GLOBAL WARMING

GW

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Problems & Solutions Report

Measurements of temperature taken by instruments all over the world, on land and at sea have revealed that during the 20th century the Earth’s surface and lowest part of the atmosphere warmed up on average by about 0.6°C.

Global warming is broadly seen today, worldwide, as a main problem facing humans. Basically defined, it is the heating up of the earth's atmosphere because of higher greenhouse gas emissions. The dread is that increasing temperatures will lead to melting polar ice-caps and rising sea levels, which could cause flooding affecting millions in densely-populated low-lying areas of the world, and an increase in the rate of natural disasters such as Tsunami.

Let us examine the subject in more detail. There are some problems of global warming such as increases in temperature of the air and sea, stronger storms, melting of sea ice, longer droughts, and extreme heat waves.

Turning to the solutions of global warming. One of them is, planting trees to help absorb excess CO2 and to provide shade and windbreaks. Another way is to recycle items and help unplug fridges that are not in use much.

The movie, An Inconvenient Truth is directed by Davis Guggenheim, 2006, presented by Al Gore, severely highlights the dangers concerned. We watched the movie and read reviews of it, typically positive, for example, Brandon Fibbs, however some critical, e.g. Scott & Eric. The film was very well presented, with lots of arithmetical information, graphs and charts as well as some very impressive photographic proof. Moreover, we calculated our carbon footprints & mine was 3.22 .The class averages for CRC was 3.86.

We have answered some questions to get our footprint. It is purely scientific information; however I have some doubts.
In addition, how can we find a solution if not everyone agrees about the range of the problem? Nicholas Stern, in A Blueprint for a Safer Planet, has recommended that controlling global C02 emissions is attractive, doable & inexpensive, but Nigel Lawson, in A Load of Hot Air, has refuted this:
The Stern Review sought to dispute that atmospheric greenhouse gas (chiefly carbon dioxide) concentrations could be stabilized at somewhat low global price, and the resulting advantage from preventing much further warming would far outweigh that charge.

I think global warming is actually bad for our atmosphere. What it does is increase the temperature in our atmosphere and makes our average temperature on the earth is surface higher than normal. This can be bad for us because the increase in temperature could possibly melt the polar ice caps and create flooding or it could just simply cause a drought.

It is easy to put suggestions and solutions to solve any problem. But the hard part is to activate these suggestions and take actions to achieve the goal we want.

Bibliography:

An Inconvenient Truth. Dir. Davis Guggenheim. Perf. Al Gore. DVD. Paramount Classics, 2006.

Lawson, Nigel. "A Load of Hot Air." Rev. of A Blueprint for a Safer Planet: How to Manage Climate Change & Create a new Era of Progress & Prosperity, by Nicholas Stern, Bodley Head, 2009. The Spectator 29 Apr. 2009.

Brandon Fibbs, http://brandonfibbs.com/2006/05/24/an-inconvenient-truth/

Scott Nash & Eric
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/inconvenient_truth/articles/156,
http://footprint.wwf.org.uk/

Cool Cities

· The problems which have been associated with economic development are population pressure, traffic congestion and Co2 emissions.

· If these problems are not solved, we need another earth, clearly impossible.

· We have to decrease carbon dioxide emissions by 50%.

· In Japan during the last 30 years GDP (Gross Domestic Product) has gone up 100 percent while energy efficiency has increased 37 percent and oil consumption has decreased 8 percent.

· 90% of carbon dioxide emitted into the air comes from buildings & transport.

· Cool city is a green city with negligible CO2 emissions.

· SDCJ is building it, a group of Japanese companies.

· Three types of transportation that will be used in Cool City are light transit rail/monorail; solar water taxis; hybrid cars.

· There are 3 different zones: Business; Commercial/Cultural; Residential.

· There are some techniques that will reduce heat such as tree-planting; waterways; rooftop membranes.

· Expected CO2 reductions: for eco-towers 50% & for eco-residences 30%.

· Overall percentage of reduction of Co2 emissions is expected to be 60%.

