Global Warming 101
Q: What is global warming?
A: Here’s a simple definition of global warming. (And yes, it’s really happening.) Over the past 50 years, the average global temperature has increased at the fastest rate in recorded history. And experts start to see the trend is accelerating: All but one of the 16 hottest years in NASA’s 134-year record have occurred since 2000.
Climate change deniers have argued that there has been a ‘pause’ or a ‘slowdown’ in rising global temperatures, but several recent studies, including a 2015 paper published into the journal Science, have disproved this claim. And researchers say that unless we curb global-warming emissions, average U.S. temperatures could increase by up to 10 degrees Fahrenheit within the next century.
Q: What causes global warming?
A: Global warming occurs when carbon dioxide (CO2) and other air pollutants and greenhouse gases collect into the atmosphere and absorb sunlight and solar radiation that have bounced off the earth’s surface. Typically, this radiation would escape into space—but these pollutants, which could last for years to centuries into the atmosphere, trap the heat and cause the planet to get hotter. That’s what’s known as the greenhouse effect.
In america, the burning of fossil fuels to make electricity is the largest source of heat-trapping pollution, producing about two billion tons of CO2 every year. Coal-burning power plants are by far the biggest polluters. The country’s second-largest source of carbon pollution is the transportation sector, which creates about 1.7 billion tons of CO2 emissions a year.
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Curbing dangerous climate change requires very deep cuts in emissions, as well as the use of alternatives to fossil fuels worldwide. The very good news is that we’ve started a turnaround: CO2 emissions in america actually decreased from 2005 to 2014, thanks in part to new, energy-efficient technology as well as the use of cleaner fuels. And researchers continue to develop new approaches to modernize power plants, generate cleaner electricity, and burn less gasoline while we drive. The challenge is to be sure these solutions are put to use and widely adopted.
Q: How is global warming linked to extreme weather?
A: Scientists agree that the earth’s rising temperatures are fueling longer and hotter heat waves, more frequent droughts, more substantial rainfall, and more powerful hurricanes. In 2015, for example, researchers said that an ongoing drought in California—the state’s worst water shortage in 1,200 years—had been intensified by 15 percent to 20 percent by global warming. In addition they said the odds of similar droughts happening in the future had about doubled within the past century. And in 2016, the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine announced that it’s now possible to confidently attribute certain weather events, like some heat waves, directly to climate change.
The earth’s ocean temperatures are getting warmer, too—which means that tropical storms can grab more energy. So global warming could turn, say, a category 3 storm in to a more dangerous category 4 storm. In fact, researchers have found that the frequency of North Atlantic hurricanes has increased since the early 1980s, as well as the quantity of storms that reach categories 4 and 5. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina—the costliest hurricane in U.S. history—struck New Orleans; the second-costliest, Hurricane Sandy, hit the East Coast in 2012.
The impacts of global warming are being felt across the globe https://shmoop.pro/as-you-like-it-by-william-shakespeare-summary/. Extreme heat waves have caused tens of thousands of deaths round the world in modern times. And in an alarming sign of events to come, Antarctica was losing about 134 billion metric tons of ice per year since 2002. This rate could increase if we keep burning fossil fuels at our current pace, some experts say, causing sea levels to rise several meters within the next 50 to 150 years.
Q: What are the other aftereffects of global warming?
A: Each year, researchers learn more about the consequences of global warming, and many agree that environmental, economic, and health consequences will probably occur if current trends continue. Here’s just a smattering of what we can enjoy:
- Melting glaciers, early snowmelt, and severe droughts will cause more dramatic water shortages and increase the risk of wildfires into the American West.
- Rising sea levels will result in coastal flooding on the Eastern Seaboard, especially in Florida, and in other areas including the Gulf of Mexico.
- Forests, farms, and cities will face troublesome new pests, heat waves, heavy downpours, and increased flooding. All those elements will damage or destroy agriculture and fisheries.
- Disruption of habitats such as for example coral reefs and Alpine meadows could drive many plant and animal species to extinction.
- Allergies, asthma, and infectious condition outbreaks will end up more common due to increased growth of pollen-producing ragweed, higher quantities of air pollution, as well as the spread of conditions favorable to pathogens and mosquitoes.
Q: Where does the United States stand in terms of global-warming contributors?
A: In recent years, China has taken the lead in global-warming pollution, producing about 28 percent of all CO2 emissions. The United States comes in second. Despite making up just 4 percent of the world’s population, we produce a whopping 16 percent of all global CO2 emissions—as much as the European Union and India (third and fourth destination) combined. And America is still number one, by far, in cumulative emissions over the past 150 years. Our responsibility matters to other countries, also it should matter to us, too.
Q: Is the usa doing anything to prevent global warming?
A: We’ve started. But in order in order to avoid the worst aftereffects of climate change, we need to do a lot more—together with other countries—to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and start using clean energy instead.
In 2015, the U.S. climate change thesis Environmental Protection Agency pledged to reduce carbon pollution from our power plants by nearly a third by 2030, relative to 2005 levels, through its Clean Power Plan. But fast-forward to 2017, and under the Trump Administration, the EPA proposed repealing this vital tool for curbing climate change. Likewise, while under the Obama administration, the U.S. Department of Transportation proposed carbon pollution and fuel economy standards intended to cut emissions through the 2020s, under Trump administration, the DOT is working to roll back those clean vehicle safeguards that protect the climate and our health.
