Hey Cole! You might want to check out this website because it has other sites along the sides that might interest you. :D

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/12/the_year_in_gre.php

Katie's second response

Cole, your information is really good and you seem well on your way to developing your research. You and Jackson should exchange articles, because your topics are pretty similar. It would be interesting to track Obama's actions in this area once he is elected to office- I really hope he carries through with what is being proposed. You chose a really good topic because I'm sure there are incredible amounts of articles written on it. Another idea you could pursue would be to see that, since winter is here, how that affects the environment, because everybody uses so much more energy to stay warm.

Second Blog Response by Liam

Cole, I like all of the statistics you gathered regarding increasing CO2 concentrations and global warming. Have you come across any methods for removing the already existing CO2 from the atmosphere? I have heard of attempts to capture CO2 from the atmosphere and convert it to the mineral lime which would be pumped back down in to empty oil wells. I wonder if there are other ways to approach this problem while we are still converting to alternative energy sources.

Jeanette's Response #2

Hey Cole. Cool blog. I like how you have researched global warming is different perspectives; sports, politics, etc. One thing I think you might want to research is how global warming will impact the future. I realize that it would be warmer, but what types of plants and animals will be extincted, rise is sea level, how human lives will alter, and stuff like that. It would interesting to compare our world now to our warmer world. The futuristic stuff would be approximate, but it might help your topic have more power and importance. I want to read your I-search when it's done.

Response

I really liked this article because it focused on one of the less commonly advertised types of fossil fuels, we are always hearing about oil and gas prices and their terrible effects on the environment. I think that since people don't tend to directly use coal there is much less knowledge and less fear of its effects. I like how the article talks about liquefied coal and I would be interested to hear the reasoning behind its usage. I also think that the statistics in the article were very helpful in getting an idea of exactly what we're facing.

Coal should be warming concern: scientists

New research and technology is coming into effect in regards to coal. The liquefying of coal is a big issue and many countries already use liquefied coal. Liquefied coal releases 40 percent more carbon dioxide than oil when burned. There are huge resources of coal in the world, much more than those of oil which makes coal cheaper and much more appealing to large companies. The real way to improve climate change is with coal. Ken Caldeira said, "Addressing the climate problem means addressing the coal problem, whether there's a little more oil or a little less oil will change the details, but if we want to change the overall shape of the warming curve, it matters what we do with coal." Caldera predicted a two degree Celsius rise in temperature by 2042 if we stay on the same track. Atmospheric CO2 levels are currently 385 parts per million, that is currently rising at 2 ppm every year as a result of burning fossil fuels. "There are currently more than enough fossil fuels and coal to push us well past safe atmospheric CO2 levels."

Good variety in articles . . .

Cole - I like the variety of articles that you have found so far. Nice to read about the politics of global warming but also to read about activist snowboarders!! Where is your 5 paragraph essay justifying your final choice of topic? You have to answer yes to the five questions and explain how each answer meets the rubric questions (Person interest, currency, etc. . .) Until you complete this, your blog is incomplete . . .

Response

I thought that this article was very interesting because it talks about one of the less commonly observed aspect of global warming. I also have a personal interest in this topic due to the fact that I snowboard. I like the fact the the pro riders are starting to act out against global warming. As the article states, the effect on the season could be catastrophic unless someone will fight to stop climate change. I also liked the small piece of the petition against global warming.

Skiiers to World: Save Our Slopes from Global Warming

Recently in Poland, some of the worlds top skiers and snowboarders demonstrated their skills in protest of global warming. At the same time delegates from around the world continued their talks on climate change. The event was organized by the WWF, or the global warming environmental group, to promote the reduction and eventual turnaround of this crisis. Global warming could very easily hurt the sport very badly. Shorter winters, less cold weather, and retreating glaciers could hurt the sport very badly. For example, it is predicted that Europe could loose as much as 56% of its currently available ski slopes. Two U.S. and two Polish Pros were at the event and called for an 80% reduction in global carbon emissions by 2050 in order to prevent a rise in average world temperatures beyond 2 degrees Celsius. A more short term goal was 25-40% reduction in industrialized nations carbon emissions by 2020. Part of the petition reads, "From the European Alps to the Asian Himalayas, the US Rockies and the Central American Andes, global warming means milder winters and less snowfall, ice and snow are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of global warming, and as avid skiers and snowboarders we see our beloved sports endangered."

Response

I really liked this article because it showed the political side of global warming and climate change. There was a lot of good information about new laws and changes. A new president is obviously going to bring a new way of doing things in regard to global warming. I'm personally glad that Obama is going to concentrate efforts on fixing our environmental problems. I also found it interesting to read the opinions of different members of the government and there opinions on the subject. I liked the idea that Obama has the ability to act against global warming despite delays in congress. I will be very excited to see the choices that our new president makes in regards to both conservation and fixing the problems. I hope to be able to follow these decisions throughout the process. The bipartisan ideas that many in the senate support are also going to be very helpful because it will hopefully keep both democrats and republicans content with whats happening. The international meetings are going to be very helpful in leading foreign countries by example. Hopefully we can influence these other countries to research clean energy in the same way the U.S. is.

US Senator Says Congress Delays Global Warming Law

This article discusses many different viewpoints and opinions on climate change and global warming. It is very political and refers to multiple senators and other politicians. It uses direct quotes to express both the views of the people and facts about the subject. The article discusses how President-elect Obama's ideas on improving global warming and climate change may be good but the timetables are unrealistic. As said by Democratic Sen. Jeff Bingaman, "The reality is, it may take more than the first year to get it all done." The timetables set will be pushed back and Congress may not be able to act until as late as 2010.

