We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.
– Mother Teresa
30kWh Towards a Greener Home!
(More Info)
(Singapore Power charges energy in billing units of kilowatt hour (kWh) – 1 kWh basically means power usage of 1 kW for an hour)
In February 2007, the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued its latest assessment report on climate change. The conclusion – there is no doubt that global warming is happening.
Here at The Home Look, we seek to increase public awareness on the value of going green and the actions we can adopt in our homes to reduce our carbon footprint. It is with this in mind that The Home Look is introducing the 30 kWh Green Home Pledge.
Take this small but significant step of reducing your energy consumption by 30 kWh every month. A green home and a green planet starts with each of us.
About Global Warming
Fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas are used to generate about 60% of global electricity needs. When these fuels are burned, carbon dioxide – the primary heat-trapping greenhouse gas responsible for global warming – is produced. Why is carbon dioxide a greenhouse gas? Because carbon dioxide allows light energy from the sun in, but doesn't let all of the heat energy out, similar to a greenhouse.
As a result of mankind's activities over the past two centuries, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased from 280 to more than 380 parts per million volume. The higher the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the higher the average planet temperature.
3 Consequences of Global Warming
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The rate of global warming is increasing. The IPCC reports that 11 of the past 12 years are among the dozen warmest
since 1850. Regionally and locally, a small upward shift in mean temperature can cause relatively large increases in
the number of extremely hot days, increasing the likelihood of "killer" heat waves during the warm season (Karl et al.,
1997).
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If the rate of global warming remains unabated, the IPCC estimates that sea-levels will rise by approximately 49 cm,
with an error margin of 20-86 cm, over the next 100 years. Rises of just 10 cm could flood many South Seas islands and
swamp large parts of Southeast Asia. There are hundreds of millions of people who live within 1 metre of mean sea level
and much of the world's population is concentrated in susceptible coastal cities.
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Further melting of the Arctic Ice Caps can permanently alter the ocean's circulation system, causing Western Europe to
face a mini ice age, and rising sea levels will create water shortages in regions dependent on runoff for fresh water.