Carbon Dioxide, Methane & Temperature

Scientific models derived by analyzing the ice sheets as old as 650 thousand years to the present, in Antarctic circle have shown that Carbon Dioxide levels are directly proportional to the corresponding temperatures all along. Human activity apparently upset the 650,000 year old carbon dioxide patterns. Carbon dioxide levels are now 27 percent higher than at any point in the last 650,000 years, according to research (Study on Antarctic ice cores published on Thursday in Science). If we keep releasing CO2 at the same rate the levels of CO2 are going to double by the end of the century. Thats like a lot of green house effect.

But what remains to be seen is the relation between the level of CO2 and Temperature level. I have managed to get a screen shot from Al Gore’s climate change documentary AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH.

The red line represents the level of Co2 is last 650,00 years and blue lines are the corresponding temperatures in their respective periods. The temperature patterns are a very complex and depend on N number of factors. However in a general sense Temperature change is attributed to Co2 levels in the atmosphere. If this is true then Global warming is true and is happening.

Other Implications Higher Global Temperatures

• The oceans act as great sinks for Co2, however if we keep adding more Co2 to the atmosphere more of it will be absorbed into the sea. Thus formic Carbonic acids and increasing the acidity levels. Which could lead to destruction of coral reefs and other forms of oceanic life forms. Which ultimately destroying the natural balance of marine life.
• Under the depths of sea there are large quantities of frozen Methyl Hydrides which are kept in check by the High pressure and low temperatures of the Ocean Depth. But even with a little increase in temperature of the ocean, these methyl hydrides release Methane gas (CH4). It is estmated that if all the methyl hydrates in the ocean bed are relased, the amount of methane in the atmosphere would be increased by 3000 times and Methane gas is 24 times more powerful than Co2 as a green house gas. Hence keeping ocean temperatures in check is very critical.
• Thawing of Permafrosts also leads to dangerous consequences, thawing leads to increase microbial activity again which lead to Methane release. If this happens the total increase in Methane would be 1o times of what is present in atmosphere now. Sadly Methane is just not another green house gas, it is highly flammable. So with such high quantities of methane in atmosphere a simple lighting can lead to an explosion equivalent several nuclear bombs in the atmosphere, spelling a apocalypse.

‘What Is Global Warming?’ For Starters

What Is Global Warming?

Global warming is the term that describes an increase in the average temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere and its oceans. The natural greenhouse effect keeps the Earth warmer, with out it the whole temperature of the Earth would be 30° C cooler than it otherwise would be. We (The earth with out life) would be reeling under series of super cold waves and Earth would have been a huge ice freeze ball. It would have been impossible even for the birth of life at first place.

And Scientific opinion on climate change by UN Panel on Climate Change is that the average global temperature has risen between 0.6 and 0.2° C since the late 19th century. These increasing temperatures are the result of a strengthening greenhouse effect caused primarily by human influenced increases in carbon and other greenhouse gases (Methane, Nitrous Oxide etc). However a small minority of scientists contest this view.

Based on basic science, observational sensitivity studies, and the climate models referenced by the IPCC, temperatures may increase by 1.4 to 5.8° C between 1990 and 2100.
Higher temperatures will have serious implications on our world.

The implications of a rise in the global temperature are quite obvious. The snow cover and ice have receded in the coldest parts of the earth. Even the mountain glaciers are suffering the same fate  and there is an estimated decrease of 2/5th in the arctic ice thickness in recent years. If the warming trend continues, as it is expected to, the consequences are predicted to be severe and will be something really hard to deal with.

• Rise in sea level: The Arctic region warmed significantly in the 1990s compared to the 1980s, as did other regions with large ice stores. Global mean sea level is projected to rise from 0.29 to 2.88 feet between 1990 and 2100, and to continue rising at an even faster rate after that. Rising sea levels could cause significant amounts of coastline and many islands to become submerged.

• Agricultural impact:Because of warming up of the earth surface, it is natural for the humidity in the soil to come down, thus there by making the land dry and infertile. The soil becomes infertile because of restricted microbial activity. Such unfavorable conditions not only restrict the growth of agricultural crops but also kill the existing plantations and flora. Climate change would lead to adverse impacts on crop yields and water resources. This increases the risk of international food insecurity triggered by drought, flooding, and migration due to environmental changes.

• Severe weather: The World Meteorological Organization reports that global warming will continue to disrupt global weather patterns, causing extreme weather conditions such as drought, flooding, and severe heat and cold. There has been a marked increase in the number of tropical storms since 1990. In fact, the 2005 hurricane season was the worst on record.

