Climate 411

Erica Rowell, today’s guest blogger, is a Web Editor and Producer at Environmental Defense, and our resident expert on light bulbs.

Ever stop to wonder why, since the mid-1990’s, traffic lights don’t seem to burn out? They can’t be using old-fashioned incandescent bulbs – those burn out all the time. Maybe they switched to longer-lasting compact fluorescent lights (CFLs)? Nope. Today’s stop lights use light-emitting diodes (LEDs).

LEDs last 35,000 to 50,000 hours – five times longer than the average CFL, and 50 times longer than an incandescent bulb. In fact, because the technology is so different, they don’t really ever burn out. They just get dimmer over time – a long time. Today’s LEDs produce more light per watt than conventional bulbs but they’re not quite as efficient as CFLs… yet. On the plus side, unlike CFLs they contain no mercury whatsoever.

You can find LEDs in all kinds of places – flashlights, television remotes, car headlights, flat screen displays, exit signs and even holiday lights, just to name a few. So, thinking of buying some LED light bulbs?

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Today’s Guest Blogger, Lisa Moore, is a scientist in the Climate and Air Program.

There’s a new site on Yahoo! that can calculate how much your carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions go down when you try their energy saving tips. It’s fun to use, and I especially appreciate the snazzy interactive features because I know how hard people worked to build it. My colleagues and I provided the Yahoo! design team with the data they use in their calculations.

I hope you’ll visit the site to see how simple changes in your house and car can save energy and lower emissions. But first, let me take you behind the scenes to the complicated world of carbon calculation.

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ignoratio elenchi n.
A logical fallacy of presenting an argument that may in itself be valid, but has nothing to do with the proposition it purports to prove. Also known as “irrelevant conclusion”. [Lat. ignorance of refutation.]

As the fact of climate change becomes ever more apparent, the science skeptics have come up with a new one: Sure climate change has some unfortunate consequences, but there are good aspects, too. For example, read Myron Ebell’s recent piece in Forbes magazine titled "Love Global Warming". For that, Mr. Ebell wins our latest Ignoratio Elenchi Award.

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The League of American Bicyclists is promoting Bike-to-Work Week from May 14-18, and Bike-to-Work Day on May 18. Biking is the ultimate in clean transportation, emitting no greenhouse gases whatsoever. Plus it keeps you fit and it’s fun.

Still not sure? Check out our stories from people who bike to work daily. If you decide to join in, tell us your experiences!