...Global warming, by definition is the increase in the earth's ocean and near surface temperatures. In the last several decades, there have been numerous debates regarding global warming. The vast majority of the scientific community now agrees that global warming is caused by the increase in greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere. What is more important, cheap energy or sustaining human life for the next 100+ years? Global warming is no longer fiction; scientific studies have proved that the earth's climate is under going a period of rapid change. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) claims that the average global temperature has increased by 0.74°C since the mid-20th century and predicts that it will continue to rise by another 1.1°C to 6.4°C by the end of the 21st century (Lynas, 1). Our high dependence on fossil fuels as a source of energy has raised the atmospheric content of greenhouses gases to levels which are higher than almost any point in history. These gasses serve as a powerful insulator, and contain excess heat within our atmosphere. An overall warmer climate disrupts the ecosystem and causes disastrous impacts to take place. One of the most prominent dangers associated with global warming is the melting of the polar ice caps (Hansen 2). These enormous blocks of ice that serve as a habitat for many species of wildlife creatures are quickly melting into the ocean. The devastating impact this has on human life is that it sea levels are rising, and if not...
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...1012, GW Essay Global warming, by definition is the increase in the Earth's ocean and near surface temperatures. In the last several decades, there have been numerous debates regarding global warming. The vast majority of the scientific community now agrees that global warming is caused by the increase in greenhouse gasses, but there is an ongoing debate on whether the increase is due to human activity or from natural sources, such as volcanoes and forest fires. The controversy gained a lot of public attention in 2005 when politician and former Vice President Al Gore created a documentary titled An Inconvenient Truth. The documentary was a compilation of scientific research, theories, and facts that served to blame human activity as the culprit of global warming. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) created the Kyoto Protocol in response to the threats associated with global warming (Hawkins 1). The Kyoto Protocol is an agreement among industrialized nations whom have pledged to reduce their annual emission of greenhouse gasses. The protocol currently consists of over 160 nations representing over 55% of the world's greenhouse gases. Ironically, the United States, the biggest contributor of greenhouse gases, accounts for 20.6% of the worlds greenhouse gases, and has not signed the protocol (Clemmit). Our nation's political leaders are at a debate on whether money should be spent in order to decelerate or prevent global warming. George W. Bush, the...
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...Causes of global warming For a long time people on our Earth didn't think a lot about greenhouse gases. The situation changed when people started using more and more energy in the form of fossil fuels, like oil, gas and coal. We burn fossil fuels to power factories, run cars, produce electricity and heat houses. As fossil fuels burn they let carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. During the last few decades people have also cut down many forests. Trees use carbon dioxide when they make their own food. Fewer trees mean that less carbon dioxide is taken out of the atmosphere. Possible effects of global warming Scientists have different opinions on how warm the Earth's surface will really get. The increase may be between 1.5° C and 6° C by the year 2100. Warmer weather will make ice caps and glaciers melt. Sea levels could rise dramatically. Plants, animals and people living in coastal areas all could be in danger. The weather may change in many areas of the world. Floods, droughts and damaging storms could be the result. People in colder regions might welcome warmer weather but those who live in regions that are already hot may suffer from new diseases. At the same time some animals may not survive because they cannot adapt to the new environment. They could move to other places in order to live there. Reducing global warming Finding a solution to solve the world's biggest environmental problem is not an easy task. Although we need energy to make our economy grow there are things that...
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... • Why should we care? • How sure are scientists? • What next—what can we do? What changes climate? Changes in: – Sun’s output – Earth’s orbit – Drifting continents – Volcanic eruptions – Greenhouse gases Scientists have a good understanding of what has changed earth’s climate in the past: • Incoming solar radiation is the main climate driver. Its energy output increased about 0.1% from 1750 to 1950, increasing temperatures by 0.2°F (0.1°C) in the first part of the 20th century. But since 1979, when we began taking measurements from space, the data show no long-term change in total solar energy, even though Earth has been warming. • Repetitive cycles in Earth’s orbit that occur over tens of thousands of years can influence the angle and timing of sunlight. • In the distant past, drifting continents make a big difference in climate over millions of years by changing ice caps at the poles and by altering ocean currents, which transport heat and cold throughout the ocean depths. • Huge volcanic eruptions can cool Earth by injecting ash and tiny particles into the stratosphere. • Changes in the concentration of...
