Saving Money on Electricity – Wind Energy Pros and Cons – Other

Search by Author, Title or Content

Article ContentAuthor NameArticle Title

Home
Submit Articles
Author Guidelines
Publisher Guidelines
Content Feeds
RSS Feeds
FAQ
Contact Us

The Earliest Utilization of Wind Power

The heritage of mankind’s utilization of wind energy dates back again as early as 200 B.C when rudimentary wind devices had been applied by the Persians. From the 14th century, the famed Dutch windmills ended up utilized to drain the Rhine River delta. The initial windmill designed for your production of electrical energy inside United states of america was developed in 1888.

Wind Power in American Heritage

The moment upon a time, h2o pumping windmills and minimal wind electric generators ended up generally employed through the America. However, the rural electrification applications from the 1930′s and 1940′s replaced these programs. By the 1950′s, the windmills, the moment put into use as being a primary resource of electricity on farms, had been changed by centrally created strength.

Rural electrification certainly is the practice of bringing electrical energy to rural and remote places. This program brought lighting to 1000s of residences. Furthermore, it authorized about one-fourth of all farms in America to benefit from the mechanization of numerous farming operations. This software was applied with the perception the ordinary of living and financial competitiveness within the household farm inside the US would make improvements to. This was an essential point in America’s financial background.Recognizing Wind Vitality as being a Renewable Electricity Source

Whereas rural electrification was good quality for that financial state, nobody was conscious within the difficulties it was creating for your setting. The ability plants fueled by coal to produce the electrical energy, grew to become leading contributors to global warming.

Within the 1980′s, as The united states began to recognize worldwide warming as in concern of issue, Federal and State Government programs and incentives where established to encourage using wind strength era as well as other renewable vitality resources.. Greater recently, the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPACT 2005) was signed by President Bush to advertise renewable electricity resources.How Wind Electricity Operates

Wind ability harnesses wind electrical power and converts it into a handy sort. Wind turbines are used to produce energy from wind power. These are rotating devices which convert the kinetic energy in wind into mechanical power.

A windmill is totally different than a wind turbine. A wind mill uses mechanical energy instantly to operate machinery, that include a pump. A wind turbine, on the other hand, converts the mechanical electricity to energy.Wind Vitality in Today’s World

There may be a recent revival during the use of wind power as an substitute vitality resource In a report by the American Wind Power Association (AWEA), wind strength era elevated by 45 % in 2007 pumping investments of in excess of billion into our economic system. This is actually the third consecutive 12 months where like progress happens to be noted.

Electric power manufactured by renewable power resources is starting to become more easily for sale to individuals via Green Strength plans. Presently, 500 electrical institutions in 34 states feature like programs. These applications advertise ability developed by wind vitality and landfill gas-to-energy projects.

The current manufacturing tax credit and tax incentives for renewable electricity technology are because of to expire with the end of 2008. But nevertheless, the Senate Finance Committee is as well as extension of such credits as part of it’s stimulus package deal.Wind Energy Goes Complete Circle

Seemingly, mankind has at all times acknowledged the benefits of wind electrical power. All over time, guy has discovered to harness that vitality for his own use. Systems has allowed for huge improvements in creating electric power by using wind vitality.

Encounter has dictated our have to use option renewable energy sources to fulfill our electric power expectations. Wind electricity has a reliable past and a promising future in filling those demands. Wind energy has frequently been the right choice for the surroundings and now appears to offer economic likely also. Wind power could be a win-win choice.

About the Author

For any person who’s anxious about the natural environment, also as their very own finance wellbeing, utilizing wind energy can be an especially economical way for you to aid the planet and on your own.For added data about wind energy pros and cons drop by our website.

Use and distribution of this article is subject to our Publisher Guidelines
whereby the original author’s information and copyright must be included.

Fanica Barbaru

RSS Feed

Report Article

Publish Article

Print Article

Add to Favorites

Article Directory
About
FAQ
Contact Us
Advanced Search
Privacy Statement
Disclaimer

GoArticles.com © 2012, All Rights Reserved.

