Global Warming

Blue Man Group

Global Warming…what is it?

Increase in the average temperature of the Earth's near-surface air and oceans

What causes this warming?

Industrial Revolution: burning fossil fuels and deforestation increases greenhouse gases

Greenhouse gases– Carbon dioxide (CO2)– Methane (CH4)– Nitrous oxide– Sulfuric hexafluoride– Hydrofluorocarbons– Perfluorocarbons– Water Vapor (*)

They are necessary for life– Keep planet’s surface warm

Animation

It’s all about Carbon– Episodes 1-5– http://www.npr.org/news/specials/climate/vid

eo/

According to NASA data, temperature has increased by about 1.2 to 1.4°F in the last 100 years

11 of the last twelve years rank among the 12 warmest years on record– Warmest: 1998 and 2005

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Measuring Atmospheric CO2

Air samples taken in Mauna Loa, Hawaii

1958-2000 Why Hawaii

– Isolated location– Minimal human

activity/pollution/vegetation Zig-Zag

– Earth breathing in and out– Winter (trees give off CO2….levels rise)– Summer (trees take in CO2….levels drop)

CO2 in Ice Samples

EPICA: European Project for Ice Coring in Antarctica 400,000 years ago Today’s rising atmospheric CO2 is already 27% higher

than its highest record level during the last 400,000 years

Crush the ice, expand the gas, analyze in a gas chromatography

– the ratio of oxygen isotopes in the snow reveals temperature, In snow, colder temperatures result in higher concentrations of light oxygen.

What’s being done?

Kyoto Protocol (met: 1997) – Put into effect 2005

agreement by which industrialized nations have committed to making substantial reductions in their emissions of greenhouse gases by 2012

5.2% below 1990 levels between 2008 and 2012. More than 187 countries have signed and ratified U.S.?

Bush administration has rejected it as being too costly for the economy

Did propose a climate change initiative– Voluntary reductions in emissions, tax credits for

emissions and increased research and development for new energy technologies

Others who haven’t signed…

In 2006, China’s CO2 emissions were more than the US.– 8% higher

By 2025, China’s annual CO2 emission alone will be 3.2 billion tons of Carbon– Current world emission: 6.15 billion

– Neither China nor India have signed the Kyoto Protocol either

Obama Administration

Obama stopped by the climate talks held in Copenhagen

– The president said he met with leaders from India, China, Brazil and South Africa, and "that's where we agreed ... to set a mitigation target to limit warming to no more than 2 degrees Celsius.”

– voluntary pledges of 85 countries to cut emissions Obama acknowledged that the cap-and-trade approach

to limiting greenhouse gas emissions, backed by his administration, "was just one way of skinning the cat; it was not the only way. It was a means, not an end."

Climate Change talks in Cancun– the US repeated its ''one-in, all-in'' catchcry, claiming that targets

for cutting emissions needed to be binding on all countries, not just developed nations.

– Progress appeared likely on several fronts, such as the protection of tropical rainforests and $US30 billion of fast-start finance to help developing countries deal with the impact of climate change.

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What can we do?

Opposing View

Is there really a global warming consensus?– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZcp_wcDXec&f

eature=related

Dr. Fred Singer– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6mJ0naC1Ac– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSr-4MnKjQE