Every day brings another news story about the seeming inevitability and severity of global climate change. It is impossible to say with much accuracy how the forces put into motion by global warming will play out, but the bottom line is simple: the more heat-trapping gases we put into the atmosphere, the more the climate will change. The major culprit is thought to be carbon dioxide (CO2). And the major producer of CO2 emissions is the combustion of fossil fuels. This problem may seem terribly overwhelming, but there is a simple change you can make to help stop global warming, and it’s almost like you don’t have to do anything.
The Major Issue To Address Is Your Addiction To Your Car

The Major Issue To Address Is Your Addiction To Your Car

That’s right, you can help stop global warming by simply not driving! Do you struggle to imagine your life without owning a personal automobile? You’re certainly not the only one. America’s love affair with the personal automobile has a history so long that it is deeply embedded in our culture. You may see the automobile as more than a piece of technology, but as a staple of our material culture for the freedom that it ostensibly provides. Personal automobile use is a major contributor to global warming. On the bright side, you can make a big contribution to solving global warming by refraining from using your automobile. In the United States, the only sector responsible for emitting more carbon dioxide than transportation is electricity generation. While reforms to make electricity generation could take years of bureaucratic process and infrastructure development, you can take a major step to help stop global warming today by reducing your automobile use.

The Solution That Can Help You Stop Global Warming - Walk, Bike, and Use Public Transportation

The fossil fuels burned while driving are immense. If you drive 12,000 miles a year in a car that achieves an average of 20 miles per gallon, that activity is responsible for producing six tons of carbon dioxide. This number may seem meaningless, but consider that the average American home and car are responsible for 7.5 tons per capita each over the same year you can see what a tremendous impact driving has on the atmosphere. The American Public Transportation Association reports that using public transportation results in half the emissions that would be created by the same trip in a car. Walking and biking produce no emissions and provide the additional benefit of giving you a sense of freedom that cannot be afforded by any motorized vehicle.

By altering your life in this way, you can be a beacon for others who have yet to take the plunge themselves. You can change all the light bulbs you want, but very few people will ever witness that act. Walking, biking and using public transit are public acts which make a strong statement that you are committed to help stop global warming. If others can see that you have made this change in your life, they will be inspired to do the same, creating a positive feedback loop that will catalyze grassroots reform-the key to overcoming this potentially devastating catastrophe.

The Simple Fact Is You Can Be Happier Without Owning Your Own Car If You Make Car Free Living A Major Focus In Your Life

If you are still reading, you probably take issue with the the idea of being happier without a car. But many people have kicked their habit of owning a personal vehicle and have not looked back. Once you let go of your addiction, you will notice that your quality of life has improved and the car’s singular benefit of convenience will seem bygone . Reflect on the potential benefits for a moment: less time behind the wheel in traffic; a healthier body; one less major possession needing upkeep; more free time and more money. Now consider the fact that the average household in the U.S. spends 17% of its budget on owning and operating personal vehicles . Imagine being liberated from that financial burden! You will be able to spend more money on what you enjoy or perhaps spend less time working.

As with other addictions, though, going cold turkey is not always the most effective method. Try first committing to using alternative transportation on one day a week when you would normally use your automobile. Gradually increase this as it becomes easier and work towards making more and more trips this way. As you continue to enjoy the financial benefits of making fewer car trips, consider getting rid of your car completely to realize the full money-saving potential. This may seem like a treacherous transition, but for occasional use, many people make use of car sharing. Car co-ops provide access to car for people who have given up owning a vehicle, but still want occasional access to one. Car sharing is available in hundreds of cities. If none exists in your city, consider starting a car sharing co-op or relocating to an area where you are not so dependent on your own vehicle.

Only earnest efforts to avert this possible tragedy will be effective. Giving up your car may seem like a tragic sacrifice, but it pales in comparison to the sacrifices that humanity and the earth will face should we fail to face the “elephant in the room” that is global climate change.

As the Philippines seeks better ways to use its resources in combating climate change, a new discovery by a Filipino biotechnology company based in the U.S. has tapped a wonder plant in the country as a source of biofuel.

Malunggay, scientifically known as Moringa oleifera Lamk, which is widely grown in the Philippines and is considered one the world’s most useful plants, is found as a good source of Moringa oil. This oil is believed to be a biofuel source.

SECURA International announced that malunggay oil is being tapped by the North American Biofuels Inc. (NABI) since January as possible raw material for biodiesel production. As a result, the former is currently growing malunggay in 500,000-hectare farmland to meet the demands of NABI.

Since malunggay can easily be grown in the country, SECURA International president Danny Manayaga encouraged the Filipino farmers to take advantage of the situation in meeting the demands of the world for the Moringa oil supply to be used as biodiesel.

Manayaga said this business is sustainable since the market is very accessible. Currently, there are 165 marketing companies in the U.S. for biodiesel using soybean oil as raw material. It is expected that in the next 50 years, Japan and Korea will be the biggest markets of Moringa oil for their automobiles that will use biodiesel.

Others might be thinking of the real viability of Moringa oil as biodiesel. But the NABI has already authenticated that it has passed the biofuels standards. This means doubts of whether this can truly be used are over.

Earlier, the Philippine government is endorsing jatropha as a source of biofuel. However, Manayaga said Moringa oil is more useful that jatropha. What makes malunggay better than the jatropha is that malunggay is 100 percent usable; all parts are biodegradable. Unlike jatropha, it has a toxic part. Once its oil is extracted, the left-over part becomes a nuclear waste according to the findings.

With malunggay as a biofuel source in the Philippines, the country may in some way help other countries reduce the impact of global warming by sharing the benefits of Moringa oil.