2020 – Looking Back – And Forward!

Everyone has experienced the impacts of the pandemic that swept across our world in 2020. For some the effects were disastrous, while for others it may have just been an inconvenience.

Science is moving quickly, faster than ever before, to develop a vaccination to fight off COVID-19. Success of a vaccination may help to bring the virus under control on a global level.

As bad as the pandemic was, and still is in many parts of the world, it is nothing compared to the impacts of global warming we are facing in the near future. If we unite and make changes now, we can avert a global crisis that will eventually lead to mass extinction.

Out with the Old, In with the New!

Life is constantly changing. New advances in science and technology replace old ways. A brief look at the history of how we listen to music is a good example of positive change!

Many people are afraid of change, even though it may be an improvement to what they already know and use. Even if that change can save the planet.

When it comes to the environment, many people can not fathom a comfortable world without the dependency on fossil fuels. They do not want to give up the convenience of electricity, their fast cars, their jets. They do not recognize that the comfort fossil fuels add to their lifestyle is destroying the world around them. A world based on clean energy sources will provide all energy needed to maintain the lifestyle so many people have come to enjoy. In fact, investment in and development of alternative sustainable energy sources will open up basic convenience

Progress Reducing Plastic Bags

One change that is taking hold around the world is the ban on single use plastic bags. Why are they being banned?

1. Plastic bags are made with petroleum, a nonrenewable resource. They are not biodegradable, instead they breakdown into microplastics that leach toxicants that pollute the earth and enter our food supply.

2. Since plastic bags are light-weight the wind carries them across the landscape, clogging waterways, cluttering our oceans, damaging agricultural lands, and providing ideal breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

3. Animals – birds, marine life, and land animals mistake plastic bags for food, which leads to massive poisoning, choking, entanglement, blocked intestines – all of which can lead to death.

The solution is really simple – use reusable bags! Okay, so it does take a change in habit, means you need to put a little more effort into shopping, and be prepared with your own reusable bags to carry home your purchases. This is a change that is well worth the small effort it takes!

Consume Less For a Better Tomorrow

A campaign to encourage less use of Plastic in daily lives

Initiated by Conscious Carma, a magazine for the consciously driven

Warm Heart would like to introduce Conscious Carma, a bi-monthly global e-magazine from India that applauds governments, corporates, societies and individuals who are taking conscious initiatives towards a sustainable and equal world. Conscious Carma took birth during the pandemic, realizing the urgency to highlight every single act of goodness to encourage others and bring about a revolution.

The magazine incorporates product innovations and breakthrough technologies for a sustainable world, CSR initiatives of Corporates, philanthropic deeds of individuals and various initiatives of governments aimed at sustainable, equal and overall growth of its citizens and the economy. We are very happy to see the CSR Initiative of Shangri-la here in Thailand highlighted in their magazine.

Warm Heart Worldwide has joined as an International Partner of the Campaign “Consume Less for a Better Tomorrow”, being organized by Conscious Carma Magazine.

We look forward to sharing the campaign with you on social media platforms and encourage participation from you. We encourage you to share your stories, of how you are reducing the plastic in your daily lives and making an impact. #ConsciousCarma and #WarmHeartWorldwide.

Understanding the Impacts of Global Warming

We are capable of adapting to change. If we embrace a universal change from fossil fuel dependency to sustainable energy we can maintain our comfortable lifestyle, while improving our air, our water, our food supply, and provide access to the comforts of modern technology for all people across the globe. We do not lose anything, we can only gain!

Climate change is a complicated problem we have set off through global warming. Many factors contribute to global warming, including overuse of fossil fuels and agricultural burning across the globe. It is also not necessary that we all agree exactly who or what is causing global warming. We can all observe it and its effects all around us.

Understanding how global warming impacts our climate is crucial to inspiring change. Our Guest article this month clearly describes how global warming affects our oceans and the consequences of increased water temperatures.

Guest Article

An Introduction to Sea Surface Temperature

Source: NOAA

 “This article is originally posted on Sofar Ocean”

The ocean has been around for billions of years. Yet, we only started measuring oceanographic variables in the late eighteenth century. We’ve got a long way to go before we can fully understand it. 

