Is Your Global Warming?

Carbon dioxide, the greenhouse gas linked to global warming, is accumulating in the Earth?s atmosphere at an increasing rate, according to a new study released by the US government?s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The research has renewed concern that the ability of the environment to absorb the gas may be waning. The NOAA study said the average atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide in 2005 reached 381 parts per million, up from 2.6 ppm since 2004. The annual rate of increase, which has been recorded since the 1950s, now exceeds 2 ppm for three of the past four years. This is an unprecedented increase; 50 years ago, the annual increase was less than 1 ppm.

The extra CO2 is produced by the burning of fossil fuels, currently emitting approximately 7 billion tons of carbon per year, and roughly half is absorbed by vegetation and the oceans. Researchers believe the yearly fluctuations in CO2 build-up are caused largely by nature's variable ability to absorb the emissions. The atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide is now higher than experienced on Earth for at least the last 400,000 years, and the rise is expected to continue. Over the past two decades, only half of the CO2 released by human activities such as fossil fuel burning, the so-called ?anthropogenic CO2,? is still in the atmosphere; about 30% has been taken up by the ocean, and 20% by the terrestrial biosphere.

This new finding follows reports that 2005 was probably the warmest year on record, with temperatures slightly higher than the previous peak in 1998. Also, scientists at the US National Snow and Ice Data Center, in Boulder, Colorado, reported that Arctic sea ice did not reform fully in the winter of 2005 after record rates of melting during the summer.

Until recently the largest increases in concentrations of CO2 always occurred during El Ni?o years, when tropical vegetation grows more slowly due to lack of rain and fires occur in dried-out rainforests. The greatest recorded increase of 2.7 ppm occurred in the El Ni?o year of 1998. However, scientists are alarmed by the fact that none of the past three years of near-record increases have coincided with an El Ni?o event.

According to Peter Cox, a scientist at the Center for Ecology and Hydrology in Dorset, UK, who studies the interaction between plants and the atmosphere, the recent surge in CO2 levels ?may be the first evidence of a feedback from the carbon cycle, in which plants under heat stress from global warming start to absorb less carbon dioxide?.

Not only are plants slowing their rate of CO2 absorption, but coastal carbon sinks are shrinking as well. Mangrove forests, which play a large role in sequestering carbon from the atmosphere and dissolving it into the ocean, are disappearing rapidly. A research team led by Thorsten Dittmar of Florida State University in Tallahassee studied how much mangroves contribute to the organic carbon dissolved in ocean waters off the coast of Brazil. They came to the conclusion that even though intertidal mangrove forests cover only 0.1% of the earth's surface, they contribute up to 10 per cent worldwide of the ocean's dissolved organic carbon. This is approximately equal to the amount reaching the ocean from the Amazon river, the largest single source of dissolved organic carbon.

Intertidal forests of mangroves surround many tropical coastlines. Mangroves, like all plants, fix carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through photosynthesis and return organic material to the soil when they decompose. Their tangled root systems also collect fallen leaf litter. However, mangrove roots and soil are washed over by tides, and much of this organic carbon leaches into the ocean. Unlike CO2 absorbed directly from the atmosphere, much of the carbon produced by mangrove trees is bound up in large molecules which are highly resistant to decomposition, and is therefor likely to be held in the ocean for decades instead of being returned to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.

Mangrove forests have declined by nearly fifty percent during the past century due to increasing coastal development and habitat damage, such as the draining of swamps for agriculture. As the habitat has changed, fewer mangrove trees and their derived detritus are available to bind and export dissolved organic matter into the ocean. The research team concluded that the rapid decline in mangrove forests threatens to shut off this important link in the carbon cycle, with potentially damaging consequences for atmospheric composition and climate.

Direct absorption of CO2 by the ocean surface also occurs, but it has unfortunate consequences not produced by complex carbon molecules fixed by plants. As dissolved CO2 rises, the pH of the ocean water decreases, becoming more acidic. This low pH causes the calcium carbonate shells of sea creatures to dissolve or form poorly, threatening coral reefs.

