There has been so much in the news about Climate change that I thought I would break it down and explain how it comes about…
Climate change is bought about by Global Warming which is characterized by a general increase in average temperatures of the Earth, which modifies the weather balances and ecosystems for a long time. It is directly linked to the increase of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere, worsening the greenhouse effect.
Although the greenhouse effect is a natural phenomenon the increase in greenhouse gases is linked to human activities.
The massive use of fossil fuels is obviously the first source of global warming, as burning coal, oil and gas produce carbon dioxide – the most important greenhouse gas in the atmosphere – as well as nitrous oxide.
I have previously mentioned how everything I talk about in my blogs is interlinked one has an effect on another…and so it goes…
Fossil fuels are used to produce PET…( Polyethylene Terephthalate)
This is the most commonly used plastic for consumer products which include:- Water bottles, soda bottles and some food packaging.
It is intended for single use only….One time usage…as reusing increases the risk of leaching and bacterial growth. It may leach carcinogens and should NOT be reused.
Still confused about the numbers on plastic bottles then click here for a guide
So to the solution...The first way to prevent climate change is to move away from fossil fuels. What are the alternatives? Renewable energies like solar, wind, biomass and geothermal.
The German government realise what a problem this is and plan to close all 84 of their coal-powered power plants.
Roughly 27 % of Germany’s electricity is from renewables; the goal is at least 80 % by 2050. Following the March 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, Germany has permanently shut down eight of its 17 reactors and pledged to close the rest by the end of 2022. It sounds to me like Germany are serious about using renewable fuel.
Update 2021…Germany’s plan was a brave one and as more Nuclear and coal-burning power stations are due to close there are concerns that renewables will not meet business and consumer needs…An operation like this does have many variables and also relies on outside factors so setbacks are inevitable but no pain no gain as they say…This is one of the recent updates.
Italy voted overwhelmingly to keep their country non-nuclear. Switzerland and Spain have banned the construction of new reactors.
Update 2021…In Europe, some countries stand out for renewable energy conversation, and Italy is one of the top players. For 2018 and 2020, respectively, Italy beat its renewable energy targets. The total energy produced by hydroelectric, solar, wind, bioenergy and geothermal power in Italy for 2018 reached 17.8% of final gross consumption, going past the 17% target set for 2020.
However, electricity in Italy is expensive.
Update 2021...Switzerland it was due to intense public pressure in Switzerland that the construction of new reactors was banned. Over the years intense public opposition has scuppered several nuclear power plant projects. This was the case in 1975 when plans to build a nuclear power plant in Kaiseraugst (canton of Aargau) had to be abandoned as the result of public protests.
At present, Switzerland is in the midst of an energy transition. One of the aims of the country’s ‘Energy Strategy 2050’ is the phase-out of nuclear power.
This brings me to the conclusion that all these demonstrators do have a point…Governments need to be made to take notice particularly the ones at the top of the list as they are certainly making a huge contribution to Global Warming.
It is heartening to read about towns that are making their own efforts to combat Global Warming like the Finnish town of Li in Northern Finland
Globally is it going to be enough? I do hope so…but Finland is still leading the way on conservation in many ways as its people are on board and that my friends is the only way to ensure that we go forward and tackle this Climate emergency…
China who are top of the list for burning fossil fuel and it seems their answer is to deploy the army to plant trees…All is well and good but is it addressing the true problem?
Thank you for reading and I do invite your comments what do you think about the most polluted country planting trees????
Thank you once again for reading this post I hope you all have a great week xx
Welcome to my Environmental A-Z…still an A-Z but with a difference …
The idea for this series came about because yes as my regular followers and commenters know I am passionate about the health of the world I am living in… however often when I am researching and reading articles I come across terms and have to look them up which spawned the idea for this…two-fold… it increases my knowledge and I hope yours…
The A-Z of the environment and Climate Change… letter G.
The best way to predict your future is to create it...Abraham Lincoln.
