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Posted by: Janet Schlarbaum
Author: Anna Williams
These days, there seems to be a lot of controversy about Global Warming.
Some say that Global Warming is a fact, others say it’s not. But regardless of whether or not Global Warming is a fact, let’s step aside from the arguments on the subject, and take a common-sense approach.
In this article we will take a look at some of the issues involved.
What is Global Warming?
We can take a look at the definition of global warming – without taking sides or getting into vested interests, political motivations, reasons, or causes.
The definition of global warming in its purity is “an overall increase in world temperatures.” As you can see, whether this has to do with greenhouse emissions, or whether it is caused by a natural phenomena, has no bearing on whether there is an average temperature increase.
Is There an Overall Increase in World Temperatures?
Alright, now we can take a look at what scientists say about world temperatures.
Again, we are going to leave out the reasons why, and simply look at whether or not the Earth’s general temperature is rising.
According to NASA scientists, the average temperature of the earth rose by one degree Celsius, over the last century. This is based on actual measurements taken with exact measuring instruments.
Another report, compiled and submitted by 600 scientists from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, issued the following statement:
“Warming of the climate system is unequivocal.”
These 600 scientists sifted through thousands of studies and reports, in order to come to the above conclusion.
Even scientists who are “opposed” to the global warming theory are not contradicting the fact that the earth’s temperature is rising. These scientists are only saying that global warming is a natural phenomena, and is not caused by man.
The Causes of Global Warming There are several factors that could contribute to or influence global warming.
Greenhouse gases are gases that prevent heat from escaping from the Earth’s atmosphere. A few examples of greenhouse gases are:
- Carbon Dioxide – A minor but important part of the Earth’s atmosphere. Carbon dioxide prevents heat from escaping the earth, by blocking the infrared radiation reflected off the Earth’s surface from leaving the atmosphere.
- Methane – A gas produced through the decomposition of waste (in landfills, animal waste, and decomposition of food in human and animal digestive systems). It is created by the production and distribution of natural gas, oil and coal. It is also is produced by incomplete fossil-fuel combustion.
- Nitrous Oxide – Another gas produced through the use of commercial fertilizers, natural fertilizers, and fossil fuel combustion (cars, airplanes, and conventional power plants, to name a few).
- Chlorofluorocarbons – Commonly referred to as CFC gases, these are produced primarily by our industries, and are used for products such as, styrofoam, spray-can propellants, refrigerants, electronic circuit boards, and many more.
- Water Vapor – This is a completely natural gas, caused by the sun evaporating water from our oceans.
As you can see, carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide are produced mainly by human resources, whereas chlorofluorocarbons are exclusively produced by industrial installations.
Out of all the above, interestingly enough, the greenhouse gases which have the largest effect on global warming are water vapors. This fact will no doubt please all critics of the “global warming theory”.
You have to keep in mind, however, the cyclic effect of global warming. A slight increase in temperature will increase the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere, which in turn will increase the temperature, and so on. Thus, a slight effect created by other greenhouse gases has a much larger impact, due to the creation of additional water vapor in the atmosphere.
Greenhouse gases: Facts and Figures
let’s go over some facts and figures here. Again, keep in mind that these are measurements taken by scientific tools. They are not statements for or against global warming.
- The amount of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere has increased by 25 percent since the early 1800s. Ten percent of this increase has occurred between 1958 and the present day.
- There are two main factors that responsible for the increase of carbon dioxide. The leading cause is the burning of fossil fuels. Next in line is deforestation.
- Methane content in the world’s atmosphere increases at a rate of 0.6 percent per year, by current measurements. The atmospheric methane content is now more than twice as high as it was before the Industrial Age, which started in the early 1800s.
The Effects of Global Warming
I am not the doom-and-gloom sort of person, so I am going to spare you the details here. But I do have an opinion on this subject, so I will share it with you.
Regardless of whether the globe is warming or not, it is simply common sense to take care of the environment you live in.
The plain truth of the matter is that carbon monoxide is unhealthy, methane makes for unpleasant breathing, and nitrous oxide in the atmosphere is no laughing matter.
