Breathing Earth, and a few other things

Lately, I managed to StumbleUpon (literally) a rather diligent flash-based simulation of Planet Earth. If you could be so kind as to take a peek, I displays, to a certain degree of accuracy, the extent of exponential population growth as well as the extent of greenhouse gas emissions.

Speaking of greenhouse gas, It's helpful if you calculate your own Carbon Footprint: The measure of the amount of carbon dioxide or CO2 emitted through the combustion of fossil fuels; in the case of an organization, business or enterprise, as part of their everyday operations; in the case of an individual or household, as part of their daily lives etc.
A handy footprint calculator can be found here; it will also give you suggestions on how to reduce it.
An integral part of Global Warming countermeasures is YOUR footprint. It applies especially to lifestyles in developed countries, which can be made a little more sustainable by all of us.

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Now, moving on to other things; I'm demoralized to know that many people are riddled with misconceptions about complex scientific concepts. These conceptual errors are due to the fact that not everyone has a firm understanding of the physical and mathematical background required in order to comprehend such alluring facts.
Although it's popular, and undoubtedly quintessential in today's information lifestyle, Wikipedia is an unreliable reference source, although this applies to complex topics only, where it is often better to look at dedicated publications for the facts and the understanding. A lot of people seem to turn off their brains when reading these articles and they will stop all forms of critical thinking, which is what I don't understand. In fact, most of the internet, unless cautiously explored, leads to misinformation.
Some reliable sources, like MIT's OpenCourseWare are often undercited.

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Inconsiderate though we all can be sometimes, It's an assertion of common nature, I guess. Primeval instincts are difficult to substitute with rationality, but it's really worth the effort, I suppose.