Download When researching back and looking at some of the things we need

Our task is to present to the U.S senator, our findings concerning the implications of
unchecked growth of heat-trapping emissions in the atmosphere, and how it will
impact the earth if precautions are not taken. Working with the knowledge that the
Senator is confused by the conflicting information presented by the media reports,
our analysis and subsequent recommendations will address:
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

What is the difference in weather and climate?
Is the climate change just a reaction to a normal geological process? Or is it
human induced or both?
What are the pros and cons of mitigating global warming? Is it worth it?
(This would include environmental issues as well as economics)
Event on the Spheres interaction:
E>A
(TS)Most global warming emissions remain in the atmosphere for decades or centuries.
An example of global warming affecting the atmosphere is “in California and throughout
western North America, signs of a changing climate are evident. During the last 50 years,
winter and spring temperatures have been warmer. During the past 100 years, average
temperatures have risen more than one degree Fahrenheit worldwide.” "We're seeing
climate change manifest itself in the upper as well as lower atmosphere," says NCAR
scientist Stan Solomon, a co-author of the study. "This shows the far-ranging impacts of
greenhouse gas emissions."
http://www.energybulletin.net/18862.html
http://www.rclinvestor.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=103045&p=irol-govCommComp
E>B
(TS)Because most global warming emissions remain in the atmosphere for decades or
centuries, the choices we make today greatly influence the climate our children and
grandchildren inherit. The quality of life they experience will depend on if and how
rapidly our U.S. and the rest of the world reduce these emissions. Continued global
warming will affect people’s health by exacerbating air pollution, intensifying heat
waves, and expanding the range of infectious diseases. The primary concern is not so
much the change in average climate but the projected increase in extreme conditions,
which pose the most serious health risks.
http://www.energybulletin.net/18862.html
(PW) Some scientist think climate warming will be a good thing. For example, Dr.
Thomas Gale Moore, an economist at Stanford University's Hoover Institution, believes
that since all plants thrive with an abundance of CO2, and because global warming will
result in shorter winters, this means longer growing seasons for crops.
http://www.scienceclarified.com/scitech/Global-Warming/Global-Warming-and-theFuture.html
E>H
(TS)Studies providing evidence that both water quality and quantity can be reduced by
climate change. Rising temperatures, potentially compounded by decreases in
precipitation, could severely reduce spring snow pack, increasing the risk of summer
water shortages
http://www.energybulletin.net/18862.html
(TS)The 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights treats water as a component to
basic rights. Rights to water will become more important in years to come as climate and
weather patterns change due to global warming, and population growth makes more
demands on potable water.
http://www.chem.queensu.ca/people/faculty/vanLoon/Environ_Chemistry/Part_B.htm
E>L
(TS)Global warming is expected to intensify by increasing the risk of wildfire and
altering the distribution and character of natural vegetation and land formations. Severe
storms will change the face of the lithosphere by tornado damage, wind erosions and
severe water damage to the earth’s surface.
http://www.energybulletin.net/18862.html
A> B
(PW) If atmospheric temperatures increase as much as 3-4 degrees the jet streams would
weaken and global winds would alter their normal patterns. If this happens, changes in
precipitation over much of the world would occur. These new patterns could have
adverse effects on humans as well as on agricultural and plant life.
http://www.umich.edu/~gs265/climate.htm Heat waves will become more frequent
which will be devastating to certain poverty stricken regions of the world which are
already hot and dry, such as in Africa and Asia. Due to high poverty rates, these people
are especially vulnerable to heat waves and droughts. Warmer temperatures will result in
an increase in mosquitoes which carry diseases. Increased outbreaks of deadly infectious
diseases (malaria, encephalitis …) may increase world-wide.
http://www.scienceclarified.com/scitech/Global-Warming/Global-Warming-and-theFuture.html
A>H
(PW) Warmer atmospheric temperatures would cause portions of the polar ice caps to
melt raising seal levels significantly world wide. If this happens, wetlands will be
damaged and severe flooding will occur.
http://www.scienceclarified.com/scitech/Global-Warming/Global-Warming-and-theFuture.html
(PW) Higher water levels, as a result of the melting of the polar ice caps, will erode
shorelines. Any flood event results in murky water which is evidence that erosion is
occurring somewhere.
H>B
(PW) As coastal wetlands are flooded, countless numbers of fish and birds will be driven
from their habitat and forced to adapt to new habitat or die. Wetland vegetation will be
destroyed. Additionally, 50% of the world population which lives in coastal communities
will be displaced due to loss of their homes from flooding.
http://www.scienceclarified.com/scitech/Global-Warming/Global-Warming-and-theFuture.html
TS. Question I am researching:
How are humans affecting global climate change and what can be done?
