Have you hugged a tree today?

Global Warming The Global Warming Theory states that human greenhouse gas emissions are accelerating the natural greenhouse effects, trapping heat in the atmosphere. The natural greenhouse gases include water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide. Human-made greenhouse gases are CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons), HFCs (hydrofluorocarbons), PFCs (perfluorocarbons) and SF6 (sulfur hexafluoride).

What’s so bad about Global Warming? Human emission of greenhouse gases are transparent to sunlight, but they absorb infrared radiation and does not allow the heat to escape. This heat then causes the melting of arctic caps, glacier reduction and coral reef death. Climate and weather changes are also a result of the heat being trapped in the atmosphere. More frequent severe weather is said to be a result of global warming.

FACTS In the past 15 years, we have had the 10 warmest years on record. Since the late 19th Century, global mean surface temperatures have increased 0.5-1.0 degrees Fahrenheit. Scientists expect that temperatures will continue to rise another 1-4.5 degrees in the next 50 years and 2.2-10 degrees in the next century. Sea level has risen 4-8 inches since the start of the 20th Century. In 1998, Marine biologists found that between 70-90% of the coral reefs in the Indian Ocean had died due to rising sea water temperatures.

Worldwatch revealed that in 2000, the arctic sea ice shrunk by an estimated 6% between 1978 and 1996, losing an average of 34,300 square kilometers every year. The ice has thinned from 3.1 meters to 1.8 meters, a nearly 40% decline in less than 30 years. Global land precipitation has increased by approximately one percent. In 1999, the Red Cross stated that natural disasters uprooted more people than all of the wars and conflict combined. Due to warmer climates, mosquitoes live longer allowing the spread of diseases, such as malaria. Warmer winters will affect the rate at which species will migrate. Reports show that 1/3 of the world’s habitats will undergo significant change.

The Kyoto Treaty Negotiated in 1997 by the United Nations, this treaty proposed the reduction of man-made greenhouse gases in any way capable. Developed and developing countries agreed to work to limit emissions and promote adaptation to climate changes, aid in technology transfer cooperate with scientific and technical research and promote public awareness. Developed countries have agreed to reduce collective emissions of greenhouse gases by a minimum of 5% by 2012. Each country’s progress will be periodically reviewed.

Economic Impact

*Countries will be allowed to “buy and sell” emissions credits amongst themselves by financing certain types of projects in other developed countries. Developed countries can also receive credit by financing “clean development mechanisms” in underdeveloped countries.

*Money spent on coal, oil or gas, which emit CO2 into the atmosphere, should be used to develop the use of natural energy sources, such as wind and sunlight.

* The use of alternative energy sources would also decrease our dependence on Arab countries that sell oil.

In March 1999, insurance companies worldwide had already paid $91 * In March 1999, insurance companies worldwide had already paid $91.8 billion in losses from weather related natural disasters that occurred in the 1990s, four times the amount of claims in the 1980s.

We may still have much to learn about global warming and its impact on the world economically, environmentally and climatically. The results of the implementation of the Kyoto Treaty may be unknown, but isn’t it better to work to clean our environment than to let it continue and find out later that our deteriorated atmosphere could have been saved?!