This post is not about breathing bad air, but nothing makes me sadder than seeing innocent animals smothered in oil from an oil spill. They are suffering and they have no idea why they can’t move, can’t fly or can’t breathe.

I have collected a few sad videos on Youtube, I did not make these videos myself, but today I just got caught up looking around on Youtube and these videos really got to me, so I had to publish them here on my Bad Breath of Air blog.

I am sorry to ruin your day by showing you these videos, there are tonnes more on youtube.com <- you can click this premade search for ocean pollution to search for the latest videos on Youtube.

Pretty disgusting I would say.

- Mary

We might have been throwing words around trying to understand the damage we’ve already done to our atmosphere and why there are folks in other parts of the world suffering from extreme weather changes and climate change. I’ve done some digging and found out some things that might help shed light in certain aspects of this issue. Some of the things I found out include terminology, eye opening facts, and other interesting tidbits.

Climate vs. Weather

It kind of baked my noggin when I found out that weather and climate are two very different things. Well, the folks I know and everyone in our neighborhood use these two terms interchangeably, so why blame me? I literally grew up thinking that we’re talking about the selfsame thing when we talk about climate and weather.

NASA Connect segment explaining the difference between weather and climate.

Here’s an example of a standard definition of what the term climate means:

“the average course or condition of the weather at a place usually over a period of years as exhibited by temperature, wind velocity, and precipitation”

Source: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/climate

Now here’s a standard definition of weather from the same source, Merriam-Webster:

“the state of the atmosphere with respect to heat or cold, wetness or dryness, calm or storm, clearness or cloudiness”

Source: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/weather

Since weather deals more with the state of the atmosphere then we would be talking about a lot of different variables that affect the atmosphere around us. That would include the amount of rainfall, the humidity in certain locations, and the temperature in different regions.

Come to think of it, we usually ask our friends how the weather is like in their locality and we do really refer to the current state of affairs in their area rather than an overall outlook of things in a specific period of time.

And I guess that is what climate means. It is an overall estimate of the prevailing weather conditions throughout a given period of time. We’re not just dealing with a few very hot days when we’re talking about climate – we’re actually talking about an entire hot season like summer.

So, basically, when we talk about climate change we’re talking about changing weather patterns where summers get shifted or perhaps prevailing weather conditions get worse. We’re not just dealing with a singular phenomenon happening in a certain locality but we’re actually dealing with long term changes in our atmosphere that affects us on a global scale.

That to me is the really scary part. Well, I know what I can do and what I’m doing to help but I am not sure what the rest of the world is doing to help – whether they’re helping or not at all. The way things are getting worse, I think I might be one of the few who take on this lonely crusade.

Has the World’s Climate Ever Changed in the Past?

Absolutely. Just remember the previous ice age. However, we should take note that it took about a million years before the climate to ever change so drastically like that. It’s sad to note that the type of global warming we’re experiencing now didn’t take a million years to happen. It all happened in just the last century. I’m guessing right around the industrial revolution – just my hunch and I will need to dig into this a little deeper. It should also be noted that the warming up of our planet in the last 50 years is double the increase in global temperature in the last 100 years.

Natural Causes or Man Made Causes

Now that is a big question that we all need to look into. Can we really blame nature for any changes in our planet’s climate? Or perhaps, we only have ourselves to blame? Experts admit that natural fluctuations in weather patterns do occur. The climate also varies naturally. However, such natural shifts in climate occur over a lot of timescales. One such example that experts point to is the El Nino oscillation.

Greenhouse Gas

We all know that the increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is a huge factor in global warming. I once thought – why not just get rid of all of them, which was really silly of me come to think of it. Having read up a bit about the thing, I guess there is enough reason why we should keep them after all.

Yes, greenhouse gases have their natural use too. These greenhouse gases tend to absorb radiation from the sun in order to keep our planet warm enough in order to sustain life. What happened in the last 100 years is that the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has drastically increased. No, volcanoes did not cause the increase since the gases they produce are pretty miniscule compared to the amount of greenhouse gases that we humans have produced in the past century.

If you’re wondering what are these greenhouse gases that everyone is talking about then here’s a short list you can go over:

1. water vapor (this is the most common of all the greenhouse gases)

2. methane

3. carbon dioxide

4. nitrous oxide

5. hydrofluorocarbons

6. sulphur hexafluoride

7. perfluorocarbons

In that list, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane occur naturally in our atmosphere. On the other hand, sulphur hexafluoride, perfluorocarbons, and hydrofluorocarbons are synthetically produced. They are either created and used in today’s modern industry or are nothing more than just by products of every single nation’s industrial processes.