These answer the question:
(TS) It is becoming clear that human activities, mainly burning fossil fuels and
deforestation, are part of the cause of this warming. Since these human activities are
expected to continue into the foreseeable future, scientists predict that the earth will
continue warming.
http://www.energybulletin.net/18862.html
(TS) “Human activities also produce greenhouse gases. Carbon dioxide is released when
we burn fossil fuels to produce electricity; heat our homes with oil, coal or gas; drive our
cars; or switch on our natural gas stoves for cooking. And landfills release methane into
the air as our garbage decomposes. Such activities have significantly increased the
quantity of several heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere over the past few centuries. For
example, carbon dioxide concentrations in the Earth’s atmosphere are 34 percent higher
today than they were at the onset of the industrial revolution in 1750—higher than at any
time in the last 400,000 years. Scientists have determined that as atmospheric levels of
carbon dioxide have increased, largely due to human activities, the average global
temperature has risen significantly. In 2003, the average global temperature was the third
highest ever recorded, just slightly below the 1998 and 2002 averages. Scientists predict
that average surface temperatures will increase during this century at rates unprecedented
in the past 10,000 years.”
http://www.worldwatch.org/node/3949#a6
Causal Chains:
A > B (VL) Pollutants in the air in the form of low-lying precipitates can have
devastating effect on the biosphere. In the mid 70's, smoke stacks of steel mills in cities
like Gary, Indiana, spewed particles that bonded with water vapor and descended on the
city as foul-smelling fog, or smog, that I couldn't run away from.
A > B > L >B (VL) Smoke from forest fires can choke oxygen-breathing animals even if
fire does not get to scorch them. The fire benefits the lithosphere some. The soil gets
breathing space as dense undergrowth is cleared and ashes alter the composition of the
top soil, preparing it for new growth. In this way the forest regenerates itself and was a
rationale used by foresters in the Yellowstone fire of 1987-88.
"Giant sequoias are a fire adapted species. Their bark is fire resistant and fire helps open
the sequoia cone and scatter the tiny seeds. Fire also clears forest debris from the mineral
soil and provides a nutrient rich seed bed as well as clearing competing species."
http://www.nps.gov/yose/parkmgmt/fire-ecology.htm
E>H>L>A>E…
(PW) The Arctic ice acts somewhat like a mirror in that it reflects incoming light back
towards space. Unlike a mirror, the Arctic ice serves as a refrigerant to the rest of the
world. By reflecting sunlight back into space, Arctic ice prevents the heating of the
Earth’s surface. However, when ice melts (due to global warming), it leaves behind bare
soil or open waters, both of which absorb more solar energy than ice. This extra heat
melts even more ice. Less ice means less refrigeration for the Earth. This results in
something called a positive feed-back loop. Once the melting starts, it tends to keep
melting at a faster and faster rate and the Earth’s surface heats more and more which then
reflects heat back into the atmosphere contributing even more to global warming. Loss
of the Arctic ice is happening. According to the IPCC, “since the 1970s, 400,000 square
miles of Arctic sea ice has disappeared. That's the size of Texas and California combined
(IPCC 2001)”. Additionally “The most recent report by the IPCC finds that nearly all of
the Arctic Ocean could lose year-round ice cover by the end of the 21st century if
greenhouse gas emissions reach the higher end of current estimates (IPCC 2007). (1)
In recent studies, researchers have concluded the Arctic ice melt will become irreversible
sometime within the last have of the 21st century unless action is taken to curb
greenhouse gas emissions. (2)
(1) http://fightglobalwarming.com/page.cfm?tagID=261
(2) http://www.livescience.com/environment/060323_ice_melt.html
E>H>B
(PW) An increase of 6 C degrees by the year 2100 will result in catastrophic occurrences
(increased extreme weather events-flooding, hurricanes, droughts- and increased sea
levels. And all of this will have drastic consequences on human health.
http://www.cana.net.au/report5.pdf Increased flooding from the increase in sea levels
will drastically alter coastal communities. As coastal wetlands are flooded, countless
numbers of fish and birds will be driven from their habitat and forced to adapt to new
habitat or die. Wetland vegetation will be destroyed. Additionally, 50% of the world
population which lives in coastal communities will be displaced due to loss of their
homes from flooding. http://www.scienceclarified.com/scitech/Global-Warming/GlobalWarming-and-the-Future.html Additionally extreme weather events, such as hurricanes
will occur more frequently. And we have direct knowledge of the economic
consequences of both flooding and of hurricanes from Hurricane Katrina. In the most
comprehensive study ever performed on the financial cost of global warming, economists
have found that “climate change could not only devastate the environment and cause
mass migration but could cut the world's annual economic growth by 20 per cent.” And
the report also warns that there is only a small window of 10-15 years to address the
problem.http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2006/s1776868.htm.
