An Inconvenient Truth - and What You Can Do

In Biology this week, we've talked about the carbon cycle and global warming. Then we watched An Inconvenient Truth and saw lots of alarming science. Did you know that we are already seeing effects of global warming? On the Inconvenient Truth website, scientists have stated the following facts:

1. " The number of Category 4 and 5 hurricanes has almost doubled in the last 30 years.
   
2. Malaria has spread to higher altitudes in places like the Colombian Andes, 7,000 feet above sea level.


3. The flow of ice from glaciers in Greenland has more than doubled over the past decade.


4. At least 279 species of plants and animals are already responding to global warming, moving closer to the poles."

Scientists also predict the following changes:

1. Deaths from global warming will double in just 25 years -- to 300,000 people a year


2. Global sea levels could rise by more than 20 feet with the loss of shelf ice in Greenland and Antarctica, devastating coastal areas worldwide.


3. Heat waves will be more frequent and more intense.


4. Droughts and wildfires will occur more often.


5. The Arctic Ocean could be ice free in summer by 2050.


6. More than a million species worldwide could be driven to extinction by 2050."
   

Curious about how you affect global warming. Take this quiz to see how big your carbon footprint is.

Geeze, this all looks rather hopeless, doesn't it? In fact, a lot of people look at these facts and say "Ok, so I get that global warming is real. But this is such a huge problem, that there's just no hope that I can do something to fix it," and so the problem goes on. Is there anything you can do? Actually, yes! Here are some things you can do - right now - that can help counter global warming.

1. Replace a regular incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb (cfl).
CFLs use 60% less energy than a regular bulb. This simple switch will save
about 300 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. If every family in the U.S. made
the switch, we’d reduce carbon dioxide by more than 90 billion pounds! You
can purchase CFLs online from the Energy Federation.

2. Move your thermostat down 2 degrees in winter and up 2 degrees in summer. Almost half of the energy we use in our homes goes to heating and cooling. You could save about 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year with this simple adjustment. The American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy has more tips for saving energy on heating and cooling.

3. Choose energy efficient appliances when making new purchases. Look for the Energy Star label on new appliances to choose the most efficient models. If each household in the U.S. replaced its existing appliances with the most efficient models available, we’d eliminate 175 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions every year!

4. Use less hot water. It takes a lot of energy to heat water. You can use less hot water by installing a low flow showerhead (350 pounds of carbon dioxide saved per year) and washing your clothes in cold or warm water (500 pounds saved per year) instead of hot.

5. Use a clothesline instead of a dryer whenever possible. You can save 700 pounds of carbon dioxide when you air dry your clothes for 6 months out of the year.




6. Turn off electronic devices you’re not using. Simply turning off your television, DVD player, stereo, and computer when you’re not using them will save you thousands of pounds of carbon dioxide a year.


7. Unplug electronics from the wall when you’re not using them. Even when turned off, things like hairdryers, cell phone chargers and televisions use energy. In fact, the energy used to keep display clocks lit and memory chips working accounts for 5 percent of total domestic energy consumption and spews 18 million tons of carbon into the atmosphere every year!


8. Only run your dishwasher when there’s a full load and use the energy-saving setting. You can save 100 pounds of carbon dioxide per year.


9. Be sure you’re recycling at home (when you can). You can save 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide a year by recycling half of the waste your household generates. Earth 911 can help you find recycling resources in your area.


10. Buy recycled paper products. It takes less 70 to 90% less energy to make recycled paper and it prevents the loss of forests worldwide.





11.Plant a tree. A single tree will absorb one ton of carbon dioxide over its lifetime. Shade provided by trees can also reduce your air conditioning bill by 10 to 15%. The Arbor Day Foundation has information on planting and provides trees you can plant with membership.



12. Buy fresh foods instead of frozen. Frozen food uses 10 times more energy to produce.

13. Avoid heavily packaged products. You can save 1,200 pounds of carbon dioxide if you cut down your garbage by 10%.

Want to see the complete list? You can find it here.

You're right. The climate crisis is a really big problem. But solving it has to start somewhere. Why not you?

*All facts, figures, tips and pictures came from the Inconvenient Truth website. Accessed on February 20, 2009.