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.