...been caused by a giant asteroid. This time it is not an asteroid colliding with the Earth and wreaking havoc: it is us.” Former Vice President, Al Gore, has continued his ongoing work as an environmental activist even after leaving the White House, and his biggest concern is global warming. Today, global warming is the greatest challenge our planet is facing. Global warming is the increase in the temperature of the earth’s surface air. It is one of the most current and widely discussed factors. It has far-reaching impact on biodiversity and climatic conditions of the planet. Several current trends clearly demonstrate that global warming is directly impacting on rising sea levels, the melting of ice caps and significant worldwide climate changes. In short, global warming represents a fundamental threat to all living things on earth. The greenhouse effect and global warming are issues that are talked about by geologists all the time. The greenhouse effect is a natural process that keeps the earth at temperatures that are livable. Energy from the sun warms the earth when its heat rays are absorbed by greenhouse gasses and become trapped in the atmosphere. Some of the most common greenhouse gasses are water vapor, carbon dioxide, and methane. If there were no greenhouse gasses, very few rays would be absorbed and the earth would be extremely cold. When too many rays are absorbed, the earths atmosphere starts to warm, which leads to global warming. Global warming can lead...
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...the centre to outskirt, more cars are used, and then, leads to more vehicles exhaust emissions which are the main factor of climate change. More car use results in motorization, a lack of communications with friends and family results in social fragmentation. The Global Climate Coalition (GCC), the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and environmentalists suggest answers to these problems. This essay argues that some solutions work more effectively to these focusing on climate change, loss of land and negative impacts on public health. Climate change forms a serious threat to the environment, urban sprawl has resulted in serious emission of greenhouse gases as more cars are used which requires more energy use. Then, more and more global warming gases are released which leads to critical environmental problems. Martin (2007) points out car and land use lead to more greenhouse emissions. And cars and facilities are the main producers of global warming. Thereby, Environmental problems are having become acute in the twenty-first century. Gonzalez (2005) also indicates that expansion the city results in more emissions of greenhouse gases, particularly carbon dioxide, and more energy use which is also a main factor leading to climate change. In order to solve these problems, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and the Global Climate Coalition (GCC) relying on technology to address global warming cannot solve this problem; although this can limit the emission...
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...than friends, but less than lovers. A lot of students had already been on this stage so probably strange effects had happened to them. Entering on this kind of relationship will produce a lot of effects. Looking on the positive side, it will make you happy and inspired. Being with someone who always loves to make you happy, smile, or laugh is truly great. You will feel more lively, energetic, inspired, and motivated to do anything. This will help you to do all your school works, and to get high grades. But remember that not all good things last forever, sometimes bad things are bound to happen; and this is the start of the negative effects that mutual relationship had brought. When the two of you had some problems or fights, this will change your mood. You will be stressed out, and by being stressed this affects your studies. You won’t be likely to concentrate and focus well on your studies and that will results on having low grades. But the most negative effect of this relationship you may experience is that you’ll be hurt later on, not physically, but mentally. Entering on a kind of relationship where there is no assurance if you’ll be together someday is really painful.You both act as lovers but no strings attached. It just like they said "There is no 'us', just 'you' and 'me'." Being in this kind of relationship is risky because you’ll get hurt at some...
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...TOPIC: CLIMATE CHANGE The topic of climate change is like a puzzle with many different pieces—oceans, the atmosphere, ecosystems, polar ice, natural and human influences. Scientists have been working on this puzzle for more than a century, and while there are still gaps in our knowledge, most experts feel we have the puzzle is complete enough to show that human activities are having an adverse effect on our planet. This talks looks at many of those puzzle pieces, the evidence behind them, and the conclusions we can draw from them. OUTLINE • What changes climate? • Is it real? • How do we know? • Why should we care? • How sure are scientists? • What next—what can we do? What changes climate? Changes in: – Sun’s output – Earth’s orbit – Drifting continents – Volcanic eruptions – Greenhouse gases Scientists have a good understanding of what has changed earth’s climate in the past: • Incoming solar radiation is the main climate driver. Its energy output increased about 0.1% from 1750 to 1950, increasing temperatures by 0.2°F (0.1°C) in the first part of the 20th century. But since 1979, when we began taking measurements from space, the data show no long-term change in total solar energy, even though Earth has been warming. • Repetitive cycles in Earth’s orbit that occur over tens of thousands of years can influence the angle and timing...