While the lack of ozone might make for faster tanning at the beach, the long term effects are not as desirable.
What You Can do About Global Warming
Believe it or not, you are important – what you do and say is listened to by others, and does make a difference. It doesn’t require a lot of effort to do something about conditions in the environment. A little extra care will go quite a long way. Many are already doing it, and all of us need to get aboard.
It starts as simply as recycling your waste, saving energy where you can, or even planting a tree.
By Wendy Pan
With the energy crunch impacting virtually everyone worldwide today, the timing for a green building environment is just right. People have begun their own efforts to become environmentally and earth friendly, with reuse, recycle, and renew projects in the communities and on their own. It is only natural that these efforts are being extended to basics, such as building and construction activities.
Most people are familiar with green products, safe, non-toxic, recycled items such as cleaners, plastic park benches, and other conservation efforts. In buildings, you can find the green building environment at work when you see solar rooftop panels, or water barrels catching rainwater runoff for reuse in yards and gardens. Some buildings use hard packed gravel for parking lots, which will allow water absorption, instead of solid blacktop or concrete.
Some large buildings are now taking advantage of rooftop gardens and green roofs, that are planted with highly water retaining materials like moss. Or, the roofs are designed to minimize rainwater runoff. Materials for construction can be green if they include rapidly renewable plants like straw, bamboo, certified sustainable forests, recycled stone and metal. Other products used are non-toxic, or renewable or recyclable. These would include materials made from sheep wool, recycled plastic or papers, adobe brick, clay, cork, coconut or other woody fibers, sandstone, and so on. There is an effort to save on shipping and gasoline use by purchasing materials locally when possible, or nearby to the building locations.
The green building environment is seen in the manner in which buildings are constructed, as they are designed to make full use of renewable energy sources including solar and wind power. Buildings are planned for directional use of natural light and heat sources so that passive solar energy can be utilized. They are built with roofs designed to hold solar panels, with enough space facing the sunward side so that adequate amounts of panels can be installed effectively and with maximum sunlight absorption capability. Added attention is given to insulation use and special sun control on windows, as well as placement and size of windows to take advantage of passive solar heat energy.
Combinations of solar, wind and hydrogen power systems are used to get maximum benefit from naturally occurring, free, energy generating resources. Interior lighting and appliances are super efficient, using Energy Star appliances, and CFL and LED lighting, combined with automation systems. Solar heat panels for hot water can reduce water heating costs. Some buildings use solar roof tiles, to provide maximum collection of sunlight energy for generators. Indoors, the use of special filtering and air cleaners, non-smoking rules, and plants helps keep air fresher, cleaner, and less toxic.
The final component of the green building environment is to consider disposal of waste products in an environmentally friendly manner. Reduction of waste, recycling of waste, and separation facilities for reusable waste completes this earth friendly effort. With demand increasing, and prices coming down with that increased demand, this technology is a natural to spread worldwide.
Posted by Janet Schlarbaum
By Bryan Wong
Posted by Janet Schlarbaum
According to NASA, the hottest year on record was 2005, which matched 1998. Twice in the last ten years, we’ve had the hottest temperatures on average ever recorded in our planet’s history. That is very likely more than just a coincidence.
In fact, the past nine years have all been among the 25 warmest years on record, a streak which is unprecedented in the historical record. For that to happen, it’s likely there has to be an underlying factor, and that factor seems to be global warming.
U.S. and global annual temperatures are now around 1.0 F degrees warmer than they were in 1900. The rate of warming has accelerated over the past 30 years, increasing at a rate of three times faster than the century-scale trend. It’s likely the increase in CO2 emissions has something to do with that rate increase.
According to an MIT study, there’s been a 100% increase in the intensity and duration of hurricanes and tropical storms since the 1970s, most likely due to the increased amount of CO2 emissions to our atmosphere, which has increased the Earth’s surface temperature, and warmer weather is believed to increase the intensity of tropical storms and hurricanes.
In fact, the levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide has increased by 31% between 1800 and 2000, going from 280 parts per million to 367 parts per million. Scientists predict that carbon dioxide levels could be as high as 970 parts per million by the year 2100.
