Planet Earth in Imminent Danger

Serious Threat From 'Global Warming'

Two centuries have passed since the start of the Industrial Revolution and the human population has
increased six-fold and economic activity an estimated fifty-fold. The sheer number of people on the
planet andthe intensity of economic activity are having profound effects on the long-term global
climate, threatening to disrupt vast biological, geochemical, and social systems in future decades.
This is a FACT.
Carbon dioxide levels today are nearly 30% more than they were prior to the industrial
revolution. What is truly unprecedented about current carbon dioxide levels is the speed in
which they have risen. In the millions of years of known geological history, the Earth has never
experienced such a rapid rise. There is no doubt that we have caused this change to the atmosphere
from burning fossil fuels.
And the planet is getting hotter. Although local temperatures do fluctuate naturally,
the average global temperature over the past 50 years has increased at the fastest rate in recorded
history. And experts think the trend is accelerating: the three hottest years on record have all
occurred since 1998. Scientists say that unless we curb global warming emissions, average
temperatures could be 3 to 9 degrees higher by the end of
the century.
Global warming is already causing damage. In 2003, extreme heat waves caused more than
20,000 deaths in Europe and more than 1,500 deaths in India. And in what scientists regard as
an alarming sign of events to come, the area of the Arctic's perennial polar ice cap is declining
at the rate of 9% every decade.
In the U.S.A. in 2002, Colorado, Arizona and Oregon endured their worst wildfire seasons
ever. In the same year drought created severe dust storms in Montana, Colorado and Kansas,
and floods caused extensive damage in Texas, Montana and North Dakota. Since the
early 1950s snow accumulation has declined 60% and winter seasons have shortened in
some areas of the Cascade Range in Oregon and Washington.
"An increasing body of observations gives a collective picture of a warming world and other
changes in the climate system." - Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), 2001
What causes global warming? Carbon dioxide and other air pollution that is collecting in the
atmosphere like a thickening blanket, trapping the sun's heat and causing the planet to warm up.
Aeroplanes - primarily U.S. planes burning high-octane oil - are the largest source of pollution.
Coal-burning power-plants are the second largest source of carbon dioxide pollution - they
produce 2.5 billion tons every year. Cars, the third largest source, create nearly 1.5 billion tons of
Co2 annually.
Manifestations of global warming include
Heat waves and periods of unusually warm weather. Severe droughts causing
dramatic water shortages.
Arctic and Antarctic warming, melting glaciers, raising the sea-level and causing coastal
flooding. Many areas, and some entire countries, will disappear underwater.
Massive tidal waves like the tsunami of Boxing Day 2004 which devastated areas
around the Indian Ocean causing the loss of over
150,000 lives.
Incidence of many diseases will surge as the earth’s atmosphere heats up.
Forests, farms and cities will face troublesome new pests and more mosquito-
borne diseases.
Disruption of habitats such as coral reefs and alpine meadows could drive many
plant and animal species to extinction, with knock-on ecosystem effects.
Some of the ways that Earth may respond to global warming could be gradual, others could
be rapid. By continuing to add 'greenhouse gases' to the air, we may be surprised by some
nasty changes.
And as the Arctic warms, huge amounts of methane now frozen under the ocean and land
could escape into the air. Methane is a greenhouse gas that traps heat in the atmosphere
and these added emissions could cause the Earth to warm even faster than expected. Parts of
the Antarctic ice sheet rest precariously on the sea floor and, as the sea warms, the ice could become
destabilised, break up, and melt. Sea level would rise even faster than
currently predicted.
Warmer water temperatures will lead to changes in the course of major ocean
currents. Their paths determine the distribution of ocean temperatures and nutrients that sustain
marine life. If the currents were to change direction, entire marine ecosystems could
be disrupted.
Climate change is with us now. A decade ago, it was conjecture. Now the future unfolds
before our eyes.
Canada's Inuit peoples see this happening in disappearing Arctic ice and permafrost.
The shantytown dwellers of Latin America and Southern Asia see it in lethal storms and floods.
Europeans see it in disappearing glaciers, forest fires and fatal heat waves. Scientists see it in tree
rings, ancient coral and bubbles trapped in ice cores. These reveal that the world has not been
as warm as it is now for a millennium or more. The three warmest years on record have all
occurred since 1998; 19 of the warmest 20 since 1980. And Earth has probably never warmed
as fast as in the past 30 years - a period when natural influences on global temperatures, such as
solar cycles and volcanoes should have cooled us down.

It is happening now
Today few scientists doubt the atmosphere is warming. Most also agree that the rate of change is

accelerating and that the consequences of this temperature change could become increasingly

disruptive. Regions suitable for farming will shift. Weather patterns should also become more erratic and storms
more severe. Yet less familiar effects could be equally detrimental. Computer models predict that global
warming, and the climate changes it induces, will expand the incidence and distribution of many serious medical
disorders. Disturbingly, these forecasts seem to be coming true.
Global warming is a complex phenomenon, and its full-scale impacts are hard to predict far in advance. But
each year scientists learn more about how global warming is affecting the planet,and most agree that dire
consequences are likely to occur if current trends continue.
Researchers - even the recalcitrant U.S. Defence Department - have investigated the possibility of abrupt
climate change, in which gradual global warming triggers a sudden shift in the earth's climate, causing parts of
the world to dramatically heat up or cool down in thespan of a few years. They know that global warming could
make large areas of the world uninhabitable and cause massive food and water shortages, sparking widespread
migrations and war.
Many of global warming's effects are already being observed and felt. And the idea that such extreme change
is possible underscores the urgent need to start cutting pollution right now.
What country is the largest source of global warming pollution? Without doubt the United States. Though
Americans make up just 4% of the world's population, they produce 25% of thecarbon dioxide pollution from
fossil-fuel burning - by far the largest share of any country. In fact, the United States emits more carbon dioxide
than China, India, and Japan combined so clearly America has a great responsibility towards helping solve the
problem. And as a developer of new technologies, they are well positioned to do so because they already have the
know-how.

