I have recently come about a website which is very useful and promotes the stop of global warming by growing many trees. This particular organisation, Trees for the Future, is currently encouraging people to play a part in saving the earth.

website:http://www.plant-trees.org/about.htm

Some background information:

Since 1989, Trees for the Future has been helping communities around the world plant trees. Through seed distribution, agroforestry training, and our country programs, we have empowered rural groups to restore tree cover to their lands. Planting trees protects the environment and helps to preserve traditional livelihoods and cultures for generations.

So i hope that YOU after reading this article will have the slightest intention of trying to save Mother Earth ! :)

Yo everyone!!!
Hope you can understand the information we have posted:)
(although it is kindda wordy)

Nevertheless, I think that you should know what we are trying to bring across:
SAVE THE EARTH.

I think you know what to do so I won't be crapping anymore.
Remember:
GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE NEEDS GLOBAL ACTION NOW.

It's not too late to turn back if you had been an Earth destroyer.

Earth warrior,
Yating~~

YO ppl!
Do you guys noe that not all greenhouse effect is harmful???
However, there are obviously more negative impacts than positive ones. Therefrore, OUR DEAR DEAR EARTH is suffering from a serious disease called GLOBAL WARMING...

To all teenagers out there,
you may think that global warming doesnt concern you at all. Think again. All of us here is living on mother earth. Thus, I feel that it is everyone's responsibility to help slow down the rate of global warming. It will be of no use if the government promotes GO GREEN campaigns and no one in the world is willing to cooperate. I believe that everyone has a part to play.

So, what are you waiting for?
Start saving MOTHER EARTH now!
yupp it is not too late to start now!=D

Earth warrior
Liqing~

Hi teenagers,
this is earth warrior, Desiree,

After reading our blog, hope all of u have gained new knowledge on how our fragile earth is now facing a very big crisis. Therefore, we need each and every one's efforts to save our fragile mother earth...Do u know dat a very small action of ours like using cosmetics and CFC refrigerants can harm our fragile mother earth? BUT NO, we r not stopping all of u from using them but we r discouraging them and encouraging NON- CFC PRODUCTS. Now refer to this website and look at this non-CFC chiller:
http://www.sce.com/RebatesandSavings/LargeBusiness/Commercial/Non-CFCChiller/

so, start using NON-CFC products.....love the earth like Earth warriors! Mother earth rox! XD

Time is running out

Global warming on antartica

Greeenhouse effect



A little video to share=)

The depletion of ozone layer



Introduction
Like an infection that grows more and more virulent, the continent-size hole in Earth's ozone layer keeps getting bigger and bigger.

Each year since the late 1970s, much of the protective layer of stratospheric ozone above Antarctica has disappeared during September, creating what is popularly known as the ozone hole. The Antarctic hole now measures about 9 million square miles, nearly the size of North America. Less dramatic, still significant, depletion of ozone levels has been recorded around the globe. With less ozone in the atmosphere, more ultraviolet radiation strikes Earth, causing more skin cancer ,eye damage, and possible harm to crops.

Ozone Layer
The ozone layer can be depleted by free radical catalysts, including nitric oxide (NO), hydroxyl (OH), atomic chlorine (Cl), and atomic bromine (Br). While there are natural sources for all of these species, the concentrations of chlorine and bromine have increased markedly in recent years due to the release of large quantities of manmade organohalogen compounds, especially chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and bromofluorocarbons.[citation needed] These highly stable compounds are capable of surviving the rise to the stratosphere, where Cl and Br radicals are liberated by the action of ultraviolet light. Each radical is then free to initiate and catalyze a chain reaction capable of breaking down over 100,000 ozone molecules. Ozone levels, over the northern hemisphere, have been dropping by 4% per decade. Over approximately 5% of the Earth's surface, around the north and south poles, much larger (but seasonal) declines have been seen; these are the ozone holes.

