Global Warming-A Very Heated Debate

Global Warming-A Very Heated Debate By Devin Crawford melting earth picture from www.solcomhouse.com What is Global Warming? • Merriam-Webster online defines Global Warming as “an increase in the earth's atmospheric and oceanic temperatures widely predicted to occur due to an increase in the greenhouse effect resulting especially from pollution” Global Warming-A Very Heated Debate-Devin Crawford 2 History of Global Warming • According to Maslin M.(Oxford, 2004),the origins of the belief of Global Warming actually date back to 1896 and a man named Svante Arrhenius(1859-1927) who claimed that fossil-fuel consumption would “eventually result in enhanced global warming”(Oxford, 2004) • picture from www.su.se Global Warming-A Very Heated Debate-Devin Crawford 3 Arrhenius‟s Findings • According to Arrehnius, Earth‟s normal surface temperature is 15C because of the “infrared absorption capacity of water vapor and carbon dioxide.” (Oxford 2004). He warned that a doubling of the concentration of CO2 would cause a 5C increase in temperature of the Earth. Global Warming-A Very Heated Debate-Devin Crawford 4 Arrehnius‟s Finding con. • Arrhenius, along with a man by the name of Thomas Chamberlin figured out that human activity could harm the atmosphere by adding extra Carbon Dioxide.(Oxford, 2004) • archives.library.wisc.edu Global Warming-A Very Heated Debate-Devin Crawford 5 Modern Day Research • After Arrhenius and Chamberlin‟s research, the topic of Global Warming was forgotten for many years until the 1940s. During the 1940s, infrared spectroscopy, which helps measure long range radiation proved that an increase in CO2 would cause more infrared radiation absorption.(Oxford, 2004) • bareket-astro.com-picture Global Warming-A Very Heated Debate-Devin Crawford 6 The Greenhouse Effect • According to the EPA, the greenhouse effect is the rise in temperature that the Earth experiences because certain gases in the atmosphere (water vapor, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane, for example) trap energy from the sun. Without these gases, heat would escape back into space and Earth‟s average temperature would be about 60ºF colder. Because of how they warm our world, these gases are referred to as greenhouse gases. Global Warming-A Very Heated Debate-Devin Crawford 7 1997 ABC News Poll 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Will Global Warming Pose a threat in your lifetime? Will it pose a threat to In future Generations? Yes No Global Warming-A Very Heated Debate-Devin Crawford 8 June, 2005 ABC News Poll 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Yes No Global Warming-A Very Heated Debate-Devin Crawford 9 Convinced Global Warming is Under Way? Think it will affect your own life? Favor Immediate Governmental Action? My Poll-Tallwood Band Wind Ensemble (Questions from ABC News Poll 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Yes No Global Warming-A Very Heated Debate-Devin Crawford Do you believe Global Warming is already occuring? Do you think it is effecting you/ the environment? Do you think immediate government action should be taken? 10 Causes of Global WarmingHumans • According to ThinkTank.org, These are the main causes of Global Warming – Pollution/burning of fossil fuels-coal, oilbecause they give off CO2 – Mining of coal and oil – Population increase – tree demolition – Electricity Global Warming-A Very Heated Debate-Devin Crawford 11 “An Inconvenient Truth” • In a “An Inconvenient Truth”, Written by Al Gore, posted by NPR, Al Gore said “... the scientific community is warning us that the average hurricane will continue to get stronger because of global warming... hurricanes in both the Atlantic and the Pacific have increased in duration, and in intensity, by about 50 % • picture from blogs.venturacountystar.com Global Warming-A Very Heated Debate-Devin Crawford 12 “An Inconvenient Truth” con. • Al Gore later stated that “... The oceans generally have been getting warmer. And the pattern is exactly consistent with what scientists have predicted for twenty years... Two thousand scientists, in a hundred countries, have produced...a consensus that we will face a string of terrible catastrophes unless we act to prepare ourselves and deal with...global warming.” • picture from www.davethenovelist.wordpress.com 13 “An Inconvenient Truth”-Melting the Ice Caps • According to Al Gore, as published in An Inconvenient Truth, “We are melting the North Polar ice cap and virtually all of the mountain glaciers in the world. We are destabilizing the massive mound of ice on Greenland and the equally enormous mass of ice propped up on top of islands in West Antarctica, threatening a worldwide increase in sea levels of as much as twenty feet.”