Only when have you been living in the Outer Hebrides for years, you would not have heard about climate change and its effect on the Earth.

In a nutshell, rising levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, mainly Carbon Dioxide (CO2), resulting from man’s activities, are causing the planet to heat up (this used to be called global warming) causing all sorts of unpleasant side effects: melting ice caps, rising sea levels, very bad weather, water shortages, droughts, famine, extinction of species, and worse to come for us if we continue to ignore the warnings.

The big problem is that we’ve all been living like we had 4 planets to sustain us.

In the South East we’ve been particularly bad apparently.

That’s the bad news. The good news is that if we all took some actions, even small ones, they’d add up to something much bigger that would make a difference, and maybe we can stop this thing, before, it gets really really awful.

(For a great explanation of all this, check out Al Gore’s film An Inconvenient Truth – out on DVD now.)

So where to start. Well, first off we each need to work out our own carbon footprint – a measure of our individual impact on the environment, measured in units of CO2 – and then we can work out how to go about reducing it.

As a guide, the carbon footprint of a typical household breaks down like this:

- roughly 1/3 of the CO2 emissions come from the energy used to heat and power your home
– another 1/3 comes from transport, including driving, and especially flights, one of the worst culprits, and
– the final 1/3 comes from food miles ie the emissions resulting from getting food to your table (which is why it’s important to get locally grown food as much as possible).

Working out your carbon footprint can be quite complicated; you need your energy bills, to know how many miles you drive, and to work out how far you’ve flown, or travelled by train or bus, but there are quite a few websites out there that can help – try http://www.carbonfootprint.com or http://www.climatecare.org. The average for a UK household is about 12.5 tonnes of CO2.

When I worked out my own footprint, I discovered that almost 50% of my total carbon emissions last year came from two short haul flights (to Ibiza and Toulouse – 2 tonnes of CO2), which was quite an eye opener, and is making me think about how many flights I take in future. The next biggest contributor, at about 800 tonnes, was the electricity I use. Luckily I now buy green electricity, from 100% renewable sources like wind, solar and wave power – it doesn’t cost any more (go to http://www.goodenergy.com and say I sent you) – so I’ve done something about that. I also belong to a car club instead of owning a car, so my car usage is quite low.

Once you’ve worked out your own carbon footprint, you can set about reducing it – the long term target is a miniscule 1 tonne of CO2 per person per year. Here are some ideas to get you started:

Use alternatives to planes wherever possible (check out http://www.Seat61.com)

Avoid short trips in the car

Get low energy lightbulbs

Buy electricity from renewable sources

Turn things off when you’re not using them, and don’t leave appliances on standby, which can use up to 85% of the energy of the appliance

Cover food when cooking

Boil only the water you need

If everyone upgraded their fridge to an A-rated model, co2 emissions would be cut by the equivalent of 47 million double deckers of gas per year.

There are plenty more things you can do, and they all add up – have a look at my website http://www.nigelsecostore.com for things that can help you live a more eco-friendly and sustainable life.

And once you’ve got your footprint down as low as possible, you can think about carbon offsetting the rest, but that’s another story.

Find More Climate Change Articles

Personally, it drives me nuts to be slaves, so to speak, to the power companies. I know for a fact that there are many alternative and renewable energy sources that are more than capable of delivering energy for a fraction of the cost, if not completely wiping out your energy bill all together. Sounds pretty good huh? So why not give it a shot and build solar energy panels?

My name is Andrew, and I have basically become quite fascinated with the thought of harnessing the energy of the sun to offset the cost of being “on the grid.” That isn’t all there is to it though.

There are many other ways to power a home that the majority of people simply aren’t aware of, and I would love nothing more than to spread the knowledge so that one day we will find ourselves capable of creating everything we need to be self reliant.

Things such as wind turbines to harness the energy of the wind, or ways to produce electricity from running water are just a couple more methods that I want to explore as I gain more knowledge and insight. Who knows, maybe one day we will have vehicles that run on nothing but water as they efficiently separate the hydrogen from the oxygen. Pure, clean, renewable energy with no pollution is possible, but it takes knowledge and understanding.

