Twelve Things You CAN Do Right Now
01) Use Low Energy Light Bulbs
02) Monitor Your Use Of Electricity
03) Banish Standby
04) Super Insulate Your Home
05) Reduce Your Heating
06) Heat Your Water With The Sun
07) Switch to Green Energy
08) Change Your Transport Priorities
09) Shop Locally
10) Grow Your Own Food
11) Save Water
12) Subscribe To Permaculture Magazine
[Details at ReverseClimateChange.co.uk]
The oil, gas and coal reserves we already know about may already contain more carbon than we can afford.
If we burn it all, we will have exceeded the emissions limit agreed necessary to avoid dangerous climate change.
So why are oil companies still searching for new oil fields?
A former oil major executive in BP says the oil industry may be wasting $50 billion annually.
Jan-Peter Onstwedder, formerly BP’s most senior risk manager, who left BP in December, has calculated potential carbon emissions from proven oil, gas and coal reserves at around 700 billion tonnes, compared with about 500 billion tonnes which can be emitted this century and keep temperature increases within less dangerous bounds.
This estimate was in line with academic studies. [more]
Peak Oil versus Climate Change?
From the County Press
The local branch of Age Concern is looking for more friends.
The charity is calling for volunteers to sign up and join its befriender service, which gives vulnerable and lonely older people vital and welcome company.
Volunteers will be asked to visit their new friend for a chat and cup of tea, or take them out for a change of scenery. All volunteer befrienders will be trained and supported by Age Concern IW and will be invited to meet for a monthly coffee morning.
Opinion:
The elderly are amongst the most vulnerable to climate change health risks. They are also the most overlooked resource of crisis experience we have! We have much to learn from them about surviving Peak Oil.
Action:
Anyone interested can contact Gwen Glover, Alan Wiles or Gina Williams on 525282, or email gwen.glover@aciw.org.uk.
Ventnor is in resurgence.Building works are renewing a tired Victorian holiday town.
A live music tradition is developing a core of cultural activity that is expanding energetically.
And VentnorBlog is gaining a national reputation, with international fans!
Killer heatwave risk ‘high’There is a 25 percent chance that a severe heat wave will strike England and kill more than 6,000 people before 2017 if no action is taken to deal with the health effects of climate change.
The report for the Department of Health was written by a panel of scientific experts commissioned by the Department of Health and Health Protection Agency. They estimate more than 3,000 people could die in an intense summer hot spell in southeast England. Just as many more could die from heat-related deaths over the summer.
The world’s largest tropical glacier is in danger of disappearing within five years.
Glaciologist Lonnie Thompson and a team of scientists said this time last year in San Francisco they have found evidence the Qori Kalis glacier in the Peruvian Andes could lose half its mass in 12 months and could be gone five years from now.
The rate of retreat has increased tenfold over the last 15 years. Artic retreat is also of concern, and recently Antarctic retreat has been found to have increased 75% in the last ten years.
Converting land for biofuels could actually worsen the problem of global warming.
Although proposed as a viable alternative to fossil fuels, it will create more major carbon emissions, a report has warned.
But there are alternative sources of biofuel, and today (26/2/08), the news is that biofuels should only be produced if they meet strict internationally agreed environmental standards.
The world is only ten weeks away from running out of wheat supplies
The crisis has pushed prices to an all-time high.
It could lead to further increases in the price of bread, beer, biscuits and other basic foods.
Two successive years of disastrous wheat harvests have lead to this. Even though production has fallen by only 6.25%, this is significant, according to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation.
Scientists investigating how quickly global warming could run out of control have now identified nine ‘tipping points’.
Each of these could tip the planet into an increasingly dangerous state that could last for many centuries.
A major international investigation by dozens of leading climate scientists has found that the “tipping points” for all nine could occur within the next 100 years.
A new type of ‘molecular sieve’ is capable of removing water out of solvents and biofuels.
It is a very energy efficient alternative to existing techniques like distillation.
The previous generation of ‘nano-sieve’ membranes, made of silica, degrade because they react with water and steam.
In the new membrane, part of the ceramic links is therefore replaced by organic links. By doing this, water doesn’t have the chance to ‘attack’ the membranes. Manufacturing the new hybrid membranes is simpler than that of ceramic membranes, because the material is flexible and will not show cracks.
The hybrid membranes are suitable for ‘drying’ solvents and biofuels, an application for which there is a large potential market worldwide. The main advantage of membrane technology is that it consumes far less energy than common distillation techniques.
This technology - mixing organic molecules with inorganic - to produce new materials is producing great advances.
Reversing the flow means that dirty water can be cleaned very easily, filtering out bacteria and dirt.
Another nano-sieve is suitable for filtering out carbon dioxide. This has great applications in exhaust fume management from cars to factories and coal-fired electricity generators.
Guardian: Environment Sustainable Development
Loading ...
