Download Global Warming

Environmental
Wellness
&
Global Warming
By Jillian Swisher & Hannah Lewis
Environmental Wellness defined: the
collective interactions of humans with
the environment, and the short-term
and long-term health consequences
of those interactions
Climate Change:
Any significant change in the
measures of climate lasting for
an extended period of time
(major changes in
temperature, precipitation,
wind, etc.)
Global Warming:
Global warming is the recent
and ongoing rise in global
temperature near Earth’s
surface
• What causes global
warming?
Global Warming & The Greenhouse
Effect
• Global warming happens when the
greenhouse effect occurs
• Greenhouse effect = when temperature rises
due to heat being trapped in earth’s
atmosphere (due to greenhouse gases being
released into the air)
Indicators of Climate Change
• Greenhouse gas
• Drought
emissions
• Sea Level
• High/low
• Ocean heat
temperatures
• Snowfall
• Precipitation patterns • Heat Related Deaths
Greenhouse Gases – What are they?
• Carbon Dioxide
• Methane
• Nitrous Oxide
• Fluorinated Gases
These gases absorb infrared radiation,
contributing to the greenhouse effect
How are they produced?
Carbon Dioxide
• Emitted through burning of fossil fuels, solid
waste, trees and wood products
Methane
• Emitted during production & transportation
of coal, natural gas, and oil, and during
decay of waste in landfills
Nitrous Oxide
•
Emitted during agricultural and industrial
activities, also during combustion of solid
waste & fossil fuels
Humans Contribution
• Humans release large amounts of these gases
into the air, which then trap energy in the
atmosphere and cause the Earth to become
warmer
• Most of these emissions are from burning
fossil fuel for electricity, heat and
transportation
Ways we Contribute
• Driving cars that run on gas/various kinds of
transportation
• Deforestation
• Pollution & Landfills
• Electricity
• Industrial processes
Global Warming 101
• YouTube
How can we reduce our contributions?
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•
•
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•
Energy Star products
Recycle
Use water efficiently
Carpool
Reduce electricity use
Consequences of Our
Contributions
• Weather: increased precipitation in some areas,
while extreme droughts in other areas
• Storms, floods, hurricanes likely to become more
intense
• Effects on our health (heat-related illness,
death/damage from major storms)
• Insurance costs rise due to increase in weather
related disasters
What the Future Holds
Unless these emissions decrease substantially,
there will continue to be changes to our
environment. These changes are likely to have
negative effects on humans (economic and
health problems, agricultural issues, water
supply issues, etc).
Questions?
Visit www.epa.gov for more information on
Global Warming, Climate Change, and how you
can make a difference
Sources: www.epa.gov, www.edf.org, www.nature.org/globalwarming,
www.geography.about.com , www.nwf.org