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CNN: 5 things you can do about climate change
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smn1256 Offline
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Post: #1
CNN: 5 things you can do about climate change
(CNN) -- Climate change isn't something in the far-off future: It's a potentially disastrous reality that's already starting to have effects that are expected to worsen, experts say.

Longer summers and heavier rainfalls are some of the impacts Americans are already seeing, according to the National Climate Assessment. We should expect more flooding, wildfires and drought.

The report, a new White House update released Tuesday, calls for urgent action on climate change.

Climate change is here and action needed now, new White House report says

So what can you do at home to take action?

1. Become informed

New push on climate change White House: Expect droughts, fires Expert: 'We decide' climate change losses Friedman: How to react to global warming
The most powerful way that the average person can combat climate change is to become informed about it, says J. Marshall Shepherd, former president of the American Meteorological Society and professor at the University of Georgia.

"Obviously, it makes sense for people to be as efficient and green as possible in their thinking on a day-to-day basis," he said. "But where I think the biggest impact that individuals can have is: Becoming climate literate."

If you educate yourself about what's going on with climate change and what can be done about it, you can make more informed choices when it comes time to vote for the people with the power to make big decisions
.
"Where the biggest impacts on our planet will be, will come from large-scale policy changes and solutions that are influenced by who's in office," he said.
Only read trusted and verified sources of information about climate change, Shepherd said. He recommends the websites climate.gov and Climate Central (of which he is a board member) for essential facts and resources.

Learn about various responses to climate change that policy makers are discussing:

-- Mitigation means lowering carbon dioxide levels -- for instance, by instituting carbon taxes or taking carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.

-- Adaptation means responding to the consequences of climate change -- for instance, building seawalls to prepare for rising sea levels around vulnerable cities.

-- Geoengineering means changing the Earth itself to counteract climate change -- which would include hypothetical technological interventions such as putting large mirrors in space or changing our oceans to absorb more carbon dioxide, Shepherd said.

Beyond reading up on the issues, you can still do a small part to influence the big environmental picture.

2. Make changes at home

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency lists steps to limiting your greenhouse gas emissions, which would also save you money. These include:
-- Changing your five most-used light fixtures or bulbs to products that have the EPA's Energy Star label;

-- Heat and cool more efficiently, such as by using a programmable thermostat, changing air filters and replacing old equipment with Energy Star products;
-- Seal and insulate your home;

-- Make use of recycling programs, and compost food and yard waste;

--Reduce water waste;

--Use green power, such as solar panels;

--Estimate how much greenhouse gas you emit with the EPA's calculator.

The U.S. Department of Energy has an online guide to buying green power.

Check out clean energy resources and financial incentives in your area through the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency.

3. Be greener at the office

If you have a desk job, there are plenty of things you can do to reduce your emissions while at work. The EPA advises:

-- Set computers and other office equipment to power down during periods when you're not using them;

-- Use Energy Star equipment;

-- Recycle and reuse whenever possible;

The David Suzuki Foundation, an environmental nonprofit organization, additionally recommends using video conferencing to reduce air travel for business.

4. Reduce emissions in transit

Whether it's taking a vacation or doing your daily commute, you can reduce your carbon footprint in simple ways that also save money. The EPA's recommendations include:

-- Rely on public transportation, biking, walking, carpooling or telecommuting instead of driving;

-- Use the EPA's Green Vehicle Guide to help you make an informed choice about buying a car;

-- While driving, try not to do hard accelerations, don't spend more than 30 seconds idling, and go easy on the gas pedal and brakes;

-- Make sure to regularly check your tire pressure.

When you have to take an airplane, the David Suzuki Foundation recommends:

-- When flying, consider packing lighter because less fuel is consumed with less weight on the plane;

-- Fly during the day because night flights have a bigger impact on climate;

-- Buy carbon offsets -- or credits -- to compensate for the emissions on your flight .

5. Get involved and educate others about the big picture

Your green strategies in your daily life can have a small impact, but the whole planet has to be on board for dealing with climate change in order to instigate global effects. Even if everyone in the United States reduced their emissions, other countries that continue to dump carbon dioxide into the air would still contribute to warming temperatures and rising sea levels.

Spread the word about climate change and educating people. The EPA recommends that students give presentations on climate change and encourage their institutions to increase energy efficiency.

Find out if your community has a climate action plan. There may be ways you can contribute to local efforts to be greener and adapt to potential changes that a warming world would bring.

Bottom line: Most of the public will never read the full National Climate Assessment, Shepherd said. But if you arm yourself with correct information, you can make informed choices that could affect your community and the planet at large.