• Species extinction: Significant climate change could potentially cause the extinction of large numbers of plants and animals. According to various estimates, every day 35- 150 species of plant and animal life become extinct. The National Wildlife Fund reports that some species are shifting their ranges north, or bearing young earlier.

The above are few of the implications, however we shall add a few more to the listed above and get back to each of them, in detail in subsequent posts. Keep following, more is yet to come.

The Link Between Frugality and Environmentalism

There is a whole sub-culture within the personal finance world that is dedicated to frugal living (reducing your living expenses), and a lot of what we talk about here on Planet Green fits within that tradition. One frugal guru is Amy Dacyczyn, author of the Tightwad Gazette, a newslatter that ran for 6 years during the early 1990s. In one of these, she wrote about her realization that frugality and ecology overlapped in many ways, and that a lot of the things that she had been doing to save money were also green. Below is an insightful excerpt of what she wrote on the subject in an article titled “Thrift and the Environment”:

“I realized that economy and ecology are like two circles that overlap about 90%. The remaining 10% is the area where doing the right thing for the environment costs more. [Also], sometimes doing the right thing economically is not good for the environment. For example, the use of coupons and rebates can make an overly packaged product less expensive than its equivalent prepared from scratch. [...]

But having successfully blended the areas of economy and ecology in the 90% area, we have found that we now have some surplus money, and this surplus gives us economic room to reexamine some of the areas within the 10%. [...]

People tend to think that environmental damage occurs because of sloppy practices in some factories out there. In fact, we consumers create the demand for what the factories produce.”

For more on Amy and the Tightwad Gazette, see a review here. We encourage you to pick it up (or get it from the library!) and see if you can apply some of the tips to your life.

So with this in mind, don’t let anybody call you ‘cheap’ because you are following some of the tips from Planet Green. Saving money is just a side effect of being green!

SOURCE: planetgreen.discovery.com

Drive Less & Drive More Efficiently

Aint the Oil prices soaring high?

Crude Oil in early nineties (1994), costed nearly $20/Barrel now rocketed to 120$/Barrel in mid 2008. Estimates by Goldman Sachs say that oil prices could end up any where between 150-200$ in the next two years. Bad news? Well might be, it slows down the economy and yada yada. The exponential rise in crude oil prices is will environmentalists delight. Reports suggest the number of fuel miles is coming down when compared to the same time last year in US.

Higher fuel prices imply lesser Usage of personal vehicles

=> Lesser Carbon emissions

=> Positive contribution to Global warming

=> Lesser Traffic congestion, leading to less wastage of fuel in the idling time.

=> Lesser fuel Usage implies decrease in demand, could lead to lesser oil prices.

=> Lesser chances of you bumping into someones head, there by saving their lives. he he..

Apart from avoiding vehicle, can i do anything else to save fuel and reduce gasoline carbon foot print?

Technically there are a million things which one do. However I’ve complied a few of the practical and easier ones here.

• Switch of the engine at the traffic signals if the idling time is more than 30 seconds. One car or one bike doesn’t matter, but imagine a couple of thousand doing it, we are in turn saving thousands of litres of petrol (and money) and corresponding carbon emissions.
• Driving practices go a long way in saving lot of fuel, as a rule of thumb always keep your engine in good condition and increase fuel efficiency in 1200 to 3000 rpm range, and shift the gear upwards for the engine speed of 2000 to 2500 rpm.
• Remove all the junk in your boot. Lighter the ride, lesser is the load on the engine and lesser the load smoother is the ride. And better fuel efficiency is on your side.
• Avoid using AC for car speed below 30 miles. For speeds greater than that you can happily switch on AC, as the air drag which puts additional load by opening your car windows the engine equals to the fuel consumed by switching your AC on.
• Discourage people buying cars whose mileage is less than 35 Miles/Gallon or 15Km/Litre of Gasoline.

Todays Slogan: Minimalism does the trick

And Few facts

+ Production of every new car releases 4 Tonnes of Carbon and 302 Kg of other pollutants into the atmosphere. We don’t need a new car if you keep your old one in decent running order, unless of course your car is a fuel guzzler.

+ Burning One Litre of Petrol leads to 2.344 Kg Of CO2.

+ Each tree absorbs 22 kg of CO2 every year (for at least 40 years)

So how many trees does it take to eat away all the Carbon from the Fuel you burn?