mill fields, another effective energy source. There is much innovation taking place and we must keep ourselves educated about new technology and alternative sources of energy.At the bottom of fight against global warming rests the individual. But, if millions of individuals gather together in this common cause, then we move to the top. We, ourselves, cannot pass revolutionary new legislation to make everyone use public transportation or store the billions of tons of carbon dioxide under their houses. But, we can do many things by ourselves to make a difference and protect the environment. As teenagers, we can form small groups and protest destruction of wilderness. We can push for legislation and voice our opinion to politicians. Even if we do not want to spend the time to do that, we can do hundreds of small things that, by their example and consistency, will influence others to join too.Some specific things that we can do involve our houses, our cars, and our lawn maintenance. Many building materials in our house emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which cause indoor pollution. We can reduce this pollution by buying low-VOC products from common materials like paint, glue, tape, carpet backing, etc. Often, our houses let up to thirty percent of their heat out because of cracks and crevices in the exterior walls and poor windows. Not only is insulating these cracks and buying new EnergyStar windows help the environment, it saves a lot of money. Your furnace does not have to work as hard during the winter or your air conditioner does not use as much energy because your house is properly insulated. Buying more energy efficient appliances like a dishwasher or laundry machine will save energy, and eventually money. You can take shorter showers or install a low-flow showerhead which can save you at least one hundred dollars a year. If you turn your thermostat up or down accordingly when you leave your house for a few hours or go on a trip. One of the easiest things you can do around your house is to replace standard incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent. Fluorescent bulbs use up to forty percent less energy than incandescent bulbs. By using a microwave rather than a conventional oven, you can save fifty percent of your cooking energy costs. Though, we cannot all buy new laundry machines and windows, we can try to do some of the little things involved in our house care to save us money and save energy. Similarly, in choosing and driving a car, if we exercise responsibility, we are rewarded. Obviously, it is a great idea and a smart idea to buy fuel efficient cars, a hybrid if possible. If a hybrid is out of your price range then consider a smaller car. Generally, cars with manual transmissions and overdrive use five to ten percent less fuel than automatics. Carpooling is also an excellent way to save gas and money. When we drive aggressively with hard braking and “jackrabbit” starts, we only save 2.5 minutes per hour and increase fuel consumption by 39 percent . If we drive “smoother,” we save gas and money. Turning your car on and off is equivalent to idling for ten seconds. If you are waiting for someone in a carpool or a friend, turn your car off to reduce the vast quantity of gas used each year from vehicles idling. Check the tire pressure on your car and make sure you do not weigh down your car with unnecessary things like lawn chairs or golf clubs. Whenever possible, try riding your bike, walking, running, or using public transportation. Use your car only when you need it and try to carpool if you use a car. With these simple guidelines, we can save billions of tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year. Aside from cars and household choices, we must make decisions in lawn care treatment and our community’s natural environment. Planting trees, especially native ones, is a great way to maintain biodiversity and provide animals with homes. Plant low-maintenance gardens so that you do not have to use precious resources of water and gas to mow/trim and water your garden excessively. During the winter, try not to use salt or other de-icing products as the run off from these products hurts nearby plants and streams. Try using sand to get rid of slick ice which does not seep into the roots of our plants and harm them. Mowing our own lawn emits about 40 kg of carbon dioxide each year. We can buy electric mowers or use push mowers to cut back on this. Composting recycles, removing waste from landfills and providing rich soil. Watering for about an hour a week in the morning is all that is really necessary. Too much watering provides mosquitoes with places to lay eggs. Being smart about our lawns will not only help things grow but save us money and help the Earth.One of the most concrete things that we can do for our environment is to recycle at our homes. Simply recycling plastic, glass, aluminum cans, steel cans, and paper makes a big difference. But, most importantly, we need to reduce our consumption. For