Mickeys

The global economy is still is bad shape, people are worried about their jobs and just paying the bills is a major challenge, hardly the right environment to get people focusing on climate change.

With so much to worry about, it can be hard to understand all the fuss about reaching a tougher UN climate deal in December in the Danish capital Copenhagen.

Following are some questions and answers on the importance of crafting a new agreement from 2013.

What does it mean to me?

A new deal will change the way energy is used, priced and created. In short, it will change the global economy.

Scientists say rich nations must find ways to make deep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions from power stations and steel mills to refineries and transport to prevent dangerous climate change.

For you and me, this will most likely mean higher fuel and electricity bills, while catching a plane will also become more expensive, as will buying imported food and drink. Insurance premiums covering storm damage or other natural disasters are also likely to rise.

In short, we’ll be forced to make tougher lifestyle choices.

The flip side is that governments will help make renewable energy and greener transport more attractive, allowing people to make the switch to cleaner alternatives.

Wind farms, solar, plus geothermal, wave and tidal power along with hybrid and fuel cell cars should become more commonplace as costs come down.

Financing from rich nations could also drive a green revolution in developing countries, boosting investment, creating jobs and cutting emissions.

How will this work?

It all hinges on putting a price on every tonne of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, produced by industry, transport or through deforestation, or saved from being emitted, such as building wind farms or saving tropical forests that soak up CO2.

Emissions trading through cap-and-trade schemes that give industries incentives to clean up will also be essential. Europe already has such a scheme, while Australia and the United States are working on their own versions.

Key to these schemes are tougher 2020 emissions reduction targets under a new climate treaty. The tougher the targets, the greater the financial incentive for industries to act.

What’s the urgency? Can’t we wait?

The world has already warmed on average 0.7°C over the past century through the burning of fossil fuels, such as oil, coal and gas.

Prior to the latest financial crisis, emissions growth was increasing annually at a rate beyond past projections, driven largely by soaring coal and oil consumption in big developing nations, such as China and India.

Scientists say that the world is on course to pump enough carbon dioxide into the air to raise global temperatures by at least 2°C in the next few decades, a level they say will lead to more chaotic weather, rising seas, melting glaciers, water shortages and falling crop yields.

Such disruption poses major security threats because the world’s population is expected to keep rising. Pollution and health problems are also growing risks.

Even if you don’t believe in climate change, the world has only about 41 years of oil left based on proven reserves and 2008 consumption levels of nearly 31 billion barrels a year.

As reserves fall and oil becomes harder to extract, prices of crude will continue to rise, making greener energy more attractive.

What can just one person do?

A lot. Switch to compact fluorescent lighting in the home and office, use public transport, buy locally produced food and recycle your rubbish. Take re-usesable bags when shopping and switch off unused appliances at home.

Every little bit helps because it entrenches behaviour and gets people talking.

taken from News24

Friday becomes “Bokday”!

Yep – Out with boring old Friday, and in with “Bokday”…

Sport24, together with Canterbury, the official kit sponsors to the Springboks, bring you Bokday!

Show your support for the “Bokke” by wearing green and gold on the Friday before a Bok Test, and stand the chance of winning one of three new Canterbury Springbok jerseys worth R1 800 each!

You can do it on your own – or get the whole office involved…

Wear your green and gold and SEND US the pic. We will choose a few of the best dressed supporters or groups every Bokday before a Test, and put them in a gallery. You guys then get to vote for who you think deserves the jerseys that week.

Sport24 will publish the winning pic on the Monday after the Test.

story from Sport24

Earth Day, celebrated April 22, is a day designed to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth’s environment. It was founded by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson as an environmental teach-in in 1970 and is celebrated in many countries every year. This date is Spring in the Northern Hemisphere and Autumn in the Southern Hemisphere.

to get more info on Earth Day visit Wikipedia

London – Overweight people eat more than thin people and are more likely to travel by car, making excess body weight doubly bad for the environment, according to a study from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

“When it comes to food consumption, moving about in a heavy body is like driving around in a gas guzzler,” and food production is a major source of greenhouse gases, researchers Phil Edwards and Ian Roberts wrote in their study, published in the International Journal of Epidemiology.

“We need to be doing a lot more to reverse the global trend toward fatness, and recognise it as a key factor in the battle to reduce (carbon) emissions and slow climate change,” the British scientists said.

They estimated that each fat person is responsible for about one tonne of carbon dioxide emissions a year more on average than each thin person, adding up to an extra one billion tonnes of CO2 a year in a population of one billion overweight people.

The European Union estimates each EU citizen accounts for 11 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions a year.

story from News24

Paris – A breakthrough study of fluctuations in sea levels the last time Earth was between ice ages, as it is now, shows that oceans rose some three meters in only decades due to collapsing ice sheets.

The findings suggest that such an scenario – which would redraw coastlines worldwide and unleash colossal human misery – is “now a distinct possibility within the next 100 years”, said lead researcher Paul Blanchon, a geoscientist at Mexico’s National University.

The study, published by the science journal Nature, will appear in print on Thursday.

Rising ocean water marks are seen by many scientists as the most serious likely consequence of global warming.

The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predicted in 2007 that sea levels will rise by up to 59cm before 2100 due simply to the expansion of warmer ocean waters.

