• The global climate is changing.

A 1.5-degree Fahrenheit increase in global temperature over the past century has been documented by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Numerous lines of physical evidence around the world, from melting ice sheets and rising sea levels to shifting seasons and earlier onset of spring, provide overwhelming independent confirmation of rising temperatures.

Measurements indicate that the first decade of the 2000s was the warmest on record, followed by the 1990s and the 1980s. And despite the cold and snowy winter we’ve experienced here in Texas, satellite measurements show that, worldwide, January 2010 was one of the hottest months in that record.

• Human activities produce heat-trapping gases.

Any time we burn a carbon-containing fuel such as coal or natural gas or oil, it releases carbon dioxide into the air. Carbon dioxide can be measured coming out of the tailpipe of our cars or the smokestacks of our factories. Other heat-trapping gases, such as methane and nitrous oxide, are also produced by agriculture and waste disposal. The effect of these gases on heat energy in the atmosphere is well understood, including factors such as the amplification of the warming by increases in humidity.

• Heat-trapping gases are very likely responsible for most of the warming observed over the past half century.

There is no question that natural causes, such as changes in energy from the sun, natural cycles and volcanoes, continue to affect temperature today. Human activity has also increased the amounts of tiny, light-scattering particles within the atmosphere. But despite years of intensive observations of the Earth system, no one has been able to propose a credible alternative mechanism that can explain the present-day warming without heat-trapping gases produced by human activities.

• The higher the levels of heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere, the higher the risk of potentially dangerous consequences for humans and our environment.

A recent federal report, “Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States,” commissioned in 2008 by the George W. Bush administration, presents a clear picture of how climate change is expected to affect our society, our economy and our natural resources. Rising sea levels threaten our coasts; increasing weather variability, including heat waves, droughts, heavy rainfall events and even winter storms, affect our infrastructure, energy and even our health.

While there may be debate around the margins, it is hard to argue comprehensively with the science of climate change. There will always be room for improvement in studies and reports, but small errors should not cause us to ‘throw the baby out with the bathwater.’

The time to act is now, and in spite of what you may have heard from some, the science of climate change is still very clear.

For a few more answers to typical climate change skeptic questions, please see this recent article in Scientific American.

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While researchers aren’t making snap judgments about what this implies for the Earth’s climate, the potential impacts could be huge. Methane is a greenhouse gas that is not as abundant in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide, but has a warming effect about 23 times greater than CO2. Concentrations of methane have roughly doubled since pre-industrial times – most of these increases have come from human sources – and there appears to be no slowing of these emissions.

One of the scarier things about global warming is that changes in temperature can have far-reaching effects. Scientifically, this is commonly referred to as feedback. If increased CO2 causes temperatures to rise and warm arctic waters such that stored methane is released, and that methane in turn warms the planet more causing more methane to be released – it’s an example of feedback. Given the risks and effects – such as rising sea levels, floods, heat waves and spread of diseases are serious – it makes sense for all of us to take action on global warming.

Remember to calculate, reduce and offset your carbon footprint today. For example, check out Carbonfund.org’s carbon calculators and third-party validated carbon reduction projects to offset your footprint by clicking here.

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• 72 percent of Americans say it is important to use public transportation or carpool, but only 10 percent say they “often” or “always” do;

• 88 percent of Americans say it is important to recycle at home, but only 51 percent “often” or “always” do;

• 81 percent say it is important to use re-usable shopping bags, but only 33 percent “often” or “always” do;

The survey also illustrated that when combating global warming, Americans are more likely to show their support through their consumer purchases.  In the past year, approximately 1 in 3 Americans have rewarded companies that are taking steps to reduce global warming by buying their products.

“There is plenty of room to improve,” admits Anthony Leiserowitz, director of the Yale Project on Climate Change.

“At the same time, each behavior has its own set of barriers…Lowering these barriers will make it much easier for people to act in ways consistent with their values.”