The following are two words that we hear each and every day from the activists to the naysayers and Joe public…
Greenhouse Effect…The greenhouse effect is a process that occurs when gases in Earth’s atmosphere trap the Sun’s heat. This process makes Earth much warmer than it would be without an atmosphere. The greenhouse effect is one of the things that makes Earth a comfortable place to live.
Sounds ideal, doesn’t it?
Greenhouse Gases…Greenhouse gases are gases in Earth’s atmosphere that trap heat.
However…greenhouse gases have kept Earth’s climate habitable for humans and millions of other species. But those gases are now out of balance and threaten to change drastically which living things can survive on this planet…
There are 4 major greenhouse gases…Plus minor ones which not studied in great depth but I am guessing all have a part to play.
Carbon Dioxide(CO2): a primary greenhouse gas that is responsible for about three-quarters of emissions…it can however linger in the atmosphere for thousands of years and therein lies the problem…it is the burning of organic materials like coal, oil, gas, wood, and solid waste.
Methane(CH4): methane is the main component of natural gases…so if it’s a natural happening what is the problem..it is the excesses of the world that have exasperated the world’s problem.
Landfills, natural gas and the petroleum industries also let’s not forget the cows…all those grass-fed cows and their by-products meat and butter which we are being told are better for our health are not it seems better for the health of the atmosphere…
But hang on here…I am on the side of the cows who have been around and been a source of milk and food for aeons…if you are also on the side of cows then YOU need to get your act together and by YOU…I mean everyone…Landfills and Waste are some of the biggest contributors to many of the world’s problems…
In the UK alone…2.7 BILLION vegetables are thrown away every year…That is equivalent to 8 meals per person a week…Just saying…Think about it…Think about where it goes and the effect…as well as who it could feed and then tell me that is not down to YOU!
The solution starts and ends with YOU!
Nitrous Oxide(N2O):…6% doesn’t sound a lot…Does it?
But it is 264 times more powerful than carbon dioxide over 20 years, and its lifetime in the atmosphere exceeds a century, according to the IPCC…which is the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change…the United Nations body for assessing the science to Climate Change.
Agriculture and livestock, including fertilizer, manure, and the burning of agricultural residues, along with burning fuel, they are the biggest source of nitrous oxide emissions.
I am still on the side of the cows ALTHOUGH I do believe that is down to YOU as well…Yes, all roads lead to Rome as the saying goes…
Changes are needed…NOW…they are needed from farmers and manufacturers they are needed from YOU…We are in charge of our little patch of the world we live in ..we stock our pantries and fridges…we choose what we buy, what we eat, what we wear, what we use to cook on and heat our homes…we also choose who is in power we have a vote…we choose …
We can of course choose to be an Ostrich we can also choose to think that what we do has no consequences, no impact on the bigger picture…we are just one what does what we do matter?
It Matters!
Industrial Gases...I can hear you…YOU think I am now going to sound off big time …Fess Up…Nope, I am just going to name the gases and leave you a link…
Fluorinated gases such as hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, chlorofluorocarbons, sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), and nitrogen trifluoride (NF3) have heat-trapping potential thousands of times greater than CO2 and stay in the atmosphere for hundreds to thousands of years. Accounting for about 2 per cent of all emissions, they’re used as refrigerants, solvents, and in manufacturing, sometimes occurring as byproducts.
Global Warming…Global warming refers to climate change that causes an increase in the average temperature of the lower atmosphere. Global warming can have many different causes, but it is most commonly associated with human interference, specifically the release of excessive amounts of greenhouse gases.
Although I understand some of the changes HAPPENING AROUND THE WORLD and to an extent know what we can do to slow it down, however, I also know that the earth has gone through changes over the centuries so how much can we manipulate and stop what is happening and how much is just a fact of life ???