Without Congress, Obama is forced to use less reliable resources to fight the climate change crisis. He has the ability to use the Clean Air Act as a way to improve the situation, but the current President Bush's administration advises strongly against that. They say that this course of action would cripple the economy. Sen. Barbara Boxer says, "Action can take many forms and it could include administrative action, legislative action or both." Sen. Boxer chairs the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. She also said that she believes, "there will be major action on energy independence, which includes climate change."

Due to a Democratic majority in Congress, environmentalists have been emboldened to take more action against global warming and climate change. Congressman Bingaman says that the United States must be a spearhead for economic turnaround.

Response

I found this article to be very useful in obtaining a basic understanding of what Global warming/Climate change is. I thought it would be a good way to start my blog so that people have a chance to get a basic idea of what I'm writing about if they don't already know. The information about the exhibit would be helpful for someone who was going to see it but that didn't have much to do with why I chose the article. This piece shows that people are really interested in what is happening to our planet. This includes places like museums that can afford to create exhibits on the subject. People feel strongly about this because it will have an incredible effect on the lives of their children and grand-children. The article reminded me of a few different ideas and subjects to write about that I had originally forgotten about. Such as the effects on aquatic life and the rising level of CO2 in the oceans which is hurting all forms of life. I especially enjoyed the idea of showing the coal consumption per person every year.

This article didn't really have a great effect on my thinking or knowledge on the subject. However, I felt it was necessary to create a sort of base to grow from. My subjects will become more and more in depth as I move on in this project due to a greater understanding by the reader. I also hope to narrow my thinking into many specific points.

Climate Change: The Threat to Life and A New Energy Future

This article deals with the main facts and ideas of Global warming/Climate change. It goes on to describe a museum exhibit, but the main parts are useful. The article discusses how the effects of global warming could create a doomsday scenario. This includes possible droughts, rising sea levels, more storms of a greater intensity, and other events with harmful effects on society and the natural world. Museum President Ellen Futter says, "Evidence has been accumulating for some time that Earth is warming due to human activity, but we are only just beginning to come to terms with the breadth of the consequences of this phenomenon, and to learn what we can do to mitigate them." Scientists have documented the dramatic increase of greenhouse gasses over the last 150 years, especially in regards to the CO2 levels.
The actual exhibit is centered upon the education of visitors as to the causes and effects of global warming. I examines topics such as climate change in different areas, the effects on land animals, specifically a type of lizard that will likely go extinct due to global warming, and also a piece discussing the effects on aquatic life. The last part shows information about consumption, specifically a diagram showing a ton of coal. One third of the amount used per person per year.

Hi Coleee

If you aren't really passionate about natural disasters or the genocide then I wouldn't do them if I were you. Your I-search needs to be something that you really care about and that you would be willing to spend several months on. With that in mind, your last topic, Alternative energy and conservation, seems to be something you're really interested in so I would definitely say go for that one.
Also, I know there are several locals around the area that use alternative energy (windmills, biodiesel... that sort of thing) you could interview them for some first-hand information! :]

I agree that energy conservation is the best out of your three. Most everyone today is into alternative fuels and ways to help the environment, and that probably wont change in the next 6 months. Darfur is definitely something that should be discussed and be made aware of, but it would be real downer to research genocide for 6 months. Your third topic, though interesting, wouldn't be a very reliable subject.

I think that the convservation and alternative energy topic would be good for you because you're into it. Since it has a lot of recent information and there's a lot going on with it, it would easily be trackable and up to date with information. Darfur is a good topic too, but it seems like an emotional one to do though, but if you're up for that then I think it'd be interesting as well. Doing natural disasters would be a project. These things you can't predict so it could be difficult to find a good amount of info on it. You could potentially do it during the hurricane season, but then it's not guaranteed either.

Decisions

For my I-Search I chose three topics that I thought would interest me for a long time and also had enough information and new things happening to them that I could have new information for six months. These restrictions made it so that I couldn’t do some of the things that I had originally chosen. The three topics I decided on were the genocide in Darfur, alternative energy and conservation, and natural disasters and their effects. I fell as though these three topics are current enough to have new information and interesting enough that I won’t get bored with them.
The reason I chose the genocide in Darfur is that it is a very controversial issue. I believe that what is happening there is wrong and I would like to know more about it. There are plenty of articles about the things occurring in Darfur and I fell like they have enough diversity that I could write an interesting paper on it. It is also an issue that is very powerful and something people should really care about. There is plenty of information on websites and more importantly in books about this topic.
I also chose alternative energy and energy conservation as one of my topic choices. It is an issue that I have always had strong feelings about but I never knew that much about it. There are almost constant advances in both technology and all the other aspect. There is an incredible amount of information about this topic on all of the sited I checked and some very famous movies about the subject.
He third topic I chose was natural disasters and their effects. This subject would be harder than the other two because there is a chance that there wont be any natural disasters in the next six months, which means I will be reporting on the same things over and over again. Depending on what I am looking for and how recent the disaster need to be there can be either a wealth of information or none at all on the websites I used.
The most likely choice for my I-Search is alternative energy and conservation because I’m really interested in the situation and its effects. There is also a surplus of information about all of the many aspects of this topic. The least likely choice for me is natural disaster because I’m taking a risk that I be able to get good information.