I will continue to add more information about what exactly solar energy is, the pros and cons, some interesting facts, and how different systems work. If you have begun to become interested in ways of becoming more self sufficient in case of an emergency or truly wish to get off the grid, then make sure and explore this site. If anything, I would like to provide knowledge and direction for those who are looking to better themselves.

I chose to simply stick with this one area of energy; namely for you to learn to build solar energy panels with this site. As time goes by, I hope to have sister sites that will tie in with this one, and provide step-by-step plans to construct various means of producing alternate energy and much more as well.

Thanks for taking the time to check out my site. I hope you enjoy it and can take away something positive from it. If you do decide to build solar energy panels, I hope it is something that your whole family can learn and enjoy doing together.

Climate Change Facts from the Planet Earth Climate Expedition at the Wonder Rotunda. This material about climate change is drawn from the “Learn More” opportunities presented in the Planet Earth Climate Expedition at the Wonder Rotunda, an on-line educational theme park for kids, ages 7-12.

North Pole Environmental Observatory

Beginning in 2000, an international research team supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) has conducted annual expeditions each April to the North Pole to learn how the world’s northernmost sea helps regulate global climate. Each year the scientists set up a temporary camp on the sea ice near the North Pole to retrieve a two and a half mile-long line, known as a mooring, containing scientific instruments, to insert buoys into the ice and to otherwise sample the waters of the Arctic Ocean.

The team records data on everything from the salinity (amount of salt) of the water to the thickness and temperature of the ice cover. In addition to the challenge of establishing an observatory in such harsh conditions, the team has to contend with scuba diving in the icy Arctic Ocean, dealing with shifting sea ice that is frozen solid one day and open water the next, and keeping an ever-watchful eye for polar bears.

The mooring is recovered by sending an acoustic message to one of the releases, ordering it to separate the buoyant mooring from the anchor on the seabed. Since there is no certainty of being able to land an airplane at the mooring coordinates, a helicopter is often necessary.

Research Instruments Used at the North Pole Environmental Observatory

Each year the scientists retrieve the prior year’s mooring line and instruments to collect data on sea temperatures, salinity, current flows and ice thickness. Then, they lower a new mooring to collect another year’s worth of information.

To put a mooring in place, scientists melt and cut a 4 ft. hole in the ice using hot water melting apparatus, set up a tripod over hole, put a heavy chain and anchor on the line and then lower cable, adding to the line, at different depths, more than 17 instruments including current meters, salinity meters, temperature gathering instruments and an upward looking sonar to measure the thickness of the ice above. The entire mooring is 2.5 miles (or 14,000 feet) in length. Since satellite signals cannot reach beneath the ice, the scientists cannot communicate with the instruments.

Each instrument must be pulled out of the sea to obtain the data it has recorded. To ensure recovery of the instruments, also mounted on the mooring is a beacon to help find the mooring when it comes up under the ice. Getting the components out of the water is an operation requiring divers.

Global Ocean Conveyor

The Global Ocean Conveyor is the pattern by which sea water travels the world’s oceans. The conveyor functions like the human heart. Warmer water is pumped up to the North Pole and freshwater (runoff from melting ice) gets pumped down. This pattern occurs because of differences in water density. In the North Atlantic, the differences in water density are mainly caused by differences in temperature. Colder water is denser than warmer water. Water heated near the Equator travels at the surface of the ocean north into cold high latitudes where it becomes cooler. As it cools, it becomes denser and sinks to the deep ocean.

More warm surface (fresh) water flows in to take its place. It cools, then it sinks, and the pattern continues. As the Earth continues to warm and Arctic sea ice melts, the increasing flow of freshwater from the melting ice is making seawater at high latitudes less dense. The fresher, less dense water will not be able to sink and circulate through the deep ocean as it does currently.

Scientists estimate that this could slow or stop the Global Ocean Conveyor within the next few decades. This could change the climate of northern Europe and parts of North America which depend upon the ocean currents to carry warmth from the tropics up to their higher latitudes.

