Alternatives to Save the Planet http://www.alternativestosavetheplanet.com Ecology, Solar Power, Alternative Energy, Global Warming Fri, 27 Jun 2008 17:15:15 0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 en Solar Energy in your House can save you money and help the planet http://www.alternativestosavetheplanet.com/alternatives/solar-panels/solar-energy-in-your-house-can-save-you-money-and-help-the-planet.html http://www.alternativestosavetheplanet.com/alternatives/solar-panels/solar-energy-in-your-house-can-save-you-money-and-help-the-planet.html#comments Fri, 27 Jun 2008 17:15:15 0000 Admin http://www.alternativestosavetheplanet.com/?p=81 The best thing that people are starting to realize is that the residential solar energy system is the thing to install to save your money and to save the earth. The solar power energy system can come in many different sizes depending on your personal need for electric in your home. Not everyone has the same need for electric and that is why there are many different options to pick from.

]]> http://www.alternativestosavetheplanet.com/alternatives/solar-panels/solar-energy-in-your-house-can-save-you-money-and-help-the-planet.html/feed Global warming Is All About Perceivable Increases In The Earth’s Near-Surface Air http://www.alternativestosavetheplanet.com/ecology/global-warming/global-warming.html http://www.alternativestosavetheplanet.com/ecology/global-warming/global-warming.html#comments Mon, 19 May 2008 14:07:08 0000 Admin http://www.alternativestosavetheplanet.com/general/global-warming.html Global warming refers to the phenomena of an observed rise in the average temperature of the air that is close to the surface of the Earth and its oceans that has been observed in recent times and which will continue in this manner in the foreseeable future. There is enough evidence that points to an increase in temperatures of the Earth and its near-surface air that has occurred in present times. This has also caused the snow cover to come down as well as ice covers melting along with a rise in sea levels.

Extreme Of Temperatures Where Such Extremes Are Not Normal

Global warming has also caused there to be extremes of temperature in places that are not known to have extreme temperatures, and there ahs been precipitation and the cloud cover has also been adversely affected. Some of the reasons why the Earth is experiencing global warming are natural such as the levels of CO2, which because of human activities over the past five decades, has seen a significant rise along with other household gases.

The amount of CO2 in the atmosphere along with greenhouse gases is making the Earth’s surface heat up, which is not good for mankind. In fact, the average surface temperature of the Earth has risen by about one degree Fahrenheit over the past ten decades. This has led to a decrease in snow cover as well as ice extent and there has also been a ten to twenty centimeter rise in sea levels in the same period.

There are also areas of concern where global warming has failed to affect the climate on the Earth such as the oceans of the Southern Hemisphere as well as some parts of the Antarctica, which have not really warmed up in recent times. There have also not been any real trends in the Antarctic sea-ice trends, and nor have we witnessed any real trends of global change in the tropical as well as extra-tropical regions as far as intensity of storms and their frequency is concerned. Also, one has not noticed any systematic change in tornado frequencies, thunder days as well as hail events.

In spite of these other factors, global warming poses a very real danger to mankind and is not something that can be dismissed as a scare tactic by certain people. Once one learns about global warming, it should help us learn what it is and what can be done to help prevent and reduce its damning effects for the better of all who inhabit the earth as well as for future generations.

]]>
http://www.alternativestosavetheplanet.com/ecology/global-warming/global-warming.html/feed
What is global warming Is Something That We Need To Learn And Act On Fast http://www.alternativestosavetheplanet.com/ecology/global-warming/what-is-global-warming.html http://www.alternativestosavetheplanet.com/ecology/global-warming/what-is-global-warming.html#comments Sat, 17 May 2008 19:23:58 0000 Admin http://www.alternativestosavetheplanet.com/general/what-is-global-warming.html Every responsible person living on this planet should know what global warming is if he or she wants to do something worthwhile to save the planet from doom. Yes, things are indeed very serious, and if we don’t heed the warning signals, it may get too late to do something to stop the dire consequences that we will have to face otherwise. There is no doubt that today, thanks to global warming, our glaciers are melting away and the levels of our seas are rising, while cloud forests are going dry and more worse news is in the offing.

Human Beings Have Contributed Immensely To The Problem Of Global Warming

There is no doubting that human beings have contributed in no small measure to the mess that has seen greenhouse gases rising into the skies and raised the temperatures above the surface of the earth as a result of our modern lives. This is what global warming is, and it is making things change on the Earth including its climatic conditions causing each day new heat swirls and taking up the moisture from the oceans, and generally changing the entire rhythm of our climate, which is what we humans depend on for our lives.