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...Wabash Watershed Wabash Watershed (1961-1990) Introduction Global warming is a resultant of Heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere. The release of these gases has increased in the last 500 years since the industrial revolution. There is an expectation that global warming will result to rising sea levels, droughts, fires, heat waves, extreme storms, heavy rainfall, floods, and melting of snow and ice. These changes as envisaged would affect agriculture and general food availability with devastating consequences for existence of life on earth. In additional, life would change completely because many systems are tied to the climate. For example, temperature changes would affect breeding cycle of insect, and this has implications on pollination and food availability for humans. Although short-term weather variations are normal and expected, long-term changes are deleterious to the environment and life on earth (Houghton, 2004). There is evidence that global warming is becoming worse primarily due to rise in carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere. In 1950s, the concentration of carbon dioxide was at 315 parts per million. Currently, the concentration is about 385 parts per million. To discover an increase in concentration of carbon dioxide throughout history, scientists have used bubbles of air trapped in ice and results show that the current concentration of carbon dioxide is the highest and has been, for more than 10,000 years (Maslin, 2007). Atmospheric carbon dioxide...
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...Project Part 4 INTRODUCTION Global warming poses a great danger to our planet. A harmonious blend of living organisms, humans, and the ecosystem is on the verge of being unbalanced. Within recent years, the sea levels have risen, animals have become extinct and the delicate balance of nature is threatened. Whether this is a danger to Earth is still uncertain but, whatever the effects of global warming may be, there is no doubt that the consequences are going to be massive, in the form of diseases and economic decline (Times Magazine, 2013), for example. THE CAUSES OF GLOBAL WARMING According to Withgott and Laposata (2012), global warming refers specifically to an increase in Earth’s average temperature (p. 300). Scientists have concluded that most of the warming is due to carbon dioxide (CO2) and other air pollution that is collecting in the atmosphere like a “thickening” blanket, trapping the sun’s heat. Research states that human activity, such as burning fossil fuels, causes more greenhouse gases to expand in the atmosphere. Oil, coal and natural gas are high in carbon and when burned, produce huge amounts of CO2. “A single gallon of gasoline, and when burned, puts 19 pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere,” says the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). The issue of global warming is frequently blamed on humans’ ecologically reckless practices and technologies. In my view, causes of global warming are neither solely our fault nor that of nature...
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...Climate change has meant a renewed interest in nuclear power as a means of providing for the world’s energy needs. Discuss the implications for Australia’s mining industry? Australia is the world’s largest coal exporter and has the second largest deposit of coal in the world. Although the world is currently in the throes of a global financial crisis, Australia’s economy one of the few in the developed world to stay afloat has been buoyed considerably by its exports industry, particularly that of coal. Despite Australia’s promise to reduce carbon emissions by 5% in accordance with its commitment to the Kyoto protocol, the coal industry has been lucky enough to avoid almost all penalties that other industries are set to receive under the proposed carbon emission trading scheme . This combined with Australia continuing to stall further international discussions on combating climate change has earned Australia the reputation of “A nation of climate sinners” . It is obvious that despite a lot of rhetoric on the importance of addressing climate change, the Australian government is not willing to commit to solving the global challenge of climate change to an appreciable degree while such a large part of the Australian economy is at stake. For the Australian government to fully commit to its promises on combating climate change, a way to free the Australian economy of its coal dependence needs to be found. The world is in a new era of energy production where it is no longer a question...
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...The global warming hypothesis originated in 1896 when Svante Arrhenius, a Swedish chemist, developed the theory that carbon dioxide emissions from the burning of fossil fuels would cause global temperatures to rise by trapping excess heat in the earth’s atmosphere. Arrhenius understood that the earth’s climate is heated by a process known as the greenhouse effect. While close to half the solar radiation reaching the earth’s surface is reflected back into space, the remainder is absorbed by land masses and oceans, warming the earth’s surface and atmosphere. This warming process radiates energy, most of which passes through the atmosphere and back into space. However, small concentrations of greenhouse gases like water vapor and carbon dioxide convert some of this energy to heat and either absorb it or reflect it back to the earth’s surface. These heat-trapping gases work much like a greenhouse: Sunlight passes through, but a certain amount of radiated heat remains trapped. The greenhouse effect plays an essential role in preventing the planet from entering a perpetual ice age: Remove the greenhouse gases from the atmosphere and the earth’s temperature would plummet by around 60 degrees Fahrenheit (F). However, scientists who have elaborated on Arrhenius’s theory of global warming are concernced that increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are causing an unprecedented rise in global temperatures, with potentially harmful consequences for the environment...
