Bugs Bunny In "Water Water Every Hare"...
There is an old story...
There were
a couple of guys holding to the ground at the bottom of a fast river.
One was too afraid to let go and continues to hold on to the ground...
at the bottom of the river. The other man let go and tumbled along...
badly bruised... more than a little scared... then he floated up from
the bottom of the river and towards the middle of the river... away from
the rocks. He got to dry land. The other guy holding on to
the bottom of the river drowned.
The best analysis of Climate Change on TV...
Change to handle the future or events will make adjustments their own way.
Every area has it's challenges but through decentralization of energy and food production it's possible to move towards abundance rather than to move from calamity to calamity. If we are prepared then the next storm could be an opportunity for us to generate reserve power and heavy rains can be used to replenish our water supplies. Everything can be made easier if we put our minds to it.
The best analysis of Climate Change on TV...
Ending the Silence on Climate Change
March 15, 2013
Remember climate change? The issue barely comes up with any substance
in our current political dialogue. But bringing climate change back
into our national conversation is as much a communications challenge as
it is a scientific one.
This week, in an encore broadcast, scientist Anthony Leiserowitz, director of the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication, joins Bill to describe his efforts to galvanize communities over what’s arguably the greatest single threat facing humanity. Leiserowitz, who specializes in the psychology of risk perception, knows better than anyone if people are willing to change their behavior to make a difference.
“[A] pervasive sense up to now has been that climate change is distant — distant in time, and distant in space,” Leiserowitz tells Bill. “And what we’re now beginning to see is that it’s not so distant. I have a nine-year-old son — he’s going to be my age in the year 2050. I don’t want him to live in the world that we’re currently hurtling towards.”
This week, in an encore broadcast, scientist Anthony Leiserowitz, director of the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication, joins Bill to describe his efforts to galvanize communities over what’s arguably the greatest single threat facing humanity. Leiserowitz, who specializes in the psychology of risk perception, knows better than anyone if people are willing to change their behavior to make a difference.
“[A] pervasive sense up to now has been that climate change is distant — distant in time, and distant in space,” Leiserowitz tells Bill. “And what we’re now beginning to see is that it’s not so distant. I have a nine-year-old son — he’s going to be my age in the year 2050. I don’t want him to live in the world that we’re currently hurtling towards.”
rous climate change denial club, which is actually now shrinking faster than the polar ice caps.
Climate Change & It's Aftermath... Is Now.
Every area has it's challenges but through decentralization of energy and food production it's possible to move towards abundance rather than to move from calamity to calamity. If we are prepared then the next storm could be an opportunity for us to generate reserve power and heavy rains can be used to replenish our water supplies. Everything can be made easier if we put our minds to it.
Climate Change Debate Is Over...
Vicki Arroyo: Let's prepare for our new climate
Set aside
the politics: Data shows that climate change is happening, measurably,
now. And as Vicki Arroyo says, it's time to prepare our homes and cities
for the new climate, with its increased risk of flooding, drought and
uncertainty. She illustrates this inspiring talk with bold projects from
cities all over the world -- local examples of thinking ahead.
Preparing for Floods (Flood Management)
Floods are
the fastest way to wipe away a city, town or country. People often
don't realize how powerful floods can be. Nor do they realize how
powerful natural disasters can be. The recent category 1 storm brought
New York, New Jersey and most of the eastern seaboard to it's knees
(Sandy). Watch how fast a small flood can make a community helpless...
In terms of flood management, this is letting go...
NOTICE: Rather than fighting to survive in a flood... kids can attend school!
All you need is made boat made of reed and a solar panel or maybe a little boat wind turbine or both. Next time you have a flood... go fishing while your family sits in thier floating $1000 - made from spare sparts - flood shelter (I can see it in my minds eye... can you in yours?).
All you need is made boat made of reed and a solar panel or maybe a little boat wind turbine or both. Next time you have a flood... go fishing while your family sits in thier floating $1000 - made from spare sparts - flood shelter (I can see it in my minds eye... can you in yours?).
A look towards the future (one that we can reach faster or sooner depending on decision we are making now)...
This deals with rising tides and thunderstorms (not tsunamis or monster waves)...
Addressing growing concern over climate change, Remistudio’s massive floating Ark can battle rising tides.
This deals with the need for more farming land, but not waves or any sort...
This deals with the need for more farming land, but not waves or any sort...
Underwater Skyscraper is a Self-Sufficient City at Sea
Ocean levels are rising around the globe, so rather than tethering our buildings to the sinking shoreline why not suit them for a life at sea? That’s the approach behind the Water-Scraper, a futuristic self-sufficient floating city. A special mention in the eVolo Skyscraper Competition, the design expands the concept of a floating island into a full-fledged underwater skyscraper that harvests renewable energy and grows its own food.
Combining the ark idea with the farming idea (the lower structure adds stability making it much less likely to overturn in a large wave), would be a great idea for stable oceanic housing.
Also, imagine traveling between the underwater towers while a storm, or sunny day, rages above!
Ocean levels are rising around the globe, so rather than tethering our buildings to the sinking shoreline why not suit them for a life at sea? That’s the approach behind the Water-Scraper, a futuristic self-sufficient floating city. A special mention in the eVolo Skyscraper Competition, the design expands the concept of a floating island into a full-fledged underwater skyscraper that harvests renewable energy and grows its own food.
