In today’s time of rapid climate change and other severe effects of global warming, staying ‘weather wise’ has become almost a necessity. And this is why every now and then researchers, scientists and weathermen keep coming up with other special ways of forecasting weather and staying alert about any bad weather ahead of us. A recent analysis in Sydney has proven that tree-rings can enable scientists to get an insight into the past and forecast extreme weather events.

For instance, tree rings may yield insights into the past 400 years of drought and flood in tropical parts of Queensland, and may help forecast future extreme weather events. And that is why Nathan English, from James Cook Center for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Science at Sydney, has been working on forecasting the future of flood and drought using multi-century tree-ring and isotope chronologies from the tropics. Tropical trees not only have more annual rings, formed during the wet seasons but the tropical forests are an important part of the global climate systems. Tree-rings, also known as growth rings or annual rings, can be seen in a horizontal cross section cut through the trunk of a tree. The rings result from the change in the tree's speed of growth through the seasons of the year. Usually, one ring marks the passage of one year in the life of the tree. The rings are more visible in temperate zones, where the seasons differ in a marked way.

Droughts and floods are among the costliest disasters of the world. One of the proposed impacts of climate change is increased climate variability and therefore more extreme events. Governments and businesses, including farmers, and insurers incur the brunt of economic damages of floods and drought. Being able to accurately forecast the frequency and intensity of climate extremes could thus save thousands of lives and millions of bucks. Though it must not be forgotten, to do this, a thorough understanding of the climate system that leads to extreme events, is required.

Jatin Singh CEO of Skymet Weather says, “More of a necessity than ever, weather is our life line in today’s world and a constant effort to be alert and educated about it can help save planet earth”.

Photo by Slim.

Did you know that we unknowingly emit immense amounts of carbon dioxide in our daily lives which then in turn could lead to severe results of global warming and climate change in long term. Currently, the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is increasing at the rate of about one part per million per year. If this continues, the average temperature of the earth will increase by about 2.5⁰C. Though this doesn’t sound like much, but it is apparently enough to cause glaciers to melt and the global climate to change drastically.

Here’s how unknowingly we add to the C02 levels in the environment.

Using washrooms on the flight- Reached the airport late for your flight and could not save time to empty your bladder? Well then, you must know, you will be emitting C02 by using the washroom on the plane. Japanese airline ANA reasons that full bladders cause airplanes to be weighed down that little bit more, increasing carbon emissions and fuel use. If half of all travelers went to the restroom before getting on the plane, it would cut CO2 emissions by 4.2 tons each month, the airline says. So next time, pee carefully and save the environment!

Reading Books- Do you intend to collect bundles and bundles of your favorite romantic novels or murder mysteries and make a small library when you retire? Please Don’t! Like every other product on the planet, purchasing books is responsible for energy use and carbon emissions (in production, transportation, marketing and so on). Whereas a Kindle displaces the purchase of 22.5 books each year, on average, and saves carbon emissions of up to 168kgs. If the full storage capacity of the device is used, the Kindle stops the equivalent of almost 11,185 kg of CO2 from being released. So as contradictory as it may sound, we advise you get a little tech-savvy and save the planet, or the only books that will remain to be read will be on global warming!

Reading Spam Messages- Yes people who send spam messages are very evil but so are you if you read them! It's the people who read spam messages that generate significant carbon emissions. A study from ICF International and McAfee claims that the 62 trillion spam emails sent each year waste 33 billion kilowatt hours of power, enough to power 2.4 million homes. When it comes to spam mails, kill the curiosity bug in you and just install a spam filter. This is will not only save energy, but will also save your time in deleting the spam messages each day.

Working from home- Where companies have become liberal with their employees in allowing them to work from home once every week, they have missed out on a crucial aspect that could affect our lives in the near future. A report from the UK’s Institution of Engineering and Technology claims that working from home increases CO2 emissions for many workers. That's because it can increase home energy usage by up to 30%. We know travelling for two hours to reach your work place is a headache, but think about it.. your huge effort will save the environment in a way.

After all, for all the global warming and the effects its showing, we have only us to blame!

Photo by JohnLeGear.

Skymet Weather forecasts rain and/or snow in Jammu and Kashmir on Feb 14^th and 15^th due to a system called Western Disturbance. The snow in Jammu and Kashmir could then spread to Himachal Pradesh and Uttrakhand as well. It is during these freezing times and spotty electricity hours, that the traditionally made pots, commonly known as ‘kangris’, come into use. Kangris have been used for centuries by kashmiris to keep warm during snowfall in Jammu and Kashmir. The approaching days of snow in Jammu and Kashmir over the weekend could therefore shoot up the sales of these traditional pots once again.

Though modern heaters and conventional devices have replaced kangris in some homes but the cheap and best kangris are always in high demand among the masses, especially during times of snowfall in Jammu and Kashmir, when the temperatures touch sub zeros. Though the shops are flooded with modern gas, kerosene and electric heaters, luring many people to leave their traditional heating pots on the shelf, most Kashmiris would still not brave the weather of snow in Jammu and Kashmir and extreme temperatures, without their trusty Kangri.

The small earthenware bowl held in a wickerwork frame, called the ‘Kangri’ is filled with burning charcoal and people often carry it under their long Kashmiri gowns known as ‘ferans’. Making the Kangri was an art that originated from Italy, and was mastered in Kashmir. And it is these simple kangris that have given Kashmir something unique to boast about. Prices per kangri rangesfrom Rs. 60 to Rs. 2500, depending on the design and craftsmanship.

Areeb Aslam, a local says, “Kangri is the culture of Kashmir. We have been using Kangri from ancient times. Nowadays heaters are the in thing, but not many can afford it. Especially for the poor people, the Kangri is very important.”

Apart from its heating qualities, during the times of snow in Jammu and Kashmir, kangris also provide seasonal employment to people in the Kashmir Valley. There are no government figures on how many people are directly or indirectly engaged in the Kangri trade, but the number is believed to be in the thousands.