The globe’s ice is melting faster and faster. About 2 trillion tons of ice have melted in Greenland, Antarctica and Alaska since 2003. That’s enough to fill the Chesapeake Bay 21 times. Find a map of the mid-Atlantic states to see just how much ice that is. The melting ice from Greenland alone causes sea levels to rise by .5 mm each year. As gaciers melt, they reflect less sunlight and absorb more heat, melting more ice more rapidly and warming Arctic waters and the atmosphere.
Archive for December, 2008
Ice melting across globe at accelerating rate, NASA says
Saturday, December 20th, 2008Do I have to throw out my Christmas lights?
Tuesday, December 16th, 2008Here’s another discussion of how to shrink your energy footprint. It’s not always easy to know what to do. This article from Slate.com considers whether to buy new Christmas lights or Hanukkah candles, or continue using the ones you’ve been using for years. The recomendation for Hanukkah candles is simple: replace paraffin candles with beeswax ones. For Christmas lights, it’s a little more complicated. Old-style incandescent bulbs use a LOT of electricity. According to the Department of Energy, Christmas lights consume 6 terawatt-hours per year, as much electricity as is consumed by half a million homes in a year. The newer LED bulbs uses MUCH less electricity (five watts vs. 36 per average strand). LEDs also last longer, with an operating life of more than 20,000 hours, or 10 times longer than incandescents. LEDs also pose less fire risk, and contain no mercury. On the negative side, LEDs are usually more expensive to buy (although they’re cheaper to operate over the long term). Poorly designed LEDs may be less bright than the older incandescents, so shop around for ones you like.
Botom line? If you have large incandescents, replace them now with LEDs. If you have mini-incandescents, you could keep them until they burn out, but switching to miniature LEDs is the greenest choice. And you can put up fewer strands, and keep them on for fewer hours. You could, of course, wait until next year in the hope that brighter and more efficient alternatives may be available, but you’ll be foregoing the energy and cost savings you’ll gain during this year’s Christmas season.
Up on the roof, new jobs in solar power
Tuesday, December 16th, 2008Following up on the previous post, here is another article on green jobs, with a specific focus on the solar power industry. These “solar” jobs are available, pay well, and continue to grow despite the economic recession. Even more job opportunities in this area could emerge if President Elect Obama’s declared intent is realized.
Are chemists, engineers on the green jobs list?
Tuesday, December 9th, 2008Looking for a “green job?” Check out this article to see which jobs didn’t make the list.
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Monday, December 8th, 2008Welcome to ClimateYou!
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Back to reality
Monday, December 8th, 2008The Bush administration’s war on science is coming to an end, but can the Obama administration undo all the damage?
News coverage of climate entering “trance”?
Monday, December 8th, 2008If it’s really true that media coverage of climate change has plateaued — or is declining — who or what is to blame for this “trance?” Speculation suggests the culprits may include the global economic meltdown, falling oil prices, and disaster fatigue. Whether the reduced coverage is actual or perceived, governments may interpret it as reduced public pressure to devise and implement strong environmental policies.
ClimateYou does its part by disseminating articles on all aspects of climate change as widely as possible.
The Life of an Antarctic Archipelago
Thursday, December 4th, 2008Biological life near Antarctica is apparently flourishing, a study of biodiversity recently reported in the NY Times. Not only did scientists find greater biodiversity than they expected, they also determined that, in contrast to other regions, biodiversity had changed little in recent centuries. This finding provides a baseline for studying the changes in resident species caused by climate change. Scientists predict that with a two degree Celcius rise in Antarctic temperatures, most species of penguins living in the Orkneys would be, like the polar bears of the Artic, in danger of extinction.