Dangerous Climate Change is Only 1 Degree Celsius Away

Human-made greenhouse gases are starting to take it's toll as the Earth's climate is starting to reach a dangerous level that is already beginning to set off consequences. Whether it is because of our burning of coal or oil, or even the other pollutants that we are throwing into the air, almost all are to blame and the end result so far is that of the disintegration of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet and Arctic sea ice.

The West Antarctic Ice Sheet is the segment of the continental ice sheet that covers West Antarctica and is considered an ice sheet where its bed lies below sea level; however its edges flow into floating ice shelves. This large ice sheep contains about seven million miles of ice. Because this giant ice sheet lies below sea level, this makes it easier for the ice to escape to the sea. The disintegration of this sheet is starting to take place and this type of disintegration can raise seal levels tremendously, even up to 50 feet. The melting contributes around on-hundredth of an inch per year to the rise in the worldwide sea level.

If this West Antarctic shelf were to melt, the oceans will engulf Florida as well as many of the East Coast cities.

The Arctic Sea Ice has had a significant loss, as of 2005 it had dropped 2.05 million square miles. With this ice melting it threatens a lot of our climate. The Arctic Sea Ice covers an average of about 14 million square kilometers and is a major driver of global weather. The light surface of the ice reflects solar energy away from Earth and acts as a natural coolant for the planet. Ice and water from the Arctic Ocean affect the circulation patterns of the ocean on the North Atlantic as well as other climate systems over the planet.

The Earth's temperature has risen more than 1.25 degrees Fahrenheit over the 20^th century. Researchers state that the patterns that are reflecting the actual behavior of the climate right now could go into the dangerous category if the global average temperature rises higher than 1 degree Celsius. Predictions already show that an increase of up to 12 degrees is to happen over the coming century.

What happens then?

If there is a rise of temperature of about 3 degrees we can see the Indian Oceans coral reefs disappear and also say goodbye to the Arctic Ice. At around 5 degrees your looking at the Amazon rainforest disappearing. And at around 7 degrees or higher, coastal flooding will be worse than anyone has ever seen, Australia can no longer grow food and millions of people will be threatened by malaria and hunger will be jeopardized.

Hazardous emissions don't seem to be subsiding, at this point if they continue to rise at the rate of what they have been rising over the past decade, not only will it flood states and major cities, it will also increase the frequency of droughts, as well as increased stress on our plants and wildlife.

So what exactly are we going to do to prevent this?

Nothing. As of right now we are already on the verge of a dangerous repercussion of our actions and we have to learn to adapt to the changes that are going to take place. However, we can start trying to prevent it from not getting any worse than we already have made it by cutting energy use. Doing simple things such as carpooling, or insulating your walls, and keeping the door shut to any room that is not being used will help save on energy and assist the world to fight climate change.

If some of you out there don't care about what is happening, or think that what suggestions that are being made won't make a difference, then I guess you like the idea of the heat waves of over 100 degrees and strong hurricanes destroying communities. If you think none of this is going to work, the least you could do is try, in your mind it may not save us from global warming, but it will sure help to lower those electric bills.