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/05/06/us...ies/?hpt=hp_c2
(This post was last modified: 05-06-2014 09:22 PM by smn1256.)
05-06-2014 09:19 PM
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DrTorch Offline
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Post: #2
RE: CNN: 5 things you can do about climate change
And buy those brown shirts.
05-07-2014 08:08 AM
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bevotex Offline
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Post: #3
RE: CNN: 5 things you can do about climate change
Quote:Longer summers and heavier rainfalls are some of the impacts Americans are already seeing, according to the National Climate Assessment. We should expect more flooding, wildfires and drought.

Wow this is some definitive schitt right here.

Longer summers - cyclical
heavier rainfalls - cyclical
expect more flooding - cyclical
wildfires and drought - cyclical

All this does is arm the weakminded with buzzwords. Oh summer lasted 2 days longer than it did in 1941 must be climate change. Wow that was one helluva thunderstorm, must be climate change. look another wildfire in Cali, must be climate change.

More liberal 05-deadhorse
05-07-2014 09:22 AM
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blunderbuss Offline
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Post: #4
RE: CNN: 5 things you can do about climate change
We live in a egocentric society. It has to be all about us doesn't it?
05-07-2014 09:36 AM
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EverRespect Offline
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Post: #5
RE: CNN: 5 things you can do about climate change
(05-07-2014 09:22 AM)bevotex Wrote:  
Quote:Longer summers and heavier rainfalls are some of the impacts Americans are already seeing, according to the National Climate Assessment. We should expect more flooding, wildfires and drought.

Wow this is some definitive schitt right here.

Longer summers - cyclical
heavier rainfalls - cyclical
expect more flooding - cyclical
wildfires and drought - cyclical

All this does is arm the weakminded with buzzwords. Oh summer lasted 2 days longer than it did in 1941 must be climate change. Wow that was one helluva thunderstorm, must be climate change. look another wildfire in Cali, must be climate change.

More liberal 05-deadhorse

I'm just waiting for summer to start. It's usually in the 80s everyday by May and I'm still carrying a jacket with me half the time. My grass is still half dormant and is usually full green by April 15. My azaleas are blooming. We moved into our house March 31, 2007 and the azaleas were blooming.
(This post was last modified: 05-07-2014 09:41 AM by EverRespect.)
05-07-2014 09:39 AM
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Lord Stanley Offline
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Post: #6
RE: CNN: 5 things you can do about climate change
[Image: green-police.jpg]
05-07-2014 09:41 AM
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Paul M Offline
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Post: #7
RE: CNN: 5 things you can do about climate change
It's either raining or it's not. Now due to climate change, there will be more.
05-07-2014 06:59 PM
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Smaug Offline
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Post: #8
RE: CNN: 5 things you can do about climate change
I can only think of 3.

Grow old.
Retire.
Die.

Hopefully in that order. Check that. I'm cool with 1 and 2 being interchangeable.
05-07-2014 07:03 PM
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JMUDunk Online
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Post: #9
RE: CNN: 5 things you can do about climate change
(05-07-2014 09:39 AM)EverRespect Wrote:  
(05-07-2014 09:22 AM)bevotex Wrote:  
Quote:Longer summers and heavier rainfalls are some of the impacts Americans are already seeing, according to the National Climate Assessment. We should expect more flooding, wildfires and drought.

Wow this is some definitive schitt right here.

Longer summers - cyclical
heavier rainfalls - cyclical
expect more flooding - cyclical
wildfires and drought - cyclical

All this does is arm the weakminded with buzzwords. Oh summer lasted 2 days longer than it did in 1941 must be climate change. Wow that was one helluva thunderstorm, must be climate change. look another wildfire in Cali, must be climate change.

More liberal 05-deadhorse

I'm just waiting for summer to start. It's usually in the 80s everyday by May and I'm still carrying a jacket with me half the time. My grass is still half dormant and is usually full green by April 15. My azaleas are blooming. We moved into our house March 31, 2007 and the azaleas were blooming.

I'm not 100% sure, but I'm pretty sure that was a racist post. Just sayin'.
05-07-2014 07:16 PM
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BleedsHuskieRed Offline
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RE: CNN: 5 things you can do about climate change
Here's my thing. I don't fully believe that we are causing catastrophic global warming. But at the same time, making some of these steps to "be green" certainly isn't going to do much harm, so why mock them?
05-07-2014 08:04 PM
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JMUDunk Online
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RE: CNN: 5 things you can do about climate change
(05-07-2014 08:04 PM)BleedsHuskieRed Wrote:  Here's my thing. I don't fully believe that we are causing catastrophic global warming. But at the same time, making some of these steps to "be green" certainly isn't going to do much harm, so why mock them?

Because they're mockable. Trying to portray everything as the next unavoidable CRISIS, wears thins after a bit.

That said, I agree with you 100% doing these simple things may help in some small way, and in fact I'd bet most of us do these things, or some of them.

So, just say that. "Hey, if you keep you tires properly inflated you'll get better mileage and longer wear from the tires". Response from anyone with common sense? Oh, okay. That'll save a few bucks. Simple enough, done.

