Domain renewed and accessible now

Here is a good news. Our domain www.sustainableyouth.org on byethost server is automatically renewed till March, 2009. The payment is done from my Paypal account . A copy of screen shot of the Paypal transaction is attached for confirmation. The expenditure and balance of SY fund is given below.

Fund left after registration of the domain in March, 2007:USD 38.00
Fund donated by Mr. Sauman Dasgupta in Dec, 2007 :USD 88.00
Fund utilized for renewal of the domain in March, 2008:USD 36.00
...................................................................................................
Fund left in SY account:USD 52.00
...................................................................................................
Fund needed for re-design of portal and related issues:USD 2000.00

Note: all figures are rounded up and recalculated from Indian Rupee using average conversion factor as 1 USD=40.00 INR

P.S. We need to redesign the portal as soon as possible. I am now involved in a Landfill Management Project. I will approach to the project proponent for some donation. Hope all of you are ready to help us out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here is a bad news. Today, I have found SY content is totally missing from www.sustainableyouth.org. Though the content is accessible through the control panel. I have already contacted the host byet.net to seek help. Please keep patience and check our Online Magazine www.syinfo.blogspot.com for latest updates about SY.

kudos to Sauman Dasgupta for providing good links useful to raise funds. I am going to share the links with you all soon for follow up.
thanks to Juliana for response. the site map including placing of advertisements is almost ready, will share with you to correct the loop holes on the map.

for those are new, please remember, we collected initial fund of USD 74.00 from our first ever field program named "Cool Summer Fest" held at IIT Bombay on March 25 with sponsorship jointly from R&D Department of IIT Bombay and ONGC, India.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Byet.net officers has taken quick step to fix the problem with DNS for SY portal. It's working fine again. Looking for prompt for fund raising.

Tata nano : love it or hate, but challenge it

""Tata Motors today took the covers off the world’s cheapest car — the Nano.



Over the past year, Tata has been building hype for a car that would cost a mere 100,000 rupees (roughly $2,500) and bring automotive transportation to the mainstream Indian population. It has been nicknamed the “People’s Car.” Over the course of the New Delhi Auto Expo, which began this week, anticipation had grown to fever pitch.""

~~~New York Times, Jan 10, 2008.


Though there is possibility of more congestion, more pollution, it is not practically possible rolling out of Tnano in next 6 months. Its market demand, not even Dr. Pachauri or Sunita Narayan can stop it. its good to salute this innovation and try for a better alternative.



So, let's challenge Tata Nano. but, the alternative design may not be a single car rather an personalized, affordable and eco-friendly transport system for home to office commuting and weekend tours.

let's share your views and crazy ideas also suggest names...

Talk hard on Tnano:
http://sytalk.phpbb.instant-forum.com


a few good Tnano links:

NY Times full report: http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/10/tata-nano-the-worlds-cheapest-car/index.html?ref=business

Vote for Tnano on orkut:
http://www.orkut.com/CommPollVote.aspx?cmm=12663294&pct=1201428750&pid=1164774658

Vote for Tnano beyond orkut:
http://www.sustainableyouth.org/contact.html

Tnano official site:
http://www.tatapeoplescar.com
or
http://tatanano.inservices.tatamotors.com

Wiki:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tata_Nano

Reviews:
http://www.auto-power-girl.com/cars-2008/tata_motors-specifications/tata_nano-2361

http://www.ecofriend.org/entry/tata-nano-is-greener-than-most-cars/

http://fromgoodtogold.blogspot.com/2008/01/tata-nano-is-it-social-entrepreneurship.html

Tata nano: video gallery

Official:

Tata Nano Launch Event - Part I

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3brUB8IZhAo

Tata Nano Launch Event - Part II

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9Mw6BuMJEM

Tata Nano Launch Event - Part III

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xvjhg2Zh84k

Launch in news:

Tata Nano World's Cheapest Car 100,000 rupees US $ 2,545.18

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpYkm1A_K8s

Live Unveiling of the $2,500 Tata Nano

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tM2LEVdxdc4&e

TATA NANO Launch

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JymeLyO4mb0

Tata Motors Peoples' Car - One lakh Car - TATA NANO

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOnQpP5haUQ

*New* Tata Nano Pictures - World's Cheapest Car...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UCwUqterV4

TATA's 1 Lakh car - TATA NANO

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fX64M_1qN0s

