GLOBAL WARMING     Perceptible change in the average temperature of the atmosphere through out the world.

This increase in the average temperature of Earth s atmosphere. A gradual increase in the overall temperature of the earth's atmosphere generally attributed to the greenhouse effect caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide, CFCs, and other pollutants The summers are becoming hotter and longer, and the winters are turning out to be more freezing (recent increased snowfall witnessed in Northern Hemisphere) and longer. Not to mention that the spring and autumn are becoming shorter. Let us try to understand what has caused this change in climate, and what are the effects of this change?

EARTH Earth is the only planet suitable to human life known to us in the Universe. Other planets are either too hot or too cold to support the life. What sets planet Earth apart is the Earth s atmosphere, and Green House Effect. GREEN HOUSE EFFECT Planet Earth receives the heat from Sun in form of radiation during the day. The heat radiation from Sun enters the earth s atmosphere, and gets reflected back from the earth surface. Earth s atmosphere consists of different gases, and some gases atoms have the property to trap the heat; these gases are termed as green house gases (e.g. CO2, CH4 etc.), and the phenomenon of heat-trapping is called the Green House Effect. Owing to the Green House Effect, a part of the reflected heat is trapped in the atmosphere. The heat trapped by the atmosphere during the day saves the earth from cooling down to the freezing temperate during night when there is no heat radiation received by Earth. Some of the major green house gases are Carbon Dioxide (CO2), Carbon Monoxide (CO) and Methane (CH4). A Delicate Balance This is a very delicate balance and directly depends on the quantity of Green house gases in the atmosphere. Higher the percentage of the green house gases in atmosphere composition the higher the amount of heat will be trapped in atmosphere; therefore results an increase in the temperature of the Earth. CAUSES The major human activities contributing to a higher percentage of green house gases are: Burning fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas). This releases carbon dioxide that had been stored underground for millions of years. This extra CO2 is causing the enhanced greenhouse effect. Cutting down the earth's forests without replanting. Deforestation removes trees and vegetation that absorb and store carbon. Half a tree's weight is carbon, but when trees die they release their carbon and absorb no more. Intensive Agriculture: The intensive agriculture of Rice and Corn results in release of Methane in the atmosphere. Construction activities: construction (e.g. Buildings and Roads etc) absorb heat radiation from Sun, and increase the temperature of the atmosphere. PERILS OF GLOBAL WARMING Two major problems - increasing temperatures, and rising sea levels. Climate Change Llonger and hotter summer, longer and cooler winter, and shortening of the spring and autumn are a direct result of Global Warming. There are some plants that bear flowers in spring or autumn, and the shorter autumn or spring means no time for the flowers to bloom or fruits to ripe. Due to climate change the migratory birds no longer know when to start migrating. That means more species becomes endangered. Climate change would result in more unpredictability of weather and could lead to increased occurrence of hurricanes, storms. The climate change would result in disturbances of El Nino and El Dido, the adverse impact of such disturbances cannot be fully estimated but can only be feared (e.g. disturbance of the Monsoon cycle). Skyrocketing Temperatures Your world has gotten warmer - global average temperatures have increased by 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit since 1880. While this may not sound like a lot, experts predict that by 2100, the average global temperature will rise a staggering 3.2-7.1 degrees F from today's.

Global Warming

You've witnessed the hottest years recorded in your lifetime. Since record-keeping began in 1880, the 10 hottest years have been between 1997 and 2008. Dangerous Rise In Sea Levels As temperatures rise and ice melts around the world, oceans will rise about 3 feet by 2100. This would have drastic consequences for the world as you know it - a 3 foot rise in sea levels would displace about 600 million people, or about 10% of today's worldwide population. Highly populated areas like China, Bangladesh, India, and major cities along the east coast of the U.S. would be greatly affected. This figure could be much higher if either of the quickly melting ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica completely melt. Each major ice sheet contains about 500,000 cubic miles of ice, enough to each raise the sea by about 20 feet. This, of course, would have an even more drastic effect on the world's geography. In the U.S. alone, most of Florida, Louisiana, New York City, Washington, D.C., and other coastal areas would be completely inundated. What other effects can you expect as a result of rising temperatures and sea levels? The prognosis is kind of grim.... Spread of disease As northern countries warm, disease carrying insects migrate north, bringing plague and disease with them. Indeed some scientists believe that in some countries, thanks to global warming, malaria has not been fully eradicated.

