ethanol
global warming
melting glaciers
rising temperatures
save the environment
signs of global warming
super storms
How many years do you think we have to stop the onslaught of Global Warming?
@revellanotvanella (4033)
United States
March 30, 2008 10:53pm CST
Me Im convinced the immediate need to make drastic changes in our life is now and certainly when law makers are not making it an initiative. I hear about islands going nearly under and I get chills, my native people in Alaska having the foundation our entire villages caving in under them from ice melting (permafrost). The winter here in my town barely even happen, the snow was miniscule and I heard alot of talk in North Carolina that the Winters are getting shorter and shorter. I do believe in natural change and it inevitable but when you see the destructive footprint we as humans make its not hard for me to see that I need to be doing whatever I can, even small steps, to begin NOW.
Many I know do not believe this, my boyfriend can't stand my recycling habits and saving the environment its pretty much living in the clouds to him (as much as i love him).
Do you see the effects of global warming around you?
Heard any news tidbits that might not of made it to the news? (Me, I saw a documentary five years ago about Tuva, the Tuvalu people, and now today I hear its nearly going under water, which makes me want to cry because these people were so cultured and not hurting anybody-- ie.)
How has the weather changed around your neighborhood?
Do you still think its all hype, why?
Did you know that corn crops which we now use for ethanol actually contributes to air pollution because many farmers use traditional fire methods to clear out land.
11 responses
@Aingealicia (1905)
• United States
31 Mar 08
It is a bit to late. I do recycle and all that good stuff, like public transportation, but I will tell you it is to late. What has happened has happened and there is nothing we can do about it, we can just try to slow it down.
Even if everyone in the world started today it is to late because of the levels of the temperature in the seas are already on the rise, there is irreversible damage from the Industrial revolution, and there are far to many people in the world. We are even polluting Outer space with every item we send out there such as satellites and the like. We have destroyed animals that will never come back, plants have mutated, and now the bugs, bees, and bats are at risk. The damage the human race though out the ages is irreversible.
However with all the remnants that remain from this society perhaps after the next ice age the new generation for the earth will not make the same mistakes.
I recycle but to few do.
Ainge
@revellanotvanella (4033)
• United States
31 Mar 08
I look forward to that day where humans make that great evolution to come to the level where they really ought to be and maybe material things such as plastic, paper, aluminum, etc will not even be a necessity.
@Aussies2007 (5336)
• Australia
31 Mar 08
I did watch the documentary "An Inconvenient Truth"... and it does make sense to me. I believe it. Those who don't believe... do so... because they would be terrify of it if they thought it was true. So they keep on pretending it is not so.
The biggest culprit of climate change is our over grown population. Each human being generate pollution by its demand for energy.
Coal and oil are the biggest offenders.
- Coal to generate electricity
- oil used by planes and general transport.
Right now... the biggest danger comes from China... which is opening a new coal power station every 7 days!
India is also in the race with China... and will probably be just as bad.
Yes the US is the biggest polluter so far. But when countries like China use the US as an excuse to justify its own pollution... it is all going down hill. Two wrongs has never made one right.
Yes... the West is responsible for the pollution of the last 60 years... and the climate change.
But what will happen now... is that two huge countries like China and India will double our current world pollution almost overnight.
What happen next... is anyone guess...
The single individuals like us can start doing the right things to minimize our personal pollution... but it won't be enough to make up for the pollution produced by China and India.
@revellanotvanella (4033)
• United States
31 Mar 08
That would be interesting to be able to see the 'holes' in the ozone layer above these countries. I do not think one country from the next makes a difference, Carbon emmissions do not discriminate one way or the other and our weather system will take pollution from any country and pass it through antarctica eventually, I just think we all each as people need to take accountability and be like, hey this is the least I can do.
