Belfort Instrument, Weather Instrument Guide

Author: Nathan Brown
With the arrival of warmer months comes the desire to travel and see new places. However, traveling can be one of the human activities that contributes to global warming the most. The following article will guide you in making informed choices about your travel plans, allowing you to find a pleasurable escape while reducing your carbon footprint.

Stop Global Warming Travel Tip 1: Seek Out Ecotourism Opportunities

According to The International Ecotourism Society, ecotourism is defined as “responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people.” This concept is based on the intersection of conservation, communities, and sustainable travel. By seeking out ecotourism options, you can reduce your impact, preserving the special qualities of the places to which you were drawn in the first place.

When planning your trip, look for lodging that has a responsible environmental policy. Unfortunately, there is no uniform certification standard from which to judge and “greenwashing” can be a problem, but there are some ways you can decipher industry leaders from wannabes. First, you can start by searching the web for hotels that advertise responsible environmental practices, then either follow up with a phone call or check with a knowledgeable travel agency. Look for some kind of third-party awarded certification. Some of the more well-known certifications are: Energy Star (with a rating of at least 75/100), LEED certified building design, EU Eco-label, Green Globe (Australia, New Zealand, Asia, and expanding to the Caribbean), Green Leaf (Canada), and Sustainable Tourism Certification Network of the Americas (a joint effort of the Rainforest Alliance and The International Ecotourism Society). Some establishments may have earned recognition for some of their eco-groovy practices.

Stop Global Warming Travel Tip2: Get There Responsibly

As the journey to your destination will probably be the most emission-intense portion of your vacation, there are several alternatives for lowering your impact. Flying is by far the most polluting option. Especially if you are traveling in a group, it is far more cost effective (both in dollars and emissions) to go by car. Whenever using a car, it is important to keep the tires inflated, ensuring that the engine need not work any harder - a practice that will reduce emissions and save cash!

Train travel, while often overlooked, is the best option when it comes to making the journey, if you can afford the time. The many benefits of train travel include: social interaction with other passengers and not having to constantly seek out eating establishments, deal with gridlock or hold any concerns about your vehicle.

Whatever transportation method you use, you may choose to offset your carbon emissions by purchasing a carbon neutralization package. This is a great way to actively stop global warming and support companies that are working towards curbing emissions. They will neutralize your carbon emissions by supporting a variety of projects that will offset the amount of carbon your travel produces. Here is one example to check out: www.terrapass.com

Stop Global Warming Travel Tip 3: Lower Your Tourist Impact

Once you arrive at your destination, no matter where you go, there are a number of ways you can reduce your negative tourist impact and your carbon contributions while maximizing your positive influence.

Should your travels find you in an urban setting, try depending on public transportation instead of a rented car or taxis. This will give you a taste of the true flavor of the city while saving you the hassle of navigating traffic and finding parking on foreign streets, not to mention the substantial monetary savings. Many public transit systems even offer weeklong and weekend packages for unlimited travel, a true bargain for the mobile tourist.

Save money on dining by locating the local farmer’s market. Besides providing a more authentic local experience, it can help answer such questions as: what grows here in July? Why is this town famous for its specialty cheese or its rhubarb pie? By supporting the farmer’s markets, you will get to experience fresh, delicious foods that are specific to the given region. Furthermore, purchasing locally-grown food helps reduce your so-called “food miles”, or the distance your food has traveled, a major contributor to greenhouse gases.

In the spirit of adventure, try patronizing some of the local establishments for your eating, drinking and recreational pleasure! Remember to be mindful of delicate ecosystems should your travel take you to a wilderness area. Traveling to forests, beaches, etc. is a privilege and should be treated as such to ensure that you and others can return for a special experience in the years to come. When venturing into the great outdoors, remember to pack out what you brought in, making sure to leave all places in the same condition you found them. Consider non-motorized forms of recreation such as hiking, biking, swimming, sailing or horseback riding - not only will the serenity be refreshing to your ears, but they result in fewer greenhouse gases. Remember, if it has a motor, there is a good chance it is spewing emissions into the atmosphere!

Author: Oneclick Doctor
While the drastic effects of global warming has been discussed in many scientific circles, had their run on TV and even had major exposure through well-meaning (but sadly inaccurate) Hollywood films, it’s a concern that has a broad political, economic, social and geographical significance to countries all over the world. Quite literally, for all of us, there is nowhere to hide, nowhere to run and we can’t stop the climate from changing. It’s just way too big for us.

How to recognize global warming
Whether or not it’s brewing something good or something bad, Nature always tries to warn us through many signs. The slow process involved in global warming results in many different things and some of its signs include:

Melting of glaciers
Most of the mountain glaciers on our planet that have been monitored for the past 150 years are reportedly shrinking. The glaciers most affected by global warming those located in the lower latitudes and many of them are disappearing. If glaciers continue to shrink, it could affect water supply in areas that depend heavily upon mountain watersheds.

If the scenarios of global warming continue, most of the glaciers that still stand today will disappear by 2100.

Ocean warming
Sea level increase is attributed to warmer temperatures, which in turn result to the melting of ice glaciers. Over the last 100 years, sea level has increased from 10 cm to 25 cm. Projections over the next hundred years indicate that sea level will rise higher, from about 15 cm to 90 cm. Based on the higher figure, that’s about 3 feet.

Translated, this could mean that beaches lose about 50 feet of area for every foot of increase in sea level. Some islands may even disappear beneath sea water completely.

Heat waves
Heat waves and periods of weather that are unusually warm are also signs of global warming. These may come about with varying degrees of their severity and frequency, causing concerns in the economics and health on a global scale.

How global warming brings climate change and what it means to us
The earth’s climate has always been changing, although not at an abrupt rate. There had been periods of warming and cooling in the earth’s 4.65 billion-year history. Strange as it may sound to some, this is the reason why life became possible on this planet millions of years ago. Unfortunately, not all of the changes in climate brought about by global warming may be beneficial to many of us.

For one, global warming will raise the temperatures in some regions of the Northern Hemisphere, causing the melting of mountain glaciers. This means that areas that are currently experiencing light snow may no longer experience snowfall anymore. Snowlines found in mountains in temperate regions may also be higher and packs of snow will melt earlier than before.

Spring may be experienced earlier and temperatures during night time and in winter will rise. The world will experience a more humid atmosphere since sea water will have a higher rate of evaporation. With greater humidity, rainfall is expected to increase on average.

Storms will also occur with more frequency and intensity. Ironically, water in the soil will evaporate faster, causing dryness between rains. Regions that are already considered dry will experience more dryness. Some semi-arid regions in the African continent, for example, may suffer more while areas that depend on their region’s mountain snow packs for irrigation will not benefit from earlier melting between growing seasons.

With warmer weather, some hurricanes will be more severe and winds are expected to blow stronger. It is also possible that wind patterns may shift. Extremely cold periods may be experienced as well.

The phenomenon known as El Nino may occur in more frequency and severity. This is expected to affect different regions in many countries. All in all, scientists will have some difficulty in predicting weather patterns.

With changes in climate brought about by global warming, health concerns and risks may also increase. Heat stress and diseases may become common in places that did not have any problems with them before.

Global warming is an issue that requires immediate action. Even plants and animal species are adversely affected by it. While many of the changes that occur in our planet are totally out of our hands, we have been direct contributors to events that have had negative effects on our environment. This is why many leading social and scientific organizations have urged nations to cooperate in the move to counter this worldwide problem before it’s too late.