. • This info is from http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5441976 14 “An Inconvenient Truth”Endangered Species • According to Al Gore, “Global warming, along with the cutting and burning of forests and other critical habitats, is causing the loss of living species at a level comparable to the extinction event that wiped out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. That event was believed to have been caused by a giant asteroid. This time it is not an asteroid colliding with the Earth and wreaking havoc; it is us.” • Same citation as previous slide. Global Warming-A Very Heated Debate-Devin Crawford 15 Carbon Credits • According to Newsbusters, Carbon Credits will allow “companies, countries, and individuals [to] balance their CO2 output by purchasing credits from others that are emitting less greenhouse gases than prescribed maximums.” • “The concept is that this would give companies, countries, and individuals a financial incentive to produce less CO2.” 16 Professor Rob Carter‟s ResearchGlacial Periods • According to Rob Carter, professor at Jane Cook University in Townesville, the Kyoto Protocol would cost billions, even trillions, of dollars and would have a devastating effect on the economies of countries that signed it. "It will deliver no significant cooling - less than 0.02 degrees Celsius by 2050," he said. • Cited from http://www.theage.com.au/news/Science/Global-warming-cyclicalsays-climate-expert/2005/06/12/1118514924793.html 17 Professor Carter‟s ResearchGlacial Periods • Professor Carter said that over 2.5 million years there had been 50 glacial and interglacial periods. Of the past 400,000 years, the earth had been colder for 90 per cent of the time, with briefer warmer periods of about 10,000 years. • Cited from the same website as previous slide Global Warming-A Very Heated Debate-Devin Crawford 18 Professor Carter‟s ResearchGlacial Periods con. • He said the earth was now at the end of a warmer period, and reputable climatechange scientists agreed that the climate was going to get colder. The debate was whether it would take tens, hundreds or even thousands of years to occur. • Cited from the same website as Slides 14 & 15 Global Warming-A Very Heated Debate-Devin Crawford 19 Prof. Carter‟s Research-Modern Warm Periods • On a shorter time scale, Professor Carter said the earth had broadly gotten warmer in the modern period, from 1860 to 2000, although it had also been warmer in Roman and medieval times. There had also been a Little Ice Age between 1550 and the 19th century, when the Thames used to freeze over. • (The citation is the same as the previous 3 slides) Global Warming-A Very Heated Debate-Devin Crawford 20 Prof. Carter‟s Research-Recent Cooling and Warming Trends • A cooling trend took place between 1940 and 1970, then temperatures began to rise again, reaching a peak in 1998. "This coincided with the biggest El Nino in the 20th century," he said. • (the citation is the same as previous slides) Global Warming-A Very Heated Debate-Devin Crawford 21 Prof. Crater‟s Research-The Greenhouse Effect • Professor Carter said that without the natural greenhouse effect, the average earth temperature would be minus 18 degrees Celsius, compared with the average of plus 15 Celsius that had nurtured the development of life and civilization. • Citation is the same as previous Carter slides. • Picture from www.kidsgeo.com Global Warming-A Very Heated Debate-Devin Crawford 22 Prof. Carter‟s Research-Does CO2 cause Climate Change? • Professor Carter said greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide were not causing the earth to warm up. On both annual and geological (up to 100,000-year) time scales, changes in temperature preceded changes in carbon dioxide, he said. This was true even in the famous 1960-1991 graph showing rising amounts of carbon dioxide. • Citation is the same as previous Carter slides. Global Warming-A Very Heated Debate-Devin Crawford 23 Conclusion • Global Warming is a very “heated” debate between those who believe it is caused by man, and those who believe it is cyclical and natural. In my opinion, it is cyclical, but humans contribute to the pace of the warming cycles. • YOU DECIDE! (cow from www.unhappycows.com) Global Warming-A Very Heated Debate-Devin Crawford 24 Works Cited Page p.1 • • “Al Gore Picture” < blogs.venturacountystar.com> “Arrhenius Picture” < www.su.se> • “Burning Earth Picture” . EPA. "The Green House Effect." The Greenhouse Effect. October 23rd 2006. The United States Environmental Protection Agency. 1/6/08. . “Glacier Picture” Hopkins, Phillip. "Global warming cyclical, says climate expert." Global warming cyclical, says climate expert-science-features-in depth. June 13, 2005. Phillip Hopkins. 12/29/07. . 25 Works Cited Page p.2 • • “Melting Earth Picture” “Merriam-Webster online.” 1//2/08. NPR. "Al Gore Sounds Global Warming Alert." NPR: Al Gore Sounds Global Warming Alert. May 31, 2006. NPR. 1/1/08. . Sheppard, Noel. "Global Warming Solution Known as „Carbon Credits‟ Collapses." Global Warming Solution Known as „Carbon Credits‟ Collapses. February 22, 2007. Newsbusters. 1/1/08. • • Global Warming-A Very Heated Debate-Devin Crawford 26 Works Cited p. 3 • • • • • “Shocked Monkey Picture” < www.davethenovelist.wordpress.com> “SUV on Ice” < www.kidsgeo.com> “Spectroscopy picture” < bareket-astro.com-picture> “Thomas Chamberlin Picture” < archives.library.wisc.edu> “Tough Decision Cow” < www.unhappycows.com> Global Warming-A Very Heated Debate-Devin Crawford 27