by John Labunski ~ January 22, 2009
By: Mary Sproul
Climate is defined as the average temperature in an area over a long period of time. Climate change refers to when a climate is getting warmer or colder. In this case of climate change or “global warming” the temperature is changing for the worse. The conflict is that if the climate keeps getting warmer, we may be thrust into an ice age, or have other serious damage done to our planet. “Global Warming”, by the year 2100, could cause devastation such as; drought, floods and typhoons, and increase the incidence of; malaria, dengue fever and cholera. The temperature has been getting steadily warmer, why?
The main cause of global warming that we know of is called The Green house effect. The suns rays come into the earth’s atmosphere and heat the earth’s surface. Some of this heat goes into the ground but most of it is reflected by ice and water back into space. A natural balance of green house gases are in the air. These gases absorb heat, trapping it in the atmosphere, which in turn keeps our planet warm. Green house gases are necessary for life on this planet, but in the last 200 years more and more green house gases have been added disrupting the balance of gases in the air. The earth is like a green house. If the balance is disturbed the planet becomes to hot or to cold. Too much gas in the air causes too much heat being trapped. In this case it is the added carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide in the air that is creating the “Green house effect”.
Where do these gases come from? Humans. When we burn fossil fuels for electricity we are creating a carbon dioxide build up in the atmosphere. We are releasing more carbon dioxide than our planet can handle. About 33% of carbon dioxide admissions are from the burning of gasoline in cars and light trucks. The cars with the worst gas mileage are the ones that effect global warming the most. For example the Dodge Durango will emit one pound of carbon dioxide for every kilometer traveled. Or for each gallon of gasoline 19.6 pounds of carbon dioxide is emitted into the air. If car manufacturer were to increase the gasoline mileage by approximately 5 kilometers we could save one million barrels of oil each day and $25 billion in fuel costs annually. It is not only cars that are causing the carbon emissions, it is also air planes, buildings, power plants and of course factories.
We do things that cause Global Warming every day, with out even thinking about it. The truth is we are making more of an impact then we realize on Canada’s environment. Global warming not only has a huge impact on us but on our forests, animal population and our arctic. The location and characteristics of animals and plants in the natural environment depends a lot on the climate. Some are very sensitive to even very small changes in that climate. Consequently they would be impacted by the intensity of climate change and the rate that it occurs. Because the temperature is going to rise in Canada, the range of existing plants and animals is expected to shift North Animals and plants from the United States as well will extend their range Northward into Canada. This means a shift in Canadian ecosystems and their size and composition. During this shift habitat loss, lack of available food, competition from invading species, and change in predator and diseases will occur. For example: The tundra area may shrink by a third and be confined to the Arctic Islands. Some of the spices such as the high arctic Perry Caribou may not be able to extend their range and become extinct as a result.
While warmer temperatures will increase plant growth where current climate is limiting growth, in dry places warmer climates will increase the amount of wild fires and areas burned in Canada. This would in turn challenge plants and animals to adapt and survive in these areas. Canada’s wet lands will also be affected. The wet lands are home to some of Canada’s most rare and endangered species. Climate change is projected to lower water levels and increase temperatures, factors that could jeopardize the survival of plants and animals who thrive in these areas.
Fresh water fish and aquatic life could also be lost in parts of Canada. High temperatures can cause water levels to lower in inland lakes and streams causing fish to shift northward 150 kilometer for every degree increase in temperature. Cold water species, such as brook trout, may be replaced by warm water species. In the arctic, reduced sea ice thickness and rise in sea levels may benefit some species which may be able to expand into new areas. Others such as seals may decline due to less sea ice for breeding and feeding. The polar bear is especially at risk. They could become extinct through starvation if the ocean becomes seasonally ice free for long periods of time. Global warming is melting the polar ice caps robbing polar bears of the ice flows they need to hunt prey. As the sea ice melts polar bears are forced ashore to spend their summers fasting. The arctic sea is shrinking by up to 5% each year. The sea ice has a cooling effect by reflecting light away from the earth’s surface. As it melts, global warming advances even more quickly.
