Global warming is a topic under heated debate and discussion at every level of society. Yet, very little scientific information is usually presented to the public or by the public in the debates around global warming. Please present your position on global warming in not less than 600 words.
Outline/score guide for your position paper (on 25 pts)
1. Start your position paper with a strong title that expresses your position briefly.
2. The introduction poses a fact or question for the us to consider and presents main idea; keep to one papragraph. (5 pts)
3. Outline a general one paragraph background on the issue you plan to discuss; do not present your argumentat this point; here you are informing us of why the issue is important. (5pts)
4. Present your argument in the next section. State your position clearly. Provide statements with evidence and facts from your research that supports this opinion. Include examples, charts, quotes from experts and other data in this section that will back up your position. (10 pts)
5. Finish the outline with a conclusion: summarize what you have presented but focus in on one or two points you mentioned that you feel are most relevant.Do not to repeat yourself word-for-word in the conclusion. End it with an interesting question or thought for the future regarding the issue. (5 pts)
Slowly Decreasing the World Around Us
ReplyDeleteHotter summers. Colder winters. A decrease in vegetation all across the world. Why is all of this happening so quickly to the world? Burning fossil fuels, emitting greenhouse gases, and the use of electricity all contribute to the ever-so extreme problem in this world-wide society today: global warming. I believe that people should be more compassionate about this issue because it is going to effect us in the future, and will greatly interrupt the people of the future.
The importance of this issue is that we are slowly killing the only planet that anyone and anything can live on. We have so many beautiful attractions and life that is too sad to see leave so soon. People do not cherish the Earth as they should. Destroying something that means so much to others is purely horrific. The wildlife, the nature, and the human life are too precious to be taken advantage of. If we continue to trap everything inside the world, polar bears will no longer have a home because of the ice melting, the oceans will continue to rise causing less land area, and storms will increase (like tornadoes and tropical storms), causing people to become homeless.
Global Warming is the process where all of the gases in the world are trapped and cannot get out of the Earth’s atmosphere. Its like having a huge blanket on top of the Earth. When we start to burn fuel or release gases, they make the atmosphere thicker, thus keeping in the heat or cold. As the sun reflects on Earth, it gets rather hot. According to NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, “The average temperatures have increased 1.4 degrees fahrenheit since 1880” (Roach). That is the reason why the summer season is ridiculously hot now, and will continue become hotter. The same reason happens in the winter. We have colder winters because the sun is not reflected off the Earth as much. This wacky weather creates longer seasons because what we are doing to the Earth’s atmosphere. We are making it thicker and asking for all of this chaos. We are the ones who are causing global warming. Why do this to ourselves when we can prevent this from happening?
In the chart below, you can easily tell that the we, the United States of America, are the leading contributors to the carbon dioxide production with a whopping 6.09 tons per person. Germany and Russia are contributing less than half of what we factor in by only producing a little over 3 tons per person. Coming in last is the country of India with a small number of .03 tons of carbon dioxide production per person. We need to keep these numbers down quite a lot. This remarkable number, and it is purely embarrassing.

How can we decrease the carbon dioxide production from happening as much? How can we help the environment? For starters, you can start off this wonderful habit by decreasing your driving, and you can downsize your vehicle to a smaller car or even a bike. Drive a SmartCar or a hybrid. These vehicles are not as harmful to the environment because they do not emit damaging chemicals in our air. Start to change the way you use energy. Go Green! Planting a tree could reduce the emission of carbon dioxide (CO2). Recycle your everyday house waste. Convert to solar power, and begin to use natural gas instead of electricity. There are many ways to help out your environment and conserve the world for the future leaders.
Methane is the Most Harmful Greenhouse Gas Contributing to Global Warming
ReplyDeleteMethane gas is a greenhouse gas. A greenhouse gas is one which absorbs infrared rays from the sun and traps them in the atmosphere, therefore creating a heating effect (U.S. E.P.A.). Other greenhouse gases include, but are not limited to carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide. However, methane is more harmful than carbon dioxide; in fact, it is twenty-one times more harmful (Mohr). Greenhouse gases are one of the largest contributing factors to global warming.
The absorption of methane gas in the environment can be visualized on an infrared (IR) spectrum; greenhouse gases have significant peaks on their spectra(Anthony, Brauch and Longley). There are many sources and sinks of methane, both natural and anthropogenic, or manmade. Anthropogenic sources are fossil fuel burning, rice cultivation, and waste management (U.S. E.P.A.). More hazardous anthropogenic sources include landfills, enteric fermentation, and coal mining (U.S. E.P.A.). Natural sources of methane include wetlands, termites, natural gas systems, oceans, and wildfires (U.S. E.P.A.), and animal agriculture (Mohr). However, there are very few known sinks for methane, or factors which remove methane concentrations from the atmosphere. A few known sinks include “oxidation by chemical reaction with hydroxyl radicals” (U.S. E.P.A.), the troposphere (Reay), and methanotrophs (Energy Information Administration).
On the personal level, there is not much that one can do to reduce their personal methane output. The major issues with methane gas are not personal, but rather national because they are related to industry and company methane outputs. Enteric fermentation is not an issue for which much can be done in the way of prevention, which is unfortunate considering that it is the largest output of methane gas in the atmosphere. However, the second largest source of methane, landfills, can be addressed. There should be greater restrictions and regulations on the creation of landfills. The government should monitor landfill creation and use. The team would limit the concentration amount as needed to reduce the output of methane into the atmosphere. If this team could be implemented on a global level, that would be beneficiary, but regulation would be difficult.
Another source of methane that should be regulated in order to decrease greenhouse gas concentrations would be coal mining. Currently, there is the use of “clean coal” which is somewhat affective, but has major flaws considering that the harmful gases that would be emitted into the atmosphere are buried into the ground. However, with the few recognized sinks for methane gas, it is a temporary solution. Sinks of methane gas should also be regulated. The work of the troposphere and methanotrophs is natural and therefore should not be regulated, but the “oxidation by chemical reaction of hydroxyl radicals” (U.S. E.P.A.) should be regulated. However, the troposphere can only naturally eliminate so much methane; by pumping additional methanol into the troposphere, there is the potential that not all of the methane would be eliminated and instead it would sit under Earth’s surface which could cause unidentified problems in the future.
The problem of increased concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is being dealt with at a very slow rate for two reasons: one, identifying ways in which to eliminate concentrations of greenhouse gases is difficult and potential problems are unknown, and two, the repercussions of solutions may be more harmful than the gases themselves. Between 1994 and 2004, the concentration of methane gas in the atmosphere rose over forty parts per billion (U.S. E.P.A.); if this trend continues, the harm to the atmosphere would be substantial. Scientists must continue in their work to solve this growing problem and government officials must step up and address it on national and global levels in order to save the Earth. What can companies do to help solve the problem?
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ReplyDeleteWhat exactly is global warming and what is it doing to our planet? How are we to know that the effects will not cause harm to the earth and all the residents that live on it? Numerous questions arise and countless lies are sent out to answer these inquiries. Because there are many different opinions on this topic, often times they contradict each other completely. Some people believe that humans are causing it while others believe it is just another result of CO2 and methane. Global Warming has become a major scientific and social issue during the past decade.
ReplyDeleteGlobal Warming is the increase in greenhouse gasses, and has captured broad public attention because it would easily damage the nature and many aspects of life. That's why it should be investigated thoroughly. There are 4 steps in the Greenhouse effect process. The first is, sunlight radiates from the sun, through space, to the Earth’s atmosphere. The second is, sunlight enters the atmosphere and hits the Earth. Some of that sunlight turns into heat energy in the form of infrared light. Surrounding air and land,(which in turn makes the heat warm) absorbs the heat. Third, the greenhouse gases trap infrared rays that is remitted into the atmosphere. Finally, the gas then absorbs the light and is remitted back to the Earth’s surface and warms it even more (national geographic). Another cause of Global Warming is the emissions of greenhouse gases due to the increase in technology that humans have developed.
I know that I don't know all the answers to global warming, but I have seen the effects of it with my own eyes. When I was in Australia last December I went scuba diving. The instructor told us to get certified and fast, because of the effect of the ozone layer and global warming the Great Barrier Reef/ and ocean life is slowly dieing of. Im glad that I got to see such a beautiful thing before it gone, and I hope that other people will too. The planet is suffering in so many ways not only our land but also the people. The suns rays are much more dangerous. Over the past few years I have been educated on some of the deadly effects of global warming. Some of these consist of; spread of disease; northern countries warm, disease carrying insects that migrate north, bringing plague and disease with them. Warmer waters and more hurricanes; As the temperature of oceans rises, so will the probability of more frequent and stronger hurricanes. Increased probability and intensity of droughts and heat waves; although some areas of Earth will become wetter due to global warming, other areas will suffer serious droughts and heat waves. Africa will receive the worst of it, with more severe droughts also expected in Europe. Water is already a dangerously rare commodity in Africa, and according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, global warming will exacerbate the conditions and could lead to conflicts and war. Lastly, polar ice caps melting; which can raise sea levels, and cause a number of problems (Environmental Graffiti). Our planet is what we live of and need to survive without it we will all suffer. The creation of technology, and overpopulation has caused global warming to get worse over the years. We need to stop focusing on mass production and creating bigger and bigger cities.
would not fit in one comment, here is the end.
ReplyDeleteDifferent groups and organizations that are trying to create a “green” movement have the right idea. If we all stop being lazy and try to give back to our planet by recycling and driving cars less, and try so many other things that could halt global warming. If we want to enjoy our time here on earth than we need to respect it and look at what we have caused to a place that has only been ruined by the human population. There are so many beautiful sight to be seen and enjoyed, but to preserve these beautiful sights we must be educated and informed about global warming. Children need to understand why recycling is important and walking or riding a bike is better than an automobile. We are creating new generations that are so dependent on technology and have the mind set that “bigger is better” be it a car, or house. The impacts of global warming at the greenhouse effect are so detrimental to our planet and is slowly killing our beautiful wildlife, as well as us. Our world need to understand the deadly effects and how global warming actual works through the greenhouse effect cycle. Education is the first step, if we are aware of what is happening the importance of this phenomenon will slowly spread and then the next step is taking measures to fix it before it kills us and our planet. How can we all take part in educating each other and future generations of the impact of global warming?
Some Images:
http://www.solcomhouse.com/images/GH_earth.jpg (greenhouse effect)
http://www.attorney.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/Global-Warming.jpg (ice caps melting)
http://www.attorney.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/Global-Warming.jpg (rivers evaporating)
http://www.talkgreen.ca/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/reverse-global-warming.jpg (sick!)
http://thebesttraveldestinations.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Great-Barrier-Reef-Australia6.jpg (beautiful Australian Great Barrier reef)
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ReplyDeleteGlobal Warming: Fact or Fiction?
ReplyDeleteCall me a skeptic but I’m not so sure I buy the global warming scare. According to the weather channel’s position statement, the world is warming by 1-1 ½ degrees Fahrenheit in the past century. I was expected a much great number to scare me into believing, but from my perspective one or two degrees hotter does not really constitute frantic action. We see greater “evidence” in the Arctic with large melting glaciers and thawing permafrost (Storm Encyclopedia). I cannot deny the changes that the world is experiencing, but I can dispute the reasoning explanations that have been given for the worlds changes. I feel like the world is going through a cycle of change, completely normal and unaffected by human activity cycle.
In today’s media we are constantly berating by public service announcements with airbrushed celebrities telling us how we are to blame for global warming problem. But the world has experience harsh changes in the weather far before man-made emissions could have been the cause. According to the EPA the words climate changes are often used interchangeably with global warming but in fact there is a distinct difference,
The phrase ‘climate change’ is growing in preferred use to ‘global warming’ because it helps convey that there are [other] changes in addition to rising temperatures. Climate change can result from, natural factors, such changes in the sun’s intensity or slow changes in the earth’s orbit around the sun; natural processes within the climate system such as ocean circulation; and human activities that change the atmosphere’s composition such as burning fossil fuels and changes in the land surface such as deforestation and urbanization. Global warming is the average increase in the temperature of the atmosphere near the Earth’s surface and in the troposphere which can contribute to changes in the global climate patterns. Often refers to the warming that can occur as a result of increased emissions of greenhouse gases from human activities (U.S. EPA).
The term climate change gives a more accurate picture of why the weather is changing around the globe, not just because of human activity but largely because of natural factors and processes.
cont.
ReplyDeleteA perfect example of climate changes that is not proven to be directly caused by human activity is El Nino. El Nino was caused by changes in the way the water moved through the ocean. The devastation that El Nino caused were not the only effect that it left on the environment, it also caused changes in the atmosphere. The North Atlantic Oscillation has a great effect on the global patterns of climate as well. Atmospheric pressure affects how much or how little wind and number or winter storms that cross the Atlantic. The North Atlantic Oscillation effects weather in America, Europe and North Africa, and I wonder if the effect that it causes are blamed on global warming. And this is something that scientist are still trying to figure out. And with influxes of research and discovery, science is ever changing.
I want to clearly state that I do believe that our ever growing industry and use of the earth’s resources has changed the climate in some ways. We as a nation alone have increased our resources and often use tools that emit harmful gases but I do not think that we are in as much control of the earth changes as we choose to believe we are. The climate is changing, our winters are colder than we are used to and our summers are hotter. But are we looking at the bigger picture? Most of the data that I found about global warming started their research at the year 1900. But where is the research from the 1500s? What was the weather like in the year 1000? I could not find it, so either it does not exist or it is not publicized. Global warming has become an industry of its own. Buy ‘green’ cars, light bulbs, refrigerators, t-shirts, hair dryers, you name it. For all we know this fear of global warming could be another Y2K. So in the mean time, I will pick and choose the eco-friendly actions I make. I will refill my own water bottles instead of using a new bottle everyday and maybe I will start recycling. But I promise you that I will not worry myself to death over what could be nothing.
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ReplyDeleteHow Hard Have You Thought About Global Warming?
