4 posts tagged “alternative energy”
What is your current obsession(s)?
Submitted by eijsr.
This is so cool! A new European electric/flex-fuel hybrid! Check it out: www.flytheroad.com
In 1979 the then third-largest automobile manufacturer in the US, Chrysler, petitioned the government for a loan of $1.5 billion to avoid bankruptcy.
In 1998 Chrysler merged with German automobile company Daimler-Benz to create DaimlerChrysler AG.
Now, the US investment bank J.P. Morgan & Co. is making preparations for an auction of Chrysler. Speculated buyers include international companies such as Huyndai - interested in accessing the American market, and the no.1 auto-producer in the US, General Motors. Rumor has it Daimler simply wants to "walk away" as the final solution for their struggling American unit. An intriguing theory as to the reasons behind Chrysler's perpetual, um, financial difficulties, is the company's addiction to sports utility vehicles. The current trend in rising gas prices hits SUV's and light trucks where it hurts most. The appeal of preeminent entitlement generally associated with gas-guzzlers (not that I've ever seen it) is beginning to override their practicality.
peace.
Let's start with this definition, compliments of Double~Tounged Word Wrester Dictionary:
global weirding n. an increase in severe or unusual environmental activity often attributed to global warming.
English, Environment
Editorial Note: Global weirding includes an increase in average temperatures, heat waves, cold spells, hurricanes, blizzards, plant and animal die-offs and population explosions, and new animal migration patterns.
There have been several semi-historic natural disasters over the course of the past couple of years, the earthquake and ensuing tsunami in the Indian Ocean, Hurricane Katrina's devastation along the gulf coast, and the string of hurricanes that rampaged through Florida. The term "global weirding", coined by environmentalist author and business man Paul Hawken, is a fairly succinct way of describing these and other increasingly frequent tempests and earthly cataclysms. We're off to a good start in 2007, while weather on the East-coast this winter started out downright balmy, the Midwest was hit hard by ice and wind, and the citrus crop in California suffered from freezing temperatures. And I'm sure this is just the beginning.
peace.
I don't have to explain global warming, do I? The emission of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere is causing ozone depletion and rising temperatures world round. So this next little commentary is dedicated to a species taking this human-generated eco-bane a little harder than the rest.
Scientists noticed a drop in the polar bear population starting in the early '90s. Their average body weight was down, fewer cubs were being born, and fewer survived each year. The species is now considered "vulnerable", and experts predict a 30% decline in their worldwide population in the next 50 years. The US Department of the Interior is currently taking steps to to list the polar bear as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.
Scientists noticed a drop in the polar bear population starting in the early '90s. Their average body weight was down, fewer cubs were being born, and fewer survived each year. The species is now considered "vulnerable", and experts predict a 30% decline in their worldwide population in the next 50 years. The US Department of the Interior is currently taking steps to to list the polar bear as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.
The polar bears' main source of food is seals, and seals breed on the ice. Usually, there is a three month period during spring for the bears to hunt on the sea ice before it melts. The bears need the extra fat they collect then to survive the rest of the year. Now, with the warmer conditions setting in, there is less time before the ice melts, less time to hunt for food. Swimming out to the rapidly thawing platforms of ice is dangerous, but polar bears can't survive on only the prey found on dry land.
So, if the consequences of global warming seem far off in the distant future, here's an issue happening right now. It will start with "little" things, a few species go extinct, but eventually the melting ice caps will flood coastal cities such as New York City, or Tokyo. A few degrees climate change can result in intensified hurricanes and other extreme weather conditions. Maybe we should start doing something about this. Like right now.
So, if the consequences of global warming seem far off in the distant future, here's an issue happening right now. It will start with "little" things, a few species go extinct, but eventually the melting ice caps will flood coastal cities such as New York City, or Tokyo. A few degrees climate change can result in intensified hurricanes and other extreme weather conditions. Maybe we should start doing something about this. Like right now.
peace.
