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Peter Sinclair, a long time advocate of environmental awareness in the Great Lakes area and one of the climate presenters trained by Al Gore, gave a presentation on climate change at Michigan State University Wednesday, Oct 22, calling people’s attention to the effects of climate change, and promoting the solutions to the problem.

During the last decades, the Great Lakes have seen a decrease of its ice cover; the Lake Superior is about 4.5 degrees warmer in its summer time; plants, birds, and bees are active two weeks earlier than 10 years ago in Greenland; and we saw a massive decrease of the northern polar ice cap in 2007, said Mr. Sinclair.

One obvious change is the rising sea level, he said, a 2007 report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change indicates that sea level will raise about 28-43 centimeters in the following century.

Species distinction is another consequence of the climate change. According to Sinclair, 95 percent of all creatures had been extinct, more and more of which were found being related to the climate change. “There had been five mass extinctions on this planet. The sixth one is on the way,” he said.

What can we do to fight with the climate change?

* Use compact fluorescent light bulbs

* Use new electric meters
According to Mr. Sinclair, a new electric meter, which will be widely used over the next five to ten years, is a computer-enabled and internet-based smart metering device which can tell you how much energy you use at a given time. This will help consumers figure out the ways to cut down the use of electricity.

* develop and promote electric cars, like hybrids

* find out renewable energies, like wind power, solar enegy etc.

“I am not a scientist, but I have spent a lot of time talking to scientists in the field,” Sinclair said. “What I am trying to do is to explain the things that telling me in language that people like myself can understand.”

Want to contact Peter Sinclair? Please visit his Changing Planet.