Global Warming – Fact or Fiction?

There appears to be quite a bit of debate about the phenomenon known as ‘global warming’. Does it exist or does it not exist?

As in many great debates there appears to be multiple opinions about the issue. A few years ago, Al Gore won a Nobel Peace Prize for his work (film) on global warming. Yet, many scientists have come out to say there is no evidence of global warming. In fact, the prestigious NASA, with its vast array of intellectual capital and high caliber scientists seems to be saying there is no evidence of it.

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Then the scandal broke. A flurry of emails were ‘stolen’ and made public. The emails seemed to indicate that someone or some group of people is trying very hard to make a real scientific case for global warming. The emails seemed to show that they were overreaching the normal parameters of real science to come to their ‘conclusion’ and convince others too

Some people today are too young to remember, including myself, but it has been said that thirty years ago, we were being told that we were headed for an ice age. Now, suddenly we have been alerted that the polar caps are melting, that sea levels will rise and that there will be resultant disaster – unless we spend a lot of money to fix the problem now.

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Those watching the debate say that ‘fixing’ the problem means sending an awful lot of money to third world countries. Meanwhile, some of the bigger industrialized countries talk about curbing their emissions, but do not actually appear to be willing to do so. Seems that those countries are not fully convinced that global warming exists or is a problem. If they were convinced, would they not get busy solving the problem?

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There appears to be doubt. For the proponents of the global warming phenomenon, it does appear that providing some very definitive proof would benefit them in getting these ‘hold out’ nations to take action.

I am not taking sides within this article. However, I know that there are many people who are very passionate about their position on global warming. You tell me. Is global warming a real phenomenon or not? Why do you think that it is or is not?

Green Building

The efficient use of resources represents the fundamental principle behind the concept of sustainable building. This means that the sitting, the design, the construction and the maintenance operations as such will have a minimal impact on the environment. Sustainable building construction further needs to rely on high quality work standards that enable the elimination of the polluting waste and toxic agents as well as the efficient use of the resources. Green or sustainable building is also encountered at a smaller scale in natural building.

Local resources only serve for the construction. The benefits of such a sustainable building are manifold if we consider the aimed efficiency of all the processes. The water and energy consume are low and therefore the operating costs are pretty reduced. There is a considerable impact on the indoor air quality too, meaning that there are fewer chances to get mold inside the house. Enthusiasts of sustainable building also try to create a balance between the architecture or design lines and the surroundings of the structure.

Ifmore people take up sustainable building practices, we can expect a serious reduction of the environmental impact of buildings. Both in Europe and the United States, homes are the largest energy consumers. In fact, buildings generate most of the carbon dioxide released in the atmosphere, which points to a critical point for pollution levels. The solution could thus come from the practices and techniques specific to sustainable building in order to reduce the negative impact of human habitat on the environment and implicitly make living conditions healthier.

Solar panels and rain gardens are just two solutions available with sustainable building. Rain and sun light help one reduce the consume of resources because they are free and abundant. With rain water collecting systems, you won’t have to use tap water for the garden. Even the materials used for sustainable building are environmently friendly, and here we refer either to wood from sustainable managed forests or to ecology blocks. Sustainable building also makes use of recycled materials such as calcium sand stone, foundry sand, demolition debris, wood fibers or compressed earth blocks.

Green Friendly

There are plenty of ways to choose a green-friendly lifestyle, like consumption of organic food and using solar lights or hybrid cars, but it all resumes to personal convictions and beliefs. People often tend to associate green-friendly products will a lack of individual comfort, and the rawest and most striking example is the ultra brands of toilet paper that feel so soft on the bum. Well, you may not care or know that the fiber used for such products comes from virgin wood fiber taken from tree pulp. Next time when you fancy yourself as a green-friendly person, be more critical with your daily habits and see whether you really live up to your standards or simply make superficial claims of environmental concern.

You can recognize a green friendly person by the food he/she eats. Lots of people have started using organic food because of health problems or out of concern for the environment. A vegetables garden will produce very nice food that can be kept 100% pesticide free. This could very well cover a family’s needs of tomatoes, carrots, peppers, peas or beans in a very inexpensive way. If you don’t have the possibility to grow the vegetables yourself, you can buy from local green-friendly farms.

Then, to continue the list of green-friendly lifestyle examples we ought to refer to outdoor activities more. Consider how much time you or your children spend in front of the TV or computer screen. The choice of the leisure activities should be from those that require spending time outside. Sports like climbing or cycling, family camping and other activities in natural settings will encourage children to seek a nature-oriented life. If more parents thought like this, there would be fewer video-game consoles sold all over the world.

A green-friendly life is defined by several other elements. From the effort to recycle and reuse to the building of a sustainable house, there are many ways to stay environmental. We do separate our waste for recycling but very sometimes not even that happens and we don’t even care where the garbage goes. Just think for a second that the fish we serve for dinner may come from the toxic pool that the ocean has become, then, we may be more co-interested in cleaning this larger ‘home’ of ours.