Glen Luckman, Global Warming Issues

Some Global Warming Statistics

Glen Luckman Global Warming Statistics By Harold Baldwin

While most people accept global warming as a fact, some still deny that humans play a significant role. Unfortunately politics are often involved, and while I don’t intent to try to change anyone’s mind, it’s worthwhile to look at some statistical facts. These come from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) 2007 working group assessment report, which is available for free online. The IPCC is a scientific panel under the United Nations.

The average surface temperature of the planet has increased 1.33 degrees Fahrenheit between 1905 and 2005.

Over the last fifty years, the warming trend is almost twice that of the previous fifty years, so the rate of temperature rise is increasing.

Eleven of the past twelve years are among the twelve warmest years since 1850. This is a shocking fact!

Also, the Environmental Protection Agency reports that the sea level along the Gulf and Mid Atlantic has risen five to six inches more than the average in the last century. Glaciers and snow cover are decreasing on both sides on the equator.

Clearly the earth is warming and with this warming, snow and ice are melting and the seas are rising. Yes, the earth has cooled and warmed many times before there were humans, and one may even argue that humans alone are not to blame, as though blame matters anyways. Humans and our activities are contributing to the rapid rise in temperature, and the only questions that remain is how serious is it and how should we react.

Comments Off

Why You Should Care About Global Warming

Glen Luckman About Global WarmingBy Benjamin Stratton

Earth is a blue green planet in which we live on. Scientists can tell this is the only planet where humans can survive easily. The atmosphere contains perfect mixture of air that we need to breath and survive. The earth is in the perfect distance from the sun allowing temperatures for optimal habitation of millions of special animals and plants and it keeps the planet vast ocean at a temperature where many species of fish can survive easily.

Earth supports every species in their food chain from top to bottom. If the planet is cool for few degrees or even assume permanently, there would be vast problems created.

In the Midwest, the production of grains decreases sharply, creating not only grain shortage but also it creates meals shortage due to coolness in that area. If the earth is permanently hot means, the ocean temperature would not support fishes, plankton, birds and their food chain also.

There would be a great change in temperature. If the atmosphere is heat then water in oceans and rivers will soon get evaporate. The levels of carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere would increase and making the quality of air we breathe unsafe. Man has impacted future weather and has the power to reverse course and return us to what nature intended. Every day we are spoiling our environment by doing harmful things. Every degree the temperature changes are harmful to the life cycle of human kind. Think globally and we should avoid such things which affect the environment.

Comments Off

Economic and Social Consequences of Global Warming

Glen Luckman Consequences of Global WarmingBy Eshwarya Patel

Global warming is causing not only health hazards, but it has many adverse economic and social consequences also. Native people living in high-altitude regions are already facing the ill effects of global warming. The future climate changes will have diverse effects on human lives. Africa may be the most exposed continent. Similarly, developing countries are more in danger than developed countries, because the developed countries have sufficient means to fight any disaster. Some regions like Arctic nations and small islands will be adversely affected if the temperature raises 1-2 degree Celsius, while above 2-3 degree Celsius warming would affect the most of the world.

The net economic influences of global warming are extremely vague. Climate change can bring a change in gross world product; it may be plus or minus a few percent. But, even small changes in gross world product can bring about comparatively large changes in national economies. The most directly affected industry is the insurance industry. A 2004 report by the Association of British Insurers noted that changing weather increases risks for households and property by 2-4% per year and the claims for storm and flood compensations in the UK had increased twofold over the period 1998-2003, weighing against the past five years. As a result, the insurance premiums have become so high that in some areas it will be nearly impossible for some to afford flood and storm insurance.

Global warming has many adverse effects on transportation, agriculture, and food also. As a result, the overall development is slowed down. Great temperature variations damage our roads, airport runways, railway lines and pipelines, oil pipelines, sewers, water mains, etc. Therefore, extra money and efforts are required to maintain and renew the whole system. Areas of permafrost have been affected badly resulting in crumpled roads, caved in foundations, and badly damaged runways. Climate change has diverse impact on agriculture, as some areas, such as mid-and high-latitude areas, are benefitted from modest temperature increase, while others like low-latitude areas are adversely affected. Likewise, some crops are badly affected, while others are not.