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Despite the snowy pummeling the US received, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Climate Data Center reports that January 2010 was one of the warmest Januarys on record. Temperatures were about half a degree Fahrenheit above the long-term averages in the chilly US while South Africa, Australia and Brazil suffered from excessive heat waves.

“This pattern of warmer temperatures and stronger storms is consistent with climate models that show global warming will bring more extreme weather, specifically more severe storms with greater amounts of precipitation,” says  William L. Chameides, dean of Duke’s Nicholas School of the Environment and a member of the National Academy of Sciences.

Additionally, climate scientists are still reeling from leaked emails from the University of East Anglia’s Climate Research Unit in November 2009. The documents were apparent proof to skeptics that scientists conspired to overstate the case for a human influence on climate change.  But Chameides asserts that “careful, objective, complete reading of the scientific literature reveals the scientific evidence that the globe is warming – and that this warming is connected to human activities – remains strong.”

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As I happily clicked through the channels (I tend to be a bit of a channel surfer!) with my newly juiced remote I thought about the significance of the product certification. The reality that these batteries truly are carbon neutral is pretty impressive. Their carbon footprint was neutralized after a detailed product life-cycle assessment that included calculations of the emissions resulting in each phase of the life of the product (including raw material extraction, manufacturing, distribution and retail, use, disposal and recycling), and reducing the emissions. The life-cycle assessment is done by a third-party consultant, in accordance with Carbonfund.org’s product certification protocol.

Further, by purchasing a CarbonFree® Certified product you are supporting some pretty awesome, third-party validated carbon reduction projects. In Venom’s case they chose to support our Return to Forest reforestation project. Validated by the Rainforest Alliance to the Climate, Community and Biodiversity Standards with Gold Distinction, the Return to Forest Project is helping to reforest as well as reconnect critical biological corridors along Nicaragua’s Pacific coast. The project also brings economic opportunities to local communities while sequestering about 170,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Venom’s Eco Alkaline batteries are progressive, high quality consumer batteries. Plus, they’re carbon neutral! To learn more about the batteries or about Venom Power, visit: www.venom-group.com.

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The Mid-Atlantic is yet again being blasted with snow. This current blizzard is going to add up to 16 inches to our standing snow pack of about 2-3 feet, likely making this the snowiest winter on record in the Washington, DC area (and Baltimore, and Wilmington.. you get the point). Federal government offices have been closed for several days. The mail is not going to be delivered. The bodega across the street is closed. And your devoted Carbonfund.org staff cannot make it into the office and need to work from home.

But there is a perception that is held by some that these extreme blizzards contradict evidence of global warming. While one cannot argue with anecdotal evidence it is inappropriate to try and explain global climate variations with weather events. The big difference is that weather is what happens now or this coming weekend, and climate is the long-term trends that take place over years and decades.

With that said, there are experts out there that create a pretty sound logic for how global warming can actually make blizzards more common in winter. Dr. Jeff Masters with Weather Underground sums it up well:

…record-breaking snowstorms are not an indication that global warming is not occurring. In fact, we can expect there may be more heavy snowstorms in regions where it is cold enough to snow, due to the extra moisture global warming has added to the atmosphere–an extra 4% since 1970. Snow is not the same as cold, and we have to look at global temperatures, not snowfall, to evaluate whether global warming is occurring.

So there is actually a reasonable rationale for how global warming and blizzards can coexist. Please add your comment on this post.

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The report was based off of a new, University of Leeds study using recorded meteorological data spanning the course of two decades. The study showed that the hole generated high-speed winds that caused sea salt to be swept into the atmosphere leading to the production of the moist, reflective clouds. However, some scientists think that the wind speeds were not generated by the ozone layer’s hole, but caused by emissions of greenhouse gases. Even as the ozone layer continues to recover, greenhouse gas emissions are expected to expand causing a rise in temperatures. The temperature rise would cause wind speeds to increase over time and have the same cloud-forming effect the ozone hole has now.

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So what is the deal? Did we already solve the climate crisis with reductions and carbon offsets? Does this prove that global warming was never happening in the first place?

