48 degrees on my car thermostat last week. 86 degrees yesterday. Walking my dog wearing my puffer jacket last Monday, to shorts, t-shirt and flip flops this Monday. Any wonder why I'm sick?
Today is Earth Day, and I can't be bothered. (Whoops, can't believe I just said that). I'm too tired, too sick and too drugged to care. Wasn't this what this blog was about, world saving tips for the busy and lazy? So I'm going to do this post the lazy way, leave you some facts to think about and go take that nap.
I promise to be back, green-skinned and more pleasant once the Nyquil kicks in (smile). Happy earth day!
Not so fun facts that go with my mood:
- By 2030 the number of automobiles in the world will increase by 50%
- Vehicles in the United States release more CO2 than all the energy sources (such as heating, electricity, vehicles, and factories) in all of India
- According to Chevron, the world consumes two barrels of oil for every barrel discovered. It took 125 years to consume the first trillion barrels of oil – the world will consume the next trillion in only 30
- Much of the United States has already warmed, by as much as 4°F
- The five warmest years over last century have likely been: 2005, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2004
- The top 10 warmest years have all occurred since 1990
- Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, carbon dioxide (the green house gas linked to climate change) in the atmosphere has increased by 35%
- Despite natural emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted by volcanoes, for example, human activities are now adding about 7 billion metric tons of carbon into the atmosphere every year.
- Agriculture and biodiversity are already being impacted by global warming. 10% of all known plant species are under threat of extinction
- People living in cities such as Atlanta, Baltimore, and Cincinnati could by mid-century see a 60% increase in the number of high smog level days
- Each gallon of gasoline burned creates 20 pounds of CO2
- By planting a large tree that creates shade, one can reduce heating and cooling costs annually by up to 40%.
2 comments:
really good one... well written
You said "By planting a large tree that creates shade, one can reduce heating and cooling costs annually by up to 40%."
Our idiotic, shortsighted local government (here in Canberra, Australia) is building suburbs with such small housing blocks that there is insufficient space to grow large trees...
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