The overall effects of global warming are very dangerous for people and countries without sufficient means to lessen those impacts. This may deter economic and social development, making it more difficult to meet the Millennium Development Goals. A report by the Working Group on Climate Change and Development in Oct. 2004, and the July 2005 report ‘Africa- Up in Smoke’ declared increased hunger and diseases caused by less rainfall and extreme weather conditions, especially in Africa. Thus, global warming has severe economic and social impacts on our lives.

Comments Off

Green Living - Preventing the Global Warming Ice Age

Glen Luckman Preventing the Global Warming Ice Age By Brian Steven

Politicians and other individuals find it all too easy to dismiss the “global warming myth,” citing that it is all just doomsday rubbish concocted by crazy loons. First of all, these ‘crazy loons’ are experts in climate change; who dedicate their entire lives to studying our planet and where it’s going in the near future.

Second, this ‘doomsday rubbish’ is not rubbish: it is happening today. More than 2,500 researchers who plan to attend 2009’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in Copenhagen will assess the situation. And they will be presented with the inevitability that water levels may rise as much as 100m in the near future, a 75% loss of tree cover, and millions (if not billions) will be displaced by the changes in climate. All this leads to one conclusion: we are in serious trouble.

If a convention of such size and with conclusions so resounding does not catch the attention of the world, then no amount of global warming proof will convince otherwise, unless we experience the results for ourselves. But the responsibility does not fall solely on governments and corporations. We have a role to play in keeping our environment safe and habitable. Here are two simple things we, as normal people living our normal, every-day lives, can do to help:

Waste Management - from merely reducing our needs to meet our needs to sorting trash and bringing empty cans to the recycling center, this is the first and easiest step we can take to help ease the burden on our environment.

Of course, proper disposal of garbage is something that takes top priority in the list of things that we can do to help our environment, as evidenced by the numerous categories of trash bins dotting street corners. But waste management involves not just properly handling the leftovers and garbage in our bins. It also follows the idea of minimalism, where we buy and use only what we need. Excess consumption results in excess waste and this waste will have to go somewhere in the system. Why create more headaches for our waste-disposal services when we can minimize what waste we produce in the first place?

Clean Energy - alternative energy sources like windmills and photovoltaic solar panels will not just help us prevent global warming, but it will actually help us save money in the long run. We can inspect what source of energy we can most easily tap: the wind, the sun and methane are particularly convenient and easy-to-access sources of energy. Once we find the alternative energy source most suited to our available resources, we can then place an investment into buying, installing and maintaining these alternative energy sources. Produce enough electricity and the power companies will be paying you for the energy you are sending back into the grid.

Comments Off

Causes of Global Warming

Glen Luckman Causes of Global Warming By Rolf Joho

In present times, the green house gases like methane, carbon dioxide, and nitrous oxide are playing havoc on our environment. These green house gases trap the heat of sun into earth’s atmosphere causing increase in the temperature. Power plants are the major sources of carbon dioxide. These power plants emit huge quantities of carbon dioxide, which is produced when fossil fuel is burnt for generation of electricity. Burning of gasoline in vehicles contributes to more than 20% of carbon dioxide emission in the atmosphere.

Major Contributors of Global Warming

Commercial and residential buildings need a lot of fuel to be burnt, emitting huge amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. As compared to carbon dioxide, methane is twenty times more effectual at entrapping the heat in the atmosphere. Methane is obtained from several resources such as bovine flatulence, paddles, fossil fuel manufacture and bacteria in bogs. Flood in the fields decays the organic matter, and releases methane in the atmosphere. Nylon and nitric acid production, use of fertilizers in the agriculture, cars with catalytic converters and burning of organic matter are main sources of nitrous oxide. More than 33% of carbon dioxide emission comes from engines of light trucks and cars. Vehicles that have poor mileage contribute maximum to the global warming.

The way we use our land is one of the major cause of global warming. Modern agriculture practices that are used to grow cereals, breed animals, grow vegetables and fruits and other foods for human consumption, and all these agricultural practices lead to emission of greenhouse gases including nitrous oxide and methane.