ReplyDeleteThe world has been experiencing more devastating natural disasters with a relatively short period of time. Is this the cause of Global Warming? According to an article from the New York Times, “A growing body of scientific evidence indicates that since 1950, the world's climate has been warming, primarily as a result of emissions from unfettered burning of fossil fuels and the razing of tropical forests.” Could this issue cause major problems in our environment? The Earth has been supporting people for billions upon billions of years. The climate has shapes the way people leave and how they act for many of year, and has had a powerful impact on people. But yet now people are becoming where they too have a huge impact on nature.
There is plenty of evidence all around us telling everyone that the Earth is getting warming. On average over the past 100 years the surface temperature of the Earth has risen one degree Celsius. The top 11 warmest years has been within the last 13 years. (Allianz) This is a result of Global Warming. A major component of this is the Green House Effect. The sun is the primary source of heat and energy for the Earth. These rays of heat enter the Earth’s atmosphere and warm up our Earth. One third of those rays are released by into the solar system, while the other two thirds are reflected back, off of things such as clouds and sent back to the Earth again. Warming the land, oceans, and glaciers. But with the increase of man made green house gasses such as burning fossil fuels these gasses cause a trapping of heat and an increase heat staying in the atmosphere. Causing a huge negative impact on the plants and animals.
When people breathe they are emitting CO2 into the air. When volcano’s erupt they are emitted CO2 into the atmosphere as well. The leading cause of Global Warming is a large increase of green house gasses into the atmosphere, gases such as CO2. But not the CO2 just mentioned earlier, the Earth has the ability to reabsorb some amount of CO2 emission. The issue is that Global Warming is real and it is happing all around us. With the increase of pollution in the air from increase number of factories and cars driving around it is no wonder Global Warming is increasing becoming a larger problem. The United States is one of the largest contributors of the production of green house gases, “As a nation, the EPA says we spew out the equivalent of around 10 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide.” (NRP) This article states that companies should be expected to report their emissions of green house gasses. If there is nothing to regulate how much pollution people put into the air how are we ever going to improve on eliminating the amount of green house gasses that cause Global Warming. In the chart below it illustrates different measures of the gasses emitted into the atmosphere. With the United States being the major polluter
As stated earlier people have large impact on the environment. If we keep on going the way we are there are going to be major repercussions of our lack to care. It is very important that companies and people on there own try to limit the amount of green house gasses they emit into the atmosphere. If companies could record their emissions it could help to open their eyes to how harmful they are being to our environment. In having people help prevent Global Warming things such as heat waves, spreading of disease and destruction of nature could be prevented.
ReplyDeleteResources
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/science/topics/globalwarming/index.html
http://knowledge.allianz.com/en/globalissues/climate_change/global_warming_basics/global_warming_definition.html
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10745942
Jenna Marae Giddens
ReplyDeleteSo, is global warming real or not? Some say it is and others say it isn’t; both have evidence to back up their claim, but what do we believe is true? Only recently has this issue become such a hot-button topic, scientifically and politically. It is known that the Earth’s climate greatly impacts the human race, but what about humans greatly affecting the Earth’s climate? Some believe that the effects of global warming are obvious and that human activity is creating this crisis by the release of greenhouse gases such as the burning of fossil fuels. Though others clearly discredit the “obvious” to be very untrue and see no environmental crisis now or in the future.
The basis of global warming can be described as the warming of the planet Earth, due to greenhouse gases being released into the air from human activity causing a rise in temperature. A few of the predicted harmful effects of Earth’s rising temperature is the melting of polar ice caps which will raise the ocean levels and cause flooding, the increased chance of droughts and heat waves, warmer waters and frequent hurricanes, and the spreading of disease. Those who believe that global warming is becoming more and more of an issue want action to be taken to reduce human effect on the Earth. The average temperature of the Earth has increased by about 1°F in the last 100 years, and the last 20 years have produced the hottest decades yet. On the other hand, some scientists say that there is no strong evidence that is causing the Earth’s atmosphere to heat at any significant rate, the Earth has been going through this same cycle for thousands of years, and that we have nothing to worry about.
Clearly, there are a number of viewpoints on both sides of this argument. Based on available information, it appears that global warming is in fact an environmental occurrence. The average temperature of the Earth has increased exactly 1.4°F since 1880, with much of the increase occurring in the last few decades. The Arctic provides most proof of this increase: the temperature in these areas has risen almost twice the global temperature, arctic ice is disappearing rapidly, and glaciers are melting faster than they have in the last 5,000 years. Scientists predict this melting will increase sea levels and cause serious flooding in certain areas. And in 1998, even coral reefs are suffering the worst die-off period ever recorded. The effects on hurricanes are another worry of global warming. Although it is not possible to create more hurricanes, predictions show that they can become much more destructive and powerful. Those who believe in global warming are demanding action be taken globally, but especially from the U.S. since we take the lead in emitting greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Although I can see how these pollutants may affect the Earth’s climate, I do not think human contributions are solely to blame. The Earth’s climate is constantly changing, and climate shifts have been recorded pervious to industrialization and the idea of greenhouse gases. I believe that we are experiencing a stage of global warming that may last only a short period of time. And it may be a number of years before we recognize the next cycle. Because of this, my opinion is that we will see little effects of this climate change in our lifetime.
ReplyDeleteMany have taken their stance on this pressing issue yet the controversy and conflicting viewpoints still remain. There is substantial evidence supporting the presence of global warming, and, while this evidence is compelling, I do not agree with the severity of the suggested consequences. Because of this, I believe the current effects are and will continue to be minimal. If future findings indicate these effects are greater than previously expected, then I feel the environmental consequences will not occur until a much later date.
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ReplyDeleteGreenhouse Effect Killing our Wildlife
ReplyDeleteWhat is the greenhouse effect doing to our world and the wildlife that call this earth home.Glaciers are melting, sea levels are rising, cloud forests are drying, and wildlife is scrambling to keep pace. While we struggle to figure it all out, the face of the Earth as we know it—coasts, forests, farms and snow-capped mountains—hangs in the balance. It's becoming clear that humans have caused most of the past century's warming by releasing heat-trapping gases as we power our new more covenant lives.
Historically, Earth's climate has regularly shifted back and forth between temperatures; however these swings happen slowly, over hundreds of thousands of years. Global Warming is causing a set of changes to the Earth's climate that varies from place to place. As each day passes, the new heat goes with it, picking up moisture from the oceans, rising and settling here and there. It's changing the climate that all living things rely upon. Scientists often use the term "climate change" instead of global warming. This is because as the Earth's average temperature climbs, winds and ocean currents move heat around the globe in ways that can cool some areas, warm others, and change the amount of rain and snow falling. As a result, the climate changes differently in different areas.
Greenhouse gases are what are causing our earth to change so rapidly. The "greenhouse effect" is the warming that occurs when certain gases in Earth's atmosphere trap heat. These gases let light in but also keep heat from escaping. First, sunlight shines onto the Earth's surface, where it is absorbed and then radiates back into the atmosphere as heat. In the atmosphere, “greenhouse” gases trap some of this heat, and the rest escapes into space. The more greenhouse gases are in the atmosphere equals more heat that gets trapped. Levels of greenhouse gases have gone up and down over the Earth's history, but they have been fairly constant for the past few thousand years. Global average temperatures have stayed fairly constant over that time as well, until recently. Through the burning of fossil fuels and emissions, humans are enhancing the greenhouse effect and warming Earth. The rapid rise in greenhouse gases is a serious problem because it is changing the climate faster than many living things may be able to adapt. Now, with concentrations of greenhouse gases rising, Earth's remaining ice sheets (such as Greenland and Antarctica) are starting to melt too. The extra water could potentially raise sea levels significantly. A few examples of wildlife that we are affecting are the polar bear habitat where ice is giving way to water. This is causing the polar bears to have less and less area to live causing them to die from drowning when they can’t find a close enough or large enough sheet of ice for them and their young. Another example is the warmer spring temperatures could dry up critical breeding habitat for waterfowl in the prairie pothole region, a stretch of land between northern Iowa and central Alberta. Some animal maybe able to relocate, however human population growth means that many land areas that might be suitable for “refugee wildlife” are already taken and cluttered with residential and industrial development.
Although many people know what the Greenhouse gases are doing very few are taking measures to help slow down the effects. Until people truly care and stop more and more animal’s natural habitats will continue to suffer or totally disappear. Ice will continue to melt, our sea levels will keep rising and our temperature here on earth will rise till who knows we as humans may not be able to continue living here on earth.
The rising temperature is a danger to all.
ReplyDeleteMany skeptics believe that global warming is something trivial, and is not occurring in our world today. Whether skeptics want to believe it or not, global warming is a huge issue that not only affects us as Americans, but affects everyone in the entire world. What do you see yourself doing in forty or fifty years? If you picture a world with short winters and long, dry summers as your paradise then global warming may not be a huge concern to you. The message that needs to be spread across the world is that we as people have the power to reverse global warming and its harmful effects on our environment.
It is important that we act now to stop global warming before the effects are too drastic. Simple changes in our daily lives can help reduce global warming from occurring at such a rapid pace. With wildfires and droughts occurring more often it is crazy to imagine people not taking the matter more seriously. Pollution is occurring by thousands of people everyday and it is one of the greatest causes of global warming. Our planet is not just for our generations, but for many generations to come. We need to act together to make sure we preserve our beautiful earth for our children and grandchildren.
Global warming is occurring everyday and is slowly getting worse. If the American people to not stop pollution or at least cut back, there will be a 15% increase in carbon dioxide emissions by the year 2020. Only a decade away and we could be looking at a 15% increase in emissions! Many do not understand the harmful effects of carbon dioxide in our environment without enough oxygen to balance it out. Since 1990, the year I was born, America has had a 20% increase in carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels. Not only are we running out of a limited resource, but we are using it in a way that it extremely harmful to our environment.
We can easily see our environment changing around us year after year. Last year alone, 336,020 acres of woodland were destroyed by forest fires. Not only were forests destroyed but thousands of homes across the western United States. Many people ignore this because it does not affect them, but it soon will. As droughts and forest fires increase it is matter of fact that the fires will spread further and further each year. In the past twenty years alone, the forest fire season has increased an average of 78 days. That is over two months!!
Global warming does not just affect people on earth, but our wildlife also. With habitats changing and the oceans heating up many species of animals risk extinction. Once an animal becomes endangered it is extremely difficult to help them gain back their population. We need to take action now while we still have a chance to reverse the negative effects on our environment. As our climates change, natural disasters are becoming more extreme. Droughts, floods, and heat waves are increasing, and also becoming more dangerous.
With all of the facts that our environment is changing it is hard to see why people have not attempted to make a change. While the effects are occurring somewhat slowly, a change still needs to be made. Our generation needs to think of future generations and the many unique species that are affected also. While the debate will continue, the fact is that pollution is damaging to our environment whether you believe in global warming or not. Many of the damaging affects can be prevented, we just need to raise awareness and do our part.
Will our earth soon be too hot to survive?
ReplyDeleteMany skeptics believe that global warming is something trivial, and is not occurring in our world today. Whether skeptics want to believe it or not, global warming is a huge issue that not only affects us as Americans, but affects everyone in the entire world. What do you see yourself doing in forty or fifty years? If you picture a world with short winters and long, dry summers as your paradise then global warming may not be a huge concern to you. The message that needs to be spread across the world is that we as people have the power to reverse global warming and its harmful effects on our environment.
It is important that we act now to stop global warming before the effects are too drastic. Simple changes in our daily lives can help reduce global warming from occurring at such a rapid pace. With wildfires and droughts occurring more often it is crazy to imagine people not taking the matter more seriously. Pollution is occurring by thousands of people everyday and it is one of the greatest causes of global warming. Our planet is not just for our generations, but for many generations to come. We need to act together to make sure we preserve our beautiful earth for our children and grandchildren.
Global warming is occurring everyday and is slowly getting worse. If the American people to not stop pollution or at least cut back, there will be a 15% increase in carbon dioxide emissions by the year 2020. Only a decade away and we could be looking at a 15% increase in emissions! Many do not understand the harmful effects of carbon dioxide in our environment without enough oxygen to balance it out. Since 1990, the year I was born, America has had a 20% increase in carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels. Not only are we running out of a limited resource, but we are using it in a way that it extremely harmful to our environment.
We can easily see our environment changing around us year after year. Last year alone, 336,020 acres of woodland were destroyed by forest fires. Not only were forests destroyed but thousands of homes across the western United States. Many people ignore this because it does not affect them, but it soon will. As droughts and forest fires increase it is matter of fact that the fires will spread further and further each year. In the past twenty years alone, the forest fire season has increased an average of 78 days. That is over two months!!
Global warming does not just affect people on earth, but our wildlife also. With habitats changing and the oceans heating up many species of animals risk extinction. Once an animal becomes endangered it is extremely difficult to help them gain back their population. We need to take action now while we still have a chance to reverse the negative effects on our environment. As our climates change, natural disasters are becoming more extreme. Droughts, floods, and heat waves are increasing, and also becoming more dangerous.
ReplyDeleteWith all of the facts that our environment is changing it is hard to see why people have not attempted to make a change. While the effects are occurring somewhat slowly, a change still needs to be made. Our generation needs to think of future generations and the many unique species that are affected also. While the debate will continue, the fact is that pollution is damaging to our environment whether you believe in global warming or not. Many of the damaging affects can be prevented, we just need to raise awareness and do our part.
Is It Really that Big of a Deal?
ReplyDeleteTemperatures are rising. Glaciers are melting. Isn’t that natural?
And the animal migration, they adapt to their surroundings. If they
don’t want to adapt or if they cannot, they move. They are smart they
go where they need so that they can survive. That’s natural instinct
isn‘t it. So why is there such a push for going green? The National
Academy of Science said that over the 20th century the climate has only
rose 1°F (Discovery Channel). 1°F over 100 years. That does not
sounds like very much. It actually sounds really good. I figured it
would have been a whole lot more. Or maybe 1°F over say 10 years.
But if the last 2 or 3 centuries have only raise the climate one degree
aren’t we doing pretty good?
