A little Research
4529 words by tchevis
Scientific experts see eye to eye that the Earth’s climate is shifting. Climate change, more commonly known as “GLOBAL WARMIMG”, is caused by the emission of heat trapping gases produced by vehicles, power plants, energy usage, and deforestation. As these gases build up, they act like a big blanket. They over heat the planet and threaten the health of many people and our environment. The research I found shows that the world is hotter now than a thousand years ago. This will continue if these emissions of the gasses that trap heat continue to increase. Global warming is changing distributions of plants and animals, population sizes, growth rates, timing of plant flowering, and timing of animal migration. The climate change is changing the intensity and frequency of storms, droughts and fire, raising the level of the oceans, and melting glaciers ( making them all bigger than ever in history). The climate is not a fixed thing even though the land is. It is said that many of the places we protect are selected because they give the proper habitat and climate for single and significant plants or animals. Unfortunately, given global warming, these places may no longer have the right climate for humans and species of animals to live in anymore. As an example, wet prairies in Oregon may no longer be able to survive on the same lands where they once flourished as the planet continues to warm up. For the past fifty years, much of scientific research shows that heat-trapping emissions from human activities have caused most of the global warming observed. Things such as, keeping electronics plugged when we may not be using them, taking many trips a day, and using regular light bulbs are the certain activities done. In addition to those emissions, the intermingling of highways, human developments, plantations, and farms with nature has enormously circumscribed the options for nature’s response to the current warming. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, each year, from nineteen ninety eight through two thousand and seven, ranks among the top twenty five warmest years on record for the United States. Scientists say that the earth could warm by an additional seven point two degrees Fahrenheit during the twenty first century if we fail to reduce emissions from burning fossil fuels, such as coal and oil. This rise in average temperature will have far-reaching effects on the earth’s climate patterns and on all living things. Many of these changes have already begun.
Weather patterns- Hot, dry weather led to a record-setting 2006 wild land fire season with close to 100,000 fires reported and nearly 10 million acres burned, 125 percent above the decade’s average.
Health- In July 2006, severe heat waves in North America contributed to the deaths of at least two hundred and twenty five people.
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Wild life- In 2005, scientists reported that some polar bears are drowning because they have to swim longer distances to reach ice floes - they’re now being considered for listing under the Endangered Species Act. |
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Glaciers and Sea Level- At the current rate of retreat, all of the glaciers in Glacier National Park will be gone by 2070. |
ONE: The rank of 2005 as hottest year on record (tied with 1998), according to NASA.
ONE HUNDRED PERCENT: Increase in intensity and duration of hurricanes and tropical storms since the 1970’s, according to a 2005 MIT study.
ONE HUNDRED BILLION DOLLARS: Estimate of damage caused by hurricanes hitting the U.S. coast in 2005 alone, according to the National Climatic Data Center.
TWO THOUSAND THIRTY: Year by which Glacier National Park will have no glaciers left, according to the U.S. Geological Survey predictions.
FOUR HUNDRED THOUSAND: Square miles of Arctic sea ice that have melted
in the last 30 years, (which is about the same size of Texas) threatening polar bear habitats and further accelerating global warming worldwide, according to the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment.
FIFTEEN TO THIRTY SEVEN PERCENT: Amount of plant and animal species that global warming could wipe out by 2050.
ONE: Rank of the United States as a global warming polluter compared to other large nations such as Costa Rica, Dominica, Ghana, Bulgaria, Hungary, Hong Kong, Italy, Israel, and Kuwait.
SIX: Number of former United States Environmental Protection Agency leaders who say the U.S. is not doing enough to fight or help the problem of global warming.
ZERO: Number of bills passed by Congress to cut the global warming pollution of the world.
A list of things to help prevent global warming:
Change your light bulbs. Replace a 75-watt light bulb with a 20-watt compact fluorescent because you can use your lights for the same amount of time with one third of the energy.
Do a bunch of errands at once. You should do this because cars are carbon-dioxide machines. Carbon-dioxide is bad for the air which only make the ozone worse.
Don’t overdose on frozen foods. It takes up ten times more energy to produce them than to produce fresh food.
Put air in your tires. If you do this you, could save up to 300 pounds of carbon-dioxide from entering our atmosphere for every 10,000 miles you drive.
Drive Hybrids. Hybrid cars reduce pollution, global warming and the U.S. depending on foreign oil. (Foreign oil is oil that you get from another country..) Hybrid cars use less fossil fuel that pollutes the air. They are half electric and half fuel.
Carpool. Instead of four cars going to the same place with only one person in each car, why not all go in one car? You can save gas and money.
Save energy. Using electricity causes greenhouse gases to pollute our air. To prevent this you can turn off the lights and the television. You can also save electricity by putting the computer in sleep mode when you are done with it.
Take a walk. You can also save energy by taking a clean air bus, riding a bike or walking to nearby places. I know it may not sound like anything you want to or have ever done, but it can help reduce the problem of global warming.
Plant a tree. Trees provide oxygen, timber, fruits and renewable fuel. By planting one tree, you could save seven hundred to seven thousand pounds of carbon-dioxide from our atmosphere.
Read and Read. You can look for books on global warming and see how it is harming our planet. Some books are The Inconvenient Truth, Big Ice, Earth’s Future Climate and Greenhouse: The 200-Year Story on Global Warming.
Talk to your science teacher! You can also study the climate and see what is happening to the weather each and every day.
The next time you go shopping for products that use energy, look for the Energy Star label. The Energy Star label items are more efficient. The product you buy should not be oversized because it wastes energy and money. Some Energy Star label products are refrigerators, air conditioners, deep freezers, washing machines, and dishwashers.
Unplug. Your cell phone charger, your computer and your coffee maker I f you are not using them.. Unplugging these uses less electricity. The more electricity you use the more we need power plants which will only put more gasses in the air!
Recycle. Recycling helps to prevent garbage from going into landfills. Landfills take up space for us to plant trees (the space we could be use to provide more oxygen, timber, renewable fuel, and fruits). Plus, with recyclables, we can turn them into useful things.
Look for items that run on natural gas. These items save us from needing to use power plants. Some items are dryers, stoves, and water heaters.
http://www.ucsusa.org/global_warming/
http://www.edf.org/article.cfm?contentID=4981