Post by seacid on Feb 10, 2007 6:56:45 GMT 8
Here's an article that is worth reading:
What we can do about global warming
AS I WRECK THIS CHAIR By William M. Esposo
The Philippine Star 01/16/2007
Among the responses my January 14 column (Korina's "The inconvenient
truth") received is this email from Dr. Benigno D. Peczon, who has a
Ph.D. in Chemistry. Dr. Peczon provides very practical suggestions
on how you and I can help prevent the catastrophic effects of Global
Warming.
Dear Mr. Esposo:
Your column in today's Philippine STAR (January 14, 2007) is very
timely. As Al Gore pointed out, Man may be behaving like a frog
which is placed in a vat which is slowly being heated up. The frog
does nothing until it is rescued. By contrast, a frog placed in
uncomfortably hot water will jump out. We must not behave like the
frog in a slowly heated vat; we must act for nobody may rescue us.
While you pointed out the observations which show that global
warming is upon us and warned your readers of the consequences of
global warming, only one paragraph is devoted to what we can do.
Many people may fall into the notion that global warming is too huge
an issue to tackle. There is quite a bit that we can do as
individuals and as groups working in concert. The ideas to pursue
revolve around prevention and conservation.
Transportation
A huge percentage of global warming is due to the carbon dioxide
emitted by burning of fuels. Carbon dioxide emission can be reduced
by:
1. Legislation placing corporate limits on vehicle emissions. Japan
requires car companies to have an average vehicle in their total car
output to travel more than 50 miles per gallon (around 21 kilometers
per liter). Higher mileage with a given volume of fuel means lower
carbon dioxide emissions. Several other countries have similar
legislation. Does the Philippines have legislation regarding
corporate vehicle gas mileage?
2. Purchasing energy efficient vehicles. Purchasing right sized
vehicles.
3. Car pooling.
4. Planning of travel needs to minimize use of vehicles.
5. Walking or riding a bicycle instead of using a fuel burning
vehicle.
Burning of farm wastes, vegetation and trash
Every day, I see farmers burning farm residues. Every so often, I
see the work of kaingineros on mountainsides. Dumpsites often burn
trash. A pity. Not only does burning produce carbon dioxide, the
material which is burned can be converted to useful products, such
as fertilizer.
1. Like the mayor of Los Baños, Laguna, convert farm waste and other
organic material which is otherwise burned into fertilizer.
2. Disseminate composting methods to as many people as possible.
Implement the existing laws regarding burning. (Attention: LGUs and
personnel at the Department of Agriculture and the Department of
Environment and Natural Resources)
Homes and buildings
1. Architects and builders can utilize breezes instead of building
totally enclosed buildings which require air-conditioning. Consider
the possibility of green roofs.
2. Utilize solar panels to trap energy.
3. Install efficient lighting devices such as modern fluorescent
bulbs instead of inefficient incandescent bulbs.
4. When it becomes time to replace appliances, replace them with
energy efficient ones.
Too many homes have refrigerators and freezers which are too large
for everyday needs. For people with easy access to food supplies,
thought must be given to appropriate capacities. Do you really need
a freezer for 50 kilograms of food for a family of five? Is there
really need for a refrigerator in the bedroom when there is already
one in the kitchen?
5. Purchase air conditioners which cut off the cooling cycle when a
predetermined comfort level is reached. Nudge the thermostat a few
degrees higher. In a few days, the body becomes comfortable at the
less energy draining temperature. Seal air-conditioned spaces. Cool
air lost by seepage keeps the cooling cycle on longer.
Lifestyle
1. Plant trees. They capture carbon dioxide. There are all sorts of
possibilities. Nurture the trees you plant.
2. Boycott products of companies which irresponsibly add carbon
dioxide to the atmosphere.
Energy generation
1. Follow the lead of Ilocos leaders who built windmills to capture
solar power.
2. Convert trash into usable energy (by production of methane). The
information for such conversion is available at the Department of
Science and Technology.
3. Create a consortium to pump up cool water from the deep
Philippine Trench to be utilized in cooling buildings and homes and
perhaps generate enough cool water to raise salmon economically.
Information dissemination
Too many people are not even aware of global warming. Worse, some
people whose paycheck depends upon the energy sector create doubt
about the inevitability of global warming, much like the tobacco
industry utilized doubt regarding the known effects of tobacco.
1. Educators may hold contests to generate the best ideas to
mitigate global warming.
2. Organizations involved in keeping the environment friendly to
mankind can place more emphasis on global warming, perhaps by
holding symposia and other information dissemination mechanisms at
their disposal.
3. Forward this email and similar information to people on your list
to sensitize people on the importance of global warming.
Legislation and public executives
1. Identify legislators and public executives who include global
warming in their agenda. Mr. Esposo, as an opinion leader, you can
really help with this. Once people realize the importance of issues,
they become more rational in electing officials.
I am sending this email to people on my email list. As in Wikipedia,
I hope people add to the items I have written or modify what may be
based on erroneous assumptions. I write this email with the hope
that more people wake up to the fact that we must address the global
warming issue lest it becomes too late.
Your co-passenger on Spaceship Earth,
Benigno D. Peczon, Ph.D. (Chemistry)
It is heartwarming to receive responses like this email from Dr.
Peczon, especially on an issue like global warming which many
Filipinos are not aware of or perhaps do not even care about. Dr.
Peczon's response is not a spur of the moment reaction but obviously
an expression of genuine concern that also reveals that he is an
advocate of the campaign to prevent global warming.
Dr. Peczon is right – we are all passengers on Spaceship Earth. We
all have a duty to see to it that Spaceship Earth does not get
destroyed, with us along with it.
