Global Warming Effects » Global Warming

Global warming – Unsecured future demanding attention

admin — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 13:57:54 +0000

Though there is already a lot of perplexity all over the world due to global economic recession, environment crisis is also calling for immediate attention these days. The consequences of the whooping average temperature because of global warming can now be witnessed in some parts of the world. Heat wav in Europe in 2003 is one example. From food crisis to increase in health hazards, there are many challenges in the pipeline due to a constant increase in global warming.

Since 1990, the world has already recorded its data for the ten hottest years till today. The average temperature is expected to rise by 3-9 degrees by the end of this century. Coal producing US power plants along with pollution from automobiles is believed to be the two major culprits that emanate pollutants like CO2 and others. It is these pollutants that are responsible for creating a blanket near the Earth and trapping harmful sunrays. This contributes to global warming and is ultimately causing a constant increase in the average temperature on the face of the Earth, with every passing year.

Scientists are of the opinion that if the Earth’s thermostat continues to rise, human health issues would also climb with the graph with the same pace. Soaring temperature along with excessive flooding, stronger storms and rise in sea-levels would together cause an outburst of innumerable health diseases among people. The diseases would also vary from life-threatening issues to topical diseases such as allergies and asthma.

In fact, many scientists presented a report in 2008, which says that toxic ivy vines that are found near Savannah, Ga are already 10 times denser in the last twenty years. Toxic ivy produces stronger irritants that cause health problems. Excessive growth of toxic ivy is also a consequence of untamed global warming.

Furthermore, going by the latest study, there is a huge risk that global warming may also cripple food supplies by the end of the century. Almost 3 million people are expected to be a victim of this food crisis that is believed to hit the subtropical and tropical regions after 100 years. In such a situation, these people will have no choice but to shift to milder areas with their families, in case efforts are not made now to keep a check on global warming.

Another cause of worry is the heat wave, like the one similar to the wave which hit Europe and killed around 52,000 people in 2003. Finding by scientists also suggests that this would become a custom by 2080, all thanks to global warming again.

So, this is the time to unite and take action. Massive awareness along with prompt individual action would prove to be of great help in this regard. Scientists are also thinking about ways in which they could increase the heat resistance of plants in tropical areas.

As far as local strategies are concerned, green buildings are being made in US for energy conservation, betterment of infrastructure is also considered in areas near the coast as they are more vulnerable. Hence, the time demands from everyone to act as “ONE” and fight against global warming, before it’s too late.

Could Global Warming Effects mean an New World War

admin — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 19:02:48 +0000

These Days global warming is a very hot topic and little wonder, seeing as the earth grows hotter with each passing year.

For a long time now the effect of man’s industrialization and technological progress has quietly yet continuously eked away at the delicate balance of the planet’s atmosphere and ecosystem, but within the last 30 or so years the pace of this damage has markedly accelerated!

DOWNPLAYING GLOBAL WARMING

In much the same way that big tobacco once vehemently denied the association between cigarette smoking and lung cancer, for the longest time a number of multi-billion-dollar-a-year industries have also been questioning the existence of global warming and misleading the public about its reality.

In fact the Bush II years have been particular devastating to Environmental Protection Rights, yet staggeringly lucrative for those who would profit from the loss of such protection.

In what can best be described as an orgy-fest of self-congratulatory backslapping, many a heavyweight lobbyist for industries such as oil, coal, mining, logging, aviation and auto manufacturers have left the Bush Whitehouse grinning like the proverbial Cheshire cat because they’d gotten firm assurance that pesky environmental laws would never get in the way of business as usual!

An example of how the Bush II Administration misled the public into believing they were truly concerned about protecting the environment was the sneaky way in which they enacted laws such as The Clean Skies Act.

The Clean Skies Act introduced in February 2003 apparently appears to strengthen already existent environmental laws such as The Clean Air Act but which in reality actually weakened and undermined them.

The Clean Skies Act gave pollutant industries a lot of leeway allowing them to spew an additional 42 million more tons of pollution into the atmosphere and raised caps on greenhouse gas emissions.

Soon after Bush II came to power the situation got so bad, that after decades of effective service, two of the most senior enforcement officials in the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) resigned citing an agency that was pursuing contrary goals to that of actually protecting the environment.

Former US vice president Al Gore is no stranger to these tactics. As perhaps the most widely recognizable face in the fight against global warming he has been scoffed at and ridiculed by the same individuals who would have us believe global warming is nothing more than a myth!

Recently in 2007 several scientists have gone on public record citing claims of a gestapo-like environment of intimidation to produce figures and reports that belied the true extent of global warming!

CAUSE OF GLOBAL WARMING

The unprecedented super-accelerated rate of global warming happening today is due to the amount of greenhouse gases being spewed into the atmosphere.

