In this graph, you can see the CO2 emissions have clearly increased dramatically. But, income has increased as well.Thursday, January 31, 2008
IPCC Graph #2
In this graph, you can see the CO2 emissions have clearly increased dramatically. But, income has increased as well.
Mitigation of Climate Change IPCC Report
The beginning of this report has data on greenhouse has emissions and climate change. This will be very helpful to me when I write my paper (online), I can use this information. One amazing fact is "Between 1970 and 2004, global emissions of CO2, CH4, N2O, HFCs, PFCs and SF6, weighted by their global warming potential (GWP), have increased by 70%..."This statistic, in my final, can be the basis for answering my question. With these overwhelming numbers, why aren't people making big changes in the way they live?
"Relevant literature implies that policies and measures may induce technological change. Remarkable progress has been achieved in applying approaches based on induced technological change to stabilisation studies; however, conceptual issues remain. In the models that adopt these approaches, projected costs for a given stabilization level are reduced; the reductions are greater at lower stabilisation levels." This report, as indicated in the title, is focused on the mitigation of global warming. This quote is important for my I-Search because it tells me that technology is going to be one of the ways that climate change can be reduced. My dad has already been telling me about this: people are beginning to tele-conference instead of flying half-way around the world. This seems like one of many obvious solutions to me. But, I think the transition to this stage won't be very quick because many people have always worked, and will always worked, where the main group is.
There is a very interesting table in this report that has different aspects, "sectors," of our lives--transportation, buildings, etc...--and then explains "Key mitigation technologies and
practices currently commercially available" and "Key mitigation technologies and
practices projected to be commercialized before 2030."
Why aren't people utilizing the immense amount of options that are available now? Well, first, unfortunately many are lazy and are not willing to make the changes to their lives that are required. Also, like the Canada.com resource showed me, people won't fully act until they are forced to: the law.
I will post some tables from this report. There is a lot more information in this summary. Most of it is very detailed, but it will still be very useful to me.
"Relevant literature implies that policies and measures may induce technological change. Remarkable progress has been achieved in applying approaches based on induced technological change to stabilisation studies; however, conceptual issues remain. In the models that adopt these approaches, projected costs for a given stabilization level are reduced; the reductions are greater at lower stabilisation levels." This report, as indicated in the title, is focused on the mitigation of global warming. This quote is important for my I-Search because it tells me that technology is going to be one of the ways that climate change can be reduced. My dad has already been telling me about this: people are beginning to tele-conference instead of flying half-way around the world. This seems like one of many obvious solutions to me. But, I think the transition to this stage won't be very quick because many people have always worked, and will always worked, where the main group is.
There is a very interesting table in this report that has different aspects, "sectors," of our lives--transportation, buildings, etc...--and then explains "Key mitigation technologies and
practices currently commercially available" and "Key mitigation technologies and
practices projected to be commercialized before 2030."
Why aren't people utilizing the immense amount of options that are available now? Well, first, unfortunately many are lazy and are not willing to make the changes to their lives that are required. Also, like the Canada.com resource showed me, people won't fully act until they are forced to: the law.
I will post some tables from this report. There is a lot more information in this summary. Most of it is very detailed, but it will still be very useful to me.
IPCC Chart #1
This chart shows temperature increases all over the world, and where the physical and biological changes will occur.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
IPCC Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability
The focus of this report is on "current scientific understanding of the impacts of climate change on natural, managed and human systems, the capacity of these systems to adapt and their vulnerability." Although this does not directly correlate to my question, I think that I can learn a lot from it.
One of the main conclusions of this report is "Observational evidence from all continents and most oceans shows that many natural systems are being affected by regional climate changes, particularly temperature increases." This will directly effect human actions and cost, which is addressed a little later in the summary: "In the aggregate, however, net effects will tend to be more negative the larger the change in climate." This point is another aspect to the answer of my question. I realized this before, but now I am getting an idea of what it is going to take for global warming to become the central cultural issue of my generation.
The IPCC found that adaptation has been occurring. But, more will be required. Our "vulnerability" will depend on how quickly we act and adapt. This fact is a key point for my I-Search. I will post two tables that were in the report that are very interesting.
One of the main conclusions of this report is "Observational evidence from all continents and most oceans shows that many natural systems are being affected by regional climate changes, particularly temperature increases." This will directly effect human actions and cost, which is addressed a little later in the summary: "In the aggregate, however, net effects will tend to be more negative the larger the change in climate." This point is another aspect to the answer of my question. I realized this before, but now I am getting an idea of what it is going to take for global warming to become the central cultural issue of my generation.
The IPCC found that adaptation has been occurring. But, more will be required. Our "vulnerability" will depend on how quickly we act and adapt. This fact is a key point for my I-Search. I will post two tables that were in the report that are very interesting.
IPCC Source
I read the IPCC's (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) report for 2006. I looked at the general data section for my I-Search last year. Now, on the IPCC's website, they have the newest report. There are three different major subjects: "The Physical Science Basis," "Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability," and "Mitigation of Climate Change." Although I am planning on including a brief overview of global warming in my I-Search, the last two sections seem most relevant to my question.
For each separate report, there are separate citations. This post is for the link to these reports. I will include other posts for each report.
For each separate report, there are separate citations. This post is for the link to these reports. I will include other posts for each report.
Culture Change Web Site
This web page has many links that will lead me to a lot more information. But, generally, this site has a lot of data on the relationship between culture and climate change. There is recent climate news, articles, what people can do, what people are doing, and numerous essays and journals. This main page also describes why it is vital for people to act now.
