The Antarctic Ice Sheet is 3 miles at its thickest point and contains about 37.2 million cubic miles of ice.
https://nsidc.org Ice Sheet Quick Facts | National Snow and Ice Data Center
One acre of hemp produces 25% more oxygen than one acre of forest and guarantees a cellulose supply that is approximately twice as high. One acre of hemp grows within 6 months, while a forest grows for decades before it is harvested. By making hemp paper, we could save millions of hectares of forest every year, Hemp can be used in textile production, construction and even as biofuel.
Tags: hemp, energy, biomass, replace forests
Below is my peace blog for Blog for Peace, November 2024.
Here is my Peace Globe for Blog for Peace.
Islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean and the Caribbean that are close to sea level will be engulfed and drowned. The Polynesian islands of Tuvalu have already been partially evacuated because of rising waters and are expected to be completely underwater by 2050 as a result of the 12.5-inch rise (Levy, M., Why the Wind Blows A History of Weather and Global Warming p. 158.)
As we emit more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, ocean temperature rises, Arctic ice melts, thermohaline circulation slows, and the ocean’s capacity to absorb carbon dioxide diminishes (Wikipedia).
It is important to realize that the weather patterns are driven largely by movements of ocean water in a continuous flow, created largely by surface winds but also partly by temperature and salinity gradients, Earth’s rotation, and tides. Major current systems typically flow clockwise in the northern hemisphere and counterclockwise in the southern hemisphere, in circular patterns that often trace the coastlines.
Ocean currents act much like a conveyor belt, transporting warm water and precipitation from the equator toward the poles and cold water from the poles back to the tropics. Thus, ocean currents regulate global climate, helping to counteract the uneven distribution of solar radiation reaching Earth’s surface. Without currents in the ocean, regional temperatures would be more extreme — super hot at the equator and frigid toward the poles — and much less of Earth’s land would be habitable. (NOAA)
I wish there was an easy answer to all the problems I have illuminated with my light. If we start today to do whatever we can to reduce our own carbon output, while electing people who are knowledgeable about this issue, and educating others to the danger of ignoring this phenomenon, we are still in for some rough times. However, if we do nothing, the cost will be borne by our children and their children.
The main causes of a warmer Earth are: 1) vehicle exhaust from cars, trucks, planes, ships and heavy equipment (14% of emissions); deforestation (18%); and power generation (25%). We have already begun to see new technologies for automobiles and trucks (hydrogen, solar), but it is probably too late to do anything about the deforestation that has ravaged countries. We are losing 10 million hectares of forest cover per year (one hectare = ~2.47 acres).
Some suggestions:
Collect farm waste, urban waste, wood manufacturing waste, and sewage, capturing the methane to use as fuel. Systems that convert methane to fuel for heating and cooking are already being used around the globe. Waste, specifically human waste, is a sustainable source of energy.
Solar panels are well on the way to reducing our dependence on electricity which is generated from hydroelectric plants or gas-powered plants.
Wind farms have been used over the centuries for grinding grains and lifting water, but electric power generation is a new role for windmills. Block Island off the state of Rhode Island receives most of its power from windmills!
Solar chimneys make use of the natural draft that exists between a ground base covered collection area surrounding a chimney and the top of the chimney. A turbine installed at the base the chimney serves as the generator.
The main thing we can do is fundamentally change our attitude away from consumption and toward conservation and sustainability BEFORE we reach the tipping point.
And, of course, pray to the God that made all this wonderous world and gave us stewardship over it.
Tags: global warming, greenhouse gas, extinction level event, permafrost melting, glaciers disappearing, drinking water diminishing, rising sea levels
Join thousands of bloggers around the world when they blog for peace on November 4, 2024. Click the image below to visit the official website and pick up all you need to know about the event.
Blog for Peace happens once per year and the date is November 4, 2024. Please return to read my post and to find links to other peace bloggers.
