When will Global Warming be the cause?

Posted by Markus Langenfeld - 04/26/08 at 09:04:00 am

It’s April 26th and I woke up to about an inch of snow outside, we got off lucky. Parts of MN will get up to 18 inches of snow over this weekend meaning there will be plenty of snow on the ground into May. It’s supposed to be summer in about a month and we’re still getting a seemingly endless stream of winter weather, why?

It’s not because it’s Minnesota, our normal 6 month winters are long enough. This year we’re looking at 8 months infected by freezing temperatures and snowfall leaving us with 4 months of decent warm weather. Why even bother filling the pool? Or taking down the Christmas lights for that matter. The local news can blame it on cold fronts lingering over Canada all they want, most of Canada is experiencing warm spring weather right now. This is just another real-life example of Global Warming and its toll on normal weather patterns and this time around we just so happen to be in the middle of it all.

You might ask how Global Warming could cause more winter weather, it’s supposed to be warming right? Every time it snows in MN I find myself reading countless blogs and articles that say Global Warming isn’t real because there’s snow. People need to understand that Global Warming doesn’t mean that every particular location on the Earth will get warmer, some areas may get colder as weather patterns shift. This article explains how Global Warming increases the overall water temperature in the Great Lakes which in turn increases the gap between water temperature and air temperature making it ideal for snowfall, and that’s just one example.

People who still deny the existence of Global Warming amuse me, I’m wondering how long it will take before the local news mentions the possibility of these out-of-the ordinary weather conditions actually being caused by something other than mysterious pressure systems from Canada.

Global Warming: Everything you need to know.

Posted by Markus Langenfeld - 04/14/08 at 08:04:25 pm

By a show of hands, how many of us have seen this commercial aired on television in the last few weeks?

The commercial is for WeCanSolveIt.org, a nonprofit, nonpartisan campaign founded by Nobel Laureate and former Vice President Al Gore. The ‘We’ Campaign was put together by The Alliance for Climate Protection whom is a group dedicated to expressing the importance and urgency of adopting and implementing an effective and comprehensive solution for our ever growing climate crisis.

WeCanSolveIt.orgDon’t be surprised if I reference this website more often in the future as it offers loads of resources and information about what we can do to better our environment. You too can help drive friends, family, community, corporations, and government to get involved in solving the climate crisis, visit WeCanSolveIt.org to learn more.

Movie Review: An Inconvenient Truth

Posted by Markus Langenfeld - 01/26/07 at 09:01:15 pm

So this movie has been out for a while, I just got around from renting it from NetFlix… I thought I would jot down what I thought.

I must admit, I didn’t think much of Al Gore before this movie. I mean, it’s not that I disliked him; I just didn’t know a whole lot about him and what he believed in. However I think I’ve gained a lot of respect for Gore and what he stands for after seeing the film. I really didn’t expect much and I was thoroughly impressed.

When it comes to the movie itself, I guess there isn’t a whole lot to review; the film was basically based around his presentation. However there was a good amount of background information on Gore and why he feels the way he does, why he’s doing the research and these presentations, and why he was in politics. It put the pieces together well, it made me understand what he’s all about and the point he is trying to get across…
Everything in the movie blended well and acted as a detailed prequel to his next point in the presentation. I mean you would think that a movie based around a live presentation would be boring but it kept me watching, I wanted to learn more.

The presentation I keep mentioning is about Global Warming, which personally is a subject that I’ve recently become mildly interested in. He goes over what it is, how it happens, what the causes are, who’s causing it, and why. What impressed me is that the information he presented was quality, it made sense and it has not only expanded my knowledge about the subject, but really opened my eyes to what’s going on now, and what to expect because of it. It’s sick really; the movie is essentially about the end of the world.

The reason I say that is because although the measures we need to take are realistic, and may not be as drastic as they appear. With money grubbing terrorists such as Bush, and massive forces like the American automotive industry, and the oil industry… Who knows if our nation will be able to help stop our share of what’s happening. I know that my future decisions primarily concerning energy consumption will definitely be influenced by what I have learned tonight.

An Inconvenient Truth was an amazing movie, I highly recommend seeing it.

Where Did The Air Go?

Posted by Markus Langenfeld - 07/28/06 at 02:07:31 pm

We have definitely been having some unseasonable temperatures this summer. Sure it’s July and its supposed to be warm but I can’t remember having desert like heat for weeks at a time like this.

The problem is, unlike the states in the south, Minnesota has humidity, and a lot of it. Ever hear the phrase “Its not the heat, it’s the humidity.”? Minnesota is one of the few states where that term is used commonly. When the local news and forecasters combine the heat with humidity to create a realistic temperature they call it a “Heat Index”. So this weekend is projected to break records with highs of 106F + on Sunday and Monday, and with the Heat Index it will be well over 110F.

It surprises me that there are still officials and scientists that believe Global Warming doesn’t exist. The overall average temperature for our seasons has definitely changed in the last decade or so, our winters are warmer with less snow, and our summers are hotter. It isn’t El Nino like they tried to blame it on in the 90’s, it isn’t a fluke. I believe it has been Global Warming all along and were now seeing the dangerous effects.

I’m no environmental expert however I don’t think we have to stop what were doing to slow down or help fix the effects of what’s going on. We just have to prioritise the measures that are already being taken, and take those changes seriously.

I think the big threat that needs to be worked on is the automobile industry. Having major automobile manufactures switch to Next Gen fuels like E85 and researching new Eco-friendly fuel options is a solid start towards not only helping the environment, but lowering fuel costs and improving the economy. Or how about saving some energy around the home? That doesn’t have to be a big deal… There are light bulbs out there that can provide just as much light, at a fraction of the energy use, they may cost a bit more however they last much longer then the more common light bulbs. Small conversions can make a big difference if enough people do them.

I don’t know about you guys, but I think It’s pretty scary when an average energy wasting, junk food consuming, careless American like myself is starting to get concerned about the environment.

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