The melting of ice due to Global warming effects more then just animal life. It affects ocean currents, The Gulf stream in particular. The Gulf Stream is one of the worlds most intensely studied currents. Running from the Caribbean all the way to Northern Atlantic, the Gulf Stream plays an important part of transferring heat and salt to the North. The Gulf Stream is a current of warm water flowing from the Gulf of Mexico. It is also part of the North Atlantic current. It flows along the eastern coast line of North America and then circles around to the western cost of Europe and Africa. This current is what keeps our climate warm. This stream allows us to have a summer with temperatures above 0 degrees. The last ice age was caused by the Gulf Stream shutting down. Due to global warming, the polar ice caps and glaciers in the north Atlantic will melt. This adds a lot of fresh water to the current, changing the salinity of the water. Salt water is heavier then fresh water. In this way, the current sinks and flows back along the bottom of the ocean toward the tropics. If enough fresh water is added it may stop the flow because the water is not dense enough to sink. This has happened before and when it did, Europe was thrust into an ice age.
In order not to see any of these things happen we must make drastic changes in the way we as a population live our life. Here are some tips on how you can help stop global warming by changing some of you daily routines;
1. Turn off the lights when you leave a room, and use fluorescent bulbs
2. Turn off all electronics when they are not in use, along with cell phone or battery chargers
3. Choose energy efficient appliances when making new purchases
4. Wait until you have a lot of clothes to wash before using the laundry machine, don’t use the washer for one item because it is your favourite shirt
5. Take shorter showers, heating water uses energy
6. Close the blinds on a hot day if the sun is shining. Dress lightly instead of using the air conditioning, or use a fan
7. Dress warmly inside your house when it is cold instead of turning up the heat
8. Keep air filters on your air conditioning and furnace clean
9. Walk short distances instead of using the car
10. Plant a tree in your back yard
By doing all of these things you will help conserve electricity, which in turn conserves carbon dioxide emissions, helping to reduce green house gases and keep our planet global warming free.
Placed here by John Labunski
John E Labunski John Labunski
by John Labunski ~ January 22, 2009
By: Bryan Wong
According to NASA, the hottest year on record was 2005, which matched 1998. Twice in the last ten years, we’ve had the hottest temperatures on average ever recorded in our planet’s history. That is very likely more than just a coincidence.
In fact, the past nine years have all been among the 25 warmest years on record, a streak which is unprecedented in the historical record. For that to happen, it’s likely there has to be an underlying factor, and that factor seems to be global warming.
U.S. and global annual temperatures are now around 1.0 F degrees warmer than they were in 1900. The rate of warming has accelerated over the past 30 years, increasing at a rate of three times faster than the century-scale trend. It’s likely the increase in CO2 emissions has something to do with that rate increase.
According to an MIT study, there’s been a 100% increase in the intensity and duration of hurricanes and tropical storms since the 1970s, most likely due to the increased amount of CO2 emissions to our atmosphere, which has increased the Earth’s surface temperature, and warmer weather is believed to increase the intensity of tropical storms and hurricanes.
In fact, the levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide has increased by 31% between 1800 and 2000, going from 280 parts per million to 367 parts per million. Scientists predict that carbon dioxide levels could be as high as 970 parts per million by the year 2100.
According to the National Climactic Data Centre estimates, $100 billion of damage was caused by hurricanes hitting the U.S. coast in 2005 alone. The increase in severity of the hurricanes and tropical storms is most likely due to the increase of CO2 emissions, which heats up the Earth’s near-surface temperatures. In fact, the average surface temperature has increased by about 0.6 C (1.0 F) over the last 100 years. This is likely why snow cover and ice extent have decreased over the past few decades.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey predictions, Glacier National Park will have no glaciers left by the year 2030, further showing the rapidity of global warming and the impact it can have on our planet in the very near future.
According to the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment, 400,000 square miles of Arctic sea ice have melted, which is threatening polar bear habitats and further accelerating global warming worldwide. That amount of Arctic sea ice is approximately the size of the state of Texas, and we’ve lost that in just the last 30 years, further emphasizing that we need to take action now before the damage becomes too severe for our efforts to really matter.
The sea level has risen by 4?-8? (10-20 cm) over the past 100 years, which is likely due to the melting of the polar glaciers, which is likely due to the increase in the Earth’s near-surface temperature, and that’s being increased by the increase in CO2 emissions into Earth’s atmosphere. This can lead to devastating effects for coastal communities because the sea level is rising, which means that when the sea comes in-tide, more erosion can occur, and if coastal communities are present, more damage done to them. In addition, losing the glaciers reduces the amount of usable fresh water on our planet.
