Creation Care Team

10 Shocking Global Warming Effects

noreply@blogger.com (CBrulee) — Sat, 02 Apr 2016 18:32:00 +0000

Bats Drop from the Sky

In 2014, a scorching summer heat wave caused more than 100,000 bats to literally drop dead and fall from the sky in Queensland, Australia.

Lyme Disease Spreads

Warmer temperatures are contributing to the range expansion and severity of tick-borne Lyme disease.

National Security Threatened

The impacts of climate change are expected to act as a "threat multiplier" in many of the world's most unstable regions, exacerbating droughts and other natural disasters as well as leading to food, water and other resource shortages that may spur mass migrations.

Sea Level is Rising

Warmer temperatures are causing glaciers and polar ice sheets to melt, increasing the amount of water in the world’s seas and oceans.

Allergies Worsen

Allergy sufferers beware: Climate change could cause pollen counts to double in the next 30 years. The warmer temperatures cause advancing weed growth, a bane for allergy sufferers.

Beetles Destroy Iconic Western Forests

Climate change has sent tree-killing beetles, called mountain pine beetles, into overdrive. Under normal conditions beetles reproduce just once annually, but the warming climate has allowed them to churn out an extra generation of bugs each year.

Canada: The New America?

"Lusher" vegetation growth typically associated with the United States is now becoming more common in Canada, scientists reported in a 2012 Nature Climate Change study.

Economic Consequences

The costs associated with climate change rise along with the temperatures. Severe storms and floods combine agricultural losses cause billions of dollars in damages, and money is needed to treat and control the spread of disease.

Infectious Diseases Thrive

The World Health Organization reports that outbreaks of new or resurgent diseases are on the rise and in more countries than ever before, including tropical illnesses in once-cold climates.

Shrinking Glaciers

In 2013, an iceberg larger than the city of Chicago broke off the Pine Island Glacier, the most important glacier Antarctic Ice Sheet. And in Montana's Glacier National Park, glaciers have gone from 150 to just 35 over the past century.

We're at a critical juncture. If nothing is done, our planet and all who inhabit it will face catastrophic consequences.

Source: Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) mailer received March, 2016.

Creation Care Advent Calendar

noreply@blogger.com (CBrulee) — Thu, 28 Nov 2013 21:47:00 +0000

The Presbyterian Church, USA, is offering a downloadable Advent Calendar that focuses on Care of God's creation.

Advent Calendar

Wildlife Photographer of the Year

noreply@blogger.com (CBrulee) — Sat, 09 Nov 2013 21:16:00 +0000

The Natural History Museum in London is exhibiting some great wildlife photos. I found the photos easier to find and view at the MSN News site (link below).

Click on a photo to see a nice large display.

Wildlife Photographer of the Year - 2013

Eco-Justice site is now Creation Justice

noreply@blogger.com (CBrulee) — Thu, 31 Oct 2013 23:18:00 +0000

The name for the "Eco-Justice" site has changed to "Creation Justice Ministries," which covers a broader range of Creation Care topics.

If you have not checked out the site, do it now.

OneNote "Green Living Ideas"

noreply@blogger.com (CBrulee) — Mon, 21 Oct 2013 01:14:00 +0000

If you own Microsoft Office 2007 or higher, check out OneNote. The default Notebook has tips on use. Many people overlook the very useful Microsoft OneNote. It's like Evernote but, IMHO, much better.

Once you are set up with OneNote, check out the free Microsoft "Green Living Ideas" notebook template for OneNote 2007 and up.

Minimalist landscapes

noreply@blogger.com (CBrulee) — Sat, 06 Jul 2013 16:57:00 +0000

There is something peaceful about uncluttered landscape photos. Plus, they can make really great computer wallpapers, especially if you are an appreciative steward of God's earth.

Check out the related Flickr photo pool. Remember to comply with the photographer's Creative Commons license for a photo you like. You may need to ask permission to use it.

The image at right is only part of a superb wide angle (or stitched?) photo by Tom DeHoff, used by permission.