This relatively modest increase is already enough to render several small island nations uninhabitable, and to disrupt the lives of tens of millions of people living in low-lying deltas, especially in Asia and Africa.

But more recent studies have sounded alarms about the potential impact of crumbling ice sheets in western Antarctica and Greenland, which together contain enough frozen water to boost average global sea levels by at least 13 metres.

A rapid three-metre rise would devastate dozens of major cities around the globe, including Shanghai, Calcutta, New Orleans, Miami and Dhaka.

read the full story from News24

Sydney – Millions of people across the globe will kill their lights for one hour this Saturday, in what organisers hope will be a resounding call for tough action on climate change.

The waters of Sydney Harbour will be plunged into darkness for an hour from 20:30 (0930 GMT) as the iconic Opera House and Harbour Bridge dim their lights.

The pyramids of Giza, Niagara Falls, the Eiffel Tower, the Empire State Building, the Acropolis and Beijing’s “Birds Nest” Olympic stadium are among other major landmarks across 84 countries to celebrate Earth Hour.

In Hong Kong, famed for its glittering waterfront, more than 1 500 buildings will dim their lights, including many of the city’s iconic skyscrapers such as the Bank of China Tower, HSBC’s headquarters and the giant International Finance Centre 2.

The city will also suspend its daily light show for the first time on Saturday, organisers said.

get the full story from News24

Cape Town – Real-estate group RE/MAX is joining the fight against climate change by encouraging one million SA households to switch off lights in their homes on March 28 at 20:30 in support of the World Wide Fund for Nature’s (WWF) global Earth Hour 2009 campaign.

RE/MAX hopes to assist the WWF in reaching in excess of one million South African households by mobilising its 200 offices and 2000 agents across the country.

“With our national database of home owners, buyers and sellers, RE/MAX is ideally positioned to engage with the SA public,” says Adrian Goslett RE/MAX assistant regional director.

get the full story from News24

Cape Town – At precisely 20:30 on March 28 the diesel generators will be switched off on the Chatham Islands, a small archipelago off the east coast of New Zealand, heralding the start of the greatest community event the world has ever witnessed – Earth Hour 2009.

As the first country to flick the switch for the global event, WWF New Zealand’s Earth Hour organiser, Dairne Poole sees her country as playing a vital role in Earth Hour’s journey to reach one billion people in over 1 000 cities, across 25 time zones.

“New Zealand will be the first country in the world to turn its lights off for Earth Hour 2009 with 43 councils and local bodies taking part.

“Even though we are a small nation, we are setting an important example for others to witness and hopefully follow,” says Poole.
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Earth Hour is an initiative that raises awareness for the fight against climate change, by asking cities around the world to switch off their lights for an hour (8:30-9:30pm) on Saturday, 28th of March.

This year, Cape Town and Joburg have joined a host of international cities to take part.  In order for the campaign to be a success, we are trying to get as many people as possible to sign up and switch off on the 28th.  To get involved is really simple.

Just click on this link: http://www.earthhour.org.za/?refer=70bbdbdcdfe0d6cb627e878b7b407942

This will take you directly through to the SA Earth Hour page, click the sign up button and you can put your name with what will hopefully be a billion others world-wide.  Let’s see what we can do! These names will then be taken to the UN Climate Change Conference happening at the end of 2009 in Copenhagen as a massive petition for governments to take action and protect our environment.  You can also read more about Earth Hour and who is involved.

Let’s do our bit.

One of the most famous images in the world. It’s called Bliss and it was taken by National Geographic Magazine photographer Charles O’Rear in the rolling hills of Napa Valley. You probably know it from your computer screen. Microsoft also used it as part of the Microsoft Corporation US$200 million advertising campaign, Yes you can.

I found some real stunning and breathtaking photographs by David Nightingale.

So I took the initiative and downloaded a couple to show and tell from his High Dynamic Range.

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And there you thought The Upside Down House was weird, well let’s try The Green Roof!

The green movement is in full swing and it has become very popular in home decor. Many home owners find that they can enjoy the luxury of functional fashion while still remaining eco-friendly in their furniture, flooring and everything in between. Among the many items that are going green, roofs have become a great place to start your eco-friendly renovations.

For some Green Roof Pictures use the jump.

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What would happen if somebody bought a piece of land right in the middle of the proposed third runway site at Heathrow Airport near London? Well, we’ll find out… because that’s what we’ve just done!

London, United Kingdom — Greenpeace UK has bought a piece of land right in the middle of the proposed third runway site at Heathrow Airport near London. The UK government plans to go ahead with airport expansion across the country even though this means it will have no hope of meeting its climate emission targets. Tackling climate change means stopping airport expansion and we need you to join the plot.

Our UK office bought the land with Oscar winning actress Emma Thompson, comedian Alistair McGowan (pictured below) and prospective Conservative parliamentary candidate Zac Goldsmith.

Heathrow expansion isn’t only an issue for those unfortunate enough to live on the flight path. If expansion goes ahead Heathrow will become the largest single source of greenhouse gas emissions in the UK – the effects of which will be felt accross the world. The UK government’s plans to expand airports across the country mean it will be impossible for it to meet its commitment to reduce emissions and stop runaway climate change.

GreenPeace needs your help, please visit Airplot to give your support!