Combining the ark idea with the farming idea (the lower structure adds stability making it much less likely to overturn in a large wave), would be a great idea for stable oceanic housing.
Also, imagine traveling between the underwater towers while a storm, or sunny day, rages above!
Other Alternative Energy Solutions
Wind Energy...
New Wind Turbine Design Good for Rural, Urban Environment
Info on large wind farms in development in the UK: UK offshore windfarms – interactive
Info on large wind farms in development in the UK: UK offshore windfarms – interactive
William Kamkwamba: On Building A Windmill
When he
was just 14 years old, Malawian inventor William Kamkwamba built his
family an electricity-generating windmill from spare parts, working from
rough plans he found in a library book.
William Kamkwamba: How I harnessed the wind (2009)
At age 14,
in poverty and famine, a Malawian boy built a windmill to power his
family's home. Now at 22, William Kamkwamba, who speaks at TED, here,
for the second time, shares in his own words the moving tale of
invention that changed his life.
Documentary: Wind: An Energy Alternative (1980)
This program looks at the history and uses of wind power, used for centuries by humans to move boats, pump water and grind grain including discussions on efficiency, problems in the urban environment, experimental systems and windmill use across the United States.
This program looks at the history and uses of wind power, used for centuries by humans to move boats, pump water and grind grain including discussions on efficiency, problems in the urban environment, experimental systems and windmill use across the United States.
Bio Fuels/Gas...
Science Nation: Green Gasoline...
Carbon
neutral gasoline ... from plants! Like everyone else, George Huber knows
money doesn't grow on trees. But, ask him where gasoline comes from and
he won't just tell you, he'll show you. To fully understand, Science
Nation recently went with Huber to a local lumber yard in Amherst, Mass.
A lumber yard is the perfect place to find cellulose, the key building
block in plant cells and the organic material that gives plants their
structure. So what does cellulose have to do with gasoline? A lot!
Geo Thermal
Many different types of methods are also being developed to harness energy from waves...
Solar Flight
What we could, conceivably, build (from a fantasy sci-fi movie about Mars called John Carter) ...
Water Filtration Solutions
News Report: BBC: 'Super sand' to help clean up dirty drinking water Contaminated water can be cleaned much more effectively using a novel, cheap material, say researchers.
Dubbed "super sand", it could become a low-cost way to purify water in the developing world.
The technology involves coating grains of sand in an oxide of a widely available material called graphite - commonly used as lead in pencils.
The team describes the work in the American Chemical Society journal Applied Materials and Interfaces.
In many countries around the world, access to clean drinking water and sanitation facilities is still limited.
The World Health Organization states that "just 60% of the population in Sub-Saharan African and 50% of the population in Oceania [islands in the tropical Pacific Ocean] use improved sources of drinking-water."
The graphite-coated sand grains might be a solution - especially as people have already used sand to purify water since ancient times.
Dubbed "super sand", it could become a low-cost way to purify water in the developing world.
The technology involves coating grains of sand in an oxide of a widely available material called graphite - commonly used as lead in pencils.
The team describes the work in the American Chemical Society journal Applied Materials and Interfaces.
In many countries around the world, access to clean drinking water and sanitation facilities is still limited.
The World Health Organization states that "just 60% of the population in Sub-Saharan African and 50% of the population in Oceania [islands in the tropical Pacific Ocean] use improved sources of drinking-water."
The graphite-coated sand grains might be a solution - especially as people have already used sand to purify water since ancient times.
Basic Water Filtration Method:
Simple Method for Clean Water (from How Stuff Works)
Also See:
"How the Slingshot Water Purifier Works"
&
"How does desalination work?"
&
"How to Make Distilled Water"
"How the Slingshot Water Purifier Works"
&
"How does desalination work?"
&
"How to Make Distilled Water"
Michael Pritchard's water filter turns filthy water drinkable
Too much
of the world lacks access to clean drinking water. Engineer Michael
Pritchard did something about it -- inventing the portable Lifesaver
filter, which can make the most revolting water drinkable in seconds. An
amazing demo from TEDGlobal 2009.
Cleaning Our Oceans & Shoreline Management
Long Run - Oysters can clean water.Reefs for habitat & coral. And reefs for shoreline management http://www.reefball.org/
Reviving New York's rivers -- with oysters!
Architect
Kate Orff sees the oyster as an agent of urban change. Bundled into beds
and sunk into city rivers, oysters slurp up pollution and make
legendarily dirty waters clean -- thus driving even more innovation in
"oyster-tecture." Orff shares her vision for an urban landscape that
links nature and humanity for mutual benefit.
Solar Water Filtration
A European team develop a solar-powered, low-cost desalination system. http://bit.ly/PMqdJG...
NREL Report Shows Existing Solar Technology Could Power the Entire US!
Emergency Power for Cell, Warmth & Cooking!
