What's The Advantage Of Renewable Energy?

So you want to know what is the advantage of renewable energy?

Thank you for visiting this page where you will learn about some obvious, and some not so obvious advantages of renewable energy.

Well, when using energy from sources that are easily replaced, you are using renewable energy.Examples are the use of sunshine, wind, flowing water, biological- and geothermal processes. They are often described as clean and green forms of energy because of their minimal environmental impact compared to fossil fuels.

One advantage of renewable energy therefore is the more sustainable use of finite sources of energy.

You probably are aware of that advantage already. But of course there is more. And by the way, there is much that you can do yourself about using renewable energy.

And many ready-made solutions to applying renewable energy in your home exist. Click here to visit the Alternative Energy Store for discount prices on solar panels, wind turbines and renewable energy equipment for your home.

No carbon-based planet warming and polluting

The advantage of renewable resources includes their inability to produce carbon-based warming and polluting agents into the atmosphere. The financial cost of its applications is not always cheap but if the environmental costs of using fossil fuels are accounted for, renewable energy wins hands-down. There are also indirect savings on health and its costs as there are no harmful emissions.

The great advantages of renewable energy then are:

• We can use it repeatedly without depleting it.
• No contribution to global warming,
• No polluting emissions
• Low cost applications when counting all costs
• Saving on health and its costs

But there is still more.

Benefits of Going Solar

Why have over 1.5 million Americans invested in solar? Surveys taken over the last ten years confirm that the vast majority of owners (94% or more) consider that investment a wise decision. Consumer investment and satisfaction have spawned a small but growing solar hot water (SHW) industry here in the U. S. that is providing even broader benefits to our nation and has the potential to contribute much more.
Clean and Safe Solar hot water systems in use today produce approximately 1000 megawatts of energy annually. That is the equivalent of two medium-sized coal plants. The life-cycle costs of SHW systems are about the same as gas and far better than electric water heating systems. Solar energy is pollution-free, an important benefit when the cost of removing pollutants from the environment is considered. For example, a typical SWH system will, over its lifetime, displace 10.5tons of CO2 if replacing a natural gas system, or 71.5 tons if replacing an electric system.
Readily Available Resource The U. S. Department of Energy estimates that Americans consume approximately 2.5 quads of end-use energy annually to produce hot water at a cost of over $20 billion dollars. Solar energy currently provides only a tiny fraction of that demand, but huge portions of our country possess sufficient insolation to produce much greater quantities of energy. Enough sunlight reaches the earth’s surface each yearto produce approximately 1000 times the same amount of energy produced by burning all fossil fuels mined and extracted during the same period. Sunlight does not have to be explored, mined, extracted, transported, combusted, transmitted — or imported. Quality, Reliability, Durability Solar water heating technology, pioneered in the U. S., is the oldest and most developed of all renewable energy systems. Modern solar water heating systems can provide a large portion (40 - 80%) of household hot water demand depending on local climate conditions and the size and type of system. Most systems pay for themselves in four to sevenyears and continue to provide hot water for many years thereafter.
	Much of the United States receives abundant sunshine, making solar hot watersystems a very economical investment. This map shows the average daily solar radiation available on a south-facing surface measured in megajoules per square meter each day.
Solar pool heating often provides an even better investment. Payback can be as low as two years and the solar system can extend the swimming season by several weeks without additional cost. Many homeowners have regretted the purchase of a conventional pool heating system after receiving their first utility bill. Another cost-efficient application for solar energy is preheating ventilation air for commercial and industrial facilities. The vast majority of U. S. manufacturers of solar equip ment voluntarily comply with national consensus standards devel oped by the Solar Rating and Certification Corporation (SRCC). The SRCC tests and certifies collectors as well as complete systems for performance, reliability and durability. In addition, manufacturers and installers comply with the SRCC’s strict requirements for proper installation, labeling and homeowner information regarding operation and maintenance. Assurances of performance and quality are backed by warranties that in many cases exceed the guarantees of other household appliances. Read Complete Article

Renewable energy made from waste

A company in Swindon has developed technology which it claims turns household rubbish into clean renewable energy.

A company in Wiltshire has claimed it is one of the first in the UK to turn household rubbish into clean renewable energy using "gas plasma technology".

Advanced Plasma Power (APP) said its small-scale plant in Swindon sends less than 1% of waste back to landfill.

The process uses a beam of electrified gas at temperatures approaching 10,000C to destroy waste turning it into a flammable gas generating electricity.