A pH reduction of approximately 0.1 unit in surface waters has occurred already due to oceanic uptake of anthropogenic CO2. Scientists estimate that the total drop in surface seawater acidity (pH) will be approximately 0.4 pH units by the end of this century, with an almost 50% increase in the concentration of dissolved carbonate ion concentration. The surface ocean pH drop would be lower than it has been for more than twenty million years.

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Global Warming

Earth's average temperature is increasing continuously to a dangerous extent. Temperature has risen by 0.5 ? 0.2C. Glaciers are melting across the globe and the gravity of the situation can be harnessed from the fact that some glaciers have even disappeared from some parts of the world. In Polar Regions ice is melting at an alarming speed. Such melting of ice caps is in turn affecting the sea level. This may give a push to natural disasters like floods, droughts, hurricanes etc. Human activities have attributed greatly towards these adverse conditions.

Extensive studies conducted by the scientists have proved that global warming cannot be a result of natural changes only. Emission of gases, which is a major factor in global warming, is a result of human activities. According to a report prepared by a U.S. scientific institute, the increase in surface air temperature and sea temperature is an outcome of accumulation of greenhouse gases, which in turn is attributable to inconsiderate human activities. Figures prove that in the last 1000 years, temperature of surface of the earth has been recorded as the warmest in the 20th century. From last 150 years green house gases are being accumulated in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is increasing in the atmosphere due to deforestation and fuel burning. Along with it, emission of other greenhouse gases like methane, chlorofluorocarbons is also polluting the atmosphere. The contribution of volcanic gas emissions in global warming is also a major one. Statistics show that before the year 1750, volcanoes and solar forces were contributing about 50 percent towards global warming but in the recent years the effect of green house gases on temperature variations has risen up to eight times.

The pattern of global warming is not uniform throughout the whole world. Due to the changes in the atmosphere some cooling effect is also seen in the Atlantic and central North Pacific. Burning of fossil fuels makes the environment polluted by changing the balance or constitution of aerosols and gases in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide has long survival time in the atmosphere. Development of industrial sector is resulting in increase in emission of other gases like methane etc. These greenhouse gases make the surface of the earth warmer by blocking the radiations of the sun and increasing the evaporation rate of the surface moisture. The humidity in the environment is also mounting due to global warming. The threat of floods is lurking large because of rise in frequency of rainfalls and snowfalls. Increase in evaporation also raises the risk of droughts. It may also result in amplifying numerous kinds of viral infections.

Some scientists do not accept human activities as culprit for global warming but there are numerous instances from which human hand in global warming is clearly visible. The process of global warming and its results are very gradual so the outcome would not be visible to a large extent to the present generation. But the consequences of global warming would be very dangerous for the future generations. The long term accumulated adverse effects would start coming in limelight. Extreme weather conditions like heavy rainfalls, humid weather, floods, droughts would be very devastating.

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is an international agreement which was enforced on March 21,1994. Its main goal is to control the emission of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which pose a threat to climate system. Kyoto protocol is an international agreement that has been framed as an amendment to the UNFCC with the same objective. Recent estimates make it clear that if this protocol becomes successful it would greatly help in maintaining the temperature of the earth. Kyoto Protocol was agreed upon in Kyoto on December 1997 and was enforced on February 2005. All the countries, which have signed or ratified UNFCC are allowed to sign or ratify Kyoto Protocol. This agreement has been ratified by 156 countries. The goal of this agreement is to reduce the collective emission of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases like methane, nitrous oxide etc. The limits for controlling emissions are different for different nations like 8% for European Nations, 6% for Japan etc. The developed countries are directed to provide technology for attaining knowledge and completing projects concerning environment, to other countries. Two countries USA and Australia are not in favour of Kyoto Protocol. Some critics treat this agreement as a hindrance to industrial growth of the world and transfer of wealth to not so technologically advanced third world countries.

Except the oppositon put forth by a few countries, collective positive steps towards reducing global warming has now become mandatory for almost whole of the world. As global warming is a gradual process, efforts of present generation would be fruitful for future genertions.

