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June 7, 2005

Global Warming Should Be A Global Warning

Coming hard on the heels of some good news about the U.S. commitment to providing $674 million for famine relief in Africa, I was greatly disappointed, but not shocked, to see that while famine is a marked, tangible and thus understandable problem for our dear President, the more subtle (yet just as dire) problems like global warming continue to elude him.

Bush rejects scientists’ view that manmade pollutants are causing temperatures to increase.

More at: MSNBC: Bush, Blair seek common ground on Africa, environment

I cannot see how someone can run one of the most powerful countries in the world properly without listening to his advisors in areas he has no expertise in - only a vested interest in ignoring the problem or assigning any blame or responsibility for. Is this a case of I-won't-believe-it-til-I-see-it-with-my-own-eyes, or are the facts just not scary enough to merit serious action? Is it the Bush administration that doesn't believe pollution has anything to do with global warming, or is it the man himself? This whole issue stinks of an Armageddon-themed B-film where the blank-faced President realizes he's botched up the planet only seconds before it implodes or something.

There seems little doubt to anyone that global temperatures are rising, it's the reasons behind it that are questioned. What's confusing is that the greenhouse effect seems to be well understood and readily accepted, but no one has been able to argue the causes succinctly enough given the climatic system (planet) is so complex and given to Ice Ages and heat waves throughout the course of time. But let's look at some of the facts, shall we? According to National Geographic:

Since the 1860s, increased industrialization and shrinking forests have helped raise the atmosphere's CO2 level by almost 100 parts per million—and Northern Hemisphere temperatures have followed suit. Increases in temperatures and greenhouse gasses have been even sharper since the 1950s.

More at: National Geographic: Global Warming Fast Facts

Now, as a non-scientist, you might say 100 parts per million, that's nothing. But it really doesn't take much of something to cause a whole lot of trouble - that's a HUGE number. To give it some perspective... According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources:

Lead poisoning occurs in birds of blood levels greater than 0.2 parts per million (ppm) and birds usually die with levels greater than 1.2 ppm.

More at: Minnesota DNR: Get the lead out

Bush can't even seem to agree with the divisions of government which clearly know a whole lot more about the issue that GW does. The graphic above I got from the NASA website - they're watching the oceans rise from above, you know... and the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) clearly states that in order to combat global warming, we must all reduce the amounts of greenhouse gases we produce and pollute the earth with:

The greenhouse effect is the rise in temperature that the Earth experiences because certain gases in the atmosphere (water vapor, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane, for example) trap energy from the sun. Without these gases, heat would escape back into space and Earth’s average temperature would be about 60ºF colder. Because of how they warm our world, these gases are referred to as greenhouse gases.

...

Greenhouse Gases: Any gas that absorbs infra-red radiation in the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases include water vapor, carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), halogenated fluorocarbons (HCFCs) , ozone (O3), perfluorinated carbons (PFCs), and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).

More at: EPA Global Warming Kids Site

Let's go with a few more statistics from the EPA:

Since the beginning of the industrial revolution:

• Atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide have increased nearly 30%
  

• Methane concentrations have more than doubled
  

• Nitrous oxide concentrations have risen by about 15%
  

• Fossil fuels burned to run cars and trucks, heat homes and businesses, and power factories are responsible for about 98% of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions, 24% of methane emissions, and 18% of nitrous oxide emissions.
  

• Increased agriculture, deforestation, landfills, industrial production, and mining also contribute a significant share of emissions.
  

• In 1997, the United States emitted about one-fifth of total global greenhouse gases.
  

• Estimating future emissions is difficult. For example, by 2100, in the absence of emissions control policies, carbon dioxide concentrations are projected to be 30-150% higher than today’s levels.
  

More at: EPA: Climate: Global Warming

So we've got massive levels of pollutants in the air, effecting the greenhouse system. Someone's got to come up with a good and convincing argument instead of all this evidence that clearly shows something is wrong, but doesn't have the clout to convince people to try to minimize the controllable parts of the problem. It's clearly not enough that scientists generally agree that:

1. The world is warming

2. The climate of the world is moderated by the greenhouse effect

3. Greenhouse gas concentrations are increasing

4. The combustion of fossil fuels and other human activities are the primary reason for the increased concentrations of greenhouse gases

Frankly, it's enough proof for me. Global warming is going to happen, but that doesn't mean we sit around waiting for it before we change our lifestyles. According to National Geographic, some some 100 million people worldwide live within 3 feet (1 meter) of mean sea level. A study conducted last year found that by 2050, global warming could lead to the extinction of more than a million species of plants and animals.

Posted by sorsha at June 7, 2005 1:49 PM