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Conclusion.
diciembre 13, 2011 | | Deja un comentario
To sum up, we have seen the causes in the economic history, especially in the Golden ages of the capitalism when the GDP made the highest increase, an explosion of the population and a full-employment appeared. The development of the industry was the beginning of the pollution and the ecological deterioration. Then, on the first point we have seen the influence of this global warning has on the economic situation nowadays. We conclude that we need to act now to prevent worst-case scenarios from becoming reality, doing nothing could lead to radically larger losses. In the second point we go thru the possible solutions that could lead with the problem, we have many solutions but we need the agreement of all governments of the countries to make it possible. So, on the last point we saw the different tries of meetings such as Kyoto and Copenhagen that ended in failures.
So, in my opinion I think that even if the countries are in disagreement, we must look after the world because it´s our home and it´s the home for our children and for all the future generations. We can contribute to protect the world recycling, taking public transports, saving water and electricity. These little actions could help to preserve the planet and the world would be grateful for it!
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Bibliography, URL’s.
diciembre 13, 2011 | | Deja un comentario
1. Gregory Johansson. «5 animals closest to extinction».EnvironmentalGraffiti. Web.
< http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/news-five-animals-closest-extinction >
2. «Economic History XIII: Hot Economy, Cold War». Perrymecium. Web. March 11th, 2010.
< http://www.perrymecium.com/financial/economic-history-xii-thirty-glorious-years/ >
3. Andrew Walker. «China now world´s biggestenergy user».BBC News. NewsPaper-Web. Wednesday, 21 July 2010.
4. Richard Galpin. «Russian heat hits global economy».BBC News. NewsPaper-Web. Wednesday, 11 August 2010.
5. Steve Colquhoun. «German push for electric car supremacy». Drive. Web. May 19, 2011.
< http://news.drive.com.au/drive/motor-news/german-push-for-electric-car-supremacy-20110519-1etp7.html >
6. «Ancient method ´Black gold agriculture`may revolutioniza farming, curb global warming». ScienceDaily. Web. Apr. 10, 2008.
< http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080410153658.htm >
7. «Ancient soil replenishment technique helps in battle against global warming». ScienceDaily. Web. Dec. 17, 2008.
< http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081217190439.htm >
8. David Zaks and Chad Monfreda. «Terra Preta: Black is the New Green». Worldchangin. Web. 14 Aug 06.
< http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/004815.html >
9. «The promise of biochar». Youtube. Web. Video produced by the International Biochar Initiative (www.biochar-international.org) and Lily Films (www.lilyfilms.com) for the The United Nations Climate Change Conference discussions in Poznań. March, 17, 2009.
< http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-hSl59ET2A&feature=related >
10. «Massachusetts biotechnology company making diesel with sun, water, carbon dioxide». Oregonlive. Web. Published by The Associated Press. Sunday, February 27, 2011.
< http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2011/02/massachusetts_biotechnology_co.html >
11. Desert Sweet biofuels. Web.
< http://desertsweetbiofuels.com/ >
12.» Environmental engineers use algae to capture carbon dioxide». Science Daily. Web. April 1, 2007.
< http://www.sciencedaily.com/videos/2007/0407-possible_fix_for_global_warming.htm >
13. Tracy Staedter. «Synthetic gasoline for $1.50/Gallon and no emisions». Discovery. Web. Thu Jan 27, 2011.
< http://news.discovery.com/tech/synthetic-gasoline-for-150gallon-and-no-emissions.html >
14. «E. coli engineered to produce recor-setting amounts of alternative fuel». Science daily. Web. Mar. 17, 2011.
< http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/03/110317102603.htm >
15. «Now generate electricity from salt water». Youtube. Web. Oct. 08, 2008.
< www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItsmM6ENHdI&feature=related >
16. Eric Bland. «Forget gas, batteries — pee is new power source». Msnbc. Web. August, 07,2009.
< http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31805166/ns/technology_and_science-innovation/#.TueoBdWfuSo >
17. «Is Garbage The Solution To Tackling Climate Change?». Science daily. Web. Sep. 29, 2009.