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...The global warming hypothesis originated in 1896 when Svante Arrhenius, a Swedish chemist, developed the theory that carbon dioxide emissions from the burning of fossil fuels would cause global temperatures to rise by trapping excess heat in the earth’s atmosphere. Arrhenius understood that the earth’s climate is heated by a process known as the greenhouse effect. While close to half the solar radiation reaching the earth’s surface is reflected back into space, the remainder is absorbed by land masses and oceans, warming the earth’s surface and atmosphere. This warming process radiates energy, most of which passes through the atmosphere and back into space. However, small concentrations of greenhouse gases like water vapor and carbon dioxide convert some of this energy to heat and either absorb it or reflect it back to the earth’s surface. These heat-trapping gases work much like a greenhouse: Sunlight passes through, but a certain amount of radiated heat remains trapped. The greenhouse effect plays an essential role in preventing the planet from entering a perpetual ice age: Remove the greenhouse gases from the atmosphere and the earth’s temperature would plummet by around 60 degrees Fahrenheit. However, scientists who have elaborated on Arrhenius’s theory of global warming are concerned that increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are causing an unprecedented rise in global temperatures, with potentially harmful consequences for the environment and...
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...Table of content: Abstract 3 I. INTRODUCTION 4 II. Theory 1: GLOBAL WARMING IN THE PAST 5 • Article 1: Volcanism • Article 2: Orbital variation • Article 3: Solar output • Article 4: Plate tectonic • Article 5: Solar radiation III. Theory2: THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT 7 • Article1: Carbon Dioxide • Article2: Methane • Article Ni trous Oxide • Article Ozone • Article4: Synthetic Chemicals • Article 5: Aerosols IV. Theory3: EFFECTS OF GLOBAL WARMING 13 • Article 1: Weather • Article 2: Ice Sheets and Glaciers • Article 3: Sea Level • Article 4: Agriculture • Article 5: Plants and Animals V. Theory4: The impact of global warming on humanity 22 • Article 1: Extreme storm affects health and infrastructure • Article 2: Heat wave increase death and illness • Article 3: Water and food supplies threatened • Article 4: Drinkable water become increasingly contaminated • Article 5: Large numbers of environmental refugee VI. Theory5: EFFORTS TO CONTROL GLOBAL WARMING 23 • Article 1: Carbone Capture • Article 2: Energie Sources • Article 3: koyoto • Article 4: Programs in the United States • Article 5: Montreal protocol CONCLUSION 27 Bibliography 28 Abstract: Throughout its long history, earth has warmed and cooled time, and again. Climate has changed...
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...based energy systems would barely change. Developments all over the world have already proved them wrong, however the world may soon witness the most dramatic changes in its energy economy in a hundred years. Energy experts projects that global oil supplies will only meet demand until the global oil production has reached a peak between 2013 and 2020. Declining oil production after peak production would cause a global energy gap to develop, which would have to be bridged by unconventional or renewable energy sources. Renewable energy refers to energy that occurs naturally and repeatedly in the environment. This can be energy from waves wind, the sun and geothermal heat from the ground. Renewable energy can also be produced from plant sources such as wood or crops grown specifically as fuel. The existing conventional renewable energy sources are as follows: Hydropower. Currently, about 3% of the world’s energy is generated by hydropower, or falling water which turns turbines at the bottom of dams to generate electricity. If global energy demand increases, it is unlikely that hydropower’s contribution to the total electricity use will be much more than it is. This is because, most of the great rivers have already been tapped for many uses, and some don’t even reach their mouths. Also, the trend now is to destroy old dams rather than build new dams because of their negative environmental impact. For example, in the U.S. now, many dams are being destroyed to make way for the salmon...