Any study of what is global warming will no doubt touch on the subject of the greenhouse effect, which is the warming that occurs when gases of a certain kind trap the heat in the Earth’s atmosphere. This heat cannot escape from these gases much like the glass we find in a greenhouse that traps the heat within. The more greenhouses gases there are in the atmosphere, the greater will be the heat trapped therein, which will consequently change our weather patterns for the worse.

You may also find in you pursuit to know what is global warming that you come across another term that is called “climate change”. Some scientists prefer this term to describe what really is nothing but global warming, and the reason behind this semantic difference is that some parts of the Earth are cooled while others heat up thanks to wind and ocean currents that gives rise to the thinking that it is really a change in climate and not global warming.

However, greenhouses gases are certainly a cause for worry and you must know more about what is global warming to be able to effectively meet this new challenge, which is a major problem that is changing our climate faster than human beings can cope with.

]]>
http://www.alternativestosavetheplanet.com/ecology/global-warming/what-is-global-warming.html/feed
Effects of global warming Can Be Seen In Glaciers Melting And Sea Levels Rising http://www.alternativestosavetheplanet.com/ecology/global-warming/effects-of-global-warming.html http://www.alternativestosavetheplanet.com/ecology/global-warming/effects-of-global-warming.html#comments Wed, 14 May 2008 15:09:09 0000 Admin http://www.alternativestosavetheplanet.com/general/effects-of-global-warming.html The greenhouse effect is constantly making the news and warning after warning is ringing our ears that keep emphasizing how it is to be blamed for global warming. If Hurricane Katrina and other strong hurricanes were not hurting us so bad, and sounding the warning of what could happen if we don’t do something about global warming, we would have maybe not given the effects of global warming a second thought and consigned them to yet another scientific myth.

Nothing New, You May Argue

You might argue that the greenhouse effect has been with mankind for more than four billion years and there has not been anything to worry about this far. The trouble is that the recent effects of global warming are a bit different because some of the activities that we humans are pursuing as well as certain practices are changing this as yet benign change in climatic conditions.

We have certainly been experiencing the effects of global warming for the past few years most noticeably in changes to climatic conditions. The circulation of the oceans is changing, the planet’s orbit is affected and there is also a change in the sun’s intensity. This is reason to consider what the ill-effects of global warming are, and do something serious to prevent, alleviate as well as reduce its adverse effects on humankind. There have been drastic changes to the globe and dire consequences will not spare humans as well as the millions of other species that are dependent on the earth for their very survival.

With glaciers melting and causing the sea levels to rise, we can see the perfect example of the effects of global warming in the rising sea levels. Though we cannot readily see or perceive these effects of global warming, they are still serious and may cause more land to go under the waters of the seas if we are not careful. This can be seen in the example when just a 0.3 meter rise in sea level will cause the swallowing up of fifteen meters of a beach. It certainly is reason to sit up and take notice before it gets too late.

Other effects of global warming are felt in the effect it has on agricultural practices that are dependent wholly on glaciers melting in a regular manner. There are a number of countries in the world that depend on melting of snows from mountains for irrigation of their plants and in generating electricity. If the melting occurs in periods of bad times, it would throw out of gear the planting as well as harvesting periods thus endangering the economy of these countries on both local as well as national levels.

Thus, we need to face the problem of global warming head-on if we want to escape the bad effects of global warming and survive for long on the planet.

]]>
http://www.alternativestosavetheplanet.com/ecology/global-warming/effects-of-global-warming.html/feed
A Few Of The Important Causes of global warming http://www.alternativestosavetheplanet.com/ecology/global-warming/causes-of-global-warming.html http://www.alternativestosavetheplanet.com/ecology/global-warming/causes-of-global-warming.html#comments Sat, 10 May 2008 13:41:31 0000 Admin http://www.alternativestosavetheplanet.com/general/causes-of-global-warming.html There may be a few that doubt the seriousness of global warming, but the majority of the scientific community view it as a very real threat and are of the opinion that the causes of global warming are emissions of carbon dioxide as well as many other greenhouse gases that are the result of how we humans go about producing goods and services through our various industrial processes, burning of fossil fuels as well as through chopping down of forests.