Importance of Ozone Layer
Although the concentration of the ozone in the ozone layer is very small, it is vitally important to life because it absorbs biologically harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation emitted from the Sun. UV radiation is divided into three categories, based on its wavelength; these are referred to as UV-A, UV-B, and UV-C. UV-C, which would be very harmful to humans, is entirely screened out by ozone at around 35 km altitude. However, it is interesting to note that ozone gas is a pollutant at lower levels and causes severe problems like edema, hemorrhage, etc. UV-B radiation can be harmful to the skin and is the main cause of sunburn; excessive exposure can also cause genetic damage, as a result problems such as skin cancer. The ozone layer is very effective at screening out UV-B; for radiation with a wavelength of 290 nm, the intensity at Earth's surface is 350 billion times weaker than at the top of the atmosphere. Nevertheless, some UV-B reaches the surface. Most UV-A reaches the surface; this radiation is significantly less harmful, although it can potentially cause genetic damage.

How can the problem be managed?
As stated above people can treat the effects or the causes.

Treatment of the effects includes:

• wear barrier creams
• avoid excessive sun-bathing
• wear good sun glasses to protect the eyes
  

Treatment of the causes includes:

• use of CFCs in aerosols has been banned, worldwide
• new products have been developed for use in refrigeration, which are less damaging
• manufacturers have set up systems to collect old fridges and dismantle them, taking out the CFCs without letting them escape into the atmosphere

Mother earth is dying soon ! We should be more aware of this issue and practiced some of these tips.

1. READ
Learning about the environment is very important. There are many good books that will help you learn.You can also look up some web pages with information about the environment and climate change.

2. Save electricity
Whenever we use electricity, we help put greenhouse gases into the air. By turning off lights, the television, and the computer when you are through with them, you can help a lot.

3.Bike,bus and walk
You can save energy by sometimes taking the bus, riding a bike, or walking.

4.Talk to your family and friends
Talk with your family and friends about climate change. Let them know what you've learned.

5.Plant trees
Planting trees is fun and a great way to reduce greenhouse gases. Trees absorb carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, from the air.

6.Recycle
Recycle cans, bottles, plastic bags, and newspapers. When you recycle, you send less trash to the landfill and you help save natural resources, like trees, oil, and elements such as aluminum.

7. When you buy,buy cool stuffs
There are lots of ways we can improve the environment. One of the ways to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases that we put into the air is to buy products that don't use as much energy. By conserving energy, we help reduce climate change and make the Earth a better place. Some products,like certain cars and stereos,are made specially to save energy.

8.Some things to think about
Did you know that you can help the environment if you buy recyclable products instead of non-recyclable ones? Look for the recycle mark,three arrows that make a circle,on the package. Recyclable products are usually made out of things that already have been used. It usually takes less energy to make recycled products than to make new ones. The less energy we use, the better.

9.Solar energy
The sun produces solar energy. Solar energy can be used to heat homes, buildings, water, and to make electricity. Today, more than 200,000 houses in the United States take advantage of the sun's energy.

10.Cars
Cars are an important part of life for most people. But cars also cause pollution and release a lot of greenhouse gases into the air. Fortunately, there are some cars that are better for the environment. These cars can travel longer on a smaller amount of gasoline. They don't pollute as much, either. Using these kinds of cars can help reduce the amount of greenhouse gases in the air.

11.ENERGY STAR®
Many things, like computers, TVs, stereos, and VCR s, have special labels on them. The label says "Energy" and has a picture of a star. Products with the ENERGY STAR® label are made to save energy. Buying products with ENERGY STAR® labels will help protect the environment.

Consequences (2)

The consequences for agriculture



There can be no doubt that climate change will affect agriculture. The rise of the sea level already has one direct effect: low-lying coastal areas will be flooded and will no longer be useful for agricultural purposes.

Moreover, due to the rise of the sea level the groundwater in coastal areas will become more saline. This means that apart from the risk of flooding, the agriculture in these areas must also fear damage to crops as a result of excess salt.

Besides, it is expected that extreme weather conditions will occur more frequently, involving heavy storms or very dry and hot periods. Also, the present climat zones will move towards the poles: for temperate climates a shift by 200 to 300 kilometres can be expected for every extra degree Celsius. This poses problems for the cultivation of certain crops: indeed, 200 kilometres farther away the soil may not be equally suitable. The terrain can be barren, which may mean that the same crops cannot be grown there. Besides, due to global warming the moisture of the soil will decrease; this in turn has a negative effect on the germination of crops.

