As part of this blog, every Monday through Thursday, I will be providing you with three links to environmental news stories that are worth reading. Included, of course, will be some witty commentary from myself.
1. “EARTH HOUR BECOMES UNSTOPPABLE AS SOCIAL MEDIA FUELS PASSION TO SAVE THE PLANET”
http://www.earthhour.org/blog/earth-hour-becomes-unstoppable-social-media-fuels-passion-save-planet
Ever heard of Earth Hour? I must admit, neither had I, until my friend told me about it the other day. During the event, which occurs on the last Saturday of every March, people around the world turn off their lights for an hour to save energy. It started in Australia in 2007 and has been growing every year. This year, 150 countries and 6494 cities around the world took part in the event, which started at 8:30 p.m. The power of social media has added an interesting new dimension as Earth Hour and environmental awareness continue to spread.
2. “Record Heat Wave Grips US. But Is It Climate Change?”
http://motherjones.com/environment/2012/03/record-heat-wave-grips-us-it-climate-change
Two weeks ago, we had some record heat waves across the U.S. It sure was nice for everybody’s spring break, but unfortunately the heat was most likely attributable to climate change, and global warming is an ever-increasing problem. If we get a heat wave like that in the summer, it won’t be quite so fun. After breaking 7,000 temperature records during this heat wave and more and more extreme weather occurring, are there still denialists out there? Sadly, I think so, but I also do believe that number is dwindling by the day.
3. “Global Warming Close to Becoming Irreversible”
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=global-warming-close-to-becoming-ir
And while we’re on the topic of global warming, I feel compelled to share a bit of what the scientists are saying and point out the magnitude of the problem we are facing. It gets worse every day, and as the scientists say, this decade is especially important in addressing the issue or the problem could exponentially spin out of control. So after a dire warning from scientists, what can we do? Changing our sources of energy is the main issue. Conserving energy is key as well, and there are many simple things one can do to be green. For more of those, check out my other post for today.
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