Are you doing your part to slow global warming?

[herpguy]

Conserving energy. Driving less. Turning off your computer. What are you doing to help slow global warming?

[JTM³]

Ugh.

 

How can we even attempt to say we fully understand the climate sytem???

 

We've had natural warming and cooling periods long before fossil fuels were used.

 

And doesn't ONE volcanic eruption put out more greenhouse gases in A SINGLE eruption the ALL of humanity in a year???

 

Damn ecofreaks.

[herpguy]

Ugh.

 

How can someone ignore the evidence???

 

Carbon levels in the atmosphere were a very large factor in warming and cooling periods in the past.

 

Don't certain things volcanoes release into the atmosphere actually cool the earth???

 

Darnn skeptics.

 

This thread was not meant to have discussion over whether AGGs are the primary factor of global warming. I was simply asking if anyone is doing anything to helo the environment.

[bascule]

How can we even attempt to say we fully understand the climate sytem???

 

We don't have to "fully understand the climate system" to know the extent of the Earth's radiative imbalance and whether or not the forcings primarily responsible for climate change are anthropogenic or natural.

 

We've had natural warming and cooling periods long before fossil fuels were used.

 

Yes. However the warming trend in the past 50 years is primarily anthropogenically forced

 

And doesn't ONE volcanic eruption put out more greenhouse gases in A SINGLE eruption the ALL of humanity in a year???

 

No

 

http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2006/05/current-volcanic-activity-and-climate/

 

One point that is also worth making is that although volcanoes release some CO2 into the atmosphere, this is completely negligable compared to anthropogenic emissions (about 0.15 Gt/year of carbon, compared to about 7 Gt/year of human related sources) . However, over very long times scales (millions of years), variations in vulcanism are important for the eventual balance of the carbon cycle, and may have helped kick the planet out of a 'Snowball Earth' state in the Neo-proterozoic 750 million years ago.

 

Beyond that, volcanoes emit sulfate aerosols which actually contribute to global dimming. A decrease in volcanic activity is partly responsible for the warming trend at the beginning of the 20th century, because fewer eruptions means less reflective aerosols in the air.

 

RETURNING TO THE TOPIC AT HAND

 

herpguy: riding my bike rather than driving. Of course, around here, bikes are actually faster than cars, considering our awesome system of bike paths

[herpguy]

herpguy: riding my bike rather than driving. Of course, around here, bikes are actually faster than cars, considering our awesome system of bike paths

I really want to live where you live.

[Mokele]

To quote a climate scientist whose seminar I recently attended, "Just because we don't know everything about a system doesn't mean we don't know anything about a system."

 

As for me, I drive very rarely (though more frequently now that my fiancee is in town, since I need to aquire food more often), and walk to school whenever I go, rain or shine (in part because I don't have a campus parking permit).

 

Mokele

[GutZ]

I try to speed up global warming, but my lifestyle isn't fit for it. I don't have a car, I walk most of the time, or take a bus if it's "out of an 1 hour walk" or more. I'd use my A/C more but it too loud for me and I hate to disturb people so I only have it on just before I sleep.

 

I smoke though, that's atleast one step towards my goal.

[Royston]

Well our household recycle anything that can be recycled, we nearly always shower, rather than taking baths (not together I hasten to add.) We never have lights on when we're not in the room, turn pc's off when not in use, along with any other electrical equipment. Recycling is very much encouraged in our area, and they will take and sort practically anything...it's called the 'blue box' scheme.

 

I used to ride my bike to work everyday, roughly a 14 mile round trip (along the South Coast...it's a very pleasant ride), but as I get nearly an hour and a half of study time on the bus, I make use of the bus passes that are dished out at work, to encourage people not to drive in.

[Severian]

I walk to work, so I don't use my car much. Also, I follow my wife about the house switching off lights behind her.

 

And of course, I educate students about things like global warming in my lectures.

[Pangloss]

I tell other people to save energy so I can buy bigger SUVs. And I offset Severian's damage by warning my students about the perils of faith-based science...

 

Just kidding! But on a more serious note I think people often underestimate the value of assessing their home's energy efficiency profile. I find a very large incentive to "do something about global warming" every month when I open my electricity bill. We've re-assessed our house's energy profile twice since purchasing it, finding areas of improvement in many places, such as the better windows and doors, cleaning interior ductwork, and more. We replaced our air conditioner with a more efficient one about a year ago, and did some insulation work in the attic. Also we reduce the AC when out of the house, but not too far because then it has to do too much work when we return.

 

Our energy bill is sometimes HALF what our neighbors with similar house sizes pay, so the savings paid off the home improvements (which also increased the value of the house) in just a few months.

[Sisyphus]

I live in large, heavily insulated apartment building, and I walk or take public transit everywhere. As a result I am responsible for the of use about 10% of the fossil fuels of the average American suburbanite.

[Jim]

I moved my office to the outskirts of my residential neighborhood so I don't have to drive downtown every day. Do I get credit even if my motivation was to save time and money?