That’s all for today…I hope I have explained it in layman terms and made some things clearer as I believe we should all have a clearer picture in our minds as to what we can change and how… also what affects our health and how…
See you in two weeks for the letter H…next Wednesday it will be Part 6 of the new A-Z on food and terms with the middle letter being G as in Bagel…cinnamon and raisin…yes, please x
Thank you for reading it is a pleasure to see you here I hope you come again… Love Carol x
Hello and welcome to this weeks edition of the latest news on Climate Change and recycling…Thank you so much to everyone who reblogged and commented last week…Your comments are valuable to me and even when I am feeling a little down they brighten my day…It is lovely to see how many of you are doing what you can to recycle, buy local, grow your own very heartening…
I was wandering around the internet the other day and I came across this it is an old speech by a lady I have always admired and listening to her speech I was struck by how much foresight she had back then …
She was the first world leader to make a speech on Climate Change…
What a woman...It is such a shame we don’t have any woman politicians who can take her crown…She always conducted herself with such dignity…This is one lady who would have put the gutter press firmly back where they belong…
Taking it one step further I was very pleased to read this statement…UK’s carbon emissions down 29% since 2010…
I was also pleased to read how the town of Peterborough…has emerged as the UK’s electric car capital with more ‘ultra-low emissions’ vehicles per head than anywhere else in the country. It looks like to me that the UK should be applauded as they seem to be streets ahead in the Climate Change race…
I am against all forms of animal exploitation…I do not go to zoos or parks who parade animals for money…The methods used to train and keep them are against all the laws of nature as it was attended…by all means visit places which conserve them in their natural habit and there are many although visitors are restricted and not allowed during breeding times but that is fine with me…or take a boat trip where you may see one of these beautiful creatures in the wild …
Humans are not imprisoned unless they have committed a crime and even then they are not paraded in public view…Why should innocent animals be any different… I hope this bill goes through…
I did mention Pony Painting parties last week I believe and I did contact the R.S.P.C.A …not for the first time in my life I will add and this was no different to me they are an organisation with no teeth…
For that, they are in my Naughty Corner this week…
I sent them the link to the parties and asked for their opinion…I received this back…
We do have concerns about events where horse and pony painting is used as entertainment. We understand children love getting close to animals but we would urge any such encounters to focus on fostering compassion towards animals and providing education about how to act safely around horses and ponies and meet their complex needs.
It is essential that people are responsible around animals and make sure that they are never put in a situation where they are anxious and stressed, which may result in harm to the animal or the people around them. If people are taking part in activities with horses and ponies, they must be given plenty of breaks in a quiet place where they can rest undisturbed and be aware of signs that they are experiencing stress. People must always make sure any products used on their coats are non-toxic.
RSPCA Advice Team
My response to this:
Thank you for your response…
I do understand that children need to be taught how to treat animals with kindness…Children also need to be taught certain other things like you don’t paint animals…Full stop!
.Scenario child is allowed to paint said pony…They don’t know what is toxic and what isn’t …They painted an animal so that must be ok. They are at home and get into mummy’s makeup box or daddy is painting and left the room unattended.
They paint their pet hamster or mouse could even be the dog or cat…Get in the poor animal’s eyes or just cover it with so much paint or makeup that the poor animal suffocates. I am not one to scaremonger but I have brought up 6 children and have a few grandchildren…All who have dabbled in the makeup and one who painted the dining room table a lovely shade of red…That had no relation at all (and we have )had our own ponies to being allowed to paint them( the ponies)…Animals are animals to kiddies…
I am disappointed with your standardised response as most parents who would take their prince and princesses to these parties know diddly squat about ponies and their care…I am sure that unless you had a complaint of ill-treatment pony painting parties will go on and no one knows actually what is going on as regards proper rest and acting on signs of distress in the pony.
Kind Regards…
Their response…
We are sorry that you are disappointed with our response, we don’t agree with animals being used in any forms of entertainment but sadly we have no enforcement powers and we cannot stop these events taking place. Where we can we always try and discourage such events and/or offer advice to ensure the animal’s welfare.
Kind Regards
No teeth…The reason I wrote to the R.S.P.C.A is that I think people become desensitised and while pony parties come across as very pretty and nice …Ask yourself how the pony feels…
Back to some more good news…
McDonald’s Australia is taking action on plastic cutlery…
The fast-food chain has announced plans to axe plastic cutlery in favour of wooden utensils, which will soon be available in all 900-plus stores across Australia.
