In February 2007, a report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change concluded that global warming is happening and is due primarily to human activity. The report warns that continued warming will bring stronger storms, rising sea levels, and more intense rain and floods. The good news is that by taking action today to dramatically reduce global warming pollution, we can avoid the worst effects of climate change.

In January 2007, Senators Bernard Sanders (I-VT) and Barbara Boxer (D-CA) introduced a Senate bill that would gradually reduce global warming emissions by 80 percent, the amount needed to have a good chance of accomplishing this goal. In March 2007, Representative Henry Waxman (D-CA) will introduce a similar bill in the House. Please urge your congressional delegation to protect our planet for our children by co-sponsoring these critical science-based global warming bills today.

Please make your letter personal by adding in your own thoughts and concerns. Every letter makes a difference, but customized letters have the greatest effect!

CLICK HERE TO SEND LETTER!!

Drought Triggers U.S. Water Wars, Pits Montana against Wyoming

Idling Gets You Nowhere  
 

Would you drive a car that gets zero miles to the gallon? Of course not. Yet that is your mileage whenever your engine idles. Idling wastes money and fuel, contributes to air pollution, and generates carbon dioxide emissions that cause global warming. Some states even have laws limiting the amount of time cars can idle (see the related links).

Unfortunately, many people believe that idling is necessary or even beneficial—a false perception that has carried over from the 1970s and 1980s, when engines needed time to warm up (especially in colder temperatures). Fuel-injection vehicles, which have been the norm since the mid-1980s, can be restarted frequently without engine damage and need no more than 30 seconds to warm up even on winter days.

In fact, idling longer than that could actually damage your engine in the long term. Because an idling engine is not operating at its peak temperature, the fuel does not completely combust, leaving residues in the engine that can contaminate engine oil and make spark plugs dirty. Excessive idling also allows water to condense in the vehicle's exhaust, contributing to corrosion of the exhaust system.

No matter what time of year, minimize your idling with the following tips:

When first starting your car, idle for no more than 30 seconds.

Except when sitting in traffic, turn your engine off if you must wait in your car for more than 30 seconds. You can still operate the radio and windows without the engine running.

When the time comes to buy a new car, consider a hybrid. Hybrid gasoline-electric vehicles switch off the engine and use battery power for accessories when the car is not moving, effectively eliminating idling. Visit the UCS Hybrid Center website (see the related links) for more information on these fuel-efficient, low-emission vehicles.

Related Links

Natural Resources Canada—Office of Energy Efficiency

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency—State, County and Local Anti-Idling Laws (pdf)

UCS—Hybrid Center

Study Shows Louisiana Slowly Slipping Into Gulf

January 02, 2007 — By Cain Burdeau, Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS -- A new report by scientists studying Louisiana's sinking coast says the land here is not just sinking, it's sliding ever so slowly into the Gulf of Mexico. The new findings may add a kink to plans being drawn up to build bigger and better levees to protect this historic city and Cajun bayou culture.

If the land is shifting -- even slightly -- engineers may need to take that into consideration as they build new levees and draw lines across the coast to identify areas that should and shouldn't be protected.

Researchers have known for years that the swampy land under south Louisiana is sinking (potholed streets and wobbly porches and floors are visible evidence of that) but a lateral movement of the land into the Gulf enters largely unstudied terrain.

The report, which appeared in December's Geophysical Research Letters, a peer-reviewed journal published by the American Geophysical Union, says the bedrock under heavily populated southeast Louisiana is breaking away at a glacial speed -- at the pace fingernails grow.

The southward movement, the study says, is triggered by deep underground faults slipping under the enormous weight of sediment dumped by the Mississippi River.

The slippage, though, is confined to a large egg-shaped area approximately 250 miles long and 180 miles wide that encompasses the delta of the Mississippi, which was built up by river deposits over the past 8,000 years, the report says.

The report was based on data collected between 1995 and 2006 by Global Positioning System stations installed in recent years to better understand the dynamic nature of this delta the French settled in 300 years ago.

