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温室效应：科学家对温室效应肯定。他们知道，温室气体排放作出了滞留在大气中的能量，地球温暖。 气候变化：气候是一个地区的气候事件的长期平均水平混为一谈。例如，它可能是在布法罗，纽约，冬日阳光明媚and could是温和的，但平均天气 - 气候的 - 告诉我们说布法罗的冬天will主要是cold and include雪和雨。气候变化代表了这些长期天气模式的变化。他们可以变得温暖或寒冷。降雨或降雪量每年可以增加或减少。 全球变暖：全球变暖是指在地球的温度，从而导致气候变化的平均增幅。一个温暖的地球可能导致降雨模式，在海平面上升，以及对植物，野生动物影响的范围很大的变化，和人类。当科学家对气候变化问题的谈话，他们关心的是关于全球变暖由人类活动造成的。 It’s Earth Day 2010 and your kids are going to be hearing about it, at school, on their favorite TV shows, online, on the radio- everywhere. How do you talk to your kids about the importance of conservation and being earth-smart without scaring them? Some sources bombard our children with the message that our earth is in trouble, that by the time they are adults the world will be destroyed, too hot to live, ice caps gone, polar bears dead and more. This sort of information combined with the helplessness a child feels in the face of a global crisis can lead to anxiety, overwhelming fear and depression. So how do we walk that line, teaching our children to be responsible without freaking them out? Use age-appropriate information. Preschoolers don’t need to hear any negative message – just stick with the positive: We love the earth and we want to take good care of it! That means turning things off when we’re done, shutting the water off while we brush our teeth (Barney has a song about that!), and such. Take a walk and look at leaves and flowers. School age children will hear at least something about global warming or climate change. Explain to them that it’s not going to harm them or their families right now and that people are working to make things better. Encourage them to do the “little things that add up” like recycling, walking or taking their bike places instead of having mom or dad drive, and not having all their appliances on at once. High school children should be encouraged to research the topic and form their own opinions. Photochemical smog is a type of air pollution produced when sunlight acts upon motor vehicle exhaust gases to form harmful substances such as ozone (O3), aldehydes and peroxyacetylnitrate (PAN). Photochemical smog is an atmospheric condition that produces severe eye irritation and poor visibility, to name just two of the effects. Three ingredients — energy from a light source (ultraviolet), hydrocarbons, and nitrogen oxides — are needed for photochemical smog to be formed. Photochemical smog formation requires the following conditions:
Ozone causes breathing difficulties, headaches, fatigue and can aggrevate respiratory problems. The peroxyacetylnitrate (CH3CO-OO-NO2) in photochemical smog can irritate the eyes, causing them to water and sting. Global warming is messing with the planet’s thermostat. That warning came Thursday from Richard Spinrad, head of research at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, in releasing the annual update of science’s Arctic report card. Warming temperatures continue in the polar north, changing wind patterns, melting sea ice and glaciers and affecting ocean and land life, the report said. The Arctic is a sort of natural regulator in terms of the amount of heat stored in the ocean and ice, “especially the loss of sea ice is messing with that thermostat for the whole globe,” Spinrad said at a briefing. A particular problem is the disappearance of old, thick sea ice that has been present for thousands of years, added James Overland of NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Research Laboratory. “It’s very difficult to get that (ice) back,” he said. Among the findings of the update: —Air temperatures over the Arctic Ocean reached an unprecedented 7 degrees Fahrenheit (4 Celsius) above normal in October-December of 2008. —There is evidence that the higher air temperatures are causing changes in the air circulation in both the Arctic and northern mid-latitudes. —The area covered by sea ice this summer was 25 percent below the average from 1979 to 2000 and was the third since satellite records were begun in 1979. —The melting ice resulted in an unprecedented amount of fresh water in the surface layer of the Arctic Ocean. —The amount of land covered by snow in the winters of 2007-08 and 2008-09 continued the trend toward shorter snow seasons due to earlier spring melt, although there is considerable annual and regional variability Children living in the Haifa Bay area are exposed to substantially more pollution and suffer significantly higher rates of illness than children elsewhere in the country. This was one of the main conclusions in a special report released yesterday by the Coalition for Public Health, which assesses the risks to children’s health in the Haifa area. While not based on any new data, the report offers analyses of existing figures and also relevant information from the Ministries of Health and the Environment. According to the report, Haifa Bay is different from other large urban centers in Israel because a large proportion of its pollution comes from industrial plants involved in the production of fuel and electricity - not from traffic. For example, two years ago, industry was responsible for nearly 90 percent of the polluting particles that were tiny enough to be able to enter the lungs via inhalation. Moreover, the report stated that industry was responsible for nearly two-thirds of the organic materials found in the air in Haifa, some of which are carcinogenic. The report also focuses on the particularly high concentration of nickel in the atmosphere in Haifa Bay, as compared to other urban areas in the Middle East. Nickel enters the air in a variety of ways, but most commonly through the burning of mazut fuel oil, used for producing electricity. “Toxic materials are poured into the atmosphere in our area, and some of them are proven carcinogens,” the report stated. “Some of the [other materials] are suspected of being carcinogenic and others affect the immune system, the reproductive system and the hormonal system. Many pollutants affect the nervous system. The unusually polluted air has persisted for generations, and regulations were not enforced in factories; they were not forced to introduce modern equipment and technologies for reducing pollution.” The new report argues that one