The Weather Forecast on Your Computer

Written by David Leonhardt


I userepparttar Internet to find just about every type of information. Evenrepparttar 105332 weather.

Sure, I could just stick my head outrepparttar 105333 window and call out, "Hello. What'srepparttar 105334 weather forecast today?" But ifrepparttar 105335 response is "hurricanes, hail and meteor storms", I don't want my head to be onrepparttar 105336 wrong side ofrepparttar 105337 window whenrepparttar 105338 answer comes down.

Plus, that won't help me fine-tune my last minute travel plans.

So I turn torepparttar 105339 Internet. There are three really easy ways to get a good weather forecast overrepparttar 105340 Internet:

Weather forecast websites:

There are some good weather forecast websites. The one I use most often, because I am in Canada, is The Weather Network, and I also like CNN.

CNN gives current conditions and a five day forecast. The Weather Network provides more detail, with a short term forecast ( this evening, tonight, tomorrow morning, etc.) and a longer term forecast overrepparttar 105341 next six days. The Weather Network providesrepparttar 105342 most detail of allrepparttar 105343 options, but it takes longer to download thanrepparttar 105344 progress of climate change (so don't do it on a 26K modem!) Both offer forecasts for cities worldwide.

Weather forecast software:

A second way, which does not even require going to a website, is to get current conditions right on your desktop. There are free weather forecast software downloads that display key data right on your desktop, and even provide a text summary one click away.

A Simple Way To Offset the Environmental Effects of Driving Your Car

Written by Debra Lynn Dadd


We all love our cars. They give usrepparttar freedom to come and go as we please, to get to work, to visit family and friends, to go shopping...on our own schedule. But automobiles also effectrepparttar 105330 environment by pollutingrepparttar 105331 air we breathe and, inrepparttar 105332 larger scope of life, by creating unusual climate changes.

But there is a simple thing you can do to offsetrepparttar 105333 negative environmental effects of driving your car, and It costs less than $100 a year.

HOW DRIVING YOUR CAR AFFECTS THE ENVIRONMENT

If you drive a standard American automobile, your car emits about 12,000 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) every year. That's three timesrepparttar 105334 weight ofrepparttar 105335 car! If you drive an SUV, your car emits around 20,000 pounds of CO2 each year.

CO2 is a major "greenhouse gas." Back around 1800, before there were cars and industry,repparttar 105336 CO2-concentration inrepparttar 105337 air was about 280 ppm (1 ppm CO2= one molecule of CO2 per one million molecules of air). Today, asrepparttar 105338 result of human activities,repparttar 105339 CO2-concentration inrepparttar 105340 air is about 370 ppm, and increasing by 1.7 ppm every year. And we're adding CO2 faster than it decomposes. Every molecule of CO2 we add torepparttar 105341 atmosphere stays there for about 100 years.

Many scientists are warning that this increase in CO2 is raisingrepparttar 105342 average temperature ofrepparttar 105343 planet, known asrepparttar 105344 "greenhouse effect." The widely respected WorldWatch Institute has warned that severe climate change could include major shifts in weather patterns and agricultural zones, resulting in droughts and floods. A wide range of human and natural systems could be disrupted, displacing long-standing economic and social systems as well as established ecosystems.

Twenty percent ofrepparttar 105345 carbon dioxide released intorepparttar 105346 atmosphere every year comes from driving cars. That is a significant percentage. This won't be changed by international protocols or government regulations. But each one of us can make a difference by reducing our own CO2 emissions.

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