Global warming can also be called climate change. The two terms are
interchangeable. Which ever one used it is when the climate overall
begins to rise. The earth is getting warmer. It has been discovered
that this is because of the green house effect. This effect is when
“greenhouse gasses” are released but get hang around inside the earths
atmosphere. Greenhouse gasses are gasses that absorb the suns heat
rays that bounce off of the earth and are released into space. The
gasses trap the heat holding it in the earth’s atmosphere causing
everything to warm up due to the increase of the amount of heat with in
earth’s atmosphere. Over the years with extensive research scientists
have found that the burning of fossil fuels from cars and factories is
a major cause in global warming.
This idea of the greenhouse effect was discovered in 1824 by a
ReplyDeletescientist by the name of Joseph Fourier (National Geographic). He
figured out that the climate does rise due to certain gases trapping in
heat. Then Later in 1895 Svante Arrhenius, a Swedish chemist,
concluded that the greenhouse effect was mostly from humans releasing
greenhouse gasses and that it could cause global warming (Lenntech).
He found that many things that humans do cause the most damage. But
this was set aside until the 1940-1950’s when Gilbert Plass used
infrared spectroscopy to discover that CO2 trap the heat and warm the
earth (Lenntech). So it was not until recently that that scientist
really comprehended what it all meant and how it all came together.
But it was not until the last decade or so that some scientists and
prominent people have pushed the issue extensively. So how can it be
that global warming is just now a big problem. Has it not been a big
deal say the last century or at least since the 50’s when they started
learning more about it? I know technology has increased greatly and
rapidly over the last 10-15 years but do they make climate change that
big of an issue all of a sudden? According to the Discovery Channel
green house effect is actually necessary and a good thing. It keeps
the climate in check. It aids in keeping the change in temperature
from day to night from being as drastic as the moons change in
temperature. But that it is only good to an extent and having to much
causes problems.
But how do you change the way the world has worked for the last
century? And with the growing number of people makes this more and
more challenging. The production on many greenhouse gasses such as CO2
are increasing. But is the production of these gasses really rising
this much or causing this much damage? And even if it is all true and
everyone around the world agrees are there things that we could do that
would really make up for a century of more of damage and just natural
damage?
Sources:
http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/globalwarming/primer/primer.html
http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/gw-overview
http://www.lenntech.com/greenhouse-effect/global-warming-history.htm
Global Warming Reality or Fiction
ReplyDeleteIs global warming real? Is it a fact the Earth is getting warming day by day? Or is it just something scientist are trying to prove? Many scientist believe it is and many say it is not. They both have the facts that prove both or their theories correct. Is it happening because of us humans or because the Earth is changing positions?
We have seen the glaciers melting and we have seen the effects of the droughts happening. We have also seen winter months have a temperature of 70 degrees Fahrenheit in some places that is not normal. Is this abnormal activities because of humans and their lack of concern for our planet? The problem is what do we do to fix it before the problem becomes worse than it is now.
The funny thing is that a lot of change in the Earth's climate happen before humans were even on the Earth. Did dinosaurs create this change in the Earth? Now humans are building and changing the landscape everything single day, but does that have the effect that we think it does. Also, deforestation is happening all over the Earth to either build or plant crops.There is a process though called greenhouse effect and it is defined simply as "The greenhouse effect is unquestionably real and helps to regulate the temperature of our planet. It is essential for life on Earth and is one of Earth's natural processes. It is the result of heat absorption by certain gases in the atmosphere (called greenhouse gases because they effectively 'trap' heat in the lower atmosphere) and re-radiation downward of some of that heat. Water vapor is the most abundant greenhouse gas, followed by carbon dioxide and other trace gases." So yes, humans are changing the Earth's climate, but is it all us or is the Earth just changing itself.
As I pointed out some believe that global warming is real and some do not. I do believe it is real and I believe there are many explanations of why it is happening so fast in the last three decades. We(humans) are building more, using chemicals, car exhaust, and other various toxic substances that harm our atmosphere and therefore cause it to warm more quickly than what it is suppose to be. The sooner we take measures of becoming "greener" the better this Earth will be and the health of ourselves.
Sources
-NOAA's Satellite and Information Service: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/globalwarming.html
-http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/science/topics/globalwarming/index.html
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ReplyDeleteMankind Causing Global Warming: We are only a small part of the whole
ReplyDeleteWhat is causing global warming and what can we do to prevent it? This is one of the biggest issues our earth faces today. For such an important question, we don’t know for sure what will happen to our future. What we do know is that the climate has dramatically changed over the recent years and we have lived through the warmest years ever.
This issue is of global warming is very complex and no one knows exactly why or how it is happening. It is very hard to understand and almost a mysterious process as we look deeper into why it is happening. The process of the greenhouse effect keeps our atmosphere warm by holding in certain gases through energy, like a hot car left in the sun all day. When you get in the car it is much hotter than it is outside. This is what is happening to our earth. The heat is being trapped in our atmosphere and can’t escape. This may be the starting cause of global warming. We are using too many fossil fuels that can’t escape; therefore these fuels are deteriorating the atmosphere. If the earth continues to hold these gases and heat, the earth will get too hot and many plants and animals will die. A huge affect global warming has on the ocean is the warm water is killing off the algae, which is the starting food source for many animals. Our landfills are also a huge cause of global warming. When we burn the landfills, it releases a large amount of bad gases into the atmosphere. If we continue to live like this and not consider change, our future is in danger.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteGlobal Warming: Too Many Indications to Ignore
ReplyDeleteIf you open up a magazine, turn on the television, or read up on politics, you’re likely to come across an issue that seems to be on everyone’s agenda; global warming. The debate is heated, and the stances vary on a wide spectrum. With all these people out there with so many opinions on one issue, is it even possible to figure out who is wrong and who is right?
No matter where you look in the world, the evidence is there for a changing climate. Summers are hotter, droughts are longer, storms are stronger, and the ice caps are melting. No one denies that these changes are occurring. The effects of these changes are visible and are not limited to us alone. A global climate change will alter, possibly forever, all natural life, as well as the physical landscape of the planet. The debate lies around the cause of these changes, and whether or not these changes are merely a natural part of the planets fluctuations, or are in fact related to the greenhouse effect, which is cited at the main cause of global warming, despite the fact that it is a natural process that maintains the earth’s heat. Humans have however, increased the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which has caused the earth to trap more heat, than it otherwise normally would.
When looking to find answers in the debate of climate change, indicators are used to formulate an opinion by helping us understand the cause and effects of global climate change. These indicators represent the state of specific conditions over a specific period of time. After looking at data related to indicators of climate change I have formed the opinion that global climate change is occurring and that we, as humans, are a cause.
In the United State alone, Greenhouse emissions caused by humans have increased 14% from 1990 to 2008. Globally, the emission of these gases has increased by 26% from 1990 to 2005. Emissions of carbon dioxide, which account for nearly three-fourths of the total, increased by 31 % over this period. These concentrations of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have risen substantially since the beginning of the industrial era.
In the United States, average temperatures have risen across the states since 1901, with an increased rate of warming in the last 30 years. Average global temperatures mirror this trend with the last decade exhibiting the warmest temperature on record worldwide. Heat waves in the US have risen steadily in frequency since the 1960s and 70s. In additions, the percentage of states experiencing heat waves has also increased.
ReplyDeleteOver the period from 2001 through 2009, between 30 and 60 percent of the United States experienced drought conditions at any given time. However, the data for this indicator have not been collected for long enough to determine whether droughts are increasing or decreasing over time. Average precipitation has increased in the United States and as well as world-wide. Precipitation has increased at an average rate of more than 6 percent per century in the US and nearly 2 percent per century worldwide, since 1901. In recent years, a higher percentage of precipitation in the United States has come in the form of intense single-day events, much like the floods experienced in Georgia this past fall. Eight of the top 10 years for extreme one-day precipitation events have occurred since 1990. The occurrence of abnormally high annual precipitation totals have also increased.
So what do all of these indicators mean? Are there too many to ignore? I think there are. There is too much evidence to ignore and I believe the consequences are too severe, and wide reaching to spend so much time debating over. We cannot wait until it is too late. Action is always better than reactions. Steps need to be taken to alter the actions that have brought us to this situation, and to prevent it from ever happening again.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeletePART 1 OF 4
ReplyDeleteHuman Activities: The Destruction of a World
Global warming is a topic that has been generating massive amounts of buzz lately and everyone seems to be talking about it, but what exactly is it and why should we care? Global warming is the rise in the average temperature of the Earth’s oceans and surface. The steady increase in temperature is primarily due to rising amount of greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, concentrated in the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases are the results of human actions and activities such as: pollution, overpopulation, and deforestation. To answer the questions above, we should care about global warming because without our world we are nothing.
PART 2 OF 4
ReplyDeleteSince the mid twentieth century, the effect of global warming has become more prevalent. The evidence to support the phenomenon includes: Over the last forty years, the sea temperatures have risen on average of half a degree Celsius. The fresh water ice in the Arctic has been melting at a significant rate. Sea level has risen between ten and twenty-five centimeters during the last one hundred years. Surface temperatures have risen seven-tenths of a degree Celsius in the last one hundred years. Glaciers have been retreating in many mountain areas for the past century. During the past twelve years, eleven of the years were the warmest ever recorded for world temperatures. These are the overwhelming effects that global warming and our actions have had on the world so far. If humans continue to do nothing the devastation of our planet will become even worse. The rising temperatures will cause the polar ice caps to melt which will result in sea level rising. It will also cause change in climate conditions which will affect forests, crops, the health of animals and humans, as well as nation’s water supplies. The world may be drastically altered in the process of global warming; deserts will expand and the amount of fertile land will decrease. The world we know will become unrecognizable.
PART 3 OF 4
ReplyDeleteHuman activities are the biggest contributors to global warming and do the most harm to the environment. Pollution is the biggest problem for the world. Burning fossil fuels is a form of pollution. Fossil fuels consist of oil or coal and when they are burned they emit carbon dioxide which is a greenhouse gas. Another greenhouse gas that escapes the Earth due to human interference is methane. When people dig for fossil fuels they are also releasing methane into the atmosphere.
Another factor of global warming that goes hand-in-hand with pollution is the overpopulation of the world by humans. More people signifies more pollution. The more people we have, the more cars we have; which means we are burning more fossil fuels and emitting more carbon dioxide. An increase in the population also means the increase in food production. To be able to feed the masses we must raise more animals, producing more methane than the atmosphere can naturally handle.
Deforestation is also related to overpopulation. The more people we have the more room we will need for them to live; this results in the removal of forests. The problem with this is that trees convert the excess carbon dioxide that humans release into breathable oxygen. Without trees converting it, we have an overabundance of carbon dioxide polluting our atmosphere. Trees are very important members of our ecosystem, by not replacing them we are doing a great disservice to our world.
PART TWO CONCLUSION AND SOURCES
ReplyDeleteAll of the evidence of this report, then, suggests that the earth is cooling, that the planets “regulatory systems” are in fact working with the products in the environment and things are running smoothly. If that’s the case, how can we logically say that the cooling of the earth suggests Global Warming?
http://epw.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Files.View&FileStore_id=83947f5d-d84a-4a84-ad5d-6e2d71db52d9
http://scienceandpublicpolicy.org/images/stories/papers/monckton/consensus.pdf
PART 4 OF 4
ReplyDeleteIf we begin to recognize the man-made activities that have the worst effects on the Earth we can then take the necessary steps to minimize our individual impact on global warming.
Changing our current activities may include using alternative projects such as solar energy or wind energy or reforestation. All of these examples reduce the effects of global warming.
In the scientific community global warming is considered to be a fact. Despite all of the credible evidence supporting global warming there are certain groups, mainly the public and political sectors that continue to debate, and in the process considerably slow down the progress towards a solution. Instead of arguing, the world needs to accept what our careless actions are doing to our planet. Once we believe that global warming is occurring we will be able to agree on ways to slow or stop the process and start implementing solutions. If we do nothing about the growing problem what will the future hold for all of the forms of life on Earth? Global warming will keep wreaking havoc on our world and it will ultimately become uninhabitable for all. We either change our habits and save the world, or stay the same and suffer the consequences. It’s your choice.
Rising CO2: Is it Earth's imbalance?
ReplyDeleteAs Y2K (also known as the millennium bug) approached, a theory emerged that all of mankind’s digital and non-digital electronics would go on the fritz; in other words, scientists were worried that after December 31, 1999, the computers would not know what the date was and that all of their information would be lost and non-retrievable. This would affect everything connected with computers; for example: heating and cooling systems, running water, trains, lights, factories, banks, etc. In short, many people thought that we might go back to the era of the caveman. In the previous millennium, The Black Death, also known as the Great Plague, caused widespread hysteria and panic throughout Europe. Though many people did die, civilization did not end as many had feared. Today, everybody is talking about the weather and that our world might be undergoing “man-made global warming,” also known as the greenhouse effect, which is causing environmental disasters and “changing the earth’s natural balance” (Gore).
“The hypothesis of man-made global warming has existed since the 1880s. It was an obscure scientific hypothesis that burning fossil fuels would increase CO2 in the air to enhance the greenhouse effect and thus cause global warming. Before the 1980s this hypothesis was usually regarded as a curiosity because the nineteenth century calculations indicated that mean global temperature should have risen more than 1°C by 1940, and it had not. Then, in 1979, Mrs. Margaret Thatcher (now Lady Thatcher) became Prime Minister of the UK, and she elevated the hypothesis to the status of a major international policy issue” (Courtney).
Carbon dioxide is “odorless, colorless, and non-toxic. We drink it in fizzy drinks and lager, and it puts the rise in our daily bread. Most importantly, it is one of the most important components of all life — photosynthesis converts CO2 into oxygen and carbon, life’s main building blocks. As long as plants have sufficient water and nutrients, their growth is enhanced by rising concentrations of carbon dioxide. CO2 is the free airborne fertilizer of the world” (Bellamy). But over the years, numerous reports around the world have stated that we had added to the naturally occurring carbon dioxide in the air through our burning of wood, coal, and oil. Thus, many individuals believe that we are endangering the Earth’s climate by making it substantially warmer. Before we go on, let us also acknowledge that not all scientists or individuals agree that global warming is a threat and I also agree with this position.