Fire powered cell phone chargers spotted near NYU in Downtown Manhattan. - The PG-1 power generator creates a temperature differential across the thermoelectric module inside the unit. Heat flows from the higher
temperature surface to the lower temperature surface creating an electrical output. When the electrical circuit is completed, electrons flow and generate electrical power. http://www.tellurex.com/products/thermoelectric-pg1.php
temperature surface to the lower temperature surface creating an electrical output. When the electrical circuit is completed, electrons flow and generate electrical power. http://www.tellurex.com/products/thermoelectric-pg1.php
Anyone remember that twisting straw can be made to be used as firewood? It was a trick used by settlers back in the days of westward migration in North America. Why can't hemp be used as a cheap & quickly growable firewood? (See below for more on hemp)
Hemp Can Be Used To Make Plastic Stronger Than Steel, Paper, Textiles, Oil, Non-Toxic Medicine, Cement... & Tornado Shelters! (It's the miracle crop for our age)
Some
materials have been around so long, and seem to have appeared on the
world scene so suddenly, that you have to be open to the possibility
that they may have been cultivated and used a long time ago (i.e. before recorded history).
In particular I'm talking about that plant that got a bad name because
of a slander campaign by an ancient american logging company.
Here is a little about hemp (the marijuana plant) from a textile type website:
The first use of hemp fibre dates well back into the mists of time and is one of the first plants known to have been cultivated. About 10,000 years ago, hemp industries appeared simultaneously in China and Eurasia for the production of a textile fibre. One of the oldest known relics of human industry is a trace of hemp fabric from about 8000BC in the “Cradle of Civilisation” at Catal Huyuk (Ancient Mesopotamia).
Hemp has played a vital role for humanity for many thousands of years, supplying the worlds strongest natural fibre, used for rope, clothing, sail cloth, and many other uses including being a vital food source - the seed oil is very high in the nutritionally valuable omega 3 alpha-linolenic acid (ALA).
The United States of America’s founding fathers were strong advocates of a hemp-based economy for their new country. In fact, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were hemp farmers. In 1871 Thomas Jefferson said, “Hemp is of first necessity to commerce and marine”. In other words, to the wealth and protection of the country, today few people realise that hemp was once so vital to world commerce.
The first two drafts of the Declaration of Independence were written on hemp paper, as were most of the books of the time. The first Levi’s were constructed of recycled hemp sailcloth for the California '49ers with steel rivets so that the pockets would not rip when filled with gold. Many famous artists such as Van Gogh also painted some of their greatest works on hemp canvas.
Here is a little about hemp (the marijuana plant) from a textile type website:
The first use of hemp fibre dates well back into the mists of time and is one of the first plants known to have been cultivated. About 10,000 years ago, hemp industries appeared simultaneously in China and Eurasia for the production of a textile fibre. One of the oldest known relics of human industry is a trace of hemp fabric from about 8000BC in the “Cradle of Civilisation” at Catal Huyuk (Ancient Mesopotamia).
Hemp has played a vital role for humanity for many thousands of years, supplying the worlds strongest natural fibre, used for rope, clothing, sail cloth, and many other uses including being a vital food source - the seed oil is very high in the nutritionally valuable omega 3 alpha-linolenic acid (ALA).
The United States of America’s founding fathers were strong advocates of a hemp-based economy for their new country. In fact, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were hemp farmers. In 1871 Thomas Jefferson said, “Hemp is of first necessity to commerce and marine”. In other words, to the wealth and protection of the country, today few people realise that hemp was once so vital to world commerce.
The first two drafts of the Declaration of Independence were written on hemp paper, as were most of the books of the time. The first Levi’s were constructed of recycled hemp sailcloth for the California '49ers with steel rivets so that the pockets would not rip when filled with gold. Many famous artists such as Van Gogh also painted some of their greatest works on hemp canvas.
A pretty good article on hemp/marijuana and its uses is located here. The following are a few random extracts:
One important potential use for hemp is the production of paper. From 75 to 90 percent of all paper in the world was made with hemp fiber until 1883: the Gutenberg bible (15th century), Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland (19th century) and just about everything in between was printed on hemp paper.
An acre of hemp produces 4.1 times as much paper as an acre of trees. Hemp can also be harvested every year while trees take 20 years or more to grow to harvest. Since hemp builds topsoil, it can be grown on the same acre of land year after year. Many acres of forest could be saved by industrial cultivation of hemp for paper alone.
Practical, inexpensive fire-resistant construction material, with excellent thermal and sound-insulating qualities, can be made by heating and compressing plant fibers to create strong construction paneling. This paneling could replace dry wall and plywood. Hemp is a logical choice for such a purpose. C&S Specialty Builder's Supply near Eugene, Oregon, in conjunction with Washington State University, has demonstrated the superior strength flexibility and economy of hemp composite building materials compared to wood fiber - even in the production of beams.
On another front, using hemp as a biomass fuel could eliminate our dependence on imported fossil fuels. A study completed in the early l990s at the University of Hawaii found that biomass gasification could meet 90 percent of that state's energy needs. Biomass can be converted into virtually every form of energy used, including methanol to power automobiles. Since methanol is a cleaner fuel than petro-based fuels, this would lead to reduced auto emissions.
According to the UNICEF report State of the World's Children, a child dies every 2.3 seconds as a result of malnutrition. According to the Institute for Food and Development Policy, twenty million children die of malnutrition every year. These numbers are staggering, and are on the rise. Here again, hemp can come to the rescue.