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The Tarot, terrorism and global warming: what the Tarot has to say about the modern world. Part 2.

The 78 card Tarot deck is based upon an ancient philosophy, which can bring startling insights when applied to the modern world. This article explores these ideas in the context of current global issues such as international politics, global warming, terrorism etc. For anyone interested in world affairs or learning more about the Tarot.

Continued from part 1.

WORLD POVERTY - Hanged Man The Hanged man represents sacrifice, giving up and letting go. His message is that the way to get your needs met is to give up trying and let go - a philosophy that fits with many religions. This idea doesn't square with the way many of us behave in the west, as our sacrifice might entail giving up some of our material comforts that could help alleviate world poverty. The way the G8 countries behave regarding poverty in Africa it seems this may be too much to ask. If, however, we were to listen to the message of this card, we might realize that sacrifice is the way forward and that maybe with a prosperous third world we might actually gain in the long run.

GLOBAL WARMING - Death The image of the reaper is a reminder that life exists in cycles and that all things come to an end. It speaks more of change than actual death, and how this change can be painful. There seems little doubt that the world climate is moving into a new phase. These climate cycles have always existed - such as the various ice ages - but never has the change been so rapid or man made. This change will inevitably result in the deaths of individuals and of species. Global warming may be one of the biggest challenges we have faced in our history.

THE MISSING ELEMENT - Temperance One of the most interesting cards in this exercise is Temperance, as it is difficult to fit its meaning into a modern context. The card signifies moderation or self-restraint, but the word temperance itself is rarely used today. We have even changed the word 'temper' to mean its opposite, thus losing its traditional meaning. It is difficult to find many examples of moderation in the modern world. Perhaps this is a flaw of the world's media, choosing to report so many headline hitting stories rather than stories of a more gentle nature. This is especially the case with stories regarding acts in the name of religion: so much of what we hear is in relation to radicals and fundamentalists that we miss the numerous incidents of kindness, love and care in the world. We are therefore left with an unbalanced view of the state of our world.

TERRORISM - The Devil This is perhaps one of the most straightforward interpretations. The Devil has always been a figure of fear, a corrupting influence that has no compassion or feeling for others. Unfortuneately we live in a world where a few individuals wish to induce this level of fear in others, motivated by self-interest or warped philosophies. Sadly they can become trapped by world-views which can convince them their philosophies are right. This perhaps is the definition of evil; and strangely often done in the name of God.

GENETIC ENGINEERING - The Tower When creating this list there was such a temptation to make this card about the 9/11 attacks. I have heard that some people have made this connection but I think this is taking the card at face value rather than trying to understand its full meaning. The card in the modern deck actually makes reference to the Biblical story of the Tower of Babel. The card does stand for upheaval and disruption but it also warns of the dangers of over-stretching oneself and getting involved in things beyond one's understanding. In Genesis the tower is struck down; and the punishment for challenging God's authority is that the people are cast out and made to speak in different languages. If for ancient people the tower represents diversity, then for us in the modern world diversity is represented by the human gene. Genetic engineering now gives us the power to do what may be thought of as challenging the authority of God. We could do worse than look at this card for advice on this matter.

GLOBAL COOPERATION - The Star The Star in the Tarot refers to a way forward and to hope for a better future. When I was growing up, hope for the future seemed to centre around the space program. It was the only area over which the then two super-powers would cooperate. Maybe this was because the expense became too much for one nation, or maybe as I like to believe because when one looks to the stars it makes our differences down here on Earth seem less important. It certainly does seem that if human beings are to progress then we must embrace collaboration. The card reminds us to hold the star as a symbol for hope, and whether it is a star of David or a star of Islam shouldn't matter.

THE INTERNET AND THE INFORMATION AGE - The Sun This card represents knowledge and understanding. When we understand something we are enlightened and that's what the sun does to the earth: it shines light on dark corners and illuminates the globe. One of the most significant inventions of the last forty years which brings knowledge and illumination to the world is the internet. It is interesting to note that the internet has been made possible by lasers transmitting information through high-speed fiber optics. Thus, the internet, in effect, is made of pure light. The card also depicts a happy couple who could be lovers: the inference being that understanding between people is the key to harmony. Never before has so much knowledge been available to so many. The couple on the card reminds us however, that unless this knowledge is used to build closer links between people, it is a waste of time.

