What are Obama"s Plans for America"s Carbon Footprint?

America has been under fire for a number of years due to the vast quantities or greenhouse gases emitted each year, which contribute towards the effect of global warming on the planet. Recently, Obama announced plans to attempt to reduce the domestic carbon dioxide emissions by 17 percent between now and 2020, in a bid to ‘put an end to the limitless dumping of carbon pollution’. The plan also included boosting the levels of renewable energy production on federal lands, and preparing communities for dealing with the increase in temperatures. In the past 15 years, we’ve experienced 12 of the hottest years on record. The plan put in place by Obama would bypass Congress, which has stalemated over climate legislation in recent years. But what exactly is Obama proposing in order to meet this deadline? The crux of this plan is built around a timetable which aims to limit the carbon dioxide emissions from new and existing power plants. 40 percent of these gases, and one third of greenhouse gases overall, come from electrical power plants.

The plan also hopes to expand development of renewables sources of energy, such as solar and wind power. Obama plans to generate enough electricity from renewable sources to power the equivalent of 6 million homes by 2020, which would essentially double the electric capacity federal lands currently produce. Greenhouse gases have been a prominent fixture of the media over the past 20 years, as scientists are fearing the worst when it comes to the effect they have on the planet. AS the heat of the globe rises, so do sea levels as the ice caps melt. This could be a danger for animal habitats and species, in addition to putting the human race at risk.

Categories: America, Environmental Wellness, greenhouse gases

America More Concerned About the Environment than You Think

You may think that we have America beat on environmental wellness, but the muscle car nation is more concerned about the planet’s wellbeing than you think. According to a new national survey Americans’ Actions to Limit Global Warming April 2013, over half of Americans consider the effects on the environment of products and services they buy.

 

Conducted by the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication and the George Mason University Centre on Climate Change Communication, the report noted, ‘Consumer behaviour has become an important way Americans express their values and concerns, leading to new products and services, creating and destroying markets, and influencing the policies and actions of companies large and small.’ 52% of the more than 1,000 adults surveyed said they “very consistently,” “often,” or “occasionally” weigh the environmental impact of their purchases.

 

The report also revealed that 28% of Americans have, in the past year, ‘rewarded companies taking steps to reduce global warming by buying their products,’ while one in five respondents said that have punished companies opposing efforts to reduce global warming by not purchasing their goods or services. According to Anne Kelly, director of Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy, a project of the corporate sustainability coalition, Ceres, this change in attitude over recent years is starting to make an impact, as more and more companies are paying attention to these kinds of considerations among consumers, and reacting by establishing better environmental practices.

 

Six in 10 of the survey participants reported that they intend to buy a more energy-efficient car when they next need to purchase one, wanting it to average 30 miles or more per gallon. Lead report author Dr. Anthony Leiserowitz of Yale University commented, ‘Many Americans care about the environmental impact of their purchases and have already purchased an energy-efficient appliance or fuel-efficient car. There is a strong market for products that save energy.’

 

However, while report co-author Dr. Ed Maibach of George Mason University noted that many Americans ‘are also talking to their friends and family about companies they feel have poor environmental records,’ and nearly 40% of respondents ‘they would be willing to join a campaign to convince elected officials to do ‘the right thing’ about global warming,’ political activism on the environment is still not part of the average American’s agenda. The survey noted that, in the past year, 10% of Americans have “often” or “occasionally” signed a petition about global warming.

Categories: America, environmental purchases, Research

Balloon Travel: Americans Cross Borders for New Surgery

With weight gain problems still prevalent in the West today, wellness experts have been forced to find different and better ways to surgically treat obesity. Into this arena comes the intragastric balloon, one of the newest players in weight loss wellbeing for which many US patients – whose own country does not approve the procedure – have chosen to cross the border to Canada to receive.

 

The popularity of the intragastric balloon may stem from the fact that it is less invasive than traditional bariatric surgery. For the procedure, your doctor inserts a tube down your oesophagus and into your stomach, so there’s no surgical incision involved. He or she then threads a deflated balloon down the tube, places it correctly and then blows it up to the size of an orange and fills it with sterile blue water. The balloon can reside inside your stomach for up to six months before it needs to be removed – to prevent ruptures – but if you need further support then you can simply have the procedure again, and as many times as you need.

 

The balloon works by decreasing your feelings of hunger, which makes you eat less and, as a result, lose more weight. As opposed to conventional bariatric surgery, the approach of the intragastric balloon is reversible, minimally invasive, and the most cost-effective surgery option. According to the Consumer Guide to Bariatric Surgery, the gastric sleeve is cheapest traditional option, costing around $10,000, while the others range from $17,000 to $35,000. The intragastric balloon, on the other hand, is approximately $8,000.

 

So far, Canadian clinics have seen very positive results, with patients losing an average of 20 – 40 pounds, which they manage to maintain over the course of six months. Roughly one-third of these patients are from the US, but medical tourists have also been making tracks to Europe and South America for the procedure. This is a risky choice to make away from the comfort of your own medical team, as the balloon could possibly break and require surgery to remove, or cause you to experience nausea and vomiting if you overeat. However, as the balloon is currently undergoing clinical trials with the FDA, soon Americans may not have to travel so far a field to get the procedure they’re after.

Categories: America, bariartic surgery, intragastric balloon