TATA NANO {cheapest car in the world}

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfhxmnnXD4I

Tata Nano En Ucuz Araba

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=728h8KKNiTs

Tata Nano 1 Lakh Car India, worlds cheapest car $2500 car

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJ8Ap602JUA

Tata NANO....the one lakh rupees dream car

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvRI-6T0nnM

Tata Nano 1 Lakh Car India, worlds cheapest car $2500 car

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmNtNA-DmyE

Tata Nano, 1 Lakh Car Closeup Revolving View

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boyUUo-fWjk

Tata nano lowest car

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blGbgJeihWo

TATA nano

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVvEmHvxglo

Tata Nano Autotest SelMcKenzie Selzer-McKenzie

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THnP3HFOf7k

TATA-NANO

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzuy3Aw0iDo

WHY TATA NANO?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZvPclqkziQ

TATA NANO $2,500 car - Clinton advocates $5,000 tax on V-8's

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdZL4lMgVF8

tata nano india red

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MS_tPGSMZTY

tata nano 1 lakh car in the closest

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzbbgfLuAdc

Tata Nano -- Autoexpo2008 by Japs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZN1DSPjXT_8

Tata NANO

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zedaRpzQjXk

US2500 Tata Nano - World's Cheapest Car - 10 Jan 08

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agSF8upEg5I

tata nano india cream

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWG-8vvFDeM

India 9th Auto Expo 2008 TATA Motors nano car

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suE9vjoxvcQ

Check Out The World's Cheapest Car

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwTxUvlMNCU

Tata Nano 1lahk car タタ自動車　インド　ナノ　10万ルピー　ニューデリー

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1imMDMMYxMg

Riz Khan - Street Talk - 15 Jan 08

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FD5je7BmyWI

Bush in Middle East_TATA Nano_Cashier's Blog_Pocket Printer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ip7acPinADI

"World's cheapest 4+1 seater car" TATA NANO @ Auto Expo 2008

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h88VWdyNTqU

Tata Nano Car's Enormous Possibilities

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQCuAL9PQb0

Nano Tata

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JYz6VKoXH0

Nano red

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ABm6pWaeEA

Dutch:

FTD-Thema vom 10.01.: Tata präsentiert 1700-Euro-Auto

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NR_J2LwZX00

German:

Billig-Auto Tata Nano - Spiegel TV Beitrag

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WotNJfaNFZs

Tata Nano - Das billigste Auto der Welt

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0twfjUPa9mc

Tata

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cm99MpzKCYQ

German/ Japanese:

インド　タタ自動車　ナノ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7N-FPQ6aV50

People’s View:

Tata's Nano: The People's Car

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUcap1TbCxw

Side Effects of Tata's Nano Car

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rm3Gd1TzAro

Auto Expo 2008 Superstar Nano gets 2 lakh fans at auto fair

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LINLKDSgXqQ

Nano’s Competitor:

360 degree view of Bajaj Auto's 3000 dollar car

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIeLTzmwXEg

Bajaj Lite

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWM6M4qfQzo&

TATA low cost car (warning - Slovak TV!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUMPIHp1rck

Happy Christmas and New Year: make these green

SY is wishing happy christmas and new year, 2008. due to time crunch i could not upload the full text for our campaign on Green Christmas. That will be uploaded soon, till then please check following links and make your celebration green.

You can grow your own Christmas tree [Statesman.com]
http://www.statesman.com/life/content/life/stories/gardening/12/08/1208garden.html

Green Cars on the road [Economic Times]
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/quickiearticleshow/2599283.cms

Eco fashion? A world consumed by guilt [Herald Tribune]
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/12/13/style/13green.php

SY future plan: a global community of purpose..join us actively

Dear all,
Thanks for showing interest to be with us at Sustainable Youth Community. as you know, Sustainable Youth is promoting Green Lifestyle among youth and trying to contribute towards Sustainable Development. This is not a NGO rather a Global Community or Greater Family solely based on interest to create a futuristic eco-friendly society with innovative alternatives. To extend the existence of human beings on Earth.

