“Global Warming” this is the word we hear again and again. Yes all over the world people are talking about Global warming.
What’s this Global warming?
What it Cause?
Why we fear about that?
Is that really dangerous, How to believe?
How to avoid ?
What we must do? …….
More questions arise like this……
What’s this Global warming?
Global warming is the gradual increase in global temperatures caused by the emission of gases that trap the sun's heat in the Earth's atmosphere. Gases that contribute to global warming include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxides, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), and halocarbons (the replacements for CFCs). The carbon dioxide emissions are primarily caused by the use of fossil fuels for energy. www.airdfw.com/heating-glossary.htm
What it Cause?
In the case of warming by the addition of long-lived greenhouse gases such as CO2, the initial warming by these gases will cause more water to be evaporated into the atmosphere. Since water vapor itself acts as a greenhouse gas, this causes still more warming; the warming causes more water vapor to be evaporated, and so forth until a new dynamic equilibrium concentration of water vapor is reached with a much larger greenhouse effect than that due to CO2 alone.
When global temperatures increase, ice near the poles melt at an increasing rate. As the ice melts, land or open water takes its place. Both land and open water are on average less reflective than ice, and thus absorb more solar radiation. This causes more warming, which in turn causes more melting, and this cycle continues.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_warming#Causes
Why we fear about that?
Some effects on both the natural environment and human life are,
sea level rise,
changes in rainfall patterns,
frequency of hurricanes and extreme weather events
it is difficult to attribute specific events to global warming.
Other expected effects include
water scarcity in some regions and increased precipitation in others,
changes in mountain snowpack,
adverse health effects from warmer temperatures.
spread of diseases such as malaria and dengue fever
One study predicts 18% to 35% of a sample of 1,103 animal and plant species would be extinct by 2050
Two populations of Bay checkerspot butterfly are being threatened by changes in precipitation, though few mechanistic studies have documented extinctions due to recent climate change.
Is that really dangerous, How to believe?
Yes, Here are the Samples in various Regions,
Africa
Lake Chad
The surface area of the lake has decreased from 9,650 square miles (25,000 km2) in 1963 to 521 (1,350 km2) today.
Senegal
Sea level rise. Sea level rise is causing the loss of coastal land at Rufisque, on the South Coast of Senegal.
Kenya
2001 ? Worst drought in 60 years. Over four million people were affected by a severely reduced harvest, weakened livestock, and poor sanitary conditions.
Tanzania
Malaria expands in mountains. Higher annual temperatures in the Usamabara Mountains have been linked to expanding malaria transmission.
Antarctica
Antarctic Peninsula -- Warming 5 times global average. Since 1945, the Antarctic Peninsula has experienced a warming of about 4.5?F (2.5?C). The annual melt season has increased by 2 to 3 weeks in just the past 20 years.
Antarctica -- Ice shelf breakup. After 400 years of relative stability, nearly 1,150 square miles (2,978 km2) of the Larson B and Wilkins ice shelves collapsed between March 1998 and March 1999.
Antarctica - Decreasing Ice-thickness. The permanent ice cover of nine lakes on Signey Island has decreased by about 45% since the 1950s. Average summer air temperature has warmed by 1.8?F (1?C).
Antarctica -- Penguin population decline. Adelie Penguin populations have shrunk by 33% during the past 25 years in response to declines in their winter sea ice habitat.
Asia
Mt. Everest
The Khumbu Glacier, popular climbing route to the summit of Mt. Everest, has retreated over 3 miles (5 km) since 1953. The Himalayan region overall has warmed by about 1.8?F (1?C) since the 1970s.
Southern India
May 2002-In the state of Andhra Pradesh temperatures rose to 120?F (48.9?C), resulting in the highest one-week death toll on record. This heat wave came in the context of a long-term warming trend in Asia in general. India, including southern India, has experienced a warming trend at a rate of 1?F (0.6?C) per century.
Pakistan
1999-2001 ? Longest drought on record. The prolonged three-year drought, which covers much of South West Asia, has affected 2.2 million people and 16 million livestock in Pakistan.
China
2001 ? More than half of the 4,000 lakes in the Qinghai province are disappearing due to drought. The severity of the impact is exacerbated by overpumping of aquifers. Annual average temperature in China has increased during the past century, with pronounced warming since 1980. Most of the warming has been in northern areas, including Qinghai Province, and in the winter.
Indonesia
Burning rainforest, 1998. Fires burned up to 2 million acres (809,371 hectares) of land, including almost 250,000 acres of primary forest and parts of the already severely reduced habitat of the Kalimantan orangutan.
Korea
Heavy rains and flooding. Severe flooding struck during July and August, 1998, with daily rainfall totals exceeding 10 inches (25.4 cm).
America
Monteverde Cloud Forest, Costa Rica
Disappearing frogs and toads. A reduction in dry-season mists due to warmer Pacific ocean temperatures has been linked to disappearances of 20 species of frogs and toads, upward shifts in the ranges of mountain birds, and declines in lizard population.
Venezuela
December 1999 ? The heaviest rainfall in 100 years caused massive landslides and flooding that killed approximately 30,000 people. Total December rainfall in Maiquetia, near Caracas, was almost 4 feet (1.2 m), more than 5 times the previous December record. The high death toll was attributed to population growth in vulnerable areas and forest clearing on steep hill slopes.
