GLOBAL WARMING

Is the climate becoming warmer and

warmer?

According to the National Academy of Sciences, the

Earth's surface temperature has risen by about 1 degree
Celsius in the past century, with accelerated warming
during the past two decades. There is new and stronger
evidence that most of the warming over the last 50 years
is attributable to human activities. Human activities have
altered the chemical composition of the atmosphere
through the buildup of greenhouse gases primarily
carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. The heat-
trapping property of these gases is undisputed although
uncertainties exist about exactly how earth's climate
responds to them. (source:US-EPA)
 What Is Global Warming?
Global warming is the
warming of the earth through
carbon dioxide (CO2) being
pumped into the atmosphere
from tailpipes and
smokestacks. Then the
gases trap heat like the
glass in a greenhouse. This
is where the term the
greenhouse effect came
from.
 Global Warming Causes
Carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel burning power
plants
Carbon dioxide emissions from burning gasoline for
transportation
Methane emissions from animals, agriculture such as rice
paddies, and from Arctic seabeds
Deforestation, especially tropical forests for wood, pulp, and
farmland
Increase in usage of chemical fertilizers on croplands
 Global Warming Causes
How is the CO2 increase connected to the global warming? Through
the greenhouse effect, of course.
If it were not for greenhouse gases trapping heat in the atmosphere,
the Earth would be a very cold place. Greenhouse gases keep the
Earth warm through a process called the greenhouse effect.
 Global Warming Causes
The Earth gets energy from the sun in the form of sunlight. The Earth's surface
absorbs some of this energy and heats up. That's why the surface of a road can
feel hot even after the sun has gone downbecause it has absorbed a lot of
energy from the sun. The Earth cools down by giving off a different form of
energy, called infrared radiation. But before all this radiation can escape to outer
space, greenhouse gases in the atmosphere absorb some of it, which makes the
atmosphere warmer. As the atmosphere gets warmer, it makes the Earth's
surface warmer, too.
 Global Warming Effects
RISE IN SEA LEVELS WORLDWIDE
Scientists predict an increase in sea levels worldwide due to the melting of two
massive ice sheets in Antarctica and Greenland, especially on the East coast of
the U.S. However, many nations around the world will experience the effects
of rising sea levels, which could displace millions of people. One nation, the
Maldives, is already looking for a new home, thanks to rising sea levels.
 Global Warming Effects
MORE KILLER STORMS
The severity of storms such as hurricanes
and cyclones is increasing, and research
published in Nature found: Scientists have
come up with the firmest evidence so far
that global warming will significantly increase
the intensity of the most extreme storms
worldwide. The maximum wind speeds of the
strongest tropical cyclones have increased
significantly since 1981, according to
research published in Nature this week. And
the upward trend, thought to be driven by
rising ocean temperatures, is unlikely to stop
at any time soon.
 Global Warming Effects
MASSIVE CROP FAILURES
According to recent research, there is a 90% chance that 3 billion people
worldwide will have to choose between moving their families to milder climes and
going hungry due to climate change within 100 years. One of the main causes of
this will be the spread of desertification, and its accompanying effects.
 Global Warming Effects
WIDESPREAD EXTINCTION OF SPECIES AND
DISAPPEARANCE OF CORAL REEFS
According to research published in Nature, by 2050, rising temperatures could
lead to the extinction of more than a million species. And because we cant exist
without a diverse population of species on Earth, this is scary news for humans.
This 6th mass extinction is really just a continuation of the holocene extinction
which began at the end of the last ice age and has resulted in the extinction of
nearly all of the Earths megafauna animals, largely as a result of human-
expansion.
Climate change now represents at least as great a threat to the number of
species surviving on Earth as habitat-destruction and modification. Chris
Thomas, conservation biologist at the University of Leeds
Widespread species loss and lists of endangered species just keep growing.
This is a concerning matter on many fronts.
 Global Warming Effects
A report on coral reefs from WWF says that in a worst case scenario, coral
populations will collapse by 2100 due to increased temperatures and ocean
acidification. The bleaching of corals from small but prolonged rises in sea
temperature is a severe danger for ocean ecosystems, and many other species
in the oceans rely on coral reefs for their survival.

Orange-spotted filefish North Atlantic cod

 Global Warming Effects

EXTINCT: Golden toad Adlie penguin

Quiver tree Quiver Quiver tree

 Conclusion
Global warming is affecting plants, animals, humans and the earth. We need
to learn how to conserve our use of fossil fuels to minimize carbon dioxide
production. This will slow down the effects of global warming

This is a statue in Berlin called "Politicians discussing Global Warming."