Cow Farts causing Global Warming!?

Scientists and farmers around the world are debating a very serious subject at the moment. You may not know it, but cows are actually one of the rudest animals around. In fact, they burp and fart so often and in such huge figures that the methane they release may be an affecting part of global warming. Yes, they are really talking about farting and burping cows.
Why are scientists talking about this? Good question, let's start with the science behind passing gas. Farts and burps are essentially pockets of gas that get released from human and animal bodies. Some of it is created inside our bodies as we digest food and some is ingested, when we eat or talk. This mixture is not useful to us, so our bodies propel it out as best they can, “passing gas or flatulence.”
One of the gases found in farts and burps is methane. Certain amounts of methane in the atmosphere are normal. Right along with other greenhouse gases, methane collects in the sky and traps warm air around our planet. The problem starts when the layer of greenhouse gases is too thick and too much heat is shut in. This effect is called global warming my friends!
A report published in the state of California a while back declared that dairy cows in the area were producing almost 20 lbs of gas every year. That is a ridiculously large amount of gas. If that number is correct, it could mean that cow farts are causing more greenhouse gases than pollution from cars, since California has millions of cows.
Scientists around our globe have known for a long time that animal gases could be trouble. What they cannot agree on is how big of a problem it can actually be. Even if scientists manage to measure the size of the farts or burps, they then have to work out how much methane they contain. It is very hard to measure just how much methane an animal is burping and farting out.
A Swedish university has taken this matter very seriously and has been awarded close to $600,000 in support to research this occurrence. Jan Bertilsson of the Swedish University for Agricultural Sciences stated that 20 cows will be involved in the study.
By attaching special collars around the cow’s necks, they hope to calculate the amount of methane released with each burp depending on the kind of food they consume. Mind you this is only a study on burps not farts.
I am not a scientist or anything but it looks like if we want to make a real effort at slowing down our climate change, we simply can’t only go after the cows. It just doesn’t seem to me to be the only source of the problem. What does the rest of the planet think?

Earth Hour!

This year, Earth Hour has been transformed into the world's first global election, between Earth and global warming. For the first time in history, people of all ages, nationalities, race and background have the opportunity to use their light switch as their vote – Switching off your lights is a vote for Earth, or leaving them on is a vote for global warming....more


By signing up you are supporting Earth Hour's aim to reach more than one billion people in 1000 cities around the world in 2009. Earth Hour is inviting communities, business and governments to switch off lights for one hour at 8:30pm on Saturday March 28, sending a powerful global message that we care enough about climate change to take action.

Cars and Global Warming

One of the most eye-opening conclusions of reports is that the vehicles we choose today will affect our lives for time to come. Astonishingly, the largest category of current on the road polluters is the small car. We ask ourselves why? Well, simply because there are so many of them on the road. Cars in and light trucks our nations are a huge supply of global warming pollution. United States automobiles emit more than 333 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year, which is more than 1/5 of the nation's total CO2 emissions.
Compared with the rest of the planet, American automobiles emissions are excessively high. With only five percent of the world's population and thirty percent of the world's automobiles, the United States put in forty eight percent of the world's automotive CO2 emissions.
Any true effort to battle global warming has to include cutting automobile emissions. Acting now is crucial to slowing global warming and reducing air pollution.
Americans don't all have to drive hybrids to make a change in our nation. And, while we support everyone to use different forms of transportation whenever it is possible, the certainty is that cars are a big part of our American ways of life.

We should be thinking to:
• Put public pressure on the automobile industry to maintain a comprehensive national global warming policy.
• Educate vehicle owners and drivers on what they can do to decrease emissions.
• Explore ways we Americans can do our part to progress fuel efficiency and cut global warming pollution from America's automobiles.
So, if we all did our part to decrease automobile emissions and if all of us purchased the most fuel efficient vehicles that met our needs, and if all of us found ways to drive a less, if all of us did our best to keep our vehicles maintained, and if all of us contributed in prioritizing global warming as a issue in our daily lives, we would considerably decrease global warming pollution from America's vehicles.

