Green Ventures organises global warming rally in Chennai

Green Ventures India, a sub advisor to Green Ventures International a privately held asset management firm with a fund of $200 million under management, recently organized a rally along with the Lioness club of Madras. Close to 100 students particiapted in the rally in an effort to raise awareness on the issue of global warming and its impact on the planet. School students held placards with messages such as “It is better to be safe than to be funk” and “Be part of the solution and not the pollution.”

The students, under the guidance of the members of Lioness Club and Lions Club International distributed brochures containing information on global warming and how to mitigate its impact.

"Global warming is perceived as some kind of a complicated scientific phenomenon among the general public and they feel it is up to the scientist to come up with the solution to combat it, which is not true. We must create awareness that each and every one of us are a part of the solution and we must work together to combat this self made villain which we have created. Yes, there is still much about global warming we have to learn and research should continue. But the longer we delay, the more CO2 will build up in the atmosphere. It stays there a long time. If we wait too long before acting, we will pass a point of no return and lock ourselves into centuries of global warming. We could pass one of those dangerous tipping points that could make life very difficult. It's a risk we shouldn't take," said Vinay Bharathwaj, Vice President, Green Ventures India.

The company now plans to work with companies to reduce its carbon footprint. "We have also raised a one of its kind $200 million fund, which focuses on investing only in CER’s which are generated out of India. We are also planning to raise more such funds to invest in clean technology and various renewable energy projects. We are also planning to expand our environmental consulting division to a 30 member team to cater to the need of the market. The Indian carbon market is growing at a rapid pace; more and more companies are looking to reduce their carbon footprint and also looking at monetizing the CER’s generated. With the MCX also showing keen interest in setting up a carbon exchange, what we are looking at is the tip of the iceberg. And we believe that in the near future India would set an example to the other countries in terms of the carbon offset and being socially responsible nation," he concluded.

THE 33 FACTS ABOUT GLOBAL WARMING

1. The Earth was formed about 4,540,000,000 years ago.
2. In the beginning, the Earth's atmosphere contained very little oxygen (less than 1% oxygen pressure).
3. Early plants started to develop more than 2 billion years ago, probably about 2,700,000,000.
4. Through photosynthesis, plants uptake carbon dioxide into the biosphere as organic matter, and release oxygen as a byproduct.
5. Through geologic time, oxygen accumulated gradually in the atmosphere, reaching a value of about 21% of atmospheric gases at the present time.
6. Through geologic time, surplus organic matter has been sequestered in the lithosphere as fossil organic materials (coal, petroleum, and natural gas).
7. Early animals (the first organisms with external shells) started to develop around 600,000,000 years ago.
8. Animals operate in the opposite way than plants: they take up oxygen, burn organic matter (food), and release carbon dioxide as a byproduct.
9. Early humans (Australopithecus anamensis) began to develop about 4,100,000 years ago.
10. Cool climatic conditions have prevailed during the past 1,000,000 years. The species Homo sapiens evolved under these climatic conditions.
11. Homo sapiens dates back to more than 400,000 years.
12. Estimates for the variety Homo sapiens sapiens, to which all humans belong, range from 130,000 to 195,000 years old.
13. The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was as low as 190 ppm during the last Ice Age, about 21,000 years ago.
14. The last Ice Age began to recede about 20,000 years ago.
15. The agricultural revolution, where humans converted forests and rangelands into farms, began to develop about 10,000 years ago.
16. The agricultural revolution caused a reduction in standing biomass in the biosphere and reduced the uptake of carbon dioxide in midlatitudinal regions, indirectly contributing, however so slightly, to global warming.
17. The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increased gradually from a low of 190 ppm 21,000 year ago, to about 290 ppm in the year 1900, i.e., at an average rate of 0.00478 ppm per year.
18. The industrial revolution, where humans developed machines (artificial animals, since they consume fuels, which are mostly organic matter), began in England about 240 years ago (1767).
19. In October 1999, the world's population reached 6,000,000,000, which is double that of the year 1959 (the doubling occurred in 40 years).
20. The world's population is currently increasing at the rate of about 80,000,000 per year (about 1.2 %).
21. The current world population is 6,575,000,000 (February 2007).
22. The global fleet of motor vehicles is estimated at 830,000,000 (2006).
23. The global fleet of motor vehicles has been recently growing at the rate of 16,000,000 per year.
24. Motor vehicles (cars, trucks, buses, and scooters) account for 80% of all transport-related energy use.
25. The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which was at 290 ppm in the year 1900, rose to 316 ppm in 1959, or at an average 0.44 ppm per year.
26. Measurements of the concentration of carbon dioxide since 1959 (316 ppm) have revealed an increase to 378 ppm in 2004, or at an average 1.38 ppm per year.
27. The concentration of carbon dioxide has increased an average of about 1.8 ppm per year over the past two decades.
28. The concentration of carbon dioxide increased 2.87 ppm in 1997-98, more than in any other year of record.
29. The year 1998 was the warmest of record. The year 2002 was the second warmest (to that date). The year 2003 was the third warmest (to that date). The year 2004 was the fourth warmest (to that date). Last year (2005) equaled 1998 as the warmest of record.
30. About 75% of the annual increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide is due to the burning of fossil fuels.
31. The remaining 25% is attributed to anthropogenic changes in land use, which have the effect of reducing the net uptake of carbon dioxide.
32. Anthropogenic changes in land use occur when forests are converted to rangelands, rangelands to agriculture, and agriculture to urban areas.
33. Other patterns of land Other patterns of land degradation--deforestation, overgrazing, overcultivation, desertification, and salinization--reduce the net uptake of carbon dioxide, indirectly contributing, however slightly, to global warming.