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...gas” a lot—but what is it? Humans add various gases to the earth’s atmosphere every day; these gases (known as “greenhouse gases”) consist primarily of carbon dioxide, ozone, chlorofluorocarbons, nitrous oxide, and methane, and tend to warm the earth. Trees help counter greenhouse gas production during photosynthesis, by taking in carbon dioxide as waste material and producing oxygen, which of course we all need to survive. Scientists predict that the daily addition of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere, combined with daily removal of large portions of the world’s forests, will raise the earth’s average temperature by several degrees in the next century. This in turn will raise the level of the sea and potentially create significant changes in weather patterns on a global scale. As we move into the future, many climatologists expect that most of the United States will warm. What we do not know yet is how to scientifically predict which parts of the nation will become wetter or drier. We do know there is likely to be an overall trend toward increased precipitation and evaporation, and more intense weather systems, in the form of violent rainstorms, blizzards and sun-baked, drier soils. The Facts—What Do We Already Know About Changing Global Conditions (Global Warming)? Global temperatures are rising. Observations collected over the last century suggest that the average land surface temperature has risen 0.45-0.6°C (0.8-1.0°F) in the last century. Precipitation has increased...
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... How does Mooney intend to influence his audience /readers? People are conditioned by a lifetime of learning. Chris Mooney, author of “The Science of Why We Don’t Believe in Science”, explores how difficult it would be for people to accept new information. When a person is confronted with facts that challenge a long-held belief, the result is a strong defense to their position, a process called “motivated-reasoning” in which people may instead be ‘rationalizing’. Rationalizing can help explain how, as a society; we can remain bias over issues for which there are loads of evidence and information. This article is important based on the various perspectives of the learning process such as the president vaccine wars, science on climate changes, and global warming issues. Mooney uses these perspectives to his advantage to persuade his audience on the independence of beliefs and how it affects our thoughts. The theory behind “motivated reasoning” is that pre-existing beliefs, far more than any new facts brought to peoples’ attention tend to skew our thinking processes. These pre-existing thoughts color people’s most passionate and seemingly logical conclusions and beliefs. Mooney states, “‘Motivated-reasoning’ helps explain why we find groups so polarized over matters where the evidence is so unequivocal.”(pg.2) Mooney takes the time to not only cite organizations, in which participants do not formally have political affiliations, but he uses experimental studies to demonstrate...
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...Burmese pythons are light colored with dark brown blotches bordered in black, and a pale belly. They grow much longer and heavier than any of Florida's native snakes the largest is the indigo snake that grows to 8.5 feet. It is estimated that these reptiles are escaped or discarded pets. State rules that went into effect this year should help prevent those less ethical individuals from dumping these creatures into our beloved eco system. The laws include a $100 annual permit to own “reptiles of concern,” and a mandatory microchip. Nevertheless, it is imperative that more be done to educate people about the problem of turning loose non-native species. In the past several decades, this species of reptile has thrived in the warm climate of the Everglades and surrounding areas of South Florida. Their numbers have since grown, with an estimated breeding population in Florida in the thousands. Pythons are likely to colonize anywhere alligators live, including North Florida, Georgia, and Louisiana. So far, reports from witnesses indicate most of the snakes have been found in Everglades National Floods, droughts,...