Second Cause of Global Warming

Chlorofluorocarbons were introduced to the world in the 1920s and are used in a range of industrial, commercial, and residential uses and is a big part of Global Warming. Chlorofluorocarbons, along with others like chlorine- and bromine-containing compounds, have been implicated in the boost of reduction of ozone in our planet’s stratosphere. This stuff is non-flammable, non-toxic, and non-reactive with other chemical composites. These nice safety characteristics make them useful as coolants in air conditioners and refrigerators, propellants for aerosol sprays, and blowing agents. Production and use of Chlorofluorocarbons increased as a demand by us humans for production of these common products.
It was not until 1973 that chlorine was found to be a catalytic agent in ozone devastation. Catalytic obliteration of ozone gets rid of the odd O2 species while leaving chlorine unchanged. We knew that this was potentially damaging to the ozone layer, but beyond question evidence of stratospheric ozone depletion was not exposed until 1984. An intricate situation of atmospheric dynamics, chemical reactions, and solar radiation, was found to explain the abnormal low levels of ozone during the polar springtime. Current missions to the Arctic areas show that related processes can occur in the northern hemisphere, but to a lesser level due to warmer temperatures. We as a nation have to do something soon before this climate change takes a real toll on our planet!

The Main Cause for Global Warming

We humans who think of ourselves as the most intelligent things on this planet are intentionally or unintentionally destroying our own surroundings. One of the chief causes for global warming can be accredited to the behaviors of humans. It took more than twenty years for the world to finally accept that we humans are causing global warming with the emission of greenhouse gases which include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrogen oxide etc. the gases have formed an effect of green house on the earth’s exterior which prevents the reflection of the sun’s rays and therefore causes the boost in temperature. The radical boost in the emission of carbon dioxide in the last 30 years caused by burning fossil fuels has been recognized as the major reason for the change of temperature in the atmosphere.



Carbon dioxide concentration in the air has amplified because of the emissions from power plants, airplanes, cars, industries etc. one more reason for it is deforestation. Forests have been reduced making way for cultivation, industries and cities. The vegetation was natural regulators of carbon dioxide that controlled its level’s in the atmosphere. Eighty percent or more of the worldwide energy claim is currently supplied by the fossil fuels oil, coal or gas. It will be unfeasible to find alternative sources, which could restore fossil fuels in the short or medium term. The energy demand is just too high.



Another subject is the non-renewable traits of fossil fuels. It took our planet millions of years to produce these resources, while we will have used them up in about the next few decades. Alone the lessening supply will not make it possible to carry on as usual for a longer time.

What Is Global Warming?

Definition of the Global warming is

the rise in the average temperature of the Earth's near-surface air and

oceans. OR It observed and projected increases in the average

temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans. OR 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.

Earth was formed about 4.5 billion years ago and its

temperature has changed through history.it has been warmer in the

past,and sometimes much colder. But it is the speed at which earth is

heating up that is alarming. For the first btime in history, humans,not

nature are the main cause of earth’s changing climate or as it is

commonly known as Global warming.

Ice Ages –

for long periods of times- called ice ages-earth’s surface was almost

completely covered with ice. Much of the ice was stored in

glaciers.

Fossile fuels - All living things use

and store carbon. Millions years ago ,when plants and animals died,some

were buried, crushed, and fossilized under ground.oil,coal,natural gas

formed from this fossilized remains-this is why this is called fossile

fuels.
When we burn the fossile fuels we are releasing the large

amounts of carbon into the atmosphere as part of the gas carbon

dioxide. It is released naturally such as volcanoes, but humans and

machines we use are produce more carbon dioxide than ever before.70% of

the world’s energy is generated by burning the fossile

fuels.

What causes Global warming? Is it part of a

natural cycle?

Global warming is due to the build up of

greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which form one sort of blanket over

the Earth,which traps the heat which is normally escape the atmosphere.

The main greenhouse gas is carbon dioxide, this is emitted from the

burning of fossil fuels.When we burn the fuel,gases are released, or

emitted, into the atmosphere. Our gas emission have been on the rise

since last century. When people started burning coal in factories to

produce power. As emissions have increased, sohas earth’s

temperature

What is Greenhouse gases –

Greenhouse gases are those which absorb the heat from the sun and help

warm the planet, which makes it possible for the the plants and animals

to live. Most greenhouse gases are the natural part of the life. For

example, human breaths out small amount of the carbon dioxide into the

air. But some human activities have caused some gases to buld up too

much. Many scientist belives this increase in greenhouse gases causing

global warming.

