There is a point beyond which you cannot trample with the mightily patient Mother earth. She has taken everything that has been thrown at her and has tried to balance the planet and keep it up and running by making tiny adjustments and giving us gentle jolts once in a while. But when the planet that you call home is heading towards a chaotic order, then she has to step in at some point to wipe out the infestation and set the record straight.

Image courtesy of Roberto Rizzato

With the way man has been destroying delicate balance of natural ecosystems and causing a steep rise in the global temperatures, global warming seems to be the cause that will one day bring about a catastrophic end to much of human race, much like nature put dinosaurs in their place millions of years ago. And when you have Nobel Laureates and the best minds in the world talking about how bad the situation is, then it is hard to dismiss it away.

This is why GP has compiled a list with what we believe to be the 15 most deadly effects of global warming. (more…)

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The Japan Meteorological Agency has some new global warming statistics. According to the agency, the pace of global warming appears to be slowing.

“The average temperature in the world in 2008 registering a rise of 0.2 degree Celsius compared with the average rise between 1971 and 2000.”

Even so, it was the 10th largest margin of increase from benchmark average established in 1891.

The slow down was attributed to the La Nina phenomenon. This year’s margin of increase was the lowest since 2001. Japan’s margin was .44 C lower than last year.

JMA computes the averages of 1,200 locations throughout the world and compares it to wherever historical data are available.

My bet is that people living in the NorthEast of the US would like to get a little more out of the global warming monster these days, if they could, eh?

Source: Breitbart
Image: Grey glacier, Lago Grey in Patagonia. By Steve Deger

The very fact that 46,000 cruise ship passengers have been able to make their way to Antarctica – places which would have been inaccessible 20 years ago, are good examples of the effects of global warming at the South Pole.

While the world still argues about how real or unreal the threat of global warming is, the effects though are giving definitive proofs. With shrinking icebergs, cracked ice caps and collapsing sheets of ice, it’s a fact that Antarctica is becoming a warmer place. And while that might be a great thing for tourists come every summer, it could mean disaster for the planet in the long run.

Kayaker Jon Bowermaster led his team of 12 men across 500 miles around the northern Antarctic Peninsula for five weeks and found the dangerous effects of global warming loom large. The region has gotten 5 degrees hotter than it was in 1945 with average temperatures always on the rise each year.

However, the greatest threat in the region is that during summers it rains more frequently now. The rain melts the snow at a rapid pace and leaves creatures like the Penguins and Seals wet and shivering in the Antarctic cold. They believe that the excessive and unseasonal rain in Antarctica is causing both its topography and its creatures more harm than the rising temperatures.

If the trend continues, then very soon we could find the rate of melting ice caps increase to a point where every coastal city on the planet is under serious and immediate threat. Yet, much of the world still ironically debates global warming in its well furnished boardrooms. Doesn’t sound fun anymore, is it?

Image copyright to 1, 2, 3, 4

When the Earth fights back, it ain’t pretty. What could be worse than too much snow on Mt. Everest? How about too much water in Venice?

Venice is suffering from its worst flooding in 22 years. In the Renaissance city water stood more than 1.5 meter deep. Authorities worried that the sea lapping at the lagoon city would rise to 1.60 meters, a 30-year high mark. Residents and tourists were told to stay indoors. Nearly all the streets of Venice, including the central tourist district, were under water including the famous Piazza San Marco.

The situation was complicated by a national strike of the city’s “vaporetto” water bus service.

Experts say the high sea levels were caused by persistently high southerly winds and heavy rain and snowfall in northern Italy. Venice has been wrestling with the threat of rising sea levels. Presently, raising the buildings is the only option. The United Nations cultural organization UNESCO has already warned that Venice, one of its designated World Heritage sites, is threatened by climate change.

Maybe, it’s too late for Venice? Let’s hope not!

Images and video, courtesy of Daisuke Ido & Ethan Hein

There is absolutely no doubt that carbon emissions caused by excessive use of fossil fuel and our callous cutting of trees have caused global warming to creep up to such dangerous levels that it is causing a serious threat to the polar ice caps and all the animals that reside in the cold paradise.

Polar Bears have been stranded on melting ice caps and have often eventually drowned to their death because of this new climate pattern. But, ADDI has come up with a very unique concept for these stranded animals, in the form of a Lifejacket.

The Polarbears are drowning because of the ice that are melting. They have to swim up to 100 km to find food. Global warming needs to be stopped.

However, his effort is more an attempt to promote awareness in an artistic way than to actually make a realistic lifejacket and strap it onto these animals, because it would seriously hinder their ability to swim and fish and even compromise their natural camouflage.

The whole message is simple and far more significant. Stop the pollution (and be better stewards to our Planet – like Bill would say) or the day we’ll need to wear lifejackets, is not really that far away! – via Dvice

Not Evil Just Wrong Documentary is pledging to do to Al Gore and his Inconvenient Truth what Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11 did for George W Bush.

