These Days global warming is a very hot topic and little wonder, seeing as the earth grows hotter with each passing year.

For a long time now the effect of man’s industrialization and technological progress has quietly yet continuously eked away at the delicate balance of the planet’s atmosphere and ecosystem, but within the last 30 or so years the pace of this damage has markedly accelerated!

DOWNPLAYING GLOBAL WARMING

In much the same way that big tobacco once vehemently denied the association between cigarette smoking and lung cancer, for the longest time a number of multi-billion-dollar-a-year industries have also been questioning the existence of global warming and misleading the public about its reality.

In fact the Bush II years have been particular devastating to Environmental Protection Rights, yet staggeringly lucrative for those who would profit from the loss of such protection.

In what can best be described as an orgy-fest of self-congratulatory backslapping, many a heavyweight lobbyist for industries such as oil, coal, mining, logging, aviation and auto manufacturers have left the Bush Whitehouse grinning like the proverbial Cheshire cat because they’d gotten firm assurance that pesky environmental laws would never get in the way of business as usual!

An example of how the Bush II Administration misled the public into believing they were truly concerned about protecting the environment was the sneaky way in which they enacted laws such as The Clean Skies Act.

The Clean Skies Act introduced in February 2003 apparently appears to strengthen already existent environmental laws such as The Clean Air Act but which in reality actually weakened and undermined them.

The Clean Skies Act gave pollutant industries a lot of leeway allowing them to spew an additional 42 million more tons of pollution into the atmosphere and raised caps on greenhouse gas emissions.

Soon after Bush II came to power the situation got so bad, that after decades of effective service, two of the most senior enforcement officials in the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) resigned citing an agency that was pursuing contrary goals to that of actually protecting the environment.

Former US vice president Al Gore is no stranger to these tactics. As perhaps the most widely recognizable face in the fight against global warming he has been scoffed at and ridiculed by the same individuals who would have us believe global warming is nothing more than a myth!

Recently in 2007 several scientists have gone on public record citing claims of a gestapo-like environment of intimidation to produce figures and reports that belied the true extent of global warming!

CAUSE OF GLOBAL WARMING

The unprecedented super-accelerated rate of global warming happening today is due to the amount of greenhouse gases being spewed into the atmosphere.

The most notorious greenhouse gas is carbon dioxide (CO2) because it so happens to be the biggest single contributing factor to global warming (CO2 comprises more than 75% of all greenhouse gases). So what’s spewing all that CO2 in the air? Simply put–mankind and his toys!

Some of the biggest greenhouse gas pollutants include automobiles; electricity production; planes; shipping and the various manufacturing industries dotted all over the globe.

SCIENCE OF GLOBAL WARMING

This article is intentionally not an in-depth treatise of the process of global warming, but having said that, here’s a brief explanation:

The rays from the sun are comprised of shortwave solar radiation which pass through the atmosphere and are then absorbed by the earth thereby warming it. Part of that absorbed energy is reflected back to the atmosphere as long wave infrared radiation which is mostly trapped by the greenhouse gases. This trapped heat ensures that the earth is approximately warmer by 33 degrees Celsius than it would otherwise be.

This trapped heat is actually good for us, for were it not for those greenhouse gases and other constituents in the atmosphere that trap heat, the earth would be as cold as Mars which has for all intents and purpose no atmosphere to speak of.

Over the past century the earth has gotten warmer by approximately 0.7 degrees Celsius. This may not seem like much until you consider that the difference between the average earth temperature of today and another ice age is a mere 5 degrees Celsius!

EFFECTS OF GLOBAL WARMING

Drought! Flooding! Disease! Hurricanes! Starvation! Unbearable Heat!
Any of these words seem to you to be appearing much more often in the news than before?

Do you remember the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that claimed more than 200,000 people? Remember hurricane Katrina that claimed more than 2,000 lives? These are the better documented horror stories. The less well documented global-warming related stories are often dismissively written off as ethnic conflicts in a region (Africa) where supposedly little else can be expected.

CATASTROPHIC ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS CAUSED BY GLOBAL WARMING

1. Larsen B Ice Shelf: In 2002, a 500 billion ton chunk of ice that was 220m thick and covering a surface area of 3,250 sq km disintegrated in 35 days! What was especially alarming was that the experts expected this ice shelf to still be around for the next 100 years even after factoring in current global warming trends.

Yet more alarming still is that there’re two other MUCH, MUCH BIGGER ice masses that are exhibiting the same global warming related disintegration characteristics!

These endangered ice masses are Greenland and the West Antarctic Ice Shelf which was previously thought to be stable. Since these ice masses are land based (unlike the Larsen B Ice Shelf) if either one of them goes they could raise sea levels by 20ft apiece!

If both of them disintegrate around the same time, sea levels could rise by 40ft! Catastrophic does not adequately describe the ensuing destruction.

More than 66% of the world’s largest cities would be devastated if even just one of these ice masses disintegrated. Though many of the affected low-elevation costal areas are located in Asia, New York, Florida, San Francisco and The Netherlands are also on the list!