Which are Greenhouse gases?-

Carbon dioxide makes up more than 99percent of the greenhouse gases in

earth’s atmosphere.The remaining 0.6 percent contains methane,nitrous

oxide,ozone and halocarbons.

The Greenhouse

effects –The Greenhouse effect is a natural process discovered

in 18th century.it has kept our planet warm enough to support life for

billions of years.but as the amount of greenhouse gases increases, more

heat is trapped in the atmosphere. The natural process has sped up and

earth is getting hotter.
Greenhouse effect is the result of

absorption of heat by some greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and re-

radiate downward some of that heat. Most common example of the

greenhouse gas is the water vapour which is abundantly available in the

atmosphere, carbon dioxide and other trace gases. Without this natural

greenhouse effect.
The temperature of the Earth would be about -18°C

instead of 14°C.The greenhouse effect is the process in which the

emission of infrared radiation by the atmosphere warms a planet's

surface. Solar energy,only about half of the sun’s energy makes it to

earth’s surface. The rest is bounced back or trapped by clouds and the

atmosphere itself.

Global Warming Causes

Global Warming

Causes

1) Carbon Dioxide from Power Plants.
2) Carbon Dioxide Emitted from Cars.
3) Carbon Dioxide from the planes.
4) Carbon Dioxide from Buildings. - Buildings structure emmits about

12% of carbon dioxide.
5)Methane – If carbon dioxide is the main greenhouse

gas, methane is another important one.This gas is twenty times as

important as CO2 for trapping heat in the atmosphere.
6)Water Vapors in the Climate.-This Water vapor is the

very abundant and very poweful greenhouse gas on the earth.
7)Nitrous oxide –This is another greenhouse gas, this

gas is colourless, non-flammable,sweetish odour, and due to its

characteristic it is called "laughing gas".
8)Deforestation – It is another major reason of

atmospheric carbon dioxide. Deforestation results to 20-25% of carbon

generation which mix with atmosphere.
9)More people – the increasing number of people on

earth is one of the greatest factors in global warming. The world’s

population has grew four times larger in last 100 years. More peoples

means more fossile fuels are burned. This has led to a massive rise in

the levels of greenhouse gases in earth’s atmosphere.
10)City life – life in large cities is comfortable and

convenient, but the energy ths lifestyle requires has a high

environmental cost.A) Home and businesses – heating,

lighting and air-conditioning in homes and business create a lot of

greenhouse gases. Together, buildings account for almost 30 percent of

all CO2 released by cities, with around 70 percent of this coming from

our houses and apartments.B)Industry – People living

in cities use huge amount of power,food,water and manufactured

products. All of this has to come from somewhere. Power

stations,factories and processing plants create almost half of all our

greenhouse gases.C)Transportation – People in cities

requires cars and buses to get around, and business needs trucks to

shift goods. These fuel-hungry vehicles create more than 70 percent of

CO2 transportation emissions. The rest is from trains and

airplanes.D)Building problems – Growing city

populations nedd plsces to live, work and shop. Constuction work and

making concrete release tons of CO2 even before the buildings are

complete.Pollution problem - Burning fossile fuels, the major cause of

global warming, also causes air pollution. Exhaust gases from

factories,cars and other vehicles contains greenhouse gases that trap

heat in our atmosphere. As well as making Earth warmer, some of these

gases can create smog amd acid rain.

How smog is created? – Smog is formed when exhaust

gases from cars and factories react with oxygen in the air, warmed by

high temperatures and uv rays from the sun. This creates a thick cloud

of nitrogen dioxide, ozone, and other harmful gases, which can irritate

or even permanently damage the lungs.

Heat island effect– Concrete buildings and sidewalks

trap heat during the day, leaving and towns several degrees warmer than

surrounding country areas in the evenings. This is called the heat

island effect. The increased heat in cities and towns also leads to

higher levels of air pollution.

Global Warming Solutions- Using energy which we have

available efficiently and moving to renewable energy like wind, solar,

geothermal, and bioenergy would definitely reduce our emissions of

heat-trapping gases.By putting energy efficiency, renewable energy, and

vehicle technology solutions.