Tag Archives: climate change

Greenhouse Gas Effect

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By: Brady Brooks

Edited by: Ali Niefield

The existential problems with climate change have increased dramatically over the years. The warming of the planet is problem that many describe as the greenhouse gas effect. It’s an issue that has exponentially increased over the past several decades. About 30 percent of the solar energy from the sun is reflected back into space. Furthermore, about 70 percent of the other solar energy is passed through the atmosphere. This heat that is created by the sun is then absorbed by the earth’s space. This heat is then radiated back up in the form of invisible infrared light. The extra heat effects the earth’s land, oceans, and atmosphere.

For almost 800,00 years the concentration of greenhouse gases was between about 200 or 280 parts per million. The higher the concentration of greenhouse gases and carbon dioxide in particular is causing extra heat to be trapped and global temperatures to rise. Unfortunately, over the past century the concentration to more than 400 parts per million. This has been increased mostly due to the human impact of burning fossil fuels.

Greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and water vapor and fluorinated gases. These gases arise naturally and part of the make-up of our atmosphere. These greenhouse gases are essential for the planet, but humans have been interfering with the natural energy balance of our planet. The rising levels of carbon dioxide in Earth’s atmosphere has been rising over the past decades. This rise in carbon emissions then causes the planet’s ozone layer to trap heat.

Earth Day 2021

Earth day is an amazing day for our planet and this is such an important holiday for humans to celebrate. Planet Earth has an objective beauty that is incredibly captivating, and she gives all the nutrients and resources we need to live a flourishing life with one another. This wonderful tradition has been going on since 1970 and is celebrated every year on April 22.

Facts about Climate Change

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Written By: Brady Brooks

Edited By: Ali Niefield

Scientists predict that if we keep on burning fossil fuels at our current rate it will result in damages that will be irreversible on our climate. They predict that the increase in greenhouse gases emissions will increase the temperature by about 10 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of the century. Yes, this information is gloomy and pessimistic, but this is the cold hard truth and it’s important for us Texans to understand that.

The first step in solving this existential problem is being aware and recognizing that it exists. Our campaign is focused on challenging the officials of the fossil fuel industry and presenting them will valid information that debunks their false beliefs.

What are Fossil Fuels?

The main fossil fuels that are used in Texas are coal, oil, and natural gas. These fossil fuels produce large quantities of carbon dioxide when they are burned. Carbon emissions then trap heat in the atmosphere and lead to climate change.

Why You Should Care About Texas Carbon Emissions

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Why You Should Care About Texas Carbon Emissions

By: Ali N, Brady B, Brianna C, Caitlyn G, Taylor A

The state of Texas uses a total of 707 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions. This number is quite disturbing for various reasons. Not only do we lead the country in carbon emissions, but we also lead by a wide margin. The second most amount of carbon emissions is in the state of California with a total of 359. Keep in mind too that California has a little over 39 million people that live in their state and Texas has 29 million. https://www.eia.gov/state/rankings/?sid=TX#/series/101

This statistic shouldn’t be discouraging but rather motivating because it makes it exceedingly clear that we need to transition our energy use. This is a problem that we can solve together as a unified state. Texas has strong pride and we just need to find a way to use that attitude for a positive outcome. Our campaign is focused on providing clear and evidential facts on the details of climate change.

Another mind-blowing statistic is that Texas has a total energy production of 20,421 trillion btu. The second most in the country is Pennsylvania at 8,987 trillion btu. Let’s really take some time to digest this information and think about why this isn’t talked about. The total energy production and carbon emissions in Texas are literally in a category of their own. This problem is significant but going green can greatly assist in slowing down carbon emissions.  https://www.eia.gov/state/rankings/?sid=TX#/series/101

The reason this information is kept quiet is because fossil fuels is the backbone of the Texas Economy. Whenever money is involved the truth seems to be less significant. Let’s do our best to challenge the fossil fuel industry with facts and peacefully combat their disinformation.Texas is unfortunately a massive threat to the environment and it’s incredibly important for people to be informed of the truth. The first step in solving a problem is recognizing it.

 

What Is the Physical Evidence of Climate Change?

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By Taylor Arnold

Edited by Brianna Cruz

While the topic of climate change has become intensely controversial, the evidence for it is unequivocal. Over the last 650,000 years, the Earth’s climate has seen glacial periods which ended abruptly and began the modern climate age. However, the climate change that we are seeing daily is anything but natural. But, it can be confusing when you don’t know what exactly is the evidence for climate change when there is so much misinformation in every circle we encounter.