"People should not be afraid that we're going to fall into the Gulf. That's not going to happen," said Roy Dokka, lead researcher and executive director of the Center for GeoInformatics at Louisiana State University.

He described the slide into the Gulf as "a kind of avalanche of material, except that it is happening very slowly. It moved about the width of two credit cards this year."

While that may seem trifling in the big picture, Dokka said engineers need to include this reality into their plans for levees, floodgates and other projects.

Windell Curole, a levee and hurricane expert who is on a state board developing a master protection plan, said the phenomenon of sinking, or subsidence, has not been "included in a big way" in the new plan but that planners are "aware of it."

"As we understand it better, we will include it," he said. "You have to be aware of the elevation issues and the rate -- these things need to be in the equation."

Flood protection planners have their work cut out for them as they choose between often competing theories about what is causing Louisiana to lose land at alarming rates. Since the 1930s, more than 2,000 square miles of coast sank or eroded.

Some scientists believe oil and natural gas extraction in the middle and late 20th century caused much of the sinking; others say the land is caving in because the Mississippi River and other waterways were straightjacketed by levees, which stopped floodwaters from replenishing the soil.

And some scientists have suggested the debate over subsidence is overstated.

Torbjorn Tornqvist, an associate professor of earth and environmental sciences at Tulane University, found much of the region surprisingly stable and the rate of sinking to be at least 10 times less than previously reported.

Source: Associated Press

Researchers Say Warming May Change Amazon

January 02, 2007 — By Michael Astor, Associated Press

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil -- Global warming could spell the end of the world's largest remaining tropical rain forest, transforming the Amazon into a grassy savanna before end of the century, researchers said.

Jose Antonio Marengo, a meteorologist with Brazil's National Space Research Institute, said that global warming, if left unchecked, will reduce rainfall and raise temperatures substantially in the ecologically rich region.

"We are working with two scenarios: a worst case and a second, more optimistic one," he said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press.

"The worst case scenario sees temperatures rise by 5 to 8 degrees until 2100, while rainfall will decrease between 15 and 20 percent. This setting will transform the Amazon rain forest into a savanna-like landscape," Marengo said.

That scenario supposes no major steps are taken toward halting global warming and that deforestation continues at its current rate, Marengo said.

The more optimistic scenario supposes governments take more aggressive actions to halt global warming. It would still have temperatures rising in the Amazon region by 3 to 5 degrees Celsius and rainfall dropping by 5 to 15 percent, Marengo said.

"If pollution is controlled and deforestation reduced, the temperature would rise by about 5 degrees Celsius in 2100," said Marengo. "Within this scenario, the rain forest will not come to the point of total collapse."

Marengo's finding were part an 800,000 real ($373,000) study that began two years ago and that will continue until 2010. The study, financed by the World Bank and the British government, seeks to project climatic changes that will effect Brazil over the next 100 years. European governments frequently finance environmental and conservation studies about Brazil's Amazon rain forest.

Sprawling over 1.6 million square miles, the Amazon covers nearly 60 percent of Brazil. Largely unexplored, it contains one-fifth of the world's fresh water and about 30 percent of the world's plant and animal species -- many still undiscovered.

Marengo said he was optimistic that the worst-case scenario could be averted, but he said that would require a major effort by industrialized nations to reduce emissions of so-called greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming.

He said Brazil should do its part by reducing deforestation and burning in the Amazon region.

Destroying trees through burning contributes to global warming, releasing about 370 million tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere every year -- about 5 percent of the world total -- scientists say.

About 20 percent of the rain forest has already been cut down and while the rate of destruction has slowed in recent years, environmentalists say it remains alarmingly high.

Source: Associated Press

An Inconvenient Truth DVD's Available for Teachers via Participate.Net

by: StopGlobalWarming.org    18 December 2006

Laurie David, a producer of An Inconvenient Truth, announced today that 50,000 DVD's of the acclaimed documentary will be donated on a first come, first serve basis to teachers across the country interested in using the film as a teaching tool in classrooms via www.participate.net.