It hopes to create jobs around the new technology developed in Swindon.

'Electricity generated'

Andrew Hamilton, of APP, said: "We see great potential to develop and exploit the technology for the benefit of not only us but we hope it will create substantial jobs in the area."

Dr Tim Johnson, of APP, said: "The reality is, that if waste is not turned into a fuel like this then it would have to go to landfill, so we're diverting material from landfill to make fuel."

The process is called "plasma gasification" - all recyclable materials such as glass and metals are removed and the remaining waste is then transformed into a hydrogen-rich gas. When the gas is then burned in the reactor electricity is generated.

APP claims that a full-scale plant could process 50,000 tonnes of waste annually.

Storage Boosts the Power of Renewable Energy

how to integrate large amounts of renewable energy into the grid was the topic at the recently held Electricity Storage Association's Annual Meeting in California. At the meeting, leading companies, manufacturers, utilities and policy developers gathered under the motto "Electricity Storage: Predictable Power in a Cleantech World."

During the conference experts showed how energy storage can play a variety of roles in firming up renewables at different time scales, i.e. from moment to moment, daily, weekly and seasonally. The presentations showed how storage options are essential for expanding renewable energy sources, stabilizing the grid, ensuring a continuity of supply, increasing energy autonomy and mediating against intermittent power production.

As storage technology advances, decision makers are starting to create a more favorable policy environment for innovators. For example, the U.S. Energy Storage Technology Advancement Act of 2007 recognizes the crucial roles that storage can play.

"This bill is the first official recognition of the importance of energy storage by Congress," said Imre Gyuk, Manager of Energy Storage Systems Research with the Department of Energy. "It is only an authorization bill and thus carries no appropriated funding, but it is a wonderful platform for future requests for storage research, demonstrations and development."

The act establishes an Advisory Committee (the Energy Storage Advisory Council), and authorizes funds for a basic and an applied research program of US $50 million and $80 million, respectively, for each fiscal year from 2009 to 2014. It also provides US $100 million each year for up to four energy storage research centers; US $30 million a year for energy storage demonstration projects and vehicle energy storage demonstration; and US $5 million a year for 10 years for secondary applications of electric drive vehicles.

Reaction to the act has been positive and the storage industry is beginning to take off.

"Grid-scale storage is here now," said Ed Cazalet of MegaWatt Storage Farms. "Storage should be deployed now at the gigawatt (GW) scale...where capacity, ancillary services and energy time-shifting are clearly needed."

Storage projects can be sourced close to loads, on the grid or at the generating facility. In his presentation, Cazalet emphasized that the demand-pull from large-scale commercial deployment will encourage manufacturing investment, lower costs through volume production (economies of scale) and lead to the commercialization of advanced technologies.

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Oilgae - Oil from Algae

Oilgae Forum

We now have a forum @ Oilgae - see here if the link above does not work, http://www.oilgae.com/forum

Sections from Oilgae that might be of interest:

• Oilgae Blog – A dynamic news & discussion forum for biodiesel production from algae; contribute and join the discussions! See Blog Directory for list of articles.
• algOS – We are seriously exploring an Open Source movement for biodiesel from production algae; if you are a biodiesel enthusiast, perhaps you’d like to join algOS, the open source movement for oil from algae?

• NewNergy – What’s New in Energy - Energy Inventions & Breakthroughs
• Oilgae Energy Portal – alternative & renewable energy, peak oil…
• See also: BDPedia – The Biodiesel WWW Encyclopedia; Algae – World of Algae
• Oilgae Glossary: A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q| R| S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z|
• Oilgae Energy, Alternative Energy, Renewable Energy Research

Venture Capital Investment in Renewable Energy Soars to $3.4 Billion in 2007

According to newly released data from Greentech Media, Inc.,
venture capital investment in renewable energy reached an
unprecedented level of $3.4 Billion in 2007. Investment in solar power led the VC charge with more than $1.05 Billion invested in more than 70 VC financing rounds. Also winning record amounts of renewable energy funding was investment in battery technology at $433.9 Million and in the energy efficiency/smart grid sector at $419.1 Million. Venture firms continue to invest in biofuels such as cellulosic ethanol and biodiesel, with more than $750 Million directed towards these new feedstocks and technologies.

source Link

SOLAR ENERGY BENEFITS

Solar energy benefits are limitless making the environmental impact by humans on our planet nearly zero. Solar energy benefits should be examined with regard to you and your family’s quality of life for a number of reasons. I encourage you to note the following list of solar energy benefits:

• lower utility costs to you

• reliable power in an area where there is no dependable utilities available

• dependable power where emergency back-up is needed

• do your part to MAKE A DIFFERENCE in our environmental impact of burning coal or oil

• a practical project for people interested in the technology as a hobby

• creating your own electricity so that you are self-sufficient.

