Alternet Articles on the Environment - and Citizen Suggestions for a Better World

A few weeks ago we posted a blog post on two major policy issues that are up for CHANGE right now.  CLICK HERE to link to our post on HEALTHCARE REFORM.

This current blog post first contains citizen suggestions on how we can lower carbon emissions, followed by a series of articles on the environment from AlterNet.org. 

CLICK HERE to connect to your Congressperson and let them know you want our government to REALLY make some progress with regard to our health and the environment!!

Enjoy!!

There are several ways to harness our natural resources and convert it to energy.  For example, we can capture the energy of moving air and convert this to electricity.  Other methods include using the sun's rays to power a home or collecting rainwater to water our gardens.

http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/wind-power-interactive.html

Reducing green gas emissions- Climate change is a priory for Barack Obama's energy reform.    Our artic poles are melting  eventually leading to the the extinction of amazing animals  such as the iconic polar bear.   The Arctic winter was 1.8 to 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than average this year. The ice in the Artic is important since it reflects the rays of the sun and prevents the warming of oceans whcih can cause a whole chain of collapsing ecosystems in our food chain.
For this reason pushing for  talks with federal agencies again to consult with government wildlife experts is necessary before taking actions that could have an impact on threatened or endangered species.  
Another problem not too far int he distance is the threaten to our very basic resource needed for surivial- water.  Climate change is increasing global droughts and  rivers are  running dry.  But even if we resort to desalinaztion of salt water, it is too costly.  It requires huge amounts of fossil fuels to convert it to fresh water.  Now this will temporaily alleviate collapsing water issues but wont create a long term solution.


For more information please click:

http://article.wn.com/view/2009/04/15/WASHINGTON_POST_The_melting_Arctic_Sea/?template=cheetah-worldphotos%2Findex.txt

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/03/ecodatamining/

http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/gw-solutions.html

http://article.wn.com/view/2009/04/29/Govt_revokes_rule_limiting_species_protections_x/

http://www.wired.com/science/planetearth/magazine/16-05/ff_peakwater

Environment Newsletter May 19th, 2009 More from Environment »

Waxman-Markey: Will Congress Cave to Big Industry and Kill One of Most Important Pieces of Legislation Ever? By Tara Lohan, AlterNet Our best effort to fend off climate catastrophe is in the hands of our elected officials and the bill's future looks dicey.Read more »   All the talk right now is about the Waxman-Markey (or ACES) energy bill and we've got plenty of content on it for you -- from a look at the bill's chances right now, to some of its more pertinent problems, to the intricacies of the cap and trade dilemma. Check out those pieces below and stay tuned for continuing coverage as the bill is hashed out. We've also got some great food content including an AlterNet original piece about the ugly truth behind labor practices on organic farms (and who is leading the charge for reform) and an interview with Michael Pollan. Thanks for reading, Tara Lohan, Senior Editor     Obama to Raise Fuel Efficiency Standards: Biggest Step Gov Has Taken to Fight CO2 By Joseph Romm, Climate Progress It looks like the Waxman-Markey bill is not the alpha and the omega of energy policy -- this is big news, too. Read more »   How Do We Curb Carbon: The Debate Over an Emissions Cap or a Tax Yale Environment 360 As the U.S. Congress debates the issue, eight experts discuss the merits of a cap-and-trade system versus a carbon tax. Read more »   Armed Forces Community Takes Up Global Warming Cause: It's an Ugrent Matter of National Security By Bill Becker, Climate Progress Delaying the transition to a sustainable energy economy or to launching an aggressive response to global climate change is a national security threat.Read more »   Good News, There's a Climate Bill -- Bad News, It Stinks By Daphne Wysham, AlterNet Sparing the many odiferous details, here are three particularly bad aspects that have to be addressed. Read more »   The Case of the Missing H-Bomb: The Pentagon Has Lost the Mother of All Weapons By Jeffrey St. Clair, CounterPunch 60 years have passed since a damaged jet dropped a hydrogen bomb near Savanah, Ga. -- and the Pentagon still can't find it. Read more »   Our Appetite for Animals Is Taking Us Toward Apocalypse By Kathy Freston, AlterNet Cutting your meat-eating habits is one of the most impactful ways you can prevent drastic changes to our climate. Read more »   Humans Seem Hell Bent on Committing Mass Suicide -- But There's Still Hope By Fred Branfman, AlterNet Despite the endless human capacity for denial and self-destruction, the Earth can still be saved. But we must act now. Read more »   Michael Pollan: "Don't Buy Any Food You've Ever Seen Advertised" By Amy Goodman, Democracy Now! "The real food is not being advertised. And that's really all you need to know."Read more »   The Ugly Truth Behind Organic Food By Sarah Newman, AlterNet The organic labeling standards do nothing to denote how farms treat their workers. Is your organic food a humanitarian nightmare? Read more »   PEEK and Video: The hottest buzz and videos on the web     The Climate Bill Will Continue to Be Watered Down By Chris Bowers, Open Left The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (ACES) will never be strengthened beyond its current form. Read more »   Help Stop the Coal Industry's Desperate Attempts to Thwart Change on Global Warming By Bruce Nilles, Sierra Club You now have the chance to counter the fear mongering by demonstrating that Americans want strong action on global warming. Read more »

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