Global Warming 101: An Introduction
A little while ago a friend of ours asked “what exactly is the greenhouse effect and how it is related to the problems of global warming and high gas prices?” It was right then, that I realized that the majority of the public is very ill informed about the state of our environment. Now this friend is well educated, and for the most part well connected to current events. But he, like so many others, has been overwhelmed by contradictory information, subtle misrepresentation of facts, and outright lies – and has long since given up on determining the truth. I would like to fix that. There is no reason that the truth about the greenhouse effect and global warming should be clouded by misunderstanding.
Over the next few days I am going to attempt to clear the air on global warming. My three part series will cover
1. The Greenhouse Effect: Mother Nature’s Cozy Blanket
2. Global Warming,: The Evidence for an Anthropogenic Greenhouse Effect
3. The Results Are In: What Can We Do and How Far Do We Need To Go
The greenhouse effect is actually a natural phenomenon which allows life on this planet to exist. Without natural greenhouse gases like water, carbon dioxide, methane, and others we and all other life would be frozen solid. However, with the increased use of fossil fuels which power our economy, the balance of these greenhouse gases has shifted and we now are in a state of excessive greenhouse warming. The evidence for this is unmistakable. Increases in greenhouse gases have been measured back to before the industrial revolution. Temperature increases have been measured around the world. Subtle changes to natural ecosystems have been observed, affecting birds, grazing herds, and farmers.
But what do we do? The first thing to do is reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere by 10% and we need to do this in the next five years. It doesn’t sound like a lot… 10% in five years, but currently we are increasing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and we are increasing it faster than we have ever increased it before. To change the planet’s atmosphere we must have a planet-wide effort. “Green” can not be a trendy ad campaign driven by short term sales figures, it must be a way of life for everyone driven by our future self preservation.
***Part One of a Four Part Series***