Catie Mae Heenan
ReplyDeleteGlobal Warming, Theory or Fact?
Is global warming a theory or fact? Global Warming is a hot topic right now in our news and media and this is the essential question. Are the climate changes we are experiencing in our everyday life due to us and global warming or is it just natural climatic changes? Each side has
a set of theories that back up their position, but the question is, whose right?
This is the main question in which everyone is trying to choose sides. Is it due to the greenhouse gases we, as humans are polluting into the air or is it normal climatic changes that are making our world slowly change? It is important to figure out if global warming is really happening or if it is just a theory to why our Earth is changing, because as humans we need to figure out if it is our actions that is changing our world. And if s,o we need to take action and start eliminating these risks.
I, personally strongly believe in global warming, although I do not believe the severity of the claims made about what will happen to our Earth if we don't change our ways of living immediately. I think it is human's actions that have landed this world to where it is today. I feel that we need to start taking action and change the way human's live their daily lives, but I think we need to do that to stop the threat of our world getting any worse, not because it's crucial right now at this point. According to globalwarming. com, "The primary cause of global warming is Carbon Dioxide emissions. CO2 is being pumped into our atmosphere at an insane pace; 8 billion tons of CO2 entered the air last year." A small amount of CO2 is caused by volcanic eruptions and human's breathing, but the these do not affect the Earth. The biggest contributor of CO2 is caused by power plants. Power plants burn fossil fuels which are extremely harmful to our Earth. Power plants are responsible for 40% of all the CO2 in our atmosphere. Globalwarming.com also stated, 33% of all the CO2 sent forth is the product of cars and trucks. Internal combustion engines burning fossil fuels…gasoline and diesel spew forth a retching amount of CO2." This is a scary thought. Believe in global warming or not, this is still an extremely high amount of CO2 being released into our atmosphere. This is something that could easily be changed if humans would accept their part in this and try to make some changes. I'm a firm believer in car pooling and public transportation. People just like their big SUV's and like the freedom to drive wherever, whenever they would like without taking into account what they may be doing to our Earth.
To sum up this argument, I don't think people will ever agree if global warming is actually occurring or if it is just a natural part of this world. I think there is too much theories to back up each side for everyone to agree on one, common idea. I do, however believe that humans can do their part to stop harming our Earth. If everyone just did one positive thing for our Earth like, recycle, carpool, or even take the public bus once a week I think we would see vast improvement in our world and daily lives.
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ReplyDeletepart 2
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, we know that the earth has experienced shifts in climate over the centuries. One piece of evidence for this is the Ice Ages, periods when massive glaciers covered large areas of the earth, and in between them, periods of warming are also believed to have occurred. Some scientists are unsure whether the earth is now between Ice Ages or in a warm period between glaciers.
One topic of contention among advocates who believe that the global warming is a threat is how Antarctica is melting and how the polar bears are not going to be able to survive climate changes. “Polar bear survival is entirely dependent on sea ice as a platform for hunting the marine mammals that provide their nutritional needs. Polar bears stalk the seals using their breathing holes in the ice, as the total ice diminishes it will vastly decrease successful hunts and their overall food source. Though polar bears are excellent swimmers they are not adept at catching seals in open water” (Defenders of Wildlife). Those who push global warming have argued that the ends of ice caps have been melting and temperatures are at a high; however, this data is inaccurate and improperly developed. Since the measurements of Antarctic sea ice began in 1979, the sea ice has continued to expand according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center, University of Colorado.
part 3
ReplyDeleteAnd moreover, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, winter temperatures in the Antarctic have actually fallen by 1°F since 1957, with the coldest year being 2004--this while global CO2 levels has continued to rise. On the other hand, the main stream media only informs us that Antarctic sea ice shelves are breaking apart; leaving out that this is an entirely normal occurrence (Onstott).
Additionally, research shows that Antarctic has been able to produce ice when temperatures have been 10 degrees Celsius higher than they are today (University of California-San Diego: 2008, January 11). Polar bears have been around for over 200,000 years (Polar Biology Volume 9, Number 8, July 2006) and we are asked to believe that they won’t be able to adapt to these climate changes that are allegedly caused by “man-made global warming,” when they have in the previous Ice Ages.
“Of the 186 billion tons of carbon from CO2 that enter earth's atmosphere each year from all sources, only 6 billion tons are from human activity. Approximately 90 billion tons come from biologic activity in earth's oceans and another 90 billion tons from such sources as volcanoes and decaying land plants.” “Approximately every 100,000 years Earth's climate warms up temporarily. These warm periods, called interglacial periods, appear to last approximately 15,000 to 20,000 years before regressing back to a cold ice age climate. At year 18,000 and counting our current interglacial vacation from the Ice Age is much nearer its end than its beginning” (Heib).
Overall, I consider “man-made global warming” to be a hoax based on faulty science reinforced by the main stream media. I do believe there will always be climate changes and this is a course of nature. Carbon dioxide is a part of the life cycle. I honestly believe that when I step outside that I am not gasping for air due to this over abundance of CO2. If there turns out to be an excessive amount of CO2 in a hundred years compared to today, who is to say that we will not adapt if there is a gradual increase? I believe Michael O'Leary, (Chief Executive Officer of the Irish Airline, Ryanair) has a phenomenal way of summing up my views of this issue: "The scientific community has nearly always been wrong in history anyway. In the Middle Ages, they were going to excommunicate Galileo because the entire scientific community said the Earth was flat... I mean, it is absolutely bizarre that the people who can't tell us what the f..king weather is next Tuesday can predict with absolute precision what the f..king global temperatures will be in 100 years' time. It's horses..t."
I think that it is important that we see the facts of what is happening to our earth. But is this truly just a natural process that was bound to happen? In my opinion, I think at this in some ways a natural process because I think that it is hard for scientists to know exactly what is going on in the atmosphere. But one thing that I do feel very strongly about is the fact that we, as humans, are not helping this problem by any means. I think that we do not care enough to make small changes in our daily lives that really can change the rate at which global warming is occurring. Small changes such as carpooling or walking somewhere instead of driving have been proven to cut down on emissions fuel being put into the atmosphere, this nasty smog and heat that is put out by every car, only hurts the environment more, causing more heat to be trapped in the atmosphere. Small changes like this to be more “eco-friendly” could help this problem of global warming not progress so fast. I do not think that we are the cause of global warming; I think it is a mixture between a natural process and humans not making it any better. I do not think that we can stop this natural disaster, but I do think that we can try to slow it down by making conscious decisions to be more eco-friendly.
ReplyDeleteGlobal warming is taking a serious toll on our environments and natural habitats that thrive on our earth. I have read that many researchers are working on ways to fix this problem or try to make it better. But the thing is that we, as humans, have to care more or else it is going to be much worse by the time we are grown up. It is important for us to realize that we can make a difference so that we can help natural habitats as well as our future generations.
Part 1 of 4
ReplyDeleteGlobal Warming – Foundations on faulty science to create political anarchy.
I wish to submit that due to political agendas for the allocation of government money, climate history has been miss-represented through faulty science, or more accurately miss-represented science. In every scientific experiment we want to isolate all variables so we only test one. If this is so, why do we report temperatures as increasing from the 1800’s and not using ice core samples that do not back the claims of global warming? Or tree growth or dated sediment deposits? When has it ever been acceptable to discard actual data because it does not meet a desired hypothesis? If I were in college and skewed my data to meet my hypothesis, I would fail. I back up this statement from two specific points, although there are many more. The first being we have not included a large enough sample base to make any conjecture. Second, the very way we collect data to begin with is flawed. This is extremely important for the reason that before we enact laws that totally collapse economies around the world due to cost, we need to realize and better inform ourselves before making absurd assumptions.
If the end of the current ice age occurred 10-12 thousand years ago, has science in this venue supported the geometric increase in earths’ temperatures in line with the earths’ natural cycle? We have already witnessed the supposed Ozone depletion and regeneration since it was first brought to light. Yet now there are studies that indicate if the ‘hole’ is recovered it could actually speed up global warming, do we know enough to make a conclusion? Could this be part of earths’ natural cycle? How long have we humans been able to observe such a change? My guess would be from our first times of permanent satellites, so a 50 year cycle isn’t out of the question. I submit that we are observing a longer cycle in earths’ climate, and due to earths’ longevity, we see it as alarming because our own time line is so short in comparison. Let me illustrate with a small write up and graph from World Climate Report published June 30, 2010. “The plot for the Northeast shows warming in the 20th century, but it appears largely to be somewhat of a recovery from an unusually cold period from 1800 to 1870. Furthermore, the plot shows that the recent warming is less than warming that has occurred in the past.
Part 2 of 4
ReplyDeleteIs the chart that the blog will not except, adequate explanation is given in Parts 1 an 3 of 4, refereneces are given at the end.
Part 4 of 4
ReplyDeleteI could go on and on with many more articles, graphs, interviews all from respected sources, but the point is met. The scope of the project is simply too large to draw a conclusion based on 50 – 100 years of faulty evidence. We can not even explain why after the fires storms and atomic bombs in the 40’s and 50’s the earths’ climate temperature actually decreased instead of increased; or why after Mt. Saint Helens erupted we had some of the coldest winters on record. Further what use would it be, as suggested by Al Gore to penalize the United States for CO2 emissions, when both China and India are still burning fossils fuels at an incredible rate far surpassing the U.S. and still growing? If we want to indeed prove that global warming is occurring we need to establish well calibrated weather station around the globe, and not denounce data that does not coincide with findings we wish? It will also have to be a world wide effort, as developing countries that have a greater total population are trying to become modern, how will we convince them of global warming? I am not saying that we do not affect our planet, acid rain, polluted water, smog are all realities and they all could indeed prove that we are cooking our own planet. If we have the means to actually prove that, then we can better fight it. So I am not really denouncing global warming, but I am denouncing the faulty science used to create sensationalism via a liberal media or politicians using it to get elected.
Ge, Q.-S., J.Y. Zheng, Z.-X. Hao, X.-M. Shao, W.-C. Wang, and J. Luterbacher. 2010. Temperature variation through 2000 years in China: An uncertainty analysis of reconstruction and regional difference. Geophysical Research Letters, 37, L03703, doi:10.1029/2009GL041281.
X. LIN AND K. G. HUBBARD
School of Natural Resource Sciences, University of Nebraska at Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska
Posted on March 9, 2010 by Anthony Watts
By Heidi Blake
Published: 6:30AM GMT 15 Feb 2010
here are my citations:
ReplyDeletegraph: http://picsdigger.com/image/67895a73/

Roach, John. "Global Warming "Very Likely" Caused by Humans, World Climate Experts Say." National Geographic News (2007): n. pag. Web. 8 Sep 2010. .
Brandi Heath
ReplyDeleteSeptember 12, 2010
PHSC 4010
Global Warming: Fact or Fiction
Global warming has become one of the major concerns within the past few years and I personally feel that it will become more of an issue with in the next ten or so years. There have been many of controversy with global warming. Many view the idea of Global Warming just that, that it is just an idea an no attention needs to be paid to it; however, others see this as an issue—better yet, a major concern, and that we humans, are at the root of this. Because of many discrepancies with the idea of Global Warming, it is important for us to determine if it is actually fact or fiction.
So why must we figure out if this is indeed a fact or fiction? This is important so that we can do something about it. If the majority of human kind just sit and ignore this issue, if this should be a major concern, then we will be in more trouble. More importantly, we would know what we could do to help the situation. This brings up another concern, are human activities causing this idea of Global Warming and if so, what can we do about it? And lastly, what does the future hold?
According to National Geographic News, planet “Earth is already showing many signs of worldwide climate change.” “The average temperatures have climbed 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit around the world since 1880, much of this in recent decades, according to NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies.” In addition, the National Geographic also states that the arctic ice is rapidly vanishing, and “the region may have its first completely ice-freeze summer by 2040 or earlier.” Other evidence that shows that Global Warming is in the happening according to National Geographic are, “glaciers and mountain snows are rapidly melting—for example, Montana's Glacier National Park now has only 27 glaciers, versus 150 in 1910.” Additionally, “coral reefs, which are highly sensitive to small changes in water temperature, suffered the worst bleaching—or die-off in response to stress—ever recorded in 1998, with some areas seeing bleach rates of 70 percent” according to National Geographic. In the past 10 years, we have experienced and seen an increase in the amount of extreme weather events such as, wild fires in California, hurricanes in the Gulf, Tornados, etc. Throughout most of the evidence that we have witnessed, we have seen this negative correlation with Global Warming; however, Matt McGrath, BBC News Science Reporter, sees a more positive correlation with one aspect of Global Warming.
ReplyDeleteMatt McGrath, BBC News Science Reporter, stated,“ Air pollution may be helping the fight against global warming by enhancing the ability of plants to absorb carbon dioxide.” In this article, McGrath brings up a study that was conducted and scientists found that “since the 1960s, increased levels of atmospheric pollution have enhanced plant productivity by as much as one quarter.” This problem creates a conundrum for some because many see that plants grow better in the clear, sunny weather instead of the hazy conditions; however, scientists are saying that global dimming is responsible for the increase plant productivity by as much as one quarter from 1960 to 1999. The article also talked about if we (US) goes toward a more “green” nation, by getting rid of the smog and particulates in the air, plants will not absorb as much carbon dioxide in the cleaner air conditions. In McGrath’s commentary, we see a positive side towards the Global Warming issue. However, this is probably just small ounce of ‘good’ that comes from Global Warming.
Throughout these few findings, one should come to grasp that we are facing Global Warming and it is only going to become worse throughout the years. In these findings, we can try to eliminate the unnecessary actions by choosing to go green. By doing this, we will be able to help our environment by recycling and keeping our neighborhoods clean. Even though some, and by some I mean very small, good might come from the pollution of the air that we humans contribute to, there is a greater amount of bad that is created because of our doings. So what are you going to do about it?