example, making plastic bottles uses millions of barrels of oil every year and plastic is not very recyclable. It can be used to make carpet and other things but once a bottle is made and used, it does not become a bottle again. On the contrary, materials like aluminum, glass, and paper are quite recyclable. If we can limit our use of plastic with other more recyclable materials, we can save an enormous amount of fossil fuels every year. Though we are not able to follow through with all of these recommendations, we can try some. We can at least have an open mind about the environment and be willing to make miniscule changes to our daily lives to make a large impact upon the conservation of this Earth. We have to be open, though. As a country that may not seem to pro-environment, we can make changes for ourselves to live more responsibly on this planet. We are stewards of the environment no matter what legislation is or is not passed. We must do the right thing even if we are not required or when nobody is looking.BIBLIOGRAPHYMarley, Karin. “101 Tips to Save the Environment.” Macleans 24 January 2005: 37-43.Boyd, Robert S. “Industry tries new ways to fight global warming.” Knight Ridder Tribune Washington Bureau (DC) 30 March 2007.Lin, Judy. “Schwarzenegger Signs Tough Bill to Improve Fuel Standards.” The Sacramento Bee (CA) 18 January 2007.The Earth Works Group. 50 Simple Things You Can Do to Save the Earth. Berkely:Earthworks Press, 1989.
For more excellent photos and research on global warming, click hereGlobal warming can only be solved by a worldwide effort of government openness and individuals willing to make simple changes to their daily lives. Some states in the U.S. have taken action to reduce global warming by decreasing the amount of carbon dioxide released into the air. We must conserve precious energy and this can be simple if we are open to the many ways we can help solve this environmental crisis.At the top of the problem, industry and government, progress is being made. For example, in California, governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the world’s first low carbon standard for transportation fuels this past January. He signed the Low Carbon Fuel Standard which required fuel suppliers to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in transportation vehicles by ten percent by 2012, and twenty-five percent by 2020. This is quite a revolutionary piece of legislation because it challenges the rest of the world to move forward with it in regulating destructive carbon dioxide emissions.In Industry, one coal-fired power plant by Lake Michigan plans to capture the carbon dioxide that it emits from its smokestacks. They want to store hundreds of thousands of tons of the gas underground or under the oceans for hundreds or thousands of years. Coal is the most plentiful and cheapest source of energy on Earth but emits about 1.5 billion tons of carbon dioxide every year. Carbon dioxide traps heat in the atmosphere. This power plant will set an example for other industrial leaders and power plants to follow.In the area of alternative forms of energy, some companies have made progress. Ford promotes the use of Ethanol (E 85) to use in their pickup truck, the Silverado, while other automotive companies follow suit. E 85 emits much less carbon dioxide than standard oil. Solar power is another feasible and renewable source of energy that has largely not been tapped into. GE electric has begun to embrace wind power by use of wind mill fields, another effective energy source. There is much innovation taking place and we must keep ourselves educated about new technology and alternative sources of energy.At the bottom of fight against global warming rests the individual. But, if millions of individuals gather together in this common cause, then we move to the top. We, ourselves, cannot pass revolutionary new legislation to make everyone use public transportation or store the billions of tons of carbon dioxide under their houses. But, we can do many things by ourselves to make a difference and protect the environment. As teenagers, we can form small groups and protest destruction of wilderness. We can push for legislation and voice our opinion to politicians. Even if we do not want to spend the time to do that, we can do hundreds of small things that, by their example and consistency, will influence others to join too.Some specific things that we can do involve our houses, our cars, and our lawn maintenance. Many building materials in our house emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which cause indoor pollution. We can reduce this pollution by buying low-VOC products from common materials like paint, glue, tape, carpet backing, etc. Often, our houses let up to thirty percent of their heat out because of cracks and crevices in the exterior walls and poor windows. Not only is insulating these cracks and buying new EnergyStar windows help the environment, it saves a lot of money. Your furnace does not have to work