My opinion:
For me, I am unconvinced that it will be activated in the UAE because of the population's lifestyle and culture. Moreover, people in the UAE are not accustomed to living in a cool city. On the other hand, foreign people are more than Emiratis in the UAE so it is may be ok to establish this city. In my experience, winners never quit and quitters never win so I back up any new idea even if it is strange in the beginning.

How Europe can save the world(Summary3)

Part 1

Will Hutton, in How Europe can save the world, The Observer 11.03.07, says that the EU took a decision to decrease its carbon dioxide emissions by 20 per cent by 2020 from their 1990 level. They will use alternative energy to cover their needs and keep the infrastructure intact.
Carbon emissions from cars will be completely reduced starting from the beginning of next year. Although Although alternative energy is better and preserves the environment, it is so expensive and needs very big capital to establish.

Part 2

Will Hutton, a committed pro-European, says that the EU is able to direct the world to reduce global GHG emissions. Moreover, the problem is known by most people in the world so he hopes that it helps EU governments to take action to decrease climate disasters.

Part 3

In my opinion, the writer is very optimistic and that is good but I have learnt that the words are easier than the actions. Therefore, all suggestions and recommendations are not activated because in these current days the world faces financial crises and that makes the status more dangerous. Finally, I wonder if the EU will be able to save the world in the near future.

New Western Harbour Development(Summary2)

Part 1

Many people, bats, birds, and insects live in Sweden's new Western Harbour development. In this place, there are lots of innovations in waste management, renewable energy and sustainable transport. But the planners went one step further by demanding that developers also incorporate measures to promote biodiversity.
Each developer had to choose ten designs. One of them is installing bat boxes inside a plot's boundary, only using materials in the courtyards that had been used before, and installing shelves suitable for swallows to nest on.
Nine seabirds in the western side of the port were discovered recently. The planners generally get good marks for making biodiversity a priority. Although, the Bo01 houses incorporated features to promote sustainable living and biodiversity, residents have tended to buy them simply for their location or appearance. The aim for the new developments is to raise awareness so people buy them because of their green credentials.
Some of the activities were done to instill the importance of living sustainably and maintaining Earth's biodiversity. Developers are being asked to install rooftop wind turbines and follow even more stringent rules for encouraging biodiversity than with Bo01.
The Western Harbour model is being adopted by Malmo in its city-wide environmental building programme. This will increase the number of habitats across a wider area, making it easier for plants and animals to become established and naturally increasing biodiversity.

Part 2

People live with great groups of organisms in this life. Therefore we should be increasing the necessary measures to enhance biodiversity. In addition, there are several indicators of biological diversity and an increase in green spaces in Western Harbour, Malmo.

Part 3

I agree with the writer and I would like to add that governments have big a responsibility to take the first step towards incorporating biodiversity as standard in town planning. Moreover, spreading awareness and increasing campaigns are important factors to instill the importance of living sustainably and maintaining Earth's biodiversity.

An Unsinkable ship?(Summary1)

Part 1

No matter how large ships are, and equipped with all safety equipment, they remain vulnerable to risk from external conditions.
Many inventions have emerged to maintain the safety of ships, including the use of computers in the manufacture of the model which is able to protect the ship from the external pressures. Another example is the technique to isolate the water by using watertight compartments.
On the other hand, the human factor plays an important role in maintaining the safety of ships through the right application of these new techniques.
There must be advance preparations for what happens after the accident; one of them is the availability of the lifeboats and another is the rapid intervention of the Coast Guard.
As the saying goes prevention is better than cure. We must avoid a risk by taking action earlier. For example, forecasting weather before going out on any trip.

Part 2

People can control internal conditions of ships but it is difficult to do that in external conditions. There are some factors which may affect safety of ships such as recent innovations, the human element and prevention.


Part 3

I agree with the writer and I would like to add that we are learning from our mistakes so we should make a solution for each mistake. Another thing, travelling by ship is very nice and it takes long time to get where you want. Moreover it carries lots dangers; so many people prefer travel by planes rather than ships because now we are living in time speed.

Carbon Footprint

I calculated my carbon footprint at http://footprint.wwf.org.uk/&

it was 3.22.Most of the students had parallel, or higher, figures. The average figure for CRE was about 3.87. The main factors which contributed to my figure were classified as:

1) travel 2) stuff 3) home

My personal carbon footprint is the GHG (greenhouse gases) emissions that I individually am responsible for. However, companies, institutions, ADMC, and countries all have carbon footprints. The UAE's carbon footprint per capita is the highest in the world.

