It has been determined that carbon dioxide (CO2) is closely related to the effects of global warming on the planet. The largest storage of CO2 is currently located in the oceans of the world. Scientists are studying the methods in which the water releases CO2 into the air, as this is an vital component to learn how we change the Earth’s climate with our use of fossil fuels.

A recent study conducted by researchers at the University of California at Davis may provide hints on how the relase is performed. When carbon dioxide is reaches the water’s surface, it is absorbed into the ocean and consumed by phytoplankton. When this organism dies, it lowers to the ocean floor to decompose. As this takes place the consumed CO2 is released into deepest areas of the ocean.

With global warming, glaciers and other chunks of ocean ice are rapidly melting. The cold water that results from this process sinks to the bottom of the oceans, taking the place of the CO2 ridden water. That water then rises to the top because it is warmer, releasing the carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere when it reaches the ocean surface, quickening the temperature changes surrouding the Earth.

The same process occurred at the completion of the Ice Age the world witnessed over 18,000 years ago. Today, the question is where and how rapidly is the release of carbon dioxide from the oceans happen? Most think it is a worldwide release that occurred over centuries. The researchers at UC think overwise.

Howard Spero, a geology professor at UC at Davis and his colleagues believe the release of CO2 that followed the latest warm period of weather was more of a big release than a small leak, and they think it occurred primarily in the Southern Hemisphere in the oceans around Anarctica.

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The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) is an institution with strong positions in the small and medium business and has already built a reputation in those public layers. The bank has supported many projects thus investing a large amount of money in rennovating, constructing or improving the small and medium businesses around the UK.

The strong positions of the bank are being highlighted in the report as crucial -this makes the bank the ideal candidate for the role -a financial organisation specialized in supporting smaller productions. Experts believe that these small and medium businesses are easier to convert into green producers (through help of companies like Enigin and other energy savings organizations) and specialized services and financial advices can assure the owners of the sustainability of the green projects. The work of the bank only in the green economy sector will also open the availability of almost 50,000 jobs throughout the UK and contribute to the country’s ecnomy significantly.

These are the reasons why the institution has been mentioned in the report as the potential expert in the sphere of financing, crediting and developing the green economy sector. Sceptics still do not count on the idea, but the RBS has proven interrelations with business owners and can proclaim successfully the idea of nature preservation and to support the green economy sector. Experts even propose that the bank should be renamed to Royal Bank of Sustainability.

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However, scientists have been developing another source of electrical power that is one hundred percent clean and carries no risks for the life of peope. Even if not that efficient as nuclear power plants, wind electrical power plants promise a great future for the electricity production. The wind turbines are being moved by the flow of air this generating mechanical power which, passing through a speacial generator with copper strings and magnets turns into electricity that can be directly sent to the comsumer. Special cable instalations connect the wind turbines in a special collective network system that can trasfer the gathered energy into the electrical system and provide fresh and ready to use electrical power. In some jurisdictions, wind turbine owners can directly connect the wind turbine to the electrical network and thus receive financial compenasations from their electricity provider equal to the amount of power produced. And it is not only financially reasonable to use that equipment to produce energy but it is also ecologically harmless way to satisfy the energy need of the household.

By developing projects like the wind turbines, different green organisations and scientists are trying to both induce the idea of environmental awareness and proclaim the need for people to be more responsible and protect their environment from the negative climate change and the risks that energy production bears.

If you want to do your bit to conserve electricity at home, check out the enigin digital website for tips and tricks that people are currently using in the energy savings business!

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Within the last few years, advances in the automotive industry and pressures to find a more fuel efficient and environmentally friendly alternative to the classic car, hybrid cars have become a viable option to the everyday consumer. Most people who choose to drive a hybrid, base their choice on it being the least impact on the environment in long-term, however it is also a very efficient vehicle. So where does this efficiency come from?

The hybrid car has a small engine that runs on fuel, how you would imagine a ‘normal’ car to work, however it also brags an addition electric motor. When you are accelerating in a hybrid, this works with the gasoline engine to reduce the work it has to do. The electric engine is recharging its batteries automatically when you drive.

There are two types of ways that these engines can work together in a gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle. The first is called a parallel hybrid car, in this type the electric motor and the gasoline engine work in conjunction with each other to get the car moving. The other type is a series hybrid, which can be easily explained as the gasoline engine enabling the electric motor to power the car. The gas engine will either directly power the electric motor, or it will charge the batteries that enable the car to move.