According to the National Climactic Data Centre estimates, $100 billion of damage was caused by hurricanes hitting the U.S. coast in 2005 alone. The increase in severity of the hurricanes and tropical storms is most likely due to the increase of CO2 emissions, which heats up the Earth’s near-surface temperatures. In fact, the average surface temperature has increased by about 0.6 C (1.0 F) over the last 100 years. This is likely why snow cover and ice extent have decreased over the past few decades.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey predictions, Glacier National Park will have no glaciers left by the year 2030, further showing the rapidity of global warming and the impact it can have on our planet in the very near future.
According to the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment, 400,000 square miles of Arctic sea ice have melted, which is threatening polar bear habitats and further accelerating global warming worldwide. That amount of Arctic sea ice is approximately the size of the state of Texas, and we’ve lost that in just the last 30 years, further emphasizing that we need to take action now before the damage becomes too severe for our efforts to really matter.
The sea level has risen by 4?-8? (10-20 cm) over the past 100 years, which is likely due to the melting of the polar glaciers, which is likely due to the increase in the Earth’s near-surface temperature, and that’s being increased by the increase in CO2 emissions into Earth’s atmosphere. This can lead to devastating effects for coastal communities because the sea level is rising, which means that when the sea comes in-tide, more erosion can occur, and if coastal communities are present, more damage done to them. In addition, losing the glaciers reduces the amount of usable fresh water on our planet.
It is also projected that 15-37% of all plant and animal species could be wiped out by global warming by the year 2050, which could further cause considerable damage to our planet’s ecosystem.
The United States is ranked nr.1 among large nations of being a global warming polluter, contributing 25% of emissions, even though the U.S. only makes up 5% of the world’s population. This provides more evidence that the U.S. Government must do more to combat global warming. In fact, six former U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) leaders say that the U.S. is not doing enough to fight global warming. The fact that there have been NO bills passed by the U.S. Congress to cut global warming pollution further confirms what many EPA leaders are saying.
As you can see, there is statistical evidence that proves that global warming is causing changes to our planet, and changes that will do more harm than good. Governments and individuals need to pay close attention to these statistics in order to figure out ways to reverse the disturbing trends that are now occurring. The sooner we take heed of these statistics and implement changes that address global warming, the quicker we can reverse the disturbing trends and the less damage will occur to our planet and way of life.
Author: Nathalie Fiset
If the greenhouse effect has again been currently in the news, it is probably because it is once again being blamed for causing global warming. Stronger hurricanes, periods of extreme weather, heat waves, the frequency of the El Nino phenomenon, these are all attributed to global warming. But how does the greenhouse effect figure in all these?
What is the greenhouse effect?
The greenhouse effect is the ability of our planet’s atmosphere to trap and contain heat. This heat is sourced from the sun and is reflected back towards the atmosphere. Certain gases are responsible for this entrapment and they include carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, methane, fluorinated compounds and water vapor. Other man-made chemicals are also capable of retaining heat within the atmosphere.
In itself, the greenhouse effect is not essentially evil. In fact, it is this very phenomenon that has produced life on earth as we know it. Think of the greenhouse effect as a natural thermal blanketing for our planet, maintaining a surface temperature that is just right to encourage organisms to grow and survive. Without this blanketing, the earth’s climate would be too cold – about 59F lower than the average – for our planet to be able to sustain life successfully.
How does the greenhouse effect contribute to global warming?
For more than 4 billion years, the greenhouse effect has kept our planet’s temperature at a friendly level. Gases found in the atmosphere act to trap heat and keep our planet insulated, able to sustain itself. Problems only began to arise when scientists noticed that certain practices and human activities contribute to the modification of this process.
When the Industrial Revolution began, we also devised many ways of using fossil fuel for oil, coal and gas. The only way to utilize these fuels was by burning. As industrialization continued to expand, so did the practice of fossil fuel burning, thereby releasing gases into the atmosphere. The only problem was that these gases had nowhere else to go and have continued to build up over the years.
By building up, they cause the atmosphere to become more efficient in trapping heat, causing climates to turn warmer. This unnatural or man-made result is referred to as global warming.
