When you read about global warming, one of the issues raised most often is that of the ice caps melting. This is a very dramatic example of the effects of global warming that really rams home just what a big impact our CO2 emissions have, but most people still think of it as an on-going process that doesn’t pose any immediate threat. After all, the ice caps are pretty huge right? How much damage can the sun possibly do? Well actually if you look at the figures, the answer is a lot. The ice caps are not just melting a bit, they are actually disappearing and at an ever increasing rate. In 1980 the ice caps made up an impressive 2% of the planet’s surface, but today they make up roughly 1%. In twenty years then the size of the ice caps has halved and as they are disappearing more quickly all the time there’s a very real chance that they could have completely disappeared in the next 20. The Met Office suggest that there may be an ice-free arctic [...]

Going green is something that everyone needs to make an effort toward but that really has the biggest impact when it’s on a national scale. While you and I might both have our personal carbon footprints, countries like the US, China and Great Britain have footprints that are millions of times bigger and that really have a direct impact on the environment. While we all must do our bit then, it’s wider attitudes, lifestyles and policies that will really shape the future of our planet. When it comes to national ecoconsciousness though, not every country is made equally. Some countries are definitely more environmentally friendly than others and while populations of course have some bearing (the countries with larger populations – such as China – will of course have bigger footprints), it’s still clear that some countries make more of an ‘effort’ than others when it comes to protecting the environment and minimising emissions. Here we will look at which countries care most and which countries we should try to emulate.   The Most Eco-Friendly Countries in the World Iceland [...]

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, then you will probably be aware of global warming and the impact it’s having on our planet. Heck, even if you have been living under a rock, you might have noticed it getting a little warmer under there. Our ozone layer is evaporating, the atmosphere’s CO2 content is increasing, sea levels are rising and the ice caps are melting. All of this is resulting in an escalating and exponentially increasing ‘heating’ of the entire planet that is putting us all in danger and which threatens to leave many of species of Earth extinct. So with all this going on, you’d expect temperatures around the world to be at an all time high right? Read on to get the scoop on what’s really going on with our weather… It’s Not That Simple First, it’s important to recognize that it’s not really quite that simple. While climate change is often referred to as ‘global warming’, this warming is not in fact… global. For instance, if you were to visit the UK you’d find that the [...]

When it comes to maintaining the planet, its climate and its ecosystems, wild animals play a hugely important role. One of the main reasons that deforestation and rising acidity in the oceans are such terrible phenomena is that it leads to the death of millions of species of animals. These animals are crucial not only due to sanctity of life, but also because the many important roles they play – helping to spread seeds to help trees grow, providing us with food and helping to maintain other aspects of the environment. In short, being eco-friendly doesn’t just mean saving trees, it also means protecting animals in their natural habitat. So with that in mind, why don’t we all just go vegan and stop killing animals for food? Surely we could save a whole bunch that way, and surely it would also be good for the environment? Well actually it’s not quite that simple… Let’s take a look at what would really happen if we were to completely give up eating meat as a species. The Good Stuff If we were [...]

Global warming isn’t going to magically disappear overnight, and it’s absolutely crucial that if we want to prevent serious catastrophe, we don’t lose momentum when it comes to developing greener technologies and spreading the word about living in an eco-conscious way. Unfortunately though some signs suggest that we may in fact be losing momentum and that environmentalism may just be something of a ‘fad’ that’s now going out of fashion. Here we will look at what suggests that may be the case, and what we can do about it. Why Going Green May be Going Out of Style It’s no secret that going green became something of a fad not long ago. People enjoyed the satisfaction they got from living life in a greener way and the status that seemed to come with it, while companies enjoyed the marketing potential of making their products green and environmentally friendly. Everywhere you looked someone was talking about going green (mostly Al Gore) and every product was flaunting the fact that it was developed in a sustainable and eco-conscious way. Stats and figures [...]