Since each of us purchases electricity from our local utility company it is interesting to note how solar energy benefits can impact your future. Your local utility costs will continue to rise impacted by inflation and the cost to produce the utility itself; you can actually produce your own electricity for less money with its cost actually going down in future and help with our environment as well.

Top 10 Renewable Energy Sites

Alternative Fuels & Advanced Vehicles Data Center x
This Office of Transportation Technologies site has information on the latest advances in alternative fuels, vehicles, refueling sites, and more.

The American Solar Energy Society x
ASES is a national organization dedicated to advancing the use of solar energy for the benefit of U.S. citizens and the global environment.

American Wind Energy Association x
AWEA advocates the development of wind energy as a reliable, environmentally superior energy alternative in the United States and around the world.

Florida Solar Energy Center x
FSEC is the largest and most active state-supported renewable energy and energy efficiency research, training and certification institute in the United States.

Re-Energy x
Informative and educational site that teaches about various forms of Renewable Energy and then teaches you how to build and use them.

National Alternative Fuels Training Consortium x
NAFTC fosters a clean environment for the benefit of all people through education, training and research dealing with advanced fuels and engine systems.

Renewable Energy Policy Project x
REPP supports the advancement of renewable energy technology through policy research.

Alternative Technology Association x
A non-profit community group that aims to use and promote environmentally friendly technology, including renewable energy sources such as the sun, wind and water; building with natural materials and conserving energy.

CANTEST x
Find information on alternative fuels (propane or LPG, natural gas, hydrogen, methanol, ethanol, biodiesel), hybrid electric vehicles, batteries and fuel cells.

California Energy Commission x
The California Energy Commission is the state's primary energy policy and planning agency, charged with ensuring a reliable and affordable energy supply.

Oil Freedom through Solar Energy

• A massive switch from coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear power plants to solar power plants could supply 69 percent of the U.S.’s electricity and 35 percent of its total energy by 2050.
• A vast area of photovoltaic cells would have to be erected in the Southwest. Excess daytime energy would be stored as compressed air in underground caverns to be tapped during nighttime hours.
• Large solar concentrator power plants would be built as well.
• A new direct-current power transmission backbone would deliver solar electricity across the country.
• But $420 billion in subsidies from 2011 to 2050 would be required to fund the infrastructure and make it cost-competitive. {That is equivalent to 1 year of military expenditures}

High prices for gasoline and home heating oil are here to stay. The U.S. is at war in the Middle East at least in part to protect its foreign oil interests. And as China, India and other nations rapidly increase their demand for fossil fuels, future fighting over energy looms large. In the meantime, power plants that burn coal, oil and natural gas, as well as vehicles everywhere, continue to pour millions of tons of pollutants and greenhouse gases into the atmosphere annually, threatening the planet.

Well-meaning scientists, engineers, economists and politicians have proposed various steps that could slightly reduce fossil-fuel use and emissions. These steps are not enough. The U.S. needs a bold plan to free itself from fossil fuels. Our analysis convinces us that a massive switch to solar power is the logical answer.

Solar energy’s potential is off the chart. The energy in sunlight striking the earth for 40 minutes is equivalent to global energy consumption for a year. The U.S. is lucky to be endowed with a vast resource; at least 250,000 square miles of land in the Southwest alone are suitable for constructing solar power plants, and that land receives more than 4,500 quadrillion British thermal units (Btu) of solar radiation a year. Converting only 2.5 percent of that radiation into electricity would match the nation’s total energy consumption in 2006.

To convert the country to solar power, huge tracts of land would have to be covered with photovoltaic panels and solar heating troughs. A direct-current (DC) transmission backbone would also have to be erected to send that energy efficiently across the nation.


