Consumer use and waste is on the rise along with population growth. As a result more and more of our resources are being exhausted.
Half of the forests on the planet are gone and only 20% of them remain undisturbed¹. The major byproduct of all of this is greenhouse gas emissions.
We are relying on and burning non-renewable fossil fuels, like coal and petroleum, at an alarming rate around the globe. This causes tons of greenhouse gases, principally carbon dioxide (CO2), to be released into the atmosphere.
Another harmful greenhouse gas is methane. Methane gas emissions have continued to increase due to the increase in agricultural waste.² CO2, methane, other greenhouse gases trap the sun’s heat and cause the Earth to warm.
This man-made increase in the Earth’s temperature through the release of CO2 and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere (mostly by the burning of fossil fuels and destruction of forests-which are a carbon sink) is referred to as global warming.³
Carbon emissions and human induced climate change began during the Industrial Revolution in the mid 1750s ³ and have been increasing along with the average global temperature. 4 Currently, the United States is responsible for 22% of global carbon emissions while having only 5% of the global population.4
“Coal burning power plants are the largest U.S. source of carbon dioxide pollution-they produce 2.5 billion tons every year. Automobiles, the second largest source, create nearly 1.5 billion tons of CO2 annually.” 5
Globally, deforestation and land use change are responsible for about 25% of CO2 emissions. 4 “Each year, approximately 32 million acres – an area nearly equal to the size of Florida – are lost to deforestation” (www.nature.org). This has already caused plant and animal species decline and made our air, water, and land unsafe and unsightly.
As a result, we are already seeing and will continue to see increased droughts and heat waves, rising sea levels from glacier melts, more severe storms from increasing ocean temperatures, and increased flooding and wildfires around the globe.
Check out some of the latest findings below from the Nobel Peace Prize winning authority on global warming, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in their 2007 IPCC Report ²,³:
“Warming of the climate system is unequivocal, as is now evident from observations of increases in global average air and ocean temperatures, widespread melting of snow and ice, and rising global sea level.²
Carbon dioxide
is the most important anthropogenic greenhouse gas. The global
atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide has increased from a pre-industrial
value of about 280 parts per million (ppm) to 379 ppm in 2005. The atmospheric
concentration of carbon dioxide in 2005 exceeds by far the natural range
over the last 650,000 years (180 to 300 ppm) as determined from ice
cores.²
Over the course of this century, net carbon uptake by terrestrial ecosystems is likely to peak before mid-century and then weaken or even reverse, thus amplifying climate change.³
Approximately 20-30% of plant and animal species assessed so far are likely to be at increased risk of extinction if increases in global average temperature exceed 1.5-2.5°C (34.7-36.5°F ).³
In the course of the century, water supplies stored in glaciers and snow cover are projected to decline, reducing water availability in regions supplied by meltwater from major mountain ranges, where more than one-sixth of the world population currently lives.³
Even 1-2°C (33.8-35.6°F) increases in temperature in lower latitudes is projected to decrease crop production which could lead to hunger.³
Coasts are projected to be exposed to increasing risks, including coastal erosion, due to climate change and sea-level rise. The effect will be exacerbated by increasing human-induced pressures on coastal areas.³
Towards the end of the 21st century, projected sea-level rise will affect low-lying coastal areas with large populations. The cost of adaptation could amount to at least 5-10% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Mangroves and coral reefs are projected to be further degraded, with additional consequences for fisheries and tourism.³
Projected climate change-related exposures are likely to affect the
health status of millions of people, particularly those with low adaptive
capacity, through:
- increases in malnutrition and consequent disorders, with implications for child growth and development;
- increased deaths, disease and injury due to heatwaves, floods, storms, fires and droughts;
- the increased burden of diarrheal disease;
- the increased frequency of cardio-respiratory diseases due to higher concentrations of ground-level ozone related to climate change; and,
- the altered spatial distribution of some infectious disease vectors.³
Changes in precipitation patterns and the disappearance of glaciers are projected to significantly affect water availability for human consumption, agriculture, and energy generation.³ “
…But the good news is that we can make a difference in reducing the effects of global warming and climate change.
To learn more click on the link below:
¹
NRDC Forest Facts
² IPCC, 2007: Summary for Policymakers. In: Climate Change 2007:
The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working
Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel
on Climate Change [Solomon, S., D. Qin, M. Manning,
Z. Chen, M. Marquis, K.B. Averyt, M.Tignor and H.L. Miller (eds.)].
Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom
and New York, NY, USA.
³ IPCC, 2007: Summary for Policymakers. In: Climate Change 2007:
Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working
Group II to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel
on Climate Change, M.L. Parry, O.F. Canziani,
J.P. Palutikof, P.J. van der Linden and C.E. Hanson, Eds., Cambridge
University Press, Cambridge, UK, 7-22.
4 The Nature Conservancy.Org- The Facts About Climate Change
5 NRDC Global Warming
