you are what you eat

I saw my dad the other day for the first time in a few weeks. He had just stopped at the store to get a few groceries and he says, "I was just at BJ's, and everyone there is HUGE! I don't even mean overweight, I mean obese." I of course gave my usual, "Dad!" to which he replied, "I'm serious. When you were in elementary school and I used to go to back to school night, you would see a few people overweight, and a few obese, but now it's everyone!"
Clearly it's not everyone, but America is fatter than ever. Europe's obesity numbers are much lower, and a big part of that is probably because they eat organic food. A friend of mine has gone to Macedonia every summer since I've known her. Every summer she eats whatever she wants, and still comes home ten pounds lighter. It is oftentimes expensive to eat organics, but there are solutions.
The NY Times also had a great article this week about why it's so expensive to eat healthy, and what we can do about it.

Climate change could effect the war?

A new report is saying that the potential instablilty caused by climate change could prolong the War on Terror. I hadn't really thought of this as a possibility, but I guess climate change could hinder global security. Part of me is still skeptical of this because I really don't think that environmental changes would make terrorists more likely to attack. However, if conditions do worsen in other countries it could have a serious backlash for us either way. If various countries were all suffering at once, the US would be expected to step in and give aid.
It's amazing how great an impact global warming may have. It will effect ecosystems, habitats, industry, and now even security. I just hope we actually start doing something to fix things instead of just talking about the damage it may cause.

i can see clearly now

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then I highly reccommend heading over to the MSNBC climate change page. They've got great visuals of major areas of concern from global warming and the greenhouse effect. These interactives show areas where glaciers are shrinking and pictures melting mountains among other things. They've got some great articles and fun interactives, so go over there and educate yourself. Thanks MSNBC!

$900 billion? chump change

A report released by congressional invesitagators is saying that global warming damages could cost over $900 billion in insurance. This is of course in a worst case scenario situation, but these numbers are still jarring. Since Hurricane Katrina, hurricanes and flooding among others are now considered in the risk calculations by several private insurers.
What does this mean to you? More money out of your pocket. These ourageous costs could be a potential burden for taxpayers if insurance premiums for flood and crop losses increase. How's that for karma?

Al Gore: Climate Crusader!

Al Gore received an award from the U.N. on Thursday for his efforts on global warming. Way to go Al! Gore could not be present, but said in his speech read by actress/activist Daryl Hannah said, "It has taken too long for global leaders, especially in the United States, to wake up to this fact and respond, but I have hope."
I'm glad that people like Al Gore still have hope. We need it now more than ever. If you have not yet seen Gore's 2006 documentary "An Inconvenient Truth," I highly reccommend it. It should be an eye opener for some.

we have set an unrealistic goal

Cut greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent? A lofty goal if I've ever heard one. But this is what the European Union expects by 2050 to prevent the expected 2 degree Celsius rise in temperature that everyone is fearing. This means that wealthy nations like the US would have to cut emissions by 95 percent. 95 percent!! Will this ever happen? I don't think so.
Maybe we shouldn't have sat around doing nothing for so long. Or are we overreacting? Some think that all of this environmental rubbish is just political propaganda. We have dug ourselves a serious hole, and now the only suggestions for fixing it are not only drastic, but completely unrealistic. Good luck.

1/4 of the world at risk of ocean surges

Nearly one hundred billion people live below 100 feet above sea level. Years ago this didn't really matter, but rising sea levels are potentially putting these people in harm's way. These numbers are especially alarming in lieu of the Tsunami in 2004, and Hurricane Katrina in 2005, where we saw first hand just how devastating these sea level surges can be.
Climate change is causing sea levels to rise every year, and changing temperatures could cause these levels to increase further. We have already seen devastation to parts of artic areas, and continued glacial melting could result in these sudden surges. We are at a greater risk than we think, and need to start doing more about it.