Category Archives: Energy

The Sea Level Is Already Rising Due To Climate Change

Climate, Energy, World,

National Geographic published this article, Sea Level Rise: Ocean Levels Are Getting Higher-Can We Do Anything About It?

National Geographic article-sea-level-rise_16648_600x450 svd 31AUG2015  This photograph from the article,  shows Venice, Italy, during a big flood in 2008.

According to this article, the sea level has already risen in the past century 4 to 8 inches, and the rate of rise is expected to increase substantially, due to climate change.  Since the early 1990s it has risen an average of 0.14 inches per year, ( which is about 1/6 of an inch per year).  This suggest that it has risen perhaps 4 inches in the 25 years, and maybe the rate of increase has already picked up.

What are the implications for us who live on Galveston Island, an average of 7 feet above sea level?   Eventual inundation.  Of course, it is a gradual process, marked by higher tides here and there, according to the sun, moon, and storms.  In the meantime, we can enjoy our beach, homes, and city, as the people do in flooded Venice, above.

In answer to the question, can we do anything about it?  Of course we can.  We can use our resources, including all energy and brain resources to transitions off of fossil fuels.  We should already have been transitioning away from them.

 

 

Pangea (Pangaea)

Energy, Science, , , , , , , ,

Pangea_USGS This is a public domain image of Pangea, by Pangea USGS public domain clipart image @ wpclipart.com.  Pangea was a super-continent which began to form around 300 million years ago, and which began to break apart about 200 million years ago, so it existed for about 100 million years.

800px-Geological_Time_Scale This image is from a Wikipedia article on the Geological Time Scale as viewed on April 21, 2014. Wikipedia reveals that this time frame encompassed land plants, including coal forming ones, and land animals including lizards during the upper Paleozoic Era.  Most fossil fuels formed during the warm and wet  Carboniferous Period of the upper Paleozoic Era

About halfway through the existence of Pangea, the Paleozoic Era became the lower Mesozoic Era, during which time conifers evolved on land and dinosaurs emerged.  The lower Mesozoic encompasses the time of the Triassic, just before the Jurassic, of Jurassic Park fame.

 

 

Blueberry Chocolate Pancakes

Energy, Health, Kitchen, Recipes,

DSC02317 Blueberry Chocolate Chip Pancakes from the recipe below.

DSC02313 We had two cups of expired milk to use up, so, never remembering which recipe I used last time,DSC02314  so I got the one above from this cookbook. DSC02315 I substituted floured blueberries for the raspberries.   I also floured the chocolate chips.  We had this with syrup, a sweet treat without wasting our milk.   I definitely prefer my blueberry pancakes without the chocolate chips.  Joe likes them with chocolate chips as well as without.

The ingredients are fairly healthy, except for the sugar and the frying.  Our approach to health is moderation with as much home cooked food as possible.  This was an energy-efficient meal in that all of the ingredients were at home.  We have a few left over for a light meal tomorrow.