Minimalist landscapes: Take the long view (Flickr photo pool)

See the wind

noreply@blogger.com (CBrulee) — Sat, 01 Jun 2013 22:16:00 +0000

Ever wonder what wind would look like if we could see its swirls, variations, and waves?

A Discover magazine blog posting mentioned a video of a special Swiss science center façade gives a partial glimpse. It's pretty impressive -- OK. awesome!

Cool sea, sky wallpaper

noreply@blogger.com (CBrulee) — Fri, 03 May 2013 20:51:00 +0000

I ran across this cool yet unobtrusive computer wallpaper of a smooth sea and clouds taken in Italy. It has low texture, so it won't "get in the way" of any desktop icons. Amazingly, the photographer says he didn't make a bunch of "tweaks" to the photo.

The image comes from the blog of a self-described "World and Humanitarian Photographer", David duChemin.

Sea and sky wallpaper (size: large, widescreen)

NASA video of aerosol flow

noreply@blogger.com (CBrulee) — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 23:05:00 +0000

NASA has an impressive and colorful video of a global map of the flow of atmospheric aerosols - -particles suspend in the air.

The model uses actual data from Earth-observing satellites to show the flow of the aerosols and compute their density as they moved around, carried by winds.

Dust. Wind. Dude! ("Slate" magazine)

iPhones born in rare earths

noreply@blogger.com (CBrulee) — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 21:55:00 +0000

Smartphones are all the rage, but few realize the human toll in creating them. From Coltan mined in the DR Congo to rare earth mines in Las Vegas, side effects of the mining cause problems.

Rare earths come with pleasantly exotic names like neodymium and cerium, but mining techniques often cause environmental hazards. At least one US Company, Molycorp, is trying to use environmentally friendly methods, but China, digging around the world (including DR Congo), is a problem.

"...in China, which produces more than 90 percent of the world's supply of rare-earth minerals, environmental laws have historically been scant and enforcement lax. The center of rare-earth mining there is Baotou, a city in Inner Mongolia with 2.3 million residents that's become something of a poster child for mining's ecological wreckage."

Digging for rare earths: The mines where iPhones were born (includes a video)

Related...

DiCaprio helps fight wildlife crime

noreply@blogger.com (CBrulee) — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 02:01:00 +0000

During a long break he plans to take from the stress of acting, Leonardo DiCaprio is helping the World Wildlife Fund fight wildlife crime.

Illegal trade in animal parts threatens species such as elephants, rhinos, and tigers. Due to a loophole in Thai laws, Thailand has the world's largest unregulated ivory market. Criminals also sell illegally poached ivory from Africa, further devastating already threatened populations of rhinos and elephants.

Leonardo DiCaprio launches fight against wildlife crime
"Hands off my parts" (World Wildlife Fund)

African poachers fill 11,000 Gabon elephants in less than a decade

Google Earth Engine

noreply@blogger.com (CBrulee) — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 22:04:00 +0000

Scientists, researchers, and nationals are all partnering with Google to use its Earth Engine.

The resulting mashups of satellite data with imagery can help detect trends and also call attention to possible problem areas. Among the time-lapse views available:

Deforestation of the Amazon
Wyoming coal mining
Columbia Glacier retreat (Alaska)

Pre-computed datasets include "Mexico percent tree cover". These use the free Google Earth 3D browser plugin.

Google Earth Engine

e-Stewards

noreply@blogger.com (CBrulee) — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 22:38:00 +0000

The e-Stewards organization aims to reduce electronic waste (e-waste) by working with companies and governments. Their site also has a Google map mashup showing the nearest e-Stewards recycler near you.

What's the difference between a plain recycler and an e-Stewards one?

"Certified e-Stewards recyclers adhere to the e-Stewards Standard for Responsible Recycling and Reuse of Electronic Equipment®; written by the environmental community with leaders in the industry to protect human health and the global environment."

In short, the e-Stewards Certification is much more thorough in protecting the environment than other Recycling Certifications. Check out their site for the details.

If you have electronic waste to recycle, check out the map.