Destructive Hurricanes The number of category 4 and 5 (the strongest) hurricanes that you see each season has doubled since 1970. A record of four category 5 hurricanes formed in 2005, the most ever seen in one season. Another record was seen in 2007,when two category 5 hurricanes made landfall in Central America. It's likely that you'll see this trend continue in years to come. Disappearing Coral Reefs In 1998 (the second-hottest year on record), the world lost 16% of its coral reefs to bleaching from the hotter ocean temperatures. Studies show that coral reefs are disappearing faster than previously thought - nearly 600 square miles of reefs have disappeared per year in the Indo-Pacific region since the late 1960s. Widespread Extinctions You may be shocked to learn that some estimates predict that up to 1/3 of all species will be extinct by 2050. Less ice will surely mean the end of polar bears and penguins. The warming climate will mean that animalswill be driven farther north to get to their acclimated comfort zones,where they will be competing with other species for food. Water Shortages If you live in the western U.S., mountain snowpacks currently provide up to 75% of your water supply. Major cities like Phoenix, Las Vegas, and Denver depend on this water. And 40% of the world's population relies on the Himalayan glaciers for water. What will happen when all this snow melts?!? Food Shortages Causing Starvation With every 1 degree rise in temperature, yields for cropsl ike rice, wheat, and corn fall by 10%. Add in the world's estimated population of 9 billion by 2050, and you've got the recipe for a hunger disaster. Massive Numbers of Environmental Refugees Ifyou live in a coastal, low-lying area, you'll be among the millionswho'll need to relocate to avoid rising waters. Whole countries andcivilizations will have to figure out where to go, and will end upcrowding other already-established societies. Increased War and Violence Foodand water shortages, along with the mass migrations, will cause warsover resources. Many areas are already experiencing conflicts overwater today - the conflict in Darfur, Sudan, which has killed as manyas 400,000 Africans since 2003, began partly over access to water. For those of you in the southeastern U.S., you're far too familiar with the concept of a water war. Recent droughts have caused disputes over water rights between Alabama, Florida, and Georgia. Global Warming 2

More floods Flooding represents one of the most dangerous hazards to human settlements and is one of the most potentially momentous impacts of global warming. As the climate changes, a warming of the seas creates thermal expansion . This is where warm water begins to take up more space than cool water, making the sea s surface level increase. Thermal expansion has already raised the height of the oceans by 4 to 8 inches (10 to 20cm), according to National Geographic. Steadily melting glacial ice also adds significantly to the elevation in water surface level, and many low-lying or coastal communities and facilities will be under threat of eradication should the sea levels continue to rise. An increase of just a single meter (3 ft) would submerge considerable sections of the U.S. eastern seaboard, while one sixth of Bangladesh could be lost permanently by a rise of 1.5 m (5 ft), to name just two examples. The relocation of power stations, refineries, hospitals, homes and so on would become an expensive priority. Also, warmer air can hold more water vapour, increasing the level of rainfall and bringing flooding to inland areas. Economic consequences Most of the effects of anthropogenic global warming won t be good. And these effects spell one thing for the countries of the world: economic consequences. Hurricanes cause billions of dollars in damage, diseases cost money to treat and control and conflicts exacerbate all of these. Increased volcanic activity As already noted, melting glaciations can usher in new, more frequent and more dangerous episodes of volcanic activity. The shifting pressures brought about by the lightening of the vast ice sheets allows the Earth s crust to bounce back and can cause eruptions in unexpected places like the one experienced during Iceland s Gjlp eruption, where magma reached the surface at an unusual intermediary point between two volcanoes. Potent or sustained volcanic activity can have an immense impact on human life even if the activity is centred away from dense population centres. It also has the potential to affect EFFORTS SO FAR International cooperation is required for the successful reduction of greenhouse gases. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change The first international conference addressing the issue was held in 1992 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. At the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, informally known as the Earth Summit, 150 countries pledged to confront the problem of greenhouse gases by signing the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). To date, more than 180 nations have ratified the UNFCCC, which commits nations to stabilizing greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would avoid dangerous human interference with the climate. This is to be done so that ecosystems can adapt naturally to global warming, food production is not threatened, and economic development can proceed in a sustainable manner. Koyoto Protocol The nations at the Earth Summit agreed to meet again to translate these good intentions into a binding treaty for emissions reductions. In 1997 in Japan, 160 nations drafted an agreement known as the Ky to Protocol, an amendment to the UNFCCC. This treaty set mandatory targets for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Industrialized nations that ratify the treaty are required to cut their emissions by an average of 5 percent below 1990 levels. This reduction is to be achieved no later than 2012, and commitments to start achieving the targets are to begin in 2008. Developing nations are not required to commit to mandatory reductions in emissions. Under the Ky to rules, industrialized nations are expected to take the first steps because they are responsible for most emissions to date and have more resources to devote to emissions-reduction efforts. The protocol could not go into effect unless industrialized nations accounting for 55 percent of 1990 greenhouse gas emissions ratified it. That requirement was met in November 2004 when Russia approved the treaty, and it went into force in February 2005. By the end of 2006, 166 nations had signed and ratified the treaty. Notable exceptions included the United States and Australia.