Threat to Animal Habitats from Melting Sea Ice at the North Pole

Almost all of a polar bear’s food, which includes seals, fish, and even beluga whales, comes from the sea. The floating sea ice is a perfect vantage point for the bears as they hunt for food. Unfortunately, the amount of sea ice floating in the Arctic region is shrinking each year.

Pieces of sea ice are getting smaller and further apart. The bears must swim farther– 60 miles or more– through the chilly Arctic Ocean to get from one piece of ice to another. Even though bears are exceptional swimmers, because the bears now have to swim farther to find the next piece of sea ice, some become exhausted during the long journey and drown.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service recently added polar bears to the threatened species list. Another species threatened by shrinking ice in Antarctica are the Adele and Emperor Penguins, which like Polar Bears, use the ice for hunting and breeding.

Albedo Effect and Evidence of Melting Polar Ice Cap

At the North Pole, the climate has warmed rapidly in the past few decades. Average temperatures in the Arctic are rising twice as fast as they are elsewhere in the world. In the opposite hemisphere, the Antarctic Peninsula has also warmed rapidly- five times faster than the global average.

Why are the polar regions particularly susceptible to global warming? The ice and snow in the polar regions, because of their light color, reflect most incoming solar energy back out to space. his reflection of solar energy is known as ice albedo. However, as the Earth’s oceans get warmer, the polar ice caps are shrinking.

As a result, less of the incoming solar radiation is reflected back out to space and more of it is absorbed by the Earth’s surface and oceans. The solar radiation creates an escalating cycle: warmer oceans cause melting ice, leading to even warmer oceans and even more rapidly melting ice.

Mountain Glaciers

Mountain glaciers are flowing ice, or what some people call ice rivers. Glaciers are first formed by snow. When snowflakes pile up to a certain thickness, the snowflakes get pressed together in the shape of a snowball under high pressure. These are called firn.

As new snow falls on the mountain, the old snow gets packed down. The shapes create a mass of solid ice. When the ice accumulates to around 300 feet in thickness, the ice at the bottom begins to move slowly down the mountainside, and a glacier is created.

In 1827, a stone hut was built on the Eagle Glacier in the European Alps. Thirteen years later, the hut had moved further down the glacier by 5000 feet. Scientists said that the hut couldn’t move by itself and it hadn’t – the glacier had. The hut had simply been moving down on top of the glacier.

Shrinking Mountain Glaciers

One of the important functions of glaciers is their ability to supply water to people. Glaciers store water in the form of ice during wet and colder periods. But, in the dry and warmer periods, they provide water through the runoff of melting ice. As glaciers shrink and disappear, this supply of water will be diminished and eventually be lost. This will affect the entire range of the tropical Andes, in South America, home to over 30 million people. Many large cities and farming communities in the Andes depend on glacial runoffs for their water.

According to scientists glaciers are shrinking at record rates and many could disappear within decades. Scientists measuring the health of almost 30 glaciers around the world found that ice loss reached record levels in 2006. The World Glacier Monitoring Service reports that glaciers lost an average of about a foot of ice a year between 1980 and 1999. But since 2000, the pace has accelerated and the average loss has increased to about 20 inches.

The Earth’s Greenhouse Effect

Goldilocks might have said that: “Venus is too hot, Mars is too cold, and Earth is just right.” The fact that Earth is suitable for life cannot be explained simply because the Earth orbits at just the right distance from the Sun.

The Earth’s moderate temperatures are also the result of having just the right kind of atmosphere. Venus’ atmosphere would produce super hot conditions on our planet, and Mars’ atmosphere would leave us in a deep freeze. On Earth, parts of our atmosphere act as an insulating blanket of just the right thickness, trapping sufficient energy from the Sun to keep average temperatures hospitable to life. The Earth’s insulating layer is a collection of gases called greenhouse gases because the gases trap heat like the glass walls of a greenhouse do.

These gases are mainly water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. Without the Greenhouse Effect, Earth would heat up, but at night, all of the heat would radiate back into space and the planet’s surface temperature would fall far below zero very rapidly.

