Shrinking Ice, Shrinking Hunting Grounds

Native villagers in northern Canada and the Arctic are receiving visitors they've never seen before. Warmer temperatures and warmer waters have sent animals such as finches, robins and dolphins into places where they have no name. This warmer atmosphere has also meant ice freezes later and thinner, forcing villagers to travel further to hunting grounds they once accessed by ice.

Hunting has also become more dangerous. Less snow has made it difficult to build igloos for shelter and thinning ice has claimed the lives of seasoned hunters. Knowledge that has been passed down for thousands of years about how to survive in these harsh conditions is no longer functional. Many elders refuse to even go out on the ice.

While Americans are responsible for one-fourth of the emissions that scientists attribute to global warming, these simple people who lived off the land for generations are feeling the affects. Everyone needs to do their part to reverse the effects of global warming.

Lights Out for Change

Saturday night was the night that the lights went out in Sydney. At 7:30, homes, businesses and even famous skyline landmarks like the Sydney Opera House went dark for one hour to raise awareness about global warming and the steps that can be taken to help. Australia, with it's 21 million residents, is ranked the world's number 1 greenhouse gas emitter per capita.

Earth Hour was organized by environmentalists as the kick off to a campaign asking Sydney residents to turn off lights, computers and other electrical equipment when not in use which could reduce gas emissions by 5% a year. Scientists estimate that, without change, temperatures in Australia could rise 6.7 degrees by the year 2080, bringing more of the catastrophic weather conditions that have plagued the world in the last decades.

Sydney is not the first city to put the lights out for change. Paris, Rome and Athens have held similar conservation initiatives.

Lose Carbon, Win Cash

Sir Richard Branson, chairman of the Virgin Group, announced the Virgin Earth Challenge, a $25 million dollar prize to anyone who can develop a method to extract one billion tons of carbon dioxide per year. The world's leading climate scientists have warned that global warming is getting worse, and emissions of carbon dioxide are a major cause.

Contest entries will be judged by Branson, former Vice President Al Gore and numerous climate experts. The contest will stand for 5 years, but if no winner is identified, the contest may be extended. The winner's method must remove one billion tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere for 10 years. $5 million will be awarded at the start and the remaining $20 million at the end of the 10 year period.

The Earth cannot wait forever for a solution to global warming. "We need everybody capable of discovering an answer to put their minds to it today," said Branson.

Church and Science Join Forces Over Global Warming

Leading scientists and evangelical Christian leaders are joining forces to fight global warming despite their historic differences concerning the creation of the Earth. They have agreed that no matter how the Earth was created, "...the issue we agree on is that it needs to be cared for today,” said Rich Cizik, vice president of government relations for the National Association of Evangelicals. The two groups intend to argue that the threat to life is great and an immediate response is needed.

Tips to Reduce Global Warming

Scientists say that global warming and a return of El Nino may make ’07 the hottest year ever. El Nino will not be as strong as it was in ’98, the current record hot spell, but carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas levels are continuing to rise creating their own warming effect. Last year, scientists reported the 41 square mile Ayles Ice Shelf, broke free from Ellesmere Island in the Canadian Arctic just 500 miles south of the North Pole. These shelves are made of 3000 year old ice and are in danger of disappearing. The five remaining shelves are currently 90% smaller than they were upon discovery 100 years ago and one has cracked in half, threatening to join Ayles as a potential hazard to ships.

10 Tips to Reduce Global Warming

1) Plant a tree, preferably an EMIP tree as they absorb more carbon dioxide
2) Reduce, reuse and recycle
3) Use less heat and air conditioning
4) Replace regular light bulbs with compact florescent light bulbs
5) Drive less and drive smart
6) Buy energy-efficient products
7) Use less hot water
8) Use the “off” switch
9) Get a report card from your utility company
10) Encourage others to conserve