Sustainable Lifestyle does not only mean using eco-friendly products, it's about a healthy lifestyle that is going to fit into our future. In brief within current and future economic set up nuclear families are coming under enormous mental/economic pressures to cope up with various needs and expenditures. Many such families are even broken up in divorce. In this situation, community life is the only way out.
Community like Sustainable Youth will provide services like: medical insurance, legal and financial guidance, logistics transfer, recreation tour etc. Even your children can be looked after by other community members who gets time. However, we need to follow practical steps with enthusiasm to build this dream community.

~*~As the second step of the growth plan, Sustainable Youth wants to
make www.sustainableyouth.org as next generation social networking site with field activities and community support services for paid members (both associate and advisory) who are willing to commit for SY activities. The beta version is already uploaded. The portal would invite visitors for following purposes:

1. investors, financiers and advertisers> information about activities/ projects

2. non-members> information about activities/ projects, topics on forum, sample member's home page, benefits for a paid member

3. free-members>information about activities/ projects, access forum and information database/links, member's home page, benefits for a paid member

4. paid-members (both associate and advisory)>information about activities/ projects, access forum and information database/links, member's home page, registration for community services like medical insurance, financial planning guidance, travelling and logistics booking service etc. registration for activities, submission of report in text, graphic and video format, payment account for honorarium transfer or yearly membership fees submission.

SY Web (beta):
www.sustainableyouth.org

this portal is going to be re-designed by professionals. above 10 people including some web design farms and freelance designers have shown interest and we have received 3 full quotations. the most economical one would around INR 35000-40000 or USD 875-1000 (revised on Nov 28, 07). we are looking for sponsorships from companies or organizations dealing with eco-friendly products and services now. we hope to get generous help from all of you.

~*~however the sub domain with detail reports of our previous
activities will remain available at:
SY Infobase:
www.sycomm.byethost9.com/home.html

~*~Sustainable Youth has opened a News Service through googlegroups.com to mailcast news on environment, lifestyle and sustainability related issues (daily), job openings (as soon as received), community activities (weekly) and member responses (monthly). Anyone interested to have this mailcast is welcome to subscribe at

SY News Service:
http://groups.google.com/group/synews

~*~Sustainable Youth has opened a Blog to publish its Online Magazine. this will contain recent reports of our activities both online and on the field. please visit the blog site and catch the feed.

SY Online Magazine:
www.syinfo.blogspot.com

~*~and till today, we are most active on orkut.com where we originated on April 30, 2006. check our forum and take part in discussion.

SY on Orkut:
http://www.orkut.com/Community.aspx?cmm=12663294

The online forum, wiki and shopping mall are still to follow.

our future activities will focused on 5 basic stands:
1. activities should be useful or real time initiatives towards sustainable development.
2. activities should fit into lives of both crazy pupil inside University campus as well as busy professional in the office or field.
3. activities should primarily aimed at changing our own lifestyle to preserve both our joy and natural resources.
4. activities should be innovative and practical enough to change the conventional approach whenever it is required.
5. activities should fit into our long term growth plan.

~*~The community will be registered as trust, will be handled by the core members (comprising committed associate as well as advisory members) and will abide by legal bindings of the location where it's going to be registered.

~*~Sarit is just one of the initiator, along with Arun Murali,Srinivas Cherla and Rahul Bhat et al. and will help this system to run on its feet.

~*~we have our draft constitution comprising vision, commitment, policy and growth plan. the document is attached herewith. please take a look. its only a draft to start with. every member and well wisher has the right to point out fallacies and is welcome to put more innovative thoughts as well as practical planning.

So, join us actively. those who really take part in designing our activities or want to share similar activities, please send your ideas to this id . we need people around the world to make teams to manage our services described above. we also need to locate sources of funding and unconditional donations.

