Florida approves California emissions limits

A satate commission approved today will toughen emissions standards for new cars sold in Florida, according to the Asssociated Press.

The Environmental Regulation Commission voted 6-1 on Tuesday to adopt California's emissions rules as a way of lowering greenhouse gases, which some blame for global warming.

The rules calling for more fuel efficient vehicles must now be approved by the Legislature. It is a priority for Gov. Charlie Crist.

Auto manufacturers and dealers oppose the standards, saying they will drive up vehicle costs and make some light trucks unavailable in Florida.

French "Spiderman" climbs NYT building, draws attention to global warming

This week, Alain Robert, dubbed the "French Spiderman," scaled the walls of the New York Times building in Times Square, New York.

In a press release he said the stunt, which he performed Tuesday, June 5, was "a peaceful way to create support for far greater and urgent action from world leaders on global warming."

While climbing, he hung a large, yellow banner with a message about the urgency in taking greater action against global warming.

He was later arrested and charged in a Manhattan court Friday, but released on parole, court officilas said.

Still, his action was nothing short of admirable and ingenious (but kids, don't try this at home!). His stunt, and the message behind it, definitely drew the attention of not only New Yorkers, but people around the country and around the world.

Bravo, monsieur!

Climate Change Bill dies in the Senate

The Senate today brought the Climate Change Bill to an end, at least for this year, as it did not get the votes it needed to proceed.

The Senate begun debating the bill Monday. Democrats moved to end debate and move to a final vote, which required 60 votes to pass, but failed, with 48 in favor and 36 against. Take a look at how your state Senator voted here.

The bill would have required major reductions in greenhouse gases. Specifically, it would have required U.S. emissions of greenhouse gases to peak in 2012, then gradually decline by about 2 percent a year until 2050 - for a total reduction of about 66 percent from current levels.

For more details about the bill, read this posting from The San Francisco Chronicle.

Bill supporters drew attention to the gravity of the climate change crisis. Although absent, presidential candidate Barack Obama, said in a statement that "The future of our planet is at stake." Meanwhile, Senate majority leader Harry Reid called climate change "the most important issue facing the world today."

Democrats blamed the Republicans for the impasse. Carl Pope, executive director of the Sierra Club, issued this statement:

A reckless and cynical minority has denied the Senate—and the American
people—the meaningful and long overdo debate on global warming their
constituents have been clamoring for. While the Senate leadership and a
bi-partisan group of Senators sought to debate the solutions to our
ever-deepening environmental and economic crises, the Republican leadership
instead used theatrics to tie the Senate in knots for the sole purpose of
"making political points."

Even if the bill had pushed through the Senate, President Bush had threatened to veto the legislation. The bill may have a better chance next year with a new president who will hopefully understand the importance of doing something on a legislative level about the climate change crisis.

Happy Earth Day!

Today, the planet celebrates Earth Day!

According to the New York Times, nearly 20 million Americans participated in the first Earth Day celebration on April 22, 1970. In the decades since, Earth Day has spread across the globe with thousands of events in more than 180 countries.

From its beginning, the event influenced environmental politics, triggering such national legislation as the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act.

Organizers of the first celebration wrote in their manifesto:

"Earth Day is a commitment to make life better, not just bigger and faster.
It is a day to re-examine the ethic of individual progress at mankind's
expense."

Here, some agency pictures from today's Earth Day celebrations around the world:

Above, children paint pictures with soil to commemorate Earth Day in Panama City, Tuesday, April, 22, 2008.(AP Photo/Arnulfo Franco)

Above, environmental activists perform on the eve of Earth Day in Makassar, Indonesia's South Sulawesi province, April 21, 2008. The performance is a call to protect trees on Earth. REUTERS/Yusuf Ahmad (INDONESIA)

Above, on the eve of the internationally recognized 'Earth Day,' Taipei's city government writes 'Cool Below 2 Degrees' on the side of the Taipei 101 building to address global warming in Taipei, Taiwan, Monday, April 21, 2008.(AP Photo/Wally Santana)

Above, President George W. Bush, Mexico's President Felipe Calderon, (R), and Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper (L), shovel dirt before planting a tree in honor of Earth Day while in New Orleans, Louisiana, April 22, 2008.(Larry Downing/Reuters)

The most important thing to remember, though, is that Earth Day is not just today, it's everyday!

Pope says pollution is a sin

"Thou shall not pollute the Earth."

Pollution is one of the new seven deadly sins, according to a statement released by Pope Benedict XVI this week.

In regards to the list, Senior Vatican official Gianfranco Girotti, said an offense against God “is not only stealing or coveting another man’s wife, it is also destroying the environment.”

The list appeared in the Vatican's newspaper L'Osservatore Romano.

The list of new sins also includes genetic engineering, abortion and pedophilia.

According to a Los Angeles Times article, the Catholic Church is not the only one to take a stand for the environment. The Southern Baptist Convention, this month announced plans to fight global warming, the article reads, and the California diocese of the Episcopal Church recently appointed its first canon for environmental ministry.

Photo: Gregorio Borgia/Associated Press

South Florida's temperatures hotter than usual

Florida has always been known for its warm temperatures, but this year, they might be just a little too hot.

This according to a report recently released by Environment Florida, a statewide, citizen-based environmental advocacy organization that carries out independent research and "tough-minded advocacy" in order to protect Florida's air, water, open spaces, and the quality of the environment overall.

The report, which is entitled "Temperatures in Cities Across Florida on the Rise,"states that the average temperature in cities like Miami, West Palm Beach and Tampa, among many others, are 0.5 degrees higher than last year's average.

“Throw out the record books, because global warming is raising temperatures in Florida and across the country,” said Environment Florida Field Director Holly Binns.

