CO2

• Fossil fuel CO₂ emissions continuing to increase at 2 percent per year as in the past decade, will yield additional warming of 2 degrees Celsius or 3 degrees Celsius this century. Such a drastic increase would imply changes that constitute practically a different planet.
• The changes include not only loss of the Arctic, but also wildlife and indigenous peoples, and losses on a much vaster scale due to worldwide rising seas.
• The new sea level will include not only most of the ice from Greenland and West Antarctica, but a portion of East Antarctica, raising sea level 25 meters (80 feet)
• Global warming in just the past 30 years is more than one-half degree Celsius, about 1 degree Fahrenheit in 30 years.
•  About CO₂ is that about 40 percent of annual fossil fuel emissions continue to be soaked up.  And if we decreased CO₂ emissions and improved reforestation and agricultural practices, we could probably increase the percentage uptake.

hurricanes and trees

Trees 

• Hundreds of millions of trees were destroyed or badly damaged from Hurricane Katrina and have become an unexpectedly large contributor to global warming
• In fact, trees killed by Katrina will release about as much global warming pollution into the air as all the trees across the nation soak in over the course of one year, according to a study by Jeff Chambers, a Tulane University biology professor.
• One of the planets best defenses against global warming are trees because they collect and store the carbon dioxide that we put into the air.
• But when trees are killed, they decompose and start releasing that carbon dioxide back into the air, which then becomes part of the problem instead of helping Global Warming

 From Hurricane Katrina there were about 320 million trees killed which released around 105 million metric tons of carbon dioxide.   If the Earth continues to have hurricanes, will the population be able to keep up with planting new trees?   As the older trees die and get killed are people able to plant new trees and can the new trees absorb enough carbon dioxide to save the earth?  I think that in time this bell curve will turn and that the new baby trees will be able to help the earth and the global warming issue.  We have many elderly trees that will die on their own or by catastrophes, however the younger trees will grow and multiply on the earth. 

global warming

•  Global Warming
• On Feb. 2, 2007, the United Nations scientific panel studying climate change declared that the evidence of a warming trend is “unequivocal,” and that human activity has “very likely” been the driving force in that change over the last 50 years.
• There is scientific evidence that the release of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases from smokestacks, tailpipes and burning forests has played a central role in raising the average surface temperature of the earth by more than 1 degree Fahrenheit since 1900.
• Gases like carbon dioxide and methane allow sunlight to reach the earth, but prevent some of the resulting heat from radiating back out into space
• Without the greenhouse effect, the planet would never have warmed enough to allow life to form
• By 2100, sea levels are likely to rise between 7 to 23 inches, and the climate panel predicted that the global climate is likely to rise between 3.5 and 8 degrees Fahrenheit.

 Without the green house effects the earth would not be warm enough for us to live on.  Does this mean that we did not cause global warming and that it was here before humans?  Yes, humans are helping to contribute  to global warming, but with out it we would not be here.  So how long has global warming been around?  That is the mystery question.  If the earth keeps warming at a rapid pace and the sea level continues to rise what is to become of the earth and the weather patterns.  Earth is likely to become to warm for humans to live on  and the seas may spread to cover more land masses.

plan to reverse global warming could back fire

Plan backfire

• A plan by spraying sulfate particles into earths atmosphere was a proposed solution to reverse the effects of Global Warming but it could actually make matters worse.
• They said trying to cool off the planet by creating a kind of artificial sun block would delay the recovery of the Antarctic ozone hole by 30 to 70 years and create a new loss of Earth’s protective ozone layer over the Arctic.
• This idea was intended to copy the effects of a volcanic eruption, which made the earth cooler from the sulfate that went into the upper layers of the atmosphere.
• But such cooling would come with unintended side effects.  The sulfate injections could react with chlorine gasses in cold polar regions, triggering a chemical reaction that would further deplete atmospheric ozone.
• By doing this injection it could destroy between one-fourth to three-fourths of the ozone layer above the Arctic.

If we sprayed the sulfate if would destroy part of the earths atmosphere but if we didnt the earth would keep heating and the ice capcels would still melt.  Either way something on the earth would get ruined. with the ice melting the water level is rising and we are loosing land.

visual metaphor’s

• People littering  shows that we are destroying our own environment
• A baby pool filled with water and a chunk of ice melting in the pool, represents the ocean water getting higher from the glaciers melting
• A factory with exhaust (a candle) burning a whole in the ozone layer (Plastic)
• A globe burning representing global warming

~Fun~

The U.S. EPA has a fun website about global warming. The site has games, fun facts, a quiz and more.  It is for kids and you can go to other links from this website.  I think it is a good site to learn from and have fun. 

Climate Change

sources for global warming

sconnell@ksdk.com <sconnell@ksdk.com> Scott Connell- meteoologist

   info@danforthcenter.org

Donald Danforth Plant Science Center
975 North Warson Road
St. Louis, Missouri  63132 USA
Tel: 314-587-1000

The mission statement of , “The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center is a not-for-profit research institute with a global vision to improve the human condition. Research at the Danforth Center will enhance the nutritional content of plants to improve human health, increase agricultural production to create a sustainable food supply, and provide the scientific ideas and technologies that will contribute to the economic growth of the St. Louis region and of the State of Missouri. 

Research at the Center is organized around four research focus areas to efficiently deliver plant science solutions to meet the global needs of agriculture and human health and nutrition.”

name: Kelley Elena Greenman
     email: kegreenm@WUSTL.EDU
     phone: +1 314 935-2799
   address: Campus Box 6688

script for an interview

hello!

My name is Jenny R– and I’m from Parkway North High School. For English class we are doing a documentary on global warming and I was wondering if you can help. (if so) you would be in the documentary and when would be able to meet for an interview….

Global Warming Questions :)

1) What are short and long term affects of global warming?

2) What kind of affects do you think global warming has on our generation?

3) How do we affect global warming?

4) How often do you think about climate change?  Have you changed any of you habits because of it?

5) How has global warming had an influence on our daily lives? Our planet?

6) How do you think global warming will affect our children and future generations?  How has global warming had an affect on your life?

Global Warming Solutions!

solutions!

• Replacing 15 of your light bulbs with energy efficient compact fluorescent bulbs, you will avoid emitting over 1 ton of carbon dioxide every year.
• Buying energy efficient appliances, such as a new Energy Star refrigerator which also costs less to run
• the average American emits around 20 tons of CO2 per year, you would already reduce your emissions by at least 10%.
• there is also a chart that can show you how much you can save and how you can help by changing your actions.

I chose the above ideas because changing 15 light bulbs in your house is something easy that everyone can afford to accomplish. Even though planting a tree is easy most people don’t have the time to plant 6 trees or the money nor do they have time to take care of them. Not only would the trees cost more money they would also use up more water that is in a shortage.  I think more people would be interested in knowing that if all  they have to do is change a light bulb to help reduce carbon dioxide the average citizen would accomplish this goal.  Not only would they save in carbon dioxide, but also in costs of energy, heat and money.