Effect of Fossil Fuel Emissions

When fossil fuels, like coal, oil or gasoline, are burned to power factories, electric utility plants, and cars and trucks, most of the carbon emissions enter the atmosphere as carbon dioxide gas.

Five and a half billion tons of carbon are released into the air each year by burning fossil fuels. Of this massive amount, 3.3 billion tons stays in the atmosphere.

The increasing amount of carbon that is being emitted from the burning of fossil fuels into the Earth’s atmosphere is making the Greenhouse Layer thicker. This is trapping more heat from the Sun, and thus, preventing it from escaping into space.

Alternative Energy

Alternatives to burning fossil fuel, such as energy created from wind, using wind turbines, from the sun, using solar panels, and nuclear energy, do not release carbon into the atmosphere. This makes them helpful alternative energy sources in the fight against global warming.

Important Role of Oceans and Rainforests in Absorbing Carbon Emissions

Oceans absorb vast amounts of carbon dioxide gas. Carbon dioxide is also absorbed by billions of tiny plankton, also known as phytoplankton, which fall to the ocean bottom when they die, trapping carbon in deep bottom layers of sediment.

Scientists are currently experimenting to see if they can stimulate the growth of the ocean’s plankton by adding iron to the ocean floor. If scientists are successful, iron might be used to increase the absorption of carbon dioxide by oceans as part of the fight against global warming.

Rain forests are like sponges when it comes to carbon emissions. Through the process of photosynthesis, plants absorb carbon dioxide gas and use it as fuel for their growth.

International Cooperation on Climate Change

In 1992, 192 countries joined an international treaty — the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) — to begin to consider what can be done to reduce global warming and to cope with whatever temperature increases are inevitable.

The Convention recognizes that the global climate is shared by all nations and people, and the stability of the global climate can be damaged by emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.

More than 180 countries approved an addition to the treaty in 1997 called the Kyoto Protocol, which sets specific targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

While the Convention on Climate Change encouraged countries to stabilize their greenhouse gas emissions, the Kyoto Protocol legally commits them to do so.

Your Carbon Footprint

Your carbon footprint is the amount of carbon produced by all of your activities. For instance, producing the electricity that powers your video game may be putting carbon dioxide into the atmosphere if fossil fuels were used to create that electricity. Carbon dioxide is given off when you ride in a gasoline powered car.

You can think of your carbon footprint as a measure of your impact on the environment. Having a small carbon footprint is better than having a large one. Using less energy reduces our carbon footprint.

Ideas for Reducing Your Carbon Footprint

Here are some ideas you might consider: Turn things off when they are not being used, such as lights, video games, computers, and televisions. Use compact fluorescent light bulbs which use one-quarter of the energy of standard ones.

Recycle paper, plastic, aluminum cans, or glass. Turn off the water while you are brushing your teeth. (Pumping and cleaning drinking water is a large user of electricity in some places.) Decide what you want before opening the refrigerator door so it doesn’t stay open longer than needed.

But before knowing the different greenhouse gases, we need to know how, are greenhouse gases formed. Gases floating in to the atmosphere when trap heat, leads to the formation of greenhouse gases. Now, let us see what the different greenhouse gases are.

Carbon Dioxide

The most common of them is carbon dioxide. When we burn any fossil fuel like natural gas or oil, it releases carbon dioxide in to the environment or even when we burn trees or different types of wood products, carbon dioxide drifts into the environment.

One way to get rid of the free carbon dioxide in air is to plant more and more trees.

Methane Gas

Another category of greenhouse gas is methane gas. This also damages the environment, once it enters the environment freely. Farming practices often release methane gas and even places holding waste such as landfills also create methane gas.

Nitrous Oxide

This is a very dangerous greenhouse gas as there are many activities which release free nitrous oxide into the environment. Some of the activities are a variety of actions in industrial parks, burning different kinds of fuels, and even on burning landfills which contains waste.

If we want to live healthy and happy, we have to understand the greenhouse gases, and what are their major ingredients which results in shocking effects which again leads to global warming.

