Another article said that the current spate of cold weather could in fact be caused by warmer temperatures overall, which are changing weather patterns such as the strong winds which held cold air over the poles. This was an interesting coincidence as I watched a doco about how there was a massive drought 4000 years ago, linked to changes in ocean currents reponsible for carrying warm air around the globe. This drought lasted 100 years or more, and was responsible for the decline of the pyramid age of the Egyptians.

Interesting to think that this can happen even with minimal human intervention. I think which ever way you look at it, there is big change on the horizon. I'm not too into doom and gloom but we are going to have to change our expectations about quality of life at some point in the next few generations if we want to sustain billions of people.

To some extent, I think the answer is to adapt our current lifestyle rather than giving things up. It is going to be too difficult in the short term to convince the masses that drastic change is needed but maybe by applying some intelligent design, we can reduce the way our lifestyles affect the planet. In this report on lifestyle changes, Indian scientist Rajendra Pachauri says that "Studies have shown that producing one kilo (2.2 pounds) of meat causes the emissions equivalent of 36.4 kilos of carbon dioxide." He goes on to say that "...raising and transporting that slab of beef, lamb or pork requires the same amount of energy as lighting a 100-watt bulb for nearly three weeks". Imagine if everyone cut their red meat intake in half - this would make a huge difference!

There's lots of other choices you can make around the home as well, even if you have some pretty energy intensive luxuries. Swimming pools use a lot of water to fill and maintain, not to mention the chemicals used. Salt water pools are one way to reduce the chemical use, and retractable swimming pool covers are another great idea to cut down on evaporation and thereby minimise water use.

This is just the tip of the iceberg really! For every facet of your life, I bet there is a way to minimise your environmental footprint. Any other bloggers out there who want to share ideas of their own?