|
Causes: According to the National Academy of Sciences, the Earth's surface temperature has risen by about 1 degree Fahrenheit in the past century, with accelerated warming during the past two decades. There is new and stronger evidence that most of the warming over the last 50 years is attributable to human activities. Human activities have altered the chemical composition of the atmosphere through the buildup of greenhouse gases – primarily carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. The heat-trapping property of these gases is undisputed although uncertainties exist about exactly how earth's climate responds to them. Go to the Emissions section for much more on greenhouse gases. Below are is a graph showing the catastrophic temperature chages due to global warming: 
Below are is a graph showing the amount of carbon (in pounds) emitted into the atmosphere every year in the Unites States: 
As you can see from this graph the glutenous Americans are to blame for a major part of global warming. What can be done to stop this chaos? When faced with this question, individuals should recognize that collectively they can make a difference. Think back to the days before recycling became popular – when everyone threw everything out in the trash. In less than 20 years, most households have gone from recycling little to nothing to recycling newspapers, plastics, glass and metal. Many businesses recycle paper and buy recycled products and many industries practice source reduction in their packaging efforts. An entire mindset has changed in one generation! Taking action on global warming (or climate change) is similar. In some cases, it only takes a little change in lifestyle and behavior to make some big changes in greenhouse gas reductions. For other types of actions, the changes are more significant. When that action is multiplied by the 270 million people in the U.S. or the 6 billion people worldwide, the savings are significant. Follow the links below to learn more about global warming: EPA site on Global Warming National Resources Defense Council on Global Warming WWF Climate Change Program |