Doomsday Scenario Looms If Global Warming Is Not Taken Seriously

The long term impacts of global warming are likely to be catastrophic unless serious, meaningful action is taken now, claims a white paper published today by IsAmericaSafe.com.

Hotter summers have led to extreme heat waves around the world that have killed tens of thousands and sparked deadly wildfires. Since 1980, the earth has experienced 19 of its 20 hottest years on record, says Don Philpott, author of Global Warming ? How Serious Is The Threat? The white paper can be downloaded free from www.isamericasafe.com

Higher temperatures have warmed the oceans giving rise to more and fiercer hurricanes and typhoons and widespread droughts on many continents. Hurricane Wilma which came ashore in October 2005 was the most powerful storm every recorded in the Atlantic and we are likely to see another above active hurricane season in 2006, he said.

Warmer ocean waters are creating bigger and more powerful hurricanes that will do more damage when they hit landfall and because of their strength, they will continue to wreak havoc much further inland than previous storms. This effect will be felt in both the northern and southern hemispheres, Philpott states.

Global temperatures have risen on average by about one degree Fahrenheit in the last 100 years although in some parts of the U.S. they have already warmed by up to 4 degrees F. The last three five-year periods have been the warmest since records began. Average temperatures in the Arctic are rising twice as fast as they are elsewhere in the world.

Melting and receding glaciers pose two very serious problems. As glaciers melt they release water which raises the ocean levels and they also allow carbon trapped in the permafrost to be released into the atmosphere.

About six gigatons of carbon are released every year as a result of human activities. Scientists estimate that about 14 percent of the earth?s carbon has been locked away in the permafrost ? an amount equivalent to several hundred gigatons.

Melting glaciers and receding ice caps have raised ocean levels by four to eight inches in the last century. Scientists estimate levels could rise by an additional 19 inches by 2100 and perhaps much more, threatening massive areas of low lying land around the world and the millions of people who live on it.

Global heating threatens our health with the elderly, young and poor particularly at risk. It threatens our ability to grow crops and store them safely. It opens the door to a fearsome spread of diseases; it threatens drinking water supplies and air quality. Our continued reliance on fossil fuels guarantees that even more greenhouse gases will be released into the atmosphere further destroying the ozone layer and contributing even more to global warming.

Global temperatures are expected to rise again between 3 and 9 degrees F over the next century. That would cause sea levels to rise and cause permanent flooding of coastal areas ? most of Florida would disappear under the sea.

The economic impact of global warming will also be massive. Hurricane Katrina ? the worst natural disaster to hit the U.S. ? caused damage of between $200 and $300 billion, displaced over one million people and cost insurers $30 billion. Few governments have the resources to recover from disasters of this magnitude especially if they become more frequent.

Apart from homes and jobs lost, there is an increasing risk that many areas will become uninsurable. Many insurance companies have stopped insuring properties in Florida because of the risks and this is likely to become a growing problem in other parts of the country.

?If all this sounds like a Doomsday scenario, you are right. We have ignored the warnings for far too long. The problems are very real and need urgent attention if we are to protect ourselves and our children and, more important, the children of our children,? said Philpott.
 

Does Global Warming Occur Without Man?

Global warming is perpetually in the news these days. While everyone is aware of pollution problems, did you know a certain amount of global warming occurs as part of the biomass?

Does Global Warming Occur Without Man

Most discussions about global warming center around the impact man has on his environment. Massive emissions of carbon dioxide by industry and transport are the prime culprits evidenced in this regard. While global warming in and of itself is a controversial subject, what is clear is that it is not only a phenomena caused by mankind.

If man did not exist on Planet Earth, global warming would exist to a certain extent.

The Earth is kept warm by gases in the atmosphere. Certain gases prohibit heat from escaping out of the atmosphere into space. This is a naturally occurring event with gases such as carbon dioxide and methane, not to mention water vapor, playing a natural role in the process. If our atmosphere contained none of these gases, our planet would be a very cold place. Scientists estimate it would be approximately 30 degrees colder, leading potentially to massive ice formations throughout the world as we know it.

An odd, but useful, example is the desert. During the day it can be hot as Hades, but at night it can grow extremely cold. The temperature variation is due to a lack of temperature regulators. During the day, there is nothing to regulate the heat such as a body of water. When night falls, there is nothing present that stores the heat of the day.

The current debate on global warming isn't so much whether it exist, as it is what is natural and what is not. A certain amount of global warming is par for the course, an undisputed fact. The question is what impact, if any, is our production of massive amounts of greenhouse gases having on natural global warming and what are the long-term implications.

The global warming issue is a complex one. One of the simple problems is the significant amount of time involved in the process of heating up the planet. While this may sound positive at first glance, one must also realize that it will take a long time for behavioral changes we make to take affect.

Rick Chapo is with SolarCompanies.com, a directory of solar energy companies. Visit us to read more articles on solar power and natural causes of global warming.

Methane and Potential Impacts on Global Warming

Methane is a gas found on most planets with atmospheres. In limited amounts, it isn't a particularly problematic gas. In larger amounts, however, it can become a regulator of atmosphere temperatures.

Methane and Potential Impacts on Global Warming

Methane is fairly common gas found in nature. It is produced from both natural elements of the biomass cycle and artificial industrial sources. Methane is classified as a greenhouse gas and is believed to contribute to global warming.

Methane (CH4) is a problematic greenhouse gas for a variety of reasons. First, it has a long life once it is in the atmosphere, to wit, it will remain suspended in the upper atmosphere anywhere from nine to 15 years depending on climatic conditions. Second, methane is much more lethal when it comes to trapping heat in the atmosphere, being as much as 20 times better at doing the job than the much discussed carbon dioxide.

The unique chemical makeup of Methane is what makes it a problem. Once it gets situated in the upper atmosphere, it acts as a sponge for infrared radiation being reflected from the planet towards space. By doing so, it acts as a gas coat around the planet, heating us up as time passes. Since we can count on it sitting in the atmosphere for roughly 10 years, massive accumulations of methane can have a devastating impact over time.

There is nothing we can do to stop natural methane sources. On the industrial side, however, there are a lot of areas that can be addressed. The production of methane through our actions is primarily through natural gas, petroleum, agricultural, coal mining, waste water reclaiming and landfill systems. All produce methane to a certain degree, some on a very large scale.

Modifying our behavior on methane production is actually a win-win situation. Unlike carbon dioxide, methane can be used as an energy source in and of itself. The technology is complex and the gas can be unstable, but we have certainly accomplished far more difficult tasks. The bigger point is that we don't have to stop any activity that produces methane, just modify such activities to make use of the methane.

Global warming is a controversial topic. There is little doubt it is occurring. The real question is what it will mean as temperatures increase. Nobody really seems to know. What is clear is our current climatic situation is fairly calm. If you agree, why risk moving to a more chaotic one?

Rick Chapo is with SolarCompanies.com, a directory of solar energy companies. Visit us to read more articles on solar power and Methane in atmosphere