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Footprints on the sands of time

 

The average carbon footprint for an Indian is round 1.5 tonnes of CO2. This and other gases accumulate in the atmosphere like a blanket around the planet,trapping the heat.phere is like a footprint in the sand. In this case, it's an imprint on the atmosphere. So once you have assessed your footprint, youcan begin to figure out how to reduce it. Everyone's talking about the need to reduce your carbon footprint. Do you know what that is? A carbon footprint is the total set of greenhouse gas emissionscaused by one individual. In short, "carbon footprint" is a term that describes how much carbon dioxide is being emitted. Whatever impression, whateverimpact you are leaving on the atmosphere. So once you have assessed your footprint, you can begin to figure out how to reduce it. * * *Dr. Mike Hulme, Professor of Climate Change, School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, U.K., was in Chennai recently to talk about climatechange. Climate change, he says, is based on what scientists have discovered .: that for well over 200 years, human societies have been emitting gases into theatmosphere. How does this happen? Most of our energy needs are met by oil, coal or gas and we burn these fuels to make our energy. Check your print These fuels emit carbon dioxide (in particular) and some other gases as well. These gases have been accumulating in the atmosphere and act like a blanketaround the planet. The blanket is now getting thicker and thicker and is keeping the heat within the lower layers of the atmosphere. That is why temperaturesaround the world are increasing - nearly 1øC more of warming in a 100 years. And as the world's climate gets warmer, the sea level begins to rise, partly because glaciers are melting . in the Himalayas or in parts of Europe, hesays. More importantly, the oceans are getting warmer. As water gets warmer, it expands. It fills a bigger space, so actually the ocean is gradually rising.So these are the two most clear trends that we are seeing. We also hear the term "carbon footprint" being used. It's hot : Can you please do something? An average British citizen emits about 10 tonnes of CO2, while the average carbon footprint for an Indian is round about 1.5 tonnes of CO2 He then illustrateshow this is generated. Using himself as an example, Prof. Hulme says that his annual carbon footprint is around 20 tonnes of CO2, much higher than theBritish average. The main reason for this is that he travels a lot. This happens in spite of his taking measures to try and reduce his carbon footprint!He drives a hybrid car (petrol-electric), cycles to his office and has also insulated his house. Prof. Hulme says that what climate change tells us isthat there may actually be some limits to how much we can exploit the earth. We cannot just keep on with more and more people consuming more and more resourcesfor the next 100 or 200 years. At some point, `something's gotta give'. One of the concerns about climate change is that it might trigger large-scale changesin the planet. Maybe an ice sheet might melt. Maybe the Asian/Indian monsoon might become more erratic. Can the young generation help in the huge task of documenting climate changes? Scientists around the world, says Prof. Hulme, are working on making observationsand measurements that tell us what has happened to the climate. There is also the role of individuals. For example, do you notice changes in the vegetation?Do you notice changes in the birds that live near you? One of the most famous studies in the U.K., he says, was by a lady who lived just outside London. About 60 years ago, she started measuring the date eachyear when her oak tree first began to come into leaf. What she observed was that, recently, it's been coming into leaf about 10 days earlier than it haddone prior to that. And scientists think that this is because of climate change. On the NetNo snow on Kilimanjaro : Isolated remnants of ice spires in the crater of Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's tallest peak. Have you thought about looking at the Internet for information on climate change? The centre at Boulder, Colorado in the U.S., monitors what's happeningto the ice in the North Pole because as the world gets hotter, the ice there is beginning to thin. You can also check your footprint on the Net. Some suggestions:Help! We need a future. * The first one - stop flying or at least reduce your flying. You can't stop travelling but may be you can travel by train. * If you are driving a car,make sure it has a small engine. Or better than driving a car is to ride a moped. Better still is to ride a cycle, or even better, to walk or use a bus.* Air-conditioning to keep houses and rooms cool is on the rise in India. But that uses energy. * The next thing would be to take responsibility for trees.Because trees absorb carbon. So you can make sure that tree conservation areas are well protected. It doesn't just reduce your CO2 emissions, but it alsoencourages insect life or wildlife and improves the quality of the environment. * You can install solar panels, so that you have your water tank actuallyheated by the sun. --

Regards,K.s.Vishwanathan.Tel No: 022-28738192.e-mail:kalpathyvs.

