Environment

Our use of energy resources has a major effect on our Environment.

The Dunbarton Energy Committee supports use of alternative energy sources to improve our carbon footprint. Here is a scientific definition everyone should know.

The Greenhouse Effect

“The Greenhouse Effect” is a popular term for the increased global warming of the earth’s atmosphere over the last 50 years, caused mostly by the documented increase in emissions from burning coal, oil and natural gas, and the clearing of forest.

This warming has taken place; it cannot be disputed. 2011 to 2015 was the hottest 5-year period on record, and 2016 broke all previous records.

The connection of global warming to the increased emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases is a matter of established physics.

Long-term independent records all confirm that the world is warming, sea levels are rising, coastline flooding is increasing, sea ice is in precipitous decline, precipitation patterns are changing and the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events are increasing.

However, there are good alternatives to fossil fuel consumption. In the period of 2009 to 2015, the cost of solar electrical power has fallen 82%, and the cost of wind-generated electrical power has fallen 61%.