I do believe that this winter has been hallmarked in Ontario as a strange winter due to the lack of snow, creating a "green Christmas", then rebounding in January with incredibly low local temperatures.
My opinion on global warming is that global warming is a very real thing, and should be a concern for everyone globally. I’ve noticed that in the last few years, more awareness of the environment has been being spread throughout the media. This includes magazine and television advertisements by the government and environmental foundations, articles in the newspapers, and movies and television programs that highlight and are educational to the population on global warming. I think that this is a good step forward to prevent global warming, but I do think more action should be taken on by everyone globally. There are other reasons why this winter was seasonally warmer, such as El Nino and changeing wind patterns, but I guess we’ll have to see next year whether this warming climate was a one-time thing or here to stay.
The Goldilocks Effect is the theory that reflects storybook character goldilocks, who was scratching for her porridge to be not too hot and not too cold. Scenists have applied this theory to Venus, Earth and Mars. Venus having raging heat, storms, and climate overall, making it "too hot", Mars having little life, and very cold temperatures, being "too cold" and Earth sitting right in between the two with the "just right" temperature.
This "just right" temperature is produced by Earth’s greenhouse-like atmosphere that protects from sunlight, and keeps the atmosphere warm to livable temperature. But, it is being theorized that this greenhouse that protects life could become too thick, eventually keeping too much heat on earth’s surface. This happens because the with a thinning ozone, more UV light can travel through to earth’s surface from the sun. Then there are the emissions and pollutants that humans produce, that in a sense create a blanket that won’t let heat back out and into the atmosphere. The conclusion from this is that by combing the above actions, will create a slow increase in earth’s temperature, and maybe, over a bunch of time, make earth an unlivable planet.
The NOAA is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, run by the US Department of Commerce. It is a federal agency that focuses on the condition of the aceans and the atmosphere. Their mission statement is " To understand and predict the changes in Earth’s environment and conserve and manage costal and marine resources to meet our nation’s economic, social and environmental needs." They are a supplier of environmental information products, a provider of environment stewardship services, a leader in applied scientific research that focus on ecosystems, climate, weather, water, commerce and transportation. For more information this is their home website: http://www.noaa.gov/about-noaa.html
:D
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Friday, February 9, 2007
Incentives for the Environment
Incentives that benifit the environment and resources are a great way to encourage people to become more environmentally sound; The Government of Canada offers multiple incentives to motivate the people of Ontario to reduce the over-consumption of natural resources. The problem is, is that few people actually know that incentives like this exist to help make Canada a more efficient and environmentally friendly nation. You can check out a complete list of incentives at, www.incentivesandrebates.ca, but here are a few that I picked out as particularly effective and interesting.
Government of Canada Transit Pass Tax Credit
http://www.incentivesandrebates.ca/gc_fi_search_display.asp?id=222&jurisdiction=10&actionArea=0&keyword=
This incentive offers individuals a non-refundable tax credit to cover the costs of monthly or longer use of public transit services like, subways, buses, street cars, and ferries. It offers a value of $150 per year for monthly transit pass users.
I think that this incentive is particularly effective because it would motivate people living in urban cities to use public transit, this would then reduce the number of vehicles on the street producing emissions and using fossil fuels just to drive around the city. By offering a non-refundable tax-credit, it will lower the amount of money that people have to pay on their taxes, which acts as a motivator to use available public transit.
Retail Sales Tax Rebate for Wind, Micro Hydro-Electric and Geothermal Energy Systems for Residential Premises
http://www.incentivesandrebates.ca/gc_fi_search_display.asp?id=82&jurisdiction=10&actionArea=6&keyword=
This incentive is offered to the owners of residential premises, including multi-residential buildings the ability to claim a refund of 8% Retail Sales Tax, when they have paid for new wind, geothermal energy systems, and micro hydro-electric energy systems on any expansions or upgrades to the existing systems that are installed on their premises. These systems either produce electrical or mechanical energy or absorb heat from a solar-heated ground.
