Owner: Revolving Doors URL:http://joneri.blogspot.com/ Join Date: Tue, 13 Feb 2007 15:13:14 -0600 Rating:0 Site Description: A blog mainly dedicated to the concern of our madly accelerating world, destined to crumble if we don't slow down. Site statistics:Click here
Lightbulbs 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Australia will be the world's first country to ban incandescent lightbulbs in a bid to curb Greenhouse gas emissions, with the government saying on Tuesday they would be phased out within three years. Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull said yellow incandescent bulbs, which have been in use virtually unchanged for 125 years, would be replaced by more efficient compact fluorescent bulbs by 2009. I hope the rest of the world will follow.If every household in the United States replaced one regular light bulb with an energy-saving model, we could reduce global warming pollution by more than 90 billion pounds over the life of the bulbs; the same as taking 6.3 million cars off the road. Read more:Lightbulbs
Policymakers 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Let policymakers know you are concerned about global warming. Our elected officials and business leaders need to hear from concerned citizens. http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtmlhttp://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page821.asphttp://www.europarl.europa.eu/members/public.do?language=enhttp://www.nationalfreepress.ca/Canadian/government.htmhttp://www.regeringen.se/sb/d/113http://www.flimflam.com/international/elinx.htmlhttp://www.parish-without-borders.net/leaders.htm
Organic food 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Today when we did our weekly grocery shopping I was positively surprised. The supermarket staff had done some rearranging in the green section. They had interspersed the organic vegetables and fruits with the inorganic ones. Before the organic vegetables and fruits were separated from the ordinary goods and there used to be a special organic section. I used to feel a bit odd when I approached that section and I rarely saw any other customers picking anything there. Now I can buy organic food without feeling set apart, feeling more normal. I am sure many more costumers will try the organic stuff after the new mix up arrangement. Another positive aspect is that it is much easier to compare the organic goods with the inorganic. The inorganic green peppers, for example, look grotesquely enormous lying next to the more modestly shaped organic ones.In Sweden there are two major food chains: Coop and ICA. It is interesting to compare their homepages in a climate perspective. In ICA's homep Read more:Organic
The Green Room 1970-01-01 00:59:59 The BBC News website has a section called the Green
Room. Here thought-provoking opinion pieces on environmental issues are presented on a weekly basis.Try this one: Climate change: Time to get seriousOliver Tickel, a freelance journalist and environmental campaigner, calls for bold and global measures to fight climate change. He presents a plan for how it could be done. The comments the readers have posted are quite interesting too.
Sustainable transportation 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Maybe it's time the west started using these kind of vehicles for daily transportation! Just imagine going to the grocery store with one of these!Quite a contrast to the disturbing SUVs running on our streets today. Read more:Sustainable
Immoral parents 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Today when I picked up my son (by bicycle) at the after school centre I saw some appalling things. There is a sports hall on the school grounds just opposite of the centre where kids do sports in the evening. Just outside of the sports hall (which means inside the school yard area), there where several cars parked. The lazy parents couldn't even park their cars in the designated parking area some 50 meters away. Then I saw something even worse. A father was sitting in his car at the entrance of the school yard, about 250 meters from the sports hall, waiting for his son to come. Of course the engine was running and his son was probably still in the locker room. These kind of things really piss me off nowadays. Parents should be role models for their kids, not shameless misfits. Why do so few parents display in their actions that they are concerned about the future of their children? Why do so few parents bring their kids to school in a morally descent way, that is by foot, bicycle or b Read more:Immoral
What are we waiting for? 1970-01-01 00:59:59 A film made by greenpeace uk about decentralised energy. In the UK 2/3 of the energy is wasted: 61.5% through inefficient generation and heat wastage, 3.5% through transmission and distribution and 13% through inefficent end use. Innovations from the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden are shown in the film.
Our path 1970-01-01 00:59:59 To me, our modern western society appears more and more absurd and bizarre:Our endless lanes of cars. Cars that are becoming larger, bulkier and more vulgar. Our addiction to limited sources of dirty fossil and nuclear energy despite the fact that we are surrounded by clean, endless and abundant sources of energy. Our bottomless urge to consume stuff. Our idiotic reality shows on TV depicting trouble minded people. People that are getting larger, bulkier and more vulgar. Our need for speed, distraction and glossy looks. Our escape into virtual worlds and computer games. Our excessive and unsustainable lifestyle has produced byproducts and side effects that have now accumulated to such amounts that the web of life is starting to face serious threat. More and more people are beginning to realise this. The bizarre thing though is that the average citizen just carries on doing things as before.