Happy Diwali , make it Green

Diwali is the Festival of Lights being celebrated in different parts of India and by Indian communities around the world. It is being celebrated with fervour and gaiety during November first week, just before the winter sets in. The festival is celebrated by young and old, rich and poor, to dispel darkness and light up their lives. The festival symbolizes unity in diversity as every state celebrates it in its own special way. Diwali is common for Hindus, Sikhs and Jain religious communities. Diwali is known in various names in different parts of India like Deepabali, Deepavali, Deepawali etc. These festivals with their own history and origin are very much similar in style of celebration, the motto and obviously relevant questions of sustainability.

For getting more details on history and origin, please check the following links:

http://www.indiaexpress.com/faith/festivals/dhistory.html
http://rumela.com/events/festival_diwali_history.htm
and many more by searching “diwali, history” on any search engine.

Diwali is generally celebrated by illuminating houses with diya or pradeep or deep (a handmade illuminating stuff with small bowl and a lit), candles and chain of tiny lamps along with decorating floor and walls with rangoli (a decoration practice using coloured pastes) bursting fire crackers and distributing sweets and sharing exciting gifts.

For getting more details on celebration in India as well as around the world, please check the following links:

http://rumela.com/events/festival_diwali.htm
http://www.thatsqingdao.com/images/qingdao/chinaFirecracker.jpg
and many more by searching “diwali, celebration” on any search engine.

Diwali celebration brings joy and fun for millions of people around the world. However, the usual way of bursting lots of noisy fire crackers, using excessive packing for gifts as well as electricity for illumination make the festival harmful to human health and environment and wasteful as well. The fire crackers made of a kind of gun powder create noise in the range of 100-150dBA which is well above the human tolerance of 80-90dBA. Such noise can cause hearing loss, increase in blood pressure and even heart attack. The crackers along other fireworks cause smoke with contains high amount of Sulphur di-oxide, Nitrogen oxides and heavy metals like Lead, Cadmium etc. According Government of NCT, Delhi, the air pollution level in the city manifolds upto 10 times during diwali. Exposure to such smoky air, could lead one to diseases like asthma, anaemia with kidney damage. The unburnt parts of the fireworks containing harmful chemicals like lead, copper, cadmium, sodium nitrite or potassium nitrate can contamination to water bodies. The wrapping for gift and other items piles up substantial amount of solid waste across the country. The washout of such mostly non-biodegradable substances chocks the drainage system and create flood like that in July, 2005 in Mumbai.

For getting more details on harmful side of diwali celebration as well as the legal initiatives taken to stop this menace, please check the following links:

http://www.diwalifestival.org/environmentally-safe-diwali.html
http://www.indiatogether.org/environment/articles/diwali.htm
http://environment.delhigovt.nic.in/cm_msg.html
and many more by searching “diwali, environment” on any search engine.

So, can we compromise our joy in Festival like Diwali for environment safety or healthy life? Surely, it’s a difficult choice for most of the common people and may be easy to choose joy for many of the youth despite knowing the harmful effects. Recently Yahoo Answers floated an online question on “How can we celebrate Diwali without harming the environment?” There are over 300 answers have been received for the resolved question. Many were a bit casual in answer, some answered in practical way making sceptic remarks like “Come on! diwali is the celebration of light and sound, if we compromise with fire crackers, then whats the diwali meant for????” Yes, you cannot ignore there voices, but you may look for some practical alternatives which keep the balance between these two sentiments. There are crazy people like the members of Sustainable Youth to suggest some innovative ways. And the best chosen answer has given the following blue print:

“we can have a crackers show for 2 hours in a common place where people can see and enjoy the crackers, instead of each doing at their home in a small way and making the whole city dusty with paper if in a common place

(1)the sound will be only for a particular time
(2) the paper dust will be only in one place
(3) the cost of diwali celebrations can be reduced
(4) no neighbours envy
(5) only a little of air and sound pollution
(6) can be had in a place far from hospitals
(7) safe measures can be ensured in that place
(8) monitoring of the safety of the people is easy
(9) enjoyment can be shared by all at the same place
(10) a get-together is easy”

She is not alone there are plenty of sensitive as well as innovative people out there. Even leading daily new papers in India viz. Indian Express, Times of India have come out with eco-friendly or sustainable way to celebrate diwali with available options.

