Janet Schlarbaum Climate Change Questions
Global Climate Change and the Many Questions it Raises
Janet Schlarbaum Climate Change Questions By Kelly Hunter
Everyone’s talking about global warming. A planet (Earth) in peril! But, if there is global warning then there are bound to be global climate changes. So how dangerous can a global climate change be? That global warming is taking place, is a long foregone conclusion. Many of you may even be familiar with some of the reasons for it.
Let’s start with some questions. What impact will global warming have on the world climate? How can, we, humans prevent any further damage to our environment? Can the warming be slowed down or reversed? If yes, how? How much time do we have left now? There are many more questions to be asked and answers to be found but these are some of the most important ones.
All said and done, questions asked, the most important thing to do is spread awareness about global climate change and how it will all affect us and our future generations. An increasingly thirsty and hot world is not far away. But if we act fast, there is much we can do at both individual and community levels. It’s all about timing and taking the right measures to halt global warming in its tracks.
What is global warming?
Global warming can be defined as a steady increase of temperatures of the earth as well as oceans due to an increase in quantity of specific gases that trap heat within the atmosphere. These gases that trap heat are known as ‘green house’ gases. They occur naturally. Also produced naturally, these gases are found in certain regions of our planet. Greenhouse gases are released when fossil fuels are used to produce energy. Over the years these gases are have begun to be produced in significantly large numbers leading to altering the climatic conditions of our planet.
However, despite all this, it is actually quite difficult to pinpoint if global climate change is actually taking place and to figure out the speed of this process. However, it is a fact that ice caps are melting, water tables are receding, climatic conditions across the world are changing, summer temperatures are rising while summer duration is getting longer, winters are getting harsher and shorter etc.
What are the concerns?
Tsunamis, earthquakes, typhoons that have the capability of killing thousands of people, destroying thousands of miles of land are now not unheard of. There are many recent examples of these natural catastrophes like the Katrina, the tsunami of 2005, the recent earthquake in Haiti among others. Also, human produced catastrophes like setting fire to forests, oil wells etc lead to severe impacts on the world climate.
How does global climate change affect me?
As the average temperatures rise world-wide, it will have a devastating effect on the environment. As more greenhouses are released and trapped in the atmosphere, the oceans’ temperatures will also rise, leading to glaciers melting. According to many scientists, this process has already begun. This could only mean one thing, that global climate change though already under process, it’s time to stop it and one of the best ways to do this is by switching to renewable sources of energy.
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March 28 2010 03:06 pm | Janet Schlarbaum Climate Change