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...Siemens is the pioneer in energy efficiency, industrial productivity, affordable and personalized healthcare, and intelligent infrastructure solutions. The company’s vision is addressing the world’s toughest questions, many of them deriving from the four megatrends urbanization, demographic change, climate change, and globalization. Siemens values in which they have been following for more than a century are: Responsible, Excellent & Innovative. The principles related to “Responsible” serve as fundamental guidance for its business decisions. Siemens encourage business partners, suppliers and other stakeholders to adopt a similar standard of ethical behavior. Siemens is determined to meet, and wherever possible, exceed all legal and ethical requirements. Our responsibility is to conduct all business according to the highest professional and ethical standards and practices: There must be no tolerance for non-compliant behavior. Sustainability at Siemens is leading to profitable long-term growth and responsible value creation for the company. For Siemens, sustainability means acting responsibly on behalf of future generations to achieve economic, environmental and social progress: • For the environment, Siemens is providing innovative products and solutions to improve both its own eco balance and those of its customers and suppliers. • For business, Siemens is focusing on long-term value creation. • For the society, Siemens is developing its own employees and striving...
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...civilisation. The prospect of a rapidly changing global enviroment is enough to cause considerable concern towards life on earth for future generations. Therefore it is important to understand how climate change works, what is causing the climate to change, what effects these changes are having, and how they may continue to affect the global environment. What causes the environments on earth unable to support life? What can be done about these predictions of climates in the future? How will these climate changes affect South-West Western Australia? How does climate change work? Climate change is a natural process that has been functioning on earth for billions of years, it is the regulator of the earth's abililty to support life by the cycles of The Greenhouse Effect. The Greenhouse Effect has made the earth an environment for supporting life through the cycling of energy from the sun via short-wave radiation, which heats the earths surface, then is released into the atmopshere as long-wave radiation. This cycle is made possible by the prescence of Greenhouse gases, which redside in the earths atmopshere, and absorb most of the long-wave radiation given off by the earth, with the remainder being expelled into space. This process cycles the heat from the sun around the earths atmosphere and a climate is the result, without this circulation of energy life cannot exist. Greenhouse gasses absorb long-wave solar radiation, enabling the Greenhouse Effect. The main gasses are Water Vapour...
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...Childhood and education: changes and challenges Dr Nick Lee Institute of Education, University of Warwick February 2009 Summary The first section of this paper will describe the child-centred social investment thesis developed by Esping Andersen (2002). This thesis has been a strong influence on UK government educational and child-related policy over the last decade. Some of the resulting current UK policies will be examined, and their success or failure so far will be explored. It is crucial to note that these policies involve the increasing integration of health, welfare and educational resources in the common purpose of increasing children’s social and cognitive capital. This survey will reveal the key trends and drivers that policy makers are currently responding to as they shape children’s lives. Given that steps taken today may well have effects lasting decades, the guiding social, technical and economic assumptions currently made about the future need to be identified and critically examined. Section Two will set these assumptions in the context of major global trends and signals including issues of demographic change in less and least developed world regions, climate change, energy and food security and financial conditions. The key question here will be whether the bases of current policies address the range of possible futures of yesterday or the range of possible futures of today. Section Three will draw on this material to compose a set of issues that are likely...
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...longer fiction; scientific studies have proved that the earth's climate is under going a period of rapid change. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) claims that the average global temperature has increased by 0.74°C since the mid-20th century and predicts that it will continue to rise by another 1.1°C to 6.4°C by the end of the 21st century (Lynas, 1). Our high dependence on fossil fuels as a source of energy has raised the atmospheric content of greenhouses gases to levels which are higher than almost any point in history. These gasses serve as a powerful insulator, and contain excess heat within our atmosphere. An overall warmer climate disrupts the ecosystem and causes disastrous impacts to take place. One of the most prominent dangers associated with global warming is the melting of the polar ice caps (Hansen 2). These enormous blocks of ice that serve as a habitat for many species of wildlife creatures are quickly melting into the ocean. The devastating impact this has on human life is that it sea levels are rising, and if not controlled, it will submerge large costal portions of the earths landmass which are currently occupied by humans. Rainfall patterns are also rapidly changing, causing droughts in some areas and flooding in others. Agriculture production will be greatly effected if these weather patterns intensify. Relatively speaking, global warming is still in its early stages, and changes can be made to...
