Global Warming - Is It Real For You?

The information age has landed with a head bursting thump. In fact it has not only landed; it has planted roots and made a firm home for itself within our society. On a daily basis we have the opportunity engorge ourselves with new information - magazine articles, blogs, pod casts and e-books. And yet as we revel in this golden age of information, we manage to casually face our biggest ever challenge as a species, and note it down on a virtual to do list for the future - "global warming, fix next week".

Just this evening while discussing the topic, my six year old daughter dropped her shoulders rolled her eyes and moaned "not that again!" Too much information can be as bad as too little, as we run the risk of desensitization setting it. What's more, information without experience to help us internalize it does little good. Experience enables us to assign an emotion to the new information; this is what makes it meaningful.

This being the case, I am not here to overload you with facts about global warming, there are multitudes of pages about it on the net and the "almost" US president Al Gore has adequately illustrated the threat of global warming in his award winning film, The Inconvenient Truth.

My interests are more to do with the effects of global warming on plants and more specifically the plants that live within my direct human experience.

How will the increase in average global temperature affect the plants live around you? The question was sparked by the unprecedented dry summer we have just experienced in Johannesburg. After a season of unrelenting heat, punctuated only by two meager rainfalls, Johannesburg's surrounding grasslands turned from green to brown and then shortly after to black as the inevitable veld fires started.

These savannah areas are rich in medicinal plants including the hardy African Potato, Artemisia and a host of golden savanna land grasses. While these areas often burn in winter, the unseasonable fires arrived at the wrong time during the plants' growth cycle. Consequently some plants were badly damaged, while many did not survive at all. It was this experience that happened on my doorstep that really caught my attention.

My local African potatoes are only a reflection of a much wider problem. "Approximately 20-30 percent of plant and animal species assessed so far are likely to be at greater risk of extinction if increases in global average temperature exceed 1.5 to 2.5 Celsius" . Water supply and drought are not the only problems, some species of plants and animals are temperature sensitive for reproduction. With the onset of global temperatures; botanical gardens around the world have noted that plants around the world are booming ahead of their normal schedule .

We are reminded that global warming was created by factors such as industry, traffic and agricultural practices to name a few, however when we follow the road to the source, these contributors come down to one place -the place you call home. The quandary with global warming is the name itself. It evokes a sense of "globalness" or if you prefer, a sense of bigness that is hard to equate with the day to day hustle and bustle of the family home, its hard to absorb it, and say, "It's my problem". You may wish to test this yourself; what is the first image that enters your head when you hear the term "global warming"?

With the home in mind let's avoid the multitude of tips available to reduce global warming and consider what experiences we can have that will help us to internalize this mass of information and make it real. Experiencing means processing our world though our five senses, perhaps it's the time you take to brush your teeth while leaving the tap running and saying a sad farewell to those water drops that not even your grandchildren will gain any benefit from. Perhaps its taking a walk through your local botanical garden as if it was the last time you could do it, or perhaps it's as simple as taking the time to notice what it feels like for your body to experience thirst. The fact remains that until information about global warming becomes real and experiential to each and every person, we can expect a good few very dry summers to come.

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Global Warming is Not Real

What makes you think the global warming is real? Because you saw a movie that Al Gore who is a politician decided to promote and a hefty sum of profit to himself (assuming he was paid)? Is that your line of reasoning? Let's face it political parties and politicians always want you to fear something as a motivator to get you to vote for something or do something or believe something in order to promote their agenda. Why would this be any different?

For those who are truly concerned about the environment because we all have to live with in the ecological system and also we must breathe the air and drink the water it makes sense to do as little polluting as possible. It would be nice if everyone looked in the mirror and lived a carbon free life.

But if we are to lead the mindless masses into a giant fear that global warming will end life on Earth in an incredible apocalypse then obviously we have been pushing the wrong buttons for far too long.

It is time to stop leading by fear and to lead by thinking and use the brains that we have and our minds to solve the problems of the species.