Florida
Worst wildfires in 50 years, 1998. Fires burned 485,000 acres (196,272 hectares) and destroyed more than 300 homes and structures.
Bermuda
Dying mangroves. Rising sea level is leading to saltwater inundation of coastal mangrove forests.
Black Hills, South Dakota
Record snowfall, 1998. At the end of February, the Black Hills received 102.4 inches (260 cm) of snow in five days, almost twice as much snow as the previous single-storm record for the state.
Bering Sea
Reduced sea ice. Sea-ice extent has shrunk by about 5 percent over the past 40 years.
Europe
Central England -- Cold days declining, hot days increasing, 1772 to present. 1995 brought 26 days above 68?F (20?C) versus an average of 4 days per year since 1772.
Southeastern Norway
The year 2000 was the wettest year since records began in 1895. Precipitation in northern Europe has increased 10-40% in the last century.
United Kingdom
Birds shift northward. Over a 20-year period, many birds have extended the northern margins of their ranges by an average of about 12 miles (19 km).
Mediterranean
Intense drought and fires. Spain lost more than 1.2 million acres (485.622.8 hectares) of forest to wildfires in 1994, and 370,000 acres (149,734 hectares) burned in each of Greece and Italy in 1998.
Australia
New South Wales, Australia
Wettest August on record, 1998. On August 15-17, a storm dumped nearly 12 inches (30.5 cm) of rain on Sydney, over 8 inches (20.3 cm) more than what normally falls during that entire month.
New Zealand -- Retreating glaciers. The average elevation for glaciers in the Southern Alps has shifted upslope by more than 300 feet (91.4 m) over the past century.
Fiji -- Sea-level rise. Reports from local inhabitants at 16 sites indicate that the island's average shoreline has been receding half a foot (0.15 m) per year over at least the past 90 years.
How to avoid?
Using energy more efficiently and moving to renewable energy (wind, solar, geothermal, and bioenergy) would significantly reduce our emissions of heat-trapping gases.
Cars and trucks are another significant source (25 percent) of carbon dioxide emissions.
A serious effort to address global warming must therefore reduce emissions from cars and trucks.
By putting energy efficiency, renewable energy, and vehicle technology solutions in place at the federal level, we can reduce our contribution to global warming while creating a stronger, healthier, and more secure nation.
What we must do?
The car you drive: the most important personal climate decision.When you buy your next car, look for the one with the best fuel economy in its class. Each gallon of gas you use is responsible for 25 pounds of heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere. Better gas mileage not only reduces global warming, but will also save you thousands of dollars at the pump over the life of the vehicle. Compare the fuel economy of the cars you're considering and look for new technologies like hybrid engines.
Choose clean power.
More than half the electricity in the United States comes from polluting coal-fired power plants. And power plants are the single largest source of heat-trapping gas. None of us can live without electricity, but in some states, you can switch to electricity companies that provide 50 to 100 percent renewable energy.
Look for Energy Star.
When it comes time to replace appliances, look for the Energy Star label on new appliances (refrigerators, freezers, furnaces, air conditioners, and water heaters use the most energy). These items may cost a bit more initially, but the energy savings will pay back the extra investment within a couple of years. Household energy savings really can make a difference: If each household in the United States replaced its existing appliances with the most efficient models available, we would save $15 billion in energy costs and eliminate 175 million tons of heat-trapping gases.
Unplug a freezer.
One of the quickest ways to reduce your global warming impact is to unplug the extra refrigerator or freezer you rarely use (except when you need it for holidays and parties). This can reduce the typical family's carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 10 percent.
Get a home energy audit.Take advantage of the free home energy audits offered by many utilities. Simple measures, such as installing a programmable thermostat to replace your old dial unit or sealing and insulating heating and cooling ducts, can each reduce a typical family's carbon dioxide emissions by about 5 percent.
Light bulbs matter.
If every household in the United States replaced one regular light bulb with an energy-saving model, we could reduce global warming pollution by more than 90 billion pounds over the life of the bulbs; the same as taking 6.3 million cars off the road. So, replace your incandescent bulbs with more efficient compact fluorescents, which now come in all shapes and sizes. You'll be doing your share to cut back on heat-trapping pollution and you'll save money on your electric bills and light bulbs.
Think before you drive.
If you own more than one vehicle, use the less fuel-efficient one only when you can fill it with passengers. Driving a full minivan may be kinder to the environment than two midsize cars. Whenever possible, join a carpool or take mass transit.
Buy good wood.When buying wood products, check for labels that indicate the source of the timber. Supporting forests that are managed in a sustainable fashion makes sense for biodiversity, and it may make sense for the climate too. Forests that are well managed are more likely to store carbon effectively because more trees are left standing and carbon-storing soils are less disturbed.
Plant a tree.
You can also make a difference in your own backyard. Get a group in your neighborhood together and contact your local arborist or urban forester about planting trees on private property and public land. In addition to storing carbon, trees planted in and around urban areas and residences can provide much-needed shade in the summer, reducing energy bills and fossil fuel use.
http://www.ucsusa.org/global_warming/solutions/ten-personal-solutions.html