And while the degree difference may not sound alarming, Dr. Jeff Chanton, a scientist and professor at Florida State University warned that: “One degree may not seem like much, but just like in people, a small, relatively rapid temperature rise can have serious consequences.”

Among these consequences, the report states, are "serious implications for human health, causing heat stroke, heat exhaustion, and even death. "

One of the cities that presented this increase in temperatures is West Palm Beach. The report concluded that the average 76.1 degree Fahrenheit summertime (from June to August) temperature in that city was 1.6 degrees higher last year than the 30-year "normal" average of 74.7, according to The Palm Beach Post's article "Scientists say West Palm Beach is getting hotter."

Environment Florida's report explains that "this warmer-than-normal weather is indicative of what Florida can expect with continued global warming, including increased drought and wildfire, stress on already-scarce water resources, and more frequent and intense tropical storms."

Additionally, the organization emphasized the fact that "2007 is on track to be the second warmest year on record globally."

Fortunately, not all the reports' conclusions were negative.

“The good news is that those same scientists (who warn about the impact of global warming) say we can avoid the worst effects of global warming by taking bold action now to reduce global warming pollution... we have the technology at our fingertips to cut global warming pollution and forge a cleaner, more secure energy future," said Binns.

Countdown has begun for Live Earth global event

This Saturday, the whole world will rock in a united effort to bring awareness to the climate change crisis through Live Earth:The Concerts for a Climate in Crisis.

According to SOS (Save Our Selves), the group behind this global spectacle, Live Earth will be "a 24-hour, 7-continent concert series taking place on 7/7/07 that will bring together more than 100 music artists and 2 billion people to trigger a global movement to solve the climate crisis."

A Newsday article entitled "As the World Tunes," explains that Kevin Wall, founder of the SOS group and producer of Live 8, came up with the idea of organizing this event inspired by former Vice President Al Gore, whose Oscar-winning documentary An Inconvenient Truth brought to the forefront the debate about global warming.

"Millions of people saw that movie and realized that this was a compelling argument," Wall said to Newsday. "I wanted to see if we could get the globe to pay attention, to get billions of people to take notice."

In the same article, Wall also added that aside from the concerts, the event's main goal is to teach as many people as possible about ways to improve the environment:

We want people to know they can step up and make a change... They can
make a change by changing how they treat the environment, by buying green, by
voting to put people in office who will negotiate these improvements on a global
basis. If we can get people to move in that direction, we can really have
an impact. ..

The historical music event will feature eight concerts in the following cities: New York, London, Shanghai, Sydney, Johannesburg, Rio de Janeiro, Chiba and Tokyo.

Among the artists acheduled to appear are Madonna, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Black Eyed Peas, Bon Jovi, Lenny Kravitz, Metallica, and Shakira. The event will also allow fans to see some of their favorite bands reunite for the first time, among them Smashing Pumpkins and The Police.

The event will reach its worldwide audience through TV, radio and the Internet- the concerts will be broadcast in the United States through NBC, but they will also stream through Live Earth's website.

However, according to Gore, the show will be just a starting point for a global movement that seeks to increase consciousness about our planet's suffering:

"Live Earth will be just the beginning of a three year campaign worldwide to deliver information about how to solve the climate crisis," he said.

Instant messaging your way to a better planet

Everyone IM's nowadays, so why not contribute to helping the planet while you're at it?

Thanks to i'm, a new initiative from Windows Live Messenger, you actually can.

The way the program works is this: every time you use Windows instant messaging service, Microsoft will share a portion of the service's ad revenue to the cause of your choice. Among your options, the initiative to "help explore and protect the planet" by choosing the Sierra Club. You can also help increase awareness and join the fight against global warming by choosing StopGlobalWarming.org.

Of course, the environment is not the only one that needs our help, so you can also choose among other organizations dedicated to causes of great importance, among them the American Red Cross and UNICEF. And the great thing is, you don't have to feel like once you've chosen a cause you can't help out another that might interest you. Actually, if you like, you can switch back and forth between the causes dearest to your heart by making the appropriate selection whenever you begin a new conversation (I tried it out myself so I know it works!).

This is what you need to do:

1. Download the Windows Live Messenger instant messenger service.
   
2. Before initiating a conversation, choose the cause of your choice next to your Display Name.


3. Start your conversation. While you chat with your friends or family members, you'll be contributing to the issue that is of most importance to you. Every conversation counts!
   

For more details, visit the i'm page and start making a difference!

DiCaprio brings global warming documentary to Cannes

This week, Leonardo DiCaprio is attending the Cannes Film Festival among other Hollywood stars, though not as an actor, but as a writer, producer and narrator of a climate change documentary.

"The 11th Hour," a film that discusses how humans have affected the climate and what can be done to remedy the damage, will be featured as a special screening at the festival.

Following the footsteps of Al Gore, who won an Academy Award last year for his documentary "An Inconvenient Truth," DiCaprio seeks to bring attention to the critical issue of global warming, although in a different way. According to the Associated Press, the film not only shows the impact of climate change but also provides advice from over 50 leading scientists, visionaries and leaders from around the world on how to heal our planet. Among them, Wade Davis, an Explorer-in-Residence at the National Geographic Society, who sends a clear message about humanity's ability to repair the harm done:

"All of these forces sweeping over the planet are the
forces created by human beings. And if human beings are the source of the
problem, we can be the foundation of the solution."

The 11th Hour will be shown in U.S. theaters towards the fall; however, you may visit www.the11thhourfilm.com to find out more about the film itself and also learn about the crisis our planet is currently facing due to the climate change. You can also sign up for the campaign "Lighten your Footprint," which provides information on how you and your community can take action and become part of the solution.