Global warming is not real just like Y2K was not real. Mankind is not going to blow them selves up with a massive nuclear war nor is Bird flu going to wipe out the human species. All these things had been perpetuated and now it looks like Chicken Little is on steroids, but do we have to clone our poultry and use the same tactics over and over again to control the people?

Global warming is not real and it should be obvious to anyone looking at the total picture. I certainly hope this article is of interest and that is has propelled thought. The goal is simple; to help you in your quest to be the best in 2007.

I thank you for reading my many articles on diverse subjects, which interest you.



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Is Global Warming Real?

With the increase in population, more motor vehicles on the road and all of the greenhouse gasses floating up into the ozone, there must be an impact of some kind on the environment. Even if you do not believe global warming is real, the pollution, not to mention the chemicals we eat daily ( that's a topic I will discuss in another article) is a health hazard, but cleaning up the environment is not an impossible mission. It simply starts with a local goal, a little education and motivation to spread that goal.

One of the organizations I really admire is the National Wildlife Federation because NWF President Larry Schweiger goes above and beyond his call of duty to educate the public about global warming, energy conservation and protecting wildlife and our future on this planet. I have to admit that I once was skeptical about global warming, but after much research and especially after seeing "Inconvenient Truth" I believe it is necessary to reduce if not eliminate greenhouse gas and convert to other more natural energy sources.

No I do not believe Al Gore made that documentary for self interest.

I believe he sincerely has a passion for educating people about the effects of green house gases. What is great about NWF is the wealth of information they provide at their website, http://www.nwf.org and they are non-political. They have a whole section for kids and you can order magazines such as "Ranger Rick" which includes ice experiments, how to attract backyard wildlife and more. NWF also has many photos of nature and wildlife to view and if you have kid artists in your house, they can enter their artwork and have it posted on the NWF web site.

It's way cool! Anyway, check it out and read a little about nature and global warming and check out some of the pictures. You can also read Larry's blog at http://nwf.blogs.com/nwf_view/.

The reason I am posting this is because global warming has now entered the political arena and somehow I believe the majority of the U.S. population will not take it serious if it becomes nothing more than a debate between politicians trying to win a vote. On a positive note more people are aware of it thanks to politics and the media. Perhaps I and hundreds of thousands of others around the world are wrong, but I would rather take the necessary precautions and find out I was wrong in 20 years than do nothing and suffer the consequences.

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Global Warming Is It Real?

The debate about global warming continues today and will continue for many decades to come. The subject of global warming refers to the average increase in the earth's temperature--which then causes changes in climate.

With the earth getting warmer, it may lead to changes in rainfall patterns, a rise in sea level, and a wide range of impacts on plants, wildlife, and humans. When scientists debate about global warming, we all benefit. We are being given all of the information available on both sides of the subject.

When we talk about the issue of climate change, the concern is primarily about global warming caused by human activities or by the natural cleansing process of the earth.

We are told by one group that we are all personally responsible for releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels when driving our automobiles or using other means of mass transit, and by home energy usage (the electricity, heating and cooling).

The use of these fossil fuels is directly responsible for global warming, which is destroying the earth's biodiversity and ecosystems.

On the other side of the debate are the scientists who tell us that global warming is only partially caused by the use of fossil fuels. They want us to know that the different cycles and temperatures of the earth are part of a natural cycle that our evolving planet goes through.

The debate about global warming is one that will continue for many years to come. Neither side can provide substantial evidence that fully supports their position.

It true that we are polluting the environment and that we should reduce our use of fossil fuels, protect rainforests from being harvested, and also plant new tropical trees in countries where the rainforest have been decimated.

However, this does not prove that global warming is caused by these actions or that these actions by us are meaningless.

While the debate about global warming continues, it might be wise if we consider what we can do to reduce pollution. Whether the pollution causes global warming might not be the real question here. The pollution of the environment is directly affecting the air, water and land throughout the entire world.

An action as simple as planting trees can help clean the air. An average tree uses and absorbs about 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide during its lifespan. And, in return, the trees will release oxygen back into the atmosphere.