EPA’s Role on Smog/Clean Air Act Protection

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)completed the additional Clean Air Act Protections to reduce emissions of mercury, other air toxic and air quality standards for sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide. Hundreds of thousands of tons of smokestack emissions that travel long distance through the air resulting to soot and smog, threatening the health of hundreds of missions of Americans living downwind.  The Cross-State Air Pollution Rule will protect communities from smog and soot preventing premature deaths, nonfatal heart attacks, acute bronchitis, and aggravated asthma. Around 27 states in the eastern half of the country will work with power plants to cut pollution under the rule that has proven cost-effective control technologies. Additionally, EPA will work with states to assist developing the most suitable path forward to deliver significant reductions in emissions while reducing costs for utilities and consumers.

Power plant emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and nitrogen oxide (NO_x) continually travel across state lines as they are carries long distances across the country by wind and weather. The pollution is transported and reacts in the atmosphere contributing to severe levels of ground level ozone and fine particles that are scientifically connected to illnesses and premature deaths, destructing the air quality of cities. Therefore, this rule will enhance the air quality by cutting SO₂ and NO_x emissions that contribute to pollution problems in other states. The rules followed by the states are expected to reduce SO₂   emissions by 73 percent from 2005 levels by 2014. NO_x emissions are expected to reduce by 54 percent. Further, this rule will help states that are struggling to protect air quality from pollution emitted outside their borders. Furthermore, this rule uses an approach that can be applied in the future to assist areas continue to meet and maintain air quality health standards.

The rule will also facilitate to improve visibility in state and national parts while better protecting the ecosystems. In a supplemental rulemaking based on further review and analysis of air quality information, EPA is also proposing to require sources in lowa, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Oklahoma and Winconsin to decrease NO_x emissions during the summertime ozone season. This rule will optimistically bring a positive result and lead those states to have a better air quality while minimizing the adverse effects.

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Kyoto Protocol and Nations’ Contributions

Kyoto protocol is a universal treaty which connects the United Nations Frame work conventions in Climate Change. The main goal of this protocol is cutting the green house gases emissions in thirty seven developed European countries. Kyoto protocol was formed by Japan in December 11, 1997 and made to be strict in February 16, 2005.   The President of Barak Obama has called sixteen large economic nations to Washington for a forum on Climate change to remind the responsibilities to them according to the Kyoto protocol, which will be held at the end of this April. The focus in this meeting will be about cutting the emissions of green house gases and providing clean energy before the Kyoto protocol expires in 2012. Moreover, there will be another forum in Germany on this case, and 190 nations are going to participate in that forum. There will some agreements be formed on limiting carbon dioxide emissions after 2012.  It seems like all nations have realized that we should do something for alleviating global warming. However, making it into reality is the most important role of all nations and there should be more protocols formed like Kyoto, so that  the earth will be not vulnerable to extinction.

References: http://www.energyusa.net/kyota_protocol.htm 

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2009/03/28/obama_calls_major_economies_climate_change_meeting/

Climate Change Spread FIRE in NEPAL

Nepal is a marvelous mountainous country where you can see snow in the peak of the mountains.You will never I trust if anyone says there was fire a few days ago? Yes, when I asked one of my Nepali friends she told me that she has no idea about it because they believe that Nepal won’t have a severe impact in climate change as it is not located near sea. However, climate change have a severe impact in Nepal as
it mostly affects the tropical regions . Nasa’s satellite imaged that huge fire flames were around the national parks near to Tibet, the highest plain land in the world. Still they couldn’t estimate lost of flora and fauna.More than the lost, the considerable concern is that carbon dioxide emitted in high amount as the result of this fire. In Himalaya regions, stopping the fire was difficult as he geography of the region is complicated and the man power is not enough to pour water by planes and helicopters. Nepalese are able to recognize that the winter is becoming drier and drier and this year it has positioned a record nusually.

