What can I do, and tell others to do, to stop global warming?

Question

This question was asked at the Dropping Knowledge event on 9th
September by Nancy Clemons, 57, Cameron, Missouri, USA.

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Answer 1

The reality is, there is no stopping it, the Earth is constantly changing, humans just happen to be around when its in the process of a major climate shift. "Global Warming" is just a scare-mongering tactic utilised by western governments to convince their people they are all knowing, to maintain control. "Climate change" has been the way since the beginning of time, species will evolve and adapt to new environments, giving lease to new life.

The real problem is anthropogenic pollution, putting man made substances into the environment that shouldn't be there. We're killing off the species that keeps life on Earth going. Take for example tropical coral reefs. Collectively, they have the largest biomass (that's weight of living stuff) on Earth. They have the highest primary production (that's turning light into oxygen, organic carbon and energy) on Earth and they are the main life support system for the entire sea, 1/3 of the Earths surface!

Due to the pressure of humans polluting the sea, they are no longer able to tolerate changes in climate, by migrating, changing states, etc. Within 30 years, almost all of the tropical coral reefs of the world will be gone. Then we will be asking the question, why didn't we concentrate on solving the problems we can solve rather than trying to halt the inevitable by influencing the Earth's natural system further!... think people.

Answer 2

Having raised soybeans just north of you in Bethany, I understand how weather might be on your mind these days. Unfortunately, the answer to your question is not about what can we do to stop global warming . . . because we can no longer stop it. Thirty years ago, most educated people of this nation and of the world were already aware of the problem. It was thirty years ago, not today, when we had a chance to stop the damage being done to our environment. Now that you seem to be interested in the problem, perhaps you might join an environmental organization and catch up with the issues and efforts of concerned people have been struggling for over thirty years to save the earth and the future of our children, you know, all those "tree huggers." Please also view the film with a funny name but the most accurate, scholarly overview of the environmental disaster that I've seen so far, for the novice global citizen, called "Advertising and the End of the World."

Answer 3

The first thing that has to happen here is to establish that there is in fact, global warming and that it is a cause of human activity. Once everybody is clear on that and are on the same page we may proceed.

Step one - Stop chopping down the forest, world wide. Trees' leaves catch the sun's rays and store the energy in the form of wood for later use. Farmers, especially in the rain forest regions, must be encouraged to grow crops of food that can be harvested from tall trees more than stripped out farmland. Legalize drugs in America and all other countries, so that the big cash crop in South America is no longer the coca leaf. Drugs are not a problem anymore than alcohol. They are politicians’ tools for making enormous amounts of money on the black market. Many have said that we must replace gasoline with alcohol based fuels to help with the environment. This is a false statement. These people wish to cut down more trees to start growing corn. I ask you, which is hotter; standing in the middle of a corn field or standing in the middle of the forest.

Step two - Find and develop the RADICAL technology that will replace the internal combustion engine. Some are calling for hybrid cars while others think mass transit is the answer. I believe there is yet another solution and we need to give scientists the ability to get to work on finding it, now.

Step Three - Learn to harness the free energy that God has scattered allover the Planet Earth for our use. Generate electricity from volcanoes, tides, ocean waves, wind, uranium, sunlight, etc. You know, they say the glaciers are melting. Why not cover them during this crisis with massive solar panels to power the northern hemisphere. Because the suns energy is being diverted to another need on the planet the ice remains frozen.

A lot of these may seem impossibly radical but they are very simple very cheap. War in Iraq cost more and that is only to obtain more fossil fuels which in turn may contribute to further warming of our planet.

Best Regards
Jon

Answer 4

i always find it interesting when looking through history that when a significant concept arises, it is met with huge opposition and mocking.

this biggest step to solving any problem is to embrace the solution and have no eyes for the problem. The emphasis needs to be shifted from global warming to authentic living. Yes, all the things that humans engage in that are reported to contribute to the warming of the earth, needs to stop (air and water pollution being the biggest) but much more ephasis needs to be put on the solutions. We as a race (especially in the west) need to create a lifestyle that requires less imports, and much less energy. People may cite alternative energy as a solution that will not require the curbing of energy consumption yet the modern solar panel or hydro generator, or wind turbine, still take massive ammounts of power and petrochem. to produce let alone transport and install.

we as a race have been going in a certain direction. that motion needs to not only stop, but to turn around and go the opposite direction. we need to stop filling the earth with our garbage, AND elliminate the concept of waste altogether.

the body follows the gaze of the eyes. if we "look" always at global warming, we are in fact perpectuating the causes. if we "look" toward the elements of authetic living and reverant land stewardship, then the earth will cool itself.

it IS a horror what is happening to our ice caps. this is not science fiction people. wether we are the cause of it or not, if it continues: bye bye costal towns ans cities. Considering that New York is personally resposible for the demise of 80% of the Atalntic Ocean's biology since the birth of such record keeping, globally speaking, this may not be a bad thing.

personally, as an inland dessert farmer and lover of water and rain, "global warming" has been creating a huge surge of precipitation in my area. Our average rainfall in 1990 was 8" inches. This year we have had over 20". Keep them costal dwelling SUVs running hard and turn my home desert into rainforrest and yours into an underwater relic of the past!!