Works Cited
“Global Warming Fast Facts.” National Geographic News. 14 June 2007. 10 September 2010
.
“The Weather Channel Position Statement on Global Warming.” The Weather Channel.
November 2007. 10 September 2010
.
Global Warming: What should we believe?
ReplyDeleteAfter a little research on global warming it’s likely to be concluded that there is as much evidence supporting this event as disproving it. Climatologists study what the earth’s climate was like thousands of years ago and can produce evidence that climate change is cyclical. Mankind is simply following the course that nature has laid out. Other scientists say it is impossible to ignore that since the industrial revolution in the 19th century, there has been incredible amounts of carbon dioxide pumped into the atmosphere. Carbon Dioxide, or CO2, buildup in the atmosphere has been linked by these scientists and proponents of global warming to being the major cause of this event.
I say: why does it matter? Those who believe global warming exists will always believe it exists. Those who say it doesn’t will always believe it doesn’t. It’s impossible to know which side is right. Authors and experts can site specific sources to further their respective agenda, either supporting or negating global warming. Whom should we believe?
There is even evidence that the sun is actually getting hotter. So it may not just be the increase in carbon dioxide that is causing the perceived warming of the earth. In an article by Denise Kaisler from UCLA entitled Things are Heating Up, she describes how a cycle of sun spots has been increasing the temperature of the earth, albeit very slowly. Kaisler also mentions in the article that during the 17th and 18th centuries there was an absence of these sunspots. Scientists have since determined and correlated that the earth’s temperature dropped by as much as two degrees during this time.
Former presidential contended Al Gore, arguably the one person who has popularized global warming, speaks freely that global warming will melt ice caps and as a result cause the world’s ocean levels to rise. The counter argument to that is if in fact the air temperature is rising wouldn’t that mean there would also be an increase of evaporation of these rising seas?
So again I say “Why care?” There is a much evidence to support this phenomenon as there is to dispute it. There is no right or wrong. While it is documented by scientists that the planet has undergone many heating and cooling cycles with smaller, less severe ones in between, it is naive to think that what humans have done to the environment in the past 150 years has had no effect on the earth’s climate. If anything, it has probably only sped up what was already going to happen.
http://www.astro.ucla.edu/~kaisler/articles/event_horizon/heating.html
Global Warming: What should we believe?
ReplyDeleteAfter a little research on global warming it’s likely to be concluded that there is as much evidence supporting this event as disproving it. Climatologists study what the earth’s climate was like thousands of years ago and can produce evidence that climate change is cyclical. Mankind is simply following the course that nature has laid out. Other scientists say it is impossible to ignore that since the industrial revolution in the 19th century, there has been incredible amounts of carbon dioxide pumped into the atmosphere. Carbon Dioxide, or CO2, buildup in the atmosphere has been linked by these scientists and proponents of global warming to being the major cause of this event.
I say: why does it matter? Those who believe global warming exists will always believe it exists. Those who say it doesn’t will always believe it doesn’t. It’s impossible to know which side is right. Authors and experts can site specific sources to further their respective agenda, either supporting or negating global warming. Whom should we believe?
There is even evidence that the sun is actually getting hotter. So it may not just be the increase in carbon dioxide that is causing the perceived warming of the earth. In an article by Denise Kaisler from UCLA entitled Things are Heating Up, she describes how a cycle of sun spots has been increasing the temperature of the earth, albeit very slowly. Kaisler also mentions in the article that during the 17th and 18th centuries there was an absence of these sunspots. Scientists have since determined and correlated that the earth’s temperature dropped by as much as two degrees during this time.
ReplyDeleteFormer presidential contended Al Gore, arguably the one person who has popularized global warming, speaks freely that global warming will melt ice caps and as a result cause the world’s ocean levels to rise. The counter argument to that is if in fact the air temperature is rising wouldn’t that mean there would also be an increase of evaporation of these rising seas?
So again I say “Why care?” There is a much evidence to support this phenomenon as there is to dispute it. There is no right or wrong. While it is documented by scientists that the planet has undergone many heating and cooling cycles with smaller, less severe ones in between, it is naive to think that what humans have done to the environment in the past 150 years has had no effect on the earth’s climate. If anything, it has probably only sped up what was already going to happen.
http://www.astro.ucla.edu/~kaisler/articles/event_horizon/heating.html
There are many questions to be asked about global warming such as: is it real? Why is it so important now? Why haven’t we done anything about it yet? What causes it? And first of all, what is it? Studies show that the world's climate has been warming since the 1950’s, primarily as a result of emissions from loose burning of fossil fuels and the demolishing of tropical forests. The things that keep heat close to the earth are things like clouds, various gases, water and dirt. Incoming radiation is blocked by some clouds and reflected back away from the earth however, some kids of radiation comes through the clouds and gets absorbed by the earth. Water covers ¾ of the world and has a high specific heat which means it will take a lot to change the temperature quickly. All this water keeps the earth’s temperatures from ranging from very very low to very very high. This activity adds to the atmosphere's blanket of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping "greenhouse" gases. “Recent research has shown that methane, which flows from landfills, livestock and oil and gas facilities, is a close second to carbon dioxide in impact on the atmosphere.”
ReplyDeleteAccording to the New York Times, global warming has become one of the most important issues in our world today, and this is for many reasons. “Warnings from the scientific community are becoming louder, as an increasing body of science points to rising dangers from the ongoing buildup of human-related greenhouse gases — produced mainly by the burning of fossil fuels and forests. On the other hand, the technological, economic and political issues that have to be resolved before a concerted worldwide effort to reduce emissions can begin have gotten no simpler, particularly in the face of a global economic slowdown”. Although we cannot undo the damage that has already been done to the earth’s atmosphere, there are steps we can take to ensure that our children will not have to deal with an even worse problem. The question should not be whether or not to take action, but what can actually help this problem, and who is going to do something about it. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change at the Earth Summit in 1992 had the world’s nations pledge to avoid dangerously troubling the climate through the buildup of gases emitted by things like factories, cars and other automobiles and machines.
ReplyDeleteWhat they never defined however, was what too much pollution is. According to Subhankar Banerjee, in 2009 the leaders of the major countries agreed on a “dangerous climate threshold” which was defined as an increase of 2 degrees Celsius from the previous average temperature recorded. Another question raised is: Who is putting out the most pollution? A statistic shows us that emissions of carbon dioxide per person range from less than 2 tons per year in India to more than 20 in the United States. But these large countries are also the ones who are attempting to do something about the problem: “The richest countries are also best able to use wealth and technology to insulate themselves from climate hazards, while the poorest, which have done the least to cause the problem, are the most exposed.” (New York Times). In my personal opinion, it is far too late to expect drastic changes immediately since we already know that the temperature has been escalating for over 50 years. Had we realized that this was going to a major issue years ago, I believe that laws could have been passed to reduce the amount of poisonous gases that we let into the air. Things like electric cars and a reduced number in factories could have made a huge difference in how far we have let it come. Let us do what we can today with the technology we have, so that global warming is not the reason our Earth does not prosper for our grandchildren.
ReplyDeleteI am curious to see if positions change after our conversation this evening with Dr. DOug Oetter.
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ReplyDeleteGlobal Warming: The Effects of Human Destruction
ReplyDeletePeople all over the world are concerned with the way our Earth will be in the near future. How would the increase in temperatures affect our industries, lives, and future generations? When viewing the idea of global warming, the problem lies within the humans of the planet. Although some issues can be contributed to other factors, humans are causing global warming to increase faster than it normally would.
According to the Weather Channel’s Position Statement on global warming, the replacement of arable land with buildings and industries cause what is known as the urban heat island effect. This means that the increase of industrialization also creates emissions that are transmitted into the atmosphere. It also increases the chance of ground-level natural disasters happening. At the alarming rate that cities are growing, how would this effect be in the next ten years?
Humans are also partly responsible for the greenhouse effect, which also increases the Earth’s temperatures. The greenhouse effect helps regulate the temperature but with various gases being produced by human interactions the effect has diminishing slightly. Water vapor is the most abundant greenhouse gas followed by carbon dioxide. Most carbon dioxide gases are emitted through the combustion of gas, oil, and coal. Some scientists have tried to help diminish this problem by creating inventions such as electric cars and many companies create solar-powered appliances. There has also been an increase in people “going green” or trying to doing things to protect the earth.
Many people believe that the actions of humans are making the temperature of the Earth increase dramatically. But according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, global surface temperatures have increased about .18ºC since the late-19th century. They also report that seven of the warmest years have occurred since 2001. The emissions of gases have created a blanket over the Earth which causes the atmosphere to hold more heat. This effect can be shown on by the melting of glaciers and the increase and decrease of summer and winter temperatures. But the main problem lies with the actions of humans. What can be done to help decrease the rate of global warming? Have we created and effect that cannot be stopped?
PAPER #2:
ReplyDeleteOn Tuesday evening, Dr. Oetter presented information on climate change and led the class in a lab activity where you manipulated temperature data to draw conclusions about climate change. In light of the presentation, class discussions, science content, and lab activity, please answer the following question:
A recent article that you recieved last Tuesday questioned if it was getting hotter in Georgia. What is your response to the article?
Outline/score guide ((at least 250 words; on 25 pts)
1. Begin your repsonse with a strong title that expresses your position briefly.
2. A brief introduction should poses a fact or question for the audience to consider and presents main idea; keep to a sentence or two. (5 pts)
3. Present your main argumentat this point with clear evidence to support your claims; provide statements with evidence and facts from your research that supports this position. Remember that this is where you are informing us of why the issue is important. Include examples, charts, quotes from experts and other data in this section that will back up your position. (10 pts)
4. Compared to what you previously wrote about global warming and climate change in the blog, has your position changed, stayed the same, or is evolving? Indicate clearly with supporting evidence. (5 pts)
5. Finish the argument with a conclusion. Summarize what you have presented but focus in on one or two points you mentioned that you feel are most relevant. End it with an interesting question or thought for the future regarding the issue. (5 pts)
Originally posted on the 10th but didnt show up.
ReplyDeleteWhile I appreciate that we had a guess speaker, and many facts were presented. I still have to contend that the one fact that caused me to question some of my position is still not fully convincing. That fact was the methane increase in samples given and how it correlated to temperature change. I would also like to say that the breaking down of the excel chart graphs were skewed to show what was being looked for. If I wanted to show a global cooling I could use the same data. I also thought it amusing that some of my classmates cited increased cattle production due to methane production...so when we had 200 million buffalo in North America...let alone that fact that it is chemically a different kind of methane. But of course people who believe contrary to this have difficulty to accept my position in the first place. If these scientists had recanted their bad findings previously, or at least acknowledged them I might be more inclined to accept them. However; as a prime example to show our collective lack of understanding there are new articles now stating that the Ozone layer has partially repaired itself but the scientists who are studying it voice the concern that if it does get repaired it might accelerate global warming. You cant have it both ways, again it just shows we dont know enough to make a clear connection on what could be done. So now we are to cripple our country and other countries on a theory that is not proven significantly one way or the other. I continue with the fact that if faulty science of bad instruments and their placement is used as a basis to make a poor conjecture, I have to assume the same scientists are using the same logic with the methane gas and other toxic gasses. Further its all fine for certain political leaders to go to other countries and tell them to fine the U.S. for CO2 emmissions yet they have a CO2 growth rate at 4 times the amount we do (specifically China and India). I would still like to say that if we can anything to prevent pollution that we should. Solar Power, water conservation, plastic recycling (the bottles in the oceans), bio-diesel. So make sure we continue to buy bottled water, drive big SUV's, run airconditioning to the max, and fight against nuclear power, and dont recycle and then come to me trying to convince me of global warming. In final I would have to say that faulty science still seems to be the main stream idea of political sensationalism.
Fewer Tornadoes, More Hurricanes: A Good Compromise?
ReplyDeleteThe article discusses the possible effect of global warming on tornadoes and hurricanes, predicting fewer tornadoes and more hurricanes. Considering Louisiana’s continued struggle to recover after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, is this a compromise we are willing to make?
Duncan’s article on global warming in the Southeast presents information that many people have yet to consider. Obviously, since “Georgia remains one of only about 10 states with no climate action plan” (Duncan), the predicted climate changes for the future of the Southeast are going unheeded. The South is known for their agricultural contributions to the United States economy, if the South is really at such a risk for global warming effects, why are we not considering plans to help counteract the effects of global warming? The article talks about higher temperatures “expanding the range of disease-carrying insects” (Duncan). It also addresses the fact that the Southern climate will be subject to “more frequent and intense droughts, a higher sea level, and more powerful hurricanes” (Duncan). The only unexpected benefit that the article predicts for the Southeast is the reduced tornado activity. The Southern economy would suffer greatly if crops were infested with disease-carrying insects and if droughts became more severe. So why is the South not taking a plan of action? Everyone saw the damages of hurricanes to Louisiana; if scientists are predicting even more powerful hurricanes, and Southern economy would already be suffering a weakened economy, why is it that we are not creating a climate action plan?
My position on global warming has not changed much. However, I no longer believe that methane is the most harmful greenhouse gas, but Dr. Oetter’s presentation taught me that it is the fastest growing greenhouse gas. I believe carbon dioxide is the most harmful and prevalent at the moment, but I am still evolving in my understanding of global warming and the effects of greenhouse gases.
Considering the effects of Hurricane Katrina on Louisiana and the Southeast’s reputation as an agricultural region, I believe it is time for Georgia to come up with a climate action plan to help counteract the predictions made by experts. If we don’t, will the hurricane that hits Georgia a decade from now have more long-term damaging effects than Hurricane Katrina? Do we really want that?
Climate and Global Warming: What is causing Georgia Heat?
ReplyDeleteGeorgia is definitely getting warmer but is it from global warming or the climate change over the years? My proposal on global warming in the first blog stated that human activities are the main cause of global warming. After the presentation with Dr. Otter, I believe that global warming could be a false cause for the heating of the earth. He convinced me that the climate patterns over thousands of years may be the leading cause in the climate. I think global warming does exist, but it is not affecting the earth as intensely as we think. It is still important for us to recycle and conserve our earth, but I don’t believe we are facing depletion of the earth. We still need to take precautions for our future humans to come.