POWER AND CORRUPTION - The Moon The word 'lunatic'' derives from the belief that the moon's rays had the power to intoxicate and send people mad. In the modern world one of the most dangerous forms of intoxication is that of people becoming drunk on power. We see this throughout the world where leaders are corrupted by their power and become self-aggrandizing tyrants. We also see it in the board-rooms of multinational companies where individuals can be seduced by the love of money and the power it brings. The card itself refers to corruption and confusion and to all the dark dealings that happen hidden from the light of day. It has the opposite meaning to the Sun; thus the antidote is to shed light wherever possible.

POPULATION - Judgement With shrinking resources and rising birth rates, population control must be one of the most pressing world issues for this time. This card speaks of a judgement day when things come to a head and decisions have to be made: when the result of our actions good or bad must be accounted for. In the judgement day myth all the people that have ever lived are risen back to life. Best estimates would put this at about 107 billion souls!

THE ENVIRONMENT - The World The World card simply represents fulfillment and completeness. Having the World at one's fingertips means having everything one could possibly want. The problem with having everything we want however, is that this is usually at the expense of the planet. The card's meaning of completeness and self-containment is a reminder that we must get what we want in a way that is sustainable. This is the final card of the Major Arcana and the end point for our journey. This is our home and we cannot get away from it until death; so we should look after it.

For more information on Tarot card meanings visit http://www.tarot-cards-reading.com

Fred Street is the creator of http://www.tarot-cards-reading.com a free Tarot reading site which offers a wide range of readings online and by email. Ideal for anyone learning Tarot.

Your Insurance Premium May Be Affected By Global Warming

The last decade or so have not been a particularly good one for the UK insurance industry. It seems that at least once a year the UK insurance industry gets to feel the bit of a natural disaster somewhere in the world.

In more case than not, environmentalist will then go on record as saying the natural disaster was avoidable, but for the fact that we are subject to ongoing global warming, which we should only expect to get worse. And, the simple fact is that this trend of global climate change may severely affect your insurance premium.

For the 5 year period from 1998 to 2003 (the last on public record), weather-related insurance claims in the UK amounted to ?6 billion. This figure is almost double that paid out during the 5 period immediately prior to this. In this regard, it doesn't take long to realise that UK insurance companies set their premiums based on what they calculate the chances are of them having to pay-out under the insurance policy are.

So, if the chances of having to pay out on an insurance policy for weather-related damages have risen twice in the last 5 years, then it wouldn?t be unfair to assume that weather-related claims could double again in the next 5 years. On this basis, the amount of premium you paid 5 years ago will have quadrupled in 5 years time! However, with industry experts suggesting that future weather related insurance claims could leave many UK insurance companies in financial difficulties, you may well find that loss adjustors determine that the risk has increased significantly more than this, and set a premium suitably high to reflect this point.

Unfortunately, the only way that you can reduce your insurance premiums is to give the UK insurance company reason enough for them to believe that it is unlikely (or less likely) that you?ll make a claim against the insurance company. Nonetheless, when it comes to house insurance, you can hardly reduce the chance that a natural disaster won?t happen ? because that?s out of your hands. As such, as the policyholder you need to consider alternative ways if you want to make sure that your insurance premiums do not rise dramatically.

The only real alternative that is left to policyholders is to increase the minimum payout claim threshold. By the minimum payment payout threshold, what is meant is that you agree not to claim on the insurance unless a minimum amount of damage has been done to your property by the weather. By increasing this sum, you may be able to hold-off on the prospect of having dramatic increases in your annual home insurance policy.

The only other alternative left open to you is to picket you government and ask them to take the issue of global warming seriously. If that were to happen, and there was to be less chance of the natural disaster happening, then this would reduce the level of risk of the insurance company having to pay-out under the policy and this reduction of risk should be reflected in a reduction in your insurance premiums.