B>A>L>E
(TS) “Unfortunately, recent human activities are enhancing the natural greenhouse effect.
The concentrations of certain greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are increasing;
therefore more of the infra-red radiation emitted by the Earth's surface is being trapped.
The planet is losing less heat and as a result we are beginning to experience 'Global
Warming'. Going back to the greenhouse analogy, it is as if the panes of glass are
gradually becoming thicker.”
http://www.ecocentre.org.uk/global-warming.html
B>E>H> L>B
(TS)Humans adding to the likely effects of global warming have serious implications for
the environment, such as, sea levels rise due to melting ice caps. This flooding will cause
land features to change and destruction of crops.
http://www.ecocentre.org.uk/global-warming.html
B>A>E>B
(TS)With human affecting the climate change by allowing a buildup of gas emissions, the
likely effects of an increase in the amount of UV-B radiation reaching the earth's surface
are extensive. The potential consequences for humans, animals, plants, are serious: the
greatest threat to human health is an increase in the incidence of skin cancer; each 1%
loss of total ozone leads to a 3% to 5% increase in skin cancer cases. In addition, eye
disease, including temporary disorders such as 'snow blindness', and more permanent
conditions, such as cataracts, become more common. These problems are compounded by
the fact that UV-B suppresses the immune system.
http://www.ecocentre.org.uk/global-warming.html
B>E>H>B
(TS)With humans adding to global warming, global warming would affect the marine
environment, because there is likely to be a reduction in the numbers of phytoplankton,
photosynthesizing organisms in the sea that both (a) absorb CO2 from the atmosphere,
and helping to stave off global warming, and (b) form the base of the marine food chain.
UV-B also causes direct damage to young fish, shrimp and crab larvae, and other small
animals. Further up the food chain, this means a reduction in fish stocks, marine animals,
and seabirds
http://www.ecocentre.org.uk/global-warming.html
(CH)A>H>B
(CH)Increase in global temperature which is part of the global climate causes rises in sea
levels and amounts of precipitation. These rises in sea levels lead to the faster erosion of
the coast line and the more the precipitation in areas lead to pop up lakes and destruction
of wet lands. Increased atmospheric temperature also leads to increased water
temperatures which affects the species that live in aquatic environments. In most cases
these species are unable to adapt at the rate at which the temperature is changing so
therefore leading to possible extinction of many species.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071020090707.htm
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/noaa-n/climate/climate_weather.html
(CH)A>B>L>E
(CH)It has been stated that the change in climate affects the weather of a given area
which in turn causes great impact on the species and topography of the area. The
increased global temperature leads to more outbreaks of severe destructive storms and
rampant wild fires. These catastrophes create massive land damage which takes many
years to rebuild to its original state. Wildfires demolish thousands of acres of land and
destructive storms upset all the ecological systems in its path. The species that are
affected by both of these events have to relocate to new habitats or they die out of that
area completely. If the species have to relocate they then upset the ecosystem for where
they have relocated. These events also affect vegetation of the areas where they occur.
According to NASA climate change and increased intensity of weather plays a major role
in the inability for soil in damaged areas to support the vegetation that normally grows in
the area. Because of the changing atmospheric conditions over long periods of time
(climate) the rampant outbreaks of uncommon weather is able to occur.
www.weather.com
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071020090707.htm
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/noaa-n/climate/climate_weather.html
Summary and Conclusions
(TS)The projections presented in this analysis suggest that many of the most severe
consequences that are expected from the medium and higher warming ranges could be
avoided if heat-trapping emissions can be reduced to levels that will hold temperature
increases at or below the lower warming range (i.e., an increase of no more than 5.5°F).
However, even if emissions are substantially reduced, research indicates that some
climatic changes are unavoidable. Although not the solution to global warming, plans to
cope with these changes are essential....
http://www.worldwatch.org/node/3949#c1
(PW) Failure to act may result in known as well as unknown irreversible environmental
and economic consequences.
(CH) What is the difference between climate and weather?
(CH) There are many differences between climate and weather but the two main
differences are time and how they each affect the earth and its systems. To determine the
climate of a certain area one would look at atmospheric data over a long period of time
such as, years and decades. Weather is a measure of atmospheric conditions over a short
period of time such as, hours and weeks. How these two events affect the atmosphere is
also a major difference between the two. Global warming affects the climate of a certain
region. For example, NASA states that the occurrence of warmer summers and shorter
springs is climate change that is affected by global warming. Climate change in turn
affects the weather which is day by day, week by week atmospheric changes of a certain
region. Changes in climate not weather result in rising sea levels and amount of
precipitation. Climate is the average of weather over time and space. An easy way to
remember the difference is that climate is what you expect, like a very hot summer, and
weather is what you get, like a hot day with pop-up thunderstorms.