The most important thing that Georgia needs to be worried about is the heating may have effects on agriculture. Whether or not it is caused by global warming, we need to be concerned for the economy of our country. If the crops deteriorate this means less food for everyone, not only in Georgia. So what is our plan of action? Our job is to not focus on what causes the heat, but how we can fix it. It will take costly measures to try to fix the damage we have done, but it will only take time for everyone to realize this is serious. Global warming is real. So is climate change. No matter which way we lean towards, both are critical to our planet.
Sara, Rebecca, and Jeff, you have all presented very interesting arguments. Sara and Rebecca, I do not see you allude to the data that you analyzed. How, if any, might it be related to being consistent or inconsistent with your position? Jeff, I am unsure of what your inferred by "skewed" data. Good arguments!
ReplyDeletePART 1 OF 2?
ReplyDeleteReporters predict Hotter Southeast in Decades to come, but they also predicted Rain for Tuesday.
I have been a resident of the state of Georgia for the past twelve years, and I asked myself after reading Heather Duncan’s article, “Report predicts even hotter Southeast in decades to come”, when haven’t I expected a summer to be hot in Georgia?
As a former New Yorker, I am going to analyze the data collected by Weather Underground between the states of New York (a northern state) and Georgia (a southern state). It was just this past April, the 27th to be exact, when the temperature in Georgia was at a means of 63°F, yet New Yorkers were waking up to blankets of snow across their lawns with their means temperature of 51°F. Only a year before, the temperature in New York was a high of 82°F. On July 11, 2010, Georgia’s highest temperature was 96°F; but in the 1930’s, Georgia recorded a record high temperature of 105°F with no air conditioning to speak of for the vast majority of people. On October 11, 2010, the temperature in Georgia reached a high of 87°F; however, the record high for this date was 93°F in 1982. In New York, on the same date, the temperature reached a high of 79°F with their highest temperature being recorded in 1949 at 88°F. In comparing this eighty year time span, temperatures reflect a constant fluctuation between highs and lows.
Duncan supports her view by bringing up NASA, and its data which supposedly proves man made global warming. Nevertheless, various nationwide news reports brought to light that scientists had “temperature stations with sensors on the roofs of buildings, near air-conditioning exhaust vents, in parking lots near hot automobiles, barbecues, chimneys and on pavement and concrete surfaces – all of which would lead to higher temperature recordings than properly established conditions”(Unruh). In other words, “to qualify as a properly maintained temperature station, sensors must be placed in elevated, slatted boxes on flat ground surrounded by a clear surface on a slope of less than 19 degrees with surrounding grass and vegetations ground cover of less than 10 centimeters high. The sensors must be located at least 100 meters from artificial heating or reflecting surfaces, such as buildings, concrete surfaces and parking lots”(Unruh). The picture below is one of the thousands taken of thermometer shelters being placed in unorthodox testing zones.
PART 2 OF 2
ReplyDelete“More than 31,000 scientists across the U.S. – including more than 9,000 Ph.D.s in fields such as atmospheric science, climatology, Earth science, environment and dozens of other specialties – have signed a petition rejecting ‘global warming.’” “Scientists from NASA say that Mars has warmed by about 0.5C since the 1970s. This is similar to the warming experienced on Earth over approximately the same period. More recently scientists have observed that Jupiter is undergoing a massive climate change as evidenced by increased turbulence of gigantic storms on Jupiter” (Unruh). Unlike Earth, neither Mars nor Jupiter has activity which would provide green house gasses.
“Of the 186 billion tons of carbon from CO2 that enter earth's atmosphere each year from all sources, only 6 billion tons are from human activity. Approximately 90 billion tons come from biologic activity in earth's oceans and another 90 billion tons from such sources as volcanoes and decaying land plants.” “Approximately every 100,000 years Earth's climate warms up temporarily. These warm periods, called interglacial periods, appear to last approximately 15,000 to 20,000 years before regressing back to a cold ice age climate. At year 18,000 and counting our current interglacial vacation from the Ice Age is much nearer its end than its beginning” (Heib).
Additionally, if the government is anti-carbon dioxide and the so called harm that it is doing to our planet, then why do we still have soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan? On a daily basis, the average American soldier uses sixteen gallons of oil -- “either directly, through the use of Humvees, tanks, trucks, and helicopters, or indirectly, by calling in air strikes. Multiply this figure by 162,000 soldiers in Iraq, 24,000 in Afghanistan, and 30,000 in the surrounding region (including sailors aboard U.S. warships in the Persian Gulf) and you arrive at approximately 3.5 million gallons of oil: the daily petroleum tab for U.S. combat operations in the Middle East war zone”(Pacific Free Press). “The [Iraq] war is responsible for at least 141 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MMTCO2e) since March 2003. To put this in perspective, CO2 released by the war to date equals the emissions from putting 25 million more cars on the road in the US this year” (Climateandcapitalism.com).
With all the information being provided, my views on global warming have remained constant. I still stand by my belief that the temperature changes are not being caused by manmade global warming; however, I do think we should take part in keeping our planet green and healthy with an ecosystem that we can all embrace. Global warming or no global warming, we should respect ourselves and do our upmost to respect Mother Earth.
Weather can effect so many factors of our lives such as the economy, insurance costs, deaths or people and animals, roads and railroads buckling, crops, and the future of our world. These day to day effects are crucial factors that are not only effect the world but the southeast at an alarming rate. The fact that Georgia is one of the only states that does not have a climate action plan is extremely worrisome and need to be implemented before theses factors affect our home state and end in death for our future great grandchildren's lives. To stop the weather from causing such terrible effects the problem of global warming.
ReplyDeleteSo how does global warming cause such interesting and shocking effects to our lives in the future. There are some questions and suspicions that arise from the article. Such as why the southeast? And why 2080's? This seems so far in the future that it shouldn't be a concern yet. The fact thought that Georgia is one of 10 states that don't have an action plan for the future is frightening, because scientist are not always perfectly accurate. What if the severe weather effects come sooner and we are not prepared. Why has Georgia not designed action plan when we are deep in the middle of the southeast which is the prime region that global warning's side effects will effect the most. The smog,heat,crime and gnat problems are increasing every year in Atlanta and if the drought had increased 14% since the mid 1970s then how much more will it increase by 2020? the severity of all the effects of global warming are so vast from economy to the death of crops and farm animals. If you think of all the effects happening at once sound like a end of the world scenario movie. The southeast need to stop ignoring the increasing heat index and start realizing the long term effects instead of just a few degrees hotter in the summer, its actual almost 9 degrees since the 1980s.
My thought on global warming has not changed at all I am just learning more and more about it which increases my frustration and confusion about why I didn't know this information already and why we have not made important changes in our lifestyles. My knowledge is building more and more about global warming and now I know not only what global warming is and whats causing it, but more so about the effects on the weather. Its as if global warming is a brutal circle that causes so many effects like weather which then causes so many effects such as harm to the poor, and elderly. Also from Dr. Oetter's presentation I realized that global warming has created our nation to demand so many answers about global warming but that scientist are still learning and researching to try and answer theses questions.
No one likes these summer s getting hotter and hotter , but if nothing get changed then we are going to ruin our way of life from the cost of insurance, spread of disease ridden insects increasing, and the destruction of transportation systems and our land including livestock. So global warming number one effect is the weather which will cause a viscous domino effect to so many factors of our lives here in the southeast region on America.
Is it really getting hotter?
ReplyDeleteThe “Report predicts even hotter Southeast in decades to come” article by Heather Duncan predicts that Georgia’s temperatures are increasing and will continue to increase causing more problems. Then we were given data on annual average temperatures in Georgia from 1910-2008, where the average fluctuates up and down slightly every year. With the latest being about average. To me these don’t add up.
No I know that for the averages there could have been some really cold days that brought the average down but Heather Duncan predicts that they are rising. Therefore the average for each year should rise, and for some years it does, but there are a lot of years where it decreases. Looking at the chart we made in class the highest average temperatures were reached in the early 1900’s and about 1940 they began to drop. It was not till the 1980’s that the temperatures start to rise again. But the latest of these are still not as high as they were in the early 1900’s. I would have thought that about the 1940’s the temperatures would have started to gradually increase and that it would still be gradually increasing. But the data is going up and down like a yo- yo.
In the first blog I was wondering why this topic has just recently become such a big deal. I was also not aware of the data and lacked a lot of the knowledge behind it all. After seeing Georgia’s data and Dr. Otter’s presentation I have concluded that the climate change is just a cycle. It fluctuates on its own. Now I think that humans may help the situation in increase but I’m not sure if it is as significantly as some think.
Not Just Animals will not be Dying
ReplyDeleteAs Georgia and other parts of the Southeast are having more and hotter days are animals the only ones who will, and are dying? Research is showing that as the Southeast is getting hotter not only will cattle start to die, but it will also soon start to affect elderly, racial minorities, and the poor. People are already arguing about how global warming is affecting the wild life, but once we start having over 150 days of temperatures reaching over 90 we will start losing human lives. As upset as people are over animals think how they will react when humans start to die. Now that we have these facts Georgia needs to come up with a climate action plan. Although we have caused this damage over years we still have time. Research is showing all this should really hit by 2080 to 2099. If we take action now think f the lives both human and animal that will be saved. According to the research fewer cold related deaths will occur we will have many more heat related deaths which the researchers says won’t really make a difference in numbers.
As I stated in my first blog I do believe that global warming is causing animals to die. This new article and facts is causing my belief to evolve. This report states that yes we will be losing human life as well, but also the deaths of more and more animals. Their deaths won’t just be from the heat causing the environments to change for these animals. They will also have to deal with an increase in droughts, higher sea levels, and storm and hurricanes. These are all factors that can cause these animals to die in the process.
Human life and animal lives are both in extreme danger right now. If the state of Georgia and the rest of the southeast don’t act soon it will be too late. If not for your own life and you family’s life, but the future of your families shouldn’t we act now?
Is Georgia so Much Different from the Rest of the World?
ReplyDeleteThere is plenty of evidence to support the fact the Earth is getting warmer, and with warmer weather introduces new problems. But is the Southeast going to be hit the hardest with this warmer climate? Global warming is strongly related to the emission of green house gasses such as carbon dioxide. According to “Report predicts even hotter Southeast in decades to come” with the increase of these gasses “the Southeast is likely to see twice as many days a year with temperatures hitting the 90 degree mark or hotter…” With data saying that states such as Georgia will see an increase of around 4.5 to 9 degrees in average temperature increase. With even an increase in the average temperature of just a few degrees can dramatically influences these activates in the southeast. An article from Climate Progress supports the argument that Georgia will have negative impacts from global warming. With Georgia and other southeast states being large in agricultural base area wild weather can strongly impact how we live. In the post “Hell and High Water hits Georgia,” the main point of this article is that, “as climate scientists have predicted for a long time, wild climate swings are becoming the norm, in this case with once-in-a-century drought followed by once-in-a-century flooding.” With such unpredictable weather patterns of droughts and floods Georgia will struggle in agriculture and the way the south lives. Gayer says that Georgia needs to take a stance to global warming. By taking the information that we have and set targets to create renewable energy. I don’t know if it is too late but the southeast need to take a stand in starting to counteract what global warming will eventually destroy if nothing is done. Could we be able to as the region of the southeast be able to reduce these changes? The weather is changing and we need to be able to adapt to these droughts and floods and high temperature but more importantly we need to find ways to cut down on the emission of green house gasses. .
Causes of Global Warming
ReplyDeleteWhat is global warming? Well, to some people it is the increase in the temperature of Earth's air and oceans, and to other people it is nothing because it just does not exist. It has been happening all throughout the 20th century and it is expected to continue. Since the 20th century, an increase in the average temperature of the Earth has been reported to be 1.33 ± 0.32 °F, which is most likely due to the increased concentrations of greenhouse gases. The increased concentrations of greenhouse gases have most likely been caused by deforestation and the increased use of fossil fuels. During the 21st century, it is predicted that the temperature will continue to increase, but it is still uncertain to what will happen. While many people do not believe that global warming is real or even happening, in the scientific community, the general consensus is that it is indeed happening.
There has been evidence to support temperature increase in the world. One of the most compelling pieces of evidence is the melting of ice and a rise in sea level. Once a certain threshold is reached, the arctic ice that has been melting and is responsible for the increased sea levels, is expected to increase in melting speed. This will lead to an even greater increase in sea level and a decrease in the surface area that is covered with ice in the arctic.
Several factors are contributing to this phenomenon a changing climate. These factors are radiative forcing due to changes in atmospheric composition, which is just a fancy word for saying and increased greenhouse gases, changes in solar luminosity, volcanic eruptions and variations in Earth’s orbit around the Sun. Since Earth’s orbital cycle around the Sun only varies slowly over tens of thousands of years, it really is not too much of a factor, but it is there. Over the past century, the biggest factor has most likely been the increase in the amount of greenhouse gases.
So what are greenhouse gases exactly? Well, in short they are gasses that produce the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect happens when gases in the atmosphere warm a planet’s lower atmosphere and surface due to absorption and emission of infrared radiation. This is a problem because with more human interaction on the environment, comes more gases which cause more of a greenhouse effect. When this occurs naturally, it is ok because it does not have too much of an effect on the planet, usually having an average warming effect of about 33 degrees. These greenhouse gases have had an increase since the industrial revolution due to the increase in from CO2, methane, tropospheric ozone, CFCs and nitrous oxide.
In the future to combat a warming climate, many countries are trying to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases that are put into the atmosphere by their factories and from their cities. This mitigation of climate change is being done by both developed and developing countries. Another way that some countries are trying to monitor the amount of greenhouse gases is that they are trying to use cleaner, less polluting, technologies. By doing this less CO2 will be added to the already polluted atmosphere and will cause a decrease in global warming. Although it will not completely get rid of all of the global warming, it will help. What is important to remember with global warming is that it is a natural occurrence and will happen whether or not there is human interaction or not. The thing that most people do not realize is that human interaction is speeding it up and making it worse than it would be without human interaction instead of being the reason for global warming.
