World View of Global Warming

In March 2010, hundreds of millions of people took part in the third Earth Hour. Over 4000 cities in 88 countries officially switched off to pledge their support for the planet, making Earth Hour 2009 the world’s largest global climate change initiative. Earth Hour 2011 takes place on Saturday 26 March at 8.30pm (local time) and is a global call to action to every individual, every business and every community throughout the world. It is a call to stand up, to take responsibility, to get involved and lead the way towards a sustainable future. Iconic buildings and landmarks from Europe to Asia to the Americas will stand in darkness. People across the world from all walks of life will turn off their lights and join together in celebration and contemplation of the one thing we all have in common – our planet. Earth Hour has done a lot to raise awareness of climate change issues. But there’s more to it than switching off lights for one hour once a year. It’s all about giving peo...

Image: GOOD Ever wonder how much electricity it takes to keep a single light bulb running for the year? The folks over at GOOD did, and they produced this great infographic to make the answer (alarmingly) clear. The short of it? It takes way more than you'd think. Here are a few of the more surprising revelations from the piece:

3.7 tonnes of CO2 will offset 1 Person flying from London to Sydney (Australia) and back. This can be done by planting 5 trees! 850 pounds is the same as 386.4 kgCO2 (0.3864 tonnes CO2). This is the equivalent of an average UK house’s electricity, gas, coal and oil usage for 2 weeks! Insulating your home by adding hot water tank lagging to your home’s hot water tank will save 150 kgCO2 per year. This is equivalent to a one way flight from London to Barcelona. About 10% of all electricity used in UK homes is consumed by electronic items left on standby. By switching appliances off standby 150 kgCO2 per year can be saved. A PC monitor switched off over night saves enough energy to microwave 6 dinners! Switching off the lights when not in the room saves 30 kgCO2 per year. Lighting an office overnight wastes enough energy to heat water for 1000 cups of tea! Turning down your thermostat by 1 degree can save as much as 10% off electricity bills, 300 kgCO2 per year. This is equivalent...