Joseph Kenny writes for the Personal Loans Store, where you can compare loans and read the article on Payment Protection Insurance: The True Cost.

Global Warming And What You Can Do

Global warming is a problem faced by our entire society . Regardless of race, ethnicity, homeland, gender, and age, we are all responsible for helping our planet through this tough time. Soon, global warming will reach a tipping point in which there will be nothing that we can do to stop its harmful effects. By doing your part as a concerned citizen, there are some simple changes that you can make to help decrease the damage that you are doing to the planet's climate. Many things that you do in your every day life contribute to global warming, from making your morning commute to simply turning on a light switch. As a country, America produces the most greenhouse gases per year on the planet. It has been shown that the average American contributes 6.6 tons of greenhouse gas per year. These emissions have only increased since the early nineties, and we need to act now to help save our planet?

What can you do to help decrease your greenhouse emissions? By simply changing a few things in your lifestyle, you can help to decrease your greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 12,280 pounds per year. Following are some tips to helping the planet:

When buying electronic equipment, look for the ENERGY STAR label. These devices limit the use of power, thereby allowing you to cut consumption at least a little bit. Computers, fax machines, copy machines, and various other pieces of home office equipment can be found that are ENERGY STAR compliant.

Insulating your home can both reduce your energy bill and help the planet by using less power.

Fluorescent lights or ENERGY STAR lights can be purchased to bring down your electricity need.

Use low flow faucets in both your shower and your sink. If you can't purchase a new toilet, placing a brick in the back of your toilet tank can cut down on the amount of water used in your toilet, saving water.

When relocating, try to find a job close to your home. The very act of commuting is one of the biggest problems with global warming that we face, with suburban employees making hour-long commutes, draining our planet's oil supply and increasing greenhouse emissions. By carpooling 2 days a week, you can cut your greenhouse emissions by 1,590 pounds per year!

When purchasing a new vehicle, look for one with a high miles-per-gallon rating. Hybrids are ideal, but any car that consumes less gas is recommended.

Kadence Buchanan writes articles on many topics including Weather, Science, and Gemstones

Understanding Emissions Trading And Global Warming

It goes without saying that there is often an inherent conflict between science and economies. Emission trading is an interesting effort in the global warming arena.

It is a mild understatement to say that global warming is both a controversial and misunderstood field. As the decay of the ice packs and slowing of the ocean conveyer become more apparent, the controversy is starting to evolve into an acceptance of global warming as a fact. Given this great acceptance, the question is now what to do about it.

Every society is based upon some form of economy. Although globalization is the much touted economic subject of the day, the industrial revolution is still really the heart of most economies. Economies, particularly first world economies, are based on the production of goods and materials through manufacturing. These same processes contribute heavily to greenhouse gases and the global warming debate. With such an inherent conflict between production and reduction of pollutants, find a solution to greenhouse gases has often been a dubious prospect. The concept of emissions trading, however, may be a solution.

Emission caps are a method for dealing with economies on a nationwide scale. Essentially, countries agree to cap their total output of pollutants and greenhouse gases at a certain level. Each government then converts this total amount into individual caps for industries or business. The caps essentially tell the businesses the amount they are allowed to emit and assign penalties and incentives for coming in below or above said amounts. In practical terms, a business is penalized for polluting or given a benefit for cutting pollutants.

The interesting thing about emissions caps is that they can be traded. Ostensibly, a country or business that falls under the cap amounts can trade their excess emissions allotment for money. In turn, other parties that fail to meet their caps must buy these allotments. By taking this approach, reduction of pollutants become not only a moral choice, but a potential profit center. For example, Brazil has done an amazing job of converting automobiles to ethanol. It has now evolved from an oil importer to an exporter and is selling emission credits on the open market.

Emission trading systems do not represent a new approach to dealing with the pollution problem. On smaller scales, such approaches have been used within the United States as part of the Clean Air Act to force municipalities and states to act. With the implementation of the Kyoto Treaty, this process will become full blown on the international scene. Alas, India, China and the United States are not signatories to the Treaty, which is unfortunate given their economic growth and production of greenhouse gases and pollutants.
Rick Chapo is with http://www.solarcompanies.com - a directory of solar energy companies.