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/noaa-n/climate/climate_weather.html
(TS)What can we do to slow global warming and make a difference?
(TS) While it’s impossible for any one individual to prevent global warming, we each
have a direct impact on the conditions that allow warming to occur. We can pledge to do
our part to conserve energy and pollute less. Whether at home, on our commute to work
or school, in the office, or at the store, there are things we can do to lessen our
contribution to climate change. Examples of things you can do include turning off lights
and computers when they are not in use, using public transportation or carpooling,
driving less, recycling, purchasing energy efficient appliances (in the U.S., look for the
Energy Star label) or a more fuel-efficient car, buying food grown locally, insulating your
water heater and home, and choosing “green” electricity from a company selling power
generated from renewable sources such as the wind or sun, which is now possible in
many areas.
http://www.worldwatch.org/node/3949#c1
(TS) Suggested plans to help control global warming
1. Reduce emissions of carbon dioxide by using energy more efficiently.
2. Use alternative energy sources that do not produce carbon dioxide emissions—
solar, wind, nuclear, geothermal and hydroelectric.
3. When we do burn fossil fuels, capture and store the resulting carbon dioxide
rather than letting it go into the atmosphere.
http://www.seed.slb.com/en/scictr/watch/climate_change/index.htm
(PW) What are the pros for decreasing CO2 emissions?
(PW) Global warming is important politically, economically and environmentally. The
world is emitting 6.5 billion tonnes of CO2 annualy. The IPCC has said that in order to
maintain a stable atmospheric environment, CO2 emissions must not exceed 2 billion
tonnes per year. However golbal emissions are expected to increase by 3.5 billion tonnes
per year. Steps must be taken now to reduce emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse
gases before a runaway greenhouse effect results.
http://www.ecobridge.org/content/mobilize.html#why By taking action now to reduce
CO2 emissions, not only will emissions be reduced but additional favorable outcomes
may result some of which include the following:



will provide stability and some certainity about emission levels
will stimulate innovative policies and encourage the development of new
technologies
will positively impact the environment by promoting informed choices and
possibly even encouraging behavioral changes
http://www.climatechangecentral.com/publications/c3-views/january-2008/tools-combatclimate-change-%E2%80%93-pros-and-cons
(PW): Cutting emissions and reducing pollution has been shown to save money. The
actual price tag of implementing a comprehensive national greenhouse gas reduction
program will depend on several variables. However one independent MIT study found
that a modest cap and trade system would cost each household $20 annually and would
have no negative affect on the job market. Letting global warming continue until steps
have to be taken for emergency purposes could disrupt and severely cripple the economy.
It is far wiser and cost effective to be proactive and act now.
http://www.edf.org/page.cfm?tagID=1011
What is the cost of capturing CO2?
(VL) Utility companies in Oregon estimate a cost of $2 to $4 per ton of CO2 extracted
from the air.
http://www.efsec.wa.gov/Sumas2/eis/seis/fseisch3-1.pdf
" City Light has estimated that the actual costs for the upcoming round of contracts will
be roughly $4 per ton of CO2 . Based on these reported actual unit costs, the analysis for
this SEIS assumes a range of actual unit costs of $2 to $4 per ton of eliminated CO2."
Taking the average of $3 per ton and 1.6 ton per hectare, the New Zealand forest owners
should be compensated with $4.80 per hectare they maintain and new trees they plant.
Communities that manage and prevent forest fires in the U.S. should be compensated
with $12.3 per hectare and tropical tree farmers should be compensated $20.10 per
hectare. Communities that manage forests and tree farms in Mexico or the Philippines
should be compensated $2,010 a year for every 100 hectares for cleaning the world's air.
Based on this formula, there is great potential for communities that manage forests and
tree farms in developing countries in tropical America, Africa, and Asia given their
ability to capture up to 44% of CO2. See below.
Source
http://www.fao.org/docrep/003/y0900e/y0900e06.htm
Detail
The carbon sequestration potential of forestation/reforestation is specific to the species,
site and management involved, and it is therefore very variable. Typical sequestration
rates for forestation/reforestation, in tonnes of carbon per hectare per year, are: 0.8 to 2.4
tonnes in boreal forests, 0.7 to 7.5 tonnes in temperate regions and 3.2 to 10 tonnes in the
tropics (Brown et al., 1996). The sequestration potential for agro forestry practices is
even more variable, depending on the planting density and production objectives of the
system.