5 Things You Can Do Against Global Warming Today!

The tricky thing with global warming is that, when you read about hurricanes, thunderstorms and melting glaciers, you tend to feel that, there is not much you can do about it, therefore you follow the easiest way: ignore the problem and hope for the best. On the other hand, if you switch from the broader picture to the level of your everyday life you will find a whole bunch of things you can do, without involving any real effort on your side. And, to tell you the truth, these small things matter a whole lot more, than you could ever imagine. So, without further do, I’ll show you five things, you can do against global warming before the end of the day.

1. Air conditioning. We all know that, air conditioning sucks, in the way it destroys the environment. Still, we all hate sweating, especially when not on the beach or tennis court. So what you can do is find a compromise. Why don’t you set your air condition system to 1-2 degrees higher temperature than it is set right now. You wouldn’t guess how much that means concerning the energy consumption, but, as Mr. White said in Madonna-speech: A lot. And anyway, when it’s 28 degrees Celsius (82.4 degrees Fahrenheit) out there, even 25 will make you feel cool enough, you won’t need 18 for that. Do the same in your car!
2. Your computer. For god’s sake, shut your computer down at the end of the day! I was always amazed to read (and my experiences are the same) that, around 80% of people won’t shut their computers down for the night. Not even for the weekend. I mean, why the hell not? Do they expect to save on the boot-up time, or what? Come on, your computer will boot up while you drink your coffee, no matter what kind of computer that is. It doesn’t need to be running all weekend for that!
3. Think twice before hitting Ctrl+P! Printing pages you want to read is okay, since nobody likes to read much on the screen of a monitor. But printing every page you come across is way beyond necessary, and, unfortunately, quite a lot of people still do it. Before printing a page think it over whether you really need it to be printed. And, as for this post, please bookmark it instead of printing it!
4. Drive less! I know, your given conditions may vary in wide range, but if you are anything like me, working and living in a busy city, you can always consider using public transportation at least sometimes, when you are not in a hurry. If you still must drive, consider driving somebody. The more persons sit in your car, the fewer cars you’ll need.
5. Switch off a light! I work in a huge office building. As far as I guess, around 500-600 people work here. The building has 5 stories, countless offices and corridors. And for the night, lights on every corridor and stairway are switched on. Security says it is because of the security cameras, Still, I don’t understand. Values (computers, documents and anything that could possibly be stolen) are in the offices not on corridors and stairways! I assume it is a huge waste of energy. So please, at least in your office, when you leave it: switch the lights off!

I’m sure you have more ideas or experiences. Please, don’t hesitate to leave a comment or drop me an email!

Armies must get ready for global warming role

I don't know about you, but my first associations of global warming, climate change and the expected ecological disasters come from catastrophe movies like the Water World, Day after tomorrow, and ultimately from Mad Max.

And sometimes I have to wonder, how close that might be to our expected future.

Global warming now becomes such a treat to global security, that military planners must build it into their calculations - the head of Britain's armed forces said on Monday.

Sounds really foreshadowing, eh?

According to Jock Stirrup, chief of defence staff, climate change includes risks like lack of drinking water supply, agricultural disasters, therefore possibilities of famine, and most of all the need for evacuating millions of people from their homes, that could cause weakened states, and had to become a feature of military planning.

First analyses, however show, that this new approach doesn't mean the georgaphical focus needs to be changed, because the areas, seem to be most vulnerable to climate change and major humanitarian disasters coming from global warning are those, that's security risks are already extremely high.

"Just glance at a map of the areas most likely to be affected and you are struck at once by the fact that they are exactly those parts of the world where we see fragility, instability and weak governance today." - Stirrup told yesterday.

Scientists say average temperatures will rise by between 1.8 and 4.0 degrees Celsius this century due to burning fossil fuels for power and transport, melting ice caps, bringing floods, droughts and famines, and putting millions of lives at risk.

Can you tell the exact price of global warming?

It seems that in some particular cases, the price tag of global warming is much more visible that what we expect it to be. And when general warnings and theoretical threats come down to specific facts and prices - the whole idea of climate change turns more and more inconvenient.

In this case, economist predict, that US. state, North Carolina will soon face billions of dollars of expenses caused by the global warming. The state at the south-east coast of the US has been identified as one of the United States' most vulnerable regions to climate change.

According to a recent report - done by three North Carolina universities and the Department of Global Change and Natural Systems at the Potsdam Institute in Germany, the low-lying coastline of North Carolina will be especially prone to hurricanes and erosion if ocean levels rise as projected between 1 foot and 3 feet over the next 25 to 75 years. The result would be more destructive hurricanes that will cause billions of dollars of damage to private property.

Estimates of the project said that by 2080, each hurricane could cause $157 million in damage. Researchers also expect the changing climate to affect coastal industries such as recreational fishing and beach tourism.