Spam has a carbon footprint. The time and energy wasted by spam email uses the same amount of greenhouse gas emissions as 3.1 million passenger cars using two billion gallons of gas. The majority of the energy consumed is due to spam maintenance, a study has found. “If spam filters were used universally, the energy saved would be equivalent to taking 2.3 million cars off the road, the report said.“ Read more…
A colossal black hole nestled in the center of a distant galaxy controls its own growth and the growth of surrounding stars by pumping out energy at regular intervals, a new study says.
“It looks like a beating heart,” said study team member Mateusz Ruszkowski, an astronomer at the University of Michigan.
Instead of global warming, some experts are now warning that the world may soon plunge into the next Ice Age. They predict most of Scotland, Northern Ireland and England to be covered in ice 3,000 feet thick. These same experts blame global warming on falling greenhouse gas levels. Read more…
According to research released today, we haven’t done enough to reduce our carbon emissions. In fact, not only have we not done enough, but greenhouse gas emissions have actually surpassed scientists’ worst-case-scenarios, despite the measures put in place by policymakers worldwide. Read more…
Greenland, the world’s largest island, holds enough ice to raise global sea levels by 23 feet. Add the ice sheets of Antarctica and the oceans would deepen more than 200 feet!
Satellite measurements from space confirm that global warming is making an impact and turning ice into water. As glaciers begin to melt, the question everyone asks is how much and how long?
If Greenland alone was to raise sea level by just six feet (two meters)? “The answer turned out to be huge: about 49 kilometers [30 miles] per year, 70 times faster than those glaciers move today,” Pfeffer says, “and three times faster than we’ve ever observed an outlet glacier to move.”
Given that Greenland’s glaciers are not presently moving anywhere close to that pace—Kangerdlugssuaq Glacier, the fastest, reached speeds above nine miles (14 kilometers) per year in 2005—the researchers also looked at ice that could contribute from the rest of the world. Assuming that the largest remaining ice shelves in East Antarctica—Filchner-Ronne and Ross—will remain intact, sea level rise from all other melting ice and the expansion of seawater as the weather gets warmer over the next century would be somewhere between 2.6 feet (0.8 meter) and six feet (two meters)—or nearly twice as much as projected last year by the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
These numbers are not even taking into account how much sea level might swell from the meltdown of the numerous small glaciers in Alaska, Argentina, Canada and Russia, which already contribute 60 percent of sea level rise from glacial melt.
Continue here to read more about the deep thaw.
WASHINGTON, DC–(Marketwire - November 1, 2007) - In the new fantasy adventure film “The Golden Compass,” polar bears protect themselves with suits of armor. In the real world, threats to polar bears are not so easily abated. This majestic species is one of many in danger of extinction due to harsh changes in climate, which is why New Line Cinema has launched a unique partnership with the World Wildlife Fund to help educate the public about the impact global warming is having on animals throughout the world.
“Connecting WWF’s real work to combat global climate change to the fantasy world portrayed in ‘The Golden Compass’ is a natural fit,” said John Donoghue, senior vice president of World Wildlife Fund. “We hope the excitement generated by ‘The Golden Compass’ will draw attention to real issues impacting our planet and encourage people around the world to take action to protect and conserve nature.”
“Polar bears are an iconic image in our film, and this is a very organic partnership for us,” says Chris Carlisle, New Line’s President of Domestic Marketing. “It adds an important layer to our campaign and we’re thrilled to work with the World Wildlife Fund and support the work they do.”
Through the partnership, visitors can log on to a special web site at www.worldwildlife.org/goldencompass (site launched today) where they can view a panoramic lineup of the animal spirits or “daemons” featured in the film, many of which are the same species that WWF works to protect in the real world. Fans of the film can also show their support for WWF and its message of species protection by “adopting” a real-life animal whose species is featured in the film — including polar bears, snow leopards, and monkeys — through the site.
The partnership will also include a public service announcement about global warming that will be voiced by actors in the film and a sweepstakes featuring a grand prize trip for four to Manitoba, Canada, to view polar bears in their natural habitat.
Based on author Philip Pullman’s bestselling novel, “The Golden Compass” tells the first story in the “His Dark Materials” trilogy. An exciting fantasy adventure, the film is set in an alternative world populated by talking bears who fight wars, witches, Gyptians, and daemons. In the world of “The Golden Compass,” a person’s soul lives on the outside of their body in the form of a daemon, an animal spirit that accompanies them through life. At the center of the story is Lyra (played by newcomer Dakota Blue Richards), a 12-year-old girl who starts out trying to rescue a friend — and winds up on an epic quest to save not only her world, but ours as well. “The Golden Compass” stars an ensemble cast that includes Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Sam Elliott (”Ghost Rider”), Eva Green (”Casino Royale”) and the voices of Ian McKellen (”The Lord of the Rings”), Ian McShane (”Deadwood”), Freddie Highmore (”Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”), Kathy Bates (”Charlotte’s Web”), and Kristin Scott Thomas (”Gosford Park”). The film is written and directed by Chris Weitz (”About A Boy,” “Antz”) and produced by Deborah Forte and Bill Carraro. “The Golden Compass” is scheduled for a Dec. 7, 2007 release.
Watch the PSA:
http://www.danielloyd.com/compass/THE_GOLDEN_COMPASS_WWF_PSA_V.4REV-NEWLINE%2060.mp4
About World Wildlife Fund
For more than 45 years, WWF has been protecting the future of nature. The largest multinational conservation organization in the world, WWF works in 100 countries and is supported by 1.2 million members in the United States and close to 5 million globally. WWF’s unique way of working combines global reach with a foundation in science, involves action at every level, from local to global, and ensures the delivery of innovative solutions that meet the needs of both people and nature. Go to worldwildlife.org to learn more.
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