Global warming. Should we heed the harbingers of doom?

Copyright 2006 Dr Phil Hariram

Experts tell us we are releasing unacceptable levels of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. If we continue at this rate, by 2070, the polar ice caps will completely melt causing sea levels to rise and all those idyllic islands and a large amount of the continents will be under water. The rainforests will wither away from drought or fires and destructive waves, floods and droughts will be commonplace.

Al Gore thinks that if change is not in place within the next 10 years, then it becomes irreversible.

We need the harbingers of doom. They stop us from destroying this planet. They are responsible for the improvement of the ozone layer. They warned us of the dangers of ozone layer depletion and unless immediate action was taken, then by 2050 the effects would be devastating to our health.

This led directly to the Montreal Protocol banning the use of CFCs in fridges and air conditioning. We still have fridges and air conditioning but without CFCs. Technology got us into that mess and technology got us out.

Experts warned us about acid rain and claimed it was a serious threat to life on earth. It was a bit exaggerated but it hastened the development of new technologies that reduced the release of nitrates and sulphates into the atmosphere.

The primary cause of global warming is our use of fossil fuel. By burning fossil fuel, we are releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The balance in the past was maintained by photosynthesis by plants and phytoplankton. They contain chlorophyll and in the present of sunlight convert carbon dioxide into glucose and releasing oxygen.

Today the level of carbon dioxide released is unacceptably high and in addition we are cutting down rainforests. This results in an imbalance.

In 1997, 38 developed countries laid down a framework to prevent global warming. They requested that by 2012 there must be a reduction of antropogenic carbon dioxide emission by 5% below 1990 level. This is part of the Kyoto Protocol. Sadly the US President in March 2001 renounced the protocol.

US have 25% of the world population but experts say it is responsible for 75% of greenhouse gas emission. While other countries are reducing emission, US emission, according to experts, continue to rise and is currently 15% greater than 1990 level.

Experts tell us we must act now. We must reduce the amount of carbon dioxide we release. To do this we must use alternative sources of energy, make better use of fossil fuel, plant more trees and protect the seas from pollution so that phytoplankton population remain high.

At present there is no obvious viable alternative. Nuclear power has safety problems but there are encouraging research on solar and hydrogen power. Photovoltaic, wind power and power from biomass are slowly being introduced but this process takes time.

Al Gore claims that he is carbon neutral. To achieve this cost money. Not every one can afford this. It takes up to 10 years to recover cost to convert to alternative source of energy. It is therefore important for everyone to make optimum use of energy.

Global warming, unlike other problems, cannot be solved by governments and industries alone. Homeowners have to do their bit. Legislation on emission has made a difference to cars and trucks on the road but there is inadequate control on older vehicles. Home owners must insulate their homes and ensure their Central Heating boilers are efficient. To ensure this is happening, there may well have to be legislation to annually check emission levels from individual homes.

So should we heed the harbingers of doom? According to experts, the Arctic is melting and has already lost an area the size of Texas, that is, 4 times the size of UK. Rising sea level is already causing displacement. The island of Tuvalu in the Pacific will soon be evacuated. Laupepa, a Tuvaluan government official, told a BBC reporter that by refusing to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, the US has effectively denied future generations of Tuvaluans their fundamental freedom to live where their ancestors have lived for thousands of years.

Brazil?s cascading Iguazu falls this year is just a trickle. Britain is experiencing the driest spell this century, and has widespread hose pipe bans.

With global warming and rising sea level, US and European citizens may lose prime beachfront properties but low lying islands will lose nationalities as their citizens are displaced. Do they see the developed countries as nations totally indifferent to their plight?

Dr. Phil Hariram is an Ecoflow Distributor. Ecoflow is an innovative award winning UK company that produces quality magnets for saving energy, health and pets. Dr. Phil uses magnets on his Central Heating Boilers to save energy and his monthly direct debit has been cut by half. Learn more at http://www.saveenergywithmagnets.com