Grand Rapids Community College

Global Warming Project

Dawson Forner, Conner Kellogg, Lauren Kramer, Kyle Steinke, Travis Wolpert

Geography 132, 1597

Professor Michael DeVivo

April 17, 2019

2) Each student must write a summary of one chapter of at least 200 words.
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3) Each student must also write a thought-provoking question of no less than 20 words that is
intended to generate discussion.

4) The group then engages in five discussions, prompted by the thought-provoking question
mentioned above. These discussions can occur consecutively on the same day; however, it is
important that discussion of each chapter take place for approximately 20 to 30 minutes.

5) Each student that has written the thought-provoking question must then write a commentary of
the group dialogue that occurred among the students, which was prompted by the thought-
provoking question. This commentary is also no less than 200 words.

Thus, each student must write three items: a summary of the chapter, a thought-provoking
question, and a summary of the group dialogue, which amounts to no less than 420 words. All
individual chapter reports are merged into one section, labelled Part 1, of a Microsoft Word
document, with the same font and type size uniform throughout. Part 1 amounts to no less than
2100 words. The name of each book part (e.g., Projections of Future Climate Change) will be
followed by the summary of the part, the question, and the answer to the question.

Climate Change Basics- Travis Wolpert

Summary

Throughout the section of Climate Change Basics in the book “Dire Predictions:
Understanding Climate Change” there is a wide assortment that explains why, how, and the
importance of the changing climate. Initially introduced is the natural influences of nature on the
changing climate that include the Sun, volcanic eruptions, and Earth’s orbit. On the contrary, the
human impacts are then introduced that involve humanities influence on the troposphere,
industrial pollutants, and our introduction of a vast amount of greenhouse gases. Among all of
these factors, it is widely agreed upon that human activities are predominantly the reason for the
rapid climate change occurring within recent decades. The warming of the troposphere as a result
of tremendous amounts of manmade greenhouse gasses carry a vast array of consequences for
the future of Earth and its inhabitants. These consequences include the warming of ocean
temperatures, rising sea levels, higher surface temperatures, and erratic behavior of Earth’s
natural patterns. Many scientists are now believing that we have ushered in the “Anthropocene”
which is the time period that began with the Industrial Revolution and of which we are currently
living in. This age that is composed of the last few hundred years has shown an unprecedented
rise in human influences changing the planet in negative ways. This has been made credible by
the rising ocean and surface temperatures, and greenhouse gas concentration. This upsurge in
rising levels are focused on frequently because scientists have not observed such an increase in
thousands of years.Even though there are natural influences on Climate change, at its core it is
explained to be predominantly due to human interaction and its mistreatment of the environment
within the Anthropocene. These rapidly growing impacts that humans are inflicting on the
Earth’s atmosphere carry a heavy toll and will change the makeup of our environment forever.
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Question: After reviewing the influences and impacts of climate change, which factor do you
think carries the largest environmental impact that needs to be more closely examined and
prevented from continuing its destruction on the environment?

Travis: “I don’t know about you guys but personally I believe that we should first begin with the
burning of fossil fuels as well as their interaction with large industries. I know that there are
certain regulations that have been introduced throughout the years to reduce the amount of
greenhouse gasses produced but I feel as though they are minimal and have not fully reached
their potential.”

Dawson: “I would have to agree. The amount of emissions produced from the automobile and
fossil fuel industry has to be substantial.”

Kyle: “I know there has been a push to introduce cars into the market and I know Tesla has done
this to an extent, but I do not feel as though people are focusing on renewable energy enough.”

Lauren: “I think that throughout time there has been many ideas on renewable energy and its
benefits but certain politicians stand in the way of the productivity of these tools.”

Conner: “And the main impact of not accepting these renewable energy alternatives halts
progress completely.”

Dawson: “Yeah I agree, the dismissal of these clean renewable resources and innovation has
definitely been a huge problem in introducing them.”

Travis: “I also feel like the politics and rhetoric used from those who push for renewable energy
are viewed as a bipartisan matter and that democrats are the only ones that desire to stop global
warming. Even though in reality climate change is a proven even that we are speeding up by our
irresponsible production and certain politicians have am unreasonable belief that it is a myth.”