+6.4° 2007-03-02 20:56:00 +6.4°: Most of life is exterminatedWarming seas lead to the possible release of methane hydrates trapped in sub-oceanic sediments: methane fireballs tear across the sky, causing further warming. The oceans lose their oxygen and turn stagnant, releasing poisonous hydrogen sulphide gas and destroying the ozone layer. Deserts extend almost to the Arctic. "Hypercanes" (hurricanes of unimaginable ferocity) circumnavigate the globe, causing flash floods which strip the land of soil. Humanity reduced to a few survivors eking out a living in polar refuges. Most of life on Earth has been snuffed out, as temperatures rise higher than for hundreds of millions of years.Check the complete degree-by-degree profile at Mark Lynas blogg.If the positive feed-back cycles kick in and nature's carbon stores are released a warming of 6.4 degrees could be real by 2100 according to the latest IPCC-report. We need to start doing some serious effort now to prevent this from happening.
Too hot not to handle 2007-03-04 22:19:00 Today I saw a global warming documentary called Too hot not to handle. The first part covers the warning signs that have appeared and the upcoming dangers that lure around the corner. Here the tone is grim and alarming. The second part is more optimistic. The focus is now switched to what is being done today and what can be done to solve the crisis. Within the crisis there is hope and opportunities are revealed. The transition from the oil age to next age is bringing on a lot of new exciting and pioneering breakthroughs. Wind and solar power is developing in a fast pace. A solar panel plant of 100 square miles could theoretically provide electricity to the entire United States. The combination of alarm and optimism is very interesting and the film can hopefully bring people into action. One of the more colorful personalities in the film is Stephen Schneider, a climatologist from Stanford university. When he opens his mouth words are emitted like bullets from a machine gun and they hit
Sustainable transportation 2 2007-03-04 22:13:00 Here is a human car prototype. It operates with four people rowing in concert. Row, row your car. Gently down the road. Merrily, merrily, life is but a dream. Check http://humancar.com/ for more information. Read more:Sustainable
How we can save the planet 2007-03-04 08:46:00 Carbon rationing seems to be a powerful measure to fight global warming.Here are two radio programs on the subject:Interview with Mayer Hillman, author of How we can save the planet
.Interview with Richard Starkey , researcher at the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research.If you are a Brittish citizen you can sign a e-petition about carbon rationing here.Here is an article about Mayer Hillman.
School meeting 2007-03-05 22:01:00 This evening I attended a school meeting
. The theme was how school children's health is related to lifestyle. The school doctor had a presentation and she said that it was important to be active, to sleep enough and to eat properly. The lecture was informative and interesting but I think she missed one important lifestyle factor: the way kids get to school. Nowadays a large portion of school kids are driven to school by their busy parents. The school is located in a quiet and safe area. There is even a well spread network of walking and bicycle paths. The only danger around the school is the traffic of the parents dropping off their kids. After the presentation we had group discussions in the classrooms. I brought up the car problem in my group. Everybody agreed that it was a problem but that times had changed. One mother mentioned that it is more difficult now when both parents work in most families. Another one said there is not enough time. The teacher said it is difficult to chang Read more:School
Coffe break conversations 2007-03-05 12:41:00 Two separate statements uttered by a colleague during coffee break today:1) "I am afraid of ticks because they are disgusting and carry disease."2) "I am going to Thailand for vacation in a couple of weeks."A flight to Thailand means a lot of CO2 which leads to warmer weather which leads to more ticks. Why can't people see the connections? Read more:Coffe
Nicolas Hulot 2007-03-06 23:18:00 A popular tv presenter of nature/adventure programmes and now also an energetic climate campaigner. He has presented an ecology pact that most of the presidential candidates of France has signed. The pact, which has been signed by nearly half a million people, calls for a carbon tax on fuel emissions, and a new government post of deputy prime minister in charge of the environment.He threatened that he would candidate for presidency if the environmental issues weren't taken seriously, but now that they are he has stepped down. Read more:Nicolas
Glimpses 2007-03-07 22:52:00 I found an interesting website called The Tomorrow Project which describes emerging social, economic and demographic trends.In glimpses of tomorrow you can obtain a thorough mapping of the following topics:•Globalisation •Life course •Individuals, identity and values •Media and technology •Politics and government •Social exclusion •Employment •SustainabilityGlimpses at a glance gives you a good overview of the topics.I recommend the sustainability section if you want to get a good picture of climate change.
Climate change policy frameworks 2007-03-07 20:44:00 As we all know by now we are approaching the danger zone of climate change and that immediate and effective action is required.Globally a 60% cut in emissions is said to be needed by 2030. This means that rich and developed countries are required to make 90% cuts.To manage this at a global scale we have the contraction and convergence framework. Contraction: reducing the global emissions to a safe level. Convergence: bringing the emissions per capita to a level which is equal for all countries.In order to achieve this, each country can implement the carbon rationing framework on a national level. In this framework all citizens are given an equal set of emissions units to spend. If you need to spend more than the set amount you can buy additional units from people who have spent less. The annual amount of units can be lowered gradually each year to reach a target goal.In order to gain acceptance and compliance the public needs to be educated!Watch Aubrey Meyer, the director of the Globa Read more:Climate
, Climate change
Speed limit rise 2007-03-08 23:15:00 The Swedish government is planning to raise the current highway speed limit of 110 km/h to 120 km/h. This will increase the emissions by 10-15% according to calculations by the Swedish national road administration. If I sit behind the wheel, which I try to avoid, I nowadays try to drive 10km/h below the set speed limits. My way and the governments' way is not converging. Read more:Speed
Thumbs 2007-03-08 22:46:00 Oil age hitchhiking during times of no worries.Oil age is coming to an end. Concern about climate change starts to arise and the attitude towards gasoline fueled cars is somewhat different. Cars are becoming uncool.
