Climate advisors take electric road

"Welcome to the electric future." That was the key message from the Committee on Climate Change, the government's new advisory body, as it delivered its recommendations on how the UK should meet its target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050.

There is a wealth of detail tucked away in its 500-plus page report.
It proposes five-yearly "carbon budgets" that the government should adopt, and suggests a range of policy options for achieving them - among which weaning the nation's power providers off fossil fuels is clearly the priority.

"One particularly important development is the de-carbonizing of electricity," the committee's chairman Lord Turner told reporters.
"Once we de-carbonize generation, we can apply electricity to new areas such as road transport and the heating of buildings."

Top Ten Tips to Fight Global Warming

The recent hot and muggy weather has us all thinking about how to take the temperature down a notch. With that in mind, we've culled the top ten ways consumers can cut into the 22 tons of carbon dioxide each of us produces in the United States.

Take these small and not-so-small steps and you'll help ensure a more comfortable future for us all (all carbon savings are annual averages).

Meat, Fish, Eggs and Alternative Sources of Protein.

Why is protein important?? From hair to fingernails, protein is a major functional and structural component of all our cells. Protein provides the body with roughly 10 to 15 per cent of its dietary energy, and is needed for growth and repair.

Proteins are large molecules made up of long chains of amino acid subunits. Some of these amino acids are nutritionally essential as they cannot be made or stored within the body and so must come from foods in our daily diet.

Although all animal and plant cells contain some protein, the amount and quality of this protein can vary widely.

10 Simple Food Choices That Can Help Your Heart

1. Eat fruits and vegetables: Eat a variety of fruit and vegetable servings every day. Dark green, deep orange, or yellow fruits and vegetables are especially nutritious. Examples include spinach, carrots, peaches, and berries.

2. Eat a variety of grain products every day: Include whole-grain foods that have lots of fiber and nutrients. Examples of whole grains include oats, whole wheat bread, and brown rice.

3. Eat fish at least 2 times each week: Oily fish, which contain omega-3 fatty acids, are best for your heart. These fish include tuna, salmon, mackerel, lake trout, herring, and sardines.

4. Limit saturated fat and cholesterol: To limit saturated fat and cholesterol, try to choose the following foods:

o Lean meats and meat alternatives like beans or tofu

o Fish, vegetables, beans, and nuts

o Nonfat and low-fat dairy products

o Polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fats, like canola and olive oils, to replace saturated fats, such as butter

10 Risk Factors for Heart Disease

• Age: More than 83% of people who die from coronary heart disease are 65 or older. Older women are more likely to die of heart attacks within a few weeks of the attack than older men.
• Being male: Men have a greater risk of heart attack than women do, and they have attacks earlier in life. Even after menopause, when women's death rate from heart disease increases, it's not as great as men's.
• Family history. Those with parents or close relatives with heart disease are more likely to develop it themselves.
• Race: Heart disease risk is higher among African Americans, Mexican Americans, American Indians, native Hawaiians, and some Asian Americans compared to Caucasians.
• Smoking: Cigarette smoking increases your risk of developing heart disease by two to four times.

Global Warming – What can we do - By Helen Willetts

By the summer of 2050 temperatures will have risen by around 2 degrees or more in England and Wales, 1 to 2 degrees for Scotland and Northern Ireland. Just a small rise in temperature will result in more hot days in cities (temperatures over 30C).

Drier conditions are also expected, especially in the Southeast. However heavy rainfall events are likely to be more frequent. Winters are expected to be milder, so there will be a reduction in the number of frosty nights.

It's difficult to ascertain whether the world weather is becoming or will become more extreme. The scenario of more storms, hurricanes, tornadoes etc is far from proven, although indications from the Hadley Centre are for a greater frequency of deep Atlantic depressions.

The consequences of these changes are far reaching. Consider for example that floods and droughts are likely to increase in number and severity. Diseases, such as malaria, spread by mosquitoes depend on local climate, especially temperature.