Climate Change Projections - Kyle Steinke

In the section “Climate Change Projections” there are many different crucial points that
should be considered regarding the future of Global Warming and the impact it will have on the
civilization and coming generations that inhabit earth. Within the book, there are many different
scenarios for what could go wrong further down the line if we do not change our ways of
greenhouse gas production. One possibility is that in the year 2100, the global population will
begin to decline at a steady rate. A second possibility is that carbon dioxide emissions would
begin to grow significantly higher at a steadier, more rapid pace. These possibilities will then as
a result initiate global food shortages and lack of resources around the globe. This section also
elaborates on the melting ice and rising sea levels that will become a significant issue regarding
weather extremes and flooding. These rapid changes will then as a result fluctuate weather
patterns and create a much more erratic atmosphere which we will only be able to do so much to
protect ourselves from. The constant pace at which we are poisoning the atmosphere is causing a
violent surge in CO2 which is essentially destabilizing our atmosphere. All of these possible
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outcomes have been rigorously scientifically researched and have maintained credibility
throughout the scientific community which should be taken seriously as precautions are put in
place to protect the future.

Question: Throughout all of the possible outcomes mentioned above, which of these scenarios
do you fear the most? If there are other possible outcomes not listed above, which did you think
of that the people of earth should be most worried about?

Commentary

Kyle: “So I will start off by bringing up Travis’ article and the possibility that global
temperatures can rise to the point where the area within the equator will be too hot to reside in.”

Lauren: “Yeah that is a scary scenario that puts the severity of climate change into perspective.”

Conner: “I think all around the scariest thing you brought up in your summary Kyle was the
rapid decline of population that will occur.”

Kyle: “Yeah all the other factors can be taken into consideration but that is the final stage in
regard to the horrible outcomes.”

Travis: “For me I think the scariest is the water shortage that will occur. I could imagine a future
that water is traded, and wars are started over land with freshwater. This parallels the fight over
oil, and we see how much destruction has come from that.”

Dawson: “Yeah that’s a good point I never really thought of it that way. Wars like that would
certainly help speed up the destruction of the earth.”

Lauren: “Especially on top of all the other possible outcomes that could come true.”

Conner: “It would almost start a snowball effect on the consequences that we will face.”

Kyle: “That is a good point, there are many negative side effects of climate change devastation
that could possibly throw this world into turmoil.”
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The Impacts of Climate Change - Dawson Forner

Summary:

Many outcomes are possible for the present and the future because of climate change.
Part three “The Impacts of Climate Change” from Dire Predictions Understanding Climate
Change, summarizes the main impacts that climate change has had on earth and will have. The
two main authors of Dire Predictions, Michael E. Mann and Lee R. Kump both bring light to all
of the current issues earth has with the climate zones shifting. The first being the social risk the
climate has on humans. With less food production and less and less fresh water available, people
will start to panic. This will cause tense situations between nations trying to keep their people
safe and happy. One way people could be found unhappy is with all of the rising water and
floods predicted to occur, especially in coastal areas with low elevation. Many homes have been
destroyed already and many more will also see extreme damage due to the low lying lands they
are sitting on. With ice caps melting like the Greenland ice sheet, sea levels are expected to rise
and take away land from states like Florida. Some ecosystems are very close to extinction or to
total destruction. For example the coral reefs are starting to become extremely rare to come by
because of the algae that is no longer growing coincide with the coral. This can be traced to the
amount of carbon in the water and in the air. The pollution of all of the carbon emission can be
traced straight to humans. We are polluting the planet faster than ever. Buildings and cars are
mostly to blame. All of the air pollution is causing the ozone protective layer to be damaged and
in return is heating up the earth. Animals and ecosystems are seeing the greatest harm, some are
even going extinct like the Golden Toad. We as humans must try harder to protect the wildlife
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because it is the wildlife that is making this world livable. If nothing changes we can expect to
see a change in society, our economy, ecosystems, landforms and most of all our climate.

Question:
What are some changes in your ecosystem you have seen due to climate change? What
can you do to help prevent the rapid change in climate?

