Global WarmingGlobal Warming

Reported by:Reported by:

Franklin Kan GoFranklin Kan Go （林志強）（林志強）

Global WarmingGlobal Warming

• Global warming is an average increase in the temperature of the atmosphere near the Earth’s surface and in the troposphere, which can contribute to changes in global climate patterns. Global warming can occur from a variety of causes, both natural and human induced. In common usage, “global warming” often refers to the warming that can occur as a result of increased emissions of greenhouse gases from human activities.

Global WarmingGlobal Warming

  No tornado Tornado comes right down your street

You - spend money to prepare for a bad tornado

You "wasted" your money

You suffered only minor damage and lived through the storm

You - spend the money on a new TV

You didn't waste your money and you have a cool TV in front of your lounger

Your house is wrecked and it isn't the same watching your TV from a folding chair

Global WarmingGlobal Warming

  CO2 pollution is countered by healthy oceans

CO2 pollution causes a downward spiral in natural critical natural resources

You - spend money to reduce CO2 output

You "wasted" your money You suffered only minor damage and lived through the worst of global degradation

You - spend the money increasing industrial growth

You didn't waste your money and you have a bigger economy with more TVs to sell.

Your population crashes, your economy is wrecked, Hollywood is underwater and there's nothing good on TV.

Appliances That Cause Global Appliances That Cause Global WarmingWarming

• A good rule of thumb is that household appliances consume electricity and therefore contribute to global warming in proportion to the amount of heat they produce, because the production of heat is what usually requires the most energy.

Appliances That Cause Global Appliances That Cause Global WarmingWarming

Examples of Appliances That Cause Global Warming• Electric Heaters• Oil/Gas Heaters• Hot Water Systems• Air Conditioners• Refrigerators• Washing Machines• Dish Washers• Microwave Oven• Incandescent Light Globes

Electric HeatersElectric Heaters

Oil/Gas HeatersOil/Gas Heaters

Hot Water SystemsHot Water Systems

Air ConditionersAir Conditioners

RefrigeratorsRefrigerators

Washing MachinesWashing Machines

Dish WashersDish Washers

Microwave OvenMicrowave Oven

Incandescent Light GlobesIncandescent Light Globes

How do electrical appliances have an How do electrical appliances have an affect on global warming?affect on global warming?

Manufacturing them generally involves plastics made from fossil fuels, which will eventually lead to increased atmospheric CO2.

The manufacturing process generally involves the use of fossil fuels (to mine metals, transport raw materials, and run machines/equipment used to manufacture the final product)

Fossil fuels (usually gasoline/diesel) are most likely used to transport the appliances to the point of sale.

If your electricity comes from coal or other fossil fuel sources, using the appliance involves increasing the power company's use of fossil fuels.

Burning or otherwise using fossil fuels increases atmospheric CO2, which causes global warming.

Preventive Measures for Global Preventive Measures for Global WarmingWarming

• As global temperatures rise, global warming is an increasing concern. The current level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is higher than it has been at any point in history, according to NASA, and the rise in global temperatures is moving at a faster rate than any point in the past 1,300 years. (See References 1) Scientific organizations, including NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) agree that human behaviors and activities are a primary cause of the warming trend. (See References 2) To mitigate the existing damage and prevent global warming from accelerating, you can take steps to reduce emissions associated with your behaviors and lifestyle.

Preventive Measures for Global Preventive Measures for Global WarmingWarming

• Reduce Energy Use

• Update Buying Habits

• Change Transportation Habits

• Stop Deforestation

Climate change: How do we know?Climate change: How do we know?

• Sea level rise• Global temperature rise• Warming oceans• Shrinking ice sheets• Declining Arctic sea ice • Glacial retreat• Extreme events• Ocean acidification

Sea level riseSea level rise

• Global sea level rose about 17 centimeters (6.7 inches) in the last century. The rate in the last decade, however, is nearly double that of the last century.

Global temperature riseGlobal temperature rise

• All three major global surface temperature reconstructions show that Earth has warmed since 1880. Most of this warming has occurred since the 1970s, with the 20 warmest years having occurred since 1981 and with all 10 of the warmest years occurring in the past 12 years. Even though the 2000s witnessed a solar output decline resulting in an unusually deep solar minimum in 2007-2009, surface temperatures continue to increase.

Warming oceansWarming oceans

• The oceans have absorbed much of this increased heat, with the top 700 meters (about 2,300 feet) of ocean showing warming of 0.302 degrees Fahrenheit since 1969.

Shrinking ice sheetsShrinking ice sheets

• The Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets have decreased in mass. Data from NASA's Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment show Greenland lost 150 to 250 cubic kilometers (36 to 60 cubic miles) of ice per year between 2002 and 2006, while Antarctica lost about 152 cubic kilometers (36 cubic miles) of ice between 2002 and 2005.

Declining Arctic sea ice Declining Arctic sea ice

• Both the extent and thickness of Arctic sea ice has declined rapidly over the last several decades.

Glacial retreatGlacial retreat

• Glaciers are retreating almost everywhere around the world — including in the Alps, Himalayas, Andes, Rockies, Alaska and Africa.

Extreme eventsExtreme events

• The number of record high temperature events in the United States has been increasing, while the number of record low temperature events has been decreasing, since 1950. The U.S. has also witnessed increasing numbers of intense rainfall events.

Ocean acidificationOcean acidification

• Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the acidity of surface ocean waters has increased by about 30 percent. This increase is the result of humans emitting more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and hence more being absorbed into the oceans. The amount of carbon dioxide absorbed by the upper layer of the oceans is increasing by about 2 billion tons per year.

How long will it take for global How long will it take for global warming to destroy the Earth?warming to destroy the Earth?

There are varied answers as to when Global warming will destroy the Earth.

• Some say in the year 2050.• Others say the Earth itself won’t be

destroyed but will become unsuitable for life or uninhabitable because of the rapidly shifting climate brought about by global warming and the natural calamities that come along with it.