When hemp is grown for seed, half the weight of the mature, harvested female plant is seed! Hemp is also a hearty plant that flourishes in almost all climates and in marginal soils. This means it could be grown in poor countries to provide food where it is most needed. Australians survived two prolonged famines in the 19th century using almost nothing except hemp seeds for protein and hemp leaves for roughage.
No other single plant source can compare with the nutritional value of hemp seeds. Both the complete protein and essential oils contained in hemp seeds are in ideal ratios for human nutrition.
Hemp is a disease-resistant weed and grows easily compared to other crops. Food crops are disrupted by drought but hemp actually helps soils alleviate droughts. It sets the standard in retaining topsoil and re-foliating arid land.
Hemp can also be used for the production of cloth spun from its fiber. Hemp cloth is softer, warmer, more water absorbent, stronger and more durable than cotton. The well-known clothing manufacturer Patagonia has found that hemp has eight times the tensile strength and has four times the durability of cotton.
The possibilities represented by hemp cultivation are tantalizing: reduce or eliminate deforestation, free us from dependence on fossil fuel and their damaging by-products, and provide a positive impact on chronic world hunger.
You have seen what damage a tornado or hurricane can do to a house made of wood (well, in the States they use a sort of light wood mix of something or the other - it is so light that if you walk through one of their mass produced houses you can feel wooden boards in the house creek and walls shake with your footsteps). Most houses are built to be cost effective and then insurance is expected to cover expected statistical damages in times of good weather or bad weather (a cycle which tends to go up and down, [see the graphs/actuary tables]).
Hemp/low THC marijuana, is easy AND fast to grow.
The best part is you can make a plastic lighter and stronger than steel. If you made a properly secured house of proper building materials, a tree hitting the house will simply fall down after hitting it. And depending of the level of strength of the house, most tornados and hurricanes will have no effect.
Ford developed a car made just from hemp (and it was stronger than a regular car! - Click here to watch video)
One important potential use for hemp is the production of paper. From 75 to 90 percent of all paper in the world was made with hemp fiber until 1883: the Gutenberg bible (15th century), Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland (19th century) and just about everything in between was printed on hemp paper.
An acre of hemp produces 4.1 times as much paper as an acre of trees. Hemp can also be harvested every year while trees take 20 years or more to grow to harvest. Since hemp builds topsoil, it can be grown on the same acre of land year after year. Many acres of forest could be saved by industrial cultivation of hemp for paper alone.
Practical, inexpensive fire-resistant construction material, with excellent thermal and sound-insulating qualities, can be made by heating and compressing plant fibers to create strong construction paneling. This paneling could replace dry wall and plywood. Hemp is a logical choice for such a purpose. C&S Specialty Builder's Supply near Eugene, Oregon, in conjunction with Washington State University, has demonstrated the superior strength flexibility and economy of hemp composite building materials compared to wood fiber - even in the production of beams.
On another front, using hemp as a biomass fuel could eliminate our dependence on imported fossil fuels. A study completed in the early l990s at the University of Hawaii found that biomass gasification could meet 90 percent of that state's energy needs. Biomass can be converted into virtually every form of energy used, including methanol to power automobiles. Since methanol is a cleaner fuel than petro-based fuels, this would lead to reduced auto emissions.
According to the UNICEF report State of the World's Children, a child dies every 2.3 seconds as a result of malnutrition. According to the Institute for Food and Development Policy, twenty million children die of malnutrition every year. These numbers are staggering, and are on the rise. Here again, hemp can come to the rescue.
When hemp is grown for seed, half the weight of the mature, harvested female plant is seed! Hemp is also a hearty plant that flourishes in almost all climates and in marginal soils. This means it could be grown in poor countries to provide food where it is most needed. Australians survived two prolonged famines in the 19th century using almost nothing except hemp seeds for protein and hemp leaves for roughage.
No other single plant source can compare with the nutritional value of hemp seeds. Both the complete protein and essential oils contained in hemp seeds are in ideal ratios for human nutrition.
Hemp is a disease-resistant weed and grows easily compared to other crops. Food crops are disrupted by drought but hemp actually helps soils alleviate droughts. It sets the standard in retaining topsoil and re-foliating arid land.
Hemp can also be used for the production of cloth spun from its fiber. Hemp cloth is softer, warmer, more water absorbent, stronger and more durable than cotton. The well-known clothing manufacturer Patagonia has found that hemp has eight times the tensile strength and has four times the durability of cotton.
The possibilities represented by hemp cultivation are tantalizing: reduce or eliminate deforestation, free us from dependence on fossil fuel and their damaging by-products, and provide a positive impact on chronic world hunger.
You have seen what damage a tornado or hurricane can do to a house made of wood (well, in the States they use a sort of light wood mix of something or the other - it is so light that if you walk through one of their mass produced houses you can feel wooden boards in the house creek and walls shake with your footsteps). Most houses are built to be cost effective and then insurance is expected to cover expected statistical damages in times of good weather or bad weather (a cycle which tends to go up and down, [see the graphs/actuary tables]).
Hemp/low THC marijuana, is easy AND fast to grow.