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Whats good for the environment is good for business

Support renewable energy and make world of difference for your business and the environment. Join more than 15,000 other customers who support the growth of clean, renewable energy and preservation of our environment by participating in Second Nature. You don’t have to change your business to enroll, and it costs as little as $5 a month to make a world of difference. When your business supports Second Nature, we’re able to buy and use more earth-friendly renewable energy, like wind and solar power, and less non-renewable resources, like coal, natural gas and nuclear. Calculate your potential environmental impact

Every Second Nature customer helps build the demand for green energy, reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, and strengthen our domestic fuel base. It’s just good business sense Your support of renewable energy allows your business to: Demonstrate a leadership role in your industry Gain a competitive edge Add value to your brand and generate positive publicity Promote socially-responsible business practices and consumer health As a business customer, you have a unique opportunity to join Alliant Energy’s other business green energy buyers. Nationally, you’ll be among the ranks of companies like 3M, Sprint, Lockheed Martin, Good Earth Natural Foods and Starbucks Corporation in supporting the growth and purchase of green power.

High lubricant Prices will make good for Renewables

1. Present high oil prices make life difficult in poorer countries but at the same time also help fuel development of renewable energy sources
   
2. There are several dilemmas regarding the high oil price.
   
3. It makes it difficult for the poor countries. At the same time renewable energy will be developed faster, which is good.

Higher Oil Prices Make Renewable Energy Living

Human Beings talk a more about alternative fuels being more Living with oil at such high prices. It also, however, makes other, more exotic, fossil fuel extraction techniques viable. This piece in the UK’s Independent outlines how oil reserves are understated because certain known fields are too expensive to extract at this time - and therefore are excluded from oil reserve projections (an important point that I would wager that many investors don’t understand).

The risk for green investors (and the environment for that matter) is that, if true, tapping oil reserves such as these could grow oil supply over current projections (even if its at these current high prices) - driving out the peak oil scenario longer than anticipated by Wall Street. (This is the kind of stuff investors and analysts miss all the time).

Different Kinds of Renewable Energy

• Solar energy which comes from the sun can be turned as electricity and heat. Solar panels on the roofs of houses, building and other establishment are use to store the solar energy. The sun's energy harnessed by the panels runs generators which provide electricity. There are stand-alone solar panels that you can put in your yard to save the sun's energy in a generator.
• Geothermal energy is an energy that comes from the heat inside the earth. It's simple technology that involves boring a hole into the ground to take the heat from the earth's crust. The heat that comes off is used to heat water and make steam to power generators to make electricity.
• Biomass energy is from the plant and trees. This energy alternative makes use of husks that come off rice after it is harvested and the waste from the corn. This "biomass" can be burned in a power station built for such a purpose. It emits less pollution than if the waste was left to rot, because it would produce a lot of methane.

Sources: Wood (most common source), plants, agricultural waste, industrial waste, even methane gas from community landfills.

Uses: fuel for transportation or to manufacture product that would otherwise use fossil fuels.

• Water Energy - the natural evaporation/precipitation cycle makes water a renewable source of energy. The heat of the sun causes water in lakes and ocean to evaporate and form clouds. The water then falls back to earth as rain or snow, and goes to the rivers and streams that flow back to the ocean. Moving water can be used to power water wheels that drive mechanical processes. Water Wheels are useful for generating mechanical energy to grind grain or saw wood, but are not practical for generating electricity because it is bulky and slow. Water energy emits about 30 times less greenhouse gas than modern natural gas power plants and 60 times less than coal-fired plant, which makes it a clean source of energy.
• Wind Energy is captured by wind turbines and used to generate electricity. The costs of wind energy are going down as mass manufacture of turbines becomes more accepted. It costs the same as setting up a new coal or nuclear power station. More importantly, external cost to health care and the effects of acid rain are 50times less than when using coal.

Renewable Energy - Benefits

The most obvious benefits of renewable energy are that it is far less polluting than conventional energy and will not run out. Renewable energy can also be produced more locally. This means that it can help local and national economies by using local resources and creating jobs. It will also help reduce the country’s dependence on overseas countries that may be politically unstable. This will help ensure supply and avoid price fluctuation.

Renewable energy is also much safer than nuclear energy which some people regard as ‘clean’. Accidents in nuclear plants can be catastrophic and there is the added problem of having to deal with nuclear waste.

One of the most important benefits of renewable energy is the fact that it’s non-polluting. And of course as the name tells us it is renewable and does not use resources that can never be replaced. Renewable energy has a much lower environmental impact than conventional sources of energy. But there are other advantages to using renewable sources of energy.

There are many benefits of renewable energy to the ordinary citizen and business owner. Homeowners will reap rewards from using renewable energy and energy-efficient appliances by saving money in the long run and reducing environmental impacts. It also renders us able to fuel our homes independently in many cases. Using renewable fuels makes us less dependent.