How global warming affects us
We have been experiencing the effects of global warming for the past years and most of these are felt through changes in the climate. However, it’s important to note that climate change is brought about by other factors and not just as an indirect result of the greenhouse effect. Some of these factors include changes in the circulation of the oceans, changes in our planet’s orbit and even changes in the intensity of the sun itself.
Global warming involves increase in the average temperature of the earth’s atmosphere near its surface. While global warming is nothing new to our planet (it has occurred over long periods in the earth’s 4.5-billion-year history alternating with ice ages), it is only now when its drastic changes on a global scale has dire consequences not just for human kind but also to the millions of species that depend upon the earth for sustenance.
A famous example of the effect of global warming is the increase in sea level, brought about by the melting of glaciers. This is a problem not readily seen nor felt in countries or regions that lie on higher ground, but for many areas, this could mean land (and subsistence opportunities) lost to sea. A 0.3-meter increase in sea level for example, can eat up about 15 meters of beach.
As temperatures rise, countries that have agricultural practices firmly dependent on the regularity of glacier-melting will suffer greatly. For many regions in the world, the melting of snowpacks from the mountains means water for plant irrigation and electricity. If the melting occurs at a bad time, the planting and harvesting of crops will be significantly disrupted, causing problems in the economy on a local and national level.
With global warming, abrupt weather changes may also be experienced, such as heat waves that last longer and occur with more frequency, stronger storms and hurricanes and even changes in the behavior of the winds. Warmer climate will also contribute to the displacement of plants and animals, as those who depend upon lower temperature regions to survive will need to move to higher elevations and latitudes. For plants and animals who cannot adapt, it could mean extinction.
Healthwise, diseases that right now are currently limited by the location and living habits of their carriers have the possibility of invading areas that didn’t have a problem with them before. An example of this is malaria, along with other diseases caused by mosquitoes.
Mosquitoes thrive in tropical settings and as more and more regions become warmer, mosquitoes will expand their range. They will now be able to go to areas that they usually do not inhabit because of the temperature. This exposes the formerly unexposed population to the health risks caused by mosquito-borne diseases that also include dengue and elephantiasis.
Posted by: Janet Schlarbaum, Pennsylvania
Author: Enviro Saver
A common mistake made by people who have a limited understanding about global warming will often loosely refer to the problem as either climate change or global warming. While the two have much to do with each other, they are two separate things that are related to the same cause, which is carbon dioxide put into the atmosphere by human activity. Global warming is referring to the rise in the average global temperature. It is this rise in temperature that causes the climate changes being seen around the world.
It may seem like it isn’t a big deal, but this really is something people should be concerned about. Global warming has been proven to be greatly caused by the greenhouse gases, mainly carbon dioxide that people are putting into the air through their daily activities. These emissions are caused by cars, airplanes, factories, businesses, or anything else that burns fossil fuels. While there are other greenhouse gases put into the air, carbon is what makes up the largest contributor from human activities. Many don’t realize that global warming affects everyone, perhaps not in the most obvious way every day, but it does affect everyone. Global warming is what is causing the earth to warm, which, as mentioned before, causes the major climate changes that are being seen. What are some of these major climate changes and what does this have to do with people? Floods, severe hurricanes, odd weather patterns such as abnormally cold or warm winters; all of these are products of global warming.
Food and resources come from the natural world and if global warming causes severe drought (which it is in many places around the world), the crop yield will be much lower and money is lost. Not to mention that it’s less food available to people. Global warming is also what is warming the polar ice caps and drying up other fresh water resources. Life needs fresh water and without it, life tends to die.
It is something that people can change if they can take responsibility over it. It is possible to slow and stop the global warming, making the world a healthier place with the necessary resources available. It means that the burning of fossil fuels has to stop. Using energy sources that don’t require the burning of fossil fuels is what is needed. The sun and wind are both excellent examples of the tireless sources of energy available to humans. Saving water and producing less waste is also needed to reduce the carbon emissions. As more people turn to alternatives instead of burning fossil fuels, global warming could be stopped, which in turn would stop causing the major climate changes that have been the cause of such devastation in recent years.