That's Fit

Climatologists and those who monitor global environment conditions are mad as hell -- and they aren't going to take it any more.

More than 200 leading climate scientists basically demanded this week that global government leaders start taking "radical" actions now to stem the upcoming climate problems, hinting that every moment lost was just one step closer to oblivion.

At the same time, many of Asia's largest cities could be threatened by rising sea levels within a few decades. Miami, Florida is listed as the ninth city that could see tremendous issues due to rising sea levels.

Are greenhouse gas reductions the answer? That's pretty much a forgone conclusion. What are you doing to help? The more small things we can all do contribute to a much larger effort later.

The environment, global warming, and going green are all things that are becoming more and more embedded in our every day lives, which is of course a good thing. We can all be a little more conscious in our global efforts, and even if it's just making the smallest change the great part is that it multiplies across the population and can end up really making a difference. I thought for today's Jumpstart I'd take the idea that sometimes all your stalled workout needs is something new in the way of clothes or equipment to help make it interesting again, and going eco-friendly is the perfect excuse to help soothe that pang of guilt that's been holding you back.

Of course there are countless products out there to choose from in the green fitness world, and thankfully the options are only increasing. So what is it that would make the biggest difference for you and your workout right now? Maybe it's a new top, new shoes, or something else? Here's a few things I found online to help get the wheels of inspiration turning!

It sounds ridiculous, but a reduction in animal farts might slow climate change.

The theory is that if we ate less meat, there would be less livestock, which would mean fewer flatulent animals to release methane into the atmosphere. And it's no joke -- animal gas makes up nearly a quarter of all emissions worldwide, leading many environmentalists to believe that reducing meat consumption is a significant way for people to protect the planet.

This is all besides the fact that you're probably eating too much meat anyway. There have been a number of studies linking excessive red meat consumption to heart disease, cancer, and obesity, for instance. So by cutting down your consumption, you can better your health, and the health the health of the planet -- all in one feel swoop.

When you think of ways that one might draw attention to global warming, the first thing that comes to mind may not be standing on top of a glacier...naked. But that's what several volunteers will be doing when Spencer Tunick -- who is famous for other naked-people-in-public-places pictures -- gathers them together for a photo shoot to highlight the shrinking Swiss glaciers.

The photo shoot was requested by Greenpeace, but before you run out to buy those plane tickets so that you can participate, you may want to reconsider. Because this is meant to be a green event, sponsors ask that participants use public transportation to get to the event and don't fly. I guess that means that any Americans who want to take off their clothes in the name of global warming will have to do so somewhere else!

Vehicle idling is a huge contributor to this big scary global warming thing, and though climate change might seem very far removed from your life, it's not -- it affects all of us and we need to take action to make our world a healthier place.

For starters, here's a quiz on Idling your car the contains some interesting facts. In the winter, for example, you only need to warm up your car for 30 seconds before you drive it -- no need to leave it idling in your driveway.

A word of warning about the quiz: When you click on Answer, it shows you the answer to all the questions, not just that one. So if you want to really test yourself, wait until the end to look at the answers.

What did you get?

A diet that shrinks your clothing size and your impact on the environment? Sounds too good to be true but a new book by American chef Laura Stec and environmental expert Eugene Cordero called the Global Warming Diet attempts to do just that, and I think it's a great idea -- obesity and climate change are two of the most important issues out there these days and this seems to be a sort of 'kill two birds with one stone' kind of endeavor. Let's face it -- we could all use with a wake-up call that encourages to work on both our health and our environment.

However, I haven't actually read the book. Have you? If so, what do you think?

Is the planet consistently becoming warmer? Scientists the world over have evidence of global warming, yet the methods that produce this kind of environment are being ignored in many ways. Even if the planet is not warming up, is it a good idea to cut the emissions of greenhouse gases?

Don't tell this to the U.S. Senate, which defeated a proposal yesterday that would have required the Army Corps of Engineers (CoE) to consider the impact of climate change in designing water resources projects. This is a big deal, since the CoE designs massive lakes and rivers used in many states.

I'm not sure of the possible political nonsense that caused a proposal like this not to be passed (what could be the reason, I wonder), but designing a "green" lifestyle and trying to reduce the amount of contribution to possible warming of our planet still sounds like something all people and organizations should be involved in, right?