Benefits of Renewable Energy Source:

* Renewable energy sources offer clean alternative to fossil fuels.
* RE produces little or no pollution or greenhouse gases.
* RE will never run out

Benefits of Purchasing Renewable Energy

According to the EIA, renewable energy, including hydropower and other renewables accounted for 8.8% of total U.S. energy generation in 2004. In recent years, however, there has been considerable growth in the use of renewable energy. Many state and local governments, for instance, have turned to renewable energy as a way to reduce local air pollution, reduce generation of greenhouse gases and/or stimulate the local economy. See below for more information.
Meet Greenhouse Gas Reduction Goals
In lieu of the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol by the United States, many public agencies and private businesses have voluntarily set greenhouse gas reduction goals. San Diego, for example, set a 15% GHG reduction goal in 2002 in partnership with the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI). As of February 2006, 208 mayors have signed onto The US Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. These signatories have agreed to meet or exceed the Kyoto Protocol’s 7% GHG reduction goals (in comparison to 1990 levels) by 2012. For more information, go to the Pew Center on Global Change’s State and Local News page. Currently, 27 states have Climate Action Plans to reduce greenhouse gases1.

Industries and private businesses have taken initiative and partnered with the EPA Climate Leaders program to set emissions reduction goals and to monitor progress by reporting to the EPA.
Meet Air Quality Goals
Since 1990, the Federal Government, through the EPA, has set national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) designed to regulate exposure to a list of harmful criteria pollutants. Many jurisdictions are classified as in “non attainment” and have not met these goals. Shifting to renewable energy may significantly reduce sulfur and nitrogen oxides, particularly in areas surrounding or downwind of energy production facilities. For a list of non attainment areas, visit http://www.epa.gov/air/oaqps/greenbk/

In 2004 Montgomery County included its wind purchase as an air pollution reduction strategy in the region's air quality plan, making it the first time the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recognized wind power as a way of meeting federal air quality requirements2. For more information on this and other examples, see the EPA’s Green Power Partnership site.
Create Exportable Technology and Jobs
In the 1980’s, the US was a technological leader in solar and wind energy technology, but in the intervening years, other countries have taken the lead on many renewable technologies. A national commitment to renewable energy could allow the US to rapidly regain a position at the forefront3. Many believe that the development of domestic renewable resources could reinvigorate the local economy while helping the U.S. become more energy independent.

For example, a report published by faculty in the Energy and Resources Group and the Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California Berkeley (Kammen et al. 2004 - http://ist-socrates.berkeley.edu/~rael/renewables.jobs.pdf ) that summarized 13 independent reports on job creation and renewable energy concluded that renewable energy generates more jobs than fossil-fuel energy for each unit of energy produced. Renewable energy operations have the potential to generate three to eleven times the number of jobs created by fossil-fuel operations, with solar and biomass exhibiting the highest potentials.

Rising oil prices makes renewable energy attractive

With fuel prices soaring, renewable energy is being promoted by the state government here.
The West Bengal Green Energy Development Corporation Ltd (WBGEDC), a government agency floated for the development of green energy, is likely to come up with "renewable policy energy" framework by the end of this year

The focus areas of the policy would be to formulate certain concessions to be given to those using renewable energy, like rebate in municipal tax among other benefits, said S P Gon Chaudhuri, managing director of WBGEDCL, on the sidelines of a press conference to announce its tie-up with a Kolkata-based real estate developer to transfer green energy techniques, in Kolkata on Wednesday.

The tariff policy on the use of renewable energy was already in place in West Bengal, said Gon Chaudhuri. The policy would be divided into two parts, covering benefits to the people residing in buildings where renewable energy was being used, and independent power producers, he said. This apart, the policy will also promote the use of bio-fuels, by giving certain concessions to farmers undertaking Jatropha cultivation.

The corporation would assist the farmers in procuring Jatropha seeds and selling the end products in the market, he said. The states of Mizoram and Tripura, and union territory of Andaman and Nicobar, have also approached the WBGEDC for framing a similar policies.

"We would act as a consultant for preparing a renewable energy policy for states like like Mizoram and Tripura," he said.

The policy would be formulated with help from Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Business Management (IISWBM), he added. It will be placed before the state cabinet by the end of this year.

Benefits of Renewable Energy

Renewable energy can supply a significant proportion of the United States' energy needs, creating many public benefits for the nation and for states and regions, including environmental improvement, increased fuel diversity and national security, and regional economic development benefits.

