The UAE said it will develop a peaceful nuclear power capability in partnership with responsible nations. This move makes the UAE the first Gulf country to go ahead with announced ambitions to develop civilian nuclear power.
However, the UAE has made it clear that its project will not involve uranium enrichment, the most sensitive part of a programme, and that it would instead import nuclear fuel from international sources.
I think its a great that the UAE is using nuclear power. As part of their plan, this will lead to a green and healthy life in the UAE. After building Masdar city which is considered a "Cool City", using nuclear power will help speed development in the country.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Around the world in six months
Two twenty-year-olds from Germany are on a five-month trip around the world in a VW camper van.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Global Warming (FBP)
Global Warming is a major issue in our world today. In the long run global warming will have a greater effect on us than it has today. This is due to the greenhouse gasses like carbon dioxide and all the pollution around us. This causes the atmosphere to warm up which is harming nature as well as us. Only in this century the atmosphere has seen an increase of about 0.74°C. Studies have shown and proven that by 2100, the globe will heat up by another 1.1°C to 6.4°C (Wikipedia.com).
Greenhouse gases are gases such as carbon dioxide, vapor, methane etc. which affect the atmosphere (eia.doe.gov) causing the Greenhouse effect which is the absorption of the sun’s radiation when it hits the Earth’s atmosphere which will cause the Earth to warm up slowly. This is not good for the Earth because with time all the ice in the poles would melt, causing the level of water to rise and making the average temperature everywhere increase.
Pollution is another factor to take into account that affects our world today. Pollution, whether it may be air, water, soil, radioactive (nonukes.org) or any other type, contaminates our environment, thus affecting the planet. The usage of gas in cars, the gases that are released into the air after something is burned, all these small things lead to pollution therefore global warming (Wikipedia.com).
We are supposed to take care of this planet, but we are not doing much. The little effort put into Recycling or other small things is not enough. We must make radical changes, especially with all the cars’ gas consumption or all the fuel smoke from industries that affect our environment. This must stop now! The rate of global warming is increasing rapidly and we must slow it down before it is too late. We must take action now and save our world.
Bibliography:-
1.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_warming
2.http://www.eia.doe.gov/bookshelf/brochures/greenhouse/Chapter1.htm
3.http://www.nonukes.org/background_briefing_on_radioactive_pollution.htm
4.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollution
5.http://www.recycling-guide.org.uk/
Greenhouse gases are gases such as carbon dioxide, vapor, methane etc. which affect the atmosphere (eia.doe.gov) causing the Greenhouse effect which is the absorption of the sun’s radiation when it hits the Earth’s atmosphere which will cause the Earth to warm up slowly. This is not good for the Earth because with time all the ice in the poles would melt, causing the level of water to rise and making the average temperature everywhere increase.
Pollution is another factor to take into account that affects our world today. Pollution, whether it may be air, water, soil, radioactive (nonukes.org) or any other type, contaminates our environment, thus affecting the planet. The usage of gas in cars, the gases that are released into the air after something is burned, all these small things lead to pollution therefore global warming (Wikipedia.com).
We are supposed to take care of this planet, but we are not doing much. The little effort put into Recycling or other small things is not enough. We must make radical changes, especially with all the cars’ gas consumption or all the fuel smoke from industries that affect our environment. This must stop now! The rate of global warming is increasing rapidly and we must slow it down before it is too late. We must take action now and save our world.
Bibliography:-
1.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_warming
2.http://www.eia.doe.gov/bookshelf/brochures/greenhouse/Chapter1.htm
3.http://www.nonukes.org/background_briefing_on_radioactive_pollution.htm
4.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollution
5.http://www.recycling-guide.org.uk/
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Cool Cities
The world is going downhill with the increase of emissions every year which is the main reason for global warming and climate change. Since the start of the industrial revolution, there have been some problems related to economic development like the rise in populations, the increase in energy consumption and the carbon dioxide which is emitted into the air. If these problems continue we will need more than one planet to live on which is impossible. People have to decrease the amount of carbon dioxide emitted into the air by a lot so that we wouldn’t need to find another place to live on.
In Japan during the last 30 years the GDP has gone up 100% while energy efficiency has increased 37% and oil consumption has decreased 8%. About 90% of carbon dioxide emitted into the air comes from buildings and transportation. Cool City was being built by SDCJ which is from Japan. There are three types of transportation that will be used in the Cool City which are hybrid cars, water taxis and light rail. There are various zones which will be in the city like business and residential. There are some techniques that will reduce heat by water, trees and roof membranes. 60% is the overall percentage of reduction of CO2 emissions claimed in the video.
