Solar Variations and Global Warming

If you have had a conversation or argument about climate change, you might have come across this common misconception:

“Recent global warming is caused by the sun.”

But the fact is the output of energy from the sun has been monitored by satellites for thirty years and has not increased during this period of rapid global warming.

It’s true that the sun provides the energy that drives the Earth’s climate; without the sun, the Earth would be a chilly place indeed! When the amount of energy put out by the sun changes, the climate must respond in some fashion. However, scientists have been observing the sun with sophisticated satellites for three decades—during the period of
greatest warming—and have observed no trend in solar activity.

Satellite observations clearly show the well-known 11-year solar cycle, during which the amount of sunlight reaching the Earth’s surface varies by about 0.1%. This cycle causes
the global temperature to fluctuate up and down by about 0.2°F, much less than the observed warming of about 1° F in the past 50 years. More importantly, the solar cycle causes an up and down cycle, not an upward trend similar to the trend in the global temperature. The sun’s output has not increased over the past three decades.

Recently, two NASA scientists published a peer-reviewed study demonstrating that the Sun’s effect on climate was “negligible” during recent decades and that “none of the natural processes can account for the overall warming trend in global surface temperatures.”

After analyzing several different types of data for solar activity (i.e. sunspot number, open solar flux, cosmic rays, and total solar irradiance), the authors of another peer-reviewed study concluded that “all the trends in the Sun that could have had an influence on the Earth’s climate have been in the opposite direction to that required to explain the observed rise in global mean temperatures.”

Similarly, after compiling the available evidence from many different studies, the U.S. Global Change Research Program concluded that “direct satellite measurements of solar output show slight decreases during the recent period of warming.”

Historical events: Anthropogenic climate change, c.1880.

This describes human impact on the earth’s climate. It was put around this time probably because people started becoming more aware and willing to check the effects their actions were having on the environment and stopped thinking of the changes in the climate as “natural”.

The first calculations of greenhouse effects was done in 1896.
The history of the scientific discovery of climate change began in the early 19th century when ice ages and other natural changes in the paleoclimate were first suspected and greenhouse effect first identified.

From the 1880s the average global temperature hovered around 13.7°c (56.7°F) through the 1910s.

The biggest contributors to the climate change included; burning fossil fuels, aerosols- chlorofluorocarbons CFCs among others.
The global average combined land and ocean surface temperature show a warming of 0.85 (0.65 – 1.06)°c in the period 1880 to 2012.

As a result the hottest year was recorded as 2016 and 2019 followed as the second hottest year by NASA and NOAA. They also found that 2010 – 2019 was the hottest decade ever recorded.

Facts about Climate Change Effects

Isn’t it time enough for us to buckle down and take a pill of a loud outcry for our dear mother Nature?

Did you notice a change in the weather?

Climate change is real and it’s upon us. Global warming isn’t just a scare tactics. Global warming is breaking new records every year, and it’s showing no signs of slowing down.

Our planet is warmer now than it has been in 800,000 years. And we’re using up more of the world’s resources than it can regenerate.

HERE ARE SOME FACTS ABOUT THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE.


1. CLIMATE CHANGE COULD BE IRREVERSIBLE BY 2030

According to a report conducted by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), urgent action is needed to avoid the catastrophic effects of global warming.

Without change, the world’s coral reefs could be completely eradicated, and we could see an increase in widespread flooding, extreme heat, drought and poverty.

2. GREENHOUSE GAS LEVELS ARE AT AN ALL-TIME HIGH

There are more greenhouse gases in the atmosphere than ever before, and that’s causing the earth’s temperature to rise.

3. MORE THAN 1 MILLION SPECIES FACE EXTINCTION

While the expected rate of species extinction is usually around 5 species a year, we’re currently losing up to 10,000 times the normal rate – this means that dozens of species go extinct every single day.

This loss of biodiversity reduces water quality and food security, and also results in a loss of natural pest control as predators like frogs and spiders become extinct.

4. CLIMATE CHANGE IS CREATING A REFUGEE CRISIS

As global temperatures increase, millions of people are fleeing their homes to avoid the impacts of droughts and extreme storms. And these numbers are set to rise. The International Organisation on Migration estimates that up to 200 million people could be displaced by climate change by 2050.

5. OUR OCEANS ARE DYING

Our planet is only as healthy as its oceans. And the UN has warned that marine life faces irreparable damage from the millions of tonnes of plastic waste that ends up in the oceans every year.

6. WE USE MORE OF THE EARTH’S RESOURCES THAN IT CAN RENEW

Earth Overshoot Day is the date when we’ve used up more from nature than the planet can possibly renew in the entire year – and ever year, that date comes earlier. This year, it was August 22nd.

Do these issues not prompt you to take climate action? To live just a little bit more sustainably? To care about things other than just unsustainable economic development?

