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The Causes of a Warmer Planet

 

Global Warming Can No LOnger Be Ignored

As Thanksgiving has come to an end for those who celebrate it, the US and countries around the world resumed talks about issues that may impact the planet for the next hundred years.  In Doha, Qatar, leading global climate officials met in November to discuss the issues that are affecting global warming. With a year filled with freakish storms, heat waves and droughts, those around the world are beginning to see the effects of a warming planet and the need for a reduction in the world’s carbon footprint. There are very few scientists left who don’t see that the cause of global warming is due to man-made forces.  Let’s take a closer look at some of these forces.

While the world certainly goes through cycles, the warming of our planet must be taken into account by other thing than natural changes. The IPCC, a UN group of the leading scientists, was asked to determine what the main heat-trapping gases were that were causing the rise in temperature. They concluded that the number one gas was CO2. In fact, since 1990, our CO2 emissions grew at a rate of 20%. Other gases included methane and nitrous oxide. So what’s the connection between man-made forces and higher emissions?

Growing Industries

As China, India and other developing countries’ economies grow, so do their emissions. China is in fact now the world’s leading carbon emitter. Additionally, these countries are not part of the expiring Kyoto Treaty – neither is the United States for that matter because of the definition of developing nations. The Kyoto Treaty aimed to reduce emissions but did not put as many restrictions against developing nations. When developing nations and developed nations burn fossil fuels for energy, they are releasing carbon dioxide in the air. A universal climate treaty is crucial to changing this.

Growing Populations

The more people you have in the world, the greater the amount of CO2 because humans exhale CO2. A larger population also means you have more mouths to feed. Agriculture is a significant contributor of methane and other greenhouse gases. This is due through the animals we raise and the manure we use to fertilize our fields for crop production.

Transportation

If you want to reduce your carbon footprint, you may want to look at the type of automobile you drive. A growing and economically-stronger population means more people are driving. These automobiles are a significant source of CO2 emissions. Businesses and individuals alike must make an effort to reduce fuel consumption and improve emissions standards to reverse this dangerous trend.

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Chris Hardwick is a freelance writer from New Jersey who writes on a variety of topics. He is currently at work on his first YA mystery novel. Follow him @hardwickman.

Global Warming Facts

Global warming is a real and undeniable threat to nature, wildlife and ourselves

If A Tree Falls, And No One Is Around To Hear It… Should We Care? 

Thus far, scientists have identified Carbon Dioxide as the leading culprit in global warming. Carbon Dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound that is composed of two oxygen atoms that are covalently bonded to a single carbon atom.

It exists in Earths atmosphere, the breathing of humans and animals, volcanoes, hot springs, geysers, deep under the sea, and among oil and gas deposits. How most people know of Carbon Dioxide however is through its creation from the combustion of coal and hydrocarbons, which is where the demonization of such a common chemical began. Especially considering we as humans produce an intense amount of this on a daily basis.

As a result of this extreme increase in carbon dioxide production, there have been a number of noticeable changes on Earth. So without further ado, here are 10 of the most noticeable changes due to Carbon Dioxide increasing the affects of global warming.

#1. The U.S produces 20% of the Carbon Dioxide emissions worldwide: The world’s population is a bit more than 7 Billion. The population of the U.S is almost 315 Million. So the U.S has around 4.5% of the world’s total population, yet we make up 20% of the worlds Carbon Dioxide emissions.

#2. Since 1990, Carbon Dioxide emissions have increased by 20%: The majority of this increase in Carbon Dioxide emission is due to humans, though some of it is produced naturally on earth as discussed above. The increase is likely due to countries becoming developed, more automobiles being sold and used worldwide, and developed countries developing further.

#3. Carbon Dioxide takes a century to disperse in the atmosphere: It takes a long time, nearly 100 years, for Carbon Dioxide to disperse from the atmosphere. So mostly everything we see being created today will last well beyond our lifetime. Thus the more carbon dioxide added, the more compounded the problem becomes in the future.