Considering all that stuff that goes into our air, I think industry leaders have a great responsibility with regard to cleaning up our atmosphere. Synthetic greenhouse gas emissions should either be controlled or taken out of the picture for good measure. The natural stuff we can’t do anything about but the synthetically produced greenhouses gases should be a point of great concern.

Looking at the Impact

We have to embrace the fact that climate change will change all climates both locally and globally. It is affecting the way we live, our economies, communities, and industries. As our understanding of the impact of climate change grows the more we are made aware of the sources of our current problems. I just hope that we will be able to find robust solutions and not just have world leaders make their citizens brace themselves for a backlash coming from mother nature.

This is disgusting, but I guess there are no other ways to get rid of this nasty oil, just imagine how many fish and birds are caught in this mess created by human greed!

While the oil burns it will also pollute the air and burn up our precious air. I hope the people responsible for this are roasted in the fire on the ocean.

A Panorama of What was Lost in 2009

National Geographic published photos of their Top Ten Environmental Losses of 2009. We all know that words often convey very potent ideas. In fact, some words can move you into action. Words have a powerful impact on any people from any part of the world. Nevertheless, pictures and photos can tell a story that even the craftiest words cannot tell. You can find the pictures I’m talking about by pointing your browsers to:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/12/photogalleries/091215-environmental-losses-2009/

I find these photos to be a big eye opener. Sometimes you need to see the real picture before you realize the gravity of the situation. As a bit of a warning, some of the pictures you’ll see there are quite graphic, like the drought in Kenya and that sack full of Lemurs.

One of the photos in that aforementioned collection also opens another dimension that we all have to look into before we can catch some 100% fresh air ever again. And that issue is the political dimension of caring for the environment. Well, that’s the last photo in the set.

We have to face the fact that caring for the environment also takes a lot of political will. There really is a need for concerted effort in order to make this happen. Yeah, I know it sounds pretty much a cliché but everyone must pitch in the effort since we are all occupants of this singular planet in which we live on.

Enjoy the pictures!

- Mary

Thank you for taking the time to take a peek into this little cubbyhole otherwise known as “Bad Breath of Air“. You maybe wondering why in the world would someone call their personal nook on the Internet as “bad breath,” right? Well, as you move along this very first page I hope I will be able to relay the reason why I chose to call it like that. But you will have to admit the name is a bit catchy, huh?

Just a Speck

For all practical purposes, in the eyes of the world, I am simply nothing more than a speck. I’m nothing special, not even large enough for a lot of people to even notice. Except for the fact that I’m trying to say something that may be so important for you to hear.

That thing about the “Speck” is taken from the animated film ‘Horton Hears a Who!’ If you haven’t seen it or you just need to rattle your memory a bit, you can get a synopsis of the whole thing from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0451079/.

I love the part in that movie when Horton, the elephant played by non other than Jim Carrey, swears to protect the speck and live by the motto “a person is a person, no matter how small.”

So, to the world, I am just a speck…

Most of you won’t even notice me when you actually get to meet me in the street. That is a very good picture of what our society in general has done to us as individuals and to this planet in which we live in. We have been conditioned never to take a peek into the details. As long as it works, it’s OK? Right? Are you sure?

You might be quite surprised to find what’s really messed up under the hood.

Waiting for the Big Exhale

I am but a single voice in the ocean of noise that the majority of the populace tends to ignore. However, a lot of the things we ignore and take for granted will eventually be heard and will be heard with full intent. That is also true of the world we live in. We tend to ignore and take for granted the little things this planet gives to us for free – like fresh air for instance.

Have you ever had a whiff of fresh air lately?

You think that’s fresh air you’re breathing?
(from the Matrix movie, I know, Keanu Reeves is such a doll!)

The air we breathe is just one of the things in our environment that we all tend not to think about that much until the time when it, like the Who’s in the Horton movie, makes a distinct appeal, one that we won’t be able to ignore any longer. Unfortunately, we have taken for granted even the air we breathe that we might have to buy them in a soda can someday (Spaceballs anyone?).

Ever had a bad breath of air lately?

You know what bad breath smells like, don’t you? You’ll be surprised that in some parts of the world the air is so bad that they are literally breathing bad breath. Makes you want to hold your breath doesn’t it?

As citizens in this little speck in the universe we call home, we ought to cast out our voices until we catch everyone’s attention. The air we breathe and the environment in general are pleading their cause. Pay attention before we end up storing fresh air in soda cans.

Truly yours,
Mary

P.S.

You can exhale now.