Biggest trees dying quickly

noreply@blogger.com (CBrulee) — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 01:25:00 +0000

A study shows that the worlds biggest trees are dying quickly in forests at all latitudes ... from California to Sweden to Australia. Yosemite National Park, African savannahs, Amazon rainforests, and northern arboreal forests are all affected.

"A report by three of the world’s leading ecologists in today’s issue of the journal Science warns of an alarming increase in deathrates among trees 100-300 years old" (SciNews)

"Large old trees play critical ecological roles. They provide nesting or sheltering cavities for up to 30% of all birds and animals in some ecosystems. They store huge amounts of carbon. They recycle soil nutrients, create rich patches for other life to thrive in, and influence the flow of water within landscapes and the local climate."
(Professor Bill Lawrence, James Cook University)

World's biggest trees are dying quickly (Newsy video)
Large old tress dying off worldwide (Yale Environment 360)
The world's biggest trees are dying (SciNews)

Ghostly remains of Artic sea ice

noreply@blogger.com (CBrulee) — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 22:23:00 +0000

NASA satellite images show the chilling results of an increasing meting of Arctic sea ice.

Climate change creates havoc worldwide, but the net effect is a warmer climate, less ice, and a future with raised sea levels.

NASA image of sea ice "ghosts" (at Universe Today)

Related story: Antarctica's ice eaten away from below (article includes a video)

Evangelical Leader: Connection Between Climate Change, Poverty

noreply@blogger.com (CBrulee) — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 23:16:00 +0000

The Christian Post reports that Evangelical Environmental Network President Mitch Hescox believes that global poverty is strongly connected to climate change caused by humans.

Before being called to be a pastor, Hescox worked in the energy business.

"How we care about creation care determines how we care about human life," he said. "Because the impacts of poverty, of disease, water shortages, is all related to how we steward the creation."

Read the full Christian Post article

Animals of Autumn

noreply@blogger.com (CBrulee) — Sun, 30 Sep 2012 20:37:00 +0000

I came across this site recently when viewing environment on a tablet app. The web page contains 40 nice photos, so loading may be slow. Be patient. It's worth it.

Animals of Autumn

Don't be an idler

noreply@blogger.com (CBrulee) — Sun, 19 Aug 2012 20:52:00 +0000

Idling gasoline engines pumps CO2 into the atmosphere. By now everyone should know that tons of CO2 is not a good thing for God's earth.

If you could idle your vehicle just five minutes less each day, you will burn 10 fewer gallons of gasoline a year. That means you are pumping 220 fewer pounds of CO2 into the air.

As colder weather approaches, also keep in mind that modern cars do not need to idle for a long time to "warm up". Do let the engine rpms come down to normal before shifting into gear, but don't idle the car thinking that it needs it. Also remember that other car parts such as bearings warm up only when the car gets moving.

So stop idling; get moving.

Driving more efficiency (fuelecomony.gov)
10 ECO driving tips (Ford Motor Comp.)
Fuel Efficiency Tips to Help Save You Gas and Money (Chevrolet)

White House designates National Blueways

noreply@blogger.com (CBrulee) — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 00:13:00 +0000

In May 2012 the Obama administration designated the Connecticut River and its 7.2 million-acre watershed as the first segment of a new National Blueways System. This new system was created to improve several things in river systems across the country:

help conserve natural amenities
help conserve wildlife habitat
preserve or enhance healthy recreational opportunities

The administration created America’s Great Outdoors Initiative to establish a community-driven conservation and recreation agenda for the 21st century. The National Blueways program is part of that larger initiative. Large blueways such as the Connecticut River watershed are very important in several ways, inmcluding:

nurseries for biodiversity
filtration systems for fresh water supplies
outdoor recreational outlets for millions of Americans.

Some 2.4 million people across almost 400 communities live within the Connecticut River’s watershed. The non-profit Trust for Public Land estimates that 1.4 million of those residents enjoy the watershed’s natural beauty and wildlife and add about $1 billion dollars to local economies each year.

