FYI: National Geographic Special on Global Warming

I thought this series might be of interest to some of my readers.

Can anyone stop global warming? Part of National Geographic’s mission is to inspire everyone to at least try, with a bevy of new content designed to educate, inspire and even alarm.

National Geographic’s “Six Degrees Could Change the World” premieres Sunday Feb. 10 on the National Geographic channel.

Based on the book Six Degrees by Mark Lyman, this series takes a blunt, eye-opening, degree-by-degree look at the natural disasters and climate change in store as the earth’s temperature rises up to an alarming six degrees over the coming century thanks to global warming.

National Geographic Digital Media and National Geographic Green Guide are supporting Six Degrees” with a wealth of related content available at www.thegreenguide.com and www.nationalgeographic.com/preserveourplanet for anyone who wants to make a difference and cut down on their personal contributions to global warming.

In an essay titled “Six Degrees,” Lyman highlights the changes he and his family members have implemented to reduce their carbon footprint. Lyman serves as guest editor at Green Guide this week, selecting articles for the site’s home page that reflect his interests, including information on wood-burning stoves, green power and local foods. The essay can be accessed at www.thegreenguide.com,

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Comments

[Danzig]

Sheesh. The end of the world as we know it is not quite as close as some would have us believe. Wood stoves? Puh-leeze! What problems would be solved by a massive move to wood stoves? From no less an authority than the U.S. EPA, we learn:

The Chemical Composition of Wood Smoke

Wood smoke contains harmful chemical substances such as carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), dioxin, and inhalable particulate matter (PM). Some of the VOCs are irritating, toxic, and/or cancer causing. One of the biggest human health threats from smoke, indoors or outdoors, comes from PM. Wood smoke PM is composed of wood tars, gases, soot, and ashes. Toxic air pollutants are a potentially important component of wood smoke. A group of air toxics known as polycyclic organic matter includes potential carcinogens such as benzo(a)pyrene.

Excuse me, please. I must return to the task of stocking my fallout shelter with canned goods . . .

[Kit P]

Just what the world needs to reduce ghg. Another fear mongering journalists jetting around the world to sell his book.

I stopped heating with wood as a primary energy source when I was becoming an environmental engineer. We has a small child at the time. It is a little disturbing to find out that your indoor air pollution is worse than outdoor in any US city. More PAC was not a goal.

I still use wood heat for enjoyment and emergencies. I also have a CO detector and chimney brush.

[bigTom]

We need to be careful to put the book/documentary into perspective. The book is about the sort of world we can expect from various degrees of warming. It is not a prediction of how much warming will occur. It is an illustration of the scale of changes to expect for a given level of climate change. How much warming actually happens will be determined by man, and nature. Man primarily by how much GHG he emits. Nature primarily by the strength of still poorly understood feedback effects. The combination will determine the result. Either factor is not very well known.

[Demesure]

Even with ZERO degree, the world is changing.
So saying "Six degrees COULD change the world" is as irrelevant as saying "Two wings could make a pig fly".

It's eco hysteria and it's doing a fine job in discrediting the clean energy cause.

[Robert Pritchett]

I have to agree with the earlier posters. This is part of an orchestrated attempt for control by those who what to "save the earth from humanity". We should be doing "green" for the right reasons - it is economically intelligent and makes cents (pun intended).

I stopped subscribing to "National Geographic" when they started dipping full-time into geopolitics. They should change their name to "International Geopolitics" or "New World Order". (Snarky Remark)

Look at Sepp Hasslberger's Blog on the so-called "Debate" -

http://blog.hasslberger.com/2006/11/manmade_global_warming_the_deb.html

[Mike P]

In my opinion: it is no Global Warming, but it is Climate Change.

[RJJ]

I would agree that the issue of global warming would be resolved if we could convert to 100% renewable fuel. We could eliminate our dependence on imported oil and bring about true national security. The best global warming solution is to leave the oil and coal in the ground. If we built a concentrating solar infrastructure that could last 100 years the payback would be over 30 trillion dollars. Hoover Dam was completed 73 years ago and we are still benefiting from that renewable resource. Our great great grandchildren would look back and marvel at the great solar infrastructure we built at the start of the 21st century to ensure they and future generations live the style of life we have become accustomed to living.

We need to launch a renewable industry that has 2 to 3 million workers building and tending to solar and green algae farms. If we built an infrastructure using half of the land currently dedicated to growing corn we could supply all our energy needs and even export.

I'm hoping the next president figures out that security and our economy is based on energy independence.

[LightRider]

Since we are about to enter into a mini-iceage, we should INCREASE
our emissions of greenhouse gases to lessen the effects and save
millions from starving to death.
This is reality not GOREBULL.

[DaveMart]

It is entirely possible that the science behind global warming is correct, but that solar activity is more important - IOW we could have a large temperature drop caused by reduced solar activity, masked to one degree or another by some anthropogenic GW.

The more I look at the subject, the more I am persuaded that those who think they have a full answer of GW or no GW do not understand the question.

Especially the use of terms like 'deniers' seems to be the basest attempt at political manipulation, and an attempt to avoid constructive debate.

Due to the complexity of what we are trying to study and it's poorly understood feedback loops, it is ludicrous to class people who think that GW is not occurring and temperature is not dependent on greenhouse gas emissions with creationists.

[David B. Benson]

DaveMart said "it is ludicrous to class people who think that GW is not occurring and temperature is not dependent on greenhouse gas emissions with creationists."

Actually, it is not. The physics has been understood for 150 years now. Just as evolution has been.

[Tony]

I think its very important that people really start to think about ways to save money and the planet by using multifuel,solar or wind power.I undestand that some people think that if we hang around long enough some thing will turn up. It hasn't and it wont.

[WhichBurner]

Lets at least starting on change,each step, however small,helps.

[windmill power]

I agree lets at least start towards change, every little thing can help towards making a big difference. Its when people start conceding defeat ans saying its too late or too hard that we have a problem.

Focus more on the solution and less on the problem for mine!

[viv energy drink]

They would still own and operate the CHP plants and would still make their profits by burning fuel. No paradigm change.

[viv energy drink]

the last large studies have shown that all this issue about global warning that cause by humanity is just a "storm in a glass", since people effect in only up to 10%..The other ones depend mostly on volcano activity

[detroit criminal defense attorney]

It's a warning to all of us. That is why should make a move right now.

[donne]

We will continue to consume similarly large power budgets, the only thing advancing electronics tech brings, is the level of performance obtained.

[Furniture Stores Burbank]

From my understanding global warming was canceled.

[Filipino Car Lease Broker Los Angeles]

This is very interesting! Thanks for posting about it, I'll see if I can find it online or rent it somewhere.

[Microsoft Office]

The new President will have to embrace this exact plan if the United States is to avoid economic catastrophe.