I believe that this incentive is effective because it would be encouraging the residents of Ontario to invest in renewable sources of energy use don residential premises. This would cut down on the amount of fossil fuels being used and electricity being produced to power the homes of Ontario. By offering the ability for people to claim a rebate, they will feel that they are saving money on their purchase.
Vehicles Powered by Alternative Fuels — tax refund
http://www.incentivesandrebates.ca/gc_fi_search_display.asp?id=72&jurisdiction=10&actionArea=0&keyword=
Vehicles Powered bu Alternative Fuels-tax refund, is an offer for a refund of the 8% Retail Sales Tax an offer for people who have purchased or leased vehicles that operate or have been converted to operate on:
• exclusively on electrical energy
• as a hybrid electric vehicle
• exclusively on propane, natural gas, ethanol, methanol, or other manufactured gases
• as dual-powered vehicles (vehicles that use one of the alternative fuels mentioned above and that can also be powered by gasoline or diesel fuel).
This refund has limits of $750 for propane vehicles, $1000 for vehicles powered by any other alternative fuel, and $2000 for electric or hybrid electric vehicles. For converted vehicles, this refund will only apply if the conversion has been made within 180 days of the date form which the vehicle was purchased. For conversions that were made later, the refund only applies to the cost of the conversion kit and its installation. The refund is NOT available for vehicles that use a mixture of alternative fuel and gasoline or diesel fuel.
I think that this is a great incentive because it encourages people to use more environmentally friendly means of automotive transport. Being that having a vehicle today is so incredibly common, almost everyone has one, this would then lead to lots and lots of emissions. As fossil fuels are non-renewable, focusing on finding alternate ways to fuel transportation is becoming very prominent and this incentive is motivating people to do so with tax refunds for making their vehicles more safe.
This is an incentive that is not in place yet, but I still think it’ll be pretty cool.
Summer Savings 10/10
http://www.incentivesandrebates.ca/gc_fi_search_display.asp?id=249&jurisdiction=10&actionArea=0&keyword=
Summer Savings 10/10 is an incentive that has been announced but is not yet available to the residents of Ontario. It is hoping to motivate people to reduce their power use by 10% during a set period by offering them a 10% rebate on their electricity bill.
Given the soaring cost of energy bills, this incentive is a great idea. It will both motivate people to reduce the amount of energy consumed in a residence and also offer them a reduction in the amount of money that they have to pay for their electricity bills. It is another great incentive that will help Canada work towards the amount of energy used and wasted in residential housing.
:D
Government of Canada Transit Pass Tax Credit
http://www.incentivesandrebates.ca/gc_fi_search_display.asp?id=222&jurisdiction=10&actionArea=0&keyword=
This incentive offers individuals a non-refundable tax credit to cover the costs of monthly or longer use of public transit services like, subways, buses, street cars, and ferries. It offers a value of $150 per year for monthly transit pass users.
I think that this incentive is particularly effective because it would motivate people living in urban cities to use public transit, this would then reduce the number of vehicles on the street producing emissions and using fossil fuels just to drive around the city. By offering a non-refundable tax-credit, it will lower the amount of money that people have to pay on their taxes, which acts as a motivator to use available public transit.
Retail Sales Tax Rebate for Wind, Micro Hydro-Electric and Geothermal Energy Systems for Residential Premises
http://www.incentivesandrebates.ca/gc_fi_search_display.asp?id=82&jurisdiction=10&actionArea=6&keyword=
This incentive is offered to the owners of residential premises, including multi-residential buildings the ability to claim a refund of 8% Retail Sales Tax, when they have paid for new wind, geothermal energy systems, and micro hydro-electric energy systems on any expansions or upgrades to the existing systems that are installed on their premises. These systems either produce electrical or mechanical energy or absorb heat from a solar-heated ground.
