ECOTOPIA
The facts and figures
-
Global warming is causing the colder areas of the world to become more hot, thereby becoming more vulnerable to diseases.
-
Since 1880, the average temperature has risen by 1.4-Fahrenheit degrees.
-
The last two decades of the 20th century have been hottest in the last 400 years, according to climate studies.
-
According to the multinational Arctic Climate Impact Assessment report compiled between 2000 and 2004, the average temperature in Alaska, Western Canada and Russia have risen at twice the global average.
-
Since the industrial revolution in 1700, the level of carbon dioxide on earth has increased by 34%.
-
The Montana Glacier National Park has only 25 glaciers instead of 150 that were there in the year 1910.
-
Each year of the 21st century ranks amongst 14 hottest years since 1880.
-
Humans are emitting more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, faster than the absorbing rates of plants and the oceans.
-
Sea levels have risen about 7 inches in the in the last 100 years, which is more than the previous 2000 years combined. The rising sea levels due to global warming could threaten the lives of people living along the coastal areas.
-
More than 1 million species have become extinct due to disappearing habitats, ecosystems acidic oceans all caused due to global warming.
-
200o-2009 has been the hottest decade periods of the earth.
-
The rate at which carbon dioxide is being dumped in to the environment is 1000 tons per second until the 2011 records.
-
The carbon dioxide levels in the 20th century have been highest in 650,000 years. Till 1950, the levels rose by 11% and recently the levels have risen by 40%.
-
Human activities release around 37 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide per year.
Resources
Information on food waste and how to tackle it:
Existing Initiatives:
1. I want to be
Rather than sound like a “rinse, reuse, recycle” broken record, I Want to Be urges people to give their trash new life. In partnership with Keep America Beautiful and the Ad Council, this campaign turns things like water bottles and aluminum cans into new, inventive, and useful objects like park benches, bikes, and siding for sports stadiums.
Link: http://www.iwanttoberecycled.org/contribute
2. Trees for Cities
From Nairobi to New York City, this London-born organization aims to strengthen communities, beautify cities, and improve urban environments worldwide by developing beautiful, utilitarian urban green spaces. Trees not only bring nature to metropolitan areas, they help clean the air by absorbing pollutants, provide oxygen, save water, and grow food (amongst plenty of other benefits).
Link: https://www.treesforcities.org
3. Surfers Against Sewege
From cleaning up marine litter and sewage pollution, to increasing awareness about toxic chemicals and climate change, UK-based Surfers Against Sewage aims to improve the quality of the world’s oceans and beaches. While educating the public about conserving and protecting the marine environment, SAS works to change government policy and industry practices for the better, too.
Link: https://www.sas.org.uk/take-action/
4. Solar Schools
Solar Schools installs solar electricity panels on school roofs across the nation. While the primary goal of the campaign is to harness solar power, which emits fewer greenhouse gas emissions than fossil fuels, Solar Schools also aims to educate students and parents about how solar panels work. Each installation puts environmental consciousness in kids’ minds early on. The campaign also provides teacher training and workshops about sustainable energy. Most schools also receive live data so students can check out how much electricity their panels create.
Link: http://energyseeds.org
5. 1Green Cornwall
1 Green Cornwall is an initiative to highlight the City of Cornwall's environmental programs and to encourage civic participation in the 3 R's - Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. The ultimate goal is to build a greener Cornwall.
Link: http://www.cornwall.ca/en/municipalworks/1greencornwall.asp