What can I do to decrease my carbon footprint?

I don't spend a lot on consumer goods, or travel.

Bathroom products are the main contributor to my carbon footprint but I'm not sure what I can do to make significant change. Admittedly, I drive a medium petrol vehicle but I can not switch to the train here in Abu Dhabi because there aren't any until now but it could be at the end of this year in Dubai. I could use the bus but I can not see that it would make much difference as my journey to a college is only a few minutes. My car has been well serviced and I've had it for 5 years. I believe it pollutes a lot less than most of the local buses I've seen, which also happen to be very unsafe in my experience.

With regard to air travel, I prefer to fly from the UAE to Europe to spend my summer holiday every year.

With regard to food, my diet is very healthy and I can't observe what I can do to make it better apart, presumably, judging from the quiz, from becoming vegetarian or vegan. I play football every day and eat a variety of food which has high nutritional value.

An Inconvenient Truth Reviews

Negative Review

Scott says,

http://www.threemoviebuffs.com/review.php?movieID=inconvenienttruth
· He linked the issue with his personal life emotionally.
· He tried to score a few points against the Republicans.
· The movie did not encourage us to think about the issue because it was comic.

Positive Review

Madison says,

http://www.solarnavigator.net/films_movies_actors/an_inconvenient_truth.htm

. Al Gore got some awards because of An Inconvenient Truth movie.
· An Inconvenient Truth is the third highest grossing documentary film until now in the United States of America.
· Al Gore has made efforts to educate the public about the severity of the climate crises.
· The film includes many segments intended to refute critics.
· Al Gore mentioned some solutions and he was not arrogant because he called on his viewers to help him how they can help him in these efforts.


I agree with Scott when he said that the film was comic because sometimes I was feeling happy when I watched it instead of thinking seriously about strong ideas to try to find solutions.

On the other hand, I disagree with Madison when he said that Al Gore would like to educate the public about the severity of the climate crises because he is political and wants to win the electoral campaign.

Global Warming

Malmo's Western Harbour development

Part 1

Many people, bats, birds, and insects live in Sweden's new Western Harbour development. In this place, there are lots of innovations in waste management, renewable energy and sustainable transport. But the planners went one step further by demanding that developers also incorporate measures to promote biodiversity.
Each developer had to choose ten designs. One of them is installing bat boxes inside a plot's boundary, only using materials in the courtyards that had been used before, and installing shelves suitable for swallows to nest on.
Nine seabirds in the western side of the port were discovered recently. The planners generally get good marks for making biodiversity a priority. Although, the Bo01 houses incorporated features to promote sustainable living and biodiversity, residents have tended to buy them simply for their location or appearance. The aim for the new developments is to raise awareness so people buy them because of their green credentials.
Some of the activities were done to instill the importance of living sustainably and maintaining Earth's biodiversity. Developers are being asked to install rooftop wind turbines and follow even more stringent rules for encouraging biodiversity than with Bo01.
The Western Harbour model is being adopted by Malmo in its city-wide environmental building programme. This will increase the number of habitats across a wider area, making it easier for plants and animals to become established and naturally increasing biodiversity.


Part 2

People live with great groups of organisms in this life. Therefore we should be increasing the necessary measures to enhance biodiversity. In addition, there are several indicators of biological diversity and an increase in green spaces in Western Harbour, Malmo.

Part 3

I agree with the writer and I would like to add that governments have big a responsibility to take the first step towards incorporating biodiversity as standard in town planning. Moreover, spreading awareness and increasing campaigns are important factors to instill the importance of living sustainably and maintaining Earth's biodiversity.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/jan/02/malmo-biodiversity

An Inconvenient Truth

An Inconvenient Truth is a presentation that encompasses the Earth’s history, present condition, and projected future in terms of climate. Gore proposes fact after fact, chart after chart and image after image that startles the mind and persuades the viewer to become part of the solution. The most striking details are in knowing that there will soon be a shortage of drinking water due to the constant melting of glaciers; the hottest 10 years in Earth’s history have occurred within the last 14 years; polar bears are being forced to swim more than 60 miles to find ice and, in 2005, the world observed a record-breaking number of hurricanes, typhoons, and tornados.
I think Gore gets the science right. The small errors don't detract from Gore's main point, which is that people in the United States have the technological and institutional ability to have a significant impact on the future trajectory of climate change. This is not entirely a scientific issue indeed, but Gore repeatedly makes the point that it is a moral issue.