Commentary

Dawson: “What are some changes in your ecosystem you have seen due to climate change?
What can you do to help prevent the rapid change in climate?”
Kyle: “I have noticed that in our ecosystem we see more and more winter.”
Lauren: “I think that the winter is longer some years but other years it is very quick but cold.”
Connor: “Yeah I can see that for sure. I also would say that we tend to have some sudden and
odd timed winter storms and now in months that don’t usually have a lot of snowfall.”
Travis: “I agree with what you guys said. Does all the changing in our winter months mean our
ecosystem is shifting?”
Dawson: “I think you are right about the ecosystems Travis. The book said in part three that
ecosystems are moving across the earth and bringing the wildlife and climate it has with it.”
Lauren: “Does that mean that our ecosystem is moving north?”
Kyle: “I think it would mean it is moving south, because the cold is staying longer yearound so
the northern cold is moving south.”
Travis: “That sounds about right.”
Dawson: “So what would you do to help prevent the rapid change in the climate?”
Connor:“I would help by limiting my amount of drive time. The less carbon emissions the
better.”
Kyle: “I would also limit my Co2 emissions by driving less and carpooling with others.”
Lauren: “Carbon emissions is something that needs to change for sure.”
Dawson: “I know that buildings are the main contributor to the carbon emissions, so by making
our structures more efficient and using less energy, the emissions would drastically drop.”
Travis: “I would like to eventually switch to a electric car like a Tesla and completely eliminate
the Co2 emissions from my car.”
Dawson: “So we all know that the carbon emissions are going to have to change and by limiting
the amount we emeit we can all help slow down climate change.”

Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Change- Lauren Kramer

Summary

Part 4, ¨Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Change¨ in Dire Predictions;

Understanding Climate Change focuses on ways to reduce our vulnerability to climate change
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by adapting to the effects of current climate change. Some of the main issues caused by climate
change that this chapter emphasizes are ideas such as sea-levels rising, the increased demand for
freshwater globally, as well as the buildup of atmospheric carbon dioxide emissions. There are
certain economies that can better adapt to climate change than others, specifically developed
nations, whereas developing nations may have a harder time with these adaptations. There are
many vulnerable ecosystems that are already struggling with adapting to climate change,
however some of them are in fact adapting; however, this does not mean that all organisms will.
So the chapter then focuses on our options; to adapt to these changes, or to mitigate (reduce or
stabilize the issues). To have the best possible effects, it will not only take a healthy balance of
both adaptation and mitigation, but it will take global efforts to make a change; this is a difficult
thing to achieve because not all countries are on board, and many of them do not have the
resources it takes, especially developing countries. A huge portion of adapting to climate change
is dependant on the economy, and the cost of carbon compared to the cost of inaction. The
effects of climate change will have drastic impacts on water levels, agriculture, the economy, and
many more; much of the world is vulnerable and we need to adapt.

Question: What would be the most realistic and impactful way for developing countries to take
action towards adapting to and mitigating the effects of climate change?

Commentary

Lauren: ¨So when you guys look at countries like the United States and Canada and other
wealthy countries, they are all putting in efforts to combat climate change right?¨

Connor: ¨Yeah, to an extent.¨

Lauren: ¨These countries can participate in adapting to and mitigating the effects of climate
change because they have the money to do that. But if you look at other developing countries
like many countries in Africa or some Asian countries, they don't have all the advancements and
all the money we do, so they seem to not have very many options.¨

Travis: ¨But since they aren't as technologically advanced, or at least they don't have access to
that kind of technology, they don't really have to worry about it as much because they aren't the
ones causing the problem.¨

Connor: ¨Yeah, I mean they don't have cars or at least not as many, and there aren't tons of
factories that are burning fossil fuels and polluting the air supply.¨

Dawson: ¨They do live simpler lives than we do, but they still contribute to climate change to an
extent. And even if, they should still be trying to make a change, its their earth too.¨

Lauren: ¨Right, but the question is how? They don't have many ways they can adapt to climate
change or help mitigate it without needing a large budget.¨

Kyle: ¨Personally, I think that since they aren't really adding to the problem nearly as much as
em are, they shouldn't have to try quite as hard. I mean, when you look at the graphs in the book
for mitigating and adapting to climate change, for a lot of those countries there isn't any data, so
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there would need to be some more research done before you can really give anyone a definite
answer.¨

Travis: ¨I can agree with that, but I still think that they can just do some of the basic things like
reduce, reuse, recycle. As dumb as it sounds, those are pretty much some of their best options
until we can further research those countries, and get more data on how much it would make an
impact.¨