Answer 5

There is plenty of information for this very important subject.
Here is the official site of EU with some "golden rules" that we can follow.
http://ec.europa.eu/commission_barroso/dimas/index_en.htm

All we have to do - as individuals - is visit the site, inform other people about its existence and respect the rules.
This is one way we can contribute - I always refer to individual actions - to affront the global warming problem.
We can affront in part the problem, not to solve it, we are very small to do so.
Other official sites containing trustworthy information are the following:
US – environmental protection agency
http://yosemite.epa.gov/oar/globalwarming.nsf/content/index.html
American Meteorological Society
http://www.ametsoc.org
and of course, the local agencies in each country.

As one of the main pollutants that is also responsible for the increasing of temperature is CO2, it could be of great help if we would plant somes trees every year to affront - even in part - the deforestation. Forest burning is a net contributor to global warming, not just because there is carbon dioxide production but even because there is no oxygen production. There is no balance
I was mostly impressed hearing a speaker from the US, in an online conference, saying that it would be enough if every person could plant 17 trees every year to affront the problems caused by CO2 emissions.
He was refering to the city where he was living, of course.
Another way to react, could be contact the local government but I am of the opinion that there is no political will.
They have demonstrated that to us by non signing the international treaties.
I will refer an example from the local community where I live, in Greece.
Behind my pharmacy, there is the University. Lately, we got to know that they are going to transform it in garage. A huge construction that will host about 700 cars. They have already taken their decision. The University will go elsewhere bringing with it all the places for volley or basket that we had and the space where children were joking or running, the swimming pool place...
It is true that my neighborhood, Dafni (this is the recent name of the old Municipality Alopeki', where the ancient philosopher Socrates has lived) is near the center of Athens - in 8 minutes we arrive to the Constitution square - and we have limited car places. The problem has worsened when the metro station has been opened.
On the other hand, this is not the only solution, it is not the only free place to transform in garage and even more there is no prevision for a sustainable construction that will allow to plant some trees on the top.
You see, "ECONOMICAL RIGHT HAS ALWAYS SUPERCEDED ECOLOGICAL RIGHT".

katerina

Answer 6

While warming is a natural occurence, the rate of warming has not been as great in all of history as it has been in the last few decades. The earth is warming at rate never seen before. People like "Bharris44" and others who say global warming is just a lie are being ignorant to the facts. Humans have contributed to this fact- consider the industrial age.

Answer 7

Get the USA to stop using coal. It creates 70 percent of the pollution we have that crosses over the Great Lakes.

Stop buying monster trucks. These SUVs consume more gas than they need to.

Don't mow your lawn with a gas powered motor. The pollution of running your mower one hour is equivalent to running a vehicle for days!

Complain to your members of parliament about polluters in your area and demand less packaging on goods you purchase which is a waste and ends up in landfill.

Stop living like pigs. Only humans will live in their own sh*t. Not even animals will. Stop littering, start caring about your planet. It's the only one you've got.

All these countries who have manufacturing don't have standards. They emit garbage into the air and we only got the one atmosphere people. They operate like it's 1950 when we know better what hazards these pollutants cause to our environment and health.

There should be an ONLINE website, universal, that you can zero in to your city or wherever you live and find out who the top polluters are.

We should all boycott products that are made in countries or in factories and BY companies who don't meet the standards of running a "clean" factory.

Are we so stupid that we have to buy every designer label out there regardless of the sacrifices it takes and harm it does to manufacture that product? Do we REALLY need to have something that badly? Mankind deserves to be doomed if so.

The changes to our planet are catastrophic. People don't believe it. What else is new. Well get used to living with cancer people. Its the new in thing of the 2000 millenium.

Wicked weather, catastrophic hurricanes, tornadoes and ice storms, are only the beginning of things to come.

Answer 8

Nothing. Mankind has demanded the right to destroy ourselves. Thanks to God though that he has a real plan with real long term solutions. And its implementation is just around the corner.
Yep. Armageddon(which means a revealing) is the only thing that will get rid of those who are blatantly destroying the earth.
Jeremiah 10:23; "I well know, O Jehovah, that to earthling man his way does not belong. It does not belong to man who is walking even to direct his step."
Ecclesiastes 8:9; "9 All this I have seen, and there was an applying of my heart to every work that has been done under the sun, [during] the time that man has dominated man to his injury."
Yep, we cannot "direct our own step" and everything we do in our time "has dominated man to his own injury."
It's too late to stop global warming. They knew of this problem 50 years ago and did nothing then. With another 6 billion on the earth what makes you think we can do anything about it now.
Seek salvation with Jehovah God and then you'll see that he has the only answers.
God Bless and thanks for reading.

Answer 9

Well that all depends. You can either discuss it with your friends and family sighting the obvious evidence of the depletion of the world due to climate change and be an example. Or you can join an organization that will educate people on a wider scale. Or you can do both but it all depends on how seriously you take climate change. And never forget Gandhi's words: Be the change you want to see in the world.

Answer 10

I recycle anything that is recyclable. I sort before I dispose everything in the garbage (plastics, papers, tin cans, glass, card boards). I try to buy things with less packaging.

I have asked people to throw their newspapers in the recycle bin rather than on the streets or garbage bin. I have seen people read papers and just leave them there on the bus, top of newspaper boxes, bus stop shelters, but most of all just on the street.

I have been yelled at for telling a few people (East Indian woman, Filipino woman, & African woman) to not leave their newspapers on top of the newspaper box when they are finished with it. When they give me the dirty look I ask them do they litter the same way in their country. I find immigrants are the worse with littering.