GLOBAL WARMING

Maggie DammerSeth Susavage

Definitions

Greenhouse Effect

Climate Change

When short wavelengths that are visible light get absorbed by a transparent medium, but the long wavelengths go through get absorbed, then re-radiates and are unable to pass through the medium.

Any substantial change in Earth’s climate that lasts for an extended period of time

Global WarmingRefers to climate change that causes an increase in average lowest temperature

How are they related?

All cause temperature change, whether it is over a long period of time or short

Global warming and climate change both refer to an increase in global average temperature and are caused primarily by greenhouse gases like CO2

Primary Causes

Greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane

Burning of fossil fuels, industrial farming, and deforestation

Water vapors can also cause global warming.

Possible Consequences

Increasing sea levels Change in weather patterns and

precipitation More tropical storms and hurricanes Malaria Flooding Poor air quality Heat stroke Extinction of some species

Economy

Many countries are against climate change treaties due to what effect it will have on their economies

Resource-dependent countries are most likely to be affected by climate change

Costs of climate change are likely to be small

Consequences are uncertain

Solutions

If we stop emitting greenhouse gases, the Earth will still heat up about 1 degree Fahrenheit

There is potential to capture CO2 from fossil fuels and hide it underground (carbon sequestration)

Planting trees and plants will absorb excess CO2 naturally

Arguments against global warming

More than 17000 scientists signed a petition saying that humans are not responsible for global warming

Satellites in the lower troposphere have recorded no temperature change in 23 years

Global warming predictions are based on computer models, not history

The IPCC has yet to prove humans are the cause of global warming

Global warming could be helpful to the world, like it was in the Medieval Warm Period

Opinions

Global warming is a very real factor in our life that most scientists agree. But there are some other scientists that try to prove that global warming is not true. Global warming, will cause many problems with the economy and the earth. And we should try to stop it before it becomes a big problem.

Sources

http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/thermo/grnhse.html

http://web.mit.edu/12.000/www/m2010/finalwebsite/backround/globalwarming/definition.html

http://solar-center.stanford.edu/sun-on-earth/glob-warm.html

http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/survey/so/2007/RES1026A.htm

http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/gw-solutions/

http://aproundtable.org/tps30info/globalwarmup.html