The best part is you can make a plastic lighter and stronger than steel. If you made a properly secured house of proper building materials, a tree hitting the house will simply fall down after hitting it. And depending of the level of strength of the house, most tornados and hurricanes will have no effect.
Ford developed a car made just from hemp (and it was stronger than a regular car! - Click here to watch video)
A steel car gets more
dented than a hemp car! Imagine hemp made storm and tornado shelters
made of hemp plastic that is stronger than steel. Regular Storm or
Tornado Shelters 1. http://www.survive-a-storm.com/ and, 2. http://okstormshelters.com/
You have seen what damage a tornado or hurricane can do to a house made of wood (well, in the States they use a sort of light wood mix of something or the other - it is so light that if you walk through one of their mass produced houses you can feel wooden boards in the house creek and walls shake with your footsteps). Most houses are built to be cost effective and then insurance is expected to cover expected statistical damages in times of good weather or bad weather (a cycle which tends to go up and down, [see the graphs/actuary tables]). Hemp/low THC marijuana, is easy AND fast to grow. The best part is you can make a plastic lighter and stronger than steel. If you made a properly secured house of proper building materials, a tree hitting the house will simply fall down after hitting it. And depending of the level of strength of the house, most tornados and hurricanes will have no effect.
Hemp can even be used as a bio-fuel!
Houses Made of Hemp
People are making houses with hemp all the time nowadays. Here are a couple of examples: Video 1 and Video 2.
Hemp can be used to make paper (thus saving the rain-forests), plastics and non-toxic medicine...
Links:
Private businesses can use hemp for paper products
More about hemp paper
Private business making plastic hemp products
More about hemp plastics
Private business making textile products with hemp
Private business making textile products with organically grown hemp
More examples of private business making money from hemp products
Hemp winter wear
Private businesses can use hemp for paper products
More about hemp paper
Private business making plastic hemp products
More about hemp plastics
Private business making textile products with hemp
Private business making textile products with organically grown hemp
More examples of private business making money from hemp products
Hemp winter wear
Growing Your Own Food (Plants & Fish)
Cheap Roof-Top Fish Farms! (adding fish farms to floors of vertical farms will not only increase protein production but also supply cross-farming opportunities such as for fertilizer for the plants and food for the fish and planting Hemp in cities for industrial use and cleaning the air!)
Rooftop Green Sky Growers produce thousands of pounds of fish and veg in Florida http://bit.ly/Mu7m5w...
Vertical Farming Is Here To Stay...
The world's first commercial vertical farm is now up and running in Singapore! http://bit.ly/XvaOoD
Vertical farms
(which can also be made to go underground and blend with the landscape - which is a better idea, in my opinion, except for cities of countries like Bangladesh)...
Video
The Problem
By the year 2050, nearly 80% of the earth's population will reside in urban centers. Applying the most conservative estimates to current demographic trends, the human population will increase by about 3 billion people during the interim. An estimated 109 hectares of new land (about 20% more land than is represented by the country of Brazil) will be needed to grow enough food to feed them, if traditional farming practices continue as they are practiced today. At present, throughout the world, over 80% of the land that is suitable for raising crops is in use (sources: FAO and NASA). Historically, some 15% of that has been laid waste by poor management practices. What can be done to avoid this impending disaster?
A Potential Solution: Farm Vertically...
(which can also be made to go underground and blend with the landscape - which is a better idea, in my opinion, except for cities of countries like Bangladesh)...
Video
The Problem
By the year 2050, nearly 80% of the earth's population will reside in urban centers. Applying the most conservative estimates to current demographic trends, the human population will increase by about 3 billion people during the interim. An estimated 109 hectares of new land (about 20% more land than is represented by the country of Brazil) will be needed to grow enough food to feed them, if traditional farming practices continue as they are practiced today. At present, throughout the world, over 80% of the land that is suitable for raising crops is in use (sources: FAO and NASA). Historically, some 15% of that has been laid waste by poor management practices. What can be done to avoid this impending disaster?
A Potential Solution: Farm Vertically...
Roof-Top Farming!
PICS: 11 NYC Rooftop Farms you might not know about. Including one that grows veggies in kiddie pools! http://su.pr/Af2TPd Urban Farming
Zero-Energy (Self-Sustaining) Farming.
Farms and Fish farms That Are Ocean Based?
Cheap Food
On feeding the world (combining food towers, hemp and chickpeas with other crops)... "executive
director of the United Nations' World Food Programme, said a 17-cent
package of nutrients with a chickpea base can meet the needs of a hungry
infant, and more than enough food is grown to feed everyone,".
Air Filteration
The
problem of coal is pollution. As the lesser of two evils, if you choose
to let go of the greater of two evils (oil & gas), coal causes ALLOT
of pollution in many different ways. This must be managed of their will
be large social and environmental costs... followed by large economic
costs in the long-run. History has already proven this many times over,
so I'm just covering solutions here.
Anti-Smog Architecture
Air-Purifier Using A Plant
7 Indoor Air Cleaning Plants
Vertical garden Cleaning Air Inside
Air Filtration Advice
Smog Eating Buildings (buildings/archetecture that clean air and look good - click on images to learn more)...