Dawson: ¨Yeah I would agree.¨

Connor: ¨Same.¨

Solving Global Warming

Summary: Part 5 In the solving global warming section of Dire Predictions they begin by
stating that there are basically two solutions to help lessen the damage being done by global
warming. Reducing or eliminating fossil-fuel carbon dioxide emissions along or removing
carbon dioxide from the atmosphere are the solutions, and according to Michael E. Mann and
Lee R. Kump with our amount of technology and scientific knowledge there is no reason we
should not be able to reduce carbon dioxide levels. Although these authors note that the emission
reduction and carbon capturing is being done in some countries, emissions are continuing to
grow and atmospheric carbon dioxide levels are climbing more rapidly than projected. The
authors believe this is partially due to a lack of incentives for emission reduction. This issue is
especially prevalent in the largest emitting countries such as The United States and China. Mann
and Kump offer a hypothetical system in which would help reduce the amount of carbon dioxide.
They present a cost of carbon idea, which means the more carbon dioxide you emmit the more
carbon cost you will have. The carbon cost would work almost as a tax and an incentive to take
effort in reducing the amount of emissions we are producing.

Question: If it was possible to put the carbon cost system into place, would it be possible to trace
every bit of carbon dioxide being emitted? Would more restrictions stop companies to trying to
further innovate?

Commentary:

Conner: “Do you guys think the carbon cost system that Mann and Kump discuss could actually
work?”
Lauren: “I don't see how they could tell if you were burning fossil fuels, unless the put
something on every exhaust for every machine that runs on fossil fuels.”
Travis: “I would have to agree with that, it seems like a lot of hassle.”
Dawson: “Also it seems like they would just be charging you twice to be able to even utilize
fuels we use every day.”
Kyle: “I agree with both of you, but it does seem like people need some sort of incentive for
people who actually try to reduce their emissions usage.”
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Dawson: “Or a punishment for those who don't.”

Conner: What about the business aspect, companies might see more restrictions as harmful to
free trade?
Lauren: “Should businesses be protected as much as our planet?”
Kyle: “I agree we won’t get a chance to start over if we destroy the earth.”
Travis: “Is it possible to take carbon dioxide out of the air?”
Conner: “Yes they said they have the technology to do so, although I think we may be
producing it faster than we can remove it.”
Dawson: “Have you guys noticed our climate changing from your experiences?”
Travis: “Not necessarily physically, although given the numbers it is hard to deny.”
Lauren: “I would agree with that.”
Kyle: “Me too, the changes are small and subtle but definitely have an effect over time.”

Part 2

● Each student in the group must locate a news article in the New York Times relating to
global climate change, which was published in 2018. Each student in the group must
locate a different article.
● A summary of the selected article in no less than 600 words must be written by each
student.
● All five articles must be merged into one section labelled Part 2 and inserted in the same
Microsoft Word document that includes Part 1, with the same font and type size uniform
throughout. Titles of each article must precede each article’s entry in Part 2. Links to all
articles must be provided in a section marked: References. Part 2 amounts to no less than
3000 words, exclusive of references.

Part 2

What’s New in the Latest U.S. Climate Assessment

Dawson’s Article- https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/23/climate/highlights-climate-

assessment.html?searchResultPosition=16

Summary:
A New York Times article “What’s New in the Latest U.S. Climate Assessment”
expresses the numerous things that are happening around america due to climate change. Brad
Plumer and Henry Fountain are the authors of the article and start by introducing the National
Climate Assessment of 2018. The National Climate Assessment is a mandatory report from
congress about the new findings on what is happening to the United States ecosystem. The report
of 2014 was the last report and predicted that temperatures will rise and sea levels will rise. The
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2014 report also predicted that coastal cities will see a lot more flooding. This prediction could
not have been more accurate, because today there is cold hard evidence that “nuisance flooding
as been occuring in low lying coastal cities like Miami, Florida and Charleston, South Carolina.
The National Climate Assessment of 2018 states that high tide flooding is posing a threat to
business, residences, infrastructure, ecosystems and transportation in the southeast. Along with
the oceans rising and causing floods they are also warming and affecting ecosystems like the
lobster. The warm water caused the lobster business to catch the most lobster a month earlier
than the normal. This caught the distribution company in Maine off guard when the majority of
lobster came a month early. The report thought of a different way to understand climate change
in the United States. Usually we analyze the connection between climate change and an impact
like droughts or increased wildfires. The new method to look at it is to relate droughts and
wildfires. The report also suggests that analyzing sectors individually will allow us to better
understand climate change. An example that is used in the report was the relationship between
Superstorm Sandy and New York. Six years ago a Superstorm hit New York and flooded
interconnected parts of the city like the subway and highway tunnels. This was unexpected and
made the repair of electrical very difficult and prolonged the situation. The article states that the
United States military has been concerned about climate change for a while now. Stating that the
infrastructure and troops are affected by it, yet also causes the potential for political instability.
The political aspect can be inferred to be occurring when parties are arguing constantly about the
issue and are not getting enough done to help slow the warming from occurring. Politics aren’t
the only thing affected by the climate change, the economy is largely affected as well. When a
climate change has occurred in an area such as an agricultural field. The temperature can largely
affect how much of a crop is made. F less crops are created, less money is made and the exports
of the United States decreases. The lack of production is also accompanied by the cost of damage
done each year by climate change to sum up the economy impact done. The 2014 assessment
predicted that hundreds of billions of dollars annually are going to be lost due to the climate
change impacts like, heat waves, floods, fires, and droughts. In order to decrease the amount of
money being lost, cities all over the country need to find ways to help protect the earth from
warming. The preservation of wetlands is one way that coastal cities are helping the situation.
These wetlands act as a purifier for usable water and also a place for water to go when a flood is
present. Protecting the ecosystem physically is good but more needs tobe done to protect the air
quality from being contaminated. With poor air quality the life expectancy is expected to be
much lower than with cleaner air. By limiting the amount of carbon footprint each city has, a
drastic change can and will be seen in the US and in the world.