Unfortunately, the answer to these questions is no.

While your actions to reduce your carbon footprint today are immensely important, there is a lot more work to be done as the existence of cold weather does not disprove the existence of man-made global warming. Even in a warming world, there will still be winter and there will still be seasons. It is easy to forget those hot summer days when it is 10 degrees outside, but it doesn’t mean that the summer wasn’t hot.

The easiest to understand write-up (that I found) about this cold winter is offered to us by the Christian Science Monitor Bright Green Blog. To paraphrase the three reasons why cold weather doesn’t negate global warming (and I highly suggest going over to read the piece):

1. It’s not actually that cold – it is cold right now, but it is not like every place is setting record lows. Some might even say that winters like this are more like the winters we used to have; but due to a recent string of warmer than average winters this one just feels colder.
2. Some places are really hot right now- Australia and New Zealand are currently in the midst of record heat waves, and Bulgaria is close to 72 degrees right now. The 2000s were the hottest decade on record, with the 1990s closely trailing. In fact, over the last ten years, the only continent to not experience warmer than average temperatures was North America.
3. Nobody said it would never get cold again – Winter is supposed to be colder than Summer – and a cold streak is perfectly reasonable in winter. But with global warming, the incidence of record cold days to record warm days has shown a measurable and significant drop over the last 60 years.

There are other reasons for why this cold weather doesn’t mean an end to global warming explained in the article that I do encourage you to read.

My take on the weather is two fold:

1. People have short-term memories - it is hard to remember the summer heat when you are bundled up, your toes are cold and your nose is running like a faucet.
2. People confuse weather with climate – it is nearly impossible to link any single weather event to global warming – hot or cold, catastrophic or normal – there are just too many factors at play. So one cold streak doesn’t disprove global warming just like one warm streak doesn’t prove it. The best measures of the climate come from scientific analysis and from observing long term trends.

Remember this winter as you are judiciously using your furnace to stay warm that this doesn’t mean that the climate has been saved. It is still our responsibility to fight global warming and to reduce what we can, and offset what we can’t.

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Through the environmental leadership and support of donors, Carbonfund.org in 2009:

• Reached 5 billion pounds of CO₂ reduced through carbon reduction projects around the globe;

• Supported innovative projects like India’s Neria low-impact hydroelectric project which generates clean power, helps create jobs and local investment in clean technologies;

• Received the Climate, Community and Biodiversity Standards (CCBS) and Voluntary Carbon Standard (VCS) dual validation for the 1,870 acre Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge Reforestation Project in Louisiana;

• Certified new products including Motorola’s Renew W233 mobile phone as CarbonFree®, the leading carbon neutral product label in the world;

• Joined the 1Sky, 350, TckTckTck, and the Clean Energy Works coalitions;

• Was featured in USA Today, US News, Mother Nature Network, among many others, and participated in Earth Day on the National Mall;

• Participated in Maya Lin’s What is Missing? campaign on deforestation;

• Added Motorola, Transamerica, Samsung and numerous small and start-up businesses to the CarbonFree® business program, promoting the message: “Reduce What You Can, Offset What You Can’t™.”

Please take a moment and make a year-end, tax deductible donation to Carbonfund.org to support our programs and projects. Help Carbonfund.org get to 10 billion pounds of CO₂ reduced. For every $20 you donate, Carbonfund.org will also plant a tree in your honor.

December 31^st is almost here so please, donate now.

Thank you!

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The hottest decade on record before the 2000s was the 1990s, and before that the 1980s. Temperature records have been kept using precise instruments since 1850.

The recent WMO press release also states:

“This year above-normal temperatures were recorded in most parts of the continents. Only North America (United States and Canada) experienced conditions that were cooler than average. Given the current figures, large parts of southern Asia and central Africa are likely to have the warmest year on record.”

Though the US and Canada experienced cooler temperatures this year, our weather is not indicative of global trends.

This release coincides with the Copenhagen climate meetings, where global leaders are well positioned to work out the framework for a legally binding emissions reductions target.

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