Copied from https://earthmonk.guru/the-boa-foundation/
Faced with the enormous global problems the world faces right now here are a few ideas on how you might like to play a role in supporting the Amazon:
You could donate to one of the frontline NGOs working to defend and protect the Amazon and her people. This could be The Boa Relief Fund, Apoti, The Rainforest Action Network (who run Protect An Acre grants), the Rainforest Trust, Amazon Watch (who are working on behalf of and with the indigenous people) or most famous of all the WWF
You could become a regular monthly contributor to an organisation and keep the donation going all year round. Any money counts but some organisations have special dedicated donor schemes. The Rainforest Alliance for example, have the Canopy Associates programme for anyone contributing more than $1000 where special events, webinars and other exclusive benefits are offered.
Stay informed and sign up to the WWF. They will keep you up to date on conservation work, fund-raising and campaigns. Here’s the link: https://www.wwf.org.uk/fight-climate-change/thank-you
Don’t let the media move on and the Amazon rainforest become old news. Use your voice – put the Amazon in your social media feed. Share posts, tag new agencies and influencers. Help to keep her headline news.
Whilst many of the fires have been set to clear land for agribusiness large areas are often burned to access trees for felling or to create access to other areas of the forest. Reducing the amount of paper and wood we use is a good way to help reduce commercial pressures on the Amazon, as well as other forests around the world.
Think more about the food you buy. Shop locally and support your local businesses. Cattle ranching accounts for about 80% of the forest being cleared in the Amazon. An area the size of Ireland has been cleared for growing soybean! As far as possible avoid highly processed foods. Eat a more plant-based diet (you’ll live longer). Moderate your meat quota – even dropping meat from your meals two to three nights a week could make a huge impact! Read the label and know where your food is coming from to limit its carbon footprint (buy seasonal food locally sourced!), keep your eyes peeled for Fairtrade, Freedom Food (animal welfare), MSC & ASC (seafood) and in anything to do with palm oil the RSPO logo is a must.
Be a conscious consumer. Buy less, recycle, repair and upcycle. Shop smart and waste less. Look out for labels such as GOTS, FSC, Fairtrade, Okeo-Tex, Carbon Reduction Label, Soil Association, Vegan, Rainforest Alliance (the green frog) so that you know the goods you are been sustainably or ethically sourced or at least made with respect for the planet and her people. Try to reduce your single use plastic consumption. Do some homework and check out blogs, articles, magazines and social media feeds that can give you tips and ideas on how you can shop more consciously. Use ethical platforms such as https://ethical.market and https://www.ethicalconsumer.org (where we rank second for ethical ‘alternative clothing shops’)
As a consumer you have purchase power. You also have the power to lobby, protest, campaign and sign petitions calling the government to action. When it comes to voting remember that we need leaders who understand the urgency of our climate crisis and are willing to take bold action—including strong governance and forward-thinking policy.
Copied from https://earthmonk.guru/the-boa-foundation/
Earth and its inhabitants are connected. As we do to the Earth, so shall be done to us. In a letter from Chief Seattle, Chief of the Dwamish, Suquamish and allied Indian tribes to Franklin Pierce, President of the U.S.A (1854), the sentiment is well stated:
"This we know. All things are connected like the blood that unites one family. All things are connected. Whatever befalls the earth befalls the sons of the earth. Man did not weave the web of life: he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself."
Warming sea temperatures impact coral reefs, habitat to the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet. Warmer water temperatures can result in coral bleaching. Increased heat stresses coral and causes the coral to release an algae called zooxanthellae from their tissues. The coral turns white. When a coral bleaches, it is not dead, but stressed. It may recover, but more than 90 percent of the Great Barrier Reef coral is bleached. Out of 1036 reefs surveyed by Australian scientists in a plane, 40% had no or negligible bleaching, 35% had moderate bleaching and 25% had severe bleaching (gbrmpa.gov.aa).
