Tree Deaths Double

Posted on | January 23, 2009 | Comments Off

An article int the journal Science reports that trees in Western and Northwestern USA are dying at twice the rate of a few decades ago. The climate is changing around them, and the cannot move to escape.

The New York Times reports
“The higher mortality rates held regardless of tree size or type or elevation at which it grew. The fact that birth rates remained unchanged among the nearly 60,000 pines, firs, hemlocks and other trees in the study indicates that forests are losing trees faster than they are replacing them”

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/23/us/23trees.html

Global warming hitting all of Antarctica: scientists

Posted on | January 22, 2009 | Comments Off

PARIS (AFP) – Scientists on Wednesday unveiled evidence to suggest global warming is affecting all of Antarctica, home to the world’s mightiest store of ice.

The average temperature across the White Continent has been rising for the last half century and the finger of blame points at the greenhouse effect, they said.

The research, published in the British journal Nature, takes a fresh look at one of the great unknowns — and dreads — in climate science.

Any significant thaw of Antarctica could drown many coastal cities and delta regions. Bigger than Australia, Antarctica holds enough ice to raise global sea levels by 57 metres (185 feet).

Previous monitoring has already pinpointed the Antarctic Peninsula — the tongue that juts 800 kilometres (500 miles) towards South America — as a “hotspot” where hundreds of glaciers have been in retreat since the start of the decade.

But until now the news has been reassuring regarding Antarctica’s two massive icesheets.

Indeed, a common belief is that the icy slabs have even cooled slightly and possibly thickened, partly in response to the chilling seasonal effects of the ozone hole over the South Pole.

Not so, the new study says.

It calculates that West Antarctica has been warming by 0.17 degrees Celsius (0.3 degrees Fahrenheit) per decade over the past 50 years.

This is even more than the Peninsula, where the average rise is estimated as 0.11 C (0.2 F) per decade.

There has indeed been some cooling in East Antarctica, but this was mainly in the autumn, and occurred as a result of the ozone hole. There was also a period of strong cooling between 1970 and 2000.

But, overall and when calculated over 50 years, East Antarctica has warmed too — by an average of 0.1 C (0.18 F) per decade, a figure that the authors describe as “significant”.

“The sense of ‘Oh, it’s cooling in East Antarctica,’ is based essentially on the 1970-2000 period, and it’s warmed since then — although we don’t have a lot of data for the most recent period — and it definitely warmed prior to the 1970s,” Eric Steig, a professor of Earth and space sciences at the University of Washington, told AFP.

“When you look at the big picture on that, the average [trend in East Antarctica] is actually warming.”

Put together, the average temperature rise for Antarctica is put at 0.12 C (0.22 F) per decade, the study said.

The work is based on a 25-year archive of observations by satellites measuring the intensity of infrared light radiated by the snow pack. These were buttressed by data from automated weather stations deployed around the Antarctic coast since 1957.

The paper does not venture any estimate about ice loss or predict the icesheets’ stability, but says only global warming can logically explain the temperature trend.

“This shouldn’t cause anyone to worry more than they did before. But what it does do is kill off the rather silly and careless statements out there from some people to the effect that Antarctica’s cooling,” said Steig.

Such comments “put into question all the other science that supports the idea that there is warming and it’s human beings’ fault,” he said.

There could be bad news a few decades down the road, when efforts to fix the ozone hole bear fruit, added Steig.

“The hole could be eliminated by the middle of this century. If that happens, all of Antarctica could begin warming on a par with the rest of the world,” he warned.

The West Antarctic icesheet, which holds enough ice to boost global sea levels by up to six metres (19.5 feet), lies at an average height of about 1,800 metres (6,000 feet).

The East Antarctic icesheet, divided from West Antarctica by a mountain chain, has an average elevation of around 3,000 metres (10,000 feet), which makes it not only bigger but also colder.

If it melted in its entirety — something that most scientists discount except only as a very distant doomsday scenario — today’s coastlines would be drowned to a height of 50 metres (165 feet).

The White House Agenda

Posted on | January 21, 2009 | Comments Off

by President Barack Obama

ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT

The energy challenges our country faces are severe and have gone unaddressed for far too long. Our addiction to foreign oil doesn’t just undermine our national security and wreak havoc on our environment — it cripples our economy and strains the budgets of working families all across America. President Obama and Vice President Biden have a comprehensive plan to invest in alternative and renewable energy, end our addiction to foreign oil, address the global climate crisis and create millions of new jobs.

