Global Warning

We do our part by conserving electricity and reducing the amount of waste we put out to the curb each week. I notice a huge difference, too. Our trash company allows for 6 bags 2x a week (so 12 bags per week), yet we only set out 1-2 bags. Our neighbors set out their full allotment every trash day, whereas we may only set trash out once a week. We also have one of the larger houses on our road and yet we have the lowest electric and water bill of them all, too. We use low-flow faucets and tanks, the lowest wattage or energy efficient bulbs in our lights, double-insulate where it counts like windows and doors, and turn off or unplug what we don't use. I know it's not much, but I believe that if every person were to do just a little bit, it would add up to big rewards for the planet as a whole.

I wonder if the name "global warming" is part of why it's easy to push out of our minds - it makes it HUGE. Plus, it makes it seem like it's only an issue when/where it's HOT.

Climate changes or environmental impact - maybe if we talked about it in a term that showed more specifically "your actions are important" - then people would think about it because they'd have more of a direct line to it?

I know I live in an area that frequently has "ozone advisories" in the summer - with specific actions to reduce your contribution to the poor air quality. I think people take these advisories more into account because they can grasp the issue more fully.

The environment is in trouble. People It's going to take major shifts in policy and in individual's priorities for us to even have a hope of counter-acting the years of damage we have done to our environment.

One of my favorite blinkies/bumperstickers says:

"SAVE THE EARTH! IT'S THE ONLY PLANET WITH CHOCOLATE"

it's funny, at first... and then you stop to think about it and you may realize just how precarious our existence is...

I just saw the movie "An Inconvenient Truth" and I think everyone should see it. Gore presents a very interesting comparison between the way the scientist see global warming (nearly universal agreement that it's real) and the way the media portrays it (50% of news stories portray it as a "theory").

I've been much more conscious about the little things -- turning off lights, turning off power strips and unplugging appliances when not in use, keeping the thermostat as low as we can stand it, recycling everything I can. What we really need to do is buy a smaller car -- the one we have isn't bad, but we could do better. But I would definitely say I have a lot more awareness of my personal contribution to global warming and a much greater sense that I am also responsible and need to do my part.

I warming to to you, Beehive Blogger!

Maybe you should read sometimes, what kind of weather there was hundreds of years ago. There were also some centuries, where winter was much too warm or summer much too cold. Even worse than today. The way, you are talking about it shows, that you are delimited to your presence and maybe 10 miles in each directions. Make up your mind!

I agree with husband there were weather changes worse then we are experiencing now a long time ago and they said we were going to have an ice age again(some still say that). That was about 30 years ago and it hasn't happened. I agree that we still all need to do things to keep our planet healthy but that also includes not littering which I am sure 75% of you still do. (out of the window of your hybrid car right). There is other things you can do like downsize your house so you don't use so much energy but I bet that is not something most americans are willing to do either so it's not just about cars and gas.

Our weather has been really strange this year, we are finally getting into winter.

We are really cautious of our electric and water use, as well as garabge. They don't do recyling pick up here, but at my mom's 15 minutes away, they do and we transport ours over there to make it happen, and we try not to waste as much daily.

Yah, it's a big deal. Yah, it changes our lives everyday. Yah, we can't stop it. Yah, it will come to pass. Yup. Last I heard, everyone is going to die.

LAST I HEARD,
WE LIVE.
WE DIE.
WE LIVE TO DIE.
WE DIE TO LIVE.
....the Circle of Life

Man hasn't been on earth long enough to make rash assumptions about the weather cycles. Who knows, maybe this is something that happens every million years? The point is, whatever is happening is happening, and as humans we have to deal with it. Call it global warming, el nino, la nina, whatever, weather patterns are changing. They may be warming up just to fall dramatically, causing an ice age. Point? Get over it and buy some cooler clothes.

I agree with Husband as well. Remember, in the early Middle Ages it was much colder in England and northern Europe that it is now. Weather is very fickle indeed.
And as long as its below zero here in Illinois (first winter in the Midwest!), I can only pray "Illinois Warming" starts happening soon...