With the development of the world and the increasing of industrial activities, the world is polluted day by day because of these activities. The video says this problem is serious and we should stop the bad activities that pollute the earth. If we do not stop polluting the earth our life will become worse. The humans will suffer a lot if this problem persists and their life will be endangered. We do not have any options and we should choose the green option or we will have no clean environment to live in.
In Japan during the last 30 years the GDP has gone up 100% while energy efficiency has increased 37% and oil consumption has decreased 8%. About 90% of carbon dioxide emitted into the air comes from buildings and transportation. Cool City was being built by SDCJ which is from Japan. There are three types of transportation that will be used in the Cool City which are hybrid cars, water taxis and light rail. There are various zones which will be in the city like business and residential. There are some techniques that will reduce heat by water, trees and roof membranes. 60% is the overall percentage of reduction of CO2 emissions claimed in the video.
With the development of the world and the increasing of industrial activities, the world is polluted day by day because of these activities. The video says this problem is serious and we should stop the bad activities that pollute the earth. If we do not stop polluting the earth our life will become worse. The humans will suffer a lot if this problem persists and their life will be endangered. We do not have any options and we should choose the green option or we will have no clean environment to live in.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Europe Saving The World
Summary:
The European Union recently has struck deal which was the most important since its foundation 50 years ago. The 27 EU-Nations goals are to reduce the carbon dioxide emissions 20% by 2020 from their 1990 level.
The plan they have made is to change the type of energy they are currently using to use renewable or alternative sources such as water, air, tidal power and bio-fuels. Europe is trying to make changes by the year 2010 which will be done by reducing the carbon emissions in any way possible. Every power station will have a carbon capture and storage technology which eliminates carbon emission virtually. Biofuel will be a great alternative for the energy, and Europeans are planning to grow plants on all idle lands, and this will cover 10% of all petrol by 2020.
The only problem is that it is not easy to achieve all this because there will be many obstacles. The price of renewable energy is expensive and the production of the energy will cause environmental problems. Another huge impact would be on the European business field. The coal and steel community is the main European Economic Community but it produces high carbon emissions. In order to find a solution each European country will try to find another source that won’t affect the economy. France for example is depending on nuclear power in a wide range. Nuclear energy can be a substitute because it does not produce carbon emissions. And this future plan is working well and it is rising in Europe nowadays.
Main Idea:
The article talks about the efforts of the EU where they are trying to make their country cleaner by lowering their carbon emissions. Also it talks about how they can grow their own fuel and how to stop using imported petrol.
Comment:
In my point of view I think this article is good because it tells us that some countries are doing their best to overcome global warming. It also let us know that the UN is trying to help the case by making agreements. However, the EU should work harder to reduce the carbon emissions by much higher than 20%.
And I’d like to learn more about the Kyoto agreement and how they will be able to make it work. I also want to learn about the plan of the EU to save the world from global warming.
The European Union recently has struck deal which was the most important since its foundation 50 years ago. The 27 EU-Nations goals are to reduce the carbon dioxide emissions 20% by 2020 from their 1990 level.
The plan they have made is to change the type of energy they are currently using to use renewable or alternative sources such as water, air, tidal power and bio-fuels. Europe is trying to make changes by the year 2010 which will be done by reducing the carbon emissions in any way possible. Every power station will have a carbon capture and storage technology which eliminates carbon emission virtually. Biofuel will be a great alternative for the energy, and Europeans are planning to grow plants on all idle lands, and this will cover 10% of all petrol by 2020.
The only problem is that it is not easy to achieve all this because there will be many obstacles. The price of renewable energy is expensive and the production of the energy will cause environmental problems. Another huge impact would be on the European business field. The coal and steel community is the main European Economic Community but it produces high carbon emissions. In order to find a solution each European country will try to find another source that won’t affect the economy. France for example is depending on nuclear power in a wide range. Nuclear energy can be a substitute because it does not produce carbon emissions. And this future plan is working well and it is rising in Europe nowadays.
Main Idea:
The article talks about the efforts of the EU where they are trying to make their country cleaner by lowering their carbon emissions. Also it talks about how they can grow their own fuel and how to stop using imported petrol.