One way you can counter misinformation is knowing what the concrete evidence is for climate change. Below is data and information synthesized from NASA that will make understanding what the evidence for climate change is!

Global Temperature is rising:
Since the late 19th century, the Earth’s average temperature has risen by 2.12 degrees Fahrenheit which is a direct result of increased carbon dioxide emissions. In fact, the biggest increase has occurred over the last 40 years, the last 7 years have been the warmest of that (“Climate Change: How Do We Know”).

The Ocean Warming
This might not be something we think about, but our oceans have warmed more than 0.6 degrees since 1969 Fahrenheit according to experts at NASA.

Shrinking Ice Sheets and glaciers

This is one of the most evident sources of the existence of climate change. For years, scientists have observed the ice patterns in glaciers and have noticed a tremendous decrease in glaciers in places like Olympic National Park. However, NASA has really noted the melting of Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets. In fact, they have lost 279 billion tons of ice per year between 1993 and 2019.

Sea Level Rise

Additionally, global sea level rose roughly 8 inches in the last 100 years. Not surprisingly, the last two decades have seen the rise nearly double.

Extreme Events
As the residents of Texas know, there has been an increase of drastic weather events in areas where there shouldn’t be. Texas experienced a devastating winter storm that is a direct result of climate change.

Ocean Acidification

The Industrial Revolution brought more than what it bargained for. Since then, the surface of the ocean waters’ acidity has increased by 30%. Aside from the effects of acid rain brought on by the burning of coal, the ocean has absorbed between 20% and 30% of total anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions in recent decades

All of these reasons are brought on by humans as the accelerated consequences of climate change have never been to the magnitude that they are now. While this is an abbreviated list, you can find more information on NASA’s website!

Ways to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

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What is it

Whether you heard about it before or you’re not too familiar, your carbon footprint is the amount of carbon emissions that go into the atmosphere due to everyday activities. This can promote unhealthy climate change resulting in global warming, something we have been seeing more and more frequently. 

Human activities are responsible for almost all of the increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere over the last 150 years. The largest source of emissions from human activities in the United States is from burning fossil fuels for electricity, heat, and transportation.

Why does it matter

When more and more gasses get trapped in the atmosphere, they begin to trap in the sun’s radiation which consequently contributes to a warmer earth. This like mentioned before contributes to problems such as global warming and climate change where we can experience extreme patterns of cold followed by warm weather in just a short turnaround. This can cause lifelong effects on the earth and its environment if we don’t make a strive for change.

Ways to reduce 

Though there are plenty of ways that you can start reducing your own carbon footprint with small things that you do daily.

Food
  1. Choosing to go organic and to buy local can significantly reduce the number of emissions emitted by cutting travel time for food items.
  2. Reduce your food waste by planning meals ahead or properly reuse leftover food.
  3. Composting your food waste.
Clothing
  1. Don’t buy from fast fashion places.
  2. Try to buy clothing items from thrift stores.
  3. Washing your clothes in cold water can reduce the amount of carbon dioxide by 500 pounds in a year.
Transportation
  1. Ditch your ride and try to bike to places more.
  2. Fly more nonstop.
  3. Avoid unnecessary braking and acceleration.

These are just a few ways that you can reduce your own carbon footprint while working towards maintaining a healthy environment.

Green Texas

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The Need for Texas to Switch to Green Energy

By: Brady Brooks

Green Texas? sounds like an oxymoron doesn’t it… The state that prides itself on oil fields, cowboy boots, ranches and hating liberals needs to take a progressive approach, how shameful! The fact of the matter though is that the necessity of this transformation is more crucial than it’s ever been before. We are at a point where the repercussions of burning fossil fuels will be irreversible for our environment. The state that is notorious for it’s oil economy needs to transition to renewable energy now and here is why:

Climate Change

When fossil fuels are burned they release large quantities of carbon dioxide into the air. These carbon emissions then trap heat into our atmosphere resulting in global warming. This predicament with the fossil fuel industry is more vital than it’s ever been before. The economy of Texas is based off of oil and natural gas and this is why it’s essential for us to challenge these traditions.

Recent Snow Storm

Texas just experienced a disastrous blizzard that put thousands of citizens out of water and electricity. This was an horrendous experience for Texas as a whole but luckily it made the issue of climate change more of a discussion. The power outages that happened throughout the state were a direct result of Texas being too reliant on fossil fuels. About 88 percent of the energy in Texas is powered by fossil fuels and that energy proved to be unsustainable.