@paid2write (5201)
•
31 Mar 08
We can never stop climate change and can't reverse all the damage we have already done to the earth so I think it is really important that we do as much as we possibly can to slow down the process and try to restrict the effects of global warming. I'm sure you can see the damage it does in Alaska, and there is clear evidence of damage caused by pollution all around the world.
I have also read reports about biofuels contributing to global warming. I think there are many sustainable resources which should be developed to provide power and fuel. Biofuels are just one source, and I worry about the effects of using a lot of land to produce it, already it has put up wheat prices because farmers are encouraged to grow biofuel crops instead of foodcrops. I woner what will be the effect on the environment if biofuel crop growing becomes a monculture in some areas. What nature needs is diversity and unless we can adapt and diversify too we will just continue to do the earth more harm.
@revellanotvanella (4033)
• United States
31 Mar 08
I want to pull my hair out when I hear about ethanol competing with our food supply!! Who's genius idea was this!! Are we as humans that shortsighted--
@danclement (138)
•
31 Mar 08
In my far from professional opinion, I think we're already seeing the effects of climate change and global warming. In Britain we've noticed a huge change in weather over the last couple of years - snow in April, rain in July and blistering heatwaves on and off throughout the year. I'm convinced we can't be the only ones experiencing weird weather patterns - a quick glance at any global weather channel will tell you that.
We have to act now if we're going to have any chance of stopping this. Maybe it's already too late, in which case we might still be able to lessen the blow that global warming and climate change will eventually hit us with.
@revellanotvanella (4033)
• United States
31 Mar 08
I am curious about California and what direction its gonna go, it was so strange seeing one snow storm after another there and the other weird weather more south, I can also tell from fruit in the grocery store, citrus fruit has been sky high all year and never fully ripe.
@techfreak194 (87)
• United States
31 Mar 08
Well i think that here in New York the winter was a little weird. Everything seemed shorter including fall. It felt that Fall was just a prolonged Summer and Winter was a prolonged Fall. Now while it is getting warmer everyone is trying to figure out how we got away with such an easy winter. Even though we got away now i doubt we will in the future. I think that the government should be doing a lot more and we should be worrying 50 times as much.
@revellanotvanella (4033)
• United States
6 Apr 08
i agree, yea, its an 'easy' winter but that create some underlying condition for summer? I worry because this Winter has had such dramatic fluctuations from near zero temperatures right back up to the 70s--in WINTER, and some weeks Im talking day to day weather--very imbalanced, they say earth's poles may be shifting and perhaps this could be a contributing factor on top of the damage?
@subha12 (18441)
• India
31 Mar 08
i also think we should work as fast as we can. it is bringing very gloomy days for us. we are already experiencing weather chages dramatically in this part of world. we all should come forward to combat it.
@Gesusdid (1676)
• United States
31 Mar 08
i do see the changes in the weather , its getting crazier and weirder by the years and seasons it gets hotter in the south during the weirdest months like one winter we hit 70 ? heck 77 on a good day ..and 2 weeks later it snows in the up state? thats nuts , i dont think it will get thru to people until the end which is sad
@idaantipolo (472)
• Philippines
31 Mar 08
We have been abusing mother earth for so many years, I think it would take more years than what we think it would take to heal the damage that's been done.
@twinrachel (215)
•
31 Mar 08
I used to think that it couldn't be as bad as they said. However, out weather has been much hotter over the last 5 years or so with record temperatures every summer, lots of flash floods and hardly any snow in the winter. I am sure that this cannot just be a coincidence.
I tend to recycle a bit and we drive a hybrid car (half electric half petrol). We use energy saving lightbulbs and do not have our heating at too high a temperature. We have also insulated our roof. We have tended to make these changes because they have saved us money rather than for environmental reasons but it i snice that they have a useful side effect.
@james3302 (91)
• United States
31 Mar 08
This problem will be fixed when the government actually takes initiative on the problem. Right now they make more money not worrying about it. And if they did put into place laws that helped this problem they would loose money. Until they figure out a way to make money from helping out they will not.