The consequences for nature



As has been described in the previous item, the greenhouse effect will cause a shift of climat zones towards the poles.

Even if this shift will not lead to spectacular changes like desertification or flooding everywhere, yet its influence on natural systems will probably be considerable.

Many existing natural ecosystems will no longer be able to adjust quickly enough to changing circumstances and will thus be thoroughly disturbed or may even disappear. There is a real chance that the natural environment (the habitat) of many plant and animal species will move faster than those species can, so that their chances of survival are seriously threatened. Consequently there are great risks that climate change will lead to a reduction of biological diversity.

The impact on the drinking-water supply

Not even considering climate change, we shall inevitably face an increasing drinking-water problem over the next few decades. Not only does the world population grow, but it also consumes more and more fresh water per person. Add to this that the drinking water is ever more highly polluted with industrial waste and manure. All of this results in a decreasing amount of drinking water being available for an increasing number of people. That in itself may cause conflicts, not to mention the fact that the supplies of drinking water are often managed by different countries simultaneously. Plus global warming to cap it all. Higher temperatures lead to more evaporation of the available water, which means less water.

Another additional effect will be felt in coastal areas in particular. Due to the phreatic decline the level will be supplemented with salt seawater. This makes it unsuited for agricultural purposes or household use. Coastal cities or agricultural communities will therefore have to start looking for other sources of fresh water, which are scarce enough as it is.

The depletion of ozone layer



Like an infection that grows more and more virulent, the continent-size hole in Earth's ozone layer keeps getting bigger and bigger.
Each year since the late 1970s, much of the protective layer of stratospheric ozone above Antarctica has disappeared during September, creating what is popularly known as the ozone hole . The Antarctic hole now measures about 9 million square miles, nearly the size of North America. Less dramatic, still significant, depletion of ozone levels has been recorded around the globe. With less ozone in the atmosphere , more ultraviolet radiation strikes Earth, causing more skin cancer , eye damage, and possible harm to crops.

Consequences (1)

Global Warming



Increase of greenhouse gases concentration causes a reduction in outgoing infrared radiation, thus the Earth's climate must change somehow to restore the balance between incoming and outgoing radiation. This ¨climatic change〃 will include a ¨global warming〃 of the Earth's surface and the lower atmosphere as warming up is the simplest way for the climate to get rid of the extra energy. However, a small rise in temperature will induce many other changes, for example, cloud cover and wind patterns. Some of these changes may act to enhance the warming (positive feedbacks), others to counteract it (negative feedbacks).
Using complex climate models, the "Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change" in their third assessment report has forecast that global mean surface temperature will rise by 1.4 to 5.8 by the end of 2100. This projection takes into account the effects of aerosols which tend to cool the climate as well as the delaying effects of the oceans which have a large thermal capacity. However, there are many uncertainties associated with this projection such as future emission rates of greenhouse gases, climate feedbacks, and the size of the ocean delay ...etc.



Sea Level Rise
If global warming takes place, sea level will rise due to two different processes. Firstly, warmer temperature cause sea level to rise due to the thermal expansion of seawater. Secondly, water from melting glaciers and the ice sheets of Greenland and the Antarctica would also add water to the ocean. It is predicted that the Earth's average sea level will rise by 0.09 to 0.88 m between 1990 and 2100.

It is unpredictable where the effect of the rise of the sea level will be the most tangible, as there are too many unknown elements. Generally speaking, however, there is a big chance that low-lying islands such as the Maldive Islands or atolls in the Pacific will disappear from the map. Elsewhere, harbours, cultural and historical sites by the sea and tourist beaches are in great danger. It is evident also that as the sea level rises, infrastructural works such as dikes, storm surge barriers, etc., will have to be modified.
Swamps and estuaries often play an important part in preventing floods. In addition, they are often characterised by a rich fauna and flora. If due to the rise of the sea level they remain flooded permanently, they will no longer be able to perform that drainage function and the survival of the entire biotope would be jeopardised.
River deltas for many countries are the places where the indispensable food is produced, and they stand a chance of disappearing. The most vulnerable among them are the Amazon, the Ganges, the Indus, the Mekong, the Mississippi, the Niger, the Nile, the Po and the Yangtze.