There is no doubt that in last few decades, deforestation has become one of the biggest sources of greenhouse gas emissions. Carbon dioxide is the main gas emitted, in addition to small amounts of nitrous oxide and methane. Tropical rainforests are very crucial for regulating the regional and global climate patterns. The environment can get tremendously affected if these forests are destroyed. Rainforests remove the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by the process of photosynthesis.

Another reason and cause of global warming is the fact that human population is growing, and in addition to increase in the fuel usage for transportation, energy and power, people need to be fed, which leads to increased deforestation for the purpose of agriculture.

There are some natural causes of global warming as well. Temperature of the planet is affected by changes in the shape of orbit of Earth around the Sun, and also by the tilt of its axis because both these factors affect the amount of solar energy received by the planet. As Sun is the only source of energy responsible for functioning of Earth’s climate system, change in output of solar energy can lead to change in the climate, especially, global warming.

One more natural cause of global warming is the aerosol emission of volcanic eruptions that blocks the sunlight, and causes short-term cooling on affected parts of the earth. The volcanic eruptions emit carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, however, most scientists believe that humans are far more responsible for the damage as compared to volcanic eruptions.

Change in ocean current is also a natural cause of global warming because rise and fall of current creates global change. Oceanic currents have considerable effect on the changes of heat pattern around the earth. This effect varies from region to region, and may also be related to rotation of sun.

Comments Off

Effects of Global Warming on Health Submitted by Glen Luckman

A report of the effects of global warming on health published by WHO, has estimated around one million fifty thousand deaths every year due to global warming. Further it declared that each year five million people are suffering from health problems and diseases caused for this global warming. The rising concern over this matter has led many scientists and researchers to take a deeper look and prepare a plan to save human civilization from this onslaught.

Global warming has caused changes in temperature, ocean current flow, sea level ecosystem, economy, agriculture, industry, settlements and related to all these - the health and living. Warmer world has created congenial atmosphere for the breeding and life expanse of various virus, bacteria and carriers of infectious diseases. Few evidences of global warming leaving negative effects on human health are -

- The vectors distribution of infectious diseases have been altered for global warming.

- Heat wave resulted for global warming are causing deaths.

- The seasonal distribution of few species of allergenic pollen have been altered for global warming.

- Various extreme conditions of global warming like droughts, heat and cold wave, storm, flood, fire will increase the death tolls as well as injuries and diseases.

- Malnutrition and disordered development of children are few long term results of global warming.

- Global warming will cause increase of malaria, diarrhea, cholera, dengue, encephalitis and other diseases.

- There will be constant rising rate of mortality due to ground level ozone related diseases as well as high cardio respiratory morbidity for global warming.

Thus global warming will affect human health in two major ways - with extreme weather conditions and with rising infectious diseases. IPCC in a study of one of the most global warming affected area of Illionis, Chicago, has provided an apprehensive report that by 2020 extreme climate condition like heat wave will raise the climate average deaths to 400 and to 497 by 2050 from the present average of 191. European heat wave of 2003 is an example of its severity. Heat waves will even cause cardio respiratory complications resulting to high rate of deaths.

The results of ill health due to global warming and infectious diseases are already evident. Houston as well as many tropical countries are experiencing frequent outbreak of malaria, dengue and other encephalitis diseases. Even colder regions like Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Queens are severely suffering from malaria since 1990 as a result of global warming. McAllen of Texas also suffered a dengue epidemic in 1995. Florida, New Oreleans, Arizona, Mississippi, Texas, Colorado, and California - all are experiencing encephalitis epidemic for global warming since 1987. According to IPCC, 65% of world population will suffer from high risk of infectious diseases in near future. The risk itself will be increased by 20%, only as a result of global warming.

Facing such an impending calamity due to global warming, the requirement of proper planning and organized adaptation to new and changing condition has received a new dimension. Along with urgent and basic adaptation practices to fight the immediate effects, a longer planning and elaborate gradual methodology are also necessary to address the severity of future conditions resulted from global warming. A participatory approach to the holistic development of human health is expected to sober down the effects of global warming on health to some extent.