< http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090929100654.htm >
18.» Free Energy 400 Billion Dollar Secret». Youtube. Web. April, 08, 2008.
< http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWf9nYbm3ac&feature=related >
19. John Vidal and Nick Rosen. «Mini nuclear plants to power 20,000 homes». TheGuardian. NewsPapers-Web. Sunday 9 November 2008.
< http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/nov/09/miniature-nuclear-reactors-los-alamos >
20. Bjørn Lomborg. «Why Failure in Copenhagen Would Be a Success». Spiegel Online. Web. July, 12, 2009.
< http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,665703,00.html >
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Third point.
diciembre 13, 2011 | | Deja un comentario
During the last decades the concern about the climate change and its effects has been growing, as a consequence there have been a lot of different meetings between countries during the last years. There also have been initiatives to study the greenhouse effect and jointly adopt a policy of defense of nature.
In 1992, the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee of the General Convention on Climate Change, the UN, delegates from 140 countries adopted a non-binding agreement on Climate Change, which in June was signed by representatives of countries attending the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro.
Some conference in important capital such as Berlin and Geneva were concerned with the impact of the human factor in climate change and recognized the need to set legally binding quantitative targets to limit greenhouse gas emissions by industrialized countries.
In 1997, in the Third Conference held in Kyoto, an agreement was reached to stop the environmental degradation of the Earth, forcing the industrialized countries to reduce their greenhouse gases. The Kyoto Protocol sets out concrete steps to reduce their respective emissions of six greenhouse gases (CO2, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons and sulfur hexafluoride).
The next meetings in Buenos Aires (1998) Bonn (1999) and The Hague (2000), showed the difficulties of some industrialized countries to assume the protocol. U.S. was the principal failure. The announcement by U.S. President George W. Bush that his country will not ratify the Kyoto accord, which commits industrialized states to cut emissions, created a serious concern among the defenders of nature. Bush justified his decision by the high internal costs that would involve the application of the Convention and the fact that countries like China and India are exempt from apply the emission reductions.
We could summarize this appointment as a completely failure in the history world, but after this, the developed countries especially Europe which is the most worried about the environmental problems made the next meeting in Copenhagen.
Disappointing, unacceptable, inadequate, irresponsible, unfair, etc. Here are some of the adjectives used to qualify the agreement (or should we say ‘the no agreement’?). Reached at the Copenhagen summit, which has not filled the expectations.
During twelve days, from 7 to 18 December, a total of 192 countries have participated in meetings held in the capital of Denmark with a primary objective: to achieve a binding international agreement on climate change, an agreement that would give continuity to the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012.
This challenge has not been achieved and after this summit they only had an one non-binding text of three pages written by a few countries (led by the U.S. and China) and accepted by all the countries except five: Venezuela, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Cuba and Sudan.
What are the key points of this document? The main point is that they made a declaration of the intentions that has for preventing the environmental problems, because they haven’t determinate any obligations or commitment related to the global warming and the reduction of toxic gazes. We can also notice that there isn’t any reference to the procedures that we must get used to, to achieve these objectives, which imply profound changes in our energy consumption habits. The text simply refers to the obligation of limit the temperature rise of two degrees to the 1900 level.
What does set the document is the financial aids that the richer countries will do for the adjustment to the climate changes which will be 30,000 million dollars between 2010 and 2012 and 100,000 million annually from 2020.
This agreement essentially satisfies the U.S., China, India and Brazil and leaves mostly unhappy to the rest of the countries especially Europe, who blame the two first countries of the resounding failure. Then also the environmental organizations had their hopes for the largest gathering ever organized in the fight against climate change.
So, Now what? Now all expectations focus on the next appointment, next year in Mexico, where it is expected that after this first step, we finally get a strong and effective agreement. But what is clear is that Copenhagen has missed an historic opportunity for the new order that the planet needs.
