Simple changes 'can cut global warming'
Hanging washing out an a line could help the fight against climate change
We can all help in the fight against global warming by making simple changes to our lifestyles, according to new research.
A new study published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in the US has suggested that basic household changes could have a major impact on reducing carbon emissions in the country.
Researchers considered 17 different actions which could help in the fight against climate change, including upgrading heating and cooling technology, using more efficient vehicles and behaviours such as drying laundry on a line.
It is thought that by following such actions for ten years, the US's carbon footprint could be cut by around 7.4% – which equates to 123 million metric tonnes of carbon and is more than the annual emissions produced by France.
According to the report: "This potential 'behavioural wedge' can reduce emissions much more quickly than other kinds of changes and deserves explicit consideration as part of climate policy."
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It added that the promotion of such habits would "potentially help avoid 'overshoot' of greenhouse gas concentration targets" and "reduce emissions at low cost".
The release of the report could make interesting reading for world leaders as they prepare to discuss climate change targets at an upcoming United Nations conference in Copenhagen.
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Comments
I like my electric cloths dryer and all my other electric applicances, especially this laptop that I am commenting with. I also like the fact that I was able to get off the grid with solar panels that supplies the power for my all-electric home. We all need to start at home and eventually this will work it's way into the global markets. Recycle everything is a good mantra to live by.
Simple changes 'can cut global warming' - one of the simplest changes can cut global warming -- is to cut down population growth, or reduce it by half.
Population and waste is mathematically linked to resources and the climate. Take the biosphere and the climate for example.
Our mother Earth has a bio-capacity - the natural absorption rate of organic carbon in the soil mantle, but the human animals have already discharged double that figure, with the developed nations being the biggest contributor and preacher of recycling, whilst shipping millions of tons of solid waste to another geological cleft.
In a vicious dose-dependent cycle, such amount of toxic waste affects global geochemical balance; further contribute to the shifting in climate and trophic levels (food chains) in the ecosystem, known as the bio-magnification. What a wise eclecticism.
The volume of solid domestic waste discharged in the Earth’s biosphere has reached a geological figure of 400 million tons per annum and rising, in a generation's time, mankind will suffocated in its own garbage.
What is a toxic waste to humans is a food source for insects and birds, and the chemicals that concentrated in the droppings of the birds are food for vegetations; ultimately find their way in our food source.
The natural absorption rate of organic carbon in the soil mantle is estimated 42 million tons annually. Human discharge of organic carbon had reached 85 million tons per annum – doubled the Earth's natural absorption ability.
Zero population grow in which a population remain stable, occurs only when the birth and death rates are equal.
By the law of nature, any organic body when decomposed will produce carbon dioxide or methane if devoid of oxygen; both are potent greenhouse warming gas.
Let's take some draconian action and create cyclepaths throughout all the country. Let's make all city and town centres pedestrian, cycle and commercial vehicles only. Let's create a first class freight and passenger rail system devoid of privatised pockets which are screwing up the system. Let's create a first class,affordable, local public transport system. Let's have a motorway bustrain for intercity travel with electric bus pick ups to take us into the cities. Let's really look at the emissions from aircraft and turn pale with fear! Let's not try to divert attention from these highly important issues by encouraging people to fiddle with clothes drying and such piddling gymnastics.
PS I am a 70 year old car driver and cyclist who flies abroad on holiday at least once every year!
A simple way to reduce your carbon footprint and help the global warming movement is to support LiveClimate.org.
Live Climate helps reduce your carbon footprint by supporting sustainability efforts in developing countries, where communities are hurt the most by the effects of climate change. For example, Live Climate is helping local farmers with reforestation efforts in Mexico to help reduce erosion of soil and rejuvenate their healthy watershed.
Check out the projects at LiveClimate.org
I love that hang your clothes out to dry on a line bit. I guess they do not know that is illegal in most housing developments.
Not that we need to do any of these things with the planet's temperature falling yearly.
Blah, blah. I agree that we should conserve our resources - especially fossil fuel. But I highly disagree that we should succumb to repeated threats of doom. Met has said that we should really watch out because we're going to experience extreme heat during the next five years. We've been hearing doomster stuff like that for decades - news flash! No global catastrophy yet!
Hmm...interesting comments above- your ignorance is truly laugh a minute.
If all you believers can do is cry consensus like mindless bible thumpers 23 years after they said we would “EXPERIENCE” climate crisis, during wide spread scientific debate, THAT surely is doubtless proof that the theory is wrong, dead wrong.
Keep yelling “they say” all you want and get a sign that says THE END IS NEAR and march yourselves into history. Your disco science is truly a laugh a minute.
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