The DVD's will be given away starting Monday, December 18, 2006 thru Thursday, January 18, 2007. Teachers are encouraged to log on to www.participate.net to request the DVD, which will be delivered within 6-8 weeks. Every teacher must provide a nine-digit federal tax ID number belonging to the school where they teach.

"Since the film debuted, we have received hundreds of emails from teachers interested in using An Inconvenient Truth in their classrooms to educate students about global warming. I am thrilled that we are able to give away these DVD's through the generosity of individual citizens who are underwriting this effort and I hope it helps inspire and move a generation towards solving this urgent problem," said Laurie David, a producer of the film.

A free downloadable curriculum guide to accompany An Inconvenient Truth is available for download at Participate.net courtesy of the film's financier, Participant Productions. Developed by Topics Education for Participant Productions and Paramount Home Entertainment, the "AIT in the Classroom" curriculum is aligned with national curriculum standards and is designed for use in high school Earth Science, Environmental Science, Physics, and Chemistry classes. It can also be used in civics classes, middle school science classes, and offers Serving Learning opportunities for students.

"An Inconvenient Truth has ignited a national movement to make the public aware of the effects of global warming and how each of us can contribute to the solution. By providing access to this film together with curriculum support materials for educators, we intend to support our teachers, advance the study of environmental science and contribute to a new generation of environmentally-conscious citizens," said Jim Berk, CEO, Participant Productions.

This generous donation was made possible with the cooperation of Paramount Vantage, Participant Productions and The Environmental Media Association. The Environmental Media Association (www.EMA-online.org) was created in 1989, as a non-profit 501(c)3.

An Inconvenient Truth is the critically-acclaimed documentary directed by David Guggenheim, produced by Laurie David, Lawrence Bender, Scott Burns, and co-produced by Lesley Chilcott, based on former Vice President Al Gore's presentation on global warming. A passionate and inspirational look at one man's fervent crusade to halt global warming's deadly progress by revealing the truths about it, "An Inconvenient Truth" offers a dramatic call to action that "shouldn't be missed" (The New Yorker). The film has received the best documentary award from the National Board of Review, San Francisco Film Critics Circle, Washington DC Area Film Critics Association, New York Film Critics Online, Los Angeles Film Critics, Critics Choice Award, as well as the Stanley Kramer Award from the Producers Guild of America. Lauded by critics and viewers alike, the film eloquently weaves the science of global warming with Al Gore's personal history and lifelong commitment to reversing the effects of global climate change. Gore presents a wide array of facts and information in a thoughtful and compelling way: often humorous, frequently emotional and always fascinating. In the end, "An Inconvenient Truth" accomplishes what all great films should: it leaves the viewer involved and inspired.

This holiday season, as last year's gifts get tossed to make way for shiny new Apples, they will likely find their way to developing countries, where children of all ages will unwrap and unleash the toxic chemicals within. Our holiday wish list is simple. All we want from Steve Jobs is a green Apple.
Take Action!

 Take Action Now

Global Warming Prolongs Life of Space Debris

December 12, 2006 - By Adam Tanner, Reuters

SAN FRANCISCO -- Human increases in carbon dioxide emissions are thinning the Earth's outer atmosphere, making it easier to keep the space station aloft but prolonging the life of dangerous space debris, scientists said Monday.

"It's a bit of a two-edge sword," said Stanley Solomon, a scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado. "In the future, it will be a little bit easier to keep the space station, for instance, in orbit. It will need a little bit less fuel."

"On the other hand, it will give space junk a much longer lifetime," he told the fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco.

Solomon is the co-author of a study presented Monday that found man's burning of fossil fuels and increase of carbon dioxide emissions will make the Earth's outer atmosphere above 62 miles 3 percent less dense by 2017. The study found a decrease of about 5 percent between 1970 and 2000.