Environmental Benefits

Using fossil fuels -- coal, oil and natural gas -- to make electricity dirties the nation's air, consumes and pollutes water, hurts plants and animal life, creates toxic wastes, and causes global warming. Using nuclear fuels poses serious safety risks. Renewable energy resources can provide many immediate environmental benefits by avoiding these impacts and risks and can help conserve fossil resources for future generations. Of course, renewable energy also has environmental impacts. For example, biomass plants produce some emissions, and fuel can be harvested at unsustainable rates. Windfarms change the landscape, and some have harmed birds. Hydro projects, if their impacts are not mitigated, can greatly affect wildlife and ecosystems. However, these impacts -- which are discussed in Appendix A -- are generally much smaller and more localized than those of fossil and nuclear fuels. Care must nevertheless be taken to mitigate them.

Air Pollution

Clean air is essential to life and good health. Air pollution aggravates asthma, the number one children's health problem. Air pollution also causes disease and even premature death among vulnerable populations, including children, the elderly, and people with lung disease. A 1996 analysis by the Natural Resources Defense Council of studies by the American Cancer Society and Harvard Medical School suggests that small particles in the air may be responsible for as many as 64,000 deaths each year from heart and lung disease.[1] As the figure below shows, air pollution is responsible for more deaths than motor vehicle accidents, and ranks higher than many other serious health threats.[2] A few of the most important pollutants are discussed below.[3]

Sulfur oxides

Electricity production, primarily from burning coal, is the source of most emissions of sulfur oxides (SOx), as the figure shows. These chemicals are the main cause of acid rain, which can make lakes and rivers too acidic for plant and animal life. Acid rain also damages crops and buildings. National reductions in sulfur oxides required by the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 may not be sufficient to end damage from acid rain in the northeastern United States.[4] SO2 is also a primary source of fine particles in the air.

Nitrogen oxides

Burning fossil fuels either to produce electricity or to power transportation emits nitrogen oxides (NOx) into the air. In the presence of sunlight, nitrogen oxides combine with other chemicals to form ground-level ozone (smog). Both nitrogen oxides and ozone can irritate the lungs, cause bronchitis and pneumonia, and decrease resistance to respiratory infections. In addition, research shows that ozone may be harmful even at levels allowed by federal air standards. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has published a new rule reducing nitrogen oxide emissions from 0.12 parts per million to 0.08 parts per million. States have until 2003 to submit plans for meeting the new standard and up to 12 years to achieve it.[5]

Carbon dioxide

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the most important of the greenhouse gases, which contribute to global warming by trapping heat in the earth's atmosphere. Electricity generation is, as the figure shows, the largest industrial source of carbon dioxide emissions and a close second to the transportation sector.

Samples from air bubbles trapped deep in ice from Antarctica show that carbon dioxide and global temperature have been closely linked for 160,000 years. Over the last 150 years, burning fossil fuels has resulted in the highest levels of carbon dioxide ever recorded. In 1995, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change -- an authoritative international scientific body -- concluded that "the balance of evidence suggests that there is a discernible human influence on global climate."[6] All 10 of the warmest years on record have occurred in the last 15 years. The 1990s have already been warmer than the 1980s -- the warmest previous decade on record, according to the Goddard Institute of Space Studies.[7]

Without action, carbon dioxide levels would double in the next 50 to 100 years, increasing global temperatures by 1.8 to 6.3 degrees Fahrenheit. The heat trapped in the atmosphere would cause expansion of the ocean's volume as surface water warms and melt some glaciers. A two-foot rise in sea level could flood 5,000 square miles of dry land in the United States, and another 5,000 square miles of coastal wetlands, as the figure shows. From 17 to 43 percent of coastal wetland-prime fish and bird habitat-could be lost. Building dikes and barriers could reduce flooding of dry land, but would increase wetland loss. Impacts on island nations and low-lying countries, like Egypt and Bangladesh, would be much worse.

Altered weather patterns from changes in climate may result in more extreme weather events. Some areas will suffer more drought and others more flooding, putting crop production under great stress in some regions. The character of our forests could change dramatically. Other expected impacts include an increase in heat-related deaths, increased loss of animal and plant species, and the spread of pests and diseases into new regions with less resistance to them.[8]

In 1997, at a conference in Kyoto, Japan, the developed nations of the world agreed to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. The United States agreed to 7 percent reductions from 1990 levels by the period 2008-2012. Senate ratification of this agreement remains uncertain, however.