Anti-Smog Architecture
Air-Purifier Using A Plant
7 Indoor Air Cleaning Plants
Vertical garden Cleaning Air Inside
Air Filtration Advice
Smog Eating Buildings (buildings/archetecture that clean air and look good - click on images to learn more)...
Mexico City’s
reputation for air pollution and filth is slowly receding as the city’s
politicians and citizens transform their city. One nonprofit
organization pushing the boundaries of art and sustainability is VERDMX -
so far they've installed three vertical gardens throughout Mexico City
that figuratively and literally clean and green this city of 8.8 million
people....
Algae lamps can be a part of houses, buildings and eventually city designed (as air filtering for coal management.)
Useful Links:
Hemp Uses (Miracle Crop)
On Building A Windmill (Wind Power)
Solar Power Solutions (Needed: 1 Sun)
Urban Food Towers & Agriculture (Self-Sufficiency Solution)
Air Powered Motor Cycle
7 Energy Saving Tips For Home Owners
15 Green Products
Charcoal Air Filter
Plant Air Filter
Basics Of Making Your Own Air Filter
Another Cheap Air-Filter You Can Make
Even our current buildings can be turned into air-filterers (example from UK)...
On Building A Windmill (Wind Power)
Solar Power Solutions (Needed: 1 Sun)
Urban Food Towers & Agriculture (Self-Sufficiency Solution)
Air Powered Motor Cycle
7 Energy Saving Tips For Home Owners
15 Green Products
Charcoal Air Filter
Plant Air Filter
Basics Of Making Your Own Air Filter
Another Cheap Air-Filter You Can Make
Even our current buildings can be turned into air-filterers (example from UK)...
Change to handle the future or events will make adjustments their own way.
Every area has it's challenges but through decentralization of energy and food production it's possible to move towards abundance rather than to move from calamity to calamity. If we are prepared then the next storm could be an opportunity for us to generate reserve power and heavy rains can be used to replenish our water supplies. Everything can be made easier if we put our minds to it.
Notes:
Extracts of Scientific and Social-Economics Studies from The Guardian...
Why do economists describe climate change as a 'market failure'?
Unregulated markets have overproduced CO2 because the costs are not priced into the transaction
When free markets do not maximise society's welfare, they are said to 'fail' and policy intervention may be needed to correct them. Many economists have described climate change as an example of a market failure – though in fact a number of distinct market failures have been identified.
The core one is the so-called 'greenhouse-gas externality'. Greenhouse gas emissions are a side-effect of economically valuable activities. Most of the impacts of emissions do not fall on those conducting the activities – instead they fall on future generations or people living in developing countries, for example – so those responsible for the emissions do not pay the cost. The adverse effects of greenhouse gases are therefore 'external' to the market, which means there is usually only an ethical – rather than an economic – incentive for businesses and consumers to reduce their emissions. As a result, the market fails by over-producing greenhouse gases.
Economists concerned about this market failure argue for policy intervention to increase the price of activities that emit greenhouse gases, thereby providing a clear signal to guide economic decision-making at the same time as stimulating innovation of low-carbon technologies. In order to ensure that emissions cuts are spread out across the economy as inexpensively as possible, economists tend to favour policies that ensure that all businesses and households face the same price on carbon – such as a tax on emissions or an emissions trading scheme.
The greenhouse gas externality is accompanied by a number of other market failures, including those arising from a lack of information about how to reduce emissions, network effects and a lack of innovation incentives. These call for a package of interventions including, but not restricted to, a price on carbon, according to economists concerned about climate change.
For example, new networks are likely to be important in several areas of low-carbon energy supply – such as the 'smart' electricity grid and electric vehicle charging points. But such networks can be difficult to establish through market forces alone, because in the early days of a network the benefits may be very limited, despite the potentially huge benefits that can be achieved once the network reaches a critical mass. Take electric vehicles: they're inconvenient if charging points are few and far between, but much more useful once a large network of charging points is established. (This is an example of a positive type of externality: when a network increases in size, every member of the network benefits, even though they have not paid for this benefit.) As a result, policy support may sometimes be necessary to help kick-start useful networks.
In the case of innovation, markets currently fail to offer sufficient incentives for the development of low-carbon technologies. An innovative idea that can be copied or used with no financial payment for its inventor may not materialise in the first place, as there is little incentive to invest in developing the idea. Policy interventions such as subsidies for R&D can help to overcome this barrier.
Antarctic ice reveals trapped secrets of climate change
Cores drilled from the icecap are going on show at London's Science Museum. The centuries-old information they contain could help scientists predict Earth's future weather
Air gets trapped by snow as it falls. Then more snow falls on top. Pressure builds up and snow is eventually converted into ice – with air bubbles trapped inside. The deeper you drill, the older the ice – and air bubbles – that you find. "If you drill several kilometres down you find samples that are almost a million years old," says Rapley. "That is why we think of ice cores as treasure troves of climate history."
By drilling down to a particular layer, the oxygen isotopes in a core sample's air bubbles will tell you the global temperature for the time that the air was trapped in snowflakes. This temperature can then be compared with the air's carbon dioxide content. Similarly, salt and dust contamination provides information about sea levels and the spread of deserts across the globe at any given time over the last 800,000 years. Such information has been key to the prediction of future global weather patterns and will form an important background to this week's climate talks in Cancun, Mexico.
