A penguin’s thoughts on Blog Action Day

   Acum vreo 3 săptămâni am aflat de pe blogul Masteratului Politic de la SNSPA despre Blog Action Day.

Ce înseamnă Blog Action Day?

    Înseamnă că „pe 15 octombrie, bloggeri din toată lumea se unesc pentru a evidenţia o singură problemă importantă în mintea tuturor. În 2007, această problemă importantă este mediul înconjurător.” (sursa: Blog Action Day). Bloggeri sunt invitaţi să posteze pe blogurile personale un post care să aibă ca temă de discuţie orice element al mediului înconjurător.

    Pe lângă postarea unui mesaj, bloggerilor le este sugerat să-şi doneze câştigul de astăzi unei asociaţii de mediu. Sau să promoveze Blog Action Day printr-un banner afişat pe bloguri.

    Mă alătur şi eu celor 14.000+ de bloggeri care au ales să se implice în eveniment şi postez un articol în engleză despre această zi – recunosc: documentarea mea putea fi mai bună.

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   It’s strange. Last month I made some changes to the design of my blog and, as you can see, I’ve put a picture in the header that I discovered on the web and I instantly loved it! At that time I didn’t knew about the Blog Action Day, but I was planning on talking in one of my posts about the choice I made for my Image Header.

  Today I have the reason to talk about it! But actually, the picture speaks for itself! It “talks” about the Global Warming phenomenon – in the middle of the cold iced lands of the Antarctica and between two cute penguins, a flower starts growing… It’s scary to think that the Globe is “melting” like a warm ice cream, and species of animals are threatened to lose their territory or even worse, are threatened to disappear completely.

• The effects of Global Warming

   Wikipedia explains some of the effects of Global Warming and gives some examples: Extreme weather; Increased evaporation; Glacier disappearance; Sea level rise; Temperature rise; Acidification of the water; Forest fires; Retreat of sea ice; Effects on agriculture; Migration; Spread of diseases and many more.

    I found this article in the Time Magazine, which gives some specific examples of effects. Some of them are:

- The annual melt season in Antarctica has increased up to three weeks in 20 years.
- Mount Kilimanjaro (Africa) has lost 75% of its ice cap since 1912 and could vanish entirely within 15 years.
- Venezuelan mountaintops had six glaciers in 1972. Today only two remain.
- India’s worst heat shock in 50 years killed more than 2.500 people in May 1998.
- Fires due to dry conditions and record-breaking heat consumed 20% of Samos Island, Greece, last July.
- Coral reefs suffer from the loss of algae that color and nourish them. The process, called bleaching, is caused by warmer oceans.
- Diseases like dengue fever are expanding their reach northward in the U.S. butterflies are relocating to higher latitudes.
- Japanese fortifications were built on Kosrae Island in the southwest Pacific Ocean during World War II to guard against U.S. Marines’ invading the beach. Today the fortifications are awash at high tide.
- Brazilian shoreline in the region of Recife receded more than 6 ft. a year from 1915 to 1950 and more than 8 ft. a year from 1985 to 1995.

   I could continue with the examples, but I think my point was made. Global Warming is a process that can not be reversed or stopped, but slowed down maybe.

• How can we contribute to the Saving of the Planet?

 

    You might know these things also. They might seem easy and unimportant, but they have a great contribution to the Environment. These actions are easy to be accomplished and may be considered a guide for a better life.

- Travel more without the car. At each 20.000 kms by car made in one year, 3 tones of CO2 is launched into the atmosphere (The CO2 is to be considerate the responsible for the global warming of the planet). Use a bike or try to travel with the public transportation.
– Reuse. Use the same bag more times; write on both sides of the paper, envelopes, packaging – this is how we can reduce the trees cut off.
– Recycle. All kind of products made from paper or from glass also.
– Separate your garbage and put it in the special recycling bins.
– Save energy. Try to use as much as you can the solar light; Try to keep the fridge open as less time you can; try not to forget your laptop, phone, computer charging for ever; try using rechargeable batteries, etc.
– Save water (but don’t forget to wash yourself, please ).

   Of course, the list of suggestions can be LOOOOONGER, but I end my list here and I let you continue it, if you wish!

    Let’s try to live better and healthier for us, but also for the environment that PERMITS us live on this Earth. Let’s start appreciate more the life of others (mountains, seas, oceans, lakes, animals, fish, trees, grass) and for once, quit being ignorant and selfish!

Happy Blog Action Day Everyone!

    Profit de ocazie pentru a zice: FELICITĂRI Al Gore pentru Premiul Nobel pentru Pace, obţinut în urmă cu 3 zile, datorită eforturilor sale de a aduce în discuţie, în spaţiul public, problema Încălzirii Globale (filmul său, „An inconvenient truth”, este o dovată în acest sens).

Global WarNing

Global WarMing