Effective Ways to Reduce Global Warming

[linda]

Today, global warming is a major threat to the world. Burning fossil fuels such as natural gas, coal, oil and gasoline raises the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and carbon dioxide is a major contributor to the greenhouse effect and global warming.
To reduce the global warming, we will first have to reduce the demand for fossil fuels by using energy more wisely. I have found 10 very effective steps to reduce global warming which include -
[B]1. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle[/B]
Do your part to reduce waste by choosing reusable products instead of disposables. Buying products with minimal packaging (including the economy size when that makes sense for you) will help to reduce waste. And whenever you can, recycle paper, plastic, newspaper, glass and aluminum cans. If there isn't a recycling program at your workplace, school, or in your community, ask about starting one. By recycling half of your household waste, you can save 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide annually.

[B]2. Use Less Heat and Air Conditioning[/B]
Adding insulation to your walls and attic, and installing weather stripping or caulking around doors and windows can lower your heating costs more than 25 percent, by reducing the amount of energy you need to heat and cool your home.
Turn down the heat while you're sleeping at night or away during the day, and keep temperatures moderate at all times. Setting your thermostat just 2 degrees lower in winter and higher in summer could save about 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide each year.
[B]3. Change a Light Bulb[/B]
Wherever practical, replace regular light bulbs with compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs. Replacing just one 60-watt incandescent light bulb with a CFL will save you $30 over the life of the bulb. CFLs also last 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs, use two-thirds less energy, and give off 70 percent less heat.
If every U.S. family replaced one regular light bulb with a CFL, it would eliminate 90 billion pounds of greenhouse gases, the same as taking 7.5 million cars off the road.
[B]4. Drive Less and Drive Smart[/B]
Less driving means fewer emissions. Besides saving gasoline, walking and biking are great forms of exercise. Explore your community mass transit system, and check out options for carpooling to work or school.
When you do drive, make sure your car is running efficiently. For example, keeping your tires properly inflated can improve your gas mileage by more than 3 percent. Every gallon of gas you save not only helps your budget, it also keeps 20 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.
[B]5. Buy Energy-Efficient Products[/B]
When it's time to buy a new car, choose one that offers good gas mileage. Home appliances now come in a range of energy-efficient models, and compact florescent bulbs are designed to provide more natural-looking light while using far less energy than standard light bulbs.
Avoid products that come with excess packaging, especially molded plastic and other packaging that can't be recycled. If you reduce your household garbage by 10 percent, you can save 1,200 pounds of carbon dioxide annually.
[B]6. Use Less Hot Water[/B]
Set your water heater at 120 degrees to save energy, and wrap it in an insulating blanket if it is more than 5 years old. Buy low-flow showerheads to save hot water and about 350 pounds of carbon dioxide yearly. Wash your clothes in warm or cold water to reduce your use of hot water and the energy required to produce it. That change alone can save at least 500 pounds of carbon dioxide annually in most households. Use the energy-saving settings on your dishwasher and let the dishes air-dry.
[B]7. Use the "Off" Switch[/B]
Save electricity and reduce global warming by turning off lights when you leave a room, and using only as much light as you need. And remember to turn off your television, video player, stereo and computer when you're not using them.
It's also a good idea to turn off the water when you're not using it. While brushing your teeth, shampooing the dog or washing your car, turn off the water until you actually need it for rinsing. You'll reduce your water bill and help to conserve a vital resource.
[B]8. Plant a Tree[/B]
If you have the means to plant a tree, start digging. During photosynthesis, trees and other plants absorb carbon dioxide and give off oxygen. They are an integral part of the natural atmospheric exchange cycle here on Earth, but there are too few of them to fully counter the increases in carbon dioxide caused by automobile traffic, manufacturing and other human activities. A single tree will absorb approximately one ton of carbon dioxide during its lifetime.
[B]9. Get a Report Card from Your Utility Company[/B]
Many utility companies provide free home energy audits to help consumers identify areas in their homes that may not be energy efficient. In addition, many utility companies offer rebate programs to help pay for the cost of energy-efficient upgrades.
[B]10. Encourage Others to Conserve[/B]
Share information about recycling and energy conservation with your friends, neighbors and co-workers, and take opportunities to encourage public officials to establish programs and policies that are good for the environment.
These 10 steps will take you a long way toward reducing your energy use and your monthly budget. And less energy use means less dependence on the fossil fuels that create greenhouse gases and contribute to global warming.