"The one critical feature we get from these measurements is that the temperature of Earth's atmosphere and its carbon dioxide content are locked together in a coupled system," adds Rapley. "If one of those variables increases, the other will also rise. Hence the worry about the amounts of carbon dioxide we pump into the atmosphere. If unchecked, these could lead to global temperature rises of up to six degrees Celsius by the end of the century."
Thinning glaciers driving polar ice loss, satellite survey finds
Satellite survey of Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets reveals extensive network of rapidly thinning glaciers that is driving ice loss in the regions
A comprehensive satellite survey of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets has revealed an extensive network of rapidly thinning glaciers that is driving ice loss in the regions.
The most profound loss of ice was seen along the continental coastlines, where glaciers speed up as they slip into the sea. In some regions, glaciers flowing into surrounding waters were thinning by nearly 10m a year.
Scientists used data from Nasa's ICESat (Ice, Cloud and and land Elevation Satellite) to piece together a picture of the changing fortunes of glaciers on the ice sheets. The satellite bounces laser light off the ground, allowing researchers to measure the terrain with extraordinary precision.
The survey, compiled from 50m satellite measurements taken between February 2003 and November 2007, shows glaciers thinning at all latitudes in Greenland and along key Antarctic coastlines. Thinning penetrated deep into the interior of the ice sheets and continues to spread as ice shelves melt into the sea.
"We were surprised to see such a strong pattern of thinning glaciers across such large areas of coastline. It's widespread and in some cases, thinning extends hundreds of kilometres inland," said Hamish Pritchard who led the study at the British Antarctic Survey.
In Greenland, glaciers in the south-east were found to be flowing at speeds of more than 100m per year, during which they thinned by 84cm. More slow-going glaciers lost around 12cm a year.
Rajendra Pachauri says glaciers mistake in IPCC report was 'human failure'
Head of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change admits error but defends use of 'grey literature'
And he said: "We have been less than adequate in informing the public that, yes, there was an error but that does not take away anything from the fact the glaciers are melting at a very rapid rate.
"This is where our communication skills need to be enhanced."
Even if the Himalayan glaciers did not melt by 2035, glaciers around the world were in decline, with water supplies predicted to fall and the melting ice contributing to sea level rises, he said.
"Although there was this error, there's a whole lot of valid information and assessment on glaciers which we can only ignore at our own peril and the peril of generations yet to come," he said.
World's glaciers continue to melt at historic rates
Latest figures show the world's glaciers are continuing to melt so fast that many will disappear by the middle of this century
Glaciers across the globe are continuing to melt so fast that many will disappear by the middle of this century, the World Glacier Monitoring Service (WGMS) said today.
The announcement of the latest annual results from monitoring in nine mountain ranges on four continents comes as doubts have been cast on how much climate scientists have exaggerated the problem of glacier melt, which is seen as a leading indicator of how much the planet is heating up.
Last week the head of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) apologised for "a paragraph" in its four-volume 2007 report which warned there was a "very high" risk that the Himalayan glaciers, on which at least half a billion of the world's poorest people depend for water, would disappear by 2035.
However the director of the WGMS, Professor Wilfried Haeberli, said the latest global results indicated most glaciers were continuing to melt at historically high rates.
"The melting goes on," said Haeberli. "It's less extreme than in years [immediately before] but what's really important is the trend of 10 years or so, and that shows an unbroken acceleration in melting."
Haeberli also repeated his warning that many glaciers are set to disappear in the next few decades, due to an expected continuation in the rise of global average temperatures. The most vulnerable glaciers were those in lower mountain ranges like the Alps and the Pyrenees in Europe, in Africa, parts of the Andes in South and Central America, and the Rockies in North America, said Haeberli.
Greenland ice sheet melted at unprecedented rate during July
Scientists at Nasa admitted they thought satellite readings were a mistake after images showed 97% surface melt over four days
The Greenland ice sheet melted at a faster rate this month than at any other time in recorded history, with virtually the entire ice sheet showing signs of thaw.
The rapid melting over just four days was captured by three satellites. It has stunned and alarmed scientists, and deepened fears about the pace and future consequences of climate change.
In a statement posted on Nasa's website on Tuesday, scientists admitted the satellite data was so striking they thought at first there had to be a mistake.
"This was so extraordinary that at first I questioned the result: was this real or was it due to a data error?" Son Nghiem of Nasa's jet propulsion laboratory in Pasadena said in the release.
He consulted with several colleagues, who confirmed his findings. Dorothy Hall, who studies the surface temperature of Greenland at Nasa's space flight centre in Greenbelt, Maryland, confirmed that the area experienced unusually high temperatures in mid-July, and that there was widespread melting over the surface of the ice sheet.
Climatologists Thomas Mote, at the University of Georgia, and Marco Tedesco, of the City University of New York, also confirmed the melt recorded by the satellites.
However, scientists were still coming to grips with the shocking images on Tuesday. "I think it's fair to say that this is unprecedented," Jay Zwally, a glaciologist at Nasa's Goddard Space Flight Center, told the Guardian.