of the main sources of pollution in Haifa Bay is the Israel Refineries compound. Recently the company reported that it has adopted measures for reducing air pollution, including installation of a system for identifying sources of pollutants in and around its compound, not just in its chimneys. Moreover, special covers have been installed over the fuel tanks in order to prevent evaporation of polluting gases. The company also announced that it has completed preparations for using natural gas instead of mazut, but there have been delays in construction of the underground pipes that will carry the gas to the Haifa Bay plants. Google, you’re wrong. According to a story in the Washington Post, Google’s green energy czar Bill Weihl told participants at the Reuters Global Climate and Alternative Energy Summit that “there is a lack of companies that have ideas that would be considered breakthroughs in the green technology sector.” Representing the company he noted, “I would say it’s reasonable to be a little bit discouraged there and from my point of view, it’s not right to be seriously discouraged,” he said. “There isn’t enough investment going into the early stages of investment pipeline before the venture funds come into the play.” Weihl, apparently, also said the United States needs to raise government-backed research significantly, particularly in the very initial stages to encourage breakthrough ideas in the sector. Google, through it’s philanthropic effort, google.org, announced plans in late 2007 to create renewable energy at a price lower than power from coal. But since then it has invested less than $50 million in other companies. Weihl said Google had not intended to invest much more in early years, but that there was little to buy. To say that there is a lack of companies that have ideas that would be considered breakthroughs and that there is little to buy is a tad short-sighted. Actually, there’s an abundance of companies and individuals with ideas that could be breakthroughs. Many, with the the deft use of a search engine, can be found on the Web. Google, try searching yourself. Perhaps unlike Google’s green energy inbox, this editor’s inbox is chuck full of ideas, any of which could be breakthroughs: — Earthsure, of Woodbridge, New Jersey, wants to harness solar energy underground. Yes, under the grass, in the dirt. The company’s idea dubbed SubSolar( tm) for Subterranean Solar includes an optical device installed upon a rooftop or other sunlight-catching environment. This device would capture and magnify the sun’s rays and transfer the sunlight from its linear or cylindrical lenses though fiber-optic lines leading down into an underground storage of solar panel modules. The subterranean solar panels would be buried 3 - 4 feet and be encased in cylindrical tubes or in sealed boxes Why? Some find solar panels unsightly – hidden underground they’d never be seen. But the solar panels would also be protected from the elements, keeping them clean, and panels would stay naturally cool so they’d perform more efficiently. — EarthSure also wants to to capture the hot air being blown out of air conditioning units and put to work. The company’s Wind Air system idea would utilize the exhaust of warm air from a traditional air conditioning condensing unit spinning a secondary fan that would generate electricity. The electricity could be fed to the building or to the power grid. The Greenhouse Effect: Scientists are sure about the greenhouse effect. They know that greenhouse gases make the Earth warmer by trapping energy in the atmosphere. Climate Change: Climate is the long-term average of a region’s weather events lumped together. For example, it’s possible that a winter day in Buffalo, New York, could be sunny and mild, but the average weather – the climate – tells us that Buffalo’s winters will mainly be cold and include snow and rain. Climate change represents a change in these long-term weather patterns. They can become warmer or colder. Annual amounts of rainfall or snowfall can increase or decrease. Global Warming: Global warming refers to an average increase in the Earth’s temperature, which in turn causes changes in climate. A warmer Earth may lead to changes in rainfall patterns, a rise in sea level, and a wide range of impacts on plants, wildlife, and humans. When scientists talk about the issue of climate change, their concern is about global warming caused by human activities. Images about the environment:  environment photo  global warming Before considering a wind generator, there are many points to consider and many options to verify in order for effective use. The most important is to consider the amount of energy you need. For small power needs like battery charging, there are portable wind generators that will work in most areas like construction, camping, and other areas in need of minimal amounts of energy. For more energy needs, larger wind turbines are needed and the location becomes vital. We all need power, that is not an option. However, there is an option that comes into play with how we receive our power. There are currently some great ways one can power their generator that is not only environmentally safe but economically sound and sustainable. These are important aspects to consider, especially when it comes to one’s power source. This is what gives wind powered generators a great advantage over other generators. You can build a 1000 watt homemade wind generator. About 33 preschoolers got to peer in a nest with wood-duck eggs thanks to members of the Mount Dora Kiwanis Club. The service club spearheaded the recent trip to Trout Lake Nature Center in eustis for students of Head Start in Mount Dora. It was nothing new for club members, who work with Head Start throughout the school year. Head Start is a federally funded program to prepare children for kindergarten. “They’ve listened as we’ve explained about turtles, vultures and the trees we saw along the way: the pine trees, the oak trees, the cabbage palms,” said Warner Brown, Kiwanis Club member, on the field trip. Kiwanis Club members organize trips, guest presenters and come in at least twice a month to spend time with the kids. |
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