Thousands of marine animals depend on coral reefs for survival, including sea turtles, fish, crabs, shrimp, jellyfish, sea birds, starfish, and more. Coral reefs provide shelter, spawning grounds, and protection from predators. They also support organisms at the base of ocean food chains. As reef ecosystems collapse, already at-risk species may face extinction (worldwildlife.org). Coral reefs are natural barriers that absorb the force of waves and storm surges, keeping coastal communities safe. This is important because more than 600 million people worldwide (10%) live in coastal areas less than 32 feet above sea level. Nearly 2.4 billion people (40%) live within 60 miles of the coast. (oceanservice.noaa.gov).
Global warming is causing the ice caps to melt, which exposes tundra to
sunlight. As tundra heats, it releases methane, a powerful greenhouse
gas. The melting of ice caps, glaciers and sea ice is also causing the
worldwide temperature of oceans to rise. Worse, ice and snow reflect
sunlight and energy while land masses and the oceans, being darker,
absorb heat, Rising sea levels are inundating wetlands, the buffer that
protects inland areas from flooding. Wetlands also provide nurseries
for fish and mammals and rest areas for migrating water fowl.
The way humans use and pollute natural resources is an atrocity. We are destroying what we require to live. We have to drink water to stay alive. Yet, we continue to pollute and over allocate water resources. We must have air to breathe. Yet, wildfires, deforestation, pestilence
and disease are decreasing the amount of life-giving oxygen and
replacing it with greenhouse gas such as carbon dioxide and methane.
Through a process called photosynthesis, tree leaves take in carbon dioxide and water and use the energy of the sun to convert these elements into chemical compounds such as sugars that feed the tree. As a by-product of that chemical reaction, oxygen is produced and released by the tree. Trees thus become carbon sinks (storage) that holds the carbon back from reentering the air. It is proposed that one large tree can provide a day’s supply of oxygen for up to four people. (USDA.gov) Unfortunately, when the tree is felled, the carbon is released into the air.
Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are manmade chemicals that do not break down in the environment. Researchers have found PFAS in rainwater in most locations on the planet - including Antarctica. There is no safe space to escape them. (University of Stockholm)
If that was not worrisome enough, we are in the middle of one of the three most severe droughts in the U.S in the last 100 years. (drought.gov)
Plastics are the most common form of marine debris. They enter our
rivers and streams and journey to the oceans. Once there, plastic debris
never fully biodegrades. Common plastics include cigarette butts, food
wrappers, beverage bottles, straws, cups and plates, bottle caps, and
single-use bags. Fishing paraphernalia, such as drift nets, fishing
line, buoys and ice chests, endanger the lives of inhabitants of the
seas. Children's toys also pollute the oceans. (NOAA)
There is now six times more plastic than plankton in the oceans (naturalscience.org). Plankton has a vital role in maintaining the health and balance of the ocean and its complex food webs. The oxygen, nutrients, and biomass they produce also sustain terrestrial life—from the food we eat to the air we breathe. (education.nationalgeographic.org).
In 2010, researchers came to the conclusion (doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0913352107) that humans would adapt to any possible global warming. Peak heat stress, quantified by the term "wet-bulb temperature" (heat + humidity), was similar in diverse climates--it never exceeded 31 °C. Excess of 35 °C for extended periods should induce hyperthermia in humans and other mammals, as dissipation of metabolic heat becomes impossible.
New experiments provide insight into which combinations of temperature and humidity begin to harm even the healthiest humans, never mind our aging population. Current heat waves around the globe are approaching, if not exceeding, these limits (Noll Laboratory at Penn State University).
I have been an environmentalist for 45 years. I have watched as everything predicted in the 60s, 70s and 80s happened. There is more I could share. What I wrote is the truth. You may find more information by going to the sources cited after information in the post. I only wish to share information so that you may have the facts. There are tipping points of which we must be aware. That is a point when we must have made changes or it will be too late to stop cascading events. Some tipping points are approaching like a freight train and some come like a thief in the night. Let us do what we can, while we can. Let us save the Earth and ourselves. God bless us all.