NOT "OH MY GOD, IF YOU USE MORE THAN A SQUARE OF TOILET PAPER OR YOUR TIRES ARE AT 30 INSTEAD OF 34, YOU, YOU YOU ARE KILLIIING THE PLANET. YOU ARE!!!

Hey if you recycle that stuff they don't have to cut down as many trees. Oh, okay, I like trees, they make good baseball bats. Done. Not *see above.

lather, rinse, repeat.
05-07-2014 08:23 PM
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bevotex Offline
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Post: #12
RE: CNN: 5 things you can do about climate change
(05-07-2014 07:16 PM)JMUDunk Wrote:  
(05-07-2014 09:39 AM)EverRespect Wrote:  
(05-07-2014 09:22 AM)bevotex Wrote:  
Quote:Longer summers and heavier rainfalls are some of the impacts Americans are already seeing, according to the National Climate Assessment. We should expect more flooding, wildfires and drought.

Wow this is some definitive schitt right here.

Longer summers - cyclical
heavier rainfalls - cyclical
expect more flooding - cyclical
wildfires and drought - cyclical

All this does is arm the weakminded with buzzwords. Oh summer lasted 2 days longer than it did in 1941 must be climate change. Wow that was one helluva thunderstorm, must be climate change. look another wildfire in Cali, must be climate change.

More liberal 05-deadhorse

I'm just waiting for summer to start. It's usually in the 80s everyday by May and I'm still carrying a jacket with me half the time. My grass is still half dormant and is usually full green by April 15. My azaleas are blooming. We moved into our house March 31, 2007 and the azaleas were blooming.

I'm not 100% sure, but I'm pretty sure that was a racist post. Just sayin'.

Huh?
05-08-2014 10:11 AM
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DrTorch Offline
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RE: CNN: 5 things you can do about climate change
(05-07-2014 08:04 PM)BleedsHuskieRed Wrote:  Here's my thing. I don't fully believe that we are causing catastrophic global warming. But at the same time, making some of these steps to "be green" certainly isn't going to do much harm, so why mock them?

They're mocked b/c these ideas are NOT presented as good ideas to reach common ground. They're presented as panacea to address the fear they've induced.

So, "Catastrophe is about to strike! But you can mitigate it w/ these simple means."?

C'mon, that's ridiculous.
(05-07-2014 07:16 PM)JMUDunk Wrote:  
(05-07-2014 09:39 AM)EverRespect Wrote:  
(05-07-2014 09:22 AM)bevotex Wrote:  
Quote:Longer summers and heavier rainfalls are some of the impacts Americans are already seeing, according to the National Climate Assessment. We should expect more flooding, wildfires and drought.

Wow this is some definitive schitt right here.

Longer summers - cyclical
heavier rainfalls - cyclical
expect more flooding - cyclical
wildfires and drought - cyclical

All this does is arm the weakminded with buzzwords. Oh summer lasted 2 days longer than it did in 1941 must be climate change. Wow that was one helluva thunderstorm, must be climate change. look another wildfire in Cali, must be climate change.

More liberal 05-deadhorse

I'm just waiting for summer to start. It's usually in the 80s everyday by May and I'm still carrying a jacket with me half the time. My grass is still half dormant and is usually full green by April 15. My azaleas are blooming. We moved into our house March 31, 2007 and the azaleas were blooming.

I'm not 100% sure, but I'm pretty sure that was a racist post. Just sayin'.

Code words.
05-08-2014 10:14 AM
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SumOfAllFears Offline
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Post: #14
RE: CNN: 5 things you can do about climate change
Which one will Barry and Al Gore do, I'll follow.
05-08-2014 06:53 PM
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THE NC Herd Fan Offline
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Post: #15
RE: CNN: 5 things you can do about climate change
Five things I am doing about climate change.


1) Burn coal in my outdoor fire pit
2) Continue to use 100 incandescent light bulbs from the 100 cases I bought before the ban.
3) Drive my 1968 Buick which doesn't have a catalytic converter
4) Keep the thermostat at 68 in the summer and 74 in the winter.
5) Drive my 1968 Buick with low tire pressure, according to Al Gore that wastes gasoline.
05-08-2014 07:28 PM
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ClairtonPanther Offline
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Post: #16
RE: CNN: 5 things you can do about climate change
I have 0 issues with trying to be more environmentally friendly. There are real hazards out there like more kids getting asthma and cancer rates due to pollution. And who knows if animals are having some of the same issues with their lungs. Plus polluting the water isn't a good idea because animals do drink that water and swim in it. It just bothers me when these people talk about climate change, which been ongoing since comets pounded our planet giving Earth water.
(This post was last modified: 05-08-2014 10:45 PM by ClairtonPanther.)
05-08-2014 10:45 PM
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