For getting more details on question related to eco-friendly diwali celebration on yahoo answer and ways suggested in Indian Express and Times of India, please check the following links:

http://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071021080004AAysxRm
http://www.indianexpress.com/sunday/story/235205._.html
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-251216,prtpage-1.cms
and many more by searching “diwali, green” on any search engine.

Sustainable Youth, being a crazy community which believes in youthful innovation for sustainable lifestyle would like to offer following tips to “Make your Diwali Green” without compromising the level of joy and fun for people in India and abroad:

@ Buy and sell fire crackers which are tested not to create noise above 100dBA.
# Use fire crackers in the open field, during the days of Diwali only and within 10 pm.
$ Buy and send gifts with minimum wrapping.
% Collect the residues of fireworks and gift items and discard them to municipal solid waste collection system only.
@ Use earthen diyas or pradeeps or handmade candles to illuminate your home, reduce or do not use electric bulbs.
# Use public transport or pack up your new car with relatives or neighbours to have efficient usage of fuel.
% Be responsive to the inconvenience of your neighbours.
@ Go for community celebration, share the joy and happiness.

These tips are applicable for 2007 only, next year we may come up a new breed of fire crackers which produces maximum light with minimum harmful residues and noise to make diwali greener. And we would like to continue our similar campaign during Christmas this year.

Check our community page on Orkut for more discussion on Green Diwali tips:
http://www.orkut.com/CommMsgs.aspx?cmm=12663294&tid=2564838554463078184&start=1

Sustainable Youth wishes a very happy diwali and requests to make it Green.

So what could happen if Global Warming continues unhindered?....

The predicted effects for the environment and for human life are numerous and varied. The main effect is an increasing global average temperature. From this flow a variety of resulting effects, namely, rising sea levels, altered patterns of agriculture, increased extreme weather events, and the expansion of the range of tropical diseases. In some cases, the effects may already be occurring, although it is generally difficult to attribute specific natural phenomena to long-term global warming.

A summary of possible effects and our current understanding can be found in the report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Working Group II; a discussion of projected climate changes is found in Working Group I. The more recent IPCC Fourth Assessment Report outlines the latest agreed international thinking.

Scientific and business groups in individual countries are also producing reports on the effects of global warming on their nation, such as in Australia.

Proposed responses to the effects of global warming include mitigation and adaptation.

EFFECTS ON WEATHER:
Global warming is responsible in part for some trends in natural disasters such as extreme weather. Pascal Peduzzi (2004) "Is climate change increasing the frequency of hazardous events?" Environment Times UNEP/GRID-ArendalIncreasing temperature is likely to lead to increasing precipitation but the effects on storms are less clear. Extratropical storms partly depend on the temperature gradient, which is predicted to weaken in the northern hemisphere as the polar region warms more than the rest of the hemisphere.

Storm strength leading to extreme weather is increasing, such as the Emanuel (2005) "power dissipation index" of hurricane intensity. Kerry Emmanuel in Nature writes that hurricane power dissipation is highly correlated with temperature, reflecting global warming. Hurricane modeling has produced similar results, finding that hurricanes, simulated under warmer, high-CO2 conditions, are more intense than under present-day conditions; there is less confidence in projections of a global decrease in numbers of hurricanes. Worldwide, the proportion of hurricanes reaching categories 4 or 5 – with wind speeds above 56 metres per second – has risen from 20% in the 1970s to 35% in the 1990s.Precipitation hitting the US from hurricanes increased by 7% over the twentieth century . See also Time Magazine's "Global Warming: The Culprit?" and . (The extent to which this is due to global warming as opposed to the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation is unclear.)

Catastrophes resulting from extreme weather are exacerbated by increasing population densities. The World Meteorological Organization and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have linked increasing extreme weather events to global warming, as have Hoyos et al. (2006), writing that the increasing number of category 4 and 5 hurricanes is directly linked to increasing temperatures. Thomas Knutson and Robert E. Tuleya of the NOAA stated in 2004 that warming induced by greenhouse gas may lead to increasing occurrence of highly destructive category-5 storms. Vecchi and Soden find that wind shear, the increase of which acts to inhibit tropical cyclones, also changes in model-projections of global warming. There are projected increases of wind shear in the tropical Atlantic and East Pacific associated with the deceleration of the Walker circulation, as well as decreases of wind shear in the western and central Pacific. The study does not make claims about the net effect on Atlantic and East Pacific hurricanes of the warming and moistening atmospheres, and the model-projected increases in Atlantic wind shear.

