Stories of Global Warming

Environment: Climate Warming Confirmed

A new United Nations climate report — the fifth since 1988 — has concluded that the basic facts about global warming are beyond question: it is caused by human activity and if it continues it will lead to melting of land ice, extreme heat waves, difficulty in growing food, and dramatic changes in plant and animal life, including large numbers of extinctions. The new document is not final, but experts expect the essential findings will survive review. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/27/science/a-molten-planet-and-meteorite-jewelry.html?_r=0

Causes of Global Warming

http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/gw-causes

Effects of Global Warming

http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/gw-effects/

 

After reading a view articles online about global warming as well as seeing some pictures, I'm both disgusted and upset. Being only a kid, I always thought the earth was fairly healthy, thriving even. Society has it's flaws, but you can't expect perfection from people. What humans are doing to the earth, though, makes my stomach turn. The world could drastically change within the next fifty years if people don't start finding solutions and taking action. Fifty years isn't a long time from now. In fact, most people will be around to see it. The future is not looking good, for anyone or anything. People will be struggling with the extreme weather, animals will be struggling with loss of habitat. Species will go extinct while the earth tries to have nature adapt to the changes we've caused. 

One voice may not make a huge difference, but it can encourage others. A brave person with an idea can make some other people courageous enough to speak up. The more people who are against climate change, global warming, carbon emission, and so on, can make a big impact and possibly reverse some of the damage already in effect. Do your part and help be the solution to climate change, not a contributor.

 

 

What Can We Do?

There are many way to cut back on the amount of carbon emissions released into the air that cause climate change and global warming.
Transportation is a big problem.
Instead of driving a car everywhere, try walking or riding a bike. When you need to go somewhere that you have to drive to, try carpooling with someone else or using a type of public transport.
Being more energy efficient at home with appliances will not only help to lower emissions causing climate change, but it will also lower the cost of your bills.
Try eating foods that are local to your area. In season foods are also better. This is because it is less amount that food needs to travel, therefore less carbon being released.
Recycle everything you possibly can. This will reduce the amount of garbage that goes to the dump that cause greenhouse gas emissions.
Try to avoid planes as much as possible. Planes have the biggest impact on climate change. In fact, they cause 4-9% of climate change.
Create a compost bin! It's easy and will definitely help eliminate the amount of trash going to landfills.
http://eartheasy.com/grow_compost_bin_build.htm
Using more energy efficient light bulbs (compact fluorescent) will help reduce effects on global warming.
Plant more trees either around your town/city or even your own backyard because trees store carbon.
Help to put a ban on plastic bags and incandescent light bulbs.
Have a greener house (solar panels, skylights,etc) this will reduce the amount of energy used in a home, therefore less carbon emission that contribute to global warming. 

Effects of Global Warming

Effects of Global Warming Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJAbATJCugs


Overall Effects of Global Warming:

One big effect of global warming, will be a raise in ocean levels. By the ocean levels raising, most of the earth's coastlines will be flooded. Species will lose their homes an be forced to move some where else, especially humans.

 The Arctic melting is another huge effect due to global warming. With a warmer Arctic, all the ice will melt. This leaves species like polar bears and penguins without a home. Without a cold home like the Arctic, polar bears and penguins could go extinct.

Global warming will also cause extreme drought. With droughts in effect all over the planet, the people of earth and every other species on it, could go extinct. The hot weather will cause living conditions nearly unbearable for some species, killing off plants which could be their source of food. For people, a drought means no crops and no crops means a shortage of food.






Arctic Effects of Global Warming:

Global warming will melt the ice. If the ice melts, there will be more water. Less ice and more water will make life hard for a lot of species in the Arctic.
For species like the polar bear who need lots of ice to live on and water to hunt in, global warming could be the end for them.

 

Polar Bears and other species will be without a home, or have a much smaller one. For families especially, this will not be good. If species like the polar bear don't have ice to sleep on at night, or live most of their day on, they could end up drowning.

Global Warming could also cause thin ice. If the ice is thinner, it will be more difficult for species to walk on and the possibility of falling through. If an animal broke through the ice, they might get stuck under the ice and not be able to get back through. This could mean more animals die from drowning.







 

Animals from the Arctic may have to move south if they can no longer live there. Arctic animals need the cold weather up north, they have a very small chance of surviving in the southern areas they may be forced into by global warming.










Tropical Rainforest Effects of Global Warming:

Flooding in the tropical rainforests will be a big effect of global warming. If the rivers in the tropics flood, then species that live on the shoreline will have to move. Depending on how much flooding and where it is, it could destroy parts of the tropical rainforests.

Global warming could cause droughts in the tropical rainforests. They're not called "rainforests" for nothing, so an effect like this could be devastating. Not only will droughts make the tropics dry, but once they get dry enough wild fires can break out and spread. Wild fires could do severe damage by destroying homes and killing animals. 

Global Warming Defined

Global Warming:

an increase in the earth's average atmospheric temperature that causes corresponding changes in climate and that may result from the greenhouse effect.

 This graph shows how much the global temperatures have gone up since 1860. The blue dots and lines indicate what the global temperature was each year. The red line indicates what the global temperature was over five years. Both lines are averages, but notably increase up into the 2000's.

Climate Models Link: http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/science/future.html#

Our future on earth isn't looking too good with the amount of greenhouse gasses we are emitting onto the planet. Over time greenhouse gases will cause problems such as an increase in the Earth's average temperature, influence on precipitation, reduce ice and snow cover, a raise in sea levels, and more acidic oceans. 

 http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/science/future.html#

Global Warming Cartoons

 This cartoon is trying to say ocean levels are rising drastically. The artist shows this through animation using sharks. Within five years, that island in the background will be gone due to global warming, submerged far enough into the water that the sharks can swim over and eat the man sitting there. 

 This cartoon is telling us about what the temperature change will be like at some point from now because of global warming. It is a powerful cartoon because it looks like the two people are at a lake or the beach, but in fact, they are in a place where it should be cold enough for an igloo.

This cartoon shows us what it will be like for the polar bears way up north. There is no ice for them because it all melted, and they are trying to stay cool by using a fan. The fan wouldn't really happen in real life, but it shows that polar bears will struggle to meet their living conditions. Global warming could potentially make animals such as the polar bear go extinct.