The End is Nigh? New Evidence for Global Warming Armageddon

In recent months, politicians have tried to deny the views of environmental wellness experts, and claim that climate change isn’t quite as scary as they’d have us believe. However, new research, published the journal Nature Geoscience, has found that a runaway greenhouse Armageddon is all too possible, and, the oceans could theoretically boil dry. However, it’s not all doom and gloom as we humans – planet harming as we might be – cannot do enough on our own to trigger such an end-of-the-world scenario in the near future.

 

Until now, experts thought that, for the Earth’s well-being to be truly in jeopardy from global warming, we would need more energy from the sun. However, researchers from Canada and the US have made new calculations which show that it’s far more easy for catastrophic warming to occur than the experts had previously supposed. Unfortunately, a runaway greenhouse effect is a realistic possibility, even for a planet receiving the same amount of solar radiation as the Earth.

 

According to the research team, which was led by Colin Goldblatt from the University of Victoria in Canada, ‘The runaway greenhouse may be much easier to initiate than previously thought. A renewed modelling effort is needed, addressing both Earth and planetary science applications.’ If you are struggling to imagine what it might look like if the Earth was ever caught in the grip of runaway global warming, you only need to take a look at your planetary neighbour. Many experts believe that Venus has experienced a runaway greenhouse effect in the past, and now – due to its average surface temperature of 460C – the planet’s dense carbon dioxide atmosphere is hot enough to melt lead.

 

Though the study’s simplified model didn’t take into account the effect of clouds, it is still a viable account of how a stable Earth could switch to a runaway greenhouse state under certain atmospheric conditions. However, during the Eocene period 55 million years ago (in which the Earth underwent more warming than at any previous time in its history) the atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and temperature were both higher than what we can be expected to see as a result of our man-made emissions, but there was still no runaway effect. The researchers concluded, ‘This implies that an anthropogenic (human-caused) runaway greenhouse is unlikely.’

Categories: Carbon Dioxide, earth, Experts, Global Warming, greenhouse, greenhouse effect, Research, runaway, runaway greenhouse, Runaway Greenhouse Effect, warming

How Ayurvedic Foods Can Help You Beat The Heat

Summer brings with it glorious sunshine that we look forward to for the majority of the year – unfortunately, this also means heat waves in certain parts of the world, which can be less than pleasurable. While fans and air conditioners are great, there are other methods which often get forgotten. The ancient art of Ayurveda has been tackling such problems for thousands of years, yet most of us turn to technology instead. There is something to be said for simple answers to these problems, though. Your diet, surprisingly, could hold the answer to your heat problems, leading you to cooling effects without much complexity.

 

Ayurveda relies on the energy of the physical universe, which is expressed through five elements – earth, water, fire, air and ether (also known as space). These elements not only represent the physical materials on earth, but the energies and functions they hold. For example, the earth element refers to the substances which provide the body with mass, but also the psychological sense of being stable and grounded. Likewise, the fire element is the ‘fire’ of digestion, as well as a fiery attitude and strong will. These elements are important in determining personality types. There are three main categories for this – Kapha dosha, which is earth and water; Pitta disha, which is water and fire; Vata dosha, which is air and ether. Furthermore, there are ten sub-types which represent the various combinations within these three doshas. The food we eat affects each of these body types differently, which may seem complex but it is easy to decipher which of these you are – there are plenty of online resources to help you determine your dosha.

 

When it comes to the foods you require to fuel your body type, you’ll need to seek out those which have thermogenic cooling or energetic cooling properties. For example, those with thermogenic properties describe the actions found in iced drinks, smoothies and chilled juices. Energetic cooling, however, refers to when the liver’s pH level is alkalised by eating things which are above a score of seven on the pH scale. These foods include cooked spinach, Swiss chard and beet greens. You may also be surprised to learn that lime can have a neutralising effect on foods, so try squeezing a lime over your food or drinks.

Categories: Ayruveda, body, cooling, cooling effect, diet, earth, elements, energetic cooling, foods