Three New Year's Resolutions That Can Help Fight Climate Change

Lauren - https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/03/climate/climate-change-resolutions.html?
searchResultPosition=12
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Summary:
At the beginning of the New Year, everyone is on the ¨New Years resolution¨ fad, trying
to create better habits and improving themselves; it's sort of like turning over a new leaf. There
are articles and advertisements and commercials that provide people with newer and better ways
to improve themselves; however not many people think about improving other things, such as
the environment. The New York Times posted an article written by Simone Noronha that gives
people three new resolutions that people can add to their list. The examples that are provided in
the article also can relate to goals or resolutions that people may already have set such as being
more active or spending less money. The first resolution they recommend is to walk places
instead of taking cars or public transportation; walking a mile instead of driving a mile saves
about 411 grams of carbon dioxide emissions. Walking also helps contribute to an active lifestyle
and moderate aerobic activity. Bicycling is also another good alternative to driving, if walking
takes up too much time; biking can also get you places twice as fast so you can go longer
distances as well. Even if you own a hybrid car or even an electrical car, walking is still worth
the time and effort, not just for the environment, but for your personal health and wellbeing as
well. Americans already eat way too much food and consume too many calories, so walking can
help us cut back on gaining weight from these bad habits. The next resolution the article brings
up is wasting less food to help lower greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture and food
production. But reducing food waste isn't so easy; there have been studies done that show that
color-coding items in our fridge based on the food categories can help us to reduce our food
waste. When most of us open our refrigerators, there are a lot of items that we do not even know
are in there or for how long they have been there. There are also apps that can be downloaded
onto smartphones that help track food items in your fridge and when those items will go bad or
expire. Another good thing to do is to do a weekly fridge check, preferably before grocery
shopping; along with that are monthly refrigerator ¨eat-downs¨ where you spend the last few
days of the month cleaning out and eating whatever items are left in your refrigerator.
Companies are also taking part in helping to reduce the amount of food waste in the United
States; when there is produce that does not look very appealing, many stores will throw them out
because consumers are less likely to purchase fruits that do not look ¨perfect¨. There are
businesses such as ¨Imperfect Produce¨ that eliminate the waste of ¨ugly produce¨ that help
reduce food waste. The final resolution that the article suggests readers partake in is tracking and
measuring your personal actions; this includes things such as transportation, dietary choices,
investments and purchases, as well as many other things. There are specific apps that you can use
to keep track of these things, and one of the most popular apps that people seem to like is Oroeco
which tracks and helps you manage your carbon emissions. This app can let users track goals
that they have set, as well as performance; users can even compare their performance to other
friends that use the app as well. Oroeco is not the only app that you can get to help lessen your
carbon footprint; there are many other apps that can be used to help you keep track of your
carbon footprint and how you can lessen it. In conclusion this article gives people easy ways to
help cut back on everyday things that are ruining the earth and adding to the effects of climate
change.
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In ‘The Uninhabitable Earth,’ Apocalypse Is Now