A substantially higher risk of extreme weather does not necessarily mean a noticeably greater risk of slightly-above-average weather. However, the evidence is clear that severe weather and moderate rainfall are also increasing.

Stephen Mwakifwamba, national co-ordinator of the Centre for Energy, Environment, Science and Technology - which prepared the Tanzanian government's climate change report to the UN - says that change is happening in Tanzania right now. "In the past, we had a drought about every 10 years", he says. "Now we just don't know when they will come. They are more frequent, but then so are floods. The climate is far less predictable. We might have floods in May or droughts every three years. Upland areas, which were never affected by mosquitoes, now are. Water levels are decreasing every day. The rains come at the wrong time for farmers and it is leading to many problems".

Greg Holland, director of the Mesoscale and Microscale Meteorology Division at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, said on April 24, 2006, "The hurricanes we are seeing are indeed a direct result of climate change," and that the wind and warmer water conditions that fuel storms when they form in the Caribbean are, "increasingly due to greenhouse gases.

There seems to be no other conclusion you can logically draw." Holland said, "The large bulk of the scientific community say what we are seeing now is linked directly to greenhouse gases."

INCREASED EVAPORATION
Increasing water vapor at Boulder, Colorado.Over the course of the 20th century, evaporation rates have reduced worldwide ; this is thought by many to be explained by global dimming. As the climate grows warmer and the causes of global dimming are reduced, evaporation will increase due to warmer oceans. Because the world is a closed system this will cause heavier rainfall and more erosion, and in more vulnerable tropical areas (especially in Africa), desertification due to deforestation. Many scientists think that it could result in more extreme weather as global warming progresses. The IPCC Third Annual Report says: "...global average water vapor concentration and precipitation are projected to increase during the 21st century. By the second half of the 21st century, it is likely that precipitation will have increased over northern mid- to high latitudes and Antarctica in winter. At low latitudes there are both regional increases and decreases over land areas. Larger year to year variations in precipitation are very likely over most areas where an increase in mean precipitation is projected".

COST OF MORE EXTREME WEATHER
Choi and Fisher, writing in Climate Change, vol. 58 (2003) pp. 149, predict that each 1% increase in annual precipitation would enlarge the cost of catastrophic storms by 2.8%.The Association of British Insurers has stated that limiting carbon emissions would avoid 80% of the projected additional annual cost of tropical cyclones by the 2080s. The cost is also increasing partly because of building in exposed areas such as coasts and floodplains. The ABI claims that reduction of the vulnerability to some inevitable impacts of climate change, for example through more resilient buildings and improved flood defences, could also result in considerable cost-savings in the longterm.Destabilization of local climatesThe first recorded South Atlantic hurricane, "Catarina", which hit Brazil in March 2004In the northern hemisphere, the southern part of the Arctic region (home to 4,000,000 people) has experienced a temperature rise 1 °C to 3 °C (1.8 °F to 5.4 °F) over the last 50 years. Canada, Alaska and Russia are experiencing initial melting of permafrost. This may disrupt ecosystems and by increasing bacterial activity in the soil lead to these areas becoming carbon sources instead of carbon sinks . A study (published in Science) of changes to eastern Siberia's permafrost suggests that it is gradually disappearing in the southern regions, leading to the loss of nearly 11% of Siberia's nearly 11,000 lakes since 1971. At the same time, western Siberia is at the initial stage where melting permafrost is creating new lakes, which will eventually start disappearing as in the east. Western Siberia is the world's largest peat bog, and the melting of its permafrost is likely to lead to the release, over decades, of large quantities of methane—creating an additional source of greenhouse gas emissions

Hurricanes were thought to be an entirely North Atlantic phenomenon. In late March 2004, the first Atlantic cyclone to form south of the equator hit Brazil with 40 m/s (144 km/h) winds, although some Brazilian meteorologists deny that it was a hurricane.Monitoring systems may have to be extended 1,600 km (1,000 miles) further south. There is no agreement as to whether this hurricane is linked to climate change.