[johncc]

You have a lot of info and the numbers of pounds I trust are
acurate. I certainly will pay attention to the amount of packageing things
have from now on. I have been wanting to get floresent lights. They are
expensive. I guess they will be well worth the cost. I'll get some. Thanks
for being as well informed as you are. I am frying here in FL. with my
red hair and pale white skin. I'm one of the worlds first FIFTY BLOCK
SUNSCREENERS 365 days arms and face.

[ErampEmibia]

Hello...

Am new to this community & just had the urge to introduce myself & say "hi".

Finally a stable community with font that I can look at - that

is a refreshing change!

I am here to learn @ get involved in the forum. How would I best participate?

Bye...

[LeanGreenEcoMachine]

I would suggest you participate in Earth Hour.

Earth Hour is on March 27, 2010 this year and is a global lights out initiative. Millions of people will turn out the lights for one hour beginning at 8:30 pm their local time. to show their support for action on climate change.

Last year over 4000 cities in 88 countries participated in Earth Hour.

You can celebrate this year with a candle-lit party or a moon-lit walk.

Play a fun board game by candle light (scrabble anyone?)

Please tell your friends and family to participate.

Happy Earth Hour and don't forget Earth Day on April 22!!!

[Jolina]

Energy saving schemes in developed countries can provide a modest reduction in the rate of global warming, but these are far outbalanced by increasing energy consumption in the developing countries.

The only effective way of reducing global warming is to reduce population growth, and none of the options here are attractive. Less work on improving agriculture? Less research into medicine and health? Less health and safety regulation? Less care for the elderly? Less regulation on abortion? Greater use of contraception? Greater taxation of large families? Less foreign aid and intervention?

You could try lobbying your government on any of these but I doubt whether you will get very far, especially if it gets close to election time.

[pleapeSix]

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[envirs]

Hi friends, I am new to the forum and i am glad to be here. Thanks for sharing such a good information which is very useful to me.


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[bobobert88]

Earth Hr, is a great idea. Even though it only saves power for 1 hr, it still makes a huge difference!

Any other opinions?

[solarant]

[SIZE="3"][FONT="Arial"][COLOR="Magenta"]Nice points. My take on these kinds of lists is however that we need to prioritize. Out of the ten ideas presented here, for instance, I would pick “using less of AC” and “using less of car” as the ones we should be most focused on. Fewer things on our list, higher chances we will make it.
Why did I pick those two? Each of those consume much more energy than many others in the list (an AC for instance consumes about 20 times as much energy as an incandescent bulb for the same amount of time!). Which means you get a much bigger bang for the buck.

This is similar to the argument I have with my friends on the best ways to capture CO2 being emitted, to reduce global warming. We emit about 30 billion T of CO2 every year, but that’s from tens of different sources. It is pointless to try to contain all of them. My submission is, we should try to contain the most concentrated of CO2 emitters, and these happen to be emissions from power plants and cement plants. The site [URL="http://www.powerplantccs.com"]PowerPlantCCS[/URL] says “There are over 50,000 power plants in the world. These power plants constitute the single largest emitting industry for CO2 emissions.” I understand all these are not large utility plants, out of the 50,000 just about 5000 are large-scale grid connected utility plants, the rest being smaller, captive power plants. So my take is focus on these 5000 plants first, they probably emit about 60-70% of all the CO2 emitted by power plants alone (which is about 10 billion T per year).

I could advance similar approaches for most things about sustainability and clean technology. Start with the ones that can make the difference and accomplish these well. It will be much easier to accomplish the smaller ones after that.
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