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Second point.
diciembre 13, 2011 | | Deja un comentario
As a second point we are going to deal with the solutions that we could put in place to fix this urgent situation that we’re living. Starting today, we need to change our lifestyles and our attitudes. We need to produce, transport, consume, regulate, govern and think differently. We need to go green. Some stimulus packages adopted by governments this year included investments in green infrastructure and jobs. That was a good start, but a deeper structural shift is needed. If we remove fossil fuel subsidies in some of the developing countries alone could reduce global GHG emissions by 10% in 2050, while also increasing economic efficiency. But in addition, we must invest into clean-energy technologies, buildings and transport infrastructures that can be the foundation of a low-carbon economy. In doing so, we will create huge opportunities in the form of new industries and new jobs, helping the recent job losses in other sectors. In China alone, the renewable energy sector already generates output worth US$ 17 billion and employs one million workers. That’s only a small part of what could lie in store. The potential for «green technologies» in such areas as energy, water, buildings, transportation and industry is huge.
In order to fight against global heating, countries such as Germany invest more an more in electric cars that don´t need petrol to operate. In fact, German government has approved a plan to help economically companies which build electric cars. There are only 2500 electric vehicles registered in German roads and it is scheduled that in 2020 there should be more than 1 million. For this we are trying to develop lighter batteries in order to make them help to improve electric cars that don´t emit CO2 to atmosphere. A way to promote this is to exempt the companies that build these cars of taxes. These ideas are more and more implanted in developed countries even if attitudes can be difficult to change due that this country hot speed limits on the motorway is seen as sacred. Luxury cars companies such as BMW are already developing lighter materials to make cars more greener(ecological). (5)
So, what can we do to help preserving the environment? We can find a lots of solutions:
1. Drive less. Walk, bike, or use public transit when you can. If you can, carpool when you do have to drive.
2. Avoid waste. Any time you waste something (electricity, food, water, material goods), the resources spent to make it and get it to you is also wasted, to no particularly useful effect.
3. Buy local when practical. The less distance your food had to travel, the less energy (and thus fuel) was spent on getting it to you.
4. Chose reusable over disposable when practical. When you buy one-use, throw-away things (plastic silverware, bottled water, etc), the resources spent to make them is not put to maximum effect.
5. Plant trees. They take in carbon, which reduces atmospheric CO2.
6. Avoid unnecessary packaging. Falls under reducing waste. Don’t get a bag in the store if you’re just getting one or 2 things (when buying more things, bring your own bags if you can). Buy in bulk where practical.
7. Try to buy things from environmentally responsible sources. Preferentially buy recycled products (recycling does no good if nobody wants the resulting products). Look around, and try to avoid buying things from companies with particularly bad environmental records.
8. Eat less meat. Meat production involves a lot more energy use per calorie than the production of plant-based foods. And fishing is straining our overworked, chemically damaged oceans.
9. Educate others. One person doing every single one of these things perfectly would still only be a drop in the bucket. But one person getting 3 others to do them, and those 3 in turn getting 3 others, and those in turn getting 3 others… pretty soon you’re talking real power.
10. Consider alternative energy. You might be able to save money, and save the planet, by buying or making a solar water heater, wind turbine, solar panels, or other renewable energy sources:
-Develop Terra soils which sequester carbon for centuries and improve poor soils, crop yields, etc…:
«Ancient Method, ‘Black Gold Agriculture’ May Revolutionize Farming, Curb Global Warming
ScienceDaily (Apr. 15, 2008) — Fifteen hundred years ago, tribes people from the central Amazon basin mixed their soil with charcoal derived from animal bone and tree bark. Today, at the site of this charcoal deposit, scientists have found some of the richest, most fertile soil in the world. Now this ancient, remarkably simple farming technique seems far ahead of the curve, holding promise as a carbon-negative strategy to rein in world hunger as well as greenhouse gases.» (6)
«Ancient Soil Replenishment Technique Helps In Battle Against Global Warming
ScienceDaily (Dec. 20, 2008) — Former inhabitants of the Amazon Basin enriched their fields with charred organic materials-biochar-and transformed one of the earth’s most infertile soils into one of the most productive. These early conservationists disappeared 500 years ago, but centuries later, their soil is still rich in organic matter and nutrients.» (7)
-Invest in algae or bacteria-based biofuels which convert and sequester CO2…carbon-neutral or negative methods:
–Conversion to other cleaner fuels…nano-pellets of hydrogen which flow like liquids and burn clean, other methods use sunlight or radio waves to produce hydrogen from water ,or bio-butanol compatible with gas engines and infrastructures, urine can be converted into hydrogen:
-Convert garbage into oil rather than burying it in the ground:
«Is Garbage The Solution To Tackling Climate Change?
