Fight Climate Change

According to a report from The BBC, China “is failing to make progress on improving and protecting the environment” and a study produced by the country’s “academics and government experts, ranked the country 100th out of 118 countries surveyed”. In the same week when George Bush has finally seized the climate change nettle and Tony Blair suggesting to world leaders that the Kyoto Agreement should extend to all the major countries, including India and China, it does seem that finally the issues surrounding climate change are starting to hit home in the corridor’s of power.

Dealing with climate change, however, has been discussed in abundance in scientific and technological corridors and The Sunday Mirror and The Telegraph today report that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change are suggesting putting giant mirrors in orbit around the the earth “to bounce sunlight back into space”. According to the report, 1% of reflected sunlight could make up for for 400 years of man-made emissions into the atmosphere (although the report doesn’t say how long the reflection would need to be active for, nor what affect it would have on the climate).

The IPCC (and climate change) are expected to hit the headlines next week when they release a report on the current state of the earth, the affect of climate change and predictions for the future. According to a report in The Australian the next 10 years are crucial in man’s attempts to reverse (or reduce) the affects of climate change.

Commenting on the same report, Margaret Wente of the Globe and Mail offers an alternative view to the climate change threat. The comments in the article are of the non-sensationalist kind and question whether the headlines for climate change are the extreme ends of the doomsday scenarios as suggested in the docu-movie An Inconvenient Truth and often highlighted in the press. The article is interesting, as are the thirty comments (both for and against) after the article. Furthermore, the article highlights the one major problem regarding climate change – there is not one definitive hymn sheet that government’s, scientist’s and journalist’s are able to sing from, and this continues to lead to public confusion about the climatic situation.

If you’re new to reading about climate change, or are just interested in the subject, then you may want to consider looking at The Rough Guide to Climate Change By Robert Henson. This is an easy to read book, full of pictures and graphics that provides the reader with an impartial view on the how, what, and why of climate change. Covering a wide range of subjects, the book manages to squeeze in a lot of material without ever being over scientific or complex.

Henson doesn’t just provide information about climate change, but also offers examples of sceptics opinions who believe that climate change is not a big a deal as some would have people imagine. It is well laid out and for just £4.99 (normal RRP £9.99) it’s an essential read for anyone interested in the current climate situation.

The book also provides useful tips on how you can lead a greener, climate friendly lifestyle as well as links to other websites for further reading, analysis and debate.

Fight Climate Change is a new site about climate change! Turn on the TV, look outside at the weather pick up a newspaper or read a blog (oops) and you’ll find that climate change is a hot topic. Only this week, President Bush has realised that something needs to be done about reducing oil consumption, reducing CO2 emissions and encouraging people to be more climatic aware.

Indeed, most policiticians realise that by being seen to be going green that they may attract voters. However, politician arm waving doesn’t answer questions about climate change, nor put in motion ways to encourage everyone to change their lifestyles to act upon climate change.

Carbon footprints are the buzz words of the moment, but again what affect will being carbon balanced or carbon concious have on the long term changes in our weather and climate? Will in five or ten years time will we be looking back at this period in history and wondering what all the fuss was about? Or will we be up to our eyes in water and global warming whilst being subjected to hurricanes, tornados and increased fuel prices?

Hopefully, by collating together news, information, tips and advice, we can help you find the answers and also perhaps give you ideas how you can do your bit to help Fight Climate Change!