Global Warming Issues
If you are interested in the global warming issue, the film, An Inconvenient Truth, by Al Gore is available on DVD now and I believe it is worth watching. I've also read the book An Inconvenient Truth. The book reports Al Gore's presentation on global warming and it gives some additional information not available in the film. It is useful to have a hard copy of An Inconvenient Truth to look up the various graphs and facts pertaining to the subject. The book/film present convincing evidence that global warming is occurring and the phenomenon is correlated to the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. What I have heard from the skeptics of An Inconvenient Truth is that correlation between carbon dioxide in the atmosphere with average temperature does not prove causation of global warming. Correlation not proving causation may be true in some instances, but I believe in this case the carbon dioxide increase does cause global warming. One possible study to prove this might be to vary the concentration of carbon dioxide with a constant light/heat source in a controlled environment and measure the temperature. One could also try this with other greenhouse gases and see how the temperature varies. Perhaps these studies have already been done. Nevertheless, I think they would add support to the arguments presented in An Inconvenient Truth.
One of the most troubling issues reported in An Inconvenient Truth is the fact that increased global warming may have led to areas of the world getting drier, which then led to crop failures. The world population needs to feed themselves. Therefore, it is vital we gain control of this issue.
Another potential negative consequence of global warming that is not stressed enough in An Inconvenient Truth is that increased ocean temperatures could lead to a decrease in the oxygen content in the seas. This, in turn, could lead to the production of certain microbes, which produce hydrogen sulfide. Hydrogen sulfide is toxic to higher life forms, and could cause widespread species loss in the oceans. Even worse, would be if the concentration of hydrogen sulfide became so high in the atmosphere that it would be toxic to humans. I have read that there have been similar species collapses like this in the past history of the Earth and I believe them to be true. Can we afford to gamble with this evidence? Here is a link pertaining to this subject that you may find of interest: global warming.
These possible consequences of global warming sound gloomy, but it does not mean that we cannot do anything about our future. We need to be very aggressive about renewable energy, such as wind and solar. There should be solar panels and wind farms wherever feasible. The various world governments ought to give strong financial incentives to homeowners, businesses, and other organizations that use these renewable technologies. We have to curb the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere caused by power generation. Carbon dioxide sequestering for coal powerplants should also be rigorously investigated. As for transportation, government ought to support hybrid vehicles and provide incentives to those who drive hybrids. An even more aggressive stance would be for government to make hybrid car use mandatory for those who drive. Government could also cap the amount of miles one can drive. There are solutions to the global warming problem.
One benefit I'd like to see is to give government-sponsored financial benefits to those who bike or walk to work/school. These individuals are not squandering the finite amount of oil remaining and they are not spewing out carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Not only that, biking/walking is healthier for you, leading to a potential decrease in healthcare bills. If you haven't guessed, I am all for building many bike paths for walking, biking, and rollerblading. I think these environmentally responsible modes of transportation should be a high priority on the agenda of public education.
An Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore is a presentation that illustrates the important issues pertaining to global warming. Give it a viewing/reading and feel free to write your comments on my weblog.
One of the most troubling issues reported in An Inconvenient Truth is the fact that increased global warming may have led to areas of the world getting drier, which then led to crop failures. The world population needs to feed themselves. Therefore, it is vital we gain control of this issue.
Another potential negative consequence of global warming that is not stressed enough in An Inconvenient Truth is that increased ocean temperatures could lead to a decrease in the oxygen content in the seas. This, in turn, could lead to the production of certain microbes, which produce hydrogen sulfide. Hydrogen sulfide is toxic to higher life forms, and could cause widespread species loss in the oceans. Even worse, would be if the concentration of hydrogen sulfide became so high in the atmosphere that it would be toxic to humans. I have read that there have been similar species collapses like this in the past history of the Earth and I believe them to be true. Can we afford to gamble with this evidence? Here is a link pertaining to this subject that you may find of interest: global warming.
These possible consequences of global warming sound gloomy, but it does not mean that we cannot do anything about our future. We need to be very aggressive about renewable energy, such as wind and solar. There should be solar panels and wind farms wherever feasible. The various world governments ought to give strong financial incentives to homeowners, businesses, and other organizations that use these renewable technologies. We have to curb the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere caused by power generation. Carbon dioxide sequestering for coal powerplants should also be rigorously investigated. As for transportation, government ought to support hybrid vehicles and provide incentives to those who drive hybrids. An even more aggressive stance would be for government to make hybrid car use mandatory for those who drive. Government could also cap the amount of miles one can drive. There are solutions to the global warming problem.
One benefit I'd like to see is to give government-sponsored financial benefits to those who bike or walk to work/school. These individuals are not squandering the finite amount of oil remaining and they are not spewing out carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Not only that, biking/walking is healthier for you, leading to a potential decrease in healthcare bills. If you haven't guessed, I am all for building many bike paths for walking, biking, and rollerblading. I think these environmentally responsible modes of transportation should be a high priority on the agenda of public education.
An Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore is a presentation that illustrates the important issues pertaining to global warming. Give it a viewing/reading and feel free to write your comments on my weblog.
posted by Raz at
5:51 PM
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