What can we do?

Here's the good news: Technologies exist today to make cars that run cleaner and burn less gas,modernise power
plants and generate electricity from non-polluting sources, and cut our electricity use through energy efficiency.
The challenge is to be sure these solutions are implemented before the point of no return.
Is it possible to cut power plant pollution and still have enough electricity? Yes it is. Butfirst we must use more
efficient appliances and equipment in our homes and offices to reduce our electricity needs. We must also phase
out the decades-old, coal-burning power-plants that generate most of our electricity and replace them with
'cleaner' plants.
We need to put existing technologies for building cleaner cars and more modern electricity generators into
more widespread use. We can increase our use of renewable energy sources suchas wind and sun and geo-
thermal. And we can manufacture more efficient appliances to conserve energy. Stricter efficiency requirements
for electrical appliances will help hold back pollution. One example is the 30% tighter standard now in place for
home central air conditioners and heat pumps.
Solutions to global warming are available to us today and it's time we put them to use. These solutions will
reduce the amount of heat-trapping gases that we emit into the atmosphereAmong the solutions are ways of
reducing the amount of fossil fuels we use to power our vehiclesand generate our electricity, and protecting
threatened forests, which store carbon intheir biomass.
There are many simple steps you can take right now to cut global warming pollution. Make conserving energy
a part of your daily routine. Each time you choose a compact fluorescentlampbulb over an incandescent bulb, for
example, you'll lower your energy bill and keep nearly 700 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the air over the bulb's
lifetime. By opting for a refrigerator with the Energy Star label - indicating it uses at least 15% less energy than
the norm - over a less energy-efficient model, you can reduce carbon dioxide pollution by nearly a ton.
Above all, send a message to the American president - because, overall, the U.S. is the world'sbiggest polluter -
urging him to get serious about stopping his country's global warming activities.

Alternative Energy Sources

Do high energy costs have you down? Do you feel trapped by the big oil companies? Do you need another source for
your energy? If so, here are some alternatives to petroleum
Global Warming a Serious Threat
Nicole Berry

Issue date: 2/23/07 Section: Opinion

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Global Warming is a beast that is expanding and ruining our earth's sensitive
atmosphere. It can be seen in the eyes of an unusually temperamental storm. It can be felt
in the melting bodies of the polar icecaps. It aids in the infectious spread of diseases that
rise out of the unnatural rise in the earth's temperature. Global warming is a monster that
people have unknowingly aided , and it is making an assault on the planet.

It has been said that some environmental groups have used global warming as a political
scare tactic, but groups such as Green Peace do not use the threat of global warming as a
tool to control their supporters. Their goal is to educate and inform, so that the
environment can be saved before it is too late. They also have evidence that support their
claims.A joint statement from 11 national academies of science stated that most of the
warming in recent decades can be attributed to human activities. Environmental groups
use scientific proof to support their claims; they do not spread unfounded information as
a source of propaganda.

According to the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) the earth's climate has
been hotter than it has been in years. This increase in temperature is very unnatural.
People have been relyinh heavily on fossil fuels such as oil, coal and gas for their energy
needs. Burning these fuels has released gas carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
According to the latest report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, pre-
industrial levels of carbon dioxide were about 280 parts per million by volume and
current levels are about 370 ppmv. The concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere today has
not been exceeded in the last 420,000 years. This increase in carbon dioxide is largely
due to the increased use of fossil fuels.

Global warming is a dangerous risk to the earth. It raises the earth's temperature which
leads to a rise in sea level, repercussions to agriculture, reductions in the ozone layer,
increased intensity and frequency of extreme weather events, and the spread of disease.
The global temperature is increasing, throwing the world's climate out of balance.
According to Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC), the unnatural rising
temperatures caused by global warming have led to prolonged droughts, severe wildfires
and diminished snowfall.. The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) projected that
mountains in the Pacific Northwest are to lose as much as 88 percent of average
snowpack by 2090; the Central Rocky Mountains could lose up to 75 percent, and parts
of the Southern Rockies and the Sierra Nevada range could lose 98-100 percent. Current
droughts afflicting the West are the worst in 500 years and has radically reduced available
water resources for people and wildlife (www.nwf.org).

The NWF also reports that the increased heat can construct an incubator for infectious
diseases. The geographic range of tropical diseases has spread due, to the change in the
earth's overall temperature. Mosquitoes that can carry fever viruses were previously
limited to elevations of 3,300 feet ,but recently appeared at 7,200 feet in the Andes
Mountains of Colombia. Malaria has been detected in new higher-elevation areas in
Indonesia.

Global warming is a threat to everyone. It is a threat to the trees that are hundreds of
years old. It is a threat to plants and animals. It is a threat to mankind. It is no longer
debated whether global warming is occurring; the new debate is whether action should be
taken to prevent further damage. If the atmosphere's temperature continues to increase,
the consequences are dire. Habitat will be lost, intense storms and droughts will occur,
diseases will spread, and the earth and its inhabitants will be at risk.