In 1998 the United States then the world s single largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions became a signatory to the Ky to Protocol. However, in 2001 U.S. president George W. Bush withdrew support for the treaty. He claimed that the treaty s goals for reducing carbon dioxide emissions would be too costly and would harm the U.S. economy. He also claimed the treaty put an unfair burden on industrialized nations. Opposition to the treaty in the United States was spurred by the oil industry, the coal industry, and other enterprises that manufacture or depend on fossil fuels. These opponents claimed that the economic costs to carry out the Ky to Protocol could be as much as $300 billion, due mainly to higher energy prices. Proponents of the Ky to Protocol believed the costs would prove more Global Warming 3

modest $88 billion or less much of which would be recovered as Americans switched to more efficient appliances, vehicles, and industrial processes. The Ky to Protocol, which expires in 2012, is only a first step in addressing greenhouse gas emissions. To stabilize or reduce emissions in the 21st century, much stronger and broader action is required. In part this is because the Ky to provisions did not take into account the rapid industrialization of countries such as China and India, which are among the developing nations exempted from the protocol s mandatory emissions reductions. However, developing nations are projected to produce half the world s greenhouse gases by 2035. Leaders of these nations argue that emissions controls are a costly hindrance to economic development. In the past, prosperity and pollution have tended to go together, as industrialization has always been a necessary component of an economy s development. Whether or not an economy can grow without increasing greenhouse gas emissions at the same time is a question that will be critical as nations such as China and India continue on the path of industrialization. Green Summit In 2007 the European Union (EU) took the initiative in coming up with a new international plan to address global warming. At a green summit held in March, the 27 nations of the EU reached a landmark accord that went above and beyond the Ky to Protocol in setting targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The agreement set ambitious targets for the EU overall, but goals for individual EU nations and rules of enforcement were to be determined through additional negotiations. In the accord EU leaders agreed to reduce emissions by 20 percent from 1990 levels by 2020 or by as much as 30 percent if nations outside the EU joined in the commitments. They also agreed that renewable sources of energy, such as solar and wind power, would make up 20 percent of overall EU energy consumption by 2020 (an increase of about 14 percent). The accord also called for a 10 percent increase in the use of plant-derived fuels, such as biodiesel and ethanol. In addition to these targets, EU leaders agreed to work out a plan to promote energy-saving fluorescent light bulbs, following the example of countries such as Australia and Chile that are officially phasing out less-efficient incandescent light bulbs.

RECOMMENDATIONS 1. Energy feebates Impose fees on fossil fuel, on polluting power plants and on engines to fund local programs to electrify transport and to supply electricity in clean and safe ways, in particular by facilities that produce wind, solar, hydro-electric, geothermal, tidal and wave power. Link fees to rebates, through feebates tailored to fit local circumstances and to encourage electricified transport powered by renewables. 2. End perverse energy subsidies End support for fossil fuel. There still are too many perverse subsidies for fossil fuel. 3. Global commitment Agree on and support a new International Treaty, such as a strengthened Copenhagen Accord or a renewed Kyoto Protocol. Each nation should commit to reduce its emissions by, say, 10% annually. Nations should each be able to decide for themselves how to do this, provided they each meet their targets independently and genuinely (i.e. without buying or fabricating offsets or credits domestically or abroad). Border adjustments can help ensure that commitments are indeed met. Apart from reducing emissions, nations should also act to get carbon dioxide level in the atmosphere back to 280 ppm. 4. Lifestyle change Support lifestyles that are more environmentally-friendly. Encourage use of the Internet as an alternative to travel and commuting. Encourage homeschooling and working from home. Deregulate taxi services. 5. Standards Impose standards and industry-specific regulations to ban products that cause large amounts of emissions, where good alternatives are readily available. Examples of this would be incandescent light bulbs and gases used for cleaning and for refrigeration and air conditioning. Standards could be complemented by feebates, e.g. fees on sales of air conditioners that need HCFC-22, as well as on sales of HCFC-22 itself, while using the revenues to fund rebates on the cleaner alternatives. 6. Support solutions Support clean and safe energy. Apart from financial support, there must also be more active support in regulations and government policy to develop new facilities. Don't pick winners, but encourage competition and diversity among Global Warming 4

suppliers of such energy. Encourage interconnection and overlap of electricity grids, so that households can choose which grid to sell electricity to, if they generate a surplus in their backyard. Where needed, stop protecting intellectual property and use eminent domain provisions and fast-tracking legislation to speed up development of infrastructure. 7. Urban planning Plan and develop new green communities, such as communities without roads (i.e. with footpaths and bike paths instead of roads). Plan houses close together, around a local center of shops and restaurants. Redesign existing cities so that people have to travel less. Impose fees on combustion ovens and use the revenues to support energy saving programs, such as distribution of solar cookers (see image below), solar LED lights, more efficient appliances, buildings, etc. 8. Further feebates: Biochar and olivine Support biochar and olivine. Impose fees on the sale of Portland cement, livestock products and nitrogen fertilizers and use the revenues to support biochar burial and olivine grinding. Pyrolysis should be the preferred way to handle surplus biomass (see image below). 9. Government should lead Make government take the lead in reducing emissions. Ask for ideas. Have more staff work from home. Look at ways to offer services over the phone, over the Net, etc. 10. Disclosure Disclosure. Make that government departments and large companies publicly disclose their emissions of greenhouse gases. Make products display on their packaging the amounts of greenhouse gases needed to produce it.

Global Warming