[Pangloss]

NO! Please perform the requisite ablutions at the altar of global warming.

[gcol]

Considering the idea that if we all reduce our energy consumption by 50%, the effect will be greatly alleviated, I am trying to persuade my wife to live in a grass-roofed, unheated mud hut and to eat home-grown raw food. I have bought her a bike and promised her an arctic survival suit for the winter months and some oil lamps and candles too. If she does this and more, thus reducing her energy consumption to pre-industrial revolution levels, I reckon I can move out to somewhere comfy and warm with all mod cons, as our joint consumption will have fallen by at least 50%. Good idea? What do you reckon on my chances of success?

[john5746]

I was wondering, what should we do about our own gas emissions - farts. Should we burn them? Would that be better for the environment? Or eat less flatulent food - I notice protein seems to be less flatulent than fiberous foods.

 

Fight global warming - eat steak. gets rid of cow and human farts!

[JHAQ]

Whatever we do , it is going to be trumped by China .

[ParanoiA]

I was wondering' date=' what should we do about our own gas emissions - farts. Should we burn them? Would that be better for the environment? Or eat less flatulent food - I notice protein seems to be less flatulent than fiberous foods.

 

Fight global warming - eat steak. gets rid of cow and human farts![/quote']

 

Does this human emission actually degrade the ozone layer? Does it actually contribute to global warming?

 

I hope so. That's going to be an awesome subject at parties...

[john5746]

Methane Sources

 

"Ruminants" would be farting and belching

 

More Info

[padren]

herpguy: riding my bike rather than driving. Of course' date=' around here, bikes are actually faster than cars, considering our awesome system of bike paths[/quote']

 

Not to mention the complete horror that is the denver turnpike when the Denver commuters come and go. I don't know how it is now but it was nuts when I lived there, since few could afford to live there off what they earned in that city.

 

To help the environment:

 

I make fresh icecubes in my freezer and put them on my porch every hour on the hour, to help do my part to counter global warming. I even run my air conditioner with the window open to help.

 

 

I don't keep my grass supergreen, well, sometimes its a bit yellow. That should help reduce the albedo effect, as green will absorb more heat energy than yellow.

 

Seriously though, I do walk almost everywhere. I live quite close to the center of town, and its only a few blocks to the bars and my office.

[Chupacabra]

Conserving energy. Driving less. Turning off your computer. What are you doing to help slow global warming?

 

Why should I strive to slow it? I personally like warm weather, considering climate here where I live is rather cold. At 300 m a.s.l. no risk of inundation. Hurricanes and tornadoes seen only on TV. The home heating bills will get lower, the vegetation period will increase, meaning more and cheaper food.

Global warming is rather beneficial to my, so why worry about it?

[Sisyphus]

Why should I strive to slow it? I personally like warm weather, considering climate here where I live is rather cold. At 300 m a.s.l. no risk of inundation. Hurricanes and tornadoes seen only on TV. The home heating bills will get lower, the vegetation period will increase, meaning more and cheaper food.

Global warming is rather beneficial to my, so why worry about it?

 

Because the rest of the world will be moving into your back yard.

[SmallIsPower]

I've cut down on my driving, gone to my city and county officials with info, including about the coming slipstream windmills I read about here, and make suggestions to homeowners. I haven't conserved as much as I'd like to, I haven't even cut down on beef consumption.

[ecoli]

I stopped bathing. This saves on the electricity it takes to pump water into my house. Also, nobody wants to go near me anymore, so I don't have to worry about driving to my friend's houses.

 

Also, I now only own one pair of clothes, and I never wash the pair I wear. Saves energy and also the friends. Also, my girlfriend no longer goes near me, and thankfully the headaches have stopped.

[Pangloss]

Slipstream windmills?

 

(moves a bit farther away from the aptly named ecoli)

[Dak]

Methane Sources

 

"Ruminants" would be farting and belching

 

More Info

 

ruminants would be cloven-hoofed animals that have 4 stomachs, iirc.

 

i dont think humans contribute as much with their flatulance as cows do

 

Considering the idea that if we all reduce our energy consumption by 50%, the effect will be greatly alleviated, I am trying to persuade my wife to live in a grass-roofed, unheated mud hut and to eat home-grown raw food. I have bought her a bike and promised her an arctic survival suit for the winter months and some oil lamps and candles too. If she does this and more, thus reducing her energy consumption to pre-industrial revolution levels, I reckon I can move out to somewhere comfy and warm with all mod cons, as our joint consumption will have fallen by at least 50%. Good idea? What do you reckon on my chances of success?

 

meh. you show lack of vision. hook her up to an excersize bike linked to a generator.

 

then, her energy use would be negative. you could, like, leave light-bulbs on and stuff.

 

----

 

i dont really think im all that unnefficient, tbh. i ride a bike or walk, and turn stuff off after me (lightbulbs, tv etc).