Blog Action Day '09: Climate Change

Today is Blog Action Day, where thousands of bloggers around the world are coming together to promote one cause: climate change. It's time to face the imminent and devastating facts on which scientists unequivocally agree. While I am not the most informed source on climate change, I have done my research. This post will cover some basic points from how climate change impacts our daily life to how we can reduce our carbon footprint.

Global warming is literally hanging over the world like the proverbial dark cloud. In one sentence, global warming is "an increase in the earth's atmospheric and oceanic temperatures widely predicted to occur due to an increase in the greenhouse effect resulting especially from pollution" (merriamwebster.com.) Polluting emissions come from human activities such as cars and power plants. The combustion of fossil fuels causes atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) that are at a level unequaled for at least 800,000 years.

"A global climate change agreement is necessary so that we can limit the negative man-made effects on the climate system for future generations" (en.cop15.dk.) This agreement is the aim of the United Nations Climate Change Conference ("COP15") scheduled for December 2009. All eyes will be these world leaders as they attempt to reduce emissions in a seriously political way. You can access COP15 updates on facebook, twitter and youtube.

Climate Change in Our Daily Lives

While reading the Center for American Progress's Top 100 Effects of Global Warming, I was shocked by the mass amount of cultural landmarks, foods and animals we take for granted that will be eliminated by global warming. This list is definitely worth reading!

What Can YOU Do?

It's easy to calculate your carbon footprint and find ways to balance your impact. Conservation International's carbon calculator evaluates your lifestyle and natural product consumption in a quick and comprehensive way.

Thanks to Kids vs. Global Warming, here's a list of simple daily actions you can individually take to combat global warming:

:: Invest in alternative energy (instead of supporting power companies that fuel global warming.)

:: Hang-dry your clothes. (Household appliances like dryers hog energy.)

:: Recycle.

:: Eat locally-grown foods.

:: Refuse plastic bottles. (Last year it took 1.5 million barrels of oil to make them.)

:: Plant trees. (Trees actually decrease CO2 levels.)

:: Use LEDS or compact florescent light bulbs (instead of regular light bulbs that waste tons of energy.)


That's the end of my Climate Change 101. Thanks to all who made Blog Action Day possible.