What we do know is that it’s changing at a rapid pace—and at the crux of many of these changes is our warming global sea surface temperature. 

To get you up to speed, this post is an introduction to sea surface temperature, and we’ll be answering all the fundamental questions: 

What is it? 

How is it measured? 

What is the data telling us?

And most importantly, why is this information important?

What is sea surface temperature (SST)? 

Sea surface temperature (SST) is the water temperature close to the ocean’s surface. It varies mainly with latitude, with the warmest waters generally near the equator and the coldest waters in the Arctic and Antarctic regions. 

As the oceans absorb more heat, sea surface temperature increases, and the ocean circulation patterns that transport warm and cold water around the globe change.

How is SST measured?

SST was one of the first oceanographic variables measured, yet it is still a fairly new phenomenon. The first recording was in the late eighteenth century by Benjamin Franklin, who suspended a mercury thermometer from a ship while traveling between the US and Europe. SST was later measured by dipping a thermometer into a bucket of water that was manually drawn from the sea surface (yes, humble beginnings). 

The first automated technique was accomplished by measuring the temperature of water in the intake port of large ships in 1963. 

Today, SST measurement is obtained by satellite microwave radiometers, infrared (IR) radiometers, in situ moored and drifting buoys, and ships of opportunity. Different instruments measure the temperature at different depths. For instance, most buoys have sensors located at about 1-meter depth or placed at regular intervals along a tether line. When measured from space, sea surface temperatures represent a depth that is related to the frequency of the satellite instrument. For example, IR instruments measure a depth of about 20 micrometers, while microwave radiometers only measure a few millimeters. 

Satellite infrared data is merged with the temperature data drawn from ships and buoys to create a holistic understanding of sea surface temperature at a larger scale. We’ve come a long way from the bucket method. 

Why does SST data matter? 

While heat energy is stored and mixed throughout the depth of the ocean, the temperature of the water right at the sea’s surface—where the ocean is in direct contact with the atmosphere—plays a significant role in weather and short-term climate. The ability to measure it allows us to observe the global system and quantify ongoing weather and climate change. 

What is SST data telling us? 

Source: EPA.gov

Due to global warming, the average global SST is on a steady incline. From 1901 through 2015, the temperature rose at an average rate of 0.13°F per decade. It doesn’t sound like a lot, but it’s severely impacting the ocean; sea levels are rising, and ocean circulation patterns are changing—disrupting marine ecosystems and even human livelihood.

Why should we care about rising sea levels?

As the water warms, two things happen. First, it expands as its temperature increases. Second, it melts glaciers and ice sheets. Together, these phenomena increase sea surface temperatures, and consequently, sea levels.

Rising sea levels lead to greater coastal erosion, stripping the coast of its natural protection consisting of sediment and wetlands. Each year, extreme weather events—such as cyclones, storm surges, and hurricanes—increase in intensity and frequency. Due to coastal erosion, communities are at greater risk of floods, and ultimately habitat and infrastructure destruction. 

We can’t stop rising sea levels, but we reduce their impact. Learn how improved ocean data can help coastal communities mitigate the risks associated with rising sea levels.

2021 – Looking Ahead

Promise of a brighter future for all

The 17 UN Sustainable Goals provide more than a plan to reduce global warming, it is a road map to creating a better world. 183 Nations have agreed to pursuing solutions to implement the ideals of these lofty goals.

Global success could create a world free from poverty and hunger, and truly egalitarian with a just and level playing field where all can thrive and grow. The Sustainable Development Goals outline a world we can come together to make and all enjoy, a world with a pollution free environment that fosters health, happiness and opportunity for all.

Is this the kind of world you want to pass on to your children, your grandchildren?

As we move into 2021 our hope is that more people will take the time to understand what climate change is all about, and take whatever action they can in their personal lives to help bring the focus on solving this looming problem we all face.

An easy step that can be taken is to support policymakers who understand the importance of climate change and global warming and are willing to take action to find solutions. Let your vote and voice be heard loud and clear.

From the Warm Heart Family to all families across the globe: Our best wishes for a New Year that will bring the change needed to design and create a world we can all enjoy and share.