Perhaps this disturbing data may explain the belated, albeit grudging acknowledgement by the Bush II administration that global warming is not a myth after all and that it won’t just affect the poorer regions of the world. As things stand, experts are predicting that with current unmodified global warming trends Greenland may collapse as soon as 2050.

2. Lake Chad: Lake Chad used to be the 6th largest lake in the world but due to global warming has shrunk to 1/20th of its former size. In fact Chad the country for which it is named after is now more than 60 miles from the water’s edge!

3. New Ice Age: The northern hemisphere of the world is located above the equator and constitutes most of the world’s land mass as well as almost 90% of the world population.

Though current expert reports on global warming imply that the northern hemisphere will initially actually benefit from the temperature increase (unlike the southern hemisphere where unprecedented drought and starvation is predicted by 2020) what is little mentioned is how global warming could usher in a new Ice Age!

Some paradox, huh? Warming leading to freezing! Here’s a simplified explanation of how that comes about:

The Gulf Stream current is one of several currents that occur in the Atlantic Ocean. The particular importance of the Gulf Stream Current and its northern extension (the North Atlantic Drift which flows towards Europe) is that their warm-water flow heats up the surrounding air which in turn ensures that the temperature of the northern hemispheres does not dip precipitously.

These two currents are saline (salt) based. If a huge mass of fresh water (such as a melting body of ice the size of Greenland) was to dilute these currents, in effect that would shut down the Gulf Stream Current!

Once the Gulf Stream Current shuts down temperatures are going to drop precariously in the United States, Europe and other nations located in the northern hemisphere. When that happens those regions will deep-freeze into another Ice Age!

GLOBAL WARMING AND THE CO2 WARS

The following figures illustrate the CO2 emissions from the various regions around the globe:

USA: 30.3%
Europe: 27.7%
Russia: 13.7%
South East Asia: 12.2%
Japan: 3.7%
South America/Central America: 3.8%
Middle East: 2.6%
Africa: 2.5%
Australia: 1.1%

These figures amply illustrate how Western Europe and the United States are by far largely responsible for the effects of global warming we are seeing today.

Contrastingly the regions least responsible are the ones that will bear the brunt of those effects (initially at any rate, until such time that the process progresses to an ice age then the situation will reverse).

However, with the two mega economies of China and India expanding rapidly (each boasting a population in excess of 1 billion) soon their greenhouse gas emissions may surpass those of the U.S.

A series of meetings held in Washington in early 2007 had American legislators demanding that developing nations be held to the same greenhouse-gas-emission accountability as the developed nations! Not unexpectedly there were worldwide outcries and accusations of shameless hypocrisy leveled at the United States.

With the not unreasonable contention that they have the right to develop and advance in the same manner that both Europe and America have enjoyed over the past forty years these two looming economical giants are not about to be cowed by Washington.

Furthermore considering the suspicious manner with which the U.S. justified its invasion of Iraq, few these days are inclined to believe a word that Washington says.

Compounding this climate of distrust and suspicion are the many questionable prerogatives the U.S. claims. These include:

1. Not subscribing to the Kyoto Protocol (Treaty on Global Warming)
2. Seeking the right to pre-emptive strikes (Bush II)
3. Demanding to be exempted from The Geneva Convention (Bush II)
4. Not a participant of the World Court
5. Biggest contributor to global warming but doing the least to rectify the situation.

In a world where America demands exclusive rights to pre-emptive strikes, perhaps then it is not too far fetched to understand if India and China harbor a degree of paranoia that the U.S. may one day set its targets on them.

After all for a country that so conveniently and magically connected two totally unrelated events to one another as an excuse to pursue its ultimate goal (U.S. invasion of Iraq after 911), it is not unconceivable that the U.S. could one day claim that the greenhouse gas emissions from the Asian giants are threatening the very existence of its coastal cities and hence amount to an act of war!

For their part the Asian giants already suspiciously view Washington’s demands concerning greenhouse gases as a thinly veiled attempt to restrict their economical development.

That said, China and India are hardly Iraq! These are two countries which both boast formidable nuclear arsenals that are quite capable of reaching the U.S. Besides if the U.S. were to take any drastic action it is unlikely that the slumbering Russian bear would continue dozing for much longer.

World wars have erupted over much less and in the heated climate of today it only takes one more little spark to set everything off!

Mugambo
http://www.articlesbase.com/environment-articles/global-warminghow-it-could-spark-world-war-iii-127356.html

ive just recently started being afraid of airplanes and i don’t even know why…what are some ways to get over this?
does anyone else have this fear?

Check out this website:

http://www.fearofflyinghelp.com

Even though I have conquered my fear of flying (with the help of that website) I still look over before every flight I take. It’s a very comforting website and gives you the information you need to help yourself become comfortable with flying. It’s not uncommon to not fear flying, then be overcome by fear of it. The website was created by an experienced airline pilot, which makes it even better, actually getting help from someone who DOES know what they are talking about.