Comment:
In my point of view I think this article is good because it tells us that some countries are doing their best to overcome global warming. It also let us know that the UN is trying to help the case by making agreements. However, the EU should work harder to reduce the carbon emissions by much higher than 20%.
And I’d like to learn more about the Kyoto agreement and how they will be able to make it work. I also want to learn about the plan of the EU to save the world from global warming.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Carbon Footprint
Our instructor asked us to go to the site http://footprint.wwt.org.uk where we should measure our carbon footprint and showed it to me as an integer which is the number of planets that I need to live in. The site guided me through a wizard which had a series of questions about what I do in my daily life. What I got was 2.69 planets which is not possible because we only have one planet.
The carbon footprint is a measure of the impact of what we do on the environment in the subjects of the amount of greenhouse gases produced which is measured in units of carbon dioxide. The students in my class has carbon footprint of 3.98 planets which is bad because we have one planet and there are 20 students. The highest rate in the class was 5.10 which is very high and the student who got it needs to work on what he does daily to reduce it. In my carbon footprint the thing I dominate in is driving my car which was 47% of my carbon footprint. And I got 27% on the stuff I buy which I also need to work on. I also got 14% for my usage of electronics A/C in my home other stuff. Finally I got 12% on the food which is a pretty good segment. Although my carbon footprint is low I will work harder to reduce it.
People have got to be more careful about how they live their life because we have only one planet and we have to work to keep it clean and healthy for our next generations. And governments need some laws to protect the environment so that the earth will last longer.
The carbon footprint is a measure of the impact of what we do on the environment in the subjects of the amount of greenhouse gases produced which is measured in units of carbon dioxide. The students in my class has carbon footprint of 3.98 planets which is bad because we have one planet and there are 20 students. The highest rate in the class was 5.10 which is very high and the student who got it needs to work on what he does daily to reduce it. In my carbon footprint the thing I dominate in is driving my car which was 47% of my carbon footprint. And I got 27% on the stuff I buy which I also need to work on. I also got 14% for my usage of electronics A/C in my home other stuff. Finally I got 12% on the food which is a pretty good segment. Although my carbon footprint is low I will work harder to reduce it.
People have got to be more careful about how they live their life because we have only one planet and we have to work to keep it clean and healthy for our next generations. And governments need some laws to protect the environment so that the earth will last longer.
An Inconvenient Truth: Part 2
An Inconvenient Truth is a great documentary that explains what is happening to the environment and what will happen for us if we continue in this same lifestyle. Some people made reviews and commented on the documentary. Some of the reviews were positive and some were negative.
A positive review that I have read is by Roger Ebert. Roger Ebert Agrees with Al Gore in his documentary. He says that it is caused by human activities which Al Gore talked about in the documentary. And if the world governments start doing something about it, it might reverse the situation. This point was agreed on by both Roger Ebert and Al Gore. Roger Ebert does not only agree with Al Gore but he also says that he is a concerned man and that the speech was developed six years ago. Roger Ebert is a critic who usually criticizes movies but he says that in his career he never wrote as good a review for any movie as he wrote for this one. After watching the movie he suggested some points we can do in order to help, like switching to alternative energy such as solar, wind, tidal, and nuclear if possible.
Link to the Review
On the other hand another review that I have read is by Amy Taubin. And as Amy said it’s a horror movie made by Al Gore which is basically entertainment. And she also pointed out that Davis Guggenheim's movie explains an unsure fact by its clear simple presentation that global warming is unarguable. Also Al Gore refers to himself in the movie as the man who used to be the next president of the United States and he is trying to convince the people that global warming is a big problem that will affect our lives.
Link to the Review
In my opinion, Roger Ebert is right; I think he has a point and that global warming is caused by us. Amy Taubin really didn’t give Al Gore a chance; she said that his movie was a horror movie which is a basic entertainment and it was an offensive criticism and that’s why I don’t agree with her. Al Gore really tried his best in this movie and he made some people think in a better way and that’s why I think his documentary is great. It’s hard to change one’s lifestyle but since I watched the movie I’m trying my best to change it.
