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ARTICLE SOURCE : READER’S DIGEST

DATE : JANUARY 2008 ISSUE

WRITER : CLAUDIA CORNWALL

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The Truth About Global Warming
What are scientists really saying about climate change?
Claudia Cornwall January 2008

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Is our planet heating up? Are human beings to blame for climate change? These
questions have recently burst out of the quiet halls of academia into newspapers, TV
shows, movies, popular books and, of course, the blogosphere. The discussion has
been heated, but if you ratchet down the rhetoric, what are scientists actually
saying? At Reader's Digest, we decided to find out.

According to many reports, the answer is yes. Eleven of the hottest years since
1850 occurred between 1995 and 2006. Last year, the United Nation's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change (IPCC) reported the earth was about 0.75°C warmer than it was in 1850. While this doesn't sound
like a lot, a small difference in average temperature can make a big difference in climate. During the last ice
age, the planet was only about five degrees colder than now.

Because it's warmer, animals and plants are moving towards the poles in search of cooler habitats. Since
the 1980s, British observers have spotted tropical fish previously unknown in the North Atlantic. In 2001,
a fisherman caught a barracuda off the coast of Cornwall, England, far north of its normal range.

In 2005, the Zurich-based World Glacier Monitoring Service stated that European glaciers had
lost half their volume since 1850. In March 2007, Russian researchers reported unstable permafrost
in the Baikaal area, Mongolia and China. And in October this year, British researchers showed that warmer
temperatures were responsible for a 2.2 per cent increase in the earth’s humidity over the last 30 years.

Has the planet ever this warm?

Yes, it has, even warmer! Greenland was forested between 450,000 and 800,000 years ago. So
temperatures must have been considerably warmer then. And there have been other times as well.

So why the concern?

It’s all about the speed at which temperatures are changing. In the past, temperatures moved up or down
gradually. But in the 20th century, especially sonce 1976, temperatures have been likely risen more quickly
than during any century in the last 1000 years. Warming may bring improved crop yields and other
benefits to northern countries such as Canada or Russia.

However, many species won’t likely adapt to these conditions. Malaria-carrying mosquitoes are moving
northwards to higher elevations. The West Nile virus, first seen in North America nine years ago, infected
about 4000 people in the United States in 2006. The pine beetle, which thrives during warmer winters, has
already destroyed approximately 13 million hectares of Canada’s forests, worth an estimated $6 billion.

What is causing the warming?

The IPPC concluded that human activity is very likely responsible by increasing the concentrations of
greenhouses gases and the greenhouse effect. Over 25 scientific societies, including the national academies
of science of the G8 nations, endorsed the conclusion. Some scientists, however, still disagree, arguing that
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(I) MIND MAP

3.

TEMPERATURE
CHANGES

4. 2.

THE CAUSES
CHALLENGE -Greenhouse gases
OF GLOBAL -Feedbacks
WARMING -Solar variation

The Truth
About

GLOBAL
WARMING
5.

CURRENT & 1.
FUTURE
EFFECTS TERMINOLOGY

6.

GLOBAL
WARMING
SOLUTIONS

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(II) SUMMARY

Global warming or global cooling and climate change is an increase in average global

temperatures caused by natural events. Scientists have determined that a number of human

activities are contributing to global warming by adding excessive amounts of greenhouse

gases such as carbon dioxide which accummulate in the atmosphere and trap heat that

normally exit into outer space. More than a million species worldwide could be driven to

extinction by 2050.

Based on my reading, there have been dozens of studies which show that by investing in

clean energy, such as renewable energy and energy efficiency, we can reduce our

emissions of greenhouse gases while creating new jobs and saving consumers money. And

by making simple choices in the kinds of products we buy, such as Compact Florescent

lightbulbs and hybrid cars, we can all save money and protect the environment by

consuming less energy.

Thus, it is vital that we take steps to curb global warming pollution. If we do not begin to

make the change to clean energy, the heat waves and hurricanes that we have already

suffered through will become more routine and worse. Thankfully, we have all the tools

necessary to curb our emissions of greenhouse gases - tools like clean energy, energy

efficiency, and cars that go farther on a gallon of gas.

(approx. 150 words)

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References:-

1. Claudia Cornwall. “Reader’s Disgest”, January Issue. 2008.

2. http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_warming

3. http://www.energyefficienthomearticles.com

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