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Posts tagged: Al Gore
Jason Mraz Has an Epiphany in Antarctica
Global warming is not a future problem, it’s a now event. Jason Mraz has known this for a long time, but his trip to Antarctica with Al Gore in February along with 148 scientists, researchers, and environmentalists confirmed it.
In an essay he wrote for the Huffington Post reflecting on his trip, Mraz notes that, Antarctica, Earth’s air conditioner, is the canary in the coal mine for global warming. Meaning, if the climate at the south pole is changing, so too is the rest of the planet. For instance, when land ice that is miles thick melts rapidly and falls into the ocean, sea levels rise. And when sea levels go up, the threat we face are storm surges, coastal floods, and the possibility of drinking water for billions of people becoming contaminated with salt water. Yuck.
Mraz talks about the basics that we take for granted, such as the fruit cocktail he was served on his flight home. Where had the fruit come from? How much energy did it take to get to its final destination? How many chemicals were added to it to maintain its freshness? Little things like fruit coming from far off places, are just a part of the conveniences of everyday life that we’ve grown accustomed to. We’re finally starting to figure out that these conveniences are not sustainable. Continue reading
SimCity: What Would Al Gore Do?
SimCity is coming back, this time with an environmental theme. The game in which players strategically build their own online worlds complete with cities and families, has let people make fantasy decisions, usually reserved for urban planners, since 1989. The new version, due out in 2013, will allow its players to shape the world of tomorrow – for better or for worse.
The latest reiteration will give players the opportunity to make strategic choices that directly effect the environment.
Maxis Studio (the studio developing the game) Senior Vice President Lucy Bradshaw told audiences at this year’s Game Developers Conference in San Francisco that the latest SimCity, “Gets under your skin; exposes you to the idea of cause and effect and that choices you make have repercussions.” Continue reading
Al Gore Sees Trouble in Antarctica & Beyond
Al Gore is currently traveling through the Antarctic Peninsula. Below, he reflects on the melting ice and rising sea levels due to the effects of global warming.
The ice on land is melting at a faster rate and large ice sheets are moving toward the ocean more rapidly. As a result, sea levels are rising worldwide. Most of the world’s ice is contained in Antarctica — more than 90 percent. The West Antarctic Ice Sheet, which lies south of the Peninsula, contains enough water to raise sea levels worldwide by more than 20 feet. Part of the ice sheet, the Pine Island Glacier ice shelf, is among the many in Antarctica that are shrinking at an accelerating rate. This has direct consequences for low-lying coastal and island communities all over the world — and for their inland neighbors. Continue reading
About EMA
The Environmental Media Association believes that through television, film and music, the entertainment community has the power to influence the environmental awareness of millions of people. This initial concept set the stage for our 1989 launch and it remains a core EMA tenet today.
EMA mobilizes the entertainment industry in educating people about environmental issues, which in turn, inspires them to take action. A pioneer in linking the power of celebrity to environmental awareness, it was EMA who invented the ‘green carpet,’ launching the concept of taking a hybrid or alternative fuel vehicle – not a limo – to high profile awards events and bringing the concept of alternative automotive technology to millions of previously unaware households.