Renewable energy, Global warming, and Carbon Footprints
More and more people today find themselves interested in renewable energy and concerned with the issue of global warming. Of course, many people also brush off these subjects, labeling them as "fiction."
Before a person decides whether or not they believe in it, they should first ensure that they know what exactly the term entails. So what is global warming really?
From the name, many people expect that it simply refers to the heating of the planet. However, the phrase is used more specifically to address the climatic change of the planet over a short time period.
As an example, a one degree Celsius-increase over 100 years would be considered global warming. This may not sound very significant, but consider the fact that the “Ice Age” only had an average five degrees Celsius lower than modern temperatures.
Today, global warming also refers to the climate change caused by excess CO2 emissions which have resulted in turn from human technology. Carbon dioxide is a compound that is found naturally in the earth’s atmosphere. However, it should only be found in small quantities of about 0.04%.
As infrared waves from the sun enter through the atmosphere, many of them are reflected from the earth’s surface, and very few of them are absorbed by the CO2. The fossil fuels that we burn with our cars and factories emit a surplus of CO2 into our atmosphere. Predictably, this absorbs more of the rays, thus warming our planet (like a car left out in a sunny parking lot). This whole process is also known as the greenhouse effect.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a group of scientists from many nations, got together in February of 2007 to discuss their long-term findings on the effects of global warming. They stated that the average temperature over the century lasting from 1906 to 2006 rose .74 degrees Celsius. This is a significant indication of global warming. In addition to this, they found that out of the last 12 years, 11 had the highest-recorded averages. Also, the ocean’s temperature has increased up to depths of 98,000 feet (the ocean absorbs up to 80% of the added heat).
Those who deny global warming often look at trends in the Earth’s past climate-changes and say that we’re just experiencing another cycle of warm climates. However, this view does not take into account the rate of climate change. Specifically, this rate has never been as rapid as the last 100 years. The majority of the scientific community has viewed such matters as irrefutable proof of global warming. Yet, even with this "irrefutable proof," some people believe there are no effects of global warming. For instance, the former president Bush pulled the US out of the Kyoto Treaty, an agreement that would restrict a nation’s CO2 output, because he did not believe there was enough proof of climate change.
This site serves as an introduction to these matters and also a resource for possible solutions. We can all promote a cleaner environment to curb the onset of global warming. Some simple ways include riding a bike instead of driving, recycling (less methane-producing trash in the landfills), and turning off appliances when they’re not in use. Other options include the use of renewable energy such as solar panels and wind energy.
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