It should.

We should all be climate activists.

We should all the climate advocates.

Tell yourself, your friends, enemies, neighbours. Tell your government.

Tell them to make a positive change.

Celebrating the first International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies

For the first time on September 7th,2020, the United Nations Environment Programme and its partners are celebrating the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies.

‘This day aims to reinvigorate our resolve to improve air quality and remind us that clean air is fundamental for our future’ says UNEP

Did you know that:

Nine out of 10 people worldwide breathe polluted air, causing an estimated 7 million premature deaths every year.

United Nations Environment Programme

In the current circumstances, it means that people who have been subject to bad air for years may develop respiratory problems which makes them more vulnerable to the incidence of Covid-19.

We can all act together to promote clean air by:
✔️Taking public transportation, carpooling, cycling or walking where we can.
✔️Advocating against air pollution from industries especially those located in residential areas.

How To Prepare An Effective Industrial Waste Management Plan

As an industrial business owner, having an adequate waste management plan is essential else you run the risk of doing a lot of harm to the environment without one.

Developing a plan of action is one step that must be carefully pondered. A great way to start is to consult with waste management professionals in order to ensure that the drafted plan turns out successful.

Here are some crucial tips to prepare an effective industrial waste management plan:


1. COLLABORATING WITH THE RIGHT WASTE MANAGEMENT COMPANY

Unless your company has the ability to transport and dispose of industrial waste, you will need to work with a third-party. Most business owners fail to realize just how many different waste management companies there are on the market. Ideally, you want to find a company that offers services like industrial cleaning, hazardous material transportation and spill response.

If you need services like this for a competitive price, you need to go through PROS Services. By pairing with the right waste management company, you can avoid making mistakes when it comes to disposing of hazardous and non-hazardous materials.

2. MAKE RECYCLING A FOCAL POINT OF YOUR STRATEGY ♻️

Being a business owner in the modern age requires you to be more eco-conscious. One of the best ways for an industrial business to do their part for the environment is by recycling as much as possible. When running an industrial business, you will undoubtedly have a number of recyclable materials. Turning these materials over to companies that can actually do something with them is imperative.

Making a new recycling program work will require to get your entire team on board. Informing your team about the importance of recycling is the first step in making your program successful. You also need to implement easy and effective solutions when it comes to how your team will store the recyclable materials. By laying out the details of your plan, you can address any concerns your team may have.

3. LEAVE FLEXIBILITY IN YOUR PLAN

As waste management technology and requirements change, you will have to adapt your strategy. This is why leaving a high-degree of flexibility in your plan is so important. Accomplishing this will be easy if you do things like sign short-term contracts with the companies hired to dispose of your industrial waste. Staying on the cutting edge of industrial waste management technology can help you see when changes are coming and what you can do to embrace these changes.

4. DON’T WAIT TO IMPLEMENT YOUR PLAN

As you can see, having a way to properly dispose of industrial waste is important. This is why you need to avoid procrastinating when developing a plan of action. Allowing professionals to weigh in on the details of your waste management plan can help you avoid making mistakes.

Source : bioenergyconsult.com

Monday Environmental Quote

Happy Monday!

This week’s quote is from one of the international environmental documents agreed to by countries of the world. It reads:

“…poverty itself pollutes the environment, creating environmental stress in a different way. Those who are poor and hungry will often destroy their immediate environment in order to survive: They will cut down forests, their Livestock will overgraze grasslands, they will overuse marginal land and in growing numbers, they will crowd to congested cities. The cumulative effect of these changes is so far-reaching as to make poverty itself a major global scourge.”

Article 8, IUCN Report on Environment and Development

From the first Stockholm conference, nations around the world have realised the threat to our environment, they are simply yet to prioritise it above all.

The issue of climate change and environmental sustainability is one that is intricably tied in with all other ills of the world.

The world is currently battling covid-19 as well as the climate crisis but the world is also battling inequality above all- Inequality within and among nations. Our failure to tackle inequality is linked to our failure to tackle other problems.

The pillars of sustainability are economic development, social development and environmental sustainability,all ensured by good governance.

To achieve these, we must tackle all at te same time, drafting plans that ensure both economic and social developments that do not lead to environmental degradation.

It seems this is a fact world leaders are yet to learn, inequality which leads to poverty is strengthened by the climate crisis but also causes the climate crisis albeit not much in comparison. The common factor is the climate crisis which must be solved.

✔️ Fighting climate change is ensuring economic development.
✔️ Fighting inequality is essential to solving all world problems.
✔️ Fighting climate change means advocating for human rights.
✔️ It means being anti-racism.

✔️Yes, we can be environmentally sustainable and be economically buoyant.

This is a truth that must be preached to our leaders and to ourselves. Help spread the climate gospel.

