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Suggested
Global
Warming & Climate
Change Links:
Carbon
Fund *
Clean
Air Cool Planet
David
Suzuki Foundation
Green
Facts (summary of IPCC findings)
An Inconvenient
Truth *
Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
NativeEnergy
*
Natural
Resources Defense Council
Pew Center
Regional Greenhouse
Gas Initiative
Rocky
Mountain Institute
Ross Gelbspan
Sierra
Club
Union
of Concerned Scientists
World
Wildlife Foundation |
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Global
Warming And Climate Change
IS THE EARTH HEATING UP?
We are at an energy
crossroads and the direction we take will determine the state of
the Earth’s environment and the quality of life for ourselves
and future generations. We Americans are 4% of the world’s
population yet responsible for 25% of global annual energy consumption.
On a per person basis, we use twice as much energy as the British
and Germans and three times as much as the Japanese. This level
of energy intensity has its costs. Burning fossil fuels in our homes,
cars, and power plants produces air pollution, smog, respiratory
illness, acid rain, global warming and climate change. There are
other impacts as well – such as water pollution from oil spills
and the destruction of the land and wilderness from oil and gas
drilling or mountain-top removal coal mining methods. Our reliance
on foreign oil ties us to undemocratic governments and the danger
of oil wars.
GLOBAL WARMING – HOW IT WORKS
Atmospheric concentrations of CO and other greenhouse gases function
as a thermal blanket around the Earth. These gases are transparent
to incoming solar energy but trap heat trying to leave the lower
atmosphere. As greenhouse gas concentrations increase, more heat
is trapped, resulting in temperature rise and climate change. The
natural greenhouse effect has created a climate warm enough for
life to flourish on Earth but when human activities cause the concentration
of greenhouse gases to rise higher than natural levels, the effects
can become catastrophic. Burning coal, oil, or natural gas releases
carbon dioxide, the primary greenhouse gas, resulting in atmospheric
concentrations of CO 35% higher than they were in pre-industrial
times and the highest they have been for 20 million years.
Polar Bears in Hudson Bay are having fewer cubs as
a result of earlier
spring ice breakup which is making it harder for the bears to find
food
for their young.
THE CONSEQUENCES
An international scientific consensus exists on global warming and
climate change. In 1995, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change (IPCC) concluded that global warming is not just a potential
threat but is real and occurring. In 2001, the IPCC reported that
its previous predictions on climate change were understated and
that average global temperatures could rise by 3 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit
by 2100. Weather data supports the conclusions of the IPCC. In the
past 1,000 years, the 10 warmest years have all been after 1990.
Climate is a function of the amount of energy in the lower atmosphere.
As more energy gets trapped, the climate will become more energetic.
Imagine more heat-waves, droughts, conflicts over freshwater, flora
and fauna die-backs, grain belts shifting northward, recurrence
of Midwest dust bowls, and migration of tropical illness and pests
to mid-latitudes. Imagine generally more unpredictable weather,
more ferocious hurricanes, more rain and floods (in some areas),
and sea level rises resulting in inundation of coastal areas and
cities. This is the brave new world that scientists say our children
and grandchildren are going to inherit unless we change our energy
ways. Warming is occurring fastest at the poles. Permafrost is melting
and releasing methane (another greenhouse gas). As the ice pack
in Greenland melts and introduces larger volumes of fresh water
into the Atlantic Ocean, some scientists have expressed concern
that there is the possibility that salinity changes in ocean water
will affect the mechanics of ocean currents. If the Gulf Stream
is slowed, Great Britain and northern Europe could experience a
deep freeze. The Kyoto Protocol, ratified by 150 nations but not
the United States (the world’s largest polluter of greenhouse
gases), is a small step in the right direction. To stop carbon dioxide
emissions will have to be reduced by 60-80% -- over 10 times the
greenhouse gas reduction called for by Kyoto.
2005 IS THE HOTTEST YEAR ON RECORD
By examining ice cores, tree rings, and historical records, scientists
can determine trends in global average temperature. Since reliable
records began, 130 years ago, the past 10 years are at the top of
the charts in terms of warm temperatures. Among them are 2005, 1998,
2004, 2002, 2003, and 2001. 2005 is the hottest year on record for
the Northern Hemisphere, at roughly 1.3 degrees Fahrenheit above
the historical average.
TAKING A COOLER PATH
Global warming dwarfs all other environmental problems. To avoid
catastrophic climate change, we must re-learn our relationship to
energy by making a commitment to energy conservation. We must significantly
improve the energy efficiency of our buildings, appliances, and
cars and trucks to reduce energy consumption by 50% or more. We
need to reconsider patterns of development, like urban sprawl, which
are wasteful of land and energy. We must simplify our lifestyles.
We also need to develop clean, renewable energy resources. The good
news is that we know how to do all of these things. The bad news
is that we are paralyzed. The problem is not technological. It is
lack of will and leadership.
WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP FIGHT GLOBAL WARMING?
Challenge yourself.
Make conserving energy a part of your daily routine and lifestyle,
aiming for at least a 50% reduction in the amount of energy you
use. Buy green power or use solar energy directly to displace fossil
fuel use. Besides personal lifestyle measures, it is important that
citizen advocates speak out and act to change state and federal
energy policies. College students are the future engineers, architects,
entrepreneurs, lawyers, teachers, politicians, inventers, homeowners,
activists, and community leaders who can make a difference. Begin
now preparing yourself for the future. Be part of the solution,
not part of the problem!
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