Although there are multiple types of hybrid cars that are currently available in North America and Europe, this is still a relatively new technology. And although in the long run it may save you money, it is still quite a substantial step up to purchase a hybrid as opposed to its gas-fueled cousin. And though the electric motors in these cars are thoroughly road-tested, they are a relatively new technology and can cost upwards of $3000 to get fixed.

In the end, the choice of car that you drive is a very personal decision, but it is nice to know that there are more options open to the environmental and economical driver than were previously.

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This is probably a no-brainer for a lot of people. I imagine the question is more of which method of barbequing is more environmentally sound. Seeing as how Brits hosted a grand total of 120 million barbeques last year it is unlikely that anyone is giving up their favorite outdoor dining decisions. The three methods used are charcoal, gas and electric. These all have pros and cons that should be weighed before making your ‘green’ decision.

Gas is the most efficient fuel, however, it is also a fossil fuel. Whether you use butane, the classic kerosene oil, or propane you are still contributing to the harmful carbon levels all over the globe. Charcoal actually releases one hundred times the amount of carbon monoxide than gas does. The difference being that charcoal is made of a natural substance and only releases the carbon that already existed and would have been released anyway. Electric grills come with two problems. One is that you are not going to get the grilled taste and might as well cook inside. As for the green effect, unless your electricity comes from some place other than a coal-powered power you are still contributing to harmful gasses.

When using charcoal there are certain types that are better than others. The majority of charcoal is created from hardwood trees in tropical forests. These are not the ideal trees to cut down if you wish to help out the environment. Another item that’s bad for your food is that average charcoal is covered with firelighter in order to aid in the lighting process. The best environmentally sound charcoal is that created by coppiced trees. These are grown and managed so as to not eliminate or overuse them. The wood is much more “open” which makes lighting it easier. The cost of the charcoal referred to as British lump wood is slightly more expensive, however, you will use smaller amounts because it burns faster and longer than the average hardwood type. This evens out the overall cost.

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The demand for a ban on future offshore drilling has now risen in the United States to a loud shout. This came after the BP executive admittance to the members of the Congress that the gusher on the floor of Mexico could reach 40,000 barrels per day if the flow is not capped soon. The demand has been gathering worldwide support since the control of underwater gushing of oil is proving to be extremely difficult.

In the future, the companies planning to drill oil offshore will be required to have well checked drilling equipment and at least a well set plan and equipment to curb an oil spill in case the worst happens. At the very least, these companies will be charged highly to discourage offshore oil drilling and those drilling onshore will be charged less. Moreover, the safety training programs to the rig workers should be intensified.

However, whether the ban on offshore oil drilling stands or not, people are not going to stop arguing about the Gulf of Mexico oil spill any time soon. It is also not likely that oil companies will change much in terms of how the drill for oil. They will argue that the costs are too prohibitive, I just hope that the American public realise the affect that this will have on their local diesel prices.

Also the millions of oil to be found in offshore drill and its benefits far outweight any potential problems of oil spills. At least that’s what they will argue. Their solution will only be to improve prevention.

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If we look into the repercussions that happen due to oil spills we will get terrifying results. Perhaps the most visible effect of this can be seen on the coastline areas. As oil is a thick element it sticks to everything it comes in contact with. Every rock, soil, sand, grass, every tiny habitat gets damaged by the thick oil substance. Marine mammals and sea birds are also affected in similar ways. Oil covers the fur of seals and sea otters which reduces their insulation abilities. It causes a fluctuation in their body temperature thus affecting their body’s metabolism.

Unless the oil is cleaned up it stays on shore till the weather condition and time break it down. The marine life also becomes affected in a number of different ways. It disrupts the reproduction system of marine animals, fish and every living creature beneath the sea. As the water plants die due to the spill, it becomes a struggle to survive for them. Coating of oil on sea animals can slowly kill them.

In general, coastal areas are nurseries for fish and sea mammals. When they get contaminated it not only creates an unsightly view, but also becomes dangerous for wild life. As the fauna populations decreases it negatively influences the food chain in the ecosystem.

These are just a few of the ways oil spill affect the environment and with each spill the situation worsens. This is because it can take years for an affect area to recover from a small spill. Thus a massive spill will likely leave an area that will not recover for maybe hundreds of years.

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Conserving energy is no longer just for hippies. When some people think about conserving energy they think about people using candles to light their homes or buckets instead of bathrooms. Conserving energy doesn’t have to be an effort filled event or time consuming project. Conserving energy can be easy and simple if you just make a few changes around your house.