It is also projected that 15-37% of all plant and animal species could be wiped out by global warming by the year 2050, which could further cause considerable damage to our planet’s ecosystem.
The United States is ranked nr.1 among large nations of being a global warming polluter, contributing 25% of emissions, even though the U.S. only makes up 5% of the world’s population. This provides more evidence that the U.S. Government must do more to combat global warming. In fact, six former U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) leaders say that the U.S. is not doing enough to fight global warming. The fact that there have been NO bills passed by the U.S. Congress to cut global warming pollution further confirms what many EPA leaders are saying.
As you can see, there is statistical evidence that proves that global warming is causing changes to our planet, and changes that will do more harm than good. Governments and individuals need to pay close attention to these statistics in order to figure out ways to reverse the disturbing trends that are now occurring. The sooner we take heed of these statistics and implement changes that address global warming, the quicker we can reverse the disturbing trends and the less damage will occur to our planet and way of life.
Presented by John Labunski
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by John Labunski ~ December 8, 2008
By Ian Pennington
The United States government is seriously taking responsibility to resolve the severe effects of global warming. There have been multiple occurrences of severe heat which is hotter than summer that constantly remain unexplainable to this day. “Are the effects of global warming real?” that’s what most people nowadays ask and the answer to the question is an unfortunate yes as its affects all forms of life whether human, animal or plant. It can bring suspicion or possible occurrences of drought, illness, health disorder and even death at worst.
As has been said above, global warming affects all forms of life from human beings to animals and plants. On humans, global warming or severe heat can cause illnesses and increase the chances of these diseases to spread to larger areas. Animals may also suffer from illnesses that may lead to death like dehydration and loss of the body moisture necessary for survival. Even sea creatures could also be affected by global warming as the water temperature would rise thus controlling the growth of marine life and their ecosystem.
Now is the time to believe, with all these information you will stop asking “are the effects of global warming real?” because it already is proven and supported with facts.
The thing that you should be doing today is providing good information dissemination about global warming and constant encouragement to your fellowmen to make them work with you and reach the goal of minimizing global warming. Now is the perfect time to control global warming issue because our condition is heading to higher stage or becoming severe. Temperature is totally going too high to the extent that sometimes people, animals and plants cannot bear it anymore. Get over on just thinking about “are the effects of global warming real?” rather find a way for its solution and its implementation so as to take part in giving cure to the world’s current disease known as global warming. We should all act regarding this issue because our world is deteriorating and getting weak defense against global warming.
Now that it is known that the effects of global warming are real and not just myths and make believes, it falls on our shoulders to try and make our world better as we alone have the power to do so. It is true, there is no way we can totally control changes of this magnitude but what we have to understand is that it is not about total control or eradication. But it is about effecting changes that could help in making our environment better for us and for our family to live on.
John E Labunski John Labunski
by John Labunski ~ November 22, 2008
By: Lance Winslow
It has been widely reported that Global Warming is Official, declared so at a meeting of the minds in France. That means that mankind’s CO2 discharges are causing the atmosphere to heat up and if the atmosphere continues heating up this could cause serious climate change.
However, new studies show that the atmosphere has actually been cooling since 1988 and indeed in the year 2008 it will be one of the coldest in several decades. Further, many of the top scientists a climatologist are now saying the global warming simply is not real, some going so far to say it is a bunch of hot air.
This is debate is further compounded with the fact that Al Gore was given a Nobel Prize for his docudrama; “Inconvenient Truth.” If global warming is really false and Al Gore received the Nobel Prize for his works then that is a blotch on the scientific community.
A few years back a survey was sent around to the public and over 80% of the people believed that global warming was real, now a more recent survey shows that 60% of the population in the United States does not believe the global warming is a reality. Much of this is no doubt because of the heavy handed headlines in the mass media in prior years and less since then, due to the election year headlines.
Does this mean global warming is no longer “Official” and if it is no longer official, does that mean we have all been snowed? Does this mean that the ice will not melt and the oceans will not rise and general havoc on all human civilizations is no longer to be of concern? Is global warming becoming very similar toY2K? How does anyone know what is real anymore?
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