global warming: is it real?

Duh…

THE FACTS

• Average temperatures have climbed 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit (0.8 degree Celsius) around the world since 1880.

• 8 Warmest Years OnRecord All Since 1998

• Deadly Infectious DiseasesSpread Beyond The Tropics

• The primary greenhouse gas responsible for global warming is carbon dioxide. The U.S. is responsible for 19.91% of the carbon dioxide emissions worldwide.

• Since 1990, yearly emissions of carbon dioxide have gone up by about 6 billion metric tons worldwide, which is more than a 20% increase. Almost all of that increase is due to human activities.

-Carbon dioxide takes 100 years to disperse in the atmosphere. Even if emissions are stopped today, we will still feel the effects for years to come.-Sea levels have risen between 4-8 inches worldwide during the last century, and experts predict they could rise as much 2 feet in the next 100 years.-The Arctic Climate Impact Assessment has concluded that in the past 50 years, the average temperatures of Alaska, eastern Russia and western Canada have increased as much as 7°F. This rise is almost twice the global average.

Variation of the Earth’s surface temperature for the past 140 years

a small clip

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hi3ERes0h84&feature=related

Who is to blame???

• A: The creator of life???:or

B: HUMANS???:

• The report, based on the work of some 2,500 scientists in more than 130 countries, concluded that humans have caused all or most of the current planetary warming. Human-caused global warming is often called anthropogenic climate change.

• Industrialization, deforestation, and pollution have greatly increased atmospheric concentrations of water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, all greenhouse gases that help trap heat near Earth's surface.

• Humans are pouring carbon dioxide into the atmosphere much faster than plants and oceans can absorb it.

The Effects• Glaciers around the world could melt, causing sea

levels to rise while creating water shortages in regions dependent on runoff for fresh water.

• More than a million species face extinction from disappearing habitat, changing ecosystems, and acidifying oceans.

• Strong hurricanes, droughts, heat waves, wildfires, and other natural disasters may become commonplace in many parts of the world. The growth of deserts may also cause food shortages in many places.

SOLUTIONS?

• Reducing Emissions Levels • Enforcing the Clean Air Act • Reducing Harmful Drilling and Mining • Encouraging Clean Energy • Promoting Cleaner Transportation • Stopping Deforestation

On a more personal levelThe car you drive: the most important personal climate decision.Choose clean power.Look for Energy Star.Unplug a freezer.Get a home energy audit.Light bulbs matter.Plant a tree.Let policymakers know you are concerned about global warming.Becoming a vegetarian (I am on my fifth month)

another small clip

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkuxXP2kIm8

• http://www.acoolerclimate.com/10-scary-facts-about-global-warming/

• http://www.greenfacts.org/climate-change/global-warming/global-warming.htm

• http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/12/1206_041206_global_warming_2.html

• http://www.ucsusa.org/global_warming/what_you_can_do/ten-personal-solutions-to.html

Works Cited: