Climate Change Awareness

Early this January of 2011, there’s already lots of natural disasters experienced all over the world. The recent were floods from Brazil and Australia. And even a dessert land Jeddah, Saudi Arabia experience it as well.  And in our country, the Philippines also experience flash floods from  Eastern Visayas in Tacloban, and Palawan and all the way to Davao in Mindanao area.

Taken after Typhoon Ondoy last 2010

It’s inevitable that we already experiencing Global Warming all over the world. We need to make action on this. But first we need to know the effect of Global Warming.

Pasig City

Here are some of the effects of Global Warming according to Greenpeace.

Relatively likely and early effects of small to moderate warming

• Sea level rise due to melting glaciers and the thermal expansion of the oceans as global temperature increases
• Massive releases of greenhouse gases from melting permafrost and dying forests.
• A high risk of more extreme weather events such as heat waves, droughts and floods. Already, the global incidence of drought has doubled over the past 30 years.
• Severe impacts on a regional level. For example, in Europe, river flooding will increase over much of the continent, and in coastal areas the risk of flooding, erosion and wetland loss will increase substantially.
• Natural systems, including glaciers, coral reefs, mangroves, arctic ecosystems, alpine ecosystems, boreal forests, tropical forests, prairie wetlands and native grasslands, will be severely threatened.
• An increase in existing risks of species extinction and biodiversity loss.
• The greatest impacts will be on the poorer countries least able to protect themselves from rising sea levels, spread of disease and declines in agricultural production in the developing countries of Africa, Asia and the Pacific.
• At all scales of climate change, developing countries will suffer the most.

Longer term catastrophic effects if warming continues

• Greenland and Antarctic ice sheet melting. Unless checked, warming from emissions may trigger the irreversible meltdown of the Greenland ice sheet in the coming decades, which would add up to seven meters of sea-level rise, over some centuries; there is new evidence that the rate of ice discharge from parts of the Antarctic mean that it is also at risk of meltdown.
• The Atlantic Gulf Stream current slowing, shifting or shutting down, having dramatic effects in Europe, and disrupting the global ocean circulation system;
• Catastrophic releases of methane from the oceans leading to rapid increases in methane in the atmosphere and consequent warming.

In your simple ways we can help to Prevent Global Warming. Here are some of it.

1. Get educated. Educate yourself about Global Warming.
2. Influence others. Try to spread what you know about Global Warming.
3. Eat more vegetables. Choose vegetarian or vegan meals. Livestock are responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions than transportation is. This is due to the large amounts of petroleum used in creating ammonium nitrate fertilizer (for the corn that they are fed) plus the cost of shipping that corn to the cattle and then shipping the cattle to slaughter and grocery.
4. Use compact fluorescent bulbs. CFLs use 60% less energy than a regular bulb. This simple switch will save about 300 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.
5. Recycle. Use recyclable materials.
6. Conserve Energy. Use your appliances efficiently. Like running you dish washer with full load. It saves 100 lbs of carbon dioxide. Also practice to save water.
7. Practice Patriotism. Buy your own products. Buying locally reduce the energy required to transfer your goods.
8. Less Carbon. By using renewable and other alternatives that supports the green tags. Avoid smoking as well.
9. Reduce garbage. Buy a less packaging to lessen the garbage and try to segregate them in order to have a minimal garbage.
10. Replace old appliances. Replace inefficient appliances with new appliances that support to save the Earth. Most of the appliances now a day used low energies. It will reduce the amount of carbon dioxide as well as your electrical bill.
11. Save electricity. Unplug unused electronics. Turned off appliances also use energy.
12. Plant a tree. Plants like bamboo grow faster and produce 35% more oxygen than trees like oak or birch, and require fewer chemicals and care.
13. Commute. Taking public transportation lessens the load on the roads and reduces one's individual greenhouse gas emissions by an average of 1600 pounds per year.
14. Exercise more. Use bicycle or travel by feet when going to a nearby places. It will help the environment and it is also a healthy practice.
15. Spread the News.

Feel free to add more comments to Prevent Global Warming.

I also want to share this music video. I hope this will inspire you.

“Umuulan sa Tag-araw” is a song about climate change composed by Noel Cabangon and donated to environmental activist organization, Greenpeace, to help in the advocacy of its Climate and Energy program.

Lakbay LENTE