h2oil :: wha?

The war for oil is well underway across the globe. 

Alberta’s oil sands are at the centre of this tension. As the province rushes towards a large-scale extraction, the social, ecological and human impacts are hitting a crisis point. In only a few short years the continent will be a crisscross of pipelines, reaching from the arctic all the way to the southern US, leaving toxic water basins the size of Lake Ontario, and surface-mines as large as Florida.

This project also impacts the earth's ability to adapt to the rapid changes as a result of water extraction and the emission of greenhouse gases.

can virtual games help us explore climate change?

fate of the world games explore climate change Mar 2011

"Computer strategy game Fate of the World gives gamers the chance to save a virtual world from climate catastrophe.

Using real climatic models, it gives gamers and environmentalists the chance to test policy ideas on a global scale. Its developers intend the game to be fun and to help increase awareness of the complex nature of fighting global warming.

Players get to set policy initiatives over a 200-year period and watch as the outcomes of their decisions are played out.

The game's developers have used official data collected by international bodies such as the International Energy Agency, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration from the US (NOAA) and the United Nations.

Economists and non-governmental organisation including Oxfam and Friends of the Earth also contributed.

Creative director and lead designer Ian Roberts says he hopes it can draw on the ingenuity of players to develop previously unthought-of solutions to climate change."

how can i personalize climate change issues?

Click on the links to take a look at these accessible sites.

frequently asked questions

What was known in 2001 about climate change and its consequences?

thinking through climate change

No one knows for certain what will happen; there are lots of possibilities. It depends on where you live. Places may experience a mix of positive & negative changes. The whole system may change in ways that are difficult to predict while the system tries to reorganize itself to find a new balance.

12 things you can do
Why drive when you can walk? And other things you can do.

First Nations * Inuit * the environment

First Nations and Inuit people have believed that humans are a part of the environment, not separate from it, and that all living creatures are equal and deserve respect. They made sure that they took care of the environment in everything that they did.

climate change puzzlers
Test your knowledge. Learn new things!

bbc reporting on climate change
Follow latest inventions and efforts in Europe and North America.

what's with the polar bears? :: their struggle for ice ::

When the sun's rays hit the ice on the earth's surface, it reflects much of the rays back into the atmosphere. However, with increased ice melting due to powerful greenhouse gases, the sun's effects are reflected less and absorbed more. Ice melts. The result for polar bears is a much larger swimming distance to the next solid ice scape.  ... many polar bears drown. 

how can such small temperature increases be so detrimental?

How can such a small increase in temperature be so brutally harmful to our environment?

To help put into perspective the effects that global warming and climate change has on our our planet, we can educate ourselves with reliable resources such as National Geographic. According to this clip, the increase of even one degree creates a tipping point for our planet. It is not only an increase in temperature, but the PACE.

Although, I do believe this is a possible event. I think there is more we can do to make sure this does not happen. The effect of a tipping point could be so harmful to a majority of  human civilization and I'm not sure who would actually survive such a drastic change on our earth. While unpredictable changes could occur, the likelihood is lessened if we take conscious action now.