GLOBAL WARMING aka Climate Change aka The Greenhouse

GLOBAL WARMING aka: “Climate Change” aka: “The Greenhouse Effect”

Also referred to as: ‘A CAR WITH THE WINDOWS ROLLED UP ON A SUNNY SUMMER DAY’ EFFECT

Greenhouse Effect Graphic courtesy of SEI Combat Climate Change

1. LIGHT enters the atmosphere 2. Light is CONVERTED TO HEAT when it strikes certain surfaces 3. SOME OF THIS HEAT is trapped by gases

IS GLOBAL WARMING REAL? l YES l ALL MAJOR SCIENTIFIC STUDIES AGREE THAT HUMANS ARE CAUSING CARBON DIOXIDE TO INCREASE AND THAT TEMPERATURES HAVE GONE UP

AT MINIMUM THERE IS A STRONG CORRELATION BETWEEN CARBON DIOXIDE AND TEMPERATURE … IF NOT AN ACTUAL CAUSE AND EFFECT RELATIONSHIP

COMPLICATED VARIABLES INCLUDE l CLOUD FORMATION l ICE MELT RATES l OCEAN CIRCULATION PATTERNS l OCEAN CHEMISTRY l CHANGES IN VEGETATION l SEA LEVELS l AND MANY OTHER FACTORS.

G. H. G. l GREEN-HOUSE l CARBON GASES DIOXIDE (CO 2)– created by the burning of fossil fuels and the burning of forests l METHANE – (CH 4 - Flatulence) result of raising animals for food l C. F. C. ’S, NITROUS OXIDES AND WATER VAPOR

Levels of CO 2 from 1958 to Present (Image courtesy of the Wikimedia Commons, data provided by the U. S. Department of Energy. )

CARBON DIOXIDE FLUCUATES UP AND DOWN EACH YEAR. l LOW IN SUMMER WHILE PLANTS ARE ACTIVE l HIGH IN WINTER WHEN PLANTS ARE NOT ACTIVE AND WHEN MORE FOSSIL FUELS ARE BURNED l

CARBON DIOXIDE OVERALL INCREASES FROM YEAR TO YEAR l 1958 315 PARTS PER MILLION (PPM) l 2000 368 PPM l INCREASE CAUSED BY BURNING OF FOSSIL FUELS AND DEFORESTATION l

Deforestation l Causes 25 -30% of yearly Carbon Dioxide

CFC’S l l l CHLORO FLUORO CARBONS IN PAST WHERE FOUND IN REFRIGERANTS, AEROSOLS AND STYROFOAM TODAY ARE NO LONGER MADE – BUT SOME ARE STILL IN PRODUCTS MADE BEFORE 1990

CFC’S TRAP HEAT – CONTRIBUTE TO GLOBAL WARMING l LARGER PROBLEM - THEY DESTROY OZONE WHICH PROTECTS US FROM THE ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION OF THE SUN WHICH CAN CAUSE SKIN CANCER l

WHY WORRY? ? CHANGE IN CLIMATE PATTERNS l RESULTS IN DROUGHTS AND HEAT WAVES l COULD EFFECT FOOD PRODUCTION l POSSIBLE FLOODING OF SOME COASTAL AREAS l SPREAD OF CERTAIN DISEASES l

Species Extinction

Effects on life l Phytoplankton growth l l Ocean stratification Contribute to global warming The food chain Effects of climatic changes on Arctic Plants Figure 2. This picture was obtained from research found on www. absc. usgs. gov

Coral Reefs Bleaching

Melting Ice Sheets As ice melts, trapped CO 2 released. l In Greenland earthquakes occur due to weight of ice disappearing l

Glaciers l 20% reduction in size from 1962 – 2001 for 466 glaciers l Can mean flooding and then drought for regions near glaciers Photos taken in 1913 (top) and 2005 (above) show the decline in Shepard Glacier in Montana's Glacier National Park.

Myths about global warming l Scientists don’t agree l Have to choose between economy and environment l Too big a problem for anyone to do anything about THESE ARE ALL FALSE

WHY SHOULD THE USA CARE? l WHILE WE REPRESENT ONLY 4% OF THE WORLD’S POPULATION – WE CREATE 22 -36% OF THE WORLD’S G. H. G.

WHAT IS BEING DONE? l KYOTO TREATY l CHICAGO CLIMATE EXCHANGE l INDIVIDUAL EFFORTS

KYOTO PROTOCOL United Nations first talked about in 1988 l Written in 1997 l Went into effect 2005 l THE U. S. A. AND AUSTRALIA DID NOT SIGN IT – OVER 80 OTHER COUNTRIES DID l

U. S. A. WANTED STRICTER STANDARDS PLACED ON CHINA AND INDIA l AFRAID MIGHT COST SIGNIFICANT MONEY l HOWEVER SEVERAL STATES HAVE AGREED TO TREATY’S STANDARDS l

EUROPEAN UNION ONLY GROUP TO ACTUALLY LOWER EMISSIONS l TREATY’S GREATEST SUPPORTER l

CHINA DEVELOPING NATION STATUS l WITH 1. 3 BILLION PEOPLE IS WORLD’S LARGEST PRODUCER OF COAL l HAS MADE ATTEMPTS TO LOWER EMMISIONS l

INDIA DEVELOPING NATION STATUS l EMISSIONS HAVE INCREASED BY 50% SINCE SIGNING TREATY l

RUSSIA MOTIVE TO JOIN LINKED WITH TRADE PRACTICES WITH OTHER COUNTRIES l AS ITS ECONOMY HAS SLOWED DOWN – HAS SOLD ITS UNUSED EMISSIONS TO OTHER COUTRIES l

JAPAN ACCOUNTS FOR 8% OF WORLD’S EMISSIONS l HAS NOT MET ITS GOAL OF REDUCING EMISSIONS BUT HAS INVESTED HEAVILY ON NEW TECHNOLOGY TO ATTEMPT TO MEET GOAL l

CHICAGO CLIMATE EXCHANGE l VOLUNTARY PROGRAM OF COMPANIES ATTEMPTING TO REDUCE EMISSIONS WITHOUT BEING FORCE BY THE GOVERNMENT.

INDIVIDUAL EFFORTS l REDUCE USE OF OIL and COAL MADE ELECTRICITY l RECYCLING l PLANTING OF TREES

The End