Hotter in Georgia or not? That is the question.
ReplyDeleteFrom all of the information we have gathered throughout the past few weeks of our scientific journey, could global warming be a fact or a foe?
In the article by Heather Duncan, “Report Predicts Even Hotter Southeast in Decades to Come”, she begins by asking if Middle Georgia summer are hot enough? This is an absolutely agreeable question to me. I have lived in Middle Georgia all of my life, and I have witnessed an increase in the temperature during the summers. It is as if Middle Georgia was thrown in an oven for the summer! The summer season has extremely increased in temperature so much, the vegetation and agriculture has not been able to produce at its best. In my family’s garden, we were not able to grow enough of the vegetables as we used to in the past because of the excessive heat the plants were getting. Though we had an ample amount of irrigation for the garden, the heat from the increase in temperature was stopping the growth. This is a prime example of proof that global warming is existing. From what I gathered in the powerpoint presented by Dr. Oetter, it may be a slow process, but the world is experiencing a small temperature increase each year.
My viewpoint from the previous blog has not changed at all. From my example and from the facts of the presentation and article, Middle Georgia has been and will be having an increase of temperature. With droughts happening, melting of the ice cap, and more weather catastrophe’s, how could you not agree with the warming of our world?
Position on Global Warming
ReplyDeleteI think that global warming is in fact the cause of the climate change in Georgia, after seeing the presentation. I however, do not think that it is really anything to be too concerned about. I do not think that it is anything to be too concerned about because I think that the people that live there will adapt to the changing temperature. The only real problems that I see coming from the change in temperature is the increased death rate from the heat, for both humans and animals.
One thing that may be a problem is the increased death rate in both humans and animals. I think that this will be a problem because if the cattle dies in the south then there will be less beef to send out of the south, which means that there will be less money overall in the south. This will be a bigger problem than the change in temperature because without money from the exporting beef out of the south, many farms will fail and the poverty level will increase.
In the end I believe that precautions should be taken to decrease global warming but, expenses should be put into other things that need more attention at the moment. Sure global warming is happening, but in there is really nothing that we can do about it since global warming is cyclical. Unlike before when I thought that I had a clear opinion of global warming, I think that now as I get more evidence for and against the argument of global warming, my opinion is evolving.
Hotter in Georgia
ReplyDeleteIs the Southeast really getting hotter? We have been researching global warming over the past fews weeks in our class and even had an expert in the area come talk and share his ideas with us. From what Dr. Otter has shared with us and what Heather Duncan’s article shares with us, my question is, is global warming really happening?
Dr. Otter’s presentation did show us that there has been a slight increase in temperature over thousands and thousands of years. His data that he showed as and that we worked with in Excel showed us that there is nothing to worry about. The data showed us that the weather fluctuates from year to year. So, should we really worry about global warming then?
Then I read this article and it’s warning us about the dangerous affects that Georgia is facing if we don’t make a change in our daily lives. Georgia is also one of only ten states that doesn’t have a climate action plan which is a little scary, considering forty other states feel that they should be making changes. Does Georgia just believe there is nothing to worry about yet like Dr. Otter presented or should we start making changes before things get worse?
My stance on the situation hasn’t changed. I still believe in global warming. I do believe that human action does play a part, but just not as much as media leads us to believe. I also think Georgia should have an action plan, because believe in Global Warming or not we should still try to take care of our Earth so it will take care of us in our future and our later generation’s future.
Will our summers really be longer and hotter? That’s what a report released by the U.S. government says. The report predicts a doubling of the number of days each year with temperatures at or above 90 degrees. How can you trust this report? How does Georgia compare to the rest of the country? These are two important questions that are not answered by this article.
ReplyDeleteIn this article, the sources for this report are very credible. Information from 13 federal departments including NASA, the EPA, and the National Research Council, make up the report. Little of the research methods, methodology, sampling methods, or any other scientific information is given in this article. I don’t even see the name of this report mentioned in the article. Without an explanation of how this data was derived, a skeptical person would make the judgment that it’s all fabricated.
I realize the focus of this article is the southeast and that mentioned in the report are other forecasts for the other geographic regions of the country. I would have liked to see mentioned how the southeast measures up to other regions. Is the southeast going to be the hottest or most vulnerable to hurricanes, tornadoes, and droughts? The report says there has been a 14 percent increase in the area of drought during the warmer months of the year since the 1970’s. Who’s not to say that a depleted water table due to aggressive irrigation practices is not to blame?
I understand all the evidence presented in this report paints a grim picture for the southeast and the rest of the country. My stance on global warming hasn’t changed from my previous posting. While I accept that humans may have contributed to a phenomenon called global warming there is still the geological evidence of cyclical climate change throughout the earth’s existence.
Heating Up or Cooling Down?
ReplyDeleteAccording to Heather Duncan’s article, “Reports predict even hotter Southeast in decades to come,” she states that the U.S. government predicts it will become even hotter. She also states that “reports predict that the hottest days will be more than 10 degrees hotter” than the average temperature today. In addition, by the 2080s, Duncan states “the region will seen an increase of 4.5 to 9 degrees in its average temperatures, depending on carbon dioxide emissions. These findings are scary and could cause a huge problem for Georgia. However, I would ask will the earth always be heating up?
Georiga is considered one of the major states for agriculture. To find that temperature will be increasing to these drastic measures could be deathly, especially for our crops. In addition to these finding from Duncan’s article, Dr. Oetter, a professor from Georgia College & State University, presented a presentation “Global Warming: Human Impact of Climate Change.” Throughout this presentation, he simply presented the facts, with limited to no bias towards his belief of Global Warming.
During his presentation, Dr. Oetter informed us that CO2 and CH4 directly correlate with the Earth’s temperature. This was a really eye-opening experience for me considering I have always been told that Global Warming is the result of our actions—the emission of CO2 gases. However, Dr. Oetter presented that could the world be cooling down instead of heating up?
To know and understand that the Earth could be cooling down instead of heating up was mind-boggling. However, when we did the lab activity where we manipulated the temperature data that was given, we noticed that at certain points the temperatures were cooling down instead of heating up even though when looking at the big picture, the graph showed an overall increase in temperature. By doing this activity, I was able to understand the idea of how the earth’s temperature reflects that of Global Warming.
I believe that we are in the midst of Global warming; however, I do not believe that our actions--the emission of CO2 gases is the main cause of it which is what I had originally thought in the previous blog. The Earth's temperature is the main focus in Global Warming... but
will the earth always be heating up? Or is there a possible chance that the earth could be cooling down?
Georgia’s Future Climate
ReplyDeleteWith all the evidence of temperature increases being presented to us along with the theory of global warming, it is important to focus on what the actual affect will be on our immediate living area. Georgia, itself, already remains a state with a higher climate, yet adding the effects of global warming, the outcome could be even more extreme.
The report by Heather Duncan supplies research done by the US Global Change Research Program to paint us a picture of Georgia’s future climate if global warming persists. The report predicts that in seventy years, this region will see an increase of 4.5 to 9 degrees in its average temperature. Although this degree change may not seem that large numerically, a few degrees change could result in extremities in weather change patterns as well as harmful effects on wildlife, plantlife, and heat related human deaths being increased.
With all the information we are being presented with from our guest speaker as well as research from reports, my view on global warming is evolving with my understanding of it. Although I am still not 100% clear on the facts of global warming, I do see that the research shows us that the Earth’s temperature is rising. This rising temperature will have many effects on our lives, especially in the lives of our children and grandchildren if Georgia really does see a temperature increase in seventy years. The information we are being presented with, regardless of stance on global warming, should be viewed as important and citizens need to begin adapting for hotter temperature while we still have time, as well as looking for resolutions to solve the heating issue.
What Are the Effects of Our Temperatures Rising?
ReplyDeleteOur article states that the Southeast’s average temperatures will increase between 4.5º and 9º by the 2080s (Duncan). Many people are not worried about what the future is going to be like because they are not going to experience the effects. I honestly think that temperatures are increasing and humans are making it increase faster than it normally would. Not only are the temperatures going to increase but it will cause a difference in our lifestyles. There would be an increase in droughts, storms, and higher sea levels. With droughts, the crop industry would create less food production. As we all know, agriculture is very important to the Southeast and higher temperatures would ruin it.
After further discussion in class, I feel as if the earth is going in a cyclical pattern. The earth experiences fluctuation periods where the temperatures increase and decrease over time. Now we are in an era where the temperatures are increasing and the human contributions are partly making the temperatures increase than they normally would. But the problem I have is that there is really not any comparative data for this. Scientists just know that there are plenty of CO2 gases being admitted into the atmosphere.
Since my previous position paper, I feel as if there is still a lot more to be learned. I am still curious and questionable about what is really happening. From Dr. Otter’s presentation, I have a better understanding as to why global warming is becoming such a big issue.
Rising Temperatures Affect Our Lifestyles
ReplyDeleteGlobal Warming has more of an effect on our lifestyle than we sometimes think. Global Warming is causing drastic changes in the temperatures in Georgia. There has been significant evidence that the temperatures are becoming more extreme and having a big effect on the agriculture industry. It is important for us to understand the changes that are occurring because they have such big effects on how people live. The agriculture industry is taking the brunt from these temperature changes because a lot of plants, animals, and crops will die because they do not know how to sustain changes in temperature. Previously I wrote about global warming and how I felt about it, not much of my position has changed except that this helps me to further understand that changes in the atmosphere and how the earth’s natural processes work. I think that global warming has a lot bigger of an effect on every day life than we think. Temperature changes are just one of many things that are affected by global warming. I think there will be more effects on human life in the future as our atmosphere continues to change.
Questioning The Fate of Georgia’s Climate
ReplyDeleteWhy is it important to study the change in climate for Georgia? Why should we even care about the future effects of global warming? I have always been very apathetic when it comes to the concept of Global Warming. I have never really cared about either point of view, because facts and statistics have been so politicized and skewed in both directions. After listening to Dr. Oetter speak, and reading several articles, I have come to realize the importance of planning for a future full of change. As the nation saw after the Katrina tragedy, natural disasters effect everyone, and not just those directly involved. In the article about getting hotter in Georgia, S. Heather Duncan calls for a plan of action. The state is one of few that do not have a climate action plan. Whether global warming actually exists or not is still up for debate in my mind; however it is enviable that there will be a climate / weather / other natural disaster in our future. Planning is essential to the survival of our communities and key to keeping order in areas that are not directly influenced. My opinions are still evolving on the issue of what is happening on a grand scale, and whether or not humans are directly involved. In conclusion, I feel that there is a change happening in Georgia, and it is essential that as a state, we make a climate action plan to be prepared for a future disaster.
(Here is my original global warming position paper that I could not get to post earlier.)
ReplyDeleteGlobal Warming- Fact or Fear motive?
The issue of global warming has caused some “heated” debates in the last few years. Almost every time it is brought up, we see it associated with political agendas. This political blend with Armageddon like messages make me see Global Warming as more of a tool to use fear as a driving force for politicians. If politicians can convince citizens that the Earth is going to heat up beyond control resulting in a wasteland, than the citizens are sure to follow their every command to prevent this, whether it simply be cleaning up the environment, or buying energy efficient cars made by certain companies.
On the other hand, if we remove the left and right wing arguments over global warming, as well as the money making tshirts, bags, cars, and other items, we are left with simply the research. Examining the research of temperature change over the years and predicting the future temperature is the only sure way to take a true stance on the issue.
Even though I still do not feel as if I have enough knowledge yet to take a stance on the issue of whether or not we, as a society are causing the Earth to heat up; I still believe that as a society, we are in need of a change. I do not know if chemicals being produced by our man made products are leading to hotter temperature or not, but regardless of that fact, we as a society can only benefit from not using harmful chemicals and cleaning up our planet. Creating more energy efficient tools and Earth friendly devices is an essential method we need to employ, especially being a country that consumes so much of the world’s energy, and produces just as much waste.
I believe that the taking a side view on global warming turns so many people off of the issue completely when in reality, we should be taking a side on whether we are going to continue to pollute our one and only planet, or keep it clean and livable for our generation as well as future generations.
Future generations is also a big issue when examined because almost all of us look at issues only with the thought of how will this effect me and only me. The truth, however, is that our decisions and actions that occur now, will cause a ripple affect through generations to come. Our short lives are almost a blink on the history timeline and our plans may never manifest before our own eyes, yet reducing “greenhouse gases” and cleaning up our planet will, in my opinion, greatly benefit our children’s children and so on.
The best way to implement these actions would be to educate the masses on how much energy we truly use and how much pollution we are producing as a result of it. Instead, it seems that the fear of global warming and arguments from politicians are sending the wrong messages to the masses which prevents any progress from occurring. I am eager to learn more on the research behind global warming to more fully understand the issues behind it. Regardless of the stance I take, I still believe that it doesn’t truly matter if global warming exists or not, as long as we all understand that we only have one planet which should be taken care of.
Global Warming in the Southeast: Humans Are To Blame
ReplyDeleteThe entire world has suffered from the effects of global warming, but each region has had a different experience. According to a climate researcher in UGA’s Department of Geography, Marshal Shepherd, “The consensus is clear among climate scientist that our climate is changing,” and that humans play a major part in the change. Regional warming is affected by the amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that humans pump into the atmosphere. Just like every other region in the world, the Southeast cannot escape the death grip that global warming has on it. What kind of consequences should we expect if we do not take the necessary steps to slow global warming?
Hotter days are not the only thing people should expect with global warming. Our main concern should be water availability. As global warming continues, the southeast’s climate will become drier and hotter. An extreme increase in the day-to-day temperatures will lead to a faster rate of water evaporation. There have been predictions for more rainfall and flooding, but the high temperatures will negate any human benefits. The water will evaporate faster than we can collect it and we will be left with nothing to consume. Without water humans will not survive very long on this planet.
