Emission limit is coming...

    We all hopefully know about global warming. What you don't know is how close the emission limit is. Recently, scientists have established a goal of greenhouse gas emissions that must be attained. Otherwise, there will be drastic climate changes. If we do not reduce our green house gas emissions soon, though, this goal will be very unlikely to prevail. 

     Mankind has already burned over half a trillion tons of carbon since the beginning of industrial times. If we are to maintain our "carbon budget" we can't burn over one trillion tons of carbon...ever. However, if we continue burning carbon like we are now, by approximately 2040, those one trillion tons will already have been burned. Yes, you read right, in less than 30 years.     

     One of the ways this could be stopped is by creating a machine that could capture carbon dioxide from the air and reuse it. Of course this would be quite costly and many people are against the idea. Some people consider climate scientists alarmists, but it is 95% certain that climate change is caused by humans and will be severe.  

     So what have humans been doing? Well, there are the good things such as trying to make a climate treaty and writing reports. Meanwhile, though, the whole water cycle has changed, and there are people who still doubt global warming. 

     You may think that global warming is a problem for your children to solve, maybe even you're grandchildren. In truth, global warming is happening now as you read this very article and we must take action before it's too late. Better safe than sorry.  

For more information, check out: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/28/science/global-climate-change-report.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1381390750-EnsYhrhWXoBPpVUk4R+ecg

Next Week: Vegetarianism

Santa Monica - Electric Cars?

     In this article, you will learn more about electric cars in Santa Monica.  You might expect Santa Monica to be the perfect place for electric cars, but, in fact, it's not.  Only 15.5% of cars run on battery there, and an even smaller amount of 3.6% run on only battery.  According to Ford C-Max Energi owner, Rosemary Regalbuto says that she would like to own a fully battery powered car, but is afraid there would be no place other than home to plug it in during long commutes.  She also complains of the fuse blowing when the AC is running while the car is plugged in.  Let's see what the companies have to say. 

     Jean Francois Tremblay says that although, electric cars appeal to "early adopters" the "mainstream consumers" are sticking with normal cars.  This is because of the higher prices, lack of charging stations, and the shorter distance possible without recharging.  Thus, fuel efficiency is still an ongoing problem due to the lack of electric cars.  There are multiple laws trying to reduce pollution, however, if they are achievable is the big question.  For example, to meet California's pollution law, 15.4% of vehicles there have to be powered by an alternate source of energy.  

     Now going back to Santa Monica, it would seem as though this was the perfect place for electric cars.  The citizens can afford electric cars and the city had tried to encourage them to do so by installing charging stations in common areas and lowering the cost of electricity.  In fact, Santa Monica has some of the strongest environmental efforts in America.  They even typically elect politicians who want to help the environment. For these reasons, their percentage of fully electric cars is the highest in the nation, however, it is only 3.6% (some of which run on biofuel*).  Yet, even with these efforts, electric cars still aren't a success, but they are advancing.
     
    As electric cars still strive to prosper, we, the citizens, are opening up to them.  Hopefully one day they will become a success. Who knows, maybe that success will begin with you. 

For more information, check out: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/21/business/santa-monica-bets-on-electric-cars-but-consumers-are-slow-to-switch.html?_r=0

Next Week: Emission limit is coming...