Author: Christophe Catesson

Thanks to Glen Luckman

Glen Luckman On Effect of Global Warming on Health

Comments Off

Green House Gases and Their Effects on Our Planet

By: Jerome Exner

Placed by Glen Luckman
Green house gases, are they as big of a problem as people say? People who know little about green house gases, truly are not aware how its effecting our earth, so hopefully this information clears some of this up, and will show you how serious this problem is actually is.

For 2.5 million years, the earths climate has constantly been changing, from our ice ages to warmer years, but in the last century our climate’s temperature has been rising unusually fast, from about 1.3 to 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit. Scientists believe that it is our own human activity, thats driving the temperature up, and this process is called ” global warming”.

Dating back to the times when the industrial revolution began, factories, trains, and eventually cars, have burned fossil fuels such as oil and coal, which were and still are, releasing huge amounts of carbon dioxide, and other gas’s into our earths atmosphere. These green house gases, or trapped heat near the surface of the earth, are formed by a natural process of the sun, and this is called the ” greenhouse effect”. The green house effect, begins with the sun and the energy it radiates to the earth. The Earth and the atmosphere absorb some of this energy, and the rest is radiated back into space. Now with that being said, these naturally occurring gases, in the atmosphere trap some of this energy and reflect it back, thus, warming the earth. Scientists now believe that the green house effect is getting intensified by all the extra green house gases that humans are releasing.

Signs of global warming, include a recent pattern of very warm years. 1998 was one of the warmest years in history, with 2005, a quick runner up. Furthermore, readings taken from ice core samples, Show that green house gas’s, C02, and methane, have hit there highest levels in 420,000 years, and our sea ice is also shrinking.Our sea ice has declined 10% in the last 30 years.

As long as our nations around the globe, consume these energy’s, and increase their fuel consumption, the overall mass of green house gas’s will continue to rise. Researchers predict that our temperature will increase by 2 - 10 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of the century. What is uncertain is what rising temperatures,will mean for our planet. Some forecast rising sea levels which of coarse would mean floods, along coastal areas around the world. Weather patterns are changing also, making hurricanes more frequent, severe drought is more common in warm areas, and species which are unable to adapt to this change will face a huge drop in numbers and inevitably, extinction.

Glen Luckman Climate Change

Comments Off

Lance Winslow

Most people understand that global warming is the theory that mankind through their emissions as CO2 into the atmosphere, pollution, is causing the planet to heat up. Climate change on the other hand is the admission that the planet is indeed heating up slightly a few agrees, but rather supports the theory that the Earth goes through cycles, changes and fluctuations on a periodic basis and there is nothing we can do about it anyway.

Many people wish to blame global warming on the oil companies or our power electricity infrastructure and that really is not very fair. Some environmentalists want to blame all the people who drive SUVs or blame all the truck drivers - this really isn’t fair either. It is amazing how little the public really knows about global warming and how alarmed everyone is over this theory.

Do you want to learn more about global warming and the reality of what is really going on or what the theory is all about? Most people just listen to the mass media hysteria and the various Hollywood films like “The Day After Tomorrow” that have come out like the one by Al Gore was involved with showing a catastrophic event that happens because of mankind’s pollution and global warming.

It makes sense to educate the public as to what is really going on and not further incite hysteria and scare tactics in order to move a particular agenda. We recommend that you go out and learn more about global warming so that you know what you are talking about when you discuss this with other people.

Perhaps you can set the record straight as many people do not really understand what global warming is and why higher ambient temperatures are occurring or to what extent that mankind may or may not be involved in the heat increase.

Comments Off

By: Rich Johnson

Global Warming is a term denoting a gradual warming of the Earths average temperature. The term has become synonymous to the Earths warming exclusively due to man-made effects, especially carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide concentrations have increased from 300 parts per million to 384 parts per million since 1900, with the most accelerated increase during the past 40 years. Some scientists have drawn the conclusion that the increase in the Earths average temperature (about 1°F since 1975) is essentially solely based on man-made activities such as the burning of fossil fuels, biomass burning, and deforestation

Causes of Global Warming

The Earths atmosphere is made up of different gases. Nitrogen makes up 78% of the total composition, Oxygen 21%, Argon 1% and traces gases .1%. Carbon dioxide makes up most of the volume of the rare gases. Water vapor varies from almost 0% over the deserts to 4% over the oceans. Water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, ozone, and nitrous oxide are the gases of interest since these are the greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gases can reradiate heat or trap heat absorbed by the Earth from the sun. Water vapor is by far the largest mechanism for heat retention out of the greenhouse gases.