References: http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=77129, http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/publisher,IRIN,,BTN,47cfbd572c,0.html

G8 plans to SHARE greenhouse gases

Presently, the world is more aware about climate changes and tries to alleviate the current problem as we can see there are numerous conferences on this case. The leaders from European countries and other developed nations assert that the green house gases such as carbon emissions will be reduced by 50 % by 2050 in order to attempt global warming. Unfortunately, the United States has declined to place temporary aims for this case where as they prefer long term goals. Five of the largest world upcoming economic countries alleged that the 50% should be increased at least until 80%. In Japan, climate changes have been a difficult issue to solve, so they also have some targets as the developing countries are expected to have. South Africa previously discarded as they thought it wouldn’t work and they were not willing to agree with this. Optimistically, there are 200 countries signed on this contract in UN climate change convention, so we can anticipate that it will work in the future. While G8 countries lead the convention the whole world except some countries will play their roles in this plan. So, as a hope the impacts of climate change will be alleviated sooner.

Refrences: http://www.reuters.com/article/africaCrisis/idUST60132, http://www.energy-enviro.fi/index.php?PAGE=791&NODE_ID=791&LANG=1

Climate Change, An Ensuing Threat to Sri Lankan Tourism

When we say tourism what do you really expect? Well, you probably need to have pleasant weather, marvelous sunrise and sunset in the horizontal line of the sea coastal lines and coral reefs in that place where you are planning to visit and luxurious hotels with swimming pools. There had been such places where you could get all these together. But now? Could you imagine a place with all stupendous facilities? All are under threat due to climate change.

While expecting all these, does anyone think of  how everything has gone under threat and the causes for these at risk? Tourism is one of the big causes for climate change. Thus, “we have to talk about tourism and Climate change” says Stefanos Fotiou of the United Nations Environment Program (Unep). Without concentrating about climate change we cannot have a sustainable tourism. According to the UNWTO, 46 world slightest developed countries out of 50 benefits from tourism as it is their main source for foreign income.

Among them, Sri Lanka is one of the most important nations, which is leading the system of tourism. As the dwelling of 3000 Asian elephants and contains 30% rain forest itself, it is called “an Earth Lung”, because it is a ruler of carbon clean place. It is a hot spot of Bio Diversity. As it has a huge range of indigenous flora and fauna, the eco system has become vulnerable to the alterations of climate. Moreover, tourists from all over the world prefer to stay in multifaceted hotels with air- conditions, where perfect destructive chemicals are used to keep swimming pools. To have a pleasant travel, tourism ministries and tourists should keep their eyes on conserving the nature and not contributing to climate changes

Refrences:

http://www.e-clat.org/,                                                   http://www.prlog.org/10144384-climate-change-and-tourism-sri-lankas-gift-in-song-debuts-to-world-audience.html, http://www.4hoteliers.com/4hots_nshw.php?mwi=5272

The Darkest Episode in My Life

This is a submision to BBC, but it is not related to my blog theme.

When I was seven years old, I spent almost all the time in bunker, a dark cemented concrete hall where people hide themselves in order to save them from shells and bombs, instead of playing in parks and making sand castles in sea shores, which was the darkest period in my life. All my mornings bloomed with the terrible sounds of Bombers and Super Sonics, more than this; there would be multi barrel shells were shelled towards our place and killed thousands and thousands of innocent people.

Six months went off without schools, even in home no one would be interested in studying or teaching the basic things which I was supposed to learn in that period. Since getting up in the early morning with the frightened mind until the next day bloomed, there was no Sun in my world. My sister and I always sat near the entrance of the bunker, be ready, to go inside in it when the war planes came with the terrible noise. At night there were many people who were my relations and neighbors stayed inside the bunker in my home as they did not have a shelter and our bunker was big enough to content many people. Without electricity, with a kerosene lamp, each of us had to struggle, especially the kids cried the whole night, and as a result everyone had to be awake the whole day.

The society had a ahrd time to survive and to run the family cycle. No one could do their jobs and economy was a huge crisis. Moreover, to buy basic needs people had to be in a long queue in co- operative shops. While they were standing in there, war jets would come and throw shells on the public which was a terrible scene ever. Because Jaffna is a peninsula and the A-9, main road which is the liaison between Jaffna and the Sounth part, was closed, basic needs like food and medical things did not come there. Thus, the people who were injured by shells could not go to hopitals and had to die terribly.

This is just how I experienced the civil war as a little girl and the way how public was affected when I was in that age. However, still there are numerous sorrow stories which do not have an ending part until Sri Lanka reaches PEACE. Moreover, the cnoflict is still going on, which seems like the end will not be soon. Let’s hold our hands together, try to alleviate geno cide in Sri Lanka and keep the country “the Pearl of the Indian Ocean” peacefully.

Inevitable Cause for Cliamate Change!

