Global Warming By: Shadi Bolden & Karina Abazache

What is Global Warming?  Global warming is the rising of temperature on Earth’s atmosphere and oceans since the 19 th century  Since the early 20th century Earth's average surface temperature has increased by about 0.8 °C (1.4 °F) with about two thirds of the increase occurring since 1980  Glaciers are melting, sea levels are rising, cloud forests are drying, and wildlife is scrambling to keep pace  Humans have caused most of the past century's warming by releasing heat-trapping gases as we power our modern lives

Greenhouse Effect  The greenhouse effect is the warming that happens when certain gases in Earth's atmosphere trap heat  Scientists have known about the greenhouse effect since 1824 when Joseph Fourier calculated that the Earth would be much colder if it didn’t have an atmosphere  Sunlight shines onto Earths surface, where it is absorbed and radiates back onto the atmosphere as heat  In the atmosphere the greenhouse gases trap some of this heat and the rest escapes off into space, the more gases the more heat is trapped  Levels of greenhouse gases have gone up and down over the Earths history but they have been fairly constant for the past few thousand years

Global Warming Temperatures Year: Year: 2008

Why is this a concern?  The rapid rise in greenhouse gases is a problem because it is changing the climate faster than some living things may be able to adapt  concentrations of greenhouse gases rising, Earth's remaining ice sheets (such as Greenland and Antarctica) are starting to melt too  more intense major storms, more rain followed by longer and drier droughts (a challenge for growing crops), changes in the ranges in which plants and animals can live, and loss of water supplies that have historically come from glaciers

  Sierra Club  Greenpeace  The Wildness Society Organizations

Sierra Club  The Sierra Club is helping to grow a clean energy economy in the U.S. by:  Repowering America with green, renewable energy: Wind, solar, and other safe, clean sources of power that will energize a new American century.  Rebuilding America with high-performance homes and buildings: Smarter, greener buildings that eliminate global warming emissions, reduce utility bills, and generate renewable energy.  Sierra Club National Headquarters 85 Second Street, 2nd Floor San Francisco, CA USA Phone: Fax:  Sierra Club Legislative Office 50 F Street, NW, Eighth Floor Washington, DC USA Phone: Fax:

SOLUTIONS  Breaking our oil addiction and retooling plants to manufacture the fuel-efficient cars that consumers are demanding, including hybrids and plug-in hybrids.  Can make buildings more energy efficient  Change your bulbs to CFLs

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