“The Connecticut River Watershed is a model for how communities can integrate their land and water stewardship efforts with an emphasis on ‘source-to-sea’ watershed conservation,” said Secretary of the Interior Kenneth Salazar upon announcing the new designation.

According to the U.S. Department of Interior, the National Blueway designation “differs from existing federal designations for rivers (e.g., Wild and Scenic), which generally cover only a segment of a river and a narrow band of the riparian corridor.” In contrast, a National Blueway includes the entire river from “source to sea” as well as the river’s watershed.

A National Blueway designation doesn’t establish any new protections for the watersheds in question, but it does open the door to some federal support for existing and/or new local and regional conservation, recreation and restoration projects. In the case of the Connecticut River, the new designation will help by improving coordination between local/regional planning entities and federal agencies such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The designation should also mean more funding for trail building and forest restoration projects.

America's Great Outdoors Initiative

Source: Based on an article in "EarthTalk"®, a registered trademark of E - The Environmental Magazine (http://www.emagazine.com/). You may be interested in the online archive of past EarthTalk articles or in the EarthTalk article news feed.

American ozone hurts European wheat

noreply@blogger.com (CBrulee) — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 00:43:00 +0000

We live in a connected world. God's world. Our actions (or inaction?) affect others. Here's one example.

The journal "Biogeosciences" reports that air pollution from North America is causing Europe to lose 1.2 million tons of wheat a year. Our pollution is affecting other nations ... other businesses ... other people ... other lives.

Biogeosciences is "An Interactive Open Access Journal of the European Geosciences Union."

Good stewardship of God's earth takes others into account. What are you personally doing to reduce air pollution?

The full article at Futurity.org
The original study (Biogeosciences). Caution -- this is written for a professional journal, not a general audience.

Denialists retreat from reality

noreply@blogger.com (CBrulee) — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 23:37:00 +0000

The Wall Street Journal went over the reality cliff when it stated that there has been a "lack of global warming for well over 10 years now." Wow. Really! What planet does that writer live on? Surely not this one.

The fact is that nine of the ten hottest years on record all occurred since the year 2000. But, hey! What are facts in the face of opinion? A fact is something we want to be true, not reality, isn't it? ... ROFL

While temperatures rise, denialists reach lower (Discover Magazine)
Global surface temperature: Going down the up escalator (Skeptical Science)
Ten hottest years on record (Discover Magazine)

Poor nations push for climate deal

noreply@blogger.com (CBrulee) — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 02:16:00 +0000

The UN's Least Developed Countries bloc and small island states seek a new deal about thc climate, as many of them are vulnerable to climate impacts such as drought or inundation.

EU Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard backed the request.

The 48-country Least Developed Countries bloc (LDCs) includes:

Countries prone to drought, such as Ethiopia and Mali.
Countries with long flat coastal zones such as Bangladesh and Tanzania.
Himalayan mountain states including Bhutan and Nepal (melting glaciers pose serious dangers to those countries).

Some rich nations and developeing countries such as Brazil, China, and India are not so crazy about a new deal.

Record High Greenhouse gasses to linger on

noreply@blogger.com (CBrulee) — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 22:54:00 +0000

Record high greenhouse gases will hang around for decades, tgeh U.N.'s weather agency says, even if the world were to stop pumping those into the air right now. Great.

An article about this appeared in the "Insurance Journal". Why is a business interested in climate change or greenhouse gasses? Think about it. Global warming impacts health, crops, livestock, locations of harmful insects, available water, ocean currents, and much more. And things like air pollution also affect health, which affects sick days and impacts the cost of medicare care as well as health insurance.

Climate warming and air pollution are bad for business, in the long run.

Record High Greenhouse Gasses to Linger for Decades (Insurance Journal)
"Insurance Journal" articles involving global warming

What does a label mean?

noreply@blogger.com (CBrulee) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 23:07:00 +0000

WebMD warns that while many "green" or "natural" cleaning products are indeed safer, others are “greenwashed”. That means they are marketed as "natural" but still have suspect chemicals.”

How can you tell? “Get in the simple practice of looking at product labels to see if the cleaning manufacturer is clearly disclosing all ingredients,” reports WebMD. “If it is not…it could mean the manufacturer is trying to hide a particular suspect ingredient.”

