climate change (Page 132)

Maybe they should all just GO HOME – That climate variability in one region can have an effect on more distant areas is known in the climate research literature, the challenge being to locate these far-connections and understand their projections. The Sahel region of Africa suffered drought over more than 20 years, from the 1970s to the mid-1990s, which caused deep environmental and social crises, such as hunger, civilian desertion, ethnic conflicts, and more. In 2007 the UN published a report stating that the situation in Darfur was intensified by the ongoing drought in the Sahel region and its surroundings.
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A group of scientists, venture capitalists and conservative think tanks is talking about solving the climate change problem by injecting sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere to counter climate change. Is it safe to put such a big project into the hands of Big Business? We can’t forget what happened the last time we did this.

This kind of geoengineering is attractive because it’s much easier (and cheaper) than cutting CO2 emissions, as well as being more appealing to voters, who will no longer be urged to make lifestyle changes). Russia, with its history of defacto dictatorship, has already begun testing sulfur dioxide injections by spraying them from a helicopter.
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Here’s something we’d better not forget: There’s enough heat stored in the ocean to heat up the Earth as if 500 100-watt light bulbs were turned on at the same time by each of the 6.7 billion people on the planet.
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Climate change: First it was cow farts, now it’s the anesthesia they give you in the hospital? (Next thing you know, it will be blamed on vampires!)

Inhaled anesthetics widely used for surgery, particularly the anesthetic desflurane, make a measurable contribution to global warming. In fact, the anesthetics used by a busy hospital contribute as much to global warming as the emissions from hundreds of cars per year. While no one’s suggesting that patients shouldn’t receive needed anesthetics because of the risk of climate change, some simple steps could help to limit their environmental impact.
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