We’re Getting Hotter
Thursday, August 30th, 2007
Global warming is real, says experts. The world as we know it changing forever-but there’s a lot we can do to help the planet and the people who live on it to stay healthier. Like air pollution, global warming is caused by emissions from coal-burning power plants and from cars and trucks. Greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, collect in the atmosphere and trap the sun’s heat. The difference between air pollution and global warming is that air pollution directly affects our health, while global warming causes climate change all over the world. In the past century, average global temperatures increased by one degree, which is faster than at any other period in the past 400 to 600 years. The result: The polar ice caps are melting at an alarming rate. Coastal areas in southen Louisiana are sinking. Lakes from Utah to Africa are drying up. The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates that by 2100, temperatures will rise two to 10 degrees-unless we do something.
Add your voice to the chorus of people asking U.S. leaders to take action. Go to Stop Global Warming. org and join Natural and Sustainable in a virtual march across the country to raise awareness about global warming. By signing your name, and asking your friends and family to do the same, you will become part of a concerned community urging the president and Congress to enact laws to reduce greehouse gas emissions and calling on businesses to develop cleaner energy. With your help, we can widen the circle of people working to protect our children’s future.
*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: Never take take-out from a restaurant or deli in styrofoam containers and boxes. If your deli or local favorite uses styrofoam as their take-out box of choice, opt to go elsewhere for your latte or box of organic egg rolls. There is a lot one person can do in voicing their opinion about a certain things that one company uses as their everyday practice. By voicing to that particular company that you would prefer not to have your take out or beverage in a styrofoam container, it lets them know that you are eco-conscious and it might convince them to do the same.