Have a great week!

Greenhouse Gases and their contribution to Global Warming

Do you know about the gases that cause the greenhouse effect?

Do you know how it links to global warming and climate change?

Do you know which greenhouse gases produced by humans contribute the most to global warming?

Here they are:

1. Carbon dioxide is responsible for 53% of the level of global warming. It is the result of processes such as fuel use, deforestation and production of cement and other materials. Its permanence in the atmosphere varies, but it’s very high at all times: 80% lasts for 200 years and the other 20% can take up to 30,000 years to disappear.

2. Methane is the next of the greenhouse gases which has the biggest effect on global warming (15%). This is generated by activities such as livestock production, agriculture, sewage treatment, natural gas and oil distribution., coal mining, fuel use and is also given off from waste tips. It lasts an average of 12 years in the atmosphere.

3. Halogenated compounds such as CFCs, HCFCs, HFCs, PFCs, SF6 and NF3 are responsible for 11 % of global warming and generated as a result of the production of chemicals by diverse sectors such as refrigeration and air conditioning, electrical and electronic equipment, medicine, metallurgy, and so on. Depending on the type of compound, their duration in the atmosphere varies from a few months to tens of thousands of years.

4. Tropospheric ozone also has an 11% effect on global warming. This is a product of the reaction between the gases carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) and VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds), given off during the burning of fuels. These gases don’t last as long in the atmosphere as others, a matter of months at the most.

5. Finally, nitrous oxide also contributes around 11% to the global warming total. It comes mainly from the use of fertilizers, fuel use, chemical production and sewage treatment, and lasts longer in the atmosphere, up to 114 years.

It is necessary to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by committing to renewable energy as well as avoiding the sources of these gases reasonably.

Source: Acciona https://www.activesustainability.com/climate-change/how-greenhouse-gases-contribute-global-warming/

Secondary sources: IPCC, European Commission, IDEAM, IDEAM II, IPCC II, IPCC III, World Meteorological Organization and IPCC IV.

Monday Environmental Quote

It’s Monday again.

Take this quote as your inspiration for the week, for when you are about to trash that waste indiscriminately, for when you leave your water running without use, when you are about to shop.

The earth will not continue to offer its harvest, except with faithful stewardship. We cannot say we love the land and then take steps to destroy it for use by future generations.

John Paul II

Generally for everything you do, please consider the impacts on the environment and then rethink your decision.

Have a lovely week!

It’s our first anniversary!!

August 21st, 2020.

Letter From Our Founder

A year ago today, I commenced this journey of environmental education. The sole objective was to bring environmental news and information together on one page for the benefit of my fellow environmental law students. Quickly however, this turned into something much more than that. I found that my audience consisted of much more that my classmates.

So to you sustainable strangers who have followed this journey from the first day or joined along the way. Thank you. I hope this page has made a bit of a difference in your environmental awareness.

With the realisation that this was much bigger than myself alone, January 2020 saw the call for volunteers of like minded people to aid in this objective. Since then, with the aid of our amazing volunteers, Alwaysfornature has been able establish a consistent pattern and path for itself.

To these set of people goes my appreciation as well.

Alwaysfornature has been around for 365 days, we hope to be around for much longer. Growing, learning and impacting knowledge beyond our current status.

Thank you for being with us for the last 365 days, we hope you’ll join us for the next 365.

Environmental Accomplishments since the first Earth Day

This thursday, we shed light on a series of accomplishments since the first Earth Day celebration 50 years ago.

From the the first earth day 50 years ago in 1970, there have been many accomplishements recorded by environmental conservation enthusiasts both locally and internationally.

The link below from National Geographic has brought to light some of the accomplishments over the last 50 years as a way of celebrating the progress over years beginning from when people started making conscious effort to preserve and protect the earth.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/09/environmental-victories-in-photos/#/07-environmental-victories-facts.jpg

The link shows pictures with short descriptions of the accomplishments through the years and they reflect on the progress made and the ground left to cover.

📸 By Brian Skerry

BIODIVERSITY LOSS

When we do not take care of nature, our quality of life suffers.

Biodiversity has many economic and social benefits which humans enjoy, also called  Ecosystem Services.

We all have a part to play in conserving biodiversity. The major threats to biodiversity and how to curb them are:

1. Climate change

The climate is a major factor in the distribution of species across the globe; climate change forces them to adjust. But many are not able to cope, causing them to die out.

WHAT TO DO: Individuals can take various steps to fight climate change, such as reducing their carbon footprints and promoting education.

2. Deforestation and habitat loss

Deforestation is a major cause of extinction and loss of biodiversity. An estimated 18 million acres of forest are lost each year, due in part to logging and other human practices, destroying the ecosystems on which many species depend.