Although scientists say that carbon dioxide contributes to global warming closer to Earth's surface, in the thinner outer atmosphere where space craft orbit, a cooling effect takes place. Solar activity also impacts the outer atmosphere.

As this outermost region becomes less dense, it produces less drag on satellites, space craft and tens of thousands of pieces of discarded space debris from previous missions orbiting at about 250 miles from Earth's surface.

"These objects are now experiencing less drag proportionally than they did 30 years ago," Solomon said.

The Soviet Union kicked off the space age in 1957 by launching the Sputnik satellite into orbit. Some of the early satellites such NASA's Explorer 8 launched in 1960 are still spinning around the Earth.

A steady stream of space launches since Sputnik has left about 10,000 objects bigger than the size of a grapefruit, and 100,000 larger than a centimeter, said Kent Tobiska, president and chief scientist of Space Environment Technologies in Pacific Palisades, California.

"It's a more complex, more difficult and a more dangerous area for them," Tobiska said of modern-day spacecraft.

The International Space Station now in orbit must readjust its path several times a year to avoid colliding with such debris; a chance hit with a spacewalking astronaut could prove fatal.

A Russian cosmonaut increased by one the number of man-made objects in space by hitting a golf ball into the final frontier during a space walk last month.

Source: Reuters

A great video!!

Global warming could play the Grinch that stole our white Christmases.

That's why our staff has reworked lyrics to the holiday classic "White Christmas"—with a global warming twist:

In the past I've allowed questions like these to leave me feeling guilty and stressed out. I like exchanging holiday cards, but using so much paper can feel wasteful, and I get concerned that people will be offended if I cut back my list or try something different. I know this is easier said than done, but letting go of some of this guilt has made the season feel less like a chore for me. After all, it's just a card. My loved ones are in my thoughts, and that's the most important part.

TIP: If you're looking for green alternatives to traditional holiday cards, here are a few possibilities:

1. Buy 100% post-consumer recycled cards. They're hard to find in stores, but the non-profit group Conservatree has a list of environmentally friendly cards online which specifes the recycled and post-consumer content offered by each company. New American Dream has 100% post-consumer recycled cards , too--I've always thought these looked festive in a quirky, nondenominational way.

2. Make 100% post-consumer recycled cards for even less money. Most major craft stores sell packaged card sets with beautiful recycled papers (I found 20 very elegant hand-made cards with envelopes for $12). If you're crafty and have time, you can draw, paint, collage, or stamp simple designs. If you have children, this is a great way to harness their creative energy and showcase their artwork. You can even glue the fronts of past greeting cards on new cards—a classic thrifty trick. I created a few designs with colored craft papers last weekend and made cards of my own. It took me most of a day to do about 16 of them, so it's definitely not a strategy for everyone. I did, however, listen to most of a recorded book while enjoying quiet time at my craft table (more quiet time being a goal of mine this season). As an added bonus, because I was "working" so hard on a holiday project, my husband washed the dishes, did the laundry, and raked the leaves in our yard while I glued construction paper holly leaves together—a trade-off that suited me perfectly!

3. Skip the cards and call people. Why not be direct? Tell loved ones you're not sending cards this year, and that you prefer to personally wish them happy holidays. If you're musical or have children who like to sing, you could even carol over the phone as your greeting. Or, if you like to entertain, you could send an email invitation for a potluck brunch or dessert party at your home, making it clear that the invitation is in lieu of a traditional card. The idea here is simply that the well-wishes are what matter, not the bits of paper.

One last tip: If you want to send photo cards and have a home printer, try printing your pictures on regular paper instead of paying for photo paper—it won't look as shiny, but unlike the fancy stuff, the results are recyclable, and cheaper, too.

No matter what you do or don't do, be proud that you're taking time to approach the holidays thoughtfully. Guilt is such a downer.

Cheers and good luck!

Jenn and the staff of New American Dream

newdream.org