Ways to help

  • Power your home with a utility company that mostly uses wind and solar energy
  • Pull the plug on technology devices when they are not being used
  • Limit the water usage! take shorter showers and for God’s sake turn off the sink water when your brushing your teeth (I know it’s difficult to remember sometimes)
  • Try to limit how much you use air-conditioning. Weatherizing your home can help profoundly
  • Invest in energy-efficient appliances
  • Limit food waste!
  • Use energy-efficient vehicles and it doesn’t have to be a Tesla because a Prius is just as fabulous.

The most important thing we can do as a state is to vocalize these issues and peacefully protest the fossil fuel industry. With the power of social media and other communication platforms we can unite in this fight together. There’s power in numbers and the more people that challenge this tradition the more effective the movement will be. It’s a problem that has been going on for way too long and its our time to stop it.

 

Resources:

https://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/

https://www.globalchange.gov/climate-change

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/02/17/us/winter-storm-weather-live

 

 

 

 

GoGreenGo

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GoGreenGo!

There is a rising issue of extreme fossil fuel usage in the world. Specifically, the state of Texas is the top producer of both crude oil and natural gas. The continual drilling, mining and burning of dirty energy is not only harming our health, but our environment as well. GoGreenGo is an awareness campaign to inform about the extreme rise of fossil fuels in Texas and its detrimental effects. It is our aim to educate the younger generation of Millennials and Generation Z’s and reinforce action by offering facts about the fossil fuel usage in Texas.

 

MEET THE TEAM

Meet Ali! She was born and raised in Houston, Texas and moved to Austin to attend St. Edward’s University in 2018. She is a current senior studying Communication. Some of her passions include music, yoga, traveling and fashion. Her role for GoGreenGo is WordPress & blogger. She will be the one synthesizing team ideas and creativity, developing the WordPress site, updates layouts as needed, and provides support for blog postings. When questioned why she wanted to participate in this campaign she said, “I am passionate about not only making a change for my home state, but a global difference as well. We are at a time where acting quickly is essential for change. I am excited to be able to inform and hopefully make a difference!”

Meet Brady! He studies at St. Edward’s University and is majoring in Communication. Brady’s excitement for this project shines through as he is one of the two overall team and situation analysis leaders. Working alongside Taylor Arnold, they will both run team meetings, lead in all projects the team will be working on, managing the calendar and due dates, and overall creating a smooth environment for effective and enjoyable teamwork! When asked why he was interested in this topic, he said, “the planet’s environment is at a crossroads right now and I hope to inspire change for Texans through our campaign. This issue is crucial for people to be aware of and we plan on educating Texans through accurate and effective information.” 

Meet Taylor! She was born in Shreveport, Louisiana and is currently studying at St. Edward’s University studying Writing and Rhetoric. She brings a passionate side of leadership which is why her role for the GoGreenGo campaign is to be the overall team and situation analysis leader. Working with Brady, she is in charge of running team meetings, overseeing the team calendar, leading the situation development process, and creating PowerPoints when need be. When asked why she was invested deeply in this campaign she explained, “environmentalism is a forefront issue that is essential to our planet. There are several sources of misinformation that have circulated and allowed for the prevalence of pseudoscience and has ultimately led to climate change. I am excited to be able to contribute to countering the misinformation and to help the process of bettering our environment.”

Meet Brianna! She is our final representation and reporting leader from Austin, Texas. She is a student at St. Edward’s University studying Communication. Her important role on the team consists of tracking the campaign data, managing the development of the final team engagement reports, leading the teams final presentation process and developing the PowerPoint. Her contribution to our team is volatile! When asking her why she is motivated to work on this particular campaign, she explained that “by educating Texans about the benefits that follow clean energy sources, we have the ability to change the future generations to come.” 
Meet Caitlyn! She is a communication major at St. Edward’s University. She is a San Antonio native but now lives in Austin, Texas to attend school. She will be contributing to the team as the Twitter and 3rd platform leader. She will be in charge of setting up the teams Twitter account, overseeing all platform engagements, and developing and submitting the team rationale. Caitlyn is excited to be a part of this campaign and explains, protecting our resources and being able to conserve what the world offers us is important to me. We should leave our environment better than what it was, for our future generations. I’m happy to inform those who wish to do the same!”