Forum For The Future Earth Vision Institute | Earth Vision Institute, Founded by James Balog Environment Canada's Home Page Tab list Celebrate Earth Day on April 22 Celebrate Earth Day on April 22. Find out how the Government of Canada is taking action today for a more environmentally-friendly and sustainable tomorrow. Headlines Featured Prime Minister’s Volunteer Awards Canada-Korea Free Trade Agreement Access Oil Sands Environmental Monitoring Data and Information Weather Public Consultations It's your turn! Priorities Date Modified: CO2 Scorecard | Main Causes of Climate Change | Climate Change Key Points Both natural and human factors change Earth’s climate. Before humans, changes in climate resulted entirely from natural causes such as changes in Earth’s orbit, changes in solar activity, or volcanic eruptions. Since the Industrial Era began, humans have had an increasing effect on climate, particularly by adding billions of tons of heat-trapping greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. Earth’s temperature is a balancing act Earth’s temperature depends on the balance between energy entering and leaving the planet’s system . View enlarged image Models that account only for the effects of natural processes are not able to explain the warming over the past century. Changes in the greenhouse effect, which affects the amount of heat retained by Earth’s atmosphere Variations in the sun’s energy reaching Earth Changes in the reflectivity of Earth’s atmosphere and surface These factors have caused Earth’s climate to change many times. Radiative Forcing View enlarged image View enlarged image
Is It Getting Warmer? The ENDS Report | for environmental policy and business in the U Story of Stuff DEQ - Waste Reduction Need help with your waste reduction and recycling plan? See the list below for ideas. DISCLAIMER: References and links to commercial products or services do not constitute or imply an endorsement by DEQ or the Commonwealth of Virginia of such products or services, or their providers. DEQ and the Commonwealth of Virginia are not responsible for the content of external sites. Guest rooms Use bulk soap dispensers instead of individual soaps/shampoos in guest rooms Use refillable shampoo bottles rather than single-use bottles Instruct housekeeping staff to save and reuse unopened items Recycle used soap through Clean the World Kitchen (or meetings / events) Recycle fryer grease Donate excess food from events Compost food waste and other compostables Have an effective food inventory control system to minimize waste Dining room (or meetings / events) Restrooms Use bulk soap dispensers in public restrooms Use high-efficiency hand-dryers Purchase recycled-content paper-towels and toilet paper
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Greenhouse gas benchmark reached For the first time since we began tracking carbon dioxide in the global atmosphere, the monthly global average concentration of this greenhouse gas surpassed 400 parts per million in March 2015, according to NOAA’s latest results. “It was only a matter of time that we would average 400 parts per million globally,” said Pieter Tans, lead scientist of NOAA’s Global Greenhouse Gas Reference Network. “We first reported 400 ppm when all of our Arctic sites reached that value in the spring of 2012. In 2013 the record at NOAA’s Mauna Loa Observatory first crossed the 400 ppm threshold. Measuring greenhouse gases Patricio Eladio Rojas Ledezma, a Chilean meteorologist, collects air samples as part of NOAA's Global Greenhouse Gas Monitoring Network, on Easter Island, Chile, with a portable air sampler. “This marks the fact that humans burning fossil fuels have caused global carbon dioxide concentrations to rise more than 120 parts per million since pre-industrial times,” added Tans.
Renewable Energy This Living Lab offers you a chance to evaluate the renewable energy sources in the U.S. Renewable energy comes from natural resources such as wind, plant material, water (rain or tides), geothermal, or sunlight and is naturally replenished. Both renewable and non-renewable energy sources are used to generate electricity, power vehicles, and provide heating, cooling, and light. Renewable sources of energy vary widely in their cost-effectiveness and in their availability across the United States. Although water, wind, and other renewables may seem free, the cost comes in collecting and transporting the energy to the places where energy is needed. For example, to utilize energy from water, a dam must be built along with electric generators and transmission lines. Wind Wind is kinetic energy - a mass of air moving with speed (or velocity). Biomass Biomass is potential energy found in living or recently living organisms (plants, animals, and their waste products). Hydro Geothermal Solar
The World's First Solar Road Is Producing More Energy Than Expected by Katie Valentine Posted on Share this: "The World’s First Solar Road Is Producing More Energy Than Expected" Share: CREDIT: SolaRoad In its first six months of existence, the world’s first solar road is performing even better than developers thought. The road, which opened in the Netherlands in November of last year, has produced more than 3,000 kilowatt-hours of energy — enough to power a single household for one year, according to Al-Jazeera America. “If we translate this to an annual yield, we expect more than the 70kwh per square meter per year,” Sten de Wit, a spokesman for the project — dubbed SolaRoad — told Al Jazeera America. De Wit said in a statement that he didn’t “expect a yield as high as this so quickly.” The 230-foot stretch of road, which is embedded with solar cells that are protected by two layers of safety glass, is built for bike traffic, a use that reflects the road’s environmentally-friendly message and the cycling-heavy culture of the Netherlands.