Evolution 2007-03-10 09:01:00 Is this how we will evolve if we leave our cars behind? Parkour Read more:Evolution
Leadership 2007-03-09 23:27:00 Tim Flannery, a internationally acclaimed climatologist and author, says some fine things about leadership in combating climate change in this video from bigpicture.tv.Leadership
can be practiced on many different levels. We can all make a difference influencing others to get more conscious and take action. Putting up solar panels on the roof of your house is a clear and visible statement. Riding your bike to work is another, and wearing a brightly colored reflective vest is a way of enforcing the statement. Doing things actively to cut emissions will be noticed by others and some will catch on. Their behaviour will in turn influence another bunch of people.Tim Flannery has written The Weather Makers.
Idling 2007-03-09 21:25:00 Everyday I see idiots. The streets are full of them. This evening when I biked home from downtown I passed the parking lot of Ica supermarket Sävja. A car was parked at the far end of the parking lot. The owner was sitting behind the stirring wheel aimlessly staring out at the field in front of the car. The headlights were cascading out bright light into the darkness and the engine was idling. The person sitting there was waiting for somebody in the store to finish shopping. As I continued I could from a far distance see those bright headlights beaming in the night. Fumes being evaporated into the black sky. I felt like going back to parking lot and tell the moron to turn off the engine. I didn't, I just imagined myself pouring mud and dirt onto the hood and windshield.
Light emitting diodes 2007-03-10 20:54:00 Light emitting diodes could become the next generation of light bulbs. There are a lot advantages with LED. They are very energy efficient and don't contain mercury as the CFL-lights do. The bulbs are durable and can withstand shaking and rattling. They last almost forever, 60000 hours. They are safe, little heat is emitted. The light emitted is similar to real daylight which makes you more alert. Most bulbs are directional, you get the light where you aim it. Perfect for headlights. Omni-directional bulbs exist on the market but are not so common yet. LED comes in many different colors. Some cities use them in traffic lights.The price for LED bulbs is still quite high but the money spent is said to be returned in a year.Philips has created a wide range of futuristic LED applications:LED-textilesLED-painting
Martin Durkin-a distorter 2007-03-12 22:00:00 A lot of misinformation and conspiracy theories flourish on he Internet. Recently British Channel 4 aired a "documentary" called The Great Global Warming Swindle. On google.video it has attracted more than 125.000 views already. There is a risk that a lot of people could be misled by this film. TV-producer Martin
Durkin is notorious for distorting the truth and misrepresenting what people say. His latest piece of crap is pure propaganda. Here are some articles about Martin Durkin and C4:Climate change: An inconvenient truth... for C4Why Channel 4 has got it wrong over climate changeModified truthThe revolution has been televisedHere is a wiki-article about the film: The great global warming swindle.
Climate Change Bill launch 2007-03-14 10:30:00 The British government pledges to cut carbon emissions by 60% by 2050 with the publication of the UK's first ever climate change bill. A good initiative. I hope more countries will follow swiftly. Read more:Climate
, Change
, Climate Change Bill
Green mutual funds 2007-03-13 21:36:00 Investing in green mutual funds is a way to help the environment and at the same time hopefully make some bucks. The big transition from the fossil economy to the next era will most likely bring on tremendous business opportunities. Currently there aren't that many true green mutual funds but I think more and more will eventually emerge.This one seems to be quite sincere in its sustainable approach:http://www.portfolio21.com/ Read more:Green
Educate the people! 2007-03-15 21:15:00 The last couple of days I have checked a number of sites where comments about climate change has been made. Frighteningly often the Channel 4 "documentary" is referred to as a great film. The film bears a convenient truth for people
who wishes to continue with their mundane business as usual lives. I wonder how much damage this stupid film has caused. Too much time is being wasted on arguing about if anthropogenic climate change is real or not. That debate should have been over long ago. This film has unfortunately reignited the debate, at least in the blogosphere. If people are not convinced that we are causing harm with our current emissions, how will they react to future climate bills? How will they comply with contractions that will have to become increasingly tougher? Scientists and educated people thus need to engage more in the discussions on the Internet to prevent more people from getting distorted views of what is going on.Here is a clear message brought on by Sir David Atte Read more:Educate
Wars of information 2007-03-14 21:46:00 A war is silently going on in the wired (and weird) world about global warming. A war of information
. There are tons of keyboard battles taking place around the planet. On one side we find people who claim that global warming is caused only by natural variations and that humans are not to blame. On the other side we find people who are trying to educate naysayers and convince them that they are wrong. Here is an example of the kind of information battles that are fought in the Internet trenches.
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