What we can do about global warming
AS I WRECK THIS CHAIR By William M. Esposo
The Philippine Star 01/16/2007
Among the responses my January 14 column (Korina's "The inconvenient
truth") received is this email from Dr. Benigno D. Peczon, who has a
Ph.D. in Chemistry. Dr. Peczon provides very practical suggestions
on how you and I can help prevent the catastrophic effects of Global
Warming.
Dear Mr. Esposo:
Your column in today's Philippine STAR (January 14, 2007) is very
timely. As Al Gore pointed out, Man may be behaving like a frog
which is placed in a vat which is slowly being heated up. The frog
does nothing until it is rescued. By contrast, a frog placed in
uncomfortably hot water will jump out. We must not behave like the
frog in a slowly heated vat; we must act for nobody may rescue us.
While you pointed out the observations which show that global
warming is upon us and warned your readers of the consequences of
global warming, only one paragraph is devoted to what we can do.
Many people may fall into the notion that global warming is too huge
an issue to tackle. There is quite a bit that we can do as
individuals and as groups working in concert. The ideas to pursue
revolve around prevention and conservation.
Transportation
A huge percentage of global warming is due to the carbon dioxide
emitted by burning of fuels. Carbon dioxide emission can be reduced
by:
1. Legislation placing corporate limits on vehicle emissions. Japan
requires car companies to have an average vehicle in their total car
output to travel more than 50 miles per gallon (around 21 kilometers
per liter). Higher mileage with a given volume of fuel means lower
carbon dioxide emissions. Several other countries have similar
legislation. Does the Philippines have legislation regarding
corporate vehicle gas mileage?
2. Purchasing energy efficient vehicles. Purchasing right sized
vehicles.
3. Car pooling.
4. Planning of travel needs to minimize use of vehicles.
5. Walking or riding a bicycle instead of using a fuel burning
vehicle.
Burning of farm wastes, vegetation and trash
Every day, I see farmers burning farm residues. Every so often, I
see the work of kaingineros on mountainsides. Dumpsites often burn
trash. A pity. Not only does burning produce carbon dioxide, the
material which is burned can be converted to useful products, such
as fertilizer.
1. Like the mayor of Los Baños, Laguna, convert farm waste and other
organic material which is otherwise burned into fertilizer.
2. Disseminate composting methods to as many people as possible.
Implement the existing laws regarding burning. (Attention: LGUs and
personnel at the Department of Agriculture and the Department of
Environment and Natural Resources)
Homes and buildings
1. Architects and builders can utilize breezes instead of building
totally enclosed buildings which require air-conditioning. Consider
the possibility of green roofs.
2. Utilize solar panels to trap energy.
3. Install efficient lighting devices such as modern fluorescent
bulbs instead of inefficient incandescent bulbs.
4. When it becomes time to replace appliances, replace them with
energy efficient ones.
Too many homes have refrigerators and freezers which are too large
for everyday needs. For people with easy access to food supplies,
thought must be given to appropriate capacities. Do you really need
a freezer for 50 kilograms of food for a family of five? Is there
really need for a refrigerator in the bedroom when there is already
one in the kitchen?
5. Purchase air conditioners which cut off the cooling cycle when a
predetermined comfort level is reached. Nudge the thermostat a few
degrees higher. In a few days, the body becomes comfortable at the
less energy draining temperature. Seal air-conditioned spaces. Cool
air lost by seepage keeps the cooling cycle on longer.
Lifestyle
1. Plant trees. They capture carbon dioxide. There are all sorts of
possibilities. Nurture the trees you plant.
2. Boycott products of companies which irresponsibly add carbon
dioxide to the atmosphere.
Energy generation
1. Follow the lead of Ilocos leaders who built windmills to capture
solar power.
2. Convert trash into usable energy (by production of methane). The
information for such conversion is available at the Department of
Science and Technology.
3. Create a consortium to pump up cool water from the deep
Philippine Trench to be utilized in cooling buildings and homes and
perhaps generate enough cool water to raise salmon economically.
Information dissemination
Too many people are not even aware of global warming. Worse, some
people whose paycheck depends upon the energy sector create doubt
about the inevitability of global warming, much like the tobacco
industry utilized doubt regarding the known effects of tobacco.
1. Educators may hold contests to generate the best ideas to
mitigate global warming.
2. Organizations involved in keeping the environment friendly to
mankind can place more emphasis on global warming, perhaps by
holding symposia and other information dissemination mechanisms at
their disposal.
3. Forward this email and similar information to people on your list
to sensitize people on the importance of global warming.
Legislation and public executives
1. Identify legislators and public executives who include global
warming in their agenda. Mr. Esposo, as an opinion leader, you can
really help with this. Once people realize the importance of issues,
they become more rational in electing officials.
I am sending this email to people on my email list. As in Wikipedia,
I hope people add to the items I have written or modify what may be
based on erroneous assumptions. I write this email with the hope
that more people wake up to the fact that we must address the global
warming issue lest it becomes too late.
Your co-passenger on Spaceship Earth,
Benigno D. Peczon, Ph.D. (Chemistry)
It is heartwarming to receive responses like this email from Dr.
Peczon, especially on an issue like global warming which many
Filipinos are not aware of or perhaps do not even care about. Dr.
Peczon's response is not a spur of the moment reaction but obviously
an expression of genuine concern that also reveals that he is an
advocate of the campaign to prevent global warming.
Dr. Peczon is right – we are all passengers on Spaceship Earth. We
all have a duty to see to it that Spaceship Earth does not get
destroyed, with us along with it.
? Is a chain reaction. But sooner or later it will happen.
....so I'd rather own a car than a cow ;D ;D ;D