WHAT TO DO: Companies and corporations can adopt best practices and refuse to use timber and paper suppliers that contribute to deforestation. Also, conscious consumers can refuse to patronize companies that do, and put pressure on retailers that employ unsustainable manufacturing methods.

3. Overexploitation

Overhunting, overfishing and over-harvesting contribute greatly to the loss of biodiversity, killing off numerous species over the past several hundred years. Poaching and other forms of hunting for profit increase the risk of extinction; the extinction of an apex predator — or, a predator at the top of a food chain — can result in catastrophic consequences for ecosystems.

WHAT TO DO: Conservation and continued awareness surrounding over exploitation is important. Governments also need to actively enforce rules against such practices, and individuals can be more conscious of what they eat and purchase.

4. Invasive species

The introduction of non-native species into an ecosystem can threaten endemic wildlife (either as predators or competing for resources), affect human health and upset economies.

WHAT TO DO: According to the National Wildlife Federation, solutions include creating systems to prevent the introduction of invasive species in the first place, effectively monitoring for new infestations and swiftly eradication newly detected invaders.

5. Pollution

From the burning of fossil fuels (releasing dangerous chemicals into the atmosphere and, in some cases, depleting ozone levels) to dumping 19 billion pounds of plastic into the ocean every year, pollution completely disrupts the Earth’s ecosystems. These pollutants do have the potential to influence species’ habits.

WHAT TO DO:  Recycling, conserving energy at home and using public transportation.

Food Waste Facts

We’ve addressed food waste before but here are Five facts you might not know about Food Waste:

1. If wasted food was a country, it would be the third largest producer of carbon dioxide in the world, after the United States and China.

2. Food waste generates 3.3 billions tons of carbon dioxide, which accelerates global climate change.

3. Just one quarter of all wasted food could feed the 795 million undernourished people around the world who suffer from hunger.

4. An European or North American consumer wastes almost 100 kilograms of food annually, which is more than his or her weight (70 kilograms).

5. Food waste in Europe alone could feed 200 million hungry people.

We hope you reflect on these facts in order to make changes to your daily food habits.

Read our previous post on food waste here: https://alwaysfornature.home.blog/2020/07/20/food-waste-and-water-waste/

Monday Environmental Quote

This remains our home.

Even in the face of pandemics, floods, war and climate change, nature is our home.

We don’t abandon or destroy our home. No, we make it the best it can be. While some adverse effects of nature are indeed human actions-induced, sometimes nature needs it balance and may act out against us. And even with that, we cannot abandon her rather we would stand by her and stop hurting her.

Protect our mother today.

Take care of our shared home.

Youth Day: Our letter to you

International Day of the Youth 2020

Dear Youth,
We celebrate and appreciate you. You are wonderful. You are full of power and potential. Go for those goals, change the world one step at a time. And be rest assured, we are right behind you.

There is absolutely no doubt that the youth are more powerful than the society cares to allow. We’ve seen youth be at the helm of affairs and do wonderfully.

In this climate fight, we’ve seen more action due to the activities of the youth than in decades before. Greta, Vanessa, Malala, You and I are simple examples of the impact youths are capable of.

To see youth fight for causes dear to their heart, not for prowess but simply because they care is perhaps my greatest joy.
We’ve stepped up and are steadily impacting the world.

Enjoy this day to yourself.

Happy International Youth Day.

Electronic waste or e-waste.

Electronic waste or e-waste increases every year with technological advancement. Roughly 50 million tons of e-waste is generated each year and moat of it is shipped to underdeveloped and poor countries mostly in Asia and Africa.

Guiyu, China may be the world’s largest e-waste dump with 700 tons of trashed electronics per year.

TheWorldCounts

• Nigeria suffers this problem too. According to trtworld.com, an estimated 500 containers each carrying about 500,00 used computers and other electronic equipment enter the country’s port every month from the US, Europe and Asia.


The e-waste from the computer village and all over Lagos ends up in 3 landfills scattered around the city.


Olusosun is the biggest dump site in Africa, measuring up to 42.7 hectares and sitting right at the heart of Lagos. It receives up to 10,000 metric tonnes of garbage daily and a fair amount of it is e-waste according to Lagos State Waste Management Agency. It has also been studied and found to be heavily concentrated in lead levels above the recommended standard for drinking water


At a national level, the National Environmental Standards and Regulation Agency (NESREA) is enforcing laws and policies to regulate and tackle the importation of e-waste. The National Environment Act of 2011 for example stipulates a life term for persons who generate or carry hazardous waste.

The organisation is also working with Interpol, the United States Environmental Protection Agency and other sister agencies to apprehend e-waste importers.

• Nigeria should take a cue from countries like Indonesia that are sending tonnes of the e-waste being dumped in their country back to where they came from.

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