You can easily conserve energy just by turning lights off when you are not in a room. You can go a step further and replace your light bulbs that are in your lamps with energy conserving light bulbs. They are more expensive than conventional light bulbs but do save a lot of money from your electric bill per year. Manufactures of the energy saving light bulbs also put out high dollar coupons for the bulbs so that will save you even more money.

You can also conserve energy by unplugging electrical things that are not being used at night. Things like your toaster or coffee pot do not need to be plugged in after you are done using them. There is still a slight current of electricity going through them even when they are not turned on. Completely turning off your computer or television will also save you money. Many people just put there computer to sleep mode instead of turning it off. Some also fall asleep to their television causing it to use electricity that does not need to be used.

It doesn’t take a lot of money, time, or effort to cut back on energy consumption, if you would like more helpful tips on how to save energy and money, visit the enigin PLC site. If you just focus on one or two things to begin with it will be easy. If you also think about the fact that you will save yourself some money it may help to motivate you a little bit more to actually turn off the television when you start getting tired.

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Although plenty of scientific evidence points towards global warming being a legitimate concern, some refuse to believe it, as is seen with the latest lawsuit against Al Gore and his fight to make the American people aware of this potential problem.

The reasons why some scientists don’t believe global warming to be a legitimate concern are three-fold:

1) they don’t believe that the data provided is significant enough to prove that Earth’s temperature is rising. This is due not only to past historical techniques, but also the available data on the subject;

2) they believe the statistics are not read correctly, and feel that the data is tampered. These critics are looking for evidence within the statistics as opposed to viewing the statistics objectively and trying to determine their meanings; and

3) critics of the global warming theory believe that the alleged increase in world temperatures are a natural phenomenon, and that the world’s climate is changing from natural green house gases, not our own.

It is important to point out that a vast majority of scientists believe in the global warming theory, and that have accused the critics of the theory for placating to the oil industry.

However, even some scientists who believe in global warming don’t believe that it is a catastrophic issue. These scientists believe that Earth is a resilient planet and has experienced catastrophic climate changes in the past and will continue to solve its own problems. This is indeed true; Earth will be here long after humans have gone extinct.

This debate may be pointless. The power to make changes to green house gas emissions does not lie with scientists and academics. It lies with the policy makers and politicians. They must be convinced – either way – of global warming’s legitimacy as a human concern.

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The climate change question seems to have polarised opinion as never before. In one camp are the climate scientists who insist that climate change is happening as a direct result of man’s actions and that it needs to be combatted immediately to stop catastrophic effects upon the environment. In the opposing camp are the climate sceptics, the so-called ’enviro-sceptics’ who say that climate change is an ongoing and natural phemonena without influence from man.

The main centre for climate science within the UK is at the University of East Anglia’s Climatic Research Unit. In the last few weeks the CRU has found itself embroiled in a succession of controversies over leaked emails, allegations of falsification and an ongoing investigation into the non release of information that had been legally requested from them. On the international stage Dr Rajendra Pachauri, head of the Intergovernmental Panel On Climate Change and climate scientist-in-chief, is facing calls to stand down over false claims made by the IPCC that the Himalayan glaciers would be gone by 2035. Whilst the IPCC now acknowledges that this claim was made erroneously, they stand by their views of man made climate change.

It is against this background that the BBC conducted a large poll into the public’s opinion on climate change. A staggering 25% of the thousand-plus respondents said that they did not believe that climate change was happening and only 26% believed that climate change was happening and was largely man made. The worrying thing for climate scientists is that this shows a huge rise in scepticism from a similar poll carried out by The Times newspaper in November 2009. The figures taken as a whole show that there has been an increase in scepticism of over 10% in little more then two months.

Of those respondents who do believe that climate change is happening one in three, up from one in five in The Times, poll believe that the possible effects of climate change are being exaggerated. This polll indicates that for the first time, there are now more people who do not believe in man made climate change than those who do believe in it.

This poll is very bad news for governments and climate scientists who have been vigorously trying to spread their environmental message. “The fact that there has been a very significant drop in the number of people that believe that we humans are changing the Earth’s climate is serious”, said Professor Bob Watson the leading government advisor on climate change, “We need the public to understand that climate change is serious so they’ll change their habits and help us move towards a low carbon economy.”

With scepticism on the rise, and further questions being asked about climate change research across the globe, these are difficult times for those who would protect the globe’s environment from the ravages of man. If you are interested in reading about an industry who are battling the carbon footprint of large companies, then check out this Enigin employee blog!

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