The Obama-Biden comprehensive New Energy for America plan will:
* Help create five million new jobs by strategically investing $150 billion over the next ten years to catalyze private efforts to build a clean energy future.
* Within 10 years save more oil than we currently import from the Middle East and Venezuela combined.
* Put 1 million Plug-In Hybrid cars — cars that can get up to 150 miles per gallon — on the road by 2015, cars that we will work to make sure are built here in America.
* Ensure 10 percent of our electricity comes from renewable sources by 2012, and 25 percent by 2025.
* Implement an economy-wide cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050.

Energy Plan Overview

Provide Short-term Relief to American Families –
* Crack Down on Excessive Energy Speculation.
* Swap Oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to Cut Prices.

Eliminate Our Current Imports from the Middle East and Venezuela within 10 Years –
* Increase Fuel Economy Standards.
* Get 1 Million Plug-In Hybrid Cars on the Road by 2015.
* Create a New $7,000 Tax Credit for Purchasing Advanced Vehicles.
* Establish a National Low Carbon Fuel Standard.
* A “Use it or Lose It” Approach to Existing Oil and Gas Leases.
* Promote the Responsible Domestic Production of Oil and Natural Gas.

Create Millions of New Green Jobs –
* Ensure 10 percent of Our Electricity Comes from Renewable Sources by 2012, and 25 percent by 2025.
* Deploy the Cheapest, Cleanest, Fastest Energy Source – Energy Efficiency.
* Weatherize One Million Homes Annually.
* Develop and Deploy Clean Coal Technology.
* Prioritize the Construction of the Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline.

Reduce our Greenhouse Gas Emissions 80 Percent by 2050 –
* Implement an economy-wide cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050.
* Make the U.S. a Leader on Climate Change.

Also, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan includes sections on the environment:
* Doubling the production of alternative energy in the next three years.
* Modernizing more than 75% of federal buildings and improve the energy efficiency of two million American homes, saving consumers and taxpayers billions on our energy bills.

To finally spark the creation of a clean energy economy, we will double the production of alternative energy in the next three years. We will modernize more than 75% of federal buildings and improve the energy efficiency of two million American homes, saving consumers and taxpayers billions on our energy bills. In the process, we will put Americans to work in new jobs that pay well and can’t be outsourced – jobs building solar panels and wind turbines; constructing fuel-efficient cars and buildings; and developing the new energy technologies that will lead to even more jobs, more savings, and a cleaner, safer planet in the bargain.

Take 5 Actions To Go Green!

Posted on | January 21, 2009 | 5 Comments

by Go Green Louisville, KY

You can make a difference…we can help! Use this page to connect with Go Green services, programs and information offered by Louisville Metro Government, related agencies and partners. Get Involved. Take Action!

1. Save Energy
2. Protect Our Water
3. Clean Our Air
4. Preserve Our Land
5. Recycle & Reuse

SAVE ENERGY
* Replace 4 lightbulbs with compact fluorescent lightbulbs. Eliminate 1800 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions over the life of the bulbs.
* Buy Energy Star products and appliances.
* Turn lights and computers off when they are not in use.
* Clean your refrigerator coils. Dust on the coils located in the back of a refrigerator makes it less efficient.
* Change or clean the filters in your air conditioners and heaters.
* Use sleep mode on your computers at home and at the office. Turn them off at night.
* Open the dishwasher and air-dry dishes instead of using the hot air dry cycle.Only run the machine with full loads.
* Dry your laundry on a clothesline.
* Wash clothes on warm or cold cycle, not hot.Wash only full loads.
* Turn down your hot water heater to 120F.
* Shorten showers by a few minutes to conserve hot water.
* Adjust thermostat when you leave the house (10F down in winter, 10F up in summer).
* Keep up with basic furnace maintenance. Have it professionally tuned and cleaned, and replace air filters regularly.
* Cook more efficiently. Cover pots, use a pressure cooker when appropriate, keep burners clean, cook several dishes at a time in the oven, and use a microwave to heat food.
* Keep drapes or blinds closed at night in winter and during the day in the summer to reduce heating and cooling needs.
* Install faucet aerators in sinks to reduce hot water use.
* Insulate the 4 ft of hot water pipes closest to hot water heater.
* Insulate all hot water pipes.
* Caulk and weatherstrip all your doors and windows.
* Have a professional seal your heating ducts to reduce the loss of heated air.
* Install a programmable thermostat.
* Replace appliances–dishwashers, refrigerators, washing machines–that are more 10 years old with an Energy Star model. The older models are less efficient than newer ones.
* Replace your old furnace with efficient Energy Star model.
Install a solar hot water heater.
* Eat one less beef meal per week. It takes far more energy to produce meat for consumption than it does to raise a crop.

