Global Warming is our fault
According to a recent major climate study by the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), there can no longer be any doubt that humans are at least partially responsible for global warming. The study concludes that a global temperature rise of 5° C is possible by the year 2100. This global warming trend has already begun to have an astonishing effect on global climate patterns, storm intensities, and sea level rise in low-lying Pacific islands like Tuvalu.
There is no longer any doubt that drastic measures must be undertaken to mitigate the advance of global warming. To do this will require a sea-change in the way we all look at and care for the planet that supports us. To engage change we must first understand the cause so that we may short-circuit the effect.
Q: What is the fundamental cause of global warming?
The fundamental cause of global warming, known also as climate change, is carbon dioxide, or COČ. COČ is what is known as a "greenhouse gas". Greenhouse gases absorb heat radiation from the sun and then traps it inside of the atmosphere. Historically, that is to say pre-Industrial Age, more radiant solar heat was reflected back into space, keeping the planet from overheating. COČ is the main greenhouse gas component that enables this trapping of solar heat. COČ content in the atmosphere is currently around 380 parts per million, or ppm. That is more than a 1/3 increase over atmospheric COČ 1000 years ago. And according to the IPCC, atmospheric COČ levels could increase to as much as 500 ppm by the year 2100. The implications if that happens are catastrophic.
Q: What are we doing that causes climate change?
What is causing this damaging build-up of COČ in the atmosphere? Two words: fossil fuels. These fuels are derived from crude oil and are also known as hydrocarbons. Burning hydrocarbons releases massive amounts of COČ as a component of exhaust. that COČ can linger in the atmosphere for 1000 years before it is eliminated by natural processes. So, every metric tonne of COČ that we pump into the atmosphere as a by-product of burning hydrocarbons will be there for centuries and we're adding thousands of tons every day.
Oil, which our entire transport infrastructure depends on, is not the only culprit contributing to global warming. Coal, also a hydrocarbon, is used extensively all over the world as fuel to generate electric power. But, despite the growing problem posed by the burning of fossil fuels, the world population is still growing.
That population growth will require more of everything. That will in turn require more energy to produce food and all the things western civilization needs to remain comfortable and happy. Oil is used to make thousands of products, not the least of which is plastics. All of this will require even more burning of fossil fuel hydrocarbons further exacerbating the problem with COČ emissions.
Q: What do we think about climate change and how will we value the planet?
Many people still resist the idea that their daily activities are contributing to a problem that may very well have enormous consequences for their own futures and the futures of their children. Ironically, fossil fuels are responsible for actually fostering in humans the values most currently harbor. Us humans want more than we actually need to survive and it's those wants that fuel the economy which consumes the fuels and releases COČ into the atmosphere. If we weren't inclined to drive a huge SUV just because our neighbor has one, then the problem might not be so bad. But, just like the Joneses, we must have the huge McMansion with two gas-guzzling SUVs in the garage. We must have an iPod or and iPhone. But we don't really need these things but their availability means that the atmosphere is just that much more damaged.
Are we willing to make the sacrifices it will take to slow down or stop global warming? Will we value the state in which we leave the planet or will we continue to value trips to sparkling beaches? Will we value the future of our children or will we worry only about ourselves now, in the moment, with no regard for the future?
Q: What part of global warming is a result of natural solar activity?
Some argue that humans are not the cause of global warming, rather the sun is the sole cause. And they would not be wholly mistaken in this debate for the sun does indeed go through cycles of solar maximums and minimums and the sun is coming into the peak of the maximum end of its cycle now. The amount of solar radiation reaching the earth's surface today is 1/3 higher than it was in earth's infancy. The last ice age ended just about 11,000 years ago, which was preceded by a period of warming. So called "little ice ages" occur on regular cycles with warming trends in between. We are currently nearing the end of the latest such cycle when naturally occurring warming is at its height. But IPCC has proven as scientific fact that human activity is contributing to the problem. As it happens, this solar warming combined with the effect humans are having from fossil fuel emissions are magnifying the rise in temperatures beyond natural limits - limits that current life on earth are bound to. So, while the sun is contributing to some extent to the overall temperature increase, it is not the primary cause global climate change. Humans are.
Q: So, what can be done?
Well, the simplest things that can be done include taking personal responsibility for how we use fossil fuel energy. Individually, we can drive less and conserve more. We can turn off a light if we don't need it. More serious commitment to reducing fossil fuel emissions might involve the inclusion of energy-saving features in our homes or the installation of renewable energy systems such as wind turbine or solar power electricity generation. If we were all to conserve energy in our own individual ways, we can significantly reduce the amount of COČ that enters the air we breath and slow the effect of global warming enough to buy more time to further reduce human impact to our environment.Of all the renewable energy choices capable of supplanting fossil fuel hydrocarbon COČ emissions, solar is most prolific. Solar power generation has the potential to displace millions of tons of COČ gas in the atmosphere and that is a goal worthy of the investment.
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