40 Sales, Maria Lourice 41 Seron, Hannah 46 Tsai, Teng

7 8:30 2GPh

GLOBAL WARMING
I. Definition of Terms a. Judgment - the estimate by God of the ultimate worthiness or unworthiness of the individual b. Scorch - to dry or shrivel with or as if with intense heat c. Dissolve - to cause to disperse or disappear d. Hasting - Rapidity of action or motion e. Cease - To put an end to f. Greenhouse gas - a gas in an atmosphere that absorbs and emits radiation within the thermal infrared range g. Earth - is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. h. Combustion engine - an engine in which the combustion of a fuel (normally a fossil fuel) occurs with an oxidizer (usually air) in a combustion chamber. i. Fossil fuel - fuels formed by natural processes such as anaerobic decomposition of buried dead organisms j. Climate - encompasses the statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological elemental measurements in a given region over long periods II. The Situation 1. Global warming is the continuing rise in the average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans. 2. Global warming is human and environmental causes. 3. The greenhouse effect is the process by which absorption and emission of infrared radiation by gases in the atmosphere warm a planet's lower atmosphere and surface. 4. Human activity since the Industrial Revolution has increased the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. 5. Vulnerability of human societies to climate change mainly lies in the effects of extreme weather events rather than gradual climate change.

6. Impacts of climate change so far include adverse effects on small islands, adverse effects on indigenous populations in high-latitude areas, and small but discernable effects on human health. 7. Over the 21st century, climate change is likely to adversely affect hundreds of millions of people through increased coastal flooding, reductions in water supplies, increased malnutrition and increased health impacts. 8. The overall destabilization of local climates is a major effect of global warming. 9. As temperature swings increase we are left with flooding in some areas and drought in others the drought creates correct conditions for forest fires. 10. There have been talks between different countries to address this pressing issue of Global Warming. III. Theological Orientation A. What does the Catholic Church say about the issue? 1. The international community must commit to sustainable resource management policies that place the needs of the human family and protection of the environment above commercial and industrial concerns 2. The human personshould be at the center of environmental concerns in the affairs of nations, corporations and individuals, while there is a simultaneous promotion of the urgency of human responsibility for the Earth. 3. There is already a growing acknowledgement that good environmental policies are by extension good people policies, too 4. The Earths climate system has demonstrably changed on both global and regional scales since the pre-industrial era 5. Even if greenhouse gas emissions were to be stabilized at present levels an unlikely eventually as things stand the global warming trend and sea-level rise would continue for hundreds of years, due to the atmospheric lifetime of some greenhouse gases and the long timescales on which the deep ocean adjusts to climate change 6. The international community must transform its global energy systems from traditional to renewable forms 7. Improving access to reliable, affordable and environmentally friendly energy services is a major challenge to poverty eradication 8. The church singled out the combustion engine as the engine behind the large proportion of worldwide energy consumption, and major source of air pollution

and greenhouse gas emissions, urging its long overdue replacement with clean, renewable alternatives 9. As current approaches are causing serious harm to human health, the Earths climate and ecological systems on which all life depends, the development of renewables continues to be a human, ecological, economic and strategic necessity and should have a priority in public research projects. 10. The dovetailing of environmental and developmental concerns with commercial and industrial policymaking will surely lead to a safer, more prosperous future for all B. What do the Scriptures (Bible) say? 1. Genesis 1:28 God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground. 2. The scripture says that man is superior to everything else in nature. It is our duty to take care what he had created for us. 3. Revelation 11:18 says that God will bring to ruin those ruining the earth 4. We are told in Revelation 16:9: "And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory." 5. What this means is that scorching heat will be used as a judgment against nonbelievers, and, most importantly, that God and God alone has the power over such calamities. 6. 2nd Peter 3:10: But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. 11: Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, 12: Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? 7. It is necessary to share that Peter saw the day of the Lord and the earth burning in one moment of time. However other scriptures explain that this day of fire will come at the end of the great white throne judgment which will be a thousand years after Jesus returns to gather the Church. 8. Genesis 8: 21 And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the

imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more everything living, as I have done. 9. Genesis 8:22 While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease. 10. After the great flood, God made a number of promises in a covenant to Noah that he will no longer do it again. IV. Recommendations 1. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: By recycling half of your household waste, you can save 2,400 lbs of CO2 annually 2. Conserve Energy: Buy energy-efficient appliances when shopping for a new appliance 3. Switch to energy-efficient lighting: compact florescent bulbs are designed to provide more natural-looking light while using far less energy than standard light bulbs. 4. Plant a tree: A single tree will absorb one ton of carbon dioxide over its lifetime. 5. Use the "Off" Switch: Save electricity and reduce global warming by turning off lights when you leave a room, and using only as much light as you need. V. Sources 1. http://eartheasy.com/blog/2009/03/global-warming-climate-change-what-wecan-do-about-it/ 2. http://globalwarming-facts.info/50-tips.html 3. http://globalwarming.com/2009/03/what-is-global-warming/ 4. http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0215471/global_warming.htm 5. http://www.globalwarming.org/category/global-warming-101/