Here are the answers to some of the most commonly asked questions regarding global warming.

Why is global warming suddenly such a big issue?

Global warming has come to the forefront of political and social issues as there has been an increase in fatal natural disasters (Southeast Asian tsunami, Hurricane Katrina) in the past five years- we need to know why these are happening so frequently and what we can do to stop them from being so disastrous. Scientists have concluded that the Earth’s surface has undergone unprecedented warming in the past century, particularly over the past two decades. It’s crazy that every single year since 1992 is on the current list of the 20 warmest years on record- let’s do something about it!

What is the greenhouse effect and what does it have to do with global warming?

The “greenhouse effect” refers to a natural phenomenon that keeps Earth in a temperature range that allows life to flourish. The sun’s energy warms the Earth’s surface and atmosphere, and a portion of that energy is absorbed by the surface and warms it. The rest of it radiates back toward space as heat, and some of that heat is absorbed by heat-trapping gases (like carbon dioxide and methane) in the atmosphere. Global warming refers to the rise in the Earth’s temperature resulting from an increase in heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere.

What do humans have to do with global warming?

Scientists have concluded that humans are directly contributing to global warming by adding large amounts of heat-trapping gases to the atmosphere. Every time we drive a car, use electricity from coal-fired power plants, or heat our homes with oil or natural gas, we release carbon dioxide and other gases into the air. The second biggest source of greenhouse gases is deforestation (mainly in the tropics) and other land-use changes.

Why is it such a big deal if the average temperature of the Earth rises ONE degree? Doesn’t that mean lower heating bills and fewer cold-related deaths?

One degree may not seem like a lot to us, but it’s a lot for the atmosphere. This creates huge changes in weather patterns (stronger storms) and even a rise in sea level and precipitation. It may mean warmer winters, but it also means higher air-conditioning costs in the summer and more heat-related deaths during heat waves.

Does global warming affect me?

Yes. As the concentration of greenhouse gases grows, more heat is trapped in the Earth’s atmosphere and less is released back into space. This means big-time climate changes, resulting in changes in weather patterns that can bring intense precipitation, dry spells, or more severe storms. This will affect where people will be able to live (safely) and Overall, global warming has a huge impact on the environment, which in turn has a huge impact on you. Scientists predict that if things continue the way they are going, over the next 100 years we will experience:

• a rise in sea level between 3.5 and 34.6 in. (9-88 cm), leading to more coastal erosion, flooding during storms, and permanent inundation
• severe stress on many forests, wetlands, alpine regions, and other natural ecosystems greater threats to human health as mosquitoes and other disease-carrying insects and rodents spread diseases over larger geographical regions
• disruption of agriculture in some parts of the world due to increased temperature, water stress, and sea-level rise in low-lying areas such as Bangladesh or the Mississippi River delta.

Is it mostly big corporations and industries contributing to global warming? What can I do, as an individual, to make an impact?

The most important action we can take to slow global warming is reducing the emission of heat-trapping gases.

Governments, businesses, and individuals can all help. Governments can adopt a range of options for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, including increasing energy efficiency standards, protecting and restoring forests, and encouraging the use of renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar power.

Individuals can start by driving less and driving more fuel-efficient cars and use less electricity in general. Check out our "What can you do to stop global warming?" for more ideas.

What is the other side of the argument of global warming? Are there people who don’t believe global warming is an issue?

There are groups of meteorologists, climatologists, paleoclimatologists*, and other scientists that believe that global warming is not an issue to be overly concerned about. They point to actual measurements taken from satellite and weather balloons that show little or no warming has taken place in the past few decades and believe that any indication of warming is a result of urbanization (development and expansion of urban areas) rather than human production of greenhouse gases. Paleoclimatologists rely on research done in Antarctica and Greenland in pulling huge cores of ice out of the earth and determining climate history and change over the past tens of thousands of years. They have charts and graphs showing that Earth’s temperatures are in a constant cyclic pattern, going up and down and back up again over the years. So they are thinking that we’re in a period of high temperatures and that it is completely natural. Past climate changes (thousands of years ago) have been accompanied by greenhouse gases, so it would make sense that today’s climate changes are effected by the increase of greenhouse gases.

*FYI: Paleoclimatology (pey-lee-oh-klahy-muh-tol-uh-jee) is the study of climate change taken on the scale of the entire history of the Earth. Paleoclimatologists use glaciers, petrified tree rings, and sediment layers and sedimentary rock to collect data on the climate history of the Earth.

That said, it is an undeniable fact that there has been a rapid increase in greenhouse gases in the past few decades, and humans are definitely to blame. Global warming is a natural Earth process and it would happen with or without our existence, but we are making matters only worse by driving big gas-guzzling cars and cutting down valuable forest areas. We should still be doing our part to save energy and natural resources!

Sources:

Union of Concerned Scientists http://www.ucsusa.org

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency http://www.epa.gov

Intellicast: Weather for Active Lives http://www.intellicast.com

NASA’s Earth Observatory http://www.earthobservatory.nasa.gov