Travis- https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/06/books/review-uninhabitable-earth-life-after-
warming-david-wallace-wells.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection
%2Fclimate&action=click&contentCollection=climate&region=stream&module=stream_unit&v
ersion=latest&contentPlacement=49&pgtype=sectionfront

Summary
In the article “In ‘The Uninhabitable Earth,’ Apocalypse Is Now” by Jennifer Szalai,
there is a large emphasis on the potential destruction of Earth through humanities negative
effects on the global atmosphere and environment. The article dissects a book by the name ‘The
Uninhabitable Earth’ by author David Wallace-Wells which goes into detail about the grim
reality Earth’s citizens will face if climate change is not addressed and proper regulations are not
put into place. The book takes a very specific approach that does not strictly rely on the science
of climate change but explains the future way of life that civilization will have to adopt if
mankind does not change its ways. The book focuses on these facets of life that include warning
of water scarcity, areas of the globe too hot to live in, and deadly heat waves that will sweep the
globe.
Throughout the article, there is a strong point to be made within “The Uninhabitable
Earth” of the catastrophe’s Earth will endure if it obtains the 6 to 8 degree Celsius of warming
that was debated at the Paris Accords earlier in 2015, in which they vowed to avoid. Wells goes
on to cite scientific data and research that illustrates that collapsing ice sheets, water inadequacy,
lethal heat waves, and the equator band being too hot to live within are all possible outcomes
from a simple raise in global temperature by 2 degrees Celsius. Within the book, another
significant theme that can serve as a primary focus for comprehension is the question Wells asks,
“How much will we do to stall disaster, and how quickly?”. This quote encapsulates the much-
needed initiative of preventative measures within climate change to avoid such a cataclysmic end
to mother Earth. Another focus of the article and book is the acknowledgement of not only the
future, but to truly comprehend what we have lost through the escalation of Global Warming and
the rate at which we are destroying our atmosphere. Wells illustrates this by explaining that the
continuation of these impacts will continue to wreak havoc on third world countries, but the path
that we have put ourselves on will quote “eventually grow so enormous and indiscriminate that
not even the rich will be spared”. I believe this quote from the article should resonate deeply
among the rich politicians and lawmakers that are controlled through lobbying and do not believe
in climate change. The result of these individuals denying significant and credible evidence have
allowed others to share the same mindset which puts a grinding halt to any sort of progress that
desperately needs to be made immediately.
Wallace- Wells makes a point of focusing on our grim future by justifying the dark and
gloomy by saying “Fear can motivate”. Wells does this by illustrating the tragic future we face
under our lifestyles by waking up dormant diseases found within melting ice caps, an increase in
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wildfires, permafrost, and even going on to show how this will decrease the infant mortality rate.
All of these consequences of climate change are said to not only scare the reader into calling for
action but show the possible future of mankind in a raw, and dark fashion. Throughout the article
there are many quotes on how this fear tactic should not be viewed as only a means to scare
people into change, but to empower them into changing their ways and having a call to action
amongst lawmakers and those who make regulations within industries causing this increase in
greenhouse gasses. Even though individuals may take issue with the rhetoric and tactics used by
Wells in his book, they should be fully aware of the future they are creating for the coming
generations that may lead to significant suffering and death. This article emphasizes the book in
the way that it is a unique stance on calling for change that does not solely rely on the
presentation of statistics and figures, but puts it in a much more tangible and perceptible manner.

Nights Are Warming Faster Than Days. Here’s Why That’s Dangerous.