In the past, the Earths orbital eccentricity, variance of the tilt and wobble have led to periods of warmer weather. Even though the solar energy from the sun is considered a constant, a slight change could cause temperature fluctuations. Recently, Mars has also shown a decrease in ice coverage without greenhouse gas changes. The cause for the reduction in aerial coverage is unknown.

In summary, there are three mechanisms which would cause global warming, or in other words allow for a warming of the Earths average temperature. These are: (1) solar energy variance, (2) gradual changes in the Earths orbit, tilt, and wobble, and (3) greenhouse gas changes. It is difficult to calculate what percentage of the recent warming could be attributed to human activities. We can eliminate changes in the Earths orbit, tilt, and wobble causing a temperature increase since these are long term effects.

What are the Effects of Global Warming on Hurricanes?

There is a common misconception that since the global temperature has increased, hurricanes also must increase in number and intensity. The primary factor in the ability of a hurricane to strengthen or weaken is the wind shear profile of the atmosphere - not water temperature. It always has been warm enough in the tropics to produce hurricanes. This temperature equates to a sea surface temperature of about 80°F. If you study the behavior of hurricanes you can find cases where hurricanes have strengthened over cooler water and have weakened over warmer water. There may be a small “boost” to a hurricanes strength as it moves over the Gulf Stream, if upper air wind profiles do not change much. Some of the computer generated hurricane models have this bias built in and will rapidly strengthen a tropical cyclone if predicted to go over a warm pool of water.

The recent upturn in tropical cyclone activity was predicted long before Global Warming became a household name. The tropical Atlantic has been known to vary in cycles, and this recent upturn was expected. If you were to compare the period from 1900 to about 1950, with the 1950s until now, you would find an actual decrease in the average number of hurricanes and their intensity. It also is noted that the upswing in hurricane numbers over the past ten years or more has been only in the North Atlantic basin. Other hurricane formation regions have not shown this same trend.

The Effects of Global Warming on Hurricanes: Summary

There has been a noted increase in the number of hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of Mexico since the mid-1990s. The long term average is that ten tropical storms will form per year, of which about six will become hurricanes. Since the mid-1990s the average has been fifteen tropical storms, of which eight have become hurricanes. There has also been an upward trend in the concentration of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide due to mans activities over the past 100 years. During this time, hurricanes have gone through cycles where they have been more numerous, such as the cycle that we are in now.

Some scientists have drawn a one to one correlation between the Earths temperature increase and the number of hurricanes and their intensity. As we have noted, the number one factor in tropical cyclone intensity is related to the atmospheric wind shear profile. There is even some research that suggests that higher temperatures could actually increase the wind shear profile resulting in a decrease in hurricane activity. The upward cycle in hurricane numbers is expected to continue for several more years. If this trend were to continue for a considerably longer period, only then could one draw a conclusion that warmer temperatures have played some part to cause an increase in tropical cyclone formation.

Comments Off

Author: AUGUST Leo

At this moment, there are a lot of natural disaster or bad effect of global warming happen in our environment. There are several kinds of regions that have rainy day that much harder than usual. On the other hand, there are several kinds of regions that have sunny day much hotter than usual. More than that, there is also bad impact that caused from those kinds of unusual condition, such as: big flood, land slide in every where, and so on. Actually, you may think how all of those disasters happen in our life. There are several kinds of indicator that can give signal to us about the real threat of global warming.

First indicator of global warming is the melting of ice in the North and South Pole. Currently we can see that there is rapid change of condition in those poles where the ice is melting faster than before. This condition is also threatening the creatures who live at those poles. Second is the increasing of sea surface level. There is an amazing result of research done by environment experts which they said that if all of Greenland were melting down, it can increase the level of sea surface more than 7 meters.

Beside of that, there are also several kinds of motive that caused global warming exist in our life, such as: the extreme change of climate, hot waves that become wilder than before, and the glacier is running out periodically.

We now can see that storm is getting bigger and could trigger a disaster. So what are we waiting for?

Comments Off