Plastic cutlery will be phased out by the end of this year. Question?
We will never completely eradicate plastic and as such it has a use in our lives I do however think we should be more aware of where we can use plastic sustainably, what type and whether there would be a better alternative…
There are many inventive ideas for circular recycling which on their own do not have much impact but collectively with other incentives around the world will have an impact.
We also need to show and make our voices heard as the only way manufacturers and governments will take notice is by our habits…if we feel strongly about plastic waste then don’t buy fizzy pop and in all honesty, is it good for our health?
I think we need to take a good long hard look at where we as individuals can make a difference not only to the environment but our own and our families health…
We need to encourage our children and grandchildren to look at the bigger picture to do their own research…to not make a doctors visit or rely on creams our first port of call for minor injuries and the such when something quite natural can do the job…
Only this morning my 15-year-old grandson woke up with extremely puffy lips with blisters/spots…He had apparently been eating mango at football last night and bitten through the skin of the mango…One of his fellow football mates told him that he shouldn’t do that as the skin could make his lips swell up with a reaction…They did…
On entering into his room to enquire how his lips were earlier I spied a bag with crushed garlic beside him…He had gone onto U-Tube and came across this antidote… It has made a difference …My point is he did his research ..takes after Nannie…and came up with a natural cure which may or may not have worked but he took it on himself to try it and so far it is reducing the swelling…
I also learnt something that garlic has another property I wasn’t aware of…..He will also not be trying to bite through a mangoes tough skin…again…Lesson learnt!
Some great ideas from WWF on what can be made from recycled plastic…
Thank you if you are still here and reading to the end…I look forward to your comments xx
About Carol Taylor: Enjoying life in The Land Of Smiles I am having so much fun researching, finding new, authentic recipes both Thai and International to share with you. New recipes gleaned from those who I have met on my travels or are just passing through and stopped for a while. I hope you enjoy them.
I love shopping at the local markets, finding fresh, natural ingredients, new strange fruits and vegetable ones I have never seen or cooked with. I am generally the only European person and attract much attention and I love to try what I am offered and when I smile and say Aroy or Saab as it is here in the north I am met with much smiling.
Some of my recipes may not be in line with traditional ingredients and methods of cooking but are recipes I know and have become to love and maybe if you dare to try you will too. You will always get more than just a recipe from me as I love to research and find out what other properties the ingredients I use contain to improve our health and wellbeing.
Exciting for me hence the title of my blog, Retired No One Told Me! I am having a wonderful ride and don’t want to get off, so if you wish to follow me on my adventures, then welcome! I hope you enjoy the ride also and if it encourages you to take a step into the unknown or untried, you know you want to…….Then, I will be happy!
Thank you once again for reading this post I hope you all have a great week xx
Monday…The start of another week …I have lots of good news for you this week and I am sure I can find someone to go into the Naughty Corner…and if they clean up their act and get it together I may even promote them at some point but they will have to prove they are worthy of a mention…
There is much in the news lately about travel…About people who are talking about theenviroment quite publicly but are totting up those carbon footprints by their means of travel…
What are your thoughts on this? Do you think about how you travel? But are a zealous recycler…How many of you have changed your mode of travel?
We have no car now…We travel by bus or walk…However, if I am taking a trip I generally go by plane…short journeys of about 1 and a half hours…Could I go by bus or train? I could…Would I consider the bus or train…I am considering the train…The buses are another story…The record for safe travel by bus is not good…here…
We could improve we are getting better so I really need to try harder…How about you?
Back to what are your thoughts do you think if we address carbon emissions in other ways that will work? Electric cars seem to be something which seems to be a viable option and more people are changing…
This post on train travel gives some great options…Click here…
What about planes are there plans afoot to reduce their carbon footprints ? would that raise fares? This is an interesting article on how if you have to fly you can reduce your carbon footprint and also it talks about ” Offsets” something I haven’t heard of before but it sounds interesting and something that all these frequent flyers and the jet-set could adopt or maybe they already do???