The most notorious greenhouse gas is carbon dioxide (CO2) because it so happens to be the biggest single contributing factor to global warming (CO2 comprises more than 75% of all greenhouse gases). So what’s spewing all that CO2 in the air? Simply put–mankind and his toys!

Some of the biggest greenhouse gas pollutants include automobiles; electricity production; planes; shipping and the various manufacturing industries dotted all over the globe.

SCIENCE OF GLOBAL WARMING

This article is intentionally not an in-depth treatise of the process of global warming, but having said that, here’s a brief explanation:

The rays from the sun are comprised of shortwave solar radiation which pass through the atmosphere and are then absorbed by the earth thereby warming it. Part of that absorbed energy is reflected back to the atmosphere as long wave infrared radiation which is mostly trapped by the greenhouse gases. This trapped heat ensures that the earth is approximately warmer by 33 degrees Celsius than it would otherwise be.

This trapped heat is actually good for us, for were it not for those greenhouse gases and other constituents in the atmosphere that trap heat, the earth would be as cold as Mars which has for all intents and purpose no atmosphere to speak of.

Over the past century the earth has gotten warmer by approximately 0.7 degrees Celsius. This may not seem like much until you consider that the difference between the average earth temperature of today and another ice age is a mere 5 degrees Celsius!

EFFECTS OF GLOBAL WARMING

Drought! Flooding! Disease! Hurricanes! Starvation! Unbearable Heat!

Any of these words seem to you to be appearing much more often in the news than before?

Do you remember the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that claimed more than 200,000 people? Remember hurricane Katrina that claimed more than 2,000 lives? These are the better documented horror stories. The less well documented global-warming related stories are often dismissively written off as ethnic conflicts in a region (Africa) where supposedly little else can be expected.

CATASTROPHIC ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS CAUSED BY GLOBAL WARMING

1. Larsen B Ice Shelf: In 2002, a 500 billion ton chunk of ice that was 220m thick and covering a surface area of 3,250 sq km disintegrated in 35 days! What was especially alarming was that the experts expected this ice shelf to still be around for the next 100 years even after factoring in current global warming trends.

Yet more alarming still is that there’re two other MUCH, MUCH BIGGER ice masses that are exhibiting the same global warming related disintegration characteristics!

These endangered ice masses are Greenland and the West Antarctic Ice Shelf which was previously thought to be stable. Since these ice masses are land based (unlike the Larsen B Ice Shelf) if either one of them goes they could raise sea levels by 20ft apiece!

If both of them disintegrate around the same time, sea levels could rise by 40ft! Catastrophic does not adequately describe the ensuing destruction.

More than 66% of the world’s largest cities would be devastated if even just one of these ice masses disintegrated. Though many of the affected low-elevation costal areas are located in Asia, New York, Florida, San Francisco and The Netherlands are also on the list!

Perhaps this disturbing data may explain the belated, albeit grudging acknowledgement by the Bush II administration that global warming is not a myth after all and that it won’t just affect the poorer regions of the world. As things stand, experts are predicting that with current unmodified global warming trends Greenland may collapse as soon as 2050.

2. Lake Chad: Lake Chad used to be the 6th largest lake in the world but due to global warming has shrunk to 1/20th of its former size. In fact Chad the country for which it is named after is now more than 60 miles from the water’s edge!

3. New Ice Age: The northern hemisphere of the world is located above the equator and constitutes most of the world’s land mass as well as almost 90% of the world population.

Though current expert reports on global warming imply that the northern hemisphere will initially actually benefit from the temperature increase (unlike the southern hemisphere where unprecedented drought and starvation is predicted by 2020) what is little mentioned is how global warming could usher in a new Ice Age!

Some paradox, huh? Warming leading to freezing! Here’s a simplified explanation of how that comes about:

The Gulf Stream current is one of several currents that occur in the Atlantic Ocean. The particular importance of the Gulf Stream Current and its northern extension (the North Atlantic Drift which flows towards Europe) is that their warm-water flow heats up the surrounding air which in turn ensures that the temperature of the northern hemispheres does not dip precipitously.

These two currents are saline (salt) based. If a huge mass of fresh water (such as a melting body of ice the size of Greenland) was to dilute these currents, in effect that would shut down the Gulf Stream Current!

Once the Gulf Stream Current shuts down temperatures are going to drop precariously in the United States, Europe and other nations located in the northern hemisphere. When that happens those regions will deep-freeze into another Ice Age!