Connor - https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/07/11/climate/summer-nights-warming-
faster-than-days-dangerous.html
Summary: This article “Nights Are Warming Faster Than Days. Here’s Why That’s Dangerous”
by Kendra Pierre-Louis and Nadja Popovich highlights the dangers that climate change can bring
specifically global warming. At the time this article was being written; daily, monthly, and all
time records were being broken across America. Heat warnings and advisories were in effect for
more than 100 million people. The main caused in the article that is brought to our attention is
how the heat from the incredibly hot summer days, isn't escaping our atmosphere at night which
brings on an entire wave of problems on it’s own. Popovich and Pierre-Louis the go on to
highlight a specific scenario in Burlington, Vermont where the temperature did not drop below
80 degrees farenheit all night. A few days later Los Angeles broke its daily record, from the
previous day. At 11 A.M. temperatures were already up at 95 degrees fahrenheit surpassing the
previous day by only 1 degree, before reaching well into the 100’s mid afternoon on both days.
The article then goes on explain how the summer nights have warmed at twice the rate as the
days. This means that the temperatures at night have increased 1.4 degrees on average since
1895, while during the day we only see a .7 degree increase. Although this data is averages for
summer months, they add that the nights during the other season also saw more of an increase
than the days. Pierre-Louis and Popovich then begin to tie the increase of nightly temperature
into climate change and global warming. They expect these patterns to continue due to the
continued increase of human caused carbon emissions. The chief of the climate monitoring
division at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Derek S. Arndt says that
small increases in the average temperature can lead to extreme consequences. Over time these
small increases of temperature add up and eventually contribute to bigger problems such as what
we experienced in this 2018 summer. After the authors tie in global warming into the increasing
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temperature we start to learn the actual physical danger that seemingly small heat increases can
become. They share the fact that heat waves kill more Americans in a typical year than any other
natural disasters including tornadoes, hurricanes, and floods. Lara Cushing, a professor of
environmental epidemiology at San Francisco State University says that warm summer nights
may not seem as alarming as scorching summer days. She says “the combination of high daytime
and high nighttime temperatures can be really lethal because the body doesn't have time to cool
down during the nighttime hours. These risks can be higher for people living in places that have
been known to be cooler like the coasts of California. These people acclimated to the cooler
weather have a harder time making their bodies adjust to the hot weather. Dr Cushing explains
how if it was 105 in Houston Texas people would most likely have working air conditioning, and
are more accustomed to dealing with the heat. If the temperature rose to 105 in somewhere such
as San Francisco the people would be much less prepared, making the effects more devastating.
The risk is also increased to people who are sick, older people, children, and those whose
occupations require them to be outside. Air conditioners can be helpful in battling the heat, but at
the same time they send outside making a heat island effect. Along with creating heat island
effects if too many air conditioners are used at the same time it could cause issues with power
grids, making power failure more likely.
 14

Fighting Climate Change? We’re Not Even Landing a Punch

Kyle - https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/23/business/economy/fighting-climate-change.html?
searchResultPosition=39
Summary:
Diplomacy is the first step to change, and that’s specifically true in the case of reducing
carbon emissions, which is one of the leading causes of climate change. Eduardo Porter of the
New York Times posted an article in January of 2018 that put climate change diplomacy on
blast, and his reports debunked the theories that we’re doing enough. 1988 was the year that
highly credited scientists and political figures first met to call on the world’s governments to
reduce carbon emissions, in this case by 20%. At the time of the meeting, the world’s average
temperature sat at just over half a degree Celsius higher than the average of the previous couple
of decades. The result of the meeting was… disappointing. This led to another meeting, this time
in Kyoto Japan, as opposed to Toronto, Canada nine years later in 1997. By this time, the
average global temperature was around 0.7 degrees Celsius above the average of the late 1800s.
Little to no political traction was being made in any of these events, until the next climate change
summit happened in 2014, this time in Paris, France. By then, Earth’s average temperature was
over a full degree Celsius higher, in comparison to the late 1800s. The summit brought on the
goal to keep the global temperature at a cap of 1.5 degrees Celsius above the 1800s average,
however that would be nearly impossible without the support of all the major industrial
countries. Though several countries did not agree to sign the treaty, all of the countries that did
make up almost half of the global carbon output combined, so the summit was a major win in
comparison to past meetings.
It seems as though some countries don’t believe that climate change is a big threat
because they don’t want to, which as a result will garner any kind of progress that can be made to
prevent the harmful impacts. When you’re in the kitchen and the water in your saucepan begins
to foam up and boil over, you do not fix that problem by ignoring it, which is exactly what these
countries are doing by not signing the agreement. The scientifically proven data is abundant and
credible, rendering excuses a result of ignorance. There are no penalties for not signing,
however.
In Porter’s article, a Yale Professor’s “climate club” idea states that maybe diplomatic
agreements and educational summits aren’t the way to go. Perhaps, if the benefits outweigh the
costs for all countries to agree to limit carbon emissions, more countries would sign. Clearly,
 15

