In recent years there has been growing support for solar power, this support has accelerated recently thanks in large part to the President’s stimulus package. Solar power is often hailed as a clean, environmentally friend energy source. While that is mainly true, it does have its own environmental impact.
Most power generation consumes large amounts of water, and while solar power uses less water than coal or nuclear, it still does use quite a bit of water. Making things more difficult is that solar power plants are almost always located in the desert, where of course, water is harder to come by. There are alternatives to water based cooling, but they are significantly more expensive.
More than 150 applications for solar power plants are currently awaiting approval in the western deserts of the United States. The water to run that many plants simply does not exist, and the National Park service warns that any water drawdowns in the region would adversely affect the endangered electric-blue pupfish.
Visit the 8th continent Madagascar
Often referred to as the “eighth continent” in reference to the island’s break from Africa sometime around 160 million years ago. It’s long absence from a continental body has allowed an entirely unique set of animal and plant life to develop. Madagascar is now home to one of the world’s more diverse eco-systems, housing 5% of the world’s animal species.
The primary attractions are the tropical rainforests that litter the island, and the unspoiled beaches lining the coast. The best way to experience the island is to stay at one of the many eco-lodges.
The easiest way to reach Madagascar by flight is from either South Africa or France. The island was once a French colony and as such there are regular flights from Paris to its capital of Antananarivo. Despite being an island nation, Madagascar does not maintain regular passenger sea links with neighbouring nations.
In modern times Madagascar has faced its largest threat, deforestation. More than eighty-percent of the nation’s original forests are gone, and every year another one-percent disappear. Madagascar is one of the most threatened eco-systems in the world, however there is hope. Currently more money pours into Madagascar for conservation efforts than any other African nation.
One non-profit organization working in Madagascar is Azafady. They work with disadvantaged communities to improve living standards and promote positive coexistence with the the local environment.
I was looking at Central Asia on Google Maps the other day when I came across the Aral Sea. So I decided to look into what the sea is all about. What I discovered, is that while the sea looked large on the antiquated map on Google, it is only a remnant of its former self at just one-quarter of its original surface area.
As early as the 1920’s the Soviet Union decided the two rivers that feed the Aral Sea would be diverted to irrigate the deserts of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to allow the widespread production of cotton. The canals were completed in the 1940’s and just twenty years later the sea started its steady decline, taking with it one-sixth of the USSR’s fishing industry.
The collapse of the sea was no surprise to the Russians as they had anticipated it happening long before. Plans to build another canal system to restore the Aral Sea were shelved due to staggering costs and insufficient public support.
Today we find ourselves with an ecological disaster on the steppes. The lack of freshwater inflow to the lake has not only caused the water levels to recede but it has also caused salinity levels in the sea to spike thus destroying virtually all marine life.
Currently Kazakhstan is taking aggressive measures to restore water levels to the North Aral sea, including the construction of a dam between the North and South Aral Seas. While this has helped water levels rise in the north, it obviously has not helped the south much.
The South Aral Sea lies in the poorer Uzbekistan and has been largely abandoned to its fate. Uzbekistan has shown no willingness to part with its cotton industry, and has begun to search for mineral deposits on the dry seabed. The South Aral Sea is expected to completely vanish before the turn of the century.
The much maligned economic stimulus package that has been championed by President Obama might not actually stimulate the economy in the traditional sense, but it will absolutely stimulate the nation’s ‘green economy’. More than ten percent of the package’s 787 billion dollars are expected to go towards renewable domestic energy, a better grid to transmit electricity, energy research and programs to reduce the use of fossil fuels, such as weatherizing homes and federal buildings.
Ignoring for the moment that the United States’ economic foundation is no more sturdy than that of a house of cards, I am pleased to see even in the face of dire economic straits America’s current leadership has recognized the importance of protecting the environment.
Professor Chris Field, an author of the 2007 landmark report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, has spoken out saying that the previous report seriously underestimated the amount of warming to expect in the coming century.
The difference between now and two years ago is a better understanding of greenhouse emissions since the turn of the century. From the year 2000 to 2007 greenhouse emissions worldwide have increased 3.5 percent per annum, or four times the average increase during the nineties. The culprit of course being the increase in coal based electric production in China and India as their economies start to mature.