ScienceDaily (Oct. 3, 2009) — Converting the rubbish that fills the world’s landfills into biofuel may be the answer to both the growing energy crisis and to tackling carbon emissions, claim scientists in Singapore and Switzerland. New research published in Global Change Biology: Bioenergy, reveals how replacing gasoline with biofuel from processed waste could cut global carbon emissions by 80%.»
-Mini-nuclear reactors allows clean energy and could be safer to use and easier to setup close to where needed… (19)
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First point.
diciembre 13, 2011 | | Deja un comentario
On the first point we can say that the climate change is one of the biggest threat to economic recovery. Instead of controlling contamination we are letting it grow more and more. New economic powers as China or India are increasingly joining developed countries to a huge use of energy. We can see it in the example of China: In 2010, China reaches the USA in terms of energy consumption (USA was the first energy consumer in the world). And since China overcome Japan´s GDP is now the second economy of the world. These facts announced by the International Energy Agency´s, CEO(chief executive officer), Nobuo Tamaka confirms that nowadays pollution´s regulation isn´t something overriding, primordial for industrialized countries. On top of that, petrol´s demand (essential for economic-growth) doesn´t cease increasing given that these countries base their economies in industries. China leads energy consumption and this shows it´s great influence in global economy, specially in international market of energy. This great demand causes an increase in petrol´s price and this has huge consequences worldwide. (3)
Besides polluting increasingly the planet, the impact over economist keeps very important. Also, petrol wells are more and more empty which will suppose that in 2015, more than half of its supplies of petrol could be extracted from ocean´s depth, and this supposes a great impact in the ecosystem.
Last summer, Russia suffered a tremendous heat wave due to global warming, according to many experts, that had a enormous impact over environment and moreover economic repercussions all over the world. There were lots of fires that razed whole regions. Russian population realized of massive levels of pollution existing on Earth. It was expected that a less cold weather in Russia could suit the country in an economic aspect ( more tourism, less expensive heating´s bills… ), but this didn´t happen. Because of these climatic changes, heavy rains appear and devastate agricultural land. “Alexander Morosov, chief economist of HSBC bank in Moscow says 4 billion will be lost as a result of the government decision to stop exporting wheat”. Twenty five % of cereal´s harvest have been devastated and 14 billions $ have been reduced from the total of the GDP in Russia in 2010. All this is accompanied a human tragedy with fifty deaths in fires of August 2010 and that is still increasing due to the toxic smog. (4)
In Canada we have the case of rising ocean temperatures on Canada West Coast have weakened economically valuable salmon species, reducing the survival rates of spawning fish, scientists say. Furthermore the report conclude that early action to reduce the impacts of GHG emissions could cost only two per cent of GDP, but it warn that the cost of delaying action will result in significantly higher economic cost up to 20% of GDP.
Furthermore, The Arctic ice-cap is melting, posing threats that were almost inconceivable a few years ago. Less ice means more sea water. A threaten rise in global sea level could flood many coastal cities worldwide and expose 150 million people to coastal flooding risks by 2070. As the permafrost thaws, the release into the atmosphere of huge stores of frozen methane and carbon dioxide would accelerate global warming even more.
Faced with such risks, we need to act now to prevent worst-case scenarios from becoming reality. According to analysis from the OECD, IPCC and others, serious climate action will cost only a fraction of a percentage point of annual growth in world GDP. Doing nothing, by contrast, could lead to radically larger loses.