Have you ever wondered how long the Sun has been giving us unfailing energy including light and heat? Well, it has been an energy soured for about five billion years and driving the weather system of the earth. So the scientists have thought whether the Sun has an impact on these climatic changes and the results were that the Sun has been stable since the human evolution. However, increased emissions of Carbon Dioxide lead the Sun to have a powerful impact on climate change. Further, the radiation of ultraviolet affects the ozone layer. Ozone layer is the most important part in the atmosphere which works as a cover to our planet and Ozone layer is the place where numerous chemical reactions happen. Moreover, we all know that the functions of earth are controlled by the magnetic field of the Sun. Thus, protons and electron comes towards the earth through solar wind, which protect the whole solar system by standing like a protection from cosmic rays, the most energetic rays in the universe. In addition, the cosmic rays have an important part in cloudy atmosphere. Due to the arrival of cosmic rays in different amounts, the overall cloudiness of the earth differs. Consequently, the total radiation from the Sun to the surface of the earth is affected which causes global warming. Though these factors are long term alterations and are omitted from scientists’ consideration they have important influences in climate changes. Compared with green house gases, the Sun is more responsible for global warming which is more than 50%.

 

References: http://www.gcrio.org/CONSEQUENCES/winter96/sunclimate.html, http://www.aip.org/history/climate/solar.htm,  http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/fs-0095-00/fs-0095-00.pdf, http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/earth/climate/cli_sun.html

Oh! It’s so hot!!!

“Oh! It’s so hot”, I could say this is one of my roommates favorite sentence. It has attached in her mind and even while she’s sleeping she will tell this. Yes. Not only my roommate, but also my classmates always need either Air Conditioner (AC) or fan. Though we keep the fan or AC on our body sweat a lot. Think about the ancient time once. Before these inventions, how could they live? Rising temperature and the sequences of it are the main reason for all these troubles. We, human, can at least express how we are affected due to these climate changes. How do the animals and other wonderful creatures of the earth show that they are being affected too? There are some ways that they, especially birds, articulate their feeling about this issue. When the winter season comes they go to many other countries for their reproduction. I studied in grade 9 Social studies that there are thousands and thousands of Siberia and Western Europe birds come to Sri Lanka as it is “The Birds’ Paradise” with 435 resident species. Moreover, it has many sanctuaries such as Kumana, Bundala, Kalamatiya, Sinharaja Rain Forest, Udawatta Kala, Bellen willa, Muthurajawalla, Minneria, Minepe and Kitugal especially for birds. Further, the climate condition suits those birds, so that they spend their whole summer season in Sri Lanka. Since my childhood, I have observed varieties of water birds come to “Vallai” Lagoon, Jaffna which has been a fascinating scene ever. However, last few years I could observe the difference that there have been only a few species visited. I could say the reason is only the climatic changes. Consequently, the birds cannot predict the season changes in Sri Lanka. Due to this, their arrivals have decreased. It is possible that in the future, these birds will be in the list of endangered species.

Undecipherable experience

Presently, the phenomenon due climate alterations has become dramatically incredible. The effects of the phenomenon are unpredictable as well as inevitable. In this planet, almost all the creatures are affected by global warming and no one can refute this, in my perception. While thinking about this, one of my friends came to online and we had a chat. Gradually,our talks turned about climate changes and he told me his experience that he was utterly affected by Katrina storm when he visited as a tourist to New Orleans in Louisiana, USA in 2005. It is a low land and one of the most beautiful islands frequently affected by floods, so it is considered one of the vanishing places and the scientists have anticipated that the future generation will not get to see the place.
Though he has already known that New Orleans is one of the vulnerable islands, the experiences he got there regarding the Katrina storm which was extremely terrible. The day bloomed like a doom day and he could feel the differences, but could not predict or even guess what it was. Around 10 am, the storms got overwhelming speed and all roofs were taken off in that place. Humongous trees fell down across the streets and there was power cut, especially some wires were broken and sparkling in the ground.
He had a hard time to get out from my home and pass the street, but he could hear the sirens of vehicles which were taking the injured people to hospitals. So, he could have a lift in the vehicle and pass the place.
As he felt the Katrina first there, he could realize the harassment of it and now he think that the earth should be unconfined from this kind of hazardousness. To make it real and have a better place, we all should hold our hands together and act to at least alleviate it.