Do you understand what I’m saying, but just need a little credibility to go along with it? Well I’ve got you’ve covered, just click on the following link to hear the same things I’ve said but with a British accent. Ya heard me. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8y06aWhSVY8
The video points out that not all people believe in global warming. Which I get because everyone likes some good old fashioned absolution. But I don’t really understand exactly what the debate is all about.
Are people really doubting whether greenhouse gases heat the earth? Because there is absolutely no scientific debate on that, it’s a fact. The catalyst that moves the earth between normalcy and glacial periods is the release or lack thereof of greenhouse gases. Humans are also unquestionably producing greenhouse gases and releasing them into the atmosphere.
Some of these gases are released naturally, and when it comes to carbon dioxide human activity only accounts for 5% of the total annual production. But believe it or not, that 5% is the difference between accumulation in the atmosphere and natural absorption.
Another gas is methane, which also has natural sources but in this case human activity is accountable for the majority of the 500 million annual tonnes. Also there is nitrous oxide of which humans account for 40% of annual emissions.
Millions of animals lay dead today after Australia’s worst ever wildfires. The state of Victoria has been the hardest hit but there are several groups doing everything they can to help. Whether it’s treating the animals for scorched paws, or special vaporising tents to help with scorched lungs.
A report published in China has recently begun to gain traction in the scientific community. It details the relationship between the occurrence and strength of earthquakes with the proximity of large man made reservoirs, such as those created by dams.
Many of you will remember the earthquake in the Sichuan Province last year that claimed so many lives. The geographic center of the earthquake was located only a few kilometers from the Zipingpu Dam and its 287 million metric tonne reservoir.
It’s being alleged that the weight of the water on the fault line may have played a role in the quake’s uncommon strength.
The scientist pushing the theory has so far been unsuccessful in his attempts to petition the People’s Government to halt construction of the numerous hydroelectric projects in the volatile region.
I miss Bush already. That dude was hilarious! State sanctioned torture equals good times. Have you ever seen someone waterboarded? Well I have (on Always Sunny) and it was quite funny.
Countries with the most protected land area in percentage of total land
The following is a list of the ten nations that have the most protected lands in percentage of total area. ‘Protected lands’ can be anything from a national park to a national monument.
Austria: 28.3% of land is protected. Austria is a supremely beautiful European nation with its predominant physical feature being the Alps running through the western part of the country. The wide variety of protected areas in the country range from alpine lakes to the imperial palaces of Vienna.
There are an amazing sixty-four countries that rely on fossil fuel for 100% of their nation’s power generation. I’m not going to bore you with all the names, or irrelevant things like “sources”. Let’s just suffice to say that it doesn’t seem like those nations are very environmentally friendly.
Most of the countries are Middle Eastern or island nations where I guess there are not a lot of alternatives. But a few names stick out as countries that should just know better: Hong Kong, Singapore, & Macau. And yes I know that all three of those countries are ‘island nations’ but still, they’re rich, they should build a windmill or something!
Moving a little bit further down statistically some interesting nations appear as fossil fuel stalwarts. Australia, Greece, Ireland, Malaysia, Netherlands, Poland, South Africa, and Thailand all rely on fossil fuel based energy for more than 85% of their electrical needs.
Taking a contrarian stance there are seven nations which don’t use fossil fuel based power generation in their country at all. Also nations like Brazil, France, Norway, Sweden, & Switzerland receive less than 10% of their power from fossil fuels.
Curious about the United States? America’s standing is at 71.4% which is 6% above the weighted average for the world.
Couple of fun facts and I’m out:
1 litre of regular gasoline is the time-rendered result of about 23.5 metric tons of ancient organic material deposited on the ocean floor.
The total fossil fuel used in the year 1997 is the result of 422 years of all plant matter that grew on the entire surface and in all the oceans of the ancient earth.
PS: If you don’t get the headline, the purpose of all life is to die, turn into fuel, thereby allowing me to keep my house warm. So you guys get on that and in several hundred million years, I will use that stuff.