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...Environmentalists believed that the world was in peril. The anti-environmentalists believed that social and economic heath and progress were necessary. Today The situation has changed from the early days of modern environmentalism. Public opinion polls show that people around the world rank the environment among the most important social and political issues. No longer is there a need to verify that the environmental problems are severe. Complete the rest of the worksheet based on the example above. Remember to be thorough in your answers and write in complete sentences. Water Management Describe Water Management and Use Freshwater sources are ground water, run off, and snow melt. Its uses Water supply problems are from population growth, climate changes, pollution of water supplies and depletion of aquifers. Water conservation reduction in use and improve water management practices. Water use is agricultural, industrial, household, recreation and environmental. Effects of Water Use and Management Practices on the Environment Short-term...
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...atmosphere. Over time, the amount of energy sent from the sun to the Earth’s surface should be about the same as the amount of energy radiated back into space, leaving the temperature of the Earth’s surface roughly constant (EIA, 2002)." The purpose of this report is to implement a plan that focuses on greenhouse gases. This report will include a sustainable plan that will include the overall Princeton's strategy, the organization, and the people. Overall Business Strategy Our global climate is being disrupted and impacted by human activities. There hasn't been a disruption of this nature since the Industrial Revolution. We are being counseled by scientist to change our behaviors and seek corrective actions. This must be done within the decade to prevent serious consequences. "Attaining a sustainable global environment requires rigorous reassessment of our energy policies and practices, transformational leadership, creative technologies, and substantial changes in human behavior (PUR, 2010)." Mission and Vision My mission/vision, as Princeton's advisor, would be to manage greenhouse gases by focusing on the productivity to improve...
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...caused by global warming. The Earth's average temperature raised an average of 1 degree Fahrenheit over the past 50 years (Which of These is Not Causing Global Warming Today – written by Sharon Begley and Andrew Murr). The rise of the temperature goes hand in hand with the rise of the Industrial revolution. The climate has changed drastically over the years with the rise of our production of buildings, automobiles, expressways, etc. Scientists have reproduced the effects of carbon dioxide alone, and found that the temperature is going to rise much more than originally anticipated. Earth is indeed getting warmer, and we are at fault. Over the years we have conducted research on the global climate changes taking place worldwide. We have suffered both as a nation, and as a world due to these climatic changes taking place. It has been up in the air about what the real cause in what is speeding the process up. We have suffered from the severe weather changes all around the world and nobody knows why. According to a Newsweek Article Vol 150 Issue 2 titled, “Which of These Is Not Causing Global Warming Today?” written by Sharon Begley and Andrew Murr on July 2007, “600 climate scientists from 40 countries reported in Feb 2007 that there was, for the first time, “unequivocal “evidence that the world is warming and greater than 90 percent certainty that man-made greenhouse gases have caused most of the warming since 1950.” Also in this article you find, “That 11 of the 12 hottest years...
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...Climate Change Regulations Paper University of Phoenix SCI 362 April 2, 2012 Climate Change Regulations Climate change is an intricate comparison of numerous geological, atmospheric, and ecological sources. Often the viewpoint of climate change is distilled into an oversimplification of global warming. Global warming is mostly understood in lay terms as the warming of the earth due to the overproduction of greenhouse gasses. In reality, climate change is, “a measure of changes in the statistical properties of the climate system when considered over periods of decades or longer, regardless of cause.” There are three main views pertaining to climate change; global warming, solar irradiance, and natural cycles of the atmosphere. Global warming is the viewpoint that human influences have and are altering the atmosphere by raising the temperature of the planet. This viewpoint is the most widely accepted view from scientists around the world who believe that the release of large amounts of CO2 and Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) (amongst other gasses are creating a greenhouse effect. The effect of global warming is not completely known. While some sources such as environmental groups like Greenpeace, predict catastrophe, groups like NASA admit that the implications of global warming are not well known (NASA, 2011). The other view of climate change pertains to solar irradiance. The sun has affected the earth’s weather in the past and solar output has increased in...
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