Dr. Tim Flannery Talk April 20 2006
Blair and I had the pleasure last night of listening to a talk by Dr. Tim Flannery who is the author of “The Weather Makers“ Dr. Flannery’s work has been a real eye opener to the world regarding the fate of the earth with respect to carbon dioxide production.
Here are some facts that were highlighted at the talk:
- North America (as seen at night) is the brightest continent by far.
- One of the major source of electricity that is feeding the grid in North America is coal fired power plants.
- When coal is burned, massive amounts of carbon dioxide and trace amounts of uranium are dispersed into the atmosphere.
- Large amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere contribute to the greenhouse effect which in turn raises the earth’s temperature.
You may say to yourself that, hey, thats not so bad, Canada will be like Florida! Well here are some of the nasty things that can happen with only a very slight temperature increase:
- Melting of ice shelves and caps.
- Rising of sea levels (bye bye New York, L.A., Bombay, and any other major costal town) which will result in billions of deaths.
- Destruction of 90%+ of coral life (which results is the destruction of entire eco systems and economies)
- Salmon die instantly (as well as many other types of fish resulting in less food and damaged economies)
- Increase in Hurricane activity (60% more of them and raise the destruction levels a few bars)
- Extermination of entire species (Golden Toad, Polar Bears, Birds on Triangle Island, Possums, etc.)
So you may use the argument that “Well I’m not burning coal!” Yet the next time you throw on that light switch, you most certainly are ( unless you are generating power yourself )
58% of the problem is caused by normal humans (everyday people like you and I)
What can you do to help?
Here are some ideas:
- Wasteful power consumption (Turn off lights, computers, TVs when you are not using them)
- Eco-friendly power sources at your place of business and home (install solar panels - the government will give you money for it, wind energy)
- Energy efficient appliances and light bulbs (EnerGuide, LED Lights, etc)
- Smart transportation (Bikes, Hybrids, Vespas, Trains, Bus, Walking, Segways, etc.)
This is not to say drop everything and become a tree hugging hippy overnight, but every small amount helps and spreading the message to our businesses and governments is the first step towards salvation for our planet.
The debate is over. No more proof is required. The human species is in mortal danger. The earth will kill us if we continue business as usual.
- Posted in : General
- Author : site admin
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