Also, just because a product has an eco-certification printed on its label doesn’t necessarily mean it should be trusted. To make sure, check the Eco-Labels section of Consumer Reports’ Greener Choices website, which gives the low-down on what labels really mean and whether they are backed up by government regulations.

The Greener Choices site asks, "Did you know? ..."

The "free-range" label doesn’t necessarily mean the animals went outdoors.
"Fair Trade Certified" means more than paying producers a fair wage.
Meat labeled as "natural" can contain artificial ingredients.

Another good resource is the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Household Products Database, which provides ingredient lists for thousands of products on U.S. store shelves.

If you want to play it safe and natural when cleaning your home, WebMD suggests using white distilled vinegar—it kills mold and mildew, eliminates soap scum and sanitizes, all in one fell swoop—to clean windows, tile, cutting boards and countertops. Another effective yet gentle natural cleaner for countertops and bathtubs is baking soda, especially when mixed with a few drops of mild soap. Borax can be called in for tougher stains.

If you’re interested in cleaning greener, there are many sources of natural cleaning recipes online. Or check out the cleaning products aisle at your local natural food store, where you will find a wide range of cleaning formulations from the likes of Seventh Generation, Ecover, Green Works and Earth Friendly Products (which sells a “Safeguard Your Home” retail pack that includes one each of a window cleaner, an all-purpose cleaner, a dishwashing liquid, an automatic dishwasher gel, a laundry detergent and a fabric refresher), among many others.

Eco-label center, Greener Choices (a Consumer Reports site)
Free range -- U.S. vs. Europe (WikiPedia)
Free range issues
Green and clean - top picks for cleaning your home (WebMD)
Household products database (NIH, NLM)
Looking behind the "natural" label on foods (NPR)

Disclaimer: The author subscribes to Consumer Reports online

Source: Based on an article in "EarthTalk"®, a registered trademark of E - The Environmental Magazine (http://www.emagazine.com/). You may be interested in the online archive of past EarthTalk articles or in the EarthTalk article news feed.

Dirty data - Apple, Facebook, IBM

noreply@blogger.com (CBrulee) — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 19:42:00 +0000

Apple, Facebook, and IBM are all especially guilty of getting significant amounts of power from coal-fired power plants. This finding was came to light in a Greenpeace report about the energy use of the 10 biggest tech companies.

You'd think that these rotten apples would be red-faced!

Facebook also came under fire earlier in 2011 when reporters found that the company planned to buy electricity for its new eco-friendly data center in Prineville, Oregon — one of the greenest such facilities ever designed and constructed — from a utility that gets most of its power from coal.

Green cloud services firms

The companies that scored best scored best in use of renewable alternative energy sources for cloud services?

Yahoo
Amazon.com
Microsoft

Google also leads in green

Google has been a real leader in the building of green data centers, even powering them with renewable energy. The company released environmental footprint scores for several of its data centers. While the energy usage required to run its cloud services (Google Search, Google+, Gmail and YouTube) seems huge in the aggregate (it used 260 megawatt hours to power its data centers in 2010), it boils down to only 7.4 kilowatt hours worth of energy annually per user.

Google reports that to provide an individual user with its services for a month uses less energy than leaving a light bulb on for three hours. And because the company has been carbon neutral since 2007, “even that small amount of energy is offset completely, so the carbon footprint of your life on Google is zero.”

Cloud computing will help environment

In the long run, analysts think that the widespread shift to cloud computing will be a great boon to the environment. A report released in September 2011 by Pike Research, “Cloud Computing Energy Efficiency,” predicts that because of the shift to cloud computing and increasing efficiencies, data center power consumption will decrease by 31 percent between 2010 and 2020.

Learn more about green IT and cloud computing

How dirty is your data? (Greenpeace report) (PDF)
Energy Star
Cloud Computing Efficiency (Pike Research)
Cloud comuting's green paradox (CNET)
Green Computing via Cloud Computing
Green Data Center Alliance