I believe that this incentive is effective because it would be encouraging the residents of Ontario to invest in renewable sources of energy use don residential premises. This would cut down on the amount of fossil fuels being used and electricity being produced to power the homes of Ontario. By offering the ability for people to claim a rebate, they will feel that they are saving money on their purchase.
Vehicles Powered by Alternative Fuels — tax refund
http://www.incentivesandrebates.ca/gc_fi_search_display.asp?id=72&jurisdiction=10&actionArea=0&keyword=
Vehicles Powered bu Alternative Fuels-tax refund, is an offer for a refund of the 8% Retail Sales Tax an offer for people who have purchased or leased vehicles that operate or have been converted to operate on:
• exclusively on electrical energy
• as a hybrid electric vehicle
• exclusively on propane, natural gas, ethanol, methanol, or other manufactured gases
• as dual-powered vehicles (vehicles that use one of the alternative fuels mentioned above and that can also be powered by gasoline or diesel fuel).
This refund has limits of $750 for propane vehicles, $1000 for vehicles powered by any other alternative fuel, and $2000 for electric or hybrid electric vehicles. For converted vehicles, this refund will only apply if the conversion has been made within 180 days of the date form which the vehicle was purchased. For conversions that were made later, the refund only applies to the cost of the conversion kit and its installation. The refund is NOT available for vehicles that use a mixture of alternative fuel and gasoline or diesel fuel.
I think that this is a great incentive because it encourages people to use more environmentally friendly means of automotive transport. Being that having a vehicle today is so incredibly common, almost everyone has one, this would then lead to lots and lots of emissions. As fossil fuels are non-renewable, focusing on finding alternate ways to fuel transportation is becoming very prominent and this incentive is motivating people to do so with tax refunds for making their vehicles more safe.
This is an incentive that is not in place yet, but I still think it’ll be pretty cool.
Summer Savings 10/10
http://www.incentivesandrebates.ca/gc_fi_search_display.asp?id=249&jurisdiction=10&actionArea=0&keyword=
Summer Savings 10/10 is an incentive that has been announced but is not yet available to the residents of Ontario. It is hoping to motivate people to reduce their power use by 10% during a set period by offering them a 10% rebate on their electricity bill.
Given the soaring cost of energy bills, this incentive is a great idea. It will both motivate people to reduce the amount of energy consumed in a residence and also offer them a reduction in the amount of money that they have to pay for their electricity bills. It is another great incentive that will help Canada work towards the amount of energy used and wasted in residential housing.
:D
Monday, February 5, 2007
Why I'm taking this course....
I decided to take Environmental Resource Management out of personal interest. As of now, I don’t plan on continuing after high school in environmentally related studies, but I do have an interest in the environment. Though, I may possibly take environmental courses as electives in university. Basically, I decided to take this course in hope to better educate myself on the environment and the earth’s resources.
Out of this course, I hope to gain a better understanding of the environmental problems that are prominent in around the world today. As well, the idea of how people can possibly manage resources is quite interesting and would be a neat topic to learn about. Last, it would be great to learn how possibly the problems in our environment could be stopped and or prevented in the future.
As for concerns that I have for the environment, the big one that everyone seems to be becoming more aware of these days, is global warming. I think that people should be made very aware of this problem, and work together to prevent it from progressing drastically. Also, the topic of air quality and the atmosphere is interesting and it is a concern of which I have become aware. Now, I don’t know that much about it, but I’d love to gain in-site into it through this course.
Out of this course, I hope to gain a better understanding of the environmental problems that are prominent in around the world today. As well, the idea of how people can possibly manage resources is quite interesting and would be a neat topic to learn about. Last, it would be great to learn how possibly the problems in our environment could be stopped and or prevented in the future.
As for concerns that I have for the environment, the big one that everyone seems to be becoming more aware of these days, is global warming. I think that people should be made very aware of this problem, and work together to prevent it from progressing drastically. Also, the topic of air quality and the atmosphere is interesting and it is a concern of which I have become aware. Now, I don’t know that much about it, but I’d love to gain in-site into it through this course.
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