Posts Tagged ‘Environment’

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And You Thought Swine Flu Was Bad…

Thursday, November 12th, 2009

A new study explains in no uncertain terms that climate change will have very serious consequences for the future of human health.

  • The public health implications of rising sea levels and shrinking Arctic ice are vast and include malnutrition caused by droughts, disease carried by mosquitos, and severe asthma from increased air pollution.
  • The study, released by the Trust for America’s Health, states that these threats will be dramatically reduced if the federal government prioritizes a cap on greenhouse gas emissions.
  • One way to prepare for the onslaught of issues that will face urban areas is to plant more trees in cities, as they both clean and cool the air.

Facts & Figures

  • Heat waves are expected to worsen in cities where the lack of plant life makes for “urban heat islands.”
  • Warmer weather allows insects like mosquitos to migrate northward, expanding their territory and their ability to spread diseases like West Nile virus and Lyme disease.
  • Increased heat supports air pollution by contributing to smog, causing increased respiratory illnesses in humans.

Best Quote

“Some of the most personal effects of climate change are going to be health-related ones. We should want the government doing as much as possible now to prevent these effects, or minimize them when they occur.” – Jeff Levi, Executive Director of the Trust for America’s Health

Natural Resources are…

Tuesday, October 27th, 2009

Natural Resources are materials that are produced by or derived from the environment and used by people for many different purposes – things like energy production, building, and food. The environment provides natural resources that are essential to life like pure air, light, clean water, and food as well as the basic inputs to our industrial societies like wood, oil, gas, iron, and land.

Mayors Take Climate Change Into Their Own Hands

Wednesday, October 7th, 2009

What do you do when your state’s ski resorts are firing their employees due to lack of snow, and the federal government doesn’t seem to care?

  • On Friday, Greg Nickels, President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, announced that 1,000 mayors around the country had signed on to an agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in their cities in keeping with the Kyoto protocols, an international agreement designed to combat global warming.
  • With most of the nation’s population and economy concentrated in cities, mayors felt it was their duty to step in to reduce emissions where the federal government fell short. The U.S. government has not yet signed on to the Kyoto protocols.
  • In addition to reducing emissions in their own cities, the group of mayors also lobbies Congress for grants and funding for greenhouse-gas-reducing projects, and advocates for a nationwide reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 7% of the 1990 level by 2012.

Facts & Figures

  • The city of Cleveland has converted to 25% renewable energy.
  • Boston has increased its use of solar power by 300%
  • Los Angeles met the 7% Kyoto target for emissions reduction four years early in 2008; Seattle reduced its 1990-level emissions by 8% three years earlier than that, in 2005.

Best Quote

“I am signing up because this is too important an issue for us to stand on the sideline. This is not a group without diversity, it’s not a group that agrees on everything, but it is a group that is completely united and committed to this one issue.” – Scott Smith, Mayor of Mesa, AZ

Climate Change An Increasingly Popular Career Path For College Students

Friday, September 25th, 2009

This translation explores the changing landscape of the economy and different ways young people are getting involved with issues that matter.

  • Concern about climate change is inspiring unprecedented numbers of undergrads to study science and engineering, which is timely as there will soon be a shortage of engineers in this country.
  • The White House’s multi-billion dollar push to support “clean energy” will foster a new sector of  “green jobs.”
  • Helping solve large-scale societal problems is a major draw for young people.

Facts & Figures

  • Enrollment in graduate engineering programs dropped more than 5% from 2003 to 2005.
  • The rate at which American workers with science and engineering skills retire is expected to triple over the next decade.

Best Quote

“The most critical challenge over the long-term is people and brainpower.” – Karen Harbert, Executive Vice President and Managing Director of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for 21st Century Energy

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Asia Is Going Green And Leaving The U.S. In The Dust

Friday, September 25th, 2009

If you thought that the U.S. and Europe were the powerhouses of green technology, you should probably check out what Asia is proposing to do below. Just a hint: it involves a lot of money!

  • In August, leaders from China, Japan, and South Korea will try to work out a plan that proposes sharing resources and technology to create a green-technology powerhouse.
  • Japan and South Korea have highly advanced technology sectors while China is one of the strongest manufacturing powers in the world. By combining forces, they hope to easily dominate the green economy.
  • The U.S. and Europe may respond to the Asian countries’ effort with renewed intensity and investment or could find themselves falling behind in a new low-carbon economy.

Facts & Figures

  • In their economic stimulus programs, green investments account for 81% of South Korea’s and 38% of China’s spending – the U.S.’s is at 12%.
  • Estimates put Europe’s investment in clean energy at $50 billion for 2008, while North America’s is only at $30 billion.
  • In June 2009, the U.S. started a $25 billion program to help car makers retool their assembly lines for more fuel-efficient car production.

Best Quote

“[South Korea hopes to create] a new paradigm of qualitative growth which uses less energy and is more compatible with environmental sustainability.” – Han Seung-Soo, Prime Minister of South Korea

Environmental Impact is…

Friday, August 21st, 2009

Environmental impact is any change to the natural environment caused by the activity of people, businesses, governments, organizations or any other entity. Environmental organizations can have beneficial environmental impacts, but businesses that pollute and people that litter have negative environmental impacts.

Pollution is…

Friday, August 21st, 2009

Pollution is the introduction of harmful or poisonous substances into the environment like litter, car emissions, or industrial chemicals and waste. Pollution can come from many different sources and can destroy habitats entirely or just make places less healthy for humans and other animals to live. Pollutants from mines and other industrial sites have in many instances caused birth defects and increases in the frequency of cancer and other diseases for nearby populations.

Deforestation is…

Thursday, August 20th, 2009

Deforestation is the removal of trees from a wooded area. Excessive deforestation is detrimental to the environment, so many activists seek to curb it or to plant new trees in deforested areas.

Aren’t health and a clean environment human rights?

Monday, August 10th, 2009

Deciding which causes you want to support – with time or money – can be confusing. If you give to just one cause, you might feel like you’re neglecting something else you care about, and it seems like some of the categories overlap anyway. Aren’t health and a clean environment human rights? It depends on who you ask. Even defining exactly what it means to be or have a human right isn’t simple.

The UN’s Universal Declaration of Human rights and other major documents have listed health and a clean environment as “human rights,” but what might be more relevant for you as a budding philanthropist to realize is that giving to an organization with a specific mission can have a broad impact. Many microfinance and poverty causes aim to help their constituents develop sustainable livelihoods – which has environmental and health implications as well financial ones. Helping to preserve and restore local environments can have major health and economic benefits as well. All of these things make people better able to live happy, meaningful lives, which is the true spirit of human rights.

The point is to find a cause that excites you and in which you will enjoy becoming involved, whether by giving money or time. The impact you make might be far wider-reaching than you think.

Climate Change is…

Monday, August 3rd, 2009

Climate change is the drastic change in temperature and weather patterns around the world resulting from human industrial activities for the past 200 years. Predictions about climate change range from the bad to the unthinkable; increases in sea levels, more frequent natural disasters, and abnormal weather patterns as well as a disruption of trade, agriculture, and industry have all been predicted by scientists, economists, and politicians. While these disasters may affect us all, the people who will feel the effects of climate change the most are those who are the least able to combat it – people living in developing countries and island-nations.

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