Are you going to do something about Climate Change?

- Don't recycle (it's a waste of time)
- Don't carpool (who needs to restrain themselves with other people in the morning)
- Don't mind fossil fuel, keep it burning (better economy)
- Don't be bothered to end CO2 gas emissions, in fact encourage it (will give you power over other)
- Don't encourage alternative energy (costs too much, bad for economy, waste of energy and human resources)
- 350 parts per million is a joke
- Don't reduce your carbon footprint (the more the cooler you are)
- Don't maintain green trees, chop them off and use their wood (+ they're blocking the view)
- Don't plant new trees (view of industrial factories with gray skies are more efficient these days)
- Don't save water, waste it even when unnecessary (can't you drink oil?)
- Don't try and keep the sea water level from rising (just scuba dive to see the Maldives...)
- Don't miss having refugees, we'll have climate refugees, (now that Palestinians are living happily ever after, we want more to take care of)
- Don't worry about having coral reefs die (it's not like they are important for the eco-system)
- Don't get upset when watching glaciers melt (what good are they for anyway)
- Don't be surprised from "weather" change (1, 2, 3 degrees warmer? It's no biggy, the warmer the sexier)
- Don't keep diseases from spreading (it's fine, only those poor people in poor countries get it, we're safe)
- Don't hope for your country to become carbon neutral
- Don't be sad when you see more species become extinct (dinosaur style)

And most importantly don't have children.

Because if you do have children, in 40 years don't feel guilty when your children look at you with disappointment, with depiction, because they know that you and people like you are the reason why the earth and the world has deteriorated, and especially because you could have done something when the time was right, but instead you were just too lazy to try and help prevent one of the most dangerous and serious "MAN-MADE" crisis... You didn't keep from the negative effects of Climate Change from happening. You were an irresponsible (dare I say human?) being!

What to blog about on Blog Action Day, this October 15th

Climate Change v/s Global Warming, What is Climate change?

In this post, I will be talking about what Climate Change (also referred to as Global Change) is, what Global Warming is, and the difference between them.

Global Warming

Global warming is the increase in the average temperature of the Earth's near-surface air and oceans since the mid-20th century and its projected continuation. Global surface temperature increased 0.74 ± 0.18 °C (1.33 ± 0.32 °F) during the last century.

The greenhouse effect is the process by which absorption and emission of infrared radiation by gases in the atmosphere warm a planet's lower atmosphere and surface.

So in summary, with the greenhouse effect, the more the CO2, the more the absorption of the sun's radiation by the Earth, thus the increase of the global temperature. (See Photo)

Climate Change

Climate change is any long-term change in the statistics of weather over periods of time that range from decades to millions of years. Climate change may occur in a specific region, or across the whole Earth.

Lately, a change in the climate is occurring fast, and we can see those changes today. To name a few, increase in the sea water level (see previous post about the Maldives Islands to disappear, causing what we call Climate Refugees), increase in the spreading of diseases (e.g. the Dengue fever in Bangladesh), increase in the number of cyclones (e.g. in Oman), bleaching of coral reefs, glaciers melting, etc...

As now climate change will be affecting the whole Earth, it is also being referred to as Global Change.

Difference between Global Warming and Climate Change

Put in simple words, we can say that Climate change (the recent of course) is the consequence of Global warming. Global warming already happened, climate change is happening as we speak, and the target of these NGOs by December 2009 in Copenhagen is to introduce a treaty that will let the countries work on mitigating (decreasing) the effects of climate change on Earth as much as possible, by setting the goal of decreasing the gas emissions by 80% by 2050, to reach the 350 ppm (parts per million) CO2 in the atmosphere (it's around 378ppm now), to prevent from letting the temperature of the earth increase by 2 degrees Celsius (more details on this in future posts) which if they don't, it will have catastrophic and disastrous effects on Earth.

In future posts, I will be telling you about the effects of Climate Change on Lebanon directly, the difference between Mitigation (increase in gas emissions activities) and adaptation (in case the tipping point in climate change is reached, what will we do then), the science and the politics behind Climate Change and the most common words and expressions you will be hearing that are related to Climate change.

Make a change in climate change before its too late

IndyACT and 350

I had the pleasure and the great opportunity to attend the Climate Change Media Workshop that was organized by IndyAct, an NGO based in Lebanon and who is playing a big part in this whole story. It took place on 5 and 6 August 2009, where we also met Bill McKibben, from 350 campaign which I will tell you all about in a future post.

Edited: I added the below movie so everyone can understand what 350ppm (parts per million) means. Because the world needs to know.








Climate Change

As the next person, I had heard about climate change, but I thought its consequences were something to happen in the next century or the one after, but sadly it's much less, we're talking 40 years only. I can't tell you what I learned in this workshop in 1 post, however I will pass these information along the next weeks to you so you can share as well... Actually, please share, it's your life and my life at stake here.

Climate change is a direct threat to our lives and the lives of our children. It would be completely unfair to ruin this world for them while we have the chance for once to make history and actually do something good.

Copenhagen December 2009

In December 2009, we will all be hoping for the leading countries to sign on an agreement and not just any agreement that will abide them to decrease gas emissions. More on Copenhagen December 2009 in another post.

Small Islands to disappear from the face of the Earth

I will share with you this video of the President of the Maldives, Mohammed Nasheed, in which he talks about how the Maldives, as small Islands will disappear before 2050 due to the sea level rise that is caused by climate change. Think about it, a whole country will disappear? Where will the population go? Plus, a whole country will disappear under our own eyes!!!!

Watch this video here please.



As the President of the Maldives put it: "Please, don't be stupid"

Lebanese soon to be skiing in Dubai

One of the greatest traits in which Lebanon is known, is its white vast winter to spring lasting snow. I remember the school trip we had every year and I remember from which region seeing the snow begins.

It's been a couple of days that we have been having a relatively warm weather, a spring like weather, no one denies that it's actually a great weather, but it's not the time for such weather yet. There is a system, there is a cycle. Lebanon is widely known for its 4 diverse seasons. What happened?

It's been sunny for the past 4 days, a large part of the snow has melted because it wasn't that deep in the first place. We went there today for a ride on a snowmobile, and to our surprise, we reached the beginning of Faraya there was no snow. When we reached the ski slopes, we found many brown patches.

This is not very normal, it's scary to think that we're going to lose this amazing privilege we have. The weather is not changing, it's the climate. I am not sure how much Global Warming has as an effect on other countries, but I saw its impact in my own eyes today.


Having said that, whatever is left of the snow attracted thousands of people to Faraya today, skiers, snowboarders, riding ATVs and snowmobiles, picnics... and best of all? Just look at the picture below, Lebanese people never seize to enjoy themselves, relax and be cool. It is crazy! So much traffic, so much crowd, it was a beautiful thing to see, I felt Lebanon was alive. The snowmobile was indeed exhilirating and most fun.