[Guest guest]

Dear Sir,Thank You very much for sending an excellent information on carbon foot printsWith RegardsPraveena SriOn Wed, Nov 25, 2009 at 7:18 PM, Vishwanathan K S <kalpathyvs wrote:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Footprints on the sands of time

 

The average carbon footprint for an Indian is round 1.5 tonnes of CO2. This and other gases accumulate in the atmosphere like a blanket around the planet,trapping the heat.phere is like a footprint in the sand. In this case, it's an imprint on the atmosphere. So once you have assessed your footprint, youcan begin to figure out how to reduce it.  Everyone's talking about the need to reduce your carbon footprint. Do you know what that is? A carbon footprint is the total set of greenhouse gas emissionscaused by one individual. In short, " carbon footprint " is a term that describes how much carbon dioxide is being emitted. Whatever impression, whateverimpact you are leaving on the atmosphere. So once you have assessed your footprint, you can begin to figure out how to reduce it. * * *Dr. Mike Hulme, Professor of Climate Change, School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, U.K., was in Chennai recently to talk about climatechange. Climate change, he says, is based on what scientists have discovered .: that for well over 200 years, human societies have been emitting gases into theatmosphere. How does this happen? Most of our energy needs are met by oil, coal or gas and we burn these fuels to make our energy. Check your print These fuels emit carbon dioxide (in particular) and some other gases as well. These gases have been accumulating in the atmosphere and act like a blanketaround the planet. The blanket is now getting thicker and thicker and is keeping the heat within the lower layers of the atmosphere. That is why temperaturesaround the world are increasing - nearly 1øC more of warming in a 100 years. And as the world's climate gets warmer, the sea level begins to rise, partly because glaciers are melting . in the Himalayas or in parts of Europe, hesays. More importantly, the oceans are getting warmer. As water gets warmer, it expands. It fills a bigger space, so actually the ocean is gradually rising.So these are the two most clear trends that we are seeing. We also hear the term " carbon footprint " being used. It's hot : Can you please do something? An average British citizen emits about 10 tonnes of CO2, while the average carbon footprint for an Indian is round about 1.5 tonnes of CO2 He then illustrateshow this is generated. Using himself as an example, Prof. Hulme says that his annual carbon footprint is around 20 tonnes of CO2, much higher than theBritish average. The main reason for this is that he travels a lot. This happens in spite of his taking measures to try and reduce his carbon footprint!He drives a hybrid car (petrol-electric), cycles to his office and has also insulated his house. Prof. Hulme says that what climate change tells us isthat there may actually be some limits to how much we can exploit the earth. We cannot just keep on with more and more people consuming more and more resourcesfor the next 100 or 200 years. At some point, `something's gotta give'. One of the concerns about climate change is that it might trigger large-scale changesin the planet. Maybe an ice sheet might melt. Maybe the Asian/Indian monsoon might become more erratic. Can the young generation help in the huge task of documenting climate changes? Scientists around the world, says Prof. Hulme, are working on making observationsand measurements that tell us what has happened to the climate. There is also the role of individuals. For example, do you notice changes in the vegetation?Do you notice changes in the birds that live near you? One of the most famous studies in the U.K., he says, was by a lady who lived just outside London. About 60 years ago, she started measuring the date eachyear when her oak tree first began to come into leaf. What she observed was that, recently, it's been coming into leaf about 10 days earlier than it haddone prior to that. And scientists think that this is because of climate change. On the NetNo snow on Kilimanjaro : Isolated remnants of ice spires in the crater of Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's tallest peak. Have you thought about looking at the Internet for information on climate change? The centre at Boulder, Colorado in the U.S., monitors what's happeningto the ice in the North Pole because as the world gets hotter, the ice there is beginning to thin. You can also check your footprint on the Net. Some suggestions:Help! We need a future. * The first one - stop flying or at least reduce your flying. You can't stop travelling but may be you can travel by train. * If you are driving a car,make sure it has a small engine. Or better than driving a car is to ride a moped. Better still is to ride a cycle, or even better, to walk or use a bus.* Air-conditioning to keep houses and rooms cool is on the rise in India. But that uses energy. * The next thing would be to take responsibility for trees.Because trees absorb carbon. So you can make sure that tree conservation areas are well protected. It doesn't just reduce your CO2 emissions, but it alsoencourages insect life or wildlife and improves the quality of the environment. * You can install solar panels, so that you have your water tank actuallyheated by the sun. --

Regards,K.s.Vishwanathan.Tel No: 022-28738192.e-mail:kalpathyvs.