there are endless benefits to reducing carbon emissions already, but non-signing countries don’t
buy it, so what if negative reinforcement is the key? The climate club would inherently impose
monetary restrictions on non-signing countries in the form of tariffs. Countries that are in the
club would charge tariffs on imported shipments from countries that are not in the club, which
would “encourage” them to join. Global Warming runs on a timer, and it’s only a matter of a few
decades until irreversible damage is done, so aggressive politics may not be a far-fetched idea.
Porter then goes on to explain that the ideas of “capturing and storing” carbon are seeing little to
no support, as it is seen as a form of supporting future uses of fossil fuels. Nuclear energy is the
only form of low-carbon energy that supports the needs of demand, but according to Porter, it’s
“anathema.” He concludes his article by stating that more and more realistic options for
combating climate change will be brought to life as time goes on, and as the consequences grow
nearer, the urgency will create incentives for a technology boom in the business of reducing and
capturing carbon. In reference to the Maldive Islands, that are set to be eaten by the Pacific
Ocean due to climate change, Porter ends his article with “It will probably be too late to prevent
the Maldives from ending up underwater. But better late than never.”

Part 3

For the statement, “This very expensive GLOBAL WARMING bullshit has got to stop.
Our planet is freezing, record low temps, and our GW scientists are stuck in ice” There are a
variety of principle errors that make this generalization an extremely harmful mindset to have
regarding climate change. The ignorance of individuals who refute climate change because of
low temperatures do not understand the difference between weather and climate. Regardless of
what is occurring regarding climate change, the weather in the winter months will always be
colder due to the fact that the seasonal change in temperatures relies on Earth’s tilt on its axis,
which has nothing to do with climate change. Along with this statement comes the same
mentality through the quote, “NBC News just called it the great freeze - coldest weather in
years. Is our country still spending money on the GLOBAL WARMING HOAX?”. This
uneducated and wildly inaccurate statement once again deals with the differentiation between
climate vs. weather. The seasonal exposure of the sun causes different areas of the world to
experience seasons which cause a wide assortment of temperatures. This is also due to the fact
that Earth’s weather is also reliant on a various assortment of erratic and constantly changing
weather patterns that allow certain areas to experience harsher conditions. In regards to the
quote, “I believe in clean air. Immaculate air…. But I don't believe in climate change.”, contains
a slew of contradictory rhetoric that holds little to no credibility. Everyone on planet Earth
believes in clean, immaculate air, but as a result of climate change the amount that our
atmosphere contains is diminishing. Climate change is a proven phenomenon that is
predominantly a byproduct of manmade innovation and harmful waste techniques. If there is
nothing done about our expediting hand in climate change, in the future “immaculate air” will be
hard to come by. For the last quote, “I think that measuring with precision human activity on
the climate is something very challenging to do and there’s tremendous disagreement about the
degree of impact, so no, I would not agree that it’s a primary contributor to the global warming
that we see,” he told CNBC.” there contains a sequence of simply false facts presented that
 16

attempt to rectify this unreasonable mindset. Measuring human activity and its impact on the
climate is certainly a difficult task to accomplish but that does not mean that the measurements
are inaccurate and do not contain credible statistics and information. Scientists and researchers
that devote their life to examining climate change work very hard to provide credible and
diagnosis. Also, among the scientific community there is little to no disagreement on the severity
of human interaction and its negative effects on expediting climate change. It is a proven fact
that humans contribute a large devotion to the negative effects as a result of climate change.

References
Pierre-louis, Kendra, and Nadja Popovich. “Nights Are Warming Faster Than Days. Here's Why That's Dangerous.” The
New York Times, The New York Times, 11 July 2018, www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/07/11/climate/summer-
nights-warming-faster-than-days-dangerous.html.
 17

Pierre-louis, Kendra. “Three New Year's Resolutions That Can Help Fight Climate Change.” The New York Times, The
New York Times, 3 Jan. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/01/03/climate/climate-change-resolutions.html?
searchResultPosition=12

Plumer, Brad, and Henry Fountain. “What's New in the Latest U.S. Climate Assessment.” The New York Times, The
New York Times, 24 Nov. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/11/23/climate/highlights-climate-assessment.html?
searchResultPosition=16.

Porter, Eduardo. “Fighting Climate Change? We're Not Even Landing a Punch.” The New York Times, The New York
Times, 23 Jan. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/01/23/business/economy/fighting-climate-change.html?
searchResultPosition=39.

Szalai, Jennifer. “In 'The Uninhabitable Earth,' Apocalypse Is Now.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 6 Mar.
2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/03/06/books/review-uninhabitable-earth-life-after-warming-david-wallace-wells.html?
rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection
%2Fclimate&action=click&contentCollection=climate®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlac
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