"Global warming kills 160,000 a year already." This fact is another reason that will compel people to make a difference. This number will most certainly increase as the global temperature rises. Not only is the environment at risk, but our health is too. As global warming becomes more prevalent, people will realize that, if they don't make changes to their lives, their family and homes will be at risk.
From this page, I was able to navigate to Milan's U.N. Climate Change web page. This is more of a governmental/business/economic approach to my question. It talks about different countries and what each is doing/has done. The title on the top of this page is "The climate change negotiations as seen through the reaction to Mad Cow disease in the U.S.A." Threats to livestock and agriculture are provoking conferences . This is a very important fact, and helps me narrow down to an answer for my question.
"Global warming kills 160,000 a year already." This fact is another reason that will compel people to make a difference. This number will most certainly increase as the global temperature rises. Not only is the environment at risk, but our health is too. As global warming becomes more prevalent, people will realize that, if they don't make changes to their lives, their family and homes will be at risk.
From this page, I was able to navigate to Milan's U.N. Climate Change web page. This is more of a governmental/business/economic approach to my question. It talks about different countries and what each is doing/has done. The title on the top of this page is "The climate change negotiations as seen through the reaction to Mad Cow disease in the U.S.A." Threats to livestock and agriculture are provoking conferences . This is a very important fact, and helps me narrow down to an answer for my question.
Canada.com Global Warming Source
This source gave me a general idea of what is taking for people to change their habits. First, the article talks about government policies. "The round-table members said the new Conservative government is already heading in the right direction to follow its recommendations to reduce Canada's greenhouse gas emissions by 60 per cent by 2050 through existing and emerging technologies without hurting the economy." This action will encourage people to make a difference and act. I think this is going to be a major point in my I-Search. New laws and government awareness is going to be one of the biggest reasons for people to become motivated.
Another major point in this article is that Canadians deeply care about their natural surroundings. "The environment is something that Canadians care deeply about." People begin to act when something they love is at risk. For Canadians, this 'something' is nature. The Canadian population is willing to change their lifestyles in order to preserve what they love.
This article has taught me that leadership and personal risk are going to be part of the motivation for people to fight climate change. This is a very important point.
Another major point in this article is that Canadians deeply care about their natural surroundings. "The environment is something that Canadians care deeply about." People begin to act when something they love is at risk. For Canadians, this 'something' is nature. The Canadian population is willing to change their lifestyles in order to preserve what they love.
This article has taught me that leadership and personal risk are going to be part of the motivation for people to fight climate change. This is a very important point.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
World and I School Source
I found an article on the World and I School database. The article focuses on whether we should care and fight global warming based on the overwhelming amount of evidence. This topic is directly related to my I-Search question. This essay has a lot of information about global warming in general. Since I wrote a paper last year about climate change, I think I am going to take a more specific and psychological approach to this subject this year. I am interested in the activism aspect of climate change. Although this source has information that is useful to me, it has also helped me realize how I want my paper to be.
My I-Search
HOW CAN GLOBAL WARMING BECOME THE CENTRAL CULTURAL ISSUE OF MY GENERATION?
I phrased my question this way because it allows me to research many different components of climate change. For example, I can explore the psychological component and what it will take for people to act. These and other sub-questions will help me answer my question. I will also explore why it is vital for my generation to take the lead in fighting global warming. This will give the foundation of my paper that all my research can be built on.
Last year, as most of you know, I wrote my I-Search on global warming. It was more of a general overview of climate change. This year, I want to dig deeper and really learn about how it can become the main issue in our culture today. The evidence of global warming clearly shows astonishing trends that, in a few decades, will be irreversible. We need to act now. But, even in the presidential debates, the environment rarely comes up. This is very frustrating to me. I do not understand why it is taking people so long to realize that simple changes in their lives can make a huge difference. I hope that, by writing this paper, I will have a better idea of why climate change is not yet the biggest problem in our culture today.
I already knew what I wanted my question to be before I started to research. So, I tried to find sources that gave me information that related to my topic. I thought there wasn't going to be much at first. But, I realized that there is a lot of great resources that pertain to my subject. Also, I know many people whom I could interview. They would be able to give me unique perspectives on my topic and help me answer my main question.
This subject thoroughly interests, motivates, and inspires me. I want to write about climate change so that others can learn and make a difference.
I phrased my question this way because it allows me to research many different components of climate change. For example, I can explore the psychological component and what it will take for people to act. These and other sub-questions will help me answer my question. I will also explore why it is vital for my generation to take the lead in fighting global warming. This will give the foundation of my paper that all my research can be built on.
Last year, as most of you know, I wrote my I-Search on global warming. It was more of a general overview of climate change. This year, I want to dig deeper and really learn about how it can become the main issue in our culture today. The evidence of global warming clearly shows astonishing trends that, in a few decades, will be irreversible. We need to act now. But, even in the presidential debates, the environment rarely comes up. This is very frustrating to me. I do not understand why it is taking people so long to realize that simple changes in their lives can make a huge difference. I hope that, by writing this paper, I will have a better idea of why climate change is not yet the biggest problem in our culture today.
I already knew what I wanted my question to be before I started to research. So, I tried to find sources that gave me information that related to my topic. I thought there wasn't going to be much at first. But, I realized that there is a lot of great resources that pertain to my subject. Also, I know many people whom I could interview. They would be able to give me unique perspectives on my topic and help me answer my main question.
This subject thoroughly interests, motivates, and inspires me. I want to write about climate change so that others can learn and make a difference.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
