Global Warming and the Steps You Can Take to Reduce It
Posted: Saturday, July 01, 2006
by Grace Cherian
Freelance writer & editor
Our earth is in trouble, and we've got to save it!
"If you lose touch with nature you lose touch with humanity. If there's no relationship with nature then you become a killer then you kill baby seals, whales, dolphins, and man either for gain, for "sport, " for food, or for knowledge. Then nature is frightened of you, withdrawing its beauty. You may take long walks in the woods or camp in lovely places, but you are a killer and so lose their friendship. You probably are not related to anything, to your wife, or your husband "
Global warming is the most serious problem we face in the 21st century. What is global warming? It is the gradual increase in the temperature of the earth caused by gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxides, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), and halocarbons that we put into the atmosphere. Without these gases, heat would escape back into space and the earth’s temperature would be about 60 °F colder. Because of how these gases warm our world, they are referred to as greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gas emissions are caused mainly by the fossil fuels we use for energy.
The Greenhouse Effect
Greenhouses look like small glass houses. They are used to grow plants, especially in the winter. Greenhouses work by trapping heat from the sun. The glass panels of the greenhouse let in light but keep heat from escaping. This causes the greenhouse to heat up, much like the inside of a car parked in sunlight, and keeps the plants warm enough to thrive in the winter.
The earth’s atmosphere is all around us. It is the air that we breathe. Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere behave much like the glass panes in a greenhouse. Sunlight enters the earth’s atmosphere, passing through the blanket of greenhouse gases. As it reaches the earth’s surface, the land, water, and biosphere absorb the sunlight’s energy. Once absorbed, this energy is sent back into the atmosphere. Some of the energy passes back into space, but much of it remains trapped in the atmosphere by the greenhouse gases, causing our world to heat up.
We send greenhouse gases into the air whenever we do the following:
- Watch TV
- Use the air conditioner
- Listen to the stereo
- Turn on a light
- Use a hairdryer
- Ride in a car
- Play a video game
- Wash or dry clothes
- Use a dishwasher
- Microwave
To perform many of these functions, you need to use electricity. Electricity comes from power plants. Most power plants use coal ad oil to make electricity. Burning coal and oil produces greenhouse gases.
The trash that we send to landfills produces a greenhouse gas called methane. Methane is also produced by the animals we raise for dairy and meat products and when we take coal out of the ground. Whenever we drive or ride in a car, we are adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. And when factories make the things that we buy and use everyday, they too are sending greenhouse gases into the air.
What you can do to help reduce global warming
Ordinary people can help immediately by becoming more energy efficient. Stop using the familiar incandescent light bulbs and replace them with compact fluorescent bulbs, which last much longer and use only a quarter of the energy consumed by conventional bulbs.
Compact fluorescent bulbs are significantly more expensive, but because they last so long (up to 10 times the life of a standard bulb) and use so little electricity, they are substantially cheaper in the long run.
Next, when shopping for an appliance–a refrigerator, a dishwasher, an air-conditioner–select the one with the highest energy efficiency rating. There will be a sticker on the appliance, telling you how much energy it uses. Pay attention. There can be a difference of 30 percent to 40 percent or more in the amount of energy consumed by appliances with comparable features.
Many things, like computers, TVs, stereos, and VCRs have special labels on them. The label says "Energy" and has a picture of a star. Products with the ENERGY® label are made to save energy. Buying products with ENERGY® labels will help protect the environment.
Even more important is the choice you make in the car or truck you buy. Motor vehicles are responsible for about a third of the carbon dioxide emissions in the United States . The vehicles that are the most fuel efficient emit the least carbon dioxide. (Fuel economy and carbon dioxide emissions are inversely proportional. If you double fuel economy, you cut carbon dioxide emissions in half.)
According to the research and advocacy group, Environmental Defense, if you buy a new car that gets 10 more miles per gallon than your old car, you will reduce the production of carbon dioxide in one year by about 2,500 pounds.
So buying a car or truck that suits your needs and is fuel efficient is a big help.
Honda and Toyota are bringing so-called hybrid vehicles onto the market in the U.S. Hybrids are cars that combine an internal combustion engine and a battery-powered electric motor. They are mid-sized cars that are achieving twice the fuel economy of conventional cars.
Dr. Paul Epstein, associate director of the Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard Medical School , summed up the matter as follows: "The issue is not so much what we are doing, but how we power what we are doing. That's the first step."
Over the long term, the requirements are far more ambitious. Ideally, over the course of the next 100 or so years, a transformation will take place and most energy end up coming not from fossil fuels like coal and oil, but from clean energy sources–the sun, the wind, hydrogen, and non-polluting fuel cells.
Grace Cherian is a Toronto-based freelance writer and editor who has done assignments for both local and overseas clients. Her website address is www.gracecherian.com.
This Article has been viewed 949 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)Grace, good article and some good tips. I agree completely with your sentiments!
We want your comments! If you can read this, you don't have javascript enabled, so you can't use this comment system. Please enable javascript.