More Than One Cause

One thing you can be sure of is that the number of causes of global warming is more than one, and one of these causes of global warming can be attributed to fossil fuel combustion that takes place when we generate power from our electricity generation plants. The main component of these emissions is coal that accounts for, it is believed, as mush as ninety-three percent of all emissions. In fact, the carbon emission from coal is believed to be 1.7 times that of natural gas and, it is believed 1.25 times that of oil.

One more cause of global warming is that carbon dioxide is expelled from our automobiles, minivans as well as other vehicles, and if these vehicles give off poor mileage you can be sure that there will be more CO2 being emitted into the atmosphere, which only contributes further to global warming.

You can also attribute another cause of global warming to carbon dioxide emitted from commercial trucks that, it is believed, contribute as much as thirteen percent of all carbon dioxide emissions in the United States. And, you can easily add airplane carbon dioxide emission to the list of causes of global warming, which accounts, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for, it is believed, 3.5 percent of all global warming, and it is expected that this will shoot up to about fifteen percent in the next four to five decades.

Besides, the carbon dioxide emitted by structure of buildings, another cause of global warming is methane, which is next in rank to carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas. The worst part of methane is that it has the undesirable property of being twenty times more effective in trapping heat in our atmosphere, and another worrying aspect to this cause of global warming is that methane levels have risen by as much as, it is believed, one hundred forty-five times in the last century.

You can also add nitrous oxide to the list of causes of global warming and so too, is deforestation that is the second most important cause after carbon emissions in making the world warmer than it should be. You can also add city gridlocks, volume of carbon already present in the atmosphere to the growing list of causes of global warming. It certainly does not paint a rosy picture by any stretch of imagination.

]]>
http://www.alternativestosavetheplanet.com/ecology/global-warming/causes-of-global-warming.html/feed
The Great Global Warming Swindle: Has The Western World Used Science To Betray The World? http://www.alternativestosavetheplanet.com/ecology/global-warming/the-great-global-warming-swindle.html http://www.alternativestosavetheplanet.com/ecology/global-warming/the-great-global-warming-swindle.html#comments Thu, 08 May 2008 15:27:20 0000 Admin http://www.alternativestosavetheplanet.com/general/the-great-global-warming-swindle.html The Great Global Warming Swindle is available to those interested in viewing the film on DVDs, which means you can also see it in expanded as well as improved form than what was broadcast in the United Kingdom on Channel Four. Changes have been made to The Great Global Warming Swindle and there are many more interviews and the range of subjects covered too has been expanded, which makes for more interesting material as compared to the broadcast version.

Know About The Case Of Human Invented Global Warming

If you are one of the many that want to know more about what the case against the humanly created bogey of global warming is in more detail, then buying the DVD version of The Great Global Warming Swindle may be a better option. The general reaction to the film has been positive with many expressing their support as well as encouragement that are leading the makers of The Great Global Warming Swindle to explore and make new studies in different areas other than just global warming.

Even though the response to The Great Global Warming Swindle has been nothing short of overwhelming, it would be wrong to adduce the popularity and concern expressed regarding global warming to just this film, as it had been the subject of much interest even before The Great Global Warming Swindle was introduced to the public at large.

You can be sure that the concerted coverage given to all matters related to global warming on TV, radio as well as in the printed media was already fawning huge interest in the subject much before people were introduced to The Great Global Warming Swindle. In countries like the United Kingdom, there had already been many hours devoted to programmes concerning global warming by its famous BBC though some of the material offered for public consumption was nothing short of ludicrous.

The film The Great Global Warming Swindle made a decent attempt to suggest some possible answers to global warming, which should hopefully answer the questions raised by man-made global warming as well as reveal the relationship between science, politicians as well as the media and of course, the public at large. It may in fact end up showing that man-made global warming was a good example of how the modern Western world had to use science, which in turn may have been betrayed by its own scientists for the most part.

]]>
http://www.alternativestosavetheplanet.com/ecology/global-warming/the-great-global-warming-swindle.html/feed
Global warming facts Serve As A Timely Reminder That Immediate Remedial Action Must Be Taken http://www.alternativestosavetheplanet.com/ecology/global-warming/global-warming-facts.html http://www.alternativestosavetheplanet.com/ecology/global-warming/global-warming-facts.html#comments Mon, 05 May 2008 14:08:51 0000 Admin http://www.alternativestosavetheplanet.com/general/global-warming-facts.html The more knowledge we wish to acquire about why the world’s temperature and climate is changing, the greater is the need to understand global warming facts. These global warming facts are leading to much controversy and are very important to us if we want to save our planet from the consequences of global warming. There is a greater need to investigate further since what we know about global warming today is indeed quite limited.