Bibliography
1. http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060601/REVIEWS/60517002
2. http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/review/3361
A positive review that I have read is by Roger Ebert. Roger Ebert Agrees with Al Gore in his documentary. He says that it is caused by human activities which Al Gore talked about in the documentary. And if the world governments start doing something about it, it might reverse the situation. This point was agreed on by both Roger Ebert and Al Gore. Roger Ebert does not only agree with Al Gore but he also says that he is a concerned man and that the speech was developed six years ago. Roger Ebert is a critic who usually criticizes movies but he says that in his career he never wrote as good a review for any movie as he wrote for this one. After watching the movie he suggested some points we can do in order to help, like switching to alternative energy such as solar, wind, tidal, and nuclear if possible.
Link to the Review
On the other hand another review that I have read is by Amy Taubin. And as Amy said it’s a horror movie made by Al Gore which is basically entertainment. And she also pointed out that Davis Guggenheim's movie explains an unsure fact by its clear simple presentation that global warming is unarguable. Also Al Gore refers to himself in the movie as the man who used to be the next president of the United States and he is trying to convince the people that global warming is a big problem that will affect our lives.
Link to the Review
In my opinion, Roger Ebert is right; I think he has a point and that global warming is caused by us. Amy Taubin really didn’t give Al Gore a chance; she said that his movie was a horror movie which is a basic entertainment and it was an offensive criticism and that’s why I don’t agree with her. Al Gore really tried his best in this movie and he made some people think in a better way and that’s why I think his documentary is great. It’s hard to change one’s lifestyle but since I watched the movie I’m trying my best to change it.
Bibliography
1. http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060601/REVIEWS/60517002
2. http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/review/3361
Monday, April 13, 2009
Saturday, March 14, 2009
An Inconvenient Truth
An Inconvenient Truth is a documentary film about global warming directed by Davis Guggenheim and presented by former US Vice President Al Gore. Al Gore is an American environmental activist who served as the 45th Vice President of the US from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton.
An Inconvenient Truth focuses all efforts to educate the public about the severity of the climate crisis. The film follows a presentation that Gore presented around the world. It explains his exploration of data and predictions regarding climate change and its potential for disaster.
The film includes pieces intended to disprove critics who say that global warming is not proven or that warming will not be serious. The film ends with Al Gore saying that if appropriate actions are taken soon then the effects of global warming can be successfully reversed by releasing less CO2 and planting more vegetation to consume existing CO2. Gore also asks his viewers to learn how they can help him in these efforts.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Global Warming
Global warming is the increase in the average temperature of the Earth's near-surface air and the oceans since the mid-twentieth century and its continuation. The Greenhouse Effect is real without any doubt and it helps to regulate the temperature of our planet. It is essential for life on Earth and is one of Earth's natural processes. The Greenhouse gases absorb the heat and light from the sun and filter the harmful radiations.
There are many different causes for global warming. The causes are split up into two groups, natural causes and man-made causes. One natural cause is a release of methane gas from arctic tundra and wetlands. Methane is a greenhouse gas. A greenhouse gas is a gas that traps heat in the earth's atmosphere. Another natural cause is that the earth goes through a cycle of climate change. This climate change usually lasts about 40,000 years.
However, man-made causes probably do the most damage. Pollution is one of the biggest man-made problems. Burning fossil fuels is one thing that causes pollution. When fossil fuels are burned they give off green house gases like CO2 and Methane gas. Also mining coal and oil allows methane to escape. Another major man-made cause of Global Warming is population. More people mean more food, and more methods of transportation which means more methane because there will be more burning of fossil fuels.
However, man-made causes probably do the most damage. Pollution is one of the biggest man-made problems. Burning fossil fuels is one thing that causes pollution. When fossil fuels are burned they give off green house gases like CO2 and Methane gas. Also mining coal and oil allows methane to escape. Another major man-made cause of Global Warming is population. More people mean more food, and more methods of transportation which means more methane because there will be more burning of fossil fuels.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Blog Project Task 1
My name is Ahmed Naser and I’m 19 years old and I will be 20 on the 7th of June. I was born and raised in Abu Dhabi where I lived for my entire life. I really like living in Abu Dhabi because it is familiar to me and very different from the other Emirates. I’m currently studying Business in the Higher College of Technology. I’m studying for a Bachelor Degree in Financial Services. When I finish my studies I might work in a bank or in any government financial department. And another thing I want to like experience is living in the other emirates which I’ll do this summer.
In my blog project, Mr. Hedley is encouraging me to think critically and analytically about the issues of climate change and global warming. I think that there are a lot of different reasons that led to this problem. In my blog I will talk more specifically about the climate change and global warming.
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