Renewable Energy

Global warming can be described as an average increase in the Earth’s temperature, which is ultimately causing changes in world’s climate. These warming effects are heading towards the change in rainfall patterns, rise in sea level and serious repercussions on plants, wildlife and human beings. Basically the scientists relate this alteration with the mal activities of humans.

The effects of global warming and climate change are of a serious concern to both the human life and the environment as well. It is predicted that due this global warming climatic changes can turn to extreme weather events. In order to reduce this concern, many countries have implemented various policies and the rest are in the process of focusing on this. It is imperative on every individual’s part to play his apt role in overcoming these global changes. You can be a part of the solution by adopting some easy ways in fighting against global warming.

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There are numerous types of plants and so many ways from which energy can be produced in the world. Typically there are two approaches for using biomass energy, one is growing plants for energy use and second is using plant’s residues for other things. There is no best approach for using biomass energy because of climate differences from region to region, soils, geography, population and other such things.

Energy Crops

Energy crops or power crops can be grown in farms on massive level just like food crops. Best energy crops are the trees and grasses while other less agriculturally sustainable crops like corn tend can be used also for energy purposes.

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Environment is no more an issue that is a concern of NGO’s only. In fact as the awareness campaigns are becoming successful, whole of the world is trying its best in playing its role for the betterment of environment conditions. People have started realizing that the issue is staring in the eyes and if we would not address it head on, it is not going to give us much time before causing some real havoc.

Some of the environmental issues

Catastrophic changes in environment has started showing up. The severe climate waves US and Europe is currently experiencing is a reaction of the deteriorating environment conditions. We are facing global warming, seasons are changing their patterns, forests are fast depleting and the deserts are expanding with each passing day and all of this is because of the havoc our carelessness has shown towards environmental issues.

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We are all aware of the harmful effects of global warming, but there can be many ways to prevent global warming. Although we can’t prevent global warming completely, we can sure help to reduce the intensity of the future effects of global warming.

Here are some steps that we can take in our daily lives to prevent global warming effects.

• Use transportation only for travelling to far off areas. Try walking for short journeys or using a bicycle more frequently.
• Share transportation and do car-pooling whenever possible.
• Drive in the correct gear to reduce fuel usage. Keep all windows shut on warm days if you have air conditioning to maximize fuel efficiency.
• Consider purchasing a hybrid or electric vehicle when looking for a new car.

There are many benefits of biomass energy but an appropriate use is required for reaping these benefits. The benefits of Biomass Energy are given below:

Small Carbon Footprint

As compared to fossil fuel the carbon footprint of biomass energy is small which is one of the major benefit of biomass energy. When new plant material is available to replace the used material, no net carbon dioxide increase is produces by biomass energy. Bio power reduces fossil fuel consumption which also reduces the release of carbon dioxide, this seems to be a good news but there is a problem that fossil fuels are often used for manipulation and harvesting of biomass.

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Turkey’s parliament approved the Kyoto Protocol on cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

The protocol was passed with a parliamentary vote of 243 in favor, with just three votes against. Six deputies abstained.

Turkey had announced in June its intention to sign the accord, which was first agreed by world governments in 1997.

The government had postponed signing it for more than a decade, saying it needed to complete its industrial development first.

The Kyoto protocol requires signatory countries to reduce or stabilize their emissions of six “greenhouse” gases blamed for heating up the planet, the principal of which is carbon dioxide.

The protocol expires in 2012. On average it requires nations to reduce their emissions 5.2 percent below their 1990 level between 2008 and 2012. This would represent a 29 percent cut in overall emissions compared to levels expected by 2010.

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BERKELEY — Not only has the average global temperature increased in the past 50 years, but the hottest day of the year has shifted nearly two days earlier, according to a new study by scientists from the University of California, Berkeley, and Harvard University.

Just as human-generated greenhouse gases appear to the be the cause of global warming, human activity may also be the cause of the shift in the cycle of seasons, according to Alexander R. Stine, a graduate student in UC Berkeley’s Department of Earth and Planetary Science and first author of the report.

"We see 100 years where there is a very natural pattern of variability, and then we see a large departure from that pattern at the same time as global mean temperatures start increasing, which makes us suspect that there’s a human role here," he said.

Although the cause of this seasonal shift – which has occurred over land, but not the ocean – is unclear, the researchers say the shift appears to be related, in part, to a particular pattern of winds that also has been changing over the same time period. This pattern of atmospheric circulation, known as the Northern Annular Mode, is the most important wind pattern for controlling why one winter in the Northern Hemisphere is different from another. The researchers found that the mode also is important in controlling the arrival of the seasons each year.

Whatever the cause, Stine said, current Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) models do not predict this phase shift in the annual temperature cycle.

Details are published in the Jan. 22 issue of the journal Nature.

Temperatures at any given time of the year can be very different on land than over the ocean, Stine said, and a change in the strength and direction of the winds can move a lot of heat from the ocean onto land, which may affect the timing of the seasons. However, this seems to be only a partial explanation, he said, because the relationship between this pattern of circulation and the shift in the timing of the seasons is not strong enough to explain the magnitude of the seasonal shift.

The researchers also found that the difference between summer and winter land temperatures has decreased over the same 50-year period, with winter temperatures warming more than those in summer. They found that in non-tropical regions, winter temperatures over land warmed by 1.8 degrees Celsius and summer temperatures increased by 1 degree. Ocean warming has been somewhat less.

Stine noted that the study limited its focus to non-tropical regions because the seasons are more pronounced outside the tropics.

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