Happily, state leaders—including in car country itself—recognize that clean transportation must remain a priority if we are to address the high priced risks of climate change and protect public health. And regional efforts round the country are helping to increase the electric car market, which saw an increase in sales for 2017 over 2016. Our clean energy economy is growing too, despite federal efforts to derail it. In 2016, wind employment grew by 32 percent and solar jobs increased by 25 percent.
Globally, at the United Nations Conference on Climate Change in Paris, 195 countries—including the United States, at the time—agreed to pollution-cutting terms by having a goal of preventing the average global temperature from rising more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial times. (researchers say we must stay below a two-degree increase to avoid catastrophic climate impacts.)
To help make the deal happen, the Obama administration pledged $3 billion towards the Green Climate Fund, an international organization specialized in helping poor countries adopt cleaner energy technologies. Under the terms of the Paris agreement, participating nations will meet every five years, starting in 2020, to revise their plans for cutting CO2 emissions. Beginning in 2023, they are going to also need certainly to publicly report their progress.
While in 2017, President Trump announced the country’s withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement and to eradicate ‘harmful and unnecessary policies such while the Climate Action Plan,’ Us citizens are forging ahead without him. Through initiatives like the usa Climate Alliance, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, we have been Still In, and Climate Mayors, state, business, and local leaders have pledged to honor and uphold the goals of the Paris Agreement. More than 25 metropolitan areas in 17 states, with populations totaling more than 5 million have adopted resolutions that will enable them to have 100 percent of their electricity from renewable sources like wind and solar.
Even better, a new initiative by former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg gives the urban layer with this action a boost. He’s asked mayors from the 100 most populous cities in the country to share with you their plans for making their buildings and transportation systems run cleaner and more efficiently. The 20 that show the greatest potential for cutting the dangerous carbon pollution that’s driving climate change will share a total of $70 million in technical assistance money provided by Bloomberg Philanthropies and partners.
Q: Is global warming too big of a problem for me to help tackle?
A: Wondering how to stop global warming? Reduce your own carbon footprint by following a few easy steps. Make conserving energy a part of your daily routine and your decisions as being a consumer. When you go shopping for new appliances like refrigerators, washers, and dryers, look for products with the government’s Energy Star label; they meet a higher standard for energy efficiency compared to the minimum federal requirements. When you obtain a car, try to find one with the highest gas mileage and lowest emissions. You can even lessen your emissions by taking public transportation or carpooling when possible.
And while new federal and state standards certainly are a step up the right path, alot more needs becoming done. Voice your support of climate-friendly and climate change preparedness policies, and tell your representatives that transitioning from dirty fossil fuels to clean power must be a top priority—because it’s vital to building healthy, more secure communities.
500+ Words Climate Change Essay
Climate change refers to the change in the environmental conditions of the earth. This happens due to many internal and exterior elements. The climatic change has become a global concern throughout the last few decades. Besides, these climatic changes affect life regarding the earth in various methods. These climatic changes are having various impacts regarding the ecosystem and ecology. Due to these changes, a number of plants and animals have gone extinct.
When Did it Start?
The climate started changing a long time ago due to human being activities but we came to find out about it into the last century. During the last century, we started noticing the climatic change as well as its effect on human being life. We started studying on climate change and came to learn that the earth temperature is rising due to a phenomenon called the greenhouse effect. The warming up of earth surface causes many ozone depletion, affect our agriculture, water supply, transportation, and several other problems.
Reason Of Climate Change
Although there are hundreds of basis for the climatic change we are only going to discuss the natural and manmade (human) reasons.
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Natural Reasons
These include volcanic eruption, solar radiation, tectonic plate movement, orbital variations. Due to these activities, the geographical condition of an area become quite harmful for life to survive. Also, these activities raise the temperature of the earth to a great extent causing an imbalance in nature.
Human Reasons
Man due to his need and greed has done many activities that not only harm the environment but himself too. Many plant and animal species go extinct due to human being activity. Human activities that harm the climate include deforestation, using fossil fuel, manufacturing waste, a different sort of form of pollution and a whole lot more. Every one of these things damage the climate and ecosystem very terribly. And many species of animals and birds got extinct or on a verge of extinction due to hunting.
Aftereffects Of Climatic Change
These climatic changes possess a negative impact on the environmental surroundings. The ocean level is rising, glaciers are melting, CO2 in the air is increasing, forest and wildlife are declining, and water life can be getting disturbed due to climatic changes. Apart from that, it really is calculated that if this change keeps on going then many species of plants and animals are certain to get extinct. And there will be a heavy loss to the environmental surroundings.
Exactly what will be Future?
If we usually do not do anything and things continue to go on like now then a day in future can come when humans will end up extinct from the surface of the earth. But instead of neglecting these problems we start acting on then we can save yourself the earth and our future.
Although humans mistake has caused great injury to the climate and ecosystem. But, it’s not late to start again and try to undo what we have done until now to damage the environmental surroundings. And if every real human start causing the environmental surroundings then we can be sure of our existence in the foreseeable future.