Zero waste in the home… How many of you can claim that title…I can’t… I try my best but am not yet completely Zero waste-free in my home…Are you?
Can we help reduce greenhouse emissions with our food…?
That wedding breakfast last week…was an awesome way to show how waste food and food past its sell-by day can still be used and make some fantastic dishes which could grace any table as this wedding feast showed…
There are many similar schemes popping up all over the place…The rise of not-for-profit “pay-what-you-like” projects in the UK, which have been set up either to help people struggling to put a meal on the table or for environmental reasons.
It does, however, leave me asking how much waste food do we produce???
I think we all know that cows are a big source of Methane gas …Scientists now have discovered how to turn CO2 into oxygen…
The naughty Corner…
China (Coal)
China is the world’s largest producer and consumer of coal, and it shows in the results of the investigation by the CDP. According to the report, the coal industry in China was responsible for 14.32 % of the world’s GHG emissions.
What is China doing…China has already set out a target of ensuring its still-growing emissions peak by 2030, a target experts say should be met. Which means the highest point will have been reached and emissions will begin to fall.
However, Keohane vice president at the Environmental Defense Fund, a US-based environmental group. said the new emissions trading system could allow that peaking – essential if the world is to remain within the goals of the Paris agreement, to hold temperature rises to no more than 2 degrees C – Peaking could take place years earlier.
Thank you for reading this post I hope there was something that piqued your interest if you liked it please share or reblog, Thank you xx
About Carol:
Enjoying life in The Land Of Smiles I am having so much fun researching, finding new, authentic recipes both Thai and International to share with you. New recipes gleaned from those who I have met on my travels or are just passing through and stopped for a while. I hope you enjoy them.
I love shopping at the local markets, finding fresh, natural ingredients, new strange fruits and vegetable ones I have never seen or cooked with. I am generally the only European person and attract much attention and I love to try what I am offered and when I smile and say Aroy or Saab as it is here in the north I am met with much smiling.
Some of my recipes may not be in line with traditional ingredients and methods of cooking but are recipes I know and have become to love and maybe if you dare to try you will too. You will always get more than just a recipe from me as I love to research and find out what other properties the ingredients I use to have to improve our health and wellbeing.
Exciting for me hence the title of my blog, Retired No One Told Me! I am having a wonderful ride and don’t want to get off, so if you wish to follow me on my adventures, then welcome! I hope you enjoy the ride also and if it encourages you to take a step into the unknown or untried, you know you want to…….Then, I will be happy!
Thank you once again for reading this post and if you love it please feel free to share or bookmark for later. If you have any queries then drop me an email carolcookstwo@gmail.com xx
It takes a lot for the British public to feel they have to make their voices heard and is not an everyday occurrence… I am seeing this again in the actions of the Extinction Rebellion the British public have had enough of successive governments inaction and are rebelling and making their voices heard…These are ordinary people, not radicals…Mum’s, Dad’s, grandparents, young people who are all concerned about the beautiful world we live in and the abuse which is allowed to rumble on unchecked…How health and wildlife are suffering and dying…But are we as the public getting all the facts…Not scaremongering facts backed up by science…
Which means, however, something is nagging at me… I never take something on face value…I do my research it is just me I like to know…I like proven facts which have been checked and presented to me by a man/women who know…
Also what scares me is from every TV, social media site, news programmes I am being TOLD there is a problem and Climate Change needs to be addressed and we see the governments as not actioning things speedily enough sometimes it is circumstances and logistics it really is… some things take time…Cannot happen overnight…
Also having a knee jerk response is not always the correct action to take…Things this important need to be thought through…Properly…
What do I know and what should we all know as throughout history there have always been changes in the climate and there has always been a cause…
The Ozone Layer, Global Cooling, Population Explosion and now Global Warming…
Extinction Revolution…Want YOU to get arrested…
What are your thoughts? Are you prepared to be arrested? What happens if I am arrested? Unless other factors come into play you would normally not receive a criminal record for a civil offence…However, all the facts need to come into this so it could come down to individual cases… YOU COULD THEN HAVE A CRIMINAL RECORD…
For a young person...That could have a disastrous impact on future job applications…Many employers would not employ you if they thought you were going to cause disruption in the workplace with a criminal record for public disorder offences.