#4. In the 20th Century, the average temperature on Earth increased .2 degrees Fahrenheit: From 1901 to 2000, there was a .2-degree change in the average temperature on Earth. What this shows is the building up to the point we are currently in, which becomes noticeable once you read the next few points.

#5. 8 of the hottest 10 years on record have occurred since 2000: Ever since man began keeping track of the global temperature, so far in the 21st century, man has witnessed 8 of the hottest 10 years on record. Not only is surprising we would witness such a thing, but that we witnessed it in such a short period of time.

#6. Global Warming causes more than high temperatures: There are various environmental considerations which global warming is believed to cause. As would be expected, drought is one them, which comes about when high temperatures prevent rain from collecting. Oddly, on the other end of the spectrum, extreme rainfall can occur which can flood populated areas and farmland.

#7. Sea levels have risen up to 8 inches across the world. Over the next 100 years, sea levels are likely to rise more than 2 feet. This will be due to the thermal expansion of the ocean and from melting glaciers and ice sheets. This can cause terrible problems for costal cities and towns.

#8. Global warming is claimed to cause 150,000 human deaths a year: Global warming is not solely a danger for people in the future, it currently adversely affects people every year. This is caused by extreme weather, including drought, heat waves, food availability and an increase in deadly diseases such as malaria. As global warming becomes worse, the death toll will as well.

#9. Coral reefs are severely affected by global warming and water temperature: Coral Reefs are extremely sensitive to the temperature of the water. As expected, global warming changes that temperature, and though it may not be great, not much is needed to harm the coral.

#10. Various species have begun migrating north to escape higher temperature: Such animals include the Comma Butterfly and Cetti’s Warbler. As our planet changes, and becomes less habitable in places for certain species, some manage to survive by adapting, while others perish being unable themselves.

 

The author of this article is Damien S. Wilhelmi. If you enjoyed this piece you can follow me on twitter @JakabokBotch. There is a tipping point for Global Warming, and one we shouldn’t wish to reach. If you are worried about your company’s emissions, contact aerinox.com to view the various NOx Emissions Reduction products available.

Global Warming Ice Age?

Water flows around a patch of ice in a small Iowa creek

Water flows around a patch of ice in a small Iowa creek

On Feb. 2, 2007, the United Nations scientific panel studying climate change declared that the evidence of a warming trend is “unequivocal,” and that human activity has “very likely” been the driving force in that change over the last 50 years. The last report by the group, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, in 2001, had found that humanity had “likely” played a role.

Scientists and governments will debate this to the last person standing. Trouble is, by the time there’s a consensus will it be too late to reverse it if they find global warming is a reality?

If you ask an Iowan if there’s global warming they’ll laugh in your face. Seems the last few winters have been pretty brutal. Last year, several cities beat their all time snowfall totals.

So what gives? Is the Earth warming? If so, why does it seem that Iowa winters are getting colder and nastier?

What a lot of people fail to mention is that as the Earth warms, weather patterns change. Places that were warm are cooler,places that had little rain have more etc. Chances are you’ve probably noticed a change in the weather patterns where you live.

But if the Earth is warming, how can Winters in Iowa be getting worse instead of better?

One theory is that the polar ice is melting and cooling the ocean which is changing weather patterns. These weather patterns create changes bringing in colder Arctic air which Iowa happens to be in the way of.
So, in the Arctic scientists are seeing ice shelves break up early, freeze later and glaciers retreating at a record pace.

Scientists are concerned that the melting ice will cause the extinction of the polar bear in the wild within a generation.

Polar bears are drowning because they can’t find Arctic ice shelves to haul them selves up on. There have been reports of polar bears swimming sixty miles from the nearest ice or land mass.

So as I watch the radar this evening and wait for the snow to hit, it’s hard sometimes to believe that we’re warming the planet with our greenhouse gases. But even if it was all a bunch of bologna, how much more can the planet take before it does collapse if it isn’t in the process already?