Now, the term global warming is misinterpreted by many of us. When the greenhouse gases and various types of air contaminants are entrapped in the environment, they lead to intense weather condition and warmer temperatures.

Now, when temperature rises, the ice starts melting which instigate the sea levels to rise. The rise in sea level means more water will envelop the earth and with temperatures getting warmer, it will result in dangerous storms in form of tornadoes and hurricanes. Hence, it is important for all of us to play our part and reduce the formation of the greenhouse gases.

Related Greenhouse Effect Articles

Alternative energy is very much a topical issue nowadays, given how costly fuel has gotten. One such alternative source of energy is wind power, the potential of which when harnessed in bulk quantities, as on wind farms, is being examined. Making use of wind as a source of energy means having a renewable power that is fantastically clean. Wind is triggered by shifts in the temperature on the ground, which comes from the heat of the sun, so in fact wind power could be said to come from solar power. Harnessing the wind thus produces electricity.

Wind farms as a large-scale means of capturing the energy generated by wind has been adopted by many countries. Many different wind turbines, along with their propeller-like blades, are set up in a particular spot, in order to gather the wind’s power. Wind farms, as a result of the big number of turbines working unitedly, have the capability to generate energy in large quantities. Knowledge of the principles involved in wind farms will exhibit their possible effectiveness. Wind energy begins with the wind turning the blades of the turbine, which are connected to a central shaft. The shaft that is turning is connected to a power source, which is cranked by the spinning action, creating electric power. It employs the same principles as hydropower generation, except that wind power rather than flowing water is utilized.

Sufficient energy for a town or bigger area needs many turbines, since one is barely adequate for a house or little farm. The large energy output possible from a wind farm is based on the collective capability of several turbines grouped together. The energy that is produced can be collected in cells, like batteries, or in an already existing electricity grid, making it possible to meet the power needs of whole towns. Modern-day wind turbines are much more efficient than previous ones, as they can face the wind, face away from the wind, or even catch gusts from various angles.

Larger blades and taller turbines as well make for better efficiency. Computing the efficiency of wind turbines is made tough by the complexity of things involved. No two wind farms are identical, as a result of the variation in terrain, wind and turbine size. Nevertheless, the standard turbine converts about 20% of the power in wind to electrical energy. Peak production efficiency is reached when the wind blows at no less than 5 miles an hour, and not more than 20 miles an hour.

Wind power with an efficiency rating of twenty percent is higher than solar by 5 to 7 percent, but solar is much more constant than wind. Wind technology is progressing, and when put side by side with other renewable sources of energy, it is favorable. Amongst alternative sources of energy it has become essential, but has not yet found worldwide favour. One country decided to invest a great deal is Germany.

Is It Taking place?

Truly. Earth is presently screening numerous symptoms of worldwide climate change.

• Average temperatures have climbed 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit (0.8 degree  Celsius) around the world since 1880, a lot of this in current decades,  in accordance with NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies.

• The rate of warming is increasing. The 20th century’s last twenty years  have already been the hottest in 400 years plus possibly the warmest for several  millennia, relying on a range of climate studies. And the United  Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports that  11 of the past 12 years may be among the many dozen warmest since 1850.

• The Arctic is feeling the results by far the most.

Average temperatures in  Alaska, western Canada, plus eastern Russia have risen at twice the  global average, according to the multinational Arctic Climate Impact  Analysis report compiled between 2000 and 2004.

• Arctic ice is speedily disappearing, and then the region may have its first of all completely ice-free summer by 2040 or earlier. Polar bears and even indigenous cultures are already tormented by the sea-ice damage.

• Glaciers and mountain snows are quickly melting—for example, Montana’s Glacier National Park currently possess solely 27 glaciers, versus 150 in 1910. Within the Northern  Hemisphere, thaws additionally come a week earlier in spring plus freezes initiate one week later.

Is Human beings Inflicting It?

The report, based on the work of some 2,500 scientists in more comparing to 130  nations, concluded that humans have triggered all or most of the most present  planetary warming. Human-caused global warming often is called  anthropogenic climate change.