A Peaceful protest is ok…But a protest where once you have attached your self to something and you cannot change your mind…You will be arrested…I would have to be very sure of all my facts before I put myself in that position and it is not because I don’t think that we need to make changes and it is not because I don’t recycle and grow my own but do we have to prove our absolute conviction for something by being arrested?…
Is Global Warming as bad as we are being told?Just a question I am asking?
To make up my mind I need to know that the person or persons giving me the answers as I am not a scientist is giving me proven facts…
Scientists have numerous roles in society, all of which involve exercising curiosity in order to ask questions and seek answers about the universe. This involves using the scientific method to construct a testable question, make a prediction, perform tests and interpret the resulting data… Sometimes these tests can take years and if the result after this time is not proven then that theory is disproved…It happens…Not all theories work or can be proven to be correct…So a scientist comes up with another theory and the tests begin again…
This was the case with Fats…When a scientist stated that fats were not as harmful as previously thought…Now this theory had been used as a public HEALTH guideline…Facts when if do a bit of research has been known for years so why have changes to health guidelines taken so long? Much is down to politicians and the bits they choose to use…
Science is Science and Politicians are politicians…Politicians should not be choosing which bits of the science they should be using and scientists need to stand up and be counted…If their findings are being either diluted or misrepresented.
How do WE educate ourselves as time and time again over the years it has been proven that we have been deliberately lied to and mislead by politicians, manufacturers and public bodies, charities for their own gain…
We need to educate ourselves …We need to have healthy scepticism…We need to know if Climate Change is really as bad as we are led to believe… All these think tanks and UN bodies which we all take as the Climate Bible is debatable at the very least …
This video is a long one but it raised and confirmed many points for me…To say I WAS SHOCKED would not be true as I am used to finding out that we the public have been deceived yet again…What still shocks me is that so many still do not do their own research….
So much so that I am questioning the Extinction Revolution …If I could be sure that every person who was demonstrating had conducted their own research and knew exactly who the organisers were and whether or not they were affiliated or working for any other organisations I would be happier…
This video by Windows of the World is interesting as it mentions points which investigative journalist Donna Laframboise raised in the video above and had concerns about and this is much more recent…
When I read about fiddling with temperatures…I get scared…Because I don’t know who to believe …I don’t know what is the truth… I am really worried as to why there is so much disparity…I know there is natural climate change …It seems that in some places changes are quite drastic BUT is it the norm over the years and centuries …How much of this can be laid at man’s door?
Do you think that human generation of CO2 emissions significantly contribute to what we are seeing?
But there are so many assumptions being made and much of the information we are being fed is flawed…
Enjoying life in The Land Of Smiles I am having so much fun researching, finding new, authentic recipes both Thai and International to share with you. New recipes gleaned from those who I have met on my travels or are just passing through and stopped for a while. I hope you enjoy them.
I love shopping at the local markets, finding fresh, natural ingredients, new strange fruits and vegetable ones I have never seen or cooked with. I am generally the only European person and attract much attention and I love to try what I am offered and when I smile and say Aroy or Saab as it is here in the north I am met with much smiling.
Some of my recipes may not be in line with traditional ingredients and methods of cooking but are recipes I know and have become to love and maybe if you dare to try you will too. You will always get more than just a recipe from me as I love to research and find out what other properties the ingredients I use contain to improve our health and wellbeing.
The environment is also something I am passionate about and there will be more on this on my blog this year
Exciting for me hence the title of my blog, Retired No One Told Me! I am having a wonderful ride and don’t want to get off, so if you wish to follow me on my adventures, then welcome! I hope you enjoy the ride also and if it encourages you to take a step into the unknown or untried, you know you want to…….Then, I will be happy!
Retired? No one told me! 