As I said in my last position paper, global warming is mainly caused by human actions. The big contributors to global warming are overpopulation, pollution, and deforestation. I agree with Shepherd when he says “It’s not doom in the next year or next five years. The time to act is now.” People should be conserving water because a rise in the temperature is inevitable. We should also slow down on the activities that contribute to global warming, such as deforestation and the burning of fossil fuels. If we sit back and do nothing we are doomed.
Global Warming: Fiction in the Making or an Action Plan
ReplyDeleteHas Global Warming really been as stressful on the world as the media made it? During a science class I have been taking a professor came in and produced a moving presentation that didn’t state that Global Warming is NOT happening but it did present that yes the Earth’s atmosphere is heating and the average temperature has risen a few degrees in the past few thousand years but it also showed that the Sun is also getting hotter and by the time the earth heats enough to cause a lot of damage the Sun is already going to burn it to a crisp. So is the change and rise in the average heat really affecting us terribly?
The Earths temperature has been rising in the past few thousand years but the Earth has seen hotter, much hotter, days in the past but that was when humans were not alive. But should we as Earths inhabitants take a few steps to preserve the earth that we know now? Is it ok to leave the actions we are taking now to their selves and see what is going to happen until it gets to a point our great (many great) grand kids must suffer?
Global warming is happing on a VERY small scale, yes icebergs and ice sheets are melting and the average temperature has risen a few degrees. But should what we are doing now be changed to prolong others lives? I think yes, I have grow up in Middle Georgia and I have always heard from my parents, aunts, uncles, and grandparents and friends of the family that the past twenty or thirty years its been much hotter and less rainfall than they remember as children. My father and grandfather remember when that could plant corn and always have a good crop of 30 to 40 bushels per acre because they didn’t have as many 100 degree days and they would almost have at least one day of rain per week. Now when a farmer plants corn if that farmer doesn’t have an irrigation system then they might not get back the seed they put into planting. I believe that we as humans should make as many good decisions on the environment and with global warming as we can. Yes the average has only risen a few degrees in the past years but those few degrees have made changes on the environment and will have lasting impressions on the people if some action is not taken. The earth does need to be taken care of and we are but stewards of this land.
I think that yeah mathematically the earth’s temperature has only risen a few degrees and that media is blowing it out of proportion, but I also think that those few degrees have already had a few major changes and they are showing. The professor that came to the class showed that this is a cycle that repeats itself, so yes we are now on the upper climb of temperature and that the earth is going to get a little hotter but it will crest and then we will go back into a colder climate just like the earth always has. But to keep the Earth on its own time schedule so it will hopefully stay on its own temperature scale and for us to not throw it off I think we need to take action to clean up our act, like I stated earlier in this paper, we are but stewards of this earth, now let us be good stewards.
In this article by Duncan, she repeatedly provides information on how the Southeast, specifically, is going to feel the impact of global warming. It almost appears as if she is using a scare tactic in order to change views, but maybe not? I understand that the article states they have done “research” and “studies”, but it is hard for me to believe that in less than century, this region will be experiencing dramatic increases (of 4.5-9 degrees) in its average temperatures. How can the hottest days increase by TEN DEGREES by 2080? It seems absurd. If we’ve only recently begun to notice a slight change of 1 degree in the Earth’s average climate, how can this rapid change occur…and in just the Southeast?
ReplyDeleteThere was no mention on the Southeast compared to other regions, so this knowledge is lacking – but if this huge jump in temperature were true, I would have to believe it wouldn’t just apply to the Southeast.
Whether this information is correct or not, I do believe Georgia should create an action plan (seeing that it remains one of the 10 states that have yet to do so). In my earlier post of global warming, I stated that I didn’t have enough knowledge on global warming to really take a side, and if changes were to occur it wouldn’t be until much later in the future. Although I still hold this belief, I do think we as individuals and as a country should be more concerned with the future in the realm of global warming. If it is something that we should worry about, if the Southeast’s average temperature (and other regions) is to increase by ten degrees within a century, if it really is true – then we have to do something.
BUT, in Doug Oetter ‘s presentation on global warming, we saw that the Earth may in fact be cooling down. So how does this affect how view on global warming? Over the desired time period, the average temperature increased slightly, but the temperature at certain intervals was in fact cooling. He also showed that the agents affecting global warming are not solely due to human activity.
So, this leaves me (probably most of us) still in a bit of confusion. We saw the Earth’s temperature cooling down at times, then an overall slight increase, now it’s supposed to suddenly jump 10 degrees in the Southeast?
When is Georgia not hot?
ReplyDeleteSince I've been living in Georgia, which is my entire life I can not think of a summer where it was not hot! Some summers yes it may be cooler for the majority then the one before, but it still gets hot and we still have storms.
From the data seen from Heather Duncan it is clearly getting hotter in Georgia and in the Southeast. But with all this talk about tornadoes and hurricanes increasing, but it also says that a "study published last month indicates that the droughts caused by global warming could have an unexpected benefit in the Southeast: reducing tornado activity". So which is it? Does it cause hurricanes and such or not? The data presented is clearly contradicting some of the same points. So my position is clearly confused, but I would say that I do believe the Southeast especially Georgia could help with how we treat this Earth.
As I said in my paper before I do believe that making the Earth greener will definitely help, and I think that is still true and that Georgia could definitely work on that. I wish what we could see is studies done about "being green" really helped or not. Because then I could truly give an opinion on what I think is happening. So I would say my stance right now still stays the same.
So my conclusion would come to this is Georgia really getting hotter? Or is it going through a cycle it has been going through? The evidence is there for both so I am trying to figure out what exactly to believe. And is going "greener" the way to go to improve this?
The More I Learn, the Less I Feel I Know
ReplyDeleteIn the article assigned to us in class, “Report predicts even hotter Southeast in decades to come,” by Heater Duncan, it is suggested that due to global warming, the southeast will be seeing temperatures in the 90 degree mark or hotter, twice as many days in the year, according to a report released by the US Global Change Research Program. The report also indicates the hottest days of the year reaching temperature of 10 degrees or more than have previously been seen. Considering the fact that temperatures in the 100s were observed multiple times this summer, a 10 degrees increase in substantial, and quite frankly sweltering. But do trends in current temperatures indicate such a substantial increase in temperatures?
According to the data we reviewed and analyzed in class with Dr. Oettter, it does not. We looked at the yearly average temperatures in Milledgeville for the past 100 years, and after plotting them on a scatter plot, could find no true viable trend line in the data indicating a gradual warming or cooling. Therefore our conclusions in class and the argument presented in this article seem to be in stark contrast to one another. So how do we know if Global warming is occurring or not? How am I supposed to choose a side to agree with in the heated debate?
As I noted in my previous paper, the debate lies around the cause of climate changes, and whether or not these changes are merely a natural part of the planets fluctuations, or are in fact related to the greenhouse effect, which is cited at the main cause of global warming, despite the fact that it is a natural process that maintains the earth’s heat. At the time of the creation of my previous paper, I took the stance that there were too many unprecedented “indicators” to ignore. After hearing Dr. Oetter’s lecture in class however, I am skeptical of the claim that I made in the previous paper, not so much in that I disregard it as having any validity, but more in the fact that I am more consciously aware of how little I really know on the matter. The more data and evidence that I come into contact with, the more hesitant I am to make any sort of claim. However for the sake of this assignment I suppose I have to.
After taking in account the information presented in Dr. Oetter’s presentation I am willing to state that any current increase in global temperature would fall in line perfectly with trends in global temperature trends dating back to millions of years ago, so in the claim made in the assigned article, that the Southeast is in fact getting warmer, I don’t disagree. I am aware that this contradicts the data that we discussed in class in reference to the temperatures observed in Milledgeville and there being no warming trend, but I recognize that the data pertains to one city in an entire region, and therefore should not necessarily be widely applicable. But as Dr. Oetter showered us, there does seem to be a correlation between global temperatures, and the concentration of CO2 in the earth’s atmosphere. Therefore, the growing amount of C02 would seem to suggest humans as the cause of global warming. So the question now is what are we, as humans, as a race going to do about it. It is an issue that is going to require all of us, because it will surely affect all of us in due time.
It is no secret that we have been experiencing different weather patterns than we would have expected. Heat waves and humidity have been a problem this summer, and we’re all familiar with heat advisory warnings after this past summer. According to a new report from Environment Georgia, “This year’s heat wave is part of a broader trend of rising temperatures in Georgia, according to a new report released today by the Environment Georgia. The average temperature in Atlanta is up nearly one degree Farenheit since 2000 compared with the previous three decades (1971-2000).” The article continues to discuss the effects of Global Warming on our climate and calls for extensive measure to be taken to reduce our pollution. Our guest speaker in class showed us that though temperatures are rising, this is a predictable and inconsequential rise from a previous “dip” in temperatures. This cyclical nature has been mentioned before, but not with the same evidence and explanation we received in lecture.
ReplyDeleteThough we can feel the effects of hotter days, our life span is such a blimp when comparing global historical temperatures that we cannot assume this is an “spike” we are unprepared for. However, we also explored the increase in gasses. It is true that our carbon footprints are increasing and that we have added harmful elements to our environment which may increase the effects of green house gases. Though we can tell an increase in temperature by up to one full degree, it is only when comparing more recent data that we see any trend of increasing, but when compared to a longer span (like the graphs we looked at and created in class) it is apparent that the increase is miniscule and greater increases are both to be expected and repeated as they have been in past times as well.
In my previous post, I mentioned that it is inevitably cyclical but also that humans are increasing this trend. I stand by that claim, though I now realize how small the impact has been as compared to what the media is portraying. I think more importantly than identifying if “global warming” is occurring at dangerous rates, it is crucial that we understand how long it wil take for us to make positive changes. More alarming than the fact we’re in a time of rising temperatures is the idea that humanity is (though apparently very slowly) destroying our habitat. I think it’s common for people to assume that since we will not be alive long enough to see the hardships and consequences of our negligence, we shouldn’t worry. We’ll get solutions once we see clear and present danger. I am baffled by that mentality. I think we need to focus on the gasses more than the temperatures and realize that we set up the future of our planet with every decision we make. A time for action is not more appropriate than right now. What are we going to do about it today to help decrease the damage tomorrow?
Anna Marie Dipalma
It is no secret that we have been experiencing different weather patterns than we would have expected. Heat waves and humidity have been a problem this summer, and we’re all familiar with heat advisory warnings after this past summer. According to a new report from Environment Georgia, “This year’s heat wave is part of a broader trend of rising temperatures in Georgia, according to a new report released today by the Environment Georgia. The average temperature in Atlanta is up nearly one degree Farenheit since 2000 compared with the previous three decades (1971-2000).” The article continues to discuss the effects of Global Warming on our climate and calls for extensive measure to be taken to reduce our pollution. Our guest speaker in class showed us that though temperatures are rising, this is a predictable and inconsequential rise from a previous “dip” in temperatures. This cyclical nature has been mentioned before, but not with the same evidence and explanation we received in lecture.
ReplyDeleteThough we can feel the effects of hotter days, our life span is such a blimp when comparing global historical temperatures that we cannot assume this is an “spike” we are unprepared for. However, we also explored the increase in gasses. It is true that our carbon footprints are increasing and that we have added harmful elements to our environment which may increase the effects of green house gases. Though we can tell an increase in temperature by up to one full degree, it is only when comparing more recent data that we see any trend of increasing, but when compared to a longer span (like the graphs we looked at and created in class) it is apparent that the increase is miniscule and greater increases are both to be expected and repeated as they have been in past times as well.
In my previous post, I mentioned that it is inevitably cyclical but also that humans are increasing this trend. I stand by that claim, though I now realize how small the impact has been as compared to what the media is portraying. I think more importantly than identifying if “global warming” is occurring at dangerous rates, it is crucial that we understand how long it wil take for us to make positive changes. More alarming than the fact we’re in a time of rising temperatures is the idea that humanity is (though apparently very slowly) destroying our habitat. I think it’s common for people to assume that since we will not be alive long enough to see the hardships and consequences of our negligence, we shouldn’t worry. We’ll get solutions once we see clear and present danger. I am baffled by that mentality. I think we need to focus on the gasses more than the temperatures and realize that we set up the future of our planet with every decision we make. A time for action is not more appropriate than right now.
I always believed in global warming because I felt like I was given the "facts" of what is sure to happen. While I agree with the idea that the planet goes through a cycle from hot to cold, it is hard not to see that what humans are doing on a daily basis affect our enviornment.
ReplyDeleteThe planet goes through changes in climate due to many different factors. The main factors that stick out to me are radiation being released from volcanoes, amount of cloud coverage varies the amount of sunlight that is able to enter our atmosphere, changes in ocean circulation, and of course, how humans emit harmful gases into the atmosphere. While it may seem like humans could not emit enough gas to cause a difference, we can witness that our temperatures are rising compared to the last 50,000 years. Although humans have only exsisted for a mere second on the timeline, you can see how the temperatures have risen at a much faster pace than in history.
I believe that the global warming is a cycle, and the planet will eventually cool itself off and the cycle will start over. Will it be too late for humans to change their habits and start protecting the environment? Maybe, or maybe not. We have to start taking responsibility for our actions and be an advocate for recycling, and not polluting, since it is the number one way carbon dioxide is released into our air. What we need to question is how do we want our earth to be for our children and great grandchildren. Will they have the same conclusion as many people have today, saying that global warming is a joke and humans do not cause it, or will they come to the conclusion as I have that we need to protect our resources and be more kind to mother nature.
I found Dr. Otter's presentation to be very interesting and
ReplyDeleteinformative. I especially found it interesting that they were able to
tell how the weather was centuries and millions of years ago based on
rocks and the earth formations. Although I still tend to doubt the
accuracy of these methods, I was interested to find how they calculate
them.
His presentation did not however change my views about global warming.
I still feel like it is a cycle of the earth and not just an isolated
thing that happens because of increased use of the earths resources. In
my opinion, such a drastic change would be caused by more than just
human impact but I am willing to accept that the cycle of weather
change was sped up by human impact.