• Industrialization, deforestation, as well as pollution have enormously extended  atmospheric concentrations of water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, plus  nitrous oxide, entirely greenhouse gases which help entrap heat around Earth’s  surface.

• Human beings are pouring carbon dioxide to the surroundings much quicker in comparison with plants plus oceans is able to absorb it.

• These gases persist inside the atmosphere for years, which means that even if such emissions are already eradicated today, it would not directly stop global warming.

• A few specialists point out that organic cycles in Earth’s orbit is able to alter  the planet’s exposure to sunlight, that may clarify the current trend.  Earth has actually experienced warming and cooling cycles generally every  hundred thousand years because of these orbital shifts, however the mentioned alterations  have occurred over the span of several centuries. Today’s changes have  taken place in the last hundred years or fewer.

What is Going to Occur?

A follow-up describe warned that global warming could lead on to large-scale food and water shortages and also have catastrophic effects on animals.

• Sea level could climb among 7 and 23 inches (18 to 59 centimeters) by means of  century’s end. Rises of only 4  inches (10 centimeters) may flood a number of South Seas islands and swamp  huge parts of Southeast Asia.

• Glaciers world wide could melt, causing sea levels to rise while  creating water shortages in parts depending on runoff for clean  water.

• Robust hurricanes, droughts, heat waves, wildfires, as well as other natural  disasters may turn out to be conventional in many parts on the planet. The growth  of deserts may also trigger food shortages in many different places.

• Over a million species face extinction from disappearing habitat, shifting ecosystems, and acidifying oceans

Truth Shocking Facts|Global Warming & Climate Change

Find More Climate Change Articles

Greenhouse gases occur when gases float into the atmosphere and trap heat. When the atmosphere traps heat, it reflects that heat back on the planet. There are a variety of gases that enter the atmosphere naturally. However, most of the gases that enter the atmosphere do so as a result of activities of people on Earth. Here, you will find the many gases that are released due to human activity that can be prevented and reduce the greenhouse gas issue.

Carbon Dioxide

Carbon Dioxide is one of the most common greenhouse gases.

If a fossil fuel is burnt, such as oil and natural gas, it will release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. If a person burns trees, and other types of wood products this particular gas can be found drifting into the atmosphere. The carbon dioxide that is found in the atmosphere can be removed when plants soak it into their living process. When this happens, it simply goes right back into the atmosphere.

Methane Gas

Methane gas is another type of gas that enters the atmosphere and results in damage to the environment. You can often find that methane gases are released from farming practices. This particular type of gas can also be created at places that hold waste, like landfills.

Nitrous Oxide

Nitrous Oxide is a type of gas that can be released in the atmosphere by many types of activities.

These activities include burning various types of fuels, various types of activities in industrial parks, and when landfills decide to burn the items that are contained in it.

It is important that everyone understands that greenhouse gases are the main ingredient in the devastating effects that result from global warming. Many people are not familiar with global warming, and exactly what it means. However, global warming occurs when the gases and various toxins are trapped inside the earth’s atmosphere and results in warmer temperatures and extreme weather conditions.

When warmer temperatures occur, the ice around the world starts to melt. When this happens, sea levels begin to rise. This means that more water starts to cover the earth. When there is more water, and warmer temperatures, it results in more dangerous storms. We have already seen a lot of these dangerous storms in the form of hurricanes and tornadoes.

It is very important that we all do our share in order to stop the damage that is occurring to the atmosphere as a result of greenhouse gases. Discover and implement new ways to do things that are safe to our environment.

Related Greenhouse Effect Articles

Climate change could push more than a quarter of all terrestrial plant and animal species to extinction. Accordingly, during the period between now and 2050 will be about 15 to 37% of species in the most diverse areas will be endangered. Scientistsbelieve that the extinction may also occur in other areas because of climate change.