CFC products

The decrease of strastospheric ozone was first reported in 1974 and its decrease was linked to the presence of manmade compounds in the atmosphere – the most damaging of which is the class of compounds know as Chloroflurocarbons or CFCs.

CFCs are the major category of man-made halocarbons. Halocarbons are formed when halogen gases such as fluorine, chlorine and bromine become attached to carbon. The smaller halocarbons turn into a gas quite easily and are the prime suspects in ozone depletion.

CFCs are listed as Class I (most harmful) stratospheric-ozone destroyers in Title VI of the United States Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. Along with halons, carbon tetrachloride and 1,1,1-trichloroethane (methyl chloroform), these chlorine-based chemicals account for about 80 percent of ozone depletion.

CFCs are used in industry in a variety of ways. They were discovered in the 1930s by American chemist Thomas Midgley, and came to be used in refrigerators, home insulation, plastic foam, and throwaway food containers.

The non-reactivity of CFC's, so desirable to industry, allows them to drift for years in the environment until they eventually reach the stratosphere. High in the stratosphere, intense UV solar radiation splits the chlorine molecules off the CFC's. These then attract one of the three oxygen atoms in the ozone molecule (O3) – destroying the ozone by turning it into oxygen. A single chlorine atom can destroy over 100 000 molecules of ozone in this way.

By convection and diffusion, CFCs move upward through the atmosphere until they hit the ozone layer. When the reactive chlorine atoms of disintegrating CFCs collide with ozone (which is also unstable), a chlorine atom from the CFC steals an oxygen atom from the ozone molecule. Created in its place is a useless compound of one chlorine and one oxygen atom (chlorine monoxide) and a two-atom molecule of oxygen.

The oxygen atom of the chlorine monoxide molecule then starts searching for something to react with and bonds with the nearest oxygen atom, freeing the chlorine atom to find a new mate. By this constant change of dance partners, so to speak, a single chlorine atom can destroy 100,000 ozone molecules. Since this is happening a lot faster than Nature can replenish the ozone layer, sending a continuous stream of CFCs into our stratosphere is not a sustainable activity.

Many products that have removed CFCs have replaced them with hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs or HFCs), a Class II chemical which causes less damage to the ozone layer, but still poses a threat. HCFCs have one-twentieth of the chlorine and more hydrogen, so they break down more easily in the atmosphere's lower levels. But organizations such as the Environmental Defense Fund and the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research oppose the use of HCFCs, saying that much of their chlorine still reaches the ozone layer.

According to the United Nations Environment Programme, there has been a 40 percent drop in CFC consumption since 1986, a reduction beyond that required by the Clean Air Act and the Montreal Protocol. While this is an immense improvement, we still have a long way to go to get to zero ozone-depleting substances.

Causes of greenhouse effect(2)

Farming
Animals, particularly cattle and sheep, produce methane as food breaks down inside them. Some fertilisers release nitrous oxide. Rice production in paddy fields generates methane under water.


Waste breakdown
When organic material such as food scraps, garden wastes and paper are dumped in landfills, their decay creates carbon dioxide and methane. Sewage and wastewater treatment plants also release these gases as they break down wastes.


Industry
Many industrial processes create greenhouse gases. For example, cement and aluminium production involves chemical reactions that produce a variety of greenhouse gases.


Emission of gases
Another man-made causes of the increase in the Green house effect due to the emission of such gases are any all electrical appliances. Even the humble refrigerator in the house emits gases which contribute to the Greenhouse effect. These gases are known as Chloroflourocarbons (CFCs) and are used in refrigerators, aerosol cans, some foaming agents in the packaging industry, fire extinguisher chemicals and cleaners used in the electronic industry. Some processes of the cement manufacturing industries also act as a cause towards the Greenhouse effect.


Population Growth
Population growth also is a indirect contributer and one of the causes of the Greenhouse effect. With the increase in population, the needs and wants of the people increase. Therefore, this increases the manufacturing processes as well as the industry processes. This results in the increase of the release of industrial gases which catalyse the green house effect. The increase in population also results in the increase of agricultural processes. Most man-made machines, like the automobile also contribute to the green house effect.