Huge Sections Of Arctic Ice Are Melting

It is seen that from studying global warming facts today, that there is an increase in temperatures that is seriously impacting the colder areas of the world such as the Arctic region, where ice from this part of the world that keeps our planet cool and which serves to act as our very own natural air conditioner is slowly melting away. It is these huge sections of sea ice that are rotated constantly and they give off cooling winds that come down to the lower regions on the earth and make our lives more bearable.

With ice packs melting due to global warming, the ability for it to cool our planet is diminished, which causes temperatures to raise more. This is an important global warming fact as it shows that ice is now melting and turning into water. In fact, according to these global warming facts it has been found that Arctic ice pack has gone down by almost nine percent each decade, since it is believed, the year 1978. With this trend continuing unabated, it is feared that at the turn of the century we will no longer have any Arctic ice.

Such frightening global warming facts should serve as a timely warning that we should consider how we emit gases and control our industrial production methods so that we can make the world safer as well as eco-friendly at the same time. The effect on animals such as the Polar Bear and others will be absolutely severe and most undesirable.

Laudable as the efforts of our scientists to constantly endeavor to unearth new global warming facts today are, there is need for concerted and immediate action to reverse these harmful effects; otherwise it may become too late not only for humans, but also for the animal world. There is need to educate humanity by disseminating global warming facts to everyone so that it enables us humans to act more responsibly and help prevent the life-threatening effects that can destroy our planet, and change the way we live.

]]>
http://www.alternativestosavetheplanet.com/ecology/global-warming/global-warming-facts.html/feed
Global warming hoax: Time To Take Affirmative Action http://www.alternativestosavetheplanet.com/ecology/global-warming/global-warming-hoax.html http://www.alternativestosavetheplanet.com/ecology/global-warming/global-warming-hoax.html#comments Fri, 02 May 2008 16:55:52 0000 Admin http://www.alternativestosavetheplanet.com/general/global-warming-hoax.html It would be foolish as well as unwise to dismiss what facts we know about global warming as being nothing more than a global warming hoax. There is a real danger that mankind is facing as we are being threatened by the serious and unabated use of industrialization that is making ice in the Arctic regions of the world melt ,and thus making our planet not only warmer, but also unsafe to live in.

There has also been much change in our technology that has itself spearheaded new modes of disseminating information, which thus does not give mankind the excuse that they do not know of global warming facts and the consequent dire consequences of global warming.

Greenhouse Effect Is Spoiling The Lower Hemisphere Temperatures

With global warming and its accompanying greenhouse effect, we see that there is more heat from the sun being trapped in the lower hemispheres that are changing weather patterns in the world and leading to many catastrophes that cause loss of life as well as property. How anyone can dismiss these realities as global warming hoax is indeed hard to understand, and certainly uncondonable. Though such warming effects need to still be proven as being dangerous, it simply cannot be dismissed as being nothing more than a global warming hoax.

There is plenty of evidence concerning the criminal acts being perpetrated on the ozone layer and it has led to much emotional as well politicized outcry to lower the levels of pollution as well as reduce our dependence on fossil fuel as also the need to actively campaign to take better care of the planet and its non-renewable resources. Such public concern should dispel any doubts in the minds of doubting Thomases, and help convince them that global warming is not a global warming hoax, but cold reality.

There are certainly a few salient points that may be leading some people to believe that these concerns are not real and only a global warming hoax. They include the scientific instruments that are being used to study the effects of global warming and the ways in which we monitor the weather are thought to be imprecise. Nevertheless, we have enough evidence of the harm that global warming is doing to our planet to allow for any variations in exact measurements, which should make us, treat the whole matter with gravity and not dismiss it as a global warming hoax.

The moot point is that if this is nothing more than a global warming hoax, then what is the explanation for the planet to heat up, even by a mere a percent and a half each year over the past many decades?

]]>
http://www.alternativestosavetheplanet.com/ecology/global-warming/global-warming-hoax.html/feed
Global warming myths: Explode Them Before It Gets Too Late http://www.alternativestosavetheplanet.com/ecology/global-warming/global-warming-myth.html http://www.alternativestosavetheplanet.com/ecology/global-warming/global-warming-myth.html#comments Tue, 29 Apr 2008 19:28:08 0000 Admin http://www.alternativestosavetheplanet.com/general/global-warming-myth.html Probably the first global warming myth that one is confronted with is that the instruments used and the science of measuring global warming are imprecise as well as the results obtained are very uncertain. This may be a means to delude oneself that everything is alright and may be the escape route for those who have vested interests in not listening and heeding the warnings being given by those who are concerned with global warming.