Scientists have researched six regions, approximately 20% of its land area and projected the future distributions of 1,103 animal and plant species. There are threelevels to change – small change, moderate change and large change – based on the ability of some species can spread, successfully moved to a different area, thus preventing the effects and induced extinction. Research used a mathematical modelwith the help of computers to simulate the ways in which species can move in response to changes in temperature and weather. This is the largest collaboration of scientistson this issue.

Hannah Lee – Applied Science Center for Biodiversity (CABS) of Conservation International (CI) said: “This study is to clarify one thing climate change is the most important factors threatening the extinction in this century. The combination of increasing habitat (already considered one of the most important threats to thespecies) and climate change reduces the the ability to move and survivability of thespecies.”

Forecasts of some species could be extinct based on climate change between now and 2050 does not mean that these species will be destroyed at that time.

At least there will be about 18% (the average number of models using differentcalculations) became extinct with the prospect of climate change until 2050, about 24%if there are major changes and 34 % if any major changes. So 15 to 20% of terrestrialspecies must be protected from extinction with very small changes in climate.

Small fluctuations in climate may affect the viability of the original habitat of a species.Slight increases in temperature can affect the movement of a species to cooler places.If their habitat is destroyed completely, the species often have no place to hide.According to Hannah, this study should be divided into two parts:”First, to reduce greenhouse gases and quickly switch to using new technologies,cleaner can help protect many plants and animals. Next, we must find solutions todetermine which climate change will affect the entire ecosystem like, which will preparethe emergency plan for its conservation.

Cape region is considered as one of 25 “hotspots of biodiversity,” the large number ofendemic and endangered.

Global temperatures have increased about one degree Fahrenheit over the past century, and the earth is warming in the last two decades. Scientists believe that the increase in global temperatures in recent times caused by human activities altering theatmospheric composition by emissions of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide have kept the heat reflected from the earth.

Solar energy is the power that we can get from the sun to generate electricity for our homes. This is an alternative source of energy to the power we get from electric power companies who charge us high electricity bills. With solar energy, you can install solar panels, also called photovoltaic cells on your roof and these panels will gather energy from the sun which you can even store and use at night through a net metering.

Each solar panel can give up to 24 volts DC depending on where you set the solar panel. It is best to set solar panels on areas of your roof with no trees that will cover and interfere with the gathering of energy.

We hear a lot of pros and cons about solar energy but of course solar energy advantages outshine the disadvantages that critics have been pointing out about this type of renewable energy. Below are some of the solar energy advantages that you should know and learn in order to reap the good things solar energy provides.

1.) Solar energy is free.- You just need to set up solar panels that will gather the energy from the sun and after you retrieved the cost, you can get as much solar energy as you want for free.

2.) Solar energy is safe, clean and environment-friendly- Unlike other renewable source of energy, solar energy does not contaminate air because it does not emit chemicals that are damaging for our environment and even for us humans.

3.) Solar energy can free you from taxes.- With solar energy, you can avail of the 30% solar energy tax credits which will cut the tax you are paying and unused credits can also be used for future tax payments. Solar energy can also make you independent from electric power companies so you don’t have to pay high monthly electricity bills.

4.) Solar energy is perfect for remote areas.- Solar energy is the ideal solution for remote areas to get their own electricity if electric power companies cannot provide them. Installing solar panels is more cost-effective than installing electric cables to reach far-flung areas.

5.) Solar energy does not make any noise and never runs out- Unlike wind turbines, solar energy does not make any noise thus it won’t disturb you and your family especially when you’re at rest. It also does not run out because you can store the energy and use it at night.

6.) Solar energy is efficient yet cheap.- Solar energy is viewed the most efficient alternative source of energy and is inexpensive depending on how much energy you want to gather. You can decide how many solar panels you install depending on your budget and needs.

The main reason why homeowners choose to utilize solar energy to get electricity for their homes is to be free from paying huge bills charged by power supplying companies. Apart from that, solar energy can free you from unanticipated power outages where we are often uninformed by our electricity provider and this affects our daily tasks. Now is the time for you to make the necessary transition from being dependent on power electric companies to having your own source of power. Try solar energy now so you can experience all the good benefits it can provide you.

Related Solar Energy Articles