GLOBAL WARMING AND THE CO2 WARS

The following figures illustrate the CO2 emissions from the various regions around the globe:

USA: 30.3%

Europe: 27.7%

Russia: 13.7%

South East Asia: 12.2%

Japan: 3.7%

South America/Central America: 3.8%

Middle East: 2.6%

Africa: 2.5%

Australia: 1.1%

These figures amply illustrate how Western Europe and the United States are by far largely responsible for the effects of global warming we are seeing today.

Contrastingly the regions least responsible are the ones that will bear the brunt of those effects (initially at any rate, until such time that the process progresses to an ice age then the situation will reverse).

However, with the two mega economies of China and India expanding rapidly (each boasting a population in excess of 1 billion) soon their greenhouse gas emissions may surpass those of the U.S.

A series of meetings held in Washington in early 2007 had American legislators demanding that developing nations be held to the same greenhouse-gas-emission accountability as the developed nations! Not unexpectedly there were worldwide outcries and accusations of shameless hypocrisy leveled at the United States.

With the not unreasonable contention that they have the right to develop and advance in the same manner that both Europe and America have enjoyed over the past forty years these two looming economical giants are not about to be cowed by Washington.

Furthermore considering the suspicious manner with which the U.S. justified its invasion of Iraq, few these days are inclined to believe a word that Washington says.

Compounding this climate of distrust and suspicion are the many questionable prerogatives the U.S. claims. These include:

1. Not subscribing to the Kyoto Protocol (Treaty on Global Warming)

2. Seeking the right to pre-emptive strikes (Bush II)

3. Demanding to be exempted from The Geneva Convention (Bush II)

4. Not a participant of the World Court

5. Biggest contributor to global warming but doing the least to rectify the situation.

In a world where America demands exclusive rights to pre-emptive strikes, perhaps then it is not too far fetched to understand if India and China harbor a degree of paranoia that the U.S. may one day set its targets on them.

After all for a country that so conveniently and magically connected two totally unrelated events to one another as an excuse to pursue its ultimate goal (U.S. invasion of Iraq after 911), it is not unconceivable that the U.S. could one day claim that the greenhouse gas emissions from the Asian giants are threatening the very existence of its coastal cities and hence amount to an act of war!

For their part the Asian giants already suspiciously view Washington’s demands concerning greenhouse gases as a thinly veiled attempt to restrict their economical development.

That said, China and India are hardly Iraq! These are two countries which both boast formidable nuclear arsenals that are quite capable of reaching the U.S. Besides if the U.S. were to take any drastic action it is unlikely that the slumbering Russian bear would continue dozing for much longer.

World wars have erupted over much less and in the heated climate of today it only takes one more little spark to set everything off!

Deluges and Floods caused by Global Warming, as seen on Midwest

admin — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 06:18:44 +0000

British and Chinese understanding of global warming has led to record flooding. The United States? Not so much.

Although we do not know that most of the media in the U.S. , to record “once in a hundred years flood” West now seems to be every decade, more or less exactly what scientists had expected the heat.

A 2004 analysis by the NOAA National Climatic Data Center found a rise during the 20th century by rainfall, temperature, flow, heavy and very heavy rainfall and high flows in the East. “They found an increase of 14 percent” strong rainfall events “More than 2 inches in a day, and an increase of 20 percent” very heavy rainfall events, “best described as the largest Deluge-4 centimeters in a day. These rains are extremely exactly what was expected by warming comprehensive and scientific models.

Indeed, 2007 saw the second most extreme rainfall over the United States in the historical record, according to the NCDC climatic extremes Index (CEI). Here is a land of the percentage of the country (or two), much higher than normal proportion of precipitation derived from extreme 1-day precipitation events (extreme, which is equal to the higher percentile of tenth Deluge):

I do not know that our government has maintained an index extreme weather? Why do you have? The media does not write about it.

U. S. extreme climate index was created expressly to take a complicated subject ( “multiple climate change and multidimensional in the United States”) and to make them easier to understand for citizens and policy makers. As far in 1995, the analysis by the National Climatic Data Center showed that during the 20th century, the United States has suffered a statistically significant improvement in a variety of extreme weather events, which hopefully heating in general as more – and more – precipitation. Analysis concluded that the chances were only “5-10 percent” this increase was due to other factors that global warming, such as natural climate variability. “And since 1995, the climate has become more extreme .

I have followed this issue, the link between climate change and extreme weather events very closely – and yet, in 2006, we have not seen a single mention of the index in the media, or even a scientific paper on its initial For more than a decade. Global warming may be a hot topic, and in 2006 was the second year ever more extreme, but try a search on Google News “extreme weather Index” (the quotation marks) – do not get to all matches.

Story after story appearing in the mainstream media have no connection with any extreme weather, global warming and disconnected from man-made, a trend that eventually all our lives. The media should do a better job.