PROTECT OUR WATER
* Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth. Save 4 gallons of water a day.
* Install an efficient showerhead and low flow faucet aerators.
* Run the dishwasher and washing machine only when there is a full load, or use low water level features.
* Water your lawn in the early morning, when temperatures are cooler, to minimize evaporation.
* Repair dripping faucets and leaky toilets.
* Take your motor oil or household chemicals to city-sponsored household hazardous waste drop-off events for disposal.Do not pour them down the sewer drain.
* Disconnect your down spouts when appropriate.
* Plant a rain garden.
* Install a rain barrel or cistern in your yard.
* Don’t throw your old medicines down the drain. Save them for our next Prescription Drug Toss (click for details) coming up May 20-22. Residents are asked to bring their old medicines to several different collection sites for proper disposal – keeping those chemicals out of landfills and out of the water supply. 2008 will be the third annual Prescription Drug Toss. Last year, 381 pounds of mediation were collected and disposed of by LMPD Narcotics Officers and 80 pounds of pill bottles were recycled. Watch this site for the exact locations.

CLEAN OUR AIR
* Replace at least one trip a month with walking, bicycling or using TARC. Decrease carbon dioxide emission by 1,000 pounds.
* Inflate car tires to the manufacturer’s recommended levels.
* Walk or ride a bicycle for short trips in your neighborhood.
* Do not warm up your car–idling releases emissions. Automatic transmissions do not need to be warmed.
* Use an electric or push lawn mower.
* Purchase low odor paints. These reduce the amount of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) or fumes in your home.
* Refuel when it’s cool. Refuel during the evenings or early in the morning when the air is cool.
* Join the KAIRE clean-air Network.
* Stop at the “click.” Topping off your tank releases gas fumes into the air and cancels the benefits of the pump’s anti-pollution devices.
* Use a gas or electric grill instead of charcoal. Lighter fluid is harmful to the air. Maintain your propane tanks according to specifications.

PRESERVE OUR LAND
* Plant or care for a city tree by watering, mulching, and removing litter. Help to capture 3.6 pounds of carbon dioxide per year from the atmosphere.
* Eliminate lawn and garden pesticides.
* Help protect and enhance Louisville’s Metro Parks.
* Join a cleanup or organize one for your neighborhood.
* Leave grass clippings on your lawn or compost them.
* Reduce disposable items by using canvas shopping bags, silverware and ceramic coffee mugs.
* Buy recycled products.
* Use rechargeable batteries.
* Apply for a Brightside NatureScape Grant.
* When it rains, let nature work for you and limit watering your lawn and/or garden.
* Cover plant beds with composted leaves or grass to help retain moisture and reduce the need for watering.
* Go organic. Most lawn and garden centers now offer several organic fertilizers and pesticides.
* Limit your lawn, and consider Low-Maintenance Landscaping. Most people over water their lawns, so consider planting native shrubs, ground covers or vegetables, which use less water.
* Plant trees to shade your house in the summer.
* Join a gardening club.
* Plant a green roof. Green roofs reduce roof-top temperatures, create habitat for wildlife and reduce storm water runoff.

RECYCLE AND REUSE
* Recycle ten aluminum cans a week. Save enough energy to light a 100-watt incandescent bulb for 35 hours, or a 25-watt compact fluorescent bulb for 140 hours. Plus, it keeps the cans out of our city’s landfill.
* Compost your food waste.
* Recycle your old computers, televisions and other electronics with Metro Government’s CyberCycle program.
* Use Metro Government’s curbside recycling (within the Urban Services District) or drop-off recycling locations (throughout suburban areas).
* Pay your bills online to reduce paper.
* Choose products made with recycled content. Look for the chasing arrows symbol.