An Introduction to Global Warming

There are many causes of global warming and I will mention some of them in this essay and then I am going to write my opinion about this problem.

Carbon Dioxide from Power Plants :
Natural gas gives off 50% of the carbon dioxide, the principal greenhouse gas, released by coal and 25% less carbon dioxide than oil, for the same amount of energy produced.

Carbon Dioxide Emitted from Cars :
If car manufacturers were to increase their fleets' average gas mileage about 3 miles per gallon, the USA could save a million barrels of oil every day, while US drivers would save $25 billion in fuel costs annually.

Carbon Dioxide from Airplanes :
The UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates that aviation causes 3.5 percent of global warming, and that the figure could rise to 15 percent by 2050.

Carbon Dioxide from Buildings :
Buildings structure account for about 12% of carbon dioxide emissions.

Methane :
While carbon dioxide is the principal greenhouse gas, methane is the second most important.

Nitrous oxide :
Nitrous oxide is broken down in the atmosphere by chemical reactions that involve sunlight.

Deforestation :
After carbon emissions caused by humans, deforestation is the second principle cause of atmospheric carbon dioxide.

City Gridlock :
In 1996 according to an annual study by traffic engineers [as reported in the San Francisco Chronicle December 10, 1996] from Texas A and M University, it was found that drivers in Los Angeles and New York City alone wasted 600 million gallons of gas annually while just sitting in traffic.

Carbon in Atmosphere and Ocean :
The atmosphere contains about 750 billion tons of carbon, while 1020 billion tons are dissolved in the surface layers of the world's ocean.

Permafrost:
The hard permafrost on which is built homes and other buildings, can, with rising temperatures, turn into a soft material causing subsidence and damage to buildings, electric generating stations, pipelines and other structures.

Tundra :
About 50 billion tons of carbon are estimated to be held in a frozen state in the tundra, and now the tundra is beginning to become a source of carbon dioxide.

In my opinion, global warming is real but not due to greenhouse gases. The sun is going through its cycles as it always has. The earth has been colder than it is now and much warmer based on the ice core samples. In fact overall CO2 levels lag the temperature at a rate of about 400 years. The temperature rising and falling actually drives CO2 levels. The total CO2 levels contributed by man are small in comparison to what the volcanoes, animals, vegetation and the oceans produce. In fact using CO2 levels as an indicator that the planet is heating up is like saying that the leaves falling off the tree is bringing about winter.
I think we need to take better care of our planet. Air and water pollution need to be the focus but not this blind obsession with CO2 levels.

Task 1

My name is Hamad and I am 24 years old. I am married and I have no children yet. My high is 170cm and my weight is 50kg. I live in Abu Dhabi in lovely villa and I have Corolla car. I am a student in HCT and my educational ambition is to be professor in 3 meager which are Accounting, Psychology and Sharia. In this time, I hope to establish my own business which may costs more than one million. My favorite traditional meals are Bariany Chicken, Thareed and Harees. I have many goals and to achieve them I have to organize my time very well to deal with them step by step.
Measurements of temperature taken by instruments all over the world, on land and at sea have revealed that during the 20th century the Earth’s surface and lowest part of the atmosphere warmed up on average by about 0.6°C. During this period, man-made emissions of greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide have increased, largely as a result of the burning of fossil fuels for energy and transportation, and land use changes including deforestation for agriculture. In the last 20 years, concern has grown that these two phenomena are, at least in part, associated with each other. That is to say, global warming is now considered most probably to be due to the increases in greenhouse gas emissions and concurrent increases in atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations, which have enhanced the Earth's natural greenhouse effect. Whilst other natural causes of climate change can cause global climate to change over similar periods of time, computer models demonstrate that in all probability there is a real discernible human influence on the global climate.