as hard during the winter or your air conditioner does not use as much energy because your house is properly insulated. Buying more energy efficient appliances like a dishwasher or laundry machine will save energy, and eventually money. You can take shorter showers or install a low-flow showerhead which can save you at least one hundred dollars a year. If you turn your thermostat up or down accordingly when you leave your house for a few hours or go on a trip. One of the easiest things you can do around your house is to replace standard incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent. Fluorescent bulbs use up to forty percent less energy than incandescent bulbs. By using a microwave rather than a conventional oven, you can save fifty percent of your cooking energy costs. Though, we cannot all buy new laundry machines and windows, we can try to do some of the little things involved in our house care to save us money and save energy. Similarly, in choosing and driving a car, if we exercise responsibility, we are rewarded. Obviously, it is a great idea and a smart idea to buy fuel efficient cars, a hybrid if possible. If a hybrid is out of your price range then consider a smaller car. Generally, cars with manual transmissions and overdrive use five to ten percent less fuel than automatics. Carpooling is also an excellent way to save gas and money. When we drive aggressively with hard braking and “jackrabbit” starts, we only save 2.5 minutes per hour and increase fuel consumption by 39 percent . If we drive “smoother,” we save gas and money. Turning your car on and off is equivalent to idling for ten seconds. If you are waiting for someone in a carpool or a friend, turn your car off to reduce the vast quantity of gas used each year from vehicles idling. Check the tire pressure on your car and make sure you do not weigh down your car with unnecessary things like lawn chairs or golf clubs. Whenever possible, try riding your bike, walking, running, or using public transportation. Use your car only when you need it and try to carpool if you use a car. With these simple guidelines, we can save billions of tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year. Aside from cars and household choices, we must make decisions in lawn care treatment and our community’s natural environment. Planting trees, especially native ones, is a great way to maintain biodiversity and provide animals with homes. Plant low-maintenance gardens so that you do not have to use precious resources of water and gas to mow/trim and water your garden excessively. During the winter, try not to use salt or other de-icing products as the run off from these products hurts nearby plants and streams. Try using sand to get rid of slick ice which does not seep into the roots of our plants and harm them. Mowing our own lawn emits about 40 kg of carbon dioxide each year. We can buy electric mowers or use push mowers to cut back on this. Composting recycles, removing waste from landfills and providing rich soil. Watering for about an hour a week in the morning is all that is really necessary. Too much watering provides mosquitoes with places to lay eggs. Being smart about our lawns will not only help things grow but save us money and help the Earth.One of the most concrete things that we can do for our environment is to recycle at our homes. Simply recycling plastic, glass, aluminum cans, steel cans, and paper makes a big difference. But, most importantly, we need to reduce our consumption. For example, making plastic bottles uses millions of barrels of oil every year and plastic is not very recyclable. It can be used to make carpet and other things but once a bottle is made and used, it does not become a bottle again. On the contrary, materials like aluminum, glass, and paper are quite recyclable. If we can limit our use of plastic with other more recyclable materials, we can save an enormous amount of fossil fuels every year. Though we are not able to follow through with all of these recommendations, we can try some. We can at least have an open mind about the environment and be willing to make miniscule changes to our daily lives to make a large impact upon the conservation of this Earth. We have to be open, though. As a country that may not seem to pro-environment, we can make changes for ourselves to live more responsibly on this planet. We are stewards of the environment no matter what legislation is or is not passed. We must do the right thing even if we are not required or when nobody is looking.BIBLIOGRAPHYMarley, Karin. “101 Tips to Save the Environment.” Macleans 24 January 2005: 37-43.Boyd, Robert S. “Industry tries new ways to fight global warming.” Knight Ridder Tribune Washington Bureau (DC) 30 March 2007.Lin, Judy. “Schwarzenegger Signs Tough Bill to Improve Fuel Standards.” The Sacramento Bee (CA) 18 January 2007.The Earth Works Group. 50 Simple Things You Can Do to Save the Earth. Berkely:Earthworks Press, 1989.
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