The set of images released by Nasa on Tuesday show a rapid thaw between 8 July and 12 July. Within that four-day period, measurements from three satellites showed a swift expansion of the area of melting ice, from about 40% of the ice sheet surface to 97%.
Zwally, who has made almost yearly trips to the Greenland ice sheet for more than three decades, said he had never seen such a rapid melt.
About half of Greenland's surface ice sheet melts during a typical summer, but Zwally said he and other scientists had been recording an acceleration of that melting process over the last few decades. This year his team had to rebuild their camp, at Swiss Station, when the snow and ice supports melted.
He said he was most surprised to see indications in the images of melting even around the area of Summit Station, which is about two miles above sea level.
It was the second unusual event in Greenland in a matter of days, after an iceberg the size of Manhattan broke off from the Petermann Glacier. But the rapid melt was viewed as more serious.
"If you look at the 8 July image that might be the maximum extent of warming you would see in the summer," Zwally noted. "There have been periods when melting might have occurred at higher elevations briefly – maybe for a day or so – but to have it cover the whole of Greenland like this is unknown, certainly in the time of satellite records."
Lora Koenig, another Goddard glaciologist, told Nasa similar rapid melting occurs about every 150 years. But she warned there were wide-ranging potential implications from this year's thaw.
"If we continue to observe melting events like this in upcoming years, it will be worrisome." she told Nasa.
The most immediate consequences are sea level rise and a further warming of the Arctic. In the centre of Greenland, the ice remains up to 3,000 metres deep. On the edges, however, the ice is much, much thinner and has been melting into the sea.
The melting ice sheet is a significant factor in sea level rise. Scientists attribute about one-fifth of the annual sea level rise, which is about 3mm every year, to the melting of the Greenland ice sheet.
In this instance of this month's extreme melting, Mote said there was evidence of a heat dome over Greenland: or an unusually strong ridge of warm air.
The dome is believed to have moved over Greenland on 8 July, lingering until 16 July.
Facts and resources about climate change, covering science, politics and economics
Where we are now...
8 Degrees Fahrenheit.
Extract from a transcript of a PBS documentary on a possible extiction around 10,000 BC due to a comet strike (which explains allot)
The ice cores proved that the Earth's climate can change extremely rapidly. Sophisticated molecular analysis of the ice can reveal the temperature at the time it formed. The ice from this time, when the animals went extinct, shows a very unusual change: temperatures plummeted.
PAUL MAYEWSKI: It happened so fast. When you think about it, it's unbelievable. It's a complete change in the state of the climate system. It would be the equivalent of going from maybe two or three months of winter in northern New England, let's say, to 11 or 12 months of winter throughout the year.
NARRATOR: In possibly less than two years, the annual temperatures in North America dropped up to 18 degrees Fahrenheit, which may not sound like a lot, but the last time it got that cold in what is present-day Chicago, it was buried under a mile of ice.
Throughout much of the world, climates changed. Some places got colder others dried out, causing more fires. Was this sudden climate change, not the Clovis hunters, what killed off the great land mammals?
ALLEN WEST: There's periods in geologic history where things really go haywire and this was one of those times. We were going through a major climate change. Well, some animals just don't make that change.
(Note: Ice cores are explained here.)
In other words about half of this but water in one century, a quarter in 50 years (well, adjusted for slope of the land & shape of the continents/coastal areas as it will be liquid NOT ice)...
Global Warming Sens. Sanders and Barbara Boxer
introduced legislation that would impose a $20 per ton fee on carbon
emissions that would be mostly rebated to households. “The important
issue to understand right now is that according to the scientific
community, we stand the danger of seeing the planet Earth temperature
rise by 8°F by the end of this century. If that happens … what they are
telling us is this will cause catastrophic - underline catastrophic -
damage to the planet,” Sanders told “Living on Earth” host Steve Curwood
in a report broadcast on WHYY-FM in Philadelphia and other public radio stations. LINK, AUDIO
8 Degrees Fahrenheit.
Extract from a transcript of a PBS documentary on a possible extiction around 10,000 BC due to a comet strike (which explains allot)
The ice cores proved that the Earth's climate can change extremely rapidly. Sophisticated molecular analysis of the ice can reveal the temperature at the time it formed. The ice from this time, when the animals went extinct, shows a very unusual change: temperatures plummeted.
PAUL MAYEWSKI: It happened so fast. When you think about it, it's unbelievable. It's a complete change in the state of the climate system. It would be the equivalent of going from maybe two or three months of winter in northern New England, let's say, to 11 or 12 months of winter throughout the year.
NARRATOR: In possibly less than two years, the annual temperatures in North America dropped up to 18 degrees Fahrenheit, which may not sound like a lot, but the last time it got that cold in what is present-day Chicago, it was buried under a mile of ice.
Throughout much of the world, climates changed. Some places got colder others dried out, causing more fires. Was this sudden climate change, not the Clovis hunters, what killed off the great land mammals?
ALLEN WEST: There's periods in geologic history where things really go haywire and this was one of those times. We were going through a major climate change. Well, some animals just don't make that change.
(Note: Ice cores are explained here.)
In other words about half of this but water in one century, a quarter in 50 years (well, adjusted for slope of the land & shape of the continents/coastal areas as it will be liquid NOT ice)...
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