Global Warming

Ashkan Hosseini1/24/2011

Earth’s Climate History

Earth formed 4.6 billion years ago

Originally very hotSun’s energy output only 70% of present

The Earth’s Climate History

For the past 3 million years, the earth has been experiencing 100,000 year long cycles of glaciations followed by 10,000 year long interglacial periods

Global average air temperature near the Earth's surface rose 0.74 ± 0.18 °Celsius (1.3 ± 0.32 °Fahrenheit) in the last century

What is global warming?

Global warming is the unusually rapid increase in Earth’s average surface temperature over the past century primarily due to the greenhouse gases released by people burning fossil fuels.

Greenhouse Effect

The greenhouse effect is the rise in temperature that the Earth experiences because certain gases in the atmosphere (water vapor, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane) trap energy from the sun.

Greenhouse Effect

Greenhouse effect is an essential for life on earth because it plays an important role in regulating the Earth's temperature

But human activities accelerate the natural process.

And when the greenhouse effect becomes stronger, it could make the Earth warmer than usual.

Greenhouse Effect

Sun

How does carbon dioxide cause global warming?

In the past 150 years, burning fossil fuels has caused a 25 % increase in Carbon dioxide emissions.

When the amount of greenhouse gasses increase the amount of carbon dioxide also increases.

There is a direct relationship between the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide and global temperatures.

Fossil fuels such as gasoline, methane and propane contain mostly carbon.

What human activities cause global warming?

Burning Fossil Fuels , such as coal and oil.

Various agricultural and industrial practices

The destruction of forests which use carbon dioxide also contributes to the increase in carbon dioxide.

Future Carbon Dioxide Levels

Increasing CO2 emissions, especially in China and developing countries.

Likely to double within 150 years: Increased coal usage Increased natural gas usage Decreased petroleum usage

(increased cost and decreasing supply)

Currently, the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is increasing at the rate of about one part per million per year.

Consequences of Global Warming

Sea level rise Global temperature rise Shrinking ice sheets Warming Oceans

Impact of global warming on plants and animals

Global warming is having a significant impact on hundreds of plant and animal species around the world although the most dramatic effects may not be felt for decades.

some crops and other plants may respond favorably to increased atmospheric CO2, growing more vigorously and using water more efficiently.

Impact of global warming on plants and animals

Global warming can disrupt the migration, hibernation and reproductive cycles of certain types of animals.

Plants and animals will find it hard to escape or adjust to the effects of warming because humans occupy so much land.

Farmland or cities interrupt the movement of species between habitats.

How we can help global warming?

Plant trees Conserve energy and encourage

others to conserve Buy energy efficient products Buy products that have reusable or

recyclable packaging Reduce use of car

What government can do about global warming?

Research, development and demonstration

Appropriate energy infrastructure investments.

Regulations and standards Taxes and charges carbon Effective carbon-price signal

Barack Obama’s new energy for America plan

Create 5 million new green jobs by investing $150 billion over the next 10 years

Ensure 10% of electricity comes from renewable sources by 2012, and 25% by 2025

Get 1 million hybrid cars on the road by 2015

Implement an economy-wide cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80% by 2050

Cap and Trade System

Cap and Trade is a simple system that has been shown to help environmental pollutions.

Companies which generate less than that cap can simply sell or trade the amount of pollutions allowed to companies which need to produce more, and those companies who produce more pollutions than the allowed can buy their right to pollute, from companies who pollute less than the limit.

Cap and Trade

Pros

It would help slow greenhouse gas emissions, cut down pollution, and in turn, the intensity of weather related disasters.

Trading carbon credits would create government revenue and then, reduce the burden on low-income families.

If passed, the U.S. would be a leader in cleaning up the environment and other countries like China would follow.

Cons

 Those against cap and trade said humans do not cause climate change, and this would wrongly penalize the American energy industry.

Trading carbon credits would be as unstable as oil commodities and drive up prices.

Some people believe when companies are heavily taxed for production they will just go to other countries that don't tax.

My Opinion

I think it will cost consumers thousands each year because if a company wants to pump out tons of CO2, they just buy the credits, and pass the cost along to their customers.

It bankrupts many companies and kills jobs It does not work because the rest of the

world won’t participate. It will shut down every composting facility in

the US because decomposing plant matter emits a tremendous amount of CO2

Bibliography

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"Global Warming : Feature Articles." NASA Earth Observatory : Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Jan. 2011. <http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/GlobalWarming/page5.php>.

National Research Council (NRC), 2006. Surface Temperature Reconstructions For the Last 2,000 Years. National Academy Press, Washington, DC.

"EEK! -Global Warming is Hot Stuff!." Welcome to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources website.... N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Jan. 2011. <http://dnr.wi.gov/org/caer/ce/eek/earth/air/global.htm>.

Kashir, Rino. "Trends in Carbon Dioxide." NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory. N.p., 8 Mar. 2009. Web. 11 Jan. 2011. <http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/ccgg/trends/co2_data_mlo.html>.

Kowalski, Kathiann M.. Global warming . New York: Benchmark Books, 2004. Archer, David. Global warming: understanding the forecast. Malden, MA:

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