Shifting our consciousness as a whole means that we need to quit worrying about looking for "evidence" in our every day lives (even though for many of us that evidence is quite obvious).

Global warming is so much larger than our realm of reality as humans- so it's a little difficult to grasp. A little research will give you more than enough evidence to believe... just like looking at a photo of Mars give you enough "evidence" to believe it's real.

It's real, people. Just like Mars, you may not be able to perceive it as a planet with the naked eye, but science and technology and human knowledge tells us that Mars is real, it's a planet, and it's near Earth. Global Warming is no different.

...so to the other 30%-- please just go out and do some research. It's undeniable!

Mathematically it's been figured that we will deplete the planet's supply of fossil fuel in the 2050's. In forests across the globe there are countless observations of the irreparable damage pollution is causing. Species are dwindling their numbers, some dying out.

While these facts don't directly address global warming, I mention them because they do address the fact that we humans have impact on the planet. There can be no denying it.

So while there have indeed been dramatic climate shifts a thousand, several thousand, and even a millennia ago, the difference now is that since the Industrial Revolution, we are contributors to our planet's living conditions and have, inadvertently, become its caretakers. To ignore the call to protect our home in whatever manner we can strictly for the sake of self-interest is selfish, to say the least. This indeed will not come to pass. It is here to stay. Our childrens' futures rest on the attitudes we teach them. Our planet's future depends on our children.

'ol Al needs something to do. The weather this year, highs & lows, set some records from the 30's, the 70's, & the 80's etc... people. They have already burned up Mars, tell me, what business do we have in space when we can't even take care of folks in our own backyard. They have learned nothing of importance and they are screwing up the atmospher. Blame the spce program if you nedd someone to blame. And stop littering for goodness sakes! I agree with "Husband".

What about the oceans? They are getting warmer, more acidic and killing the coral reefs which are so vital to life on Earth. It is ridiculous to say that this is normal just because the Discovery Channel says so. We should be respectful of our home and take care of it like we would our children. Oh, wait. We don't take care of our children. We feed them chemicals and give them lots of sugar and diabetes. Hmmm... Perhaps we should rethink how we live our lives and make that extra little effort to do what's right for ourselves, our children and our home.

I wouldn't trust anything Husband says, his sentences don't make any sense.

I don't think we can really take historical weather cycles into account when figuring whether our current weather is cyclical or not. In the Middle Ages, remember, we didn't drive cars, spray our hair or kill germs with Lysol spray, or run everything in our homes off electricity and propane. The things we do in our modern world contribute pollution in ways those in the Middle Ages couldn't conceive of, and these pollutive actions DO affect our world, whether we'd like to admit it or not. I haven't yet seen "Inconvenient Truth" but do believe the title is a terrific comment on what global warming is to us today -- it's the truth, it's happening, and yes, it's very inconvenient, but it's time to act, even in small ways like buying Energy Star appliances. WE changed this world, and only WE can save it.

You can't give your kids diabetes by what you feed them idiot. My neice has type 1 diabetes and it's not a joking matter.

Why can't we take historical weather patterns to compare to ours. That is the point that they didn't have the same harmfull things in there society. That means those those harmfull things may not be the ONLY cause of our weather changes. We are supposed to learn from history. Also when it comes to anything said by Al Gore I can't take it seriously. After all he is just a politician and not a very good or honest one.

Time and time again I have been disappointed by the attitudes of people on this site (ivillage.com). My statement was intended to make a point of how we don't take care of ourselves and develop diseases as a result. I know that it is not a laughing matter, but how you live your life affects how your body reacts to that. Perhaps I should have said type 2...

I'm late to post here (sorry) but everyone has to accept the fact that this has nothing to do with whether you're a Democratic or Republican. Anything we can do to reduce our overall environmental footprint is essential if you want your children to survive. When companies like Wal Mart & McDonalds realize they have to do something about sustainability, the average American has to wake the heck up.

And, yes, Husband's response makes zero sense. What are you people agreeing with?