Detrimental To The Environment

The fact is that science shows the basic facts of global warming such as burning of fossil fuels as well as chopping down forests is detrimental to the environment and hazardous to the safety of our planet. That global warming is a reality that we have to face is confirmed by such prestigious institutes such as the U.S. National Academies of Science as well as ten other National Academies of Science and we simply cannot treat these warnings as global warming myths.

A second common global warming myth is that by taking affirmative action to prevent global warming we may be putting the hurt on American industry as well as on American workforces. This is certainly not true since a well thought out trading program would in fact put together the great American ingenuity and place emphasis on reducing heat as well as pollution that would in turn create a wholly new and different carbon economy. It is a fact that companies using heat-trapping emissions have been able to affect economies and have helped in making the environment safer.

The third commonly held global warming myth is the notion that water vapor is abundant and thus needs closer attention being paid to it rather than to control greenhouse gases. No doubt, water vapor traps heat better than CO2; it is still imperative that countries that warm the climate excessively still need to control CO2 if they want to save themselves and the planet. CO2 directly affects us and can be cut back through eliminating burning of coal, natural gas as well as oil and also by not felling trees indiscriminately.

Yet another commonly held global warming myth is that global warming and added CO2 levels will do well because they will reduce deaths caused by cold as well as help crops to grow. However, these ‘good effects’ will be more than nullified by the harm that is caused and the damage and destruction that results.

Global warming myths can make people act in ways that can only cause more harm to the economy of the world, which makes it imperative that we are well informed about global warming so that we act rationally as well as appropriately and thereby lessen, and also reverse the inexorable march towards self destruction that we are presently embarking on.

]]>
http://www.alternativestosavetheplanet.com/ecology/global-warming/global-warming-myth.html/feed
Stop global warming Before It Stops You http://www.alternativestosavetheplanet.com/ecology/global-warming/stop-global-warming.html http://www.alternativestosavetheplanet.com/ecology/global-warming/stop-global-warming.html#comments Fri, 25 Apr 2008 20:21:09 0000 Admin http://www.alternativestosavetheplanet.com/general/stop-global-warming.html Mankind is faced with some tough decisions if it wants to stick around for some time to come, and among these tough decisions it has to make is the one related to having to stop global warming. No doubt, we need to think about our basic needs such food, clothing, shelter as well as medicine and education and maybe even getting affection. But, such needs should not blind us to the pressing need to stop global warming before it stops the progress of humankind. It should not be left till the time mankind reaches the brink of self-destruction, and timely action is what is needed.

Has Been Around For Thousands Of Years

The phenomenon of global warming has been troubling us and has been around even before we actually became aware of it. In fact it has been going on for thousands of years, which has seen the temperatures of the world going up and recently Time magazine has deemed this to be a planetary emergency condition. To stop global warming is something that needs to be done on a war footing, which should help to stop, cope as well as alleviate the problem.

Mankind needs to focus all of its efforts in being able to stop global warming, and every one of us has in some way or the other contributed to this condition, which means each and every person on the planet should take remedial action and combat the menace. To stop global warming we can form organizations and educate others about how global warming is adversely affecting us all so that it becomes easier to take remedial actions such as putting a stop to global warming.

We can also stop global warming by conserving energy, and this is quite easy as we can take small steps to save energy such as joining car pools, turning off appliances that we are not using and unplugging electronic devices when they are not in use, and also using energy-efficient lamps. Simple steps such as these taken individually can add up to considerable safety for the common good of all of us.

We can also start thinking about working only for as few hours as is absolutely necessary so that energy is saved, which would mean that if we individually cut down one hour it would add up to millions of hour’s worth of energy being saved. Another means to stop global warming is obviously recycling, and also using environment-friendly vehicles as well as fuels. The added expenses will certainly pay back when you realize the pollution that you will be preventing.

You can also stop global warming by using sun, wind as well as water energy to generate electricity. Insulating the home is also helpful and even though all these measures may not actually stop global warming, they would considerably reduce the risk to mankind.

]]>
http://www.alternativestosavetheplanet.com/ecology/global-warming/stop-global-warming.html/feed