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...form of solar radiation, it can be converted into electrical or thermal energy. Around the world a movement has begun, one started by environmentalist, this movement is known as the Go Green Movement. The goal of this movement is to make people aware of the damages that we are causing and effective measures to reverse them. The Go Green Movement focuses on creating alternative energy sources so that non-renewable energy resources such as: coal, petroleum and fossil fuel are not exhausted. Most fossil fuels are obtained through mining processes, which can damage the environment. They damage the environment by releasing acid, mercury and sulfates into the atmosphere. Christina Nunez, in her article for National Geographic states that fossil fuels such as coal should, “be left untouched in order to prevent global temperatures from rising more than 2°C.” (Nunez, 1) This indicates that the burning of fossil fuels such as: coal, oil and gas are factors which contribute to global warming. They contribute to global warming by releasing carbon dioxide into the earth’s atmosphere. In recent years the quandary of having alternate sources of energy has arisen. Solar energy is energy provided by the sun, it is in the form of solar radiation, it can be converted into electrical or thermal energy. It comes in two different forms such as: solar thermal and solar photovoltaic energy. Solar thermal electricity is designed for large scale power generation whereas solar photovoltaic electricity...
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...hotmail2008 Table of Contents Executive Summary 2 Introduction 3 Wind Energy Data 5 Analysis 6 Conclusion 8 Bibliography 9 Executive Summary The majority of our nation’s energy is highly dependent on finite fossil energy sources, like coal and oil. Using fossil fuels to create electricity creates emissions that are both harmful to the environment and our health. Renewable energy sources provide a clean and viable long term alternative to fossil fuels. Renewable energy is energy generated by natural resources in the form of solar, wind, geothermal, hydroelectric, and tidal waves. Among the diversity of renewable energy, wind energy is the fastest growing power technology in the world. According to the U.S. government Energy Information Administration, the production of wind energy will be at least 20% by the year 2030. This report will prove the validity of this statement by using hypothesis analysis. Hypothesis analysis will reject the null hypothesis that wind energy production will be less then 20% in favor of the alternate hypothesis that states wind energy production will be at least 20% or greater. Introduction The majority of our nation’s energy is produced from the burning of fossil fuels, like coal, oil, and natural gas. Life as we know it and our economy revolves around these finite resources. Unfortunately, with our great demand for energy, especially gasoline, world production of oil has already reached its maximum capacity and seems to...
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...Global warming is the rise in the average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans since the late 19th century and its projected continuation. Since the early 20th century, Earth's mean surface temperature has increased by about 0.8 °C (1.4 °F), with about two-thirds of the increase occurring since 1980.[2] Warming of the climate system is unequivocal, and scientists are more than 90% certain that it is primarily caused by increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases produced by human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation.[3][4][5][6] These findings are recognized by the national science academies of all major industrialized nations.[7][A] Climate model projections were summarized in the 2007 Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). They indicated that during the 21st century the global surface temperature is likely to rise a further 1.1 to 2.9 °C (2 to 5.2 °F) for their lowest emissions scenario and 2.4 to 6.4 °C (4.3 to 11.5 °F) for their highest.[8] The ranges of these estimates arise from the use of models with differing sensitivity to greenhouse gas concentrations.[9][10] According to AR4, warming and related changes will vary from region to region around the globe.[11] The effects of an increase in global temperature include a rise in sea levels and a change in the amount and pattern of precipitation, as well a probable expansion of subtropical deserts.[12] Warming is expected to be strongest...
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...that most of the warming observed in the last 50 years is due to human activities. While climate change is a global issue, it will affect us all. Climate change has the potential to adversely affect our environment, our communities and our economy unless we take action now to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and prepare for the impacts. Climate change will alter global and local climates. In Victoria, this means a warmer and drier future, with an increasing likelihood of more extreme events such as heatwaves, bushfires and storm surges. Climate change is the greatest threat facing our planet today. A warming planet alters weather patterns, water supplies, seasonal growth for plants and a sustainable way of life for us and the world’s wildlife. Climate change has already started, but it’s not too late to take action. There’s still time for us all to be part of the solution. A continuous flow of energy from the sun heats the Earth. Naturally occurring gases in the atmosphere, known as greenhouse gases – this includes carbon dioxide (CO2) - , trap this heat like a blanket, keeping the Earth at an average of 15 degrees Celsius – warm enough to sustain life. The overuse of fossil fuels is increasing CO2 in the atmosphere, trapping more and more heat and warming the Earth. As a result, we’re seeing more dramatic weather patterns across the globe resulting in devastating natural disasters and shrinking the world’s ice shelves and glaciers due to warming sea water. Because...
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