What are the greenhouse gases?
Greenhouse gases are a natural part of the atmosphere. It is the increase in the amounts of these gases through human activity that causes global warming. Human activity such as land clearing and burning fossil fuels have increased the concentration of these gases. Humans have had most impact on the enhanced greenhouse effect through increases in the amounts of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide.

Water vapour
Current state-of-the-art climate models include fully interactive clouds[11]. They show that an increase in atmospheric temperature caused by the greenhouse effect due to anthropogenic gases will in turn lead to an increase in the water vapour content of the troposphere, with approximately constant relative humidity. The increased water vapour in turn leads to an increase in the greenhouse effect and thus a further increase in temperature; the increase in temperature leads to still further increase in atmospheric water vapour; and the feedback cycle continues until equilibrium is reached. Thus water vapour acts as a positive feedback to the forcing provided by human-released greenhouse gases such as CO2.
Water vapour is the most important greenhouse gas, but human activity has little direct impact on the amount in the atmosphere.

Carbon dioxide (CO2)
·CO2 has a variable atmospheric lifetime, and cannot be specified precisely[20]. Recent work indicates that recovery from a large input of atmospheric CO2 from burning fossil fuels will result in an effective lifetime of tens of thousands of years.[21][22] Carbon dioxide is defined to have a GWP of 1 over all time periods.
The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is about 30% higher now than 200 years ago. The main causes of this increase are:
-the burning of fossil fuels such as oil, coal and natural gas to create energy to make electricity and to produce fuel for transport, and
- the clearing and burning of vegetation.
This gas is the biggest contributor to the enhanced greenhouse effect (about 70%)

Methane (CH4)
·Methane has an atmospheric lifetime of 12 ± 3 years and a GWP of 62 over 20 years, 23 over 100 years and 7 over 500 years. The decrease in GWP associated with longer times is associated with the fact that the methane is degraded to water and CO2 by chemical reactions in the atmosphere.
The amount of methane in the atmosphere is about 145% higher now than 200 years ago. The main causes of this increase are:
-digestive processes of cattle and sheep (ie their burps!)
-cultivation of rice
-escape of natural gas
-decomposing waste in garbage dumps or landfills.
This gas is the second biggest contributor to the enhanced greenhouse effect (about 20%)

Nitrous oxide (N2O)
·Nitrous oxide has an atmospheric lifetime of 120 years and a GWP of 296 over 100 years.
The amount of nitrous oxide in the atmosphere is about 15% higher now than 200 years ago. The main causes of this increase are:
-burning of vegetation
-emissions from industries
-the effects of agriculture on the soil (using nitrogenous fertilisers)

Halocarbons
These greenhouse gases have been reduced since the phasing out of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) to protect the ozone layer. However, other halocarbons effecting the atmosphere include perfluorocarbons (PFCs) emitted during aluminium production.
·CFC-12 has an atmospheric lifetime of 100 years and a GWP(100) of 10600.
·HCFC-22 has an atmospheric lifetime of 12.1 years and a GWP(100) of 1700.
·Tetrafluoromethane has an atmospheric lifetime of 50,000 years and a GWP(100) of 5700.
·Sulfur hexafluoride has an atmospheric lifetime of 3,200 years and a GWP(100) of 22000.

What is greenhouse effect?



The "greenhouse effect"
When sunlight reaches the surface of the Earth, some of it is absorbed and warms the surface. Because the Earth's surface is much cooler than the sun, it radiates energy at much longer wavelengths than the sun does, peaking in the infrared at about 10µm. The atmosphere absorbs these longer wavelengths more effectively than it does the shorter wavelengths from the sun. The absorption of this longwave radiant energy warms the atmosphere; the atmosphere also is warmed by transfer of sensible and latent heat from the surface. Greenhouse gases also emit longwave radiation both upward to space and downward to the surface. The downward part of this longwave radiation emitted by the atmosphere is the "greenhouse effect." The term is a misnomer, as this process is not the mechanism that warms greenhouses.