You all can yell at me later, but I totally believe in free speech, open and honest discussion. Watch out as I attempt to take a leap into the Prop 8 arena here. When Prop 8 passed, immediately the pro-gay marriage group started protesting and demonstrating and such. Had Prop 8 not passed and the Right started their demonstrations and law suits, “Foul! Sore Losers! Shut up and Go home!” would have been the rants.

When Moore came out with 9/11 to hit on Bush, the left ate it up.

So, how will the Left take it when the non-global warming alarmists say their piece? Anybody care to weigh in?

What others are saying:

NOT EVIL JUST WRONG Doc Seeks to Debunk Inconvenient Truth

Global Warming Hysteria ‘Not Evil Just Wrong’

If the rising sea levels continue to be at the present rate or higher, then by 2050 the much loved coastline of Sydney could all be but gone. Scientists say that with the rate of global warming and the rise in sea level associated with it, the sea levels in Sydney are expected to rise with a minimum of 40 cm by 2050, and with 90cm by 2100 (compared to the levels in 1990), where each centimeter is assumed to erode one meter of beach.

Collaroy Beach

With growing effects of global warming, the low-lying beaches across the world are at a serious threat of going under the waves. If the beaches are made of soft sand, then the threat only becomes larger.

Low-lying Sydney beaches such as Collaroy and Narrabeen – which have already been severely eroded by storm seas, Dee Why and Curl Curl, are most at risk. While many residents of the Sydney coastline who own amazing beach-view properties are currently enjoying a pleasant stay, all this may turn in a true nightmare sooner or later.

Local communities in Sydney have put together an eco-conscious movement by which they intend to add sand to the beach artificially to ensure that the beaches are not eroded. The Sydney Coastal Councils Group, which represents 15 local authorities and some 1.3 million people, has been responsible for this “beach nourishment,” program.

While the face-lift measures might help on a temporary basis, this once again reiterates the threat of global warming at large.

Source: Reuters (Image courtesy of 1,2)

The Japanese government has taken the 1st step toward implementing carbon credit trading. The system will allow large companies to gain carbon credits by assisting small and midsize companies in reducing their emissions. “Firms that come in below their designated emission levels can sell the unused portions as carbon credits to businesses that exceed their caps.”

Tokyo is taking applications from interested businesses and is planning to hold briefings in eight locations around the nation over a 30-day period. Along with the briefings, matchmaking meetings. Fast dates. eHarmony for businesses wanting to fight global temperatures.

Tokyo is also collecting ideas for cutting global warming gas emissions such as one firm’s plan to introduce a fuel cell that can convert food waste into methane gas for energy and a shopping mall equipped with solar panels.

Source: Nikkei (sub req)

Image courtesy of curtisperry

Methane gas is 25 times more powerful as a greenhouse gas than CO2. Methane is produced by wetlands, rice paddies, cattle and gas and coal industries. It is held into check by a reaction with the hydroxyl free radical (OH) and according to a team led by researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, methane gas in the atmosphere is on the rise.

The cause of the rise is unknown. The ramifications of the rise is unknown. Whether or not it is a temporary rise or will be sustained is unknown. What is known is that methane levels are more than two times those of pre-industrial times and that the recent rise is universal, that is, it has risen in all parts of our skies that are being monitored.

The methane watchers also say this recent rise brings to an end a decade of atmospheric levels that were essentially stable and that the gases contribute to global warming. More study is needed, but the researchers felt that “because the detection of increased methane has important consequences for global warming the team wanted to get these initial results out as quickly as possible.”

Just what we need, something else to worry about but not know why we are worrying.

Image courtesy of MorBCN

Global warming is one phenomenon that has pretty much grown into the biggest demon the planet is trying to get off of its back and not too surprisingly, we have not been all that successful till today.

Despite growing concerns over how the greenhouse gases must be controlled and their volume curbed, it seems the progress is either too slow or even non existent for many developing nations. Europe though is at the forefront of this movement and it is interesting to take a look at the radical few new ways that UK’s Royal Society has come up with to deal with the rising temperature.

1) Methods proposed by scientists at the Royal Society include using trillions of space ship mirrors that hover around the earth and create a shield that reflects the sunlight and forms a heat shield of sorts.

2) Then there is the idea of spraying ocean water into the atmosphere to which will increase salt content in the clouds and make them whiter. This would also act on the principle of reflecting light.

3) The most acceptable method seems to be increasing iron content in oceans which would encourage growth of algae and absorption of carbon gases. But such a method could cause havoc to the marine ecosystem.

The methods stated by John Shepherd, chairman of the Royal Society and his team of scientists are all still just secondary plan and the scientists themselves admit that our major goal must be to reduce greenhouse gases. That should make the priorities clear for all reluctant nations who still think of economic impact above environment effects.

By the way; ’spaceships with mirrors’… What is this, Fifth grade?

Image courtesy of Enzo D.