Climate Change
Promoting actions against climate change & greenhouse effect
What natural greenhouse effect is and how it works
The greenhouse effect is a natural process that warms the Earth’s surface. When the Sun’s energy reaches the Earth’s atmosphere, some of it is reflected back to space and the rest is absorbed and re-radiated by greenhouse gases.
Anthropogenic greenhouse affect and how it is different from natural greenhouse effect
How humans have accelerated the greenhouse effect and how it affects our future
Farming
Warming temperatures in the past decade have already turned more farmers to growing maize and sunflower, according to the National Farmers Union, and this summer's heatwave has led to a higher than usual death rate in poultry farms.
Drought stress in crops has increased sharply in the past 20 years. Farmers are now saving irrigation water for higher value vegetables and salad crops.
Insects
Air Pollution
Ozone found high in the atmosphere is called "good ozone" because it protects life on Earth from the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays. Ozone can also be found close to the surface of the Earth, where it is considered “bad ozone” because it's the main ingredient of smog and is harmful for people to breathe. Bad ozone is created from pollutants that go through chemical reactions in the atmosphere. Climate change is likely to increase the amount of bad ozone in the air because more ozone is created when the temperature is warm
What we can do at home to reduce our carbon footprint
1. Lighting – By having compact fluorescent light bulbs that have that cool curly shape this saves more than 2/3rds of the energy of a regular incandescent. Each bulb can save $40 or more over its lifetime.
2. Dont waste food- Do not throw away any food, make sure to get food that you like from the grocery store to prevent from being wasteful
3. Water-Conserving Shower heads & Toilets – reduce water and heating costs, even in the bathroom. To save even more water, turn the faucet off when brushing or shaving. These simple changes and steps can save many thousands of gallons of water annually.
4. Electronics – turn things off. If you’re going away or not using an item for awhile, unplug it to prevent energy loss from electricity usage on standby.
5. Solar – We love solar, but make sure to reduce your energy load first to keep your costs down to help reduce the excess CO2 that will get trapped in the earths atmosphere that will make it warmer.
Works Cited
"Air Pollution." Global Climate Change. N.p., 03 Mar. 2016. Web. 10 Apr. 2016.
Brown, Paul, and John Vidal. "How Climate Change Affects All Our Lives." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 26 Aug. 2003. Web. 09 Apr. 2016.
"The Greenhouse Effect." The Greenhouse Effect. UCAR, 2011. Web. 05 Apr. 2016.
"How to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint." Carbonfund. Carbonfund, n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2016.
West, Larry. "What Is the Greenhouse Effect?" About.com News & Issues. N.p., 11 Feb. 2016. Web. 08 Apr. 2016.