Gratitude…. an Attitude by Karen A. Lech

It is a fresh, new day, a brand-spankin’ new morning, a blank
page on which to write another chapter, or even paragraph of my
life. The kids are off to school, the house is quiet. This
morning I sit inside in my favorite rocking chair. I usually
like to sit out on the deck, taking in the morning air and
sounds, but it rained yesterday evening and a bit through the
night, so the benches and patio furniture are too wet. It is
also much cooler out, and the skies look like they may not be
done releasing their moisture. I sip my morning coffee, steaming
hot, with just the right amount of powdered creamer and a dollop
of heavy cream, just the way I like it, and of course in a china
cup with a saucer. My hands play with luxurious yarn, soft as
butter and butter-colored too. I feel the stitches of the afghan
I am crocheting and while I do these things, as I do nearly
every morning, I pray and think. For some reason, today, this
very morning, while my mind drifts along many paths of thought,
I look at the colors and texture of this afghan/throw, call it
what you will, and I am struck as if by lightning, with
gratitude.

I was thinking about my job, praying to work different hours,
(not work at all?) and have things easier in life. More time to
devote to my children, the strength I need to take care of my
household, wishing for the money I am needing so desperately
right now. Talking to God, half-musing, I asked the question,
what am I doing wrong? Am I just lazy to want these things? BAM!
I looked at the bright colors of interwoven yarn stitches and
felt the softness, and said, “Thank you, God, for letting me do
these things, for letting me play with yarn, and for my talents.
then… bubbling out of me/my thoughts a listing of all I have to
be grateful for. I started and could not stop for the list would
be endless…

Thank you, God, for my sight, my hearing, my hands. Thank you,
God for the house I live in Thank you, God for my job. What
would I do if I did not have it? Thank you for letting me PLAY
with all the delightful things of this earth! Cooking,
gardening, knitting, crocheting, thank you for my children thank
you for each breath of life you have given me! thank you for
every hand I have ever held for every kiss I have ever received
for every orgasm for every time of romance for every smile for
my animals for this coffee I drink. for every morsel of food I
have tasted for sights and beauty of this world, for vacations,
for the places I have seen. for friends for every penny I have
received for all the money I have spent ( and mis spent) For
every cigarette I have smoked, even though I know it is not good
to do so For every sip of fine wine for every time I smelled my
children’s hair freshly washed for every dawning for storms and
winds for oceans and the mighty sea creatures for the night and
the velvet blue sky studded with stars and the moon glow for the
scent of rain for the scents of human skin for cameras and
photographs that tell stories and hold memories for the delight
of being able to see for every note of music I have heard for
every grain of sand on the beaches, and how wet sand feels on
the bottom of my feet when they are hot the sense of feeling,
touching the soft blankets that cover me for the beauty and
freshness of a new born baby for the smiles of my aunt who is so
sickly for my parents and relatives, brother and sister, and
their families Friends near and far, and their hearts I can
touch, and how they touch mine. for emotions for every time I
was held as a baby, for my daddy telling me stories and loving
me, for my mother’s cooking and rocking me to sleep as a baby
for every slap I received for my wrong doings as a child for
nail polish …. for every bird I have seen flying for every time
I have visited a zoo for riding on an elephant and being able to
touch her skin and observe the tufts of hair on her back, and
feel the mighty sway of movement of her hips as she walked…that
was really powerful, and I love elephants! For water that
splashes in my sink and the kitchen sink with its division into
two, for my twins got baths in there and how much easier it was
to prop their two little bodies, one on each side of the sink
and keep bath time somewhat “contained” and not have to bend
over a big bathtub as my back was so sore. …and each thought
leads to more, more to be grateful for, for each item I thought
of lead on to memories and expanding on why I was thankful, how
this felt, how that looked, and the wealth of all these
blessings is overwhelming and endless.

I thought of the victims of the hurricane Katrina, and other
disasters, and think, what do they have to be grateful for at a
time like this? But if they stop and think, amidst the woes of
this very, very hard time in their lives, it will somehow help
immensely to stop and think of all that has come before that
they have received. It is hard to be encouraged when the storms
of life press close around and one feels as if there is no hope
for the future. Re building is awfully hard when your mind can
barely cope with the idea of just putting one foot in front of
the other to walk down life’s path, much less lifting a brick.

So, may it help those who suffer, not only the multitude of
Americans thrashed about by the wrath of a hurricane named
Katrina, but those who are in nursing homes, those who are at
this moment breathing their last, eaten by the ravaging monster
of cancer, hearts devastated by loss of any kind, to know that
helping hands are there, and they are loved and prayed for. And
as they have received so much in their lives in the past, God
has an abundance, an overflowing bank account of love, and gifts
He gives. We just have to remember them, and look forward to our
next breath, our next smile, our never ending gifts in life.

Karen A. Lech copyright 2005

Karen A. Lech
http://www.articlesbase.com/women’s-issues-articles/gratitude-an-attitude-2969.html